Police probe possible refusals by air travellers to quarantine

Calgary police say they're investigating several refusals by travellers to quarantine in hotels as required by federal orders.

And federal officials say they believe nine tickets have been issued for the offence under provincial legislation.

Those police investigations could lead to fines, though no charges have yet been laid in Calgary since Feb. 22 when Ottawa mandated the threeday, self-paid hotel stays where returning international travellers must await COVID -19 test results. “We have a number of investigations ongoing,” said a Calgary Police Service spokesperson, adding those under investigation aren't detained upon arrival.

“That doesn't mean fines aren't coming … This does allow a long-form summons to be issued after the fact.”

The Public Health Agency of Canada has said that, as of March 30, there had been fines levied against 219 people for refusing to report to a government-designated hotel upon arriving in the country — a stay that could cost them several thousand dollars.

They must then complete the rest of their mandatory 14-day quarantine at home.

At least 106 of those $3,000 fines were issued to travellers arriving in Vancouver, according to the agency.

Airports in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal have been designated receptors for international arrivals under the nearly two-month-old policy.

There have been concerns expressed at some of the airports about a lack of personnel to ensure international arrivals report to a hotel, though a Calgary police spokesperson said Friday no further information on the local situation was available.

Unlike most provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan's enforcement of those hotel quarantine rules isn't being done under federal Contravention Regulations, though enforcement can be carried out by RCMP and municipal police under the Quarantine Act and Criminal Code, said Public Health Agency of Canada spokeswoman Tammy Jarbeau. Even so, Jarbeau said in a statement “(PHAC) is not aware of any enforcement actions taken in Alberta for travellers refusing to go to a (designated hotel) under the Quarantine Act or the Criminal Code.

“While the Agency works closely with local law enforcement and receives data on most enforcement activities taken under the Quarantine Act, police services are not required to send enforcement information to PHAC.”

Because of that, there might be local enforcement actions unaccounted for by the federal agency, she added.

An Alberta Justice and Solicitor General official was asked why the province, unlike most others, doesn't enforce quarantine measures under the Contravention Regulations and if that compromised safety in any way.

The ministry had not issued a response as of late Friday afternoon.