Fears of spread grow in B.C. as virus rages in Alberta

With signs on the B.C.-Alberta border the only thing to deter our provincial neighbours from vacationing here, there's growing concern that Alberta's high COVID -19 rates could spill into B.C., just as cases edge downward here.

Alberta has more than 23,000 active COVID-19 infections and has the highest case rate of any jurisdiction in North America. A record 154 infected people were in intensive care on Monday.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control is warning that as Alberta grapples with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita in Canada, interprovincial travel could increase transmission in B.C.

Alberta's daily COVID cases have been on a steady upward path since March, nearing 40 cases a day for every 100,000 people. In comparison, B.C.'s daily cases have been trending down since the second week of April, hitting about 17 cases a day for every 100,000 people for the week of April 23 to 29.

On Tuesday, Premier Jason Kenney announced all school students will move to online learning. Alberta will close restaurant patios, hair salons and tattoo parlours and reduce the customer capacity of retail shops to no more than 10 per cent. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to five people instead of 10.

Peter Milobar, B.C. Liberal MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, said he and his fellow MLAs have heard from frustrated constituents who feel the province's new travel restrictions are tougher on British Columbians than out-ofprovince travellers.

“We're neighbouring a jurisdiction that's having major struggles,” Milobar said. “That's what we're hearing from people in the Kootenays and border areas, they don't understand why a B.C. resident is subjected to one set of rules and an Alberta resident is subjected to another set of rules.”

A public health order that came into effect April 23 means that British Columbians who travel between zones for non-essential reasons could face a $575 fine. The order, in effect until May 25, divides the province into three regional zones, a combined zone for Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Valley, another one for the Northern/Interior health regions and a third for Vancouver Island.

The travel restrictions do not prohibit interprovincial travel, which means there's no penalties for Albertans or any out-of-province travellers who come to B.C. unless they cross regional boundaries. The restrictions do not apply to air travel, which is a federal jurisdiction.

Milobar said the province touted the travel restrictions as a way to prevent people from COVID-19 hot spots in the Fraser Health region from travelling to Vancouver Island and the Interior and Northern B.C., but the only deterrent for people in Alberta, Canada's new COVID hot spot, is a highway sign.

Once in B.C., visitors from Alberta face the same travel restrictions as B.C. residents, which means those travelling for non-essential reasons are required to stay in one zone, said B.C. RCMP spokeswoman Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said last week that while travelling to B.C. might not earn Albertans a fine, they are being asked to stay away.

“Our message at this point is we really like our Alberta friends, but now is not the time to visit British Columbia,” Farnworth said Friday. “Certainly not for the next five weeks. … We've got real issues in terms of COVID, the transmission of the virus and the variants. People need to stay local, in their own community.”

Premier John Horgan has said because of B.C.'s long border with Alberta, restricting cross-border travel would be too difficult. Horgan said in January that a legal opinion received by the province indicates that much of the current interprovincial travel is work-related and therefore cannot be restricted.

However, the Maritime provinces and northern territories have mandatory 14-day quarantine rules for any out-of-province travellers.

Horgan must make the taxpayer-funded legal opinion public, Milobar said.

Dawson Creek Mayor Dale Bumstead is confident workers, not holidaymakers, are doing most of the cross-border travel between his northeastern B.C. town and Grande Prairie, Alta.

With Dawson Creek only 15 kilometres from the Alberta border, Bumstead said many residents of the two towns cross into the neighbouring province for work in the forestry, agriculture or energy sector.

Our message at this point is we really like our Alberta friends, but now is not the time to visit British Columbia.