The Canadian government has implemented additional measures for domestic air travel.  Domestic flights will apply measures similar to that of international flights to protect travellers. These measures include:

• Travellers will undergo health checks prior to boarding;
• Anyone who is symptomatic will be denied boarding as will any traveller who has been denied boarding the past 14 days;
• Travellers may also be required to follow provincial measures, such as self-isolation.

The Government of Canada recommends anyone travelling to take the Public Health Agency of Canada’s self-assessment test before they depart to the airport.

Provincial restrictions

Several domestic flights have been impacted by COVID-19 which has presumably assisted in community transmission of the disease. 

Many provinces have taken a stand with entering travellers:

Nova Scotia has declared anyone entering the province must self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of being asymptomatic.;

Alberta advises that passengers in affected seats from domestic flights are considered “close contacts” and are at risk of exposure and are legally required to self-isolate for 14 days and monitor for symptoms;

Travellers entering Manitoba are strongly recommended to self-isolate for 14 days if they are from a different province, with a few exceptions.

Quebec has implemented restrictions on travel between regions for non-essential purposes, in order to protect its population and try to flatten the curve.  It is currently recommend to avoid all non-essential travel.

Identification requirements for domestic travel

Some provincial governments have suspended non-essential services, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The suspension of services could result in Canadians having invalid or expired identification. As a result, the Government of Canada will allow air carriers to accept government-issued identification that has expired after March 1, 2020. This temporary exemption is in effect until June 30, 2020 and applies to domestic flights only.  Travellers will need to show one of the documents when boarding:

• one (1) piece of photo identification issued by a Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government with their full name and date of birth (examples include: driver’s license, passport, Canadian PR card); OR
• two (2) pieces of identification issued by a Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government. Both must have your name and at least one must have their full name and date of birth (an example is birth certificate, passport, driver’s license etc.)

We will continue to update our clients with information as soon as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this topic, other COVID-19 related questions, or would like assistance with developing and/or reviewing pandemic plans, please do not hesitate to contact a Mathews Dinsdale lawyer, or refer to the Firm’s COVID-19 website resources.