(Pexels)

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Two U.S. boaters fined after B.C. RCMP find they broke COVID rules in Canadian waters

Tourists, whale watching vessel fined for violating the Quarantine Act

  • Jul. 21, 2020 12:00 a.m.

Two U.S. boaters received $1,000 fines from the Canada Border Services Agency after B.C. RCMP discovered they entered Canadian waters under false pretenses.

In a Tuesday (July 21) release, RCMP said the first boater received their fine from the Pacific Shiprider Program after crossing into Canadian waters on July 10.

“It was clear the persons on this vessel had misstated their intention to travel to Alaska and had entered Canada for the purposes of tourism,” RCMP said. Non-essential travel across the U.S.–Canada border has been banned since mid-March, with the current closure set to expire on Aug. 21.

Mounties said a whale watching vessel also crossed the border on Friday (July 17) and was escorted back to U.S. waters.

Both vessel operators received a $1,000 fine after the Canadian Border Services Agency confirmed they had violated the Quarantine Act.

READ MORE: B.C. health officials pleased with likely extension of Canada-U.S. border closure

READ MORE: B.C. tourism industry seeks nearly half of COVID-19 recovery fund

READ MORE: ‘We’re on the edge’: B.C. records 102 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths since Friday


@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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Abbotsford News