BirdTalk Dear Bird Talk, Is the CSA in any discussion with Florida regarding if Canadian snowbirds go to their winter homes and a vaccine becomes available, will Canadians be allowed to get vaccinated? Robert Gould Renfrew, ON Ed.: Nine people, all Canadians, came with us to Florida in late December. We have all been vaccinated with the Moderna COVID vaccine and it was FREE. Three of us were well under age 65. The process was very easy and simple. Dear Bird Talk, We are winter Texans and would like to know if you feel that it is safe to fly down for the winter. Look forward to your response. Bryan Klinkhammer Winnipeg, MB Ed.: Based on COVID statistics which I have seen for airline travel and Texas, I believe that you would be very safe; perhaps safer than in Canada. Medipac insures many Winter Texans and we have seen no real difference in claims from year to year due to COVID. Dear Bird Talk, The Canadian Government is working hard at procuring the vaccines and getting people to accept and get the vaccination, but aren’t showing enough confidence in it to use a vaccination certificate to allow entrance into the country, even with the 14-day quarantine requirement. Are all the additional tests (expense) punitive, or a lack of trust in the vaccine on their part? Glenn Duncan Sanford, MB Ed.: I believe that the governments and even the medical community really do not have a handle on the COVID-19 virus and especially its variants. In that instance, they will try everything until they get it right. That could take a very long time. Dear Bird Talk, I am a Canadian snowbird. In 2016, I married an American citizen who owns her own home in Florida. Typically, we spend five months at her home in Florida and the remainder of the year at my home inOntario. With the above in mind, will I be allowed to cross at a land-border crossing with her? Norman Andrews Southampton, ON Ed.: The simple answer is “No.” You cannot travel to the U.S. on a Canadian passport at this time unless you fly. There is a slight chance that a friendly border guard might let you in since you are married, and can prove it, but I would not chance it. We are aware of two similar situations in which entry was denied. Dear Bird Talk, Perhaps the worst idea of all time, the Feds are looking to jam all people arriving into Canada into hotels until their arrival swab results show negative. While the intent is to sanitize people flying in from overseas, the net result would be the hundreds of thousands of snowbirds flying back from the U.S. in March and April. Can you imagine the logistical nightmare of implementing such a system? Can you imagine forcing 85-yearold snowbirds into some hotel, instead of their safe, sanitized home? Can you imagine the lawsuits that would occur if someone caught COVID at the hotels themselves? Further, when people inevitably defy the orders to protect their own health and go straight home and inevitably get fined, can you imagine the jam-up and nightmare of enforcing those fines to seniors in court? I have never seen a better opportunity for the CSA to step up and speak up on behalf of its members. Oh, and before you encourage us to contact our local member of Parliament, don’t bother. The Feds have already put all incoming phone calls from Alberta and Saskatchewan on voicemail. Rob White Red Deer, AB Ed.: Every point you make is right on the button and I agree with all of these comments. I can also reassure you that the CSA board members and CSA senior staff are working very hard to rectify this. They are discussing these issues directly with ministers, as well as with their staff whom they know very well. Fingers crossed. 8 | www.snowbirds.org
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