ArriveCan usage drops to 4% as voluntary adoption plummets

Only 4% of cross-border travelers are using the federal ArriveCan app, according to new data, as its popularity has sharply declined since mandatory use ended on October 1, 2022.

Blacklock's Reporter says despite its initial promise as a travel aid during the pandemic, the app has become largely irrelevant to most travelers.

“During the pandemic, ArriveCan was a tool to collect mandatory health information while facilitating travel,” cabinet wrote in an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons.

“The app is now an optional tool for travelers who want to expedite their border experience.”

Between January 1 and October 27 of this year, 79,768,124 people entered Canada by air, rail, boat, or motor vehicle at land crossings. Of those, only 3,476,401 — approximately 4% — used the ArriveCan app, according to data provided in response to a question from Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli (Niagara Falls, Ont.).

The ArriveCan program, which cost $59.5 million, is currently the subject of several audits and an RCMP investigation into allegations of fraudulent billing. Federal officials have yet to provide a clear rationale for the app’s launch.

Initially, the app was touted as a timesaver for travelers, with the Department of Public Safety claiming it would save users “about five minutes.” However, this claim was later debunked.

ArriveCan was also promoted as a lifesaving measure. The Public Health Agency, in a report to the Commons government operations committee in 2023, admitted it had no evidence to support this claim.

“The Agency cannot quantify the exact number of lives indirectly saved through ArriveCan,” it wrote.

A February 20 memo from the Public Health Agency cited concerns about paper Customs forms as one reason for introducing the app.

“Early in the pandemic before the transmission vectors of Covid were well understood, there was suspicion the virus could ‘live’ on and be transmitted via the paper forms,” said the memo, Benefits of ArriveCan.

It added that processing paper forms with biohazard protocols was time-consuming.

However, federal scientists disputed the idea that paper posed a significant transmission risk. “The risk is not really out there,” said Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer, during a March 2020 press briefing when asked about the safety of handling mail.