Welcome home to Canada! Hope you enjoyed your honeymoon. By the way, the welcoming committee is here to greet you with $11,500 in COVID-19 fines..A Manitoba couple returning from their honeymoon received a $5,750 fine each at Vancouver airport Saturday..Contrary to multiple assurances, they received the wrong COVID-19 test in Mexico and couldn’t read the forms in Spanish to catch the mistake..The double-vaccinated, mask-wearing newlyweds followed the rules, thought they did everything right, and were repeatedly told all was OK to re-enter Canada..Chayse and Jaide Warkentin, of Eriksdale, 118 km north of Winnipeg, knew they had to have a COVID test 72 hours prior to returning home from Cabo San Jose. .They got tested..Having done their research, they knew antigen tests aren’t accepted for travelers entering Canada. .The Krystal Grand Hotel where they vacationed sent them to a clinic. COVID-19 tests were part of the all-inclusive. .They asked the nurse if she was administering the proper test Canada requires. She assured them she was. .They got the paperwork showing their negative tests results – in Spanish.. Screen-Shot-2021-08-10-at-1.11.38-PMChayse and Jaide Warkentin in Cabo .When they boarded Alaska Airlines to head to Los Angeles, they were told their COVID tests were acceptable..They were allowed to board their WestJet flight to Vancouver, expecting to catch their connecting flight to Winnipeg without any problems..But no. They were handed the maximum fines, a huge financial hit for two teachers just starting their careers, marriage; and hoping to buy a house..“We were fully aware it needed to be a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test. We were under the impression we were getting the correct test,” said Jaide, 24..“While we were at the hotel, we asked: ‘Is this the correct test for Canada?’ They said yes. .“At the airport in Cabo, they read it, it was all in Spanish. They said we were good to go.”.At the Los Angeles airport in line to catch a flight to Vancouver they felt bad for people ahead of them..“They were turned away because they had an antigen test, not a PCR molecular test. We were allowed to board the plane.”.In Vancouver, at Customs, they were sent to the public health kiosk to present their COVID test forms..“They asked ‘What language is this in?’ We said ‘Spanish.’ They pulled out a phone and used Google Translate. .They were told it was an antigen test, therefore, they would be each fined $5,750 for trying to enter Canada with an invalid test..“I asked: ‘Can you explain to me why we made it this far without having any knowledge of this? How were we allowed to board the plane to even come here?’” Jaide asked..“She literally said: ‘I don’t know.’”.At some point, Jaide broke into uncontrollable sobs..“It just sucked that this happened. We just got married on July 16 and had a small wedding to respect COVID rules. That is a big financial burden. We’re our first year out of university. It was devastating,” said the new bride..The RCMP and Chayse, 23, comforted her..“We are two people who have listened to and adhered to the government restrictions,” said Chayse..“Seeing her so upset hurt me because we genuinely had no clue we did anything wrong. I also knew she wasn’t crying because of the outrageous fine, but because she felt so bad.”.They were ordered to get tested again, and with no results, allowed to board the Winnipeg flight. .They have 30 days to pay or dispute the fines. .“It sounds like they tried to do everything right. So that seems troubling. Unfortunately, it sounds like maybe they were taken advantage of, or maybe not. I would probably encourage them to dispute the allegation,” said Vancouver criminal defence lawyer Sarah Leamon..“They would have to either travel here or else hire council in the area to represent them. They couldn’t waive the charge to Winnipeg, unfortunately. It would need to be heard in the jurisdiction it was issued,” said Leamon. .“If they wanted to run a trial on it, if their lawyer wasn’t able to work something out, they’d probably have to come back to give evidence. Or maybe their lawyer could file to have them testify remotely.”.Leamon said many COVID-19 rules don’t make sense. .“This is another example of that.”.Why did WestJet allow them on the initial flight, then on the flight to Winnipeg before their test results were available? .Madison Kruger, Westjet’s media relations advisor, told Western Standard it’s the guest’s responsibility to ensure they have the proper test..The government’s website states airlines have an obligation to ensure passengers are properly tested. It says: Airlines will refuse boarding to travelers who are unable to provide a valid molecular test result..The airline outlines government entrance requirements on its website stipulating international travelers must provide negative accepted tests. .“To comply with this regulation, guests are required to present a negative PCR or RT-LAMP test at check-in and Canada Custom. We take every opportunity to inform our guests of current COVID-19 travel restrictions and entrance requirements, including validating that every guest has a negative COVID-19 test result prior to boarding….”.Again, why were they allowed to board?.Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
