Sarnia's mayor hopes the United States clarifies vaccine requirements before reopening land borders to fully vaccinated individuals next month.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) currently doesn't recognize mixed COVID-19 vaccines and hasn't said if individuals with two different doses will be blocked from entry.
Mike Bradley has asked his fellow Ontario border mayors to press for a solution.
"The Canadian government needs to stand up to the American government and say that this vaccine was approved for use in Canada and you need to allow people who have this vaccine to cross the border because we've accepted it and you should too, and the World Health Organization has supported that particular vaccine too," said Bradley.
Bradley also wants clarification when it comes to providing a negative COVID-19 test when returning to Canada.
"Is it really redundant now? Now that they're demanding that you have two shots to cross the border either way. So, those issues need to be dealt with."
Bradley said border city mayors were disappointed in July when Canada opened its border to fully vaccinated Americans and the United States didn't do the same in return.
He has a theory about the November push.
"In the past number of years before COVID, it was for people to travel from Canada to the U.S. to shop. It's Black Friday, there was the American Thanksgiving, and I think that's where the real push is coming from -- particularly from New York and from Michigan."
Canadians have been barred from travelling to the U.S. by land since the pandemic started in March 2020, other than for essential reasons.
