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10-26-2021 - No. 11Mayor Jim Diodati & Niagara Falls City Council No. 11 i CITY OF CANADA N�4GARA FAILS Moved by: Councillor Chris Dabrowski Seconded by: Councillor Mike Strange City Hall 4310 Queen Street P.O. Box 1023 Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5 web site: www.niagarafalls.ca (905) 356-7521 Ext. 4201 Fax: (905) 374-3357 jdiodati@niagarafalls.ca October 26, 2021 RESOLUTION COVID-19 Testing — Land Border Crossing WHEREAS the communities of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York enjoy a close, longstanding history that goes back centuries and includes many ties of friendship and family across the world's longest undefended border; and WHEREAS Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York are like one City, divided by our international border; and WHEREAS the nations of Canada and the United States enjoy bonds and alliances that include a shared history, supporting one another through challenging times, world wars, and the aftermath of 9/11, both here at home and abroad during the shared mission to Afghanistan that cost many Canadian lives; and WHEREAS Canadian citizens have endured hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the unprecedented extended closure of the land border between Canada and the United States; and WHEREAS the United States government will be opening the land borders to Canadian travelers as of November 8, 2021, following the opening of our border to American travelers as of August 9, 2021; and 1 WHEREAS the Canadian government is continuing to insist that fully vaccinated Canadian and American travelers to Canada pay for a costly and difficult to source molecular COVID-19 (PCR) test in order to return through the land borders into Canada; and WHEREAS this test will continue to make travel between the United States and Canada through the land borders prohibitive due to its high cost and added time, especially for day travelers who make up the vast majority of local visitors using any one of our international bridges into Niagara; and THEREFORE be it resolved that the City of Niagara Falls request that the Federal Government remove the requirement to show negative PCR test results for all travelers at land borders who prove they are fully vaccinated. AND THAT copies of this resolution be sent to the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness; the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; Tony Baldinelli, MP, Niagara Falls; Wayne Gates, MPP, Niagara Falls; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and to the Canadian border cities in the Niagara Region. AND The Seal of the Corporation be hereto affixed. Carried WILLIAM G. MATSON CITY CLERK K JAMES M. DIODATI MAYOR