Visiting his Surrey girlfriend will cost a Washington State man $2,000 as a result of his unauthorized entry into Canada in violation of COVID-19 border rules.
The RCMP said members with the force’s marine Shiprider program were patrolling along the marine border in the Southern Gulf Islands when they spotted a cabin cruiser out of Bellingham anchored in the Crescent Beach Channel near Blackie Spit.
Police said the boat’s occupants were identified as a 49-year-old man from Bellingham and a 50-year-old woman from Surrey. He had left home that morning to pick her up but failed to report his border crossing. He was arrested under the Quarantine Act and his boat seized.
“A search of the man's vessel confirmed that the trip was simply personal in nature and no other criminality was involved,” police said.
He was fined $1,000 for contravening the act and he was released. He was required to pay an additional $1,000 for the return of his vessel and required to leave Canada immediately.
The woman was taken to Crescent Beach Marina with plans to self-isolate and get a COVID test if she experiences any symptoms in the next 14 days.
The border has been closed since March with some exceptions. Despite those, thousands continue to enter Canada.
Canada began cracking down heavily on U.S. visitors in July, restricting routes for those heading to Alaska.
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