(Canadian Press)

By Justin Goulet

Two people charged by Transport Canada for violating COVID-19 flight requirements

May 6, 2021 | 7:42 AM

OTTAWA, ON – Transport Canada has fined two people for presenting fraudulent COVID-19 pre-departure test results.

The first passenger was issued a fine of $2,500 for presenting an altered COVID-19 test and “knowingly boarding” a flight from the Dominican Republic to Toronto on February 8, 2021.

The second individual was fined $6,500 for presenting an altered COVID-19 test and boarding a flight from the United States to Toronto on April 3, 2021.

In this instance, the passenger also made a false declaration to the air carrier about their health status.

Pre-departure testing is one of the key measures being taken to protect Canadians from COVID-19 and helps prevent air travel from being a source for the spread of the virus.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

Under the Interim Order Respecting Certain Requirements for Civil Aviation Due to COVID-19, air travellers are prohibited from knowingly providing misleading or false COVID-19 test documents.

Under the order, a traveller must obtain a negative result on a COVID-19 molecular test within 72 hours of boarding any flight inbound to Canada, or proof of a positive test result within at leas 14 days and no more than 90 days prior to arrival, and present the results to the air crew before boarding a plane.

Any passenger who fails to comply with the order could be subject to fines of up to $5,000 per violation.

These are not the first instances of passengers being fines for violating health measures.

• Two people on a flight to Canada from Mexico on January 23, 2021 were fined $10,000 and $7,000 respectively for presenting a false or misleading COVID-19 test and for making a false declaration about their health status.
• One passenger on a flight to Canada from Mexico on January 18, 2021 was fined $1,000 for failing to provide the air carrier with evidence that they received a negative result for a COVID-19 molecular test that was performed on a specimen collected no more than 72 hours before the aircraft’s initial scheduled departure time.
• One passenger on a flight to Canada from Germany on February 25, 2021 was fined $2,500 for failing to respect a mandatory quarantine order and for making a false declaration about their health status.

As of April 25, 2021, 99 per cent of travellers arriving by air were compliant or exempt from the pre-board testing requirements. More on the measures issued by Transport Canada can be found here.