A Canadian Adventure


The Countdown Begins




In just twelve days our Canadian adventure begins, though not quite as we envisioned, as for three days we will be quarantining in an airport hotel in Toronto until a clear Covid 19 test arrives.  

The onward journey to Vancouver, with six months worth of luggage, sees the start of the remaining eleven days of quarantining in a house in North Vancouver.  There we await the arrival of Jack, our spaniel cross, who arrives a week after us.  We decided three days locked in a hotel room would not be fair on him, or us!

The seed was sown this time last year on a visit to see our son and fiancee's wedding venue.  The day after we returned to the UK the lockdown began, as did the planning for how we might make it all happen.  It is an experiment and we will give it six months,  but after numerous visits to both Ontario and British Columbia, we have a feeling it might well be a successful one.  As the plan developed we did not expect the effects of Covid to be quite so profound.  Who did?

With signs that there was light at the end of the long Covid tunnel, flights were booked with Air Canada.  The battle to recover the cost of British Airways flights that were converted to a voucher when flights and the wedding were postponed due to Covid, continue.  Despite the fact BA are unable to fly us when we want to travel, is not sufficient justification to warrant the cash being returned.  It seems that 25 years of loyalty to the airline has ben misplaced.

A few hours after the Air Canada flights were booked, an email arrived to say they had been cancelled following a Canadian Government ruling that direct flights from the UK to Vancouver should stop, until later in the spring.  Hence the routing through Toronto.  That said, Air Canada have ben more than helpful organising flights around our quarantine obligations.  A marked contrast to BA.  

Knowing we met the Canadian entry requirements under their reuniting family initiative as our a son is a permanent resident, the UK decision to restrict international travel rather caught us out.  Close study of the guidelines, advice from a solicitor and a mountain of paperwork for both ends of the journey we are almost ready to go.  The removers arrive the day after tomorrow.
Location: Burbage, Marlborough SN8, UK

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