As of Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., the checkpoints at border crossings, including the Long Sault Bridge between Hawkesbury and Grenville, and at Highway 417-Autoroute 40, were lifted. Non-essential travel is permitted between the two provinces, and Quebec residents returning from Ontario will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days.
On Monday, representatives of both the Ontario and Quebec governments announced that they would not renew their border closures after June 16. Quebec’s Public Safety Minister and Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault said Ontarians were free to enter the province, but would need to abide by the same health restrictions as locals. Ontario’s Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said similar rules would apply in her province, and said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr David Williams supported the lifting of the restrictions.
The restrictions were implemented as the third wave ripped through both provinces. Ontario announced border restrictions between Quebec and Manitoba on April 16, with the Quebec government subsequently announcing its own enforcement. Police checkpoints were set up on both sides of the border, with would-be travellers turned away or ticketed.
The border restrictions lasted two weeks longer than Ontario’s stay at home order, which ended on June 2. The provincial government extended the restrictions on May 28.
