Here's Where You Can & Can't Visit In Canada Right Now If You Live In Ontario

Lots of people in Ontario will be hoping they can head to their home province for the holidays this year.

But travelling in Canada is complicated right now, and each province has its own restrictions which can be confusing for holiday season travellers.

There are plenty of exceptions to each province's regulations for people who are working in critical care fields like the health sector or emergency services.

And it is important to note that Ontario Premier Doug Ford has asked residents in the province to stay put rather than risk spreading COVID-19 elsewhere.*

But for most Ontarians, the following rules apply.

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Which provinces require visitors to self-isolate?

The Atlantic Bubble — which consists of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and P.E.I. — has a strict 14-day self-isolation rule in place for most people travelling into the bubble from outside.

But Newfoundland and Labrador aren't accepting any visitors who aren't asymptomatic workers in essential fields or who have special clearance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health.*

There are restricted lists of people who can enter P.E.I. and New Brunswick, as well, but they do include non-residents who have family in the province.*

But after self-isolating, people in the Atlantic Bubble can travel more freely among the four provinces.

Manitoba also has an enforced two-week self-isolation restriction, but residents of Northwestern Ontario (anywhere west of Terrace Bay) are exempt from the requirement, as long as they haven't travelled anywhere else before entering Manitoba.

The Yukon and Nunavut also require self-isolation, although travellers to Nunavut must self-isolate in an approved city for two weeks before they cross the border.

Which provinces are fully open?

Not all provinces require you to quarantine for two weeks before you can visit.

Saskatchewan and Alberta are currently accepting visitors from elsewhere in Canada with no questions asked.

Saskatchewan does recommend that travellers take precautions by self-monitoring for 14 days and staying two metres away from other people during their time in the province.

Visitors travelling to Alberta should, however, be aware of the recent restrictions that were put in place for two weeks starting on November 12. 

Are there any places Ontarians can't travel at all?

There are a few places in Canada that are currently completely off-limits to all non-essential travel.*

Non-essential visitors are not allowed in the Northwest Territories unless they have been granted an exemption for exceptional circumstances.*

The Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions in British Columbia are also off-limits.

A recent update notes that while flights in and out of B.C. are not restricted, travel in and out of the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley should be limited to essential travel only.

Travelling for vacations or to visit friends outside of your core bubble should be postponed.

B.C. is currently seeing a spike in COVID-19 numbers and has shut down a part of their province in order to prevent a larger outbreak.

Many cities in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, including Vancouver, are shut off to visitors and will be until at least November 23.

The B.C. government has posted a list of the communities affected.

The rest of the province is currently open for travellers with no self-isolation requirements.

And finally, non-essential visitors are not allowed inside the territories of Nunavik and the Cree Territory of James Bay in Quebec. There is no timeline for when travellers to the region will be allowed to enter.

Just like B.C., though, the rest of Quebec is open without any restrictions. 

*This article has been updated.