It’s Not A Loophole

If you repeat it, if you say it louder, if that is your talking point, people will totally believe it. This was a quote from one of Canada’s cabinet ministers in our federal government. If you repeat it, people will totally believe it.

From the Toronto Star: Canadian snowbirds find creative way to get to Florida.

Up until a few weeks ago, Canadian snowbird Diane Rood and her husband, Theo, weren’t sure if they were going to be able to make it to their winter getaway in Florida this year, given the COVID-19-related restrictions on crossing the border by car.

“I have arthritis. The thought of staying in Canada with our cold, damp weather just seemed inconceivable,” she said.

The couple from Lambton Shores, Ont., who always drive to Florida, contemplated taking a commercial flight. But that would mean not having a vehicle when they arrived. Plus, they’d have to leave their beloved black Labrador, Abby, behind.

After listening to his mother’s gripes, Jeremy Rood, a helicopter pilot with Great Lakes Helicopter in Cambridge, Ont., got in touch with a friend, Greg McClay, who operates a commercial trucking business, GRM Transportation, out of Dorchester, Ont. It turned out his grandparents were facing the same dilemma.

After some brainstorming, they came up with a solution.

McClay would take snowbirds’ personal vehicles across the border on his flatbed truck to the Buffalo airport, while Rood would transport the cars’ owners — plus any pets — over the border in his helicopter to the same airport. Once landed, the owners could just get in their vehicles and be on their way, making the roughly 2,000-kilometre drive to Florida.

“This solved all of our problems,” Rood’s mother said Monday.

“It went as smooth as silk. … Within minutes, we were out of the helicopter and at our car.”

Since advertising their solution on the Canadian Snowbirds in Florida Facebook group recently, Rood and McClay say they’ve received hundreds of inquiries. They’ve already done a handful of trips and, as of Monday afternoon, had an additional 35 to 40 trips booked.

“It’s been an exceptional year. We have a roadblock that’s been put in place. But there’s a way around it. We’re doing this to get people down there, so they can enjoy and be healthier. That makes me happy,” Rood said.

“It’s not a loophole,” he added.

Got it. It’s not a loophole.

Here is a picture of the couple in front of the helicopter that carried them across the border.

Always follow the rules:

“We’re just playing by the rules, right?” Charlton said. “Those are the rules. The land border is closed. You’re still allowed to fly. That’s not necessarily a loophole. That’s just what’s legal right now.”

Renting a helicopter to hop across the border? Using a trucking company under the pretence of an essential transport of an automobile? Spending thousands of dollars to get around the land border closure? All in defiance of a ban on non-essential travel?

Definitely not a loophole.

If you repeat it, people will believe it.