Federal government spent $388 million on COVID-19 quarantine hotels across Canada
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The federal government spent nearly $400 million on quarantine hotel contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic, including nearly $80 million in 2022, according to the latest figures from Health Canada.
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Tammy Jarbeau, a spokeswoman for Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, confirmed in an email on Wednesday that the government spent $388.7 million on designated quarantine facilities between March 2020 and September 2022.
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Broken down by fiscal year, it totaled $158.5 million in 2020-21, $153 million in 2021-22 and $77.2 million in 2022-23. The year 2022-23 came after many public health restrictions, including those related to travel, were eased or lifted.
“The costs associated with this program included lodging, meals, security, travel assistance and transportation,” Jarbeau said. “The Canadian government has always been committed to protecting Canadians and has adjusted our COVID-19 response based on the latest science and evidence. Designated quarantine facilities complied with public health guidelines to quarantine travelers as required by emergency orders under the Quarantine Act.”
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The federal government has designated 38 quarantine facilities in 14 cities across Canada, including the Westin Calgary Airport in northeast Calgary. Edmonton was also one of the 14 participating cities.
$6.8 million to house 15 people in Calgary in 2022
The latest financial numbers come after a response to an order paper by Calgary Nose Hill Rep. Michelle Rempel Garner on Tuesday announced that the federal government had spent more than $6 million at the Westin in Calgary in 2022, with the Hotel housed 15 people who were quarantined.
Rempel Garner said Wednesday that the latest cross-Canada figures are a “waste of money” and are widely available across Canada.
The federal government spent over $6 million to house 15 people in Calgary quarantine hotel in 2022, documents show Braid: A $33,000-a-night hotel room is just one sign of broader federal madness
“It’s been across the country and if someone hasn’t already been fired because of it, this has to happen,” Rempel Garner said. “I think there are a lot more questions… Why was this necessary after the quarantine restrictions were lifted? Did someone just forget to cancel the contract?”
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International travel to Canada has been restricted to various levels during the pandemic, including a period in 2021 when most Canadians returning from non-essential international travel had to take a test and await the results at a designated quarantine hotel until a negative result was returned.
The government’s hotel stay requirement ended for all travelers on August 9, 2021. However, unvaccinated Canadians were required to isolate for 14 days upon entering the country.
One of four quarantine hotels in the Montreal area will be shown on February 19, 2021. Pierre Obendrauf/Postmedia Quarantine hotels phased out
Jarbeau said Wednesday that PHAC has finalized closure plans with hotels and that there are currently no designated quarantine facilities left in the country. She said public health experts said public health measures and vaccines helped prevent millions of COVID-19 infections and saved hundreds of thousands of lives across Canada.
“These facilities were an important measure to stop the spread and save lives,” Jarbeau said.
Health Secretary Jean-Yves Duclos said during Tuesday’s Question Time that protecting the health and safety of Canadians has been the government’s priority throughout the pandemic and reiterated that public health measures have helped achieve that goal .
Calgary Skyview Assemblyman George Chahal, whose rides include the Westin, did not respond to requests for comment.
