Charles and Susan Lee, formally of Nanaimo and now residing in Qualicum Beach, are fighting a pair of expensive federal imposed COVID-19 travel fines applied earlier this year. (The Canadian Press)

By Ian Holmes

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‘It’s far too severe:’ Qualicum Beach couple disputes $11,400 COVID border fines

May 12, 2022 | 3:41 PM

NANAIMO — Dealing with a mounting health concern and facing a potentially extended stopover in Washington State, a pair of retirees elected to accept whopping fines and proceed home.

Charles Lee, 70, said their lab inspected COVID-19 PCR results weren’t available as expected at the Peace Arch border crossing in mid-January after driving from California following a two month vacation.

Lee said border services personnel referred them to an on-site Health Canada official who laid out their options: get tested on the U.S. side of the border and return with negative results, or receive fines and proceed home.

“We said ‘we’re not going to go back across and wait another seven to 10 days to try and find a test, wait for the results and then try and cross again because we could just be in this kind of groundhog day.’” Lee told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Charles and Susan Lee of Qualicum Beach decided to dispute federal COVID-19 testing fines applied following their re-entry into Canada on Jan. 13, 2022. (Submitted Photo)

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They were each fined $5,700 on the spot, handed PCR tests and ordered to quarantine for two weeks once arriving in Qualicum Beach, Lee said.

Back home with expensive fines in hand, the fully vaccinated couple received confirmation three days later that their PCR tests were negative.

His wife Susan, 72, suffering from increased intestinal pain, was transported to Nanaimo hospital shortly after returning home.

She remained at NRGH for five days with a pancreatitis diagnosis, Lee said.

He said said their ability to book PCR test appointments and receive timely results prior to returning from California was hampered by the Omicron wave, leading to high demand for tests.

The couple has an initial court appearance in Surrey scheduled for Thursday, May 19 which they plan to attend virtually.

“You’re hoping a justice is gong to sit and say ‘Given the circumstances is this really reasonable?’ We’re not really sure which way to proceed as far as even entering a plea.”

While Charles concedes they did break COVID pre-entry testing requirements, he hopes common sense will prevail and their fines will be forgiven or drastically reduced.

The Lees don’t have legal representation at the moment as their file churns through the constantly backlogged provincial court system.

“There should have been a system in place that would allow you, besides going through the court system to be able to, not necessarily dispute it, but at least show the evidence that we came back negative.” Lee said.

Shortly after returning home in mid-January, Lee said an employee of Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns’ office pledged to look further into their matter, however Lee said he hasn’t heard anything since.

On April 1 the federal government tossed out the requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to provide a negative PCR COVID-19 test to enter Canada.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes