Striking Canadian border agents reach deal on salaries

A strike by Canadian border agents has ended with an agreement on raises and other issues, a union announced.

Thousands of agents joined the work-to-rule strike Friday, three days before the land crossing reopens to Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

Inoculated US citizens and permanent residents will be allowed to enter Canada for non-essential travel from Monday without any quarantine requirements for the first time since March last year.

But operations were deliberately slowed at the border on Friday as strikers complained of a “toxic work environment at the agency” and demanded more robust protections against harassment and discrimination.

“Travelers and commercial carriers entering Canada can expect long lines and delays at border crossings and airports starting Friday, August 6, as 9,000 members of the Canada Border Services Agency go on strike across the country,” the union said earlier this week in a statement.