With Canadian border closed, here’s how to get a refund on B.C. camping reservations

Whatcom County residents looking to camp in Canada will be disappointed this summer.

British Columbia joined neighboring provinces Alberta and Saskatchewan by banning non-residents from using its campgrounds. Non-residents with active reservations should contact the BC Parks call center at 800-689-9025 before June 15 to cancel and get a full refund, according to the BC Parks website.

Any reservations made by non-residents after May 25 will be canceled without a refund. Campers will be asked to show identification proving their residency, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

All parks in British Columbia have been closed since April 8 but some have started to re-open over the last couple of weeks. Wells Gray, Tatshenshini-Alsek and Strathcona opened for day use on May 14 with some exceptions, while Liard River Hot Springs and Naikoon are still closed entirely. A full list is online at bcparks.ca.

Most provincial campgrounds and back-country camping will open on June 1 with social distancing protocols in place.

However Canada and the United States agreed to restrict all non-essential travel to Canada until at least June 21, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling the border “a source of vulnerability” during the coronavirus pandemic.

And while U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was looking forward to the eventual end of the border restrictions, Trudeau said in April that it would take “many weeks” to re-open the border.