The Timmins Chamber of Commerce is calling on Premier Ford to establish an assessment centre in the city, to allow business travellers to get the required COVID-19 test for international travel.
Since Monday, the assessment centre on Ross Avenue doesn’t offer that particular test.
Senior policy analyst at the chamber, Cameron Grant, says the nearest ones are in Sudbury and North Bay. “That’s close to a 600- or 700-km trip respectively,” he points out.
Grant says that adds to the cost on top of the $200.00 testing fee.
“Timmins boasts a strong component of the mining supply network and we travel often back and forth, even to our closest neighbours, the United States. So this poses a huge barrier.”
Life Labs is negotiating with the province to provide the service.
“We’re calling on the province to create that partnership to enable an assessment centre here that would allow for them to have those paid tests,” Grant states.
