A Kentucky man has been busted for violating a quarantine order in Banff National Park in the Alberta Rockies back in late June. The man could face a fine of up to $750,000 or six months in jail.
American visitors have been able to access Canada through a loophole that allows Americans to travel through Canada on the way to and from Alaska. However, Americans entering Canada on their way to Alaska are barred from driving through national parks, leisure sites and tourism locations.
John Pennington, 40, was fined $1,200 on June 25 after staff at a Banff hotel called the RCMP saying they believed the United States citizen was violating the Alberta Public Health Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.
RCMP officers received a second complaint the following day after a person witnessed a car with American plates in a parking lot near the gondola to Sulphur Mountain.
“As a result of him again allegedly being in violation of the quarantine through his travels, there was some consultation with a quarantine officer in Calgary and the decision was made to charge Mr. Pennington under the federal Quarantine Act,” said RCMP Cpl. Tammy Keibel in Calgary.
Pennington was arrested and subsequently released for a court date in November. He faces a fine of up to $750,000 CAD as well as six months in jail.
Pennington was escorted out of the park boundaries and told to continue on his journey.
