‘Like a punch in the gut’: B.C. man describes trying to move to Nova Scotia

While moving can be challenging at any time, it has proven to be even more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Surinder Dhillon, his wife Gurinder and their son Zion arrived at their new home in Point Edwards, N.S. late Friday night after being stuck for days on the Quebec side of the New Brunswick border.

“I’ve never been homeless but that feeling was like a punch in the gut. Even though you have a home you can’t go there.”

Dhillon says they sold their house in Shirley, B.C. in April after buying a house in Cape Breton.

“We’re very relieved,” Gurinder said on Saturday afternoon from their new home.

Dhillon and his family spent four days in an RV on the Quebec side of the border after being told by New Brunswick border workers that they could not enter without being cleared by Nova Scotia. The family already had a letter approving their entry into Nova Scotia, along with the deed to their new home in Cape Breton, but they were told they would have to reapply.

“They weren’t helpful at all,” Dhillon said of the New Brunswick border workers they encountered on May 10. “They said, ‘We won’t allow you in because of the instructions from Nova Scotia.’ Well, let us deal with Nova Scotia.”

Border workers gave them a piece of paper with an email and told them to wait for 48 hours. After four days, they ran out of propane for the generator in their RV. They decided to take a chance and try again and were let through.

“We decided to take it into our hands,” Dhillon said. “We have a four-year-old kid, we can’t just keep him in a motorhome.”

“When we got to the Nova Scotia border, we cheered,” Dhillon said.

1:58 Nova Scotia outlines tougher COVID-19 measures amid record-breaking cases

The Dhillons are one of many families that have been struggling to enter Nova Scotia over the last week since the province implemented its strongest border measures to date in response to surging COVID-19 cases. On May 7, the province said it would no longer be letting in those moving to the province as of 8 a.m. on May 10.

Dhillon said he got a call from his real estate agent with a heads-up about the changes while they were in Saskatchewan — about 3,300 km away from the border — with just 42 hours until the border closed.

Nova Scotia ended up easing the rules on May 10, saying anyone who had bought a house and had previously been approved could enter. Those who had closing dates May 20 and before could also apply to enter.

Those moving to Nova Scotia are allowed to drive through New Brunswick, as long as they have been approved by Nova Scotia.

“Driving through New Brunswick to reach another destination is an approved reason for entry, but of course travellers must register through the Travel Registration Program. And we can’t speak to N.S.’s restrictions,” said Elaine Bell, a spokesperson for the New Brunswick department of justice and public safety.

Dhillon says he hopes the situation has been ironed out so other families don’t have to spend days at the border like his did.

“I hope nobody else has to go through what we went through,” Dhillon said.

“If you have the paperwork, don’t turn around.”