ArriveCAN
ArriveCAN is a Canadian mobile application which served as a vaccine passport during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was required by the Government of Canada to submit COVID-19 vaccine status and quarantine plans.[1]
History
ArriveCAN was created by a development team hired by GC Strategies through a pre-existing contract with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).[2]
Included in the border control web and mobile application’s exceptional $50+ million price tag was “$4.6 million (9%) to develop a proof of vaccination credential to authenticate and verify, in real time, using the industry standard ‘Smart Health Card,’ the traveller’s proof of vaccination delivered by provinces and territories, as well as international ones.”[3]
The app launched in April 2020.[4]
Aftermath
On February 12, 2024, the Auditor General of Canada published a report on ArriveCAN chastising its developers and the price paid by Canadians for the app.[5][6]
As of September 2024, at least 74 members of the Amish community received fines totalling nearing $300,000 for failing to use the ArriveCAN app, among other violations, due to their not using modern technology such as cell phones. According to The Democracy Fund (TDF), many of these individuals were not notified about their tickets or court dates, resulting in liens being placed on their properties. TDF filed applications to reopen these convictions.[7]
In June 2025, TDF filed applications on behalf of two new Amish clients aiming to set aside convictions under the Quarantine Act.[8]
External links
COVID-19: Use ArriveCAN to enter Canada. (2022, June 27). Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2022.07.02-122151/https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/services/arrivecan.html ↩︎
Clark, C. (2022, October 24). Nobody knows what happened with ArriveCan, but it sure was lucrative for some. The Globe and Mail. http://archive.today/2022.10.24-165744/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-nobody-knows-what-happened-with-arrivecan-but-it-sure-was-lucrative/ ↩︎
Canada Border Services Agency. (2022, October 24). ArriveCAN costs. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2023.06.15-231015/https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/fs-ef/2022/acc-cac-eng.html ↩︎
Johnson, M. (2023, June 1). $54 Million ArriveCAN Boondoggle Leads to Calls for Transparency. Open Jaw. https://web.archive.org/web/20230603041953/https://openjaw.com/newsroom/other-news/2023/06/01/54-million-arrivecan-boondoggle-leads-to-calls-for-transparency/ ↩︎
Office of the Auditor General of Canada. (2024, February 12). Report 1—ArriveCAN. Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20240213071753/https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/att__e_44429.html ↩︎
Aiello, R. (2024, February 12). “We paid too much”: Canada’s AG blasts CBSA over ArriveCan app. CTV News. https://web.archive.org/web/20240212172446/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/we-paid-too-much-canada-s-ag-blasts-cbsa-over-arrivecan-app-1.6765285 ↩︎
TDF steps in to support Amish community against unfair COVID-19 fines. (2024, September 18). The Democracy Fund. https://web.archive.org/web/20240929173800/https://www.thedemocracyfund.ca/tdf_support_amish_community_unfair_covid_fines ↩︎
TDF supports new Amish clients who relocated to Ohio. (2025, June 24). The Democracy Fund. https://www.thedemocracyfund.ca/tdf_files_court_documents_to_support_amish_community_in_quarantine_act_challenges ↩︎
Further reading
Liam Sturgess