Glen and Thelma Perry, a Barrie couple in their 80s who continue to do missionary work, say they plan to fight more than $12,000 in COVID-related tickets despite offers from people to pay the fines.
But they just don't think that would be right to have others pay, and want to take their battle to the courts.
As previously reported by BarrieToday, the Perrys arrived at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on July 4 after having returned from missionary work in Jamaica.
They arrived home just a few hours before the rules around government-ordered hotel stays for travelling Canadians were set to expire.
The Perrys, who earn a combined annual salary of $12,000 for their missionary work, were each issued a ticket for $6,255 — for a total of $12,510.
Their daughter, Joan Trensch, said her parents are doing well, despite the ongoing ordeal. A suggestion was made to the family to reach out for help through a GoFundMe account, but Trensch says her parents don’t believe that's right.
“We feel that paying the ticket is giving in to a system that should not be existent,” Trensch told BarrieToday. “We will be going to court to fight it and hopefully the outcome will be positive.”
There are three options on the ticket, with the first one being to plead guilty. The second is an early resolution. The last is to go to trial, which the Perrys are choosing to do.
The Barrie couple was completely vaccinated before landing in Toronto and finished their two-week isolation period on July 28.
Thelma says she doesn't want anyone to have to pay the fine and feels it's a shame that it's so high.
"Over $6,000 apiece? How did they get that number? That's a high number at any time, but in these current days, it is just terrible," she said.
The couple won't know their court date for several more weeks, but believe they can have the ticket thrown out.
Trensch says she may have just paid the fine herself if it were lower, "just to get them (those enforcing the ticket) out of my hair."
But she believes the situation is just too much to not do anything.
"My parents missed the deadline by a couple hours because they weren't planning to be crossing yet, and over $12,000 in fines were given," Trensch said. "It is completely wrong and we can't let it happen without a fight."
The federal government ended its mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated Canadians returning from abroad on July 5. Prior to that, Canadians would have to stay at a government-approved hotel for three days and quarantine for two.
Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard said he heard back from Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair's office, who passed it off to federal Health Minister Patty Hadju's staff.
"I haven't heard anything since and I didn't hear anything from her office on this even after I sent the letter to both ministers directly," the Conservative MP told BarrieToday.
"I commend the Perrys on how they're handling this," Brassard added. "Not wanting to take the money of strangers, and many have offered, until they fight what is just a ridiculous situation.
