With the U.S. scheduled to reopen the northern border to vaccinated Canadians next week, Congressman Brian Higgins is pushing Canada to drop COVID testing for travelers.

In a letter to the Canadian ambassador, Higgins asks for her government to end testing requirements for Americans who are vaccinated.

Higgins says right now only Canada requires a negative COVID test and proof of vaccination, regardless of citizenship.

He believes the cost and hassle of testing will discourage people from making the trip across the border, which he says would negatively impact an already damaged economy.

"The cost to being tested varies depending on location and federal, state, provincial, and local policies – in some cases, the tests required to gain entry to Canada can cost over $300 CAD with no guarantee of appointment availability," Higgins said. "In border communities such as Western New York and Southern Ontario, the local economies depend on the free flow of goods and people across the border, often multiple times per day. The expectation that fully vaccinated Canadians and Americans will be able to afford multiple tests per week for the indefinite future to go about their business ignores the economic reality and is financially unsustainable for working families. We can no longer continue subordinating the financial and economic health of our communities and citizens, especially when they have done the right thing, gotten vaccinated, and continue to follow all public health rules and regulations."

In 2019, nearly 21 million Canadian visitors spent a combined $20.8 billion in the U.S. And Higgins says a fifth of Bills season ticket holders live in Canada.

The American side of the border reopens to vaccinated visitors from the north on Monday.