Val Marie's Monchy Border Crossing is starting to experience a bit of an uptick in motorists entering Canada.

"The last month or so since things have changed, we're seeing more visitors that are coming to Canada that are fully vaccinated," Scott Kienlen, the corporate chief for the southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan district for the Canada Border Services Agency, said. "Such as hunters or those that are visiting family and friends."

Since September 7, fully vaccinated visitors are eligible to enter Canada for tourism as long as they are symptom-free and meet specific requirements, including a valid pre-arrival test.

Although traffic numbers are on the rise, they're still down significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the new guidelines required to enter Canada.

"There is definitely a noted reduction in a year-over-year compared to others, during this time of COVID," he said. "Just to give you an example at the Monchy crossing just south of Swift Current there, year-over-year in September (2019 compared to 2021) we've seen about an 82 per cent in reduction in volume so it is noticeable."

Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and persons registered under the Indian Act can continue to enter the country by right but are subject to enhanced screening measures and testing requirements unless otherwise exempted.