Photo: Contributed

Several online petitions have sprung up calling for the provincial B.C. border to be closed to non-essential travel.

Premier John Horgan has asked for legal advice on what closing the provincial border might look like.

Horgan indicated last week he wants legal advice one way or the other, “I hear from not just the media but from British Columbians that they're concerned about people coming from elsewhere when they're making sacrifices of their own."

A Kelowna woman, Karen King, started an online petition calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to close the B.C. border 10 months ago. That petition hasn't gained much momentum, however, Christian Stapff's petition is gaining steam and has over 16,000 signatures as of Thursday.

Horgan says, “it's been clear that this is of public interest, and we've been trying our best to find a way to meet that objective of the public in a way that's consistent with the Charter and other fundamental rights here in Canada.”

Stapff's petition calls for Premier Horgan to ban recreational travel into B.C. for one month.

"Mr. Horgan it is imperative that you close the border — for one month — to non-essential air, ground and sea traffic and quarantine travellers so COVID-19 can be contained and stopped. This especially in light of more virulent strains already in B.C.!" Stapff posted online.

The Tourism Industry Association of BC has gone on record saying a ban would “further cripple a sector that is barely hanging on by a thread.” The Association also says they have commissioned a legal opinion that indicates a travel ban would be hard to implement because of the mobility rights of Canadians.