Slowdowns at Canadian airports are “unacceptable” and are harming the country’s economy, Mississauga civic and business leaders said today. Speaking at a press conference at Toronto Pearson Airport, officials said the Trudeau government needs to take urgent action to address delays at Pearson and other airports. The speakers said Ottawa needs to dump random COVID-19 testing at Canadian airports, and also needs to eliminate lengthy conversations between Canadian Borders Services Agency (customs workers) and arriving passengers. Doug Allingham, Chair of the Board of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, said chats with custom officers have traditionally taken about 30 seconds per Read more
The Trudeau government says it’s adding more airport screening officers and customs workers to help ease congestion at Canada’s crowded airports. Senior federal ministers issued a statement late Friday to say that the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) “has been working with its contractors to increase the number of screening officers at passenger screening checkpoints. Currently, there are approximately 400 additional screening officers in different phases of their training across the country who will be deployed between now and the end of June.” With Transport Canada’s support, “these recruits will benefit from progressing more quickly through a more flexible Read more
Fabulous food from around the world. Sparkling, wild musical entertainment. Great events. Gorgeous parks with plenty of space to spread out. And more sports than you shake a hockey stick at. If you’re looking to plan a weekend staycation getaway this year, look no further than Mississauga. I recently spent the better part of a weekend in this city, just west of Toronto. And I came away hugely impressed with the sheer variety of things to do, and the quality of the experience. The pandemic closed off a lot of the things that make our cities so enjoyable to visit, Read more
The Trudeau government is working hard on Canadian airport congestion problems, and an announcement is likely coming soon, Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault said today. Speaking at a press conference at Rendez-vous Canada, a tourism session being put on by Destination Canada, Boissonnault said he’s been speaking daily with Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and other ministers about lineups at Toronto Pearson and other airports. “Minister Alghabra I think will have announcements on that,” he said. “We are very seized by this idea of increasing the number of agents we have at Canadian airports. And it’s not just airports. It’s the Great Read more
Vrbo today revealed its first-ever list of Vacation Homes of the Year to recognize 10 best-in-class vacation homes across Canada. The stunning private vacation homes range from Vancouver Island to the shores of Nova Scotia, and are ideal places for families and friends to stay together. The 2022 Vacation Homes of the Year are all located in popular vacation destinations and met required selection criteria, including excellent star ratings, guest reviews, number of bookings, and family-friendly amenities available. “The Vacation Homes of the Year exemplify why families have trusted Vrbo for decades. They have a proven track record of Read more
Canadian travelers are ready to get back to cruising, and to help beat the currency exchange rate Holland America Line is offering a “Canada Super Sale” with savings up to 20% on select cruises and running through 2022. Canada Super Sale is offered on select 2022 Alaska, Canada and New England, Pacific Coast, Hawaii and Panama Canal cruises that sail to or from a Canadian homeport. Cruises to Mexico roundtrip from San Diego, California, also are included in the special. “With travel opening up Canadians are looking to cruise, but the current exchange rate can make that challenging,” Read more
Would-be Canadian travellers are more worried about gas prices and increased travel costs versus COVID-19, a new study says. With the Victoria Day holiday weekend being the unofficial start of the summer travel season, online travel agency CheapOair Canada has released the results of a new poll that asked Canadians which travel destination and activities they are most looking forward to while also looking into what their top travel concerns continue to be. • The study found that over 36% of Canadians listed Canada as their preferred travel destination this summer, followed by the U.S. (7.1%) and then Europe (5%). Read more
