In response to the Russian leadership’s invasion of Ukraine, the government of Canada today said it’s closing Canada’s airspace to all Russian aircraft operators. Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, today announced that the Trudeau government is prohibiting the operation of Russian-owned, chartered or operated aircraft in Canadian airspace, including in the airspace above Canada’s territorial waters.  “The Government of Canada is prohibiting the operation of Russian-owned, chartered or operated aircraft in Canadian airspace, including in the airspace above Canada’s territorial waters,” the Liberal government said in a press release issued at 11:19 a.m. Read more

Jim Byers Member, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) (NOTE: This story originally appeared in The Toronto Star) SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA – Walking between fabled Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge I found quiet beaches I never knew existed. In suburban San Leandro I admired pretty, yellow wildflowers on a warm January day that put a bounce in the step of a winter-weary Canadian. And in Marin County I stumbled on an old Chinese shrimping village filled with historic artefacts. The San Francisco Bay Trail is a series of pathways that skirt one of the world’s greatest natural Read more

Canada is set to ease its travel and testing rules in less than 48 hours, but the country’s chief public health officer is suggesting the government will throw things into reverse if needed. The Edmonton Journal and Canadian Press report that Dr. Theresa Tam on Friday (Feb. 25) said that nobody knows what the coronavirus will do next, and that Canada has to be ready to bring back some public health measures if case counts begin to rise sharply again. Noting that viruses often pick up steam when cool weather arrives, Tam said Canada needs be ready for the fall, Read more

Ontario border city mayors and Canadian tourism groups are asking the Trudeau government to abolish COVID-19 testing at Canada and border crossings. Mayors of Windsor, Niagara Falls and Sarnia in Ontario and Niagara Falls, N.Y, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and the Hotel Association of Canada held a news conference to discuss the issue today, the CBC reports. Starting Monday, February 28, fully vaccinated Canadians and visitors coming into Canada will be able to show a negative result from a rapid antigen test, rather than an expensive, PCR or molecular-style test. It’s an improvement, but tourism officials still worry it will keep Read more

With flights set to launch in Spring 2022, Ireland is welcoming the news that Air Canada announced this week – an expanded Summer 2022 international schedule with 34 routes relaunching across the Atlantic and Pacific, including Vancouver to Dublin (June 1st) and Montreal to Dublin (June 2nd). Air Canada already flies Toronto to Dublin. “In a clear sign that international travel is back, we are excited with the news of Air Canada’s resumption of direct routes from Montreal and Vancouver to Dublin. 2022 now sees five direct gateways across Canada and we look forward to welcoming Canadians from across the Read more

Starting today (Feb. 28), fully vaccinated travellers no longer have to take a PCR-style test to enter Canada. Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos last week announced that travellers will still be required to take a pre-arrival test before entering Canada. But the Trudeau government now will allow fully vaccinated Canadians and foreign visitors to provide results from a rapid antigen test, which can be purchased more easily than PCR or molecular-style tests, and are a fraction of the cost. The government initially said rapid tests will have to be taken with 24 hours of a scheduled departure to Canada or Read more