The Canadian government has unveiled a new, more secure, high-tech passport. Officials also promise Canadians can renew their passports online starting later this year. “The new passport has been redesigned from cover to cover with state-of-the-art security features and new artwork, maintaining its status as one of the most secure and universally accepted travel documents in the world for all Canadians,” officials said today at a press conference at Ottawa International Airport. “The new passport includes state-of-the-art security features designed to keep Canadians’ identities safe, such as a polycarbonate data page—a technology similar to Canada’s driver’s licences. Passport holders’ personal Read more
Biden
The COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a global health emergency, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Friday. Global News says that Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said the decision to end the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern comes after a recommendation from the organization’s emergency committee. It’s a remarkable announcement that probably won’t get a lot of attention, but it should. I also note that the U.S. this week announced that it will end requirements for visitors to the U.S. to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus. The rule, which Read more
The Biden administration in Washington today (Jan. 4) extended the enforcement of its vaccine mandate for all foreign air travelers entering the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) policy was set to expire Jan. 8, according to CBS News, “but will now be enforced until at least April 10, based on a new emergency amendment issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).” The U.S. just recently announced that passengers on flights coming from The People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macao would have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Canada announced a similar Read more
An influential U.S. Senator is ratcheting up the pressure on President Joe Biden to fully open the U.S. border. Canada and the Trudeau government allowed its COVID-19 travel restrictions to expire on Saturday, October 1. But the U.S. still requires all non-residents to show proof of vaccination before entering. Critics say that’s hurting American tourism. “We urge the United States to reciprocate the policy of our Canadian neighbours by easing our own COVID-19 restrictions for the sake of our northern border communities and their economies,” New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Brian Higgins (western New York) said in a Read more
How’s this for an interesting turn of events. The Trudeau government in Canada, which was roundly criticized in some circles for being too strict about travel restrictions during the pandemic, eliminated all travel rules on Saturday, October 1. But the U.S. hasn’t done the same. As of today, October 5, the U.S. still requires all non U.S. residents to show proof of vaccination before entering the country. It’s not an overly onerous policy (no troublesome apps to deal with or random testing), but it’s something that the U.S. tourism industry says discourages visitors from taking trips to New York City, Read more
