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
Canadians
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
Canada, you need to relax. Expedia today released its annual Vacation Deprivation study, finding that Canadians took two fewer vacation days (16 days) than the global average in 2021 (18 days), leaving the majority feeling vacation deprived (55%) and more burned out than ever (71%). Surveying more than 14,500 working adults across 16 countries, the 2022 report also sheds light on the uncomfortable reality that pandemic-era flexible work arrangements can make it more difficult to unplug (45%), blurring the boundaries between time on and off the clock. While many Canadians made the best of this new-found flexibility by taking a Read more
Travel to Europe could get a lot easier very soon. The European Council has recommended that EU members ease travel restrictions on passengers arriving from “third” countries, such as Canada and the U.S., starting March 1. Business Travel News Europe said the council recommends that member states allow non-essential travel for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or who have recovered from the virus. To qualify as vaccinated, travellers must have had their last dose of their primary vaccination “at least 14 days and no more than 270 days before arrival or they have received a booster dose,” Read more
In the public interest, I’m publishing the press release sent out today by the Canadian government regarding travel rule changes. Recent data indicates that the latest wave of COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant has passed its peak in Canada. As provinces and territories adjust their public health measures, and as we transition away from the crisis phase, it is now time to move towards a more sustainable approach to long-term management of COVID-19. This transition is possible because of a number of factors, including Canada’s high vaccination rates, the increasing availability and use of rapid tests to detect infection, Read more
