A report from Christopher Reynolds of Canadian Press lays out some startling information on the reduction of flight options for Canadians, and the increased cost. In a story that appeared in the Toronto Star, Reynolds wrote that prices on flights between Halifax and Montreal rose 69% after WestJet cancelled the route. He also noted that fares between Winnipeg and Regina umped 39% after Air Canada left the route for WestJet. Quoting the airline website Hopper, Reynolds said that, since 2019, roundtrip air fares for Canadians for trips to Europe have risen 32%, while those to the U.S. have gone Read more
Ontario
Canadians’ holiday travel budgets are more than double what they were last year, a trend that bodes well for airlines and the tourism industry. IBM’s Holiday Shopping and Travel Report finds that, in response to economic disruption and financial strain, Canadian consumers are rethinking their wish lists, with many diverting their holiday budgets from shopping to travel. This holiday season, Canadians are more concerned about rising costs and inflation (64%) than COVID-19 (56%), and they are recalibrating their celebration plans accordingly. – Compared to last year, Canadians’ holiday travel budgets are up by 131%, significantly higher than the global average Read more
Chief Medical Officers of Health for Air Canada, Toronto Pearson, and WestJet are calling on Canadian governments to shift PCR testing from airports to communities. In a letter to Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and senior health officials in the federal and Ontario governments, the health officers said tests are needed at the community level and not for travellers. “Over the last two months, Omicron has quickly become the predominant variant of COVID-19. As it spreads throughout our communities, we need to ensure Canada’s limited testing resources are being used where Canadians need them most—to support our communities, schools, hospitals Read more
Ontario is moving back to a modified Stage 2 COVID-19 plan, which means no indoor dining at bars and restaurants. Premier Doug Ford today said he knows the policies will cause pain for businesses and individuals, but that Ontario health officials were alarmed by the rising number of COVID-19 in the province and was worried about hospitals being overwhelmed. School kids will return to on-line classes until at least January 17, Ford said. Ford said the changes will come into effect on Wednesday, January 5 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time and will be “time limited.” Ontario Health officials said they Read more
VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) marked a historic milestone today with the unveiling of the first trainset of its state-of-the-art new fleet that will serve the Québec City – Windsor corridor. With the new test train parked on the platform of the LEED certified Ottawa station behind them, VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer, Cynthia Garneau and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Françoise Bertrand, introduced Canadians to the first of 32 new trains in VIA Rail’s new Corridor fleet – a building block of VIA Rail’s modernization program which will help to create the VIA Rail of tomorrow. “This new fleet marks Read more
