8 more airports will open to international flights Nov. 30
CBC
The federal government took another step toward rebuilding the travel industry Tuesday by announcing an expansion of the number of Canadians airports that will accept international flights.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said eight additional airports will begin playing host to international arrivals on Nov. 30, bringing the total number of Canadian airports open to global travellers up to 18.
"Opening these airports to international travel is another step forward in rebuilding and reopening our travel system," said Alghabra.
"This move will ensure travellers are able to access more regional airports for their international travel this winter while continuing to support our government's measured approach to reopening our borders."
The minister explained that the expansion is possible because by Nov. 30, the federal rules requiring proof of vaccination in order to travel on a plane will have been fully phased in.
The additional airports that will be operating by month's end include:
These are in addition to the 10 airports that are already receiving international flights:
Starting at 3 a.m. on Oct. 30, all travellers in Canada aged 12 and older must be fully vaccinated before boarding planes, trains or cruise ships in this country.
Even those travellers who are fully vaccinated must show proof of a negative molecular COVID-19 test upon returning to Canada, but Ottawa is facing pressure to drop that requirement.
Canadians travelling abroad will need to follow the rules of the specific airline and country they are entering, which may include testing.
There is an exception in place that allows travellers who have started the vaccination process but have not yet completed it to show proof of a valid COVID-19 molecular test until Nov. 29.
As of Nov. 30, those not fully vaccinated will not be eligible to travel, except for limited exemptions.
"Let me be very clear: If you are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of November, you will not be allowed to board a plane or train in Canada," Alghabra said last week.
The Canadian Airports Council welcomed the news, stressing the importance of regional airports to the international travel industry and the need to reopen more of them to international travellers.
Ontario is running out of time to beef up rules that would crack down on negligent and misbehaving municipal politicians ahead of the next civic election, some experts and opposition critics warn.
Six London teens are each facing multiple charges following a break-and-enter spree at homes in the city's southwest end early Sunday, police said.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is putting the finishing touches on completing the Team Gushue Highway, but it means drivers might have to change their routes until later this summer.
Passage of the Nova Scotia government's budget bill stalled late Tuesday night when a group of singing protesters shut down the final vote to approve the budget.
Health Minister John Dornan said Woodstock-based eVisitNB will continue to provide virtual health-care services to New Brunswickers for another 90 days after March 31.
The head of Canada's largest airline has been summoned to Ottawa to explain why he spoke only in English when he offered his condolences to the families of those killed or hurt in the collision between a plane and a fire truck at a New York City airport on Sunday.
Manitoba is bucking a national trend by promising to slash its deficit, while boosting health care spending by nearly $1 billion and delivering modest affordability measures, including a PST cut that will save you money next time you buy a soda and bag of chips.
Premier Scott Moe has said there are no "cancellations or delays" to school projects as a result of the provincial budget introduced last week.
An 18-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in a deadly daytime shooting on a highway south of Edmonton.
More than a month after the deadly mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, stories of bravery during the tragedy are being shared.
Just over six months after the University of Prince Edward Island's medical program began, the dean of the faculty says things are “going wonderfully.”
One person has been found dead after a large fire gutted a home in Mississauga on Monday night, officials say.
The Northwest Territories government says it has found elevated levels of lead in drinking water at the Chief Jimmy Bruneau school in Behchokǫ̀.