Resource shortage in Cuba has some Islanders cancelling Caribbean travel plans
CBC
The Canadian government’s recent warnings about resource shortages in Cuba has some P.E.I. residents changing their plans to travel to the popular destination — while Islanders who are already in the Caribbean nation are worried for its people and economy.
On Feb. 3, Ottawa warned of worsening electricity issues and shortages of fuel and basic necessities in Cuba.
A number of Canadian airlines have announced they are winding down flights to the island country because Havana's José Martí International Airport is running out of jet fuel.
Kristen MacQueen was born in P.E.I., but has lived and worked in Cuba for the past three decades and describes herself as a “double Islander.” She said the recent resource shortages have meant tough times for her adopted home.
“As soon as the gas situation gets more complicated, that means that the prices on the black market go up,” MacQueen said. “They've just got to live through this crisis and see how long it takes to re-establish some alternative fuel supplies, if it's possible.”
Cuba has historically relied on Venezuela to provide much of its jet fuel, but the Caribbean country has not received any crude or refined products from its top ally since mid-December, when the United States moved to block the South American country's exports.
Brett Tabor, an adviser with Stewart Travel Group in Stratford, said the demand for trips to Cuba is already down as would-be travellers look to other options.
“The Cuban government did assure travellers that they had fuel secured for the resorts, but I don't think Canadians believe them,” he said, adding that all of his clients who had trips scheduled to Cuba have now rebooked to go elsewhere.
He compared the current situation to travel cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting it could be weeks before customers are able to get their money back.
“I hope clients realize and are patient with travel agents as they work through this,” he said. “If they're not travelling and their vacation has been refunded to them, that also means the travel agent has lost the commission, and that's their livelihood.”
MacQueen said travellers to Cuba will be fine at resorts, adding that Cubans would welcome Islanders “with open arms.”
“Cubans are willing and eager to work and hopefully people find a way around the latest developments," she said. “Cubans deserve a break.… I hope the people think about that and throw Cubans a lifeline.”
Charlottetown resident Faith MacLeod and her husband are currently at a resort in Cuba's Holguin province on their sixth trip to the area.
They arrived Jan. 29 with plans to stay until Feb. 19, and MacLeod said they are enjoying their time at the resort and don’t need to leave.
An RCMP-led corruption investigation is underway into at least one current Calgary city councillor as well as a business, CBC News has learned.
Much of Newfoundland is digging out of a blustery and messy day as another storm slams into the island.
Timiskaming—Cochrane MPP John Vanthof recalls the meeting in Thunder Bay earlier this month. He was part of the nine-day road trip along Highways 11 and 17 with other NDP MPPs.
A bill before the Nova Scotia Legislature is proposing raising the age limit for support for young people who have been in the foster care or group home system to 26.
The Fredericton Police Force has reallocated funds so new staff can be hired this year to better manage evidence after a police error upended murder cases against five people.
One of two pilots killed in a plane crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport Sunday earned his wings at an Ontario college, CBC News has learned.
Air Canada passengers who were aboard Flight 8646 when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck a fire truck upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening say the collision was sudden and forceful, and they may owe their lives to the pilots who died in the incident.
Cardiac services are set to expand at a Winnipeg hospital once regarded as one of the best in Canada for heart care.
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering.
An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.
Six years after e-learning became a mandatory requirement to get an Ontario high school diploma, students don't appear to be taking online school to diversify their course selection as the province had intended, according to a CBC News analysis of provincial enrolment data.
Sarnia City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to respond to social media comments made by Coun. Bill Dennis, who criticized city spending on a new mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne as “virtue signalling by woke politicians” — then made a series of comments in response to a reply from Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin that some have characterized as unprofessional and aggressive.