Post-pandemic, tourists have returned to Niagara Falls.
But something’s missing — a lot of Americans, even though the popular Ontario tourist destination sits right next to the U.S. border.
“It’s devastating,” saidAnna Pierce, vice president of Niagara Helicopters, which offers rides over the falls.
Pierce says bookings are down 35 per cent this summer compared to the summer of 2019, largely due to the lack of American tourists.
“No matter what [marketing] you do in the U.S., you’re not convincing these people to come,” she said.
Now that Canada has lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions, travel is making a comeback. But the number of road trips Americans made to the country over the past two months was still down by 45 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, according to Statistics Canada.
The mayor of Niagara Falls, Jim Diodati, says there’s only a ‘very small amount of American dollars’ coming into his city this summer. (Darek Zdzienicki/CBC)
That decline is taking its toll on Niagara Falls.
“When you talk to any businesses in town, they’ll tell you there’s a very small amount of American dollars coming in,” said Mayor Jim Diodati.
“It’s been hurtful, especially after two years of COVID.”
What’s keeping Americans away? There could be many factors, such as Canada’s vaccine mandate for foreign travellers and the lingering effects of the pandemic.
“There’s certainly a relatively slow rebound coming out of the pandemic,” said Laurie Trautman, director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.
“I think people have changed their consumer habits. They’ve changed their vacation habits.”
Travellers must use the ArriveCAN app to submit their COVID-19 vaccination information within 72 hours before their arrival in Canada. (Sue Goodspeed/CBC)
But the mayor, along with several business owners in Niagara Falls, told CBC News they believe the ArriveCAN app is a big deterrent for American road travellers. Consequently, they’re calling on the federal government to scrap the app, or at least make it optional.
“I talked to Americans,” said Diodati. “They’re saying, ‘Just bypass Canada. It’s easier to go to Europe than come to Canada.'”
ArriveCAN was introduced early in the pandemic as a COVID-19 safety measure. People must use it to submit their travel and vaccination information within 72 hours before entering Canada.
Pierce says the app is also causing problems for would-be tourists.
She says several American customers have contacted her company to cancel their bookings because they learned at the border they had to use ArriveCAN, got overwhelmed when trying to download or complete it, and bailed.
“They just kind of say, ‘You know what, it’s not worth it, sorry, see you later,'” said Pierce.
Ottawa defends app
On July 29, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) altered the rules so that foreigners who arrive at the land border unaware of the app get a one-time pass into the country.
But Diodati says the reprieve won’t help, because travellers must still fill out ArriveCAN on subsequent visits.
“That’s like putting lipstick on a pig,” he said. “Tourists are like water. They take the path of least resistance. It’s just easier to not come here, and many have already made the choice.”
WATCH | Fewer Americans are driving to Canada:
Fewer Americans driving to Canada, ArriveCAN a factor
16 hours ago
Duration 2:08
Experts say a number of factors are keeping Americans from making road trips to Canada, including changing habits over the course of the pandemic. But many say having to use the ArriveCAN app to provide vaccination status before crossing the border is a big deterrent.
This week, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra defended ArriveCAN saying it reduces wait times at the border.
“Given the fact that we require a vaccine certificate to cross to enter Canada, without it, the process of verification would be manual,” he said at a news conference in Windsor, Ont. “This tool is helpful and it really does enhance efficiency.”
However, the Customs and Immigration Union which represents CBSA officers has said that the app can lead to congestion, because officers have to spend time helping challenged travellers fill it out.
What do the Americans say?
Some Americans visiting the falls this week told CBC News they had no issues with the app.
“It was very easy to fill out. There’s nothing to it,” said Madhuri Reddy, a dual Canadian-American citizen who drove to Niagara Falls from her home just outside Boston.
She said her Canadian parents forewarned her about the app requirement beforehand.
Matt Myford of Pittsburgh, Pa., says he and his wife, Mandy, likely won’t be visiting Canada until ArriveCAN is dropped, or at least waived for day trippers. (Submitted by Matt Myford)
But Matt Myford, who never made it to Niagara Falls, says he had a different experience.
He and his wife, Mandy spontaneously decided to visit the city for a few hours during a road trip to Buffalo, N.Y., in June. He said they had never heard about ArriveCAN until they approached the border.
“We saw the signs on the highway, something about Arrive — something, so we Googled it,” said Myford who lives just outside Pittsburgh, Pa.
The couple downloaded the app and struggled to fill it out, because it asked for a Canadian address, which they didn’t have. Nevertheless, they eventually managed to complete it and lined up at the border.
But because traffic was backed up and barely moving, the couple bailed on their plans. Myford says they likely won’t attempt another visit to Canada until the app is dropped, or at least waived for day trippers.
“It did leave a bitter taste in our mouth,” he said.
Canada’s remaining travel restrictions, including the ArriveCAN requirement, are set to stay in place until at least Sept. 30.
Alghabra says he’s assessing feedback of the app, but gave no indication it could be dropped.
“We’re listening and we’re working with our stakeholders,” he said. “I don’t have an announcement yet.”
Entering Canada? You must submit your mandatory traveller information into <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArriveCAN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#ArriveCAN</a> within 72 hours before your arrival. It’s FREE and easy to use! <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/KnowBeforeYouGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#KnowBeforeYouGo</a> <br>Learn more: <a href=”https://t.co/PemHu9gqHp”>https://t.co/PemHu9gqHp</a> <a href=”https://t.co/ozFzZm8CyQ”>pic.twitter.com/ozFzZm8CyQ</a>
CALGARY – MEG Energy says it earned $167 million in its third quarter, down from $249 million during the same quarter last year.
The company says revenues for the quarter were $1.27 billion, down from $1.44 billion during the third quarter of 2023.
Diluted earnings per share were 62 cents, down from 86 cents a year earlier.
MEG Energy says it successfully completed its debt reduction strategy, reducing its net debt to US$478 million by the end of September, down from US$634 million during the prior quarter.
President and CEO Darlene Gates said moving forward all the company’s free cash flow will be returned to shareholders through expanded share buybacks and a quarterly base dividend.
The company says its capital expenditures for the quarter increased to $141 million from $83 million a year earlier, mainly due to higher planned field development activity, as well as moderate capacity growth projects.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
Premier David Eby is proposing an all-party committee investigate mistakes made during the British Columbia election vote tally, including an uncounted ballot box and unreported votes in three-quarters of the province’s 93 ridings.
The proposal comes after B.C.’s chief electoral officer blamed extreme weather, long working hours and a new voting system for human errors behind the mistakes in last month’s count, though none were large enough to change the initial results.
Anton Boegman says the agency is already investigating the mistakes to “identify key lessons learned” to improve training, change processes or make recommendations for legislative change.
He says the uncounted ballot box containing about 861 votes in Prince George-Mackenzie was never lost, and was always securely in the custody of election officials.
Boegman says a failure in five districts to properly report a small number of out-of-district votes, meanwhile, rippled through to the counts in 69 ridings.
Eby says the NDP will propose that a committee examine the systems used and steps taken by Elections BC, then recommend improvements in future elections.
“I look forward to working with all MLAs to uphold our shared commitment to free and fair elections, the foundation of our democracy,” he said in a statement Tuesday, after a news conference by Boegman.
Boegman said if an independent review does occur, “Elections BC will, of course, fully participate in that process.”
He said the mistakes came to light when a “discrepancy” of 14 votes was noticed in the riding of Surrey-Guildford, spurring a review that increased the number of unreported votes there to 28.
Surrey-Guildford was the closest race in the election and the NDP victory there gave Eby a one-seat majority. The discovery reduced the NDP’s victory margin from 27 to 21, pending the outcome of a judicial review that was previously triggered because the race was so close.
The mistakes in Surrey-Guildford resulted in a provincewide audit that found the other errors, Boegman said.
“These mistakes were a result of human error. Our elections rely on the work of over 17,000 election officials from communities across the province,” he said.
“Election officials were working 14 hours or more on voting days and on final voting day in particular faced extremely challenging weather conditions in many parts of the province.
“These conditions likely contributed to these mistakes,” he said.
B.C.’s “vote anywhere” model also played a role in the errors, said Boegman, who said he had issued an order to correct the results in the affected ridings.
Boegman said the uncounted Prince George-Mackenzie ballot box was used on the first day of advance voting. Election officials later discovered a vote hadn’t been tabulated, so they retabulated the ballots but mistakenly omitted the box of first-day votes, only including ballots from the second day.
Boegman said the issues discovered in the provincewide audit will be “fully documented” in his report to the legislature on the provincial election, the first held using electronic tabulators.
He said he was confident election officials found all “anomalies.”
B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad had said on Monday that the errors were “an unprecedented failure by the very institution responsible for ensuring the fairness and accuracy of our elections.”
Rustad said he was not disputing the outcomes as judicial recounts continue, but said “it’s clear that mistakes like these severely undermine public trust in our electoral process.”
Rustad called for an “independent review” to make sure the errors never happen again.
Boegman, who said the election required fewer than half the number of workers under the old paper-based system, said results for the election would be returned in 90 of the province’s 93 ridings on Tuesday.
Full judicial recounts will be held in Surrey-Guildford and Kelowna-Centre, while a partial recount of the uncounted box will take place in Prince George-Mackenzie.
Boegman said out-of-district voting had been a part of B.C.’s elections for many decades, and explained how thousands of voters utilized the province’s vote-by-phone system, calling it a “very secure model” for people with disabilities.
“I think this is a unique and very important part of our elections, providing accessibility to British Columbians,” he said. “They have unparalleled access to the ballot box that is not found in other jurisdictions in Canada.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
WINNIPEG – A public memorial honouring former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools, Murray Sinclair, is set to take place in Winnipeg on Sunday.
The event, which is being organized by the federal and Manitoba governments, will be at Canada Life Centre, home of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
Sinclair died Monday in a Winnipeg hospital at the age of 73.
A teepee and a sacred fire were set up outside the Manitoba legislature for people to pay their respects hours after news of his death became public. The province has said it will remain open to the public until Sinclair’s funeral.
Sinclair’s family continues to invite people to visit the sacred fire and offer tobacco.
The family thanked the public for sharing words of love and support as tributes poured in this week.
“The significance of Mazina Giizhik’s (the One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky) impact and reach cannot be overstated,” the family said in a statement on Tuesday, noting Sinclair’s traditional Anishinaabe name.
“He touched many lives and impacted thousands of people.”
They encourage the public to celebrate his life and journey home.
A visitation for extended family, friends and community is also scheduled to take place Wednesday morning.
Leaders from across Canada shared their memories of Sinclair.
Premier Wab Kinew called Sinclair one of the key architects of the era of reconciliation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sinclair was a teacher, a guide and a friend who helped the country navigate tough realities.
Sinclair was the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba — the second in Canada.
He served as co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba to examine whether the justice system was failing Indigenous people after the murder of Helen Betty Osborne and the police shooting death of First Nations leader J.J. Harper.
In leading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he participated in hundreds of hearings across Canada and heard testimony from thousands of residential school survivors.
The commissioners released their widely influential final report in 2015, which described what took place at the institutions as cultural genocide and included 94 calls to action.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
