TORONTO —
For many Canadians, the Omicron variant wasn’t going to stop their holiday travel plans.
Despite the federal government’s advisory against travelling outside of Canada amid surging COVID-19 cases taking effect midway through December, last month saw more international travel to and from Canada than any other period since the start of the pandemic.
Data collected by the Canada Border Services Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada shows that 742,400 Canadians flew back into the country through Canadian airports in December. That’s a nearly eight-fold increase from December 2020, which only saw 93,800 Canadian travellers.
The week of Dec. 27 to Jan. 2, right after Christmas, saw the highest volume of travel into Canada. There were 215,665 Canadian citizens who returned to Canada by air that week.
For foreign nationals flying into Canada, Dec. 20 to 26 was the busiest week for travel. The data says 125,526 foreign nationals flew into the country that week and 352,900 for the entire month of December.
Although air travel appears to have rebounded significantly, these numbers are still a far cry from December 2019, which saw over 1.1 million Canadians and 577,800 foreign nationals travel by air.
At the land border, there were 608,900 Canadians returning from the U.S. in December, which is up four times from the previous year. Americans also took 291,600 trips to Canada that month.
In response to rising COVID-19 cases driven by Omicron, the federal government on Dec. 15 issued an advisory urging Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel outside of the country. The feds also tightened testing requirements at the border on Dec. 21, once again mandating that all travellers entering Canada present a negative molecular test result, regardless of trip length or vaccination status.
Cross-border trips also plummeted after the testing requirement went into effect. In the first 20 days of December, 24,600 Canadians on average returned from the U.S. After Dec. 21, the average fell to 10,600, less than half of what it was earlier in the month.
Travellers returning to Canada by air from any country other than the U.S. may also be randomly selected to undergo a PCR test on arrival. But as provinces struggle with their own PCR testing capacity, airports and airlines say testing arrival testing is not the best use of resources and have called on the federal government to drop the requirement.
On the U.S. side, the Department of Homeland Security now requires Canadians and other foreign travellers entering through its land borders to be fully vaccinated as of Saturday. Foreign travellers flying into the U.S. had already been required to present proof of vaccination.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.
The move, retroactive to Wednesday, essentially ends an injury-plagued season for Bichette.
He had two hits and one RBI in a 13-8 loss to Texas on Tuesday in his return from a 52-game stint on the IL with a right calf strain.
Bichette also missed nine games due to the calf issue in June.
His latest injury was suffered Wednesday during infield practice. Bichette was a late scratch in a 2-0 loss to the Rangers.
Bichette hit four homers with 31 RBIs in 81 games this season. He posted a .225 batting average and a .322 slugging percentage.
The Blue Jays also recalled outfielder Jonatan Clase from Triple-A Buffalo. He was active for the series finale against the Rangers on Thursday afternoon, the team said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London was penalized after catching a touchdown pass in the final minute of Atlanta’s 22-21 victory in Philadelphia on Monday night for pretending to shoot in the air, a violation of a longstanding NFL rule that prohibits violent gestures.
London immediately apologized on the sideline, according to Falcons coach Raheem Morris, and did it publicly on Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don’t think I should have displayed there,” London told reporters. “So, I’m not too happy with it, and (you) probably won’t see that again from me.”
The NFL has strict rules for celebrations and players are reminded annually that violations will result in unsportsmanlike penalties.
London’s 7-yard TD catch on a pass from Kirk Cousins tied the score at 21-21. His penalty pushed the extra point back 15 yards but Younghoe Koo made it from 48 yards out to give Atlanta a lead and Jessie Bates intercepted Jalen Hurts’ pass on the ensuing drive to seal the victory.
“We approach player celebrations as expressions of exuberance that are part of the excitement of the game. Rules were modified in 2017 that permitted group celebrations, including choregraphed demonstrations. Offensive demonstrations, celebrations that are prolonged and delay the game, and those directed at an opponent are still penalized,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “Players are reminded annually and it’s part of the player manual that demonstrations that constitute taunting or unsportsmanlike conduct, or delays the game, will result in a foul against his team.
“Also prohibited acts that occur anywhere on the field or sideline include longtime prohibitions against throat slash; machine gun salute; sexually suggestive gestures; or stomping or demonstrations on a team logo.”
London’s celebration came 12 days after four people were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School near Winder, Georgia. The Falcons hosted the school’s football team at their practice facility last week.
LANGLEY, B.C. – Police in Langley, B.C., say one person is dead in an early morning crash between a car and a motorcycle on Highway 1.
Mounties say their initial investigation indicates both vehicles were travelling east when they collided shortly before 4:20 a.m. near 240 Street on the highway.
The motorcycle rider died from their injuries.
The eastbound lanes of the highway remain closed between 232 and 264 streets.
RCMP say their integrated collision analysis reconstruction team was at the scene.
The Mounties are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or who may have dash-camera footage from the area to call them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
