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Canada's border agency says it's ready to enforce U.K. travel restrictions at airports – CBC.ca

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The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is upping its presence at Canadian airports to enforce new restrictions on travel from the United Kingdom, warning that people who attempt to circumvent the rules could face hefty fines.

In an emailed response to questions from CBC News, the border force said agents will be asking additional questions to travellers if it’s believed they may be lying about how they arrived in Canada. That judgment will be made based on officers’ training, the statement said.

All travellers arriving in Canada will be asked if they have been in Europe in the two weeks prior to entering the country, and those who answer yes will be asked if they were in Britain during that period. Travellers who again answer yes will be referred to an official from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) for further screening and questioning, the CBSA said.

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The federal government temporarily halted flights from the U.K. on Sunday in an attempt to stop the spread of a new, potentially more transmissible strain of COVID-19 to Canada. These restrictions are in place for 72 hours but may be “extended or enhanced” beyond then, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said.

WATCH | Multiple countries, including Canada, halt travel to and from the U.K.:

With a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England, several EU countries have stopped travel to and from the U.K. 3:27

New restrictions also carry penalty of fines, jail time

The CBSA statement also noted that failing to comply with the restrictions is an offence and could lead to six months in jail or $750,000 in fines. “Willfully and recklessly” contravening the rules could land you $1 million in fines, up to three years in prison or both.

The border agency said non-citizens who provide false information in response to questions may face consequences when it comes to immigration status.

PHAC said in a statement on Sunday that passengers who arrive in Canada from the U.K. are now subject to enhanced screening measures, including stronger scrutiny of their quarantine plans.

The agency said Canada’s health community was “actively evaluating these mutations to better understand the potential implications in terms of transmission, clinical presentation and vaccine development.”

PHAC also said it was analyzing known COVID-19 cases to see if the variant has already appeared in Canada.

The new restrictions are on top of now-standard travel rules in place since the spring. All travellers entering Canada are subject to screening measures and must quarantine for two weeks once they arrive.

Ontario plans tests at Toronto airport

Ontario Premier Doug Ford harshly criticized the federal government’s management of the decision on Monday, saying Ottawa was “ignoring” the province when it comes to testing for COVID-19 at airports.

“At Pearson International Airport, there is no roof, it’s coming pouring in,” Ford said.

WATCH | Ontario premier calls on federal government to secure borders:

Premier Doug Ford called for COVID-19 testing upon arrival for international passengers arriving at Canadian airports. 1:14

“We will be doing tests at Pearson airport” with or without federal co-operation, he added. Ford made the comments at a news conference at which he announced strict new lockdown measures that will come into effect across Ontario on Dec. 26.

International Trade Minister Mary Ng, speaking Monday on CBC News Network’s Power & Politics, said it was still too early to determine whether the restrictions would need to continue beyond the already announced three-day window.

Ng also noted that while the federal government continues to work with provinces on testing at entry points, international travel is not a major cause of the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario. She said procedures for international travel were “very stringent.”

International Trade Minister Mary Ng, shown in November, says that while the federal government continues to work with provinces on testing at entry points, international travel is not a major cause of the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

“We have additional federal border agents that are doing this screening, working with local public health to make sure that there is the right followup to ensure that Canadians are following the quarantine requirement,” she said.

In a statement, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she was “surprised” by Ford’s remarks, noting that discussions on a testing pilot project at Pearson airport were underway. But she said she was concerned by the shortened quarantine period involved.

Meanwhile, the Alberta government strongly urged travellers coming from the U.K. to be tested for COVID-19 after they land in the province.

The response from the provincial level follows criticism from the federal Conservatives on Sunday. Conservative health critic Michelle Rempel Garner called for more information about the new variant of COVID-19 and for more information about the decision on travel restrictions.

“The ties between our two countries are extremely close, with many Canadians’ families overseas…. If the Trudeau government is considering a similar travel ban, they need to clearly communicate this to Canadians and their rationale for doing so as soon as possible.”

NDP MP Don Davies said Monday he approved of the government’s decision on the U.K. restrictions, calling it “the cautious and prudent thing to do,” but he questioned whether the three-day window was enough time to gather information.

“I think it’s better to err on the caution,” he said.

New plan for mass cancellations

Also on Monday, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the government would be developing new regulations to protect passengers should mass cancellations again occur as a result of a catastrophic event.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a gap in the air passenger protection framework,” Garneau said in a statement. “In the event of a future situation that causes similar large-scale flight cancellations, this gap needs to be closed so that travellers are treated fairly.”

The regulations would affect how refunds are issued to passengers when flights are cancelled for reasons outside of an airline’s control.

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1 dead, 2 critically injured after car crash in Montreal

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Montreal

Three people are in hospital with critical injuries after their vehicle crashed into a tree. Police believe they might be connected to two drive-by shootings that took place early Thursday morning.

2 drive-by shootings also took place overnight

an SPVM car near a taped-off crime scene
Montreal police are investigating a car crash possibly linked to two drive-by shootings. (Mathieu Wagner/Radio-Canada)

Urgences-santé say one person died and two others were critically injured after their vehicle hit a tree in the Rosemont neighbourhood.

Montreal police believe the crash may be linked to two drive-by shootings early Thursday morning.

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The first happened around 5 a.m. on Pie-IX Boulevard. Police say a car was shot at repeatedly and the driver, a 41-year-old man, was injured in the upper body. He was transported to hospital, but his life is not in danger, say police.

Shortly afterward, shots were reported in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough, near the intersection of Saint-Joseph Boulevard and Henri-Julien Avenue. No one was injured.

Police say they are investigating to determine if there is a connection between the collision and the shootings. Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant says it’s possible those in the vehicle were involved in the shootings.

The province’s independent police watchdog is now involved.

with files from Chloë Ranaldi

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Pakistan airline crew sought asylum in Canada: spokesperson – CTV News

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Typically, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendants who arrive in Toronto stay at a hotel overnight, meet back up with their crew the next day and then fly to their next destination.

But increasingly often, PIA attendants aren’t showing up, the airline says. According to PIA, at least eight flight attendants disappeared over the last year and a half.

They have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.

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Increased occurrences

Abdullah Hafeez Khan said at least eight flight attendants “have gone missing” after flying to Pearson International Airport in Toronto. He said these incidents have been happening over the last 10 years, but are now occurring more frequently.

“Since probably October of 2022, the number of the people that have opted asylum has increased tremendously,” Khan said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca from Karachi, Pakistan, where the airline is based.

“None of those crew members that disappeared in the last one-and-a-half years have come back. So they were granted asylum for one way or the other, and that probably has encouraged others to do so.”

The missing employees were fired immediately and lost their company benefits, Khan said.

Why did they flee?

Khan said he could only speculate as to why the flight attendants would flee.

The Canadian government underscored the volatile situation in Pakistan, warning in a travel advisory of a “high threat of terrorism,” along with threats of civil unrest, sectarian violence and kidnapping.

“The security situation is fragile and unpredictable,” the Canadian travel advisory reads. “Incidents are typically attributed to extremism, ethnic divisions, sectarian strife, regional political disputes and the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan.”

It added that many deaths and injuries have occurred from bombings, shootings and other terrorist attacks at a wide range of targets.

Since Khan isn’t in contact with any of the missing employees, he says, he assumes they decided to seek asylum in Canada for economic and social reasons.

“So I naturally assumed that all of them have been given asylum because I don’t think they would be living there illegally,” he said, adding they may already have family connections in Canada who can support them.

In this June 8, 2013, photo, a Pakistan International Airlines plane moments before take off from the Benazir Bhutto airport in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

‘PR crisis’

Khan called the flight attendants’ disappearances a “PR crisis” for PIA that is “bad” for business amid a crew shortage.

The airline is in talks with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Pakistani law enforcement agencies to potentially create a “legal safeguard” to curtail flight crew from seeking asylum, he said.

When asked about the PIA flight attendants’ disappearances, Erin Kerbel, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said the department couldn’t comment on specific cases due to privacy legislation.

In response to questions about PIA’s claim that discussions are underway about the issue, a spokesperson for the CBSA said it could not confirm any information.

“The Canada Border Services Agency does not provide comment or details on specific individuals, including any discussions that would take place with airline companies, as an individual’s border and immigration information is considered private and protected by the Privacy Act,” Maria Ladouceur said in an email to CTVNews.ca.

Since the crew members’ disappearances, Khan said, the airline has “done numerous things to curtail that.”

For instance, the airline is only staffing Toronto-bound flights with crew members who have “established linkages” in Pakistan, such as children, spouses or parents, as well as those who have worked in the organization for more than 15 years.

The airline avoids sending to Toronto those who are single or don’t have established family ties in Pakistan, he said.

Khan said he and the airline are no longer in contact with the flight attendants because, they discovered, they usually change their phone numbers soon after disappearing in Toronto.

Who disappeared?

The PIA flight attendants who vanished in Canada are seasoned pros in their late 30s or 40s, some of whom have worked for the airline for as long as two decades, Khan said.

“There was never any sign from them that they would seek something like that,” he said. “So that is something that is bothering us in the matter because working with people who have been working with you for a long time and then something happens like this is pretty unexpected.”

In one of the latest cases in February, the crew members were waiting to take the bus back to the airport from the hotel in Toronto and one of the flight attendants didn’t show up, Khan said.

The airline was unable to reach the flight attendant on her cellphone or hotel landline so, Khan says, they asked hotel management to check if she was OK.

“When the crew went there, she left her uniform there with a note saying, ‘Thank you PIA,'” Khan said, which he interpreted as a genuine sentiment of gratitude for her more than 15 years of service with PIA rather than a taunt.

Khan said the crew members who disappeared were “family values people” who had good careers in Pakistan.

Asylum policies

Individuals can make a refugee claim in Canada at a port of entry upon arrival or online if they are already in Canada, according to the Canadian government’s website.

Canadian immigration or border officials will determine if the person is eligible for a hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board. All claimants must undergo health and security screenings, the government says.

If eligible to make a claim in Canada, refugee claimants can access social assistance, education, health services, emergency housing and legal aid pending a decision on their claim. Most can apply for a work permit after a medical examination.

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Alberta's population surges by record-setting 202,000 people: Here's where they all came from – CBC.ca

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Alberta smashed population-growth records in the past year, mainly due to people moving to the province from across Canada and around the world.

The province’s population surged to just over 4.8 million as of Jan. 1, according to new estimates released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.

That’s an increase of 202,324 residents compared with a year earlier, which marks — by far — the largest annual increase on record.

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Alberta also broke a national record in 2023 for interprovincial migration, with a net gain of 55,107 people.

“This was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data became available in 1972,” Statistics Canada said in a release.


Most of the interprovincial migrants came from Ontario and British Columbia.

Statistics Canada estimates that 38,236 Ontarians moved to Alberta last year, versus 14,860 Albertans who moved to Ontario, for a net gain of 23,376 people.

Similarly, an estimated 37,650 British Columbians moved to Alberta, compared to 22,400 Albertans who moved to B.C., for a net gain of 15,250.


All told, interprovincial migration accounted for 27 per cent of Alberta’s population growth over the past year.

That put it just ahead of permanent immigration, which accounted for 26 per cent, and well ahead of natural population increase (more births than deaths), which accounted for eight per cent.

The largest component, however, was temporary international migration.

Non-permanent residents from other countries accounted for 39 per cent of the province’s population growth in the past year, reflecting a national trend.


Canada’s population reached 40,769,890 on Jan. 1, according to Statistics Canada estimates, which is up 3.2 per cent from a year ago.

“Most of Canada’s 3.2-per-cent population growth rate stemmed from temporary immigration in 2023,” Statistics Canada noted.

“Without temporary immigration, that is, relying solely on permanent immigration and natural increase (births minus deaths), Canada’s population growth would have been almost three times less (1.2 per cent).”

Alberta’s population, meanwhile, grew by 4.4 per cent year-over-year.

Alberta now represents 11.8 per cent of the country’s population, its largest proportion on record. 

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