After 10-plus years as a loyal WestJet traveller, Jennifer Hewitt says she is swearing off the Canadian airline after a series of unforeseen flight cancellations left her and her husband still stranded in Jamaica.
“(I’m) very frustrated. I said, ‘I’m not coming back to Jamaica for a while, and if I’m flying, it won’t be WestJet,'” Hewitt said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca.
Hewitt, 64, flew to the Caribbean island on June 17 to visit friends and family for vacation and was scheduled to return home to Ajax, Ont., on June 29.
“I did not get a cancellation notice from WestJet, so we came (to the airport in Montego Bay),” Hewitt said.
She dropped off her rental car before making her way inside Sangster International Airport, where she said she learned at the WestJet travel desk that her flight home had been cancelled due to the strike by the airline mechanics union. Though the job action ended Sunday, the disruption cancelled more than 1,100 flights and impacted more than 100,000 travellers.
“Unfortunately, as July long weekend is a peak travel period across Canada, limited availability exists both within our network and through alternative carriers, making options for accommodation extremely challenging,” WestJet said in a service update after the strike averted.
For Hewitt, she said she was rescheduled for a departure on Tuesday with American Airlines, which included a seven-hour layover in Miami, Fla. When she returned to the airport for her flight, Hewitt said it was cancelled outright for yet another reason out of the airline’s control: Hurricane Beryl.
The storm developed rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, but by early Thursday, it reduced to Category 3, though it remains a major hurricane in the area.
According to Hewitt, at the time of Thursday’s interview, Montego Bay is “nice and sunny, as though nothing ever happened.”
“The only thing is that we have no water, we have no light,” she added.
Beryl grounded WestJet flights in Cancun, Montego Bay and Kingston, with flights suspended until at least this Friday. Sangster International Airport said it will temporarily shutter due to the storm, remaining closed Wednesday. Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and Ian Fleming International Airport in Ocho Rios are also temporarily closed, but have all since reopened, according to the country’s tourism board.
Hewitt and her husband were scheduled on an Air Transat flight Thursday, but due to the airport closures, have been rescheduled to fly out with the airline Friday at around 5:45 p.m.
Each time her flight was cancelled, Hewitt says she was never notified by WestJet – who she says booked all of her subsequent trips – of the flight disruption ahead of time. Additionally, she says it’s been difficult to get a hold of them on the phone.
Each time her flights were cancelled, Hewitt says WestJet never warned her of any disruptions ahead of time – despite being the ones who booked the flights.
“I’m blaming WestJet because we originally booked with them … they’re not even communicating with us, and I tried to call WestJet several times from where I was staying and no, it’s always busy,” Hewitt said. “One time I got through, and I spent three hours on the phone only to get cut off.”
Passengers wait as flights continue to be delayed or outright cancelled at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica on July 4, 2024. (Jennifer Hewitt)
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, WestJet apologized to all travellers impacted by the mechanics strike on June 28.
“Our teams across WestJet are working diligently to support all impacted guests as quickly as possible,” the emailed statement reads.
The Calgary-based airline added it has been in compliance with the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, with regards to providing alternate travel arrangements to fliers within 48 hours of the flight cancellation.
“If this is not possible, guests are entitled to request a refund to their original form of payment,” the airline said.
The whole ordeal has set Hewitt back financially, particularly with the number of taxi rides she has taken to and from Montego Bay’s airport in hopes of boarding her return flight home. Since she no longer had access to a rental car, she said she paid about $50 in taxi fare to make it back to her relatives – a fare she can no longer afford.
“The taxi, I got to know him, so he’ll wait until I go back to Toronto and send him his money. I haven’t been paying him because I have no money,” Hewitt explained, pointing to the unexpected days off work and the need to pay her bills as part of the reason she cannot currently afford the fare.
Hewitt hopes WestJet will be able to cover the costs that she has incurred during her imposed extended stay in Jamaica.
“I’m just so upset with WestJet because of the way they treated me,” Hewitt said. “(P)eople came on Monday and the airline wasn’t flying, but then they got to go on Tuesday, and I’m like, ‘We’ve been here since Saturday. Why aren’t we going?'”
Travel advisories in place
Fliers are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Jamaica due to Hurricane Beryl, according to an advisory last updated shortly after noon on July 4. Global Affairs Canada is also urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Haiti and non-essential travel to Union Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in Grenada, and to the east coast of Yucatan Peninsula from Cabo Catoche to Chetumal, including Cozumel, as a result of the storm.
A global affairs spokesperson told CTVNews.ca that there are 1,857 registered Canadians in Jamaica and 10,000 in Mexico.
Alberta native Alecia Repp, who has been living in Playa del Carmen for five years, told CTVNews.ca how Beryl is impacting the area and how it compares to other storms.
“I’ve been through a few hurricanes in this area before, and those ones were actually worse than this,” she said. “Having had those experiences, I’m a little bit more relaxed.”
Repp adds that businesses have boarded up their storefronts and residents have taped over their windows, and all indoor furniture has been brought inside. She said she has stocked up on all her favourite food, water and other essentials to weather the storm.
“I think the main thing that I’ve learned is just not to panic, and if you stay calm and prepare yourself like we’ve been preparing for a few days now, it won’t be that bad,” Repp said.
To Canadians abroad still attempting to return home, Global Affairs Canada advises staying up to date with travel advisories, signing up for the Canadians Abroad service, communicating with family and friends about the situation and staying up-to-date on local news for the latest forecasts.
With files from Sarah Plowman and The Associated Press
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has completed its spinoff of South Bow Corp., its crude oil pipelines business, as an independent company.
The new company, which will be headquartered in Calgary with an office in Houston, will be led by Bevin Wirzba, formerly the executive vice-president for TC Energy’s natural gas and liquids pipelines business.
South Bow will run TC Energy’s crude oil pipelines business, including the critical Keystone pipeline system.
The move is the result of a strategic review in which the Calgary-based TC considered its options including the potential sale of the oil pipelines business.
Spinning off the oil pipelines business, which has long-term committed contracts with oil shippers, will give South Bow the chance to use its robust cash flows to pay down debt and enhance shareholder returns, while TC Energy will become a growth-oriented company focused on natural gas.
TC Energy — which has natural gas transportation infrastructure in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico — is bullish on the future of the commodity, in particular the potential for growth spurred by demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
TC Energy also has plans to look at new, low-carbon energy opportunities such as nuclear and pumped hydro energy storage.
The company has been under scrutiny by analysts and credit ratings for its significant debt load as well as for cost overruns on the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, which was completed in the fall of 2023.
TC Energy shareholders voted in favour of the spinoff of the crude pipelines business in a vote in June.
South Bow common shares were distributed Tuesday to TC Energy shareholders of record on Sept. 25. Shareholders received one South Bow common share for every five TC Energy common shares owned.
South Bow’s common shares are expected to start trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday under the ticker symbol SOBO. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange is expected to start on or about Oct. 8.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.
Why do I keep seeing LinkedIn profiles with an empty banner and/or no profile picture? Are these people oblivious to the importance of a first impression, or do they just not care?
You, I, and everyone judge; hence, we live in a judgemental society. Your image, which shapes how people view you, is everything.
You can’t claim to be a serious job seeker if you’re not taking advantage of LinkedIn’s visual opportunities to optimize your profile to make a strong impression. When it comes to social media content, visuals are scrolling-stoppers. Aside from your profile picture, your LinkedIn banner is the first visual people see.
View your LinkedIn banner as a billboard strategically placed at street level, which you can use to capture the attention of passersby who may have a potential opportunity. (In a previous column, I wrote that opportunities exist all around you; the caveat is they’re attached to people.) Advertisers spend a great deal of money to have billboards with a captivating visual and compelling message, making the point that billboard advertising is a good investment for driving traffic to their offerings. Your LinkedIn banner—your billboard—is free, so why not use it to market yourself to employers?
If your LinkedIn banner is currently blank, hopefully, you’re now convinced that leaving it blank is likely costing you job search and career opportunities, and you no longer want to leave it blank. Here are instructions on how to create a LinkedIn banner using Canva, a user-friendly graphic design tool that offers various customization options.
Step 1: Create a Canva account
Canva offers both free and paid plans. Their free plan is more than adequate to design your LinkedIn banner. Go to Canva’s website and sign up using your email address or social media account.
Step 2: Choose the LinkedIn banner template
In the Canva dashboard, type in ‘LinkedIn Background Photo’ in the search bar at the top to find a LinkedIn banner template. Canva offers a variety of pre-made templates—as I write this, there are 7,203 LinkedIn banner templates (Canva Pro)—that are optimally sized for LinkedIn, which is 1584 x 396 pixels. Alternatively, you can use Canva to create your LinkedIn banner from scratch.
Step 3: Customize the template
Here’s where the fun begins; experimenting with all the templates and conveying your message to employers. Canva provides an interface that allows you to customize your banner template in multiple ways.
Edit text: Click on the text elements in the template to change them. You can modify the text, fonts, colours, and sizes to match your personal brand or professional style. Ensure that the text is concise, relevant, and legible.
Add elements: Shapes, lines, icons, illustrations, and other design elements, which Canva offer a wide variety of, can be included in your banner. When used strategically, these will make your banner more visually appealing and emphasize specific aspects of your personal or professional brand.
Upload your own images: Nothing will personalize your LinkedIn banner more than incorporating your own images, such as a picture of you in your work environment or enjoying your hobby, a logo or any other relevant images, into your banner.
Change the background: You can change your banner’s background to reflect your profession, industry and personality. Canva offers a multitude of colours, gradients, and images, allowing you to create an eye-catching, scroll-stoping background.
If you’re actively job searching, consider adding your contact information and, at the risk of adding fuel to the ongoing LinkedIn’s #OPENTOWORK green banner feature, announcing you’re looking for your next opportunity or available ‘for hire.’
Step 4: Maintain consistency
When designing your LinkedIn banner, ensure it aligns with your personal brand and harmonizes with your profile picture. Consistency in design and branding is critical to creating a strong professional image on a social media platform. It’s important to avoid having your profile picture’s colour conflicting with those in your banner and vice versa.
Step 5: Review and adjust
Before finalizing your LinkedIn banner, take a moment to review your design. Check for any typos, ensure the banner is eye-catching, and convey the message you want to send to your LinkedIn network and hiring managers. Your banner should show your intention and indicate that you’ve taken a thoughtful and strategic approach to your profile.
Step 6: Download your new LinkedIn banner
Once you’re satisfied with your banner, click the download button in the upper-right corner of Canva’s interface. You’ll be prompted to choose the file format; select PNG for the best image quality. Once downloaded, your banner can be uploaded to your LinkedIn profile.
Similar to how advertisers run campaigns for a period of time, updating your LinkedIn banner every quarter is an effective way to get noticed. Aside from updating your banner to reflect different aspects of your abilities, you may also want to consider updating your banner image to reflect a relevant seasonal or holiday theme—autumn, Thanksgiving, Christmas or whatever holidays you celebrate. A visually compelling banner isn’t just an accessory; it’s a powerful tool in your job search arsenal, especially since, more than ever, image is everything.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
TORONTO – TD Bank Group has agreed to pay more than US$28 million after an investigation into manipulation of the U.S. Treasuries market by one of its traders.
The deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice has TD agreeing that a former employee created a false appearance of supply or demand in the market by placing bids or offers, only to cancel them before completion.
The agreement says hundreds of so-called spoof orders were placed, amounting to tens of billions of dollars of false supply and demand, in an effort to artificially increase the market prices of those products.
The resolution comes as TD is also soon expected to settle a sweeping investigation into shortcomings of its anti-money laundering program that the bank expects will cost it more than US$3 billion.
The agreement on the spoofing case has TD paying about US$12.6 million in civil penalties. It also faces US$9.4 million in criminal penalties, which court documents say is the statutory maximum, plus US$4.7 million in victim compensation and US$1.4 million in forfeiture.
TD says it takes regulatory and employee conduct violations very seriously, and that it reported the employee and fired him and has since enhanced its monitoring and compliance capabilities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.
Passengers wait as flights continue to be delayed or outright cancelled at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica on July 4, 2024. (Jennifer Hewitt)
