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'Is this ever going to end?': Why some Canadian travellers can't come home despite Trudeau's plea – CBC.ca

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“Bring us home.” That’s Shirley Mancino’s message to Justin Trudeau after the prime minister pleaded earlier this week for Canadians abroad to return to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mancino, 74, and husband, Michael Clement, 75, left their home in Westport, Ont., in January to spend the winter in Cuenca, Ecuador. They were set to fly home on April 8, but their plan was dashed when Ecuador closed its borders on March 16 to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

“The president of Ecuador just slammed the door completely,” said Clement from the couple’s rented apartment in Cuenca. “Meanwhile, Trudeau is telling us, ‘Why don’t you come home?'”

The couple joins many frustrated Canadians who were instructed to return to Canada, but can’t. That’s because they’re trapped in countries that have shut their borders and/or grounded international flights in an attempt to curb the rise of COVID-19 cases. 

CBC News has heard from dozens of Canadian travellers who said they’re stranded in Ecuador, Panama, Morocco, Italy, Peru, Russia and the Philippines, or stuck on a cruise ship that can’t find a place to dock.

Shirley Mancino and Michael Clement are confined to their rented apartment in Ecudaor, while the country is in a lockdown to help curb the spread of COVID-19. (CBC/Facetime)

On Monday, Trudeau offered up to $5,000 in loans to help Canadians fly home.

But Clement and Mancino said it’s not cash they need, but instead the federal government to work with Ecuador to help them get a flight out. 

“We’re going to pay. That’s not an issue,” said Clement. “We just want the means and help — political help to make it happen.”

We don’t know what the future is going to bring. We don’t know how the food situation is going. You know, there’s all kinds of things that could go wrong.– Shirley Mancino

Mancino has sent emails to the Foreign Affairs Department and her local member of Parliament, detailing their situation, but so far, has received no offer of assistance. Meanwhile, the couple remains largely confined to their apartment as Ecuador has closed many businesses and has instructed people to stay home. 

“We don’t know what the future is going to bring. We don’t know how the food situation is going. You know, there’s all kinds of things that could go wrong,” said Mancino.

There may be help

On Friday, Trudeau offered a glimmer of hope, stating that his government is talking to major airlines about bringing home stranded Canadians. He said a commercial flight has already been arranged this weekend to bring back Canadians stuck in Morocco.

However, there are no guarantees all stranded Canadians will get help.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Barbara Harvey told CBC News on Friday the government is aware that thousands of Canadians abroad are experiencing difficulties returning home. But she said the government isn’t planning a mass repatriation of citizens via chartered aircraft. She also suggested that a number of people may be stuck abroad for a while. 

“The situation remains difficult but we are committed to help Canadians returning home,” said Harvey in an email. “We also must recognize that some Canadians may not be able to return home for an indeterminate period of time.”

Stranded in Honduras

Canadians abroad still hoping for help include Jacqueline de Leeuw of Spruce Grove, Alta., who is stranded with her 82-year-old parents on the island of Roatán in Honduras.

The three travellers were set to fly home on Sunday, but are now stuck because Honduras has also shut its borders. 

De Leeuw, 53, has contacted the Canadian government about their situation. She said her biggest concern is the health of her parents, whose medical insurance expires on April 1. 

Hans and Corinne Rosch and daughter, Jacqueline De Leeuw, are stranded in Honduras, after the country closed its borders. (Submitted by Jacqueline De Leeuw)

“It’s very unsettling,” said de Leeuw, who hopes for some direction from the federal government. 

“Give us some information,” she said. “Is there a schedule? Is there a planned anything? Maybe you could reach out and say, ‘You know, we understand you’re there, and we’ll let you know as soon as we know.'”

Stranded at sea

Chris Joiner has also let the government know about his whereabouts — at sea, off the coast of Chili. He and his wife were in the middle of a South American cruise with Holland America Line when on, March 13, the company decided to suspend cruise operations for 30 days during the COVID-19 crisis. 

However, the cruise line has yet to find a country willing to allow the ship to dock, even though the company has said there are no known cases of COVID-19 among the 1,384 people on board. 

MS Zaandam is still looking for a place to dock after Holland America Line suspended cruise operations on March 13 for 30 days. (Holland America Line)

Joiner, 59, said there are 245 Canadians stuck on the ship and that many of them are elderly. 

“I’m concerned for the state of people on board here, you know, to be able to cope with the next — maybe as long as two or three weeks.”

Joiner said he’d like help getting home, but also understands that the government is busy, fighting the COVID-19 war on many fronts.

In the meantime, he said he’s trying to remain positive and think of his mystery cruise as an adventure. 

“The weather’s nice, so that helps,” said Joiner, who lives in Orléans, Ont. “But after a while, people are gonna start thinking, ‘Is this ever going to end? Are we going to see our families again?'”

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Canada Post to launch chequing and savings account with Koho

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Two years after the failed launch of a lending program, Canada Post is making another foray into banking services.

The postal service confirmed Friday that it will be offering a chequing and savings account in partnership with Koho Financial Inc.

The accounts will be launched nationally next year, though Canada Post employees will be offered early access as the product is tested.

Canada Post spokeswoman Lisa Liu said in a statement that there are gaps in the banking and savings products available that the Crown corporation looks to fill.

“Canada Post is uniquely positioned to fill some of these demands. Many of our existing financial products help meet the needs of new Canadians and those living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, but we believe more is required.”

The MyMoney offering will be a spending and savings account where customers will be able to choose between features like high interest rates, cashback rewards and credit-building tools.

A document briefly posted to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers website said it would use a prepaid, reloadable Mastercard that will use money from the account like a debit card but offer the features of a Mastercard.

It said there will be a range of account tiers, including no-fee accounts and paid accounts with more features.

The plans comes after Canada Post launched a lending program with TD Bank Group in late 2022, only to shut it down weeks later because of what it said were processing issues.

Liu said the postal service has since been exploring other possible financial service offerings.

“Utilizing what we’ve learned, we are making a strategic shift from loans toward products more aligned with our core financial service products.”

The new account will be delivered with financial technology company Koho. A few months ago the company paired with Canada Post to allow its customers to deposit cash into their account through post offices.

Koho is also working to secure a Canadian banking license to expand its services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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