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Passport wait times: What’s the situation now in Canada?

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After many Canadians were frustrated with long passport wait times earlier this year, some even camping out in front of passport offices for days, Service Canada said it doubled its efforts by hiring dedicated staff to expedite processing times. Did it work? Data provided by the department show it did, with a nearly 90 per cent increase in passports issued in October compared with May, when the backlog was at its worst.

“Thanks to hiring efforts, an increase in efficiency, and the streamlining of processes, the inventory of passport applications is declining,” the agency said in its emailed statement to CTVNews.ca.

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More passports are being issued within 40 days, according to the statement. For the week of Oct. 10 to Oct. 16, 2022, 72 per cent of passports were issued within 40 days in comparison to 66 per cent two weeks ago.

Five months back, the agency experienced an unprecedented volume of applications which increased passport processing times, with Canadians being forced to wait in long queues.

To deliver timely passport services for Canadians, Service Canada said it took a number of measures which included dedicated passport counters at over 300 centres and opening selected centers on Saturdays.

Data provided to CTVNews.ca by Service Canada show that after the pandemic there was a huge dip in people applying for passports before the unprecedented rise in the number of passport applications.

The 2022 surge in May coincided with the peak summer travel season and additional easing of border measures announced towards the end of April 2022. The number of applications grew nearly 100 times in May this year, from 2,917 in 2020 to 281,055 in 2022.

The passport applications received for May were also the highest ever recorded since the start of the pandemic.

Of the total number of passport applications received in May this year, 57 per cent were issued passports at the time.

Passport application service standards also vary depending on the method of application, which is typically 10 days for in-person and 20 days for mail.

In the following months of June and July, roughly 77 per cent and 88 per cent of passport applications were issued. The data shows that the significant decrease in passport inventory coincided with the number of overtime hours by the passport processing network.

The last week of June recorded the highest number of overtime hours, with 10,182 hours which included overtime dedicated only to passport processing.

In the last two months of August and September this year, the agency has started processing more passport applications, crediting additional staff and overtime hours

Recent data from Statistics Canada shows that in August, Canadians travelling overseas have more than doubled in August this year compared to the same month last year. The passport applications for August grew almost twice this year, to 265,168 in August this year from just 127,644 last year.

Despite the surge in applications, a record number of passports were issued in August and September this year, Service Canada said, with a significant increase in the number of passports entitled per week.

The week of May 16, 2022, there were 41,350 passports issued, compared to 77,234 the week of October 3, 2022, an increase of 87 per cent.

The agency said it is important to note that not all passport applications received result in the issuance of a passport.

“A significant proportion of mail-in applications result in the file being rejected,” Service Canada said in its statement. “The file could be incomplete as photos do not meet the specifications, the child application does not have the appropriate custody documentation/adoption documents, etc.) or require to follow up with the client.”

The agency expects to receive 4.2 million passport applications during the 2022-2023 fiscal year and has hired 926 new employees for processing passport applications between April 1, 2022, and October 16, 2022, to meet the surge in demand for passports.

During the pandemic, the agency said it had no layoffs. Instead, the passport workforce grew from 1,365 to 2,291 between April 1, 2022, and October 16, 2022. This included 600 new employees hired in the month of May to focus on processing the passport applications.

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Allen nets shutout as Devils burn Oilers 3-0

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EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.

The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.

Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.

TAKEAWAYS

Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.

Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.

KEY MOMENT

New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.

KEY RETURN?

Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.

OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN

The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.

The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Mahomes throws 3 TD passes, unbeaten Chiefs beat Buccaneers 30-24 in OT

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.

Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.

Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.

Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.

It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.

Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.

Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.

The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”

Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.

The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.

Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Chiefs: Host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

AP NFL:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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NHL roundup: Kuemper helps visiting Kings shut out Predators 3-0

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.

Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.

Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.

Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.

Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.

The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.

Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:

DEVILS 3 OILERS 0

EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.

Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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