travel

Chef Scott Geiring_Photograph by Lia Crowe

Good Taste with Chef de cuisine Scott Geiring

Food and wine at O’Rouke’s Peak Cellars

  • Sep 24, 2021

 

Trucks cross the Bluewater Bridge between Sarnia, Ont., and Port Huron, Mich., on August 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins

Should Ottawa be making a bigger fuss about Canada-U.S. border restrictions?

Observers says more going on than the usual glacial pace of the world’s largest bureaucracy

 

Engaged couple Rob Sensel, left, of Mount Vernon, Wash., and Kathryn Bell Lewis, of Richmond, B.C., spend time together separated by a ditch along the Canada-U.S. border, in Abbotsford, B.C., on Sunday, May 10, 2020. The closure of the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential travel has been extended another month, the U.S. announced Sept. 20. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

White House announces another extension of U.S. border closure with Canada

Closure will be extended until Oct. 21, non-essential travel has been restricted since March of 2020

 

The Norwegian Bliss en route from Alaska to Seattle makes it's way towards Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C., on Friday June 1, 2018. Two U.S. bills proposed by a congressman and senator aimed at allowing Alaskan-bound cruise ships to bypass Canadian ports would have a "devastating" affect on British Columbia's economy, the head of Victoria's harbour authority says. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Alaska cruise ship bill would have ‘devastating’ economic impact: B.C. port official

Under proposed legislation, large foreign cruise ships can bypass Canadian ports

The Norwegian Bliss en route from Alaska to Seattle makes it's way towards Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C., on Friday June 1, 2018. Two U.S. bills proposed by a congressman and senator aimed at allowing Alaskan-bound cruise ships to bypass Canadian ports would have a "devastating" affect on British Columbia's economy, the head of Victoria's harbour authority says. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A family visits across the U.S.-Canada border at the Peace Arch Historical State Park as a cyclist rides past on the Canadian side, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in Blaine, Wash. A month after easing border restrictions for American citizens, Canada is following suit for other international travellers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Feds ease travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals

Latest wave of vaccinated visitors to Canada expected to be arriving primarily by air

A family visits across the U.S.-Canada border at the Peace Arch Historical State Park as a cyclist rides past on the Canadian side, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in Blaine, Wash. A month after easing border restrictions for American citizens, Canada is following suit for other international travellers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, file photo, a masked family walks past Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Walt Disney World is tweaking its face mask policy. Starting Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, the theme park resort in Florida will allow visitors to chose whether or not to wear face coverings in outdoor lines, outdoor theatres and outdoor attractions. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)

Disney World tweaks face mask policy, optional for outdoors

Theme park loosening restrictions in lineups, outdoor attractions

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, file photo, a masked family walks past Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Walt Disney World is tweaking its face mask policy. Starting Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, the theme park resort in Florida will allow visitors to chose whether or not to wear face coverings in outdoor lines, outdoor theatres and outdoor attractions. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)
Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo)

Diplomats, troops and refugees arrive in Canada as flights resume from Afghanistan

One plane carrying diplomats and “elite operatives” arrived in Ottawa late Monday

Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this April 19, 2021, file photo, a giant sign painted near the main runway of the Wellington International Airport greets travelers returning home in Wellington, New Zealand. An expert group advising the government believes it is realistic for the country to maintain its zero-tolerance approach, which has included strict lockdowns for even small outbreaks, once it begins to reopen its borders. (AP Photo/Nick Perry, File)

COVID-busting New Zealand plans to start reopening borders early next year

South Pacific nation of 5 million people has reported just 26 deaths since the pandemic began

FILE - In this April 19, 2021, file photo, a giant sign painted near the main runway of the Wellington International Airport greets travelers returning home in Wellington, New Zealand. An expert group advising the government believes it is realistic for the country to maintain its zero-tolerance approach, which has included strict lockdowns for even small outbreaks, once it begins to reopen its borders. (AP Photo/Nick Perry, File)
FILE - In this June 8, 2021, file photo, a car heads into the U.S. from Canada at the Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine, Wash. Canada is lifting its prohibition Monday, Aug. 9, on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians. The reopening Monday is part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Traffic cautious in B.C. as Canada reopens its border for vaccinated US visitors

U.S.-Canada border, closed to nonessential travel since March 2020, reopened today for some

FILE - In this June 8, 2021, file photo, a car heads into the U.S. from Canada at the Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine, Wash. Canada is lifting its prohibition Monday, Aug. 9, on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians. The reopening Monday is part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Sport fisherman hunting predator fish. Outdoor fishing in river during sunrise. Hunting and hobby sport.

Head outdoors this summer with Outdoors West!

New magazine shares the how-to and where-to of exploring Western Canada’s great outdoors

Sport fisherman hunting predator fish. Outdoor fishing in river during sunrise. Hunting and hobby sport.
Christine Mak poses for a photo at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., in this February 2020 handout photo. For more than four decades, Christine Mak travelled every year to Disney parks and various conventions to commune with fellow fans of fantasy and science fiction. But her streak was interrupted early last year when the COVID-19 crisis halted cross-border celebrations. The Toronto resident thought vaccination would be her ticket to reuniting with the global group of friends she’s made through shared enthusiasm for the British sci-fi serial “Doctor Who” and all things Disney. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Derwin Mak

Post-vaccination getaway plans scrambled by ongoing pandemic uncertainty

Every nation has its own convoluted set of COVID-19 testing, vaccination and quarantine requirements

Christine Mak poses for a photo at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., in this February 2020 handout photo. For more than four decades, Christine Mak travelled every year to Disney parks and various conventions to commune with fellow fans of fantasy and science fiction. But her streak was interrupted early last year when the COVID-19 crisis halted cross-border celebrations. The Toronto resident thought vaccination would be her ticket to reuniting with the global group of friends she’s made through shared enthusiasm for the British sci-fi serial “Doctor Who” and all things Disney. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Derwin Mak
A Canada Border Services Agency agent wears a mask at the Thousand Islands US/Canada border crossing in Lansdowne, Ont., on Friday July. 30, 2021. A group of U.S. and Canadian business leaders is pushing Congress for a plan to ease restrictions at the land border with Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

U.S. considers requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated as travel pressure mounts

White House officials may impose a vaccine requirement on incoming travellers

A Canada Border Services Agency agent wears a mask at the Thousand Islands US/Canada border crossing in Lansdowne, Ont., on Friday July. 30, 2021. A group of U.S. and Canadian business leaders is pushing Congress for a plan to ease restrictions at the land border with Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
A CBSA officer places a document on the windshield of a car entering Canada and asks it to pull off to the side in Niagara Falls, Ont., Friday, July 16, 2021. A union representing about 9,000 Canadian Border Service Agency workers says its members will begin job action across the country on Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power

Canadian border workers issue Friday strike notice

‘Sweeping; series of actions possible at airports, borders, ports, postal facilities and headquarters

A CBSA officer places a document on the windshield of a car entering Canada and asks it to pull off to the side in Niagara Falls, Ont., Friday, July 16, 2021. A union representing about 9,000 Canadian Border Service Agency workers says its members will begin job action across the country on Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power
A crew member checks docking ropes from the inside of Carnival's Mardi Gras cruise ship, docked in the bay of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, marking the first time a cruise ship visits the U.S. territory since the COVID-19 pandemic began. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

1st cruise ship docks in Puerto Rico since pandemic began

Ship was traveling at 70% capacity, with some 4,500 people aboard

A crew member checks docking ropes from the inside of Carnival's Mardi Gras cruise ship, docked in the bay of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, marking the first time a cruise ship visits the U.S. territory since the COVID-19 pandemic began. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, June 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Conservatives push feds to ensure Canadians who got mixed vaccines can travel abroad

Multiple reports of Canadians being barred entry to countries due to their mixed vaccinations

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, June 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Travellers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Frank Augstein

British Canadians frustrated by exclusion from U.K.’s new quarantine exemptions

English and Scottish governments did not provide a reason for why Canada was not included

Travellers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Frank Augstein
FILE - In this Monday, July 19, 2021 file photo, people walk in Oxford Circus, in London. The British government has sought to ease food supply pressures in England by exempting more than 10,000 workers from quarantine rules that had led to staff shortages and empty shelves and fears of panic-buying. However, it has come under criticism Friday , July 23, 2021 for the way it has lifted coronavirus restrictions in England and for not doing more to help other crucial sectors, such as transport, the emergency services and energy industry. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

England, Scotland exclude Canadians from new exception to quarantine measures

Visiting Canadians must quarantine at home or in the place they are staying for 10 days

FILE - In this Monday, July 19, 2021 file photo, people walk in Oxford Circus, in London. The British government has sought to ease food supply pressures in England by exempting more than 10,000 workers from quarantine rules that had led to staff shortages and empty shelves and fears of panic-buying. However, it has come under criticism Friday , July 23, 2021 for the way it has lifted coronavirus restrictions in England and for not doing more to help other crucial sectors, such as transport, the emergency services and energy industry. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
A humpback spotted just off Cortes Island breaches. This humpback breached several times, as it played by itself for nearly half an hour. Photo by Terry Farrell

PHOTOS: Humpbacks put on a show for visitors to Vancouver Island

Whale watching tour leaves participants in awe

A humpback spotted just off Cortes Island breaches. This humpback breached several times, as it played by itself for nearly half an hour. Photo by Terry Farrell
Starting July 23, the Friday evening Sun & Soil Concert Series showcases a diverse mix of local musicians in stellar locations. Photo courtesy Tourism Abbotsford

Abbotsford heats up with a calendar full of summer fun

‘Let’s Go Do Something’ program includes an airshow, concert series, foodie festival

Starting July 23, the Friday evening Sun & Soil Concert Series showcases a diverse mix of local musicians in stellar locations. Photo courtesy Tourism Abbotsford
Canadian flags are seen on the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council as tourists take photos on Parliament Hill before Canada Day, in Ottawa on June 27, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Feds launch tourism fund to help tourism businesses avoid spiral of debt, Joly says

Even as restrictions ease, Minister Mélanie Joly says tourism operators feel some anxiety

Canadian flags are seen on the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council as tourists take photos on Parliament Hill before Canada Day, in Ottawa on June 27, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang