Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Despite Jamaica’s prime minister recently declaring a widespread state of emergency following a surge in gang violence and murder on the island, a travel expert warns that Canadian travellers may not be granted cancellation claims for travel insurance policies.
According to Government of Canada’s travel advice and advisories notices, travellers entering Jamaica should “exercise a high-degree of caution in Jamaica due to a high level of violent crime.”
The state of emergency applies to regions in the capital of Kingston as well as six of Jamaica's 14 parishes. This includes popular tourist spots in Montego Bay.
The Associated Press has reported that the island of 2.8 million people tallied 1,421 killings so far this year. This time last year, Jamaica had 1,375 reported killings, according to Jamaica’s Constabulary Force.
As the situation continues to unfold in Jamaica, advisory warnings could change.
Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure Insurance, warns that travel insurance policies do not necessarily account for cancellations or medical concerns when they are attributed to what constitutes as “known causes.”
“There’s a small clause in many of the contracts that basically addresses a ‘known cause,’” he told CTVNews.ca on the phone Thursday. “If you bought that policy and it’s starting to be shown in the media that there is unrest [in a specific destination] and you bought it while knowing that you may want to cancel your trip, it’s too late.”
Firestone remains uncertain as to whether most cancellation policies will cover claims given the fact that media coverage has already notified Canadians about surges in crime and violence in Jamaica.
“If you wanted to cancel a trip to Jamaica right now that you bought a couple weeks ago, and you bought cancelation insurance, will you be able to get paid on that claim? Or, if you buy [cancelation insurance] tomorrow after watching all the news reports, is that now too late and after the fact? I can’t seem to get a clear answer on that.”
Firestone warned that “being afraid of the rioting” is not a legitimate reason to be granted a cancellation claim, despite the pressing dangers spreading throughout Jamaica.
“You could buy a ‘cancel for any reason’ policy, but that’s a very expensive proposition and again that is maybe the only advice that could be given to people right now,” he said.
The bottom line, he explained, is travelling to Jamaica right now is “a really personal decision, but if you have concerns, you have to decide whether you’re going to be protected by insurance, both medically and from a cancellation perspective.”
"It’s going to be dicey how this all falls down.” he added.
With files from The Associated Press
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.