From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Pierce Schoel thought he might be able to avoid a long wait at the passport office in Kitchener, Ont. by going in the middle of the day.
He was surprised to discover line-ups out the door. The security guard told people they'd likely be waiting two, even three hours. But with a long-awaited trip to Mexico on the horizon -- his first overseas trip since the pandemic began -- he stuck it out.
"I've been waiting to travel for quite a long time," Schoel said after applying for his passport Friday. "I'm ready to get back out there and start traveling."
He's not the only one. Schoel and his fellow travellers in line may be part of the deluge of passport applications Canadian officials are braced for.
Urgent passport services have been available throughout the pandemic, but with borders closed and public health measures in place most people had little use for them.
Service Canada issued more than 2.3-million passports the year before the pandemic began, but handed out only 363,225 the year after that.
Already demand is climbing, with 467,541 passports issued this year as of Sept. 30.
The Canadian government still recommends against non-essential travel outside of the country because of the risk of contracting COVID-19 abroad and bringing it home.
But with the U.S. border set to reopen to vaccinated travellers on Nov. 8, the federal government is preparing for a rise in demand for passport services.
"As travel restrictions are lifted, Service Canada is preparing for an increase in demand for passport services," read a statement from Employment and Social Development Canada.
The department's website said people can expect to get their passports about 20 days after they apply at Service Canada, but some people report waits of just over a month.
The government is closely monitoring the increased demand, according to Mikaela Harrison, the press secretary of Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen.
The government has protocols in place to continue to provide passport services to Canadians within service standards, she said in a statement.
"I think I gave myself enough time but I am happy that my parents told me to check when my passport expired, because I honestly didn't even think about it until they said so," said Schoel.
As vaccination rates rise across the globe, so will traveller confidence, according to Tourism Economics, a global research firm.
"We expect a more significant easing of restrictions to follow and traveller confidence to expand, with international arrivals set to regain pre-crisis levels by 2024," said the firm's June 2021 Global Travel Service report.
The firm expects international travel to remain at about 59 per cent below pre-crisis levels, but said there remains significant pent up demand.
Meanwhile the government is reporting higher than average call volumes related to passport applications, and has urged people not to visit Service Canada unless absolutely necessary.
The government has also extended the eligibility period for renewals, so passports that expired on or after Feb. 1, 2019 can be renewed.
That way Canadians can wait to renew their passports until they actually have plans to leave the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2021.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.