Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
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 man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
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.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
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.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
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.