‘Don’t go to Mexico’: Ontario premier urges would-be travellers amid unrest in the country

Former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps on her time in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during the outbreak of violence in the region.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is advising travellers to avoid Mexico, saying the country is “not stable right now” after the leader of a major drug cartel was killed by the Mexican army.

“I highly recommend: don’t go to Mexico,” he said at an unrelated news conference on Monday.

Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). He was killed near Puerto Vallarta in a government raid on Sunday. The cartel responded with roadblocks and car fires across the region, which triggered shelter in place orders and airport closures.

READ MORE: Who was ‘El Mencho,’ the feared cartel leader killed in a military operation?

Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, and Porter Airlines all announced the suspension of operations in and out of the popular tourist destination following the violence.

Ottawa is advising Canadians in Mexico to exercise a “high degree of caution” due to high levels of “criminal activity and kidnapping.”

Speaking at a separate news conference on Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says as of this morning, more than 26,000 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Global Affairs Canada, an increase of nearly 8,000 “from the same time yesterday.”

She said she has spoken with her Mexican counterpart about the situation, who informed her that the unrest is expected to normalize in the coming days.

Ford said he will work with the federal government to get any Ontarian that’s stuck in Mexico “out of there.”

“Don’t go there and maybe pick an island somewhere, or here in Canada,” he said.

With files from The Associated Press