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Canadian Passport Backlogs Causing Frustration

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If you are planning a trip out of Canada, do you have your passport?

A renewed interest in travel post-pandemic has prompted backlogs in the application process.

Families Minister Karina Gould advises Canadians to have a passport before they book a trip.

“Always is the best advice to make sure you have your passport in hand, but I understand these are exceptional times. People are excited to travel again and so I understand where this is coming from and we are doing everything we can to solve the situation,” said Gould.

Questions surrounding passports were raised this week after lineups and overnight campouts outside of Service Canada locations in Montreal.

“One of the big differences is pre-pandemic only about five per cent of the passport applications were urgent. Right now, we’re at about 50 per cent of passport applications that are urgent. Even in Montreal, about 50 per cent are people who have travel plans and didn’t make the applications,” said Gould.

Line-ups have also been reported at other Service Canada offices across the country with waiting times of more than five hours.

Hundreds of passport workers were reportedly hired earlier this year, and there are plans to hire even more in an effort to reduce the backlog.

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16,000 Ukrainians Arrived In Canada Since January

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Officials say more than 16,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since January.

Another 54,000 Ukrainians have been approved for travel to Canada over the last three weeks.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser said a survey is being conducted on those who were recently granted approval.

Fraser said they are being asked if they plan to come to Canada, where they are leaving from, and what their destination might be.

“A majority of the people who have been approved have plans to come to Canada in the next three months or so. Logistics for individual travellers will vary on a case-by-case basis,” Fraser said during an announcement in New Brunswick last week.

Between March 17 and April 12, almost 141,000 applications were received for the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel program.

Of those applications, 54,000 have been approved.

“I would point out as well that these 54,000 are all under a program that although we launched on March 17th, there is a two-week processing time for this particular program. So the earliest approvals for this program were coming in at the very end of March or the very beginning of this month,” Fraser said.

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Cannabis Store Applications Being Accepted Next Week

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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario will begin accepting applications for new cannabis stores next week.

That maybe good news for many Ontario residents.

A survey from the group Responsible Cannabis Use finds 50% of residents want to see more retailers open in their communities.

There are currently only 25 licensed cannabis retailers approved to sell.

The province lifted its restrictions on the number of stores recently.