Come aboard with us, breaking ice in Antarctica
Take a seat in the captain's chair, dodging icebergs and breaking ice, as CBC News gets exclusive access to the first all-Canadian expedition to the Antarctic. Come aboard HMCS Margaret Brooke on its historic journey.
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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
American tourism to Quebec may have dipped, but visitors are still coming — apologetically
Social Sharing In 25 years working at a Quebec hotel, Stephan Comeau says he's never seen so many Americans come in apologizing for "the political situation in their country." Comeau is the front desk manager at Ripplecove Hôtel & Spa in the Eastern Townships. He said some Americans even call ahead to ask if being from the United States will be a problem. But not everybody is worried. "I feel welcome and I want to support Canada," Daisy Benson told Radio-Canada while having a drink with her partner outside the Hovey Manor in North Hatley, Que., in late May. Border crossing data shows fewer Americans are coming to Canada, and some theorize tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump may be the problem: travellers may fear they won't be welcome north of the border. The number of trips Americans took to Canada by car declined 10.7 per cent in April and 8.4 per cent in May compared to the same months last year. Air travel was also down, with a 5.5 per cent drop in April and a slight 0.3 per cent decline in May, according to data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Despite the dip compared to 2024, the number of American air travellers over the first three weeks of May remains nearly seven per cent higher than in 2023. Travel was at a near standstill in 2020 and 2021, and remained quite low in 2022. Looking back to 2019, about five per cent more U.S. travellers arrived by air than this year. Encouraging Americans to come visit At least one tourism association, Tourisme Cantons-de-l'Est in the Eastern Townships, has launched an ad campaign to reassure their neighbours they'll be warmly welcomed. It aims to dispel fears as the summer season gets underway. The ad is playing on YouTube and on TVs in northeastern United States. The organization's head, Shanny Hallé, said the exchange rate "is very favourable for Americans right now, so they can experience luxury vacations inexpensively." The campaign emphasizes affordability while "reaffirming our values of hospitality," she said, to help Americans feel welcome. Between January and April, she said, entries at the Quebec-U.S. border fell by a little more than four per cent. Montreal tourism expected to be around par Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, said the slower start wasn't unexpected given recent tensions, but he expects American travel to remain around average — plus or minus three to five per cent. "We're not looking at any decline that is drastic," Lalumière said, noting the Grand Prix is expected to bring in two million visitors. It's not going to be a record year, he said, but it won't be a bad one either. He called it a stable positive and said there are no signs of a significant slowdown. "We're still early in the game for the summer," he said. "August, September and October are good months for American clientele as well." With fewer Canadians travelling to the U.S., he said Canadian organizations and businesses are planning conventions and meetings in Montreal instead. At the same time, the city is working to attract more international visitors. The Montreal airport has continued diversifying its routes to reduce reliance on any one market. Lalumière said the city is now connected to 156 markets, with flights from places like India, Dubai and Tokyo. "We've added a lot of flights. A lot of countries," said Lalumière. Like Lalumière, Glenn Castanheira said there was a downturn in American travellers, but momentum is returning. He's the executive director of downtown Montreal's merchants' association, which grew concerned when the trade war began and Trump started threatening Canada's sovereignty. While he remains cautiously optimistic, Castanheira said efforts by groups like his — along with the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, Tourisme Montréal and others — suggest Americans aren't particularly worried about crossing into Canada. They know they're welcome, he said, but they're saying "sorry" so often that he jokes Americans may be becoming Canadian. "Add to the mix that the American dollar is to the advantage of the Americans, that's a huge player," said Castanheira, who studied at Harvard University.
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
It's 1 year until the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Is Vancouver ready?
Social Sharing One year out from the FIFA World Cup, questions remain about where soccer fans visiting Vancouver will stay and how much it will cost to keep the city safe. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim spoke to reporters at an event marking the one-year countdown to the tournament on Wednesday, saying the city began working on security plans even before it was confirmed to host seven 2026 World Cup games. He says those plans were "augmented" after 11 people were killed when a man drove a car into a crowd at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in April. The security costs have not been publicly released, but Sim says the city will "make the necessary investments to make sure that people are safe in the city of Vancouver" during the event. WATCH | Is hosting the World Cup worth it? Is hosting the FIFA World Cup worth the ballooning costs? 1 year ago Duration 1:59 Toronto and Vancouver are slated to host 13 FIFA World Cup games in 2026, and the security budgets have gone up by tens of millions of dollars. Some are asking if it's worth it. Spencer Chandra Herbert, B.C.'s minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport, says the province will release a "full costing" later this month, updating how much it expects to spend on the World Cup. Back in April 2024, B.C. organizers estimated the cost at between $483 million and $581 million for city and provincial services, as well as upgrades to B.C. Place stadium. Vancouver Coun. Sean Orr said he isn't convinced the economic benefits of the tournament will outweigh concerns about cost overruns, security, and potential long-term effects on housing affordability. "I just don't know if throwing a party in the midst of, you know, [a] potential downturn in the economy is the best plan right now," he told CBC News. "We've got threats of tariffs, we've got, you know, downturns in the market ... is this the best use of our resources right now? That's my big concern." Hotel rooms up in the air About 350,000 people are expected to visit Vancouver during the World Cup, Chandra Herbert said at Wednesday's event. Questions have been raised about where they'll stay, as a city report released in April noted there are just 13,000 rooms spread across 78 hotels within the municipality. The report found that Vancouver lost about 550 hotel rooms between 2020 and 2022, in part because some older hotels were converted to housing for vulnerable people. WATCH | Questions over hotel capacity in Vancouver: Is Vancouver ready to accommodate the 2026 FIFA World Cup? 1 year ago Duration 6:24 Royce Chwin, CEO of Destination Vancouver, said the seven matches Vancouver will host will be spread throughout June and July of next year, leading to an "ebb and flow" of visitors. "We had nine hotels in the pipeline a couple years ago," he told CBC News. "We're now up to 23 because we're getting the word out there." Tourists may need to get creative during the tournament, Chandra Herbert suggested. "We're working with our hotel partners across the province," he said. "We think there's opportunity for people to stay further afield. "We know Hullo and B.C. Ferries, we're looking at them as an opportunity for overflow, even all the way to Nanaimo," the minister added. "Of course, out in the [Fraser] Valley." Chandra Herbert said some Vancouver residents may also look to rent out their homes during the World Cup. Both the province and the City of Vancouver have regulations for short-term rentals, including rules on what types of homes can be used. In Vancouver, all operators must also have a business licence. The FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, 2026, with opening games in Mexico City and Guadalajara. Toronto and Vancouver are the two Canadian cities hosting matches, as part of the 16 host cities across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Vancouver will stage five opening-round games starting June 13, plus a round-of-32 and a round-of-16 match.
Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
World Cup 2026 organizers prepare for wrinkles created by U.S. travel restrictions
The head of Toronto's World Cup 2026 host committee says the executive order issued by the White House last week restricting travel to the U.S. from 19 countries is more of the same uncertainty that organizers have had to adjust to as partners in the event with the U.S. under President Donald Trump. 'Things have been changing with some of these [presidential] orders back and forth, as we all know in the tariff situation,' said Sharon Bollenbach, the executive director of FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto. When the new edict came down, 'I think there's a bit of, like: 'OK, that's what we're dealing with today.'' Her assessment echoed comments by some of her U.S. counterparts at a gathering of the 11 U.S. host city leaders this week. 'There are going to be geopolitical issues that we don't even know right now that are going to affect the tournament next year, so we recognize that we're planning within uncertainty,' Meg Kane, the head of Philadelphia's local organizing committee, told reporters. 'One of the things that I think we all recognize is that we have to be really good at operating within that uncertainty.' Last week's executive order bans citizens of 12 countries from travelling to the U.S., including Iran, ranked 18th in the world by FIFA, which qualified for the World Cup in March. Other nations with promising teams such as Haiti and Sudan also fall under the ban. The U.S. also partially restricted travel to the U.S. of citizens of an additional seven countries, including Venezuela, Cuba, and Sierra Leone. World Cup 2026 will be Canada's chance to show the world how much fight we have in us The order contains exemptions for players, staff and family members of sports teams competing in major events such as the World Cup or the Olympics. But it caught organizers off guard and represents a significant impediment for fans hoping to travel between the three host nations. It also casts a shadow over the spirit of unity that those countries – Canada, the United States and Mexico – had hoped to strike when they signed on to the tournament in 2018. In a statement to The Globe and Mail, Jessie Adcock, FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver host committee lead, said the organization is 'actively reviewing the recent Executive Order issued by the White House and are in ongoing discussions with our partners to assess any potential implications for tournament planning and operations.' Bollenbach noted that the schedule for the first round of the tournament – which kicks off in Canada at Toronto's BMO Field on June 12, 2026, followed by a match at BC Place in Vancouver the next day – won't be known until FIFA conducts its draw in December. That is when fans will learn where their teams are playing their three group stage matches, prior to the knockout round. Toronto will host one of the round-of-32 knockout games. Vancouver will host one round-of-32 match and one round-of-16 match. 'Until we know the countries that are specifically coming to our cities, there's not a lot we can do,' said Bollenbach. 'When the draw happens and we know what countries are playing here, that will unlock and cascade a lot of things for us in terms of planning, and part of that will be the travel plans and the marketing plan that we want to do to the countries that are playing here. We'll have to figure out if they're on that travel ban list.' She pointed out that fans from the 19 countries named in the executive order will still be free to travel to Canada. Iran is the only country in that group whose team has already qualified for the tournament. Portugal wins Nations League with thrilling penalty shootout win over Spain Last month, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said foreigners are welcome to attend the tournament, but warned: 'When the time is up, they'll have to go home, otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' referring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Bollenbach spoke ahead of an event scheduled for Thursday evening at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square marking one year from kickoff, at which dignitaries will unveil an official FIFA World Cup 26 Toronto Countdown Clock. Toronto mayor Olivia Chow proclaimed Thursday 'Soccer Day,' and encouraged Torontonians to turn out to the event wearing jerseys of their favourite teams. Chow has been critical of the agreement the city signed with FIFA as well as the escalating cost of hosting the event, which is now pegged at $380-million. In recent weeks she has warned that tariffs could add to the costs, and she has said the city, which is already on the hook for almost $179-million, might need to ask the province and federal government for more money than they have already committed. She has also alleged that the Ontario government is putting too high a value on the services included in the calculations of its $97-million pledge, leaving the city to make up a $39-million shortfall. The city and province are currently in negotiations over the dispute.
