Popular Banff hotel temporarily closing for renovations
Calgary Watch
The Rimrock Hotel in Banff is closing for a few months as renovation work begins for 'historic transformation.'
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CBC
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What it's like to go ice fishing in the Arctic
Students from Helen Kalvak Elihakvik, a school in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., went on an ice fishing field trip on April 2. See what it's like to fish with an aulattit, a traditional Inuit tool.
CTV News
an hour ago
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Montreal Grand Prix fans stuck paying turbocharged prices for accommodation
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco, right, and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain steer their car at the hairpin during the first practice session, Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot Paula Wadden has been a huge Formula One fan ever since she got hooked on the Netflix show 'Drive to Survive' a few years ago. But the Halifax-area health-care worker says watching the Grand Prix in Montreal this weekend comes with high-octane prices. The Montreal hotel where she's spending the first part of the week doubles in price for the weekend. Instead, she'll spend the weekend at a hotel outside the city, near the airport, for about $600 a night. 'The tickets (prices) are OK, it's the accommodation and the means that are getting expensive,' she said Tuesday in Old Montreal. 'I don't know how the average Joe can afford it.' Wadden said the trip, which she's taking with her daughter and her daughter's partner, will cost $6,000 to $7,000. And that's despite the switch in hotels and the decision to save money by driving the 12 hours from Halifax rather than flying. While looking up hotels online, she said she saw even more eye-watering hotel prices ranging between $1,200 to more than $2,000 a night, as well as $4,000-per night Airbnbs. The Grand Prix is Montreal's biggest tourist event, expected to attract some 350,000 visitors and generate $162 million for the city, according to the head of Tourisme Montreal. Yves Lalumière estimates average hotel room prices on Grand Prix weekend at $600 to $800 per night — although some wealthy CEOs will pay $8,000 for a suite. 'This year's prices will probably stabilize quite a bit, maybe a two to three per cent increase over the previous year,' he said in an interview. 'But the last five years I've seen an increase year after year, and a substantial increase as well.' A ticket package for the three race days starts at $360, according to the Canadian Grand Prix website — though well-off fans can pay much more. Packages with perks such as VIP concierge service, reservations at popular restaurants and parties, and access to areas like pit lanes and paddocks can cost tens of thousands of dollars. However, Lalumière noted that the city also offers plenty of free entertainment, including a Grand Prix party on Crescent Street. He said hotel room prices are still 'very competitive,' especially for those paying in U.S. dollars or euros. Crowds, meanwhile, are not only growing but also becoming more diverse, he said. 'I think F1 has done a great job in selling the sport over the media,' Lalumière said. 'And, therefore, now you're attracting a lot more ladies, you're attracting a lot more young people as well to the race.' Black-and-white checkered banners were already fluttering on Saint-Paul Street in Old Montreal on Tuesday, as tourists lined up to photograph a Formula One car on display outside Max Bitton's racing-themed store, Fanabox. Bitton said he brought in the car as a gift to fans after last year's Grand Prix, which was marred by mishaps on and off the track that left a bad taste in some fans' mouths. Those issues included traffic headaches, flooding from rain, fans turned away from a practice session they were led to believe was cancelled, and restaurants ordered to suddenly close their patios on one of the busiest evenings of the year. 'I'm trying to give back because last year was so tough,' Bitton said. While Grand Prix fans are generally well-off, Bitton also worries about rising prices, especially now that the city has imposed tougher new rules on short-term rentals for primary residences. Next year, the Grand Prix will be held from May 22 to 24, which is outside the June-to-September window in which primary residence rentals are allowed. 'A lot of the fans love to flock here because of the heritage and they love this place,' Bitton said. 'They're willing to pay more but at some point it doesn't make sense.' At Bitton's store, tourists said attending the Grand Prix was costly, but worthwhile. Max Harrison, from Bournemouth in southern England, said he managed to find a spot in a hostel for about $40 a night early in the week. For race weekend, he's spending $200 a night to stay in a room in an Airbnb shared with several others. 'It's a bit much, you can tell they've spiked (the prices),' he said. He believes the Netflix show Drive to Survive has brought new fans to the sport, which means prices will only continue to go up. But for him, it's worth it to check the Montreal Grand Prix off his bucket list. 'The championship this year is looking really close, so it's going to be a really good race,' he said. 'And Canada is a beautiful place and I've always wanted to come.' Denise Beevor and Mark Omerod, from West Sussex in England, say they're spending 'a small fortune' for a 10-day trip that includes Sunday's race as well as stops in Quebec City and Mont-Tremblant. 'I think, particularly since COVID, it's important to have things to look forward to and to take memories away with you, and you can't replace that,' Beevor said. 'Possessions come and go, memories don't.' The CEO of the greater Montreal hotels association said the occupancy this weekend is expected to be around 90 per cent, similar to last year. Dominique Villeneuve said the industry was prepared to meet the demands of Grand Prix weekend 'enthusiastically and with the same professionalism that characterizes our industry.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025.
CBC
3 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.
