Latest news with #VIArail
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Tips and deals to help maximize your summer vacation dollars
Travel has become more expensive in recent years, with increased costs for airfare, hotels, and dining. However, don't let that deter you from exploring. Regardless of your destination, booking early and choosing off-season travel are effective strategies to save money. If you want to stretch your budget further, try these tactics that can help maximize vacation dollars. The insiders' guide: Where to go in Europe to avoid the crowds Although travelling within Canada can be notoriously expensive, some recent changes may help reduce your overall costs. Porter Airlines expanded its network and now flies across the country. Both Air Canada and WestJet have also increased their domestic routes as they've scaled back some flights to the United States. As a result, lower fares have been available. Additionally, the federal government recently announced a Canada Strong Pass, which allows those under the age of 18 to get free access to art galleries, national parks, museums and free seats on VIA Rail when travelling with their parents. While specific details are yet to be announced, this initiative could offer a valuable opportunity to cut costs. When planning your travel, make sure to check the local tourism website since they often have exclusive deals or passes. Stephanie Clovechok, chief executive officer of Discover Saskatoon, said her group's website helps direct those planning their itineraries to a range of services and deals. 'Our offers and packages page connects travellers directly with hotel promotions and seasonal experiences developed in partnership with our hospitality and tourism members,' she said. In B.C. there's Whistler's offer of up to 25 per cent off and a complimentary $100 activity voucher on stays of three nights or more, or up to 30 per cent off and a $200 voucher on stays of at least five nights. Those headed to Nova Scotia may be interested in the Halifax Experience Pass and the Nova Scotia Museum Pass. Both give you access to some top attractions at one low price. When you bundle your flights, hotel and airport transfers together as a vacation package, it's often significantly cheaper than booking everything separately. That said, major resorts such as Sandals and Grand Velas often have seasonal sales, so booking separately might make sense. Working with a travel agent can also be beneficial since many don't charge a fee and offer practical advice. 'For flexible travellers, we can help them find the best days to depart to maximize savings,' travel adviser Jennifer Zabloski said. 'Sometimes leaving the day before or after your desired date can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.' She points out that online photos and reviews of resorts are frequently misleading, so collaborating with an adviser who has visited the properties and knows the location well can ensure you're getting the best fit for your needs. Another sun destination with deals right now is Bermuda, where visitors can get up to 30 per cent off hotel stays, and 20 per cent off air and hotel with BermudAir Holidays. If you're headed to Europe for the first time, it will be tempting to visit major destinations such as Paris, Rome and London, however, those cities tend to be the most expensive. Instead, consider more budget-friendly destinations such as Portugal, Poland, Romania or Bulgaria, where costs could be considerably cheaper. When it comes to flights, choosing an airline that provides a stopover program, such as Icelandair, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and TAP Portugal, can be a cost-effective way to visit multiple countries. Stopover programs allow travellers to break up their journey – usually by at least 24 hours - and visit cities that are en route to their ultimate destination. Google Flights and are excellent websites for discovering the lowest prices and best routes. Many European cities, such as Amsterdam, Vienna and Berlin, offer a museum pass that can save you money, depending on how many attractions you plan to visit. 'Regardless of what loyalty points you collect, using them for long-haul travel often makes sense because it'll immediately reduce the cost of your flights or hotels – typically your largest expense,' said Sash Bhavsar, co-founder of a consultancy firm that frequent flyers hire to help them maximize their points. Don't overlook local hotel brands abroad, like Tokyu Stay and APA in Japan. They're often more affordable and offer a more authentic experience than large international chains, Mr. Bhavsar noted. If possible, opt for a regional or smaller international airport instead of the main one at your destination to save on airport landing fees and taxes that are often reflected in ticket prices. Secondary airport hubs charge airlines less, so if visiting Bangkok, Thailand, see if you can land at Don Mueang International (DMK) instead of Suvarnabhumi (BKK). And in Buenos Aires, for example, aim for Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery (AEP) rather than Ezeiza (EZE). Many seasoned cruisers turn to as a starting point for trip research. While it may not be the most user-friendly website, its filtering system is arguably the best because it allows travellers to browse cruise deals by departure date, ports, cruise lines and trip duration. Once you've found what you're looking for, contact the cruise line and book directly for the best price. 'Most cruise lines offer seasonal promotions, including discounted fares, onboard credits and special deals like free passage for third and fourth guests,' Lisa Huizing, a vacation consultant with Expedia Cruises, said. Planning ahead and prepaying for add-ons such as beverage packages, Wi-Fi, airport transfers, excursions and gratuities can also help, Huizing added. No one wants an unexpected charge at the end of their voyage, so securing these extras in advance can ensure a more enjoyable experience. When booking, ask about all-inclusive packages that bundle these extras at a reduced price. Barry Choi is a personal finance and travel expert. He was previously affiliated with Air Canada and WestJet, but currently has no relationship with any of the brands mentioned.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Via Rail subsidiary paid Quebec marketing firm $330K as it pivoted to high-speed rail
A VIA Rail train is seen on tracks in Dorval, Que., as it heads out of Montreal on Friday, May 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi MONTREAL — A federal Crown corporation paid more than $330,000 to an outside marketing firm to rebrand a planned passenger rail project between Toronto and Quebec City and boost its popularity. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press detail how the corporation, concerned about 'widespread disinterest' in a high-frequency rail corridor announced in 2021, decided to change its name and pivot to high-speed rail instead. As part of that shift, the VIA Rail subsidiary hired a Quebec-based firm, Cossette Communication Inc., to develop a marketing plan that would reflect a new direction – signalled by the Crown corporation's chief executive, Martin Imbleau – to ensure the project placed a greater emphasis on speed. With the firm's help, the corporation came up with a new logo and a new name – Alto – more than a year ago. The rebranding was apparently so sensitive that the Crown corporation also chose a code name for Alto. Multiple documents, obtained using access-to-information law, refer to the new name as 'Tracks.' It would take until February 2025 for the new name to be made public, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the government was awarding a contract to a consortium to design the 1,000-kilometre high-speed rail network. If completed, the train would take passengers from Montreal to Toronto in just three hours. The government's initial plan for the passenger rail system, announced in July 2021, envisioned a high-frequency rail line connecting Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. The network would have cut travel times for passengers, but the trains would be too slow to be considered high-speed. The documents make clear that by the fall of 2023, however, the Crown corporation felt it needed to change course and scrap its original name — VIA HFR. 'The concept of 'high frequency' faces strong opposition. There's widespread disinterest and dissatisfaction associated with the term, hindering any meaningful discussions and support. This resistance has become particularly challenging to navigate as the term 'high frequency' is directly embedded in the (corporation's) name,' reads an undated briefing note written in late 2023 or early 2024. It goes on to say that discussions of higher speed 'are met with openness,' which would lead to 'greater project support and acceptance.' It adds that the VIA HFR name should be changed early in the process, while the public's awareness of the project is 'relatively low.' VIA HFR's work with the marketing firm dates back to at least September 2023, when it signed a contract with Cossette to develop a 'brand narrative' and a tag line for the corporation as part of the shift to high speed. The contract appears to have been extended multiple times through the end of 2024, and invoices from the marketing firm show it billed more than $330,000 between October 2023 and January 2025. Cossette declined to comment on the contract. In a statement, the office of Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland said Alto is an arm's-length organization responsible for its own day-to-day activities. 'Minister Freeland expects that these institutions are well-managed and ensure value for taxpayer dollars,' it reads. A presentation from the firm dating from December 2023 shows a list of 'top 3' names under consideration at the time: Inter, XLR and Trax. But none of those made the cut. An April 2024 presentation from VIA HFR shows the corporation had landed on Alto, which it said 'embodies the project's stronger focus on incorporating higher speeds and providing a higher level of service to Canadians.' Alto also evokes 'music and the train as catalysts for connection,' the presentation says, and is a 'play on words with the train as an alternative way to travel.' The name also works in both official languages, it adds. 'Naming a national project of this scale goes beyond branding,' a spokesperson for Alto said in an email statement to The Canadian Press. 'A strong, meaningful name anchors public support, reflects ambition, and shapes how Canadians will connect with the project for decades. It's a sensitive process. We approached Alto's naming with care, rigour, and a long-term vision.' It's not unusual for transit projects to get branding makeovers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars – nor is it uncommon for them to attract criticism. Last November, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation took issue with Saskatoon for spending $317,000 on a city bus rebrand. The city responded by saying the cost was in line with similar projects across the country. Ultimately, Trudeau introduced the rebranding of Alto in February, when he announced that a consortium called Cadence, made up of CDPQ Infra, AtkinsRéalis, SYSTRA Canada, Keolis Canada, Air Canada and SNCF Voyageurs, had won a $3.9-billion, six-year contract to design the high-speed line. The federal Conservatives dismissed the announcement as 'yet another promise with no details that will take years and $3.9 billion on planning and bureaucracy, without laying a single piece of track.' Ryan Katz-Rosene, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa who studies high-speed rail, said it's 'concerning' to see the Crown corporation focus on 'how to maximize the marketing appeal' of the project instead of 'trying to address very specific challenges in the transport sector.' He said a big problem the high-frequency plan sought to fix was the fact that VIA Rail currently has to schedule passenger trains around freight trains sharing the same tracks. Building new, dedicated tracks would have removed a major obstacle to improved service, he said – regardless of speed. But a high-speed rail line could cost double the price of the high-frequency option, Katz-Rosene said, and is therefore less likely to get built. Still, the switch to high speed clearly won over some important players. In an interview after Trudeau's announcement in February, Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand said he was 'very happy' with the decision, and called the high-frequency project 'crap.' An internal presentation from August 2024 cites public opinion research showing that people preferred a higher-speed rail line, despite the added cost. 'We must continue to shift away from the high frequency narrative to keep the public and stakeholders engaged,' it reads. According to the documents, the corporation in September 2023 asked the three groups qualified to bid on building the project to 'propose a second option without speed limitations.' Katz-Rosene said it's not surprising that people would choose high speed over high frequency. But a high-speed rail project will face substantial political challenges, he said, including the fact that Western Canada may balk at the idea of paying billions of dollars to build a rail corridor for Quebec and Ontario. 'I don't think anyone has a really good handle on how much this is actually going to cost,' he said, adding that the 'sticker shock' could eventually kill the project. 'You just know it's going to be a hot political issue.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025. Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Via Rail subsidiary paid Quebec marketing firm $330K as it pivoted to high-speed rail
A VIA Rail train is seen on tracks in Dorval, Que., as it heads out of Montreal on Friday, May 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi MONTREAL — A federal Crown corporation paid more than $330,000 to an outside marketing firm to rebrand a planned passenger rail project between Toronto and Quebec City and boost its popularity. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press detail how the corporation, concerned about 'widespread disinterest' in a high-frequency rail corridor announced in 2021, decided to change its name and pivot to high-speed rail instead. As part of that shift, the VIA Rail subsidiary hired a Quebec-based firm, Cossette Communication Inc., to develop a marketing plan that would reflect a new direction – signalled by the Crown corporation's chief executive, Martin Imbleau – to ensure the project placed a greater emphasis on speed. With the firm's help, the corporation came up with a new logo and a new name – Alto – more than a year ago. The rebranding was apparently so sensitive that the Crown corporation also chose a code name for Alto. Multiple documents, obtained using access-to-information law, refer to the new name as 'Tracks.' It would take until February 2025 for the new name to be made public, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the government was awarding a contract to a consortium to design the 1,000-kilometre high-speed rail network. If completed, the train would take passengers from Montreal to Toronto in just three hours. The government's initial plan for the passenger rail system, announced in July 2021, envisioned a high-frequency rail line connecting Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. The network would have cut travel times for passengers, but the trains would be too slow to be considered high-speed. The documents make clear that by the fall of 2023, however, the Crown corporation felt it needed to change course and scrap its original name — VIA HFR. 'The concept of 'high frequency' faces strong opposition. There's widespread disinterest and dissatisfaction associated with the term, hindering any meaningful discussions and support. This resistance has become particularly challenging to navigate as the term 'high frequency' is directly embedded in the (corporation's) name,' reads an undated briefing note written in late 2023 or early 2024. It goes on to say that discussions of higher speed 'are met with openness,' which would lead to 'greater project support and acceptance.' It adds that the VIA HFR name should be changed early in the process, while the public's awareness of the project is 'relatively low.' VIA HFR's work with the marketing firm dates back to at least September 2023, when it signed a contract with Cossette to develop a 'brand narrative' and a tag line for the corporation as part of the shift to high speed. The contract appears to have been extended multiple times through the end of 2024, and invoices from the marketing firm show it billed more than $330,000 between October 2023 and January 2025. Cossette declined to comment on the contract. In a statement, the office of Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland said Alto is an arm's-length organization responsible for its own day-to-day activities. 'Minister Freeland expects that these institutions are well-managed and ensure value for taxpayer dollars,' it reads. A presentation from the firm dating from December 2023 shows a list of 'top 3' names under consideration at the time: Inter, XLR and Trax. But none of those made the cut. An April 2024 presentation from VIA HFR shows the corporation had landed on Alto, which it said 'embodies the project's stronger focus on incorporating higher speeds and providing a higher level of service to Canadians.' Alto also evokes 'music and the train as catalysts for connection,' the presentation says, and is a 'play on words with the train as an alternative way to travel.' The name also works in both official languages, it adds. 'Naming a national project of this scale goes beyond branding,' a spokesperson for Alto said in an email statement to The Canadian Press. 'A strong, meaningful name anchors public support, reflects ambition, and shapes how Canadians will connect with the project for decades. It's a sensitive process. We approached Alto's naming with care, rigour, and a long-term vision.' It's not unusual for transit projects to get branding makeovers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars – nor is it uncommon for them to attract criticism. Last November, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation took issue with Saskatoon for spending $317,000 on a city bus rebrand. The city responded by saying the cost was in line with similar projects across the country. Ultimately, Trudeau introduced the rebranding of Alto in February, when he announced that a consortium called Cadence, made up of CDPQ Infra, AtkinsRéalis, SYSTRA Canada, Keolis Canada, Air Canada and SNCF Voyageurs, had won a $3.9-billion, six-year contract to design the high-speed line. The federal Conservatives dismissed the announcement as 'yet another promise with no details that will take years and $3.9 billion on planning and bureaucracy, without laying a single piece of track.' Ryan Katz-Rosene, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa who studies high-speed rail, said it's 'concerning' to see the Crown corporation focus on 'how to maximize the marketing appeal' of the project instead of 'trying to address very specific challenges in the transport sector.' He said a big problem the high-frequency plan sought to fix was the fact that VIA Rail currently has to schedule passenger trains around freight trains sharing the same tracks. Building new, dedicated tracks would have removed a major obstacle to improved service, he said – regardless of speed. But a high-speed rail line could cost double the price of the high-frequency option, Katz-Rosene said, and is therefore less likely to get built. Still, the switch to high speed clearly won over some important players. In an interview after Trudeau's announcement in February, Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand said he was 'very happy' with the decision, and called the high-frequency project 'crap.' An internal presentation from August 2024 cites public opinion research showing that people preferred a higher-speed rail line, despite the added cost. 'We must continue to shift away from the high frequency narrative to keep the public and stakeholders engaged,' it reads. According to the documents, the corporation in September 2023 asked the three groups qualified to bid on building the project to 'propose a second option without speed limitations.' Katz-Rosene said it's not surprising that people would choose high speed over high frequency. But a high-speed rail project will face substantial political challenges, he said, including the fact that Western Canada may balk at the idea of paying billions of dollars to build a rail corridor for Quebec and Ontario. 'I don't think anyone has a really good handle on how much this is actually going to cost,' he said, adding that the 'sticker shock' could eventually kill the project. 'You just know it's going to be a hot political issue.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025. Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
