ETA Canada Travel Pass News

A heat warning has been issued for the southwestern part of British Columbia (BC). The areas affected, announced by Environment Canada on July 4th, include eastern Victoria Island, the northern west coast of BC, and the Sunshine Coast, and are expected to be expanded to Metro Vancouver and the central and southern parts of the province.

According to the forecast, temperatures in Metro Vancouver will rise from around the weekend of July 6th, reaching over 25 degrees Celsius, and even over 30 degrees Celsius in some places. The perceived temperature is expected to exceed 35 degrees across the board, with 34 degrees in Vancouver and Surrey, 37 degrees in Burnaby, 40 degrees in Pitt Meadows, and 41 degrees in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

They also warned that temperatures in the central and southern parts of the state could rise into the upper 30s from the 7th through the start of next week, with temperatures feeling like they could reach 40 degrees.

For this reason, the state government is urging people to take measures to protect themselves from the heat, such as using cooling stations and staying hydrated, and to seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms of heatstroke.

A strike by mechanics for the airline WestJet began at 5:30 pm Mountain Time on June 28th. The federal government intervened on the previous day, the 27th, and it seemed as though the strike had been averted, but the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association suddenly picketed, saying that “WestJet has no intention of negotiating, so a strike is inevitable.”

WestJet President Diedrick Penn criticized the union for striking during the Canada Day holiday, saying, “The strike has a serious impact on our customers, who can’t attend weddings, can’t travel, can’t see their families.”

According to the president, 235 flights had been canceled by the morning of the 29th, affecting 33,000 passengers. If the problem is not resolved by the 29th, an additional 150 flights will be canceled. 70,000 people usually use WestJet during the Canada Day holiday. According to WestJet CEO Alexis von Hohenbroech, Minister of Labor Seamus O’Regan ordered arbitration at the Canada Industrial Relations Board, meaning that the contract will be decided by arbitrators and negotiations between the company and the union will be terminated.

“A strike is something you do to put pressure on the other side of negotiations. It makes no sense to go on strike when there are no more negotiations,” he said angrily. WestJet said in a statement on the 28th that AMFA had confirmed it would follow the minister’s instructions. WestJet urges passengers to check their flights.

On June 20, a broken sewer main in the Olympic Village area of Vancouver, British Columbia (BC) caused raw sewage to spill onto the streets and into the nearby False Creek. The sewer main in question was built in 2000 and runs underground on Columbia Street between Second and First Avenues.

The leak started around 5 a.m. and was reported to authorities around 8 a.m. The sewage overflowed onto the street, emitting a foul odor, and flowed into False Creek, but the exact amount was not known. The broken water pipe was then shut off and cleaned up. Metro Vancouver, the agency in charge of the broken sewer pipe, announced at around 1:00 p.m. that the leak had completely stopped.

Vancouver Coastal Health has advised residents to stay away from sewage. No contamination has been found in restaurants or other facilities in the area. The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, scheduled for June 22-23 in False Creek, went ahead as scheduled.

While swimming and other primary contact activities have long been considered inappropriate in False Creek, secondary contact activities such as boating are now permitted, but people are advised to take precautions against contamination by washing their hands and showering.

The British Columbia (BC) government announced on June 14 that it will expand Clincesa Provincial Park in the northeast of the province to create a sanctuary for animals such as caribou. The sanctuary will be approximately 2,000 square kilometers and will be the largest provincial park in the province.

This builds on a partnership established in 2020 between two First Nations, the Saulteaux First Nation and the West Moberly First Nation, the British Columbia provincial government, and the Government of Canada. The four parties agreed to protect the Southern Mountain Caribou.

Clincesa Provincial Park is west of Chetwynd, British Columbia, and 1,100 kilometers north of Vancouver. British Columbia’s caribou population declined by about 55 percent in the 20th century, with the Southern Mountain Caribou population now at less than 4,000. This is mainly due to an increase in predators caused by human habitat disturbance. However, policies such as protecting pregnant female caribou, restoring habitat, and managing predators such as wolves have been successful, and caribou numbers are on the rise.

The number of caribou herds in Clincesa has grown from 36 in 2013 to 138 today. The park’s expansion aims to protect other fauna, including fishermen, brook trout and grizzly bears, as well as preserve sites of Native American religious and cultural importance.

A white female grizzly bear affectionately known as “Nakoda” (official name: Bear 178) has died in a road accident in Yoho National Park, British Columbia.

According to Parks Canada, which manages Canadian National Parks, the accident occurred on June 6th. Nakoda was frightened by a train and ran onto the road near the Lake O’Hara exit on the Trans-Canada Highway, a highway that crosses Canada.

The first of two cars on the road was able to avoid it, but the second car behind it was unable to stop in time and collided with Nakoda. After the accident, Nakoda was seen by officials climbing a fence on the highway and limping off the road. Because wild bears often recover from serious injuries, officials decided to continue monitoring Nakoda. However, on June 8, Nakoda’s GPS collar sent a signal, and he was confirmed dead.

Nakoda had two calves, but they were killed in a separate traffic accident on June 6th prior to Nakoda’s accident. According to Parks Canada, Nakoda often came out to roadside potholes to eat dandelions. Because of this, he had a lot of contact with humans and had become “too used” to being on the side of the road.

“Bears that become habituated to people often have negative consequences,” the agency said, advising people visiting national parks not to stop watching wildlife, to drive carefully, and to obey the speed limit.

Amid the housing crisis, a record number of unsold condo listings are pouring into Toronto. A real estate agent near Jarvis Street and Dundas Street warned clients two months ago that even condos with panoramic lake views and balconies would have difficulty finding buyers quickly. His concerns became reality. At the end of April, the price was lowered by $21,000 to $589,900, but buyers are still not showing interest. It’s even difficult to show it. “The condo market right now is like a ghost town,” he said. About 11,000 Toronto residents have become homeless in the past three months.

Condominium apartments, generally the most affordable form of housing, are on the market in large numbers, but there is no demand. The homes on the market are primarily small units built for investors, many of whom, like the clients of the real estate agents, are looking to sell before their profit margins are wiped out by the slump in the Toronto condo market. “This proves that the attempt at a solution was a failure, as it was a policy that benefited developers, investors and speculators rather than ordinary people,” said Toronto City Councilor Gord Perkes, chairman of the city’s planning and housing committee.

There were 8,183 apartment units for sale in the Greater Toronto Area at the end of May, the highest number of active condo listings in recent years. “Pre-construction condo sales are down 74% this year compared to the 10-year average,” said Realosophy Realty CEO John Passalis. “We are not building enough housing, and the lack of low-rise housing is leaving people with limited mobility with no place to live,” said Passalis.

Retail investors prefer smaller units, and politicians have not reversed course, according to an analysis of MLS real estate data. The average listing price for units in the square footage range is $593,000. “In many ways, families have been effectively shut out of the condo market,” Parsalis said. “The price per foot is very high.” The average price of a resale condo in downtown Toronto is approximately $1,000 per square foot, while pre-sale condo units are priced at $1,500 per square foot, reflecting increased labor and construction costs and investors’ willingness to pay. Why do investors pay more?

Representative Passalis responded, “Most reasonable people would ask the same question.” “Especially after 2020, many people did not have a plan to close when purchasing a pre-construction condo,” said Passalis.

Many TTC passengers are complaining as large-scale construction is announced on Spadina Ave in Toronto. The TTC announced that street cars on the 510 Spadina route will be replaced with buses from Sunday, June 23rd until the end of the year to upgrade infrastructure. Buses will run in both directions along Spadina Avenue from Spadina Station to Queens Quay West. Commuters traveling to and from Union Station must transfer to the bus and 509 Harbourfront Streetcar at Queen’s Quay West.

The TTC said the work includes track maintenance, system modernization and future platform expansion. Although this work is intended to ensure long-term safe and reliable service, many Torontonians are concerned about traffic delays and disruption. On Reddit, the largest community in North America, one netizen described the traffic situation on Spadina on the Gardiner Expressway as a “nightmare” and said it took 30 minutes to travel the 700 meters from Queen Street to Front Street.

Another user complained, saying, “I always have to wait for the late bus while trying to cram people into a small space.” Some users made light of the situation by quoting lyrics from Canadian band Shuffle Demons’ 1986 hit “Spadina Bus.” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow acknowledged that this construction would be a major inconvenience to many people but emphasized that it was necessary. “So many people rely on Spa Dinah Street Cars, and this is important work to ensure safe and reliable TTC service going forward,” Mayor Chow said in her statement

. Many are criticizing Mayor Chow’s comments earlier this week when she spoke to Canadian business leaders about wanting employees to work in-person. One Reddit user sarcastically said, “I’m really happy that Mayor Chau is trying to get more people to go to work and at the same time TTC service is being cut off.” The TTC did not release an exact end date for construction but said it would last until December. “While temporary bus replacements may cause inconvenience to many of our citizens, our dedicated team will work diligently to complete the upgrades on time or sooner by the end of the year,” TTC Chairman Jamal Myers said in a statement.

On May 29, pro-Palestinian camp protesters at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, British Columbia, occupied a major intersection on campus.

About 100 demonstrators occupied the intersection of University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall at around 7 a.m. They protested, chanting, “We won’t stop, we won’t rest,” and “There’s no peace on stolen land.” Buses were blocked from entering and exiting about 250 meters from the campsite.

The protesters were given time to move away from the intersection, but a lack of communication led to police intervention, according to a police statement. The RCMP had cleared the protesters by just after 12 p.m., but one person was arrested.

The university released a statement in the afternoon saying classes would proceed as normal. Pro-Palestinian protest camps against the Israel-Hamas conflict have spread across Canadian universities, with one set up at UBC in late April, with demonstrators calling on the university to sever financial and academic ties with Israeli companies and organizations.

On May 24, the British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced that the Broadway subway project in Vancouver and the replacement project for the Peter Bridge connecting Surrey and New Westminster will both be delayed.

The subway is scheduled to begin operation in 2027, and the Peter Bridge in 2025. This is the second time the completion dates for both projects have been changed.

The subway was originally scheduled to open in 2025, but a concrete contractor strike and construction of tunnels and stations took longer than expected. The Peter Bridge was also scheduled to open in 2023, but the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues had a major impact. But BC Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said both projects are progressing well, with the former having already finished boring the tunnel — the most difficult part — and the latter having completed construction of the new bridge’s main tower. The Broadway Subway is an extension of the SkyTrain Millennium Line.

The total cost of construction is approximately $2.8 billion. The Peter Bridge will be a bridge with wider lanes separated by a median strip and will also have separate pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

As the sunspot that recently caused the aurora phenomenon returns toward Earth, there is a growing possibility that aurora will appear again in some parts of Canada. A sunspot that caused several solar flares earlier this month and the largest solar explosion in nearly 20 years is back toward Earth, producing another powerful flare this week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rates geomagnetic storms on a five-level scale and predicts the storm will peak at a moderate G2 level this Friday. This is weaker than the serious G4-level storm that occurred in early May.

According to NOAA’s aurora forecast for the night of the 31st (Friday), the southern border where the aurora can be seen is expected to pass through the Toronto area and Moncton, New Brunswick. Forecasts indicate that the likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights along the route from Vancouver to Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, Ontario is low, but the northern regions of each province and territory are likely to see them.

The Canadian Space Meteorological Agency also issued a major geomagnetic storm warning for the Aurora Zone, which includes most of the territory and the northern part of the province.

Aurora fluctuates depending on solar activity, so it’s important to check the latest forecast. Meteorological experts selected dark skies and clear weather as the optimal conditions for observing aurora. Therefore, people who want to see the Aurora are advised to avoid city lights and move to a dark place.