ETA Canada Travel Pass News

On February 7, the British Columbia (BC) government announced that starting from that day, nicotine pouch products will be limited to only pharmacy counters. The aim is to protect young people from the harm and addiction of nicotine.

The product targeted this time is Imperial Tobacco Canada’s Zonnic oral nicotine pouch. Products to help people quit smoking come in flavors such as Tropic Breeze and Chili Mint. It contains up to 4 milligrams of nicotine and is now available at convenience stores.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said there is a trend among young people to enjoy smoking cessation products as an alternative to cigarettes. He also expressed concern about Zonnic’s “youth appeal,” including its colorful packaging and marketing, saying, “Distribution of these products should be restricted so that they can reach people trying to cure nicotine addiction. “We must not increase nicotine addiction among the population.”

Premier David Eby said at a press conference that in the future people will have to go through a pharmacist to purchase nicotine pouches, which he hopes will create a barrier for young people to purchase them. Unlike cigarettes and vapes, nicotine pouches can currently be purchased by minors.

The federal government has the power to ban sales to minors, and Minister Dix said, “I believe there will be some movement at some point.’

On January 29, the British Columbia (BC) government announced new measures to protect international students in the province. As part of this, new approvals for higher education institutions that accept international students will be suspended for two years until February 2026.

In a statement, Minister of Higher and Vocational Education Selina Robinson said she is concerned that too many international students are being exploited and taken advantage of when they come to British Columbia. The purpose of this measure is to strengthen the protection of international students by imposing stricter conditions on educational institutions, and to provide better education to international students so that they can welcome talented students to British Columbia and contribute to economic development.

It is said that in addition, the state government has also announced plans to “conduct more frequent on-site inspections of private higher education institutions,” “increase approval standards for private degree programs,” “introduce new minimum standards for student language proficiency,” and “reduce tuition fees.” He announced measures such as “becoming more transparent.”

Approximately 545,000 people are currently enrolled in higher education in British Columbia. Of these, 175,000 are international students from approximately 150 countries, approximately 82,000 studying at public educational institutions and 94,000 at private educational institutions.

British Columbia’s former Minister of Higher Education Selina Robinson has received death threats, it has been revealed.

BC Premier David Eby made the announcement on his Twitter account on February 8th. Former Minister Robinson came under fire for inappropriate comments about Israel on January 30th.

There were calls for his resignation from groups related to Middle East issues, and although the former minister made an explanation, the calls for his resignation did not subside, and he announced his resignation on February 5.

On the same day he announced his resignation, his office was attacked. Eby said Robinson was not injured and police were investigating the threat and attack on his office.

To solve the housing crisis, the Canadian federal government has just announced (Sunday, February 4) that it will extend the ban on overseas buyers buying homes for another two years, until 2027.

Finance Minister: Ban on overseas buyers extended According to CBC, Canadian Broadcasting Chinese, and other media reports, today, Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced in a press release that the federal government will extend the “prohibition on non-citizens, non-permanent residents and foreign holding companies purchasing Canadian real estate in the form of investment”.

Canada’s ban on home purchases by overseas buyers will take effect on January 1, 2023. It was initially announced to last for two years and covered residential properties. However, some eligible international students (topics), foreign workers, refugees and other groups can be exempted. Additionally, the ban covers only single-family homes and apartment buildings with three or fewer units.

Properties exempt from this restriction include apartment buildings with four or more units, any type of residence located outside of overheated cities, and recreational properties such as vacation homes and country houses in all areas.

The bill sets a fine of C$10,000 for overseas buyers who purchase residential properties in violation of the ban. In today’s statement, Freeland said: “By extending the ban on foreign buyers, we will ensure that homes are used as places of residence for Canadian families and do not become financial assets for speculation.”

British Columbia (BC) Premier David Eby announced on January 26 that the use of cell phones in schools will now be restricted. Citing his own 9-year-old child, the premier pointed out that at elementary schools, children gather in front of their mobile phones during recess and lunch breaks. He says the school doesn’t have a system to monitor what content kids are watching.

As countermeasures to this current situation, the state government has “restricted the use of mobile phones in schools,” “introduced services that allow users to delete personal images on the Internet and track down criminals,” and “social media operating companies that have caused harm to users.” “We will legislate to ensure that people are held accountable.’

These measures are based on research showing that frequent mobile phone use poses serious risks for young people, including cyberbullying and sextortion. From September this year, schools will be required to establish a new school policy regarding mobile phone use.

It also aims to give students more opportunities to learn about knowledge and tools to protect themselves from cybercrime.

Outside B.C., Quebec has implemented similar measures since the end of the winter break.

It’s been 10 years since Canadians got a limited-time taste of McDonald’s most legendary burger. People are calling on McDonald’s to put it back on shelves, but to no avail. However, this is finally changing. The McRib, one of McDonald’s most popular burgers, finally made its massive return to Canada this month after a 10-year hiatus.

The boneless pork patty slathered with barbecue sauce, onions, and pickles, all served in a flatbread, is back at the restaurant. It’s easy to see why Canadians are eager to try McRib again.

The McRib was first introduced to restaurants in 1982 but eventually disappeared from McDonald’s Canada menus in 2014. The McRib was eventually reintroduced to the U.S. in 2022, but Canadians were disappointed to find out at the time that the burger wouldn’t be returning to restaurants north of the border.

Despite being gone for a decade, the McRib has gained a cult following over the years, with McDonald’s receiving thousands of comments asking when the McRib would return.

In November 2023, McDonald’s Canada secretly put the McRib on the menu of some stores to test the popularity of the market.

Now, the McRib will officially be back at all McDonald’s locations across Canada on January 30^th. Note that it will still be a limited-time sale, so if you’ve been dreaming of a rib burger for the past 10 years, act fast.

Rent prices in and around Toronto may have come down a bit in recent months, but that doesn’t mean affordability has truly improved for residents, nor does it mean there have been fewer scary rental ads on the market.

The latest “horror rental” discovered in the area is a room in Brampton, advertised for a very low price of just $350. While the price is great as the current average monthly rent in the GTA is around $2,700 CAD (and yes, this room is furnished), there are some very glaring drawbacks to this room that some would consider uninhabitable.

As can be seen from a photo in the listing information, the “room” where the tenant will sleep is the kitchen in the basement. The single bed is sandwiched between the support rod and the wall, and the headboard is only a few meters away from the kitchen sink and countertop.

“Two-bedroom basement with spare shared space,” a post on Kijiji posted on Wednesday said the rental is close to local universities, colleges, banks, grocery stores and public transportation. As many people pointed out on social networking sites, the bedrooms also allow for breakfast and morning coffee; one person on Reddit wrote: “Now you can actually wake up to the smell of coffee.”

Heavy snowfall hit the southwestern part of British Columbia (BC), and Vancouver, which has a mild climate even in winter, was enveloped in a blanket of silver. On January 17, 28 centimeters of snow fell at Vancouver International Airport.

There have been several incidents in Metro Vancouver, including vehicles skidding, vehicles getting stuck, and road closures. In Abbotsford, the driver of a car that spun out was struck and killed by a snowplow as he got out of his car and walked. Public transportation networks were also disrupted. TransLink, which operates and manages Metro Vancouver’s public transportation system, responded by changing from standard 18-meter vehicles to 12-meter vehicles that are more resistant to snowfall, but the number of trains operated was reduced and some services were suspended.

The number of SkyTrain trains was only slightly reduced, while the Seabus (marine transportation system) and West Coast Express services returned to regular service. There were also delays and cancellations of flights to and from Vancouver International Airport and BC Ferries. Canada Post suspended mail delivery on the 17th but resumed mail delivery on the 18th.

Vancouver bus and SeaBus services may be suspended for two days starting January 22nd. The labor union CUPE4500, which is negotiating with Costal Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), a public transportation company in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, announced on January 18th that if an agreement is not reached in labor-management negotiations, the agreement will be closed at 3 a.m. on the 22nd. He said he will not be performing any duties for 48 hours.

CUPE4500 includes 180 people responsible for supervisors, engineers, maintenance, and communications. If the strike goes ahead, all Metro Vancouver bus and Seabus services will cease. CMBC is a subsidiary of TransLink, which operates and manages Metro Vancouver’s public transportation system, and has approximately 6,000 employees, most of whom are bus drivers.

Union representative Liam O’Neill said, “We have been waiting for a response from CMBC to the new collective agreement proposal for over a month.” He is concerned about the inconvenience to users and plans to step up the strike if the company does not return to negotiations. He says he has no choice but to do so. The union has already banned overtime on January 6th as part of the first stage of the strike, but the company’s services have not been directly affected.

In response, CMBC President and General Manager Michael McDaniel said the union is demanding a 25% wage increase over three years. If the union demands increases, for example, transit supervisors, who currently earn $92,415 a year, would go from $115,477 (a 25% increase), and mechanic supervisors, who currently earn $113,799, would go from $113,799 to $141,606 (a 24.5% increase). He says it’s an unrealistic demand.

Cold weather has arrived in Metro Vancouver, which has had a mild winter so far. On the afternoon of January 11th, Metro Vancouver was hit by a sudden snowfall, causing transit delays, vehicle accidents, and road closures. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a cold weather advisory for most of British Columbia (BC). C

old air from the Arctic remained in B.C. on January 12, setting new record low temperatures in many communities across the province. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, 32 records for the lowest maximum temperature and 24 records for the lowest minimum temperature were broken. Penticton, in the southeastern part of the state, recorded a maximum temperature of -18.6 degrees Celsius. The previous record was -15 degrees in 1909, the first time in 115 years.

Temperatures in Metro Vancouver are also cold, with highs below freezing, and records are being broken in West Vancouver and White Rock. The highest temperature in West Vancouver was -6.4 degrees (the previous record was -2.9 degrees in 1998), the lowest temperature was -12.8 degrees (the previous record was -10.4 degrees in 1998), and the highest temperature in White Rock was -8.7 degrees (the previous record was in 1963).

The lowest temperature recorded was -14.4 degrees (-11.7 degrees in 1950).