June 1 passport deadline looms for some travellers

Updated Thu. May. 28 2009 8:53 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Canadian travellers heading to the U.S. on trains, boats and automobiles will need valid passports starting June 1 as part of increased U.S. border security.

While Passport Canada has been speeding through a deluge of applications and processing about 20,000 new passports per day over the past few months, some travellers are running into serious snags during the application process.

Winnipeg’s Sandy Gietz tried to apply for a passport on Wednesday but was rejected when she was told that her original birth certificate wasn’t a valid form of identification.

“They say they couldn’t accept it because it was signed ‘the registrar’ and not ‘vital statistics,’” Gietz told CTV Winnipeg’s Stacey Ashley Thursday.

“He said, ‘I’m sorry, it’s not valid, I can’t use it.’ And I said, ‘what do you mean it’s not valid? How can you say it’s not a valid birth certificate?”

Apparently, in March, the province of Manitoba asked Passport Canada to stop accepting birth certificates issued before 1983.

But those changes were done quietly, leaving Gietz up against the wall for a family vacation to the U.S. slated for July 1.

Officials at Passport Canada told CTV Winnipeg Thursday that they may have failed to adequately notify the public about the new requirements. The officials also apologized for the inconvenience and stressed the requirements would be put on their website.

Meanwhile, the new national rules are part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and follow previous changes for air travel.

All travellers to the U.S. will be subject to the rules, with a few exceptions:

Canadian citizens 15-years-old and younger only need proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or citizen card.

Canadians 18-years-old and younger travelling with a school or other group like a sports team can also cross with proof of citizenship, as long as they have parental consent.

Travellers may also enter the U.S. with a valid NEXUS card or enhanced driver’s license.

Mexicans, Bermudans and other travellers from Caribbean countries will also be under the same rules as Canadians.

However, some Canadian authorities have been relatively slow to issue new enhanced drivers licenses compared to jurisdictions in the U.S.

For example, since January 2008, Washington state has issued 60,400 enhanced drivers licenses. The province of British Columbia, meanwhile, has issued zero.

But that will change this week, according to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, when the new licenses are mailed out.

In Ontario, where about 35 million passenger cars cross the border every year, the Ministry of Transportation announced earlier this month that travellers could begin applying for the drivers licenses at an extra cost of $40.00.

With reports from CTV Winnipeg, CTV British Columbia, and files from The Canadian Press

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090528/Passport_Snafu_090528/20090528?hub=Canada

28 April 2009 — Several countries have confirmed cases of swine influenza. General information on the swine influenza have been posted on the WHO website.

WHO does not recommend to restrict international travel. As usual it is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention.

Regarding the risk of being infected by an influenza virus, travellers are advised, whenever possible, to avoid crowded enclosed spaces and close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections. Hand-washing after direct contact with ill persons or their environment may reduce the risk of illness.Ill persons should be encouraged to practice cough etiquette (maintain distance,cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, wash hands).

Regarding specific measures related to protection against swine influenza, information is presently insufficient to make recommendation on the use of antivirals. For the use of antivirals in treatment of swine influenza virus infection, the clinicians have to make decisions based on the clinical and epidemiological assessment and harms and benefit of the treatment of the patient.

info from http://www.who.int/ith/updates/2009_04_28/en/index.html

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

Swine influenza – update 4

28 April 2009–The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 19:15 GMT, 28 April 2009, seven countries have officially reported cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection. The United States Government has reported 64 laboratory confirmed human cases, with no deaths. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection including seven deaths.

The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths – Canada (6), New Zealand (3), the United Kingdom (2), Israel (2) and Spain (2).

Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis.

WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

OTTAWA — The first six cases of a mysterious new flu were confirmed in Canada yesterday as the United States moved to declare a national health emergency.

While the six reported cases in Canada and the 20 reported cases in the U.S. of swine flu were considered mild, authorities are concerned we could be seeing the beginning of something that could get much worse.

“Just because so far we have seen relatively mild, typical influenza symptoms … it doesn’t mean that we won’t see either more severe illness or potentially deaths,” said Dr. David Butler-Jones, chief public health officer of Canada.

“No one should lull themselves into thinking that everything is just fine because it’s a relatively mild disease. We can’t say that forever but we are doing everything to minimize that impact.”

TAKE PRECAUTIONS

In Canada, public health officials tried to walk a fine line yesterday, calling on Canadians to be vigilant and take precautions while also urging them not to panic.

The reason the H1N1 swine flu virus has experts so concerned is that it appears to be a mixture of flu viruses that they’ve never seen before.

It is spreading from human to human and is cropping up in countries around the world.

While most flu viruses hit the very young and the very old the hardest, this one seems to be affecting young adults more than normal, said Dr. Kirsty Duncan, a Liberal MP and one of Canada’s foremost experts on influenza pandemics.

“I think it is very concerning for everyone.”

CONTROL ITS SPREAD

As Canadian researchers race to learn more about the new flu virus and develop a vaccine, public health officials are taking steps to control its potential spread.

At airports, passengers heading to or from Mexico will be handed a pamphlet, advising them what they should do if they experience symptoms of the flu. Border officers will be on the lookout for passengers displaying symptoms such as fever or coughing.

Some passengers have been referred for medical checks, said officials.

However, there are no plans to bring back the temperature scanners used during the SARS epidemic, said officials, explaining they weren’t very effective.

The biggest outbreak of cases is in Nova Scotia, where four teenagers aged 12-17 from King’s Edgehill School have been diagnosed with the virus.

The outbreak originated with a class trip down to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico earlier this month. Several students experienced flu symptoms after returning to Canada but they were so mild that they didn’t raise any concerns.

Headmaster Joseph Seagram said 17 students and four staff members are in isolation — either at the school or at home.

In British Columbia, two separate cases of the flu have been identified in people who had visited Mexico. Both patients have mild cases.

story  Edmonton Sun

Announcement
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Conquest Vacations Inc. announced today the cessation of its tour operations effective immediately.

Customers who are booked and paid using cash/check through a travel agency are requested to contact their respective agency who will assist you with respect to a refund or claim.

Customers who have booked directly with Conquest Vacations will be contacted or should they wish to contact Conquest, please email to directcustomers@conquestvacations.com with a booking reference number.

Customers who have booked and paid for their future travel using a credit card, should contact their credit card issuing institution for a refund.

Conquest Vacations regrets the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to cessation of its operations. Unfortunately this has been a result of overcapacity and price war among the major tour operators, unrealistic and unreasonable demands by the credit card processing companies, credit squeeze and economic turmoil in recent months making it impossible for companies like Conquest to continue in business even after weathering many storms over the past 37 years.

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