Construction on second leg of high-speed rail line slated for 2032: CEO

MONTREAL - The CEO of a planned high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City says construction on the eastern and western parts of the line is expected to begin by 2032.  

Following a speech in Montreal on Tuesday, Martin Imbleau told reporters the portions connecting the two provincial capitals will likely start to be built two years after shovels hit the ground on an earlier segment.

Construction of that first phase, set to kick off in 2029 or 2030, would link Montreal and Ottawa and act as a test case for a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project intended to transform rail travel in Canada's most densely populated region.

"Construction of the western part and eastern part will start probably a couple of years after the initial construction period," Imbleau said.

Le Massif resort cancels ski season after employees reject contract offer

PETITE-RIVIÈRE-ST-FRANÇOIS, QUE. - A major ski resort northeast of Quebec City has shuttered for the season after failing to come to an agreement with striking unionized employees on a new contract.

Le Massif de Charlevoix had said the ski season was in jeopardy if an agreement couldn't be reached with the unionized employees, who have been on an unlimited general strike since Jan. 2.

Management says that to ensure safe skiing conditions, Le Massif had to continue artificial snow-making by the end of the month and operations needed to resume as of Tuesday.

Since employees rejected both a contract offer and a proposal to go to arbitration, management says it made continuing the ski season unsustainable.

‘It just didn’t land’: WestJet reverses move to install tight seating after backlash

In a major about-face, the country's second-largest carrier announced on Friday it would return its cabins to a more spacious layout — a pricey reinstallation process — after harsh feedback from travellers and employees.

Travel for less by snapping up a stranger’s vacation — but flexibility is key

MONTREAL - Looking for a $541 flight to Delhi? An $872 five-night stay at a luxury resort in Spain? A $4,100 11-day Caribbean cruise?

Canadians looking for deals on flights, hotels and vacation packages can purchase bookings second-hand — including those above — as long as they’re careful and none too choosy.

A handful of platforms now specialize in pairing sellers who have to call off non-refundable trips with buyers eager for a bargain and willing to reserve last-minute.

“I like to call it a virtual garage sale for travel,” said Katy Nastro, a spokeswoman for flight savings app Going.

Canadians cool on some Caribbean hot spots after U.S. strike on Venezuela

MONTREAL - Canadians are rethinking plans to visit parts of the Caribbean in the wake of military action and threats from the United States, as worries over potential instability clouds vacationers’ outlook.

Travel agencies say some clients are steering clear of Aruba and Curaçao, two islands off the coast of Venezuela, where the U.S. launched a strike and captured its president about two weeks ago.

"There's definitely some concern," said Chris Lynes, managing director at Flight Centre Travel Group Canada.

"We're seeing people change destinations and focus on Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican locations."

Quebec’s Charlevoix region left scrambling after labour dispute closes ski resort

MONTREAL - The sudden closure of a major ski resort because of a labour dispute has thrown Quebec's Charlevoix region into uncertainty, threatening winter-season revenues for local businesses.

“Ninety-nine per cent of our revenue here comes from tourism,” said Serge Bilodeau, mayor of Petite-Rivière-St-François, the village at the base of Le Massif de Charlevoix, a renowned ski destination offering views of the wide expanse of the St. Lawrence River.

Le Massif is a major draw for skiers and a key economic engine for the region northeast of Quebec City. “The closure is having an impact on the entire region,” Bilodeau said.

The union representing about 300 workers launched a strike Jan. 2, with wages a main point of contention during negotiations. Le Massif closed that day then partially reopened on Jan.  6 for a few days with limited operations. But after unionized employees rejected a contract and arbitration offer on Jan. 19, the resort cancelled the rest of the ski season.

Flair reroutes strategy to lure corporate travellers — without a business class

Flair Airlines is revamping its ultra-low-cost brand in a bid to attract more business travellers, despite a lack of frills on board.

In a phone interview this week, CEO Maciej Wilk said Flair is attempting a strategic shift away from a pure-play budget airline and toward what he dubbed a “value carrier.”

The goal is to attract more work travellers — mainly from small businesses — via affordable fares and by plugging into networks linked to travel agents, booking sites and hotels.

"We're just ignoring this enormous corporate opportunity and simply abandoning this highly — potentially — profitable segment for us," Wilk said.

Liberal MPs leave delegation to Taiwan to ‘avoid confusion’ as Carney heads to China

OTTAWA - Two Liberal MPs say they are quitting a sponsored trip to Taiwan early to "avoid confusion" about Canada's China policy as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to visit Beijing.

In a joint statement, Ontario Liberal MPs Helena Jaczek and Marie-France Lalonde said while they are returning to Canada based on "advice from the government," it does not change Canada's stance on Taiwan.

"As this portion of the visit concludes, informed by advice from the government, we are returning home. It’s important that we avoid confusion with Canada’s foreign policy, given the overlap with the prime minister’s engagement in Beijing, which was only confirmed last week," the joint statement says.

"We remain committed to efforts by the prime minister to expand sustainable and diverse trade partnerships in the Indo-Pacific Region."

Carney to travel to Qatar next week alongside trips to China, Switzerland

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Doha, Qatar on Jan. 18 for a bilateral visit as he seeks to broaden trade relations and drum up foreign investment.

It's part of a broader diplomatic trip that will include stops in China and Switzerland, and Carney's office says he will be the first sitting Canadian prime minister to visit the middle eastern country.

The Prime Minister's Office confirms Carney will meet with Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, along with various business officials and investors.

The office says Carney is seeking to create new partnerships in areas such as artificial intelligence, infrastructure, energy and security.

Gander, N.L., residents drop everything to drive stranded air passengers to hotels

GANDER - Residents of Gander, N.L., formed an impromptu volunteer shuttle service for about 200 passengers aboard two planes forced to land unexpectedly at the town's airport on Wednesday night.

Jackie Freake, assistant manager at Quality Hotel, said she got a call that evening saying the planes had been diverted to the Gander International Airport and the people on board needed hotel rooms. The aircraft had taken off from Toronto and Montreal, and she said they were unable to land as scheduled in St. John's because of the weather.

The passengers were assigned rooms in four hotels in town, but there were only a few cabs on the road to transport them, Freake said. She posted in a local Facebook group, saying there were more than 100 people at the airport needing rides to their accommodations.

It was 10:03 p.m. local time.

Airlines retreat from U.S. to carve new routes overseas as Canadians shun America

MONTREAL - Canadian airlines pulled back in a big way from the United States over the past year and boosted flight volumes elsewhere — especially the Caribbean — with no sign of a cross-border rebound on the horizon.

Canada-U.S. flight volumes fell more than 14 per cent year-over-year in the fourth quarter among Canada’s five largest carriers — Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines, Air Transat and Flair Airlines — according to figures from aviation data firm Cirium.

Florida, California and Nevada saw some of the biggest drops in capacity from Canadian carriers, with volumes to Las Vegas down by a third from a year earlier.

Meanwhile, as passengers looked farther afield, airlines ramped up flight volumes in the Caribbean and South America — by 36 per cent last quarter and 45 per cent in the current one.

Le Massif ski resort northeast of Quebec City to partially reopen during strike

A major ski resort northeast of Quebec City says it will partially reopen this week while its 300 unionized workers are on unlimited general strike.

Le Massif de Charlevoix says its doors will open from Wednesday to Saturday between 9:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. in the Camp-Boule sector — but only for season passholders, ski-and-stay package guests, and guests of Club Med Québec-Charlevoix.

The resort says that in subsequent weeks it will be open between Tuesday and Saturday for the same limited type of guests.

One of the province's most renowned winter playgrounds had suspended operations on Friday after its unionized workforce walked off the job.

Glacial glamping: Riding Mountain woos in winter

As they say, it was so cold it’d freeze the nuts off an iron bridge. Margie and I slept in a prospector-style tent, or what Riding Mountain National Park calls an “oTENTik,” at -39 C.

Northern lights inspire recovery in Telegraph Cove, B.C., year after devastating fire

Mary Borrowman says she'll never forget the moment she and her husband, Jim, watched the northern lights shimmer across the sky on the morning of Jan. 1, 2025, from their home in Telegraph Cove, B.C.

"When we looked out our window, and we looked over the water, everywhere you could see in the sky were the most beautiful dancing red and green, and purple northern lights that we have ever seen," said Borrowman. 

A day earlier, a massive New Year's Eve fire in the quaint tourist resort on northeastern Vancouver Island had destroyed the Whale Interpretive Centre that she and her husband founded, the local pub and restaurant and the office of the Prince of Whales whale-watching firm. 

"I said to Jim, if that's not a sign from above that we're meant to carry on, then I don't know what is," said Borrowman, 73, recalling the aurora flickering above.

French actor Brigitte Bardot remembered in Canada for fighting seal hunt

Brigitte Bardot, a French actor and animal rights activist who died Sunday at the age of 91, is being remembered in Canada as a vocal opponent of the country's seal hunt.

Bardot, known as one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century, was the first high-profile celebrity to speak out against Canada's seal hunt in 1976.

The following year, she travelled to Newfoundland and Labrador to witness it herself. Asked by reporters what her plans were for the trip, Bardot replied, "To save baby seals, that's all."

During that trip, she was photographed holding a baby harp seal, known as a whitecoat. The CBC reported her protest caused a major reduction in the price of seal pelts, affecting the livelihoods of people in fishing communities in Atlantic Canada and in the Arctic.