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National Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- National Post
Chris Selley: Is the Liberals' 'Canada Strong Pass' a one-off gimmick, or something more substantial?
I have had some fun in the past at the expense of the Liberal Party of Canada's distinctly upper-class obsession with the Great Outdoors — this notion that every Canadian has soloed a canoe through morning mist amidst the haunting call of loons, or if they haven't, then something has gone awry. Article content I'll have a bit more fun with it here now that details of the 'Canada Strong Pass' have been released … but that's not to say there's nothing salvageable from this endeavour. Article content Article content Article content Two of the main items offered free or at a discount this summer are travel on Via Rail (free for kids travelling with an adult; 25 per cent off for 18-to-24-year-olds), and campsites at national parks, which will be free to visit during the day this summer. Article content Article content But it's the third week of June. Most people — people who aren't politicians, for example — will already have booked their vacations by now. And if they haven't, good luck finding a nice campsite before Labour Day (when the discounts terminate). Those reservations became available in January and February, depending on the park, and they go very quickly. (Perhaps ironically, those who booked before the Canada Strong Pass became official will be eligible for partial refunds.) Article content Via, for the record, directly services a single national park: Jasper. I found a 'discounted' youth fare from Toronto to Jasper on July 2 … for $503. That gets you a plain old seat, for 70 hours and 35 minutes. Airlines will get you as far as Edmonton in 4 hours for less than that. Article content Article content I found a rare available berth on Via — a seat that converts into a semi-private bunk — for the Aug. 31 departure, but the youth discount doesn't apply to those. And if it did, it would still be 25 per cent off $1,612. Article content Article content Of course Via is more useful between cities in Eastern Canada; trains don't sell out months in advance the way the long-distance routes do. But the Canada Strong Pass is framed as a national unity exercise, and at this point in our history, transporting Ontarians and Quebecers back and forth on summer holidays probably isn't going to offer much of a nationalist boost. Two Solitudes is an 80-year-old book; Canada contains more solitudes now. Article content Having vented my spleen, let me also say the notion of building national unity by encouraging domestic travel isn't at all daft, and nor is offering free or discounted entry to national museums and historic sites. Many Canadians are appallingly ignorant of the things they might learn there.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Burlington Vermont is renaming a street in Canada's honour (for a while)
The City of Burlington, Vt., has announced it will rename one of its central avenues from Church Street to Canada Street, from now until Labour Day (or Labor Day as it's known there). The name change was presented by a group of city councillors at their June 16 meeting, led by Councillor Becca Brown McKnight, who wore a maple leaf shirt and handed out Canadian flags to the other councillors. 'We have been fed up with Donald Trump's damaging and insulting rhetoric towards Canada,' Brown McKnight told CTV News this week. 'Renaming a street is something quick and easy for us to do, but also sends a message that we are in this fight with you.' Church Street, named after the First Unitarian Universalist Church that sits at its north end, is a pedestrian-only retail hub of downtown Burlington and home to its popular Church Street Marketplace. Vermont's most populous city at 45,000, Burlington is less than 100 kms from the Quebec border by car, and is in one of two states where French is the second most common language spoken after English, the other being Louisiana. So it has also offered Rue de Canada as the French-language name for the street. Back in 2011, Burlington's city council also voted to add French to its local signage, though the move was a recommendation rather than a law. The new resolution passed unanimously, although one councillor expressed frustration with 'performative' actions and said she hopes there will be further actions taken to support tourism and local businesses. Burlington city council says that more than 15 per cent of its summer tourism dollars typically come from Canadian visitors. However, visits by Canadians to the U.S. have fallen off since Donald Trump's tariff threats and talk of annexation. In the 1960s, the city joined with Burlington, Ont., to found the Burlington International Games, which eventually expanded to include Burlington, Iowa, and some non-Burlington cities, before ceasing in 2010 due to limited participation. The city says it will spend US$3,000 to change signage and hold celebratory events in honour of the designation. Trump says steep drop-off in international travel to U.S. is 'not a big deal' California governor appeals to Canadians to please come back Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Vancouver Sun
20 hours ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Burlington Vermont is renaming a street in Canada's honour (for a while)
The City of Burlington, Vt., has announced it will rename one of its central avenues from Church Street to Canada Street, from now until Labour Day (or Labor Day as it's known there). The name change was presented by a group of city councillors at their June 16 meeting, led by Councillor Becca Brown McKnight, who wore a maple leaf shirt and handed out Canadian flags to the other councillors. 'We have been fed up with Donald Trump's damaging and insulting rhetoric towards Canada,' Brown McKnight told CTV News this week. 'Renaming a street is something quick and easy for us to do, but also sends a message that we are in this fight with you.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Church Street, named after the First Unitarian Universalist Church that sits at its north end, is a pedestrian-only retail hub of downtown Burlington and home to its popular Church Street Marketplace. Vermont's most populous city at 45,000, Burlington is less than 100 kms from the Quebec border by car, and is in one of two states where French is the second most common language spoken after English, the other being Louisiana. So it has also offered Rue de Canada as the French-language name for the street. Back in 2011, Burlington's city council also voted to add French to its local signage , though the move was a recommendation rather than a law. The new resolution passed unanimously, although one councillor expressed frustration with 'performative' actions and said she hopes there will be further actions taken to support tourism and local businesses. Burlington city council says that more than 15 per cent of its summer tourism dollars typically come from Canadian visitors. However, visits by Canadians to the U.S. have fallen off since Donald Trump's tariff threats and talk of annexation. In the 1960s, the city joined with Burlington, Ont., to found the Burlington International Games , which eventually expanded to include Burlington, Iowa, and some non-Burlington cities, before ceasing in 2010 due to limited participation. The city says it will spend US$3,000 to change signage and hold celebratory events in honour of the designation. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Burlington Vermont is renaming a street in Canada's honour (for a while)
Article content The City of Burlington, Vt., has announced it will rename one of its central avenues from Church Street to Canada Street, from now until Labour Day (or Labor Day as it's known there). The name change was presented by a group of city councillors at their June 16 meeting, led by Councillor Becca Brown McKnight, who wore a maple leaf shirt and handed out Canadian flags to the other councillors.
Calgary Herald
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Burlington Vermont is renaming a street in Canada's honour (for a while)
Article content The City of Burlington, Vt., has announced it will rename one of its central avenues from Church Street to Canada Street, from now until Labour Day (or Labor Day as it's known there). Article content The name change was presented by a group of city councillors at their June 16 meeting, led by Councillor Becca Brown McKnight, who wore a maple leaf shirt and handed out Canadian flags to the other councillors. Article content Article content Article content 'We have been fed up with Donald Trump's damaging and insulting rhetoric towards Canada,' Brown McKnight told CTV News this week. 'Renaming a street is something quick and easy for us to do, but also sends a message that we are in this fight with you.' Article content Article content Vermont's most populous city at 45,000, Burlington is less than 100 kms from the Quebec border by car, and is in one of two states where French is the second most common language spoken after English, the other being Louisiana. So it has also offered Rue de Canada as the French-language name for the street. Back in 2011, Burlington's city council also voted to add French to its local signage, though the move was a recommendation rather than a law. Article content Article content The new resolution passed unanimously, although one councillor expressed frustration with 'performative' actions and said she hopes there will be further actions taken to support tourism and local businesses. Burlington city council says that more than 15 per cent of its summer tourism dollars typically come from Canadian visitors. However, visits by Canadians to the U.S. have fallen off since Donald Trump's tariff threats and talk of annexation. Article content Article content In the 1960s, the city joined with Burlington, Ont., to found the Burlington International Games, which eventually expanded to include Burlington, Iowa, and some non-Burlington cities, before ceasing in 2010 due to limited participation. Article content
