travel news review

18 March '99
North American National Parks pine trees are threatened by a bothersome beetle. Possibly introduced to US forests in 1992 and first found in Ontario in 1993, the Eurasian Pine Shoot Beetle has few natural enemies in the region. The pesky parasite is now a major threat to not only the lumber and Christmas tree farms of Canada but to tourist-attracting national parks. Counties in Canada and the US continued to be quarantined and trees are pining away as research pursues an end to this voracious insect.

12 March '99
Hungry momma bears can emerge happily from hibernation in Ontario this spring. The annual spring bear hunt has been cancelled because in the past too many bear cubs were orphaned when hunters kill mother bears. Tourist operators can apply for US$250 for every hunter who used their services during last year's hunt. The government also promises to assist the operators in new ventures that don't orphan the region's wildlife. And the hunters, well, maybe they'll buy cameras.

17 February '99
Learning a lesson from Quebec's unsuccessful bids for independence, the Inuit of Northern Canada have taken a different tack. On 1 April, a new territory called Nunavut, an Inuit word that means "our land", will officially come into being with an elected government. Carved out of the eastern half of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut will bring self-government and self-determination to the Inuit, the indigenous people that make up 85% of the region's population. The formation of the new territory is the result of decades of political struggle that culminated in the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement of 1993 that directed the creation of the new territory.

8 January '99
Canadian Regional Airline plans to serve up culture with its in-flight meals. In response to feedback from passengers, the airline will soon provide healthier meals with new, more attractive packaging.

The new containers will feature the work of a prominent Canadian artist and author combining, for example, author Margaret Atwood's poem 'Apple Jelly' with Mary Pratt's painting 'Red Currant Jelly'. The airline will roll out four initial designs featuring authors Atwood, Elizabeth Baird, Madame Jehane Benoit and Nellie McClung and artists Pratt, Prudence Heward, Sarah Robertson and Ruth Starr. It's food for the body and soul.

9 December '98
In North America the weather has turned topsy-turvy, so for a bit of packing advice: heading to northern Canada, bring shorts, but travelling to the Southwest USA, dig out that parka. Canada's Northwest Territories have reported a heat wave topping 37°C (100°F). At this time of year it's typically -3°C (27°F), so the heat has caused a meltdown of their snow and ice pack. Meanwhile, this weekend in the deserts of Southwestern USA, Phoenix and Las Vegas both experienced record low temperatures and the first dusting of snow in several years.

28 September '98
New contract talks between representatives at Pearson International Airport in Toronto and their maintenance and administrative workers came to a standstill last week. The workers, represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, are required to allow a seven-day cooling off period before striking. If they are unable to reach an agreement, expect flight delays and changes starting on 1 October.

7 September '98
On Wednesday evening, Swissair Flight 111 crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia while preparing to make an emergency landing in Halifax. The flight was heading from New York to Geneva and carried 229 passengers and crew. There were no survivors.

31 August '98
Air Canada's pilots are also in talks with company representatives and have a strike deadline for midnight, September 1. As with Northwest, Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, is requesting that other airlines honor their tickets in the event of a strike.