Toronto Airport Opens Lounge for All Passengers

by Josh Lew on

Toronto Pearson International has announced that it is opening a lounge for all passengers. Before you start envisioning a scene similar to the chaotic free-for-all at the local buffet, you should know that entry is $35. Pretty steep for those who just want to hang out and see if they can snag a few peanuts off the bar.

What does the $35 get you? Lounge-users have access to wireless internet, printers, large flat-screen televisions and some quality food and drink. $35 might seem a bit steep, but not as expensive as upgrading to business-class or first-class just so you can spend your layover in the lounge. The lounge is in Pearson’s Terminal 1, near the international pier.

Terminal 1 is actually one of the more pleasant places in the world to wait for a connecting flight. Travelers could easily chew up a couple of hours wandering between the numerous art installations and shops in the terminal.

Bird’s eye view of Canada’s longest footbridge

by Jerry Guo on

Since Wednesdays are always long, thought I’d post this video of one of the longest footbridges in the world. Trust me, as someone who had to cross too many of these things mucking around in the Himalayans a couple months ago, I know these bridges are quite scary up close–especially when there’s a strong wind and a pack of mules behind you waiting to cross.

More pics here.

Canada Holds Elections, Conservatives Win but Not by Enough

by Josh Lew on

While their neighbors to the south fret over their own upcoming trips to the polls, Canada got on with it and elected, or in many cases re-elected, its parliamentary leaders earlier this week. The results: the Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper won 16 more seats while their Liberal peers dropped 18 seats. However, the results are not enough to give Harper’s party control of parliament. That means that they will have to form a minority parliament, relying on alliances with other, smaller parties to get things done.

Some of the other parliamentary players include the New Democratic Party (NDP), which earned 37 seats, and Bloc Québécois (BC), which now has 50 seats. The BC is a unique party because it seeks the Independence and sovereignty of Quebec Province and is not concerned very much with the rest of Canada. They gained two more seats in this election than they held beforehand. In the end, though, it seems that the elections did not alter the balance of power too much.

[Via CBC]

A Hurricane Hits Canada

by Josh Lew on

When television reporters try for their moment of glory by standing outside in the midst of a hurricane, there is usually a palm tree being whipped by the wind in the background. Hurricanes are known mainly as a tropical phenomenon. But not always. Hurricane Kyle battered Nova Scotia yesterday. Meanwhile, the neighboring US state of Maine issued the first hurricane warning in 17 years. Winds of 96 miles per hour were reported when the category one storm made landfall.

While rare, hurricanes in Canada are not unheard of. Hurricane Juan caused two fatalities when it hit Canada’s Atlantic coast 5 years ago. No deaths have been reported during Kyle. However, trees and power lines were downed.

The worst-ever storm to hit Canada was Hurricane Hazel, which killed 85 people in 1954 and left large parts of Toronto flooded. Kyle is the 6th hurricane and 11th tropical storm of the season. Storms this year have been particularly bad for Caribbean nations.

VIA Rail’s new Concierge class offers perks, drains your wallet

by David Breisch on

Canada’s VIA Rail next summer will introduce a new class of service for the traveling public on its flagship route between Vancouver, BC and Jasper, AB. It’s called the Concierge-class, and offers a rather unprecedented number of amenities to the most likely well-off passengers. To start, you get two double bedrooms converted into one large suite, with a queen-size bed and two (!) separate sinks and vanity areas. (I’m not really sure why you would need two separate vanity areas for two occupants, but, hey, I’m not here to judge.) There’s private seating available in a Concierge car with coffee and tea service, regional cuisine served with Canadian wine in the dining car, and access to the ultra-exclusive glass-walled Dome observation car on the rear of the train.

On top of all that, you get a welcome-aboard wine tasting and flowers with a VIA gift basket, upgraded toiletries, enhanced room service, breakfast in bed, and complimentary beverages of any kind. (Yes, any kind.) The service will debut on June 1, 2009, running through Oct. 21 for the summer travel season. Unfortunately VIA’s website does not have Concierge class available for selection yet, so I couldn’t figure out how much this little journey would cost. However, a round trip on the 19-hour train in just one double bedroom costs upwards of $1500, so I shudder to think of what a ticket in a suite with free booze will run.

(Via Trains Magazine)