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More Air Canada, WestJet passengers baffled by reasons for denied compensation

The recent travel chaos at some Canadian airports has led to a spate of flight delays and cancellations. And that has sparked a series of complaints from passengers that some airlines are providing suspect reasons for why they were denied compensation for flight disruptions. 

Under federal regulations, airlines must compensate passengers up to $1,000 for flight delays of three hours or more. 

On July 5, Air Canada informed Scott Aalgaard by email that his flight that day from Toronto to Hartford, Conn., had been delayed due to “an unforeseen maintenance issue.” That afternoon, the reason had changed to either “staffing constraints” or “health and safety initiatives.”

Three days later, the airline informed Aalgaard he doesn’t qualify for compensation, because his flight was cancelled (instead of delayed) due to a “labour dispute” that was outside the airline’s control. 

Because Aalgaard’s flight was delayed by six hours, he, his wife and daughter, whom he was travelling with, would each get $700. However, airlines only have to pay up if the reason for the delay was within their control and not for safety reasons, such as unforeseen mechanical problems.

Aalgaard has filed for compensation with Air Canada despite its claim his flight isn’t eligible. If that doesn’t work out, he plans to file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).

The CTA says airlines must explain in “sufficient detail” the reason for a flight delay. 

Consumer advocate Tahira Dawood says passengers need that information to assess whether they should dispute their case. 

“They cannot challenge [the airlines] if they have limited information or they do not themselves understand what they’re hearing from the air carriers,” said Dawood, a lawyer with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. Read the full story here.

Lighting up the night

(Lewis Joly/The Associated Press)

Fireworks illuminate the Eiffel Tower in Paris during Bastille Day celebrations late Thursday.

In brief

Canada’s drug regulator, for the first time, has approved a COVID-19 vaccine for infants and preschoolers. Health Canada announced on Thursday that the Moderna vaccine can be given to children between six months and five years old, in doses one-quarter the size of that approved for adults. The approval was based on a review of clinical trial data from Canada and the United States, and it means 1.7 million more Canadians will soon be able to get a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus. Many parents have been waiting for this announcement, and many also have questions. Read the full story here.

WATCH | COVID-19 vaccine approved for children under 5: 

COVID-19 vaccine approved for children under 5

Less than halfway to its goal of bringing 40,000 Afghans to Canada, the federal government is no longer taking new referrals for the special immigration program meant to prioritize former employees of the Armed Forces or Canadian government and their families. CBC News has learned the government is processing the last of the 18,000 applications filled out by Afghans hoping to come here through the program. Advocates for refugees say the decision to wind down the program abandons Afghans desperate to come to this country. The program was set up nearly a year ago, a few weeks before Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021 and before the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to bring 40,000 Afghans to safety here. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s online referral portal for the program is still up, but a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Sean Fraser confirmed in a media statement that all spots in the program have been taken up. Read more here.

Nike Okafor never imagined her life would be upended this way — that she would be ripped from her husband and two of her children, all Canadian citizens, and forced to return to the country she fled nearly two decades ago. Instead, after 19 years in Canada, the mother of three is fighting for her future, along with that of her eldest son, with whom she arrived from Nigeria alone and pregnant all those years ago. In April, Okafor and her son, who are currently in Canada without status, suddenly received a deportation order. The two are set to be deported July 26, despite her husband filing a spousal sponsorship application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada more than two years ago. “If I have to go back, it will end my life,” Okafor said through tears. “I’ll be separated from my husband, I’ll be separated from my Canadian children, I don’t know how I can live.” Read more on Okafor’s story here.

WATCH | ‘Please let me stay here,’ says mother facing deportation: 

‘Please let me stay here,’ says mother facing deportation after 19 years in Canada

Ronnie Gosse, a construction demolition supervisor living in St. John’s has been searching for an apartment since last Christmas. During that time, he’s had to sidestep apartment bidding wars, illegal requests from landlords and scams. One of the scams involved a rental ad offering up the very place where Gosse has been living during his search – his mother’s house. Read more on the story of one person’s attempt to find suitable housing. 

The southern Ukrainian port city of Kherson, home to 280,000 people before the Feb. 24 invasion, was the first major population centre in the embattled country to fall to Russian troops. Its Russia-appointed administrators have expedited efforts to erase all signs of Ukrainian sovereignty. They have distributed Russian passports to residents, introduced Russian banks, brought in Russian mobile phone companies and made the ruble the legal currency, replacing the Ukrainian hryvnia. But with the war days away from entering its sixth month, Ukrainian authorities are signalling that the time is fast approaching when its military will attempt to retake the captured city and expel its Russian occupiers. But does the embattled country have the troops and resources to do it? Read more on this story from CBC’s Chris Brown.

Now for some good news to start your Friday: A New Brunswick mother is spending her summer getting free books into the hands of children. Julie Letkeman started the Book Buggy last June and has since distributed more than 1,400 free books at playgrounds in communities outside Saint John. Letkeman says the Book Buggy is her way of helping to improve children’s literacy in a province where, according to Statistics Canada, only 56 per cent of the population is functionally literate. “I wanted to start the Book Buggy to help in some small way,” she said. Letkeman said fostering a love for reading can open doors and minds. “There are so many books out there,” she said. “Books can tell stories, teach you things, and they can help kids deal with their traumas. They are like magic.” Read more here.

Opinion: We need to strengthen access to contraceptive care in Canada

Increasing the number of providers able and willing to provide contraceptive services, particularly in rural and remote Canada, will significantly increase access for women who may otherwise have few, if any, options, writes Vivian Tam. Read the column here.

Nothing is Foreign: Sri Lanka overthrew its president, what now?

Sri Lanka’s president just resigned after months of protest and a deepening economic crisis.

Despite Rajapaksa’s departure and the celebratory scenes of demonstrators partying at the president’s home, Sri Lankans have a massive debt hole to climb out of and people have been struggling. What comes next?

Plus, a look at why a maintenance shutdown of Russia’s Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany is raising alarms across Europe.

Nothing is Foreign27:44Sri Lanka overthrew its president, what now?

Today in history: July 15

1606: Dutch painter Rembrandt, whose full name was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is born in Leiden, Netherlands.

1870: Manitoba is admitted to Confederation as Canada’s fifth province, and the Northwest Territories are transferred to Canada.

1900: Ontario-born runner George Orton becomes Canada’s first Olympic champion, winning the 2,500-metre steeplechase at the Paris Games. Less than an hour later, Orton, who was competing for the U.S. because Canada did not send a team, also wins a bronze medal in the 400-metre hurdles.

1920: British Columbia switches to right-hand side of the road driving in most of the mainland part of the province. Vancouver and Vancouver Island didn’t make the switch until January 1922.



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