News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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WestJet Needs to Take Heavier Wheelchairs
WestJet has been told to drop its 300-pound limit on power wheelchairs and other mobility aids on most of its aircraft by July next year. The Canadian Transportation Agency said the existing limits created an undue barrier for disabled passengers, and said the airline should ought to use spreader plates to spread weight through the cargo hold floor.
Until the changes are made, WestJet will have to arrange other transportation with another airline when its own weight limits block a passenger. The whole issue came into the light because Steven Fletcher, the former federal transport minister from Winnipeg, was steamed after WestJet wouldn’t carry his custom chair on a Winnipeg to Toronto flight last year.
This is a travel stories that’s really about whether getting home is possible at all. A wheelchair shouldn’t be considered baggage with a battery for those who need one, so it is nice to see that accommodations are being made.
Read more: PAX News / The Globe and Mail
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Alberta Separatism Has Foreign Boosters
Alberta's separatism fight is getting a helping hand from outside the Great White North. The Walrus reported that Russian-connected disinformation and propaganda networks have taken an interest in the province's referendum politics, and researchers have also tracked U.S.-aligned publishers pushing the split.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has admitted that foreign influence campaigns are possibly pushing pro-separation messages online. CityNews reported that the activity includes suspected Russian connections. Smith, of course, is keen to confirm that any democratic debate should stay with Albertans and Canadians.
Canadians abroad often meet Canada as one passport, one embassy, one flag, but the reality is that in a provincial system things can get a bit murky. This is a provincial separation debate that’s being shaped in part by foreign networks, and can no longer remain exclusively a provincial argument.
Read more: The Walrus / CityNews Calgary