From the Niagara Falls Review:
Despite what looks like a recent softening in Washington D.C., on the so-called passport requirement, Canadian political and business leaders need to keep pressing for change, says Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.
Tourism operators in Canada celebrated two weeks ago after the U.S. Senate passed amendments to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the policy that will require everyone, including American citizens, to show a passport or some other form of secure identification when entering the United States.
The amendments pushed the implementation date from Jan. 1, 2008 to June 1, 2009.
“Just because these amendments have got to where they’ve got to doesn’t mean the job is done,” Tory said Wednesday in Niagara Falls. “We have to keep making the case because it’s far from over.”
Mayor Ted Salci hosted the roundtable meeting where Tory listened to the mayors of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie, as well as representatives of the tourism industry.
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Next step is for Certain Hotels, Restaurants, stores and Attractions, to lower their prices. With the American Dollar only worth .09 in Canada right now Canada needs to lower their prices and or taxes. Prices in Canada is about 25-50% higher for certain things and some families might not want to pay such high prices for the same items as they can purchase in the states. A few people at work said between the high prices, low exchage rate and the passport deal they are changing plans and heading to Disney.
The government is decreasing the GST from 7% to 6% soon
lol. That should save u a buck or two after ur hundreds of dollars spent.
But I completely agree. There are too many places in Niagara Falls that RIP PEOPLE OFF. And so many places feel the need to increase their prices and cut costs. I applaud the businesses who still provide value and quality to customers, unfortunately they’re a dying breed
WOW - I just checked and the cost of obtaining a Passport (as stated on the US Department of State website) is $97! My husband and I don’t make a fortune, and an extra $200, plus the rising cost of fuel (and everything else) to take a trip to the Falls would dash those plans. Which is indeed sad - we love the Canadian side of the Falls!!! I guess when you work for the government and have all these things probably handed to you for free, you don’t figure in the hardworking people that are lucky enough to scrape together a few bucks to take a vacation. Perhaps this is just another way for the government to suck the last pennies out of us. As I recall - the 911 hijackers HAD passports. They need to work on checking the proper paperwork for the things that are already implemented instead trying to change things and hurting the honest people. Slap some kind of US citizen seal on my driver’s license (which Uncle Sam has already checked - right?) and send me across the bridge!