Plans to lift restrictions, a bit of politics and other news of the week

Canada has made plenty of immigration selections, and provinces are ready to loosen lockdowns The most important news from May 24 to 30.

Immigration news

In the past week, there have been 6 immigration selections in Canada:

Manitoba chose to draw 323 candidates;
British Columbia sent 370 invitations;
Saskatchewan held a selection process for a new list of professions, with luck smiling on 269 applicants;
Ontario had 2 draws at once: invited 64 candidates for rural community immigration and 158 Canadian university graduates;
Express Entry selections 500 people with nominations from provinces;
Alberta shared the results of an earlier selection in which she invited 250 lucky people.

New Brunswick is about to hold an information session in an online format. People with trucking experience who want to immigrate to the province, as well as their spouses, are invited to attend. Candidates will have the opportunity to learn about New Brunswick programs and interview with employers. Sign up by June 11.

Pandemic

Canada continues to rejoice in the good news that the pandemic appears to be nearing an end. Although closed borders and a ban on air travel to India and Pakistan have been extended, the government is already discussing the issue of allowing vaccinated travellers to enter Canada. Canadians themselves are also thinking about where to go when it's over. One travel company has named the most popular destinations.

Provinces are ready to phase out existing quarantine measures. Phased plans to lift the restrictions were presented by British Columbia and Alberta. But experts say it's important not to rush, because if all measures are lifted too quickly, Canada could begin the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Canadian authorities have repeatedly said that 75% of the population needs to be vaccinated to lift restrictions. For the country to have collective immunity, it is unlikely to do without immunizing children. Moderna said its vaccine for 12-17 year olds was 100% effective.

While the spread of COVID-19 may be over soon, its effects are likely to remain, and not the most obvious ones. During the year of the pandemic, house prices in Canada rose by more than 30%, and Canadian cities lead in housing costs across North America.

Political News

The high-profile incident with the forced landing of a passenger plane in Minsk, on which a Belarusian opposition journalist was flying, did not go unnoticed by Canada. The government is threatening Belarus with new sanctions, and the latter, in turn, closes the embassy in Canada. Citizens of Belarus who need to obtain some consular services, it is better not to procrastinate and make an appointment as soon as possible.

Another incident happened to a Canadian MP who happened to appear at a video conference of the House of Commons, busy with no political business at all. Interestingly, a similar incident had already happened to him just over a month ago.