'It's been incredibly frustrating': Would-be travellers face long line to renew passports in Victoria
Destiny Lewis was waiting, hoping, praying her passport would be finally ready as she stood in the line-up out the passport office in Victoria Friday, just days before her scheduled Hawaii getaway.
"I was told I'd have my passport in my mailbox by April 7,” said Lewis.
It never came, so she paid to get it expedited.
She took two days off of work and travelled to Victoria from the Comox Valley, with no guarantee the passport would even be here.
"It's going to be a pretty stressful situation if I have to start rebooking hotels, rebooking flights because my passport didn't come in on time,” said Lewis.
Hundred-person-long lines, like the one at the passport office in downtown Victoria, are what experts call the new travel normal.
Friday morning’s line-up reached around the top floor of the Bay Centre.
"This is my fifth attempt at trying to get my passport renewed,” said Kim Meadows, as she stood in the line-up.
"It's been incredibly frustrating and the line-ups have been insane.”
Travel experts say pent-up pandemic demand for international travel and a shortage of workers across the industry have spawned serious wait times, sector wide.
If you do get your hands on one of those last-minute passports, officials at the Victoria International Airport say plan ahead.
"There could be longer lines than usual going through security or check-in with your air carrier,” said Rod Hunchak, director of business development with the Victoria Airport Authority.
A staffing shortage throughout YYJ means it’s back to pre-pandemic waits.
"When you lay off 75 per cent of your workforce and then try to get them back, it creates a challenge,” said Hunchak. “A lot of those folks have moved on to other jobs."
Back at the passport office in Victoria, Lewis was able to conclude her two-month passport renewal odyssey successfully.
"I'm just happy I have my passport in hand and I don't have to reschedule my trip,” she said.
With lines like what is currently sitting outside of the passport office in Victoria, it’s unclear if others will have her luck.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Police investigating shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Stormy Daniels is expected to appear at Trump's hush money trial on Tuesday
Donald Trump returns to the hush money trial Tuesday facing a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations as prosecutors gear up to summon big-name witnesses including porn actor Stormy Daniels.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.