'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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.