Visitors to the Magdalen Islands could soon pay a $30 tourist fee
Visitors to Quebec’s Magdalen Islands could soon have to pay a $30 tourist fee between May 1 and Oct. 14.
The fee would apply to visitors 13 years and older to a maximum of $100 per family. Once paid, tourists would receive a QR code to be scanned before departure or face a penalty of up to $1,000.
The Magdalen Islands expects this could bring in a $1 million this year alone. The money would be placed into a trust to preserve the islands.
"We put the accent into the preservation of our wonderful territory because that's one of the main attractions to the Magdalen Islands," said Mayor Antonin Valiquette.
In recent years, the region has seen a boom in tourism, mainly thanks to provincial travel restrictions during the pandemic. It reached record numbers in 2022 with 73,300 visitors. According to Statistics Canada the year-round population of the islands is 12,190.
While the idea has been debated for years, the Chamber of Commerce for the Magdalen Islands said it's bad timing to implement now as inflation rates remain high and with more travel options, it expects a dip in tourism level.
"It’s not complicated," said Alexandre Lavoie, general manager of the chamber of commerce. "The Islands are about fishing and tourism. If one of those areas struggles it affects everyone."
The final vote on the fee, which is expected to be a formality, is on April 9.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.
What's causing the catastrophic rainfall in Kenya?
The torrential rains and deadly floods that have hit Kenya since March have been some of the worst in the country in recent years. Here's how factors combined to create the deadly deluge.