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This gorgeous Ontario town was named among the top 10 destinations in the world for 2027
It's just road trip from Toronto.
If you're already planning some adventures for 2027, you'll want to keep this beautiful small town in mind.
With storybook streets, quaint shops, and old-world charm, it was recently named one of the world's top destinations to visit next year.
The best part is, you don't need to get on a plane or even leave the country to discover this gem. The town is located just a road trip from Toronto, so you can add a little getaway to your travel plans without venturing too far from home.
Expedia has just unveiled its largest travel report of the year, Unpack '27, which highlights the destinations and travel behaviours expected to shape the year ahead.
The 2027 Destinations of the Year list spotlights some of the world's fastest-rising travel hotspots, based on search data showing where travellers are most eager to go next.
Ontario's Niagara-on-the-Lake ranked ninth on the list, with searches up 35% year after year.
According to Expedia, it's "one of Canada's best-preserved 19th-century towns," and has "storybook streets" with"Victorian-era shopfronts and tea rooms."
You can spend a day wandering through the Heritage District, which looks like it was plucked from a postcard. The area is dotted with gift shops, gourmet cafes, boutiques, and more.
The town is also home to several spas and boutique hotels where you can relax and get pampered. Located about an hour and a half from Toronto, it's an idyllic spot for a weekend getaway or longer.
There are attractions to explore as well, from the Shaw Festival Theatre to Icewine Festivals and more.
One of Niagara-on-the-Lake's main attractions is the surrounding wineries. Nestled in the heart of wine country, the town is home to 40 distinct wineries, with even more to visit in the broader Niagara region.
Popular spots include Peller Estates Winery, Trius Winery, Two Sisters Vineyards, Inniskillin Wines, and Konzelmann Estate Winery, great for sipping, dining, and soaking up views.
Niagara-on-the-Lake was the only Canadian destination to make Expedia's 2027 Destinations of the Year list. South Lake Tahoe, U.S., was crowned the top destination for 2027, followed by Hyogo, Japan, and Punta del Este, Uruguay.
You can find the full ranking of Expedia's 2027 Destinations of the Year here.
With its historic charm, quaint streets, and stunning wineries, it's no surprise Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of the world's top travel spots for 2027.
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European Investment Bank applies for exemption from foreign bank status
EU Investment Bank looks to operate in Canada
The European Investment Bank has applied for an exemption from foreign bank status in Canada, a move that would bring the lending arm of the European Union one step closer to operating here.
The request was published today in the Canada Gazette, the government's weekly publication listing new regulations and official notices.
The bank and the Canadian government signed a letter of intent in March committing to look for new ways to work together in areas like critical minerals.
The goal of that letter is to help ensure stable supply chains for various minerals and metals used in the clean energy, tech and defence sectors.
The March letter says that while the arrangement does not create financial commitments, it was meant to start discussions on allowing the investment bank to operate in Canada.
This application comes ahead of the Canada-EU Summit in Montreal at the end of October, where Canada and the EU are expected to announce the next steps in a deepening partnership.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
By David Baxter | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Community papers connect remotely housed Albertans to satellite internet rebate
Eligible Alberta households can claim up to $1,000 for satellite internet hardware and installation.
The target audience for a new rebate in Alberta may need the print version of their community newspaper to first learn that the satellite-facing program even exists.
Rebates worth up to $1,000 are available until March 31 for hardware and installation costs to connect certain households to low-Earth-orbit satellites for internet service.
The challenge is that the 10,000 or so rural and remote households that qualify have, by definition, severely limited or non-existent internet access, a rural media roundtable organized by the provincial government heard Thursday.
The eligible homes are in areas of Alberta deprived of traditional ground-based internet because of distance and topography, Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish told about a dozen rural media representatives.
That makes community newspapers distributed along Alberta’s roads less travelled particularly important, he confirmed.
Glubish said major outlets have given the story little attention and “don’t want to talk to me about it. But I appreciate that it's your readers who are going to be more interested in this anyways.”
The program draws from a joint federal-Alberta fund worth $755 million to blanket the province with broadband. The new rebate addresses rural and remote residents that fell between the cracks because — until now — reaching them hasn’t been affordable, practical or even possible, Glubish said.
The difference today is that satellites in low-Earth orbit have become widely available to internet providers and users in Alberta.
Earlier, the government would have had to entice satellite companies to expand their service, Glubish said.
“We knew they were going to expand here anyway, but it was going to cost us tens of millions of dollars to persuade them to come here first, rather than just allowing them to come here as they normally were going to. And that patience has paid off,” said Glubish, the UCP member representing Strathcona-Sherwood Park.
Alberta published a broadband strategy in January 2022 with the goal to hit 100 per cent connectivity by the end of this fiscal year.
The strategy said then that 67 per cent of rural Albertans and 80 per cent of the province’s Indigenous communities had unreliable internet access at federal target speeds.
But today, according to the minister’s office, the needle has moved dramatically.
An estimated 82.2 per cent of households in Alberta First Nations reserves have access to high-speed internet, up from just 19.6 per cent in 2019, the baseline cited in the strategy.
That represents an increase of about 8,400 on-reserve households, the ministry told The Macleod Gazette in an emailed follow-up to the roundtable.
Of all Alberta households, 98.2 per cent now have access to high-speed internet, said a news release on the rebate.
“I know it's been a long time coming. We've been working hard on this for the last four years,” Glubish told the roundtable.
“But I think we’re coming to the tail-end of an important initiative, and it's nice to see that we are getting close to achieving our goal of universal connectivity."
A “significant portion” of federal-provincial funding has gone towards improving reliable, non-satellite internet in Indigenous communities, he said.
“If there are any First Nations communities that are not yet covered, then absolutely, yes, they would be eligible to participate in this rebate program,” he said.
Affordability remains an issue for some rural Albertans, Glubish acknowledged. Living the remote life can be expensive, and paying a premium for internet service is one of those higher costs.
But “the biggest barrier … is the upfront investment for the hardware and the installation. And that's what this program addresses,” he said.
“So this will go a long way to helping anybody in a low-income scenario to be able to get their connection established.”
Connectivity keeps getting more important in the professional and personal lives of Albertans, Glubish said.
He pointed to education, employment, entrepreneurship, and medical and justice services as cornerstones of modern life that the internet has improved dramatically. “If you don't have connectivity, your options are limited."
Households that qualify for the rebate can purchase their satellite hardware and installation while the program is open, with eligible receipts dating from Aug. 11 of this year onward.
Hardware must be purchased from an authorized vendor to qualify. Rebates apply to satellite dishes, receiver kits and installation services and supplies. Receipts are submitted through an online portal.
Find out more at alberta.ca/alberta-satellite-rebate-program — assuming you have a way to connect to the internet.
“I think it's super important to get this message out to our rural newspapers,” said roundtable participant Lisa Sygutek, president of the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association and the publisher and owner of the Crowsnest Pass Herald.
Sygutek also wanted to know how the rebate would be rolled out to Albertans who don’t have the connectively yet to apply or submit receipts online.
The ministry is working with organizations like Rural Municipalities of Alberta and with MLAs to share information on the rebate. It will monitor how effective its efforts are before looking at other communications measures, including direct mailing.
“Our goal is to try and make sure it's very clear that anybody who is likely to be eligible for this will know that this is an option available to them,” Glubish said.
Copyright 2026, The Macleod Gazette. All rights reserved.
George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette.
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Reste célibataire jusqu'à ce que tu rencontres une personne comme ça
Le dating life en 2018 semble être un horrible cauchemar. Plein de filles célibataires autour de moi ''jouent'' à Tinder et passent tellement vite les profils qu'il est impossible de voir les gars comme il faut.
Le plus triste dans tout ça, c'est que si jamais j'étais tombée sur le profil de mon chum quand j'étais célibataire, j'aurais passé tout droit tellement vite. Je me souviens, il portait un drôle de t-shirt vert et posait à côté d'un arbre de bambou sur sa photo de profil FB et en 2018, ce genre de photo douteuse passerait rapidement à gauche.
J'ai rencontré mon chum en personne - il est venu me parler dans un 5 à 7 et on a échangé nos Facebook. Puis on s'est revu en date quelques jours plus tard. Quand notre soirée s'est terminée, il m'a texté sur le coup et on a continué nos discussions jusqu'à la deuxième date.
Après un mois de dates régulières, il m'a présenté comme sa blonde et c'est ainsi qu'on est devenu un couple. Je ne me suis jamais posé de questions du genre «Combien de temps j'attends avant de répondre à son texte?», «Je me demande si on est exclusifs» ou bien «Est-ce qu'il pense que je suis fatigante quand je le texte en premier». Je ne me suis jamais posé de questions point parce que le fit était juste bon, et dès les premières dates, jle savais.
Dans le passé, j'ai fait l'erreur à multiples reprises de m'embarquer dans des relations avec des gars (comme ce cave-là) en me disant «Il va changer ça», ou «Je l'aime bien, pourquoi pas». Mais ça n'avait jamais été 100% naturel, et aujourd'hui, je comprends qu'il vaut mieux rester célibataire que d'être avec une personne avec qui t'as pas grand-chose en commun.
Quand la période de passion du début va se terminer, tu vas te retrouver dans une relation plate, dans laquelle tu t'épanouis pas pantoute et devoir vivre plusieurs nuits d'anxiété en prévision d'une future rupture.
Sois patient(e), et attends de rencontrer une personne avec qui ça sera juste facile. Simple. Tsé le feeling que tu connais l'autre depuis toujours, que vous aimez les mêmes choses et que tu peux être gossant. Quand le fit est juste bon, tu te retrouves en couple sans vraiment le savoir parce que tu as juste envie d'être souvent avec la personne.
Oh, et bonne nouvelle, la police du dating n'existe pas: tu peux ne pas suivre les règles et faire ce que tu veux. Et si la personne te ghost parce que t'es honnête et toi-même, c'est une maudite bonne nouvelle pour toi!
Donc si tu dates quelqu'un depuis 3 mois, tu as de la misère à la voir plus qu'une fois par semaine, tu penses que c'est fini de temps en temps parce que les messages textes sont pas clairs et tu sais pas trop si vous pouvez fréquenter d'autre monde...ya des bonnes chances que ça ne vaille pas la peine de continuer à te torturer ainsi.
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