Alberta courts Mexicoâs wealthy travellers as northbound tourism surges
Canadians love their getaways to Mexico, but hereâs an obvious truth to ponder over a margarita or a shot of Alberta whisky: flights breeze over the U.S. in both directions.
Increasingly, direct flights north carry well-off Mexicans destined to drop their dollars on uniquely Alberta experiences, the provinceâs tourism minister said.
Speaking to The Macleod Gazette last week in a phone interview from Mexico City, Andrew Boitchenko said: âPeople in Alberta think Mexico is only for one thing â for us to go and enjoy beaches and oceans. But we never think of traffic and travellers coming from Mexico to Alberta.â
Itâs time to change that mindset and build on existing northbound momentum, Boitchenko emphasized.
Mexican visitors spent about $51 million in Alberta in 2025, as the passenger volume from the country increased to about 8,000 from 6,000 the year before, the province calculated.
Numbers are set to keep growing in Canada overall, with Mexican visitation projected to be 40 per cent higher than 2025 levels by 2030 and spending to increase 60 per cent.
The province aims to reach $25 billion in tourism value by 2035, after a record visitor spend of $15.2 billion last year. And Boitchenko thinks Mexico will blaze a significant stretch of that trail.
His mission to Mexico Oct. 5-9 focused on strengthening relationships with tourism and government representatives there, while also promoting direct air access and Albertaâs unique tourism experience.
The junket was also designed to encourage future investment in tourism development.
Joined by representatives from Travel Alberta, Boitchenko met with airline, travel, media and government representatives to promote Alberta as a top-tier, year-round destination.
His meetings were set to include Canadaâs ambassador to Mexico, the Mexican secretary of tourism, and the Albertaâs government office there for trade and investment.
Also on the agenda were dinner with a major tourism-focused marketing agency, along with two Alberta-focused promotional events.
Mexico is a worthy place for promoting Alberta tourism, Boitchenko said. When his department targets tourism-building opportunities, it looks for sources of high-earning and high-spending travellers.
More than 300,000 people in Mexico have a net worth greater than $1 million. âThatâs a lot of wealthy people.â
But why Canada and why Alberta? For one, getting a visa is simple, especially if Mexicans already have a valid U.S. non-immigrant visa. For another, quick non-stop flights are commonplace.
Then thereâs the beauty and variety of the province itself.
More Albertans, in fact, should take a cold hard look in the mirror â or at a map â and appreciate what they have.
âWe underappreciate our cold lakes, our fall and spring seasons, and winter is beautiful. (Mexicans) don't have a winter season like we do,â Boitchenko said.
âWe have beautiful mountains. We have a lot of snow, and they love coming to Alberta for that. But we also have lakes and many year-round opportunities weâve developed through our tourism zones, Travel Alberta and our government departments,â he explained.
Alberta has year-round tourism and recreation opportunities in its famous mountain resorts. It has the badlands of Drumheller, further dinosaur opportunities near Grande Prairie and in Devilâs Coulee in southern Alberta, and dark, remote sites for viewing the Northern Lights, said Boitchenko.
âWe have a lot of areas in the province where people can go and firsthand have life experiences that they don't have in their own countries, especially Mexico,â he said.Â
The minister, who represents Drayton Valley-Devon, called the reception received by Albertaâs delegation âoverwhelming,â perhaps influenced by unease these days with the U.S. as a tourist destination.
âWhen people from Mexico come to Alberta, they feel that it's different than anywhere in the world,â he said, âand that it's safe, it's welcoming.â
Â
Copyright 2026, The Macleod Gazette. All rights reserved.
George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette.
U.S. court denies bail to alleged Tumbler Ridge shooting conspirator James Bryant
A court in Seattle, Wash., has denied bail to James Bryant, who is accused of conspiring with Jesse Van Rootselaar, the shooter in the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass killing in February.Â
Emilie Langlie with the Department of Justice says Bryant was ordered detained by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Federal prosecutors successfully argued to keep Bryant behind bars, alleging in a written submission that the Bellingham, Wash., resident "helped plan a mass murder over the course of several months" and would present a danger to the community if released.
Bryant's public defender lawyer Dennis Carroll refers to her by female pronouns and says she goes by the name Melody.
Carroll had argued in a written submission that Bryant should be released because she has no criminal record, and has stable housing and employment and "strong community ties."
The lawyer says his client voluntarily met with investigators and there's no evidence she "initiated the planning or engaged in any violence" in relation to the attack that left eight victims dead, and instead "repeatedly tried to dissuade Van Rootselaar from committing mass murder."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
On a « stalké » Rébecca d'OD Panama et voici ce que tu veux savoir
Tu l'as peut-ĂȘtre dĂ©jĂ croisĂ©e!
Il y a souvent deux clans qui se forment quand on parle des candidats et candidates qui sÚment la bisbille à Occupation Double : une partie du public qui souhaite les voir partir rapidement, et une autre qui veut les garder parce qu'il faut l'avouer, ça fait souvent un bon show. Lors des premiÚres semaines de l'aventure au Panama, les actions de Rébecca, la barmaid de Québec, l'ont définitivement placée dans la catégorie des célibataires qui divisent les fans.
Ă lire Ă©galement : Le tournage dâOD Tentations au soleil est interrompu et les candidats rentrent au QuĂ©bec
CritiquĂ©e pour ses rĂ©actions et apprĂ©ciĂ©e pour les moments croustillants qu'elle apporte aux Ă©pisodes, elle se retrouve frĂ©quemment au cĆur des sujets de conversation en ligne. Si tu veux en savoir plus sur sa vie Ă l'extĂ©rieur des maisons d'OD, voici sept faits qu'on a trouvĂ©s sur RĂ©becca en fouillant un peu partout sur le Web.
Rébecca fait partie des plus jeunes candidates
Ă 24 ans, la candidate originaire de QuĂ©bec fait partie des plus jeunes de la cohorte fĂ©minine de 2026. Seules Zhara (22 ans) et Ămilie (23 ans) sont plus jeunes quâelle, alors quâAlexa, Alanna et Engie ont le mĂȘme Ăąge.
Tu l'as peut-ĂȘtre dĂ©jĂ croisĂ©e Ă QuĂ©bec
@barlarochelene Viens nous porter ton CV en personne ou sur notre page Facebook!! Nos coordonnĂ©es; đ2435 boulevards Louis-XIV Facebook: Bar la RochelĂšne 2.0 #recrutementquebec #beauport #fyp ⏠ۧÙŰ”ÙŰȘ ۧÙŰŁŰ”ÙÙ - Loop Media Agency
RĂ©becca n'est peut-ĂȘtre pas une inconnue pour les gens de QuĂ©bec qui ont frĂ©quentĂ© le Bar la RochelĂšne 2.0, puisqu'elle y travaillait encore en tant que barmaid en juillet 2026. Dans une vidĂ©o humoristique publiĂ©e par l'Ă©tablissement, on peut d'ailleurs la voir aux cĂŽtĂ©s d'une collĂšgue annoncer que le bar est Ă la recherche d'une nouvelle barmaid, tout en lançant Ă la blague que RĂ©becca, elle, cherche plutĂŽt un chum.
Elle a un frĂšre
En fouillant sur Facebook et Instagram, on a également pu en apprendre un peu plus sur sa famille. Ses parents se nomment Nancy et Jean-François, et elle a un petit frÚre, Simon-Olivier, ùgé de 22 ans.
Rébecca est célibataire depuis environ un an
Lors d'une entrevue avec Le Soleil, tout juste avant son départ pour l'aventure, elle a expliqué qu'elle a toujours voulu participer a Occupation Double. Ainsi, lorsqu'elle est devenue célibataire il y a environ un an, ses proches l'ont encouragée à poser sa candidature.
Elle n'aime pas les rencontres en ligne
Dans la mĂȘme entrevue, elle confie qu'elle prĂ©fĂšre de loin rencontrer ses prĂ©tendants en vrai, et non sur les rĂ©seaux sociaux. Entre un meet cute dans le petit cafĂ© du coin et un message sur Tinder ou Instagram, pour elle, le choix est clair.
C'est une personne active
Sur son compte VSCO, on peut la voir alors qu'elle va au gym, fait de la randonnée ou fait du jogging à l'extérieur. Il y a également des photos qui montrent qu'elle est dejà allée passer du temps dans un centre de simulateur de golf.
Son compte Instagram a attiré beaucoup de nouvelles personnes abonnées
Rébecca a gagné plus de 8 000 abonnés depuis sa participation à Occupation Double Panama.
rebecca.od_officiel | Instagram
RĂ©becca ne passe pas inaperçue Ă Occupation Double, et son passage Ă l'Ă©mission semble faire rĂ©agir autant qu'il attire la curiositĂ© sur les rĂ©seaux sociaux. Alors qu'elle comptait 2 722 personnes abonnĂ©es Ă son compte Instagram le 11 aoĂ»t dernier, elle en affiche maintenant 10 900 en date du 13 octobre. Elle a donc gagnĂ© plus de 8 000 abonnements en deux mois, ce qui n'est quand mĂȘme pas rien!
- Le tournage dâOD Tentations au soleil est interrompu et les candidats rentrent au QuĂ©bec ›
- Les candidats d'OD Tentations au soleil sont dĂ©voilĂ©s et il y a 2 gagnantes d'OD ›
- On a « stalkĂ© » les 4 gars d'Occupation Double Panama - Voici TOUT ce que tu veux savoir ›
- Une intrusion armĂ©e est survenue dans une maison d'OD Panama et la production rĂ©agit ›
- La production d'OD rĂ©pond Ă ceux qui disent que « tous les candidats se ressemblent » ›
- On a stalkĂ© Billy d'OD Panama : Voici tout ce que tu veux savoir ›
- Les Ă©liminations dâOD Panama font dĂ©jĂ rĂ©agir et le public commence Ă perdre patience ›
- On a « stalkĂ© » Engie d'OD Panama : Voici ce que tu veux savoir ›
- On te dĂ©mĂȘle TOUTE la bisbille autour du podcast d'OD Panama animĂ© par Rose et Jess du 5@7 ›

Trudeau Says Canada 'Is Not Broken' & Slammed Poilievre For 'Amplifying Conspiracy Theories'
He's accused Poilievre of "talking down" this country. đŹ
On December 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called out the leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, for saying that Canada feels broken right now.
Not only that, but Trudeau came for the Tory leader in a bunch of other ways, including slamming him for "amplifying conspiracy theories" and his "undermining of democracy."
Per CTV News, the prime minister took aim at his Conservative counterpart during his speech to the Liberal caucus at their first Christmas party since before the pandemic.
"Mr. Poilievre might choose to undermine our democracy by amplifying conspiracy theories," said the prime minister.
"He might decide to run away from journalists when they ask him tough questionsâŠThat's his choice."
"But when he says that Canada is broken," said Trudeau, "that's where we draw the line."
"In Canada, better is always possible but I don't accept Canadians and politicians who talk down our country," he said to applause from the audience.
"Let me be very clear for the record: Canada is not broken."
Trudeau's reaction seems to have come in response to comments made by Poilievre on November 9 at a press conference in Vancouver.
"Unfortunately, it feels like everything is broken in this country," said the Tory leader.
Explaining this comment, Poilievre outlined issues like homelessness, the affordability crisis and the high inflation that's plaguing a lot of Canadians â with much of the blame being placed squarely on the Trudeau government by Poilievre.
"It's time to fix what's broken," said the leader, before answering reporter questions.
Of course, this isn't the first time that sparks have flown between the two political leaders.
Poilievre has come for Trudeau and the Liberal government many times, including challenging him to stop taxing Canadians.
Trudeau, in turn, has also made public comments about Poilievre.
When the former Ontario MP was elected as Conservative leader, Trudeau called out his "buzz words, dog whistles and careless attacks [that] don't add up to a plan for Canadians."
Looks like we won't be seeing a bromance between these two leaders in the near future. Ouch.