Chicago weather: Air quality alert called for a 2nd straight day as Canadian wildfires continue
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an Air Pollution Action Day because widespread ozone and or particulate levels are expected to be at or above the unhealthy for sensitive groups category.
Officials said wildfire smoke is expected to continue to affect those levels Thursday and Friday, officials said. The same air alerts were also issued on Wednesday.
Current morning conditions at O'Hare International Airport are mostly cloudy with haze at 60 degrees. At Midway Airport, conditions are foggy and misty at 61 degrees.
On Thursday, highs in the upper 50s are expected.
Plumes of smoke are blanketing large swaths of the U.S. and parts of Europe, which presents risks for those breathing it.
The Midwest, Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. have 'very unhealthy' air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and experts say people should take precautions. Read more here.
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Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Canadian permanent residents will now have to pay 'visa integrity fee' to enter U.S. Here's what it is
Included in the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was recently enacted, is a provision about some travellers having to pay $250, a so-called 'visa integrity fee,' to enter the country. The act includes a plan to secure the U.S. border and gives Homeland Security the resources it needs, per the White House. It promises to provide more funding for ICE agents, for detention centres, as well as funds for completing the U.S.'s border wall. The visa integrity fee is meant to go toward supporting 'enforcement and administrative efforts related to U.S. visa policy and border security,' USA Today reported. Another travel policy that was previously announced by the Trump administration, the alien registration requirement for foreigners, was later updated to exempt most Canadians from being fingerprinted. Currently, in most cases, Canadians do not require visitor, business, transit or other visas to enter the United States from Canada, according to the Canadian federal government. Here's what to know so far. Who must pay the visa integrity fee? The visa integrity fee applies to 'any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of such issuance,' according to the act. It must be paid in addition to any other fee authorized by law. The fee is currently set at $250, although it can be increased, and will be adjusted for inflation. 'Attaching an additional $250 fee has the very real potential to significantly reduce the number of people that can afford to do that,' managing director of programs and strategy at the American Immigration Council Jorge Loweree told USA Today. 'There are hundreds of thousands of people who receive visas and permission from the Department of State to come to the U.S. every single month temporarily.' Do Canadians have to pay this fee? In most cases, no. Canadian citizens can usually stay in the U.S. for 6 months without a visa, but there are some exceptions, which are listed on the U.S. Department of State website. However, permanent residents of Canada do require a nonimmigrant visa and will have to pay the fee. Can the visa integrity fee be waived? No. According to the bill, it will not be waived or reduced. However, the secretary of Homeland Security can provide a reimbursement if the person has complied with all of the conditions of the nonimmigrant visa. This means the person has not tried to extend the period of admission and has left the United States no later than five days after the visa's expiry. A person can also be reimbursed if they were granted an extension of nonimmigrant status or if their status changed to 'a lawful permanent resident.' 'The intent behind this refund provision is to incentivize compliance with U.S. immigration laws by treating the $250 as a refundable security deposit — essentially rewarding those who follow the rules,' lawyer Steven Brown wrote online. Brown is a partner at U.S. immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC based in Houston. When will the visa integrity fee go into effect? Although the act has been signed into law, it is not immediately clear when the fee will be implemented. In his blog post, Brown wrote there was no effective date. How will this affect travel to the United States? As well as the visa integrity fee, there were also other fees included in the act. U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman issued a statement to Congress, calling the fees 'foolish.' 'Raising fees on lawful international visitors amounts to a self-imposed tariff on one of our nation's largest exports: international travel spending,' said Freeman. 'These fees are not reinvested in improving the travel experience and do nothing but discourage visitation at a time when foreign travellers are already concerned about the welcome experience and high prices.' Forbes reported that U.S. tourism officials 'argue that anything that makes it more difficult or expensive to visit the United States can be a deterrent to large numbers of visitors.' Tensions between the U.S. and Canada are already high amid an ongoing trade war and rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state. Jordan Peterson's house in Toronto up for sale as he and his wife relocate to the U.S. Border bitterness is devastating cross-border tourism. But one Canadian city is bucking the trend Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Hamilton Spectator
15 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Skipping Time Off? You're Not Alone
Don, a Metro Vancouver-based public service worker, has been saving up vacation days. The Tyee has agreed to identify Don only by first name to protect his employment. He said that for most of his career, his contract offered three weeks of paid vacation per year. Every other year, he would use that time to take off most of December and travel, Don said. After working the same job for years, Don earned a fourth week of paid vacation per year. But instead of taking that extra week off, Don said, for the past three years he has been banking vacation days in case he needs — or wants — to stay off work longer. '[Saving extra days] gives me a comfortable cushion on either side,' he said. While Don is banking vacation time, many other Canadians are leaving vacation hours on the table for more pressing reasons. Surveys show most Canadians don't take all their paid time off, citing a variety of reasons including economic uncertainty and banking vacation days for a big holiday. But the top reason respondents picked was to save time off for emergencies. The polls highlight how many Canadian workers — especially those at the beginning of their careers — don't have enough paid time off and sick leave. But missing those days off can ramp up stress and lead to burnout, a human resources expert says. It's an issue Don said he remembers well from skipping time off earlier in his career. 'It gets to be a bit of a grind,' Don said. 'I don't see how people do it without completely destroying their lives and burning out.' Research suggests Canadians are not taking full advantage of paid vacation time. A 2023 survey by ADP Canada found 31 per cent of Canadians surveyed took all their allotted vacation time, while another 32 per cent took less than half. Nearly a third of respondents said they planned to cancel or put off travel due to the high cost of living. Another study published by travel company Expedia last year found only 45 per cent of Canadians polled used all their annual vacation time. B.C. employment standards entitle both full-time and part-time workers to two weeks of paid vacation after a year of employment. Employees can't skip taking vacation to receive that pay. Still, the Expedia poll found 58 per cent of Canadians said they were 'vacation deprived' and just over a fifth of respondents reported working a year or more between taking vacations. The survey, which polled 11,580 respondents from across North America, Europe and Asia, asked respondents why they were leaving time on the table. Like Don, one in five Canadians surveyed said they were saving those hours to take a longer trip. Meanwhile, 22 per cent of respondents said they were hoarding time off in case of an emergency. This was the most common reason to leave time on the table. The answer suggests Canadians are rationing their time off instead of taking a break. More than a third of all Canadians don't have paid sick leave, Statistics Canada data shows, especially younger Canadians. According to Statistics Canada, 39.8 per cent of men and 41.8 per cent of women aged 15 to 24 — excluding students — reported having access to paid sick leave. Sick leave coverage increases in the next age bracket, with 66.3 per cent of men and 69.5 per cent of women aged 25 to 34 reporting having access to paid sick leave. The study did not report data for non-binary employees. But time off for relaxation may be sorely needed, said Hilda Gan, president and chief people officer of the Markham, Ontario-based human resources firm People Bright Consulting Inc. She said she understands some people skip time off because they are stressed about money, while other people find it difficult to take a rest. Still, she said, it's important for workers to find ways to take breaks. 'People need time away from work,' she said. 'When you don't get sufficient time off, you're not switching your mindset, you're not resting emotionally, physically and mentally, and that can lead to a lot of extra stress.' A 2023 Statistics Canada survey found just over 4.1 million Canadians — more than a fifth of all working Canadians — reported feeling high or very high work-related stress. The leading causes? About 24 per cent of respondents cited heavy workload and 16 per cent cited struggling with work-life balance. Gan said people who work remotely or put in most of their hours from home particularly struggle with work-life balance. She added definitive breaks can help employees manage that stress. 'People don't have that time to refresh,' she said. 'Vacation is a much more definitive break than going home each night.' Time off doesn't have to mean travel, Gan said. She suggested taking time off at home — often called a 'staycation' — or finding other ways to take time off. 'It's like any muscle; you need to use it,' she said. 'That continuous work mentality without de-stressing and resetting leads to burnout.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CNBC
16 hours ago
- CNBC
International inbound travel to U.S. shows mixed recovery
Canadian travel dropped sharply in the first half of 2025, according to numbers by U.S. Travel Association. Visits from Canada dropped by nearly 19% over the same time period last year, dragging overall international visits lower by 3.4%. That equates to a decline of $1.9 billion in travel spending. June was especially rough, with Canadian visitation down more than 26%, the association said. The punch to the travel and tourism industry was mitigated by a noticeable increase in visitors from Mexico. The month of June and the first half of the year saw notable increases of 14.8% and 12.5%, respectively, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Those 940,000 visits from Mexican travelers equated to just shy of half a billion in travel spending. "This initial look at first-half 2025 data shows that while travel continues to be a priority, broader economic concerns remain on consumers' minds. Amid a rapidly evolving global environment, international visits to the U.S. have been resilient across most markets—with the notable exception of Canada, our largest inbound source," the U.S. Travel Association said in an email to CNBC. Major travel companies Hilton, Wyndham and Travel and Leisure, which have been closely watching the change in visitors, are all reporting earnings next week. Las Vegas is also reporting a decline in international visitors from Mexico and Canada, which may show up in results for casinos like Caesars, MGM, Boyd and Red Rock Resorts. The travel industry has been concerned about a big cut in President Donald Trump's tax-and-spending law that slashes spending on marketing and promotion of U.S. destinations overseas, and increases fees for travel visas, which may be especially problematic ahead of the World Cup next year.
