Ottawa family could miss Disney World trip due to passport delays
Jesse Bourne has been looking forward to surprising his son with the trip of a lifetime for months.
The plan is all set: on Saturday morning, nine-year-old son Carson will wake up to find Mickey Mouse ears at home. He will then learn the family is flying to Orlando to visit Disney World.
“This is our dream trip and it’s been a long time in the making,” Bourne told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron. “So it’s not something we want to give up.”
But thanks to the delays plaguing Canada’s passport application system, the entire trip is in limbo. Despite applying nearly 16 weeks ago for a passport, Bourne, his girlfriend and Carson haven’t received them yet. That puts the family’s departure date this Saturday in jeopardy.
“We decided to go all out for this trip, and make it the trip of a lifetime,” Bourne said. “And it’s been exciting planning it all and the lead-up to it, but this last week to it is going to be fairly stressful.”
Bourne, who works as an industrial mechanic millwright at the waste treatment plant in Ottawa, said he thought applying for passports on March 30 for a late July departure would be plenty of time.
But when he got through to a Service Canada agent a few weeks ago, he was told they wouldn’t get their passports on time if they went the traditional route.
“At that point it had been 12 or 13 weeks,” he said. “He implied that we should have applied a lot earlier. He told us that it would be 9 to 10 weeks before we would receive a passport.”
On Monday, Bourne reached a new level of frustration: after starting 764th in line and waiting four-and-a-half hours on hold with Service Canada, he finally got through to answer some security questions. But then he was put on hold again, and the line disconnected.
The feeling after that was “hard to put into words,” he said.
Bourne has been in touch with MP Francis Drouin’s office, who helped expedite their passport applications to a local office. He said he’s hoping to get a call to come pick up the passports within 24 hours of the family’s travel day.
“We’ll get a phone call at some point this week to let us know we’ll be getting another phone call within 24 hours of our travel date to come pick up the passports,” he said. “So hopefully Friday we’re able to go pick them up, and if not we’ll have to start either postponing or trying to cancel the trip.”
Service Canada has introduced a triage system at certain offices prioritizing people who are travelling within 24 to 48 hours.
Jesse Bourne and his nine-year-old son Carson are supposed to go to Disney World on Saturday for a surprise trip, but passport delays have put the trip in jeopardy. (Courtesy: Jesse Bourne)
The trip isn’t just for Carson. Bourne’s girlfriend Amber Rinfret is a nurse and this is the first vacation she’s been able to get approved since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the passports don’t come through on Friday, it would be costly. A lot of the cancellations require 48 hours notice.
“There will be certain things that will be completely unrefundable, and some that I’ll be losing partial payment on. We’re just really hoping we get the passports.
“I’m in good spirits about it. Our local MP office has been great with the response, and they seem compassionate about helping us,” he said. “I’ve got my fingers crossed and I hope that it all works out, because this trip was not a cheap trip.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Millions of cyberattacks per hour as B.C. government investigates multiple breaches
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
New 'Lord of the Rings' film coming in 2026
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.