Monday, December 26, 2022

Compensation for Flight Delays and Cancelations in Canada





Air Canada announced on Thursday it would implement a “goodwill refund policy” that allows customers to request a refund or travel voucher if they purchased a ticket no later than Dec. 21 for travel to or from a Canadian airport between Dec. 22 and Dec. 26.

However, many Canadians are left to wonder what their rights are in such situations.  In Canada, air passengers can be compensated for flight delays and cancellations under the Canadian Transportation Agency's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) - which are not easy to read and comprehend. 
Air Passenger Rights submitted a report to the House of Commons recommending an overhaul of the APPR, including simplifying the language and definitions within the regulations.  To make it less complicated, CTVNews.ca broke down what rights passengers have when a flight is delayed or canceled, including due to bad weather.

Situations Outside of the Airline's Control
Those reasons can include weather conditions, war or political instability, instructions from air traffic control, medical emergencies, a security threat, and other factors.

In the case of a cancellation, denial of boarding, or delay of three hours or more, airlines must provide passengers with alternate travel arrangements or a refund. If passengers opt for alternative travel arrangements, airlines must provide a seat on their next available flight or one operated by an airline with which they have a commercial agreement, within 48 hours of the original departure time.

If unable to deliver the passenger on its own network within 48 hours of the original departure time, then, in the case of large carriers such as Air Canada, WestJet, and Swoop, there are requirements under the law for passengers to buy tickets at another airline.

If the cause of the cancellation, delay, or denial of boarding is outside an airline's control, the airline is not legally obligated to cover the cost of food or lodging for affected passengers, nor offer any financial compensation.




If the Reason is Within the Airlines Control
In the case of a cancellation or a delay of two hours or more: If passengers are informed less than 12 hours before their departure time, airlines have to provide food and drink in "reasonable quantities" as well as a means of communication. Passengers who are denied boarding are entitled to these rights immediately. If passengers have to wait overnight for their flight, airlines have to offer hotel or other comparable accommodations free of charge, as well as free transportation to the accommodation.

Airlines must also provide alternate travel arrangements or refunds in the event of a cancellation or a delay of three hours or more.  If the cause of the disruption is within their control, though, they have less time – nine hours – to arrange alternate travel within their own network before they are required to book another airline's flight.

If a flight is canceled due to crew shortage, which is within the carrier's control, then they have to rebook you on flights of another airline if they cannot rebook you on their own network within nine hours.

Passengers informed of a cancelation or delay 14 days or less before their departure time, or who are denied boarding, are also entitled to financial compensation of up to $1,000.  The amount of this compensation depends on circumstances such as the length of the delay and the size of the airline. Passengers on flights to Europe or flights from the EU are even better off in terms of compensation...

Delays on the Tarmac?
Sometimes bad weather or air traffic issues will ground a plane on the tarmac with everyone on board for hours before takeoff or after landing.  Whether they are in the terminal or stuck on the tarmac, passengers are entitled to the same rights outlined above in the event of a delay or cancellation.

The airline also needs to provide passengers stuck on the tarmac with access to toilets, proper ventilation,  and cooling, the means to communicate with people outside the plane where feasible, and food and drink, "in reasonable quantities," taking into account the length of the delay.

Once a flight has sat on a tarmac for three hours, airlines are legally obligated to let passengers disembark.  The exception is that if takeoff is imminent, that window of time can be extended by an additional 45 minutes. 



More information:

For full details regarding these regulations see Canadian Transportation Agency Air Passenger Protection Regulations.

Canada Transportation Agency  

If we are not able to provide you with an adequate resolution, you may contact the Canada Transportation Agency at 1-888-222-2592


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Monday, December 5, 2022

Successful Publishing: Newsletter December 2022

 



Hello Friends, 

Christmas is only three weeks away and another year is almost over… Get a lot of new ideas and encouragement for the next twelve months in this December Newsletter. Apply for one or more of the writing contests and fellowships listed here, or find freelance writing opportunities:


Content of this Newsletter:

Giller Prize

Writing Contests

Freelance Writing

- Fellowships


Writing in two languages, I need to use a grammar/spell-checking tool. Seeing these "16 Embarrassing Writing Mistakes to Avoid”, I feel, I am not alone.  While those errors make an excellent lesson for language learners, it’s often native English speakers who make them. Pretty embarrassing, or what do you think?

https://www.writerswrite.co.za/16-embarrassing-writing-mistakes-to-avoid/


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RESIDENCIES AT US-NATIONAL PARKS

There are programs for visual artists, writers, musicians, and other creative media. Programs vary, but residencies are typically 2 to 4 weeks in length. Often artists are invited to participate in park programs by sharing their art with the public

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/arts/air.htm

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GILLER PRIZE

Calgary-based novelist Suzette Mayr has recently won the 2022 Giller Prize, awarded annually to a Canadian author of a short story or novel in English, for her The Sleeping Car Porter. The story of a gay Black Canadian train porter on a cross-Canadian railway journey, the book was praised by the jury as bringing to life “believably, achingly, thrillingly – a whole world contained in a passenger train moving across the Canadian vastness, nearly 100 years ago.”



WRITING CONTESTS

Thriller First Pages Contest

Entries for this contest will include a one- to two-sentence book summary followed by no more than 1,000 words from the beginning of your book. First prize $650, second prize $350, third prize $100. Fourth prize $100. 

The entry fee is $19 and includes a workshop where we announce the winners and offer teaching to all entrants on the genre by the contest judge.  Deadline Dec 15

https://writersinstitute.lpages.co/ifw-thriller-first-pages-contest/

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Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel 

Prize: $10,000.  Restrictions: The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Genre: Murder or other serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story.  Deadline: December 16

https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/writing-competitions/

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Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

Any topic, provided it is related to the domain of ethics. We appeal to college students to send us essays. First Prize $10,000. Second Prize $5,000. Third Prize $3,000. 3,000 to 4,000 words.  Deadline Dec 30

https://eliewieselfoundation.org/prize-in-ethics/

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Four Quartets Prize

The Four Quartets Prize is for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the U.S. in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book.  The winner will receive an additional $20,000. Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. Fourteen pages of published poems unified by subject, form, and style is the minimum per submission. Sorry, self-published work is not eligible. Deadline Dec 31 

https://poetrysociety.org/awards/four-quartets-prize/four-quartets-prize-2

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Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards

Books must be written in English and published and copyrighted in 2022 to be eligible for the 2023 prize. Prize 10,000. Winners are required to participate in media interviews and publicity opportunities in conjunction with the prize. Self-published works (including works printed by vanity or subsidy presses) are not eligible for consideration. There are four awards: one for a work of fiction, one for poetry, one for nonfiction, and one for lifetime achievement.  Deadline Dec 31

http://www.anisfield-wolf.org/submissions/#guidelines


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Crime: First Chapters Competition

The winning Crime: First Prize: £1500. Second Prize: £300. Third Place: £100. Submit a 300-word One-Pager (plot synopsis) and the opening chapters of your Crime Thriller (5,000 words maximum). In 2022-2023, we are offering 50 Free Entry Bursaries across all our competitions to writers on low incomes, and from underrepresented groups.  £20 Entry Fee.  Deadline Dec 31

https://theplazaprizes.com/competition/crime-masterpiece/

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Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize

Our mission is to create a cultural body of work that entertains and informs about green solutions, inspires green behavior, and raises awareness of the necessary transformations toward a sustainable economy. Typically novels are 60,000 – 95,000 words. Submit 3 chapters (minimum of 4,000 words, maximum 10,000 words) as one document. Open to all adults (18+) of any nationality, as long as the submission is in English and has not been published elsewhere. Pays £1000 for the winner and £500 for the runner-up.  No Entry Fee.  Deadline Jan 3, 2023. 

https://www.greenstories.org.uk/upcoming-competitions/orna-ross-adult-novel-prize/

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Memoir: First Chapters Competition

First Prize: £1500. Second Prize: £300. Third Place: £100. Memoirs can be in any style or form, but must be in English, and written for adults. Submit a 300-word One-Pager (summary of your Memoir), and the opening chapters of your Memoir (5,000 words maximum). You can apply for a bursary if low income, class, race, age, gender, sexuality, caring responsibilities, location, disability, or mental and physical health affects your writing.  £20 Entry Fee.  Deadline Jan 31

https://theplazaprizes.com/competition/memoir-masterpiece/

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FREELANCE WRITING


Daily Remedy

News articles run between 400 and 1,000 words. Pays is $1/word. 

All articles should be directed to the Editorial Features Editor at info@daily-remedy.com. We prefer articles that editorialize on popular health topics using novel, nontraditional methods of analysis. Pitches should be brief, with a single paragraph explaining the story idea. We prefer articles that editorialize on popular health topics using novel, nontraditional methods of analysis. Features run between 2,000 and 2,500 words. 

https://www.daily-remedy.com/write-for-us/

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Better Homes & Gardens 

Looking for new, experienced freelance writers for upcoming evergreen commerce articles. Previous experience is required. Rates start at $600. Please email resumes and press clips to Brittany Romano, Senior Editor at BRomano@DotDashMDP.com

https://www.bhg.com/about-better-homes-and-gardens-5525299

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Air Quality News

Our editorial team investigates the problems associated with air pollution and reports on possible solutions, and we partner with the best solution providers to showcase the latest technologies & services to help tackle air quality. We're looking for environment-focused stories which could touch on the cost of living, transport, and health. Send me your ideas: newstart@spacehouse.co.uk. For rates, we’re looking at around £200, but depends on word count.

https://airqualitynews.com/aqn-magazine/

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The Food Section

The Food Section is actively seeking freelance contributors to add their voices to the newsletter’s mix, with a particular emphasis on reported stories that reflect the diversity of the South. We pay $1,000 for a feature story, which runs about 1,200 words. Just about every story has a food angle, but for The Food Section’s purposes, that story must unfold in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia (or the northernmost reaches of Florida). 

https://thefoodsection.substack.com/p/how-to-write-for-the-food-section

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LinkedIn/The Content Studio

The Content Studio is looking for a few freelance writers to work on a client project. The client is LinkedIn, and the project is a glossary of top-of-funnel, search-optimized articles focused on phrases like "cross-selling" and "lead generation." Articles will be ~2,000 words. There is an opportunity for a long-term contract. The Content Studio is paying $1,000 per piece, and writers will have detailed outlines to work from. Writers will also be able to put the LinkedIn logo in their portfolios. U.S citizens, to apply send your three best writing same to tommy@thecontentstudio.com. 

https://www.thecontentstudio.com/



GRANTS - FELLOWSHIPS 


Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship

Fellowship amount: $45,000 stipend. Nonfiction book in progress. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the American Revolution and the nation’s founding ideas. It might focus on the founding era itself, or on the myriad ways the questions that preoccupied the nation’s founders have shaped America’s later history. Besides the stipend, are health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year) in historic Chestertown, MD, included. Deadline: December 15

https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/starr/Fellowships/patrick_henry_fellowship/index.php

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Cove Park Residencies

The Funded Residencies are aimed at those who urgently require the time, care, financial support, and facilities we offer to focus upon and develop their own professional practice. Cove Park is located on a 50-acre site overlooking Loch Long on Scotland’s west coast. The site benefits from both an outstanding rural location and proximity to Glasgow.  Deadline Dec 5

https://covepark.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/FUNDED-RESIDENCIES-2023_2024-APPLICATION-GUIDELINES-.pdf

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Outpost Residency

Outpost is a residency for creative writers of color from the U.S. and Latin America. Each September, two writers are awarded a $2,000 stipend as well as complimentary travel, lodging, and meals to spend a month cultivating a generative writing community in the mountains of Southern Vermont. In addition to the time spent in residence, Outpost Fellows will engage in organized interactions with the community of local universities and bookstores, allowing space to share their work and expand their networks.  Deadline Jan 15

https://www.outposttheresidency.org/

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Jack Hazard Fellowships 

Fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir writers who teach full-time in an accredited high school in the U.S. are invited. $5,000 prize award that enables these creative writers who teach to focus on their writing for a summer.

https://www.newliteraryproject.org/jack-hazard-fellowship-apply

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The Good Hart Artist Residency 

They offer 10-21 day residency stays to visual artists, writers, and composers at any stage of their career. Each artist is housed in a private residence with a detached studio and provided with a $500 stipend, a kitchen stocked with basic foods, a few home-cooked meals from local hosts, and a quiet setting along the shores of Lake Michigan. Tucked into the woods along the "Tunnel of Trees," a Scenic Heritage Route, residents can walk into the village of Good Hart, enjoy Lake Michigan and the nearby sand dunes, and explore Northern Michigan's inland lakes and wetlands. The Good Hart Artist residency generally hosts one resident at a time, offering each artist the time, space, and quiet to focus and create.  Deadline January 11, 2023. 

https://goodhartartistresidency.org/residency-overview/

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Artist Fellowships for Tennessee Citizens

Fellowships provide those individuals who by education, experience, or natural talent engage in a particular art form or discipline, and live and work in Tennessee. To qualify, an artist must be financially compensated for his or her work, and this compensation must be a significant source of support for their livelihood. The Commission anticipates that each fellowship recipient will be awarded $5,000.  Deadline January 23, 2023.

https://tnartscommission.org/grants/individual/

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The Nine Dots Prize

The 2022/2023 prize question is "Why has the rule of law become so fragile?" The Nine Dots Prize is a prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary societal issues. Entrants are asked to respond to a question in 3,000 words, with the winner receiving $100,000 to write a short book expanding on their ideas. The winner receives editorial support and their book published by Cambridge University Press, the opportunity to spend a term at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at Cambridge University, and $100,000 USD.  No entry fee. Deadline January 23, 2023. 

https://ninedotsprize.org/submit/

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For those who are writing as a freelancer, or those you pondering it, here are dozens of paying freelance jobs:

https://makealivingwriting.com/how-to-find-food-writing-jobs/

https://thewritelife.com/health-magazines/

https://makealivingwriting.com/senior-magazines/

https://www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/uncategorized/20-trade-magazines-that-pay-freelance-writers/

https://liisbeth.com/contributors/guidelines/


It’s this time of year when we look back and also forward to new horizons. But most important: to want to be thankful for all we have been given this past year.  Writing opportunities, a family and many friends, good health, and a joyful life - compared to most people in this world, who know only hunger, resentment, war, and death. We are really blessed! 


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