Canada Issues 507 Invitations in First Express Entry Draw of August 2026
IRCC issues 507 Invitations in first August 2026 Express Entry draw, all for Provincial Nominees
WestJet and CUPE clinch deal, ending 24-hour cabin-crew strike and rebooting Canada’s summer air-travel rush
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WestJet and Flight-Attendant Union Reach Tentative Deal, Ending 24-Hour Strike that Grounded Hundreds of Flights
WestJet and CUPE 8125 reached a tentative four-year contract on August 3, ending a 24-hour cabin-crew strike that had cancelled nearly 500 flights during Canada’s Civic-Holiday weekend. The deal introduces paid duty-time from check-in to release, wage increases totalling 13 % this year and 2.5 % annually through 2029, and improved allowances. Operations are expected to normalize within three days, but businesses are reviewing contingency plans after thousands of passengers—including critical business travellers—were stranded. The outcome may set a cost benchmark for upcoming negotiations across Canada’s aviation sector.
Eight Canadian immigration changes taking effect this month that global mobility teams must track
An August 3 briefing outlines eight IRCC policy moves taking effect this month, including a new, less transparent backlog dashboard, the August 26 relaunch of the Francophone Student Pilot, the August 31 closure of Hong Kong PR pathways, anticipated Express Entry clusters, and the scheduled end of Ebola-related visa suspensions. Mobility managers must update timelines, ready candidate files, and monitor reopening of Ontario’s Workforce Priority Stream to keep Canadian hiring on track.