The Westin Ottawa is the official conference hotel, and we encourage you to book and stay there. For your convenience, we have an official Westin Ottawa web page as part of the iEMSs 2010 web pages. Please remember that Ottawa is a national capitol, the northern end of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the Rideau Canal System), and a major tourist destination with tourism at its peak in July. Book early and don’t expect too low a rate, especially now that the "loonie" (our dollar) has chosen this moment to soar in value.

For other accommodation, we recommend:

Ultra cheap: HI Ottawa Jail Hostel, Ottawa Backpackers’ Inn

Bed and Breakfast: Gasthaus Switzerland Inn

An official website: http://www.ottawatourism.ca

On your own (with lots of good hotels at every price point): http://www.Expedia.ca , http://www.hotelclub.com

Feel free to ask: your General Chair spent many years here, as has your Local Arrangements Chair.

Things to do if you don’t have to rush off: check the official Ottawa Tourism website, http://www.ottawatourism.ca , rent a houseboat or a canoe, white-water rafting or bicycle- the Gatineau Hills have wonderful biking trails, including well-maintained world-class off-road bicycle pistes. Many public roads in the Gatineau are open only for bicycles on Sunday mornings and there are villages and lakes and private spots to enjoy the outdoors. Be sure to go to the Byward Market (open every day) for an outdoor coffee and fresh pastry at le moulin de Provence (Barack Obama stopped there for a cookie). You can eat fresh local raspberries by the handful, and sample local artisanal cheeses. Check out the National Arts Centre.

For international travelers, Ottawa International Airport (designated as YOW) is served from Europe, directly through Frankfurt a.M. (FRA) and London Heathrow (LHR) by Air Canada, and code-shared with Star Alliance partners (such as Lufthansa, BMI, TAP, Austrian, SAS, United, Continental, US Airways, Croatia, BMI, ANA, Asiana, Thai, Air New Zealand). Connections to/from Paris (CDG), Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) and other European and Asian Airlines are routinely made through Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Toronto Lester B. Pearson Airport (YYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Service to/from major American airports is outlined in detail below.

Air travel times to Ottawa from YUL, YYZ and YVR are approximately 0.5 hours (YUL), 0.5 hours (YYZ) and 4.5 hours (YVR).

VERY IMPORTANT: your first landfall in Canada is the place you pass through Customs and Immigration (Canadian Border Services Agency). It normally takes less than 1 hour, provided you have the correct documentation, and your airline booking will reflect this. All three airports have excellent transfer facilities, separate from the ordinary arrivals soon after you disembark from the aircraft. Your luggage will be checked to the final destination, but you will be required to retrieve it and reposition it on a transfer belt. If your transfer is from a other than a Star Alliance Carrier to Air Canada, you may need to secure a new boarding card as part of your transfer, and a Toronto transfer will involve a building change. If you are coming directly to Ottawa, you will clear Canadian Border Services Agency formalities only there and be at your destination.

If you are driving from the USA in a rental automobile, be sure to tell the car rental agency that you will be travelling to Canada with the automobile, when you book the automobile. Normally, CBSA will not allow a rental vehicle with license plates from the USA to pass through the border, and the agencies can arrange an appropriately licensed vehicle.

Canadian automobile driving distances can be deceiving to European friends: Toronto to Ottawa is a 5-7 hour trip, Vancouver-Ottawa is a long, exhausting 5-day trip.

Rail travel: what rail travel? Don’t even try!

Travel through US airports can be a headache for foreigners travelling to Canada. At the first US landfall, you will have to claim your luggage and go through US customs before putting it on a transfer belt, even though you are only passing through the USA. You will also file a landing card and customs declaration. If you are a citizen of a country which doesn't have a visa waiver agreement with the USA, you may be required to bring and/or fill out extensive documentation, often equivalent to arriving/staying in the US for a visit there. You will be subjected to secondary procedures, such as giving a hand swab, pat-down or scan and possible extensive questioning by a US Marshal. You should be VERY careful to have proper documentation when transiting the USA. Customs formalities in places like Washington DC, Los Angeles or New York can take several hours. North American landfall in Canada (YOW, YUL, YYZ or YVR) is strongly recommended.

(Note that prices and services are subject to change)

Limousine Service (on demand)
Airport service:	613-523-1560
Toll-free number:	1-888-901-6222
Taxi Service
Dispatch:	613-523-1234
Fare:	$29 average to downtown
Accessible vehicles are available upon request.
Hotel Shuttle
Departs from post 10 outside the level 1 Arrivals area.
Information:	613-260-2359
Website:	www.yowshuttle.com
Fare (One way)
1 adult	$15.00
2 adults	$12.00 each
3 adults	$9.00 each
Children 14 and under)	$9.00 each
Fare (Return)
1 adult	$25.00
2 adults	$45.00
3+ adults	$18.00 each
Hours of Operation	4:55 a.m. - 11:55 p.m.
Frequency	Every 30 minutes
Public Transit (OC Transpo)
Information	613-741-4390
Website	www.octranspo.com
Cash Fares (exact change only)
Adults 12 and older	$3.25 or 2 bus tickets
Children 6-11	$1.60 or 1 bus ticket
Children 5 and under	FREE

Route 97 departs from post 14 outside the level 1 Arrivals area.
Bus tickets are available at the Ground Transportation Desk located on level 1 at the centre door of the Arrivals area.

$1.25 / bus ticket (minimum purchase 2 tickets @ $2.50)
$7.50 Day Pass purchased on the bus.
Route 97 uses low-floor, fully accessible buses that accommodate wheelchairs

Air Canada (AC)
Non-stop flights to/from: Boston, Calgary, Charlottetown, Edmonton, Frankfurt, Fredericton, Halifax, Quebec City, London (Heathrow), London (Ontario), Moncton, Montreal, New York (La Guardia), Regina (May 2010), Saskatoon, St. John’s, Thunder Bay, Toronto (Pearson), Vancouver, Washington (Reagan & Dulles), Winnipeg
Flight Information:	1-888-422-7533
Reservations:	1-888-247-2262
Baggage Service:	1-888-689-2247
Website:	www.aircanada.ca
American Airlines (AA)
Non-stop flights to/from: Chicago
Flight Information:	1-800-433-7300
Reservations:	1-800-433-7300
Baggage Service:	1-800-535-5225
Website:	www.aa.com
Continental Express (CO)
Non-stop flights to/from: Newark
Flight Information:	1-800-784-4444
Reservations:	1-800-525-0280 or 1-800-231-0856
Baggage Service:	1-800-335-2247
Website:	www.continental.com
Delta/Northwest (NW) (Pinnacle & Mesaba)
Non-stop flights to/from: Detroit
Flight Information:	1-800-441-1818
Reservations:	1-800-225-2525 or 1-800-447-4747
Baggage Service:	1-800-648-4897
Website:	www.nwa.com
Porter Airlines (PD)
Non-stop flights to/from: Halifax, Toronto City Centre
Flight Information:	1-888-619-8622 or 416-619-8622
Baggage Service:	416-619-8584
Website:	www.flyporter.com
United Airlines (UA)
Non-stop flights to/from: Denver, Washington-Dulles, Chicago
Flight Information:	1-800-UNITED-1 or 1-800-824-6200
Reservations:	1-800-UNITED-1 or 1-800-241-6522
Baggage Service:	1-800-221-6903
Website:	www.united.ca
US Airways (US)
Non-stop flights to/from: Philadelphia, Charlotte (May 2010)
Flight Information:	1-800-943-5436
Reservations:	1-800-428-4322
Baggage Service:	1-800-371-4771
Website:	www.usairways.com
WestJet (WS)
Non-stop flights to/from: Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg
Flight Information:	1-800-538-5696
Reservations:	1-800-538-5696
Baggage Service:	613-288-3788 or 1-866-666-6224
Website:	www.westjet.com

For complete information consult http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp

To visit Canada, you must:

• have a valid travel document, such as a passport
• be in good health
• satisfy an immigration officer that you have ties, such as a job, home and family, that will take you back to your country of origin
• satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit and
• have enough money for your stay. The amount of money you will need can vary with the circumstances of the visit, how long you will stay and whether you will stay in a hotel or with friends or relatives. For more information, ask the Canadian visa office in your country or region.

You may also need:

• a Temporary Resident Visa, depending on your citizenship (see Visas and Exemptions below)
• a medical examination and
• a letter of invitation from someone who lives in Canada

Transport companies, such as airlines, must ensure you have proper, valid travel documents when you enter Canada. If you do not have the proper documents, you may be delayed or denied boarding.

On March 11, 2010, CIC amended the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to clarify the factors used to determine which travel documents can be used to apply for a visa, and to travel to or enter Canada.

Under the new Regulations, the following travel documents are considered unreliable and are not acceptable for entry into Canada:

• any passport claiming to have been issued by Somalia,
• non-machine readable passports issued by the Czech Republic,
• temporary passports issued by the Republic of South Africa, and
• provisional passports issued by Venezuela.

This list is subject to change. Check the above web address regularly for up-to-date information.

You may or may not need a Temporary Resident Visa to visit Canada, depending on your citizenship. Even if you are exempt, though, there is important information you need to know before you plan your trip.

If you need a visa, see How to Apply for a Visa at the web address above.

If you do not need a visa, see Visa Exempt – Important Information for Travellers in the Learn About section on the same web page.

If you are not sure, see Do You Need a Visa? in the Related Links section of the same web page.

Many people do not require a visa to visit Canada. These include:

• citizens of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia (Republic of), Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa;
• persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;
• British citizens and British Overseas Citizens who are re-admissible to the United Kingdom;
• citizens of British dependent territories who derive their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands;
• persons holding a British National (Overseas) Passport issued by the Government of the United Kingdom to persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong;
• persons holding a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China;
• persons holding passports or travel documents issued by the Holy Sea.

Inadmissibility
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