Travel Documents/Visas

Registrants traveling from outside Canada must have appropriate travel documents; all non-Canadian citizens require a valid passport. Delegates traveling from other countries may require a visa. The Canadian visa form is rather long, so please allow lots of time. For more information contact your local Canadian embassy or consulate, or visit:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/visa.asp
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp
http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/visiter/visas.asp

AIR Travel to Sydney, NS (YQY)

Sydney has a small airport. Its airport code is YQY (be careful not to wind up in Sydney, Australia, where our mail sometimes goes!). Flights to Sydney are direct from Toronto (YYZ) or via Halifax (YHZ). Air Canada and Westjet offer daily non-stop flights from Toronto (approximately 2.5 hours in duration), and there are multiple daily flights to Halifax (approximately 50 minutes in duration).

Halifax is an international airport with flights to a number of cities in Canada, the US and overseas.

For more airline information, visit:

www.aircanada.com
www.westjet.com

Travel from the Airport

To get from the airport to your hotel, the only options are to take a cab or rent a car. The drive will take approximately 20 minutes and the cab fare is about $15. You may be asked to share a cab with someone else headed in the same general direction (in which case, you’ll get a reduced rate). A flat rate is standard; the metre will not be put on. It is customary to add a small gratuity to the fee ($1-2).

Another option is to drive from Halifax. By car, the trip takes approximately 4.5 hours. There are numerous car rental agencies at the Halifax airport. There are also numerous minivan shuttle operators who make daily trips between Halifax Airport and Sydney. The shuttle trip is approximately 5-6 hours. Reservations are recommended to ensure you have a spot. There is also an intercity bus line, although it is a lengthy trip.

For shuttles, google “Cape Breton shuttle bus.” There are many options. However, most do not have websites or online reservations systems, so you’ll need to use the phone to make your reservation.

Car Travel to Sydney, NS

Take the TransCanada Highway (104) through Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island’s Canso Causeway. I recommend taking Highway 4 (via St. Peter’s) to Sydney. However, it’s also possible to stay on the TransCanada Highway (105) through Cape Breton (via Baddeck). The trip from the Canso Causeway to Sydney is approximately 2 hours.

Car Rental

Car rental agencies available at the Sydney airport:

Avis
Budget

Additional car rental agencies are located in Sydney itself, and a number are located at the Halifax airport. You are strongly encouraged to make a car rental booking as soon as possible; Cape Breton gets a large influx of tourists during the Celtic Colours festivals so rental cars will likely be all booked well in advance of the conference.