Libraries have special collections where rare and valuable books are kept, where collections on "special subjects" are kept together and so on. I thought of this when I tried to read a National Post story - "Canada is a dangerous, racist and cold place to travel" - a compelling headline, but very circuitous to find how to open up and read. That's what got me thinking about access to special collections. The internet as open access is over, and we've entered the pay to play age. Not like public libraries at all. You don't pay to access a special collection. You show your intent and credentials to care for the collection.
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Last week, Russia’s Ambassador to Canada issued a travel advisory to fellow Russians, warning them that Canada is a “dangerous,” racism-filled hellscape that is best avoided. “Canada today is a very dangerous country for Russian citizens,” Oleg Stepanov told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Friday. He added that Russians are frequently the target of racism on Canadian streets. “I would not recommend it for tourism, education or business,” he said. The comments add to the official Russian government travel advisory for Canada, which warns of roving street gangs and a “rather harsh climate.” The latter warning being particularly strange given that much of Russia, on balance, is actually colder than Canada."
You can read more on the story HERE. It is considered retaliation for Canada's sanctions against Russian businesses and aid to Ukraine.
We remember the 2019 Meng Wanzhou incident that prompted the retaliatory Chinese detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. At that time the Beijing government issued a travel advisory warning that Canada was now arbitrarily detaining foreign nationals. But the article points out that many countries give stern official travel warnings.
“Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Canada,” reads the official U.K. guidelines on travel to Canada. “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.” British citizens are warned that “severe snow storms are a regular occurrence during winter.” The Australian government tells travellers to Canada to steer clear of “dangerous wildlife” and to exercise caution on ski hills. “Winter sports can be dangerous, even fatal” France, in its Canadian travel advisory, takes special care to warns its citizens of the dangers of snowmobiling. “Given the high number of snowmobile accidents, including several fatal incidents each year, extreme vigilance should be exercised when using them.
And what about the U.S.? Wouldn't they get the same warnings and additional ones about gun violence? Here is the CNN article on what 9 countries warn about the U.S.
So I've checked out our warnings and we're just as cautious as the rest. Fraud, cybercrime, terrorism, parked vehicles, residential break-ins. All these things are the stuff of advisories. | 
