Calgary students who have had their plans to travel abroad grounded may find themselves missing out on more than just the experience.
The Calgary Catholic School District’s decision to end all international travel in the wake of November’s terrorist attacks in Paris, France could cost students all, or a portion of, their down payments.
Hailey Wilson was one of 33 St. Francis High School students who were scheduled to spend spring break in Italy and France. To fund the $2,000 down payment for her trip, Wilson washed dishes at a British Columbia golf course throughout the summer of 2015.
Wilson fears she will lose $1,500 of her deposit to cancellation fees.
“It’s a lot of time to lose, waking up for work at 8:30 every morning,” said Wilson. ‘Now it feels like it was for nothing.”
Officials with the Calgary Catholic School District say it’s too early to determine who much each student who had booked a school trip abroad will lose because of the board’s decision but the board is exploring potential ways to recover fund through its insurance policy, credit card insurance and other travel insurance policies.
Don Gibson of Rainbow Educational Tours, the travel company that booked the St. Francis trip, says he is negotiation with European hotels and other service providers over refunds. He says it’s unlikely the students will receive their money back as the federal government did not issue advisories warning against travel to Europe.
Gibson believes the school board should reimburse the students the $500 non-refundable deposit over its questionable decision.
“It’s not the issue of the safety of the students, it’s really not the reason,” said Gibson. “The reason is that they want to cover themselves so that they don’t’ have any liability and the best way to do it is ruin if for everybody.”
Rainbow Educational Tours and the Calgary Catholic School District expect a decision on refunds will take several weeks.
With files from CTV’s Lea Williams-Doherty
