Travel Information

Flying to Vancouver

Delegates are advised to arrive in Vancouver on Monday, May 15th, 2023. Social events will be arranged for delegates for the afternoon and evening of May 15th, with the scientific program starting Tuesday 16th in the morning.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) handles non-stop domestic and international flights daily to and from North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Due to its proximity to Asia, YVR is the major gateway between Canada and Asia, with more trans-Pacific flights than any other airport in Canada. For travelers heading to the United States, YVR is one of eight Canadian airports that have U.S. Border Preclearance facilities.

Airlines serving YVR include Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines, EVA Air, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, US Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and WestJet Airlines.

For more information please visit www.yvr.ca

Traveling from Seattle (Western USA)

For many travelers coming to Vancouver from the U.S. or abroad, flights into Seattle (SEA) or the Bellingham Airport (BLI) may be cheaper and more convenient than flying into Vancouver directly. QuickShuttle offers coach service from both airports to downtown Vancouver. Prices and schedules can be found at www.quickcoach.com and shuttles must be booked in advance.

Note that you will cross the Canadian border and should ensure that you have appropriate documents.

Customs/Entry/Visa Requirements

International visitors must have a valid passport for entry into Canada. Visitors from many countries do not require a visa to visit Canada (for example, the United States, Japan, Australia, Italy, and Switzerland, among others), but may still need an eTA to enter Canada by air. For a full listing of “Visa exempt travellers”, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visa-exempt.asp. For information about eTA, please see https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/facts.html.

However, citizens from some countries require a visa to visit Canada. For a listing of countries whose citizens require a visa, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp

Please be sure to check with your nearest Canadian Embassy or Consulate well in advance of travel to obtain the appropriate documentation, as it may take several weeks or months for a visa application to be processed. If you require a Letter of Invitation, please contact the conference Secretariat (admin@prcr2023.ca) as soon as possible. A letter of invitation is issued solely for the purpose of assisting participants with visa applications and/or to obtain funding for their attendance at the conference, and will only be issued once full payment of registration fees has been made. Such a letter does not imply any financial obligation on the part of the conference organizers.

Other important information for all visitors to Canada may be found at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp

Ground Transportation

Public Transit

Translink provides bus and rapid rail transit (“Skytrain”) throughout Vancouver. For detailed route, schedule, and trip planning information for transit throughout Vancouver, visit www.translink.bc.ca.

On the YVR connection, the Canada Line, there are several options, and they all start with buying a Compass “single-use ticket” (this is not the same thing as the Compass card, which is plastic and has a $6 one-time deposit). The single-use ticket is paper and can be used for one journey only. It will take 1 hr for the journey.

  1. Buy a “two-zone ticket” at the machine at the Canada Line station at YVR. This is $3.45 plus a $6 “YVR add fare” fee. Machines will accept cash or credit card.
  2. Take the Skytrain “Canada Line to Waterfront” to Oakridge-41st Avenue.
  3. When exiting Oakridge-41st Avenue Station, “tap” your Compass ticket at the exit gate.
  4. From street level at Oakridge Station, take the west-bound R4 line bus (the express bus) with the endpoint named “UBC”. During the day, these buses depart every 5 minutes.
  5. “Tap” your Compass ticket on the machine once you enter the bus.
  6. Take the bus to its final stop, the UBC Bus Loop. Once there you can walk to your conference accommodations. A campus map can be found here.
Taxis and Limos

There are several taxi companies in Vancouver with taxis readily available at the airport and many downtown hotels as well as the UBC campus. A taxi from the airport to UBC costs a flat “zone fare” of $35 and typically takes about 25 minutes. Aerocar Service offers flat rate limo service from the airport, at $45 from YVR to UBC. A 10% gratuity is typical. Uber is another option. All taxis accept cash and credit cards. If you share a taxi, the cost is not much more than four public transit fares and half the time.

  • Black Top Cabs, Phone: 604-731-1111
  • Yellow Cab Co. Ltd., Phone: 604-681-1111
  • Vancouver Taxi, Phone: 604-871-1111
  • MacLure’s Cabs, Phone: 604-831-1111
  • Aerocar Service, Phone: 604-298-000
Car Rental

There are a number of car rental companies that are located in the YVR airport parkade and in downtown Vancouver. Most companies offer free shuttle service from hotels to their pick-up and drop-off locations. Driving arrangements can be made in advance via the web. The following are a few of the car rental companies located in Vancouver:

Parking at UBC

Limited parking is available for guests staying in on-campus accommodation for an additional fee. Visitor parking for those staying off-campus is available at various parkades around campus. Information regarding rates and where to park can be found at “Visitor Parking” https://parking.ubc.ca/.

Other useful information

Accessibility

Vancouver enjoys a reputation as being one of the most accessible cities in the world among travelers with special needs. Whether using wheelchairs, white canes, seeing eye dogs or hearing aids, Vancouver leads the way in making the area a more livable place for people with disabilities through its progressive transportation systems, innovative housing and recreational opportunities.

Languages

English is the predominant language in Vancouver and is one of Canada’s two official languages, French being the other. Other commonly spoken languages in Vancouver are Punjabi, Cantonese, Farsi and Mandarin.

Time Zone

Vancouver is on Pacific Standard Time, three hours behind Eastern Standard Time and eight hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.

Convert to Your Time Zone
Electricity

Outlets and voltage (120 volts) are the same as in the United States. Small appliances such as hair dryers, irons, razors, etc. can be used in Canada. For those from other countries, adapters are required for electrical appliances. The frequency of the electrical current in Canada is 60 Hz.