Mexico: 1)Porter becomes latest Canadian airline to restart service to Mexico; 2)Anand won’t say if Canadians should cancel Mexico trips as airlines resume flights; 3)WestJet, Air Transat resuming Mexico flights after eruption of violence; 4)Canadian tourists sheltering in place in Mexico recount burnt-out cars, lines for food; 5)25 Mexican National Guard troops left dead in Jalisco after cartel leader’s killing, official says

1)Porter becomes latest Canadian airline to restart service to Mexico

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Dylan Robertson, February 24, 2026

Porter Airlines is resuming service to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Tuesday after cancelling flights because of widespread violence.

The announcement follows similar moves by Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat on Monday.

A social media post on Monday from Air Canada said full operations from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta will start up again on Tuesday.

WestJet and Air Transat have both said they’re restarting service to and from Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, with WestJet also doing the same for Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Tourists and locals in multiple regions of Mexico were told to shelter in place to avoid the violence that broke out Sunday after the death of a cartel leader as part of a Mexican government operation.

More than 26,000 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Ottawa.

2)Anand won’t say if Canadians should cancel Mexico trips as airlines resume flights

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Craig Lord, February 24, 2026

Canadian airlines are flying in and out of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Tuesday after widespread violence led them to temporarily suspend service on the weekend.

But Canada’s foreign affairs minister would not say Monday whether Canadians should reconsider upcoming travel plans to Mexico.

Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and Porter Airlines have all announced they will be resuming flights to and from the popular western Mexican resort city, with WestJet also offering service to Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Tourists and locals in multiple regions of Mexico were told to shelter in place to escape violence that erupted on Sunday after the death of a notorious cartel leader as part of a Mexican government operation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters Tuesday morning that more than 55,000 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Ottawa. That’s more than double the 26,305 she said had registered as of 7 a.m. ET on Monday.

Global Affairs Canada is still advising people to exercise a high degree caution in Mexico.

Anand said Canadians should follow the guidance of local authorities, as the situation is evolving and can differ from region to region in Mexico.

“The long and the short of it is, the situation is becoming more normalized. We should continue to see this trajectory unfolding. The situation needs to be closely monitored as we are doing with our consular officials on the ground in Mexico,” she said.

Asked whether Canadians with planned trips to Mexico should cancel their flights, Anand said decisions should be taken on a day-to-day basis even as the situation appears to be improving.

“The advice that our government is providing is that this is a situation that is very volatile and it is evolving every day,” she said.

“To make a decision about your plans for next week on Tuesday of the week before may be premature.”

3)WestJet, Air Transat resuming Mexico flights after eruption of violence

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Canadian Press Staff, February 23, 2026

Vehicles pass a burned car a day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” in Guadalajara, Mexico, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Two Canadian airlines are resuming service on Tuesday to parts of Mexico after cancelling flights over widespread violence.

WestJet says it will resume scheduled operations to and from Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

It says the move followed a “thorough review of the current conditions” and that it will continue monitoring developments.

Air Transat says it is doing the same for flights to and from Puerto Vallarta.

The airline says that according to local authorities, no incidents related to road blockages have been reported in Jalisco state since midnight and that security measures had been reinforced.

Tourists and locals in multiple regions of Mexico were told to shelter in place to escape violence that erupted on Sunday after the death of a notorious cartel leader as part of a government operation.

4)Canadian tourists sheltering in place in Mexico recount burnt-out cars, lines for food

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Emily Baron Cadloff, Feb. 23, 2026.

The streets of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, were eerily quiet a day after fire and violence engulfed the popular tourist destination on Sunday, Canadians in the region said.

Marc Edge, a communications professor from Vancouver, said he saw billowing clouds of black smoke and burned out vehicles while walking on the boardwalk Sunday. He saw police on the street and “one of them had a machine gun and ordered us back to our hotel,” he said.

In order to comply, Edge said he had to wait until the flames blocking his way died down. “And then I gingerly picked my way past a couple of buses that had burned out.”

Edge said Monday afternoon he had been sheltering inside his downtown hotel for 24 hours.

The Canadian government issued a shelter-in-place order for tourists following the death by Mexican special forces of the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Mexican officials said Monday that at least 73 people died in an attempt by special forces to capture Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” The dead included security forces, suspected cartel members and others.

Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, including in Puerto Vallarta, and sent smoke billowing into the air.

Global Affairs Canada said approximately 5,000 Canadians were in Jalisco State. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Monday that more than 26,000 Canadians had registered as being in Mexico, but the agency suspects the actual number to be higher.

Cathy Campbell, from Burlington, Ont., said she came to Mexico with family on Feb. 17 to stay in Nuevo Vallarta, which is about 15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta.

Campbell said she was in a taxi with family Sunday morning when the driver received a phone call then abruptly stopped the car. He told them they needed to go back to their hotel immediately, she said, because of fires and unrest nearby.

Campbell called it “a pretty scary moment.”

“We couldn’t believe it. We were like, what are you saying to us?” Campbell said in an interview Monday. “The look on his face, it was like he was stunned, and he was obviously scared.”

From their apartment balcony, they could see smoke billowing from different areas in Puerto Vallarta, Campbell said.

Smoke from car and bus fires beside the boardwalk in the tourist area of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico are shown in this image provided by Canadian Marc Edge. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Marc Edge (Mandatory credit)

Their flight back to Canada isn’t scheduled until the 26th and hasn’t been changed, she said. She added they’ve registered with the Canadian consulate and they continue to follow shelter-in-place orders. So far on Monday, it’s been quiet and she hasn’t seen any more smoke, she said.

“There’s only very few people walking the beach, normally you see a fair bit more. People are kind of sticking to their own areas right now,” said Campbell.

Meanwhile, Kelly Konieczny and her husband Tim arrived in Puerto Vallarta from their home east of Edmonton on Valentine’s Day. They’ve been to the area many times on vacation, and said they’re considering moving there when they retire.

The couple said the condo they’re staying at is “blocks and blocks” from the centre of the violence and that they haven’t felt unsafe, though they could see plumes of smoke from their window and a burnt-out car about 100 metres from their building.

Orders to shelter in place disrupted Konieczny’s scheduled dialysis treatment at a nearby hospital on Monday morning. Security at their condo didn’t want to let the couple leave the building, but since the hospital was so close, they were able to negotiate their way out.

When they got to the hospital, however, the nurses who run the dialysis department weren’t there.

“Nobody was able to come in because there’s no public transit and no taxis, no Ubers are running,” Konieczny said on a video call, noting it’s no fault of the nurses.

She said she would return to the hospital in the afternoon in case nurses arrive by then.

“I haven’t had (a treatment) since Friday and it’s cutting it close. You can really only go a couple days — which, now I’m on my third day — so we really need to get a treatment and that’s our worry,” she said.

If she doesn’t get dialysis, she said she’s likely to experience pain and other complications that will take time to get back under control.

For Nakul Bhatia, a lawyer from Calgary, the most incredible part of being stuck in Puerto Vallarta has been the locals and staff still working at his resort in the marina district of the city.

Bhatia said the staff were not allowed go home Sunday evening, but even after staying at work overnight, they made sure all the visitors were taken care of.

“One woman at the front desk, we saw her at nine yesterday morning, and then again yesterday at 8 p.m. And then this morning, she’s there again,” Bhatia said.

Bhatia was not worried about running out of food at the resort, though he said the staff have “pared down” the offerings, with just one of three restaurants open Monday.

Edge said there have been long lines at the small corner stores that have remained open, and he’s not sure when he’ll be able to get a full meal.

Canadian Angela Kelleher, who has lived in Puerto Vallarta for a decade, said she spent Monday preparing meals for those in her community — pasta, beans and other non-perishables she had around the house. She said many of her neighbours only buy enough food for a few days at a time, so she wanted to share what she had.

Kelleher, who said she drove past burnt out cars and gas stations on her way home on Sunday, said the situation left her teary. “I was really sad for my Mexican neighbours,” she said.

Most flights into and out of Puerto Vallarta have been cancelled or diverted, though the airport authority said the airport remained open Monday afternoon. Canadian airlines have not said when their flights will restart.

Wendy Buelow and her husband Dave, who had intended to fly back home to Winnipeg, were stranded at the airport Sunday when the Mexican military shut it down as violence erupted.

“We managed to get some pieces of cardboard from a storeroom and those were our beds,” Buelow said.

Buelow was able to leave the airport Monday morning and has found a hotel, but said she was waiting to hear from WestJet on when they will be able to fly home.

— With files from Rianna Lim and Nicole Thompson in Toronto and The Associated Press.

5)25 Mexican National Guard troops left dead in Jalisco after cartel leader’s killing, official says

By Megan Janetsky And Fabiola Sánchez, February 23, 2026

Mexico Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Monday 25 members of the National Guard were left dead in Jalisco in six separate attacks after the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.

Also killed were a prison guard, an agent from the state prosecutor’s office and a woman whom García Harfuch did not identify. He also said some 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco and four others were killed in Michoacan.

Several Mexican states cancelled school on Monday, with local and foreign governments warning their citizens to stay inside after widespread violence erupted.

Global Affairs Canada issued a warning to Canadians in the region to stay indoors, keep a low profile and follow the instructions from local authorities.

The situation has led multiple Canadian airlines to cancel flights, with Air Canada and WestJet suspending service in and out of Puerto Vallarta today.

Other airlines diverting or cancelling flights to the area include Flair, Air Transat and Porter.

President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm Monday and authorities said all of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states had been cleared. The president was expected to address the situation at her daily news briefing Monday morning.

The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Mexico hoped the death of the world’s biggest fentanyl traffickers would ease Trump administration pressure to do more against the cartels, but many remained hunkered down and on edge as they waited to see the powerful cartel’s reaction.

Many fear more violence

The U.S. Embassy said via X that its personnel in eight cities and the state of Michoacan would shelter in place and work remotely Monday and it warned U.S. citizens in many parts of Mexico to do the same.

Cars began circulating in Guadalajara before sunrise Monday with the start of the work week, a notable change from Sunday when Jalisco’s state capital and Mexico’s second-largest city was almost completely shut down as fearful residents stayed home.

More than 1,000 people were stuck in Guadalajara’s zoo overnight, sleeping in buses. On Monday morning. mothers wrapped up in blankets carried their toddlers out of the buses for a much-needed bathroom break as police trucks guarded the area.

Charred vehicles sit in a parking lot sit outside a shopping mall in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, as authorities reported that the Mexican Army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.” (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)

Luis Soto Rendón, the zoo’s director, said many had been trapped there since 9 a.m. the day before, when violence broke out in Jalisco and the surrounding states. Families were left stranded, trying to distract their children, as they decided they couldn’t return home in nearby states like Zacatecas and Michoacan.

“We decided to let people stay inside the zoo for their safety,” Soto said. “There are small children and senior citizens.”

Irma Hernández, a 43-year-old hotel security guard in Guadalajara, arrived at work early Monday morning.

She normally takes public transportation to work, but buses were not running and she had no way to cross the city. Her bosses organized a private car to pick her up. Her family, she said, was staying at home, too scared to leave.

“I am worried because I don’t know how to get home if something happens,” she said.

Passengers arriving at the city’s international airport Sunday night were told it was operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence.

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 other people killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops.

Videos circulating on social media Sunday showed tourists in Puerto Vallarta walking on the beach with smoke rising in the distance.

A blow against a cartel could be a diplomatic coup

David Mora, Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group, said the capture and outburst of violence marks a point of inflection in Sheinbaum’s push to crack down on cartels and relieve U.S. pressures.

U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico do more to fight the smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

There were early signs that Mexico’s efforts were well received by the United States.

U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that “under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.”

But it may also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take advantage of the blow dealt to the CJNG, Mora said.

“This might be a moment in which those other groups see that the cartel is weakened and want to seize the opportunity for them to expand control and to gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states,” he said.

“Ever since President Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico,” Mora said. “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it. We don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

‘El Mencho’ was a major target

Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that the U.S. government provided intelligence support for the operation. “‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” she wrote. She commended Mexico’s military for its work.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009.

In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Sheinbaum has criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders, only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary.

___ Sánchez reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writer María Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.

with files from The Canadian Press