‘Plumes of smoke’: Calgarians in Puerto Vallarta describe chaos, struggles to register with Ottawa
Posted Feb 23, 2026 7:16 pm.
Last Updated Feb 23, 2026 8:52 pm.
As Canadians in the Puerto Vallarta region are urged to shelter in place, some Calgarians say they’ve faced unexpected hurdles registering with Global Affairs Canada as they watch smoke rise outside their resorts and scramble for basic supplies.
Vacationing Calgarian Elmita Lobo has been confined to her resort, roughly 12 kilometres from Puerto Vallarta, since Sunday, watching unsettling scenes unfold just beyond the property.
“There were plumes of smoke,” she said. “At one point it appeared there was a car burning right outside of our resort. We weren’t 100 per cent sure where the smoke was coming from.”
On Sunday, Mexican armed forces captured and killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel known as “El Mencho.” He was the boss of what is considered to be one of the fastest growing criminal networks in North America, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against Mexican government officials.
The covert military operation, which included the surveillance of Cervantes’ romantic partner, led to shootouts and unrest in the country’s Jalisco state.
A day later, Lobo says she feels safe for now, but she’s spent hours unsuccessfully trying to register with Global Affairs Canada, the federal system meant to track Canadians abroad during emergencies.
“I tried the rest of the day, into the night, and again this morning, and the site is still not working,” she said. “We cannot register to let the government know where in PV we are.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Monday that more than 26,000 Canadians in Mexico have registered so far, acknowledging the system experienced an interruption.
“With the surge in volume, there were initially technical difficulties,” Anand said. “Those were resolved late in the day yesterday and allowed the registrations to continue unimpeded.”
While Lobo continues to struggle with the system, other Calgarians in the area say conditions have begun to ease.
Brandon Borutski and Chris Rowland, who spoke Sunday from their Puerto Vallarta Airbnb, were initially unable to leave their rental. By Monday, they were finally able to venture out, only to find long lines for groceries.
“It just sucks because, all‑inclusive you have food and booze, but here we don’t have any food or anything, just a box of chips,” Borutski said.
WATCH: Canadians scramble to get home amid cartel violence in western Mexico
Despite the disruption, both men say the experience won’t deter them from returning to Mexico.
“It doesn’t affect my future travel plans at all,” Rowland said. “This is just a freak thing that happened. I’ve been to Mexico a dozen times, this is the only time I’ve had anything like this happen.”
“Mexico overall I’d say is pretty safe,” Borutski added.
Lobo agrees.
“I hope that this doesn’t deter people from travelling to Mexico because it’s a beautiful place with wonderful people,” she said.
WestJet says it will resume scheduled operations on Tuesday 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 will also restart flights to and from Puerto Vallarta.
With files from The Canadian Press
