I haven't seen this discussed on here, but I had been putting off renewing my son's passport, and about a month or so before our upcoming trip it became clear that I may have waited too long.

It appears that the default way to apply for a passport now is via Canada Post. Within so many days of your trip (I think 20 business days), you can request an in-person appointment. Well, for Edmonton, there aren't any slots for the next 20 business days. With the 10 days' or so processing times, you can miss your trip. Sending docs with Canada Post you would in theory get the passport back in 3 to 4 weeks. I don't trust Canada Post based on some crazy mail times the past year or so.

If you are travelling within the next two days, they will somehow squeeze you in. But ONLY then. The agent on the phone said that I could go at like 6 am and line up and maybe get in. Then I saw an article about Edmonton, that only people whose travel is imminent were let in if they lined up early in the morning.

Anyway, I booked a dummy fully-refundable trip to Seattle for the boy and me (they do require you show proof of travel), and got his passport done same day. The additional $100 (or whatever it was) was well worth it from my perspective, especially since when I first encountered this problem I thought there was a good chance our trip would be ruined. I went at 6:15, there was already a line of 20 people. By 8 am, there were probably close to 80. Thankfully Edmonton's Canada Place doors were open and we all waited inside.

I managed to get through the toll free number early in the morning (I got inexplicably disconnected twice), while waiting in line, and she sent a note to the local office and advised they would call once they find a spot for me. At around 10:00, when I was already at the window submitting the paperwork I got the call and we all had a laugh.

I am sure some of this is people whose passports expired over the past couple of years rushing to renew them now that travel is a bit easier, but I wonder how much of it is the covid (work) rules.

Someone from the passport office did triage, and sent a few people home. Looked like anyone travelling two weeks from now was let in. There is an expedited option, where instead of having the passport mailed back to you, for an extra $20, you have the privilege of picking it up yourself 10 (business?) days later.

Just a word of caution.