The news is true, an email was sent out to YYC based staff today.
YYC-FRA is being replaced by Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings, which will now go year round and is 6x weekly in the winter, and will go 12x weekly in the summer.
LAX, YOW and YHZ are likely reactionary to a Lynx and Porter building up, there no point in AC fighting on medium yielding routes with 3-4 other airlines and using what limited pilot resources they have there when they can be better utilized else where.
I could see HNL and CUN returning sooner rather than later as-well.
Westjet has increased YYC-CDG to 5x weekly this winter.
AC has also closed their all their sun flying out of YQB so clearly they are having issues connecting through there 3 main hubs. These cuts seem semi-permanent until these labour issues are sorted out. Until then, AC clearly doesn't have the capacity 4 hub’s especially a fourth that is dominated by another airline.
This is evident to me that these are likely temporary suspensions due to a pilot shortage and we could see them back in a year or two. In the meantime expect Westjet to continue building up. If there’s any consideration at all for them to acquire addition long haul frames now is a good a time as ever.
Until then we can see if Porter or Lynx decides to hop on these TB and domestic routes while there is a minuscule opening in airline operations, to me this is not a question on if but when.
