Any stamp you get in your passport is considered a visa. To enter the UAE you need to get your passport stamped.
It is the same in every country you enter.
As a Canadian you can get this before you travel or right at the airport.
As of January 2, 2011 a visa will be required for tourism and business purposes. It can be obtained prior to travel at the Embassy of the UAE.
The rule hasn't changed, it has always been that.
Its just the media selling news