B.C. couple questions why they were escorted by police off Swoop flight after seat change
CBC
A B.C. couple is questioning why a minor dispute on a plane escalated to them being escorted off by police.
Other passengers on the flight are defending the couple, who are Black, accusing staff of racism.
Jhody Batiste was flying from Toronto to Kelowna on Wednesday when she asked another passenger to switch seats so she could sit next to her partner, Andre Henry.
The passenger agreed, Batiste said, and a flight attendant told her she would have to pay to switch seats.
Batiste said others on the plane came to her defence.
"Then she's like, 'It's not even about switching seats anymore. It's about [your] attitude. And then someone from the back said, 'No, your staff is the one who is giving an attitude. You should be talking to your staff,'" she said.
Fellow passenger Jennifer Aviss witnessed the incident and said Batiste was simply defending herself as anyone would.
"She wasn't rude," Aviss said.
Aviss said she tried to intervene by talking to the flight attendants and then the pilot.
"This was very clearly racial," she said. "The other person that switched seats with Jhody was a Caucasian male — never spoken to. They didn't say a word to him."
Batiste said she was told a flight attendant wasn't comfortable with her on the flight, and that the authorities would be contacted if they didn't get off the plane.
Police eventually arrived to escort Batiste and Henry off the flight.
"I felt naked, ashamed, exposed, embarrassed," Batiste said. "All sorts of emotions just flowing."
Faulty and aging equipment was to blame for nearly all of the eight hydraulic fuel spills on the TTC in the first five months of 2024, a new report finds, noting a steep increase in spills compared to previous years.
High levels of heavy metals and metalloids in untreated groundwater have been detected in and around Whitehorse, new research suggests.
Elections Nova Scotia will delay the release of provincial election results tonight due to the late opening of a polling station in the riding of Eastern Shore.
The longtime mayor of Kensington is stepping down after a contentious debate over new pickleball courts for the central P.E.I. town.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's agreed to meet with his provincial and territorial counterparts after Donald Trump threatened to impose hefty tariffs on Canadian goods.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's threat to slap a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods is "like a family member stabbing you right in the heart."
The Salvation Army can't fundraise in the Avalon Mall after this year. It all comes down to religion
This is the last Christmas season the Salvation Army's annual kettle campaign will be allowed in the Avalon Mall in St. John's, ending a decades-long tradition.
The province and district social services administration boards say plans are in place to ensure people on social assistance do not miss out on benefits as a result of the strike by Canada Post employees.
Near the exit to Truro, N.S., a cluster of colorful tents and a lone RV can be seen alongside Highway 102, some tucked under the overpass for shelter from the elements.
Police and Public Trust, a project of the CBC News Atlantic investigative unit, scrutinizes the largely off-limits police complaint and discipline systems across the region. Journalists are using access to information laws and, in some cases, court challenges to obtain discipline records and data.
Toronto police have arrested a GTA woman who they allege scammed dozens of Taylor Swift fans out of more than $70,000 by promising them tickets that never materialized.