First attempt to airlift Canadians out of Haiti grounded by weather
CBC
Helicopter flights to bring 18 Canadians out of Haiti were postponed Monday due to poor weather conditions in the Dominican Republic, Canada's ambassador to Haiti told CBC News.
André François Giroux told Power & Politics that Canada's new assisted departure operation for Haiti, announced Monday, will resume when heavy rain and wind conditions abate.
"We were all ready to go," Giroux said, adding that the operation was postponed for "the safety of everybody."
Haiti is in chaos due to widespread gang violence that has shut down the main airport in Port-au-Prince because of its proximity to gang territory.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Monday Canada will transport eligible Canadians by helicopter from Haiti to the neighbouring Dominican Republic, where they can catch flights home.
Only citizens with valid Canadian passports are eligible; Joly said the government is exploring options for other Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families.
"Our goal, as the government of Canada, is always to bring them to safety," Joly said.
The most vulnerable Canadians, such as people with medical conditions or children, will be prioritized, she added.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) says it has contacted Canadians in Haiti to inform them of the operation. Fewer than 300 people have asked for assistance getting out. Just under 30 people have expressed interest and are eligible to leave immediately.
Those attempting to get out of Haiti through the emergency program will have to reach the meeting point in Haiti on their own — which is one reason why some people aren't willing to leave within 24 hours, Joly said.
Joly is advising Canadians in Haiti who need help escaping to register with GAC. Information on how to register can be found on Joly's social media pages or on the GAC website.
Roughly 3,000 Canadians in Haiti are registered with the federal government, according to GAC.
The department said on March 23 it had responded to 245 inquiries since violence erupted earlier this month among rival gangs, leaving foreigners stranded amid a wave of kidnappings, robberies and violent crime.
Christy Morin says life was never the same in Alberta Avenue after the fires began.
It's small things, like a cigarette or a pair of clean socks, Rachel Montour says, that can go a long way to make you feel more human when you’re out on the street.
Several dozen members of Windsor's Chaldean community and its supporters celebrated in the cold at the corner of Marentette Avenue and Wyandotte Street East Friday, as city officials gave a secondary name to the section of Marentette between Wyandotte and Tuscarora Street: Chaldean Way.
Allison Hill says she tries to make people’s experience at the Thunder Bay Food Bank “as pleasant as possible.”
Two years after a man went missing in Scarborough, Toronto police are renewing the investigation in hopes that the public will bring forward more information.
A musical instrument created in Guelph, Ont., has been thrust onto the international stage — or rather, screen.
More than 1,000 Maritime Electric customers are without power after high winds blew across the Island Friday night into Saturday.
The Supreme Court of Canada is deliberating a case that could shape the way sentences are handed down in cases where both the offender and victim are Indigenous, which some Nunavut lawyers say could have ramifications for the Inuit-majority territory.
A man barricaded in a former church in Welland, Ont., was taken into custody early Saturday, nearly 24 hours into a standoff that began over a fence dispute.
Peel police are investigating after a Friday night shooting in Mississauga left one person dead, police said.
Another busy construction season has come to an end in London, and the city is already looking ahead to next spring when a slew of new projects are expected to begin.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun to lay out publicly what he sees as boundaries when dealing with China, as his government wades into a new relationship with the economic giant.
Ferry crossings are cancelled and over a thousand households are left without power Saturday morning, due to high winds and severe weather conditions.