Ottawa has secured exit routes for Canadians still in Ukraine, minister's office says
CBC
The federal government says it has secured escape routes through four neighbouring countries to allow Canadians to evade any Russian military incursion into Ukraine.
The office of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said the minister has obtained assurances from her counterparts in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia that Canadians fleeing Ukraine will be able to enter without hindrance.
Ottawa is also in discussions with Moldova to ensure that its borders are open to Canadians, her office said.
"We know that Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border. The threat is real and imminent," said Joly in a media statement.
"I have read President Putin's words regarding his intentions. I call on Russia to show evidence of this de-escalation and to engage in diplomatic discussions. Any further invasion of Ukraine will have swift and serious consequences, including coordinated economic sanctions."
As tensions rise between Kyiv and Moscow, Ottawa has been urging Canadians to make arrangements to leave.
About 800 Canadian nationals have formally reported their presence on Ukrainian soil. Government officials said they believe there are many more.
Mike O'Leary, a Canadian who has lived in Ukraine for seven years and works in the medical field, said he's not overly concerned by the escalation of tensions.
The 34-year-old is based in the west of the country in the city of Lviv, far from the conflict zone.
"It's very calm. Everyone is just going about their daily lives," he said.
O'Leary said that even if an invasion starts, he'll wait to see whether the Russian military reaches western Ukraine.
If that happens, he said, he'll flee for Poland — the Polish border is about 80 kilometres from his home — or Hungary.
"I follow my guts. When it's time to go and I feel it, I'll go," said O'Leary.
Last weekend, Canada withdrew its military training troops from Ukraine after the United States and the United Kingdom shut down their own training courses.
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.
The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, what's believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes.
The Liberal government and the NDP have agreed to introduce a two-month GST vacation on certain items before the holiday season, Radio-Canada has learned.
Veterinarians are warning Londoners to make sure their dogs are vaccinated and keeping clean after a deadly virus outbreak was declared in London this week.