The operator confirmed that two passengers who travelled on Canadian passports are among those on board.
Consular officials at Global Affairs Canada were unable to provide additional details as of publication.
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We have released our latest statement regarding Braemar in the Caribbean. Please click on the following link to read the update: https://t.co/01wRnrGW5k
— Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines (@FredOlsenCruise) March 15, 2020
“We are aware of reports of many cruise ships having difficulties finding a location to dock and are actively monitoring the situation,” the agency said in a general update to the media on Sunday.
The voyage, a 14-night central America and western Caribbean cruise, was due to end Thursday in Barbados but changed course after the COVID-19 cases were diagnosed.
The vessel headed towards its flag state, the Bahamas, after no Caribbean ports were willing to let the ship dock.
The operator said “diplomatic discussions” were occurring in order to get passengers home as soon as possible.
The vessel is awaiting additional supplies and is also looking to bring further medical help on board.
“I can tell you that our situation continues to be looked at as a matter of the utmost urgency between the U.K. government and our head office,” Capt. Jozo Glavic told passengers Sunday, according to the cruise line.
“Until then, please continue to bear with me and my crew.”
The company said on Friday it was suspending operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic until May 23.
As of Friday, the Canadian government has urged against all non-essential international travel. Prior to that, they also recommended against taking cruises until further notice.
“Canadians who choose to travel on a cruise ship in spite of this advice should also be aware that they may not be offered the opportunity to return to Canada on a government-organized repatriation flight, or could be responsible for the costs of repatriation travel,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement Sunday.
Hundreds of Canadians on two different ships stricken with the virus have already been flown home by the government and then put into quarantine.
Four former passengers of Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess were diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning to Canada on Tuesday.
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Passengers on the Diamond Princess were released from their two-week quarantine in Cornwall, Ont., earlier this month.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
