Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday announced the government of Canada is working with commercial airlines to repatriate Canadians stranded abroad over the coronavirus pandemic.
Trudeau said several considerations are being made, including the closure of airspace, the local situation and the number of Canadians stranded in each country.
He said the government is looking into coordinating flights to Spain and Peru, and will announce additional countries as soon as possible.
According to Trudeau, the government will not be able to help everyone, but they will help as many as possible.
“We’re working with Canadian Airlines to make commercial flights available for as many Canadians who are stranded as possible,” Trudeau said. “We will also be working with other countries to ensure that our airlines have the permissions and other supports necessary to fly.”
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Trudeau made the comments in a rare Saturday address from Rideau Cottage where he is currently in self-isolation.
1:34 Partial Canada-U.S. border closure to take effect Friday at midnight
Partial Canada-U.S. border closure to take effect Friday at midnight
Trudeau said those seeking assistance should register online with Global Affairs Canada.
He said he expects Canadians returning home to pay a “responsible ticket price,” but that the government will cover additional costs.
He added, though, that anyone who is showing symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board a flight to Canada, and that anyone who is repatriated will need to self-isolate for 14-days.
At midnight on Friday the land border between Canada and the U.S. was closed to all non-essential travel in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The border remains open for essential travel, which includes the transportation of goods and travel for work, so as not to hamper trade and the supply chains between the two countries.
On Monday Trudeau announced the rest of Canada’s borders would be closed to most foreign travellers, excepting only air crews, diplomats and immediate family members of Canadian citizens. Those restrictions were put into effect on Wednesday.
4:30 Infectious disease expert says Canada needs to do more to fight coronavirus
Infectious disease expert says Canada needs to do more to fight coronavirus
The government has also ordered all international flights to be funnelled through only four Canadian airports — Toronto‘s Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport and Calgary International Airport.
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Trudeau urged Canadians travelling abroad to return to Canada, saying “it’s time to come home.”
In order to help Canadians abroad, the federal government has also made available loans totalling $5,000 per person which can be used for flights and accommodations.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said over the last several days he has spoken with his counterparts in 15 countries to coordinate efforts to repatriate Canadian citizens.
According to Champagne, the first flight from Casablanca, Morocco is scheduled to land in Montreal this evening.
However, Champagne echoed Trudeau’s remarks, saying the government will not be able to repatriate all citizens.
“We are doing everything in our power to bring the largest number of Canadians home,” he said.
He said officials are working “around the clock” to try to resolve the “complex” and “unprecedented” situation.
“Countries impose new flight restrictions, security control are enhanced at airports,” he said. “We understand why other countries do this because we have done so as well to limit the spread of the virus, to protect you and every other Canadian.”
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Champagne said in the last several days, Global Affairs Canada has reached out to “hundreds of thousands” of Canadians abroad.
He also urged Canada’s snowbirds to return home as soon as possible as flights are becoming “scarce.”
But, Champagne said the border will always remain open for them to return to Canada.
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.
