Canada has secured a plane in its effort to repatriate Canadians on board the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship which is currently quarantined off the coast of California, Global Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.
“The plane will bring passengers from San Francisco to Canadian Forces Base Trenton, after which they will be assessed and undergo a 14-day quarantine,” the statement read.
“Given our shared border, Canada recognizes the importance of working together with the United States to limit the spread of COVID-19 within North America and abroad.”
The Grand Princess cruise ship — where 19 crew members and two passengers have tested positive for the virus — was headed to the port of Oakland, Calif., after idling off San Francisco for days. There is evidence the ship was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of almost 20 cases during an earlier voyage.
“Those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined,” U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence said. “Those who will require medical help will receive it.”
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As many as 100 guests and crew members aboard Grand Princess will be tested because of cases linked to another voyage. 0:47
The ship, which is carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries, including 237 Canadians, is expected to reach Oakland on Monday.
The port at Oakland was chosen because of its proximity to an airport and a military base, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. He said it could take up to three days to prepare the port site and get everyone off the ship.
The crew will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere, Newsom said.
Medical personnel don protective equipment after delivering virus testing kits to the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California. (Chief Master Sgt. Seth Zweben/California National Guard via AP)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said it was “working closely with the home countries of several hundred passengers to arrange for repatriation to their countries.”
It also said American passengers of the Grand Princess cruise ship will be taken to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia to be tested for the COVID-19 virus and to spend a 14-day quarantine.
A second cruise ship was being held in the U.S. on Sunday, this one off the coast of Florida. The Regal Princess was supposed to dock in Port Everglades on Sunday morning but was instead sailing up and down the coast, the Miami Herald reported.
The Regal Princess Cruise ship is seen at sea off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Sunday. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
The ship is awaiting test results on whether two crew members who transferred there from the Grand Princess have contracted the new coronavirus. The Coast Guard delivered testing kits to the Regal Princess Sunday morning and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a “no-sail order” for the ship.
It is not immediately clear if there are Canadians onboard.
The U.S. death toll from the virus is at 21, with all but three victims in Washington state. The number of infections swelled to more than 400, scattered across the U.S.
‘Back in our homeland’
The news of Canada’s repatriation efforts came as a relief to Kara and Mark Schiestel of Saskatchewan, who are among the Canadians onboard the Grand Princess.
“At least we will be back in our homeland,” Kara said of the plan.
For the last four days, the couple — who own a large organic grain and cattle farm near the town of Alameda — have been cooped up inside their cramped three-by-six metre room. But Kara says they are “doing good.”
“The time has given us time to reflect,” Kara said. “We have a busy year of farming ahead of us and calving is just starting. Thankfully we have a great bunch of kids back home. The time alone with each other has proven that [Mark] is much better at cards than me.”
The view from Kara and Mark Schiestel’s room on the Grand Princess is shown. The Saskatchewan have been cooped up inside their cramped three-by-six metre room for 4 days. (Kara Schiestel/Facebook)
While Kara has an underlying health condition that she believes makes her high-risk, she is staying positive.
“I’m a little worried cause you deal with a lot of staff regularly on a cruise,” she said. “But I have faith everything will be OK.”
New cases in Canada
In Canada, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health said Sunday there’s a new case of COVID-19, meaning that there are now 29 confirmed cases of the illness in the province.
Dr. David Williams said the latest patient is a woman in her 40s who recently returned to Toronto after a trip to Colorado. He said the woman is currently at home in self-isolation and Toronto Public Health is tracing people with whom she was in contact.
Quebec’s health department has announced another presumptive case, bringing the total of confirmed and presumptive cases in the province to four. There are currently two confirmed cases in Quebec as well as two presumptive cases, which still need to be confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.
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The new case was detected in the Montérégie region, southeast of Montreal, in a person who returned from a cruise. Authorities say they’re still working to track the patient’s movements.
Alberta’s top medical official announced two new presumptive cases in the province. The province is now dealing with three presumptive cases and one confirmed case of COVID-19.
“All the cases of COVID-19 to date are travel-related and recovering in isolation at home with support from public health officials. As soon as these cases were identified last night, we took immediate action to protect the public,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw.
Himshaw said three of the four patients are connected to the Grand Princess cruise ship.
She said the fourth is a person who came in close contact with someone who had recently travelled in Europe.
There are 59 confirmed cases in Canada — including 27 confirmed in B.C. — and five presumptive.
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.
