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Coronavirus: B.C. families voice frustration as Ottawa pledges to bring Canadians home from India – Global News

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Several British Columbia families say they are deeply frustrated by efforts to bring home relatives who are stranded in India amid the coronavirus crisis.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the federal government is working on repatriation flights for Canadians stuck in India, which has been on lockdown since March 25.

“This is complicated and challenging because of the restrictions which are in place in India around the coronavirus,” Freeland said Wednesday.






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Canadians still stranded in India with possibility of no international flights until June


Canadians still stranded in India with possibility of no international flights until June

Since India shut its borders, Ottawa has arranged 10 commercial flights for Canadian citizens. A federal government source tells Global News some private charters had been scheduled but were disallowed by the Indian government.

Gina Takhar says she and other members of B.C.’s South Asian community arranged eight chartered flights from Amritsar, India to Toronto and Vancouver, but their permit was abruptly halted.

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These Canadians living abroad didn’t come home when coronavirus started — and still won’t

Conservative MP Tim Uppal says he was told by the high commissioner for Canada to India that they did not have enough staff to support both the government and privately chartered flights, which was a key stipulation by the Indian government.






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Tens of thousands of Canadians stranded in India


Tens of thousands of Canadians stranded in India

“And so that’s when he said that they removed themselves from that process, and that’s when the Indian government apparently said that they would not allow the charter process to go through,” he said.

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There are thousands of Canadians in India anxious to return home. The government says it’s finalizing eight more flights from India to Canada.

“There are particularly high demands in some parts of the world, including India, that we are working very, very hard, day and night to try and resolve,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.

Tash Rai and her family have been struggling for weeks to get their eight relatives back to B.C.

She says the system set up by the government to decide who receives a ticket is a big part of the problem.


READ MORE:
B.C. woman fears father stuck in India following coronavirus nationwide lockdown

“They wanted you to book online on your own with a username and password that the government had provided. That email was also sent to [6,000] people. The system is a complete flop,” Rai said.

Rai is urging the government to prioritize ticket sales, putting families with small children and the elderly at the front of the queue.

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Officials say they are trying to do this, adding that the system is not perfect.

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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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.

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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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