OTTAWA — Former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell will mediate claims against the federal government from nine family members of Canadian diplomats who suffered unexplained ailments in Cuba.
The development is a step toward resolving some elements of a Federal Court action filed in 2019 by diplomats and dependants — now numbering 18 plaintiffs — who seek millions of dollars in damages from the Canadian government after becoming mysteriously ill while posted to Havana.
They have reported difficulties since 2017, including headaches, loss of memory, inability to concentrate, cognitive and vision problems, noise sensitivity, dizziness, nausea, sleep disturbances, mood changes and nosebleeds.
As of July last year, Global Affairs Canada said 15 Canadians had received a confirmed working diagnosis of ”acquired brain injury.”
The parties have agreed to the appointment of Cromwell, who served eight years on the top court, as mediator at a session slated to take place in late February or early March next year.
The move follows direction from the Federal Court in early October on next steps in the case.
Paul Miller and John Phillips, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, said in a statement to The Canadian Press that they appreciate the government agreeing to proceed with mediation for the claims of seven children and two spouses who suffered traumatic brain injuries while in Cuba.
“Our families have been waiting a long time to have this matter dealt with. They continue to suffer from the injuries they received during their time in Cuba, which have had a direct and significant impact on their lives, the children, their childhoods and education,” Miller and Phillips said.
“We expect the government to come to the table with meaningful proposals, and implore the government to expand the mediation to include the full complement of government staff that also suffered severe injuries in Havana.”
The diplomats say the Canadian government failed to protect them, hid crucial information and downplayed the seriousness of the risks. The government has denied wrongdoing and negligence.
Canadian and U.S. investigations have not pinpointed a cause of many of the ailments, with theories ranging from targeted sonic attacks by an adversary to pesticide spraying.
Global Affairs Canada declined to answer specific questions about the planned mediation.
The department said in an emailed response that it maintains a strict security protocol to respond immediately to any unusual events or health symptoms affecting Canadian diplomats.
“Global Affairs Canada continues to monitor the health and safety of its diplomatic staff posted in Havana. We also continue to investigate all potential causes of the unknown health symptoms. For privacy and security reasons, we cannot comment on the specifics of the ongoing investigations, individual cases, nor on specific security measures.”
The department said it would not comment further given that the matter is before the courts.
Several U.S. personnel who worked in Cuba have reported similar health issues, commonly known as Havana Syndrome. More recently, there have been reports of symptoms among U.S. personnel in locales including Washington, Austria and China.
In October last year, Global Affairs issued a message to all staff around the world, outlining the symptoms and how to report concerns.
The RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service have sent similar messages to their staff, the department says.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2022.
TORONTO – Unifor says workers at a Walmart warehouse in Mississauga, Ont., have voted to join the union.
The union says it’s Walmart’s first warehouse to unionize in Canada.
Unifor national president Lana Payne says the employees stood up for their rights and the union is excited to get to work on their first collective agreement.
Unifor’s campaign at Walmart’s facility began in December 2023.
The vote was held from Sept. 10 to 12.
Unifor represents 315,000 workers across the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
MONTREAL – A 20-year-old man arrested over an alleged Islamic State terror plot to kill Jews in New York City will return to court in December in Montreal.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national living in Ontario, was arrested last week in Ormstown, Que., allegedly on his way across the border into New York state.
Khan has been charged in the United States with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a terrorist organization, and officials are seeking to have him extradited to stand trial.
He was not present for a hearing today in Quebec Superior Court, where lawyers said they are waiting for extradition documents and for authorization from Canadian officials before proceeding in the case, which will return before a judge on Dec. 6.
U.S. authorities allege that Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, intended to use “automatic and semi-automatic weapons” in a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn around Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Authorities allege he began planning his attack in November 2023.
Earlier this week, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Khan arrived in Canada in June 2023 on a student visa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
