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Israel news: First Canadian evacuation flight departs

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The first two Canadian Armed Forces evacuation flights left Israel Thursday airlifting an estimated 281 Canadian citizens and their families out of the country, with more trips planned in the days ahead.

The first flight carrying 128 passengers left Tel Aviv Thursday afternoon, and landed safely in Athens, while the second carrying 153 passengers, is expected to land safely later this evening, according to senior government officials.

“The safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad is always our top priority. The situation on the ground is volatile, we’re actively helping our citizens and permanent residents come back to Canada,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.

Departing from the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, two military CC-150 Airbus Polaris have been seconded for this endeavour.

From Greece—a safe third country—an Air Canada plane and crew will be bringing the passengers back to Canada, landing in Toronto, providing tickets through a special code. The first of these flights is expected to take off on Friday afternoon, local-time, and accommodation options are being identified for those who will be waiting overnight to get home.

Defence Minister Bill Blair first confirmed the initial flight had departed on Thursday morning, stating the federal government was “working tirelessly to assist Canadians in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza,” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We will continue to be there for Canadians who need help.”

In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play, the minister said the flights will continue as long as there is demand, and they are required to bring Canadians to safety, but urged patience.

As of the latest technical briefing with senior government officials speaking on a not-for-attribution basis, flights are expected to continue through Friday, Saturday and beyond, with at least two flights per day, and an average of 150 people per flight.

Of the now 5,700 Canadians registered in Israel, federal officials are in touch with 1,600 people that have expressed interest in potentially seeking assistance departing, though it’s estimated that around half of those individuals are likely to end up boarding the military airlifts as some are pursuing other options as the Israel-Hamas war continues, officials said.

CTV News’ Adrian Ghobrial was at the airport as Canadians waited to board, and described it as a packed crowd of relieved people.

“I am very thankful and very relieved. But my heart is also broken to think about all of the innocent families in those communities that didn’t get to get out, you know, they have to sit here through it. And they don’t get to know the extremity of how long it will go on, or when it’ll end,” said Sarah Berry, one of the Canadians waiting to get on an evacuation flight.

“So it’s heartbreaking to… get on this plane. It really is. But I am thankful that we’re getting out. I’m a little frustrated that we’re kind of just being dropped from here to Athens and then told figure it out on your own.”

Another Canadian, Abby Finkelstein said she was “so grateful” to leave after describing the “terrifying” experience she had the night before having to seek shelter after sirens started sounding near where she was staying.

“I know so many people that are here that want to get out and their parents want them out, but they don’t have an opportunity to “I’m excited to be on this military flight. I think it’s going to be a really cool experience,” she said.

Israeli reprisal strikes were sparked by Canadian-designated terrorist group Hamas’ incursion into Israel, slaughtering hundreds. Now into its sixth day—the war has killed, injured, displaced and stranded thousands, including Canadian citizens. CTV News has confirmed the killing of three Canadians.

And, as of Thursday, federal officials say they are in contact with the families of four Canadians that are reported missing and are working with authorities and allies to glean more information.

WHO CAN BOARD?

These flights have been opened to Canadian citizens, their spouses and their children; as well as Canadian permanent residents, their spouses and their children; and dual-nationals.

While no official figures have been shared regarding the breakdown of who has boarded so far, officials said that typically early evacuation flights tend to be predominately Canadian citizens, moving to more “complex” family units as the flights continue.

“Our goal is to ensure that these flights are as full and that we’re getting as many people out on each of them. So it’s a mix of documentation being done, people being ready, people being in proximity,” said one official.

Canadian officials continue to encourage Canadians seeking assistance to contact the embassy in Tel Aviv, the consular office in Ramallah, or the Global Affairs Canada (GAC) headquarters in Ottawa, noting that since the assisted departure flights were announced, there has been an uptick in demand.

GAC has now deployed 15 officials to various locations in the region, including Tel Aviv and Athens, to assist. There are also approximately 50 additional military personnel involved in these airlifts, including the flight staff and ground crews.

Canada is prioritizing documented and travel-ready passengers, stranded tourists and the most vulnerable. Plans were being made to facilitate transport to the airport for some, as well as provide medical services on-board, as needed.

Immigration officials are working with embassy staff in instances where those looking to board planes to Canada do not have their passport or necessary travel authorization documentation with them, to validate identification.

And, while Canadians will not be charged for the assisted departure flights from Israel to Athens, onward travel and accommodation will be at individuals’ expense, according to the government.

The rather rare decision for the Canadian government to organize evacuation flights came after an influx of calls to consular officials from stranded Canadian citizens unable to find any commercial flight options given widespread airline cancellations.

Noting that some allied countries have yet to embark on assisted departures, should there be room on the last flight or flights, federal officials indicated Canada was open to allowing citizens from allied nations who aren’t offering airlifts to board.

Amid questions about why it took days to mobilize flights, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre said Wednesday that once the war started, troops “immediately” started planning options for what support Canada could provide. But, considerations around the security situation, resources, flight and landing clearances as well as planning exercises had to be worked out first.

“Our people on the ground in Israel have been working non-stop for the past three days, in order to help get people registered and get them the help that they need,” Blair said. “Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces have really stepped up and moved heaven and earth to get planes into that area.”

On Thursday, the U.S. government announced plans to start operating evacuation flights from Israel to Europe, starting as early as Friday.

The Canadian government says it continues to look additional options for those who cannot get to Tel Aviv to board an evacuation flight, with hundreds of Canadians registered in Gaza and the West Bank where the absence of a humanitarian corridor means airlifts will not be possible.

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Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.

The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.

The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.

The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.

“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”

The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.

A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

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The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.

Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.

Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.

Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.

“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.

“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”

Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.

“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.

Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.

“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”

But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.

Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.

“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.

Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.

The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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