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Ukraine: Canadian hitchhikes 800 kilometres to escape | CTV News – CTV News Ottawa

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A Canadian English teacher has made it home to the Ottawa region after travelling about 800 kilometres to escape Ukraine.

Brian Blair is one of the two million people estimated to have fled Ukraine during the invasion of Russian forces.

Blair, who has taught English in Ukraine since 2013, said he woke up to the sounds of bombs in the distance and knew he had to leave. He left his life in a Ukrainian village with a single duffel bag, posting photos to social media in case anyone spotted him on the way and could offer help.

Blair arrived at the Ottawa train station Sunday night. Although he said he was grateful to be greeted and embraced by friends, he was also plagued with guilt remembering people he left behind.

“A lot of my friends couldn’t escape. They have to stay,” he said. “And that’s really quite difficult that they can’t leave, and they have to sit there and watch their city get destroyed.”

Blair said he travelled about 800 kilometres to leave Ukraine, a journey that saw him hopping between cities and villages, hitchhiking for rides, and walking. He acknowledged he wasn’t sure he would make it.

“I said to myself—I said this out loud—’I may not get out of this, but I’m 48 years old. I’ve had a pretty good life. I’ve travelled. I’ve seen a lot of things, right?’ I said, ‘I may not get out of this alive. … It’s possible I could die.'”

The Russian invasion has caused a humanitarian crisis, with long-range missiles causing widespread damage and leaving hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians with no heat, water, electricity and limited means of escape.

A Red Cross official called scenes in the port city of Mariupol “absolutely apocalyptic” on Monday.

Blair’s journey included a long wait at the border trying to get into Poland. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave the country. But Blair said he held his Canadian passport in his hand when approaching border officials, which helped him.

“A Polish soldier looked at me and he looked at my passport and he looked again and then he said to me ‘Are you from Canada?’ And I said ‘Yes, I’m from Canada.’ And then he said something in Polish to another soldier and the soldier came over and said ‘Are you alone?’ And he looked at my passport and I said ‘Yes, I’m by myself.’ And they said ‘OK, you can come in.'”

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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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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