As Canadians try to escape Haiti, some feel their own government left them behind

Monday, March 25, 2024 - By John McHutchion

Here’s what you need to know to get the day started:

As Canadians try to escape Haiti, some feel their own government left them behind

David Rocheleau, who was working in Haiti, is shown on Wednesday aboard a helicopter flight provided by a private rescue company, International SOS, which was paid for by the business that employed him. He returned home to Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on Thursday. (Submitted by David Rocheleau)

When the helicopter finally left the ground from a grass field in Haiti, David Rocheleau says he finally felt a sense of relief.

After making it out of the embattled island nation plagued by anarchy and gang violence, the Quebec resident told CBC News it took a "convoy-like" row of armoured vehicles to get him to the helicopter headed to the Dominican Republic — all trailing behind a motorcycle that drove ahead to check for gangs in the area.

But Rocheleau said Canadian authorities had nothing to do with his rescue on Wednesday. Instead, he said, the business he worked with paid tens of thousands of dollars for the private rescue company, International SOS, to get him out.

He filmed his rescue and gave CBC News exclusive access to the footage.

"Someone in the Canadian Embassy who has all this information could have done this.... That's what pisses me off," Rocheleau said. "If someone had their head together and took the initiative, they could have easily done it."

Roughly 3,000 Canadians are registered in Haiti, according to Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The government agency said Friday it responded to 245 inquiries since violence erupted earlier this month among rival gangs, closing the international airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and leaving foreigners stranded amid increasing kidnappings, robberies and violent crime.

GAC said some of the requests it received had to do with general travel information and the security situation in Haiti, while others concerned ways to evacuate.

But Tanya English said when her Canadian relative trapped in Haiti attempted to reach out for help, GAC was no help. CBC News is not identifying English's relative in Haiti in order to protect their safety, but it has been in direct contact with the relative, who is trying to conserve their phone battery amid an electricity shortage and granted English permission to share their story.

The Canadian, who spent decades doing humanitarian work in Haiti, was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and was supposed to return to Canada at the beginning of March for a followup treatment appointment, English said. That trip never happened.

More on this issue

Read the full story here.

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No big winner: Junos spread the awards around this year

(Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

Elliot Page embraces Tegan of Tegan and Sara as she accepts the humanitarian award at the Juno awards, in Halifax on Sunday. There was no big winner at this year's ceremonies, as musicians Charlotte Cardin, Tate McRae, Aysanabee, Tobi, The Beaches and producer Shawn Everett all took home two awards each over the course of the weekend. Read the full story here.

In brief

Four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people appeared before a Moscow court on Sunday showing signs of severe beatings as they faced formal terrorism charges. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing. A court statement said two of the suspects accepted their guilt in the attack after being charged at the preliminary hearing, although the men's condition raised questions about whether they were speaking freely. There had been earlier conflicting reports in Russian media outlets that said three or all four men admitted culpability. The four men were ordered held in pre-trial custody until May 22. Read the full story here.

An advertising campaign by Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government that has been criticized as partisan self-promotion is costing taxpayers about $8 million, CBC News has learned. Government officials previously refused to share the cost of the high-profile "It's Happening Here" ads, which have aired in such choice television time slots as the Super Bowl, the Oscars, the Emmy Awards and the NHL all-star game. CBC News then sought to obtain the price tag through a freedom of information request. The response from the Ministry of Finance puts the estimated total costs for producing the ads at $3,831,352, and the media spending (such as TV and radio airtime, billboard space and online ad placement) at $4,097,528. Critics are blasting the Ford government for spending public money on advertising that they say doesn't provide the public with useful information. "Governments shouldn't be spending taxpayer dollars trying to puff themselves up or convince people that they're doing a great job," said NDP Leader Marit Stiles in an interview. Read the full story here.

Canada's Rachel Homan and her team won gold at the women's curling world championship in Sydney, N.S., with a 7-5 win over Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni on Sunday. The win ended Canada's six-year title drought at this event. Before a near-sellout crowd of 4,373, Homan made a game-turning split for three points in the ninth end and forced Tirinzoni to concede in the 10th end. "It was just a phenomenal team shot to really get a leg up on Switzerland for the first time in the whole game," Homan said. The win improved Homan's season record to an incredible 62-6. "It's really hard to sum it up," said Canadian coach Viktor Kjell. "I think it's going to take a long time before another team in the world can have a season like this." Read the full story here.

By now you've heard the buzz about the total solar eclipse happening on April 8. Though people are rushing to purchase eclipse glasses to witness the spectacle, one of the biggest questions remains: Will we have clear skies? Unfortunately, April skies in Canada — and particularly those areas along the path of totality — tend to experience frequent cloud cover. But that doesn't mean one should lose hope. "April is not the best month for observing astronomical phenomena in Canada," said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. "Further, the jet stream is changing positions from winter to summer patterns. As a result, it is a time for more cloud cover and travelling weather systems passing through." The narrow path of totality — where observers will see the moon entirely cover the sun — will arc from southwestern Ontario, along the St. Lawrence River, and through parts of New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Newfoundland. Read the full story here.

Now here's some good news to start your Monday: Mary Brown said that when she joined the Regina Masters Swim Club in the late 1970s, she did not think she'd still be swimming at age 94. Forty years later, she has no plans of stopping. The club's members regularly attend meets across the country and Brown often participates. Most recently she attended a meet on March 9 where she took part in a 25-metre swim. Brown said she's had to slow down a bit. She no longer has the lung capacity she once did, but she still swims several times a week with the club. Brown said her years of swimming have allowed her to continue with athletics well into old age. "I'd like to continue because I feel swimming is keeping me in good health," she said. Read the full story here.

FIRST PERSON

I knew exactly when my aunt was going to die with medical assistance. That didn't ease my heartache

On the last day of her life, Mary Gellner's aunt wore a sweatshirt with the words, "Great things to come." For Gellner, the shirt represented her aunt's sense of humour — and the complicated feelings Gellner would have grieving over her aunt's medically assisted death. Read Gellner's column here.

For stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada.

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Today in history: March 25

1880: George Brown, editor of Toronto's Globe newspaper and a Father of Confederation, is shot by a disgruntled former employee he never knew. Brown's seemingly minor leg wound became infected and he died May 9 at the age of 61. His killer, George Bennett, was hanged.

1958: The first test flight of the Canadian Avro Arrow fighter jet is carried out. The Arrow program was cancelled by the federal government nearly a year later.

1982: Canada’s first in-vitro fertilization babies and North America's first test-tube twins, Colin and Gregory Rankin, are born in Oakville, Ont.

1988: Canada's Kurt Browning becomes the first figure skater to land a quadruple jump in competition. He landed a quadruple toe loop during his long program at the world championship in Budapest.

(With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters)