麻豆影视

Politics

    • Kabul safe houses for ex-interpreters to close for lack of funding

    Share
    OTTAWA -

    Kabul safe houses that have been providing refuge to more than 1,700 Afghan interpreters and their families are to close Friday due to lack of funding, say groups that have been trying to help them.

    Veterans groups previously raised about $2 million in private donations but said they would need an additional $5 million to keep the safe houses open after Friday.

    The safe house occupants will have to find other places to stay in the Afghan capital and have been making contingency plans, said retired major-general Denis Thompson, part of a grassroots network of veterans, refugee advocates and other volunteers working to help the former interpreters.

    Thompson said he was hopeful the interpreters and their families could still be helped to one day flee. He said the safe house option was never meant to be a long-term proposition.

    He said he believes the summer federal election in Canada, which plunged the federal bureaucracy into the so-called "caretaker" mode meant that no concrete policy decisions could be made by public servants to help the Afghans. In the end, that led to high costs for the safe houses.

    "It is much cheaper to resettle people than to pay for safe houses," said Thompson.

    "We're talking millions of dollars, not even tens of millions of dollars, to complete this entire resettlement. It's a G7 nation; these are not huge sums of money."

    Other veterans said the closure of the accommodations could leave the occupants at the mercy of Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, who stormed back to power this summer.

    Retired captain Corey Shelson said the federal Immigration Department has been too slow to approve applications and travel documents for Afghan interpreters.

    "There's going to be 1,700 people leaving ... and many of them are probably going to die. I don't know how else to say it," said Shelson.

    "I can tell you that the 1,700 people that are currently living in the safe house are going to end up on the streets tomorrow due to bureaucratic inefficiencies within the Canadian government."

    The federal government has not directly funded the safe houses, which were seen as a temporary measure to help move vulnerable Afghans out of the country.

    Thompson said he hopes the Taliban won't take drastic action against any of the safe house occupants as the new rulers try to seek international recognition as Afghanistan's new government and international humanitarian aid to stave off mass hunger due to a collapsing economy.

    "It's difficult to say how the Taliban would react. Our assessment is that they've been restrained."

    Thompson said the Kabul safe house occupants travelled from the southern city of Kandahar with the hope they would be airlifted by the American-led military forces that included Canada. But the airlift ended at the end of the August with the full U.S. military withdrawal leaving the Afghan interpreters and their families behind.

    Some of the safe house occupants can't go back to Kandahar because the Taliban have taken over their homes, while some have received death threats by telephone, said Thompson.

    The safe houses also offered access to food and medical care, in addition to providing a safe haven. Many of the occupants will be living under much more harsh conditions, he said.

    "It's not going to be pretty," said Thompson. "Some of them are going to be living rough, I'm sure. And some of them are going to have to take the chance of returning to Kandahar."

    Earlier Friday, the Conservatives called on the Liberal government to give urgent funding to the groups that have come together to organize and operate the safe houses.

    Conservative MP James Bezan said the Trudeau government has been missing in action and must step in and fill the spending void.

    "Not only did Justin Trudeau fail to get Canadians, interpreters, support staff, and their families out of Afghanistan as the country fell to the Taliban, he is now refusing to fund their safe houses," Bezan said in a written statement.

    "These individuals supported our military heroes in Afghanistan and the least we can do is help make sure they are safe."

    Global Affairs Canada has said little about any government efforts to support the safe houses, citing security considerations.

    It has said it is working with the Veterans Transition Network and Journalists for Human Rights to protect vulnerable people in Afghanistan, including human rights defenders and former Canadian Armed Forces interpreters.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2021.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.

    A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

    Canada

    • The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.

    • The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

    • A man is facing numerous drug trafficking charges after Dufferin OPP seized a large assortment of drugs and weapons in Orangeville earlier this week.

    • Pasquale Monaco says he鈥檚 debating whether to keep renting out the two-bedroom basement apartment of the Montreal building he owns after it was flooded 鈥 again 鈥 in August, when the remnants of tropical storm Debby sent four feet of water rushing into the space.

    • Infectious disease physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch says whooping cough is most risky for unvaccinated infants, children and older people.

    • The London Police Service (LPS) is currently investigating a suspicious death in the east end.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a nickname for the opposition鈥檚 end zone. They refer to it as the 鈥渃hicken box.鈥

    • Jonathan Aranda homered for the second consecutive game, helping Taj Bradley and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Saturday.

    • Kiefer Sherwood spent several nights last spring chasing Quinn Hughes around the ice and generally pestering the Vancouver Canucks.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    • Work crews have been busy in the British Columbia legislature over the summer, prying apart desks in the historic chamber and piling them up in hallways as they tried to work out how to fit in six more seats.

    • British Columbia's New Democrats and the B.C. Conservatives are set to take their election tours to Metro Vancouver cities today as the campaign enters its second day.

    • A six-year-old girl who was reported missing in northern B.C. earlier this week remains unaccounted for, and "significant resources from across the province" have joined in the search, police said Saturday.

    • One person has died following a shooting in Scarborough late last night.

    • Toronto police have arrested three people and they are looking for two others in connection with an alleged fraud that saw a man and his daughter bilked out of more than $18,000.

    • A man who was critically injured in an eight-vehicle pileup in Milton Friday has died of his injuries in hospital.

    • The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.

    • Nick Kolomyja reckons axe throwing may have saved his life.

    • Calgary fire crews were busy early Sunday dealing with a fire, a missing cat and a vehicle that drove into the side of a garage.

    • Police are looking to speak with a female who was a passenger in a stolen vehicle that was recovered early Saturday morning in Kanata.

    • A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

    • It's been one year since Michael Andlauer took over ownership of the Ottawa Senators and on Saturday, he spoke for the first time about the tentative deal for a new arena at LeBreton Flats.

    • A 54-year-old man was found unconscious on the ground with his electric scooter in Sherbrooke, Estrie, at 2:50 a.m. from Saturday to Sunday, according to the Sherbrooke Police.

    • Last month鈥檚 massive water main break in Montreal鈥檚 Ville Marie borough has left the company Cirque Eloize reeling, with nearly 10,000 items from their storage facility destroyed.

    • Pasquale Monaco says he鈥檚 debating whether to keep renting out the two-bedroom basement apartment of the Montreal building he owns after it was flooded 鈥 again 鈥 in August, when the remnants of tropical storm Debby sent four feet of water rushing into the space.

    • The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a nickname for the opposition鈥檚 end zone. They refer to it as the 鈥渃hicken box.鈥

    • Nick Kolomyja reckons axe throwing may have saved his life.

    • The number of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness has risen 47 per cent this year, according to data from the city's main housing agency.

    • The Celtic Colours International Festival will return to Cape Breton, N.S., for nine days from Oct. 11 to 19, with hundreds of events and performances scheduled to take place in communities around the island.

    • A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

    • A 76-year-old man who was reported missing Saturday in Annapolis District, N.S., has been found deceased.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • While slang may come and go, experts say the phenomenon behind them, which constantly churns out brand-new bon mots, is as old as language itself.

    • People living in Winnipeg鈥檚 Centennial neighbourhood have a new park to call their own. On Saturday, the community celebrated the grand opening of Giizhigooweyaabikwe Park on Lizzie Street.

    • Fire officials are investigating after a fire completely destroyed the community fridge in the Cathedral neighborhood.

    • The last two months after losing her daughter Bella have been extremely difficult for Kyla Thomson.

    • Regina police arrested three youths in connection to a bear mace incident at a Regina high school on Friday.

    • Brantford, Ont. residents were met with an unexpected sight on Saturday evening as a suspected funnel cloud appeared in the skies above the city.

    • Police were called to a business in the area of University Avenue East and Weber Street North at around 10:40 p.m. Saturday for a report of a man attempting to stab another man.

    • Police said the pedestrian, a 52-year-old man, was taken to an out-of-region hospital with life-threatening injuries and the driver of the vehicle failed to remain at the scene.

    • The 75-year-old building, formerly the Waskesiu Chamber of Commerce building, was relocated to the Parks Canada compound on the edge of the townsite.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP major crimes unit is investigating after a man鈥檚 body was found on Sweetgrass First Nation.

    • Motors were roaring, and tires were spinning as Saskatoon's biggest names in motocross gathered together for the 50-year anniversary of the club's founding on Saturday.

    • video

      video

      The most popular hockey podcasters on the planet brought some major attention to the Forest City this weekend with the annual Chiclets Cup.

    • The identity of a motorcyclist has been revealed by loved ones on social media following Friday鈥檚 fatal south end collision in London. The London Police Service has not released anything regarding the driver鈥檚 identity.

    • Huron County OPP are investigating a serious single vehicle collision that took place west of Seaforth.

    • One person is dead after a crash in Caledon on Sunday.

    • The Barrie Skateboard Association (BSA) hosted a unique competition at the City's Skate Park on Saturday to celebrate its 25th anniversary, which showcased the park's importance and the growth of skateboarding in the region.

    • Police located and arrested a male suspect Saturday evening in relation to an alleged assault incident that occurred earlier this week in Gooderham.

    • Windsor firefighters had an early start to the day as a fire broke out in the 1500 block of Pellissier Street in the city.

    • video

      video

      The Amherstburg Uncommon Festival is living up to its name with the addition of a drone light show 鈥 a first for Essex County.

    • The Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) has arrested a man following an incident on Saturday.

    • British Columbia's New Democrats and the B.C. Conservatives are set to take their election tours to Metro Vancouver cities today as the campaign enters its second day.

    • A man who was found dead behind a curling rink in Nanaimo, B.C., earlier this month was the victim of a homicide, police confirmed.

    • A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls 鈥 including one that gave birth to 10 puppies 鈥 from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • Despite the heavy rain, plenty of muscle turned up for United Way鈥檚 annual Pull the Bus fundraiser in Lethbridge Friday.

    • Lethbridge County has rescinded its fire restriction as a result of the recent cool, wet weathr.

    • The Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked off the 2024-25 season on a winning note Friday night, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in a game played at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

    • A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

    • Following an outbreak of COVID-19 on its continuing care floor and just ahead of the flu season, St. Joseph鈥檚 General Hospital in Elliot Lake has opted to re-introduce a universal masking policy until further notice.

    • A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视