From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Canadian airline worker who has been trapped in the Dominican Republic for two months after alerting authorities to narcotics found on his plane says he was subjected to unsafe and unsanitary conditions while spending nine days in jail.
BK Dubey, a maintenance engineer for the Ontario-based charter operator Pivot Airlines, said he was doing his maintenance checks on aboard a Toronto-bound aircraft on the ground at Punta Cana International Airport on April 5 when he came across a suspicious bag inside the avionics bay.
That suspicious package turned out to be 200 kilograms of cocaine. Dubey immediately reported the suspicious bag to the captain and likely averted an air disaster, because the bags were flammable and the weight would have been detrimental to the flight.
"That's our normal duty in Canadian or international law. That's our duty to check the plane and report if you've found any suspicious thing," the 24-year airline industry veteran told CTV News while speaking from a secure location in the Dominican Republic.
But when Dominican authorities arrived, Dubey didn't get any thanks for reporting the drugs. Instead, he and the four other Pivot Airlines crew along with seven passengers were arrested and detained, with police accusing them of smuggling the drugs.
For nine days, Dubey was detained in a detention facility meant for narcotics criminals that he said had no toilet, with guards that refused to give him food or water unless he paid them money.
"The cell was not for humans to live," he said. "And we were just praying to God every day, just to pray to get out of that hell."
After their employer mounted a significant legal battle, Dubey, the rest of the Pivot crew and the passengers were released from detention but required to stay in the Dominican Republic, where they still remain. Since their release, they have been subject to death threats and Pivot has had to retain security and take extraordinary measures to ensure their safety.
Pivot, as well as the three unions representing airline pilots and crews in Canada, have been urging the Canadian government to do everything it can to bring the crew and passengers back home.
“It is entirely unacceptable that our members have been thrown in jail for doing their jobs, and dutifully reporting a crime," Capt. Tim Perry, President of Air Line Pilots Association Canada, said in a May 16 news release. "We are urging the Canadian government to take serious action and help bring our crew home."
Pivot is also urging travellers to avoid visiting the Dominican Republic and consider making alternative travel plans. Last month, the company warned that the crew and the passengers were at risk of being sent back to jail.
Dubey said officials from the Canadian government have been helping him. At the time of his arrest, he said he had been in the process of getting his Canadian citizenship, but last week, he took his citizenship oath at the Canadian Embassy.
"I'm really thankful for what they are doing. I'm not saying they're not doing enough, but we need to do more. It's been two months. I need to go home. I want to go meet my family," he said.
Despite his ordeal, Dubey said he doesn't regret reporting the narcotics.
"We did what was best for Canadians. We did what was best for Canada -- stopped 200 kilograms of poison going into Canada. That's what we did," he said. "For me, the nine days was the worst in my entire life … but if I find (drugs) again, I'll again report and help the law system to not let any of this poison into Canada."
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.