As the first charter flight of Afghans with private sponsorship arrives in Canada, thousands of other refugees remain in limbo, without any indication of when they may arrive in their new home.
On Thursday, the federal government announced the arrival of about 250 privately sponsored Afghan refugees to the Toronto airport. The group includes human-rights defenders, persecuted minorities, journalists and more, according to a news release.
While the latest developments are a step in the right direction, thousands of refugees who helped the Canadian military during the Afghanistan War are still waiting for their own flight to Canada.
Fida Hussain and his family are among those desperate to get on with their lives. The former interpreter for the Canadian, United States and British militaries has been holed up with his family in a Pakistani hotel room for the past 76 days.
“[My children] haven't been to school, the only thing I’m concerned about is your future,” he told CTV News.
Hussain has not gotten word from the federal government about a flight plan to Canada, with money running out and visas nearing expiration.
“What will happen for us?” Hussain said.
Hussain and his family were scheduled to fly out in early October, but were told there was a mistake just three days before departure and that his file was still under review. Now, the family worries they’ll be deported back to Afghanistan once their visa expires.
Tyson Martin, a former Canadian Forces commander, worked with Hussain for a brief period during his time in Afghanistan and is deeply disappointed by how the government has handled his case and the cases the other Afghans in limbo.
“The guy served in battle with me, what else do you want?” he said. “These people have put their life on the line for us, and we’re just leaving them there to die.”
Canada has pledged to bring in 40,000 Afghan refugees, but in Tuesday’s release said it is only at about 4,000.
Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada did not respond to a request for comment about Hussain’s case.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
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The Liberals are proposing new charges for the use of violence while stealing a vehicle and for links to organized crime, as well as laundering money for the benefit of a criminal organization.
Police say that arrests have been made in connection with a $20-million gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport one year ago.
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with a pair of alleged hazing incidents on a Manitoba hockey team, police say.
The federal government is providing up to $5 billion in loan guarantees to help Indigenous communities invest in natural resource and energy products. But when it comes to a promise to close what advocates say is a sprawling Indigenous infrastructure gap, Ottawa is short more than $420 billion.
The Ottawa Police Service will receive $50 million in new federal funding over the next five years to "enhance security" around the Parliamentary Precinct.
British Columbia's highest court has upheld a manslaughter conviction against a Vancouver man who shoved a senior outside a busy Costco store, rejecting his argument that the trial judge failed to consider how his claustrophobia and fear of crowds led to the fatal altercation.
Unifor says it’s temporarily withdrawing its applications to represent workers at two Vancouver-area Amazon facilities, accusing the e-commerce giant of providing a “suspiciously high” employee count.
A Metro Vancouver developer is once again teaming up with TransLink to give users of one of its new buildings free access to transit and study the impact of the subsidy.
Police say that arrests have been made in connection with a $20-million gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport one year ago.
A Toronto woman is warning others to be on the lookout after a coyote approached her while she was sitting on a park bench near Ontario Place last weekend.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
A Crown prosecutor making the case against three men charged with mischief at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., told jurors Tuesday they don’t have to determine the accused were kingpins of the protest in order find them guilty.
Marda Loop business owners are expressing concern over revenue losses after the City of Calgary announced construction in the area is expected to continue several months longer than planned.
Calgary police say the driver of a BMW was given a summons for a mandatory court appearance after being caught travelling more than double the speed limit.
Five thousand public service jobs will be cut over the next four years, while underused federal office buildings, Canada Post properties and the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa could be turned into new housing units, as the federal government looks to find billions of dollars in savings and boost the country's housing portfolio.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at four things in the federal budget that will have an impact on the city of Ottawa.
Quebec's education ministry says it is working on clarifying directives on when officials can communicate with the public in a language other than French.
Teenagers are showing post-pandemic improvements when it comes to screen time, according to a new study published Tuesday by Montreal Public Health.
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Staff caring for frail babies at hospitals in the Edmonton area are asking for help from the province.
Three people have been charged after police recovered nearly half a million dollars worth of stolen property.
A pipeline was involved in a wildfire in western Alberta on Tuesday, Yellowhead County says.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
The Nova Scotia RCMP says four people have been charged following a man’s homicide two years ago.
A portion of Barrington Street has reopened after a three-vehicle crash Tuesday morning.
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with a pair of alleged hazing incidents on a Manitoba hockey team, police say.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
One Winnipeg sports memorabilia shop has been the target of multiple break-ins and is now looking to recover some stolen property.
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Municipal Hail Insurance and the Hospitals of Regina Foundation (HRF) has teamed up to raise money for upgrades to the Mosaic Heart Centre at the Regina General Hospital (RGH).
A Yorkton woman is still catching her breath after reporting a $100,000 lotto win.
The mayors of Kitchener and Waterloo are weighing in on the federal government’s 2024 budget.
Grand River Rocks will have limited time in their new home on Victoria Street North, after Kitchener City Council officially approved the rezoning of the property to allow for a condo development.
Many people have their sights set on summer, but it seems some spots in Waterloo Region are stuck in another season.
The founders of a Saskatoon real estate investment company that left investors with millions of dollars in losses have reached a settlement with Saskatchewan’s financial and consumer watchdog.
Two men accused of beating and tying up a mentally ill man on a Saskatchewan farm have pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.
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Rescue crews are searching for a man reported missing on the weekend after the vehicle he was driving was pulled into a creek near the Quebec border in northern Ontario.
The YMCA of Sault Ste. Marie is selling its building and ceasing operations in May.
As city council in Sudbury prepares to debate – again! -- the future of Sudbury Arena, here’s a quick look back at how residents got here.
A two-vehicle crash between a pickup truck and a transport truck on Highway 401 in London, Ont. has resulted in one fatality Tuesday afternoon, with police warning motorists to expect delays in the area.
It’s an issue affecting local high schools across the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB).
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One of the nation's most beloved and decorated curlers, Glenn Howard, officially announced his retirement on Tuesday.
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Fire officials say a lithium-ion battery inside a vacuum cleaner sparked a fire at an apartment complex Sunday afternoon in Gravenhurst.
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The ‘faint hope’ hearing of Ali Al-Shammari, 38, continued Tuesday in Superior court.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
British Columbia's highest court has upheld a manslaughter conviction against a Vancouver man who shoved a senior outside a busy Costco store, rejecting his argument that the trial judge failed to consider how his claustrophobia and fear of crowds led to the fatal altercation.
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If you’re planning to head to the coulees this weekend to enjoy the nice weather, don’t forget to look down.
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The YMCA of Sault Ste. Marie is selling its building and ceasing operations in May.
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A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.
A school teacher who took part in the Quebec version of the Survivor reality TV show took time off work to be a contestant is now out of a job.
A young actor from Prince Edward Island is getting the chance to fulfill a childhood dream, playing the precocious and iconic Anne Shirley on stage.
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For years, conventional wisdom in fitness culture has promoted the belief that stretching to become more flexible leads to better movement and injury prevention.
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A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.
Using genes from coffee plants around the world, researchers built a family tree for the world's most popular type of coffee, known to scientists as Coffea arabica and to coffee lovers simply as 'arabica.'
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A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed went on display Tuesday at Churchill's birthplace ahead of an auction in June.
Unifor says it’s temporarily withdrawing its applications to represent workers at two Vancouver-area Amazon facilities, accusing the e-commerce giant of providing a “suspiciously high” employee count.
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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in March declined seven per cent compared with February.
In Salman Rushdie's first book since the 2022 stabbing that hospitalized him and left him blind in one eye, the author wastes no time reliving the day he thought might be his last.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
The one thing 9-year-old Cal Clifford wanted more than anything since he was a toddler was a pet octopus.
One of the nation's most beloved and decorated curlers, Glenn Howard, officially announced his retirement on Tuesday.
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An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
Tesla has hit a series of roadblocks, including increased competition and declining sales. The company announced Monday it is slashing 10 per cent of its global workforce.
A driver from London will have to find alternative transportation after an OPP officer clocked them travelling nearly 200 km/h on Highway 401 over the weekend.
General Motors will move its Detroit headquarters to a new downtown office building next year and work to redevelop its iconic home along the Detroit River, company and city officials confirmed Monday.
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