Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
When lead zookeeper Jessica Gring found out the Metro Richmond Zoo was on fire, she jumped into her car and drove to work to help.
During her frantic drive to the zoo Sunday night, she crashed, got out of the car, and started to run the rest of the way toward the animals she's dedicated her life to protect.
A stranger saw the zookeeper and offered to drive her the rest of the way.
"I will be indebted to her for the rest of my life and I don't know if I'll ever get to thank her," Gring said. "But, if you're out there, thank you."
When Gring arrived at the zoo, she was met with "her worst nightmare."
Fire damaged two buildings, including the animal clinic where 10 animals were being housed.
A meerkat died as a result of the fire.
Cradling a rescued penguin, Gring reflected on what she considered the silver lining.
"We are just happy that we have all of these guys right here and that's all that matters," she said. "We'll figure the rest out."
Gring credited Metro Richmond Zoo Director Jim Andelin, who lives on the property, for rescuing the animals from the fire.
"He just really went above and beyond last night," she said. "We're just so fortunate for him here."
Andelin said he heard an explosion, saw the flames, and jumped into action.
"Just trying to do what you have to do and get the animals safe," he said. "I actually broke [a] window out and there was an armadillo down in this area."
In addition to the armadillo, Andelin said he also brought birds, a kangaroo, a fruit bat, and a one-month-old African penguin to safety.
"After last night we've decided to go with the name Phoenix. We feel like that's an appropriate name for [the penguin chick] now," Gring said.
Much like the bird of myth behind Phoenix the penguin's name, Gring promises the Metro Richmond Zoo too, will rise from the ashes.
"We're a very strong group of people," she said. "And we love these animals. And we love each other. And we'll get through it."
The zoo reopened to guests on Monday, the morning after the fire.
As for the investigation into the fire, the fire marshal said it's not being considered suspicious but the cause remains under investigation.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.