Deportations halted for two Edmonton families at 11th hour
CBC
Two Edmonton families facing imminent deportation — one to Mexico, the other to the Philippines — have been granted reprieves.
The families, both with young children, went public in recent weeks with concerns about safety should they have to return to their countries of origin.
Luis Ubando Nolasco, Cinthya Carrasco Campos and their eight and nine-year-old daughters were supposed to be on a flight to Mexico on Monday.
The family fled to Canada in 2018 and sought refugee protection after a family member's homicide. The government rejected their applications to stay and they were ordered to leave the country.
But the couple says that on Saturday, they met with Edmonton Centre MP and federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, who told them their deportation had been paused and they don't have to leave.
"I dropped to the floor. I cried a lot," Ubando Nolasco said Monday.
Carrasco Campos added that they're thankful to everyone who stepped in to offer support.
"I appreciate their help for me and my family. It's ... good news. Yes. I feel good," she said.
The couple's lawyer, Rachael Anderson, said in an email Tuesday that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada advised her over the weekend that IRCC Minister Sean Fraser authorized temporary resident permits, along with work and study permits for the family.
Anderson said the duration of the permit is unknown for now, but that it will give them a chance to make their case using new evidence of the threats they face in Mexico.
CBC News has asked CBSA for comment on the case.
The planned July 8 deportation of Evangeline Cayanan, whose six-year-old Canadian daughter, McKenna, would be forced to go with her back to the Philippines, is also on hold, Cayanan's lawyer Manraj Sidhu confirmed.
Sidhu said Tuesday that while he is still waiting on official documentation from IRCC, his understanding is that Cayanan is getting a one-year temporary residence permit, which will allow her to file more evidence as she makes a case to be able to stay.
Cayanan came to Canada in 2010 as a temporary foreign worker. She alleges she became undocumented after she reported two employers for alleged abuse.
WARNING: This story references allegations of child abuse.
Police say it was a 67-year-old Chatham man who died while scuba diving at the Erieau marina on Wednesday morning.
Enmax declared its lowest dividend, to be paid to the City of Calgary, in four years in its 2025 financial results.
Rilee Willianen says the City of Thunder Bay has received wide-ranging feedback about its plans to create designated encampment sites.
The Ontario government is planning to outlaw sky-high ticket resale prices, according to a news release.
As March break comes to an end, there are lots of fun events happening on the weekend in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County.
Yukon RCMP are renewing their plea for public help in the investigation into an unsolved 2023 double homicide near Mayo.
Thousands of Muslims in Calgary will mark the end of Ramadan by celebrating Eid al-Fitr on Friday, bringing to a close a month of worship, reflection and fasting.
Dozens of people walked through downtown London Wednesday night shining candles in honour of a First Nation’s woman found dead in the city last month, while also calling for increased awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous peoples.
Have tips for navigating telecom customer service? We want to hear from you. Click the “Join the Conversation” button above. On the app? Join here.
The Health Sciences Centre's cardiac catheterization lab has just completed a major upgrade. It’s been a makeover five years in the making, and officials say the waitlist is already improving.
Jamie Cleveland started his Ford Escape like he did every morning outside his Dartmouth, N.S., apartment building.
What if every season were budget season? That’s where the Holt government may be headed.