# The Haiti Super Thread- Merged



## Sh0rtbUs (18 Feb 2004)

http://www.hispeed.rogers.com/news/world/story.jsp?cid=w021733A 

Is it time for Canada to contribute more than money? This would seem like a very tense scenario, and Canadian Peacekeepers may be what Haiti needs to avoid Civil War.


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## Harris (18 Feb 2004)

I would normally agree, but haven‘t we already been there, done that?  Personally I have the attitude that we should let them sort it out themselves (the violence) before sending guys.


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## Pikache (18 Feb 2004)

Yep. ‘94. Operation Restore Democracy or something like that.


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## Sh0rtbUs (18 Feb 2004)

I just dont want them to reach full blown civil war, THEN send troops in. Because we all know we wont send enough to handle it.


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## winchable (18 Feb 2004)

So why not put out the fire before it burns down the house?

Of course it seems as though president Artiside could possibly be corrupt, so perhaps a political approach could be taken. 
There are hints of this being a similar situation to that which took place in Liberia with Charles Taylor, although Artiside seems less brutal then Taylor was, if he is corrupt he should step down and in theory that would end the uprising.

You have to ask yourself if this is an uprising against a corrupt government, or an uprising of a minority against the majority.


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## portcullisguy (18 Feb 2004)

I can think of no good reason to send troops to Haiti.

The country is having a completely domestic political problem.  It is tragic that this will no doubt have an adverse effect on the civilian population caught in the middle.  That said, it is irresponsible and dangerous to place "peacekeepers" or any other troops in harms way for a conflict that is clearly in the earliest stages and which is rapidly deteriorating into a full blown civil war.

It‘s a matter for the people of Haiti to sort out for themselves as to who and how they want their country run.

When the shooting is over and they need assistance is reestablishing order and democracy, THAT is the time, in my opinion, when the world can best help and make the most use of its resources.

In general, I do not advocate any interference with sovereign nations without just cause.  Just cause is not simply because a nation is having problems keeping law and order.  A just cause would be sponsored terrorism (Iraq, Afghanistan), ethnic cleansing (Former Yugoslavia, et al), or humanitarian assistance in the absence of any form of government whatsoever (Somalia).  Additionally, if the conflict involved more than one country, then it should certainly become a matter for the UN to resolve through demilitarization, de-escalation, and intervention with peacekeepers.

Haiti doesn‘t meet any of these criteria, and as has been pointed out already, we‘ve been there before.

Once the country has decided, through either a political solution, or a coup d‘etat, who they want running the show, then is the time to step in and offer a hand.


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## Duotone81 (18 Feb 2004)

Portcullisguy,

I agree 100%. However that is the common sense thing to do and common sense and national interests rarely occupy the same room. Have to wait and see how this one unfolds.


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## Jungle (18 Feb 2004)

> Originally posted by RoyalHighlandFusilier:
> [qb] Yep. ‘94. Operation Restore Democracy or something like that. [/qb]


There were two UN ops in Haiti (that CDNs participated in): first there was  OP STABLE, followed by OP CONSTABLE. Four CDN contingents served in Haiti: the three R22eR Battalions (in turn) followed by 5 RALC.


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## pissedpat (18 Feb 2004)

One quick question before sending in troops. Who would you support? The oppressive government or the lawless rebels? Arguments could be made for both sides and sending Canadians into the middle and hoping for the best would likely only end up in a few of our guys coming back in boxes and a very temporary break in fighting.


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## winchable (18 Feb 2004)

I don‘t know if the rebels actually have a plan to put in government, I think their action is a way of pressuring Artiside to resign and for new free uncorrupt elections.
Which is probably why the diplomatic approach would be best, and perhaps Artiside will step aside a-la Liberia.


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## jimbunting (19 Feb 2004)

Gentlemen:

Lets consider, for a moment, the history of Hati.

Over ther past 200 years, there have been 35 military revolts, resulting ina change of government about every SIX YEARS! The Hatians are living in great poverty, precisely because of that history. They are once again killing each other, with great glee, as it allows the settling of old scores.

I suggest that Canada along with all the other suggested "intervenors" stay out, and after the opposing sides have killed each other enough, the remainder might benefit from some "anger management classes".

Seriously, this nation (Hati) is not somewhere that we should be involved. The people of Hati have shown that they cannot maintain a semblance of peace, even for a few years at a time.

Jim Bunting. Toronto.


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## winchable (19 Feb 2004)

Any idea why they‘ve revolted so many times?

A little revolution is healthy every once in a while, like Fibre, but too much of it and..well you know.


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## Pikache (19 Feb 2004)

Heh. Haiti sounds like Somalia, except there is some semblance of govt and maybe a little better off.


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## Padraig OCinnead (19 Feb 2004)

Why don‘t the countries who have a primary interest in local stability start cleaning their own neighbourhood? The Govt‘s of Dominican Rep, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries should be the first ones to step up to the plate. With a much deeper insight with regards to local customs, traditions, language and other ethnic hang ups these folks could do much more than North American and European soldiers can.

This doesn‘t seem like much more than bitter enders, common criminals and thugs furthering their own interests. By tagging it with terms like Revolution, Military revolt or uprising it tends to add a legitimacy that this is clearly lacking.


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## winchable (19 Feb 2004)

I don‘t think that many Carribean countries have the means or manpower to step up and help, they have a full plate of their own problems to deal with, without worrying about what the Hatians are up to.

The countries that should be helping out are the ones who colonised this region then left, in this case France.

I think that it has some sense of legitamacy; obviously there are some thugs taking advantage of a situation. Artiside is corrupt, he tampered with elections and uses his civilian police to oppress oppposition.


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## winchable (19 Feb 2004)

I think perhaps that other Carribean nations have quite a bit on their plate without worrying what the Hatians are up to.


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## Marauder (20 Feb 2004)

F$ck it, I say we just go and take over the place. Go and clean house in the DR too, make the whole **** island the newest province.
Chances are a large lot of them will wind up "fleeing" to Toronto and wind up living off the Canadian (taxpayer‘s)teat anyway. Might as well annex some sunshine and beach while they‘re at it.


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## jimbunting (20 Feb 2004)

MAURADER:
I sure hope you were kidding about that?

TO THE REST OF YOU:

Remember that the Hatians speak FRENCH, not English. So how effective would the Jamaicans be? I think the reason that Hati is so prone to armed conflict is simple.

It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with the highest HIV AIDS levels, the lowest litteracy rate, and the worst civil rights record, combined with lousy ecomomics, and no history of lawful or peaceful government.

As an aside, many Hatians have fled, over the years, to other Carribbean countries, such as The Bahamas, where there are over 50,000 illegal Hatian regugees. Some have lived there for most of their lives, but are stateless, with no legal status in the Bahamas. They are rounded up every so often and shipped back to Hati, by the Bahamian government.

Jim Bunting. Toronto.


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## Padraig OCinnead (20 Feb 2004)

JimBunting,

Here is a novel idea. Stop fighting, stop screwing without condoms, stay in school, don‘t blow all of you US$4 weekly income on pot, stop breaking the law and maybe you might not have the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. 
Education, Education, Education. How about a free box of condoms for every gun turned in. Learn how your goverment works, how economics function and how to improve your own quality of life. Get the intellegentsia (sp) into positions of authority. Get backdoor shenanigans from outside interest (read USA, Canada, UK, etc) from posting their puppets into office to cease. 

Jamaicans, Bahamians probably have a much deeper insight into local customs and historical events than do remote North Americans. A bit of "coup de main" from neighbours will go a long way as opposed to yet more cash from rich USA or others.


Maybe I‘m oversymplifying but this is a vicious circle that they need to stop themselves first.

Slainte,


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## gate_guard (20 Feb 2004)

Padraig,
Your intentions are noble and the situation you describe mirrors any one of dozens of third world countries. The common ground many of them share is most have all, at one time or another, been official or unofficial colonies of Western nations. Are you proposing that we pull all support save for humanitarian aid? Again, a noble concept but I don‘t think this will solve the problem. In my view, countries such as Haiti have a small part of the population who have seen the other side of the fence, namely the Western way of living with big cars and lots of money. And then there‘s the majority of said populations who are really only concerned with putting food on the table and finding fire wood to keep warm. Mix this pot up and you have a few factions fighting to gain the Western way of living while the rest of the population is caught in the middle. It‘s a catch 22, get involved and inevitably your only hindering a country‘s growth, don‘t get involved and watch them kill each other. Am I oversimplifying things? Probably, but the formula I just described seems all to common these days.

I agree with you that to a certain extent, we need to let these countries grow on their own. The problem is, as a "civilized" society (I use that term loosely), are we willing to stand by and watch them destroy themselves only so that they can finally figure out that they are better off working together for their own common good?


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## The_Falcon (20 Feb 2004)

Yes, Canada did it, The US did it, Australia and New Zealand did it.


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## Infanteer (20 Feb 2004)

I‘m with Marauder.  I think imperialism is the way to go.  They have obviously proven to the world that they can not take care of themselves, and thus provide regional instability and become a national security risk.  I say we take ‘em over and put ‘em on a short leash.

Either that or let them wipe themselves out.  No half measures here, won‘t fix a thing.


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## gate_guard (20 Feb 2004)

> Originally posted by The_Falcon:
> [qb] Yes, Canada did it, The US did it, Australia and New Zealand did it. [/qb]


Your missing my point, I know it‘s been done. The point is, in todays society (not a hundred or two hundred years ago) are we willing to watch a country go through the same growing pains we went through? Are you prepared to watch a dozen more Rwanda‘s on the six o‘clock news just so fifty years down the road these people will finally figure it out?


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## The_Falcon (20 Feb 2004)

Yes, as mentioned, we have been their twice already, and they still have problems.  They need to sort themselves out before he can help them. Unless you want to commit to staying their for 10-20 years, with some magical troops you just dreamed up, cause we don‘t have the resources to send any significant type of force.


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## Padraig OCinnead (20 Feb 2004)

Gate_guard,

Yes maybe what I am proposing is to let them sort out democracy for themselves. I do believe that post colonial periods are very very trying on a country. We struggled through that not very long ago and came close to stumbling more than once. Throw into that mixture underdevelopment, poverty and corruption and you have terrible problems. Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ivory Coast and Haiti (a recurring theme?) all have been experiencing this case. However it took us and the USA a long time to get the hang of democracy  and how it works. I don‘t have a problem stepping in to prevent a humanitarian crisis if it develops. 

But what I am about to say is going to be cold, cruel and will no doubt bring up heaps of abuse on my head but Haiti will have to suffer in order to get to where they want to be. Nothing in life is easy and all great things must be achieved with toil and pain. Lives will be lost but if they don‘t sink into hellish savagery they will achieve it. If they do then I have no problems boarding an Airbus and heading south....

As long as my back is covered by infanteer or marauder while I pull shifts in C/S 0.

Slainte,


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## Infanteer (21 Feb 2004)

> Yes maybe what I am proposing is to let them sort out democracy for themselves.


How come they have been at it for 100 years longer than us, but they still can‘t figure it out?


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## Lexi (21 Feb 2004)

> Originally posted by Enzo:
> [qb] The actual question is, who would you send?? [/qb]


I know someone who‘s trying to make a big difference and has even gone to Haiti in all this. Her name is Esther Pauls and she owns 2 stores called the Runner‘s Den here in Hamilton. Each year she holds the Race For Haiti. All the money that is earned goes right to Haiti, and is used for building orphanages, schools and playgrounds and also used to feed the hungry and shelter those out on the streets.
If you don‘t want to just sit here and fret over it you can run the race come October, or if you‘re in the Hamilton area stop by the Runner‘s Den and make a donation. I‘ll post the adresses for both stores later.


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## gate_guard (22 Feb 2004)

> Originally posted by The_Falcon:
> [qb] Yes, as mentioned, we have been their twice already, and they still have problems.  They need to sort themselves out before he can help them. Unless you want to commit to staying their for 10-20 years, with some magical troops you just dreamed up, cause we don‘t have the resources to send any significant type of force. [/qb]


If there were to be any international force sent down there, right now Canada would be the last place I would go looking for any long term commitment of troops. That really isn‘t the issue.

Padraig,
I do see your point of view, I just don‘t see todays society (not just the Canadian public, but American, British, etc) willing to let such atrocities occur. We, as a Western society, aren‘t exactly known for our future thinking mentality. But we have discovered that blood is the price of freedom and peace. Our problem is that many of these countries have yet to figure that out. I do agree that the only way for some of these countries to grow past their current situation is to let them learn the hard way.


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## CDNBlackhawk (22 Feb 2004)

yes Canada is Generally know as Peace keepers, But that all aside, we are still bloody soldiers and are trained to fight and Protect the innocent. We are soldiers first, Peace keepers second.


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## wongskc (22 Feb 2004)

> Originally posted by gate_guard:
> [qb]
> 
> 
> ...


Perhaps it‘s exactly those growing pains that countries must go through to develop stable governments.  I think at this point, the best solution would be to step back and let them deal with their own business without outside interference.


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## Spr.Earl (22 Feb 2004)

Growing Pain‘s?!!!!
Haiti has had 200yrs to grow!!!

Haiti was the first Independent all Black country in the Caribbean,never mind the world when they revolted against the French and won their independence way back in 1804 under Toussaint L‘OUVERTURE.


What‘s needed is to get rid of the corruption and those who perpetuate it!
To make this country to work is that we go in and don‘t leave for 20yrs or more to teach and set thing‘s right and introduce buisness and light industry as the country has very little resource‘s left.
Ever seen a Sat.photo of Hispaniola (name of the whole Island)Haiti is bare while the Dominican Rep. is lush with tree‘s.

It‘s going to take a whole re education of at least 2 generation‘s to correct 200yrs of wrong‘s.


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## fleeingjam (22 Feb 2004)

God forbid, if we did an operation there that the same crisis as Mogadisgu back in 93 happen again, they had pretty much the same scenario. ( Im not sure if it was 93 oh well)


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## gate_guard (22 Feb 2004)

Sapper Earl,
If you can show me a foolproof way of ridding the world of corruption, while keeping some semblence of freedom, I‘m all for it. I take it you propose we essentially take over the country and build it in our image. Who decides that Haiti is worth it? What about all the other third world nations that are struggling to survive? Do you propose we teach them as well? Sounds quite expensive. Your intentions are noble, and on a fundamental scale I agree with you, but it‘s easier said than done.


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## Spr.Earl (22 Feb 2004)

> Originally posted by gate_guard:
> [qb] Sapper Earl,
> If it was that easy to get rid of corruption, how come we let so many of our politicians abuse the system? Explain why organized crime is still prevalent in our "civilized" society? We‘ve been deployed in the Former Yugo for well over a decade and the mafia still runs things over there. If you can show me a foolproof way of ridding the world of corruption, while keeping some semblence of freedom, I‘m all for it. Your intent is noble, however, the application of it isn‘t so easy. [/qb]


Gate Guard,yes we have corruption that we see and don‘t even see!!
But we don‘t run amoke and rape,pillage but then again we have grown as a Nation.
They were a nation before us.


My post was a general over all solution not a defined solution,yes I‘ve been in Bosnia also(97) and saw the scam‘s going on even our worker‘s pointed them out to us but at that time it was  not under our mandate to interdict civil crime as that came under the U.N. Police!

Maybe it‘s time to give the Military the power to hunt down and try and stop the Orginised crime with civil help in those Nation‘s we are helping.

Yes it‘s conundrum!


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## Infanteer (23 Feb 2004)

I don‘t think "atrocities" is the right word to assign to Haiti...it is more of a political meltdown.


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## tmbluesbflat (23 Feb 2004)

Corruption? Canada can teach the world a few things about corruption, the Auditor Generals report sheds a small light on much corruption. The US sets the bar for corruption in the developed world. I am sorry, we have hands much to dirty to be telling anybody anything about ethics, morality or any other forms of corruption. We need to clean house here, big time!


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## CDNBlackhawk (23 Feb 2004)

I think Canada should have an obligation to help any country in need, WHY? because we have it much better then almost every toher country. 

However, if we do send troops over, i cant see it being very effective with the limited resources in troops we currently have.


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## wongskc (23 Feb 2004)

What other kind of suppport would we be able to send then?  I would be strongly opposed to sending financial aid, as who knows what that may be used to buy, or in whose pockets it will end up in.


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## NMPeters (25 Feb 2004)

This is just off the CP Newswire:

OTTAWA -- Canada is sending soldiers to Haiti. 

A military spokesman says a small force, likely members of Canada‘s special unit, Joint Task Force 2, has been deployed to secure Canadian embassy staff in the Haitian capital of Port au Prince. 

They are to join a small number of Canadian forces planners already in the war-ravaged country, where they are preparing the potential evacuation of over one-thousand Canadians.


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## Devlin (25 Feb 2004)

Update to NMPeters article

 http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=599dc8c4-fcca-4449-9934-a03344454eef 

Canadian troops to protect embassy in Haiti

February 25, 2004

A small force of Canadian troops, likely members of the special operations unit Joint Task Force 2, is on its way to Haiti to protect embassy staff. 

They will join a few Canadian Forces planners already in the war-ravaged country preparing the potential evacuation of over 1,000 Canadians, Maj. Mike Audette said Wednesday. 

He would not say when the troops would arrive in the capital of Port-au-Prince, or if they had already arrived. 

"We have dispatched CF members to assist the embassy in Haiti with security measures," Audette said. "We are not in a position to discuss the composition or numbers of security staff who have been dispatched." 

The soldiers were sent after the Department of Foreign Affairs ``asked for the provision of personnel to assist with security measures for the embassy and its staff.‘‘ 

A larger contingent of Canadian soldiers, but smaller than a 120-member company, has been put on alert and could depart to further secure the safety of embassy staff and other Canadian citizens in a matter of hours, said Audette. 
Members of 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, in Gagetown, N.B., along with elements of the Joint Operations Group out of Kingston, Ont., and a Hercules aircraft in Trenton, Ont., have been put on standby, he said. 

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Wednesday issued a statement calling for an "immediate" international civilian force to restore order in Haiti, where a rebellion threatens to topple President Jean-Baptiste Aristide. 

France also said it wants human rights observers to be sent to the Caribbean country and a "long term" engagement of international aid aimed at reconstructing Haiti‘s dismal social and economic situation. 

U.S. Marines were escorting foreigners trying to flee Haiti‘s capital Wednesday as looting broke out and opposition leaders urged a "timely and orderly" departure of the beleaguered president. 
Aristide loyalists built dozens of flaming barricades, blocking roads all over the city and some leading to the airport. 

Washington was encouraging the international community to provide a strong security presence in Haiti as America and its allies continued to try to achieve a political solution to the island nation‘s escalating violence. 

On Tuesday, five Canadian Forces members arrived in Port-au-Prince to assist the Canadian embassy with planning the evacuation of Canadians should the situation worsen. 

Ottawa has authorized the departure of non-essential staff from the embassy and all dependants of Canadian government personnel. Overall, there are about 30,000 foreigners in Haiti, some 20,000 of them Americans.


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## scm77 (25 Feb 2004)

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/02/25/360665-cp.html 

Canadian troops heading for Haiti
By STEPHEN THORNE

OTTAWA (CP) - A small force of Canadian troops, likely members of the special operations unit Joint Task Force 2, is on its way to Haiti to protect embassy staff. 

They will join a few Canadian Forces planners already in the war-ravaged country preparing the potential evacuation of over 1,000 Canadians, Maj. Mike Audette said Wednesday. 

He would not say when the troops would arrive in the capital of Port-au-Prince, or if they had already arrived. "We have dispatched CF members to assist the embassy in Haiti with security measures," Audette said. "We are not in a position to discuss the composition or numbers of security staff who have been dispatched." 

The soldiers were sent after the Department of Foreign Affairs "asked for the provision of personnel to assist with security measures for the embassy and its staff." 

A larger contingent of Canadian soldiers, but smaller than a 120-member company, has been put on alert and could depart to further secure the safety of embassy staff and other Canadian citizens in a matter of hours, said Audette. 

Members of 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, in Gagetown, N.B., along with elements of the Joint Operations Group out of Kingston, Ont., and a Hercules aircraft in Trenton, Ont., have been put on standby, he said. 

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Wednesday issued a statement calling for an "immediate" international civilian force to restore order in Haiti, where a rebellion threatens to topple President Jean-Baptiste Aristide. 

France also said it wants human rights observers to be sent to the Caribbean country and a "long term" engagement of international aid aimed at reconstructing Haiti‘s dismal social and economic situation. 

U.S. Marines were escorting foreigners trying to flee Haiti‘s capital Wednesday as looting broke out and opposition leaders urged a "timely and orderly" departure of the beleaguered president. 

Aristide loyalists built dozens of flaming barricades, blocking roads all over the city and some leading to the airport. 

Washington was encouraging the international community to provide a strong security presence in Haiti as America and its allies continued to try to achieve a political solution to the island nation‘s escalating violence. 

On Tuesday, five Canadian Forces members arrived in Port-au-Prince to assist the Canadian embassy with planning the evacuation of Canadians should the situation worsen. 

Ottawa has authorized the departure of non-essential staff from the embassy and all dependants of Canadian government personnel. Overall, there are about 30,000 foreigners in Haiti, some 20,000 of them Americans.


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## Tpr.Orange (25 Feb 2004)

Good luck to our men and women...Hopefully all will go smoothly,

Although i do fear that soon there will be a larger presence in Haiti, something in regards to the UN


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## patrick666 (25 Feb 2004)

I‘ve missed the news coverage of the story so I have one question - why exactly did all of this start in Haiti?


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## pte anthony (25 Feb 2004)

The rebel leaders are tring to oust the president aristeed (best as I could pronounce and spell it) because they believe the election was rigged. I seen on the news that the United States believed it was fairly carried out though.   :soldier:


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## garb811 (25 Feb 2004)

Please also take a second to think good thoughts for the MPs already at the Embassy in Haiti as part of the MSGU...


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## Art Johnson (26 Feb 2004)

Fine I‘m all in favour getting our Embassy staff out but that is it let‘s not get involved in that cesspool again.


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## bossi (27 Feb 2004)

(Gawd ... WHEN am I going to start sleeping normally again ... sigh ... ???)

Okay - here‘s another angle on Haiti:
Using the analogy of a good old-fashioned knuckle on knuckle dance in hockey, the referees wait until the two fighters have thrown a few punches before intervening.  Why?  Because it‘s not the safest thing to try and step in between during Round One.  Also, the refs will step in when it becomes obvious that one player is beating the cr@p out of the other.

So, how does this apply to Haiti?

Well, in a macro sense, referees don‘t really condone fighting - they‘d rather see a game played cleanly (or in Haiti‘s case, we‘d rather see a democratic solution, without murders).

Now, if we adopt the concept that sooner or later a referee sometimes has to step in and stop a fight, then it sure helps when the ref knows how to throw a punch or two (was it King Clancy or Red Storey that actually clocked a player once?)

I‘ll suggest you sometimes have to step in and say "knock it off, OR ELSE!"

Now, in the present situation in Haiti, I‘d politely suggest that any military intervention should take along a well thought-out plan of what they hope to achieve, and how (i.e. it‘s not enough to just wade in, bayonets gleaming ...).
The campaign plan should include steps to achieve a peaceful democracy, and the intervention force should take along the necessary assets and tools to achieve this aim (i.e. okay - I can imagine some of you are going to roll your eyes, but I‘m going to say this anyway - it would be a good idea to take along some specialists to help set up or re-establish the civilian police and government - I‘ll suggest some smart CIMIC guys would be a good step in the right direction, since they‘re already trained in civilian evacuation operations, anyway - they‘d be twice as useful as one-way, downrange 5.56/7.62/9mm flashlights ...)

I just got back from Kabul, but I could use some time in the sun.  Send me in, coach - I‘m on a roll (and I figure it‘s the only way an over-the-hill goalie like me will ever get to scrimmage with the Dwyer Hill Highlanders)!


Martin vows to help Haiti, defence minister says military too stretched

AMY CARMICHAEL    
Canadian Press  
Thursday, February 26, 2004

VANCOUVER (CP) - While Canada can‘t spare a sizeable military force to quell rebellion in Haiti, Prime Minister Paul Martin vowed Thursday his government would live up to its responsibility to help. 

"Canada is going to play a role in Haiti," he told a news conference during a visit to an east Vancouver school. 

"This matter is before the UN at the present time. I will be discussing this with the secretary general." 

But Defence Minister David Pratt had said earlier in Ottawa that it would be difficult for Canada to make any commitment beyond evacuating the 1,025 Canadians in Haiti because military resources are stretched thin with about 2,000 soldiers in Afghanistan. 

"We‘re always doing contingency planning. Would we be able to put together a force the size of Afghanistan? I think the answer is clear; no we would not," Pratt said. 

The comment came as Haitians braced for war. 

The situation on the ground in the Caribbean country is extremely dangerous, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham told reporters in Ottawa. 

Rebels began moving toward Haiti‘s capital of Port-au-Prince on Thursday and were awaiting the order to attack. 

Fifteen Canadians and some other foreign nationals were evacuated from Haiti Wednesday night aboard a Canadian Forces aircraft. 

Pratt said two Hercules transports and a company of 120 soldiers from the 2nd battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, are on short notice to move in to help in an evacuation if needed. He couldn‘t say when they might move, only that they‘re ready to go quickly. 

Graham said Canadian diplomats are working hard to find a resolution, hoping to avoid war. 

Pressure is mounting for President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to resign, with France blaming him for the chaos in its former colony in the three-week-old rebellion and urging that he be replaced by a transitional government. 

The UN Security Council scheduled a meeting for later Thursday. 

Graham wouldn‘t call for Aristide to quit, although he pointed out that is an option. 

"In the event, for example, that Mr. Aristide should decide to resign in the interests of the best interest of his country . . . we would work with whatever constitutional forces that are there to ensure the security on the ground." 

Aristide, who has shown determination to keep power, has said a rebel attack on the capital could kill thousands. 

Graham said he is looking at options and consulting with a number of foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and French Foreign Minister Dominic Villepen. 

As a fellow French-speaking country, Canada has an obligation to get involved, Martin said in Vancouver. 

"Given the fact that this is a francophone nation and we obviously have a very large Haitian population in Canada - these are people with families - it is clear we have a responsibility and it‘s one we‘re going to discharge." 

But as an international force, Graham said Canada cannot take sides in the crisis. 

"We are not in a position to be able to go into Haiti to support one or other of the parties to this dispute internally." 

If a foreign military or police force were to move in, Graham said it must respect the Haitian constitution. 

"We have consistently told the Haitian people that they must come together with a political solution that allows the international community to take effective action. 

"We are presently engaged in finding out ways to do that and we will have the means to do it. It takes two, however, to work on this. That said, clearly the best way is if the opposition will co-operate with Mr. Aristide, Mr. Aristide will co-operate with the opposition." 

Aristide, a 50-year-old former slum priest, once commanded widespread support as Haiti‘s first democratically elected leader and saviour to the poor, but he has steadily lost support as poverty deepened after his party swept flawed legislative elections in 2000 and international donors suspended aid. 

Graham said he believes the best solution would be a national union government with or without Aristide. 

"We would then move in to help secure order."


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## D-n-A (28 Feb 2004)

http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/2004/02/28/haiti_cdns040228 

Canada sends military planes to Haiti 
Last Updated Sat, 28 Feb 2004 15:06:10 
TRENTON, ONT. - Three Canadian Hercules aircraft are on their way to Haiti in case Canadians need to be taken out of the Caribbean country, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Saturday. 

Martin commented on the turmoil in Haiti while in Cochrane Alta., west of Calgary, where he was speaking to local mayors and reeves. 

He said he is in frequent contact with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to keep up to date on the situation. 

Anti-government rebels said they plan to move south toward the capital Port-au-Prince "in a day or two" in a bid to topple President Jean-Bertrand Artistide. As of Saturday, they remained 40 kilometres northeast of the city. 

More than 80 people, half of them police officers, have been killed since the rebel uprising began three weeks ago. Aristide supporters have killed at least five people thought to be sympathetic to the rebels in the past two days. 

The Canadian Embassy moved this week from its downtown location in Port-au-Prince to Ambassador Kenneth Cook‘s residence. 

Six Canadians who work at the embassy remain on the job, said Cook, adding there are currently no plans to leave the country. 

Although everyone is on pins and needles wondering exactly when and if (the rebels) will go on to the city, it‘s not yet clear," he said. 

"I‘m not planning to leave, but we do have measures to make it possible for those who wish to leave," he said. 

Cook told CBC News a small team of Canadian Forces personnel in Port-au-Prince have helped the embassy staff feel safe. About 20 Canadian soldiers are in Haiti to help with any evacuation. 

On the streets, people looted port warehouses and Port-au-Prince‘s only working hospital in the face of food and gasoline shortages. Aristide supporters have set up flaming roadblocks to keep the rebels out. All commercial flights from the city have been cancelled. 

The ambassador urged Canadians still in Haiti to "hunker down" and stay off the streets. "The important thing is not to become a target, not to expose yourself." 

Cook said about 1,000 Canadians were registered with the embassy. It‘s not known how many have left since the violence began. 


Written by CBC News Online staff


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## Pikache (29 Feb 2004)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3519821.stm 

Embattled Aristide quits Haiti


Aristide: Under pressure from within and outside Haiti 
Haiti‘s President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has gone into exile after a three-week rebellion against his rule. 
Mr Aristide has reportedly arrived in the neighbouring Dominican Republic but his final destination is not known. 

His departure came as rebels, who control much of the country, neared the capital, Port-au-Prince. 

The US and France had called on him to step down for the good of the Haitian people but angry pro-Aristide militants are demonstrating in the capital. 


‘Right decision‘ 

Hundreds of people converged on the presidential palace and gunfire rang out. 

At least one petrol station was set on fire. In rebel-held Cap Haiten, by contrast, people were dancing in the streets at news of Mr Aristide‘s departure. 

Events unfolded quickly on Sunday when an unmarked jet believed to be carrying Mr Aristide and his security chief was seen leaving Port-au-Prince airport. 

No-one saw Mr Aristide on board, but shortly afterwards both American and French officials confirmed the president was no longer in Haiti. 

 THE ARISTIDE YEARS 
1990: Haiti‘s first democratically elected president 
1991: Overthrown in military coup; exiled to US 
1994: Reinstated; forbidden from standing for second consecutive term 
2000: Wins contested elections 
2004 - Jan: Haiti celebrates 200 years of independence, amid growing political protests 
Feb 10: (approx) Exiled rebel leaders cross back into Haiti; capture north of country 
Feb 29: Aristide leaves Haiti  

A couple of hours later, a presidential spokesman in the Dominican Republic said Mr Ariside‘s plane had landed there, the French news agency AFP reported. 

Conflicting reports suggested he would seek asylum in Morocco, Taiwan, Panama or South Africa. 

The BBC‘s Stephen Gibbs, in Haiti, says it is believed the White House helped to make the final arrangements for his departure. 

The Bush administration said Mr Aristide had made the right decision for the Haitian people by resigning. 

Just hours earlier, the White House had delivered its sharpest criticism of him to date, blaming him for the crisis in his country and questioning his fitness to govern amid looting and anarchy in the capital. 

"His failure to adhere to democratic principles has contributed to the deep polarisation and violent unrest that we are witnessing in Haiti today," a US statement said. 

Rebel advance 

The unrest which has gathered pace in recent weeks stems from disputed elections in 2000, which the opposition says were rigged in Mr Aristide‘s favour. 


But anger has turned to mounting violence. 

In the past three weeks rebels have taken control of much of the country; law and order has broken down; and armed gangs loyal to Mr Aristide have been roaming the streets of Port-au-Prince. 

On Saturday, Haitian rebel leader Guy Philippe said he had decided to hold off an attack on the besieged Haitian capital for "a day or two". 

The rebels, who were demanding Mr Aristide‘s resignation, have said - which he had continually insisted was out of the question. 

Haiti‘s constitution stipulates that the chief judge of the Haitian Supreme Court, currently Boniface Alexandre, would take over the presidency, if Mr Aristide has resigned. 

It is the second time Mr Aristide has been forced into exile. He was ousted in 1991 in a coup within months of becoming Haiti‘s first democratically elected leader 

He was restored to power three years later by a US-led military intervention.


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## Pikache (29 Feb 2004)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3552105&thesection=news&thesubsection=world&thesecondsubsection= 

Aristide quits Haiti, Canadian troops begin securing capital 

01.03.2004
8.15am - By JIM LONEY and ALISTAIR SCRUTTON 
UPDATE - PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haiti‘s President Jean-Bertrand Aristide quit his chaotic Caribbean country on Sunday, driven out by a bloody revolt that put rebels near the capital and by pressure from the United States and France. 

Canadian troops took control of the main airport in the capital Port-au-Prince on Sunday as part of an operation to restore order after Aristide fled, Canada‘s RDI television said. Canada‘s foreign minister said US Marines would arrive on Sunday. 

***
Very interesting to see where the mandate came from to secure the airport, considering how our govt lacks the brass to act decisively.


----------



## sgt_mandal (29 Feb 2004)

It‘s encouraging to know that they send Canadian troops before they send the Marines


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## wongskc (29 Feb 2004)

First, the defence minister said that we were not sending troops, then the foreign minister said that we would contribute to a stabilization force.  Anyone else wondering what‘s going on?


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## Scoobie Newbie (29 Feb 2004)

Politicians always flip flop.  Situation no change.


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## Adrian (29 Feb 2004)

That article is kinda confusing.  So are there going to be more Marines coming soon than those 50 that arrived last week?  And when did our troops begin capturing the airport? Before or after the advance party of 50 marines?


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## Adrian (29 Feb 2004)

And same to what RHF asked...where is this mandate/order to take airport coming from? Or is this the type of thing that we allow our JTF2 guys to do freely once on the ground?  What I mean is, are they being ordered to do this and if so by whom?  Mr. Martin has some explaining to do...**** if he‘s the one behind all this then I like it!


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## scm77 (29 Feb 2004)

This isn‘t true.  On the CNN ticker it said "Canadian Military denies reports that it has taken control of the airport in Port-au-prince"


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## Duotone81 (29 Feb 2004)

Yeah this article doesn‘t really suggest that the Canadian Military seized the airport but rather a small group of CF members are helping Canadians fly out of the country if they choose to.



> About 50 Canadian Forces personnel are in Haiti to help fly out any Canadians who want to escape from the Haitian capital and provide security for the Canadian embassy.
> 
> On Saturday, a Canadian Hercules transport flew 20 people from Port-au-Prince to safety the nearby Dominican Republic.


Heres the full CBC article.
Canadians in Haiti


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## sinblox (29 Feb 2004)

Where are the 50 CF personnel from? I take it that it‘s being kept a secret?


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## Scoobie Newbie (29 Feb 2004)

This early in the event there is bound to be some confusion in reporting.


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## Pikache (29 Feb 2004)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3520945.stm 

UN discusses Haiti interim force


Aristide opponents celebrated his departure 
An emergency session of the UN Security Council is discussing an international force for Haiti, after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled the country. 
US officials say a contingent of several hundred marines is already on its way, and France and Canada have also said they will send troops. 

A curfew is in force in the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is reported calmer after a day of looting. 

There are reports the former president will seek asylum in an African country. 


Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso said Panama had agreed to a US request to give Mr Aristide asylum. 

But Costa Rica, which had also offered him temporary political asylum, said the ousted president decided to go to Africa instead. 



There have been reports of revenge attacks in the anarchy of Port-au-Prince 
The draft UN resolution, drawn up by a group known as the Friends of Haiti, which include the United States, France, Canada and Caribbean countries, would authorise the immediate deployment of a multi-national interim force to be paid for by participating countries. 

Its mission would be expected to restore law and order and allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need. 

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said they would need about three to four months before a full UN peacekeeping force could be prepared. 

 HAVE YOUR SAY 
 The departure of President Aristide will leave a vacuum that will be very hard to fill 

Georges, Cayes, Haiti 


Send us your comments  
The first of 200 Marines landed in Port-au-Prince late on Sunday, with more expected to follow. President George W Bush said the vanguard of marines would help "bring order and stability to Haiti". 

He urged Haitians to "reject violence to give this break from the past a chance to work". 

Rebel leader Guy Philippe, who had been massing his men for an assault on the capital, welcomed the foreign intervention, saying the time for fighting was over. 

"We just want peace," he told the BBC. 

He said he was making his way to Port-au-Prince, where his fighters would help impose security, and he denied that he had any political ambitions "for now". 

Fury and joy 

Sunday night‘s curfew brought some calm to the capital, after a day of anarchy and violence in the wake of the president‘s departure. 

A BBC correspondent in the city says two petrol stations have been burnt down, and prisoners have been released from the national jail. 

Looting was widespread, and for the first time militants loyal to rebel leader, Guy Philippe, have been seen on the streets. 


Looting has been widespread 
Our correspondent says they‘ve been hunting down Mr Aristide‘s supporters, with some evidence of vengeance killings. 

The elderly head of Haiti‘s Supreme Court, Boniface Alexandre, has been sworn in as caretaker president, as stipulated by the constitution. 

In a statement as he left, Mr Aristide said: "The constitution should not drown in the blood of the Haitian people... If my resignation is to prevent bloodshed, I accept to leave." 

The escalating violent protests stemmed from disputed elections in 2000, which the opposition says were rigged. 

In the past three weeks rebels have taken control of much of the country; and recently law and order broke down completely in the capital. 

It is the second time Mr Aristide has been forced into exile. He was ousted in 1991 in a coup within months of becoming Haiti‘s first democratically elected leader 

He was restored to power three years later by a US-led military intervention.

***
So, it will be an UN mission after all.


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## bossi (29 Feb 2004)

And to think some people have the nerve to accuse the military of "mission creep" ... hahaha!

Our politicians are experiencing "the slippery slope", even as we "speak" ...

It‘s going to be interesting to see how they juggle troops on 54 day deployments for this one ... 

Canada to join international force in Haiti 
Last Updated Sun, 29 Feb 2004 19:58:52 
OTTAWA - Canada is ready to send troops to Haiti as part of an international stabilization force, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said Sunday. 

Graham made the promise shortly after Haiti‘s leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, fled the country. 

Hundreds of armed rebels advancing on the capital, Port-au-Prince, did not immediately go into the capital, and there are fears that a power vacuum could lead to bloodshed. During the past few days, gangs have been looting and killing. 

Aristide left the country in 1991 and over the next three years of military rule thousands of people were killed, freelance journalist Claude Adams told CBC Newsworld. "That could happen again."  

U.S. Ambassador to Haiti James Foley said an international force "will rapidly be in Haiti." 


U.S. President George W. Bush ordered several hundred marines to leave for Haiti. They‘re the first wave of what‘s expected to be a multinational force. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session Sunday night to consider Washington‘s request to authorize more troops. 

Graham didn‘t say how many soldiers Canada would send, or when they would be ready. "We‘ll be there when the conditions are right." 

Prime Minister Paul Martin called Caribbean leaders Sunday to ask how Canada can help, and will tell the UN on Monday that Canada is ready to join an international stabilization force, Graham said. 

The foreign affairs minister said he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell about the situation in Haiti, and Powell told him U.S. soldiers would land before Monday. 

About 50 Canadian Forces personnel are in Haiti to help fly out any Canadians who want to escape from the Haitian capital and provide security for the Canadian embassy. 

On Saturday, a Canadian Hercules transport flew 20 people from Port-au-Prince to safety the nearby Dominican Republic. On Sunday a few more dozen Canadians were airlifted from Haiti.


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## Scoobie Newbie (1 Mar 2004)

Short term, long term.  i suppose its anyones guess.


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## JasonH (1 Mar 2004)

Betcha the troops there right now are some JTF-2 personal no doubt.  For something as this and such low personal it‘d be good for them.  Then again I‘m probably wrong.


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## Scoobie Newbie (1 Mar 2004)

Its already been reported that the JTF have deployed members to the CAN embassy.


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## bossi (1 Mar 2004)

(this is developing into a "joint" Army/Air Force operation, vice solely Army - and "combined", meaning multi-national - therefore, we‘re also monitoring it in the ‘Current Affairs‘ forum instead of only in ‘Canadian Army News‘)

Hmmm ... Canada has committed three Hercs ... (takes off shoes to count above ten) ... that‘s gotta be ... what percentage of our serviceable tactical airlift ... ? ("a lot")


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## D-n-A (1 Mar 2004)

http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/2004/03/01/haiti_matin040301 

Canadian troops to extend mission in Haiti: Martin 
Last Updated Mon, 01 Mar 2004 18:12:28 
UNITED NATIONS - Canadian troops in Haiti will have to stay longer than the three-month commitment made to the troubled Caribbean country in a United Nations resolution, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Monday. 

"It is our belief it will go beyond that," said Martin at UN headquarters. 

"There will obviously be a transition from military to police and to civilian but in fact it...may well be necessary for the transition to take longer than that." 

French troops arrived in Port-au-Prince Monday morning, joining U.S. marines and a small contingent of Canadian soldiers as part of a multinational force approved by the UN Security Council. 

Martin admitted Canadian troops are stretched "very very thinly" in their oversea roles from Bosnia to the Golan Heights and Afghanistan. 

But he said "we have the capacity to make our contribution to the Haitian situation." 

Martin said he couldn‘t give specifics about Canada‘s role because Defence Minister David Pratt is assessing what commitments can be made to Haiti. 

The prime minister said Canada has an obligation to play a role in Haiti because Canada is the only other French-speaking country in the Western Hemisphere and has a large Haitian population. 


Written by CBC News Online staff


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## SFontaine (1 Mar 2004)

This is pretty encouraging that Martin is actually using our military in a potentially very dangerous situation, instead of the usual way of going in after all the **** has cleared out.
Who knows, maybe some more funding will be goin for the Forces soon.


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## Spr.Earl (1 Mar 2004)

> Originally posted by bossi:
> [qb] (this is developing into a "joint" Army/Air Force operation, vice solely Army - and "combined", meaning multi-national - therefore, we‘re also monitoring it in the ‘Current Affairs‘ forum instead of only in ‘Canadian Army News‘)
> 
> Hmmm ... Canada has committed three Hercs ... (takes off shoes to count above ten) ... that‘s gotta be ... what percentage of our serviceable tactical airlift ... ? ("a lot") [/qb]


Oh just like the last time we tried to help them!!


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## jimbunting (2 Mar 2004)

Gentelmen:

My local TV coverage has shown "Canadians" who are NOT wearing any issue clothing. The  gear seems to be a mixture of Nike ball caps and plain old t shirts, and jeans with athletic shoes.

Weapons are a mix of 16‘s and MP 5‘s, and a few short barrell 12 guages, with side arms in nylon sling holsters. Body armour in green drab, and lots of civie type hand held radios. Looks to me like the kind of stuff that could be picked up just about anywhere. Deniable materials?

The TV coverage today showed a few non uniform types at the airport and a few at the Canadian Embassy‘s gates. Both groups refused to speak to reporters from CBC, in either English or French.

Jim Bunting. Toronto.


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## Scoobie Newbie (2 Mar 2004)

If they are there longer then 6 months that takes us to OCT at which point my BN will be back up and running so fingers crossed.


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## bubba (2 Mar 2004)

just looked at the pics from haiti.the boys look smart in the urban camo 2004 pattern.oh to have an indipendant and unlimited budget.jesus they got the kit........


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## Benoit (3 Mar 2004)

Im going to use an old quote from the movie Black Hawk Down. " These people have no food, no education, no hope. Now we can either sit back and watch a country destroy its self on CNN or we can help". And I believe it is our job as Canadians to lead by example and make this world a better place. Thats why I think we should help.


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## Brad Sallows (3 Mar 2004)

Too bad.  This was a good chance to stand back and see if the rest of the UN could successfully nation-build - a test run to see if the UN can be trusted with bigger problems, such as Iraq.


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## RCD (4 Mar 2004)

Canada has an obligation to get involved!
But our military cupboard is empty


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## John Nayduk (5 Mar 2004)

Everyone:
Through some people here in Canada I have been able to get daily reports from a missionary who runs an orphanage in Haiti.  I asked for, and received permission, to post the e-mail up-dates on this site after being sanitized for the security of the people in the country.  I have replaced the names and specific locations with â Å“XXXXâ ? for security reasons.  This doesn't take away from the information but protects the individuals down there.  We must remember that this missionary is not a soldier but rather someone trapped in an unpleasant situation. This person does a good job of reporting the situation and the mood of those down there.

February 28, 2004

This is a group letter to let everyone know what is happening in Haiti at XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXX (orphanage).

Friday was the first day we felt fear for Haiti.  We don‘t fear for ourselves but a lot of people are downtown in the midst of the shooting, looting, and killing.

We received a call this morning from a young volunteer at an orphanage in
Port au Prince who stayed because she has a child she won‘t leave.  She said she had wanted to try to go to the lawyer‘s office to get some papers that were needed.  We told her to stay put and not put her life in danger for papers that she probably couldn‘t get even if she went!  We feel if foreigners are hurt it will probably be because they did not use common sense and felt forced to act to do things that can wait to be done.

We all are doing our best but right now there is nothing we can do for adoptions.  Do not write anymore to ask us.  The situation is too intense to try and go anywhere at this time.  So we sit and wait...

The President of Haiti was on the radio last night asking people to return to work on Monday and for schools to open.  I don‘t know if that is realistic unless he stops the Chimere (the black masked supporters of Aristide) from shooting people and looting the stores.  People here will not venture out in those conditions and especially not send their children to school!

We hope some government workers do go to work.  There are papers that we have sitting in the Minister of Foreign Affairs office that we need out.  We would like to get all original papers from the courts and Ministries that are holding them just in case someone decides to burn some buildings!  We don‘t think that will happen but we want to be safe not sorry that we didn‘t try to get them.

Today is quieter in Petionville.  We are not sure about Port au Prince.  The
US Embassy staff said they would try to go get some documents in the US Consulate that we had given them on some adoptions.  They are to call me and let me know if they were able to go today.

They have shredded all of their visa paper so no one can steal them and make visas for the US and sell them.  But this also means that we cannot get visas for our children whose adoptions are finished and they are waiting to go to the US.

Spain is evacuating some children on Humanitarian visas.  We should hear more about this in a few days.

I have no problems with children going out on humanitarian visas if the adoptions are finished here as soon as the IBESR opens again and is functioning.

The grocery stores are open again today.  We are gauging the threat level according to if the stores open or not!  We were also able to call the water truck for 3 truckloads of water.  Eventually they will run out of diesel and not be able to bring us water.  So we will start to conserve.  All laundry will be washed by hand, baths every 3rd day, buckets of water by each toilet and no more automatic flushing, no changing of the children‘s clothing unless they are very, very dirty!  Things are tight but not desperate.

We pray for a quick resolution to the problem but it sounds like Mr.
Phillipe the rebel leader will not try to take Port au Prince until he has played a mind game with the government and the people.  So this might drag on a couple of weeks until he decides to take action.  He did this with Cap
Haitian and it worked but it was hard on the people that lived there.

In the mean time, people are being shot, robbed, and beaten.  We will stay indoors and behind our locked gates.

Again, do not worry about us and the children but do pray for us.  God so far has kept us safe.  We were caught in a demonstration on the 13th in Port au Prince and that was from foolishness on our parts.  But it made us realize that things are not stable and we must not take risks.  Nothing could replace any of our lives.  The cost is too great.

The people still at the orphanage:

XXXXX and XXXX XXXXXX along with XXXXX, XXXX and XXXXX
XXXXXXX XXXXXXX - USA
XXXXX XXXXX - Canada
XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX - Canada
XXXXX XXXXX - Canada
XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX - USA

Plus 72 children and 39 workers.

I will say it again...this is not about bravery or not taking the situation seriously...it is about doing the job we have to do and putting the children‘s needs before our own.  We all feel like we cannot leave the children.

The XXXXXX orphanage is still functioning as far as we know.  It was ok
last week.  They are so far off the beaten path that they should be ok and
out of danger.  Their biggest problem will be food.

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) run by XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX says they have enough food for 3 weeks.  So they should be ok too.  Keep them in your
prayers.

At this point, the pro-Aristide forces have not come XXXXXXX XXXXXXX (location).  Pray that it stays that way.

We will try to write every day to let people know what is going on.  As
supplies dwindle, we are sure prices will rise.  They already have on the
street.  Pray that we can find money to purchase things that are needed.  We
purchased rice and beans, formula for the babies and other food to store and
this cost us a lot of our ready cash.

We rest assured that we are safe where we are.

Blessings,


March 1, 2004

The men on the water truck tells us that there are some private cars on the
road but no public transportation.  They said the police have put back on
their uniforms and are doing security checks on the vehicles that are on the
road.

They saw no roads blocked this morning.

We just saw the Fox News and they did have a short section about Haiti and
said the French had arrived early this morning.  They said that 52% of the
Haitian population supported Aristide.  We find that hard to believe because
not one of our staff supported him.  They haven‘t for a long time.  He lost
a lot of support when he called for the Embargo back in 1991 until 1994.
Haiti suffered because of that and many children starved during that time.
They knew he did that to them.

The news also reports he won the election with 92% of the vote!  That may be 
true but very few people voted!  In 1990 and 1995, record numbers of
Haitians voted but not 1 of my staff voted in 2000 because they said their
vote didn‘t matter.  It didn‘t change anything and the hope they had had for
a change was lost.

We have heard from other missionaries and all seem to be ok.  XXXXX and
XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) at XXXXXXXXXX (location) wrote and said they were ok.  We had been worried because we could not reach them by phone.  XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX wrote yesterday and were ok.  The staff at the XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) are ok.  XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) are ok.  XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) are ok.  The XXXXX and XXXXX with the XXXXX of XXXXX
XXXXX (orphanage), just up the road from us, was ok the last we talked to them.  XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) was ok on Saturday.

We have been very fortunate and God has protected us so far.

To all adoptive parents:  XXXXX is taking photos today and you will receive
a photo today of your child.  This will maybe help you feel a little better
about their safety.  She will not have time to write an update...but you
will receive the photo.

Two of our staff just came and said they only saw police on the roads today
and private cars.  They again walked...one from Fort Jacques and one from
Carre Four!  They said there was a lot of policemen in Black riot gear at
different road stops.


March 1, 2004

All is quiet.  My nurses from Petionville were able to get here tonight so
that is a big relief.  Hopefully, the head nurse will be able to find
transportation tomorrow so XXXXX can get her days off this week.  I won‘t
let her leave until one of the day nurses can come!

We hear all kinds of news and don‘t know which is true.  Some sources have
said that it‘s quiet downtown and people have gone back to work in some
shops.  Others say there are still pockets of fighting and burning.  Just to
be on the safe side, we will stay home for a few more days!

Since I won‘t be able to leave for a few days, XXXXX and I will work on a
short newsletter to inform everyone of what is going on here besides the
coup d‘etat.

Pray that Cap Haitian airport will open up soon.  XXXXX at XXXXX XXXXX(orphanage) has twins that need to go to Belgium.  We need them in Port au Prince soon.  More importantly, he has a little 1 month old baby that is 
very sick.  I try to advise him over Instant Messenger what to do but it‘s
difficult when I can‘t see the baby.  But we are doing all we can together.

They say the rebels along with the police are guarding the police station at
Thomassin 25 which is XXXXX XXXXX (location).  They are making every car
stop is what we have heard.

Spain and Canada are still working on plans to get the adopted children out
of Haiti.  We are hindered by the paperwork being downtown.  We hope that
one of the workers are able to go down and retrieve it tomorrow.

We have worked around the house today since we can‘t leave.  XXXXX and XXXXX,
our son in law, welded a frame and put up clothes line at the XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) so they can dry clothes.  XXXXX took photos of all of the children today. I‘ve worked on emails (I have 90 in my in box down from 246 this morning!) and taken care of the children.

We‘ll give updates again tomorrow morning.  We are very thankful that
everything has been peaceful today in our area.


Tuesday, March 2, 2004

Last night, we heard gunfire until about midnight and then it became very
quiet.  I don‘t know if it‘s just the stress or what, but I can‘t sleep.  I
keep listening for gunfire and voices in the night.  My nerves are shot and
we are all kind of on edge now.

Our driver came today.  He said that Delmas Road was quiet and tap taps were
running.  It‘s not normal traffic but people can get about.  He said in
Petionville,  shops are not open and only a few grocery stores.  Our
son-in-law went down with him to the market and he said there are burned out
cars in places and there was a mattress burning in the middle of the road
close to the market.

The main roads like Canape Vert and Lalue, I was told, are not completely
cleared yet.  They may be by this afternoon.

We have had no electricity from the city since Mardi Gras.  Our fuel tanks
are in but they were to deliver diesel late last week and were never able to
bring it.  We called today and were told "we‘re on the list for when things
open up".  We have three babies in incubators.  One is just 3 lbs.  We hope
that we find fuel before what we have runs out.

There is no bread to be bought.  Maybe tomorrow the bakery says.  Very
little flour in the open markets.  They say much of the flour was stolen.

The curfew makes it hard for my day nurses.  To arrive by 7 AM,  they must
leave their homes by 5 AM.  They leave here at 4 PM and one doesn‘t arrive
home until after 6 PM.  This is extremely hard for them but they need to
work.

We still do not feel it‘s safe to go downtown yet.  Maybe tomorrow, we will
be able to get about but I am not going to try unless it‘s absolutely
necessary and I hear it is safe.

We received an 8 day old baby boy today from way up in the mountains.  I
said it was a good reminder to us that life goes on even in the worse of
times!

It seems no longer urgent to get children out of the country and several
countries have backed off in their plans to take children out of Haiti
without their passports.  We can pray that when things get back to
normal...things will function just a little bit better and passports will
finally be issued?  Passports taking 12 months is crazy!

The radio may have been wrong about Mrs. XXXXX being caught at the Dominican
border.  It seems at the present time she is in Haiti.  Someone has spoken
to her on the telephone.

We hear that the US Embassy is having some charter flights out of Haiti for
US Citizens who have not been able to go via commercial airlines.  We will
check on this information for our daughter and her husband.  American
Airlines keeps changing the date they will start service again.  They have 3
children at home and jobs to return to.  They need to go home....

XXXXX and XXXXX, our 8 year old sons, will start school again on March 8.
But the hours will be shortened to 8 AM to 2 PM.  They NEED to go back soon.
They are very tired of being cooped up in the house!

Until tomorrow,


March 5, 2004

We‘re sad that American Airlines has again cancelled flights to Haiti until
March 9.  Our daughter and her husband have patiently waited to go home but
are starting to feel pressure to return to their jobs and children.  Our
other daughter, XXXXX, is watching their 3 young children and she of
course, would like XXXXX and XXXXX to come home...yesterday!  We will work on
finding a flight to the Dominican or via the US Embassy if they are still
doing charter flights.  This is a desperate prayer need!

The trip downtown went well.  Not a lot of people on the road but more cars
were out the longer we were in the city.  There were a few gas stations open
but there were LONG lines waiting to get gas.  Our driver let us off at a
hotel for lunch and went and sat in line for over an hour to get some for my
car.  I only had 1/4 of a tank of gas so we were very thankful we found some
gas.

Many gas stations were burned and closed.  We saw some pump attendants
sitting but they said they had no gas.  They were waiting for a delivery of
gas maybe today...maybe tomorrow....

We still didn‘t get diesel but they promise early tomorrow...of course they
have been promising this for several days.  But maybe since we did see gas
trucks out that tomorrow they actually will come!

XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX, a Canadian Missionary, worked on the generator
and it seems to be running.  We had called a mechanic but he couldn‘t come
today and we needed something done today!  We also called the US Embassy but
they said the marines really couldn‘t help nor did they have a generator
that we could use.  So it was a very good thing that they think they have
fixed it.  It was the oil pressure sensor...now let‘s pray the generator
doesn‘t BLOW because it‘s unhooked now!  As someone just told me...in
Haiti...it‘s fix...fix...fix...fix...BLOW!  We could use that to describe
the political system here too!      )

We heard from another orphanage director today who said he was further down
in the city than we went and he said things are still not great.  He ran
into 4 roadblocks yesterday and had guns pointed at him.

The news is making it sound like things are getting back to normal.  But
there is still lots of tension and problems in the streets.  A lot of
Haitians won‘t go out yet.  Petionville seems to be ok.  The main street to
the Palace seems to be ok.  But further down...there are problems still.
There is still fighting in the night.

A birth father in Cite Soleil called again yesterday.  He said there were
still gangs shooting and stealing in his area.  He and his family are still
staying in and he told me not to come down and meet him like we had planned.
Of course, I had no intentions of going down in that area!  It‘s bad in
peaceful times!

The government offices such as courts, IBESR, and Immigration are shut down.
Embassies are dealing with citizens trying to get out of the country and
trying to find fuel, water, and food themselves!  Adoptive parents must
understand that adoptions are a priority but day to day living is very
difficult right now and getting papers and things we need for children are
impossible this week.  All parents need to know we are all doing the best we
can and hopefully by next week we will be able to get some papers to get
some of the children home to their adoptive families.

For American families: the US Consulate is hoping to issue some visas next
week for children to travel whose adoptions are done and the children have
passports.  They do NOT want American families coming to Haiti at this time
to pick up children.  So we will escort all children out of Haiti for now.

For Spanish Families: We spoke to Ms. XXXXX today and we have a list of
everything we need for the children to leave Haiti.  She said we need to
give her the documents along with any documentation that we feel the
government should have and she will turn it into your Foreign Affairs office
and they will decide if the children can travel.  So pray we can get the
things we need for each child.  The list is not long and we will work hard
to get everything.  Most of the children have the documents in their files.
We will escort the children to the DR and you can pick them up there.  I‘m
kind of sad that the times won‘t let us escort the children to Spain...I
would have LOVED to visit Spain!

For French Families: Your government is talking of doing something much like
the Spanish are doing.  We are also working on getting everything together.

For Canadian Families: I have the paperwork for the children who are
finished but without passports.  We will turn them into the Canadian Embassy
so that they can leave as soon as Immigration decides what can be done for
them.  At least as soon as the Embassy is open and functioning....

Catholic Relief Services finally made up to our house today.  I wasn‘t here
but XXXXX spoke with them and filled out the necessary paperwork.  They
said they would issue us a check on Monday.  I am so thankful for my staff.
I don‘t know what I would do without them all.  XXXXX especially is my
right hand and functions very well when I‘m not here.  Our 8 year old sons,
XXXXX and XXXXX, say that when I‘m old that they will run the orphanage and
XXXXX can run the nursery!  I pray that they really mean this...

Lots of people carrying guns around.  Private citizens have a gun strapped
to their hip and walking into the grocery stores!  I guess the "NO GUNS
INSIDE" rule doesn‘t apply anymore!

XXXXX in Cap Haitian at XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX orphanage says they still
don‘t have fuel up North.  We hope the military opens up the roads so that
they can get some supplies.  The planes also are not flying yet except to
bring soldiers.  No commercial flights yet.

Banks did open today...at least a few of them....but there were long lines.
We finally got some funds to pay the staff.  It was due the 1st of March but
we couldn‘t find any money.  The staff will be very happy that they can buy
supplies for their own families.

Another day over...

I love Haiti.  The people bounce back so quickly.  Our daughter went with me
down to the Spanish Embassy today and we stopped to buy some souvenirs along
the street from some vendors that I know.  Only in Haiti would vendors be
out selling souvenirs in the middle of a conflict!  But...the vendors said
to me....

Haiti may have fallen...but we Haitians will rise again.  We are strong!

How can they have such hope when they have lived with such poverty and
misery in their lives for so long?  They ARE strong!  If they could only
break the cycle of poverty and political injustice, they could prosper.  But
democracy is NOT enough, they need adequate health care, clean water and
food for everyone, and affordable education for all children.  Without
those, Haiti will not change....


March 5, 2004

Just wanted everyone to know that we heard a honk and big airbrakes outside
and we all let out a cheer and went running.  Even the nannies came to see
what was going on.  The fuel truck had arrived!

We couldn‘t believe it because we figured when the curfew had passed...we
would have to wait another day.  But they said fuel, water, and emergency
services could work late and so they came knowing we were running low on
diesel.

I‘m sure they thought we were crazy outside taking photos of them loading
diesel into our new tanks.  They didn‘t say anything but they probably
wondered if we had never seen fuel delivered before!

We are so thankful and thank everyone who contributed to the fund to
purchase the tanks and have them filled.  We now have excess funds and will
use them to keep the tanks filled.

On a sad note, the baby at XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) that was so sick, died
last night.  He had put up a good fight for 5 weeks but just couldn‘t
survive this last bout of sickness.  Please pray for all of the staff at
XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage).  They are cut off from the rest of Haiti right now.
We hope that the airport opens soon.

Blessings,


----------



## Engineer Corporal (5 Mar 2004)

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=1318 
Canadian Forces to Deploy to Haiti As Part of United Nations Multinational Interim Force
NR-04.015 - March 5, 2004

OTTAWA â â€œ The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable David Pratt, announced today that the Canadian Forces will deploy about 450 personnel and six helicopters to Haiti as part of the United Nations Multinational Interim Force to assist in bringing stability to the country. 

Elements of the Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based in Gagetown, New Brunswick, the Canadian Forces Joint Operations Group in Kingston, Ontario, and 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron based in Valcartier, Quebec, will commence deployment to the Haiti region within the next week. Hercules and Polaris aircraft based at 8 Wing, Trenton, Ontario, will provide airlift support for this deployment. This operation is scheduled to last for approximately 90 days. 

â Å“Although our resources for new operational deployments are indeed limited, the Canadian Forces is contributing what it can to support our commitment to this multi-national effort,â ? said Minister Pratt. â Å“It is through the dedication and professionalism of our men and women that we can meet this challenge.â ? 

"Canada is proud to participate in this multinational effort that will help create a secure environment to pursue a constitutional process to restore democratic governance in Haiti," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Bill Graham. "The earlier work of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS) serve as the foundations for the current efforts to rebuild Haiti‘s institutions that will provide a better future for all Haitians." 

â Å“The Canadian Forces has built its reputation on its ability to meet challenges head on and to rise to the occasion,â ? said the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Ray Henault. â Å“Our members have demonstrated time and again their commitment to help bring peace and security to those in need.â ? 

These forces are in addition to the support that the Canadian Forces have already provided to Haiti. At the request of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Forces dispatched personnel to assist with emergency contingency plans and security measures. Additionally, a number of CC-130 Hercules aircraft facilitated the voluntary departure of Canadian civilians and others in the absence of commercial flights.


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## bossi (5 Mar 2004)

It‘s also an interesting lesson, when she says something to the effect "... I hope the military opens up the road again ...".
Sometimes, when things really go for a poop, people actually start praying the Army will save them ... (now - if we could only get them all to remember that at budget time ...)


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## bossi (5 Mar 2004)

Rescue planes break down on Haiti mission
(National Post)
Canadian Hercules transport planes are being withdrawn from Haiti, air force officials said yesterday, and not a moment too soon -- two of the four aircraft broke down in the few days they were in the Caribbean island nation.


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## bubba (5 Mar 2004)

thats the best quote i seen in a while bossi.....


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## winchable (5 Mar 2004)

"Haiti may have fallen...but we Haitians will rise again. We are strong!"

It shows the resolve of the people with the souvenier salesmen selling with the conflict going on around them trying to live a normal life.


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## scm77 (6 Mar 2004)

This joke was on This Hour Has 22 Minutes last night.  I found it amusing.

"Prime Minister Martin, has sent three Canadian Forces Hercules aircraft to Haiti to help evacuate people.  However most people feel safer in Haiti then on a Canadian Forces aircraft."


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## John Nayduk (8 Mar 2004)

From Sunday, March 7, 2004

Today has been a nice and quiet day for us on the mountain.  We‘ve been able
to work in the office and also just spend time relaxing and visiting
together.

The volunteers drove to the airport and picked up 5 children from XXXXX
XXXXX orphanage in Cap Haitian.  XXXXX and 2 volunteers flew them
down to PAP and then turned around and flew back to Cap Haitian.  The
children seem to be adjusting pretty well.  I think it was easier because
they came as a group.

I wish I could say the same quiet day took place in PAP.  But it didn‘t.

While returning home from the airport, XXXXX ran into a demonstration in
Petionville.  The police on one side and the Marines on the other and a
large group of people in between!  It turns out it‘s the opposition group
and it started out mainly of students and built as they walked to the Palace
to demonstrate their support of the leaving of President Aristide.  By the
time they reached downtown on the main road called Lalue, past Immigration
toward the Palace. the crowd had grown to thousands of people.

XXXXX had gone to march in the crowd but was going to join them at the
Palace because he couldn‘t leave early to be at the beginning.  I am so
thankful that he wasn‘t marching down the road with them because  Chimeres
(thugs) started firing on the crowd.

A Spanish journalist was reported shot and killed.  We met several Spanish
journalists.  How sad I am for his family and his country.  Many People in
the crowd were injured. Claude XXXXX said he heard at least 5 or 6 were killed.
Haiti has lost a lot of people to the fighting this last month.  Many
families here also are mourning the lost of loved one.

Panic took hold and people started running to get out of the way.  Two
police swat team were shot.  They are no match for the chimeres.  President
Aristide‘s men had equipped the chimeres better than the police!

XXXXX said by the time he arrived at the Palace there were already
thousands waiting for the tens of thousands to arrive.  He said they were
burning photos of Aristide in front of the Palace.  Then all of a sudden he
heard what sounded like thunder.  He said people around him said...don‘t
worry, the police are guarding them, they will take care of the
chimeres...but they couldn‘t and people were killed.

Claude ran for his car and hurried away from the Palace.  The demonstration
was stopped which is what the chimeres wanted.  Just on Saturday, the
pro-Aristide faction marched in PAP and no one fired on them.  If the
International community is here, then they MUST help the police take back
the control that is lost.  They can‘t stand by and protect the Palace while
people are shot and killed in the streets 1 block away!

I sit here very angry at the injustice of what has happened.  Why can‘t
these students and opposition faction be allowed to march in peace?

XXXXX may open tomorrow and may not open tomorrow.  The staff has not been
told to come in the morning, so we don‘t know what to expect.

XXXXX will leave for the DR tomorrow along with another child.  They will
meet their parents there.

This is far from over and with the fear of being shot....many people won‘t
come to work tomorrow.  The opposition will be angry and I don‘t blame them.

Only God can save Haiti.  The UN can‘t do it.  The Haitian police can‘t do
it.  The Opposition can‘t do it.  We,  missionaries can‘t do it.  Only God
can....

And life in Haiti goes on.....


----------



## John Nayduk (9 Mar 2004)

Up-date for March 9, 2004

This morning we left about 9 AM to travel to Port au Prince and the Spanish
Embassy.  XXXXX was leaving for the Dominican Republic to meet her
mother, XXXXX.

We were afraid she would cry when we left her at the Embassy but she didn‘t
cry at all.  She was such a good little girl and is probably sitting on her
mama‘s lap at the Spanish Embassy in the DR as I write this letter.

We saw very little traffic going down to the Embassy this morning.  It‘s not
all of the way downtown but it‘s about 2/3 of the way.  Usually it takes me
at least 1 hour to arrive there.  Today it took less than 40 minutes because
the traffic was so light.

Immigration did not open today.  No one came in to work.

IBESR (Haitian Social Services) did not open today.  One person went in to
open up but no one showed up to work or take dossiers.

I don‘t know if anything did open today for the government.  My worker was
going to the courts today and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and I don‘t
know yet if he found anyone working at either of those agencies. I‘ll find
out if he could get papers when he comes to work in the morning.

Now,  Petionville was another thing altogether!  You couldn‘t go anywhere
because the traffic was so heavy!  All stores were open and people were out
buying.  The street market was so busy that it took 30 minutes just to pass
through one street.

The line at the Western Union office was 50 people deep and the guard was
using his baton to keep people from swarming the door!

Everywhere I went, people asked why the marines weren‘t doing anything to
protect the people.  Why were they just standing-by while people were shot?
Why weren‘t they helping disarm these thugs and gangs that are walking
around?  Why when the pro-Aristide group marched on Saturday and some had
guns on them...why didn‘t someone disarm them then?

They are very angry about the chimeres still being so active and killing
people.  They are angry that Aristide left and now is telling the chimeres
to continue to fight.

They are saying that Aristide should come back and let the rebels have their
guns back and the international community can leave and see how long he
lasts!  Lots of anger out there among the people that we talked to.

I tried to explain that we were told that the Marines were here to assist
the police only.  But they don‘t understand it this way.  They say the
police can‘t do anything on their own.  They just aren‘t equipped.

The New President Alexandre was on the radio asking everyone to work
together to build a new Haiti.  One where there is no barriers between the
rich and the poor and the whites and the blacks.  He gave a wonderful
speech....if only everyone will listen.

While he gave his speech, Aristide supporters stood outside the Palace and
waved photos of Aristide in the air.  But most people just want Haiti to
settle down so people can work and support their families.  It‘s very hard
to see so many people suffering.  And both sides are suffering....

Adoptive parents are beside themselves over getting their children home but
at this time we can‘t do much until a few of the government agencies open up
and start working.  You can be assured that as soon as I‘m able...I will be
down at the Embassies with all of the paperwork that we have done presenting
it to the different governments.  Then they will have to decide if they
allow the children to travel or not.

Tomorrow morning, hopefully, my daughter, XXXXX and her husband, XXXXX will
finally get to go home to their 3 children.  Their 7 day vacation has turned
into 16 days.  We have kept them working hard.  XXXXX has been a big help to
XXXXX and they put in the tanks for the fuel and XXXXX welded everything that
needed it.  He also built shelves for the new storage room.  He says he
needs to go home so he can get some rest!  But I think both of them have had
a good time at the orphanage.

I have to be at the US Consulate tomorrow morning at 8 AM for a visa
appointment with 3 children.  Pray that all is quiet and we arrive safely
and that they let the children get their visas for travel to the States.

School started for XXXXX and XXXXX today.  All seemed quiet on that side of
town.  There weren‘t very many children in school but more will be returning
after this week.

Today has been a sad day for me.  I am still upset about Sunday‘s
demonstration and shooting.  Someone who was in the Emergency room at Canape
Vert Hospital where the injured were treated said it was like a war zone.
It was worse than any movie they had ever seen about casualties of war.
They never wanted to experience something like that again.

I felt at such a lost.  Would Haiti ever change?  Were we doing anything to
help or just hindering with our work?  Are Humanitarian workers and
Missionaries making any sort of dent in the overwhelming needs of the poor?

God sent me an answer.  We had stopped in a little back road of Petionville
to buy some medicine and a man came up to the car and said he knew about our
orphanage in XXXXX.  That someone he knew on XXXXX had brought a
baby to our "hospital" and he needed help.  He said he was walking and
visiting friends trying to find someone to help him.  He had visited 3
already and couldn‘t find help.

His son had been shot and was in a hospital at Leogane, a village south of
Port au Prince.  He had lost a lot of blood and had already received 2
units.  The father didn‘t have any money to buy IV fluids or medicine for
his son.  He needed $100 Haitian which is about $12 US.  We talked to him
for a long time.  Normally, I would have thought he probably wasn‘t telling
me the truth...but something about this man was different.  I just felt that
I should help him!

I gave him the money and I felt good about giving him the money.  Many
people reading this will say...boy, she was foolish...but I feel that God
wanted me to help that man and even though I may never know if I truly
helped or not...what I gave to him may change his or his son‘s life.

I can‘t question what I‘m here for.  God has sent me to Haiti to work with
the children.  And I KNOW that lives are changed because of the aid that we
give to children and their families.

Can we bring about change in Haiti?   Yes, one child at a time...

And life in Haiti goes on.....


----------



## Sh0rtbUs (12 Mar 2004)

I found this to be a decent read, figured Id give those at work something to stall time with.   


Canadian deployment to Haiti begins as troops head out from N.B. and Ontario

FREDERICTON (CP) - Kristy Reimers says she‘ll never get used to saying goodbye to her husband when he is deployed by the Canadian Armed Forces to world troublespots like Haiti. 

"I‘m a little nervous and worried," Reimers said as she waited at the Fredericton airport on Friday for the first major departure of Canadian military personnel to Haiti. "But people have been very good about reassuring me about the safety of this mission. I just don‘t like to be separated from my husband. He‘s my best friend." 

Reimers husband, Sgt. Doug Loader, is an ammunition expert at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown and a member of an advance group of soldiers who left for Haiti on Friday to lay the groundwork for the full Canadian commitment beginning next week. 

"We‘ll be back soon," Loader promised his wife as he left for what is expected to be a 90-day deployment. 

Thirty-one soldiers from the sprawling training base in southern New Brunswick boarded two lumbering Hercules transport planes for the six-hour flight to the Caribbean troublespot where they will face civil unrest and sporadic violence. 

"We‘re expecting the worst," said 23-year-old Pte. Trevor Arthur, a native of Ontario. "But we‘re going in there prepared and ready to follow the training we‘ve done." 

There was an air of excitement at the Fredericton airport where steadily falling snow and chilly temperatures made the prospect of balmy Haiti, even with its problems, seem inviting. 

But Maj. Dave Lambert, commander of the Royal Canadian Regiment rifle company, made it clear to the soldiers Haiti is no tourist spot. 

"The country is a mess," said Lambert, who had just returned from a reconnaissance trip to the Haitian capital, Port au Prince. 

"There are stacks of garbage and people wash their clothes in open sewers. This is a country that has suffered from poor government." 

The advance party of 31 soldiers and four vehicles from Gagetown will join 45 military personnel from the Joint Operations Group in Kingston, Ont. 

The two groups are part of a larger contingent of 450 military personnel that Canada has committed to a multinational effort to stabilize Haiti following a rebel uprising that forced President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to flee the country last month. 

The group from Kingston includes engineers, signallers, supply and logistics personnel. They will be in Haiti for about 30 days setting up a Canadian camp. 

Lambert said that altogether, including the 31 soldiers who left on Friday, 138 soldiers from Gagetown will be in Haiti for the 90-day deployment. 

Lambert said the bulk of the force will head to Haiti on Wednesday. 

He said the Canadian Forces will be working in Port au Prince with a U.S. Marine Corps battalion. 

He said the situation on the city streets remains tense and dangerous. The main threats he said are from drive-by shooters and snipers. 

"There is still a certain amount of danger there," he said. 

"Life is returning to normal to a certain extent, but underneath that surface there is still unease and unsettlement." 

Lambert said the role of the Canadians Forces will be to help ensure a secure environment for civil authorities to re-establish an orderly society. 

He said the Gagetown troops will be patrolling, performing weapons searches, setting up roadblocks and gathering intelligence to understand how the situation is developing. 

Lambert said that in some ways, the assignment to Haiti is less dangerous than Afghanistan, where many of the troops have already served tours of duty. 

There are no land mines in Haiti, he said, and suicide bombing is not an issue. 

"You know that although you might be sniped at from a distance, no one is going to run up to you with a bomb strapped to their body." 

The Gagetown soldiers are part of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. It is a mechanized infantry force that includes three rifle companies. 

It is equipped with Canada‘s newest armoured personnel carriers and its troops have seen action in such hotspots as Bosnia, Africa and Afghanistan. 

CHRIS MORRIS

 http://www.hispeed.rogers.com/news/national/story.jsp?cid=n031217A


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## scm77 (12 Mar 2004)

Good luck to everyone going there.  Hope they all make it back safe and sound.


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## NMPeters (17 Mar 2004)

Straight from the CP newswire 2 minutes ago...

C-F-B Gagetown, New Brunswick. x--18s. Defence Minister David Pratt says he expects Canada will have a long-term presence in Haiti. Pratt spoke to 170 soldiers departing for Haiti today from C-F-B Gagetown in New Brunswick. They will provide security and humanitarian aid. The minister says he expects Canada could maintain a police presence for a year or more. 

(``...six-and-a-half.‘‘) (SOURCE:BN) (245p) 


TAG: The minister says details of a follow-on mission have not been finalized. The current deployment of over 450 Canadian soldiers is set to last 90 days


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## Scoobie Newbie (17 Mar 2004)

Hopefully my BN will get the follow up call, unless of course we get into the combined multinational NATO force being formed.


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## Tyrnagog (17 Mar 2004)

Good luck to all you soldiers being sent to Haiti...

Come back safe, mm-kay?


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## Engineer Corporal (22 Mar 2004)

http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2004/03/22/fOpinion141.raw.html 

Defence HQ staff not fit for duty in Haiti

By SCOTT TAYLOR On Target

LAST WEEK, the first members of the Canadian peacekeeping contingent went to Haiti to begin a 90-day mission. Although Prime Minister Paul Martin had declared that Canada would contribute troops to the UN intervention force, it took Defence Department planners several days to scrape together 450 service members. 

Based on an infantry company from Gagetown, N.B., and a helicopter detachment from Valcartier, Que., the support personnel necessary to round out this task force were drawn from bases all across Canada. 

In announcing the composition of our Haiti peacekeeping contribution, Martin admitted that the numbers were "less than we hoped for," while Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Ray Henault simply mumbled that the size of the contingent was "sustainable." To give DND operations staff their due, for them to pull together any resources at all is no easy task given the current level of troop commitment. 

Unlike the 1993 mission to Haiti, there is no embargo to enforce and, therefore, no practical application for a naval force. This is undoubtedly a relief to our burned-out sailors and fleet maintainers. After two years of overcommitment in the war against terror, Canada‘s navy has just one ship deployed on operational duty, and it set sail without a functional helicopter. 

While the air force has not been at the forefront of media coverage, it too is heavily tasked in supporting our military operations in far-flung theatres of operation. In particular, the old Hercules transport aircraft and Aurora patrol planes are now being nursed along on reduced flying hours as a result of their heavy taskloads. In fact, as part of Canada‘s initial rapid deployment evacuation team into Haiti, the Hercules suffered a number of embarrassing breakdowns. 

There is no question the army has been stretched to the limit by the enormous 12-month mission to Afghanistan. Henault, himself, once admitted that in order for our army to fulfil this obligation, which involved more than 4,000 personnel in total, we would not be able to mount any operations "for up to 18 months" after our withdrawal from Kabul. 

Evidently, Henault‘s assessment of his deployable resources has been altered through a combination of world events and domestic political pressure. Although we are going to reduce our commitment to the NATO stabilization force in Bosnia to virtually nil, Henault recently announced that Canada will contribute a strong detachment to Afghanistan after our current mission expires in August. 

Given the circumstances, finding a "meaningful" contribution for Haiti was not easy. One of the scenarios tossed about (in jest) at Esprit de Corps was that Henault could tap into the "fourth" branch of the Armed Forces - namely the 11,000 personnel posted to National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. In theory, this would not be too difficult. There are dozens of unfunded but fully staffed procurement project offices, which means that thousands of trained service members while away their days producing meaningless memos. One could speculate that many of them would jump at the chance to escape their cubicles to do some real soldiering in the sunny Haitian streets. 

Reality, of course, is a different matter. In the late ‘90s, NDHQ attempted to conduct a 72-hour security exercise. The after-action report said the whole affair bogged down and was cancelled in less than one day because it proved to be "too inconvenient" for the personnel involved. The military police supervising the exercise were overwhelmed with outraged officers complaining that they had missed their bus rides home. In one case, a female service member had simply left her post because she had to drive her daughter to a Girl Guide meeting. 

Another drawback to sending headquarters personnel is that despite the so-called "universality of service" regulations, many service members posted to Ottawa are not exactly in front-line shape. There is an embarrassing photo essay in the current issue of Frank magazine titled Saving Private Pieman, which features candid photos of "camouflaged fatties" out for their lunchtime waddles. 

It is a sad comment indeed on the state of military affairs when Frank magazine has to remind NDHQ personnel about fitness regulations.

Makes you want to stand up and salute doesn‘t it......


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## Franko (23 Mar 2004)

And they wonder why we call it Disneyland North?

Regards


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## Pikache (10 Apr 2004)

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/04/09/415281-ap.html 

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Canadian troops in Haiti could have their 90-day stay extended while they train Haiti‘s police force, Canada‘s defence minister said Friday. 

Minister of National Defence David Pratt didn‘t offer details in remarks he made while visiting 500 Canadian soldiers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti‘s capital. 

"There‘s a recognition that we need to have a long-term commitment in Haiti," Pratt told troops lined up at their base. 

"Without that, it‘s safe to predict that we‘ll be back here again." 

A U.S.-led coalition of military forces has been in Haiti since shortly after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted Feb. 29. 

The original plan for the Canadian, U.S., French and Chilean troops was to stay 90 days, while the United Nations put together a longer term peacekeeping force, to be led by Brazil.  


Pratt said he spoke with interim Haitian president Boniface Alexandre about the possibility of Canadians training Haitian police, many of whom were overwhelmed by rebels who still control large areas of this Caribbean country. 

During a two-day visit, Pratt went on patrol with troops, visited parts of the capital by helicopter and met with U.S. military leaders and members of Haiti‘s interim government. 

Canadian military spokesmen said Pratt ate the same food rations as soldiers and slept on a cot with a mosquito net. 

"This visit has given me a much better idea of what‘s happening on the ground," Pratt said. 

Addressing the troops in both English and French, Gen. Raymond Henault, the senior Canadian commander, told them they had done a good job in helping provide security for Haitians. 

"What makes the difference in these operations is the ability to come in quickly and establish security," Henault said. 

"I‘m proud of you." 

Pratt told soldiers Canadian government officials are still considering giving them a federal tax exemption for the length of their stay in Haiti. He said he is "optimistic" a decision could come next week but had no guarantees. 

"This would be a good way for a grateful nation to say: ‘Thank you very much,"‘ he told the troops. 

Canadian soldiers in conflict areas generally receive extra compensation. Haiti isn‘t considered a formal conflict zone, Pratt said but emphasized he is studying extending a tax exemption to members of Canada‘s mission in Haiti.


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## Jason Bourne (10 Apr 2004)

If it turned out to be a really long term thing..I wouldn‘t mind ending up getting posted there..


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## Scoobie Newbie (10 Apr 2004)

Well I don‘t think anyone here is surprised to hear that the mission may get extended.  We were told that it won‘t be use though (Brig Cmnd) as we are supposed to be slated for the NATO Reaction Force.


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## Scoobie Newbie (11 Apr 2004)

It would save money logistacally vs Bosnia.
If Pratt did actually eat IMP‘s and sleep on a cot for a night I will be quite impressed.  Hopefully that minor taste will give him an idea of what the troops go through.


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## kaspacanada (11 Apr 2004)

I don‘t really think a cot and IMP‘s are representative enough of what the troops go through.  But it boosts morale.  Like I said before, MND David Pratt and his top aide, David Price, have a very firm grasp of what goes on in the military.  The latter has lots of experience from the reserves and the regular force.  The former, well, he‘s got a lot of cabinet level experience reporting on military matters (a pretty good start).  

It doesn‘t surprise me that we are staying either.  It seems like any place that falls into civil war needs a long time to stabilize these days.


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## Scoobie Newbie (11 Apr 2004)

No but it is a start.  You can‘t expect him to drive around in the honey wagon or participate in a patrol.


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## Marauder (12 Apr 2004)

Sweet! Where do I sign up for the next Roto?


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## Armymedic (12 Apr 2004)

Between Haiti and Afghanistan...
Should be a short yr before I head out again....


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## Jarnhamar (12 Apr 2004)

Whats the rule on waiting for another tour? I‘ve heard you could sign wavers or something and deploy again shortly after returning if you choose to. Any truth to that?


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## sgt_mandal (12 Apr 2004)

ALl you lukky guys get to get deployed. I still have to wait a couple of years. So what‘s life like in these places when on and off duty?


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## Scoobie Newbie (13 Apr 2004)

Yes you can sign a waiver.  Some guys that went to Afganistan signed a waiver to go to Bosnia.  Regularily I think its 9 months at a minimum.


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## Jarnhamar (13 Apr 2004)

Id leave next week if i had a chance to go to Afghanastan or  haiti. Doubt i‘ll get a chance though ive already had quite a few good go‘s


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## Armymedic (13 Apr 2004)

I don‘t recall the VCDS Canforgen for it off the top of my head...
 But along this idea it states, upon return from operational area you shall have a 60 day period where you are not to be placed on any career courses or excersices which take you away from home. And you shal not be redeloyed to another operational theatre for 12 months. You may waiver that descision, but it is a voluntary thing you can not be forced into nor be held against for not going.


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## 291er (16 Jun 2004)

I don't remember anyone taking Scott Taylor seriously anyhow....he writes some good stuff.....however, he may be a little bitter methinks

Now that being said, there are a fair share of portly and out of shape service personnel in the NCR.  However, I don't think the percentage of under-PT-ed soldiers in Ottawa would drastically differ from any other base in Canada.  Every base, unit, formation and wing has it's share of these people too, it just may not be as apparent as those here at NDHQ.

Also, I don't know where Mr Taylor got his information regarding Haiti, but I don't think it's entirely truthful.  I work in a position where we support and plan deployed ops.  When Haiti came up, we had a great deal of fit people ready to deploy, and indeed, we fulfilled our compliment.  NDHQ and the NCR provided a good percentage of support/staff positions.  Obviously we could'nt provide an infantry coy, there are none based in Ottawa.  I tend to take everything Mr Taylor says with a grain of salt.

Anyhow, that's just my opinion!


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## Lance Wiebe (16 Jun 2004)

Scott Taylor has had his day.

He has brought up some very embarrassing facts that made some general officers look bad, and he was very outspoken when it came to his infanteer friends.  However, Scott quickly ran out of material.  Now he's living on his reputation, visiting Iraq where he writes extremely biased anti-American reports for the Halifax Chronicle (? Seems to me anyway, I might be wrong).

Go away Scott.  

You've had your day, and your say.


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## NMPeters (17 Jun 2004)

The Canadian Military Journal isn't too bad. You can find it here:

http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/

Cheers!


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## Scoobie Newbie (17 Jun 2004)

"In one case, a female service member had simply left her post because she had to drive her daughter to a Girl Guide meeting. "


Its stuff like this that pisses me off.  Everyone is coddled and if they have to stay longer then their regular work hours they get all pissy.  Your not civvies.  Same goes for cmbt troops getting out of tours and refusing to go up the mountain etc.


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## Jarnhamar (17 Jun 2004)

What do you mean by go up the mountian, CFL?


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## logau (18 Jun 2004)

Best near DND website is this one (IMHO) the COMBAT DIVERS at http://www.donlowconcrete.com/CDAC - and done by me


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## childs56 (19 Jun 2004)

well folks here my 2 cents worth. I think that the military is a joke work ethic wise. we have very few people who understrand the actual commitment of the military. from what i have seen most people in the military would be starving if they did what they did in civie street. leave your work and pick up your kids hmm my boss would have fired me on the spot. as for the old worn out equipment. well if we had toops generals and admirals that looked after the well being of the the country and not their pockets then our equipment would be better off. lets just say other countries around the world are using the equipment we are and  its the all around the same age and lets say they have few problems with it. Lets just say when you rebuild equipment it means to completely overhaul it. i use to work on Civy aircraft and we rebuilt them. hmm a 1952 beaver airplane with origonal bullet holes from the vietnam war. this plane was in rough shape. lets say lots of money and hard work and the the Beaver was better then new. this included all new electrical, new skins new windscreens etc the only thing that wasnt new but overhauled was the engine that was beacuse thats all any one is using now. the people i worked with doing this job were paid a decent wage and had a love for their job. that airplane was used in the bush and was severly abused. sounds like our equipment. if the contracters and our people in charge had a real interst in maintaing equipment that was good and servicable they would do the proper job and spend the proper money. half a^%#@! the job is only giving us half of what we need. ass for not being able to deploy to troubled spots around the globe hmm solution all those reg force spots that arent filled yet call up reservists and give them short term contract and send them over seas. seems like it would work for me. i know 20 guys that would sign on for 2-3 years to do peace keeping and other duties.  for all the reg force slugs out their you need to decide if you are in the military for Your Country or for a job. if you are in it for your Country then dont wine if you have to go to the field or staty late to do what the military does best "defend your Country" as for you people who are in for just a job well i am sure you could find a better one on civie street, oh wait a minute no you cant. and for any of you journalists that like to put down the military and look at all the bad things we do. why dont you let me tag along with you and your family for a week and i will report on your problems and only your problem.  remember people we are the choice of good or bad and our descions to do good or bad need to be choosen wisely as not only do we jepordize our troops we jepordize our way of life.


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## patrick666 (9 Feb 2005)

It was in the news a long time ago and like most modern tragedies, it is replaced by something more severe, but I was wondering if anyone has anyone news on Haiti and Canada's role, if any, there at the present time? 


Cheers,

Patrick


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## AmmoTech90 (9 Feb 2005)

We have two pers deployed with Op HAMLET as part of MINUSTAH, the UN mission currently underway in Haiti.  MINUSTAH is the French abbreviation for United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. Op HALO, the larger mission ended 16 Aug.


http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/operations/current_ops_e.asp
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=1389


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## John Nayduk (7 Jan 2006)

Interesting.

Head of UN peacekeepers in Haiti found dead

The Brazilian general commanding UN peacekeepers in Haiti, Lt. Gen. Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar, died Saturday.

CTV.ca News Staff 
  
Updated: Sat. Jan. 7 2006 12:17 PM ET 

The Brazilian general commanding the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti was found shot dead in a hotel room in the nation's capital on Saturday.

Lt. Gen. Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar died Saturday morning after a "firearm accident" in Port-au-Prince, Brazilian army Lt. Col. Fernando da Cunha Matos told the official Agencia Brasil news agency.

According to unconfirmed. reports, Bacellar was found with a bullet wound to the head

The Brazilian Army confirmed Bacellar's death in a brief statement on its website but did not elaborate on the circumstances.

The general replaced another Brazilian, Lt. Gen. Augusto Heleno Ribeiro, to assume control of the more than 9,000-strong UN force in Haiti in late August.

The peacekeeping force, known by its acronym MINUSTAH, comprises more than 7,250 troops, 1,700 civilian police officers, supported by more than 400 international civilian personnel from more than 40 countries.

Haiti continues to be plagued by violence and instability, nearly two years after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted following a month-long armed revolt. 

Despite the presence of the UN troops, the country of 8.5 million has continued to be afflicted by violence, instability, and a wave of kidnappings.

The mission's mandate, which expires in mid-February, also includes supporting the political process. 

Haiti has also struggled to organize its first presidential election since Aristide fled into exile. 

The election has faced repeated delays because of spikes in violence, delays in distributing 3.5 million voter identification cards and problems with polling stations. 

On Friday, the UN Security Council urged the country's interim government to hold an election by Feb. 7. 

Voting had originally been scheduled for November, and has since been postponed three times.

There are 35 candidates for president and hundreds for 129 legislative seats in the elections. The winners will replace an interim government installed after Aristide's ouster in February 2004.


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## Dog (7 Jan 2006)

What a mess....

It would be interesting to know exactly where the accidental bullet entered his head, and whether or not there were burns around the wound.

I'm willing to bet that as sloppy as it is there, there was no accident.

Of course I'm feeling conspiratorial today ;D


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## Peacekeeper (17 Feb 2006)

Conspiratorial......hmmmm...that reminds me to the X-Files-text :"The truth is out there".

Back to the conflict of Haiti:
These are the forgotten conflicts, I think.
I never heard about the troubles in Haiti.
Then I saw an article in a military newspaper.
And there was the problems of Haiti, and the dead
of the U.N.-Troops commanding General described.

The tv-pictures and magazine-news of iraq and iran
are the most we can see and read all the time.
And so it's easy to forget wat's wrong with the world
on other places, too.


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## vonGarvin (8 Sep 2006)

Just found this little gem:
(Posted here in accordance with the Treaty of Ghent, or whatever the free-dealing thingy is):
Source: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=7929ef74-557b-456d-8c07-723e4d8f96a9&amp;k=6586 (1720 ADT 07 Sept 2006)
MONTREAL - The Department of National Defence is looking into allegations of death threats and sexual threats by Canadian troops in Haiti in 2004.

''The military police are conducting a review of the information relating to these allegations,'' said Capt. Mark Giles, spokesman for the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal.

''They're aware of it, obviously, and they're going to make an assessment as to whether further investigation is warranted.''

Giles was commenting on a front-page article last Saturday in the Montreal Gazette.

In the article, the co-author of a new U.S. study on human-rights abuses in Port-au-Prince said Canadian soldiers were blamed for threatening people after the ouster of president Jean Bertrand-Aristide in early 2004.

The allegations were made in a December 2005 survey done by the author, Athena Kolbe, and a fellow researcher at Wayne University's school of social work, in Detroit. Their report was published last week in The Lancet, the British medical journal.

In one alleged incident, a resident of Delmas on the outskirts of the Port-au-Prince said Canadian troops raided his house and threatened to kill him if he didn't give them names of Aristide supporters.

In another alleged incident, a woman said she was grabbed by a drunk, off-duty Canadian soldier while out with friends near a base in the capital. She said he threatened to have sex with her.

But Giles suggested that may not have been possible.

''There's some information from our end suggesting our troops were pretty much confined to the camp, to the base, for the majority'' of the Canadian troops' time in Haiti, from March to August 2004.

''So whether or not it's feasible that there's reality or not to these allegations, I don't know. But certainly we take any allegation like this seriously.''


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## Reccesoldier (8 Sep 2006)

[Liberal Media Voice #1] Oooh, heres a nasty completely unsubstantiated allegation of those evil Cnadian soldiers doing realy evil things to innocent destitute Haitians lets print it! [/Liberal Media Voice #1]

[Liberal Media Voice #2] But isn't that slander?[/Liberal Media Voice #2]

[Liberal Media Voice #1]  Naw, we'll put a caveat at the end of the article and nothing will ever come of it except we will get another dig in at the Evil Jackbooted soldiers. [/Liberal Media Voice #1]


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## Weinie (8 Sep 2006)

Here's the rebuttal to the story. Seems the author of the report has a bit of a history and an axe to grind.

           Posted IAW all those fair dealing thingys: from yestrdays Globe and Mail

   The study, co-authored by Athena Kolbe, found that 8,000 Haitians have been slain and 35,000 women and girls raped since the ouster of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in early 2004. Ms. Kolbe said that according to local Haitians, Canadian peacekeepers made death threats against them during house raids, and sexual advances against women while the peacekeepers were drunk and off duty.

However, Ms. Kolbe herself is now the subject of controversy after revelations that the 30-year-old master's degree student at Wayne State University's school of social work in Detroit used to be an advocacy journalist who wrote under the name Lyn Duff and worked at a Haitian orphanage founded by Mr. Aristide.

  Full story is here

   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060907.HAITI07/TPStory/?query=haiti


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## The Bread Guy (8 Sep 2006)

From a bit further back, with the usual disclaimers...

First, the original study:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606692118/fulltext
*Human rights abuse and other criminal violations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti: a random survey of households*
Athena R Kolbe MSW & Dr Royce A Hutson PhD, The Lancet, 

Summary
Background

Reliable evidence of the frequency and severity of human rights abuses in Haiti after the departure of the elected president in 2004 was scarce. We assessed data from a random survey of households in the greater Port-au-Prince area.
Methods

Using random Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinate sampling, 1260 households (5720 individuals) were sampled. They were interviewed with a structured questionnaire by trained interviewers about their experiences after the departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The response rate was 90·7%. Information on demographic characteristics, crime, and human rights violations was obtained.
Findings

Our findings suggested that 8000 individuals were murdered in the greater Port-au-Prince area during the 22-month period assessed. Almost half of the identified perpetrators were government forces or outside political actors. Sexual assault of women and girls was common, with findings suggesting that 35 000 women were victimised in the area; more than half of all female victims were younger than 18 years. Criminals were the most identified perpetrators, but officers from the Haitian National Police accounted for 13·8% and armed anti-Lavalas groups accounted for 10·6% of identified perpetrators of sexual assault. Kidnappings and extrajudicial detentions, physical assaults, death threats, physical threats, and threats of sexual violence were also common.
Interpretation

Our results indicate that crime and systematic abuse of human rights were common in Port-au-Prince. Although criminals were the most identified perpetrators of violations, political actors and UN soldiers were also frequently identified. These findings suggest the need for a systematic response from the newly elected Haitian government, the UN, and social service organisations to address the legal, medical, psychological, and economic consequences of widespread human rights abuses and crime


Then, the Lancet editorial:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606692982/fulltext

*UN peacekeepers in Haiti*

6 months after democratic elections, Port-au-Prince has seen another upsurge in violence. Staff at Médicins Sans Frontières report treating more than 200 gunshot wounds in July, double the previous month's number of injuries. The fighting raises questions about the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping mission, whose intermittent 15-year presence was extended for a further 6 months on Aug 15.

In today's Lancet, Athena Kolbe and Royce Hutson report human rights violations in Port-au-Prince. Central to their findings is the fact that civilian welfare fails to attract the attention it deserves from authorities in times of conflict, with neither the Haitian government, nor the UN peacekeepers being able to estimate the effect of the conflict on civilians. Yet in just 22 months—from the departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to the end of 2005—an estimated 8000 people were murdered and 35 000 women sexually assaulted, half of whom were under the age of 18 years.

Most perpetrators were identified as criminals, but police, armed forces, paramilitaries, and foreign soldiers were also implicated. Although UN peacekeepers have been investigated for accusations of sexual misconduct in Haiti and elsewhere, Kolbe and Hutson's survey did not find evidence for their involvement in murder or sexual assault. However 14% of the interviewees did accuse foreign soldiers, including those in UN uniform, of threatening them with sexual or physical violence, including death.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has spoken out firmly against exploitative behaviour by UN peacekeepers. In 2005, at Annan's request, Prince Zeid of Jordan, whose soldiers serve in Haiti, proposed a number of measures to reduce sexual exploitation by UN personnel. One result has been the active investigation of allegations. Yet since 2004, only 17 peacekeepers have been dismissed and 161 repatriated out of 313 allegations worldwide. Annan's stand needs to be followed by stronger action to restore both international and local confidence, without which local security cannot be assured. Severely traumatised populations remain vulnerable, and as Kolbe and Hutson show, suffering does not stop when peacekeepers arrive. UN peacekeepers must no longer add to that suffering.

Finally, first MSM reference I've seen....

http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=232304ed-6900-4cf4-96d9-64eabd2f7b9a

*Canadians threatened us:  Haitians*
Jeff Heinrich, Montreal Gazette, 2 Sept 06

Canadian troops with the United Nations in Haiti made death threats during house raids and made sexual threats against women while drunk and off-duty, according to Haitians interviewed as part of a meticulous human rights survey by U.S. researchers in December 2005 published Thursday in the British medical journal The Lancet.

The study, which estimated that 8,000 Haitians have been murdered and 35,000 women and girls raped in Port-au-Prince alone since the ouster of then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in early 2004, did not mention Canadians specifically, blaming only Brazilian and Jordanian troops for making threats.

But in an interview yesterday, the study's lead author said Haitians pinpointed Canadians as among those UN military personnel who threatened them physically or sexually.

"Canadians were definitely blamed for death threats and threats of physical and sexual violence," said Athena Kolbe, 30, an expert on Haiti who speaks Creole. She has visited Haiti often and is doing her master's degree at Wayne State University's School of Social Work, in Detroit.

One family was interviewed at their home in Delmas, an eastern suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

"Canadian troops came to their house, and they said they were looking for (pro-Aristide) Lavalas chimeres, and threatened to kill the head of household, who was the father, if he didn't name names of people in their neighbourhood who were Lavalas chimeres or Lavalas supporters," Kolbe said by phone from San Francisco. "And he refused to, because, as he told us, he didn't know anyone."

How did he recognize the soldiers were Canadians? "From the flag on the uniform," Kolbe said.

How did he remember the incident so precisely? "Because the family was traumatized by it."

That incident was alleged to have taken place around the time of Aristide's departure in February 2004.

In another incident, "one woman said a Canadian soldier tried to have sex with her, that this soldier was drunk and she didn't want to, and that he was threatening her and grabbing at her when she didn't want to," Kolbe said.

The woman was out with her friends near a Canadian base, on a street where drunk and off-

duty Canadian soldiers in uniform tried to pick up local women.

Of the women in the peer-

reviewed study who complained of sexual threats, drunk and off-duty Canadian and U.S. soldiers were most often blamed, Kolbe said. "But regarding Brazilian and Jordanian troops, a lot of the sexual threats were actually when they were on patrol."

Canada sent 450 soldiers and other personnel along with six CH-146 Griffon helicopters to Haiti in March 2004 as part of a UN peacekeeping force of 6,700 military personnel and 1,600 police. The Canadian soldiers left in August of that year, but Canada still has 66 police officers in Haiti leading the UN's police force.

The Lancet survey - which questioned 5,720 randomly selected Haitians living in and around the capital about their lives in the 22 months since Aristide's fall - found that 97 said they had received death threats, 232 had been threatened physically and 86 sexually. One-third of the perpetrators were criminals, about 20 per cent were Haitian National Police and other government security agents, and another 20 per cent were foreign soldiers.

Most soldiers were identified by the flag displayed on their UN helmet or on their uniform sleeve over the upper arm. Other UN personnel were harder to identify by country; they had blue helmets but no flags.

The allegations of misconduct indicate that UN troops in Haiti need to be reined in, Kolbe said.

Canadians would likely have been more frequently cited if the study hadn't been restricted to the greater Port-au-Prince area, where Canadian troops patrol less than elsewhere in Haiti, Kolbe added.

Told of the allegations after Kolbe related them late yesterday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence said they sounded specific and serious but needed verification before any comment could be made. "Is there any way that you could give us time to comment?" said Lt. Adam Thomson, asking publication of the allegations be delayed until after the Labour Day weekend.

Also in Ottawa yesterday, Rejean Beaulieu, the Foreign Affairs department spokesperson for Haiti, refused comment, offering instead only an off-the-record, not-for-attribution "deep background briefing" on Canada's role in Haiti.

Earlier, Beaulieu referred questions to the UN, which he said "should be in a better position to answer since our people in Haiti were and are working under this umbrella."

In Montreal, a spokesperson for Premier Jean Charest - who visited Haiti in June 2005 and received its controversial prime minister, Gerard Latortue, at his Montreal office last March - also declined comment. "The type of relationship we have with Haiti is through humanitarian projects," not peacekeeping or policing, which is Ottawa's jurisdiction, Hugo d'Amours said.

Ridiculous, retorted Marie-Dominik Langlois, co-ordinator of the Christian Committee for Human Rights in Latin America.

"There are lots of humanitarian projects in Haiti that only serve to legitimize so-called community leaders" who had a role in the undemocratic removal of Aristide, and Quebec is involved with them, she said.

But one Montreal Haitian community group took an opposite view.

"Impunity (from justice) reigns like a king in Haiti, but in my opinion things would be even worse without the UN presence," said Marjorie Villefranche, director of programs at the Maison d'Haiti, a St. Michel community centre founded in 1972 that serves some of the 70,000 Haitians here.

"There has been an acceleration of violence. But it's an acceleration caused by armed groups, not foreign soldiers. The real mistake was that the UN didn't disarm everyone when they arrived."

 jheinrich@ thegazette.canwest.com


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## Centurian1985 (8 Sep 2006)

Complete and utter crap.  Having a PhD and drafting questions does not mean a report is unbiased.  Amazing how all these death threats and assaults were made yet not one 'victim' can identify their attacker or name a name, nor have any of them come forward and made allegations previously to MP's or UNPO's.


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## Patrolman (9 Sep 2006)

Typical! A member of my section was accused of being the father of a 8 year old boy brought to the front gate by his mother one day. He suppsedly fathered the baby in 1996 on a previous deployment. The thing is he was only 12 at the time. So was he the father? She thought so! Lies! Liies!


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## Centurian1985 (9 Sep 2006)

Patrolman said:
			
		

> Typical! A member of my section was accused of being the father of a 8 year old boy brought to the front gate by his mother one day. He suppsedly fathered the baby in 1996 on a previous deployment. The thing is he was only 12 at the time. So was he the father? She thought so! Lies! Liies!



That is hilarious - these are the kind of stories we need to circulate to counter the actons of so-called educated 'Canadians' who compile false allegatons without evidence.


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## rmacqueen (9 Sep 2006)

I heard an interview with the lead author of this report and they asked questions like "did you feel that you were threatened" not whether they were actually threatened.  Also, the numbers are extrapolated for the whole country based on the results from Port Au Prince assuming the rest of the country is as bad as the city.


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## Centurian1985 (9 Sep 2006)

rmacqueen said:
			
		

> I heard an interview with the lead author of this report and they asked questions like "did you feel that you were threatened" not whether they were actually threatened.  Also, the numbers are extrapolated for the whole country based on the results from Port Au Prince assuming the rest of the country is as bad as the city.



Extrapolated??? That is serious BS when they extrapolate findings based on a crowded downtown sector next to where the former base was.


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## Yrys (7 Mar 2008)

As Haiti goes hungry, tons of food rot at ports

Government effort to halt corruption creates bureaucratic barriers



> CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti - While millions of Haitians go hungry, containers full of food are stacking up in the nation's ports because of government red tape
> — leaving tons of beans, rice and other staples to rot under a sweltering sun or be devoured by vermin. A government attempt to clean up a corrupt port
> system that has helped make Haiti a major conduit for Colombian cocaine has added new layers of bureaucracy — and led to backlogs so severe they are
> being felt 600 miles away in Miami, where cargo shipments to Haiti have ground almost to a standstill.
> ...



Rest of article on link

Haiti’s poor resort to eating mud as prices rise


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## The Bread Guy (10 Sep 2008)

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act._

*DART advance team being sent to Haiti*
STEVEN CHASE, Globe and Mail, 9 Sept 08
Article link

Ottawa is sending a reconaissance group to storm-ravaged Haiti in advance of deploying Canada's military disaster-assistance team there.

The federal government will announce the move Wednesday, a source says.

The Disaster Assistance Response Team is a group of about 200 Canadian soldiers who travel to hard-hit areas of the world to provide short-term water purification and medical services until long-term help arrives.

The reconaissance team will scout out the situation to determine what the DART soldiers could do to help Haiti.

Haiti is facing a humanitarian crisis after four tropical storms in less than a month. Officials say at least 331 people have been killed in the storms in this desperately poor Caribbean nation. In the hard-hit region of Artibonite, which includes Gonaives, Hanna killed at least 172.

And as the floodwaters recede and more bodies surface, Haiti's government has all but given up trying to update the death toll. A committee that typically keeps track of such things in Gonaives disasters has disbanded, because its members were among the tens of thousands who lost their homes.


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## Armymedic (15 Sep 2008)

As the DART itself been deployed yet? Are they going? Has the recce team returned? Or is the recce team still there?

Anyone in the know please speak.


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## HItorMiss (15 Sep 2008)

Recce Departed...Team on Stand by...notoce was up to 24 now back to 48 I believe....My gut says nothing happeneing


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## medicineman (15 Sep 2008)

Man - not again.   Perhaps we should open a permanent CFB/GSU/ASU there?

MM


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## Gramps (16 Sep 2008)

There was a lot of equipment getting geared up to go, and we had the potential to get extremely busy with it but as of yet it is a no go.


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## dapaterson (16 Sep 2008)

Folks, pelase remember that deployments anywhere are an OPSEC issue.  Temper your comments appropriately; if you haven't seen it on the news / posted to the official DND website, it's probably not meant to be circulated.


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## Nfld Sapper (16 Sep 2008)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Folks, pelase remember that deployments anywhere are an OPSEC issue.  Temper your comments appropriately; if you haven't seen it on the news / posted to the official DND website, it's probably not meant to be circulated.



Good point there dapaterson.


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## bilton090 (16 Sep 2008)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Folks, pelase remember that deployments anywhere are an OPSEC issue.  Temper your comments appropriately; if you haven't seen it on the news / posted to the official DND website, it's probably not meant to be circulated.


 Too late, It's all ready been on CTV last week !


----------



## Nfld Sapper (16 Sep 2008)

I think he was refering to the NTM times given by Bulletmagnet


----------



## Gramps (16 Sep 2008)

No OPSEC violations in any of the posts. Any of that info can be construed from the two articles posted in the below links.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/09/10/dart-haiti.html
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b4ec7565-f422-4298-9348-ed71e9ed34e4


----------



## dapaterson (16 Sep 2008)

Where in those two articles is the current NTM?  Where's the information on preparing kit?

OPSEC is not just about big things - it's the colleciton of little things, taken together, that reveals what's happening.  In the words of the good old British poster:  "Be like Dad - Keep Mum!"


----------



## HItorMiss (16 Sep 2008)

It's DART   :


----------



## Nfld Sapper (16 Sep 2008)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Where in those two articles is the current NTM?  Where's the information on preparing kit?
> 
> OPSEC is not just about big things - it's the colleciton of little things, taken together, that reveals what's happening.  In the words of the good old British poster:  "Be like Dad - Keep Mum!"



From the article from CBC



> The team, which consists of about 200 members of the Canadian Forces, *is on standby now and can be prepared to leave for Haiti on 12 hours notice*


----------



## Teddy Ruxpin (16 Sep 2008)

All:

This was/is indeed an OPSEC issue and people are posting completely erroneous information in any event.  If you don't _know_ and haven't been told information was/is releasable, keep out of the discussion.


----------



## HItorMiss (16 Sep 2008)

Seriously it's DART....

Talking about them going anywhere is about as dangerous as saying 1 RCR is going to the field (which they are not btw).... They depoly with host nations approval and with much public/media fanfare. Hell last time they went anywhere it was reported they were leaving before they had even got to Trenton. In fact that would be how a medic friend of mine found out she was deploying.

I am all for OPSEC trust me I am... But seriously for DART get real.


----------



## armyvern (16 Sep 2008)

BulletMagnet said:
			
		

> Seriously it's DART....
> 
> Talking about them going anywhere is about as dangerous as saying 1 RCR is going to the field (which they are not btw).... They depoly with host nations approval and with much public/media fanfare. Hell last time they went anywhere it was reported they were leaving before they had even got to Trenton. In fact that would be how a medic friend of mine found out she was deploying.
> 
> I am all for OPSEC trust me I am... But seriously for DART get real.



Well being a PMO entity ... sometimes the politics speaks louder than the OPSEC. Interesting how that works isn't it?

Not much has changed since my time there.


----------



## Armymedic (16 Sep 2008)

If there were OPSEC issues, my original questions would not have been asked.

And to clarify...OPSEC points would be flight times, point of departures and points of arrival.

Whether anyone (outside CANSOFCOM) is coming or going, once out in open source is NOT OPSEC anymore. Like really, anyone not know troops from Petawawa are the next one to go into Afghanistan?


----------



## armyvern (16 Sep 2008)

Prairie Dog said:
			
		

> If there were OPSEC issues, my original questions would not have been asked.
> 
> And to clarify...OPSEC points would be flight times, point of departures and points of arrival.
> 
> Whether anyone (outside CANSOFCOM) is coming or going, once out in open source is NOT OPSEC anymore. Like really, anyone not know troops from Petawawa are the next one to go into Afghanistan?



It's not the OPSEC issues I was going on about --- it's more of the other habit that seems to occur ...

It's the habit of getting the DART WngO ... then finding out via the news that you're leaving the next day ... THEN getting the call from the CoC fan-out telling you "Guess what? You're leaving tomorrow!"

Standard response: "Gee ... what a surprise."


----------



## HItorMiss (16 Sep 2008)

Alright not a surprise here but I am confused cause you quoted Prairie Dog......  ???


----------



## Teddy Ruxpin (17 Sep 2008)

BulletMagnet said:
			
		

> Seriously it's DART....
> 
> Talking about them going anywhere is about as dangerous as saying 1 RCR is going to the field (which they are not btw).... They depoly with host nations approval and with much public/media fanfare. Hell last time they went anywhere it was reported they were leaving before they had even got to Trenton. In fact that would be how a medic friend of mine found out she was deploying.
> 
> I am all for OPSEC trust me I am... But seriously for DART get real.



Listen, "experts", it was more than DART - get it?  Roll your eyes all you want.

The media reports were wrong, your taking them as gospel was wrong and you were breaching OPSEC by speculating.

TR, out.


----------



## armyvern (17 Sep 2008)

Teddy Ruxpin said:
			
		

> Listen, "experts", it was more than DART - get it?  Roll your eyes all you want.
> 
> The media reports were wrong, your taking them as gospel was wrong and you were breaching OPSEC by speculating.
> 
> TR, out.



Except that he's the one who said in his very first sentence that 



> Talking about them going anywhere is about as dangerous as saying 1 RCR is going to the field (which they are not btw)....



(ie it's [the media reports] are all only speculation). Fact is, every time there's a disaster somewhere the media begins it's speculation as to when the DART is going to be deploying. That's normal for them.

He then went on to relate a prior occasion when their deployment date/time was announced by the media ... then passed on to the deploying members by their CoC after the media had announced that info. That turned out to be the case - at least for his friend ... and some others too.


----------



## Teddy Ruxpin (17 Sep 2008)

AV:

My ire was directed at Bulletmagnet, but also at Prairie Dog and all those others who think they know better.  They are out of their lanes.  I read (and continue to read) Bulletmagnet's quoted post somewhat differently than your interpretation.

I don't drop the OPSEC bomb lightly, as you know.


----------



## Gramps (17 Sep 2008)

I am trying to figure out what was the OPSEC violation was. All the info mentioned was in the articles as far as I can see. If anyone had mentioned specifics them maybe there would have been a problem. If flight times, departure locations and the specifics on what and who was being sent then I could see the concern for some. No specifics were given so there should be no problems. I sometimes don't get people on this site, it seems that it depends on who writes the post decides what the response will be.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse (17 Sep 2008)

Gramps said:
			
		

> I am trying to figure out what was the OPSEC violation was.



Well if there was one, it wouldn't still be here anyway.


----------



## Eye In The Sky (17 Sep 2008)

I think what TR was saying is that it was not just DART...elements from other units were on the ramp as well.  DART itself was in the news...perhaps others...weren't.

( I have a friend from a non-DART unit who was on SB...)


----------



## GAP (17 Sep 2008)

when in doubt....let the thread die....


----------



## HItorMiss (18 Sep 2008)

I expressly talked about DART and DART only. No "Other" units nor will I ever talk about those other units. DART is not an OPSEC violation 

EDIT: No need to be unprofessional in my reply, my apologies


----------



## Eye In The Sky (18 Sep 2008)

BM,

FWIW...I agree with you and Gramps here on this one...no mention of anything other than DART and the PA types and media know about that before some people under the DART 'umbrella' actually do, due the nature of the DART composition.

But hey, I am just a small fish in the big pond.

I made mention that a friend of mine in a non-DART unit was on SB but..he/she could have been from the 409th Mukluk Repair Regiment.  Gives nobody anything OPSEC-wise.


----------



## MasterInstructor (12 Jan 2010)

A major earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday, knocking down buildings and inflicting a catastrophe on the impoverished Caribbean nation, its ambassador to the United States said.
"The only thing I can do now is pray and hope for the best," the ambassador, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN.
The magnitude 7.0 quake struck about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince shortly before 5 p.m. Joseph said he had little information about the extent of damage from the quake, but one government official -- the only one he was able to reach -- told him houses had crumbled "on the right side of the street and the left side of the street."
"He said it is a catastrophe of major proportions," Joseph said.
Are you there? Submit an iReport
A hospital collapsed from the quake, The Associated Press reported. Also, damage was done to an airport and the presidential palace, and a hotel collapsed, Haitian radio reported.


The quake damaged several other government buildings, including the parliament building, and a cathedral in the capital, according to Agence France-Presse, citing Haitian TV.
Frank Williams, the Haitian director of the relief agency World Vision International, said the quake left people "pretty much screaming" all around Port-au-Prince. He said the agency's building shook for about 35 seconds, "and portions of things on the building fell off."
"None of our staff were injured, but lots of walls are falling down," Williams said. "Many of our staff have tried to leave, but were unsuccessful because the walls from buildings and private residences are falling into the streets, so that it has pretty much blocked significantly most of the traffic."
Impact Your World: How you can help
The quake was centered about 6 miles (10 kilometers) underground, according to the USGS. A magnitude 5.9 aftershock followed soon afterward, about 30 miles further west, followed by a 5.5 aftershock closer to the location of the first quake.
"There is a kind of wail as people are very frightened by it," Williams said of the aftershocks. "But most people are out in the streets and just kind of looking up."
The Rev. Kesner Ajax, executive director of a school in the southwestern city of Cayes, said several people were hurt when they rushed to get out of the building. Two homes in the area collapsed and the top of a church collapsed in a nearby town, he said, but he did not know of any fatalities.
Cayes, a city of about 400,000 people, is about 225 kilometers southwest of Port-au-Prince.
Luke Renner, an American staying in Cap-Hatien, a city nearly 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince, said he was sitting at his home when "the whole world started to shake."
"It felt like our whole house was balancing on a beach ball," Renner said. "We heard the whole community screaming and in an uproar during that whole 20- to 30-second window."
"I haven't seen any structural damage here," Renner continued. "With the sun setting it may be difficult to tell. In the morning we'll know for sure."
Because of the earthquake's proximity to the capital, and because the city is densely populated and has poorly constructed housing, "it could cause significant casualties," said Jian Lin, a senior geologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
The disaster is the latest to befall Haiti, which has a population of about 9 million people and is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Hurricane Gordon killed more than 1,000 people in 1994, while Hurricane Georges killed more than 400 and destroyed the majority of the country's crops in 1998.
In 2004, heavy rains from Hurricane Jeanne -- which passed north of the country -- caused landslides and flooding that killed more than 3,000 people, mostly in the northwestern city of Gonaives. Gonaives was hit heavily again in 2008, when four tropical systems passed through.
A tsunami watch for Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Haiti has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
Eighty percent of Haiti's population lives under the poverty line, according to the CIA World Factbook.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/12/haiti.earthquake/index.html


----------



## vonGarvin (12 Jan 2010)

Having been there, I can only imagine the horror that is going on now.  Thankfully the weather is not much of an issue right now (eg: not driven out into the freezing cold).  7.0 on the scale, and only 15 km away as the epicentre.  That must have been one hell of a shaking.  My heart goes out to those caught up in this.


----------



## Spanky (12 Jan 2010)

Agreed.  Those people just can't seem to catch a break.


----------



## CyberJonesy (12 Jan 2010)

For those who would like to provide assistance, I think the Canadian redcross is the best humanitarian organization to donate to.

Here's the link: https://www.paypaq.com/redcross/new/index.php

I wished I could be there to help those people but I can't so I have made a donation instead.
And remember, every dollar counts.
 :yellow:


----------



## MasterInstructor (12 Jan 2010)

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Canada+ready+help+earthquake+devastated+Haiti/2433688/story.html

Looks like CF might get involved...


----------



## Armymedic (12 Jan 2010)

If there was ever an instance where the full weight of the CF (not deployed, or deploying to Afghanistan) should be fired immediately into a foreign country in the name of humanitarian aid, this is the time.

We dump huge money into Haiti. We have police there, we had soldiers there. 

If Canada want to show itself as more than just America's inconsequential neighbour, then we need to get our butt there fast.


----------



## Eye In The Sky (13 Jan 2010)

CTV News: Canada ready to help Haiti.

There is no confirmation of Canadian casualties in the Haiti earthquake, although 6,000 citizens from this country reside there, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday. 

Of those, only 700 are registered with the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, he said. 

"Canada is offering its condolences to all those affected by this disaster. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti," Cannon told a news conference in Ottawa. "We invite Canadians who are in the area to call home and reassure their loved ones." 

Haiti is the second largest recipient of humanitarian aid from Canada, Cannon pointed out: "We have a close relationship with Haiti and are ready to act," he said. "We are committed to helping Haiti. We have done this in the past." 

Officials in Ottawa and Port-au-Prince are closely monitoring the situation and "Canadians are ready to give consular assistance," Cannon said. 

Government officials are also considering whether to deploy its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) — Canada's team of 200 Canadian Forces personnel which provides help to areas affected by disaster for up to 40 days. Canada currently has five soldiers in Haiti, posted there for security reasons. 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement Tuesday evening extending his "sincere sympathies to all affected by this disaster." 

"Canadians are profoundly concerned about the impact of today's earthquake in Haiti," Harper said. 

"Our nation is home to a large community of Canadians of Haitian descent. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they seek word about the safety of their loved ones." 

While officials assess the damage and the possibility of Canadians being injured in the quake, "Canada stands ready to provide any necessary assistance to the people of Haiti during this time of need," Harper said. 

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean issued a statement saying she is following the tragedy in her native country "with great attention and concern." 

"This natural disaster has hit a country with an extremely fragile infrastructure, where many buildings are already unstable, and where living conditions are often very difficult. I fear for its people," she said. 

"I would like all Haitians to know that they are not alone and that Canadians will respond to this emergency." 

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama said his "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Haiti and pledged to come to their aid if needed. 

"We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti," Obama said in a statement. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CBC News:  Thousands feared dead as 7.0 quake hits Haiti.

The largest earthquake ever recorded in the area rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and damaging other buildings.

An aid official described "total disaster and chaos." 

Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a clear picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.

Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in the capital of Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group Sara Fajardo.

"He reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince," Fajardo said from the group's offices in Maryland.

The headquarters of the UN peacekeeping Mission in Haiti sustained "serious damage" in Tuesday's earthquake and a large number of UN personnel in Haiti are unaccounted for, the peacekeeping chief said late Tuesday.

Alain Le Roy in New York said other UN installations in the Caribbean nation were also seriously damaged. UN officials said a large number of its personnel were missing.

The executive director of Haitian Ministries for the Diocese of Norwich, Conn., Emily Smack, said she believed two of the organization's staff are trapped in their mission house, which partially collapsed during the earthquake.

Other buildings also were damaged and scientists said they expected "substantial" damage and casualties as powerful aftershocks shook the country.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0 and was centred about 15 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

It had a depth of eight kilometres and was the largest quake recorded in the area, said Dale Grant, an analyst with the U.S. agency. The last major quake was a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984.

Weather conditions were generally quiet at the time of the quake. A mostly sunny sky with temperatures around 25 C to 30 C were reported.

* more on article link


What do you say in times like this?  Hopefully our southern neighbors and ourselves will giddy-up and do what we can, and fast.

Thoughts and prayers to all who are and will be affected by this.  If they come looking for volunteers tomorrow, my name will be on the list.


----------



## MasterInstructor (13 Jan 2010)

Apparently, they are not sending in CF at the moment.. Just watching CBC They are waiting for more information... I hope they act fast not like the Tsunami, where aid was sent a week later...


----------



## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2010)

SFB said:
			
		

> We dump huge money into Haiti. We have police there, we *had* soldiers there.


We still have a few troops there via OP HAMLET - the latest (pre-quake) here.

Latest on DART, via Sun Media:


> Canada is offering condolences, consular services and aid to Haiti in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake that rocked the country .... Officials are making contact with humanitarian organizations and are prepared to provide consular services to any Canadians in the region. Cannon said Defence Minister Peter MacKay is also conducting a preliminary assessment of equipment to determine how Canada might act to help, including the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). The Defence Department is getting more information to make the "appropriate decisions," he said ....


----------



## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2010)

PM statement:


> Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement on the situation in Haiti following the earthquake that occurred there earlier today:
> 
> “Canadians are profoundly concerned about the impact of today’s earthquake in Haiti.  On behalf of all Canadians, I wish to extend my sincere sympathies to all affected by this disaster.
> 
> ...


----------



## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2010)

From the Canadian Press:


> Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Canada is sending a reconnaissance team to Haiti to assess the damage and needs from the devastating earthquake.
> 
> He says the team's assessment will provide guidance for the deployment of Canada's Disaster Assistance Relief Team, or DART, a military quick-reaction force for humanitarian aid.
> 
> ...


----------



## Journeyman (13 Jan 2010)

"7.0 quake hits Haiti; could be 'catastrophe,' official says"


"DND responds by updating PowerPoints. 'Perhaps something with a mauve background; oh, and change sad to unhappy' says a DART insider. 'We've got a MGen and who knows how many LCols standing by in the Business Class lounge at Ottawa International Airport." 
Kent Brockman, live from NDHQ"

[/cynicism]


----------



## MasterInstructor (13 Jan 2010)

> Defence Minister Peter MacKay confirmed that DART will go to Haiti, but the composition of the team is yet to be determined. DART's work includes providing drinking water and medical treatment in disaster areas.
> 
> A Canadian C-17 transport plane and two Griffon search-and-rescue helicopters are standing by to help in relief efforts if needed.
> 
> ...



http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/01/13/montreal-haiti-canada-support.html


----------



## medicineman (13 Jan 2010)

They'll get their gong for going to Haiti long before those of us on Op Halo get ours I'm sure... 

MM


----------



## vonGarvin (13 Jan 2010)

medicineman said:
			
		

> They'll get their gong for going to Haiti long before those of us on Op Halo get ours I'm sure...
> 
> MM


You said it, but I was thinking it ;D


Actually, the epicentre was some 8 km or so from where I Coy Gp was set up.


----------



## daftandbarmy (13 Jan 2010)

CNN Breaking News


Hundreds of thousands of people have died in Haiti's earthquake, the prime minister told CNN today.

Watch live coverage now on http://CNN.com/Live


----------



## daftandbarmy (13 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> You said it, but I was thinking it ;D
> 
> 
> Actually, the epicentre was some 8 km or so from where I Coy Gp was set up.



Don't worry, they can't blame this one on I Coy


----------



## kratz (13 Jan 2010)

From today's [ur=http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9014787.htmll]Chronicle Herald[/url] in Halifax:



> Frigates Halifax, Athabaskan headed to Haiti
> 
> By STEPHEN MAHER Ottawa Bureau
> Wed. Jan 13 - 2:20 PM
> ...


----------



## vonGarvin (13 Jan 2010)

[pedantic]  Isn't HMCS Athabaskan a destroyer, not a frigate? [/pedantic]

Anyway, the time is short.  We are moving with a sense of urgency, less than 24 hours after the quake hit, and it appears that the recce team is there, with the main body ready to move probably within days, if not hours.  I just hope that Toussainte Airport is still serviceable.  Otherwise, there will be no way to get that stuff near where it's needed.  Thankfully Toussainte is right near where people will need help, though I suspect that the South West portion of town is pretty knackered.


----------



## Nfld Sapper (13 Jan 2010)

Reports are that the control tower is N/S, but the rest of the airfield seems servicable....


----------



## Journeyman (13 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> I just hope that Toussainte Airport is still serviceable.  Otherwise, there will be no way to get that stuff near where it's needed.


Bet you wish you had an Airborne Engineer Group now, don't you?


----------



## observor 69 (13 Jan 2010)

Or perhaps not!

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19821116-1&lang=en

"During a LAPES drop the load jammed on the rear ramp. The airplane stalled and crashed."

I thought I read that we had given up on this as a bad idea?


----------



## Nfld Sapper (13 Jan 2010)

Pte Brady William, an Traffic Technician from 2 Air Movement Squadron is tightening the load inside the CC-130 Hercules that is being sent over to Haiti in response to the disastrous earthquake.   


Elements of the Canadian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) deploy from Canadian Forces Base, 8 Wing Trenton.  Aboard this CC-130 Hercules is the military equipment and medical supplies needed for Canada’s DART team to respond immediately.  The current situation is to help support the disaster caused by the earthquake that hit 10 miles from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  2 Air Movement Squadron (2AMS), alongside with members of 8 Air Movement Squadron (8 AMS), prepare the CC130 Hercules aircraft in support of this disaster.Canada deployed DART out of 8 Wing Trenton at 11:00 hrs, 13th of January 2010. 

Cpl Tina Gillies. Wing Imaging Section, 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario





Elements of the Canadian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) deploy from Canadian Forces Base, 8 Wing Trenton. 

Aboard this CC-130 Hercules is the military equipment and medical supplies needed for Canada’s DART team to respond immediately.  The current situation is to help support the disaster caused by the earthquake that hit 10 miles from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  2 Air Movement Squadron (2AMS), alongside with members of 8 Air Movement Squadron (8 AMS), prepare the CC130 Hercules aircraft in support of this disaster.Canada deployed DART out of 8 Wing Trenton at 11:00 hrs, 13th of January 2010.  

Cpl Tina Gillies. Wing Imaging Section, 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario


----------



## Journeyman (13 Jan 2010)

Baden  Guy said:
			
		

> I thought I read that we had given up on this as a bad idea?


As far as I know, we don't do LAPES anymore. 
Chinthe 329 was just one of three C130's to crater when I was posted in Edmonton. 

...once again reaffirming that the more pilots I know, the more I like to jump out!  :nod:

[/thread hijack]


----------



## Eye In The Sky (13 Jan 2010)

NFLD Sapper said:
			
		

> Reports are that the control tower is N/S, but the rest of the airfield seems servicable....



The Gypsies should be able to remedy that issue if needed.


----------



## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2010)

Yeah, I know twitter's only a micro sound bite, but WTF?


> Canada should be in Haiti faster and more than we are. Time to speed up, Mr Harper.


Posted ~2030EST 13 Jan 10


----------



## Nfld Sapper (13 Jan 2010)

Media Advisory
Media Opportunity Canadian Forces Deployment to Haiti
January 13, 2010

8 Wing/CFB Trenton – There will be media availability to observe the loading of a CC-177 with humanitarian assistance that will be provided to the people of Haiti on behalf of the Canadian Government. This will include components of the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).

WHEN:  8:00 p.m., January 13, 2010
WHERE:  In front of the C-17 Hangar at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton

There will also be a media availability to observe the take-off of this CC-177.

WHEN: 2:00 a.m., January 14, 2010
WHERE: At the 8 Wing Passenger Terminal.

-30-

Note to the editors: Media representatives are asked to be present at the passenger terminal at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton no later than 7:30 p.m. They will then be escorted to the aircraft. For the aircraft departure, please be present no later than 1:30 a.m.

Photos of Canadian Forces operations in Haiti are available at www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca by keyword search "Haiti".

Video b-roll of Canadian Forces operations in Haiti are available at http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/common/combatcamera/news/.


----------



## HItorMiss (13 Jan 2010)

Thats funny he does know that loading supplies takes time right and that you have to send people to find out what is needed most... Oh wait I am using common sense silly me  :


----------



## Nfld Sapper (13 Jan 2010)

Guess he should be go to trenton and witness this,

Media Advisory
Media Opportunity Canadian Forces Deployment to Haiti
January 13, 2010

8 Wing/CFB Trenton – There will be media availability to observe the loading of a CC-177 with humanitarian assistance that will be provided to the people of Haiti on behalf of the Canadian Government. This will include components of the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).

WHEN:  8:00 p.m., January 13, 2010
WHERE:  In front of the C-17 Hangar at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton

There will also be a media availability to observe the take-off of this CC-177.

WHEN: 2:00 a.m., January 14, 2010
WHERE: At the 8 Wing Passenger Terminal.


----------



## Edward Campbell (13 Jan 2010)

BulletMagnet said:
			
		

> Thats funny he does know that loading supplies takes time right and that you have to send people to find out what is needed most... Oh wait I am using common sense silly me  :




Ujal Dosanjh is *low*, even by Liberal standards. Her slithers around Ottawa on his slimy belly; no lie is too big to tell; there is no person who cannot be slandered.


----------



## Edward Campbell (13 Jan 2010)

Plus, see this, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (29) of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ web site:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canada-rushes-aid-to-haiti/article1430385/


> Canada rushes aid to Haiti
> *Advance team arrived in the capital Wednesday with relief ships and planes on the way*
> 
> Campbell Clark and Gloria Galloway
> ...




We were _tardy_ in 2004 and 2005 when Harper the Liberals were running the government. But they will complain that parliament is in recess and they cannot critique the government for being too slow in the full glare of the parliamentary press gallery's camera's. And it will not stop some Liberal MPs (former ministers) from calling the CF war criminals.


----------



## tree hugger (14 Jan 2010)

Looks like troops from Pet may soon be headed to Haiti:

From the Pembroke Daily Observer:

http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2260516


----------



## Rifleman62 (14 Jan 2010)

Note that conveniently, Clark/Galloway, did not state the slow response was when the Liberals were the government. By leaving it open ended, we become revisionists of history. 

All part of the game the media in Canada plays, or maybe Ms. Galloway's husband said don't write that.


----------



## Rheostatic (14 Jan 2010)

An interesting picture of the "wheels turning", and the name of the new op:

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (29) of the Copyright Act


			
				The Sarnia Observer said:
			
		

> PM deserves kudos for Haiti response
> Posted By GREG WESTON
> Posted 2 hours ago
> 
> ...


----------



## Edward Campbell (14 Jan 2010)

And, this, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s _Globe and Mail_ web site:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/relief-team-hit-the-ground-running-ottawa-to-match-haiti-donations/article1430829/


> Relief team 'hit the ground running';
> Ottawa to match Haiti donations
> 
> Jane Taber
> ...




The *government* – ministry, bureaucracy and services – is at ‘work.’ Parliament is in recess. Does anyone miss _Iggy_ _Iffy_ _Icarus_, Ujal Dosnaj and John McCallum and their “war crimes” charges?

I don't mean to politicize, unnecessarily, this great, human tragedy, but it IS a political story, too, and Harper's team, like the Liberals, _Dippers_ and the BQ, will _spin_ already are _spinning_ it furiously.


Edit: formatting


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## gaspasser (14 Jan 2010)

It was very busy on the ramp last night...kudos to the traffic techs and loadies   
Relief supplies and helos, people and kit...all loaded and off withing 24 hours!!  Way To Go Trenton!!!!


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## vonGarvin (14 Jan 2010)

I'm a bit late on this one; however:



> Media Opportunity: NAVAL SHIPS DEPART HALIFAX FOR HAITI
> Maritime Forces Atlantic 03/10 - January 14, 2010
> 
> HALIFAX, N.S. – Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships Athabaskan and Halifax will depart Halifax for Haiti at 3 p.m. AST today.  The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, along with Rear Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic, will be on hand for the departure.
> ...





As I post this, it is 15:27 AST.  So, two ships en route, less than 48 hours after the quake.  I wonder if Mr. Dosanjh is watching.


----------



## trencher (14 Jan 2010)

Bunch of DART team members left this morning and more here in trenton ready to leave or have already left today.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse (15 Jan 2010)

A nice writeup for the DART, and a kick in the nuts for John watson.


http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/peter_worthington/2010/01/14/12471186.html
DART is one of our most effective front line aid agencies
By Peter Worthington

Last Updated: 14th January 2010, 8:20pm

 As hopeless as conditions were in Haiti before the earthquake, they are even more critical now — and the world seems to be responding, especially the U.S., the most generous nation in the history of the world.
Canada, too, responded quickly.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff put politics on the back burner and endorsed the government’s initial $5 million disaster pledge. The government has since announced it will match private contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $50 million, as was done in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in the South Pacific.
As in the 2004 tsunami, schools, piggy banks, ordinary people will start contributing. There are roughly 100,000 Canadians of Haitian-origin, and likely they’ll be big contributors.

From past experiences, arguably the single greatest contribution Canada can make to the unfortunates in Port-au-Prince and the earthquake zone is the 200-member army Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), which is already on the scene.
DART’s vital contribution in natural disasters is the ability to produce fresh water — some 200,000 litres a day, as in the Sri Lanka tsunami crisis. DART also rescued people, helped build shelters, repair roads, and give medical treatment. DART is run by soldiers who are trained to act quickly.

In Sri Lanka, DART tended to 6,000 victims and provided 2.5 million litres of fresh water, and military families in Petawawa raised money for schools that was channeled through DART, which was more effective locally than big aid agencies.
Our government would be wise to give the DART commander access to money for local emergency use. He’ll need it.

Put bluntly, private money pledged — which the government will match — will almost certainly go to CIDA. 
CIDA’s record at natural disasters leaves much to be desired. It is a bureaucracy and has its own agenda. In Sri Lanka, CIDA was often at odds with DART, whose only agenda was alleviating the misery as effectively as possible.

The Sun’s reporter with DART in the Sri Lankan tsunami was video documentary producer Garth Pritchard, arguably Canada’s top documentary filmmaker on military missions (Somalia, Burma, the Balkans, Afghanistan).
Pritchard’s reports illustrated DART’s vital role in supplying clean water and rebuilding while professional aid groups often dithered, held meetings, drove land rovers.


The head of CARE (Canada), John Watson, called the DART response in Sri Lanka “amateur.”  According to others who were there, it was the most effective of our aid operations. Bickering among aid agencies is as common as in-fighting among animal rights people.

Haiti’s PM has estimated the death toll at 100,000 — a statistic that boggles comprehension. Canada has some 95 police posted in Haiti to help in training, and 75 embassy staff. An estimated 6,000 Canadians live in Haiti, most of whom have little to do with our embassy.

As for DART, it was started in 1996, and has an annual budget of around $500,000. As well as the tsunami in Sri Lanka, DART provided medical aid and water in Honduras in 1998 where a hurricane killed 6,000; Turkey after a 1999 earthquake; Pakistan in 2004. Its value has been repeatedly proven.
As for donations, the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and various religious relief organizations are the most effective, and with whom DART has cooperated in the past.

DART — once again, one of Canada’s more effective front line aid agencies.


----------



## The Bread Guy (15 Jan 2010)

Mod Squad:  Any merit in consolidating these threads here?

http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/79699.0
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/91593.0
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/91568.0

If not, feel free to dump this post.


----------



## vonGarvin (15 Jan 2010)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> *Mod Squad*:  Any merit in consolidating these threads here?
> 
> http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/79699.0
> http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/91593.0
> ...


"Mod Squad?"  Which one is Link?   ;D

(Excellent idea, BTW.  I've been perusing a number of threads on the one issue.  It may be waaaaaaaaaaaay too soon to tell; however, HESTIA may end up being much longer than a 40 day mission.  My spidey sense tingles that this may end up being focus #1 following Afghanistan, and for a while as well.  So, having said that, is it too soon to have it's own sub-forum (eg: The newsroon >> Operation Hestia)?)


----------



## The Bread Guy (15 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> "Mod Squad?"  Which one is Link?   ;D



I see I'm not the only person from my age/TV viewing cohort here.


----------



## Snakedoc (15 Jan 2010)

The Canadian Navy heads off to Haiti.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100115/haiti_ships_100115/20100115?hub=TopStoriesV2

*Canadian navy bringing 'light engineering' aid to Haiti*

Two Canadian Forces ships are steaming towards Haiti after a speedy effort to prepare the vessels and crew to weigh anchor and deliver vital aid to the quake-stricken country. 

The navy Destroyer HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Halifax were loaded with supplies and equipment before leaving port on Thursday, headed for Port-au-Prince. 

Canada's aid effort to Haiti is multi-pronged. In addition to the deployment of DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team), $5 million in initial funding and efforts by dozens of non-governmental organizations, visa exemptions have now been put in place for Russian planes delivering aid to Haiti, via Canada. 

CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Friday that Russian Andropov cargo planes refuelling at Gander, N.L., en route to Haiti, will not require visas in order to land. 

Capt. Art McDonald, the Canadian Task Group Commander of both the HMCS Athabaskan and the HMCS Halifax , said Friday that he expects to arrive in port on Tuesday, and to begin delivering help immediately. 

He spoke to CTV's Canada AM from the HMCS Athabaskan, which is carrying a Sea King helicopter. 

"When we arrive we're going to bring some unique maritime capabilities, specifically we can offer Haiti the light engineering kind of work -- clearing roads and enabling critical infrastructure so aid can flow through," McDonald said. 

"And we can do that without going through the airport at Port-au-Prince and that will be a significant advantage to the force as we try to render aid throughout the region." 

Both ships departed Halifax harbour at 2 p.m. on Thursday after an incredible effort to prepare the ships almost overnight for what is expected to be a two-month deployment. 

They were loaded with construction equipment such as chainsaws and concrete cutters, as well as food and supplies for more than 500 sailors who will be clearing rubble and removing bodies from collapsed buildings as part of their work. 

Rather than delivering food or medical aid, the ships' crews will be focused on "light engineering" work that will allow other aid agencies to deliver their supplies to those who need it. 

The Athabaskan was made sail-ready in just 24 hours after it was recalled to port following the earthquake. McDonald said the turnaround was incredible. 

"(Thursday) was a great day because we were able to get two Canadian ships with over 500 skilled sailors and all kinds of stuff out the door en route to Haiti," he said. 

While still in port, the focus was on ensuring the ships would be prepared for any situation the crews might encounter in Haiti, McDonald said. 

Now that they are en route the focus has shifted to planning and strategizing "so when we arrive on Tuesday we can have effect, we can start to make a difference in the lives of people in Haiti," McDonald said. 

Defence Minister Peter MacKay saw the Athabaskan off on Thursday, saying the crews hit the ground running because "that's what the navy does."


----------



## Nfld Sapper (15 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> "Mod Squad?"  Which one is Link?   ;D
> 
> (Excellent idea, BTW.  I've been perusing a number of threads on the one issue.  It may be waaaaaaaaaaaay too soon to tell; however, HESTIA may end up being much longer than a 40 day mission.  My spidey sense tingles that this may end up being focus #1 following Afghanistan, and for a while as well.  So, having said that, is it too soon to have it's own sub-forum (eg: The newsroon >> Operation Hestia)?)



I think you are right Techo..... but interesting note from my CoC is that there hasn't been a staff check for engineers (yet) especially since they need Heavy E, Water Supply and Bridging........


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## armychick2009 (15 Jan 2010)

Snakedoc, you beat me to posting that link!

They (the gov't) has also revealed that nearly 1500 Canadians are missing in Haiti... but from something I've read, only 1 in 5 actually check in with the embassy when they get there. So... I wonder if that number is taken into consideration with those or, if that number could be 5 times higher?


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## Journeyman (15 Jan 2010)

Although my overwhelming caring for my fellow humans is one of my strengths, a real tragedy of this Haitian crisis is that most of the American Apparel lingerie ads on Texts From Last Night have been supplanted by Red Cross appeals for funds.  

The inhumanity of it all  :'(


(No, I have nothing of value to contribute; I'll stop    )


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## PuckChaser (15 Jan 2010)

armychick2009 said:
			
		

> They (the gov't) has also revealed that nearly 1500 Canadians are missing in Haiti... but from something I've read, only 1 in 5 actually check in with the embassy when they get there. So... I wonder if that number is taken into consideration with those or, if that number could be 5 times higher?



There have been reports that only 700 Canadians are registered with the Embassy, estimates place the actual number at 6,000. I think the 1500 missing is accurate based on that.


----------



## The Bread Guy (15 Jan 2010)

Hope I'm not being too morbid, but I really did find this fact sheet from the Red Cross interesting:


> Cadaver management in a nutshell
> # There is a widespread myth that dead bodies cause epidemics in a disaster.
> 
> This is not the case; the bodies of people who have died in a disaster do not spread disease.
> ...


----------



## GAP (15 Jan 2010)

U.S. Diverts Spy Drone from Afghanistan to Haiti
* By Nathan Hodge Email Author  * January 15, 2010
Article Link

As part of the Haiti relief effort, the U.S. military is sharing imagery from one of its high-end, high-flying spy drones, the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

This image, shot yesterday by a Global Hawk, shows damage to the National Cathedral in Port-au-Prince. U.S. Southern Command is sharing the images so that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and relief groups can get a better picture of the situation on the ground.

Danger Room pal Paul McCleary has much, much more detail at Ares. Colonel Bradley Butz, with the Air Force’s 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing told at McCleary that the Global Hawk was originally supposed to fly over Afghanistan, but was retasked yesterday to Haiti, where it spent 14 hours on station and shot hundreds of images.

“Today we’re going after another 1,000 images, which will all be unclassified,” McCleary quotes Butz as saying. “SOUTHCOM will provide it to whoever needs it.”

Sharing imagery from a spy drone may sound like an unusual move, but it’s part of a larger push within the Pentagon to declassify and share imagery in stability operations and disaster relief. Back in 2008, former Pentagon chief information officer Linton Wells told Danger Room how he had pushed for combatant commanders to collaborate more freely with NGOs and aid groups. Wells, in fact, oversees a Pentagon-funded project called STAR-TIDES, which tries to encourage the military to tap social networking and trust-building arrangements in disaster response.

SOUTHCOM, in fact, seems to be taking a page from STAR-TIDES. The command has set up two collaborative portals: One that is accessible to partner nations, international organizations, NGOs and academia; a second, designated “for official use only” (i.e., unclassified, but restricted) that is open to users across the Department of Defense.
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (15 Jan 2010)

CEFCOM OP HESTIA site with useful details:
http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/hestia/index-eng.asp

Mark
Ottawa


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## 1feral1 (15 Jan 2010)

Now this is sick!

I heard this before I racked out last night, and googled this am, with pages of results. here's what Reuters has to say.....

--------------------------

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60D6F920100114

Angry Haitians block roads with corpses-witness 14 Jan 2010 23:30:00 GMT 
Source: Reuters
 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Angry Haitians set up roadblocks with corpses in Port-au-Prince to protest at the delay in emergency aid reaching them after a devastating earthquake, an eyewitness said, 

Shaul Schwarz, a photographer for TIME magazine, said he saw at least two downtown roadblocks formed with bodies of earthquake victims and rocks. 

"They are starting to block the roads with bodies, it's getting ugly out there, people are fed up with getting no help," he told Reuters. (Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne) 

-----------------------

IMHO, my predictions of a spirial of sickening violence are now appearing, and the rescurers may turn out to be victims themselves. It's no way to win hearts/minds of many international citizens thinking of donating.

OWDU


----------



## leroi (15 Jan 2010)

OWDU,

I understand how you feel,  the transportation problems are going to be bad enough without people blocking roads with corpses and making it worse.

I imagine it's going to be pandemonium there for a short time--the damage and carnage is so vast; the city had such a weak infrastructure to begin with--but  before too long, various militaries and humanitarian partners will get it sorted out. 

~ At least, I have faith they will.

So I think the anarchy is _very_ short term.  (And, hopefully a small lunatic fringe is responsible for it and it doesn't represent many of the good citizens waiting patiently and singing together).

Is there enough heavy equipment in place to begin moving the building debris, is what I wonder--these people under the rubble don't have a lot of time although on CNN last night an Icelandic rescue worker said people could survive up to 7 days?? I presume he meant if they weren't too badly injured and had some breathing space?


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## observor 69 (15 Jan 2010)

Sending in the army:

Just heard on CBC TV that Ottawa is sending in troops from Valcartier along with engineers and a HQ group.

More:

Canada preps 800 troops for possible deployment to Haiti
The Canadian Press Jan 15, 2010 16:54:02 PM 

 The Canadian army has put 800 troops on standby for possible peacekeeping deployment to Haiti, according to a report by The Canadian Press, Friday.

The soldiers would be drawn from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Que. 

http://www.680news.com/news/national/article/17306--canada-preps-800-troops-for-possible-deployment-to-haiti


----------



## GAP (15 Jan 2010)

There was one comment on CBC news this AM that kinda made me shake my head.

It was that the CF would not be bringing in any bulldozers, etc  just shovels, and hand tools.


----------



## Nfld Sapper (15 Jan 2010)

Baden  Guy said:
			
		

> Sending in the army:
> 
> Just heard on CBC TV that Ottawa is sending in troops from Valcartier along with engineers and a HQ group.
> 
> ...



An from an article from the CBC



> Canada may be preparing to send hundreds more military personnel to Haiti. The Canadian Press reported that 800 soldiers are on notice, but that they have not yet been given the nod to go by the federal government.



1,415 Canadians missing in Haiti 
4 Canadians confirmed dead after earthquake


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## TN2IC (15 Jan 2010)

GAP said:
			
		

> There was one comment on CBC news this AM that kinda made me shake my head.
> 
> It was that the CF would not be bringing in any bulldozers, etc  just shovels, and hand tools.



Don't worry about that. I know it for a fact, what is what.    ^-^


P.S. Is it hot in Haiti?


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## GAP (15 Jan 2010)

About the same temp as us, isn't it?


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## TN2IC (15 Jan 2010)

So I should bring my Hawaiian Tropic?  ;D


----------



## Nfld Sapper (15 Jan 2010)

Bring a nose plug..........


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## vonGarvin (15 Jan 2010)

TN2IC
I'll assume that you've been to Afghanistan.  (I assume because most CF members have been by now).   I'll tell you my little story about Port au Prince.
A bit of history.  In May 2003 I deployed to Kabul as part of the D and S company as Camp JULIEN was being constructed.  I saw lots of destruction, etc there.  In Sept 2008, I deployed to Kandahar as part of the BG.  Same.  You've seen the pictures.

Well, in between those deployments, I went to Haiti as part of Op HALO in March 2004.  Port au Prince was worse off than Kabul or Kandahar city in many respects.  Poverty.  Filth.  No word could describe the smell.  That was when the city was "functioning".  I can not for the life of me imagine it now, with tens of thousands dead, many of whom still lie in the rubble.  Nothing can prepare you for it.

One thing that should (may?) alleviate that is the people.  Yes, now they are desperate.  Once aid hits them, and they start to rebound, you will be amazed at their pride in selves and their ability to carry on in spite of adversity.  The children will steal your heart.  

For this week, the temperatures are expected to be in the 30s, with fairly high humidity.  Go here  for more details.


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## armychick2009 (15 Jan 2010)

Tonight my mom was talking about the bodies in the road. "How can they expect us to help them, if they are acting this way?"

I told her that chances are, these people are in shock. Many have untreated traumatic injuries... many likely have brain damage and swelling. Many are hungry and thirsty... and most of all, they are all desperate. 

I then reminded her about the ice-storm back in 2000. My ex was a medic posted at val-cartier at the time. "A lot of people do strange things after a while, when they're desperate". I won't get into the details but let's just say, after a few days of no heat/food/water, etc. people go a little coo-coo. Add a devastating earthquake and literally, thousands of bodies and all of the above injuries... well, you have a recipe for disaster. 

She started to understand a bit about the desperation. And, for a country that was already struggling this is absolutely the last thing they needed.

Quick question though... does anyone else find it a bit strange that the US was there within such a short period of time but when Hurricane Katrina came in, it took Bush forever to act upon it with his troops? Is that really what a difference in a head of state can do for an army and the jobs they are sent to??


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## vonGarvin (15 Jan 2010)

armychick2009 said:
			
		

> Quick question though... does anyone else find it a bit strange that the US was there within such a short period of time but when Hurricane Katrina came in, it took Bush forever to act upon it with his troops? Is that really what a difference in a head of state can do for an army and the jobs they are sent to??


A bit of an answer, and it mostly has to do with the US constitution.  The employment of Federal troops in the US is a very sticky issue.  Going to Louisiana with the US Army is pretty well the same procedure as with going to a foreign nation.  Anyway, a bit of history on Katrina:


> *August 27, 2005 *
> 
> Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana
> 
> ...


Please note the date in bold and in yellow.  It hit its second landfall (eg: New Orleans) on the 29th.  So, "Bush the Evil" was gearing up for Katrina and putting into action the requisite preparations even before it it.
As for the response:
The governor of LA was the prime "decider" in this case.  Several sources suggest that help from the feds was "resisted".  Bush, as president of the US, was not the "leader" in this case.  In the states, the governor is supposed to be.  Yet, since Bush is evil, I guess he gets blame?


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## vonGarvin (15 Jan 2010)

From the CTV:



> *Canada to send 1,000 soldiers to Haiti*​Canada plans to deploy 1,000 soldiers to Haiti to help in relief efforts, and two Canadian Forces ships are already rushing towards the quake-stricken country to deliver vital aid.
> The soldiers will come from bases across the country, including CFB Valcartier in Quebec, CTV News has learned. An official announcement is expected sometime this weekend.


more here


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## TN2IC (15 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> Nothing can prepare you for it.



I know nothing will prepare me for it, but if I do "go", I know I"ll have all the support back home. 

P.S. 
Screw my New Year's resolution,
I"m going for a smoke.


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## Nfld Sapper (15 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> Well, in between those deployments, I went to Haiti as part of Op HALO in March 2004.  Port au Prince was worse off than Kabul or Kandahar city in many respects.  Poverty.  Filth.  No word could describe the smell.  That was when the city was "functioning".  I can not for the life of me imagine it now, with tens of thousands dead, many of whom still lie in the rubble.  Nothing can prepare you for it.



I remember going down to Saint John when I worked at TN COY FD SP PL to pick your vehicles Techo.... man where some of them in hard shape......


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## DBF (15 Jan 2010)

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

Fri Jan 15, 4:46 PM

By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - The Canadian Press has learned that the army has put 800 troops
on standby for possible peacekeeping deployment to Haiti.
The Conservative government has yet to give the green light to the
mission, but defence sources say the order to move could come as early
as Saturday.
The soldiers would be drawn from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Que.
They would bring along engineering units, as well as headquarters and
support elements - something that signals a sustained operation.
Warning orders have been flashed to the units earmarked for the
assignment.
The troops would be taking 60 vehicles, which are already being
pre-positioned.
The U.S. has committed 10,000 troops to security operations in Haiti
where as many as 50,000 people are feared dead in the aftermath of
Tuesday's powerful earthquake.


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## ballz (15 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> (Excellent idea, BTW.  I've been perusing a number of threads on the one issue.  It may be waaaaaaaaaaaay too soon to tell; however, HESTIA may end up being much longer than a 40 day mission.  My spidey sense tingles that this may end up being focus #1 following Afghanistan, and for a while as well.  So, having said that, is it too soon to have it's own sub-forum (eg: The newsroon >> Operation Hestia)?)



So, with the news of 800 additional troops deploying and all, does that strengthen your spidey senses? How long do you think our stay in Haiti could be? I'm very interested in this being "our #1 focus following Afghanistan" since it seems I won't trade qualified before we exit the sand box.


----------



## vonGarvin (15 Jan 2010)

ballz said:
			
		

> So, with the news of 800 additional troops deploying and all, does that strengthen your spidey senses? How long do you think our stay in Haiti could be? I'm very interested in this being "our #1 focus following Afghanistan" since it seems I won't trade qualified before we exit the sand box.


This just confirms it.  Haiti will need more than troops patrolling the streets.  This is long-term.  I mean, the police probably have no infrastructure left, same with fire and ambulance, let alone hospitals.  In a month, when life's basic needs are being met, the kids will need schools, the streets will need police, etc.  Also, Haiti's government needs to start governing again.  I crystal ball us getting an AOO (Area of Operations), working under a Joint US HQ, and assisting Haitians to try to get back to "normal", whatever that is.
Methinks that Op HESTIA will have more than one Roto.  I'm not sure what will happen with MINUSTAH, though, unless they go parallel missions, or if HESTIA (and the other ops underway by other nations) will slowly ebb, and with MINUSTAH's mandate being broadened.  
Were it up to me, I would draw down MINUSTAH and up the rebuilding of Haiti.  (By draw down, I mean that the UN leave, simply because of question 5: has the situation changed?  I'd say so!)

In the long run, this may end up being a blessing.  Maybe they'll bulldoze the damaged parts of the city, and build fresh.  I also wish that there were some sort of reforestation project for the northern mountains. It would alleviate the bad effects when the rains start falling again (washouts, etc).


----------



## Nfld Sapper (15 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> In the long run, this may end up being a blessing. * Maybe they'll bulldoze the damaged parts of the city, and build fresh*.  I also wish that there were some sort of reforestation project for the northern mountains. It would alleviate the bad effects when the rains start falling again (washouts, etc).



Funny we where talking about the same thing last night with the SSM.......


----------



## Kat Stevens (15 Jan 2010)

4 AEVs could move a metric shitload of rubble in a short amount of time.  When 4 CER first rolled into Croatia, one of the biggest surprises to everyone was just how fast they can knock down and level unstable structures.


----------



## vonGarvin (15 Jan 2010)

NFLD Sapper said:
			
		

> Funny we where talking about the same thing last night with the SSM.......


We said that same thing in 2004; however, certainly not at the expense of so many people.  I guess one has to be careful wishing, no?


----------



## Nfld Sapper (15 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> We said that same thing in 2004; however, certainly not at the expense of so many people.  I guess one has to be careful wishing, no?



That we do Techo that we do......


----------



## George Wallace (16 Jan 2010)

*Articles found January 16, 2010*

 Canada shifts from 'urgent search' to humanitarian aid
January 16, 2010 
Article Link


16/01/2010 12:09:55 PM

*Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says the Canadian relief effort in Haiti is shifting from an urgent search and rescue mission to one of humanitarian aid and stabilization.*

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says the Canadian relief effort in Haiti is shifting from an urgent search and rescue mission to one of humanitarian aid and stabilization. 

"We are putting everything in action to help the victims," said Cannon, speaking at a joint press conference with other cabinet ministers in Ottawa Saturday morning. 

Since the 7.0 earthquake shook the Caribbean nation on Tuesday, Canada has shipped 100 tons of supplies to Haiti, including about 22,000 kilograms of medical supplies, Cannon said. 

Officials say that 200 Canadian soldiers are now in the ground in Haiti, with a further 30 on the way Saturday. 

Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, from Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, will co-ordinate Canada's effort in Haiti. 

By next week, another several hundred soldiers will be in the nation, when HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan arrive in the shattered capital of Port-au-Prince. 

About 1,000 troops will eventually be in Haiti; many of them coming from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier. 

Foreign Affairs is also keeping track of Canadians in Haiti and these are the latest numbers:

1,362 Canadians in Haiti are unaccounted for 
Six Canadians are dead 
781 Canadians have been found 
460 Canadians have been evacuated to Canada 
50 Canadians are in the Canadian embassy compound in Port au Prince 
21,500 Canadians have called Foreign Affairs seeking and providing information about relatives and friends in Haiti 


Defence Minister Peter MacKay said that a C-130 Hercules was on its way Saturday loaded with more soldiers and aid equipment. He added that Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART ) is already at work in Haiti. 

MacKay added that six Griffin helicopters and a Sea King chopper will arrive in Haiti in three or four days 

"Make no mistake about it, this is an immense challenge," said MacKay. 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the damage in Haiti was "instant, utter and widespread" and that "we take our role for security in the hemisphere very seriously." 

 Aid trickles into Port-au-Prince, challenges abound
January 16, 2010 
Article Link


*Haitian President Rene Preval called on the international community to work together to co-ordinate aid efforts to his earthquake-ravaged country Saturday, as agencies began to transport badly needed food, water and other supplies to the devastated survivors.*


Haitian President Rene Preval called on the international community to work together to co-ordinate aid efforts to his earthquake-ravaged country Saturday, as agencies began to transport badly needed food, water and other supplies to the devastated survivors. 

Preval, who is expected to meet later with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called the quake's aftermath "an extremely difficult situation. We must keep our cool to do co-ordination and not to throw accusations at each other." 

Agencies have complained that back-ups at the capital's airport have hampered the delivery of aid. Earlier Saturday, a French minister also complained that U.S. officials blocked two French relief flights from landing at the Port-au-Prince airport. 

However, some agencies said Saturday that co-ordination had improved at the airport and relief supplies are on their way to an estimated two million people affected by the quake. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it teamed up with the UN World Food Program to distribute food and other supplies to about 8,000 people on Friday across Haiti's capital. Among the aid were materials that could be used to construct temporary shelters. 

The IOM also said the streets leading to Port-au-Prince were clearing as residents left the city, but they were still making the majority of their deliveries in the early morning hours to avoid congestion. 

"Relief items are expected to be dispersed rather quickly as IOM, WFP and UNICEF aim to cover some 60,000 individuals per day," said Vincent Houver, IOM's chief of mission. 

IOM also said it was distributing supplies to the coastal city of Jacquel, which sustained considerable damage in the quake. 

The 7.0-magnitude quake struck Tuesday afternoon, cutting a swath of destruction that levelled buildings, left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and may have left as many as 50,000 dead, according to Red Cross estimates. It is believed that one-third of Haiti's nine million people may be in need of emergency aid. 

*Incoming supplies* 

The International Federation of the Red Cross on Saturday launched a convoy carrying a "massive amount of aid," which is making its way into Haiti through the Dominican Republic on Saturday. 

The IFRC says the aid includes a 50-bed field hospital, surgical teams and an emergency telecommunications unit. Staffed by Japanese, Norwegian, Finnish, Spanish and Danish Red Cross workers, it should take about eight hours for it to reach Port-au-Prince. 

IFRC spokesperson Paul Conneally told The Associated Press that the convoy is travelling overland because "the airport is completely congested" and it is impossible for planes to land. 

Two larger field hospitals are also en route to Haiti. They are needed after Tuesday's quake destroyed or damaged eight hospitals in the Haitian capital. 

"They're just the most incredible things you've ever seen," said Matthew Cochrane, a spokesman in Geneva. 

Cochrane said the Red Cross on Saturday revised its appeal for donations upward to $103 million in anticipation of having to provide relief to 300,000 people over the next three years. 

According to the World Health Organization, eight health-care facilities in Port-au-Prince were destroyed by the earthquake, making delivering medical treatment extremely difficult. 

Magalie Boyer of World Vision told the Associated Press that the city's largest hospital, l'Hopital General, was open but swamped with the dead and injured. 

As well, the Canape Vert hospital had partially collapsed but still accepting some patients. 

*Struggle on the streets* 

The continued desperation in Port-au-Prince has raised tension in the city, as unclaimed bodies continue to be piled on the streets, while workers bury others in mass graves. Other bodies have been driven out of town to be burned. Residents paint toothpaste around their nostrils and beg passers-by for surgical masks to cut the smell. 

"If the government still exists and the United Nations is around, I hope they can help us get the bodies out," said Sherine Pierre, a 21-year-old communications student whose sister died when her house collapsed. 

UN peacekeepers have warned that aid convoys should add security when entering Port-au-Prince to prevent looting. 

Roving looters have been seen on the streets armed with machetes and robbers reportedly shot one man whose body was left on the street. A water delivery truck driver said he was attacked in one of the city's slums. 

Relief workers say that additional supplies must be delivered quickly in order to prevent lawlessness. 

"I don't know how much longer we can hold out," said Dee Leahy, a lay missionary from St. Louis, Missouri, who was working with nuns handing out provisions from their small stockpile. "We need food, we need medical supplies, we need medicine, we need vitamins and we need painkillers. And we need it urgently." 

Time is also running out for any survivors, on the fourth day after the quake hit Port-au-Prince. While there have been some improbable triumph, the overall odds of survival are grim. 

"Beyond three or four days without water, they'll be pretty ill," said Dr. Michael VanRooyen of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative in Boston. "Around three days would be where you would see people start to succumb." 

With files from The Associated Press


----------



## George Wallace (16 Jan 2010)

Haiti: Operation HESTIA

Source: Government of Canada
Date: 14 Jan 2010


*Operation HESTIA* is the Canadian Forces participation in humanitarian operations conducted in response to the catastrophic earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 12 January 2010. 

Op HESTIA is the military component of a whole-of-government response that also involves Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency. For details of the non-military elements of the Canadian effort, visit the Earthquake in Haiti page on the DFAIT website. 

The mission 

At 16:53:09 hours local time (21:53:09 UTC) on 12 January 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake measured at 7.3 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the earthquake was located about 15 km from the centre of Port-au-Prince at a depth of 10 km. Significant aftershocks followed, including at least 12 having magnitudes between 5.0 and 5.9. The island of Hispaniola has not experienced such a severe earthquake since 1751. 

The tremor damaged or destroyed most of the important buildings in Port-au-Prince, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly, the National Penitentiary, most of the city's hospitals, and the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Fortunately, the MINUSTAH logistics base was spared. Basic services such as water and electricity collapsed almost entirely, and all surviving health care facilities were flooded with the injured. According to Red Cross estimates, some 3 million people — one third of Haiti's population — are affected by the quake. 

The Humanitarian Operations Task Force 

*Commander*: Brigadier-General Guy Laroche 

The Humanitarian Operations Task Force (HOTF) deployed in Haiti under Operation HESTIA has a mandate to deliver a wide range of services in support of the Government of Haiti and the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince. 

The HOTF includes the following Canadian Forces assets: 

* A Naval Task Group from Halifax, Nova Scotia, under the command of Captain (Navy) Art McDonald, comprising: 

o the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan (with a CH-124 Sea King helicopter detachment); and 

o the frigate HMCS Halifax; 

* Two CH-146 Griffon helicopters; 

* The lead element of the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART); 

* An urban rescue and recovery team; and 

* A Military Police detachment to support the Canadian Embassy. 

The HOTF receives extensive support from 8 Wing Trenton, the home of transport squadrons flying the CC-130 Hercules tactical airlifter and the CC-177 Globemaster III strategic airlifter. 

Canadian operations in Haiti  

* *Operation HORATIO* World Food Programme, September 2008 

* Haiti 2004-4 December 2004 

* Haiti 2004-3 October 2004 

* Haiti 2004-2 October 2004 

* Haiti 2004-1 September 2004 

* *Operation HAMLET* United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), August 2004–present 

* *Operation HALO* MINUSTAH, March–August 2004 

* *Operation HALO* Multinational Interim Force, February–July 2004 

* Haiti 1999 December 1999 

* *Operation STANDARD* June 1996–July 1997 

* *Operation DIALOGUE* January–December 1994 

* *Operation CAULDRON* September 1993–June 1996 

* *Operation FORWARD ACTION* October 1993–September 1994 

* Haiti 1989 January–October 1989 

* *Operation BANDIT* January–February 1988 

* Haiti 1963 May 1963 


 Two CIDA workers confirmed killed in Haiti quake
January 16, 2010 
Article Link


*The Canadian International Development Agency has confirmed that two of its staff died in the massive earthquake that has devastated Port-au-Prince, bringing the confirmed Canadian death toll to six.*


The Canadian International Development Agency has confirmed that two of its staff died in the massive earthquake that has devastated Port-au-Prince, bringing the confirmed Canadian death toll to six. 

CIDA employee Guillaume Siemienski and consultant Helene Rivard were both killed in the quake, Bev Oda, Canada's minister of international co-operation, said in a statement released on Saturday. 

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of Mr. Siemienski and Ms. Rivard," Oda said in the statement. 

"They will be remembered for their long-standing commitment to development and to improving the lives of Haitians. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families." 

Siemienski was a development officer at CIDA on assignment to the United Nations, who had been with CIDA since 1999. Rivard had worked with the organization for more than 20 years. 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also released a statement after learning of the deaths of the two CIDA workers. 

"Their deaths are a reminder of the sacrifice Canadian men and women like Siemienski and Rivard are willing to make in order to bring Canadian generosity and aid to Haiti and the world," he said. 

"On behalf of all Canadians, Laureen and I would like to offer their families and friends our profound sympathies. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time." 

Four other Canadians died as a result of the Jan. 12 disaster. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced Saturday morning that 1,362 other Canadians remain missing in the aftermath of the quake. Cannon also said 781 Canadians have been located in Haiti, 460 Canadians have been evacuated to Canada and 50 Canadians are taking shelter at the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

With files from The Canadian Press

 Support for Haiti: Before and after the quake
January 16, 2010 
Article Link

*International donors have earmarked more than US$400 million for relief in Haiti after the massive Jan. 12 earthquake walloped its capital, leaving Port-au-Prince in chaos.*


International donors have earmarked more than US$400 million for relief in Haiti after the massive Jan. 12 earthquake walloped its capital, leaving Port-au-Prince in chaos. 

The Haitian capital saw its presidential palace destroyed in the 7.0-magnitude quake, the UN peacekeeping headquarters collapsed and 4,000 inmates escape from a prison that fell to the ground. An estimated 300,000 people are homeless and thousands of victims have been buried in mass graves. The international Red Cross believes the death toll could be as high as 50,000 by the time all of the bodies have been recovered. 

For now, the focus of foreign investment is in keeping the people who survived the quake alive and well. 

Pam Aung Thin, the national director the Canadian Red Cross, told CTV News Channel that her organization would use its donations -- which reached $10.9 million as of Friday afternoon -- to meet help meet the basic needs of the survivors. 

"It goes for meeting the basic humanitarian needs of people following a disaster," Thin said during an interview from Ottawa on Friday afternoon. 

"So, initial efforts are search-and-rescue and then we move to making sure that we provide shelter, food, clean water, blankets and making sure that people are supported that way." 

Also Friday, World Vision said it had raised $2.5 million for relief in Haiti, and the Humanitarian Coalition -- made up of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec and Save the Children -- estimated it could provide $1.5 million in pledges. Another $750,000 was committed to UNICEF. 

But Haiti, often described as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has long depended on aid from foreign governments, charities and private donors, well before Tuesday's massive quake. 

The country of nine million has received billions from the UN, U.S., and other countries, including Canada, which is Haiti's second-largest bilateral donor. Only Afghanistan receives more Canadian dollars from Ottawa than Haiti does. 

In general, the Canadian government has provided long-term development assistance to Haiti, a country with which it has held diplomatic relations since 1954. 

Most recently, Canada committed $555 million to Haiti over a five-year period, according to figures posted to the Canadian International Development Agency website. The money is supposed to go towards building government institutions, improving access to basic services and to make social and economic improvements over the 2006-2011 period. 

Private Canadian citizens have also been kind to Haiti, giving to a multitude of charities that target its people. 

A search of Canada's online Charities Directorate finds 49 active charities with the word Haiti included in their name. Forty-six of these Canadian charities filed tax returns last year, a total declaring more than $7.9 million in the 2008 tax year. 

In Washington, U.S. lawmakers have given at least $800 million to Haiti through the U.S. Agency for International Development in its 2004-2008 budget years. 

At least $700 million more was pledged for Haiti by governments, international givers and charities at an April 2009 donors conference. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, a United Nations special envoy to the country, told the U.N. Security Council in September that he was "100 percent committed to delivering tangible results to the U.N. and most importantly the people of Haiti." 

And in the wake of Tuesday's disaster, U.S. President Obama pledged an "immediate" $100 million in aid, an investment that will is likely to be further buttressed by American taxpayers. That was on top of $100 million from the World Bank and a pledge from Canada to offer up to $50 million. 

But even with all the money Haiti has received in the past, its people have still suffered. 

The country's standard of living is dismal, with Haitian people typically living on less than $2 per day. Nearly half its population is illiterate and its government is unstable. Even before the devastating earthquake, few homes had safe drinking water, sewage disposal or electricity. 

A Gallup survey conducted last December found that 60 per cent of respondents had times when they didn't have enough money to buy food in the last year. And 51 per cent of those surveyed said there were times when they couldn't afford shelter. 

"Attention on Haiti is often focused in times of disaster but not necessarily in the long-term," said Rich Thorsten, director of international programs for Water.org, a charity working to provide safe drinking water and sewage treatment to Haitians. "Funding that has been available does not necessarily go toward basic infrastructure like water and sanitation." 

The Haitian government doesn't use its own resources for sanitation, and instead depends on charities, Thorsten said. In addition, international groups often do not coordinate, and there are also problems with security, corruption and political stability, he said. 

"It is very important to keep track of the spending, and so when we work with partner organizations we make sure they have detailed accounting systems," he said. Supplies must be guarded, he added. 

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press


 Relief aircraft clog Port-au-Prince airport
January 16, 2010 
Article Link

CBC News 
*With food, water and other aid flowing into Haiti in earnest, relief groups are focused on moving supplies out of the capital's clogged airport to hungry, haggard earthquake survivors.*

Canadians have joined search and rescue efforts. An Air Canada cargo plane left Montreal Saturday with doctors and supplies, including medicine and tents.

The relief flight to Port-au-Prince was carrying 100 search-and-rescue technicians from the Montreal Police Department, the Montreal Fire Department and Quebec Provincial Police.

The Boeing 767-300ER was to return to Montreal later in the day, but officials say that could prove difficult because of a bottleneck at the badly damaged airport in Port-au-Prince, which is under U.S. control.

The Canadian military says at least 800 troops from CFB Valcartier in Quebec are on standby for deployment to Haiti. An announcement confirming the size of the contingent was expected Saturday.

Meanwhile, two C-130 Hercules aircraft were to arrive at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport on Saturday, returning with Canadian evacuees. One of the planes was set to land at 11:55 a.m. ET. It's not known when the other aircraft will be able to take off from Haiti.

"It's an extremely small airport [in Port-au-Prince]. There are planes circling and those on the ground are having a tough time getting out of there. There's not enough personnel to get the planes off the ground," said the CBC's Kristin Falcao from the hotel where evacuees who are not injured will be debriefed by the Red Cross.

About 270 evacuees landed in Montreal early Friday. They were flown out of Haiti on Thursday on Canadian Forces flights. Most arrived with only the clothes they were wearing when the earthquake hit.

Officials now estimate as many as 200,000 people died in Tuesday's quake. Thousands remain buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Thousands of decaying bodies are lying unclaimed in the streets. Thousands more have been burned or buried in mass graves.

The United Nations says it's feeding 8,000 people daily. About 3 million people have no access to food, water, and shelter.

The Haitian Embassy in Ottawa is scrambling to get aid to Haiti. The embassy's Chargé d'Affaires, Nathalie Gissel-Menos, says every minute counts.

"People are hungry, they are thirsty, they are in pain and they are desperate. The more time it takes for help to arrive, the more difficult it will be, because then you are facing the possibility of riots," she told CBC News.

There are still few signs that any aid is reaching people in much of the city, four days after the quake, amid growing concern that the desperate - or the criminal - are taking things into their own hands.

A water delivery truck driver said he was attacked in one of the city's slums. There were reports of isolated looting as young men walked through downtown with machetes, and robbers reportedly shot one man, whose body was then left on the street.

On Friday night, a group of Belgian doctors and nurses left a field hospital over security concerns, CNN reported. The medical team returned Saturday morning.

With files from The Associated Press

 1,415 Canadians missing in Haiti
January 16, 2010 
Article Link

CBC News 
*More than 1,400 Canadians are missing in Haiti in the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating earthquake, Ottawa says.*

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said 144 Canadian military personnel are now on the ground in Haiti, with more to come.

"The Canadian Forces have made good progress in establishing a footprint for staging search and rescue operations, relief efforts and aid delivery," MacKay said.

Canada may be preparing to send hundreds more military personnel to Haiti. The Canadian Press reported that 800 soldiers are on notice, but that they have not yet been given the nod to go by the federal government.

Four more flights were scheduled to arrive Friday, carrying rescue equipment, humanitarian supplies and additional RCMP and Canadian Forces members.

The longer-term plan is to send two big C-17 transports every day, with smaller C-130 Hercules aircraft making three flights every two days.

Two Canadian warships, HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Halifax, are expected to arrive in four days or so with additional relief equipment.

6 Canadians known dead

Six Canadians have been confirmed dead since the 7.0-magnitude quake struck: Guillaume Siemienski and Hélène Rivard, both with the Canadian International Development Agency, RCMP Sgt. Mark Gallagher of Nova Scotia, nurse Yvonne Martin of Elmira, Ont., and Montreal university professor Georges Anglade and his wife, Mireille.

Cannon said 13 Canadians are listed as injured.

About 6,000 Canadian citizens live in Haiti, but Cannon said earlier this week that only 700 were registered with the embassy in Port-au-Prince before the quake.

Among the Canadians reported missing is Supt. Doug Coates, a Mountie based at the force's Ottawa headquarters, according to RCMP spokeswoman Patricia Flood.

United Nations spokeswoman Alexandra Duguay and UN worker Jean-Philippe Laberge were also among Canadians unaccounted for.

There is confusion around the fate of Serge Marcil, a former Liberal MP believed to have been located after being reported missing in Haiti.

There were reports Marcil was found and flown to Miami for medical treatment. It now appears the reports were premature, according to the office of Quebec Premier Jean Charest.

Marcil's wife, Christiane Pelchat, had rushed down to Florida to reunite with Marcil at the hospital.

"When she arrived she saw that he wasn't there," said Beatrice Farand, a spokeswoman for Pelchat, who is the president of Quebec's Status of Women group.

"It was then, at the same time, when she learned that there had been an error. She's shattered."

Charest's office said a UN worker in Port-au-Prince had mistakenly listed Marcil's name among the survivors. The UN has since issued a correction. Marcil's son works in Charest's office.

With files from The Canadian Press


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## Jammer (16 Jan 2010)

Just for info from Valcatraz

3 R22eR Complete

5 GBMC QGET (Sig Sqn)

Treatment Coy from 5 Fd Amb

Fd Sqn (not sure which one) from 5 R Genie Combat (Engr) & the usual assortment of odds and sods from the rest of the Bde


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## MarkOttawa (16 Jan 2010)

Further to a _Globe and Mail_ story today:

What is St. Steve Staples' Rideau Insitute anyway? 
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-is-st-steve-staples-rideau.html

Mark
Ottawa


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## Nfld Sapper (16 Jan 2010)

Statement
Op HESTIA Update And General Situational Statement By The Minister Of National Defence
January 16, 2010

[Check Against Delivery]

I’d like to begin my remarks by expressing my profound condolences to those Canadian families, including the families of Guillaume Siemienski and Hélène Rivard, who have lost loved ones over the course of the past few days and to those who are anxiously awaiting information about loved ones still missing.  

[J’aimerais débuter en exprimant mes sincères condoliences a tous les familles Canadiennes, incluant les familles de Guillaume Siemienski et Hélène Rivard, qui ont perdu des personnes chère au cours des dernier jours et a ceux et celles qui attandent impassionment des nouvelles concernent les sinistré].

As Minister Cannon has said, the government stands by you in this dark period and we are working hard to address some of the suffering and unrest that is far too rampant in Haiti.  

The government is acutely aware of the growing challenges facing international relief efforts in Haiti.  The Department of National Defence continues to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs, CIDA, Public Safety and other Canadian departments and agencies, as well as international allies, to confront these challenges.  

This week’s influx of Canadian personnel and equipment in Haiti will be of great assistance to  international stabilization efforts.  I’m pleased to inform you that almost 200 Canadian Forces members have been deployed to Haiti.  Further, the Department of National Defence has identified two dozen Creole speakers in the Armed forces who can be deployed to Haiti, as needed. 

Yesterday, three flights departed from 8 Wing Trenton to Port-au-Prince carrying equipment deemed necessary to enlarge the CF footprint in the Haitian capital, such as armoured SUVs called G-Wagons.  

Equipment and supplies delivered by way of Canadian Forces air movements over the past week exceeds 100 tonnes.   65 000 pounds of water and rations and 46 000 pounds of medical supplies have been transported to Haiti.  

Other items delivered include medical supplies, logistical supplies, vehicles, communications equipment and basic food and water – the components needed to effect change in a time of desperation.

Today, two C-17 aircraft will carry equipment and 30 additional military personnel to Port-au-Prince, bringing the total CF presence to approximately 230 people.  

CF aircraft returning to Canada are bringing Canadians home.  Today, a C-17 aircraft carrying roughly 200 evacuees will land in Montreal.  When this flight lands, over 400 Canadians will have been evacuated.  Another C-17 will depart Port-au-Prince this evening.  

Mobility in Haiti remains a challenge for our operations.  Major infrastructure damage is hampering road movements across the Port-au-Prince area.  Therefore, four Griffon helicopters will fly to Haiti today.  They will arrive in 3 – 4 days.  The Canadian Forces will commit 7 helicopters to Op HESTIA.

Not only will the Griffons ensure the Canadian Forces can move personnel and supplies where and when needed in Haiti, but the Griffon capability will provide vital recognisance information so that our Forces can help those who need it most.

On the ground, elements of the DART are already at work.  CF defence and security personnel is conducting escort and close protection tasks, as well as helping with the reception of personnel at the airport and with the offloading of planes.  

CF medical personnel is treating injured Canadians at the Embassy.  The medical team has also deployed to a multi-national field hospital as part of an international effort to treat Haitians.  

Our engineers are conducting structural assessments of Haitian infrastructure and providing assistance to Haitians.  

Search and Rescue technicians and Canadian Forces firefighters are actively engaged in searching those missing.  

Our Griffon helicopter on the ground is now conducting recognisance missions in the capital area.   

HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan continue to sail down the Atlantic seaboard with close to 500 personnel aboard.  These ships are scheduled to arrive off the coast of Haiti Monday.

Make no mistake, this is an immense challenge.  The Canadian Forces are embarking on a complex Operation that requires an extraordinary amount of organization and support.  We need excellent military leadership to coordinate activities on the ground. 

As such, I’m pleased to announce that BGen Guy Laroche will arrive in Haiti today and will be Commander Joint Task Force Haiti.  General Laroche is from the Royal 22e Régiment, has international experience in Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and recently served as the Commanding Officer of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.  

I have no doubt in his abilities as a leader.

[Je suis fière d’announcer que le Brigadier-General Guy Laroche arrivera en Haiti aujourd’hui et il sera Commandant pour la Forces Opérationnelle Interarmées – Haiti.  General Laroche vient du Royale 22e Régiment, il maintien beaucoup d’expérience internationale en Chypre et Bosnie-Herzégovine, et tout récemment a servi comme Commandant des Forces Canadienne en Afghanistan.  J’ai aucun doute dans ces abilités de leadership.]

Our men and women are well-trained, well-equipped and well-led.  

I trust that their presence will make a difference in the lives of Haitians, that they will be an exceptional contributor to international relief efforts and continue to make Canada proud.

Thank you for your time and patience.


----------



## Colin Parkinson (16 Jan 2010)

I take it that this type of mission might suit the G-wagon fairly well? Small footprint, smallish log tail, some armour and armament. Thoughts?


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## vonGarvin (17 Jan 2010)

Colin P said:
			
		

> I take it that this type of mission might suit the G-wagon fairly well? Small footprint, smallish log tail, some armour and armament. Thoughts?


The Iltis was well-suited for the roads there, so I assume that yes, the LUVW would also do well there.


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## vonGarvin (17 Jan 2010)

*Harper says Canada in Haiti for the long haul * ​Source



> Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada is in Haiti for the long haul and an expensive international effort will be needed to rebuild the country that was devastated by this week's earthquake.
> "I think important long-term progress had been made, I think it's safe to say that has been virtually wiped out and we are starting from scratch," Harper said.
> "I think everybody recognizes to go in and stabilize things for a couple of years and then leave would be a disastrous approach."



I _suppose_ that Haiti is looking like the next long-term mission.  
Cyprus
Former Yugoslavia
Afghanistan
(With NATO elements in the Federal Republic of Germany overlapping from pre-Cyprus into the early days of the Former Yugoslavia.  That's right, the "forgotten" deployment, which was bigger than Afghanistan by a factor of 3 or 4, depending on what metric one chooses to use)
(Edit to delete the repeat of Cyprus.  Not sure what happened there)


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## MasterInstructor (17 Jan 2010)

> Canadian military team heading to Haiti
> 1,000-strong contingent to arrive this week
> 
> An additional 1,000 Canadian Forces personnel will fly to Haiti to help with earthquake relief efforts, Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Sunday.
> ...



More on the link

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/17/haiti-canadian-deployment.html


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## Colin Parkinson (17 Jan 2010)

If you follow this google map link  If you go to Google Earth you can see the main container dock prior to the earthquake.

Fracking link won't work here for some reason!!!!!  ???



Now go to CNN video and find the video about the dock and you relaize the extent of the damges to the dock.


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## MasterInstructor (17 Jan 2010)

Here are the pictures


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## medicineman (17 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> *Harper says Canada in Haiti for the long haul * ​Source
> 
> I _suppose_ that Haiti is looking like the next long-term mission.



...again.

MM


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## 54/102 CEF (17 Jan 2010)

Here`s 2 images I clipped off Google Earth

The first shows the Port au Prince area - about 6 square miles - then the same size piece of ground centred on the Ottawa Airport

That`s what holds the better part of the affected population - I`ve read 750,000 people while greater Ottawa has 1 million (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port-au-Prince)

Sort of mind blowing

Now - how to restore?


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## NL_engineer (17 Jan 2010)

> Harper says Canada in Haiti for the long haul



Can we sustain another long term mission logistically with our current operation in Afghanistan. If you put manning aside (use of more reservists), can we logistically support to missions in to different regions of the world?


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## MasterInstructor (17 Jan 2010)

I am not a military expert but I can only imagine more funding coming in from the government so that we can handle it...


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## Ex-Dragoon (17 Jan 2010)

MasterInstructor said:
			
		

> I am not a military expert but I can only imagine more funding coming in from the government so that we can handle it...



Past experience has the funds being cut from the military budget to cover expenses such as this.


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## Eye In The Sky (17 Jan 2010)

I agree with Ex-D here...we'll rob Peter to pay Paul most likely.

Maybe, just maybe, they'll cancel The Maple Leaf or something instead of "beans n bullets" type stuff.


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## brihard (18 Jan 2010)

OK, so the VanDoos had Roto 7, and now they've got this. Are they scheduled for another Kandahar tour between now and 2011, or can the other two R22eR battalions scrape together a back-to back Haiti roto while Afghanistan winds down?

I can already say from what I'm hearing that there will be a lot of interest from the reserves for deployment on this one, and I think the environment would be more conducive than Kandahar for higher reserve participation... Either way, I don't envy the guys who have to figure all this out over the next few weeks.


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## 54/102 CEF (18 Jan 2010)

Eye In The Sky said:
			
		

> I agree with Ex-D here...we'll rob Peter to pay Paul most likely.
> 
> Maybe, just maybe, they'll cancel The Maple Leaf or something instead of "beans n bullets" type stuff.



Cancel 11:30 a.m. shopping at NDHQ


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## Journeyman (18 Jan 2010)

Eye In The Sky said:
			
		

> Maybe, just maybe, they'll cancel The Maple Leaf or something instead of "beans n bullets" type stuff.


 :rofl:  I love stand-up comedy first thing in the morning.

You can expect to see the 10/90 battalions back before we start thining out PAOs.....or TDOs.....or JAGs...



...to say nothing of the telephone sanitizers, hairdressers, tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, public relations executives, management consultants...   ;D


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## The Bread Guy (18 Jan 2010)

This from CBC.ca:


> .... The ships were preparing Monday morning to meet with a U.S. navy supply ship to replenish their fuel, said CBC reporter Rob Gordon, who is aboard Athabaskan.
> 
> Gordon said it's still unclear where the Canadians will go, but their focus will be on areas outside the capital of Port-au-Prince that are inaccessible by land.
> 
> ...



Don't know if that's correct, but I'm impressed with how easy this is to understand - gee, reporters explaining CF ops in plain language, go figure.


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## The Bread Guy (18 Jan 2010)

Excerpt from latest from Minister of Nat'l Defence:


> .... In the past 24 hrs we have delivered 91,340 pounds of aid, bringing the total to more than 313 tonnes transported by the CF.This includes medical supplies, logistical supplies, vehicles, communications equipment, basic food rations and a sand water purification system. Two additional sand water purification systems are scheduled to arrive today.
> 
> CF members are providing security to both the recently established Belgian Role 2 hospital at L’Hopital de la Paix and the Canadian embassy. CF medical personnel are working tirelessly treating injured Canadians arriving at the Embassy and at the Role 2 hospital.  CF engineers are conducting structural assessments and lending expertise, while Search and Rescue technicians and CF firefighters are providing expertise and assisting at the Hospital in Search and Rescue efforts ....



According to the Canadian Press, the CF will focus their efforts on Jacmel, a port town on the southern coast of Haiti (also home town to Canada's GG):


> Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team will be focusing its efforts on the hard-hit town of Jacmel, just outside Haiti's capital city, the commander of Canadian forces in the country said Monday.
> 
> Brig. Gen. Guy Laroche said the DART is well-suited to have a significant impact in the town, which is some 35 kilometres outside of Port-au-Prince and relatively tiny, compared to the millions who live in the shattered capital.
> 
> ...



Selected OSINT sources of info/news on Jacmel:
Wikipedia (with usual Wikipedia caveats)
Weather in Jacmel (Weather Underground)
Tide Forecast for Jacmel
Google News "Jacmel"
European Commission NewsBrief:  Jacmel
NewsNow:  Jacmel
Twitter feed search:  Jacmel
Rescue Jacmel (a collection of NGO sources/blogs focusing on work required in Jacmel)


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## vonGarvin (18 Jan 2010)

Just checking Google Earth.  There is a runway strip there, measuring at 3300 feet.  No apparent control tower from the photo is apparent.  Still, may be better than taking Route 204 from PAP the west end of Port au Prince, which is about 30 km through a winding mountain pass through the mountains.  As well, there appear to be some rudimentary port facilities.  If they survived the quake, it would be interesting to see if the two ships en route/already there could dock to alleviate the shuttling required to get stuff in there.

EDIT: from the airport to Jacmel is aroud 90 km, through the city, and through the mountains.  Experience there tells me that this route would be rather difficult in the best of times, let alone in the current situation.  I hope they recce the air strip in Jacmel, and fly stuff in there.  I hope it is long enough and can support a C-130 or C-17.  It certainly would help.


----------



## brihard (18 Jan 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> Just checking Google Earth.  There is a runway strip there, measuring at 3300 feet.  No apparent control tower from the photo is apparent.  Still, may be better than taking Route 204 from PAP the west end of Port au Prince, which is about 30 km through a winding mountain pass through the mountains.  As well, there appear to be some rudimentary port facilities.  If they survived the quake, it would be interesting to see if the two ships en route/already there could dock to alleviate the shuttling required to get stuff in there.
> 
> EDIT: from the airport to Jacmel is aroud 90 km, through the city, and through the mountains.  Experience there tells me that this route would be rather difficult in the best of times, let alone in the current situation.  I hope they recce the air strip in Jacmel, and fly stuff in there.  I hope it is long enough and can support a C-130 or C-17.  It certainly would help.



I don't even know if this is a sensible question to ask, but would it be within the realm of the possible to extend the airstrip to accommodate Globemasters? I'm sure there must be a drawer in some air force HQ full of exactly these answers... From my understanding of the C17, it would need at least another 200 feet of runway to operate, and they're rough field capable. Would that be a realistic Roto 0 engineering task? I know the C-130 can handle a field of the existing length at close to max takeoff weight, so that's a start.


----------



## Nfld Sapper (18 Jan 2010)

Not sure about what our payloads are right now but........

Take off from a 7,600-ft. airfield, carry a payload of 160,000 pounds, fly 2,400 nautical miles, refuel while in flight and land in 3,000 ft. or less on a small unpaved or paved airfield in day or night

REF: http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/c17/index.htm

So it could land but might not have enough room to take off.......


----------



## brihard (18 Jan 2010)

NFLD Sapper said:
			
		

> Not sure about what our payloads are right now but........
> 
> Take off from a 7,600-ft. airfield, carry a payload of 160,000 pounds, fly 2,400 nautical miles, refuel while in flight and land in 3,000 ft. or less on a small unpaved or paved airfield in day or night
> 
> ...



OK. The figures I found on Wiki (I know)quoted a 3500ft runway for an unloaded takeoff. Potentially we could stretch it enough to land and offload bulk goods, and take off again at the lower weight a return flight would probably involve?


----------



## vonGarvin (18 Jan 2010)

Or, they could fly C-17 loads to PAP, then transfer to flips to Jacmel by C-130?  Of course, I would imagine that Jacmel would need aerospace controllers.  From the web, I recall seeing some sort of such capability in Trenton...

Positions the requisite air techs, etc to do maintenance, put a fuel point in there (FARP?), build tent city around it to house the members, and voila, you have yourselves a spot from which to operate.


----------



## GAP (18 Jan 2010)

On the news last night the commentator, when they were showing Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche viewing Jacmel, was saying that while the area had a runway, there was concern about the weight it could carry. The chosing of type of airplane to land might be more critical than we realize.


----------



## Jammer (18 Jan 2010)

8 ATCCU (Deployable control tower types) in Trenton can do the ATC task.
Too the Buffalo fleet was thinned out. it might have been the perfect machine for the job.


----------



## vonGarvin (19 Jan 2010)

GAP said:
			
		

> On the news last night the commentator, when they were showing Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche viewing Jacmel, was saying that while the area had a runway, there was concern about the weight it could carry. The chosing of type of airplane to land might be more critical than we realize.


Perhaps then HMC Ships bring in what they can, and between the helicopters, ferry stuff from Port au Prince.  Those roads are brutal in the mountains, and when the rains come (which they will), they are virtually impassable.  I would offer up that Airfield Engineers get to JACMEL to upgrade the load capacity of that strip.

Didn't someone say something about Airborne Engineering Group? ;D


----------



## GAP (19 Jan 2010)

Didn't we order some Chinooks?.....sure be nice to have them now, almost as nice as those C-17's everybody (Libs, etc) was saying we didn't need......


----------



## The Bread Guy (19 Jan 2010)

This from CBC.ca:


> The United Nations Security Council was expected to approve on Tuesday an increase in peacekeeping forces in Haiti to boost security and help in the distribution of food and water to the victims of the country's devastating earthquake.
> 
> Currently there are around 9,000 United Nations security personnel in Haiti. The vote was expected to add 1,500 more UN police and 2,000 more peacekeepers.
> 
> Relief workers say violence is hampering the already slow delivery of aid. Some locals have begun forming night brigades and machete-armed mobs to fight bandits across Port-au-Prince, the capital ....



Oh, wait, are those reports of "bandits" just a ruse to sneak in lots of soldiers?  
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/91677
 :


----------



## Jammer (19 Jan 2010)

For what it's worth I just Flight Simmed my C-130 with 35000lbs of cargo into Jacmel from PAP last night.
I think this proves TVs theory of crossloading from C-17s... ;D


----------



## vonGarvin (19 Jan 2010)

Jammer said:
			
		

> For what it's worth I just Flight Simmed my C-130 with 35000lbs of cargo into Jacmel from PAP last night.
> I think this proves TVs theory of crossloading from C-17s... ;D


I flight simmed it too, using GoogleEarth.  The F-16 overshot the runway; however, the little plane made it.  I approached from the north, though I did cross the road at the other end  ;D


----------



## tomahawk6 (19 Jan 2010)

I think airdrops are the way to go for the interim and avoids congestion at the airport in PAP. The USAF has already begun making airdrops and its probably the fastest way to help the people inland.


----------



## The Bread Guy (19 Jan 2010)

Some doctors (MSF) are complaining about the cargo offload priority:


> urgently-needed medical supplies are 4th (last) priority for landing cargo in #Haiti



This, from the World Food Program (also, a good online resource for updates):


> Cargo transported as per the following priorities:
> priority 1: Water related materials
> priority 2: Logistics Enablers
> priority 3: Food materials
> priority 4: Medical supplies



Also, the docs appear to have missed this:


> Please note priority list changes on a constant basis. WFP Logistics does not determine priority.


----------



## tomahawk6 (19 Jan 2010)

Security should be at the top of the list. The Blegians abandoned their field hospital patients and all because they didnt feel safe. :


----------



## HercFE (19 Jan 2010)

There was a recce done yesterday with a CC-130 at Jacmel, the runway is 3200 feet. with the high tempertues here it is very sporty. Fuel and cargo calculation will be very critical.


----------



## vonGarvin (19 Jan 2010)

HercFE said:
			
		

> There was a recce done yesterday with a CC-130 at Jacmel, the runway is 3200 feet. with the high tempertues here it is very sporty. Fuel and cargo calculation will be very critical.





			
				Technoviking said:
			
		

> Just checking Google Earth.  There is a runway strip there, measuring at 3300 feet.


OK, so I was out by 100 feet.  ;D

What do you mean by "sporty"?  Or did you mean spotty?


----------



## Jammer (19 Jan 2010)

The Belgians abandoned thier post? Nonsense...oh wait, there was that whole Rwanda thing...right then, no surprises there.


----------



## Jammer (19 Jan 2010)

I think he meant "hairy".


----------



## NL_engineer (19 Jan 2010)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Security should be at the top of the list. The Blegians abandoned their field hospital patients and all because they didnt feel safe. :



And this Surprises you?

Couldn't the airstrip be used as a drop zone until our Air Field Engineers extend/make the airfield capable to land a C17 or CC130?


----------



## Nfld Sapper (19 Jan 2010)

NL_engineer said:
			
		

> And this Surprises you?
> 
> Couldn't the airstrip be used as a drop zone until our Air Field Engineers extend/make the airfield capable to land a C17 or CC130?



Air Field Engineers in the CF does not exist as an NCM Trade..... it exists as an Officer Trade though....


----------



## The Bread Guy (19 Jan 2010)

Speaking of airdrops, just wondering - could we do more of this kind of thing once more boots are on the ground, or are limited planes typically better used doing other tasks?


> The (U.S.)Air Force has begun to parachute relief supplies into Haiti.
> 
> More than 15,000 liters of water and 15,000 emergency rations were parachuted on Monday and more drops are planned, said Maj. Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, deputy commander of Joint Task Force Unified Response.
> 
> ...


----------



## leroi (20 Jan 2010)

A good video of the CF arriving in Leogane: January 19, 2009 (a short ad precedes it.)

It's a very subdued scene compared to the images emerging from PAP.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Haiti_Earthquake/ID=1390655600


----------



## The Bread Guy (20 Jan 2010)

Ya know it's coming, but not what's needed (or this big, either) - this from BBC Online


> A strong aftershock has rocked Haiti, sending screaming people running into the streets, eight days after another quake devastated the country.
> 
> The extent of the damage is not yet known. The magnitude 6.1 tremor struck north-west of Port-au-Prince at 0603 local time (1103 GMT) ....



Twitter feed with reporters on the ground describing the aftershock here.


----------



## tomahawk6 (20 Jan 2010)

AID has told the US Army to stop handing out food - thats there job!!! :

Soldiers in Haiti told to stop handing out food

By Jim Michaels - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Jan 20, 2010 7:46:57 EST
   
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Food handouts were shut off Tuesday to thousands of people at a tent city here when the main U.S. aid agency said the Army should not be distributing the packages.

It was not known whether the action reflected a high-level policy decision at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) or confusion in a city where dozens of entities are involved in aid efforts.

“We are not supposed to get rations unless approved by AID,” Maj. Larry Jordan said.

Jordan said that approval was revoked; water was not included in the USAID decision, so the troops continued to hand out bottles of water. The State Department and USAID did not respond to requests for comment.

Jordan has been at the airport supervising distribution of individual food packages and bottled water since his arrival last week. Each package provides enough calories to sustain a person for a day.

The food is flown by helicopter to points throughout the capital and distributed by paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division. At the tent city, set up at a golf course, more than 10,000 people displaced by the Haitian earthquake lay under makeshift tents. Each day, hundreds of people, many young children, line up for a meal.

Tuesday morning, the helicopters came only with water. Soldiers carried boxes of water in the hot sun and supervised Haitian volunteers who handed the supplies out.


----------



## The Bread Guy (20 Jan 2010)

Let the turf wars begin!!!!!! :worms:


----------



## tomahawk6 (20 Jan 2010)

Pretty sad really. Nice move by the Canadians to go into Jacmel.It will open up a new front to get aid to the people. Haiti has 10 airstrips and 4 paved airports I hope we can fix any damaged ones to increase the flow of aid.


----------



## Journeyman (20 Jan 2010)

I was told by a Queen's U tree-hugger that it was wrong for troops to give pencils and notebooks to Afghan kids because, "it just confuses them; soldiers kill people, not help them."

Maybe USAID leadership went to the same school of thought. I know if I was starving, it would baffle the hell out of me if the food was given to me by anyone other than an NGO
 :


----------



## PanaEng (20 Jan 2010)

NL_engineer said:
			
		

> Couldn't the airstrip be used as a drop zone until our Air Field Engineers extend/make the airfield capable to land a C17 or CC130?


Unfortunately, we don't have Airborne Engineers anymore - I'm not sure if we even have air-droppable  heavy equipment.
Imagine if the airstrip at PaP or Jacmel  had been damaged by cracks and earth movements caused by the earthquake...  

Maybe we should start a thread on this topic.

cheers,
Frank


----------



## Nfld Sapper (20 Jan 2010)

PanaEng said:
			
		

> Unfortunately, we don't have Airborne Engineers anymore - I'm not sure if we even have air-droppable  heavy equipment.
> Imagine if the airstrip at PaP or Jacmel  had been damaged by cracks and earth movements caused by the earthquake...
> 
> Maybe we should start a thread on this topic.
> ...



I've still seen some Jump Sappers around.......


----------



## leroi (20 Jan 2010)

Maersk has pledged the use of two container ships *with cranes* as aid to Haiti: Maersk Ships to Bolster UN Haiti Effort

And, an impressive international list of ships with photos undertaking aid to Haiti:

Maritime Support of Haiti-The Ships


----------



## PanaEng (20 Jan 2010)

NFLD Sapper said:
			
		

> I've still seen some Jump Sappers around.......


Yes, there are quite a few jump qual but there are no jump positions (that I know off) in the various regiments.

I would readily do my refresher to head a  jump element in my unit  ;D

cheers,
Frank


----------



## The Bread Guy (20 Jan 2010)

Highlights from today's update:


> I have been advised that through the exceptional efforts of the CF men and women on the ground in the Jacmel area, the Jacmel airfield will become a fully functional airport within the next 24 hours. This achievement is crucial, as it will allow the Canadian Forces access to a viable landing strip 24 hrs a day, making it easier to ensure a continuous flow of aid supplies and equipment. Although this airfield lacks radar capability, HMCS Halifax off the coast at Jacmel has the capability and will be a valuable asset in the execution of airfield operations. Once this airstrip has been cleared for use, the CF will be in a position to control/manage the airspace in that region of Haiti to allow our aircraft to move into and out of Haiti and avoid the congestion we’ve seen at the Port-au-Prince airport.
> 
> These efforts are made easier by an agreement that we have reached with the Government of Jamaica to allow the Canadian Forces to use Norman Manley Airport as an air bridge to improve and enhance the movement of equipment and people into and out of Haiti. It also helps reduce some of the strain on the airport in Port-au-Prince, by diverting CF air traffic.
> 
> ...



Well done to all working so hard - stay safe!


----------



## leroi (20 Jan 2010)

Echoing Tony: very proud and grateful for all you do for Canada!

We are a fortunate country.

BZ


----------



## vonGarvin (20 Jan 2010)

This is amazing.  I had never thought that either of Her Majesty's Canadian Ships would be able to assist with Air Traffic Control!  That's purely amazing.  Kudos to Jamaica as well!  Hell, Kudos all round!


----------



## Nfld Sapper (20 Jan 2010)

Media Advisory
Loading Of Military Equipment Bound For Haiti
5 CMBG.10.04 - January 20, 2010

Valcartier Garrison (Quebec) – The Canadian Forces full-time charter, a civilian cargo ship the MV WLOCLAWEK, will be loaded with military vehicles and equipment destined for Haiti in support of OP HESTIA. Media are invited to cover the loading activities Thursday 21 January at her berth at the Port of Quebec.

What: Opportunity to capture B-roll and still imagery of loading activities. The MV WLOCLAWEK will be loaded with various vehicles and sea containers of military equipment and supplies
When: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Thursday 21 January, 2010
Where: The ship is berthed at the Anse-au-Foulons section of the Port of Quebec. Media are requested to rendez-vous at the Nouvelle-France gate at 09:30 a.m. in order to access the port terminal. The gate is located near the intersection of Boul. Champlain and Rue de la Nouvelle-France

- 30 -

Media are requested to indicate their intention to attend by contacting a member of 5 CMBG Public Affairs at the numbers below. For safety reasons, media will not be permitted onboard the vessel but will be able to view operations from a predetermined vantage point.

For further details on the Canadian Forces participation in humanitarian operations conducted in response to the earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010, please visit: http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/hestia/index-eng.asp.

Information: Public Affairs
5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
Phone: 418-844-5000 ext 4688
Pager: 418-260-3082


----------



## The Bread Guy (21 Jan 2010)

This from the _Jamaica Observer_ on how Jamaica benefits from the new air bridge set up:


> JAMAICA will be utilising an air bridge set up by the Canadian military at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston to airlift relief supplies to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
> 
> Canada had set up the facility to evacuate its citizens out of Haiti via Jamaica on two daily flights.
> 
> ...



_Le Nouvelliste en Haiti_ on Jacmel airfield being closer to good to go (Google English version here):


> Les Etats-Unis vont ouvrir d'ici mercredi une nouvelle piste d'atterrissage près de Port-au-Prince, pour faire face à l'afflux de trafic aérien humanitaire qui dépasse les capacités de l'aéroport de la capitale haïtienne, a indiqué mardi un officier américain.
> 
> "La première piste (supplémentaire) convenable entrera en activité dans les environs de (la ville de) Jacmel dans les prochaines 24 heures", a indiqué à la presse le général Daniel Allyn, chef adjoint de la force spéciale américaine en Haïti.
> 
> Elle permettra d'accueillir des livraisons d'avions de transport Hercules C-130 qui permettront de soutenir dans un premier temps les efforts des Canadiens dans le sud de Jacmel, ville située à environ 40 km au sud-est de Port-au-Prince ....


----------



## vonGarvin (21 Jan 2010)

From here:
*Canada sending military field hospital to Haiti *​


> Canada will deploy a military field hospital to Haiti with more than 100 staff, adding to Canadian medical resources already at work in the earthquake-stricken country.
> 
> Defence Minister Peter MacKay says 1 Field Hospital out of Petawawa, Ont., will depart in the coming days for Leogane, at the epicentre of the Jan. 12 quake.


1 FSH, a bn of soldiers, 2 of Her Majesty's Canadian Ships, 6 Griffons, the DART.  I stand by my earlier assessment that HESTIA will last longer than 60 days.  Roto 2....er....Roto 1 (since we start counting at zero in the army for some un Godly reason...) should probably be ready to conduct a Relief in Place in 6 months or so?  And I'm certain that Canadians of Haitian descent ought to be brought on board, if for nothing else than to offer a sense of hope to the locals.  We had some PRes members primarily from Montreal's Haitian community with us in 04, and they were, for the most part, gold.


----------



## Nfld Sapper (21 Jan 2010)

Well Tech I think you are right.... we just did a preliminary staff check the other night for Haiti.... no time lines but they did want to know what special quals we all had.....

Particulary Heavy Equipment and Water Supply......


----------



## Nfld Sapper (21 Jan 2010)

From the daily update OP HESTIA Update By The Honourable Peter Mackay, Minister Of National Defence



> Further to this, I can tell you today that 1 Canadian Field Hospital, based in Petawawa, will be deploying in the coming days in Leogane, bringing needed health services expertise and resources to augment the medical care the CF is already providing to the Haitian population. The hospital will be established in an area where it will provide the maximum benefit to the local population. Medical personnel, including surgeons, specialists, medical and dental officers and nurses, will deploy over the coming days. They will bring urgently needed capabilities into the region including:
> 
> •1 Operating room with two Surgical teams
> 
> ...


----------



## HercFE (22 Jan 2010)

There is no way a C17 will get into Jacmel, that runway is at the max limit for the Herc. In fact alot of stuff that is being brought in is going to have to stay there. There is a road at one end and buildings and rising terain at the other, so no way to exend it. Both ends have tall trees at the the treshold, some extra tall ones have been cut down now. The ramp can not not take the weight of the Herc so all unloading is done on the button of the runway, it is not un-unusal to have planes land over top of the Herc as it is being unloaded.


----------



## The Bread Guy (22 Jan 2010)

I'm.  Not.  Making.  This.  Up.

This, from Venezuela's national (government) TV network* (Google translated from Spanish):


> Russian Northern Fleet said that the earthquake that devastated Haiti was the clear result of a test of the U.S. Navy through one of its weapons of earthquakes / They have developed a linear sequence diagram for the earthquakes which happened to be reported occurred at the same depth in Venezuela and Honduras
> 
> The Northern Fleet has been monitoring the movements and activities of United States Naval in the Caribbean since 2008 when the Americans announced their intention of restoring the Fourth Fleet had been dissolved in 1950, to which Russia responded a year later with a fleet led by the nuclear cruiser Peter the Great ", starting his first exercises in this region since the end of the Cold War.
> 
> Since the late 1970s, the U.S. has "made tremendous progress" state of its weapons of earthquakes and, according to these reports, now employs a technology devices using Pulse, Plasma Tesla Electromagnetic and Sonic along with "waves pump shock" ....



Now that that story's disappeared, the government TV station is softening its stance - the US _could_ cause natural disasters (Spanish - GoogleEnglish):


> Just 48 hours after the world began to learn about the terrible consequences created by the earthquake measuring 7.3 degrees on the Richter scale, registered in Haiti, and Barack Obama announced that 3 thousand 500 American soldiers would leave Haiti immediately provide "solidarity".
> 
> The tragedy drew expressions of Haiti's immediate cooperation from dozens of countries.  The small airport of Port collapsed, and the United States has direct control of the airport.
> 
> ...



* - the original link no longer works, but the Google Cache link does for now, with PDF of Spanish and GoogEng versions attached here for good measure


----------



## Dean22 (22 Jan 2010)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> I'm.  Not.  Making.  This.  Up.
> 
> This, from Venezuela's national (government) TV network* (Google translated from Spanish):
> Now that that story's disappeared, the government TV station is softening its stance - the US _could_ cause natural disasters (Spanish - GoogleEnglish):
> * - the original link no longer works, but the Google Cache link does for now, with PDF of Spanish and GoogEng versions attached here for good measure



This reminds me of the "Cobra Vortex"  ;D 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxmUuR8yn0c&feature=related


----------



## 40below (22 Jan 2010)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> I'm.  Not.  Making.  This.  Up.



I'm betting the Internet has already deployed a crack(pot) team of specialists to test for traces of thermite in the wreckage. Can't wait for the 'HAITI WAS AN INSIDE JOB!!' protest marches.


----------



## observor 69 (23 Jan 2010)

Good stuff by CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD :

As patience with Afghanistan wanes, Haiti offers a feel-good opportunity 

When the enormity of the earthquake in Haiti became clear, and the world's media had begun the rush to Port-au-Prince, an old Afghanistan hand I know wrote a mutual pal who is still in Kabul, working for a non-governmental organization.

"Poor Afghanistan," he said. "Another kick in the nuts."

I knew immediately what he meant. I've been thinking it myself for as long as I've been glued to CNN, watching Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

     .....................................................................

fragile infrastructure reduced to rubble.

Of course the West, including Canada, should help. Of course the West should be in it for the long haul.

But many of the things our political leaders and others are saying now about Haiti they were saying, eight years ago, about Afghanistan. And come next year, Canada is out of Afghanistan and so, oddly, are the Americans, who will be leaving not much after they have really arrived in force.

Monday, world leaders are meeting in Montreal for a summit on Haiti. Three days later, the London Conference on Afghanistan will start in England. Which event do you suppose will garner the attention? My vote goes to the country for which the world had the fundraising concerts last night.

Afghans themselves are as deserving as they were in 2002. They are still poor, still suffering, still being willy-nilly blown up for the crime of going to market, still scratching out a living using biblical-age farm implements, still heart-achingly resilient despite all that. Their children are still cute, as cute as they were when one of them made the cover of National Geographic, and in many ways still doomed.

But in the West, as the modern parlance has it, we have so moved on: Haiti is hot, Afghanistan is not.



Complete article at G&M


----------



## ballz (23 Jan 2010)

Christie Blatchford is such a gem. It's too bad she represents a small fraction of the media.


----------



## blacktriangle (23 Jan 2010)

An excellent article, thank you for sharing it.


----------



## old medic (25 Jan 2010)

Canadian soldiers swarmed by desperate Haitians demanding food
By Sheldon Alberts 
Canwest News Service 
24 January 2010

copy at : http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2479905


> LEOGANE, Haiti -- A crowd of about 2,000 hungry Haitians rushed a food distribution point where Canadian soldiers were providing security on Sunday as homeless residents grow increasingly desperate for post-earthquake relief.
> 
> Two platoons from the Royal 22nd Regiment were swarmed moments after aid workers finished handing out 2,400 boxes of food from the back of a tractor-trailer parked in a cow pasture in this coastal city, about 30 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince.
> 
> ...


----------



## ballz (25 Jan 2010)

Sounds like a job well done by the Van Doos in what could have become a hairy situation if not handled properly. Kudos to all involved.


----------



## Nfld Sapper (26 Jan 2010)

CFB Gagetown personnel deploy to Haiti 






Personnel from 4 Engineer Support Regiment prepared this MTVE for transport January 19, 2010, to support humanitarian relief work in Haiti.

Monday, January 25, 2010

CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick - In response to the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti January 12,  the Canadian Forces (CF) is conducting Operation HESTIA.

Army personnel from Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown, located in Oromocto, New Brunswick, are also meeting the challenge with a contribution of their own.

Significant contribution
A total of 61 personnel from Gagetown have been sent to Haiti so far, with more on standby. In addition, two aircraft and one support vehicle have been added to the relief efforts. This is a significant contribution considering the operational tempo of the base and the Army in general.

Dedicated, professional troops
Two helicopters from 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron were flown down with full crews (i.e. six personnel in total) to help deliver aid. The bulk of the contribution from CFB Gagetown came from 4 Engineer Support Regiment in the form of a Mechanized Tracked Vehicle Engineer  Mobile Tactical Vehicle Engineer (MTVE) and 42 personnel.

"CFB Gagetown has mobilized its resources as quickly and efficiently as possible," said Major Mike Gallant, G3 Ops and Training, 3 Area Support Group. "The dedication and professionalism our people approached this task with will contribute greatly to the success of the CF troops on the ground in Haiti."

Highly coordinated effort
"The Canadian Forces is rapidly engaged and responding to the recent earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 12, through a highly coordinated humanitarian relief mission," said Brigadier-General David Neasmith, Land Force Atlantic Area Commander.

"Our professional and dedicated members from the Canadian Army in Atlantic Canada are working tirelessly at home and in Haiti to provide essential assistance to the victims of this disaster."

Nine members from 4 Air Defence Regiment were deployed as part of an Airspace Co-ordination Cell to ensure airspace safety for land and air users in support of the relief effort. Additionally, the Military Police have deployed one of its officers to help with security.

One doctor and a senior medical technician from 42 Health Services were also sent to Haiti to work alongside other medical personnel deployed with the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and in co-ordination with non-governmental organizations to provide critically needed medical attention to the victims of the disaster.

Whole-of-government approach
Canada has adopted a whole-of-government engagement with Haiti that includes the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the CF, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Correctional Service of Canada and the RCMP.

The CF has committed the following assets to support the Haiti humanitarian assistance effort:

•the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), including engineering, medical, logistical, and defence and security personnel;
•a naval Task Force, made up of a destroyer, a frigate and a CH-124 Sea King helicopter;
•six CH-146 Griffon helicopters;
•one light infantry battalion, standing by to deploy;
•one CC-177 Globemaster
•one CC-130 Hercules airlift support;
•medical facilities; and
•four water purification systems, including three NOMAD sand-water systems and one reverse osmosis water purification unit (ROWPU), an advanced water treatment system capable of purifying any water source found in the world including fresh, brackish or seawater. Its clean water production capacity is over 139,000 gallons per day.

The Army's contribution to relief efforts in Haiti represents its fourth significant and simultaneous deployment of troops contributing to international and domestic security and humanitarian efforts.

Article by Lieutenant Ian McIntyre, Public Affairs Officer

Project Number: 10-0085 


Pretty bad even ARMY NEWS can't get the name of the MTVE right..... :


----------



## old medic (27 Jan 2010)

German official commends Canada's aid in Haiti
By Jean-Francois Racine, QMI Agency
26 Jan 2010
http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/haiti/2010/01/26/12624231-qmi.html



> LEOGANE, Haiti - A high-ranking German official in Haiti on Tuesday commended the exemplary work being done jointly by Canadian soldiers and Sri Lanka's army to help the devastated country.
> 
> Unlike Monday, when several acts of brutality were committed by UN soldiers near the Commissariat de Cite Soleil, the distribution of food supplies was done in a calm atmosphere, without any apparent tension on Tuesday. There was no violence and the population of Leogane, which was 90% destroyed by the quake, seemed to appreciate the Canadian presence in their village.
> 
> ...


----------



## The Bread Guy (27 Jan 2010)

This from AFP:


> Haiti's Jacmel airfield has been cleared of debris by Canadian troops and opened to air traffic two weeks after a devastating quake, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said Wednesday.
> 
> "With the consent of the Haitian government the Jacmel airport has been put back in service by the Canadian Forces to allow for the delivery of relief supplies to the region and to reduce the amount of congestion currently being experienced at the Port-au-Prince airport," MacKay told a briefing.
> 
> ...


----------



## old medic (27 Jan 2010)

CNN did a good video on the airstrip two days ago.  I can't find the video, but here is the transcript;

http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1001/25/ampr.01.html

CNN'S AMANPOUR

Christiane Travels to the Southern Haitian Town of Jacmel

Aired January 25, 2010 - 15:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.



> [15:00:10]
> 
> CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, as foreign ministers meet in Canada to map out strategy for Haiti, we go to a badly damaged town on the southern coast that could be a cornerstone for recovery.
> 
> ...


----------



## Yrys (28 Jan 2010)

Haitian mom gives birth in Jacmel, names newborn after Canadian helpers 

By The Canadian Press

JACMEL, Haiti - A baby girl has been born in Haiti, and her name 
was born in Canada. 

Monique-Lucie Marie, who weighs about six pounds, was delivered 
today at a Canadian military hospital.  She is the first baby to be 
delivered there, although others have been born at the Canadian 
clinic a two-hour drive away in the hard-hit town of Leogane. 

The Canadian military and volunteers have been handling much of 
the medical work for some communities in southern Haiti, most 
notably Jacmel, where the Disaster Assistance Response Team is 
deployed. 

But this one had a special ending: a pair of Canadian medical 
technicians, Cpl. Monique Bartlett and Master Cpl. Lucie Rouleau, 
helped deliver the baby. They also contributed Monique-Lucie's first 
name, which was chosen by a grateful mother.


----------



## leroi (28 Jan 2010)

Yrys, glad you shared that.

What a beautiful name it is too and sounds like pretty music.

Maybe one day this little child will become a Governor General of Canada!

Kudos to the CF medical technicians in particular and the CF in general--what an honour!


----------



## PMedMoe (28 Jan 2010)

I know Lucie Rouleau, she's from my unit.  I'm sure she'll have good stories to tell (like this one).  Hopefully, they outweigh the bad ones.


----------



## ballz (29 Jan 2010)

Canada does it "just right" ;D

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23352085

The underlined stuff is my emphasis.



> *Canadians approve of Haiti response: poll
> *
> A clear majority of Canadians believe the government's response to Haiti's deadly earthquake was "just right," a poll done exclusively for CBC News indicates.
> 
> ...


----------



## Larkvall (29 Jan 2010)

7 percent of the respondents said the government response was 'too fast'?

 ???


----------



## ballz (29 Jan 2010)

Yeah about that... I just added that figure onto the 66% that said it was "just right" and looked at it as a 73% approval rate ;D


----------



## leroi (29 Jan 2010)

A  sweet video add-on to Yrys post above, re:  Haitian baby named after Canadians

Canadian Press: January 29, 2010

More on:  DART Medical Platoon in Haiti


----------



## gwp (29 Jan 2010)

Reporters view of Navy support



> CBC Reporters Blog
> The Final Dispatch
> Craig Paisley — Jan 27, 2010 at 3:01 pm
> The highlight of my 22 year journalism career has just come to an end.
> ...


----------



## vonGarvin (29 Jan 2010)

Re-read the question.  I would offer it up as a false tricotomy (if such a thing exists).  Too slow?  Too fast?  Just right?  Talk about extremes.
In polls I've previously completed, I was offered a scale of 10, from 1 meaning "Absolutely not", 10 meaning "Absolutely" and 5 "in the middle".  In the manner in which the question was posed, 70% of the "sway" was removed, leaving only 1, 5 and 10.
Perhaps a more appropriate list of "possible responses" could have been posed.


----------



## The Bread Guy (2 Feb 2010)

Do they stay or do they go? Ottawa needs to decide on Van Doos future in Haiti 
Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press, 2 Feb 10


> The Conservative government, which has enjoyed positive reviews for its handling of the Haiti disaster, needs to make tough decisions soon about whether to keep troops in the earthquake-ravaged country, say defence experts.
> 
> About 1,000 soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Que., that were sent to Haiti are on a tight schedule.
> 
> ...


----------



## leroi (3 Feb 2010)

Canadian Forces making a difference and providing* HOPE* as they re-build an orphanage at Leogane:


Haitian Orphanage Finds Grace In A Time Of Despair







National Public Radio: February 2, 2010
(Reproduced in accordance with the _Fair Dealing_ provision of the _Copyright Act_.)

In earthquake-decimated Haiti, huge piles of rubble remain virtually untouched.  But a surprising sight is tucked away in the rural plains just outside of the coastal city of Leogane: Workers are busy constructing two small, wood-frame buildings.  The Canadian military and a U.S.-based aid group are working together to rebuild an orphanage.  It is one of the first signs of rebuilding in an area that was reduced almost entirely to rubble in the Jan. 12 earthquake.

On a recent day, Pastor Jean Claude Charlier stands where the Christian School and Orphanage of Leogane crumbled on top of him.  Charlier says he was in his office when the ground started to tremble, so he ran for the stairs and tried to grab a girl in the hallway. The bricks fell on top of him, trapping him and the girl. Charlier says he was freed that night; the girl wasn't dug out until the next night.  But both suffered only minor injuries.  The rest of the children, he says, were at recess, outside playing when the quake struck. "All the kids survived, grace of God," Charlier says through a translator.  Pat Bradley, president and founder of the St. Louis based-group International Crisis Aid, says they were among the first aid workers to arrive in Leogane, about 20 miles west of Port-au-Prince.  His group arrived five days after the quake and found the area was about 95 percent in ruins, he says.  They worked their way to an outlying area and discovered what little was left of the orphanage.

"The day that we got here, we checked the storage.  They had about a two-day supply of food left for 100 children.  Kids are sleeping all over the grounds, no shelter, just out in the open.  Everything was completely destroyed, and we made a decision on the spot that this is a project we're going to take on and basically completely tear it down and rebuild it,"  Bradley says.

* He says a nearby Canadian military unit asked what they could do to help. The rebuilding operation soon began. "The Canadian army is involved with us.  The [Canadian] navy is sending guys in every day to build structures.*  Our goal was to get, within the next two weeks, to build enough structures, shelters so we can have the kids sleeping in a building," Bradley says.

The temporary bunkhouses will each sleep 16 to 18 children; they are scheduled to be completed long before the rainy season starts in the spring. The first two should be completed by Thursday. John Dunn, a Canadian sailor from the HMCS Athabaskan, calls the project "awesome." "Out of all the things you could do, this is probably one of the most fulfilling because it's for the kids," Dunn says. Another sailor, Andrea Rouhoniemi,  says that because of the grim duties they have been assigned to since the quake, there is a bit of competition on the ship for this work.

The Canadians also brought in heavy equipment to remove the rubble of the old orphanage, where Bradley says International Crisis Aid will build a new one. "When we rebuild, we plan to double the size because we know there will be a lot more orphans, because Leogane was totally destroyed," he says.

Already, the orphanage has taken in 10 or 15 more children whose parents were either killed in the earthquake or can no longer care for them.  With so much destruction all around and despair, with many people not knowing where to even begin to clean up, Bradley says this rebuilding project is serving as a small sign of hope.  Memgo guy Marie Michelle, the 13-year-old girl trapped for 24 hours after the quake, says it's a beautiful thing that will help the children, another blessing from God, like her own rescue. Charlier, the pastor, says he knew God would send him refuge after the quake, but he didn't think it would come so soon.

With faith and by the grace of God, he says, not only will his orphanage will be rebuilt,  but all of Leogane,  and all of Haiti,  too.


----------



## leroi (8 Feb 2010)

A cute slide show courtesy of the _Chronicle Herald_: Happy Haitian children singing, "I love you ... yes,  I love you" as  photos of hard-working Canadian Navy personnel (and others) display in the background.

Photo credits: Tim Krochak

 Singing Haitian Children Greet Sailors


----------



## OldSolduer (8 Feb 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> Re-read the question.  I would offer it up as a false tricotomy (if such a thing exists).  Too slow?  Too fast?  Just right?  Talk about extremes.
> In polls I've previously completed, I was offered a scale of 10, from 1 meaning "Absolutely not", 10 meaning "Absolutely" and 5 "in the middle".  In the manner in which the question was posed, 70% of the "sway" was removed, leaving only 1, 5 and 10.
> Perhaps a more appropriate list of "possible responses" could have been posed.



It sounds like a "goldilocks and the three bears question".

Is your porridge too hot? too cold? Just right?


----------



## leroi (10 Feb 2010)

Recently a military commentator was quoted as saying civilian Canadians are having a "love affair" (I hope he meant platonically ;D) with the CF; that made me    (can't remember where I read it)  but with accounts like the one below coupled by your tenacity and integrity in Afghanistan (even sometimes without feeling the full weight of public/political support at your back)  is it any wonder that Canadians love you ...? 


 Canadian sailors get to work on Haiti's ruined shores 

Globe & Mail: February 10, 2010
Jessica Leeder

(Here reproduced in accordance with the Fair Dealing provision, 29, of the Copyright Act.)

It was in a schoolyard bordered by fallen buildings and beneath a decapitated figure of Jesus Christ – its right arm still attached, palm upturned to the heavens – that Leading Seaman Kathleen Jollimore met her hardest task yet. It wasn't the digging, although excavating a pit in Haiti's hard earth was a sweaty job.  The difficult part was filling it with the half-burned fingers, toes and other bones – castoffs from the barrage of amputations forced by the earthquake.  “They prepared us well for the absolute most devastating thing,” said LS Jollimore, one of 500 sailors attached to Operation Hestia, Canada's emergency aid operation in southern Haiti.  “It still gets you,” she said, eyes welling. “It kind of takes your breath away and gives you a jolt because it's not something you see every day – or that you want to see.”

Over the past three weeks, the sailors onboard the two Canadian warships off Haiti's southern peninsula – HMCS Athabaskan, a destroyer, and HMCS Halifax, a frigate – have taken on an unprecedented land-based mission and witnessed things they could never have imagined.  There was the boy who survived 23 days buried in the ruins (his family passed him food and water through a gap in the rubble) and the woman who came in with a cooked hand – she had been using a gas stove when her roof caved in, sandwiching her hand between ceiling and flame and charring it to the bone.  And there's the endless stream of orphan children who tug at the heart.  “The little guy today, he just desperately wanted to be loved. He's so sad,” said LS Jollimore, describing a despondent toddler named Nixon whom she had kept tightly enfolded in her arms for a good part of the afternoon.  “I was overcome by a need to love this little guy and take him home with me and get him all cleaned up and make him smile. ” Aid and money, she added, go only so far.

In the midst of Haiti's chaos, Canada's sailors have been fanning out daily across the seaside town of Jacmel and the even-harder-hit city of Léogâne, hammers and hardhats in hand, with one guiding principle: Be flexible.  That approach has helped to turn them into unsung heroes on the ground – a place most seamen aren't accustomed to spending their days. Their goal is to do whatever they can to help aid groups fulfill their mandate, which has involved everything from chopping down trees to rebuilding orphanages, providing security for medical teams and repairing faulty machinery.  Athabaskan's flight crew, which operates a Sea King helicopter they call Big Dawg, even spent two days hauling components of a portable hospital over a mountaintop.

The sailors' eagerness, even after three weeks of long days, is palpable and contagious.  Most nights they are still grinning and brimming with energy when they return to the ship from a long day's work. “Time and time again, people come back and say to me,  ‘This was the best day of my life. It has been the pinnacle of my career,'” said Commander Peter Crain, the captain of Athabaskan.

Captain Art McDonald is the senior officer overseeing the naval aspect of Canada's humanitarian mission in Haiti.  After 20 years at sea, the Haiti mission has been a highlight for him, too, largely because sailors have been able to work in such close contact with the people their mission aims to support.  “It's the most rewarding thing that we could be involved in,” Capt. McDonald said. “Everyone is moving faster than they ever thought they could.”

As the situation stabilizes nearly a month after the earthquake, the mission is shifting from emergency response to long-term support.  While it's unclear how long the navy will remain a part of the Canadian operation in Haiti, senior naval officers are adamant that their people – and their multiskilled, multitasking nature – can continue to play a vital role from their offshore base. “This is a very non-traditional mission, for sure,” Cdr. Crain said.  “But we bring some skill sets that are quite useful for a mission like this.” As for the sailors, they're just happy to help.

“Everybody here is utterly proud to be here,” LS Jollimore said.

“Everybody here is willing to do it for as long as we need to do it.”


----------



## Nfld Sapper (10 Feb 2010)

Debating if I should also post this in the Engineer Sub-forum or not......

From the CEFCOM Fact Sheet Operation HESTIA and Joint Task Force Haiti

DART
•Engineers
◦1 ROWPU located on a river bank and producing potable water
◦1 ROWPU damaged by silt and salt from processing harbour water —repairs under way; waiting for parts
◦Demolition of unstable buildings under way with permission from Mayor of Jacmel
◦With HMCS Halifax: Fabrication of latrine huts for tent cities and orphanages continues
◦Route 204: 18.6 km at the south end open to two lanes of traffic
◦Providing sanitation support to the U.N. tent city

3 R22eR Battalion Group
•Engineers — 5e Régiment de genie
◦Two ROWPUs producing potable water
◦Supplying Role 2 hospital by water truck
◦Clearing streets in Léogâne with local workers employed by U.N. cash-for-work program
◦Clearing debris at Hôpital Help
◦Building grey-water system for Role 2 hospital
◦Rebuilding irrigation system for U.N. agriculture project on the Momance River
◦Latrine construction continues at tent cities and orphanages


----------



## Nfld Sapper (12 Feb 2010)

Angelina Jolie visits CF members at Jacmel airfield





Group photo with the military personnel at Jacmel Airfield

Thursday, February 11, 2010
Jacmel, Haiti - On February 10, 2010, movie star Angelina Jolie visited Jacmel, Haiti where members of the Canadian Forces have been keeping the country’s second air entry point open, thereby ensuring the continued operation of the air bridge between Canada, Jamaica and Haiti.

Angelina Jolie travelled to Haiti in support of the humanitarian efforts that have been made by the international community since the earthquake on January 12, 2010. Early in the morning, the star set down at Jacmel airfield aboard a United Nations aircraft.






Maj Skirrow and Maj Cyr, welcoming Angelina Jolie at Jacmel Airfield, Haiti.

Welcomed by Major Kevin Skirrow, commander of the Theatre Air Support Element from 8 Air Maintenance Squadron, 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., and Major Eric Cyr, commander of the 8 Wing Mission Support Squadron, Ms. Jolie was unsparing in her praise for the Canadian troops based at Jacmel Airfield.

“I think that all the efforts being made to deliver aid to Haiti are amazing. It’s beautiful to see the enthusiasm of the people who are here in support of the Haitian people. The cooperation among all the nations who’ve come here is wonderful and heart-warming,” said Ms. Jolie.

As for Maj Skirrow, he couldn’t contain his enthusiasm at welcoming a star of this magnitude at Jacmel Airfield. 

“Ms Jolie’s presence here draws the world’s attention to the cause we’re working for in Haiti. I would like to thank her for coming here in support of the Haitian people. Just like us, she’s contributing to the humanitarian effort. Our mission in Jacmel is to maintain the airfield’s services in support of the air bridge, which allows for humanitarian aid to be brought into the country,” said Maj Skirrow.





Mme. Tiffany Keenan, NGO coordinator working with the Canadian troups at Jacmel airport, Maj Skirrow and Angelina Jolie.

 “It makes me proud when I see that, military personnel or stars, we’re all making an effort. I was also very happy to give Tiffany Keenan, coordinator for the non-governmental organizations working with us at Jacmel airfield, the opportunity to show Ms. Jolie her projects.”

As for Ms. Keenan, she was very pleased with her meeting with the star. 

“Angelina Jolie was highly supportive of our efforts in Haiti. She has a good understanding of the situation and how the different countries can help on the ground,” she said.

For the troops based at Jacmel airfield, the star’s visit was a very pleasant experience. 

“Madame Jolie seemed like a very human, very warm person. Even with her busy schedule, she took time to pay tribute to the troops and went out of her way to talk with them and have photos taken. Her visit was highly appreciated,” said Maj Cyr.

The troops will have a very warm memory of Angelina Jolie’s visit. The most important aspect of the visit remains, however, her contribution to the humanitarian cause in Haiti, a cause in which the Canadian Forces are playing a role.



Article by Captain Alexandre Muñoz, PAO, 3 Wing, Bagotville


----------



## vonGarvin (12 Feb 2010)

I wonder if she tried to adopt any of the CF members there at Jacmel?


(I know that she's the UN ambassador for "something", but...)


----------



## Nfld Sapper (12 Feb 2010)

From the CEFCOM Fact Sheet Operation HESTIA and Joint Task Force Haiti

DART
•Engineers
◦1 ROWPU located on a river bank and producing potable water
◦1 ROWPU damaged by silt and salt from processing harbour water; awaiting parts
◦Street clearance and demolition of unstable buildings under way in co-operation with Jacmel civic authorities
◦With HMCS Halifax: Latrine excavation and construction continues at tent cities and orphanages
◦Route 204: 28.6 km clear of rubble

HMCS Halifax
◦(with DART Engineers)
■Digging latrines at orphanages
■Clearing rubble

3 R22eR Battalion Group
•Engineers — 5e Régiment de genie
◦2 ROWPUs producing potable water
◦Supplying water to Role 2 hospital and Médecins sans frontières
◦Clearing streets in Léogâne with local workers employed by U.N. cash-for-work program
◦With HMCS Athabaskan: Latrine excavation and construction continues at tent cities and orphanages


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## The Bread Guy (12 Feb 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> I wonder if she tried to adopt any of the CF members there at Jacmel?
> 
> 
> (I know that she's the UN ambassador for "something", but...)


Apparently, UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador, with her own UN web page.

Well done, folks on the ground, and those here at home helping them....

<tangent>.... but jargon-Watch:  "air entry point" vs "major airport"? _* I*_ won't make any Mile High Club jokes </tangent>


----------



## mover1 (12 Feb 2010)

I just flew from KAF to YTR with 2 x ROWPU units as cargo. I can only guess where they are headed from here


----------



## PanaEng (13 Feb 2010)

mover1 said:
			
		

> I just flew from KAF to YTR with 2 x ROWPU units as cargo. I can only guess where they are headed from here


Wow, we obviously need a few more - among many other things. Do any of the PRes regiments have any water supply capabilities? I'm thinking every region should have at least 2 units.


----------



## Nfld Sapper (13 Feb 2010)

PanaEng said:
			
		

> Wow, we obviously need a few more - among many other things. Do any of the PRes regiments have any water supply capabilities? I'm thinking every region should have at least 2 units.



No PRes units have the full sized ROWPU's some may have the Sub-unit ROWPU's......






ZENON Mini-ROWPU 





ZENON Full sized ROWPU

There are a few of us scattered across the country...........


----------



## GAP (14 Feb 2010)

Officials decide for Haiti's homeless: Sorry, no tents
By: Jonathan M. Katz, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 13/02/2010 
Article Link

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Ask any of the hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims living outdoors in Haiti's shattered capital and you're apt to get the same plea: "Give us a tent."

Few will get one. Aid agencies and Haitian officials have given up plans to shelter the homeless in tents, even if that means many will likely face hurricane season camped out under flapping sheets of plastic.

Tents are too big, too costly and too inefficient, aid groups say. So Haitians must swelter under flimsy tarps until fixed shelters can be built - though no one believes nearly enough can be will be up in time for spring storms.

"A tent would give us more space. There are too many people in here," said Marie-Mona Destiron, sweating under the hot blue light of her family's donated plastic tarp. When it rains, she said, water slides through the gaps and turns the dirt floor to mud.

Destiron, 45, got her tarp from U.S. soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division. Her husband, Joselin Edouard, tied it to a thin mahogany tree on a dusty slope below the country club that the soldiers use as a forward-operating base. It is home to them and their six children.

The Destiron family tarp site sits atop what passes for pretty good real estate in post-quake Port-au-Prince. The family is near where soldiers distribute food, though when helicopters land, it's blasted by dirt and leaves. They moved in the day after the Jan. 12 catastrophe shattered their concrete home.

But theirs is a space prone to floods and mudslides. And come the spring rains - not to mention the hurricanes of summer and fall - they and many other Haitians are vulnerable.

International aid officials at first announced a campaign to put the homeless in tents and appealed for donations from around the world. Some 49,000 tents had reached Haiti when the government announced Wednesday it was opting for plastic sheets.

With an estimated 1.2 million people displaced by the earthquake - some 770,000 of them still in the capital - officials say there is no room for family-sized tents with their wide bases.

Besides, they are bulky and don't last long enough to justify their cost, the aid community has decided.

Further, the cluster of foreign and Haitian officials in charge of shelter decisions does not trust the mishmash of aid organizations involved to buy the right ones.

It has issued a warning that only that those with "existing expertise in the procurement of humanitarian tents" should buy them, saying that after the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, 80 per cent of tents distributed were not waterproof.

Instead the officials are mobilizing a plan they call the "shelter surge:"

-By May 1, one plastic tarp will be given to each of about 250,000 displaced families.

-Transitional shelters of 18 square meters (194 square feet), with corrugated iron roofs, will then be built. They will have earthquake-and storm-resistant frames of timber or steel and are supposed to last for three years.

But putting up such shelters will take serious time and effort. Land must be procured. Money - at least $1,000 per transitional home - must be found. And desperate people who just weeks ago lost their homes must be persuaded to relocate yet again, and getting them to abandon neighbourhoods and friends won't be simple.
More on link


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## Edward Campbell (14 Feb 2010)

There is a good set of photos on the Globe and Mail website at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/haiti/project-jacmel/aboard-the-hmcs-athabaskan/article1463271/

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29)of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ web site, are some of them, posted because they will, eventually, disappear:

All the captions were taken, verbatim, from the _Globe and Mail_; sailors here can correct the language.





HMCS Athabaskan sailors pull in lines to leave port in Kingston, Jamaica to head to Haiti after re-supplying.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





HMCS Athabaskan Captain Crane on the bridge as they leave port in Kingston, Jamaica to head to Haiti after re-supplying.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





HMCS Athabaskan sailors clean the flat or hallways aboard ship after leaving Kingston, Jamaica to head to Haiti.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





HMCS Athabaskan Master Corporal, J.P. Somerset exercises on a stationary bike in a flat or hallway inside the ship as they head to Haiti.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





The HMCS Athabaskan links up for fueling during what is called a Ras, where the ships sail along side each other and the the fuel lines hooked up for fueling on the go, which needs to be done every few days.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





HMCS Athabaskan sailors at the harbour in Kingston, Jamaica after a 14-hour trip from Haiti to re-supply, pick up mail and personnel as well as unload garbage.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





HMCS Athabaskan sailors at the harbour in Kingston, Jamaica after a 14-hour trip from Haiti to re-supply, pick up mail and personnel as well as unload garbage.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





HMCS Athabaskan Security Officer Dan Drolet, stands guard as the ship leaves port in Kingston, Jamaica to head to Haiti after re-supplying.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





14 Mess food service line and cafeteria aboard the HMCS Athabaskan.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





14 Mess food line and cafeteria aboard the HMCS Athabaskan.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





HMCS Athabaskan sailors head out for a day of work in Leogane, Haiti.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL





An HMCS Athabaskan sailor has a nap while waiting on the beach in Leogane, Haiti, for the zodiacs to arrive and pick them up at the end of the day.
Photo Credit: Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL


I hope some of you recognize some friends and kudos to the _Good Grey Globe_ and Deborah Baic for a look at some of the men and women doing the work in Haiti.


----------



## Edward Campbell (14 Feb 2010)

If any of you guys and gals in Haiti can read this, it looks like you’re getting company, according to this report, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ web site:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/haiti/project-jacmel/harper-to-travel-to-haiti-tomorrow/article1468138/


> Harper to travel to Haiti tomorrow
> *Prime Minister set to visit Jacmel, the focus of Canadian aid efforts that have been a major cause for Conservative government*
> 
> Campbell Clark
> ...




It is, politically and from a _policy_ point of view, an opportune time for such a visit.


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## leroi (14 Feb 2010)

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you are doing: Canada thanks you and Haiti thanks you! :hearts:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2559050






*Haiti: 'We're All Here to Do the Same Good': Geoff Everts, Canadian Navy*

Reproduced with thanks to the National Post and in accordance with the Fair Dealing provision, 29, of the Copyright Act.
February 13, 2010
Photo credit Tyler Anderson
Kathryn Blaze Carlson

One month after the Jan. 12 earthquake that all but destroyed much of Haiti,
the people of Leogane are clearing the streets of rubble, and building wooden 
shelters to replace their collapsed homes. Alongside them, members of the Canadian
Forces are working to help rebuild what some locals consider a forsaken city.
The Canadian navy's HMCS Athabaskan is patrolling off the coast of Leogane, and
its sailors head ashore each day to offer labour, protection and support to their army
brethren, non-governmental organizations, and the people of Haiti. The National Post's
Kathryn Blaze Carlson spent a week aboard the ship, witnessing the efforts first hand.
At the end of the tour, she spoke with Lieutenant-Commander Geoff Everts, executive
officer of HMCS Athabaskan, about the mission.

*Q Was the situation in Leogane as you expected it to be?*

A  Most of the reporting had been out of Port-au-Prince, so we didn't know what to expect
 as we sailed down to Leogane. We planned the whole way down here. We prepared for
 the worst, and thankfully it wasn't the worst. It was somewhat less than that.

*Q For most of your sailors, this was their first humanitarian mission ashore. How did you
 prepare them for their time ashore in Leogane?*

A On the trip down here, I said to the sailors, "This is going to change all of us." I think it 
has, and it has changed all of us for the better. I think we all appreciate Canada more now.
 ... The sailors are all very proud of what they're doing.

*Q How would you describe the navy's work in Leogane?*

A  We identified quick-impact projects where we knew we could get in there and give people
some shelter, food, and water right away.... The idea is that we're not set up to do long-term
sustaining of those projects, but we can work with aid organizations to help get people back 
on their feet, beyond the survival stage to a living stage. The [Bonne Nouvelle de Jesus Christ] 
orphanage, for example -- we're not going to be there forever. We're going to finish the
clean-up, finish the shelters, build latrines and then we hope the aid organizations will 
continue long after we've left.

*Q What would you consider among the greatest challenges in disaster relief efforts in Leogane so far?*

A  At the start, it felt like there was a lack of co-ordination on the whole. There were a lot of
people who were trying to do good, but there was no central co-ordination, no central Haitian
oversight. My first interface was with the Canadian army -- with the commanding officer of the
Van Doo regiment. After our ship arrived here, I flew in by helicopter and met him to talk about 
what kind of tasks we could accomplish. He immediately put us onto some projects, because he 
had been in town for a few days and had already done a [reconnaissance] of the area. It was
amazing to have that sort of direction.

*Q We sometimes hear of professional rivalry among soldiers, sailors and the air force. What 
was it like to bring aboard more than 170 soldiers and transport them to Leogane alongside your sailors?*

A  There is a sort of collegial pride in your team: The navy thinks they're the best service, the
army thinks they're the best service, and I imagine the air force thinks the same. The army 
has lots to be proud of, but it was interesting to see them as they were leaving the ship. I
think it gave them a new respect for what we do. At the end of the day, though, we're all 
Canadians, we're all here to do the same good.

*Q How do you hope to leave Haiti, once HMCS Athabaskan's role in the humanitarian mission is completed?*

A  I hope we leave Haiti better off than it was before. To help achieve that, we'll do our 
best as long as we're here.... I hope that we, the Western world and Haitians themselves,
can work together to get the country back on its feet.

*VOICES FROM LEOGANE*

- "I hope that by the time we leave, we can give the Haitians the feeling that there's a better
 future.... Our presence is known now -- the Canadians are recognizable, and we're building 
relationships with the people of Haiti."

Commander Josee Kurtz, Captain of HMCS Halifax

- "We need to educate and inspire our own people, but first we need help from the world
.... [Canada's] navy has come here to make this place safer, to get rid of the rubble and the
 psychological reminder of what happened."

Sister Claudette Charles, of a home for the elderly and mentally ill in Leogane

- "We simply could not have done this without the navy. The Canadian Forces 
excels at this type of operation -- they offer amazing support on a huge scale,
 whether it's communication, security, or infrastructure."

Dr. Tim Kostomo, orthopedic surgeon with the Canadian Medical Assistance


----------



## Edward Campbell (16 Feb 2010)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> If any of you guys and gals in Haiti can read this, it looks like you’re getting company, according to this report, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ web site:
> 
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/haiti/project-jacmel/harper-to-travel-to-haiti-tomorrow/article1468138/
> 
> It is, politically and from a _policy_ point of view, an opportune time for such a visit.



Here, courtesy of the CTV News web site, is a picture of Prime Minister Harper meeting some Canadian soldiers:





Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) and Haitian President Rene Preval (centre) meet with with Canadian troops stationed in earthquake stricken Haiti, Monday, February 15, 2010. (Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS)


----------



## old medic (16 Feb 2010)

Canadians in Afghanistan raise more than $12K to help victims of Haiti quake
(CP) – 15 Feb 2010
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hc3gvpw7OMViOonUEHu7W4__hJYg



> KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Victims of the earthquake in Haiti are getting a little help from Canadians deployed to Afghanistan.
> 
> Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, the top military commander in Kandahar, presented the Canadian Red Cross with a cheque for $12,699 Monday afternoon.
> 
> ...


----------



## Edward Campbell (16 Feb 2010)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> If any of you guys and gals in Haiti can read this, it looks like you’re getting company, according to this report, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ web site:
> 
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/haiti/project-jacmel/harper-to-travel-to-haiti-tomorrow/article1468138/
> 
> It is, politically and from a _policy_ point of view, an opportune time for such a visit.




The Red Star’s Jim Travers disagrees with me; Harper’s visit is premature he suggests in this column, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s _Toronto Star_:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/766017--is-this-a-mission-of-mercy-or-political-diversion


> Travers: *Is this a mission of mercy or political diversion?*
> 
> By James Travers
> National Affairs Columnist
> ...



First off, as Travers, himself, suggests, this trip has several aims:

1.	_”To draw fading attention back to the disaster:”_

2.	To remind Canadians that this is a major commitment and that we have to be there for the long haul; and

3.	To show support for the troops.

Travers makes some good points, but:

1.	Haiti is a basket case – it needs everything, including some really important non-monetary, attitudinal, (dare I say *cultural*?) things;

2.	The “weakest link” in Afghanistan proved to be Canadian public opinion which became bored with and then turned against the mission in Afghanistan. The same can, likely will happen if we try to make a long term commitment to Haiti;

3.	An “international assessment” is a total, 100% waste of time and money. It will tell us – see Point 1, above – what we already know: Haiti is a basket case;

4.	Any long term ‘solution’ for Haiti is, probably, not going to be achievable if either America or France are closely involved;

5.	Canada can help – if our people are willing.

Prime Minister Harper’s visit may serve to clarify, in his own mind, what we can and cannot do in Haiti. It is neither premature nor a waste of resources. Any of the three aims I mentioned above makes it worthwhile.


----------



## Rifleman62 (16 Feb 2010)

Mr. Jim Travers is, and always will be, an AH (two words). What he writes is drivel, always is, always will be.

PM Harper cannot do, and will never do, anything right IAW Travers and his equal inept friends.


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## Nfld Sapper (16 Feb 2010)

From the CEFCOM Fact Sheet Operation HESTIA and Joint Task Force Haiti

DART
•Engineers
◦1 ROWPU located on a river bank and producing potable water
◦Street clearance and demolition of unstable buildings under way in co‑operation with Jacmel civic authorities
◦With HMCS Halifax: Latrine excavation and construction continues at tent cities and orphanages
◦Route 204: 30.2 km clear of rubble

HMCS Halifax
◦(with DART Engineers)
■Digging latrines at orphanages
■Clearing rubble

3 R22eR Battalion Group
•Engineers — 5e Régiment de genie
◦2 ROWPUs producing potable water
◦Supplying water to Role 2 hospital and Médecins sans frontières
◦Clearing streets in Léogâne with local workers employed by U.N. and Canadian-funded cash-for-work programs
◦With HMCS Athabaskan:
■Latrine excavation and construction continues at tent cities and orphanages
■Construction of Government and Crisis Centre at Mairie de Léogâne under way


----------



## PanaEng (17 Feb 2010)

Mr Campbell, you make some great points. I absolutely agree with all your observations but more so with #4
Rwanda came to mind when I read that one. 

cheers,
Frank


----------



## PMedMoe (19 Feb 2010)

*'Special' little girl steals sailor's heart *

She puts her fingers in his ears, crayons up his nose and has a habit of digging her wee nails into the red flush of his cheeks. 

These are the tactics two-year-old Felicity used to endear herself to Petty Officer Andy Cotterill, a Canadian sailor here who has spent what little downtime he has had recently figuring out how to bring the little girl home. 

Stationed aboard HMCS Halifax off the coast of Jacmel, PO Cotterill has been coming ashore each day as part of the Navy teams assigned to help rebuild orphanages and other priority sites around this seaside city. While many Canadian sailors serving in Jacmel and nearby Léogâne have pondered adopting a Haitian child after long days working at orphanages here, PO Cotterill has fully made up his mind. 

“Officially, I'm going to see if I can make her my daughter,” he said recently, after his sixth meeting with the little girl. 

“I didn't know how special … she was going to turn out to be until I'd met her a couple of times. The first time I met her she was just a little girl in an orphanage. I didn't know her name, I didn't know anything.” 

More at link including audio slideshow


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## old medic (26 Feb 2010)

Canada begins military withdrawal from Haiti
By Juliet O’Neill
Canwest News Service 
22 Feb 2010
copy at: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2598545



> OTTAWA -- Canadian military forces are starting to withdraw from crisis work in Haiti and the government is nearing a "tipping point" where many of 50 Canadians still missing six weeks after a massive earthquake will be deemed dead. That will boost the current confirmed death toll of 34 Canadians.
> 
> Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said at a news conference Monday that Canada is "beginning to progressively see the withdrawal of Canadian Forces assets" as commercial air service is now available on the Caribbean island and the government of Haiti, the United Nations and aid agencies have a handle on emergency relief efforts.
> 
> ...


----------



## old medic (26 Feb 2010)

Canadian soldiers leaving Haiti swap relief efforts for combat training\
By Matthew Fisher, 
Canwest News Service
23 Feb 2010
link: http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=2601489



> KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Soldiers of the Royal 22nd Regiment will have only two weeks before they have to switch their focus from providing emergency relief in Haiti to intensive combat training for a tour in Afghanistan, the commander of all Canadian troops overseas says.
> 
> "There are not exact day-to-day timelines, but unless there is direction from the government through the chief of defence staff, we are leaving Haiti," Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard said Tuesday at the end of a brief visit with Canadian troops in Kandahar.
> 
> ...


----------



## old medic (2 Mar 2010)

Canadian navy ship returns from deployment to Haiti
The Canadian Press
02 March 2010
copy at: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100302/haiti_ship_100302/20100302?hub=Canada



> HALIFAX — Crew aboard the navy ship HMCS Halifax say there's still years' worth of work to be done in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, but they believe Canadians have made a difference.
> 
> The 225 crew members aboard the frigate returned to Halifax today after a six-week deployment to Jacmel, where they provided humanitarian relief.
> 
> ...


----------



## old medic (7 Mar 2010)

MacKay promises Haiti long-term Canadian support
By Jessica Leeder
07 March 2010

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/haiti/project-jacmel/mackay-promises-haiti-long-term-canadian-support/article1492893/



> Although Canada's military has begun the slow process of withdrawing more than 1,500 troops who have been helping to stabilize this earthquake-ravaged country since January, Haiti will not be “left behind” Defense Minister Peter MacKay promised the nation yesterday.
> 
> “We're here for the long term,” he said following an afternoon visit to a Jacmel orphanage Canadian soldiers have been helping rebuild.
> 
> ...


----------



## Edward Campbell (8 Mar 2010)

Another VIP visitor is arriving today, according to this report, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the _CBC_ web site:

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/03/08/governor-general-haiti-women.html


> Governor General travels to Haiti
> 
> Monday, March 8, 2010
> 
> ...





Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/03/08/governor-general-haiti-women.html#ixzz0haN1mWSM


----------



## old medic (8 Mar 2010)

Quebec soldiers return from Haiti
08 March 2010
ctvmontreal.ca

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100308/mtl_quebec_soldiers_haiti100308/20100308?hub=Montreal



> About 100 Canadian soldiers stationed in earthquake ravaged Haiti returned home to Quebec City on Sunday evening to hugs, kisses and tears at Jean-Lesage airport.
> 
> The 850 troops from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier had spent nearly two months in the devastated Caribbean nation. The soldiers had offered medical help and security.
> 
> ...


----------



## Edward Campbell (8 Mar 2010)

The Governor General in Haiti:





Governor General Michaelle Jean and her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond watch a woman have her hair combed while visiting a displaced-persons camp in Leogane, Haiti. Jean arrived for her first visit since the devastating earthquake.
The Canadian Press

More here


----------



## Tetragrammaton (20 Mar 2010)

What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?


----------



## vonGarvin (20 Mar 2010)

Tetragrammaton said:
			
		

> What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?


I think what you fail to understand is that the Government is as commited as ever.  It's the military that is coming back, the aid, etc., is still flowing.


----------



## armychick2009 (20 Mar 2010)

Tetragrammaton said:
			
		

> What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?



One of the above articles states that the UN has things under control along with other governmental and aid support relief agencies... that's why


----------



## Nfld Sapper (20 Mar 2010)

Tetragrammaton said:
			
		

> What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?



Fact Sheet
The Disaster Assistance Response Team

The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is a multidisciplinary military organization designed to deploy on short notice anywhere in the world in response to situations ranging from natural disasters to complex humanitarian emergencies.

*With about 200 Canadian Forces members equipped to conduct humanitarian and disaster relief operations for up to 40 days, the DART’s mission is to bridge the gap until national and international aid agencies arrive to provide long-term help*. 

Around the world, many governmental and non-governmental organizations deliver expert humanitarian aid programs and services. The DART does not compete with these organizations; it complements their activities.


----------



## Tetragrammaton (21 Mar 2010)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> I think what you fail to understand is that the Government is as commited as ever.  It's the military that is coming back, the aid, etc., is still flowing.



It is true that I should have added that it is the Canadian military commitment to which I was referring. I guess the difficulty I have understanding is the decision to deploy around 2000 personnel for less than 2 months. Is their job done? Are the aid organizations going to take over security aspects of the mission in Haiti as well or are we simply going to let the American military do the job? I dislike feeling like we are letting someone else finish what we started.


----------



## Nfld Sapper (21 Mar 2010)

Tetragrammaton said:
			
		

> It is true that I should have added that it is the Canadian military commitment to which I was referring. I guess the difficulty I have understanding is the decision to deploy around 2000 personnel for less than 2 months. Is their job done? Are the aid organizations going to take over security aspects of the mission in Haiti as well or are we simply going to let the American military do the job? I dislike feeling like we are letting someone else finish what we started.



We just don't have the man power for that....


2 Battle Groups for Afghanistan
Probably another BG starting work up
Unknown number standing down from the Olympics
Unknown number probably standing up for the G8/20

Probably in the neighbourhood of 10,000 troops

Don't forget the members supporting the training establishments, those unfit for deployment for various reasons, etc etc..

Also the US has give or take Active personnel 1,473,900 

Canada has about Active personnel 67,756


----------



## Tetragrammaton (21 Mar 2010)

Understood, but if it was a manpower issue, would not the end of the commitment in Vancouver at the beginning of March free up 5,000 pers minus those going onto TF Afghanistan?

I personally believe that a decision was made purely on $$$ reasons not to stay in Haiti.


----------



## Edward Campbell (21 Mar 2010)

The military is neither _effective_ nor _efficient_ (cost effective) as an aid agency. What we you are good at is _quick reaction_ and _concentration of force_ - thus we they, military forces, should be _first in_, often because they are the only _resource_ available and able to go quickly and do something useful.

But using military forces as aid agencies is expensive. Sometimes, Kandahar being an example, the situation is too dangerous for large scale, effective civilian aid - not all of which is especially _effective_ or _efficient_, either, by the way - and so the military stay involved, at great cost. Haiti is not Kandahar. The security situation, while not necessarily _peaceful_, is well within the capability _envelope_ of the Brazilian led UN force. It is time for civilian aid agencies and even more effective private contractors to start doing the long term _recovery_ and _development_ work. That means it is past time to bring our military forces home.


----------



## Loachman (21 Mar 2010)

Paying local workers to do as much as possible also injects money into a shattered economy.


----------



## GAP (21 Mar 2010)

The Salvation Army/Red Cross/etc charities, have been in Haiti for upwards of 40 years. I can understand some of the constraints they worked around under Duvalier / Aristides /others what with the massive corruption/dictatorship issues..............

Unless the UN through the US, Brazil, Canada, and all the others with their wonderful commitments to rebuilding Haiti, don't deal with the corruption issue, they might as well just leave it alone.


----------



## GAP (23 Mar 2010)

Government defends sole-source contract to Calgary company of Tory donors 
Article Link
Mon Mar 22, 8:13 PM
By Jonathan Montpetit, The Canadian Press

MONTREAL - Canada's signature aid project in Haiti will be carried out by a company with ties to the Conservative party after it was awarded the multimillion-dollar contract without a public bidding process.

A subsidiary of Calgary-based ATCO Ltd., which has three Tory donors on its board of directors, was handed the $12-million contract to build temporary offices in Port-au-Prince for the Haitian government.

Ottawa has been angling to build that shelter since the week after the earthquake, with officials immediately urging Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive to let Canada take the lead on such a project.

The initiative was eventually announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who made that commitment the centrepiece of his own visit to Haiti last month.

The federal government opted to bypass procurement guidelines that usually require government contracts of more than $25,000 to be submitted to a public tendering process.

It also chose not to post an Advance Contract Award Notice, which in cases where there is no tendering process normally gives rival businesses an opportunity to submit counter-proposals.

The government says the normal tendering process can take at least three months, while the needs in Haiti are desperate and immediate.

"Given the urgency of the situation in Haiti and the tight timelines, this contract may be awarded under . . . emergency contracting authorities," the Public Works Department said in an email.

The contract was awarded to ATCO Structures and Logistics, which the department said was "the only known firm with the necessary expertise and immediate capacity to deliver a rapid turnkey solution."

The company has extensive experience with such projects, having performed similar work for NATO and the United Nations, in both Afghanistan and Bosnia.

ATCO Ltd. also has significant political connections.

The chairman of the board, Ronald D. Southern, has donated $3,750 to the Conservative party since 2007, including a $750 donation to Harper's 2008 riding campaign in Calgary Southwest.

The board also includes Don Mazankowski, a former finance minister under Brian Mulroney, who has donated $1,350 to the Conservatives since 2007.

The company's corporate director, Robert T. Booth, also made a $411 contribution to Peter MacKay's re-election campaign in 2008.

Public Works Canada said political ties had no influence on their decision and that no other company was ever considered for the project.

However, officials at the Canadian International Development Agency contradicted that statement. According to CIDA, several other companies were considered.

The opposition says the process should, in either case, have been more transparent.

"The principle of having tenders is pretty basic to Canadian public policy," said Bob Rae, the Liberal foreign affairs critic. "We all know that time is of the essence, but that's no excuse for excluding tenders altogether."

ATCO Group (TSX:ACO.X), the parent company, is one of Calgary's major employers and boasts more than 7,500 workers worldwide in sectors ranging from construction, to energy, to building maintenance.

Its Structures and Logistics subsidiary has provided temporary shelter and operational support for several foreign missions, including at Kandahar Airfield, where most of Canada's 2,800 troops in Afghanistan are based.

An executive at the subsidiary declined to comment on political ties, but said it was federal officials at CIDA who first contacted the company about the Haiti project. 
More on link


----------



## leroi (23 Mar 2010)

Governor General Michaëlle Jean's posting photos from her Haiti visit. 
Some very nice shots of CF members too:

Visit to Haiti: 10 Photos
http://fb.me/usn2ImQb 

First Day in Haiti: 32 Photos
http://fb.me/sU5kyhoI

Second Day in Haiti: 41 Photos
http://fb.me/tgq386g4


----------



## Tetragrammaton (24 Mar 2010)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> The military is neither _effective_ nor _efficient_ (cost effective) as an aid agency. What we you are good at is _quick reaction_ and _concentration of force_ - thus we they, military forces, should be _first in_, often because they are the only _resource_ available and able to go quickly and do something useful.
> 
> But using military forces as aid agencies is expensive. Sometimes, Kandahar being an example, the situation is too dangerous for large scale, effective civilian aid - not all of which is especially _effective_ or _efficient_, either, by the way - and so the military stay involved, at great cost. Haiti is not Kandahar. The security situation, while not necessarily _peaceful_, is well within the capability _envelope_ of the Brazilian led UN force. It is time for civilian aid agencies and even more effective private contractors to start doing the long term _recovery_ and _development_ work. That means it is past time to bring our military forces home.



Thank you for your post. This makes sense to me.


----------



## GAP (24 Mar 2010)

Departure of Canadian Forces hampers Jacmel’s reconstruction 
Article Link
Jessica Leeder

Jacmel, Haiti — From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Mar. 23, 2010 10:17PM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, Mar. 24, 2010 9:24AM EDT

It was the darkest times, when people were still digging themselves out from beneath the rubble, that Bassan Lumumba Pierre will remember as the highlight of his managerial career.

Canada’s Air Force had just swooped into town, transforming his sleepy regional airfield into a buzzing international airport equipped with a real control tower. Hundreds of aircraft were landing each week – small charters, helicopters and massive military planes. One day, Angelina Jolie touched down.

The flurry gave Mr. Pierre, Jacmel’s airport manager, a vision of how an international airport could brighten the future of his city. But that dream evaporated last week when the Canadian Forces dismantled their camps and pulled out of Jacmel at the end of a two-month relief mission.

In their wake, Canada’s soldiers left an unintended vacuum that seems to be sucking parts of the city they worked so hard to rebuild not forward, but back. That includes the airport, now a shell of what it had become under the Canadians, with an average of less than one plane a day setting down on its deserted landing strip. The Canadian pullout has also hampered the flow of aid through the city’s seaport.

Many of the aid groups that remain in Jacmel blame Canada’s military withdrawal for hampering their efforts – and by extension, the pace of the city’s reconstruction.

“I love team Canada. … But you came to stabilize and you created more destabilization by taking things away,” said Justin Baker, founder of Conscious Alliance, a U.S.-based aid group that has been on the ground solving logistical problems for a network of small non-governmental organizations.

Canada’s soldiers took with them the fleet of heavy lift machinery delivered to Jacmel after the earthquake, even though aid groups were hoping some of it would remain. That would have allowed them to receive large shipments at the port, which is hampered by its utter lack of cranes and unloading equipment.

A 100-tonne barge loaded with shipping containers for aid groups is due to arrive in Jacmel any day now. Without the Canadians to help unload it, no one knows if they’ll be able to get the material off the barge and into the city.

At the airport, operations have been all but abandoned. The open-air office that served as the control tower – set up by Canadian soldiers with portable communications equipment when they arrived and dismantled before they left – has been evacuated. The main terminal, which is empty save for a few folding metal chairs, was also stripped. Without a control tower, immigration office or soldiers to provide security, Mr. Pierre was forced to close the airport to international traffic.

“I will not continue operating without proper equipment,” Mr. Pierre said. “There is a lot of demand. … But for me security is the main concern.”

Jacmel is no longer authorized to receive international flights directly, regardless of whether they’re carrying much-needed aid or volunteers.

Instead, flights are diverted to Port-au-Prince, where they must land and clear customs before proceeding to Jacmel. Before leaving Haiti, the planes must return to Port-au-Prince to clear customs and pay the third landing fee of the trip. The change is costly and time-consuming for scores of volunteer pilots upon whom aid groups have been relying. Many pilots have ceased making runs to Jacmel altogether.
More on link


----------



## The Bread Guy (28 Apr 2010)

Canada's helping build a new police academy....


> .... The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is seeking to retain the services of a Contractor for a turnkey construction contract which has three major components ....
> 
> -    Construction of a training facility and residence - This component covers all detailed design activities (drawings and specifications), construction activities (including procurement and installation of equipment and furniture required for the NPA’s operation, which forms part of the project), and internal and external quality control of the execution of the work required in the building of the NPA complex. The NPA site is located about 30 km from Port-au-Prince and about 1.5 km from the city of Ganthier. The NPA will be a training facility, able to accommodate about 350 people, including 300 students.
> 
> ...



.... and helping buy some vehicles:


> .... (Canadian Commercial Corporation) invites interested companies to provide a bid for the provision of Toyota vehicles, equipment and delivery of these vehicles to the recipient nation of Haiti.
> 
> Canada has agreed to become a donor nation and assist the Haitian National Police (HNP) by purchasing vehicles and equipment that is required for policing activities in the region ....


----------



## medicineman (28 Apr 2010)

I remember walking into my UMS in PaP in '04 to find about 30 Chinese National Police dudes there - the translator told me they were there to teach the HNP riot control.  I just shook my head and walked away.

MM


----------



## The Bread Guy (28 Apr 2010)

medicineman said:
			
		

> I remember walking into my UMS in PaP in '04 to find about 30 Chinese National Police dudes there - the translator told me they were there to teach the HNP riot control.  I just shook my head and walked away.


No armour with them, I take it?





Seriously, though, another indicator of China making "soft power" inroads, even back then, in the area.


----------



## medicineman (28 Apr 2010)

Unless you count the 160+ solid pounds of no body fat each as armour...

MM


----------



## The Bread Guy (8 May 2010)

New deadline for the vehicle bid:  17 May 2010, 6:00am EST (see attached)


----------



## The Bread Guy (10 May 2010)

This from the Canada News Centre web site:


> The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada will increase its support for Haitian justice and security institutions by $10 million over last year’s contribution, to a total of $25 million.
> 
> “Canada’s increased funding will help the Government of Haiti respond to its citizens’ pressing justice and security needs,” said Minister Cannon. “These funds will support projects addressing Haiti’s post-earthquake needs and priorities in the areas of policing, prisons, border control and access to justice.”
> 
> ...


----------



## mariomike (9 Jul 2010)

Canadian Press:
"OTTAWA - The most senior ranking Canadian military officer in Haiti has been relieved of command and is the subject of an internal investigation.":
http://www.thecanadianpress.com/english/online/OnlineFullStory.aspx?filename=DOR-MNN-CP.481591a3161f4ef9a9dd9ed22551347c.CPKEY2008111303&newsitemid=3898706&languageid=1


----------



## Infanteer (9 Jul 2010)

Well, they sure are making room for the lower ranks to get a shot at the big leagues!


----------



## medicineman (9 Jul 2010)

Infanteer said:
			
		

> Well, they sure are making room for the lower ranks to get a shot at the big leagues!



Gotta love the glass half full crowd  ;D.

MM


----------



## Dog Walker (9 Jul 2010)

Canadian commander in Haiti sacked, faces probe
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20100709/haiti-commander-sacked-100709/

The Canadian Press
Date: Friday Jul. 9, 2010 5:31 PM ET
OTTAWA — The most senior ranking Canadian military officer in Haiti has been relieved of command and is the subject of an internal investigation. 
Col. Bernard Ouellette, who doubles as the chief of staff to the United Nations mission in the earthquake-battered country, is facing several allegations -- including that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship. 
A spokesman for Canada's overseas command refused to discuss the allegations, saying an investigation was underway by the chain of command, but that Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard decided it was best for morale of the small team to relieve Ouellette. 
Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay, a spokesman for CEFCOM, would only say the allegation of an inappropriate relationship did not involve another member of the Canadian military. 
Ouellette, who won praise for his cool handling Canada's relief effort following the massive earthquake that destroyed UN headquarters in Port au Prince, was at the end of a year-long deployment to Haiti and was relieved on June 26. 
The latest case comes as the military continues to investigate Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, who was stripped of command in Afghanistan for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate. 
Lemay says Ouellette's firing was not made public when it happened because he is considered a staff officer and Menard had a more high-profile public role.


----------



## tomahawk6 (9 Jul 2010)

Umm inappropriate relationships must be catching.Better innoculate all Colonels and Generals. 




> Canadian commander in Haiti relieved of duty
> Last Updated: Friday, July 9, 2010 | 6:28 PM ET Comments25Recommend19
> The Canadian Press
> 
> ...


----------



## KrazyHamburglar (10 Jul 2010)

Infanteer said:
			
		

> Well, they sure are making room for the lower ranks to get a shot at the big leagues!



I guess they'll need to change the toast for promotion to " A bloody War, Sickly season and sexual misconduct." 

On a side note, every time I met Col. Ouellet, he was noting but professional in every aspect. I sure hope for his sake that those are
only allegations...


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## observor 69 (10 Jul 2010)

He is accused of a "relationship" with a UN staffer.
Tell me again why that is so bad. And not just because that is the rules.
Rules, man made, can be changed. Is it correct that other nation's military force, US ?, doesn't have this restriction ?


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## Dog Walker (10 Jul 2010)

From CBC

Col. Bernard Ouellette, who was the chief of staff for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, is under investigation, said Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay, a spokesman for Canadian Expeditionary Force Command.
Lemay said the decision was based on Ouellette's "inability to address a negative environment that lasted a few months, which affected the morale and team cohesion within the Canadian contingent."
The "situation within the team deteriorated," Lemay added

 http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/09/haiti-officer-canadian.html


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## Gunner98 (10 Jul 2010)

Baden  Guy said:
			
		

> He is accused of a "relationship" with a UN staffer.
> Tell me again why that is so bad. And not just because that is the rules.
> Rules, man made, can be changed. Is it correct that other nation's military force, US ?, doesn't have this restriction ?



That is not correct, US Forces are not that different, excerpts below are taken from:
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/a/adultery_4.htm

Adultery in the military is actually prosecuted under Article 134, which is also known as the "General Article." Article 134 simply prohibits conduct which is of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, or conduct which is prejudicial to good order and discipline. 

There are three "Elements of Proof" for the offense of Adultery in the (US) Military:

    * (1) That the accused wrongfully had sexual intercourse with a certain person;

    * (2) That, at the time, the accused or the other person was married to someone else; and

    * (3) That, under the circumstances, the conduct of the accused was to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces or was of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.

The Manual For Courts-Martial now require commanding officers to consider certain factors when determining whether or not adultery has a direct negative impact on the military, and should be considered a criminal offense:

    * The accused's marital status, military rank, grade, or position.

    * The co-actor's marital status, military rank, grade, and position, or relationship to the armed forces.

    * The military status of the accused's spouse or the spouse of co-actor, or their relationship to the armed forces. 

What all of this means is that many incidents of "adultery" may not be considered a punishable "crime" in the military, unless the commanding officer determines that there is some kind of direct  negative impact on the military itself.


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## KrazyHamburglar (10 Jul 2010)

Simian Turner said:
			
		

> There are three "Elements of Proof" for the offense of Adultery in the (US) Military:
> 
> * (1) That the accused wrongfully had sexual intercourse with a certain person;
> 
> ...



That pretty much the same as our section 129... even if he didn't do it, it's probably possible to get him with that :


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## 57Chevy (10 Jul 2010)

Then some women, just by their looks cause prejudice to the good order....... ;D


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## Jarnhamar (10 Jul 2010)

Eye In The Sky said:
			
		

> Perhaps you should wait for your own situation to improve (re: your posting history),* and be in the CF before *you comment too much on CF members who break rules, and "what is going on in the CF" type stuff.  You know, that pot/kettle thing.
> 
> Thats my  :2c:



Whats with the big increase here with all these guys and girls who aren't even IN the CF yet talking about whats wrong with the CF and what we need to change?


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## The Bread Guy (17 Sep 2010)

*Canada extends commitment to United Nations mission in Haiti*
NR - 10.018 - September 17, 2010


> OTTAWA – Today, the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence announced the Government of Canada has extended until March 2011 its commitment to provide an additional 5 Canadian Forces staff officers to the Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti (MINUSTAH), the United Nations stabilization mission in Haiti.
> 
> After the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010, the CF contingent known as Task Force Port-au-Prince temporarily doubled in strength from five to ten members.   The additional 5 CF personnel were deployed to the region after a request from the United Nations for more personnel and are currently employed as staff officers at the United Nations mission's military headquarters.  Canada's support to MINUSTAH also includes approximately 150 police officers.
> 
> ...



OP HAMLET page here - MINUSTAH page here.


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## The Bread Guy (4 Nov 2010)

More help - this, via CP:


> The federal government is going to spend more than $10 million to help build the new headquarters of Haiti's national police force and train them in first aid.
> 
> Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon made the announcements in Montreal on Thursday.
> 
> ...


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## The Bread Guy (23 Nov 2010)

This from the Canadian Press:


> "We just think the Canadian government cannot stand by while cholera ravages Haiti," the Liberal leader told reporters in Montreal on Monday.
> 
> "This is a country that has been in the inner circle of the damned for the past year."
> 
> ...



More on Haiti's cholera issues at the EC's news aggregator site here.


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## medicineman (23 Nov 2010)

Hmm - my strategic opinion is that the place looks alot like it was in 2004 when I left except with rubble from the earthquake.  It is therefore unlikely to improve drastically in the near future.  Why don't we just set up a permanent CFB in PaP, since we keep either wanting to or actually sending people downthere on a constant basis?

MM


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## lethalLemon (23 Nov 2010)

medicineman said:
			
		

> Hmm - my strategic opinion is that the place looks alot like it was in 2004 when I left except with rubble from the earthquake.  It is therefore unlikely to improve drastically in the near future.  Why don't we just set up a permanent CFB in PaP, since we keep either wanting to or actually sending people downthere on a constant basis?
> 
> MM



Not a bad idea...


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## Journeyman (23 Nov 2010)

medicineman said:
			
		

> Why don't we just set up a permanent CFB in PaP.....


Isn't Montréal-Nord and RDP (Rivière-des-Prairies) enough?


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## medicineman (23 Nov 2010)

Their MP paid us a visit down there in '04, seeing as the vast majority of her constituants were from the area.

MM


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## George Wallace (26 Nov 2010)

UPDATE

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.


*Canadian aid to Haiti gets mixed results
*
26/11/2010 7:02:22 PM

CBC News 

LINK 

*For months, Humanity First Canada's shipments to help Haitians affected by the earthquake have languished at a Port-au-Prince port, racking up storage fees as the company fills out costly paperwork and pays taxes.*

"We were trying to help the people in Haiti, and the government itself is making problems," said Hassam Naeem, the agency's logistics director.

Naeem is in Haiti for the third time trying to free the shipments. Each day that passes, the port charges him an additional $20 storage fee for each of two large containers there and is seeking thousands of dollars in taxes.

"They're trying to get as much money out of our pockets as possible," said Naeem, who worries the funds are lining the pockets of officials.

*Where's the aid?*

Canadians generously opened their wallets after the Jan. 12 earthquake devastated Haiti, a Caribbean nation that remains the poorest in the Western hemisphere. Individuals donated a total of $220 million to Canadian charities, an amount matched by the federal government.

About one-third - $146 million - went to emergency shelter, medical aid, water and sanitation in the immediate aftermath, but a large portion of the total $440 million has yet to be spent.

Ten months later, the slow pace of progress worries some people who want to help Haitians.

Martine Ste. Victoire is among those feeling disillusioned. The Montreal woman organized several big fundraisers for aid agencies, including the Red Cross, but stopped in March. 

"The reason why I stopped doing fundraisers is I didn't know where the money went."

Ste. Victoire says she asked the Red Cross for a breakdown of how the money was spent, but the information wasn't detailed enough for her.

"Anybody who is giving money to an NGO has the right to demand to see where it goes."

Additional frustrations, she says, were the share of donations spent on salaries, the inefficiencies in relief efforts and the lack of local help on projects.

Jim Scott, president of the Windsor, Ont.-based company Ground Effects Inc., is in a similar boat. He says he gave up trying to get shipments into Haiti. About 380 of his temporary housing units arrived in March and sat at the airport until June.

There were plans to send 10,000 units and train 150 Haitians in how to assemble them. Instead 20 Haitians were trained and 380 units assembled.

"What we thought was going to be a two-year project in Haiti was a two-month project," he says.

Scott's company, which started up a year ago, sells its housing units to Angola and Sri Lanka and is trying to secure a contract in Senegal. Haiti, by comparison, was "3,000 times more difficult," to get products into, he says.

Pre-earthquake, more than 10,000 non-governmental organizations were operating in Haiti, according to the World Bank. It's the second highest number of NGOs per capita after India.

It's unknown how many have flooded into the country since the quake. Some NGOs are well-established in the country, while a number of Christian missions and small groups dot the landscape.

*Getting results*

Critics say the patchwork of agencies working single-mindedly on their own projects causes a lack of co-ordination and focus in relief efforts, hindering a rapid response. Meanwhile, the government is criticized for slow action on reconstruction and on the cholera epidemic.

Karen Huxter, a Newfoundland woman running an orphanage and school in rural Artibonite province, thinks her small-project approach gets results and is more accountable.

"You'll see photos, you'll get reports and you can even go down and be part of it," Huxter said of her donors.

Since the earthquake, the 65-year-old, fondly nicknamed Helicopter by her staff, has been busy rebuilding and fixing structures on her Hands Across the Sea Haiti Mission compound near Deschapelles. Huxter focuses on hiring local Haitians and keeping children in-country, rather than trying to get them adopted by people in other countries.

All money donated to the Canadian-registered charity goes to the cause specified, says Huxter, unless it sent in as a general donation.

"If I didn't need the whole thing, I would write and say, 'OK, here's all the bills. This is what it cost. May I use that for something else?'"

For example, about half of the $50,000 donation received from St. John's City Council in late August has already been spent on projects such as rebuilding walls at the school and on a new water tower.

Costs of running her mission, including the school and orphanage, are $12,000 to $15,000 a month. That pays for 11 orphanage staff, eight full-time teachers and 10 part-time teachers at the 303-student school. Huxter doesn't take a salary herself and began the project 10 years ago with $78,000 of her own savings.

Haiti's poor shape before the earthquake - when latrines, sanitation, clean water and other basics were lacking - has complicated efforts to rebuild. The United Nations is trying to tackle those larger issues during reconstruction.

"We're not rebuilding. It's transformation," says Nigel Fisher, a Canadian who heads United Nations humanitarian efforts. "It's something new."

Canadians, he says, should have no doubt their donations make a big difference in establishing basic services and helping people with their daily needs.

"It kept 1.5 million people sheltered. It's kept people from January until now getting regular clean water that's chlorinated ?it has enabled people who never had latrines before to have latrines in camps so that you don't get diarrhea."

The Canadian Red Cross says it has experienced few logistical challenges, thanks to co-operation with the Haitian Red Cross, though there have been backlogs at Customs. Of the $200 million received, Richard Clair, the agency's country representative, says about $71 million has been allocated.

"We're working as fast as we can in the conditions we have," Clair says. Projects include 353 shelters being built in La Piste area of Port-au-Prince. Deaf, displaced people will be the first to inhabit the five-person homes when a section opens in January.

Clair says a small portion of donations - about five to seven per cent - goes to administrative overhead. Shipping and logistics can be expensive, but he adds that, "Those are the costs of business."

For Karen Huxter, the visibly slow pace of progress in Haiti's capital is frustrating.

"I cannot go to Port-au-Prince without crying ... because I don't see any advancement. I don't see where things have changed. So I'm asking the same questions, where is the money?"

But large aid agencies say rebuilding a better Haiti is a long-term commitment that could take a decade or more.

Nigel Fisher of the United Nations urges Canadians to not give up.

"In a sense, stay with us because you don't turn around [a country] overnight."


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## GAP (26 Nov 2010)

From most of the reports I'm hearing/reading the port corruption is horrendous. This article comes across as a "Don't Worry, be Happy" piece.....


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## George Wallace (26 Nov 2010)

GAP said:
			
		

> From most of the reports I'm hearing/reading the port corruption is horrendous. This article comes across as a "Don't Worry, be Happy" piece.....



As it usually is in all the Third World nations that we land up sending Aid.  Is the effort really necessary?  Our Government is now sending more financial aid, and where will that land up?  As a Tax Payer, I would like to know, but I know that there will be no accountability of the people, both here and there, who are handling this.  I chalk it all up to "feel good" money where a minuscule amount will actually find its way to doing some good, the fast majority, however, filling the pockets of corrupt persons.


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## The Bread Guy (11 Jan 2011)

This from The Canadian Press:


> The Canadian government turned down a plea to extend its military relief effort in Haiti after last year's earthquake, says a top United Nations official in Port-au-Prince.
> 
> Canada was widely praised for rushing to provide emergency help, including clean water, security and medical care, following the devastating temblor last Jan. 12.
> 
> ...


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## Rifleman62 (11 Jan 2011)

Tonight on PBS, the program FRONTLINE:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/battle-for-haiti/

Last year, in the chaos of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, thousands of the country’s worst criminals seized the opportunity to stage a mass escape from the National Penitentiary. One year later, the gang leaders are reasserting control in the capital, threatening the country’s stability. With unique access to the police units trying to hunt down the gangsters -- and revealing encounters with the gangsters themselves -- FRONTLINE examines the uphill fight to rebuild Haiti in the face of deep-rooted corruption and intimidation. The film also offers intimate portraits of the fearful lives many Haitians are living, as the central government and judicial system routinely fail to maintain order. *“Haiti is a nation that committed collective suicide some time ago,” *the chief of the U.N. mission tells FRONTLINE. If the gangs are not defeated, many now believe a new Haiti cannot be born. 

See clips at link above. Please tell all the do-gooders, liberals, and NDPers you know to watch.

Press Release:

FRONTLINE EXAMINES THE UPHILL BATTLE TO REBUILD HAITI IN THE FACE OF GANG VIOLENCE AND CORRUPTION

FRONTLINE Presents
Battle for Haiti
Tuesday, January 11, 2011, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS

On the night of the earthquake that devastated Haiti last January, something happened in Port au Prince, the capital city, which would threaten the effectiveness of international aid efforts and undermine the country’s political stability: 4,500 of the country’s most violent criminals escaped from Haiti’s overcrowded National Penitentiary.

Now, on the one-year anniversary of the quake -- and in the aftermath of Haitian presidential elections that threatened further crisis -- FRONTLINE presents Battle for Haiti, airing Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings). In this hard-hitting hour, FRONTLINE producer Dan Reed films with the beleaguered special police units tasked with apprehending the escaped gangsters. At the same time, Reed captures the daily lives of the despairing inhabitants of the slums and tent cities who are often terrorized by these gangsters.

Reed also tracks down some of the escaped prisoners themselves. “When I got out, I tried to go straight, but I couldn’t,” one of the escapees tells Reed. “The police are after me and all the other guys who escaped from prison.”

The escapees include many of the hard-core criminals, kidnappers and gang bosses who had reduced Haiti to anarchy before being subdued by an all-out military onslaught by the police and heavily armed U.N. peacekeepers from 2004-7. Now the gangsters are largely free to regain control of the slums and the tent cities where most Haitians live, using murder and rape to enforce their rule, as Haiti proves more vulnerable and less well policed than ever before.

Helping battle the escaped gangsters is Mario Andresol, Haiti’s police chief, who had put many of the gangsters in prison earlier in the decade, surviving two assassination attempts in the process. Now, Andresol has to do it all over again. But his force is rumored to be riddled with corruption, and many of his best officers are without homes and living in tent camps. Andresol admits the situation is bad: “It’s chaos out there right now. There is a state of fear because the escapees are murdering, kidnapping, robbing...”

The head of the U.N. mission, Edmond Mulet, tells FRONTLINE that unless the gangsters are controlled and stopped, *“all the efforts that the international community is doing on reconstruction, on rebuilding, on development ... will be in vain.”
*
A special seven-man team of undercover prison officers has been set up to recapture prisoners who escaped during the earthquake, many of whom they know by sight. These undercover officers are central to the success of this mission, along with some U.N. peacekeepers, but they’re so underfunded that they have to pay for their own gas, and they have no money to pay informers for vital information.

FRONTLINE reveals that the battle for the rule of law in Haiti is further undermined by the lack of a working justice system: Ninety percent of the men who escaped from the National Penitentiary had never had their day in court and had spent four or five years awaiting trial in barbaric conditions, where cells are so crowded that prisoners have to sleep on their feet. According to one prisoner, when another dies, he’s simply propped up in a corner so that someone can use his space on the floor. Wealthy gangsters often bribe their way out of the prison with large payments to corrupt judges.

In light of these realities, Police Chief Andresol takes a candidly dim view of the Haiti’s political future: “Honest people don’t go into politics in Haiti. That’s our great tragedy. To be in politics you have to belong to a group of men who think only of themselves, who can resort to killing and eliminating. We need a revolution. Nothing will change if we carry on talking about democracy.”

Battle for Haiti is a Quicksilver Media production for FRONTLINE in association with CH4. The film is produced and directed by Dan Reed. The executive producer for Quicksilver Media is Eamonn Matthews. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS.


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## 57Chevy (18 Jan 2011)

Just recently the French Government said that the Tunisian X pres 'Ben Ali et al' is not welcome on French soil.
But they have been harbouring that abusively corrupt money hungry 'Baby doc' man of Haiti.
Another form of earthquake is about to hit that impoverished nation.
                    __________________________________________________________

Haiti ex-dictator Duvalier could be prosecuted after return to Haiti: UN

GENEVA — The return of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier to Haiti increases the chances that the former Haitian dictator could be charged with atrocities committed during his 15-year rule, the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday.

Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have urged Haiti to hold Duvalier accountable for the crimes committed by his secret police, known as the Tonton Macoute, who tortured and murdered political opponents. The former dictator was also notorious for siphoning the Haiti's wealth into his family's pockets until a popular rebellion drove him into exile.

"The country where the crimes were committed is a much easier place to bring charges," Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told The Associated Press.

Before his surprise return home Sunday, Duvalier had been living in France for the past quarter-century.

"I believe there have been various cases brought over the years in France," Colville earlier told reporters in Geneva. "We're checking ... exactly what happened over the many years he's been resident in France and why he wasn't arrested."

Colville cautioned that it is unclear whether Haiti's fragile judicial system is in a position to mount a case.

"As with any arrest and charging you have to have assembled some evidence in an organized fashion to bring a case," he said. "It means having a case prepared sufficiently to warrant an arrest, and then the rest of the judicial procedure."

Meanwhile, Switzerland is poised to permanently seize 7 million Swiss francs ($7.3 million) of Duvalier's money. The funds have been frozen on Swiss bank accounts for years, but a new law — nicknamed "Lex Duvalier" because it was tailored to his case — comes into force Feb. 1.

The Swiss government says it plans to give the money back to Haiti to improve living conditions in the impoverished Caribbean country.

                                (Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)


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## 57Chevy (18 Jan 2011)

BREAKING NEWS: Haitian police escorted former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier on Tuesday from the hotel in Port-au-Prince where he had been staying since his surprise return from exile on Sunday.

Duvalier, 59, was taken by police from his room after a senior government official told Reuters he would be questioned by judicial authorities to determine whether he should be prosecuted for stealing from the treasury during his rule.

Full article:

Haitian police escort 'Baby Doc' Duvalier from hotel

                                (Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)


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## 57Chevy (18 Jan 2011)

: the article in previous post has been changed to this updated version  :
                        _________________________________________
Haiti's ex-dictator Duvalier charged with corruption; freed by prosecutors

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier Tuesday left a courthouse here after being questioned by prosecutors, but had to remain at their disposal, his lawyer told AFP.

"He is free, but has to remain at the disposition of justices," the lawyer said, as Duvalier left the building, still not in handcuffs and accompanied by his companion Veronique Roy.

Asked by AFP how he was feeling as he got into a car to drive away after hours of questioning, Duvalier said simply "fine."

Duvalier has been charged with corruption and misappropriation of public funds  after being taken from his hotel to the courthouse following his surprise return to Haiti on Sunday, his lawyer Gervais Charles said earlier.


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## OldSolduer (19 Jan 2011)

I sincerely hope Baby Doc is prosecuted for his crimes. That's all I'll say about him.  :2c:


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## a_majoor (20 Jul 2011)

Perhaps there is a reason Haiti is in such a state, and perhaps we should simply wash our hands of it:

http://mises.org/daily/5277/When-Capital-Is-Nowhere-in-View



> *When Capital Is Nowhere in View*
> 
> Mises Daily: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 by Jeffrey A. Tucker
> 
> ...


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## GAP (28 Oct 2011)

Canadian aid worker shot in Haiti
CBC News Posted: Oct 28, 2011
Article Link

A Canadian aid worker was shot and another man killed while driving through a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Francklin Guerrier and the driver were attacked by people on a motorcycle, according to Radio-Canada correspondent in Haiti. The driver was killed.

Guerrier, a Quebec retired lawyer, was shot in the collar bone and is recovering in hospital, his brother Eric Piérre told Radio-Canada.

The motive for the attack is unknown.
More on link


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## medicineman (29 Oct 2011)

And I'm supposed to be surprised because?

MM


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## Hammer Sandwich (29 Oct 2011)

medicineman said:
			
		

> And I'm supposed to be surprised because?
> 
> MM



 :rofl:

That's terrible!


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## FlyingDutchman (29 Oct 2011)

I am sorry to hear about the untimely demise, and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded worker.


With that out of the way, that is horrible and I feel awful for laughing.


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## medicineman (29 Oct 2011)

Hammer Sandwich said:
			
		

> :rofl:
> 
> That's terrible!



I was there for 5 1/2 months in 2004 - I said that because frankly I'm not the slightest bit surprised...the place is a dump, the narcos still run the place and there are shyteheads running around all over the place with guns.  I'm willing to bet he wouldn't give any stuff to the local mob and so they tried to do him in...at least that's my hope.

MM


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## Hammer Sandwich (5 Nov 2011)

medicineman said:
			
		

> ...snip.....I said that because frankly I'm not the slightest bit surprised.......snip....



And that's exactly why I laughed at your post....I wasn't surprised either, _(I do have to tack on a disclaimer that I have spent no time there, I only know what I've seen through conventional media)._

HS


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## The Bread Guy (15 Nov 2011)

> Haiti's efforts to restore its disbanded army could deplete resources from more pressing matters in the Caribbean nation, which is still recovering from the massive earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people almost two years ago, a Canadian diplomat said Tuesday.
> 
> John Babcock, a spokesman for Canadian Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Diane Ablonczy, said in an email to The Associated Press that Haiti's decision to create a second security force is a sovereign right but that its formation "seems premature" because of the difficult living conditions that many Haitians still face following the January 2010 earthquake.
> 
> ...


Associated Press, 15 Nov 11

We have helped with the police force - design/build of a police academy and vehicles.


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## Colin Parkinson (22 Nov 2011)

I suspect that creating an Infantry battalion, support unit and Engineering unit would be a good start for them, it would keep some of the young males employed and busy. A engineering unit would eventually give them the ability to help themselves. The key of course is training the NCO's and Officers.


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## McG (4 Nov 2015)

Dog Walker said:
			
		

> From CBC
> 
> Col. Bernard Ouellette, who was the chief of staff for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, is under investigation, said Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay, a spokesman for Canadian Expeditionary Force Command.
> Lemay said the decision was based on Ouellette's "inability to address a negative environment that lasted a few months, which affected the morale and team cohesion within the Canadian contingent."
> The "situation within the team deteriorated," Lemay added



An update on this:



> *Judge says disgraced top soldier treated unfairly
> Court rules commander's firing over alleged infidelity with his assistant was mishandled*
> Douglas Quan
> The London Free Press
> ...


----------



## Humphrey Bogart (4 Nov 2015)

Should have thought of that before Colonel.  Maybe if he took it on the chin like a man and actually accepted responsibility for his actions he'd be able to find some meaningful employment.


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## captloadie (5 Nov 2015)

There were issues regarding his leadership style even before he moved the assistant in. Having done my tour there well after he departed, the rumors still existed. His description of his housemates (which were all subordinate to him) as babies should be indication enough of how things were going. And, at the end of the day, had he just paid her share of the expenses, everyone would have likely continued to look the other way.


----------

