Friday, March 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. Father, Husband Wants Government Help For His Family In Wuhan, China

The Canadian Press, 06 Feb, 2020 09:43 PM

    VANCOUVER - A British Columbia man says he's "really hurt" that the Canadian government is not doing more to get permanent residents out of the city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak.

     

    Monte Gisborne, who lives Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian citizen but his wife, Daniela Luo, and their daughter, Dominica Gisborne are permanent residents who are still in Wuhan, China.

     

    "We have absolutely no direction from the government when they are coming home and what the plan is to get them home," Gisborne said Wednesday.

     

    He said discussions with authorities in Ottawa have been "cryptic, unclear ... lacking detail and lacking any hope."

     

    He said the government has told him it has no plan to help because they are not Canadian citizens.

     

    Gisborne and Luo have been married for about three years.

     

    A chartered plane ferrying Canadians from Wuhan is expected to land in Canada on Friday.

     

    Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said more than 300 Canadians had asked for help to leave the country.

     

    Champagne told a news conference Thursday that some of the 211 people who were on the passenger list for the flight did not show up.

     

    Gisborne said his wife and daughter left Vancouver for Wuhan on Jan. 17 to celebrate Lunar New Year and had return tickets booked for Feb. 15.

     

    "There were rumblings in the media about the coronavirus," he said.

     

    The stories got "more ominous" and Gisborne said Luo and his daughter changed their return tickets to Jan. 28.

     

    The Chinese government announced a lock down of the Wuhan area on Jan. 23.

     

    Chinese health authorities reported over 560 deaths and another sharp jump in the number of confirmed cases to 28,018 on Thursday.

     

    The mother and daughter are staying about 10 kilometres from a wildlife market at the centre of the outbreak.

     

    "It's normally very busy," Luo said in an interview. "It's like downtown New York but it's empty now. No people walking."

     

    The family has been staying inside since the quarantine.

     

    Gisborne said despite having to be indoors, his daughter "refuses to crack a frown."

     

    She spends her time playing and learning Chinese, he said.

     

    "She has the most wonderful smile. That kid's smile lights up the room and keeps everyone more hopeful."

     

    He said he wants to see his family on the second Canadian flight out of Wuhan.

     

    A letter to Gisborne dated Feb. 3 from Ottawa says Chinese authorities have assured Canada that a permanent resident or a Chinese national may accompany a Canadian minor child who would otherwise be unaccompanied.

     

    "We will continue to advocate to keep families together but there is no guarantee that we will be able to," it says. "At the moment, the situation is evolving."

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Canadians Coming back from CoronaVirus Infected Wuhan | Sexual Assualt At a Massage Clinic in Surrey

    A BC couple confirmed positive for the CoronaVirus on a cruise in Japan and Canada charters second flight out of Wuhan

    Canadians Coming back from CoronaVirus Infected Wuhan | Sexual Assualt At a Massage Clinic in Surrey

    B.C. Government To Squeeze Lawyers, Legal Costs Out Of Public Auto Insurance

    The government says legislation will be introduced in the coming weeks that will lower premiums at the Insurance Corporation of B.C. by about 20 per cent, an average of $400 in savings per driver.

    B.C. Government To Squeeze Lawyers, Legal Costs Out Of Public Auto Insurance

    No Injunction For B.C. Taxi Industry Against Uber, Lyft Pending Judicial Review

    A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has rejected a request for an injunction against Uber and Lyft pending a legal challenge against the approval of ride-hailing services in Metro Vancouver.

    No Injunction For B.C. Taxi Industry Against Uber, Lyft Pending Judicial Review

    19-Year-Old Surrey Man Suspect Arrested After Cellphone Buyer Robbed During LetGo Transaction

    19-Year-Old Surrey Man Suspect Arrested After Cellphone Buyer Robbed During LetGo Transaction
    A 19-year-old man has been charged with robbery and use of an imitation firearm related to an alleged robbery linked to a popular on-line buy/sell application.

    19-Year-Old Surrey Man Suspect Arrested After Cellphone Buyer Robbed During LetGo Transaction

    Special Mediators Appointed In Coastal Forestry Dispute By Minister Harry Bains

    Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, has appointed Amanda Rogers and Vince Ready as special mediators in the eight-month collective bargaining dispute between Western Forest Products and the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937.  

    Special Mediators Appointed In Coastal Forestry Dispute By Minister Harry Bains

    Surrey Gang Investigation: 18-Year-Old Drug Trafficker Arrested After Loaded Shotgun Seized

    The Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team has seized a loaded shotgun and paraphernalia consistent with drug trafficking following a search warrant at a residence in Guildford.

    Surrey Gang Investigation: 18-Year-Old Drug Trafficker Arrested After Loaded Shotgun Seized