JANUARY 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/haitirelief/
The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), will visit Venezuela and Bolivia from January 19 to 24, 2010, as part of Canada’s foreign policy priority of deepening engagement in the Americas. “The visit to these two countries will allow Canada to advance the key objectives of its engagement in the Americas: democratic governance, prosperity and security,” said Minister of State Kent. “Canada is committed to working with our partners to build strong, effective and accountable democracies that respond to the needs and interests of citizens. We are ready to provide support and share experiences with respect to democratic governance, security and economic growth.” In Venezuela, Minister of State Kent will meet with representatives of civil society, members of Parliament and business leaders. In Bolivia, the Minister of State will attend the official inauguration ceremony for President Evo Morales, who was re-elected to a second term in December. In addition, he is expected to meet with members of the Bolivian government and representatives of international organizations.
City of Vancouver January 13, 2009
Mayor Gregor Robertson today offered his condolences to the people of Haiti following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, and offered the city's support through the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. "Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti during this terrible disaster," said Mayor Robertson. "The City is prepared to respond, and will work closely with our government partners to help in any way we can." The Federal Government is leading the Canadian response to the crisis, and the City of Vancouver's Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (USAR) is prepared to respond. The team has been communicating with both Provincial and Federal Government Agencies, and is waiting for further direction from both. The City's response would include a 30-person light force multi-disciplinary team from Fire, Engineering, Ambulance, and Police. They have expertise in search and rescue, logistics, technical, and medical response to urban disasters such as earthquakes. Following a request from the Federal Government, USAR would deploy its resources within 24 hours. Background - Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams have been developed throughout the world to locate, rescue and provide initial medical stabilization to victims trapped within urban environments (collapsed buildings, confined spaces, etc.). - The Vancouver USAR Task Force is comprised of specialist positions divided into five major functional elements: Search, Rescue, Logistics, Technical and Medical. Team members include specialists in the following fields: search, rescue, communications, hazardous materials, heavy rigging, logistics and medical along with structural engineers and physicians. Two people are assigned to each position for the rotation and relief of personnel which allows for round-the-clock task force operations. The Task Force is supported by a comprehensive equipment cache totalling over 30,000 lbs. - The team is ready to respond to disaster/rescue situations where ever their expertise is needed. This may be locally, provincially or nationally. In addition, the team has also been evaluated and accredited for international deployment by the United Nations.
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