ALL TOGETHER NOW THERE’S LOTS TO DO IN OTTAWA FOR FAMILY DAY {page 3} MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY WE’VE GOT 42 WAYS TO DO JUST THAT {page 10}
HACK ATTACK
RCMP INVESTIGATING ANONYMOUS’ THREATS TO VIC TOEWS {page 4}
OTTAWA
Monday, February 20, 2012 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing.
Safe haven: Denied Mexican man holding out hope for last-minute intervention to stop family’s deportation Will launch appeal from Mexico Carjacking victim critical of Tories’ new refugee bill JESSICA SMITH/METRO
JESSICA SMITH
@METRONEWS.CA
A local refugee who worries his family will be killed when they are deported to Mexico this month wants the federal government to know his home country isn’t “safe.” “I got shot on my face,” said Uziel Cuautle, who has a scar on his left cheek. It happened during a carjacking in Mexico City in 2007. The same bullet killed his girlfriend. Cuautle said he disagrees with the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act. The new bill would allow the government to designate “safe” countries, and refugees from those places would face shorter asylum-application times and be barred from appealing Immigration and Refugee Board decisions. “They need to do a better job with families like us,” Cuautle said. “We’re working, we do good things in this country.” Each refugee claim should be assessed individually, he said, adding that if the bill passes, Mex-
Whitney Houston
Will her fans always love her? As the singer is laid to rest, observers weigh in on how she’ll be remembered Will her fame — and earning power — live on? {page 8}
Kitchen kids These sweet treats are a recipe for fun {page 11} Uziel Cuautle, top left, has been ordered to leave Canada by Feb. 23, along with his father, Daniel, top right; his mother, Sandra, middle; his wife, Carla, bottom left; and his sister Arisbett, bottom right. They will be taking his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and six-month-old niece.
ico shouldn’t get a “safe” label. Soon after the carjacking, police warned Cuautle that the people behind it threatened to kill or kidnap him and his family — and they offered no protection,
he said. Cuautle fled with his family, first to the U.S., then to Canada. This month, their claim was denied. They have been ordered to leave by Feb. 23.
They will move somewhere other than Mexico City, but don’t know if they will be safe. News reports over the past three years have him worried about Mexico in general, he said.
That toaster is toast Some cities are starting to recycle old appliances {page 12}