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What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?
The Haiti Super Thread- Merged
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Tetragrammaton said:
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
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Tetragrammaton said:
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.
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Technoviking 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.
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Tetragrammaton said:
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
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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 $$$ reasons not to stay in Haiti.
I personally believe that a decision was made purely on $$$ reasons not to stay in Haiti.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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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
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
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E.R. Campbell said:
Thank you for your post. This makes sense to me.
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
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.
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medicineman
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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.
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No armour with them, I take it?medicineman said:
Seriously, though, another indicator of China making "soft power" inroads, even back then, in the area.
medicineman
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Unless you count the 160+ solid pounds of no body fat each as armour...
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New deadline for the vehicle bid: 17 May 2010, 6:00am EST (see attached)
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