Calgary photographer and 11 other Canadians held in Dominican Republic told they're heading home
It looks like a Calgary photographer held prisoner in the Dominican Republic for the past eight months is finally headed home.
Brittney Wojcik-Harrison was on a private plane, about to leave the holiday destination when she and the crew were arrested, accused of smuggling drugs.
Twelve Canadians on board have been stuck there ever since.
Wojcik-Harrison was wrapping up a brief vacation this past April when the charter plane she was on was boarded by police.
The crew called the authorities after finding drugs stashed in a cargo hold, but the police blamed them, and their seven passengers.
They spent the next several weeks in jail before being released, but were still forbidden from returning to Canada.
Until now.
Wojcik-Harrison and her family here in Calgary just found out Friday morning that she will be coming home.
“I just burst into tears, I’m so excited to see her. It is a Christmas miracle, honestly,” said Bella Harrison, Wojcik-Harrison’s cousin.
“She was crying, too – she couldn’t believe it. She found out after we found out. She is shocked, too, and is really excited to come home.”
Prosecutors in the Dominican Republic say they've been investigating the case since the arrests this past spring, but are now agreeing to let everyone return home.
The 12 detained Canadians say the conditions they were kept in were deplorable, with crowded cells, cruel guards and often a lack of food.
Their release comes months after the plane’s owner, Pivot Airlines, and the federal government began pressuring for them to be set free.
“They’ve been through an emotional journey, up and down. They’ve had great days and bad days and like anyone, they would often lose hope and got really low. It’s going to be a lifelong ordeal they are dealing with – this is with them for the rest of their lives,” said Pivot Airlines’ Eric Edmondson.
Meanwhile, Wojcik-Harrison’s family says she’ll not only be dealing with the trauma of what happened there, but she’ll also need to rebuild her life here.
“She was starting a new career and had just moved to Vancouver, so she’s lost her career, she’s lost her home, all her belongings are in storage, seven months of wages – she’s pretty much lost everything. She’ll have to come home and start right from the beginning again,” said Karen Harrison, Wojcik-Harrison’s aunt.
“We just can’t wait to hold her. That’s all I can think about.”
The paperwork is being filed and the Canadians abroad have been told they could be in the air early next week.
Pivot Airlines say they think it’ll be closer to two weeks before everyone is back, but that they’ve come close four or five times since the spring to having everyone come back before it’s all fallen apart, so they won’t celebrate until everyone is actually home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.