About two dozen Albertans, working with a Christian aid group in Haiti, are on their way back after the island nation erupted in violent street protests this week.
Volunteers with the aid group Haiti Arise were in the process of building a medical clinic and birthing centre when they were advised to leave the area for their own safety.
James Roberts, vice-president of Haiti Arise, says all of the volunteers are from Carstairs, Airdrie and Calgary and they had to work quickly to get them out.
“When we learned that the roads weren’t going to be cleared anytime soon and things were starting to get a little bit worse, we contracted a helicopter company to come and pick us up.”
The company ferried the group out in three separate trips, taking them to the airport in Port Au Prince.
All of the members of the team were then flown out to Miami and are now on their way back home.
Roberts says Haiti Arise’s founder, Mark Honorat, stayed behind to make sure that everything is okay.
“He is there to lead the organization and to lead the recovery.”
While the group’s camp is relatively removed from the rioting, Roberts says the main concern had to do with the lack of infrastructure in case the situation progressed.
Protests demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moise have claimed several lives over the past week.
Protesters are angry about skyrocketing inflation and the government's failure to prosecute embezzlement from a multi-billion Venezuelan program that sent discounted oil to Haiti.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has advised all Canadians to fly out of the Caribbean country while the airport remains open.
(With files from CTVNews.ca)
