University of Calgary classmate reacts to news of Michael Spavor's release from Chinese prison
Michael Purity, a former University of Calgary classmate of Michael Spavor, was camping in the California backwoods when he got the news from CTV that Spavor, one of the two Michaels, was on a plane home from China.
"My immediate reaction to finding that Michael Spavor is a free man?" Purity asked, before breaking out into what might be called a Snoopy Dance of Joy.
"I'm excited. This is really great news!" he said.
Shortly before 7 p.m. in Calgary, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Spavor and Michael Kovrig had boarded a plane bound for Canada, after being imprisoned in China since December, 2018.
Purity had been calling for the release of both Michaels and, after the U.S. dropped an extradition request of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, it happened.
"I'm so grateful to have these two Michaels back in freedom in their home and native land," Purity said.
He reflected on the fact that Spavor and Kovrig spent close to three years in harsh and inhospitable detention, most of it awaiting trial.
"A thousand days," he said. "It's an incredible number of days that you and I have been out enjoying fresh air and freedom and we haven't had the challenges that Michael's faced by any means.
Michael Purity, a friend of Michael Spavor, spoke to CTV News Friday night and said he was overjoyed at the development in the case.
"To hear what eventually happened (to the two Michaels) was extremely traumatizing," he said. "To think that 11 years was what he was sentenced to a few weeks ago, I was very disheartened to read that and didn't really understand – how could that be?
"But now things make more sense and the flip side of the bad news is some good news."
"(It was) hard to have a friend of mine, or any Canadian in a traumatic situation that is not just – and now we have justice, so I'm very happy."
Late Friday evening, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent out a statement regarding the release of the two Michaels.
"The U.S. Government stands with the international community in welcoming the decision by People’s Republic of China authorities to release Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig after more than two-and-a-half years of arbitrary detention. We are pleased that they are returning home to Canada."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
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.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
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.