Notice to Canadians from Global Affairs Canada

I have copied this update from the Global affairs website for Canadians stranded in Sint Maarten.


[quote]Airlines are operating flights on September 11. Canadians should make their way to the airport during daylight hours if safe to do so.
Westjet Airlines will be in Sint Maarten (SXM) airport today (11 Sept) at 2:30 pm approx.
There are spaces for non-ticketed passengers. Priority will be given to children, families and vulnerable persons.
Other commercial carriers are expected to operate today.[quote]

Thanks, candu, for posting this. And thanks to the admin/moderators for pinning it. May everyone stay safe.

Official from Westjet. Asked to share..:

We are taking the unusual step of using our social media channels to reach out to any travellers who are currently in St. Maarten and are anxious to return home to Canada.

WestJet 4903 is planning a rescue flight leaving Toronto (YYZ) Monday, September 11 at 8:00am arriving in St. Maarten (SXM) at approximately 2:00pm. WestJet 4904 is scheduled to depart SXM later that afternoon to arrive in YYZ early evening.

We understand the communication challenges you are facing. If you are able to communicate with us, we are asking guests in St. Maarten to register through Facebook Messenger, Twitter Direct Message or by contacting our call centre at 1 (888) 937-8538. In the event you are unable to reach us, we are asking guests to calmly make their way to the airport for 1:30pm local. Please understand that this is a very fluid situation and we, along with the various agencies involved, are doing our best to safely bring home as many people as possible understanding that the authorities are working on continued rescue efforts.

If you have friends or family in St. Maarten and you are in contact with them, you may register on their behalf through the channels noted above.

We will be assisted by the Canada Border Services Agency and the Dutch military who are in control of the airport. We will be prioritizing Canadians who register with us in advance; followed by Canadians who are not able to register in advance: followed by non-Canadians with a valid passport and have permission to travel to Canada.

We ask for your patience as we try to manage this situation.

Further information regarding these flights will be posted on Twitter.

Thank goodness for WestJet!

https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/hurricanes2017


Also:

https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/hurricane-irma

I am somewhat new to this forum, but I am both a little curious and concerned as to why this post has been unpinned from the top of this forum. I notice that there are currently two separate posts for US citizens that are still pinned to the top and provide similar guidance for citizens of the USA. Is someone presuming all the Canadians on both sides of the island have now been evacuated?

I cannot pin it or unpin it, only a Moderator or Administrator of this site can do that.

As the originator I asked that it be unpinned as the information was only for the 11th (yesterday) It appears that the Canadian government has washed their hands with helping Canadians in Sint Maarten. Todays post states only:

Travel

Princess Juliana International (SXM/TNCM): Open during daytime hours only.
Airlines have resumed operations on September 11. Contact your airline.
The Dutch are organizing military flights to Curacao throughout the day on September 12th.
Canadians who wish to depart should make their way to the airport if it is safe to do so.

It was unpinned due to the fact the person that originally made the post asked me to "unpin" it. ALL threads will be unpinned at some point in time.

I am guessing the original poster asked that it be "unpinned" due to the fact the post dealt with yesterday, Sept. 11 and we are past that date. If you want further clarification, I would send them a private message as I did what they asked me to do.

Thanks for the clarification and as I thought.

Thanks, J.D., candu and Rasputin for explaining that. It now makes sense to me.