Organizer of Sunwing trip is back in Montreal -- and got ticketed for breaking curfew
After a nearly three-week saga, the organizer of the ill-fated Sunwing trip to Mexico is back in Quebec -- and was ticketed on his way from the border, since he drove into Canada after the start of the 10 p.m. curfew Sunday night.
People who participated in the trip were shunned by three Canadian airlines operating along the Cancun-Montreal route.
But James William Awad told CTV News that he decided to drive across the border instead of flying to escape unwanted attention.
“I was just trying to escape from journalists waiting for me at the airport," he wrote in a message late Monday.
"That’s why I went from New York to Montreal in a U-Haul."
He said he got stopped by police around 2:30 a.m., which was "two hours before the end of curfew."
Sunday night's curfew was the last one, for now, as the government announced last week it would lift the rule as of Monday.
"I don't believe that ticket is valid," said Awad. "But we'll see."
Quebec provincial police said that around 3 a.m., officers from the detachment in Napierville did respond to an infraction of a public health rule by three men.
Napierville is a small town just north of Lacolle, the border crossing that connects New York City with Montreal along the heavily travelled I-87 highway.
The men were ticketed for $1,500 each because "they were in a car on Highway 15 in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle... outside of their home without a reason," said the police spokesperson, Audrey-Anne Bilodeau.
"This was prohibited because of curfew," she said.
Bilodeau said she couldn't provide the men's names since they haven't been charged with anything, only fined.
The trip, planned for a group of over 100 Quebec reality TV stars and social media influencers, made headlines earlier this month after videos came to light showing them partying maskless on the flight and when one passenger later said some of them had faked their COVID-19 tests.
Legal consequences appear to be on the way for some of the trip's passengers after Health Canada and other authorities have begun to send files to Quebec prosecutors over various alleged violations.
There have also been more personal consequences for at least one participant. Pierre Seklaoui, a realtor who had been working for RE/MAX Quebec, was fired, the company told CTV News.
"After evaluating the situation surrounding Mr. Pierre Seklaoui's recent actions, his agency, in agreement with the RE/MAX Québec franchisor, has decided to terminate Mr. Seklaoui's contract, effective January 7, 2022," wrote RE/MAX spokesperson Marie-Eve Gélinas in a statement.
"Obviously... we dissociate ourselves and deplore these behaviours which go against the values conveyed by our network."
Seklaoui is the most recent of several people to lose their jobs after their link to the trip became publicly known, including one other realtor.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.