Olds dentist part of humanitarian group detained in Ethiopia

Mar 3, 2020 | 3:20 PM

An Alberta MP says 13 Canadians with a humanitarian group who were detained in Ethiopia have received bail.

Heather McPherson is the NDP’s international development critic and also travelled with the group to Ethiopia in 2012.

Medicine Hat-based Canadian Humanitarian says 10 volunteers, three staff and two Ethiopian staff members are accused of practicing medicine without permission and with dispensing expired medication. They have been detained in an Ethiopian prison in Gondar since February 29.

Among the group is Dr. Jared Ord, a dentist from Olds. Ord and his wife Lindsay, a registered dental hygienist, traveled with Canadian Humanitarian to Ethiopia in both 2016 and 2018. Lindsay and two of their children were also part of the current Ethiopia trip but have returned home.

McPherson says she has been receiving regular updates from Global Affairs Canada about the case in Gondar, a city in northern Ethiopia. She says the Canadians should get out of prison after receiving bail, but they will probably have to stay in the country to deal with the allegations, which the charity group has denied.

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“A representative of Canadian Humanitarian, and consular officers, have been permitted brief access to the prison and can confirm that the detainees have received fair and humanitarian treatment in accordance with internationally recognized law,” the group says in a statement on its website.

“Ethiopian authorities have suggested the detainees may need to remain in Ethiopia while an investigation is completed. The organization will be pursuing all avenues to see its employees and volunteers return home as soon as possible.”

(With file from The Canadian Press, Canadian Humanitarian website)

by Troy Gillard

Olds dentist part of humanitarian group detained in Ethiopia

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