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Wine, candy and room service: How Ottawa spent $170,000 on Canadian ISIS women
Federal officials spent at least $170,000 bringing Canadian ISIS women home from Syria, according to internal government documents that show expenses for ice cream, candy and wine.
The money was for costs incurred when eight women who had traveled to the Middle East to join the Islamic State returned to Canada with their children in 2022 and 2023.
Newly-released documents show Global Affairs Canada paid for business class flights, stays at the Montreal Airport Marriott, room service, chips, chocolate bars and Timbits.
One hotel room cost over $1,000 for two nights because of a $95 wine tab. Another ran to $850, with charges for junk food and $25 servings of red, white and sparkling wines.
The costs included $2,800 for catering, $24 sandwiches at the hotel’s Bijou restaurant bar, and $86 worth of snack food and over-the-counter drugs at a hotel gift shop.
The expense reports chronicle room service meals of more than $100, books, clothing, travel bags, “Canadian pins,” and a “high value token of appreciation” purchased at Best Buy.
A server pocketed a $7 tip for serving two $4 teas, according to the expense reports, which also document purchases of Doritos, and Aero and Caramilk bars.
The expenses are for both the women and children, as well as the government staff sent to receive them when they landed in Montreal before carrying on to their home provinces.
The women were living in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec when they left to live under ISIS, which had seized a swath of Syria and Iraq and launched a campaign of beheadings and attacks in the West.
As ISIS fell to Kurdish fighters backed by an international coalition, the Canadian women were captured and held with their children for several years at crowded detention camps in Syria.
The federal government agreed to bring them back to Canada after their families launched a challenge in Federal Court in Ottawa demanding their return.
Two years to release costs
Global News requested the documents on the costs of the repatriations under the Access to Information Act two years ago. The department did not release the materials until Aug. 7, 2025.
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The records do not appear to include the costs of sending Canadian officials to extract the women from Syria, but seem to cover only the bill for receiving them in Montreal.
The department wrote in a letter to Global News that it was withholding 50 pages of documents that “are currently under consultation with a foreign government.”
In a statement to Global News on Wednesday, Global Affairs declined to answer questions about its expenses, or disclose the full costs associated with repatriating the Canadians.
“While we cannot comment on specific expenditures related to the operation, Global Affairs Canada assumed certain immediate costs to support the safe return and well-being of the women and children repatriated to Canada,” it said.
A group formed by families of Canadians killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks said it was “deeply troubled” by the “extravagant homecoming” the women apparently received.
“Such spending raises serious questions about government priorities, public trust, and the integrity of our system,” said Sheryl Saperia, CEO of Secure Canada.
The return of foreign fighters who left to join terrorist groups should prioritize public safety, “not reward those who betrayed their country and broke the law,” she said.
By contrast, she said victims’ families have had to pay their own way to attend legal proceedings related to the terror suspects accused of killing their loved ones.
“The stark contrast between how our government treats perpetrators and how it treats their victims should alarm every Canadian and offend every taxpayer.”
The women returned to Canada in three waves starting in October 2022, when Kimberly Polman and Oumaima Chouay came back at a cost of $10,863, according to an entry in the documents.
Included in the costs was almost $2,800 for 100 emergency blankets and five first aid kits that were shipped to Syria “for the operation,” known as CONOP1.
A B.C. resident, Polman was allegedly part of an ISIS battalion that trained women to fight. She has been charged with terrorism offences.
Chouay, a resident of Montreal, pleaded guilty on July 21 to participating in the activities of ISIS and was sentenced to a symbolic single day in prison.
The second repatriation, in April 2023, was the largest, involving the return of four women from Ontario and Alberta, and their 10 kids.
Among them was Edmonton’s Aimee Vasconez, a Muslim convert who traveled to Syria with her husband Ali Jabbar, who was killed fighting with ISIS.
She then married a second ISIS fighter, “joined an ISIS battalion and has likely been trained in military tactics, weapons and techniques,” the RCMP alleged.
Also part of the same operation was Ammara Amjad, of Milton, Ont., who is currently awaiting trail on an ISIS-related terrorism charge.
The CONOP2 event was by far the costliest at $132,445, according to an entry in the documents. It also went $25,000 over budget, largely due to what were described as “higher than expected hotel costs.”
Because not all the women showed up for the second repatriation, a third known as CONOP3 had to be organized, at a cost of $27,800, according to the documents.
It brought back Helena Carson and Dina Kalouti, sisters-in-law who had left Edmonton with their husbands to join ISIS.
The expenses included Werther’s candies, a variety pack of Frito-Lay chips, Made Good Red Velvet Soft Baked Mini Cookies, and a Tim Horton’s order of 50 Timbits, two dozen doughnuts, 12 coffees and a large Ice Capp.
Another expense report noted a US$75 “purchase of 6 turkey & cheese subs and 6 cereal meals” bought from the U.S. military for the women and kids.
Carson and Kalouti were arrested upon their return to Canada, and placed on terrorism peace bonds that were scheduled to expire in September.
At least four Canadian men are believed to remain in the detention camps in northeast Syria, among them former ISIS sniper Muhammad Ali of Mississauga, Ont.
The government has declined to bring them back to Canada, and the Federal Court has ruled that Ottawa is not obliged to repatriate them.
ISIS “still poses a significant threat via its network of provinces, affiliates, related loose online networks, and due to its ability to inspire Canada-based threat actors to commit serious acts of violence,” according to the latest annual report of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said Sunday it is probing an incident that saw two Ontario Provincial Police officers discharge anti-riot weapons at a Gananoque man, leaving him injured.
The SIU announced the investigation on its website, saying in a statement that three SIU investigators and one forensic investigator have been assigned to the case.
A 42-year-old Gananoque man was transported to hospital for treatment after OPP officers discharged their weapons at him inside his home, the SIU said, without disclosing his injuries.
The SIU is an independent Ontario government agency that investigates the conduct of municipal, regional and provincial police officers.
According to the SIU, “preliminary information” suggests officers with the Gananoque Police Service were dispatched to the area of Second Street and Victoria Avenue at around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 15, for reports of “a disturbance in the neighborhood.”
Officers discovered that a man had allegedly barricaded himself inside a residence. OPP officers were dispatched to assist, the SIU said.
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Shortly before midnight, the SIU said, OPP officers entered the residence and were met by the man who was allegedly armed with “edged weapons.”
Two officers discharged their anti-riot weapons (ARWENs) and released their service dog. ARWENS are described as non-lethal weapons.
According to the statement, the man was transported to hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.
An SIU spokeswoman said the man remains in hospital Sunday afternoon.
“Investigators are awaiting confirmation as to the nature of his injuries,” the SIU spokeswoman said.
The SIU urges anyone in Gananoque who was near or at the scene who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online at: https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php
The SIU is called to investigate incidents involving the discharge of a firearm at a person by police in Ontario, as well as incidents that may have resulted in death, serious injury, or sexual assault.
All investigations are conducted by civilian SIU investigators. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, once a probe is finished, the SIU director must consider whether the officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident investigated.
Depending on the evidence, the SIU decides whether a criminal charge should be laid where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid.
The SIU must publicly report the results of all investigations.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
TORONTO – Solo homers from Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were the only blemishes in Nathan Eovaldi’s effective seven innings as the Texas Rangers managed a 10-4 win in the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Former Blue Jays infielder Marcus Semien and Wyatt Langford smacked two-run homers in the second and sixth innings, respectively, to help the Rangers (62-63) end a four-game slide.
Eovaldi (11-3) allowed five hits, striking out six with no walks in his 97-pitch performance.
The Rangers enjoyed a 2-0 lead when Kirk hit his homer in the second inning and were ahead 8-1 when Guerrero belted his 439-foot monster to left field for his 21st with two out in the sixth inning.
Related Videos
Jose Berrios (9-5) was not sharp as his four-game win streak came to an end, as did the Blue Jays’ (73-52) three-game run before 42,549 at Rogers Centre.
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He lasted only 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits, including the two homers. He struck out two Rangers.
The Rangers enjoyed a 5-1 advantage after Jake Burger’s single scored Semien, and a two-out single from catcher Jonah Heim scored two more. All three runs came with two out in the fourth.
George Springer belted a two-run homer in the eighth inning off reliever Hoby Milner in Springer’s second game back after missing 15 outings with a concussion.
Evan Carter answered with a two-run blast in the ninth.
Takeaways
Rangers: After going hitless in his first eight at-bats in the series, two-time World Series champion and MVP Corey Seager knocked a one-out solo shot down the left-field line in the fifth inning.
Blue Jays: Named Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt as starters against the Pittsburgh Pirates, meaning newcomer Shane Bieber likely will make his debut against the Miami Marlins on Friday.
Key moment
Heim’s bouncer up the middle cashed in two runs in the fourth inning to increase Texas’s lead to 5-1. Like Semien, Heim enjoyed a three-hit outing.
Key stat
The Blue Jays missed a chance for their 10th series sweep, which would have matched them with the Milwaukee Brewers for the most in 2025.
Up next
Toronto begins a six-game road trip in Pittsburgh on Monday and concludes with a weekend series in Miami.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
BUNER, Pakistan (AP) — Rescuers recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a northwestern district of Pakistan, bringing the death toll to at least 274, as authorities defended their response to the flooding and said they did not need any foreign help at this point.
Heavy rains and flooding also killed dozens of people in neighboring Kashmir.
Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for Pakistan’s emergency service, said 54 bodies were found in Buner, a mountainous area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and cloudbursts triggered massive flooding on Friday.
Suhail said villagers remain missing, and search efforts are focused on areas where homes were flattened by torrents of water that swept down from the mountains, carrying boulders that smashed into houses like explosions.
Authorities have warned of more deluges and possible landslides between now and Tuesday, urging local administrations to remain on alert. Higher-than-normal monsoon rains have lashed the country since June 26 and killed more than 600.
In India-administered Kashmir, located across Pakistan’s northeastern border, rains triggered more flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district, killing seven people, officials said Sunday. Rescuers in Chositi village are still looking for dozens of missing people after the area was hit by flash floods last week during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. At least 60 people were killed, and some 150 injured. Over 300 others were rescued.
Warnings of more intense rain to come
Residents in Buner have accused officials of failing to warn them to evacuate after torrential rain and cloudbursts triggered deadly flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method in remote areas.
The government said that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour in Buner was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be alerted.
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Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, told a hastily convened news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan was experiencing shifting weather patterns because of climate change.
Since the monsoon season began in June, Pakistan has already received 50% more rainfall than in the same period last year, he added.
He warned that more intense weather could follow, with heavy rains forecast to continue this month.
Some countries have reached out to Islamabad offering help, but Haider said Pakistan has sufficient resources and does not require foreign assistance at this time.
Asfandyar Khan Khattak, director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said there was “no forecasting system anywhere in the world” that could predict the exact time and location of a cloudburst, a sudden and intense downpour.
Mohammad Iqbal, a schoolteacher in Pir Baba village, said the lack of a timely warning system caused casualties and forced many to flee their homes at the last moment.
“Survivors escaped with nothing,” he said. “If people had been informed earlier, lives could have been saved and residents could have moved to safer places.”
Idrees Mahsud, a disaster management official, said Pakistan’s early warning system used satellite imagery and meteorological data to send alerts to local authorities. These were shared through the media and community leaders. He said monsoon rains that once only swelled rivers now also triggered urban flooding.
An emergency services spokesman in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, said more than half the damaged roads in the district had reopened by Sunday, allowing vehicles and heavy machinery to reach cut-off villages.
Crews were clearing piles of rocks and mud dumped by the floods. They were still using heavy machinery to remove the rubble of collapsed homes after families reported that some of their relatives were missing.
In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 people from one family died in the village of Qadar Nagar when floodwaters swept through their home on the eve of a wedding. The head of the family, Umar Khan, said he survived the floods because he was out of the house at the time.
Four of his relatives have yet to be found.
Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes.
The country also suffers regular flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, particularly in the rugged northwest, where villages are often perched on steep slopes and riverbanks.
Experts say climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events in South Asia.
Khalid Khan, a weather expert, said Pakistan produces less than 1% of planet-warming emissions but faces heatwaves, heavy rains, glacial outburst floods and now cloudbursts, underscoring how climate change is devastating communities within hours.
___
Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Rasool Dawar in Buner, Pakistan, contributed to this story, which was published Aug. 17, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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