Above Watch: A man working in Lethbridge is staring down the deadline of his temporary foreign worker status and if he leaves there’s nothing left for him to return to in his homeland of earthquake ravaged Nepal. Paul Kingsmith reports.
LETHBRIDGE – Gokarna Silwal has called Lethbridge home for more than a year-and-a-half.
He serves at Swiss Chalet, supporting himself and his family back in Nepal – his homeland rocked by two recent earthquakes.
“I cannot contact my family,” said Silwal.
“My heart, my mind, everything is back to my country.”
Silwal hails from Nampha, a remote mountain village in north Nepal.
A magnitude-7.8 earthquake on April 25 levelled all 150 homes in the village.
More than a week after the quake, he was able to confirm his family was safe and living in tents in a field near the townsite.
But a second earthquake struck on May 12 centred just kilometres from Nampha, and Silwal has not had any contact with his family since.
Get daily National news
“I’m trying to contact my family before I come to work,” he said.
“But I’m not able to make contact with them, still, because there is no telephone line.”
While his thoughts drift back to Nepal, he also needs to worry about his own status.
Silwal is a temporary foreign worker, and his permit to work in Canada expires in August.
He is supposed to leave the country at that point, but now says he has no home to return to in Nepal.
“I’m not a refugee,” said Silwal.
“But I’m becoming like a refugee now, because of the earthquake in Nepal. It’s very sad to say.”
Silwal hopes the Canadian government can lend a hand.
He has applied for humanitarian status, which could lead to permanent residence in Canada.
Silwal has also asked for an extension of his temporary status, and has the help and support of Lethbridge Family Services, his employer and the Canadian Bhutanese Society.
“If (the Canadian) government is helping all the refugees from the world,” said Canadian Bhutanese Society vice-president Kamal Dehal, “why don’t we help the people who already are settled here? The government doesn’t have to support him, he can support himself”.
Silwal’s applications went in May 11, and he hasn’t received a reply yet.
He says he was already supporting his family at home before the earthquakes.
Without a home or job to return to in Nepal, it is now crucial he keeps his job in Canada to support himself and his family.
“Not only are they saving my life, they are saving my family to end their suffering in Nepal.”
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.