Canada fast-tracks Haitian adoptions

OTTAWA, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Pending adoptions of about 100 Haitian children by Canadians will be expedited, Canadian federal officials said Wednesday.

At a government news briefing in Ottawa, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Haitian authorities have agreed to speed up the process in cases already in the works, and that there would be no mass exodus of children from Haiti. He said adoption fees will be waived and healthcare provided for the children, who could start arriving as early as next week, the Globe and Mail reported.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Wednesday's magnitude 6.1 aftershock that came eight days after the initial magnitude-7 earthquake badly damaged the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, but there were no injuries among staff, the Toronto Star reported.

He said 13 Canadians are known dead from the Tuesday's initial quake and 443 others remain missing.

Defense Minister Peter MacKay said more than 1,000 Canadian troops are in Haiti and the government of Jamaica had approved allowing its Kingston airport as a landing site for giant C-17 transport plane relief flights.