B.C. man who was wrongfully jailed in China offers advice to the 2 Michaels upon their return
A B.C. man who was wrongfully jailed in China back in 2014 is offering his advice to Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor upon their return to Canada.
Entrepreneurs and Christian aid workers, Kevin and Julia Garratt had lived in China for 30 years when they were arrested at accused of spying by Chinese authorities on Aug. 4, 2014.
The two were arrested while exiting a restaurant. Julia would spend six months in jail, while Kevin was incarcerated for nearly two years.
"I'm thinking, ‘How did they get this so wrong?’" said Kevin.
Little did he know, back in Canada, Chinese man Su Bin had been arrested and accused of stealing data of American military projects. Bin would later be extradited to the U.S. and plead guilty to the charges brought against him.
Like the two Michaels, who were jailed for nearly three years in apparent retaliation for Canada’s detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the United States, Kevin and Julia were seemingly arrested on bogus charges because the Chinese government wanted to make a point.
The couple would eventually be returned home to Canada in 2017.
Like many Canadians, Kevin was relieved to see the two Michaels heading home Friday, but relief wasn’t the only emotion he was feeling.
"It brought back all the memories,” he said. “All the memories of sitting in that cell for two years.”
Kevin says it took him about a year and a half to adapt back to his normal lifestyle. He encourages Kovrig and Spavor to take it slow.
“It’s going to take them some time to readjust,” he said. “They’ve lived a little confined environment for such a long time.”
Garratt says it was the little things that helped him get back to normal.
“Take time to walk in the park, take time with coffee with friends,” he said. “Don’t jump back to work or a write a book. Do that in time.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.