‘There’s nobody in the street’: Cuban Canadian describes life back home

Ottawa announced $8 million in aid for Cuba on Wednesday as the country faces worsening conditions amid the ongoing energy crisis. Heather Wright reports.

It’s lunchtime at Cubano Kings, a downtown Toronto cafe that serves traditional Cuban fare from an unassuming sidewalk window. There’s a steady stream of walk-up customers and a consistent ding as delivery orders come through on a tablet.

But as owner Felix King Risco brushes butter on top of a Cubano sandwich, he says he can’t help but think of his family in Havana.

“They’re not doing so great,” he says. “The power’s off at 6 a.m. and won’t come back until 5 or 6 p.m., sometimes 11 p.m. They are under a lot of stress.”

King Risco was born and raised in Havana but moved to Canada in 2004. His mother, aunts and cousins all still live in Cuba where electricity is limited, food is expensive and gas is scarce.

While conditions have been challenging for years, things have gotten worse since the United States blocked all oil from entering Cuba in January, triggering an energy crisis that has impacted every aspect of Cuban life.

“There’s nobody in the street,” says King Risco. “People are afraid of getting mugged. People are afraid of getting stabbed.”

King Risco says his mother has a credit card in Havana that he pays for which is a huge relief for him, but others aren’t as fortunate.

“Whatever way you can get the money there, you got to help them,” he says.

$8 million won’t go far, says expert

On Wednesday, Canada announced $8 million in aid to Cuba which will be released immediately through “trusted humanitarian partners” the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, according to Global Affairs Canada.

“Cuba is going to need massive assistance of various sorts and food is going to be a big one,” says Archibald Ritter, a professor emeritus at Carleton University. “So, $8 million worth of food won’t go all that far for a population of about 10 million.”

But Ritter adds Canada is in a tricky position, trying to provide aid to Cubans while not further inflaming tensions with the United States, which has vowed to place tariffs on any country who sends oil to the island nation.

Asked today whether Ottawa cleared this aid package with the Americans, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was blunt.

“I have not discussed aid intentions with Secretary Rubio or the United States,” she told reporters. “This is Canadian foreign policy.”

While King Risco says he’s happy Canada is helping Cuba, he’s not sure the aid promised today will go far.

“I don’t think it’s enough, but it’s a good help,” he says.

The federal government says it continues to monitor the situation in Cuba and will respond accordingly if the humanitarian crisis persists.