Former Tunisian Dictator’s Family Flees to Montreal

Ottawa has confirmed that relatives of deposed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali arrived in Canada Thursday.

Residents of Montreal’s Westmount neighbourhood may have gotten some interesting new neighbours over the weekend. Ben Ali’s son-in-law Mohamed Sakher El Materi owns a house in the upscale district, and it’s believed that’s where he and at least four other relatives are now residing after fleeing political turmoil in Tunisia. Some members of Ben Ali’s family are already permanent Canadian residents, giving them legal right to enter Canada, but Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he is monitoring the situation to ensure none of Ben Ali’s relatives who do not already have the proper papers are allowed entry. Ben Ali himself fled to Saudi Arabia after being ousted by mass protests on Jan. 14.