Canada will provide $135-million to the Haitian earthquake relief effort as the death toll continues to mount in Haiti. There are at least 12 Canadian fatalities, 699 are missing and 1,566 have been located. Thirteen flights have returned from Haiti with 1,206 Canadians having been evacuated, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay outlined the new focus for the expected 2,000 Canadian troops, who will be positioned in Jacmel, a town of about 40,000 on Haiti’s southern coast. Canada’s Governor-General Michaëlle Jean’s family has strong roots in that community, which was virtually isolated from the rest of Haiti by recent earthquake.

The other area of concentration is a town west of Port-au-Prince, Leogane, where the quake hit hardest. The Canadian troops will provide everything from engineering support to clean water and medical aid. Three mobile purification plants will be on the ground in Haiti and can provide up to 36,000 gallons of clean water every day.

Canada has also announced expedited immigration process for the family members of the Canadians in Haiti as well as the adopted children. Canadians wishing to sponsor their family members are advised to write Haiti on the envelope before sending to Canadian Immigration Center. However, members of Montreal’s Haitian community said that Canada is not doing enough to help Haitians leave their earthquake-ravaged homeland

Canadian also raised over $125,000 through text messaging donations through their cellphones. The major cellphone carriers waived off the normal text messaging fee ($0.15) for this purpose.