Kentville Port Hawkesbury: A new staff person has been hired for both Kentville and Port Hawkesbury, she said, and will assume their positions in early May, according to CBC. Working in partnership with other community groups and sponsors, Y Reach has a wide-ranging mandate, Miller Nix said. "To make sure the newest members of our communities have support, both in settling into their homes and making friends in the community," she said. Y Reach has offices across the province from Sydney to Yarmouth, and has offered assistance to immigrants since 1991, according to Barbara Miller Nix, the YMCA chief operating officer. Struggling with their immigration journey' She added that the Y puts special emphasis on helping to integrate immigrant children into the school system and direct them into extracurricular programs where they can meet people. Rob Martin, the Y Reach co-ordinator for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said his centre in Sydney is helping people from 23 different nationalities. "Quite often people are struggling with their immigration journey," said Martin. English-language training for all age groups is another area where the Y is heavily involved with community partners. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

provincial report: All while keeping costs down.A recent provincial report on women health, The POWER Study , concludes women experience more barriers than men accessing timely services due to poverty and care-giving responsibilities, among other factors, according to Toronto Star. The report found, for instance, 65 per cent of Canadian men reported being very satisfied with their experience getting an appointment for a regular checkup. Sacha Bhatia was searching for when he, together with senior managers at Women College Hospital , were wrestling with a tough challenge: finding better ways to help women bridge the gaps when accessing Ontario health-care services. Just 60 per cent of women reported the same level of satisfaction. That doesn’t just mean technology. In an effort to address these gaps, Bhatia, a cardiologist at WCH, helped launch a new system three years ago at the Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care .WIHV works with companies, clinicians and patients to develop and evaluate digital tools, like email consultations and smartphone apps, to connect patients and family physicians to care at WCH. We are like a living laboratory to test out new ways of treating patients, says Bhatia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

climate change: National parks, migratory species, climate change and Arctic adaptation — and an urban hike in the spring sunshine — were on their agenda, according to Metro News. They also met Natan Obed, the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, who has become a go-to sounding board for the new Liberal government on the matter of climate adaptation and mitigation in the Far North. But Sally Jewell, the U.S. secretary of the interior, has a much blunter assessment, arguing climate impacts are already underway, can't be turned around and that moving some Arctic communities may be the only solution."We will have climate refugees," Jewell said Thursday after meeting McKenna at the Museum of History across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill. McKenna, not quite six months into her job leading the environment ministry in the climate-focused Trudeau government, was her usual cautious self in describing the daunting challenges of climate change in the fast-warming Arctic. Jewell, who has only months left in her post before the Obama administration is replaced, was far less circumspect."We need to provide support for adaptation and build communities that are resilient in the face of what happening in the Arctic," the secretary said flatly. "You're not going to be able to turn this around.""We can stem the increase in temperature, we can stem some of the effects, perhaps, if we act on climate as we are committed to do through the Paris accords. She stressed the importance of co-operation and dialogue when asked to name the single most important measure government can take to address climate change in the region. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Muslims: Almost six in 10 of Muslims say their sense of belonging to Canada has increased over the past five years, while 33 per cent say it has remained unchanged and only 5 per cent feel a weakened sense of belonging, according to Globe and Mail. Part of the explanation for this might lie in recent election results; nine in 10 Muslims say they are optimistic that the new federal government will improve relations between Muslims and other Canadians. The results, based on telephone interviews with 600 Muslims, aged 18 and older, tell a fascinating story about Muslims and non-Muslims, the perceived realities of each group and how those realities have evolved in this country over the past decade. Muslims, nearly seven in 10 of whom are immigrants, are happy to be in Canada. Eighty-four per cent of Muslims believe they are treated better in Canada than their coreligionists are in other Western countries, a number that has increased since 2006. They express even greater pride in the country than do other Canadians and a larger portion than 10 years ago report that they are very proud . The sources of their pride in Canada are the same as those we find among other Canadians: freedom and democracy, followed by multiculturalism and diversity, then peace and stability. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: While going through the passport check after returning home from a trip, she said, she was pulled aside by a border services agent and questioned about her religion and why she frequently travels outside the country, according to CBC. At one point, Behbahani said, the agent asked her: "How Canadian do you really feel " "It made me stop and wonder, 'Why would you ask me that Would you ask someone without a headscarf that question '" she said. The 31-year-old lecturer at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., was born in Iran and moved to Canada when she was 13. The majority of young Muslims in Canada feel Muslim first and Canadian second, an Environics Institutesurveyreleased Wednesday suggests. Among young respondents who said their citizenship and their faith were important parts of their identity, 61 per cent said being Muslim was the most important part of their identity and six per cent said being Canadian was the most important. Some experts suggest that because young Muslim Canadians feel a strong societal pressure to have to answer for violence perpetrated by extremists in the name of Islam and are struggling to reclaim their Muslim identity for themselves. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Justin Trudeau: Every inch of the home on Westcourt Place has been scrubbed clean, painted and furnished by a group from First United Church, who agreed last November that they would host a refugee family here, according to The Waterloo Record. But this townhouse has sat empty for months. There lentil soup ready in the freezer, an infant car seat in the living room, and handmade quilts on the beds. The refugee family from Syria — a farmer, his wife and five children, who live in a refugee camp in Turkey — has been cleared to arrive. It appears to have run out of steam, after fulfilling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ambitious election promise to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees here earlier this year. Yet, despite the desperate need of refugee families to come to Canada, and despite the enormous generosity of groups like the one that prepared this home in Waterloo, the Canadian government is now processing only a trickle of refugees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tahris Bear: Trudeau said Ottawa can't fix the situation on its own, adding that previous, well-meaning federal governments tried, but with horrible consequences, according to Brandon Sun. He said everyone would have to work together. Grade 12 student Tahris Bear asked Justin Trudeau at an event at her school Wednesday how he'll right the wrongs faced by Canada indigenous peoples and why he allows them to live in Third World conditions. But Bear said afterward that she didn't think Trudeau answered her question. Earlier this month, a young man in the troubled First Nation of Attawapiskat asked the federal indigenous affairs minister why his community was living in Third World conditions while Canada is greeting refugees with open arms. She said he didn't offer up any concrete actions for what steps the government would take to make the living conditions better. "His answer, honestly, went into one ear, out the other," said Bear. "I was trying really hard to focus on what he was saying, but what he said did not have really, almost anything to do with my question." Trudeau also talked about renewing the relationship with First Nations people. "Yes, the federal government has a lot of work to do, but indigenous Canadians have a lot of work to do as well and doing it together, in the same direction is going to be how we get through it," said Trudeau. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

climate change: National parks, migratory species, climate change and Arctic adaptation — and an urban hike in the spring sunshine — were on their agenda, according to Brandon Sun. They also met Natan Obed, the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, who has become a go-to sounding board for the new Liberal government on the matter of climate adaptation and mitigation in the Far North. But Sally Jewell, the U.S. secretary of the interior, has a much blunter assessment, arguing climate impacts are already underway, can't be turned around and that moving some Arctic communities may be the only solution. "We will have climate refugees," Jewell said Thursday after meeting McKenna at the Museum of History across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill. McKenna, not quite six months into her job leading the environment ministry in the climate-focused Trudeau government, was her usual cautious self in describing the daunting challenges of climate change in the fast-warming Arctic. Jewell, who has only months left in her post before the Obama administration is replaced, was far less circumspect. "We need to provide support for adaptation and build communities that are resilient in the face of what happening in the Arctic," the secretary said flatly. "You're not going to be able to turn this around." "We can stem the increase in temperature, we can stem some of the effects, perhaps, if we act on climate as we are committed to do through the Paris accords. She stressed the importance of co-operation and dialogue when asked to name the single most important measure government can take to address climate change in the region. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

job-creation: Why, we could even say rape pays, according to NOW Magazine. Personally, I believe that rape/sexual assault is a job-creation industry for too many of our institutions, including some of the feminist ones and especially the legal ones. Let all think about that. Certainly it has massive economic returns and spinoffs. Then there is the collusion of the medical profession that diagnoses and treats women as if rape were an illness, like the flu. Every 911 call, every videotaped interview, charge filed or unfounded; every jury struck, translator appointed, rape kit taken, DNA specimen analyzed; every stakeout, bail hearing, lockup, transcript; every computer analysis, defence argued, judgment handed down, plea bargained, sentence served, parole hearing; every print article, TV program, film or radio broadcast about the crime - they all result in jobs done and salaries paid. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

institutions: Not only is there an abundance of information related to eating healthier, lighter, fresher food, but there are also specific guidelines from institutions such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which explain how it is easier to achieve such improved nutrition by eating local and, preferably, organic meat and produce, according to National Observer. That is, by either growing your own food or by buying your groceries from farmers who work within your community, city, province, and/or neighbouring provinces. Things are changing, though. By doing so, you’d also reduce your carbon footprint. This explains the proliferation of both ‘healthy’ restaurants, and vegan, gluten-free, organic menu items, specially in high-end eateries. Not only the general public, but also restaurants have been paying attention to such recommendations for a while now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immediate family member: Jurvetson, a child of Estonian immigrants who grew up in Montreal, worked at Canada Post in Toronto and set off to California in search of adventure in the closing months of the 1960s, according to Globe and Mail. She had been stabbed more than 150 times. Police say it is Ms. The news has come as small comfort to her only surviving immediate family member, 73-year-old Anne Jurvetson, who lives in Quebec and whose DNA allowed police to positively identify her sister. My little sister was savagely killed, Anne Jurvetson said in a statement. Finally, after all these years, we are faced with hard fact. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

award-winning children writer: I have been all over Canada except Nunavut, according to Toronto Star. I have lived here for 51 years. I may look very different but I am a true Canadian and talk with all Canadian references, said Khan, an award-winning children writer who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and came to Canada with her family at age 3. This is my country. Researchers asked 600 Muslim Canadians and 987 non-Muslims questions on a wide range of issues from their sense of belonging to their views on national security, attitudes towards Islam and experiences with discrimination. Khan pride as both a Canadian and a Muslim is echoed by the one-million-strong Muslim community across Canada, according to a new national survey by The Environics Institute, released Wednesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Stephen Fields: During a detention review on April 19, Nicola admitted to officials that he doesn’t know how old he is because his mother doesn’t remember, according to CTV. I always keep asking like what is the specific age that I was born, and she has told me that she could not remember, he said. The CBSA alleges that Nicola, originally from South Sudan, came to Canada using fake documents and misrepresented facts on his application for a study permit. Stephen Fields, a spokesperson for the Catholic School Board, said he hoped for a quick resolution to this whole sad story. Nicola had been playing basketball for Catholic Central High School and living with the team head coach, Pete Cusumano. Obviously this is a student who is in one of our schools and we don’t like to see anybody go through this kind of ordeal, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jennifer Palin: E. At the other, free coffee and cookies are set out, and two little boys in new-looking winter coats play while their parents register, according to Metro News. We try to set up like it family. Shelves lined with food sit at one end of the Church of the Ascension gymnasium, near Don Mills Rd. and Lawrence Ave. It not an institution, says Rev. We don’t want to start just pushing people through. Jennifer Palin of the Donway Covenant United Church, one of five churches behind the food bank. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: Two storeys high, a beautiful ochre colour with ornate work around the windows, according to Huffington Post Canada. He lived there with his extended family -- children and grandchildren and in-laws -- 20 people in all. "Three years ago it was bombed. A lovely house in his home town in Syria. We were all inside and the walls fell in. No one was hurt." He paused as his son-in-law said something, then added. "That right, one of us got a bit of shrapnel in our face, but thank God we were all OK." "No one is left in our town. We pulled two of the little ones out of the rubble. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

student visa: Canada Border Services Agency officials allege he came to Canada in November 2015 on a student visa to study in Windsor until January 2017, according to CBC. When he entered the country, Nicola passport and visa application listed his birth date as November 1998. Jonathan Nicola to remain in custody, review board determines'Suspicions' arose over age of Jonathan Nicola, Catholic Central coach says Jonathan Nicola tells refugee board he doesn't know how old he is Nicola is accused of entering the country using false information on his passport from South Sudan. But when he applied for a U.S. visitor visa in April 2016, his fingerprints matched an individual who'd already applied for a visa with a birth date in November 1986, the CBSA alleges. Nicola said he doesn't know his true age, according to transcripts from testimony at an Immigration and Refugee Board detention review hearing April 19. If the allegations are proved, that would make him 29, not 17, as his documentation suggests. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: But we are only a middle-sized state, one that has to deal with conflicts within itself and with sizable economic challenges, according to Hamilton Spectator. The handily available alternative is to do as little as we can get away with. We are indeed an exceptionally successful nation, ranked as one of the most successful in the world according to almost all of the international surveys of national accomplishments. In fact, this is mostly what we now do. That being a bit harsh on ourselves. We utter lots of pieties but do precious little, as confirmed by the minuscule size of our foreign aid, by the minimal size of our military, and by the number of our embassies that we've emptied. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hearing: He did not provide further testimony at the hearing, but at an earlier detention review, the 6-foot-9 Nicola, who was enrolled in Grade 11 and played basketball on his Windsor high school team, said he did not know how old he really was because his mother kept telling him different ages, according to Toronto Star. I aways keep asking what is the specific age that I was born, and she has told me that she could not remember, he told the April 19 hearing. Wearing a loose orange jumpsuit, Jonathan Elia Nicola, who has been held by immigration since April 15, attended a brief detention hearing in Windsor on Tuesday and was ordered to remain in custody because he was considered a flight risk. Over . . . not every year we study . . . we always keep moving to different schools, and over there, they do not ask your age. All he wanted, he told officials, was to get a good education in Canada so he could support his family back home. They do not ask you nothing, Nicola said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration Refugee Board: Both his passport and study-permit application state his date of birth as Nov. 25, 1998, meaning he would be 17 years old, according to Metro News. However, the fiction unravelled after he applied in December for an American visa so he could travel to the States to play basketball with his high school team, government lawyer Kelly Cutting told the April 19 detention review. For the time being, however, Jonathan Nicola will remain behind bars after an immigration official ruled that he cannot be trusted."I am not a liar person," Nicola recently told an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing via video conference."I did not come here to harm any people or do something bad."Nicola arrived in Canada on Nov. 23, 2015, and was issued a study permit to attend Catholic Central Secondary School in Windsor, Ont., which had offered him an athletic scholarship, according to board documents. Information from U.S. authorities showed Nicola had applied unsuccessfully for refugee status in 2007 and had given his date of birth as Nov. 1, 1986, which would now make him 29 years old, not 17. After an interview at the Toronto consulate in January, U.S. authorities turned him down on the grounds he had lied about his age and that he was, in fact, trying to immigrate to the U.S. rather than visit. He had also applied for a U.S. student visa in April 2015, where he hoped to go to become a student on a full scholarship and gave his date of birth as 1998, Cutting said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: Quebec looks for ways to teach Syrian refugees French Quebec calculating how many subsidized daycare spots it can offer refugees Handcrafted buttons welcome Syrian refugees to Quebec "People have been asking me, 'When are they coming ' They are all excited," said Lu Emanuel, the Sutton resident who started the project to have the town sponsor a Syrian refugee family, according to CBC. The Apkarians will be the first Syrian refugees in Sutton, Emanuel said. A bank account has been opened on their behalf, a home is being prepared and an organic farmer has already promised them free, fresh fruits and vegetables for one year. And while Hay Doun, a Montreal-based Armenian community group, is backing the application, the family is effectively being sponsored by the entire town. "People in the community are by and large very happy and excited we are doing this," Emanuel said. I said maybe I could find a family to sponsor. Emanuel first contacted Rafi Allaouirdian, an Armenian shoemaker from Lebanon who been living in Sutton for several years. "My ex-wife is a Syrian-Armenian," said Allaouirdian. "We know a lot of people who are refugees and living all over the world. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Emanuel: The Apkarians will be the first Syrian refugees in Sutton, Emanuel said, according to The Chronicle Herald. And while Hay Doun, a Montreal-based Armenian community group, is backing the application, the family is effectively being sponsored by the entire town. "People in the community are by and large very happy and excited we are doing this," Emanuel said. A bank account has been opened on their behalf, a home is being prepared and an organic farmer has already promised them free, fresh fruits and vegetables for one year. "People have been asking me, 'When are they coming ' They are all excited," said Lu Emanuel, the Sutton resident who started the project to have the town sponsor a Syrian refugee family. Emanuel first contacted Rafi Allaouirdian, an Armenian shoemaker from Lebanon who been living in Sutton for several years. "My ex-wife is a Syrian-Armenian," said Allaouirdian. "We know a lot of people who are refugees and living all over the world. And that when the Apkarians came into the picture." The couple and their three children, aged between 15 and 20, are in Lebanon waiting for the Canadian government to give them a medical examination. I said maybe I could find a family to sponsor. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: But the premier shouldn’t feel good about balancing the budget on the backs of younger residents, according to The Chronicle Herald. Nova Scotia has the unenviable status of investing less in citizens in their 20s, 30s, 40s and their children than any other province in the country. Plus the population grew, with kind-hearted citizens welcoming immigrants and refugees. Why Nova Scotia spends $6,200 per person under 45, less than half the $13,200 it spends per retiree. The bulk of Nova Scotia spending goes to health care , grade school and early child development , postsecondary and training , along with social services for persons with disabilities, seniors and families . Spending in these areas is up $38-million from 2015 after inflation. When federal spending for retirement and families with children are added, total spending is more than $33,000 per person age 65-plus and less than $12,000 per person under 45. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada: Over the last few weeks, we learned that Felipe Montoya and his family were denied permanent resident status in Canada because his child Nico is a person with Down Syndrome, according to Rabble. As community members and service providers who work to bring greater attention to the barriers and challenges some of the most marginalized people in Ontario experience because of race, disability and immigration status, we have heard of many such cases. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. Unlike Nico family, we suspect that many others are unable or choose not to take their case public. This case reminds us that some choose not to immigrate to Canada for fear that they would be denied entry. This could be for a number of reasons, including little to no social network, lack of financial resources, language barriers, lack/limited knowledge and understanding of rights or due process, fear of deportation, racism, and/or discrimination. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

United States: In a 40-minute speech that accused President Barack Obama and his former secretary of state Hillary Clinton of weakening the United States, abandoning Israel and exposing Christians to genocide, Mr, according to Globe and Mail. Trump offered up a mixture of neo-isolationism, an evocation of great military might and a pragmatic willingness to tolerate repressive dictators as long as regional stability resulted. This is a catch-all ASF view; only displays when an unsupported article type is put in an ASF drop zone The populist billionaire denounced North American free trade, a linchpin of Canada-U.S. relations, as a disaster and vowed to force allies that chronically fail to meet NATO spending targets – Canada, among them – to spend more or lose the guarantee of U.S. military protection. To scattered and desultory applause, the New York property magnate running for president as a self-financing political outsider, boasted his negotiating skills honed over decades in business would deliver dividends in dealing with America enemies as well as its friends. Trump omitted. But the speech – delivered at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington to The National Interest, a conservative group devoted to the nation state and pragmatic foreign policy – was also notable for what Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syrian-Armenian: And while Hay Doun, a Montreal-based Armenian community group, is backing the application, the family is effectively being sponsored by the entire town."People in the community are by and large very happy and excited we are doing this," Emanuel said, according to Metro News. Emanuel first contacted Rafi Allaouirdian, an Armenian shoemaker from Lebanon who been living in Sutton for several years."My ex-wife is a Syrian-Armenian," said Allaouirdian. "We know a lot of people who are refugees and living all over the world. The Apkarians will be the first Syrian refugees in Sutton, Emanuel said. I said maybe I could find a family to sponsor. The mother is Allaouirdian sister-in-law."If they are called for the medical then it an automatic Yes ," he said. "From what I understand there is no 'No,' it always 'Yes.'"When the Apkarians will arrive is unclear, however, as they wind their way through Canada refugee-settling processing system. And that when the Apkarians came into the picture."The couple and their three children, aged between 15 and 20, are in Lebanon waiting for the Canadian government to give them a medical examination. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Armenian community: And while Hay Doun, a Montreal-based Armenian community group, is backing the application, the family is effectively being sponsored by the entire town. "People have been asking me, 'When are they coming ' They are all excited." "People in the community are by and large very happy and excited we are doing this," Emanuel said, according to Huffington Post Canada. Emanuel first contacted Rafi Allaouirdian, an Armenian shoemaker from Lebanon who been living in Sutton for several years. "My ex-wife is a Syrian-Armenian," said Allaouirdian. "We know a lot of people who are refugees and living all over the world. A bank account has been opened on their behalf, a home is being prepared and an organic farmer has already promised them free, fresh fruits and vegetables for one year. "People have been asking me, 'When are they coming ' They are all excited," said Lu Emanuel, the Sutton resident who started the project to have the town sponsor a Syrian refugee family. The Apkarians will be the first Syrian refugees in Sutton, Emanuel said. I said maybe I could find a family to sponsor. The mother is Allaouirdian sister-in-law. And that when the Apkarians came into the picture." The couple and their three children, aged between 15 and 20, are in Lebanon waiting for the Canadian government to give them a medical examination. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.