immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

art installation: When a red light flashes, you enter a large chamber with a sand floor, according to Brandon Sun. A ragged band of migrants crossing an expansive desert swarms around you. All around you are the abandoned shoes of migrants who have been arrested by the border patrol. For a moment, in the dusty twilight, you join their flight. It's the festival's first virtual reality film to be an official entry. This is part of Alejandro Inarritu's Carne y Arena Virtually present, Physically invisible a visual art installation debuting this week at the Cannes Film Festival. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lima-marin: John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, was the latest twist in the saga of Rene Lima-Marin, 38, according to Brandon Sun. He came to the U.S. as a toddler as part of the 1980 Mariel boat lift from Cuba and had legal residency until it was revoked following his 2000 criminal conviction. The pardon from Gov. Lima-Marin was sentenced to 98 years in prison for the robbery. Lima-Marin married, had a child and got a steady job installing glass before state authorities realized their mistake in 2014 and sent him back for the remainder of his 98-year prison sentence. But he was mistakenly paroled from Colorado state prison in 2008. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

yei: Abuses included the indiscriminate shelling of civilians, attacks on funerals, looting and burning, according to Brandon Sun. Yei is where The Associated Press late last year witnessed bodies with their hands bound. The investigation released by the U.N. human rights office said those cases and other abuses in Yei between July and January may amount to crimes against humanity. Satellite images showed widespread burning of homes and businesses, the report said. South Sudan government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny rejected the report's findings, saying the government is operating within the law. The new report pointed out the startling level of impunity in South Sudan that has fed cycles of deadly ethnic violence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ambrose: She inherited a mess in the wake of Stephen Harper's loss, according to Hamilton Spectator. In a situation where the Conservatives could easily have devolved into warring factions, Ambrose brought strength, collaboration and stability. That praise might seem a tad hyperbolic, but it is fair to say Ambrose's departure from politics leaves Canadian political life less rich. She's so popular that Reid and others started a draft Rona movement. But Ambrose never wavered from her original commitment. They were willing to change the party constitution to allow her to seek permanent leadership. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cast members: Polley wrote and produced the project, which is based on Atwood's 1996 Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning historical tale, according to Hamilton Spectator. Mary Harron directs the cast, which includes Sarah Gadon in the title role. The show, which will also stream outside of Canada on Netflix in the fall, is inspired by the true story of Grace Marks, a young Irish immigrant and maid who was convicted of murder in Upper Canada in 1843 but exonerated decades later. Other cast members include Anna Paquin, Paul Gross and Kerr Logan. It's yet another major small-screen adaptation of Atwood's work this year, following the recent premieres of The Handmaid's Tale on Bravo and Hulu, and Wandering Wenda on CBC-TV. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

donald trump: Michael Flynn, and his subsequent firing of FBI Director James Comey, has rightly inspired endless speculation in the mainstream media about whether he could be impeached, according to Rabble. Certainly, the evidence presented by The New York Times, along with everything else that is already consuming Trump's first few months in office, warrants an independent investigation. Gen. Perhaps, as with the Watergate scandal that forced President Richard Nixon to resign in disgrace in 1974 to avoid impeachment and removal from office, the cover-up will end up being greater than the crime. Within days of taking office, Donald Trump, over dinner with his son-in-law Jared Kushner and other associates, approved a SEAL Team 6 raid in Yemen. But what if Donald Trump were actually held responsible for real crimes killing civilians in drone strikes, forcing refugees to suffer or die by refusing asylum, or driving the planet headlong into climate change catastrophe What if Donald Trump keeps his outrageous and inflammatory campaign pledges, many of which, if implemented, would amount to high crimes Sadly, excessive and too-often lethal executive presidential power is now considered normal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ethiopian immigrant: That really scares me, according to CBC. Dar's children go to Rose Avenue Public School, a building nestled in the heart of St. I find it hard to explain, especially to a nine- and 10-year-old, that people can be murdered inside a worship place, either a church or a mosque, said the Ethiopian immigrant, who's called Canada home since 1990. James Town, surrounded by nearly two dozen downtown apartment towers. On Wednesday, Dar was among the dozens of parents and educators who gathered to gain newfound understanding about each other's cultures and faiths inside the school that's home to one of the city's most diverse groups of students. It's the site of a new workshop addressing racism and Islamophobia a first-of-its-kind meeting that's being hailed as an idea worth replicating by a representative of the Toronto District School Board. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

european union: She said leaving the EU offers the chance to build stronger, fairer, more prosperous Britain based on a new contract between government and people, according to CTV. The Conservative election manifesto renews a promise to reduce net immigration to below 100,000 -- a vow the party has made and broken since 2010. May's platform for the June 8 election marks a big shift away from the strongly pro-business, free-market policies of past Conservative governments. It sets no date by which Britain will reach the goal. EU citizens have the right to live and work in other member states. Many Britons who voted last year to leave the European Union were motivated by a desire to control immigration, which has soared as the EU has expanded. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

exhibit details: The exhibit details the hardships newcomers faced on their first day of arrival; the family and friends they left in the old country; new people they met along the way; and any challenges they faced or overcame as they made Canada their new home, according to CBC. According to a government press release, the exhibit is a smaller version of a larger exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax. The exhibit, titled Canada Day 1, explores the experiences of immigrants who arrived in Canada around the time of Confederation in 1867. The exhibit will be on display at Government House until September. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

family: Until they are properly vetted, we do not know who they are or where they are from, according to Toronto Star. None of the previous waves of refugee/immigrant settlers to Canada harboured amongst them those coming here with the express purpose of promoting terrorism. These poor souls fleeing persecution, many of whom have already been rejected by the United States, are crossing into Canada illegally, trying to jump the queue. No, Mr. Article Continued Below Before labelling me as uncaring, I have, along with others in my community, already sponsored a Syrian Christian family a widow and her four young kids. Fitzgerald, until they are properly screened, these illegals are not the ones about which to get the warm and fuzzies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jagmeet singh: The Canadian Press By Martin Regg Cohn Ontario Politics Columnist Thu., May 18, 2017 In a party of negativity, he personifies positivity, according to Toronto Star. The federal NDP has found a phenomenon in Jagmeet Singh, its latest leadership hopeful. Singh says he is driven by a desire to create a more inclusive Canada. By throwing his proverbial hat in the ring, Singh has thrown down the gauntlet to New Democrats. Is the NDP ready for Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal, whose full name evokes Canadian diversity And does he have what it takes to take over the Prime Minister's Office Singh is often compared to the current occupant, Justin Pierre James Trudeau son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, whose name embodied Canadian duality before multiculturalism and First Nations reclaimed their rightful place . Article Continued Below Both exude energy and style, athleticism and enthusiasm. And all Canadians. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

meeting thursday: The new French government, which was appointed Wednesday, is a carefully calibrated balance of 22 prominent and unknown figures from the left and the right, half of them women, according to Toronto Star. They arrived for their first meeting Thursday with smiles, posing for photographs on the front porch of the presidential Elys e Palace in Paris. PHILIPPE WOJAZER / AFP/Getty Images By Sylvie Corbet The Associated Press Thu., May 18, 2017 PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron held a special security meeting, spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and convened his Cabinet for the first time Thursday all under a growing cloud of concern that his office is trying to control the press. After the meeting, Macron talked by phone with Putin about possible co-operation on international issues, including the fight against terrorism. Macron has previously taken a firm stance against Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria. The Kremlin said the two voiced readiness to develop their nations' traditionally friendly economic, political and cultural ties. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

role: My mother, my younger sisters, my aunt and my female cousins all played a significant role in my life, according to Huffington Post Canada. They influenced me, provided guidance and are the tough role models that I turn to. Pakistani women. They're strong, independent women who have the biggest, kindest hearts imaginable. They have their own unique identities, ideas and opinions. They're smart, vivacious and complex. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sanctions thursday: At least 40 people have been killed and hundreds injured in protests that erupted after Venezuela's supreme court issued a ruling in late March stripping the opposition-controlled National Assembly of its last remaining powers, according to Hamilton Spectator. The ruling was later partially reversed amid a storm of international criticism. Sitting side by side with President Juan Manuel Santos in the Oval Office, Trump said he will seek Colombia's help in pressuring neighbouring Venezuela to address the near-daily protests and violence that have shaken President Nicolas Maduro's grip on power. The meeting came as the Trump administration rolled out new sanctions Thursday on members of Venezuela's supreme court for alleged human rights violations. We will be working with Colombia and other countries on the Venezuela problem. A stable and peaceful Venezuela is in the best interest of the entire hemisphere, Trump said at a joint news conference. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

seidu mohammed: Seidu Mohammed, 24, and Razak Iyal, 34, have since formed a tight bond over their painful recoveries and shared desire to permanently join the community they risked their lives to reach, according to CTV. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada is expected to decide if they will be allowed to remain in Canada sometime in June. The pair met on their perilous journey north. Both men were granted extended stays while their injuries healed. Manitoba is our home now. It has been a very long journey for us, Ioial told CTV Winnipeg on Wednesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

seidu mohammed: I don't know what to say, according to CBC. Now I'm home, I'm finally home now, said Seidu Mohammed, who learned Wednesday night that the Immigration and Refugee Board had accepted his claim. I'm so happy. His immigration lawyer, Bashir Khan, said Mohammed cried with joy at the news. He is overjoyed, ecstatic. Oh, he was in tears, he was in tears, he really was. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

turkish passport: Double citizenship is forbidden in most cases in Austria, according to Metro News. Those found illegally holding a second passport face loss of Austrian citizenship. Austrian authorities say they are checking a list of about 100,000 citizens for evidence that some of them may be illegally holding a Turkish passport. The Interior Ministry said Thursday that it received the list from the populist and anti-immigrant Freedom Party, a critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Turkish backers in Austria. Erdogan's referendum for more power last month was only narrowly approved overall, but more than 70 per cent of Turks in Austria backed it. 11 50 a.m. Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck says the ministry has no information on the list's origin or whether it will help in finding anyone with illegal double citizenship. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

video stores: Instead, he called her to tell her he was being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to CTV. Lima-Marin was convicted in 2000 in the armed robbery of two video stores. Rene Lima-Marin's wife had decorated her home with balloons Wednesday and was ready to pick him up from prison. He was mistakenly released in 2008, then held a steady job, got married and had a son. A judge on Tuesday ordered Lima-Marin's release, saying it would be draconian to keep him in prison Authorities realized the mistake in 2014 and returned him to prison. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

war zone: Wigneswaran said a disproportionate number of soldiers are still stationed in the former war zone, according to Metro News. Even after eight years since the war's end and with no reports of any kind of political violence during this period, some 150,000 soldiers are kept in the northern province, Wigneswaran said. It was here that the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels mounted their last stand against advancing government troops in May 2009. He accused the soldiers of taking over residents' farmlands and homes and starting up businesses that have unfairly competed with Tamil-owned firms and cost people their jobs. The opposition leader of Sri Lanka's Parliament, Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, said that details of the war largely hidden from the world must be revealed. In truth the army, navy and the air force have no business here, Wigneswaran said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wednesday night: He was not dressed for the cold weather and lost all his fingers to frostbite, according to Huffington Post Canada. Mohammed says he is very happy to be able to stay in Canada. Seidu Mohammed, who is 24, has had his refugee claim approved five months after he walked across frozen fields near Emerson, Man., in a -30 C windchill. Seidu Mohammed smiles as he shows off his refugee claim acceptance letter in Winnipeg, on May 18. His lawyer, Bashir Khan, said Mohammed was very emotional Wednesday night when he told the claimant about his application. Photo John Woods/The Canadian Press He fled Ghana for the U.S. in 2015 because of his sexual orientation and walked to Canada when his visa expired. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

college students: Data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau show that about half of people ages 18 to 34 had at least one credit card in 2015, compared with 60 to 80 per cent for those 35 and older, according to Brandon Sun. Last year, an analysis of Federal Reserve data by The New York Times found that just over a third of these young adults, or millennials, had credit card balances, an indicator of whether people are using their cards. That can hold them back from building the credit history they'll need later on if they want to finance a car or get a mortgage. Credit card issuers in the past marketed extensively to young people, particularly college students, which helped them establish a credit history. Lingering memories of the economic downturn left younger adults wary of credit cards even when they became eligible. That ended with a federal law in 2009 that made it harder for people under 21 to obtain a credit card. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

european union: She said leaving the EU offers the chance to build stronger, fairer, more prosperous Britain based on a new contract between government and people, according to Brandon Sun. The Conservative election manifesto renews a promise to reduce net immigration to below 100,000 a vow the party has made and broken since 2010. May's platform for the June 8 election marks a big shift away from the strongly pro-business, free-market policies of past Conservative governments. It sets no date by which Britain will reach the goal. EU citizens have the right to live and work in other member states. Many Britons who voted last year to leave the European Union were motivated by a desire to control immigration, which has soared as the EU has expanded. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cuba: It's not clear whether Lima-Marin, who was ordered deported while in prison, will be returned there since Cuba would still need to agree with the U.S. government on him being included on a list of people to be deported, according to Brandon Sun. Under a 1984 agreement, Cuba agreed to take back 2,746 of their citizens who came to the United States as part of the boat lift. The agency said Thursday it is working to deport him to the country he left as a toddler along with thousands of other Cubans in 1980 in what became known as the Mariel boat lift. About 2,000 Cubans have been sent back since then, and the rest have either died or are too old or sick to be deported. But when President Barack Obama ended the wet foot, dry foot policy in January that granted immigration privileges to Cubans since 1995, an overlooked policy change established that other Cuban refugees who also arrived from Mariel in 1980 may replace the names of the older or dead candidates from the original 1984 list as long as both countries agree on the cases. Cubans convicted after that agreement, such as Lima-Marin, are not automatically accepted by Cuba because of that deal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

apple pie: Langley's walnut wine, horse carpaccio and classic apple pie One of those places is a new French pastry shop, l'Eclair de Genie, the first North American location of the Paris-based bakery, according to CBC. These are lavish, gourmet works of art, absolutely beautiful to look at, Johnson told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn. Johnson says Vancouver's multicultural dining scene is building a reputation as a place for all sorts of delicious desserts. They don't look like the lesser grocery-store varieties that look like a hot dog bun sliced in half with whipped cream in the middle. Check out these 3 Vancouver theme bars with next-level menus The shop has about 250 different types of pastry in its repertoire and about a dozen or so available daily. These are exquisite pastries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

beauty: If you see ads with a certain girl who looks like you, you'll be like, 'Oh, I want to wear that makeup, according to Huffington Post Canada. It looks good on her, maybe it'll look good on me,' she says. The 24-year-old, who will take on the role of Princess Isabella in the latest Shonda Rhimes series, Still Star-Crossed, sat down with Teen Vogue's Fawnia Soo Hoo for an interview where she explained how she doesn't feel women like her are represented in American beauty advertisements. And it's rare that I see somebody who I can relate to. Meaning, by not reaching out to women of Middle Eastern descent, the beauty world is missing out on a market worth 25.4 billion that will go on to grow by 6.4 percent annually in the next five years. The first generation American-Iranian goes on to say that this is a major loss for the American beauty industry, as women in Iran are done to the nines, always. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

branch website: Schools tried to the best of their ability to translate those letters to target populations.' Janet Perry-Payne PSB said language is an issue as much of the communication around the whole school review process such as public meetings and information on the branch website has been in English, according to CBC. Most of those meetings were held in English, so there weren't interpreters on site to provide that type of information, said Janet Perry-Payne, English-French additional language program administrator. School rezoning letters going home Students forced to move schools through rezoning will be notified The PSB said it's heard a lot of questions and concerns from families including immigrant families who have just arrived in recent years who may be struggling to understand if and why their children have to move schools. Open houses with translators The language barrier can create a challenge, she said. Janet Perry-Payne, English-French additional language program administrator, says translated letters were sent home. There are 150 EAL students who will need to move schools next year through rezoning and and chances are their parents haven't really been engaged up to now said Perry-Payne. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.