larsen: As far as I'm concerned, cannabis prohibition has always been wrong and immoral They should at least be vacating the convictions for possession and nobody should be disagreeing about that, according to CTV. Larsen said the taxes collected in the first few years after legalization should be put into a fund used to compensate those who have been harmed by cannabis prohibition. If I was in charge, we would vacate all convictions for any cannabis-related offence of any kind, Dana Larsen told CTV News. We could figure out a formula of so many dollars a day for the time you spent in jail, he said. Larsen himself was charged in 2016 for trafficking of low-THC cannabis seeds, but was never convicted. There' re many Canadians alive now who did six months or two years for simple possession of cannabis The goal is to apologize and acknowledge the harm. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

class neighbourhood: Originally from Whitney Pier, Cape Breton, Dr, according to The Chronicle Herald. Francis grew up in a uniquely multicultural working class neighbourhood. It was a big task, but one that she was more than ready for. She remembers realizing how special her community was after she left for Halifax to attend university in the early 80s. It gave such an opportunity to get to know different people, it was acceptance at such an early age. I always say Whitney Pier was multicultural before the word multicultural was even coined, she says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cree background: Every time that we can develop a policy in Montreal, or if there will be a project that will be affecting the Indigenous community, that we will have the reflex and will think that we will take those steps towards reconciliation, Bordeleau explained at a press conference Friday, according to CTV. Thinking Nation to Nation, and government to government, she added. Marie-Eve Bordeleau will be responsible for promoting what she calls the Indigenous Reflex. Bordeleau is a lawyer who comes from a Cree background. One of the priority subjects that Bordeleau wants to explore is the relationship between local police and Native communities in Montreal. She's also worked as a mediator between governments it's this experience that she believes will be an asset in her new duties. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

death penalty: Luis Bracamontes was found guilty of murder in the shootings of Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County sheriff's Detective Michael Davis Jr. in 2014, according to The Chronicle Herald. He also was convicted of attempted murder, carjacking, weapons violations and other crimes. A man in the United States illegally was convicted Friday of killing two Northern California deputies in a case that helped fuel the national immigration debate. Yay, he said softly after first verdict read, looking around at the victims' families and jurors with a slight smile. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Bracamontes, who has repeatedly blurted out in court that he killed the deputies and wished he had killed more. I'm going to kill more cops soon, Bracamontes said later as he was led away from the courtroom that had heavy security. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deputies: Sacramento County's sheriff says a newly convicted cop-killer is a despicable human being regardless of his immigration status, according to Metro News. Sheriff Scott Jones waged a public campaign against the immigration policies of former Democratic President Barack Obama after Luis Bracamontes killed two sheriff's deputies in 2014. The Latest on guilty verdicts in the slaying of two deputies all times local 5 45 p.m. Jones ran unsuccessfully for Congress and blamed what he said were lax policies for allowing Mexican national Luis Bracamontes to repeatedly enter the United States illegally. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty next month. Bracamontes was convicted Friday of murdering the two deputies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

underpaying caregivers: Women have traditionally done this work essentially for free, and we do not feel it should be compensated at a good pay rate, according to Toronto Star. This deeply undervalues the work of caregivers. As a society, we do not want to pay well for caregivers for our children or elderly. By dangling the chance of citizenship in front of foreign workers, we agree to continue to pay them poorly and not look too much into their working conditions and their removal from their own families. The outside job is valued more than the caregiver's work. By underpaying caregivers, we allow other people to work outside the family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

multimedia production: Vancouver Chinese school turns Chinatown into classroom The show's writer, David Yee, grew up in Toronto and said Chinese malls are present in every metropolis to offer a familiar taste of home for Chinese immigrants from the general atmosphere to shops that sell Chinese goodies, according to CBC. The show is meant to put you into the perspective of a foreigner, of 'the other,' of the person that's outside of something, which is where these places exist, Yee told On The Coast producer Caroline Chan. No Foreigners, a multimedia production at The Cultch, is a study of the cultural phenomenon that is the Chinese mall in Canada. About half of the multimedia production is presented in Cantonese with English subtitles and places the audience in different vignettes inspired by these cultural hubs using live projection, monitors and two performers. Caroline Chan/CBC Yee said these malls offer the Chinese community a space where they can be the majority, which is a factor in the debate over Cantonese signage in Richmond, B.C. The city discussed bylaws to enforce English-only signs, but decided not to pursue the divisive issue. The writer of No Foreigners, David Yee, stands in front of the popular Chinese supermarket, T&T, in Vancouver's Chinatown. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parties: In Washington's latest display of governance by brinkmanship, the bipartisan accord bolstering military and domestic programs and deepening federal deficits crossed the finish line just before dawn but not before the government shut down overnight, according to Metro News. Passage left nerves frayed and Democrats with little leverage to force congressional action on their most high-profile priority preventing deportation of hundreds of thousands of the young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children and remain here without permanent legal protection. But the push to pass the massive legislation underscored enduring divisions within both parties, and those rifts are likely to make the next fight over immigration even more challenging. Lawmakers rushed to limit the disruption and impact over the lapse in government funding, voting in the middle of the night to reopen agencies before workers were due to report to the office. Sen. It was the government's second shutdown in three weeks, and most lawmakers were eager to avoid a big show of dysfunction in an election year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

program: Now a mother of three, she gets help from a Filipino live-in caregiver, according to Toronto Star. Despite the many reincarnations through the years, the foreign caregiver program has been an integral part of Canadian immigration since women from England, Ireland and Finland were granted permanent residence in the early 1900s to come as nannies, nursemaids and governesses. Her family had two Filipino nurses taking turns to look after their late grandmother. With Ottawa set to start public consultations on the future of the caregiver program, Canadian families say the demand for foreign caregivers, especially in suburban Canada, is as great as ever. The news has raised questions among families and caregivers about the future of the popular program. react-empty 180 We have an aging population and are caught up in a generation where our parents are still working and our kids can't rely on their grandparents, said Mukherjee of Markham. Read more Canada's immigration program for migrant caregivers under review Article Continued Below Number of migrant caregivers becoming permanent residents plummets after federal changes Liberals plan to reduce permanent resident backlog for caregivers Earlier this month, the federal government announced the current caregiver program will expire in November 2019 after a five-year run. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

war i: Many Jews engaged in denunciation, collaboration during the war, according to CTV. I think Israel has still not worked it through, Zybertowicz said in the interview in the Polska-The Times newspaper Friday. Andrzej Zybertowicz, a Nicolaus Copernicus University sociology professor who also serves as a presidential adviser, called Israel's opposition to the new law anti-Polish and said it shows the Mideast nation is clearly fighting to keep the monopoly on the Holocaust. Zybertowicz could not immediately be reached for comment but tweeted a link to the article. The ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, appeared to acknowledge the recent outburst of anti-Jewish rhetoric in the country, denouncing anti-Semitism in a speech Saturday night as a serious illness of the soul and an illness of the mind that must be rejected. His remarks follow open expressions of anti-Semitism that surfaced online and in some government-controlled media when Israeli officials objected to the law, which outlaws public statements that falsely and intentionally attribute Nazi crimes to Poland under the German occupation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

defence theory: Cameron made the comments at a late Friday night news conference at BATC headquarters in North Battleford, according to Vancouver Courier. In particular, Cameron ridiculed the defence theory put forth in the trial that the shooting of the 22-year-old man from the Red Pheasant Cree Nation was an accident. What would you do if that was your child asked FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron after the verdict, in which Stanley was found not guilty of the second-degree murder of Colten Boushie.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver police officer going for Olympic gold South Vancouver fire hall will be first built to Passive House standards Quick-thinking Vancouver hockey player racks up assist of a lifetime Vancouver reaches new heights with Passive House complex Boushie, a passenger in a grey Ford Escape vehicle, was shot and killed on Stanley's property in the rural municipality of Glenside on Aug. 9, 2016. What a bunch of garbage. He should never have been appointed. Bill Burge as a Crown prosecutor dropped the ball, said Cameron. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bruno carmi: Condemnation only came several months later, after another video from the same summer party, this time profaning Christian objects, also went viral, according to CTV. These episodes should absolutely not be dismissed, said Bruno Carmi, the head of Verona's tiny Jewish community of about 100, speaking at the Verona synagogue, which is flanked by two armed police patrols. Local officials initially dismissed the incident -- which was filmed and circulated on social media by the so-called ultras themselves -- as a prank. In my opinion, whoever draws a simple swastika on the wall knows what it means. Anti-migrant rhetoric is playing an unprecedented role in shaping the campaign for the country's March 4 national election, which many say is worsening tensions and even encouraging violence. Racist and anti-Semitic expressions in Italy have been growing more bold, widespread and violent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada police: The investigation started in July, when a victim told police they paid large amounts of money to an organization called Afghan Refugee Relief, or AAR, to help sponsor family members wanting to immigrate to Canada, according to Toronto Star. Police allege the head of the organization, 61-year-old Sakia Mojadiddi of Mississauga, didn't process the paperwork or return the customer's money. Eight victims from the Peel region lost about 780,000, Peel police said Friday. She wasn't authorized to file it, investigators said in October. After investigators released information about the case in October, 38 people came forward, said Peel police. Mojadiddi was arrested on fraud charges in August. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian operations: In addition, San Francisco-based App Direct, a cloud subscription service whose co-CEO met Trudeau in a college political science class, said it would add another 300 jobs in Canada in the next five years, according to Toronto Star. Read more Trudeau pitches Canadian globalism to Silicon Valley tech firms Article Continued Below U.S. says it still wants three-way NAFTA deal after trade czar muses dealing separately with Mexico Trudeau meeting Amazon CEO as Toronto vies for new HQ I'm enthused about the interest that these global companies are taking in Canada, Trudeau told reporters at App Direct. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced the online business software company will invest another 2 billion in its Canadian operations. It is a benefit for those companies that invest in Canada, because they get such a high calibre of talent. react-empty 163 On Friday, Trudeau met separately with Gov. Gov. Jerry Brown and Lt. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

english village: The Cheddar Man, named thus for the English village of Cheddar where his skeleton was discovered in 1903, is about 10,000 years old, according to Metro News. To add salt to a supremacist's wound, scientists said that the genes for lighter skin likely came from, you got it, immigrants from the Middle East. An announcement Wednesday that DNA tests on the oldest complete skeleton in Britain, that heart and ancestral home of many white people around the world, suggest that the first modern Briton was blue-eyed, yes, but very dark-skinned and curly-haired. Oh snap. It's like reaching into the eye of a storm and fitting it with brave lads and fair maidens on glorious historical British dramas on TV descendents of immigrants. Dark-skinned native Britons and light-skinned immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ab iorweth: Average housing prices increased 48 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, in the two cities, also the highest in Canada, according to Vancouver Courier. Local wealth proved an important factor in the home price increases, ab Iorweth said. When asked what findings surprised him in what CMHC is billing as the the most thorough examination of house price patterns ever completed in Canada, report author and CMHC deputy chief economist Aled ab Iorwerth said it was the clear correlation between rising incomes and higher home prices.article continues below Trending Stories Online petition protests pay parking at Spanish Banks Despite petition, closure of Adanac overpass to private vehicles going ahead For cows, a pasture can be half empty or half full study How and why Generation Z needs to be treated differently in the workplacerelated High home prices due to Vancouver failing to keep up with demand CMHCNon-permanent residents Growing competition for local homes Examining Escalating House Prices in Large Canadian Metropolitan Centres, released February 7, showed disposable income in Vancouver increased 36.2 per cent from 2010 to 2016 while it increased 19.2 per cent in Toronto, the highest in Canada. He added that the wealthier cities also tend to attract more immigrants, which places higher demand on the housing supply.B.C. welcomed 203,365 permanent residents in the six-year period of the study, while Ontario took in 546,620. On the foreign-home buyer issue, ab Iorweth said it was not the number of foreign buyers, which he said make up less than 5 per cent of sales in the cities studied, but the perception that there were a lot of foreign buyers that helped drive housing prices higher. These are the highest immigration flows of any provinces and account for 60 per cent of Canada's total immigration during the period. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

english village: The Cheddar Man, named thus for the English village of Cheddar where his skeleton was discovered in 1903, is about 10,000 years old, according to Toronto Star. To add salt to a supremacist's wound, scientists said that the genes for lighter skin likely came from, you got it, immigrants from the Middle East. An announcement Wednesday that DNA tests on the oldest complete skeleton in Britain, that heart and ancestral home of many white people around the world, suggest that the first modern Briton was blue-eyed, yes, but very dark-skinned and curly-haired. Oh snap. It's like reaching into the eye of a storm and fitting it with sunglasses. Article Continued Below Dark-skinned native Britons and light-skinned immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration agents: These activists have been surveilled, intimidated, harassed and detained, their homes raided, many have been plucked off the street in broad daylight, and some have even been deported, the lawsuit said, according to Metro News. The suit was filed a day before Ragbir's latest deportation order was scheduled to take effect. Ravi Ragbir, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, said in a lawsuit filed Friday in New York that immigration agents have purposely singled out immigrant advocates for deportation as a way to quiet opposition. In a stipulation, federal prosecutors and Ragbir's lawyers agreed he won't be deported until he has had a chance to argue his new suit, sometime after March 14. Ragbir leads the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, a coalition of 150 faith-based, pro-immigrant groups. Ragbir still must turn up for a meeting with immigration agents on Saturday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

face-covering veil: If you think I am exaggerating, you need only go back four months in time and read about Bill 62, introduced and passed in Quebec's National Assembly, which prohibits women from receiving public services while wearing a niqab, according to Rabble. And if you still have doubts, you can read about the burkini ban in France during the summer of 2016 when Muslim women wearing burkinis swim attire consisting of leggings and a dress with a hoodie were banned from beaches. For Muslim women who wear the hijab headscarf or the niqab a face-covering veil these opinions may be even more unsolicited and can become subjects of books, movies, laws, heated family discussions, slurs on the street and even federal election campaigns like the one we had in Canada in 2015. These political decisions, whether made in Quebec, Canada, France or elsewhere, are justified by two main arguments. As far as the myth of secularism and how it brought more rights to women in Western societies, I leave it to Joan Wallach Scott, who wrote extensively about the topic and who demolishes the secularism argument in her recent book, Sex and Secularism. They are either seen through the holy lens of secularism or through the noble objective of women's liberation and feminism. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

honouring detainers: The ruling came in a pair of class-action cases that were combined because they involve the use of immigration detainers issued by the federal government to hold suspected illegal immigrants up to 48 hours after they are to be released from jail so immigration agents can pick them up for deportation, according to The Chronicle Herald. It is an important precedent for the rest of the country where the law enforcement agencies are still honouring detainers, said attorney Jennie Pasquarella of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Judge Andre Birotte Jr. ruled Thursday in U.S. District Court that immigrants were held too long, denied bail or were locked up despite a lack of evidence. Birotte found the Sheriff's Department violated the detainees' Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizures, which also protects against arbitrary arrests. Officers have no authority to arrest individuals for civil immigration offences. Officers did not have probable cause that the individuals were involved in criminal activity, but were instead holding these individuals on the basis of civil immigration detainers, Birotte wrote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

language barrier: The duo decided the best way to break down barriers was as simple as finding a pen pal, according to CBC. Sometimes it can be isolating when you move to a new place and there's a language barrier, said Sarah Martin, who works at the Duke Creative Collective. Inspired by a story about a Syrian newcomer, the Duke Creative Collective approached the local YMCA to find a way to make newcomers feel more welcome. I think that there's a lot of people in Saint John that want to welcome and they want to help, said Martin. The agency has printed hundreds of Valentine's Day-themed cards, which give Saint Johners a chance to tell newcomers about themselves and the city. But they didn't really have an avenue to do so. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

level need: Marshall was among the panellists at the annual Manning Networking Conference, where conservative politicians and thought leaders are talking about building new momentum after recent turmoil that, among other things, has seen senior leaders resign over sexual misconduct allegations, according to CBC. Anti-abortion Tory MP Rachael Harder loses bid for status of women committee chair Conservatives name former Rebel Media director as 2019 campaign chair Several female conservatives say the metoo movement and the Liberals' claim to be the only feminist party at the federal level need to be addressed if the right is to regain its footing in time for the next election. Hamish Marshall also says so-called 'pink-collar' labourers those who work in traditionally female jobs such as health care and teaching make up another voting bloc the party should be chasing. MP Rachael Harder, who was blocked from being the head of the Commons status of women committee because of her pro-life views, said the Liberal message is not true feminism. She said her experience showed her Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes he is the only one permitted to decide who are the right and wrong people to represent women in Canadian public life. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

no-go zones: A UNHCR statement Friday said the situation is particularly worrying in the crowded refugee camps of Moria on Lesvos and Vathy on Samos, where toilets and washing facilities are no-go zones after dark for unaccompanied women and children, according to CTV. It cited a woman in Moria who said she had not showered for two months for fear of attack. The UNHCR says it has received reports from about 180 camp residents who say they have suffered some form of sexual or gender-based violence after arriving in Greece. The UNHCR called on Greece to do more to protect camp residents. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

open-mic nights: Gray says his unusual move to post a list of banned behaviours at Wee Johnny's was meant to address the divisive times we live in, not to limit free speech, according to The Chronicle Herald. With the current climate in our society I feel like it's important to make it clear where you stand on anything that comes down to abusive behaviour, says Gray, whose bar hosts regular open-mic nights as well as emerging comics. But he says it's also found lots of support from like-minded comedy fans tired of cracks that are more abusive than funny. When you have a president in the United States as they do saying what he's saying on Twitter all the time, the whole alt-right movement, all that stuff, I just want to make sure it's completely clear where we stand at Wee Johnny's when it comes to discrimination or hateful speech or abusive behaviour. While most professional clubs are self-policing, an attempt to ban certain language or subject matter in comedy is nothing new, says Andrew Clark, director of the Humber College comedy writing and performance program in Toronto. Gray crafted a sign last week to warn audiences and comics alike that they could be asked to leave if they engage in sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, physical intimidation or any other form of abusive behaviour. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parties: In Washington's latest display of governance by brinkmanship, the bipartisan accord bolstering military and domestic programs and deepening federal deficits crossed the finish line just before dawn -- but not before the government shut down overnight, according to CTV. Passage left nerves frayed and Democrats with little leverage to force congressional action on their most high-profile priority preventing deportation of hundreds of thousands of the young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children and remain here without permanent legal protection. But the push to pass the massive legislation underscored enduring divisions within both parties, and those rifts are likely to make the next fight over immigration even more challenging. Lawmakers rushed to limit the disruption and impact over the lapse in government funding, voting in the middle of the night to reopen agencies before workers were due to report to the office. Sen. It was the government's second shutdown in three weeks, and most lawmakers were eager to avoid a big show of dysfunction in an election year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stoffer: None of the allegations you indicated had happened, that I recall, Stoffer said, according to Rabble. I can assure you I've never assaulted anybody, sexually or anyway in any shape or form in my Singh, leader of the NDP, said the allegations deeply disturbed him. Stoffer, speaking to the Post Thursday, categorically denied any past sexually inappropriate behaviour. I believe the women who've come forward and I want to acknowledge their courage and strength. It's clear our anti-harassment policies and protections for workers were insufficient and failed to appropriately deal with this behaviour. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.