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.

health: Instead, Tornillo is using checks conducted by a private contractor that has access to less comprehensive data, thereby heightening the risk that an individual with a criminal history could have direct access to children, the memo says, according to CTV. In addition, the federal government is allowing the non-profit running the facility -- BCFS Health and Human Services -- to sidestep mental health care requirements. None of the 2,100 staffers at a tent city holding more than 2,300 teens in the remote Texas desert are going through rigorous FBI fingerprint background checks, according to a Health and Human Services inspector general memo published Tuesday. Under federal policy, migrant youth shelters generally must have one mental health clinician for every 12 kids, but the federal agency's contract with BCFS allows it to staff Tornillo with just one clinician for every 100 children. BCFS acknowledged to the AP that it currently has one mental health clinician for every 50 children at Tornillo. That's not enough to provide adequate mental health care, the inspector general office said in the memo. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rcmp story: I blame this incident and his mistreatment on his suicide, according to CTV. There is no question that his being used as a scapegoat and being betrayed so fundamentally by the people who were supposed to be his tribe, his family, Montague told the inquest. Atoya Montague said Lemaitre was given incorrect information by investigators in 2007, but never allowed to correct it, leaving his face associated in international news when a citizen's video proved the RCMP story was based on lies. These are the people who are supposed to have your back, and they did the exact opposite. He couldn't escape it, she said. They threw him out of the unit, sent him to traffic services, and it followed him for years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rawaa kasedah: As refugees, they knew no one, had no job prospects and didn't speak a word of English, according to Toronto Star. From left, Rawaa Kasedah, daughter Batool Rawoas and husband Mohammed Aref Rawas, at their kiosk on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. With 30 days' notice, the Rawas family were plucked from their temporary home in Jordan, where they'd fled the Syrian civil war, and resettled in Oakland, Calif. Anda Chu / Bay Area News Group Appetizers prepared for an event by the Rawas family, who started Old Damascus Fare catering company in California, just three years after arriving in the U.S. as refugees. They've hired their first employee. Molly DeCoudreaux Three years later, Mohammed Aref Rawas, Rawaa Kasedah and their four children are running a budding catering business that serves authentic Syrian food such as smoked basmati rice, falafel and fattoush salad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reporters monday: The legislature will elect a speaker Tuesday, followed Wednesday by Legault's inaugural speech outlining government priorities, according to CTV. Finance Minister Eric Girard will deliver an economic update Dec. 3, in which Quebecers will learn the size of the projected surplus for this fiscal year, which ends March 31. Among Legault's commitments were pledges to cut taxes, launch large-scale infrastructure projects, reduce immigration levels and make kindergarten available to four-year-olds across the province. Liberal finance critic Carlos Leitao told reporters Monday the economic update will be an important test of the new government. Last March, the Liberals said the province would finish the fiscal year roughly 3 billion in surplus, but Girard and Legault have both challenged that number since they took office. Legault and his ministers have tough choices to make, Leitao said, because despite what he called a considerable surplus left over by the Liberal government, Quebec's finances aren't a bottomless well. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

retirement system: Canada Pension Plan Investment Board President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Machin waits to appear at the Standing Committee on Finance on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Tuesday, November 1, 2016, according to Toronto Star. Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS The California State Teachers' Retirement System voted to divest their stakes in the two companies, citing the U.S. administration's policy of splitting up families. The Toronto-based fund, which manages about 368 billion, holds small stakes of Core Civic Inc. and Geo Group Inc., which had facilities that held people suspected of illegally entering the U.S. under a policy imposed this year by President Donald Trump. Leadnow, a Toronto and Vancouver-based social just group and Sum OfUs, a global consumer group that says it holds companies to account, said in a release Monday more than 50,000 people have signed a petition urging CPPIB to dump their shares.CPPIB referred to public remarks made by its CEO last week when asked about possible divestment plans. Divesting achieves little for CPPIB and all of our stakeholders. From time to time we, like many investors, are challenged by people who put pressure on us to divest if they disagree with the policies or actions of a company we have chosen to invest in, Mark Machin said in a speech in Toronto Nov. 20. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wang b: The number of blessings and benefits which this wonderful country bestow on us, which are too numerous to list in this letter, are not free, according to Toronto Star. They are paid for by Canadians by way of taxes and services rendered. As an immigrant and naturalized Canadian citizen, I have my own personal perspective on the benefits and obligations of Canadian citizenship. Therefore, the privilege of entitlement to the generous benefits of this country should be determined by what we do for her, and not simply by an accident of birth. Why wait This phenomenon requires action now to make it clear to those looking to exploit this citizenship loophole that we will not tolerate it. Wang B. Chow, Toronto Article Continued Below Even though this increased estimation is still probably an under estimation, researcher Andrew Griffith of the Institute for Research on Public Policy believes it is not out of control and at the moment requires monitoring only. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

judge: It also asked the judge to stay his order pending the appeal.article continues below Trending Stories'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Vancouver salmon researcher receives national nod Surrey man arrested in killing of Vancouver woman Trump criticized the 9th Circuit last week as biased and dismissed the judge who ruled against him an appointee of Trump's predecessor as an Obama judge, according to Vancouver Courier. Chief Justice John Roberts responded with a statement that the federal judiciary doesn't have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. The Justice Department filed a notice Tuesday saying it will appeal the order to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It was the first time Roberts has hinted at any criticism of the president, as judges ordinarily avoid making any public statements on politics. The 9th Circuit, seen as liberal leaning, has already ruled against Trump in several major immigration cases.U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar in San Francisco issued a temporary restraining order Nov. 19 against Trump's Nov. 9 proclamation that automatically barred anyone who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between official ports of entry from seeking asylum . Trump issued the proclamation in response to the caravans of migrants approaching the border that he's claimed are a national security threat. Roberts and the rest of the Supreme Court may end up deciding the asylum case. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

metoo activists: Not only fine, but ambivalent, according to NOW Magazine. Last January, the creator of Netflix's Master Of None was accused of forcing a 23-year-old woman to perform sexual acts without her consent. Rating NNNIf there was any question whether Aziz Ansari wouldn't recover from sexual assault allegations made against him 10 months ago, his hour-long set at Roy Thomson Hall the first of two sold-out shows in Toronto proved he is doing just fine. The 3,000-word personal essay was published on Babe.net and became a point of contention among MeToo activists. Then, he retreated from the spotlight until summer, when he announced this tour, Working Out New Material. How could Ansari, who had tackled gender equity and other sociopolitical issues with such nuance and wokeness on his show, be on the same blacklist as Bill Cosby and Louis C.K Was this just a case of bad-date-gone-wrong At the time, Ansari's only response to the allegations was that he was surprised and concerned. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

robert dziekanski: It was really horrible. article continues below Trending Stories'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Vancouver salmon researcher receives national nod Kids in the Hall's Kevin McDonald brings his improv chops to Vancouver She said Lemaitre became a scapegoat for the Mounties after two decades of building his reputation and rising to the rank of sergeant, according to Vancouver Courier. Montague said Lemaitre was told the inaccurate information he provided to the media about the incident involving Robert Dziekanski would not be corrected. I saw the institutional betrayal that he experienced first-hand, and I saw damage it did to him first-hand, Atoya Montague told a coroner's inquest into Pierre Lemaitre's death in July 2013. Montague said another officer was initially deployed to the airport to address the media after the confrontation between Dziekanski and four Mounties, who used a Taser to try and subdue the man on the night of Oct. 14, 2007. Lemaitre told reporters three officers approached a combative man and jolted him twice. The officer called her at 4 a.m. to say dealing with the incident would be beyond his scope, Montague said, adding she advised him to contact Lemaitre, who received information from investigators when he arrived at the airport. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rodney scott: Rodney Scott, chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector, said the initial count included some arrests in Mexico by Mexican authorities who reported 39 arrests.article continues below Trending Stories'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Vancouver salmon researcher receives national nod Kids in the Hall's Kevin McDonald brings his improv chops to Vancouver Scott also defended the agents' decisions to fire tear gas into Mexico, saying they were being assaulted by a hail of rocks, according to Vancouver Courier. That has happened before and, if we are rocked, that would happen again tomorrow, he told reporters. On Tuesday, U.S. authorities lowered the number of arrests during the confrontation to 42 from 69. Critics denounced the action by border agents as overkill, but Trump kept to a hard line. Here's the bottom line Nobody is coming into our country unless they come in legally. They were being rushed by some very tough people and they used tear gas, Trump said Monday of the previous day's encounter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian passport: In sharp contrast, in the spring of 2016, the Canadian government forced Boudreau to surrender her Canadian passport, according to Rabble. Unlike her son, who had been indoctrinated then recruited to join a terrorist group, since her son's death, Boudreau has worked with other parents internationally to create and promote educational programs to counter extremism. He received it despite the fact the Canadian Security Intelligence Service CSIS had been monitoring him and knew he intended to fly to Turkey and then go into Syria to join an armed extremist organization, according to information his mother, Christianne Boudreau, was told by CSIS agents. Dr. Together with Christianne, I built up a network of affected parents around the world the Mothers for Life Network, which currently includes about 150 families from 11 countries. Daniel Koehler, director of the German Institute on Radicalization and De-Radicalization Studies, described her role Christianne Boudreau was one of the first mothers to speak out publicly against violent radicalization with her own painful personal experience of losing her son Damian. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

finance minister: Former finance minister and now opposition critic -- Carlos Leitao said that despite a considerable surplus left over by the Liberal government, Quebec's finances aren't a bottomless well, according to CTV. The public purse is not infinite. Finance Minister Eric Girard will deliver the CAQ economic update on Dec. 3, when he is expected to reveal to Quebecers the size of the projected surplus for this fiscal year, ending March 31. There are limits to when governments can do, and to govern is to choose, said Leitao at a Monday news conference. Leitao said he wants to see specifics, particularly in the area of public infrastructure. So therefore we'd like to see in the economic update, what are the choices that the new government is going to put in place. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

industry executives: But while renowned as an industry cost cutter, he spent lavishly on himself, thanks to multi-million-dollar salaries from Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi, according to CTV. Ghosn's October 2016 wedding to his second wife at the Grand Trianon in Versailles, once favoured by Marie Antoinette, featured actors in 18th century attire, a towering wedding cake and mounds of treats. Ghosn turned around France's Renault SA and then Japan's Nissan Motor Co., eventually linking them in an alliance with Mitsubishi Motor Corp. in their top-selling venture. Like the queen, the man once seen as a king among industry executives in France and Japan has flashed out like a dying star. Prosecutors say he is suspected of underreporting his income by 44 million over five years. Ghosn, 64, was arrested on Nov. 19 in Japan for allegedly falsifying his financial reports and misusing funds at Nissan Motor Co. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

news release: We must place the onus squarely on perpetrators or potential perpetrators, because the best way to stop sexual assault is to not assault someone in the first place, according to CTV. On Monday the province unveiled two new posters created in collaboration with Winnipeg Safe City. We want to take aim at victim blaming and the notion that it's a woman's job to keep herself safe and prevent sexual assault, said Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires, also the minister responsible for status of women, in a news release. One of the posters features a consent checklist, urging the reader to assess whether their sexual partner is awake, sober, safe, comfortable, enjoying themselves and actively consenting to what's going on. The posters will be given to community-based organizations, universities, law enforcement and health service providers. The other poster offers rape prevention tips' with the words Don't Rape written across it, in an effort to educate people about victim blaming and showing that it's the assaulter who is responsible for rape. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

st century: The decision drew rapid indignation from Canada's francophone community but elicited initial indifference from pundits in the anglophone media, normally so quick to equate any affirmation of the French character across the border in Quebec as an attack on minorities, according to Toronto Star. As such, the controversy offers a window into the Canadian psyche of the 21st century. Ontario also has Chinese citizens, and they don't get a university of their own either, he reasoned. Carol Jolin President of the Assemblee de la francophonie de l'Ontario holds a news conference in in Ottawa on Thursday. If I look at everything that has been done since the government took power, it is starting to look like an attack on francophones. He said Premier Doug Ford is showing a lack of respect towards the province's French-speaking minority. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

undocumented mexican: The congregants were preparing a sort of migrant caravan of their own, shuttling a single Mexican immigrant on a 15-mile journey from the church in Durham, North Carolina, to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office building in Morrisville, according to Toronto Star. The undocumented immigrant, Samuel Oliver-Bruno, had an appointment. Hands shot up without hesitation. A demonstrator is arrested after Samuel Oliver-Bruno, 47, an undocumented Mexican national, was arrested after arriving at an appointment with immigration officials, in Morrisville, N.C., Friday, Nov. 23. Travis Long / The Associated Press It was supposed to be routine, just a fingerprint a step on the road to a deportation reprieve. He had been living in City Well United Methodist Church in Durham since late 2017 to avoid the reach of immigration officers, who generally avoid making arrests at churches. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

times visit: Starts Jan 14. 6-8 30 pm, according to NOW Magazine. Free. Mentors review and discuss the Discover Canada study guide in easy English in small group settings. Room 1. For more information or to register call Hashem Rahim at 416-588-6288 ext 220. For dates and times visit the website. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vancouver grizzly: Pierre Lemaitre briefly acted as the face of the Mounties after Dziekanski was jolted multiple times with a police Taser during the 2007 confrontation.article continues below Trending Stories One koi rescued, three remain at Dr, according to Vancouver Courier. Sun Yat-Sen garden as otter continues to evade capture Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Grizzly bear kills woman, 10-month-old baby in Yukon, coroner says Lemaitre, who was 55 when he died, had said that Dziekanski was combative and that only two bursts from the Taser were used to subdue him.A civilian video later showed those statements were incorrect, but Lemaitre testified at an inquiry into the death that he released details provided by homicide detectives. Sgt. The inquiry concluded Lemaitre may not have known the information was wrong, but by then he had been transferred out of media relations.A lawsuit filed by the officer's widow after his death and settled out of court alleged Lemaitre had been made a scapegoat in the Dziekanski case. Coroner's office spokesman Andy Watson said in an emailed statement that jurors will have the opportunity to make recommendations to prevent deaths under similar circumstances. Deputy chief coroner Vincent Stancato and a jury will hear evidence in Burnaby from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding the suicide. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ends march: Sun Yat-Sen garden as otter continues to evade capture Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Grizzly bear kills woman, 10-month-old baby in Yukon, coroner says The legislature will elect a speaker Tuesday, followed Wednesday by Legault's inaugural speech outlining government priorities, according to Vancouver Courier. Finance Minister Eric Girard will deliver an economic update Dec. 3, in which Quebecers will learn the size of the projected surplus for this fiscal year, which ends March 31. Among Legault's commitments were pledges to cut taxes, launch large-scale infrastructure projects, reduce immigration levels and make kindergarten available to four-year-olds across the province.article continues below Trending Stories One koi rescued, three remain at Dr. Liberal finance critic Carlos Leitao told reporters Monday the economic update will be an important test of the new government. Last March, the Liberals said the province would finish the fiscal year roughly 3 billion in surplus, but Girard and Legault have both challenged that number since they took office. Legault and his ministers have tough choices to make, Leitao said, because despite what he called a considerable surplus left over by the Liberal government, Quebec's finances aren't a bottomless well. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vancouver: Sun Yat-Sen garden as otter continues to evade capture Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Grizzly bear kills woman, 10-month-old baby in Yukon, coroner saysrelated Home sales across B.C. to bounce back next year, claims forecast Home prices will continue to soften' over next two years forecast Detached home prices will soar after three-year slump analyst Opinion Five bad things for renters and three good under mooted vacancy control Would-be buyers sidelined in Metro region Despite a 35 per cent plunge in Lower Mainland housing sales this year, home prices remain the highest in Canada while rising mortgage rates will also help to keep buyers sidelined, according to Vancouver Courier. As of October there were more than 20,000 homes for sale through the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver REBGV and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, up 42 per cent from a year earlier, as sales cratered in both markets. In Metro Vancouver, the real winners in 2019 will be existing residential landlords who can expect high demand, less competition and low vacancy rates, based on Western Investor's analysis for its annual residential investment outlook. article continues below Trending Stories One koi rescued, three remain at Dr. Yet the composite benchmark home price in the Lower Mainland is 995,000 nearly twice as high as the national average and up 2.9 per cent from October 2017, according to the REBGV. The benchmark detached-house price, now at 1.28 million, is down 2.7 per cent from the same period last year. The majority of the newcomers will be renters, because Metro Vancouver has the least affordable homes in Canada, based on home prices and incomes, according to both the Royal Bank of Canada and Zoocasa Realty Inc. The Metro region will welcome 59,300 new residents this year and another 61,000 in 2019, more than 90 per cent of whom will move into the Lower Mainland. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

clark moran: It's just not what we imagined, according to CTV. This isn't the way we pictured it. This has really become our worst nightmare, Clark Moran told CTV News from the Vancouver International Airport before his flight. This wasn't the plan. After spending several weeks finalizing their son's citizenship documents, the couple then travelled to Accra, Ghana in September to drop off Ayo's paperwork at the High Commission of Canada to Ghana. Kimberlee Moran, who has multiple sclerosis, has been in Africa since early August, when she arrived with her husband to adopt Ayo, their two-year-old son, in Nigeria. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

church: Six bells rang out after the blessing, according to Vancouver Courier. The church says the unfinished building has cost 110 million euros 125 million three-quarters of which was public money. The 120-meter 394-feet high cathedral towers over a giant palace nearby built by late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu. Critics say the money would have been better spent on churches and hospitals. Some 86 per cent of Romanians are believers in the Orthodox church, which enjoyed a revival after communism ended in 1989. The state pays priests' salaries and for church building maintenance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

multicultural library: Wanting to celebrate the multiculturalism he saw in Calgary, Najam went door to door collecting books from his neighbours to create a little library where people could choose from classic books written in languages like English, French, Arabic, Punjabi or Cantonese, according to Toronto Star. Syed Najam started a little free multicultural library on his front lawn in northeast Calgary, with chairs to enjoy a good read and the idea is spreading. In May, Najam, with some help from his Love With Humanity community-building non-profit, set up a makeshift library outside his Saddle Ridge home in northeast Calgary. Christina Ryan / Star Metro Calgary Six months later, Najam has found community partners around the Calgary area to set up two more of these little libraries in the city, along with offerings in Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere. Originally from Pakistan, Najam moved to Canada in 2009. The new box in Okotoks will mark the seventh location, which Najam projects will be ready for the public in the next week or so. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

appeal notice: Lawyers for Oberlander, 94, of Waterloo, Ont., refused on Friday to discuss the appeal notice filed this week, so the legal underpinnings of their action were not immediately evident, according to CTV. However, in a letter sent to the court, the federal government made it clear that it objects to the filing. The notice of appeal from Helmut Oberlander comes even though a Federal Court judge recently ruled that Ottawa had acted reasonably in the case and limited his ability to appeal. The letter further asks that the Federal Court of Appeal registry forward the appeal notice to the court for review. The squad was responsible for killing close to 100,000 people, mostly Jewish. The Ukraine-born Oberlander, who came to Canada in 1954 and became a citizen six years later, has steadfastly maintained he was just 17 when he was forced on pain of execution to join the Nazi death squad Einsatzkommando 10a, known as Ek 10a. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

decision: Earlier this month, the administration asked the high court to fast-track cases on the president's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields young immigrants from deportation, according to Toronto Star. Administration officials also recently asked the high court to intervene to stop a trial in a climate change lawsuit and in a lawsuit over the administration's decision to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 census. It's the fourth time in recent months the administration has sought to bypass lower courts that have blocked some of its more controversial proposals and push the high court, with a conservative majority, to weigh in quickly on a divisive issue. The flag flies outside of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, Nov. 8. Trump's recent salvo against the Obama judge who ruled against his asylum policy not one of the issues currently before the Supreme Court prompted Chief Justice John Roberts to fire back at the president for the first time for feeding perceptions of a biased judiciary. SARAH SILBIGER / The New York Times The ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a frequent target of criticism by President Donald Trump, is involved in three of the cases. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

media users: Porter Airlines says it hopes it has helped belsnickeling to become a wider Christmas tradition in Nova Scotia, according to Toronto Star. Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS The airline bemused social media users with an article in its in-flight magazine that said belsnickeling is a popular tradition in the province. emilydawnlove/Twitter The article said belsnickeling was introduced by German immigrants in the 1750s, and involves people going to neighbours' houses in Santa costumes, jangling chains and bells. Porter Airlines bemused social media users with an article in its in-flight magazine that said belsnickeling is a popular tradition in the province. Cake and hot drinks are also involved. Could the Nova Scotian who fed this hilarious lie to Porter please show yourself, Twitter user emilydawnlove wrote in a post that got about 850 likes. But the idea was met with surprise and some mockery from many Nova Scotians who said they'd never heard of it even as a few lonely voices suggested it was a real thing, or at least used to be, in certain parts of the province. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.