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.

album naath: Musician Emmanuel Jal, once a child soldier in his native Sudan, now lives in Toronto, according to Toronto Star. He and his sister Nyaruch, who continues to live in a refugee camp in Kenya, managed to collaborate for the album Naath. Peter Gabriel. The album is nominated for a JUNO as World Music Album of the Year. Peter Gabriel found out about the link and added his donation. Rick Madonik / Toronto Star That was a shock, says dreadlocked rapper Jal, 39, during an interview in the living room of his west-end Toronto home. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

caregiver immigration: Groups that represent and work with migrant workers say they welcome many of the announced changes, but questions remain about whether restrictive requirements to achieve permanent residency will remain, according to CTV. The program allowing temporary foreign workers is meant to help employers fill job vacancies when Canadians are not available. Last month, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced two new five-year pilot projects on caregiver immigration, which have been billed as a way to allow caregivers to come to Canada with their families and offering them greater opportunity to become permanent residents. The government is supposed to make sure employers use the program to respond only to real labour shortages, but concerns have been raised repeatedly over the years about migrant workers' being tied to employers who have abused them by making them work long hours, cutting their paycheques with arbitrary fees and offering poor living conditions. Kara Manso, the co-ordinator of the Caregivers Action Centre in Toronto, says her office has been flooded with queries from foreign workers looking for more details about whether they will qualify for these new programs. Workers who care for children or frail people can be vulnerable because they labour mainly in private homes, though they aren't the only ones affected. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dixit: All 157 passengers and crew members on board the plane were killed in the crash, according to CTV. CP24 and CTV News Toronto spoke to Manant Vaidya and his wife Hiral Vaidya about the loss of his parents, sister, brother-in-law and two nieces. Ashka Dixit, 14, and Anushka Dixit, 13, were on a family vacation with their parents, 37-year-old Kosha Vaidya and 45-year-old Preit Dixit and their grandparents, 73-year-old Pannagesh Vaidya and 67-year-old Hansini Vaidya when an Ethiopian Airlines plane went down shortly after departing from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The couple said their family members were on a trip to Kenya during the March break as Kosha Vaidya wanted to show her daughters where she grew up. With the March break this was the perfect oppourtunity for them to show them. She wanted to show her daughter where she was born where she was delivered in the hospital and the safari was the place they were going to go enjoy the animals, Manant Vaidya said while holding back tears inside their home. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump: That's alongside steep cuts in health care and economic support programs for the poor that Democrats -- and even some Republicans -- will oppose, according to CTV. Trump on Monday called his plan a bold next step for a nation experiencing an economic miracle. Reviving his border wall fight with Congress, Trump wants more than 8 billion for the barrier with Mexico, and he's also asking for a big boost in military spending. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called his cuts cruel and shortsighted ... a roadmap to a sicker, weaker America. The deficit is projected to hit 1.1 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year, the highest in a decade. Presidential budgets tend to be seen as aspirational blueprints, rarely becoming enacted policy, and Trump's proposal for the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, sets up a showdown with Congress over priorities, especially as he reignites his push for money to build the U.S-Mexico border wall. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

addis ababa: It accounts for the nationalities of 150 of the 157 people believed to have been on board, according to Toronto Star. Wreckage lies at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometers 31 miles south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Sunday, March 10, 2019. Here is the latest list of nationalities as released by the airline. The Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Ethiopia's capital on Sunday morning, killing all 157 on board, authorities said, including 18 Canadians. AP / THE CANADIAN PRESS Kenya 32Canada 18Ethiopia 9Article Continued Below China 8Italy 8United States 8France 7UK 7Egypt 6Germany 5Article Continued Below India 4Slovakia 4Austria 3Russia 3Sweden 3Spain 2Israel 2Morocco 2Poland 2Belgium 1Djibouti 1Indonesia 1Ireland 1Mozambique 1Norway 1Rwanda 1Saudi Arabia 1Sudan 1Somalia 1Serbia 1Togo 1Uganda 1Yemen 1Nepal 1Nigeria 1U.N. passport 1Report an error Journalistic Standards About The StarTOP STORIES, DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.NEW NEWSLETTERHEADLINESSIGN UP (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian expert: Organization expert Jane Veldhoven gets ready to tackle the play room of Pam Gaines' Halifax home in The Big Downsize, according to Toronto Star. VISION TV With TV viewers going mad for the idea of purging things thanks to Marie Kondo's Netflix series, along comes this Canadian-made show about a close relative of decluttering downsizing. COURTESY OF HELENA WITTMANN Watch this if You'd like to meet a Canadian expert on tidying up. In the five-part series shot in Halifax, organizational expert Jane Veldhoven helps out two families a couple who are divorcing and dividing a houseful of possessions between two much smaller apartments; and four siblings who have a month to empty their parents' overstuffed house. Article Continued Below Debra YeoTUESDAYA Boogie wit da Hoodie Watch this for Part 1 of a killer week in the port lands. Vision TV at 9 p.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

arab israelis: The Israeli leader, slumping in the polls after the dramatic announcement of his pending corruption indictment, is portraying Tibi as a threat to national security in a charged campaign that critics say questions the loyalty of the country's Arab citizens, according to CTV. Using his own nickname, Netanyahu has been repeating a campaign mantra Bibi or Tibi. Ahead of April 9 elections, Netanyahu has zoned in on prominent Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi. The snappy slogan, eagerly parroted by his hard-line allies, highlights Netanyahu's efforts to paint his challengers as weak leftists conspiring with Arab Israelis and a hostile media to oust him. Tibi is known for his harsh criticism of government policies toward the country's Arab citizens and toward Palestinians who live under Israeli control in territories Israel captured in 1967. It also shines a spotlight on Tibi -- an affable, media-savvy political veteran who speaks fluent Hebrew. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

newspaper reporters: But Javid revoked her passport, saying Begum hadn't shown any remorse, according to CTV. The teen had told newspaper reporters she didn't have a problem with ISIS actions, including the beheading of captives. Shamima Begum, who had left London as a 15-year-old in 2015 to join the Islamic State group, had pleaded with British authorities before her baby was born to let her return to Britain to raise the child. Begum's infant son died Friday. No clear cause of death has yet been given, but reports suggested he was having respiratory problems. Begum's family said the boy appeared to be in good health when he was born on Feb. 17. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

id: Follow Raw Story! function d, s, id var js, fjs if d.get Element ById id return; js d.create Element s ; js.id id; js.src fjs ; document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk' ; Follow rawstory !function d,s,id var 'script', 'twitter-wjs' ;Over the last year, Beto O'Rourke gained a national following for his unorthodox campaign against U.S. Sen, according to Rabble. Ted Cruz. Beto O'Rourke at CNN's Texas Town Hall Don't miss stories. From his ubiquitous livestreams of jampacked campaign events to that viral video of him defending NFL players' right to protest, the campaign was the latest expression of a political brand he had built up in El Paso, eschewing political labels and partisan attachments while opting for broad, values-based appeals over granular policy pronouncements. In the Democratic primary for Senate, it was such a no-brainer that for any Democrat or progressive who wanted to beat Ted Cruz, if someone as inspiring as Beto was running, there were very few questions asked about the minutiae of his policy positions, said Adam Green, co-founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which endorsed O'Rourke against Cruz. Now, as O'Rourke prepares to join the crowded race of Democrats auditioning to take on President Donald Trump, even those who supported O'Rourke in the Senate race acknowledge a presidential bid would cast a much brighter light on an overarching question Just who is Beto O'Rourke politically At the heart of it, according to both supporters and critics, is a simple reality Running against Cruz in Texas is a lot different from running against a bunch of other Democrats nationally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ruling liberals: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers remarks at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on March 7, 2019, according to Toronto Star. The Star talked to Canadians who voted Liberal in 2015 and found out all is not well. Another Star poll showed the ruling Liberals slipping from a solid lead in recent months to well behind the Conservatives. Justin Tang / THE CANADIAN PRESS But what, exactly, is driving the shift in electoral dynamics What about the SNC-Lavalin affair has moved the electorate Or is it the affair at all The Star talked to a handful of people across the country who chose the Liberals in 2015 about whether they would vote the same way again and why. Yes, SNC-Lavalin came up as a concern. The result Article Continued Below Many are considering changing their votes but not necessarily for the reasons or the parties you might expect. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

meng wanzhou: Meng is wanted in the U.S. on fraud related charges in connection with violating sanctions on Iran allegations China angrily dismisses as a politically motivated attack, according to National Observer. The U.S. Senate foreign-relations committee introduced a measure this week that commends Canada for arresting Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver to fulfil an American extradition request. Freeland's remarks in an email to The Canadian Press came hours after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a Beijing news conference his country would take all necessary measures to defend Chinese companies and citizens abroad against deliberate political suppression. ; The latest round in Canada's diplomatic dispute with China came as a new poll was released Friday by the University of British Columbia that cast new light on the deterioration of Sino-Canadian relations since the Meng affair. The joint Republican and Democratic effort recognizes Canada for upholding the rule of law and expresses concern over actions by China in response to the U.S. request. Canada appreciates these bipartisan efforts in the U.S. Senate to pass a resolution echoing our call for the release of Mr. It calls on China to release Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who were jailed by Beijing authorities following Meng's arrest. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

montreal police: Provincial police officers were accused of abusing Indigenous women in the northwestern city of Val-d'Or, according to National Observer. And the anti-corruption unit, known as UPAC, has suffered from low morale, recruiting difficulties and a string of embarrassing and damaging leaks to the press. ; And this week, provincial police chief Martin Prud'homme was suspended pending the results of an investigation into an allegation he committed criminal offences. Internecine rivalries have divided the Montreal police. Criminologist Maria Mourani, a former Bloc Quebecois MP from Montreal, said it is hard to assess whether Quebecers have begun losing confidence in their police forces. But that fact the public is aware of the many problems is a sign democracy is working, Mourani added. Every organization has its issues, she said in a recent interview. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

abortion convictions: All claimed they had miscarriages, according to CTV. The court found that the women were victims of social and economic circumstances and ruled that the original sentences were unreasonable. The three women had spent about 10 years in prison on aggravated homicide charges for allegedly having abortions. In all three cases, the court recognized that the women have had adverse social, economic and family situations, and the sentences were disproportionate and immoral, said the Foundation for Research on the Application of the Law. An additional 18 women remain behind bars for abortion convictions in El Salvador, where abortion is illegal in all situations. Upon being released from the women's prison in the capital, Alba Lorena Rodriguez, 31, said, We hope the government will recognize that a lot of women in here are innocent, and God willing, they will be freed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city council: Land transfer tax revenues, once a buoyant source of cash for new programs, are expected to continue drooping in 2019, according to Toronto Star. The Gardiner is consuming 53 per cent of your state-of-good-repair transportation budget although it only represents 1.32 per cent of your roadway lane kilometres in the city. Mayor John Tory convinced a majority of 25 councillors to honour his low-tax pledge, despite booming population growth and demand on services. It does beg the question If we weren't looking after that, what other roads could we look after as well ' said City Manager Chris Murray as city council debated the 2019 budget. Efforts by some to boost taxes to do more to help low-income Torontonians failed amid concerns about the effect on homeowners, especially senior citizens. Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star The budget consists of a 13.5 billion plan to cover operating expenses in 2019 things like city workers' salaries and the day-to-day expenses of running the city and a 40.7 billion 10-year capital spending plan, which covers large infrastructure investments and maintenance of city assets. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

british citizen: He didn't provide further details, according to CTV. In a day of conflicting reports about the baby's fate, lawyer Tasnime Akunjee tweeted that he had strong but as yet unconfirmed reports that Shamima Begum's son has died. Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, confirmed that the infant died at a camp in north Syria. He was a British citizen. Then, Bali tweeted that the reports were fake and the baby is alive and healthy. He declined to provide further details. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

job i: What Liberal MPs Jody Wilson-Raybould, left, and Jane Philpott take part in a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Jan. 14, 2019, according to Toronto Star. Philpott and Wilson-Raybould made strange feminist decisions in a feminist government with a gender-equal cabinet, Heather Mallick writes. Jane Philpott would quit her job I said. Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS Her decision was wrenching. The first time was a tiny editor who said he would hire me if I slept with him, and I briskly left the building. She was, and will remain, on my list of most admired humans so perhaps I should follow her path and step away from writing and cut ties with my very fine national editor.I have already quit two jobs on a point of principle. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

move friday: It means Britain no longer regards her case as simply a consular matter and raises it to the level of a legal dispute between Britain and Iran, according to CTV. The move was rejected as a violation of international law by Iran's ambassador to Britain, who said his country does not regard Zaghari-Ratcliffe as British. The Foreign Office said Friday the move means Britain formally asserts that Iran has failed to meet its international obligations in its treatment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 on charges of plotting against the Iranian government. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe welcomed the move Friday, saying it could lead to a resolution of her case within months. Her family denies the allegations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

priority lists: There were some common concerns preoccupying municipal leaders, like economic development, planning, transportation, and water supply, according to Toronto Star. Pumpjacks near Halkirk, Alta., on June 20, 2007. Researchers at the University of Calgary recently surveyed more than 1,000 municipalities across the country, asking their mayors and councillors to rank the importance of a range of issues. A new study shows climate change is significantly lower on Alberta municipalities' priority lists than in British Columbia. On a four-point scale of importance from slightly to extremely important, climate change was ranked more than one point higher in B.C. than in Alberta. Larry Mac Dougal / The Canadian Press But rankings were far from universal, and one of the biggest differences was how likely municipal politicians in Alberta and their neighbours to the west were to view climate change as a significant issue, said Jack Lucas, co-author of the study and an assistant professor in U of C's political science department. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

healthcare recruitment: I was trying to solve a healthcare issue through technology, so that's how my journey ended up in entrepreneurship, said Abu-Remaileh, who is also a physician, according to National Observer. I don't come from a business background. Since 2016, her business has worked to streamline healthcare recruitment by directly connecting job-seeking physicians with healthcare facilities. It was a steep learning curve. ; We know women are highly capital efficient, vickis says. They...create more connective tissue in their local community, and build sustainable solutions for challenges we're facing. They get to profitability really quickly. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pam danziger: From Tokyo's glitzy Ginza shopping district to Hong Kong, Macau and New York's Fifth Avenue, there are noticeable cracks in what has been the very bankable strategy of catering to throngs of newly affluent Chinese travelling the world, according to Toronto Star. Explanations vary from China's slowing economy to the government's push to spur spending at home and fluctuations in currency values. Now there are doubts about how long the buffet will last. Whatever the reason, the result is increasing worry across the globe. Dreamstime Luxury brands have gained a lot of traction and growth out of China, but the bloom is off the rose, said Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing Inc. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which researches affluent shoppers. Jeweller Tiffany & Co.; Capri Holdings Ltd., the owner of Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo; and Coach parent Tapestry Inc. have said spending by Chinese tourists in cities including New York and Hong Kong has weakened. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deputy spokesman: Nusrat Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said 31 people were wounded in the attack launched from a house near the ceremony, according to CTV. Security forces battled for several hours with militants holed up in the house, Rahimi said, and two insurgents were eventually killed and one person arrested. Both men were unharmed, but three others were killed, a government official said. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai attended the gathering. The ceremony was commemorating the 1995 death of prominent minority Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari, who was killed by the Taliban. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

manuel guevara: The prosecutor's office said the police were seeking information about priests Mauricio Viquez and Manuel Guevara and looking for clues to any possible coverup of sexual abuse cases by San Jose Archbishop Jose Rafael Quiros, according to CTV. An international arrest warrant has been issued against Viquez, who is accused of abusing two teenagers in 2003 and was expelled from the priesthood two weeks ago. The raids on offices of the metropolitan curia and the national bishop's conference were broadcast live on television, which showed officers from the judiciary's investigation bureau taking documents and computers from two buildings in the centre of San Jose. Viquez took a leave of absence from teaching at a local university last month and immigration records indicate he left the country on Jan. 7. He has been detained and released, but must report periodically with authorities. Guevara served at a parish just north of the capital. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

plane travel: Stop wherever and whenever you want, according to Rabble. See something cool a quarter mile down the track Just pull in, stretch those legs, grab a bite, and snap a pic. Maybe even the best. As great as train or plane travel is, neither can match that level of freedom. One experience for each state that could capture something of its essence and maybe even better our collective understanding of the country as a whole. Having long ago proven our abiding love for the open road, we thought we'd attempt the impossible and pick the very best road trip stops along the highways, byways, and back roads of America. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

senate hearing: The Arizona Republican, a 26-year military veteran, made the disclosure at a Senate hearing on the military's efforts to prevent sexual assaults and improve the response when they occur, according to CTV. Lawmakers also heard from other service members who spoke of being sexually assaulted and humiliated while serving their country. Martha McSally, the first female Air Force fighter pilot to fly in combat, said she was sexually assaulted by a superior officer and later, when she tried to talk about it to military officials, she felt like the system was raping me all over again. McSally said she did not report being raped because she did not trust the system and was ashamed and confused. She was in the ninth class at the Air Force Academy to allow women, and she said sexual harassment and assault were prevalent. She said she was impressed and grateful to the survivors who came forward to help change the system. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

abu owners: Internal documents about Man City's business and emails between club executives have been published in the Football Leaks series led by Der Spiegel magazine, according to Vancouver Courier. The revelations suggest Man City officials deceived UEFA over several years, including by disguising the source of revenue from overvalued sponsorships tied to the club's owners in Abu Dhabi.UEFA acted after the latest release last Friday included complete emails detailing how Abu Dhabi's owners secretly paid into inflated commercial deals. Europe's soccer body can ban clubs from its Champions League in the most serious cases of breaking Financial Fair Play rules designed to control excessive spending on player transfers and wages.article continues below Trending Stories Meet one of UBC's engineering women making inroads in male-dominated field Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Vancouver gang task force delivers major blow to organized crime Police warn Bitcoin ATMs easier, more profitable' for laundering money than casinosUEFA said Thursday its independent club finance panel is focusing on several alleged violations of FFP that were recently made public in various media outlets. The accusation of financial irregularities are entirely false, Man City said in a statement adding it welcomes the opening of the formal probe. The club has not disputed authenticity of the documents since publication began in November. It's an opportunity to bring to an end the speculation resulting from the illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails, the English champion said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

eu: As Britain lurches toward an EU exit due in just over three weeks, EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that while the talks take place in a constructive atmosphere, discussions have been difficult, according to CTV. No solution has been identified at this point, he said. Britain's chief law officer claimed the two sides were holding robust discussions on new British proposals. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said a meeting Tuesday with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier had been robust -- often a code-word for fraught with disagreement. We're into the meat of the matter now, Cox told Sky News. These are very sensitive discussions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.