Mark Mac Millan: Money raised will help the Badour family start a new life in Halifax, all of whom are currently refugees in Beirut after fleeing their devastated home city of Homs, according to The Chronicle Herald. The family is expected to arrive in Canada by the end of the year. Agnes Church on Mumford Road. This shred-a-thon is simply the easiest, most convenient and secure option Haligonians will have for destroying the sensitive papers and documents taking up space in their basements, closets and attics and — they will also be helping a Syrian refugee family start a new and better life in Halifax, said Mark Mac Millan, a St. Identity criminals want your name, address, birth date, social insurance number and whatever else you give them so they can profit from their crimes and make your life miserable, Detective Const. Agnes parishioner and mobile document destruction industry veteran. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Kitchener butcher shop: Ammar and Bashar Al-Hendi, the brothers who founded the shop, are themselves Syrian immigrants to Canada, according to CBC. Now, alongside veal and Turkish delight, they offer translation help, advice on where to find a mosque and they're even hiring newcomers to work in their shop. But the Kitchener butcher shop also has another role - helping Syrian newcomers to Waterloo Region. CBC Radio Andrea Bellemare paid a visit recently and found out how being helpful has also been good for business. LISTEN to Andrea Bellemare visit to Kitchener Ammas Halal Meats (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syrian refugees in Canada: The government had resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada between November and the end of February by deploying hundreds of staff overseas to process applications, including members of the Canadian Forces who helped handle medical and security screening, according to Globe and Mail. What role the military could play in the second round hasn't been decided, Mr. The fact that it was now going to take more than a year to bring people over left many groups frustrated. McCallum said. Officials at the Department of National Defence said they couldn't comment on what they're prepared to contribute. I don't know if military people will go back or not but we're in close conversation with them, and certainly people from my department, and some retired people, are going to be going back certainly this month, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

campaign speech: I couldn't stop smiling, according to Toronto Star. This, I knew, was a catastrophe of a campaign speech. By Daniel Dale Washington Bureau Thu., May 5, 2016 WASHINGTON—Donald Trump couldn't stop talking. I loved it. The ninth word out of his mouth, thousands, was a blatant lie: the crowd was no bigger than a few hundred. The whole thing seemed ridiculous. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Justin Trudeau: The next so-called "Three Amigos" summit will take place in Ottawa on June 29, according to Rabble. CBC reports: " Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will play host in the final week of June to U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto at the first gathering of the so-called Three Amigos to be held in Canada in nearly a decade. ... The prime minister has also invited Obama to address Parliament, an invitation he extended when the president feted him in Washington two months ago. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. And, not to play favorites, Pena Nieto will be in Ottawa ahead of the summit for a state visit of his own. If you listen to any of the U.S. election coverage right now: North American trade. It includes a formal dinner hosted by the prime minister at the National Gallery of Canada where a special exhibit of Mexican art is planned." What will the summit be about Laura Dawson, director of the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, D.C., says, "I think they need to make a new commitment to North America. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jaime Bastos: Citizenship and Immigration Canada provided the following explanation for the denial in a statement to the Bastos family: "I have determined that your family member, Gabriel Damasceno Bastos, is a person whose health condition might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services" Bastos arrived in Canada in 2011 alongside his wife Iara and their daughter Valentina, to complete his post PhD at the University of Calgary, according to CTV. The Bastos welcomed another child during their time in Calgary but the family of five was fractured as Gabriel remained in their native Brazil. Jaime Bastos, a critical care physician, says his son Gabriel application was denied as the disability was considered a potential burden on Canada health care system. The situation has been very difficult for me, Iara Bastos told CTV through an interpreter. The Bastos say Gabriel condition does not require extensive medical assistance and the family is financially capable of caring for their son without help from the government. I have been suffering a lot with the distance from my son. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

domestic variety: He hailed as an "agricultural hero," best known for the cross-breeding of a bright yellow wild potato from Peru with a domestic variety, according to CTV. That produced the Yukon Gold, which is praised for its versatility and flavour. It seems Gary Johnston, the plant scientist who bred the yellow-fleshed potato 50 years ago, was ahead of his time. Altogether Johnston developed and brought 16 potato varieties to market. Johnston named his iconic potato after the Yukon River, with its link to the Klondike Gold Rush. At one time, the top four varieties of potato were his, says the University of Guelph, where he was based with Agriculture Canada for close to 30 years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

George H.W. Bush: And while it demonstrates Trump inability to unify the GOP, it is the best example yet of his strategy of breaking the electorate in half and hoping he wound up with the bigger piece, according to Toronto Star. Losing the endorsements of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush — as harsh an indictment as the establishment can offer — is no punishment at all in the eyes of many conservatives. It the culmination of an anger inside the Republican Party that gave way to an alternate history of the decades since 1980 — and especially the years after 2008. This was tested in real time just months ago, when the younger Bush appeared on the campaign trail for the first time in a decade. The result: A weak fourth-place finish in South Carolina and the end of his run for president. He rallied for his brother, Jeb Bush, who started in a hole with Republican voters and became less popular as he campaigned. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Factory Theatre: The award-winning playwright behind the theatrical smash "Da Kink in My Hair" drew on the stories of her mother, Angela, and late grandmother Maude for her new play, which uses Canada West Indian Domestic Scheme as its historical backdrop, according to Metro News. Under the plan introduced in the mid-1950s, eligible black women aged 18 to 35 were permitted to enter Canada, primarily from Jamaica and Barbados. It crosses over class," Anthony said in an interview ahead of the play world premiere Thursday at the Factory Theatre in Toronto."This is a mother that is trying her best to love her child, and her daughter does not think that her mother loved her in the way that she needed to be loved — and I think all of us can relate to that."We all have that sort of conflict at some point in our lives.... Our mothers aren't the people that we want them to be, and as mothers sometimes, your children aren't the people that you expected them to be.""How Black Mothers Say I Love You" documents the story of Daphne , who has left her children in Jamaica and journeyed to Canada for work. Following a year as a domestic servant, they were awarded landed immigrant status and later allowed to apply for citizenship. As a result, the denials made it impossible for parents to send for their kids, leaving many families devastated, Anthony noted."Not a lot was really documented about what happened to these families, what happened to these mothers," she said."I really wanted to explore in this play the dynamics of what makes a good mother. Since one of the requirements of the scheme was for women to have no children, many lied about being mothers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration Minister John McCallum: But with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau having promised repeatedly to lift the requirement and the so-called "Three Amigos" summit scheduled to take place in Ottawa on June 29, the push is on to find a way, according to Metro News. Options on the table include waiting until more resources in place to better monitor travel, and threatening to reinstate the visa requirement if asylum claims from Mexico cross a certain threshold. It not only a matter of money: on certain indicators used to decide whether to remove visas, Mexico may not qualify, spurring internal debate about how to justify lifting the visa requirement without doing so for other countries. Immigration Minister John McCallum said Thursday that the government is mindful of the risks."We are all working assiduously to deal with those problems and to mitigate them," he said. The majority were rejected as unfounded. The previous Conservative government imposed visa restrictions on Mexico in 2009, citing a need to curb asylum claims — in 2008, there were more than 9,000, making up nearly a quarter of all claims filed that year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Supreme Court: But the government order issued Tuesday required Penner to leave within two days, according to Toronto Star. Penner lawyer, Dipendra Jha, says his client will fly out of Nepal later on Thursday, but Jha will continue the case in court on his behalf. By The Associated Press Thu., May 5, 2016 KATHMANDU, NEPAL—A Canadian man will leave Nepal today after a court failed to hear his appeal for the revocation of his work visa over critical social media posts.A lawyer for Robert Penner says the Supreme Court did not have time to hear the appeal Thursday and their turn would likely only come up on Friday. Penner was present in court all day but refused to speak to the media. They criticized the new constitution Nepal adopted last September and the government handling of violent ethnic protests. Article Continued Below The government made the rare decision to expel a foreigner because a report prepared by authorities suggested his critical posts on Twitter threatened national unity and could disturb social harmony. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

The Huffington Post Alberta: On Wednesday, refugee Naser Nader spurred hundreds to action when he wrote on Facebook about his wish to repay Canadians by helping those affected by the blaze. "Canadians have provided a lot to us," read a post translated by Rita Khallas from Arabic to English. "Now it is our turn." Sam Nammoura, co-founder of the support group, said he was amazed when the newcomers first came to him with the idea. "Syria has a long history of being very generous," Nammoura told The Huffington Post Alberta. "Those newcomers who just came two, three months ago ... five dollars to them is just a huge amount of dollars, according to Huffington Post Canada. I was so proud. A group of newcomers part of the Syrian Refugee Support Group Calgary are offering up what little they have — Walid Ajram is collecting hampers of necessary supplies, while Rita Khallas is collecting $5 donations — for evacuees fleeing Fort McMurray wildfire. It brought tears to my eyes, it brought joy to my heart. "I'm so proud of them, I'm so happy." Members of the Syrian Refugee Support Group Calgary fill hampers to send to Fort McMurray evacuees. That something they can easily relate to. Saima Jamal, another co-founder of the group, told The Calgary Herald she was amazed by their generosity. "You have to understand how little these guys have…But they understand the idea of an entire city losing their home. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: Court documents show Do -- who was then 26 -- began communicating with M.F., 13, of Calgary, in September 2013 when she posted online that she wanted to meet guys, according to CTV. The two pursued their contact via social media and text messaging, and he asked her to be his girlfriend. Authorities in Santa Ana, Calif., said Paul Binh Do, 29, was taken into federal custody this week after signing a plea deal involving two charges: travelling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and being in receipt of child pornography. They also exchanged nude and sexually explicit photos and videos, and he persuaded her to engage in "prohibited sexual conduct," according to the agreed statement of facts in the plea agreement. Do, of Garden Grove, Calif., told immigration officials he was planning to visit another 22-year-old woman in Calgary he had met online, the documents show. Despite knowing her age, Do flew to Calgary in May 2014 to have sex with M.F. on what would have been her 14th birthday, but was arrested on arrival by Canadian authorities, who found explicit images of the girl on his computer and phones. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration Department: McCallum sending more staff to Jordan and Lebanon to boost refugee intake Syrian refugees turn to food banks as they struggle to cope with high cost of living Syrian refugees not arriving quickly enough say B.C. private sponsors "We're doing everything we can to honour our commitment to deliver the refugees who had been applied for by March 30," McCallum said, according to CBC. McCallum committed to private groups to bring as many as 10,000 Syrians by the end of this year or early next, a response to the outcry that erupted when the government massive Syrian refugee resettlement program ended and the processing of applications returned to a far slower pace. Existing and retired staff from the Immigration Department are set to head overseas this month to begin working through hundreds of applications submitted by private groups across the country, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday. Hundreds of groups protested, saying they'd raising thousands of dollars, rented apartments and lined up other supports for Syrians under the assumption that while the large-scale airlifts might be over, helping Syrians would remain a top priority for government. The government had resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada between November and the end of February by deploying hundreds of staff overseas to process applications, including members of the Canadian Forces who helped handled medical and security screening. The fact it was now going to take more than a year to bring people over left many groups frustrated. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Alberta Officials: MANDATORY CREDIT FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. - Canadian officials will start moving thousands of people from work camps north of devastated Fort McMurray in a mass highway convoy Friday morning if it is safe from a massive wildfire raging in Alberta, according to Brandon Sun. Officials airlifted 8,000 people on Thursday and will continue the airlift Friday, while a mass migration of cars will move south in the morning. At least half of the northern Alberta city was ordered evacuated Tuesday as a wildfire whipped by winds engulfed homes and sent ash raining down on residents. The Alberta provincial government, which declared a state of emergency, said more than 1,100 firefighters, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 air tankers were fighting the fire, but Chad Morrison, Alberta manager of wildfire prevention, said rain is needed. "Let me be clear: air tankers are not going to stop this fire," he said. "It is going to continue to push through these dry conditions until we actually get some significant rain." The fire continued to grow, but it is moving away from Fort McMurray and the rate of its growth has slowed. More than 80,000 people have emptied Fort McMurray in the heart of Canada oil sands, authorities said. No rain clouds were expected around Fort McMurray until late Saturday, with 40 per cent chance of showers, according to forecasts by Environment Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

domestic variety: He hailed as an "agricultural hero," best known for the cross-breeding of a bright yellow wild potato from Peru with a domestic variety, according to Guelph Mercury. That produced the Yukon Gold, which is praised for its versatility and flavour. It seems Gary Johnston, the plant scientist who bred the yellow-fleshed potato 50 years ago, was ahead of his time. Altogether Johnston developed and brought 16 potato varieties to market. Johnston named his iconic potato after the Yukon River, with its link to the Klondike Gold Rush. At one time, the top four varieties of potato were his, says the University of Guelph, where he was based with Agriculture Canada for close to 30 years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration Minister John McCallum: But with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau having promised repeatedly to lift the requirement and the so-called "Three Amigos" summit scheduled to take place in Ottawa on June 29, the push is on to find a way, according to Brandon Sun. Options on the table include waiting until more resources in place to better monitor travel, and threatening to reinstate the visa requirement if asylum claims from Mexico cross a certain threshold. It not only a matter of money: on certain indicators used to decide whether to remove visas, Mexico may not qualify, spurring internal debate about how to justify lifting the visa requirement without doing so for other countries. Immigration Minister John McCallum said Thursday that the government is mindful of the risks. "We are all working assiduously to deal with those problems and to mitigate them," he said. The majority were rejected as unfounded. The previous Conservative government imposed visa restrictions on Mexico in 2009, citing a need to curb asylum claims — in 2008, there were more than 9,000, making up nearly a quarter of all claims filed that year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

social insurance numbers: The process is similar to the way the government assigns newborn Canadians a social insurance number by doing so through the provinces when a birth certificate is registered, a program dubbed "SIN Γåò Birth." That system in Ontario, for instance, cost $5 million to set up, according to CTV. The audit, publicly posted late last month, suggests a similar system for new Canadians would cost about the same. The idea auditors pushed would take two pilot projects that help new landed immigrants apply for social insurance numbers and expand them nationwide to more easily process hundreds of thousands of applications a year. The department responsible, Employment and Social Development Canada, says it is studying the idea and a decision about whether to move ahead should be made by November. But the information used for those citizenship documents needs to be sound, and the audit suggests there remain a few opportunities for errors that could cost the government money or be an annoyance to a social insurance number holder. Aside from the savings, the auditors who reviewed the social insurance number program said a one-stop shop for new Canadians to apply for citizenship documents along with a SIN would limit the chances for mistakes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

millennials: Not only that, the percentage that own their own homes is significantly higher during the most recent census than in previous generations, according to Vancouver Courier. Well, there we have it. According to the BCREA, Vancouver is a magnet for millennials, with the population of those between the ages of 20 and 34 growing by nearly 10 per cent since 2005. We can safely conclude that the warnings of another report released last week, this one from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation indicating that Vancouver housing market is overvalued, has no bearing on this generation. The data presented in the BCREA report seems to ignore the fact that millennials are the largest generation in Canada — hence there are just more 20 to 34 year olds out there now than there were a decade ago. The kids are sticking around and some are even buying homes, so they're alright, right Wrong. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

western province: Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman, who also serves as the province health minister, will replace Notley as Alberta representative, according to Brandon Sun. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, who is hosting the annual gathering, said emergency management will be at the forefront of the discussions as the blaze in Fort McMurray, Alta., forces tens of thousands to flee the encroaching flames. "Alberta in the midst of it at the moment, but every other western province experiences forest fires, floods, concerns about earthquakes and other disasters," Clark said on Wednesday. "So that going to be a major focus for us." Still, Clark said much of the conference would also centre around the economy, given what she described as Western Canada role in a national context. "We have traditionally been the economic engine of the country for the last decade," she said. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will no longer attend the 2016 Western Premiers' Conference, which is scheduled to run Thursday and Friday. The meeting will also focus on job creation, immigration and infrastructure investment, and she will push her counterparts to reach consensus on renegotiating a softwood lumber deal with the United States, Clark said. Brian Pallister was officially sworn into office in Manitoba on Tuesday, two days before the conference was scheduled to begin. "Premier Pallister is very much looking forward to meeting and improving relations with our Western neighbours," said Olivia Billson, a spokeswoman for the premier. Two provincial elections have taken place since last year conference, and premiers will be making room for a new face at the table. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada: So in the interest of social well-being, we should not pretend that our country is flawless, according to Vancouver Courier. The self-righteousness we exhibit because Canada does not have a homegrown Donald Trump rings hollow when we overhear some of the comments in cafes or read the vox populi sections of the Internet. Yet we have all heard bigotries expressed about people of other religions and, using one measure, when violence in the form of hate crimes take place in Canada, it is overwhelmingly directed at religious minorities. The Vancouver School of Theology, the incubator of some pretty awesome intellectual and social exploration on the UBC campus, is hosting an event that intends to get to the root of some of the most challenging issues a multicultural and multi-religious society confronts — or should confront. But ordinary folks do not need to take two days off work to experience some of what the conference has to offer. Encountering the Other: An Inter-Religious Conference is a major, three-day affair beginning Sunday, May 15. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syrian refugees: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - Talks with the military to provide assistance in bringing thousands more Syrian refugees to Canada are under way as the Liberal government appears to be spooling up efforts to make good on a promise to private sponsorship groups, according to Brandon Sun. Existing and retired staff from the Immigration Department are set to head overseas this month to begin working through hundreds of applications submitted by private groups across the country, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday. "We're doing everything we can to honour our commitment to deliver the refugees who had been applied for by March 30," McCallum said. McCallum says talks are underway with the military about again helping with efforts to bring Syrian refugees to Canada. McCallum committed to private groups to bring as many as 10,000 Syrians by the end of this year or early next, a response to the outcry that erupted when the government massive Syrian refugee resettlement program ended and the processing of applications returned to a far slower pace. The fact it was now going to take more than a year to bring people over left many groups frustrated. Hundreds of groups protested, saying they'd raising thousands of dollars, rented apartments and lined up other supports for Syrians under the assumption that while the large-scale airlifts might be over, helping Syrians would remain a top priority for government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian special forces: Sajjan, attending meetings in Stuttgart, Germany, said ethnic and political divisions in Iraq are top of mind not only for western leaders, but for troops on the ground — including Canadian special forces operators advising Iraqi fighters. "We're working very closely right down to the lowest level to make sure the political situation is not heated up," Sajjan said during a conference call Wednesday, according to Guelph Mercury. Almost all of the armed groups in Iraq have sponsors in one form or another, including the Iran-backed Shiite militia; Sunni local defence forces trained by Turkey; and Kurdish fighters whom Americans and Canadians are backing. Western nations fear Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will be unable to keep sectarian rivals and Kurdish nationalists from turning on each other once Mosul is free from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. U.S. Secretary of Defence Ash Carter was more blunt in a statement released shortly after Wednesday meeting. "We called on all of Iraq political leaders to commit themselves to the legal and peaceful reconciliation of political differences in order to confront the nation challenges and to remain united against the common enemy of ISIL/Daesh," he said, using two of the militant group many aliases. The perception hasn't gotten much better with the use of Iran-backed Shiite militias to retake other cities overrun by the Islamic State, notably the city of Tikrit. The Abadi government has been blamed for giving rising to ISIL, and the capture of Mosul in 2014, through its deliberate alienation of Iraq Sunni population. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: The cases flagged represent just a fraction of the nearly half a million people who've become Canadian citizens in the last two years, but that doesn't mean improvements aren't necessary, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Tuesday. "The vast majority of the cases are clear but we are not happy if even one case is fraudulently obtained and that is why we are vigorously implementing the recommendations of the auditor general," McCallum said, according to The Waterloo Record. Recommendations related to improving information sharing between departments will be implemented by the end of the year, McCallum said. Michael Ferguson report uncovered instances of people with serious criminal records and others using potentially phoney addresses among those who managed to secure Canadian citizenship thanks to holes throughout not just the Immigration Department but the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency as well. Another suggestion — that officers be given more power to seize fraudulent documents — is currently in a bill being debated in the House of Commons. The audit also revealed it took seven years for officials to cotton on to the fact a single address had been used by at least 50 different applicants during overlapping time periods. Among the cases caught by Michael Ferguson team: four people who were granted citizenship despite having criminal records that would render them ineligible, and two who were approved despite having committed crimes after passing a criminal-background check. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee resettlement program: McCallum committed to private groups to bring as many as 10,000 Syrians by the end of this year or early next, a response to the outcry that erupted when the government massive Syrian refugee resettlement program ended and the processing of applications returned to a far slower pace, according to The Waterloo Record. Hundreds of groups protested, saying they'd raising thousands of dollars, rented apartments and lined up other supports for Syrians under the assumption that while the large-scale airlifts might be over, helping Syrians would remain a top priority for government. Existing and retired staff from the Immigration Department are set to head overseas this month to begin working through hundreds of applications submitted by private groups across the country, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday. "We're doing everything we can to honour our commitment to deliver the refugees who had been applied for by March 30," McCallum said. The fact it was now going to take more than a year to bring people over left many groups frustrated. What role the military could play in the second round hasn't been decided, McCallum said. "I don't know if military people will go back or not but we're in close conservation with them and certainly people from my department, and some retired people, are going to be doing back certainly this month," he said. The government had resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada between November and the end of February by deploying hundreds of staff overseas to process applications, including members of the Canadian Forces who helped handled medical and security screening. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

western province: Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman, who also serves as the province health minister, will replace Notley as Alberta representative, according to Metro News. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, who is hosting the annual gathering, said emergency management will be at the forefront of the discussions as the blaze in Fort McMurray, Alta., forces tens of thousands to flee the encroaching flames."Alberta in the midst of it at the moment, but every other western province experiences forest fires, floods, concerns about earthquakes and other disasters," Clark said on Wednesday. "So that going to be a major focus for us."Still, Clark said much of the conference would also centre around the economy, given what she described as Western Canada role in a national context."We have traditionally been the economic engine of the country for the last decade," she said. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will no longer attend the 2016 Western Premiers' Conference, which is scheduled to run Thursday and Friday. The meeting will also focus on job creation, immigration and infrastructure investment, and she will push her counterparts to reach consensus on renegotiating a softwood lumber deal with the United States, Clark said. Brian Pallister was officially sworn into office in Manitoba on Tuesday, two days before the conference was scheduled to begin."Premier Pallister is very much looking forward to meeting and improving relations with our Western neighbours," said Olivia Billson, a spokeswoman for the premier. Two provincial elections have taken place since last year conference, and premiers will be making room for a new face at the table. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.