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.

Irish community: The stone, stained black from exhaust fumes, sits in a little-visited industrial zone near the foot of the bridge, and some members of the Montreal Irish community say the city needs to do a better job of honouring the chapter of Canadian history it represents. "This is the largest single burial site of the Great Hunger in the world outside of Ireland itself," said Victor Boyle, one of the directors of the Montreal Irish Memorial Park Foundation. "It also the first memorial to that event outside of Ireland." But he says that while cities such as Toronto have prominent memorials to their Irish ship fever victims, Montreal much-larger number of dead are going unrecognized, according to The Chronicle Herald. On Sunday, about 100 members of the Irish community took part in an annual walk to the site. A 10-foot tall engraved stone, placed on a median between the lanes of traffic, announces that the site is the resting place of some 6,000 Irish immigrants who died of typhus in 'fever sheds' along the riverbank in 1847-48 after fleeing famine in overcrowded ships. The ceremony, led by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, has taken place in some form or other since 1865 -- six years after the stone was erected by mostly-Irish Victoria bridge construction workers who stumbled across the graves. Boyle says the park would honour not only the Irish victims but also the Montrealers who risked their health and safety to help them, ranging from clergy members to British soldiers to Montreal mayor, John Easton Mills, who contracted typhus and died in 1847 after visiting the fever sheds. Now, Boyle foundation is trying to get permission to transform a parking lot adjacent to the site into a memorial park in time for Montreal 375th anniversary in 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration detainees: The move follows a similar effort by doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals in an open letter to Ontario Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Yasir Naqvi, after a string of recent deaths involving immigration detainees, according to Toronto Star. The concern we have is that people are being detained and transferred to facilities for people punished for criminal offences for the convenience of CBSA , said University of Toronto law professor Audrey Macklin, one of more than 100 refugee lawyers in Ontario who signed the petition sent to Naqvi office last Wednesday. By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Sat., May 28, 2016 Ontario lawyers are calling on the province to end the arbitrary and punitive detention of migrants held in provincial jails for violating the country immigration laws. These people have not committed any crime. CBSA transfers detainees from its holding centres to provincial jails if they pose a danger to others, have physical and mental health needs or are unlikely to qualify for early release. One of the reasons they give to transfer them is because of their mental health problems, and we know putting people with mental health problems in jail is going to make them worse. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ethnic groups: From Modi to Bibi in the blink of a photo op, our subsovereign premier global vision is matched only by her parochial ambitions as she burnishes her credentials with ethnic groups back home, according to Toronto Star. Not to be outdone, Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown took his 16th trip to India last January so that he, too, could boast of face time with Modi.NDP Leader Andrea Horwath stays closer to home, but wades deeper into world affairs, courting controversy while cultivating local voters. Order this photo By Martin Regg Cohn Provincial Politics Columnist Sun., May 29, 2016 Listening to the leaders of Ontario three major parties, you would think the world awaited their pronouncements on both provincial and planetary affairs.A checklist of global hot spots targeted recently by our local leaders ranges across the Middle East, South Asia and the Far East: Premier Kathleen Wynne has visited China twice ; then India to hobnob with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February; and a tête-à-tête in Jerusalem with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu this month. This month she rendered her historical verdict on Sri Lanka three decades of civil strife : Article Continued Below Standing together with Tamil Canadians today remembering loved ones killed during the genocide in Sri Lanka, she tweeted. On the same week that Wynne was visiting the Holy Land with a delegation of business entrepreneurs, Hudak issued a challenge in the legislature: Would MPPs from all parties support his private member bill, the Standing Up Against Anti-Semitism in Ontario Act His target was the controversial BDS movement that has attempted for more than a decade to organize a boycott, divestment and sanctions strategy against Israel for its partial occupation of Palestinian territory. Who knew that Horwath felt so confident about determining the difference between alleged war crimes overseas versus a systematic campaign of genocide to eradicate the Tamil people from that island nation While Horwath styles herself an authority on Sri Lanka tortured history, former PC leader Tim Hudak lays claim to Israeli affairs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Liberals: To many Canadians, it seems as if the Tories are joining the marriage equity party a tad late, according to The Chronicle Herald. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Liberals at their own annual convention in Winnipeg, same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada for more than a decade. "Who knows Trudeau added, 10 years from now, they might finally be willing to admit that climate change is real. The party faithful, gathered in Vancouver for their annual convention, voted to remove the traditional definition of marriage — as the union of one man and one woman — from Conservative policy. Or that tax cuts for rich people don't help the middle class. Mr. Or that government shouldn't legislate what women can wear on their heads. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

The Conservative Party: The Conservative Party has never been more united after an election defeat than it is now, which is remarkable given the history of internal conflict, according to CTV. I have to admit I didn't expect this to be a fun convention, the former cabinet minister said. This is a great achievement of Stephen Harper, Kenney told CTV Question Period. I thought it would be a bit more like a wake. Following a historic 78-day campaign last year, the Conservatives lost a total of 89 seats in October election. Kenney, who spoke alongside former minister of transportation Lisa Raitt, said this gives him confidence in the party ability to form a majority government in the next election. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Montreal: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Morgan LowrieMONTREAL - Many of the people taking the Victoria bridge in or out of Montreal may not realize they're driving over a mass graveyard.A 10-foot tall engraved stone, placed on a median between the lanes of traffic, announces that the site is the resting place of some 6,000 Irish immigrants who died of typhus in 'fever sheds' along the riverbank in 1847-48 after fleeing famine in overcrowded ships, according to Brandon Sun. The stone, stained black from exhaust fumes, sits in a little-visited industrial zone near the foot of the bridge, and some members of the Montreal Irish community say the city needs to do a better job of honouring the chapter of Canadian history it represents."This is the largest single burial site of the Great Hunger in the world outside of Ireland itself," said Victor Boyle, one of the directors of the Montreal Irish Memorial Park Foundation."It also the first memorial to that event outside of Ireland."But he says that while cities such as Toronto have prominent memorials to their Irish ship fever victims, Montreal much-larger number of dead are going unrecognized. The stone commemorates the deaths of some 6,000 Irish immigrants who died of typhus in Montreal in 1847-48 after fleeing famine overseas. On Sunday, about 100 members of the Irish community took part in an annual walk to the site. Now, Boyle foundation is trying to get permission to transform a parking lot adjacent to the site into a memorial park in time for Montreal 375th anniversary in 2017. The ceremony, led by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, has taken place in some form or other since 1865 -- six years after the stone was erected by mostly-Irish Victoria bridge construction workers who stumbled across the graves. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Irish community: The stone, stained black from exhaust fumes, sits in a little-visited industrial zone near the foot of the bridge, and some members of the Montreal Irish community say the city needs to do a better job of honouring the chapter of Canadian history it represents. "This is the largest single burial site of the Great Hunger in the world outside of Ireland itself," said Victor Boyle, one of the directors of the Montreal Irish Memorial Park Foundation. "It also the first memorial to that event outside of Ireland." But he says that while cities such as Toronto have prominent memorials to their Irish ship fever victims, Montreal much-larger number of dead are going unrecognized, according to The Waterloo Record. On Sunday, about 100 members of the Irish community took part in an annual walk to the site. A 10-foot tall engraved stone, placed on a median between the lanes of traffic, announces that the site is the resting place of some 6,000 Irish immigrants who died of typhus in 'fever sheds' along the riverbank in 1847-48 after fleeing famine in overcrowded ships. The ceremony, led by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, has taken place in some form or other since 1865 -- six years after the stone was erected by mostly-Irish Victoria bridge construction workers who stumbled across the graves. Boyle says the park would honour not only the Irish victims but also the Montrealers who risked their health and safety to help them, ranging from clergy members to British soldiers to Montreal mayor, John Easton Mills, who contracted typhus and died in 1847 after visiting the fever sheds. Now, Boyle foundation is trying to get permission to transform a parking lot adjacent to the site into a memorial park in time for Montreal 375th anniversary in 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

welcome party: Michael Qaqish said it was time for a welcome party. "We know that the first year and the first little while when refugees or immigrants come to a new country is the most difficult so we want to make sure that they know we're here to support them and we're here to provide all the tools that they need to succeed in their life in Canada," he said, according to CBC. Ghina Salloum, 13, has settled into a new home on St. Now that 1,500 Syrian refugees have been settled into their new homes in Ottawa, Coun. Laurent Boulevard and enrolled in Grade 7 since she arrived in Ottawa at the end of December. "Everything. Everything. I like everything," she said, adding that the Canadian Tulip Festival was a highlight. ""I like the schools, the people, the Canadian people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

public spending: The G-7 leaders — including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — claimed a "special responsibility" for beefing up policies to stimulate growth of their economies, according to Hamilton Spectator. But their declaration glossed over disagreements over co-ordinating public spending policies to help perk up weak consumer spending and business investment, saying each country would take into account "country-specific circumstances." Germany, in particular, has balked at calls from other G-7 members to commit to an expansionary fiscal policy. "Weak demand and unaddressed structural problems are the key factors weighing on actual and potential growth," they said in the declaration. "We remain committed to ensuring that growth is inclusive and job-rich, benefiting all segments of our societies." In a nod to concern over how to pay for such spending, especially in Japan where the public debt is more than twice the size of its economy, the communique includes a reference to the need to ensure debt is "on a sustainable path." The G-7 host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he had won support from his counterparts for his own "three arrows" economic strategy of ultra-loose monetary policy, public spending and longer-term reforms. "We will be launching 'Abenomics' to the world," Abe said. A sweeping declaration from the meeting at a scenic Japanese seaside resort covered a universe of global and regional challenges, a breadth not matched by a depth of concrete measures. Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, said there was agreement on such a three-pronged approach. "Many countries can do quite a lot and some more than they are currently doing," Lagarde told reporters after the meeting ended. Abe appealed to his fellow leaders to act to avert another global crisis, comparing the current global economic situation to conditions just before the 2008 financial crisis. She said the IMF would help identify what countries could and should do to help counter slowing growth. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

party officials: But it was the voice of Uruzurum Heer, a 47-year-old woman from Brampton, that rang loudest, condemning the identity politics that the party practised in the last campaign, according to Toronto Star. At an election review session where party officials candidly acknowledged the past campaign was fraught with numerous strategic and tactical mistakes, Heer voice shook with emotion as she tore a strip off the national party decision-makers. By Tonda Mac Charles Ottawa Bureau reporter Fri., May 27, 2016 VANCOUVER—Conservative leadership candidates and hopefuls cruised convention halls here calling for a more inclusive Conservative party as grassroots members got a hard look at what went wrong. This last election campaign was a disaster, said Heer, a delegate who works for Brampton MP Kyle Seeback. Listening in the audience were defeated immigration minister Chris Alexander, who announced a police snitch line for so-called barbaric cultural practices, and former campaign director Jenni Byrne. I'm also a Muslim and this campaign targeted us, unfairly. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

James C. McCrae: By James C. McCrae The shortest years of my working life were the three that ended April 28 when my appointment as a Canadian citizenship judge expired, according to Brandon Sun. I move on now with gratitude for the appointment and the experience, carrying with me unforgettable recollections of happy new Canadians, among the finest citizens I have ever been privileged to meet. McCrae three-year term as a citizenship judge expired last month. During my three years, there were 400 to 450 citizenship ceremonies, at least 40,000 handshakes, hugs, smiles and photos, thousands of beautiful children, dedicated citizenship department staff and immigration volunteers, and many special ceremony guests. It was my duty to remind new Canadians of the wonderful rights we enjoy as Canadians, but also to impress upon them the importance of remembering the awful price paid to preserve those rights, and fulfilling our duties to Canada and our fellow Canadians. It was my honour to greet new Canadians in Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Iqaluit, Brandon, Shilo, Clear Lake, Thompson, Winnipeg and Ottawa.I was impressed with the unwavering dedication of members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Forces who attended and stood guard at citizenship ceremonies, adding symbolic colour and bringing with them messages of patriotism and service. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: You can do it, the teachers supervising the track and field event said as they cheered her on, according to The Waterloo Record. She wasn't so sure but she stood in line like everyone else and when her turn came, she ran for it. "I didn't know how to jump it. It the long jump event, she was told. I didn't think I could do it," said the 14-year-old. She also participated in the soft ball throw at University Stadium in Waterloo. But she did. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

young women: Almost six million Canadians cast ballots for our party in the last election, she said, according to CTV. But obviously it was not enough. Ambrose told her fellow Tories in Vancouver that the party has a long history of welcoming women, ethnic minorities and young people. Ambrose said Conservatives must remind voters that they are fighting for ordinary working Canadians while the Liberals and NDP cater to elite opinion. Ambrose also said she wanted to stress how important it is that we also reach out to young women. We are the voice of new Canadians who will come to Canada in the next few years ready to work, she said, after pointing out that the party had the first MPs of African-Canadian, Muslim, Hindu, Chinese, Greek and Japanese descent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada-European Union treaty: He focused on the Canada-European Union treaty, known as CETA, in a bilateral chat with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to Hamilton Spectator. Trudeau discussed the pact again in a one-on-one meeting with French President Francois Hollande. On the opening day of the G7 summit in Japan, Trudeau also used his audience with the heads of some of the planet biggest economies to promote Canada free-trade deal with Europe. And, in a working session with all the leaders, Trudeau once more touted the merits of international trade. "When the middle class are anxious about their economic realities in their future, it easy to get trapped in demagoguery and protectionism," Trudeau told his peers at the remote Shima resort, which was shielded by barbwire-topped fences, checkpoints and waves of security officers scattered along a huge perimeter. "We know trade-intensive industries pay 50 per cent higher wages, so we need to make a case for trade — it not just about nice political speeches." Lawrence Herman, a Toronto-based trade lawyer with Herman and Associates, said Trudeau was targeting his remarks at the "darkening clouds on the trade horizon, notably in the U.S." where the presidential candidates from both parties have come down hard against trade deals. "So Trudeau wisely wants the G7 to strongly endorse a free-trade agenda, which hopefully will help spur CETA ratification in Europe and pressure the U.S. Congress to approve , both of which are languishing." The G7 leaders largely focused their discussions on the global economy as the summit got underway. U.S. President Barack Obama supported Abe call. "We've all got a lot of work to do and we agreed to continue to focus on making sure that each country, based on its particular needs and capacities, is taking steps to accelerate growth," Obama said. The host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, called upon his counterparts to act to steer the world away from another global economic crisis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

metal fabricators: In the case of apprenticeships, the inter-provincial barriers between the Atlantic Provinces are coming down slowly, according to The Chronicle Herald. Apprentice cooks, bricklayers, welders, and metal fabricators in Atlantic Canada can now work and train under a standardized system, in which all four provinces have streamlined their apprenticeship processes to promote labour mobility. In a province that has pegged its economic future to attracting residents from other countries and provinces, these barriers need to come down. Eventually, other trades will be harmonized across the region— and in some cases across the country—starting with carpenters, construction electricians, industrial electricians, plumbers, steamfitters and pipefitters, and instrumentation and control technicians. But while it will be easier for some apprentices to cross provincial borders without a major career setback, the same can't yet be said for doctors and other professionals. This means curriculum, hours of work, rules, exams, and administration will become uniform, so that an apprentice in any of the harmonized trades may seek or complete an apprenticeship anywhere in the Atlantic Canadian market. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tea Party: Its presidential candidate plans to build a wall across the Mexican border; that his signature promise, according to Globe and Mail. He talks, with a straight face, about preventing Muslims from travelling to America. The GOP, singed by two defeats at the hands of Barack Obama and dragged even further to the right by groups like the Tea Party, has become a dangerously angry coalition. He swears he can Make America Great Again through a kind of economic authoritarianism, telling voters he can magically order companies to return manufacturing jobs to the U.S.A. How will he do this By force of will, apparently. It involves unleashing the dynamism of the American economy through yet more tax cuts focused on upper-income Americans, which will make the world most unequal developed country yet more unequal. And as for the financial frustrations of his supporters, he tells his low-income voters that he has a plan to make them wealthier. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

international order: Wrapping up the gathering with a sweeping declaration and several additional "action plans," the leaders acknowledged increasing risks for the global economic outlook, including terrorism, legions of displaced people, and conflicts that "pose a serious threat to the existing rule-based international order."But they said their countries had strengthened policies to avoid relapsing into crisis, according to Metro News. Attention swiftly shifted from the G-7 finale as Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama travelled to Hiroshima, where Obama became the first sitting American president to visit the city devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb in 1945 in the closing days of World War II. Abe said the commitment by the leaders to "use all policy tools — monetary, fiscal and structural" was an endorsement of his own "Abenomics" three-pronged strategy for reviving Japan sluggish growth."We agreed to mobilize all our resources and launch three 'arrows' of monetary, fiscal and structural reform measures," Abe said. "We will be launching Abenomics to the world.""In order to avoid risks of the world economy falling into crisis, Japan will also do its utmost to co-operate and take leadership, mobilizing all possible resources, and boost the engine of Abenomics," he said. In meetings at an isolated seaside resort renowned for its crayfish and pearls, Abe appealed for more action to stave off a downturn, insisting that an earlier lack of urgency contributed to the financial crisis of 2008-2009. More than three years after Abe took office vowing to "Bring Japan Back!" from more than two decades of economic doldrums, his formula has yet to deliver the desired results: rising wages, business investment and a sustained recovery that places the world third-largest economy into a "virtuous cycle."After a slight uptick in growth earlier this year, economists say conditions in Japan have deteriorated, partly due to the slowdown in China and other emerging economies. It also could embolden him to put off an unpopular increase in the national sales tax, to 10 per cent from 8 per cent ."Abenomics is not a failure at all," Abe told reporters, declaring he would "rev up the engine of Abenomics to the highest level possible."While they did not formally concur with Abe that the world is poised on the brink of crisis, the G-7 leaders did claim a special responsibility for beefing up their own economic policies. But backing from his G-7 counterparts may give Abe a boost as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party heads into a July parliamentary election. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government cash: And on lifting the world feeble economic growth, the G7 essentially pledged to continue with their own individual strategies, according to Huffington Post Canada. Heading into the summit, Trudeau had urged some of his more fiscally prudent counterparts to invest more government cash to generate growth. However, the ransom promise closely resembled a G7 pledge from three years ago, something experts say member countries didn't live up to. British Prime Minister David Cameron and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk as they prepare to participate in a G7 working session in Shima on Friday. On the economy, he said there was a broad understanding that monetary and fiscal policy, as well as structural reforms, are all important for enhancing global growth. Still, while speaking to reporters in Shima, Japan, the prime minister said he felt the group moved forward significantly on a number of files during his first G7 summit. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

grand opening: But after attempting to get such a one-stop-shop refugee centre three times over the last 20 years, the opening comes as a major relief for ISSBC director of settlement services, according to Metro News. To have this day finally arrive is pretty extraordinary, Chris Friesen told Metro in a phone interview. Immigrant Services Society of B.C., the organization behind the 58,000-square-foot, six-storey project, is planning a public grand opening around June 20 — World Refugee Day. It both daunting and exhilarating. It provides a whole bunch of untapped synergy by moving in under one roof. It one thing to move a house — it another thing to have four other organizations and your own two main offices move in together. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Barack Obama: Justin Trudeau, the Canadian PM, might be the one to watch most closely, more than U.S. and Mexican counterparts Barack Obama and Enrique Pena Nieto, respectively, according to Toronto Star. Mexico and the U.S. have suffered strained relations for more than a century. By David Olive Business Columnist Fri., May 27, 2016 Ottawa is gearing up for a rare opportunity to legitimize, in the minds of mostly U.S. doubters, the growing benefits of collaboration among Mexico, Canada and the U.S. In the lead-up to the next Three Amigos summit, June 29 in Ottawa, federal work teams are already preparing the case for even stronger ties among the three countries, which together account for about 440 million people. Canada may have long neglected Mexico, but there no time like the present to rectify that. The timing is right: Populist U.S. hostility to immigrants and especially Hispanics has poisoned the current U.S. election cycle, and a corrective is long overdue. And Trudeau might be just the leader to do it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: When they decided to make the 10-hour trek to safety in Jordan, they thought they were just coming for a few weeks, according to Huffington Post Canada. That was three years ago. Two storeys high and with ornate window work, he had been living there with his extended family -- twenty people in all -- before the bombing started. Most of the people I met in Za'atari were like Nasr: they arrived at the camp, now home to nearly 80,000 refugees, thinking it would be just a few weeks before they could go back home to Syria. But the camp has slowly grown into a city, and the idea of returning home has become a distant dream. As a result, many didn't even bother enrolling their children in school. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Weymouth: There have always been doctors practising in the village of Weymouth since one can remember, according to The Chronicle Herald. Why should this change and be any different now Joseph G. Jarvis, Weymouth FAILING TO LOOK On May 25, the South Shore Breaker reported a massive number of trout caught in Shelburne Harbour just downstream from a trout feedlot. It is not for us to be dictated to or be told what we're going to have. Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell suggests Fisheries doesn't know where the fish came from. If they cannot be trusted to do that, they should not be allowed in the open waters of Nova Scotia. My question: Why don't you know Aquaculture regulations trust industry to report escapes and keep count of their fish. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Preston Manning: Other sessions will be more reflective, according to Globe and Mail. One will feature thoughts from Ian Brodie and Tom Flanagan, both former Harper chiefs of staff, and Preston Manning, who led the Reform Party when Mr. This is consistent with other research showing that one of the Harper government distinct features was a light touch when it came to many policy files. Harper was just an MP. Another panel, which looks to be more critical of the Harper government, will feature four researchers from universities around the country, and the abstract promises that they will consider the implications of Conservative government policies on Aboriginal organizations, civil society, immigrants and workers. One study of voters by Jean-François Daoust of the Université de Montréal suggests that strategic voting, or picking a party other than one favourite in an attempt to influence the outcome, increases when voters perceive that the most viable parties in their riding are polarized. Elections With the Liberal-led debate on electoral reform getting off to an uncomfortable start, the government might do well to consider some of the elections research being presented this week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nihar: He looked like the strongest speller onstage, stronger even than his eventual co-champion, 13-year-old Jairam Hathwar, a blue-chip speller whose older brother hoisted the trophy two years ago, according to Toronto Star. At his best, Nihar turned the tables on bee pronouncer Jacques Bailly by shouting out the definitions of his words as soon as they were announced. The 11-year-old breezed up to the microphone with confidence, and most of his words, he knew right away. Biniou, Bailly said. Article Continued Below After the crowd quieted, Bailly asked Nihar if he wanted the word used in a sentence. Is this the Breton bagpipe Nihar said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: If they were all in one place, it would be the fifth largest country, according to Hamilton Spectator. Most are in the Middle East or Africa. A quarter billion people have either fled disasters of various sorts or migrated to escape poverty. But if any place currently represents an extreme influx of migrants, it might be Lac La Biche, a town of fewer than 3,000 people in Alberta. Its population, in other words, nearly tripled almost overnight. In early May, after a massive wildfire in nearby Fort McMurray forced 80,000 people to quickly escape, Lac La Biche ended up hosting an estimated 8,000-12,000 of the evacuees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: It important to him, he says, because of his experience growing up, according to CTV. The Toronto resident was born in Poland in 1926 and raised in an orthodox Jewish family. Hershenhorn hasn't missed the walk since the annual fundraiser began in 1970. He said he was beat up at public school because of his religion for three years, starting when he was only 6-years-old. I got beat up many times, he said. Anti-semitism in Poland was very fervent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.