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.

advocacy groups: Public schools are fielding frantic questions from parents and students, according to Metro News. Since the election, Donald Trump tough talk on immigration has stirred anxiety nationwide among immigrants regardless of legal status. Legal clinics are seeing an influx of clients. They are turning to lawyers, schools, advocacy groups and congressional offices for help. In Chicago, a hotline run by the state largest immigrant-rights group received more than 330 calls in the week after the election, compared with the usual 100 or so. Were operating with a lot of unknowns, and a certain amount of fear comes with that, said Vanessa Esparza-L pez, a managing attorney at the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian strengths: We are strong in research, academic citations and invention, according to Globe and Mail. Education remains more affordable here than in the United States. We possess obvious advantages a society open to immigrants and a commitment to the idea that every voice has value. Despite contrary assumptions, the Conference Board of Canada has shown that we are entrepreneurial and willing to take risks, and that there is money to support new enterprises for those who look. In particular, we need to speed up the immigration process for foreign students and researchers, and experiment with public policy that plays to Canadian strengths and contributes to prosperity. To take advantage, Canada must focus more on attracting and building skills needed to transform what we already do well basic research and invention into innovation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

considerations i: But in an unexpected move, Immigration Minister John McCallum intervened in the high-profile case Friday, saying the 33-year-old mother of four could stay in Canada as a permanent resident, based on humanitarian considerations, according to Hamilton Spectator. I feel overwhelmed and happy really, really happy, Cramman said at the conclusion of a brief Immigration and Refugee Board hearing at the Dartmouth General Hospital. The Canada Border Services Agency wanted to deport Fliss Cramman after she was convicted of a drug offence in 2014 and served 27 months in prison. It surprised me big time ... To be honest, it shocked me. At the age of 11, she was moved into foster care, where her status as a citizen was never resolved. Having lived in Canada since she was eight years old, Cramman said the deportation order never made sense to her because she didnt know she wasnt a citizen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

farm industry: It is primarily for these reasons that farmers have been coming to Manitoba to establish themselves for centuries, according to Huffington Post Canada. The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program has a Farm Strategic Recruitment Initiative under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program for Business. The province of Manitoba is located in central Canada, bordering on North Dakota and Minnesota, USA. It is located in the heart of the Red River Valley, which is known to be amongst the richest farmland in the world. The purpose of the program is to bring new farmers to Manitoba. The farm is expected to operate in accordance with Manitoba current farm industry. The farm initiative is intended for those applicants that have proven farm/business experience, the requisite capital to invest, and who wish to operate a farm in rural Manitoba. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

florida sun: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP/GETTY IMAGES file photo By Daniel Dale Washington Bureau Thu., Nov. 17, 2016 WASHINGTON One of the first big fights of Donald Trump presidency will be about what to do with people like Oliverio Cortes, whose future he could crush in a single second, according to Toronto Star. One little signature, Cortes said Wednesday. To sign up for DACA, the DREAMers had to provide their fingerprints and addresses to the Obama administration. One little signature could just destroy me. They are illegal immigrants. Cortes wakes up at five a.m., six days a week, to drive his parents to the life he thought until last Tuesday he had managed to avoid picking tomatoes under the hot Florida sun. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration cases: Now, federal officials say they are releasing Haitian immigrants who have been entering the country in large numbers, backtracking on a pledge to jail them before they are deported.A U.S. government official told The Associated Press that the decision to free Haitians arriving in Arizona and California is in response to a lack of jail space, according to Metro News. The official said releasing immigrants with orders to report later to immigration court is a tactic used when detention space is scarce, under certain humanitarian conditions or as part of efforts to keep families together. Resources to process the immigrants, detain them and to try their immigration cases in court are extremely strained. Before the Haitians are released, they are subjected to a criminal background and national security check. Federal immigration officials announced Thursday they are opening a large processing facility in west Texas next week in an effort to deal with the large number of families and young children coming through the border. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and insisted on speaking on condition of anonymity. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration detention: Fliss Cramman reacts after being told she will not be deported to Britain after an intervention by federal Immigration Minister John McCallum, according to CBC. Jack Julian/CBC Cramman, who suffers from a serious medical condition, was taken into custody by the Canadian Border Services Agency after her August release from the Nova Institution for Women in Truro, N.S. The mother of four suffered a perforated bowel while in immigration detention at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth. The 33-year-old woman, who came to Canada at the age of eight, was facing deportation from Canada as early as Dec. 16 due to convictions for drug trafficking, break and enter and possessing stolen property. Unprecedented move On Friday, Immigration Minister John McCallum intervened in her case on compassionate grounds, according to her lawyer, John ONeill, and Emma Halpern, a lawyer with the Elizabeth Fry Society. Fliss Cramman wipes away tears after being informed she will not be deported to the United Kingdom. In what they call an unprecedented move, McCallum ordered Cramman Canadian permanent residency status to be immediately restored and for her to be released from immigration custody. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

care plan: The hearing comes a day after the Nova Scotia government said it would not provide health coverage to Cramman, who doesnt have Canadian citizenship, according to The Waterloo Record. The 33-year-old mother of four arrived in Canada when she was eight years old but her parents failed to obtain her citizenship. The Elizabeth Fry Society will appear at a hearing to outline the health needs and care plan for Fliss Cramman, who is due to be deported as early as Dec. 16. In 2014, she was convicted of offering to traffic heroin, sentenced to 27 months in prison and detained again when the Canada Border Services Agency looked into her citizenship. By The Canadian Press Darlene Mac Eachern of the Elizabeth Fry Society has asked that Cramman be removed from a detention list and released into its care at a halfway house in Sydney, N.S., to recover from colon surgery. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

considerations i: But in an unexpected move, Immigration Minister John McCallum intervened in the high-profile case Friday, saying the 33-year-old mother of four could stay in Canada as a permanent resident, based on humanitarian considerations, according to Brandon Sun. I feel overwhelmed and happy really, really happy, Cramman said at the conclusion of a brief Immigration and Refugee Board hearing at the Dartmouth General Hospital. The Canada Border Services Agency wanted to deport Fliss Cramman after she was convicted of a drug offence in 2014 and served 27 months in prison. It surprised me big time ... To be honest, it shocked me. At the age of 11, she was moved into foster care, where her status as a citizen was never resolved. Having lived in Canada since she was eight years old, Cramman said the deportation order never made sense to her because she didnt know she wasnt a citizen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

donald trump: Sorry, Kellie you may be making lots of noise with your vague, hysterical demand that we screen immigrants and refugees for Canadian values and your support for Donald Trump, but scratch away at the surface and there is simply nothing there, according to Brandon Sun. The most fundamental point is that the entire premise for her Tory leadership campaign is fraudulent. It may be apocryphal, but good lord, it applies to the risible Kellie Leitch in nasty, right-wing spades. Like some sort of political cotton candy, it might appear nice and tasty to people who like their ideology instantly gratifying, saccharine sweet and loudly colourful, but as soon as they take a bite, it disappears. Our terrorist attacks have, thank God, been very few and carried out not by those new to the country but by old and settled Canadians. There are, of course, some genuine challenges facing France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Britain and other parts of Europe, but not Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

income inequality: It believes NAFTA has benefited Canada but that the deal can be improved, according to Rabble. NAFTA has been a success for Canada, the United States, and Mexico. What will the Trudeau government position be going into these talks 1. Obviously any trade deal can be improved, and to the degree that the president-elect of the United States wants to see improvements to NAFTA, wed be happy to sit down and talk, said David Mac Naughton, Canada ambassador to the United States. It believes that a win-win solution is possible. There has been no acknowledgement that NAFTA has meant huge job losses in Canada and the United States, the displacement of Mexican farmers and growing income inequality in all three countries. 2. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leitch exams: I spent some of the most formative years of my life as a medical student at Western where I studied for Leitch exams and often passed her in the hallways, according to Toronto Star. Leitch email following the U.S. presidential election hit me hard. Liam Richards / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Danyaal Raza Fri., Nov. 18, 2016 Before entering politics, Conservative MP and party leadership candidate Kellie Leitch was a surgeon and professor at the University of Western Ontario. At 3 a.m., just hours after TV networks declared Donald Trump President-elect, Leitch doubled down on his racist and xenophobic campaign in an email to her supporters. It the message I m bringing with my campaign to be the next Prime Minister of Canada ... It why I m the only candidate who will ensure that every visitor, immigrant, and refugee will be screened for Canadian values. It an exciting message and one that we need delivered in Canada as well, she declared regarding Trump victory. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

martelle team: Norman, a 66-year-old retired IT consultant, certainly was a very important cultural centre for the Chinese population, according to Globe and Mail. But, she adds, I doubt if anyone in the congregation knew enough about the history. The TCUC, recalls Ms. Over the next several weeks, project archeologist Holly Martelle says heritage masons will remove and preserve the church brick-and-limestone foundation, parts of which may be incorporated as a commemorative heritage display linked to the new courthouse. Martelle team removed hundreds of thousands of artifacts dating back to the 19th and early 20th-century history of the Ward, the former dense immigrant enclave between Yonge and University, north of Queen. It the latest phase of an extensive dig that began in July, 2015, when Ms. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

moments: There are moments in this love story about two patients who live in proximity, but are rarely able to interact that are equally difficult to read, especially those involving the indignities inflicted by the staff at the institution, according to Hamilton Spectator. But there is also the revelation of hope. When she unearthed his story, she found it to be almost unbearably moving. It always there, even in the darkest moments. A Gentleman in Moscow By Amor Towles Viking, 480 pages, 36 From the author of the breakout historical hit Rules of Civility comes another impressive and sweeping historical tale, this time about Count Alexander Rostov who, in 1922, is vilified by a Bolshevik tribunal and sentenced to house arrest in a majestic hotel across the street from the Kremlin. There is always love too, that balm that can make the impossible possible even for a few moments, even if that has to be enough. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nations expert: The United States has agreed to resettle refugees from among 1,300 asylum seekers held on Nauru and on Papua New Guinea Manus Island for up to four years, according to Toronto Star. Another 370 who came to Australia for medical treatment then refused to return to the islands would also be eligible. Rod McGuirk / The Associated Press By Rod McGuirk The Associated Press Fri., Nov. 18, 2016 CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA A U.S. agreement to resettle an unspecified number of refugees would be a great achievement if it emptied Australia-run Pacific island camps where asylum seekers were mistreated, a United Nations expert on migrants rights said Friday.UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants Fran ois Crepeau described the bilateral deal announced last weekend as a good start to finding a solution that should involve closing asylum seeker camps on the island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. It is not clear if the change of U.S. administrations on Jan. 20 will impact the agreement. Crepeau, a Canadian law professor, said more countries should strike such multi-nation deals to find solutions for the global refugee problem. President-elect Donald Trump has raised concerns about Muslim immigration and most of Australia asylum seekers are Muslims from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

producers branch: A former Walt Disney Co. executive, he worked on programs including sports, awards and music shows and won seven Emmys as an executive producer for The Amazing Race, according to CTV. He produces and directs through his own company. The academy said Thursday its board of governors elected Hayma Screech Washington as chairman and CEO. Washington, an award-winning producer, has served as co-governor of the producers branch of the academy. Washington two-year tenure begins Jan. 1. In 2013, Cheryl Boone Isaacs became the first African-American head of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He succeeds outgoing chief executive Bruce Rosenblum, who hit a term-limits ceiling after five years heading the group that presents the prime-time Emmy Awards. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

security: Mike Flynn as national security adviser, according to CBC. President-elect Trump announces selections for Attorney General, National Security Advisor, CIA Director. Sessions is one of three senior leaders Trump has appointed to his national security and law enforcement teams, including Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director and retired Lt.-Gen. More here https //t.co/VnDiriU90r transition2017 If approved for the job by a simple majority in the Republican-dominated Senate, Sessions, 69, would lead the Justice Department and the FBI. He brings a record of controversial positions on race, immigration and criminal justice reform that Democrats may target. Ill wake u up when it over. ananavarro Holly Harris, executive director of U.S. Justice Action Network, a sentencing reform advocacy group that includes powerful conservative tax reform lobbyist Grover Norquist, said Sessions nomination obviously presents a challenge. Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist and Trump critic, said on Twitter, Jeff Sessions, considered too racist to be a judge in the 80s, is Trump AG. Jeff Sessions, considered too racist to be a judge in 80s, is Trump AG. Best to go back to sleep, America. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

survival skill: The life of most Canadians is highly structured with fixed routines around going to work or school at the same time every day, Linschoten said, according to CBC. For somebody in a camp where the situation is very dangerous, if they do the same thing every day at the same time, they wont do it very long, she said. Karin Linschoten, a senior therapist at the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, hosted the workshop for volunteers who work with Syrian refugees to help them understand why refugees do what they do. Their survival skill is to not have routines. If a volunteer has an understanding that this is not disrespect; this is not an I dont care attitude, but it comes from a whole life experience this person had, it makes it easier to be patient and to teach rather than punish, she said. Linschoten said for a client who is very late for an appointment, it may be their survival instinct kicking in. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

system stagnates: The political system stagnates, according to Globe and Mail. Recent events to the south remind us where that can lead. Cynicism about politics grows. How do we break out of this trap In the past few years, reformers have focused on lobbying for changes in the election rules. Others would throw out the first-past-the-post voting system and bring in something like ranked ballots. Some would put a limit on the number of terms councillors could serve. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump administration: Not to be outdone, some big city mayors from Seattle to New York stepped forward promising to maintain their status as sanctuary cities that will refuse to enforce federal immigration laws, according to Hamilton Spectator. But what if for all the bluster and threats, the posturing and promises, a Trump administration pursues an immigration strategy not all that different from that of President Barack Obama For a variety of reasons, that might be where he headed. In a recent interview on 60 Minutes, the president-elect vowed to deport or incarcerate as many as 3 million immigrants. Here why. Since 2008, an estimated 2.7 million people have been deported by the federal government, with an emphasis on the very individuals Trump claims he wants to ship out gang members, felons and other serious criminals. First, often overlooked by Trump more virulent anti-immigrant supporters is that fact that the Obama administration has already set records for deportations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hispanic minorities: So The Record doesnt like it because it thinks Trump engaged in relentless baiting of Muslim and Hispanic minorities and insulting treatment of countless American women, according to The Waterloo Record. This is whining and complaining rather than substantive criticism. How in the world are the most frightening words ever uttered, President Donald Trump Donald Trump won the U.S. election fair and square. Curiously, it was black and Hispanic minorities as well as women that pushed him past the finish line and handed him the presidency. Donald Trump met all these requirements. Is Donald Trump really the oldest, most unqualified, unproven and unfit candidate in American history The fact is the U.S. Constitution gives three eligibility requirements to be president. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leaders: The session expands on lengthy talks he held the day before with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to Guelph Mercury. Gathered around a circular table in Merkel Chancellery, the leaders exchanged pleasantries but made no substantive remarks as reporters were allowed in briefly for the start of the meeting. Obama meeting with the leaders of Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain was likely his last in such a setting before he leaves office. A number of the leaders planned to deliver statements or take questions from reporters following the meeting. The talks come largely in the context of what the election of Donald Trump will mean to efforts to seek peace in Ukraine and Syria, the strength of the NATO alliance, trade agreements, efforts to fight climate change, and other pressing matters. Since Obama arrival on Wednesday on his sixth and last trip to Germany as president, he and Merkel have focused several meetings on issues of globalization and trans-Atlantic co-operation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

moments: There are moments in this love story about two patients who live in proximity, but are rarely able to interact that are equally difficult to read, especially those involving the indignities inflicted by the staff at the institution, according to The Waterloo Record. But there is also the revelation of hope. When she unearthed his story, she found it to be almost unbearably moving. It always there, even in the darkest moments. A Gentleman in Moscow By Amor Towles Viking, 480 pages, 36 From the author of the breakout historical hit Rules of Civility comes another impressive and sweeping historical tale, this time about Count Alexander Rostov who, in 1922, is vilified by a Bolshevik tribunal and sentenced to house arrest in a majestic hotel across the street from the Kremlin. There is always love too, that balm that can make the impossible possible even for a few moments, even if that has to be enough. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump organization: The developer has asked designers to come up with a new out of the movies room at the Trump International Beach Resort, a hotel in Sunny Isles Beach, a little city on a barrier reef 19 miles from downtown Miami, according to Guelph Mercury. Dezer, who with his father helped build six South Florida properties in partnerships with the Trump Organization, declined to offer details, saying only that the plan is for a crazy, kick-ass Trump presidential suite that can tap the marketing power of the next occupant of the White House. Gil Dezer is ready to capitalize on the Donald Trump victory. It nice to be able to say my partner is the president-elect, Dezer said. Maybe, but others are still at it. Of Macy and others that dumped Trump-name products after the then-candidate made incendiary remarks about Mexican immigrants being rapists, he said, Those guys must be kicking themselves in the ass now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

i ve: It community.A movement more grounded than a mini-trampoline with more sincerity than super foods, this is one trend that could have staying power because it runs deep and is hard to fake, believes entrepreneur and personal trainer Keighty Gallagher, the founder of Tight Club, an outside-the-box boutique studio in Strathcona, according to Vancouver Courier. Next month, Tight Club celebrates the first anniversary of its Union Street studio, called the Field House. It not what you think. I ve seen the overall industry move into a really good place, she said Tuesday from a work retreat in Tofino. However, it is a buzzword, and you can t just say you have community. From studios to clothing brands, everything is about connection and love, especially the political landscape right now, coming together as one is a theme and I see that showing through in the fitness industry, Community is the big buzzword that everyone is speaking to. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

butariho: Mwumvaneza Azarias Butariho, a refugee from Rwanda and a housing advisor at New Journey Housing in Winnipeg, lived in subsidized housing when he first came to Canada in 2007 and had a 7,200 transportation loan, according to CBC. Butariho says he struggled paying that off on top of his other financial obligations. The government loans of up to 10,000 cover a refugee costs for transportation to Canada, medical exams, and documentation. Loans to refugees for more than 4,800 and must be paid off between one to three years after they arrive in Canada. Even though I lived in subsidized housing, I paid 70 per cent of my gross income for rent. Within a month here, I got a letter saying I had to pay off the loan, Butariho says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.