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.

fall semester: The Utes blew the game wide open early with a 16-2 run to take a 25-9 lead and never looked back, according to The Waterloo Record. The Panthers were simply overmatched by Utah's size inside and athleticism on the perimeter. Kyle Kuzma posted his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 15 rebounds as Utah cruised to a 92-60 victory over Prairie View A&M on Saturday, but all eyes were on the two newcomers. Zachary Hamilton led Prairie View 2-10 with 26 points. The two transferred to Utah last year, but just became eligible to play after the fall semester ended and Saturday was their first game. The most significant story of the game was the presence of power forward Collette and point guard Barefield. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fan base: This team could be another London for us, Magley said as the Titans debuted with a 117-77 romp over the visiting Chautauqua Hurricane from New York state, according to The Waterloo Record. The London Lightning are the NBLC's cornerstone franchise, a team which regularly draws 8,000 fans to the Budweiser Gardens. There's no reason why Kitchener-Waterloo can't be one of the great markets we have, the 10-team upstart league's boss said courtside at the Kitchener Aud while surveying the Titans' franchise opener on Saturday afternoon. London's fan base is the largest basketball crowd in North America outside the NBA, the commissioner said. One of the secrets of success is great ownership, Magley said. Like London, the Titans boast a basketball-mad market in the game's southern Ontario hotbed and steadfast owners. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

khans: For the Khans in 1978, that meant finding their way in a province that was predominantly Christian, anglophone, and more than 90 per cent white, according to Brandon Sun. I was an oddball, Khan, the imam and director of the Centre for Islamic Development, says with a laugh. Khan and his family immigrated to Canada's east coast from Pakistan, answering a call for families and well-educated foreigners interested in settling in less populated parts of the country under then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau. I had very good friends and they were mostly all Christians. Khan, who co-founded the mosque about 17 years ago, has watched that change over the last few decades, and has been part of a demographic shift that is slowly changing the complexion of a largely uniform province to include a richer mix of languages, religions and cultural practices. We had a very small pocket of Muslim communities and an even a smaller pocket of Arab communities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

zone defence: Kylee Shook had career bests 18 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cardinals held Evansville to a season-low 24 per cent shooting in an 89-47 rout on Sunday, according to The Waterloo Record. Louisville 11-2 has won five in a row and the past three by an average margin of 41 points. As if tight defence and good shooting wasn't impressive enough in eighth-ranked Louisville's latest rout, another freshman contribution offered additional encouragement. Defence again helped the Cardinals as they held the Purple Aces to 13 of 55 from the field, the third straight game an opponent has shot below 30 per cent. Man-to-man defence comes out of pride and zone defence comes from talking, making sure you are in position and doing your job. I think we did really well on our zone defence, said junior forward Mariya Moore, who added 12 points. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-muslim attacks: If Leitch and other copycats want to go down that road, they should be held accountable for doing so, according to CBC. Dog-whistle politics' Michael Chong, one of several contenders running against Leitch for the Conservative Party leadership, was right when he characterized his colleague's new-found obsession with Canadian values to be the worst of dog-whistle politics. Donald Trump was successful in employing this scheme for his campaign, but at real cost to his country the FBI reported a 6.7 per cent rise in hate crimes for 2015 over the year earlier, fuelled by a 67 per cent increase in anti-Muslim attacks. Kellie Leitch defends 'anti-Canadian values' survey question Leitch has been pushing for future immigrants, including those escaping despotism and war, to be screened for conformity to Canadian values. One must also be aligned with the opinions of Kellie Leitch on what it means to be a real Canadian. A screen capture of the electronic survey in which the Kellie Leitch campaign asked its controversial question. kellieworks.ca In other words, it's not enough to follow the law of the land. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

b.c .,: Any job I can work, according to CBC. When you have good health, you can work anything, he said. Since fleeing Homs, Syria, with his family for Victoria, B.C., he's worked tirelessly to learn the language that he knows is key to finding work. The federal government provides basic living expenses for one year for government-sponsored refugees once they arrive in Canada. Adlan, who supports his wife and their two young children, is keenly aware that he only has two more months to find a job. More than 150 government-sponsored Syrian refugees began arriving in Victoria in March. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

justice yves: The birth of a child does not definitely prove that a marriage is genuine, according to Metro News. Each case will turn on its own facts, although there is much to be said for the presumption that the parties to a fraudulent marriage are unlikely to risk the lifetime responsibilities associated with raising a child,' wrote Justice Yves de Montigny in rejecting the second tribunal decision in 2014. Since 2008, Saranjit Kaur Sandhu has made three failed attempts to bring her spouse, Kulwinder Singh Sangha, to Canada from India twice the Federal Court of Canada overturned the negative decision and sent the case back to the immigration appeal tribunal for reconsideration. T here is no evidence that having a child was a ploy to enhance the applicant's husband's chances of obtaining permanent residence in Canada. The focus of the past decisions has been the conclusion that the child of the marriage was conceived to bolster the relationship for immigration purposes, wrote tribunal adjudicator Elena Rose in the latest rejection of the couple's sponsorship appeal. Sandhu's appeal has recently been rejected by the tribunal for the third time and she is back before the Federal Court for another intervention. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lahore massacre: The person killed died of a heart attack during the violence, according to The Chronicle Herald. Luckily, we've not suffered any major problems in Nova Scotia, said Umran Bhatti, Imam of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Atlantic Canada. A Canadian resident was among the 1,000-strong mob attack launched by extremist group Khatme Nabuwwat, which has supporters in Canada. Local Ahmadiyyas gathered for prayers at their mosque in Sydney, while their Halifax counterparts met in prayer halls to pray for both their co-religionists and a more peaceful Pakistan. After the Lahore Massacre in 2014, Bhatti's relatives emigrated to Canada with help from the federal government, but he still remembered the day his mother called told him about his uncle. Bhatti himself lost an uncle during a previous bout of anti-Ahmadiyya violence in 2010, when Pakistani Taliban militants attacked worshippers praying at mosques in Lahore, killing nearly 100 people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mexican city: He earns 8 a day working 12 hours slicing plastic bottles to put into a compactor, enough to pay the electricity and water and buy some food, according to Metro News. But the U.N. refugee agency picks up the rent and that of a growing number of immigrant families in this Mexican city of 32,000 people near the Guatemalan border. Their neighbours on both sides are Hondurans like them. Mejia is among more than 8,000 immigrants expected to seek asylum this year from Mexico, the majority fleeing gang violence in Honduras and El Salvador and to a lesser extent Guatemala. The decision to settle in Mexico and not continue to the United States is tied to increased recognition of the risks of crossing Mexico and more recently the hostile rhetoric of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, the immigrants and their advocates say. The exodus is turning southern Mexico towns like Tenosique as well as Palenque and Tapachula in neighbouring Chiapas state into informal refugee camps. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

points: Cain made 11 of 15 from the field and had four assists, while McCallum made all three of his 3-point shots, scored a career-high 18 points and tied a career best with 12 rebounds, according to Hamilton Spectator. Freshman Devin Gage, who came in with four assists this season, had seven and nine points. Eli Cain hit seven 3-pointers one shy of DePaul's single-game record and scored a career-high 31 points, Tre'Darius McCallum had his second-career double-double and DePaul cruised to a 109-61 win over Chicago State on Saturday. It was DePaul's highest scoring output since beating Chicago State 114-81 on Nov. 14, 2010. Cain answered with a 3-pointer, the first of four during a 22-0 run and DePaul 6-4 led 60-22 at halftime. Chicago State 3-8 took its only lead on Joshua Batson's jumper 11 seconds in. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

protection jurisdiction: Rich Pedroncelli / The Associated Press By David Olive Business Columnist Sat., Dec. 17, 2016 California is girding for open revolt against the incoming U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, according to Toronto Star. In the weeks since the Nov. 8 presidential election, many of California's leaders have felt that their state is suddenly out of sync with the rest of the U.S. California is a social welfare, pro-immigrant, pro-environmental protection jurisdiction that invests heavily in its people. Rendon said the intent of the legislation is to put a firewall around Californians. Those attributes run counter to the fundamentals of the Trumpism that triumphed Nov. 8. Its success formula has many components. California, of course, leads the U.S. in population and in economic and innovation prowess. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

protocol trudeau: They were greeted at Ogden Point by a crowd that included hundreds of Chinese Canadians, students and the CFB Esquimalt Naden Band, according to CBC. Trudeau's China visit Media navigate unfamiliar sea of protocol Trudeau defends fundraiser with Chinese businessman who later donated 200,000 to father's foundation China installs weapons systems on artificial islands, U.S. think-tank says The last visit to Victoria by the Chinese navy was in 2006. The guided-missile frigates Yancheng and Daqing, along with the massive Taihu replenishment ship, are on an official tour of the Pacific Rim. Michael McArthur/CBC The Chinese navy last stopped in Victoria in 2006. This event signifies a strengthening in the relationship between our two countries, Chan said. At the official welcome for the Chinese sailors, Thomas Chan, president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, spoke on behalf of the Chinese-Canadian community. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school track: She made fast friends with girls different from any she had ever known, according to Hamilton Spectator. New to competitive sports, she propelled herself down the school track so fast that she was soon collecting ribbons. In her first hour of ice-skating, she managed to glide on her own. Bayan glued herself to the movie Annie, the ballet Cinderella and episodes of Wheel of Fortune, all stories of metamorphosis. Gymnastics lessons. As her English went from halting to chatty, she ticked off everything she hungered to do An overnight school trip. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

justice yves: The birth of a child does not definitely prove that a marriage is genuine, according to Guelph Mercury. Each case will turn on its own facts, although there is much to be said for the presumption that the parties to a fraudulent marriage are unlikely to risk the lifetime responsibilities associated with raising a child,' wrote Justice Yves de Montigny in rejecting the second tribunal decision in 2014. Since 2008, Saranjit Kaur Sandhu has made three failed attempts to bring her spouse, Kulwinder Singh Sangha, to Canada from India twice the Federal Court of Canada overturned the negative decision and sent the case back to the immigration appeal tribunal for reconsideration. T here is no evidence that having a child was a ploy to enhance the applicant's husband's chances of obtaining permanent residence in Canada. The focus of the past decisions has been the conclusion that the child of the marriage was conceived to bolster the relationship for immigration purposes, wrote tribunal adjudicator Elena Rose in the latest rejection of the couple's sponsorship appeal. Sandhu's appeal has recently been rejected by the tribunal for the third time and she is back before the Federal Court for another intervention. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

points: Cain made 11 of 15 from the field and had four assists, while McCallum made all three of his 3-point shots, scored a career-high 18 points and tied a career best with 12 rebounds, according to The Waterloo Record. Freshman Devin Gage, who came in with four assists this season, had seven and nine points. Eli Cain hit seven 3-pointers one shy of DePaul's single-game record and scored a career-high 31 points, Tre'Darius McCallum had his second-career double-double and DePaul cruised to a 109-61 win over Chicago State on Saturday. It was DePaul's highest scoring output since beating Chicago State 114-81 on Nov. 14, 2010. Cain answered with a 3-pointer, the first of four during a 22-0 run and DePaul 6-4 led 60-22 at halftime. Chicago State 3-8 took its only lead on Joshua Batson's jumper 11 seconds in. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school track: She made fast friends with girls different from any she had ever known, according to Guelph Mercury. New to competitive sports, she propelled herself down the school track so fast that she was soon collecting ribbons. In her first hour of ice-skating, she managed to glide on her own. Bayan glued herself to the movie Annie, the ballet Cinderella and episodes of Wheel of Fortune, all stories of metamorphosis. Gymnastics lessons. As her English went from halting to chatty, she ticked off everything she hungered to do An overnight school trip. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

success formula: Those attributes run counter to the fundamentals of the Trumpism that triumphed Nov. 8, according to Guelph Mercury. California, of course, leads the U.S. in population and in economic and innovation prowess. In the weeks since the Nov. 8 presidential election, many of California's leaders have felt that their state is suddenly out of sync with the rest of the U.S. California is a social welfare, pro-immigrant, pro-environmental protection jurisdiction that invests heavily in its people. Its success formula has many components. That reliance on well-paid immigrants treated with respect runs counter to the hostility of Trumpism to newcomers. But few if any are more important than attracting the best and brightest tech talent worldwide. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chinese woman: He was right, according to Vancouver Courier. So very right. Joyce to the World Skateboard community celebrates Grandmother of Hastings A reader thought the Courier would be interested in a story about an unlikely friendship forged between Hastings Skatepark skateboarders and Joyce Wong, an elderly Chinese woman. Editor Michael Kissinger responded to the call and headed down to the skatepark with photographer Jennifer Gauthier to cover a birthday party the skateboaders threw for the 75-year-old this past summer. Keep those story tips coming Vancouver. The touching story went viral and wound up being our most-read story of 2016 by a large margin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

childhood memories: Rick Madonik / Toronto Star By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Thu., Dec. 15, 2016 Whether it is the Palestinian grape leaves filled with rice, Venezuelan cheese sticks, Sudanese meat sauce or beef-stuffed vegetables from Syria, immigrants homemade dishes all come with a story, according to Toronto Star. For many newcomers, the aroma and taste of the dishes they grew up with help them relive their childhood memories with their families and connect with the past they left behind for a new life in Canada. His recipe is for stuffed grape leaves, which his mother made back home every Friday. I miss my mom stuffed grape leaves a lot. My mom made this dish every Friday. I am so far away and can t see my family in the Saida-Ein ElHelwi refugee camp, said Mahmoud Kassem, 36, a Palestinian nurse who was born stateless in Lebanon and came to Canada as a refugee last year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chinese stepfather: Garland mother, a white woman and British immigrant, made the sign, according to CBC. Her Chinese stepfather wanted clients of all races to know they were welcome. That was back in the early 1950s. Garland says it worked. She moved out of the area known as The Ward more than 50 years ago. Mavis Garland now, at 76. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

generations: It is going to take generations, according to Rabble. It took generations to get us here and it is going to take generations to get us out of this mess that we are in. At the end of the interview, she offered us the gift of the following words What can I offer activists For a long time now I have been saying that the time for 'pretty words' is over, it is time for collective action and I mean everybody in Canada has to work together to make this work. And I know, I am only reflecting what other people have said, but that is exactly how I feel. Don't stop, but before you take a step, reach out and ask and listen, ask for guidance, and listen and then take your initiative based on real solid information. -- Cathy Elliott, Mi'kmaq artist and a proud member of Sipekne'katik, Nova Scotia The complete interview will be available later this month on the Activist Toolkit As this year is drawing to a close, hope lies in continuing to build collective action. And that is from my heart to all of our supporters and to people who are taking action, Miigwech, thank you, Wela'lin, Masi Cho, thank you, thank you so much. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

man: Winnipeg man charged with immigration fraud The offences occurred between January 2009 and December 2015, when the man misrepresented himself to foreign nationals with the promise to provide immigration services to Canada, border services officials said, according to CBC. He faces three charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and one charge under to the Criminal Code. The man acted as a paid immigration consultant when he was not licensed to do so and fraudulently collected fees from clients, the Canada Border Services Agency alleges. He is scheduled to be in court on Monday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

league: MLS is constantly expanding with Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC taking the competition to 22 teams when the new season begins in March, according to CTV. The Los Angeles Football Club will join the league in 2018 as the 23rd team. MLS Commissioner Don Garber set a deadline of Jan. 31, 2017 for interested potential owners or ownership groups to apply. The league announced it is making progress on plans to add a team in Miami -- the high-profile bid that includes David Beckham -- that would bring the league to 24. Minnesota paid a 100 million franchise fee. Garber was not specific about the Miami team on a conference call with reporters Thursday, but said We are very focused on Miami being our 24th team. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

question: If we were to ask a similar question about Aleppo today, we might phrase it like this Have we, the international community, used a good map to help not only Aleppo, but all of Syria The answer is in the question Certainly no!Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, we have witnessed an endless series of diplomatic and political debacles, giving rise to an armed struggle that has pitted not only world powers like Russia and China against the U.S. and select countries in the EU, but also regional powers like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar against Iran and the Syrian government, according to Huffington Post Canada. The Syrian people, who in the early months of 2011 sought only freedom and dignity, have found themselves caught between the barbarism of terrorist groups and the brutality of the Syrian regime. Consult a map before you go! The question in this poem was first posed by the 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi. It's a Kafkaesque image, but it reflects reality. Whether as deceptive strategy or through sincere ignorance -- to borrow Martin Luther King's expression -- certain commentators, analysts and even politicians choose to blame international law by saddling it with all of the atrocities committed in this conflict. Let us accept it and deal with it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

story: It's hardly a Luke, I am your father surprise twist that the alt-right is now targeting Rogue One A Star Wars Story The alt-right is really a loosely affiliated collection of movements opposing what they call identity politics but which are actually called civil rights, according to Huffington Post Canada. What unites them is the feeling that society's longstanding straight, white male supremacy is being threatened by the scourge of equality. So it's hardly a Luke, I am your father surprise twist that the alt-right is now targeting Rogue One A Star Wars Story which, by the way, is really, really good. This has sparked what CNN political commentator Van Jones famously dubbed a whitelash to efforts that are aiming to increase racial, gender, sexual orientation and ethnic diversity. The alt-right attacks began long before anyone had seen Rogue One, with a call for a Dump Star Wars boycott because there weren't enough white dudes in the film and it starred a...woman! Back in April when the first trailer dropped, so did a flood of tweets complaining about Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso as the lead character. We've seen this with video games, comic books, Netflix and now it's come to a galaxy far, far away. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

time measures: Brussels so far has shown scant flexibility on the free movement of people the principle underpinning Swiss access to the single market so as not to encourage Britain as it negotiates its EU divorce, according to CBC. In an effort to fight unemployment, Switzerland at times of economic upheaval can adopt for a limited time measures to promote the hiring of local people The lack of upper limits on immigration to a country of 8.3 million, whose population is already a quarter foreign, prompted the right-wing Swiss People Party to assert that politicians had defied the people will in a 2014 referendum. After parliament passed the new immigration law, the focus will now shift to how the EU responds. The SVP, the largest party in parliament, has accused other parties of kowtowing to Brussels and shirking their duty to stand up for Swiss sovereignty. But a clear majority in parliament did not want to risk a row with the EU, Switzerland main trading partner, which could retaliate by abrogating other bilateral accords easing trade in sectors that account for seven per cent of Swiss economic output. Its members held up signs protesting the final vote reading constitutional breach and mass immigration continues. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.