leonard cohen: And yet, closer to home there was plenty of courage, generosity and kindness to celebrate, according to The Waterloo Record. As we contemplate the waning year 2016, individual acts of decency keep our hopes high in a painful world. We felt helpless as we watched the bitter discord of the American elections, as we witnessed refugees from Africa and the Middle East flood into Europe, and as we mourned the many deaths this year of artistic luminaries, from David Bowie to Leonard Cohen to Carrie Fisher. Heartfelt thanks to Shirley Irish, Brian and Jean Kirkham, and many other people who put their shoulders to the wheel to help welcome refugees from Syria and elsewhere. Irish and the Kirkhams were three volunteers I met out of many who sponsored a family and lovingly furnished a home to welcome them. In the massive influx of refugees from Syria that began about a year ago, Waterloo Region accepted more refugees per capita than any other place in the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mideast ally: In a farewell speech, Kerry laid out a two-state vision for peace that he won't be in office to implement, but that the U.S. hoped might be heeded even after President Barack Obama's term ends, according to Guelph Mercury. He defended Obama's move last week to allow the UN Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal, the spark that set off an extraordinary and deepening diplomatic spat between the U.S. and its closest Mideast ally. Netanyahu accused the Obama administration of a biased bid to blame Israel for failure to reach a peace deal. If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace, Kerry said in a speech that ran more than an hour, a comprehensive airing of grievances that have built up in the Obama administration over eight years but were rarely, until this month, discussed publicly. The Israeli leader faulted Kerry for obsessing over settlements while paying mere lip service to Palestinian attacks and incitement of violence. Netanyahu pushed back in a hastily arranged televised statement in which he suggested he was done with the Obama administration and ready to deal with president-elect Donald Trump, who has sided squarely with Israel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-immigration attitudes: The 'other' Marche identified fear of otherness as a contributing factor to increased support for nationalistic movements in Europe and the U.S. I think there is a kind of feeling when you encounter otherness, when you encounter other people, people from other cultures, that the reaction which we had assumed would be cosmopolitism is actually not that at all, Marche said, according to CTV. It's actually kind of revulsion. In a telephone interview with CTVNews.ca, Marche explained why he thinks Canada has avoided the surge of xenophobic anti-immigration attitudes and the rise of far-right political movements evident elsewhere, and what that means for the future. Marche cited the refugee crisis in Europe as one of the major reasons why countries such as Germany, France or Britain have seen a recent backlash against immigrants. Marche said the backlash is evident in the U.K.'s Brexit vote, the murder of British Labour Party MP Jo Cox, the support for nationalistic groups such as the Front National in France and the victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. I don't think you should underrate the sheer power of the identity politics at play, which is the return of people to a kind of ethnic identity that defines them, Marche said. More than a million refugees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa sought refuge in European nations last year alone, fuelling tension between locals and newcomers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-obama remarks: He said he mistakenly hit reply on his computer instead of forward, according to Hamilton Spectator. The millionaire developer told Artvoice last week he hoped President Obama would die from mad cow disease and Michelle Obama would return to being a male. Carl Paladino said he intended his email response to a weekly alternative publication's survey to only go to a couple friends, not the newspaper. In Paladino's Tuesday statement, first reported on Buffalo's WBEN radio, he apologizes to minorities, saying he never intended to hurt them with his anti-Obama remarks. Paladino's comments even drew a rebuke from his own son William, who runs the family's development firm. The comments sparked outrage from various political circles, including Trump's transition team, which called the developer's comments absolutely reprehensible. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

arabic-speaking people: As Immigration Minister Lena Diab told The Canadian Press recently, Diversity brings strength and we welcome that, according to The Chronicle Herald. With an increase of the numbers of Muslims and Arabic-speaking people in various parts of Nova Scotia, communities have been consistently providing positive responses in answering the varied needs of a changing population in respect to matters like language, food and religion. In Nova Scotia, the past 12 months might be remembered best as the year of the refugee, when the province welcomed some 1,500 Syrian refugees, helping chart a diverse future. We saw the depth of human kindness in thousands of bags of clothes and piles of furniture and other items dropped off when the call was issued for donations to aid Syrian refugees coming to our shores to start new lives. Diab, whose father immigrated to Canada from Lebanon, said that in her three years as immigration minister, she has never seen Nova Scotians so welcoming and so open-minded and kind-hearted in all of my life they get it, they really get it. Ms. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cheryl holt: They don't tip you, or they may have a 200 meal and tip you a dollar per person, said Cheryl Holt, who has been a food server on the Strip since 2011, according to Hamilton Spectator. With a 200 dinner cheque, Holt said as a server, she'd typically have to pass on about 10 to the rest of the service staff, including a bartender, busser and food runner. It's very difficult when you're serving or relying on tips and the majority of your guests are foreign. If she receives a small tip, Holt said she's paying for those customers to eat at her table. European tourists give smaller tips and Chinese visitors give about 1 per person. Holt told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that in her experience, visitors from Canada tend to tip about 10 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

election campaign: These are some of the people you'll meet at Toronto's Untold Stories, a new interactive event focused on revealing stories of the city that aren't often told in the mainstream media, according to Metro News. Aanjalie Collure is the woman behind the project. A genocide survivor with PTSD. A Syrian refugee living with HIV. A young Pakistani woman looking to reconnect with her culture. She got the idea after being on the ground in New York the day Donald Trump was elected president. People didn't know anything about their neighbours. The divisive rhetoric she heard afterwards the reverberations of an election campaign that targeted immigrants, Muslims and others left her bewildered. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

five-per-cent threshold: She is now shifting to the right in an attempt to win next September's German federal election, according to The Chronicle Herald. The AfD is the first populist party likely to clear the five-per-cent threshold required to land seats in the Bundestag. Clearly, the right-wing Alternative for Germany AfD is nipping at her heels. In recent state elections, it has siphoned votes from Merkel's Christian Democratic Union CDU after capitalising on anger in parts of the German electorate over her liberal refugee policy. Though Merkel's party remains the frontrunner, the AfD is currently polling at about 12 per cent nationally. It now has seats in 10 of Germany's 16 states. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gardiner expressway: They argue the tolls will elicit a rightist populist backlash and alienate potential supporters, according to Rabble. On Facebook John Bell complained, to all the 'progressives' who support road tolls, and then wonder why a Ford or a Trump gets elected give your head a shake. In opposing tolls on Toronto's Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, a number of leftists cite political strategy. Slightly more restrained, Nora Loreto wrote, if progressives want to have a hope in hell in reaching the average Mississauga commuter they should oppose tolls. But, Bell and Loreto's statements are short sighted. The Toronto tolls are no doubt highly unpopular among suburbanites who currently use the two highways without paying either through fees or municipal taxes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government need: Lawyers for the justice department issued a brief that suggested the Mi'kmaq are a conquered people and because of that, government doesn't need to consult with them, according to CTV. The premier and justice minister say they did not see the brief before it was filed. They launched an appeal, and a leaked brief had Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil apologizing. The provincial crown lawyer behind the controversial legal brief was taken off the case and replaced. Only one of three people have been tried in connection with the case. Baylee Wylie The 19-year-old's body was found in a burned out apartment building in Moncton in December 2015. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

karima mehrab: Karima Mehrab was recognized by the British Broadcasting Corporation for her campaigns for independence for Balochistan, an area that had been under the British rule until 1947 and was later acceded to Pakistan as one of the country's four provinces, according to Toronto Star. Ironically, Mehrab's efforts are also what got the 33-year-old chair of the Baloch Students Organization BSO one of the groups behind the Balochistan separatist movement, into trouble in Canada. NICHOLAS KEUNG / TORONTO STAR By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Mon., Dec. 26, 2016 A refugee named by the BBC as one of the world's 100 most inspirational and influential women in 2016 has had her asylum claim suspended by Ottawa because of her activism. Mehrab is facing an inadmissibility order by the Canada Border Services Agency because of the group's involvement in subversion against the Pakistani government. The Baloch Students Organization is banned by Islamabad but it is not among the terrorist entities listed by the Canadian government. Her asylum claim has been put on hold pending the outcome of an inadmissibility hearing by a refugee board tribunal in early 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

michael blume: There is a big problem with corruption in the region, he said in a telephone interview with CBC News, according to CBC. Even well-meaning NGOs have their financial interests, so it's a real challenge to keep the focus on the people and not to be played with. Michael Blume, the head of Germany's Special Quota Project, said officials must prepare to take a hard line against fraud, rip-offs and bribery at all levels. Key to avoiding exploitation is working with the right partners on the ground, sticking to strict protocols and not cutting corners despite the urgent need for help, said Blume. That motion formally recognized that ISIS is committing genocide against the Yazidi people, and committed to providing asylum to Yazidi women and girls within 120 days, effectively setting a deadline of Feb. 25. MPs chart new course with Yazidi plan Canada to bring in Yazidis in 4 months Liberals accused of 'token effort' on Yazidis MPs voted unanimously on Oct. 25 to adopt motion tabled by Conservative Immigration critic Michelle Rempel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nonacademic book: It'll be out this spring, according to Toronto Star. He says it's the biography of a school Clinton Street Junior Public, where both our kids went. Toronto Star Archives By Rick Salutin Columnist Tues., Dec. 27, 2016 My friend and neighbour Rob Vipond, who's a political science prof and whose daughter Susanna looks after our cat and turtle when we're at the lake, has written a neighbourhood book brimming with love. It's a nonacademic book, full of academic rigour and insight. Private schools can teach about citizenship but can't ever embody it, since people go there in a private role, vs. as taxpaying members of society. He had the great idea of focusing on public schools as incubators of citizenship. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

terror attacks: What measures will Canadians accept in order to reduce terror threats About one in four find it acceptable that the police should be able to listen in on phone calls and read texts without a special warrant, as currently required, according to Globe and Mail. Four in 10 strongly agree with slowing immigration and the acceptance of refugees from certain regions and one-quarter strongly support the total elimination of immigrant and refugee flows from those areas. When asked about the appropriate response to terror attacks, just over half of Canadians respond that bringing the responsible individuals to justice is sufficient, whereas more than four in 10 feel Canada and its allies should respond by going to war against terrorists. Attitudes and opinions about security and the appropriate response to terrorist threats are the tip of an iceberg of values. People who support these measures are also united by certain underlying values. There tends to be a lot of overlap among Canadians who are supportive of limiting or eliminating immigration from certain areas of the world, those who find police snooping acceptable, and those who support going to war to end terror. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pot user: Rebagliati, an open pot user who runs a dispensary called Ross' Gold in Kelowna, said he was last denied entry around four years ago because of his well-documented relationship with marijuana, according to CTV. They turned me around with my six-month-old baby and my wife and my dog, he told CTV News. That's the lesson from immigration experts as Olympic snowboarding champion Ross Rebagliati battles an ongoing ban on travelling to Canada's southern neighbour. The Olympian said they were trying to head down for a visit with his mother, who lives in California, over the winter. I had a feeling before I went down that there could be some complications, he said. Rebagliati had been sent back before, but the family decided to chance it anyway. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tractor-trailer barrelled: The so-called Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which a tractor-trailer barrelled into the well-known market by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, toppling a Christmas tree, tables and booths and mowing down tourists and Berliners alike, according to Hamilton Spectator. The tragedy was frighteningly similar to the July 14 terrorist truck attack, also linked to IS, that killed nearly 90 people and injured hundreds more at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France. However, that is the state of the world today, as was made clear by the truck attack last week in Berlin that killed 12 people and injured dozens more at a Christmas market. The attacks underscore the terrorists' interest in soft targets lightly secured or difficult-to-secure venues that attract throngs of people and present maximum opportunity for casualties. Some Germans fear the attack was perpetrated by an asylum-seeker, as were a handful of smaller-scale incidents of violence in Germany over the summer, not all of them linked to terrorism. The Berlin incident described as the first mass-casualty attack by Islamist extremists in Germany also represents an unsettling expansion of the IS footprint. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

turkish invasion: We're having a hell of a time continuously stocking the store, says the liquor retailer's chief executive George Soleas, according to Toronto Star. Born in Cyprus and seeking refuge in Canada as a boy after the Turkish invasion of his homeland, Soleas today is on a mission to bring an international flavour to the liquor retailer's stores. Richard Lautens / Toronto Star By Lisa Wright Business Reporter Tues., Dec. 27, 2016 Ever get a craving for a certain brand of sake The LCBO's flagship store on Queens Quay has seven or eight to choose from, but there are more than 70 online and at its East Asian Products of the World boutique store on Highway 7 East in Markham, where the Japanese rice wine is flying off the shelves. I'm an immigrant. Article Continued Below Forty years ago when I came here, I would go to the Danforth and buy my stuff that I was used to at home, like Greek cheese and other items, and I felt a lot of others do the same, whether they are Italian, Portuguese, East Asian. I'm a staunch Canadian, but I am also proud of that heritage, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

turkish invasion: Born in Cyprus and seeking refuge in Canada as a boy after the Turkish invasion of his homeland, Soleas today is on a mission to bring an international flavour to the liquor retailer's stores, according to Metro News. I'm an immigrant. We're having a hell of a time continuously stocking the store, says the liquor retailer's chief executive George Soleas. I'm a staunch Canadian, but I am also proud of that heritage, he said. To that end, the LCBO launched Products of the World boutiques last year within existing locations to showcase all of the items that would naturally appeal to a particular demographic, such as Portuguese products in the Stockyards, German products in Waterloo and Kosher products at three locations, including Bathurst and Lawrence. Forty years ago when I came here, I would go to the Danforth and buy my stuff that I was used to at home, like Greek cheese and other items, and I felt a lot of others do the same, whether they are Italian, Portuguese, East Asian. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-obama remarks: He said he mistakenly hit reply on his computer instead of forward, according to The Waterloo Record. The millionaire developer told Artvoice last week he hoped President Obama would die from mad cow disease and Michelle Obama would return to being a male. Carl Paladino said he intended his email response to a weekly alternative publication's survey to only go to a couple friends, not the newspaper. In Paladino's Tuesday statement, first reported on Buffalo's WBEN radio, he apologizes to minorities, saying he never intended to hurt them with his anti-Obama remarks. Paladino's comments even drew a rebuke from his own son William, who runs the family's development firm. The comments sparked outrage from various political circles, including Trump's transition team, which called the developer's comments absolutely reprehensible. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cheryl holt: They don't tip you, or they may have a 200 meal and tip you a dollar per person, said Cheryl Holt, who has been a food server on the Strip since 2011, according to The Waterloo Record. With a 200 dinner cheque, Holt said as a server, she'd typically have to pass on about 10 to the rest of the service staff, including a bartender, busser and food runner. It's very difficult when you're serving or relying on tips and the majority of your guests are foreign. If she receives a small tip, Holt said she's paying for those customers to eat at her table. European tourists give smaller tips and Chinese visitors give about 1 per person. Holt told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that in her experience, visitors from Canada tend to tip about 10 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school hours: The only entry point for new students enrolling in FI will be junior kindergarten from now on, and all FI applications for JK must be submitted before 4 p.m. on Jan. 26 in order to be considered on time, said a board news release Thursday, according to Guelph Mercury. Kindergarten registration will be held from Jan. 9 to 26 at all of the board's elementary schools, with parents and guardians invited to register their child at their local school from Monday to Friday during regular school hours. A new twist for the 2016-17 school year is enrolment caps for French Immersion that go into effect starting next September. To find your local school, visit www.findmyschool.ca. The local sessions are on Jan. 16 at Rockwood's Harris Mill school, on Jan. 19 at Westwood school in Guelph's west end and on Jan. 25 at William C. Winegard school in Guelph's east end. Six evening registration sessions have been scheduled from 4 30-6 30 p.m. in communities across the school board for families who can't attend registration during school hours. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stoic gase: Time to hit the pause button on the video, break out the eggnog and trade high-fives with the wife Apparently not, according to Guelph Mercury. I don't think there was a high-five, a stoic Gase said Monday. Coach Adam Gase was at home late on Christmas night grading videotape of the Miami Dolphins' most recent game when their first playoff berth since 2008 was secured. The first-year coach is unwilling to celebrate when there are more games to be won, and when a post-season berth was part of the plan from the start. That's how you think as a coach. This is kind of what we expected, Gase said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tractor-trailer barrelled: The so-called Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which a tractor-trailer barrelled into the well-known market by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, toppling a Christmas tree, tables and booths and mowing down tourists and Berliners alike, according to The Waterloo Record. The tragedy was frighteningly similar to the July 14 terrorist truck attack, also linked to IS, that killed nearly 90 people and injured hundreds more at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France. However, that is the state of the world today, as was made clear by the truck attack last week in Berlin that killed 12 people and injured dozens more at a Christmas market. The attacks underscore the terrorists' interest in soft targets lightly secured or difficult-to-secure venues that attract throngs of people and present maximum opportunity for casualties. Some Germans fear the attack was perpetrated by an asylum-seeker, as were a handful of smaller-scale incidents of violence in Germany over the summer, not all of them linked to terrorism. The Berlin incident described as the first mass-casualty attack by Islamist extremists in Germany also represents an unsettling expansion of the IS footprint. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

air power: Igor Konashenkov, according to CBC. He said some bore gunshot wounds. Dozens of bodies have been uncovered, according to ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. While the Syrian war is now largely fought with mortars, tanks, and air power, death has come at close quarters as well. Explosions and airstrikes return to Aleppo, surrounding areas'Aleppo is back,' Syrian TV declares after army completely retakes city from rebels The Russian Air Force has helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its allies to capture Aleppo, which was once Syria's largest city, after weeks of a siege. Human rights observers and the media have recorded numerous examples of massacres and organized torture, perpetrated by the government, opposition, and the Islamic State group. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizens: With 47, not 46, visible minority MPs, or 14 per cent, representation is close to the share of the visible minority voting population, according to Toronto Star. This is not to say that representation cannot be further improved or that electoral reform needs to consider diversity implications but important to get the baseline data right. Visible minorities may form 19 per cent of the population, but the correct figure to use is the number who are also Canadian citizens 15 per cent. Andrew Griffith, Ottawa Article Continued Below The Morning Headlines Newsletter Delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up react-empty 149 (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gunshot wounds: Gen, according to Toronto Star. Igor Konashenkov. Dozens of bodies have been uncovered, according to Ministry spokesman Maj. He said some bore gunshot wounds. Human rights observers and the media have recorded numerous examples of massacres and organized torture, perpetrated by the government, opposition, and Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The Russian Air Force has helped Syrian President Bashar Assad and its allies to capture Aleppo, Syria's largest city, after weeks of a siege. While the Syrian war is now largely fought with mortars, tanks, and air power, death has come at close quarters as well. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.