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.

american citizenship: The surprising arrest of the Jewish man, who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, came after a trans-Atlantic investigation with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies, according to Toronto Star. U.S. Jewish groups welcomed the breakthrough in the case, which had raised concerns of rising anti-Semitism and drawn condemnation from President Donald Trump. The Associated Press By Daniel Estrin The Associated Press Thu., March 23, 2017 JERUSALEM Israeli police on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old hacker who they said was the main suspect in a wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centres in the United States, appearing to crack a case that has sent a chill through the American Jewish community. Israeli police described the suspect as a hacker, but said his motives were still unclear. Read more Article Continued Below As Jewish centres cope with bomb threats, graves are vandalized react-text 153 Signs sit outside the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City, Missouri on Feb. 22. He's the guy who was behind the JCC threats, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to the scores of anonymous threats phoned in to Jewish community centres in the U.S. over the past two months. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

arrest raid: U.S. Jewish groups welcomed the breakthrough in the case, which had drawn condemnation from President Donald Trump, according to CTV. Israeli police described the suspect as a hacker, but said his motives were still unclear. The surprising arrest of the man, a hacker who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, came after a trans-Atlantic investigation with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies. He's the guy who was behind the JCC threats, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to the scores of anonymous threats phoned in to Jewish community centres in the U.S. over the past two months. During the arrest raid, they said he tried to grab an officer's gun but was stopped by another officer. Police banned publication of his name, but said he was a dual citizen and would remain in custody until at least March 30. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border service: Government critics from the Conservatives and New Democrats say Ebrahim Toure, recently profiled as part of a Star investigation into Canada's immigration detention system, should at least be moved to the less-restrictive Immigration Holding Centre while Canada's border service continues to try to deport him, according to Toronto Star. I think we have to use common sense here, said Tony Clement, the Conservative Public Safety critic. Anne-Marie Jackson / Toronto Star file photo By Brendan Kennedy Staff Reporter Thu., March 23, 2017 Pressure is mounting on federal officials to find a solution to the indefinite detention of a failed refugee claimant who has spent more than four years in maximum-security jail without charge. Maximum security is also very costly and in the immediate sense, he's not a danger to the public. Toure, a failed refugee claimant from West Africa, has been incarcerated at Central East Correctional Centre a maximum-security jail in Lindsay, Ont. since February 2013. So I don't see why that decision was made. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

democracy: Instead, what we have are democratic systems at various points of peril around the globe, according to Huffington Post Canada. Populism, which many assumed would infuse new life into our politics, has instead struck off in many new directions and made it even more difficult to find consensus. Most of us had assumed that as our wisdom and experience of working together increased, democracy itself would prove itself sufficient for facing whatever challenges confronted us. While it has been true that democracy doesn't automatically equate with equality, neither does populism bring accountability. One of the great lessons we are now learning since World War Two is that democracy is fairly useless if it is merely inherited. Our politics should not just be about our choices, but the depth of our character. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dutton: The tragic events in London and elsewhere demonstrate the government's approach was prudent and there are people that we'd excluded on national security grounds and people that we do have concerns about that we have not brought to our country and we never will, Dutton told reporters, according to Metro News. The government announced in September 2015 that 12,000 refugees from the war in Syria and Iraq would be resettled as quickly as possible. Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said the deadly rampage near Britain's Parliament on Wednesday, in which a man used a knife and car as weapons to kill four people, showed Australia was right to be cautious on who it accepted. All 12,000 have now been issued visas and more than 10,000 have already been brought to Australia, the government said on Wednesday. Dutton's office did not immediately respond on Thursday to a request for comment on a newspaper report that as many 900 of the accepted refugees are members of Syria's Christian minority. Dutton said there would have been significant consequences in our own country if the government had followed the opposition's advice by bringing all the refugees to Australia quickly. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

eligibility criteria: Here are the Pilot's key opportunities and risks for employers. 1, according to The Chronicle Herald. Employer-driven Employers must apply to be designated to participate in the Pilot. The Pilot offers some significant immigration opportunities for Atlantic Canadian employers but also creates new obligations and risks. But this designation process and the demands of the eligibility criteria could deter smaller employers from participating. Operate a well-established business in good standing; it appears an employer must have been in active operation, under current management, in the Atlantic Region for at least two years before applying, which seems to effectively shut out new businesses. The employer's designation application must demonstrate it meets these criteria Want to hire full-time, non-seasonal international candidates. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

english: I'm ready to start school, according to Huffington Post Canada. I don't speak a word of English, let alone French. I'm five. But because my parents learned from their citizenship test that French was the official second language of the country, I'm enrolled in French Immersion anyways. This is the reasoning my mother often gives -- it's the effort they put in to make sure I would understand what it meant to be Canadian. And since we are in Alberta, I am bound to learn English. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

european capitals: The assailant also wounded Voronenkov's bodyguard, who fired back and wounded the gunman, according to CBC. Both were hospitalized but Ukrainian media cited hospital doctors later in the day as saying the gunman had died. Battered eastern Ukraine seems headed into protracted on-and-off war Viktor Yanukovych wanted for alleged 'mass killing of civilians' Voronenkov, who testified to Ukrainian investigators and criticized Russian policies after his move to Kyiv last fall, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman near the entrance of an upscale hotel in the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Voronenkov's killing clearly shows the handwriting of Russian special services shown repeatedly in various European capitals in the past. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed the claim of Russian involvement in the killing as absurd in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. In a statement released by his spokesman, Svyatoslav Tsegolko, Poroshenko described the victim as a key witness who gave testimony about Russian aggression to the Ukrainian authorities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

home town: Now out on the sidewalk, where the diner casts practically the only glow on Donner Avenue, for a fleeting minute the men conjure what it used to be like on an evening such as this You had to walk in the street because the sidewalks were so jammed with people, flush with cash, out to stroll, shop, eat and party, according to Hamilton Spectator. Furniture stores, bars, grocery stores, clothing shops graced every block. They've just been imagining the future from a booth in a diner called the Pasta Shoppe. Above the storefronts hung balconies where residents tended oregano and parsley and waved to the crowds below. Now look, says Mayor Louis Mavrakis, 79, who came out of retirement from the United Steelworkers union a few years ago to try to save his home town as mayor. Then the steel mill closed in 1986, leaving just the coke plant and 180 jobs, down from a peak at the mill after World War II of about 7,000 jobs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

justice techniques: I use this content to create a short and hopefully entertaining video, and I find the time for reflection truly inspiring, according to Huffington Post Canada. The Kuki Women's Centre uses ground-breaking restorative justice techniques to address gender-based violence in their communities in Burma's North West. For one of our Ottawa celebrations, I often spend a few evenings compiling feminist highlights and lowlights from the previous year. Photo Inter Pares Last year, it wasn't until I was making this video that it hit me three out of four federal party leaders had proclaimed themselves feminists. This plan to apply a feminist lens was announced last May by the Canadian government in a discussion paper which launched a major review of Canada's international assistance. This year, among other things, we will need to take stock of Canada's Minister of International Development's proclamation that the government will have a feminist approach to international assistance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

russian policies: Denis Voronenkov, who had testified to Ukrainian investigators and criticized Russian policies after his move to Kyiv last fall, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman near the entrance of an upscale hotel in the Ukrainian capital, according to Toronto Star. Voronenkov's bodyguard, a Ukrainian security services officer charged with protecting him, fired back during the attack and was himself seriously wounded. SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP/GETTY IMAGES By Nataliya Vasilyeva The Associated Press Thu., March 23, 2017 KYIV, UKRAINE A former Russian lawmaker who became a vociferous critic of Moscow following his recent move to Ukraine was shot and killed Thursday in Kyiv, prompting harsh words between the two neighbouring countries. Ukrainian officials said the gunman, who they claimed was a Ukrainian citizen, later died from wounds in his chest and head. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called Voronenkov's killing an act of state terrorism that clearly shows the handwriting of Russian special services, which has been shown repeatedly in various European capitals in the past. They did not identify the gunman. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

russian policies: Voronenkov's bodyguard, a Ukrainian security services officer charged with protecting him, fired back during the attack and was himself seriously wounded, according to CTV. Ukrainian officials said the gunman, who they claimed was a Ukrainian citizen, later died from wounds in his chest and head. Denis Voronenkov, who had testified to Ukrainian investigators and criticized Russian policies after his move to Kyiv last fall, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman near the entrance of an upscale hotel in the Ukrainian capital. They did not identify the gunman. Poroshenko described the victim as a key witness who gave testimony about Russian aggression to Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called Voronenkov's killing an act of state terrorism that clearly shows the handwriting of Russian special services, which has been shown repeatedly in various European capitals in the past. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

raj: Sakina Raj, according to CTV. When it gets warmer and it melts, that's the time you see two types - white, like grey, mould and pink mould. It's called snow mould but it grows below the snow, explained Dr. They both do the same thing. Raj says an estimated 60 to 70 per cent of the population will react to snow mould and the symptoms are similar to those of a cold. One makes less spores than the other but both will give the same symptoms. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school students: Rockville High School students and parents declined to comment Thursday about the case involving a 14-year-old girl and a suspect authorities say came to the U.S. illegally from Central America, according to Metro News. One mother would only point to the sign made of red plastic cups in a ballpark fence. Outside a Maryland high school dragged into the national immigration debate by an alleged rape, a makeshift sign reflects that strain Rockville Strong. Protesters on both sides of the debate converged on a nearby elementary school earlier Thursday during a visit by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The Montgomery County school system has been besieged by hundreds of racist and xenophobic calls. And the White House has weighed in, saying President Donald Trump has made a crackdown on illegal immigration a priority because of tragedies like this. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

subscription season: Mirvish says it will be a limited engagement, according to Hamilton Spectator. Exact dates and a venue will be announced later. Mirvish Productions says a touring production of the 11-time Tony Award-winning show will be a part of its 2019-20 subscription season. Hamilton profiles American founding father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who worked alongside George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Acclaimed playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the story, music and lyrics for the show, which features a varied score with multiple genres. He was also the first U.S. Treasury Secretary. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sudanese people: More than 570,000 refugees have arrived from South Sudan since July and the number could pass one million by the middle of this year, the joint statement by U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi and Uganda's government said, according to Metro News. We are at breaking point. The U.N. has called it the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis. Uganda cannot handle Africa's largest refugee crisis alone, Grandi said. The refugees more than 60 per cent of them children have been arriving since neighbouring South Sudan's civil war began in late 2013. The lack of international attention to the suffering of the South Sudanese people is failing some of the most vulnerable people in the world when they most desperately need our help. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trans-atlantic investigation: U.S. Jewish groups welcomed the breakthrough in the case, which had raised concerns of rising anti-Semitism and drawn condemnation from President Donald Trump, according to Hamilton Spectator. Israeli police described the suspect as a hacker, but said his motives were still unclear. The surprising arrest of the Jewish man, who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, came after a trans-Atlantic investigation with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies. He's the guy who was behind the JCC threats, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to the scores of anonymous threats phoned in to Jewish community centres in the U.S. over the past two months. During the arrest raid, they said he tried to grab an officer's gun but was stopped by another officer. Police banned publication of his name, but said he was a dual citizen and would remain in custody until at least March 30. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

arrest raid: U.S. Jewish groups welcomed the breakthrough in the case, which had drawn condemnation from President Donald Trump, according to Brandon Sun. Israeli police described the suspect as a hacker, but said his motives were still unclear. The surprising arrest of the man, a hacker who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, came after a trans-Atlantic investigation with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies. He's the guy who was behind the JCC threats, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to the scores of anonymous threats phoned in to Jewish community centres in the U.S. over the past two months. During the arrest raid, they said he tried to grab an officer's gun but was stopped by another officer. Police banned publication of his name, but said he was a dual citizen and would remain in custody until at least March 30. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

coach: GROUP AFrance coach Didier Deschamps will be without the world's most expensive player against Luxembourg, according to Brandon Sun. Even without the suspended Paul Pogba, there is little reason for the leaders to be worried. The winners qualify automatically while the second-place teams go into playoffs. Deschamps can count on the new crop of French players a gifted generation that includes teenager Kilyan Mbappe. Level on points with the Dutch, Sweden hosts Belarus. The 18-year-old Monaco striker, who has scored a league goal every 82 minutes this season, is among the five newcomers included in Deschamps' squad, alongside Monaco defender Benjamin Mendy 22 Marseille winger Florian Thauvin 24 Lyon midfielder Corentin Tolisso 22 and Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko 22 . France has a three-point lead over the Netherlands, who travel to Bulgaria. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

russian policies: Voronenkov's bodyguard, a Ukrainian security services officer charged with protecting him, fired back during the attack and was himself seriously wounded, according to Brandon Sun. Ukrainian officials said the gunman, who they claimed was a Ukrainian citizen, later died from wounds in his chest and head. Denis Voronenkov, who had testified to Ukrainian investigators and criticized Russian policies after his move to Kyiv last fall, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman near the entrance of an upscale hotel in the Ukrainian capital. They did not identify the gunman. Poroshenko described the victim as a key witness who gave testimony about Russian aggression to Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called Voronenkov's killing an act of state terrorism that clearly shows the handwriting of Russian special services, which has been shown repeatedly in various European capitals in the past. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada: As the federal budget comes down in Ottawa, this should be a top priority, according to Metro News. The global migrant crisis is, with or without our help, finding a way into Canada. But without sufficient money and resources, the agency that manages it is struggling with a backlog of potential sponsors, and leaving Canada in danger of breaking its global promise. While the right and humane thing is for Canada to match rhetoric with policy, there is one more reason to spend the money to clear the backlog private sponsorship works. For government-sponsored refugees that number is 10 per cent. Speaking in front of the Commons immigration committee Monday, Minister Ahmed Hussen said 53 per cent of privately-sponsored refugees had found full-time employment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian muslims: The motion, known as M-103, is to be put to a vote on Thursday, according to The Chronicle Herald. Hours before the final debate, several dozen protesters gathered on the stairs in front of Centre Block to protest the motion, which has no legal effect but which they nevertheless maintained would restrict free speech and lead to the imposition of Sharia law. MPs wrapped up debate on the motion with Liberals and Conservatives accusing one another of playing politics with the rising tide of prejudice and hate crimes facing Canadian Muslims. Among them were individuals sporting black hoodies emblazoned with the logo of the Soldiers of Odin an anti-immigration group that originated in Finland and has been linked to neo-Nazis in Europe. At the bottom of the stairs, another several dozen counter-protesters gathered to defend M-103. The Canadian branch maintains it is not racist but more of a neighbourhood watch. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian: I don't think there's going to be an ongoing problem, according to CBC. It should've been resolved Friday, he said. Work visas restored to specialized Canadian nurses working in U.S. Trump immigration policies kill work visas for specialized Canadian nurses Bob Birach, Chair of the Michigan chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said supervisors with Customs and Border Control are again notifying all officers that advanced level Canadian nurses should be allowed into the country after widespread confusion was caused when visa applications were denied last week. We're hoping that they will actually put out some written guidance on this. Meg Roberts/CBC Nurses and hospitals were scrambling last week, but on March 17 a spokesperson for U.S. Customs clarified that specialized nurses do fall under the registered nurse category and qualify for a TN visa a non-immigrant professional visa under NAFTA they had been using for years. Nurse Patti Kunkel of LaSalle, Ont. worried that rule changes at the U.S. border could prevent her from working at Henry Ford Hospital. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

charlie beck: Since the beginning of this year, sexual assaults reported by Latinos in Los Angeles have dropped 25 per cent, and domestic violence reports by Latinos have decreased by 10 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to CTV. Crime statistics show there were 164 sexual assaults reported by Latinos in the first two months of 2016, compared to 123 in the first two months of 2017. Imagine your sister, your mother, not reporting a sexual assault for fear that their family will be torn apart, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday. There was also a decrease of 118 reports of domestic violence during the same periods among Latinos. She questioned Beck's reasoning for announcing the figures. Beck said there was a strong correlation between the timing of the decreased reporting and fears about President Donald Trump's efforts to crack down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living illegally in the U.S. However, Jessica Vaughan of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, which lobbies for less immigration to the U.S., said it is extremely speculative to draw a connection between the drop in crime reporting and fears regarding accelerated efforts to round up and deport immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

drinking water: VII Photo's Ashley Gilbertson photographed in seven countries for UNICEF, making portraits of families and their daily water use, according to Huffington Post Canada. As part of World Water Day, we present some of these portraits. Still, in 2017, 663 million people are using unsafe drinking water. Photo VII Foreground Four Moussa collects the 80 litres of water her family uses daily from a borehole two kilometres from her home, in the Niger. The walk takes 30 minutes each way, and once there, it takes 15 minutes to fill a container. To avoid long queues at the water source, she goes at night. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

groundbreaking study: Yuanyue Geng By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Wed., March 22, 2017 One out of five foreign workers becomes permanent residents, twice the rate from two decades ago, says a groundbreaking study that examines an immigration system increasingly geared toward temporary migrants, according to Toronto Star. Only nine per cent of temporary foreign workers who came in the mid-1990s successfully obtained permanent resident status, while some 21 per cent of them did by the end of 2014, according to the new Statistics Canada report. She says living in limbo on temporary status can be unsettling. It was the first study ever that examined Canada's national policies around attracting and retaining temporary foreign workers as immigrants. The new approach was adopted to ensure the employability of newcomers and address the doctor-driving-cab immigrant conundrum, but has fuelled concerns that it creates a two-tiered system, where migrant workers don't have the same protections as others and can be trapped in abusive and exploitative conditions in pursuit of permanent status. Under the former Conservative government, Canada shifted toward an immigration system that absorbs migrant workers who first come to the country on temporary status to meet labour market needs, compared to the old nation-building model that let migrants in immediately as permanent residents. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.