gas attack: As global tensions mounted over the surprise U.S. air strike, the recent immigrant said she was more fearful than ever for the safety of friends and family back home, according to Brandon Sun. Related Items Articles Trudeau 'trusted' U.S. administration said Assad responsible for gas attack We don't trust what America did and what America will do because after six years we don't trust anyone, said Alio, who arrived in January with her 63-year-old mother. I'm sure bad things will happen now, the 25-year-old said Friday morning as speculation swirled over what's next. Now our fear is the people, again. The missile attack undoubtedly increased pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad, but Alio questioned whether that signalled any progress in her country's protracted six-year-old civil war. We feel like this bomb will impact on the people more than anybody else. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

self-expression: Whatever the reason, colleges across the United States are seeing a boom in demand for courses on creative writing, according to Brandon Sun. Colleges are adding writing programs to accommodate interest in what has become the rarest of fields in the humanities a sector that is growing, rather than losing students to science and technology. Others attribute it to a flourishing culture of self-expression. The number of schools offering bachelor's degrees in creative writing has risen from three in 1975 to 733 today, according to the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, an industry group based at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. At least, I hope they're aware, said David Galef, director of the creative writing program at Montclair State University in New Jersey. So what will these students do after graduating Most of them are aware that this probably is not going to be their career. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

statement friday: The deal's terms are confidential, according to Brandon Sun. The lawsuit dates to 2015 when Andres backed out of a plan to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, citing then-candidate Donald Trump's statements disparaging immigrants. Andres' Think Food Group and The Trump Organization issued a statement Friday saying the lawsuit has been settled. Andres, who has several restaurants in the city, is an immigrant from Spain. The Trump Organization then sued. Andres announced he was backing out of the restaurant following Trump's comments in June 2015 that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the U.S., and some are rapists. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

africville museum: The new funding will support 132 projects across the province, enabling communities to host celebrations and commemorate significant historical events, according to The Chronicle Herald. There has been incredible interest by community groups in Canada 150, said Tony Ince, Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage. That means an Easter church service that was last held in Africville in 1967 will be celebrated there again. I am excited that so many groups want to celebrate our cultural identity and diversity and remember our connections to Confederation. There will be a Sunrise Easter service held at the Africville museum at 6 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 16, followed by a commemorative service at Cornwallis St. The Africville project, led by the Africville Heritage Trust, together with community and church groups and a local business, will celebrate the culture of Africville. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers: Instead, the government pays Nauru and Papua New Guinea to house them in conditions condemned by human-rights groups, according to Metro News. We know who our friends are, and we know it is great to work alongside you in our fight against people smuggling, Waqa told Turnbull ahead of their meeting. The meeting in Sydney between President Baron Waqa and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull follows fresh scrutiny of Australia's asylum-seeker policy sparked by a resettlement deal between Australia and the U.S. Australia refuses to settle any asylum seekers who try to arrive by boat, insisting the tough policy is necessary to dissuade migrants from attempting the dangerous ocean crossing from Indonesia. I think the program is working well. Shortly after, the Obama administration said the U.S. would accept up to 1,250 refugees living on Nauru and Papua New Guinea who have been rejected by Australia for attempting to arrive by boat. But the future of the program remains in doubt, following a spat it prompted between Australia and the U.S. Last year, Australia said it would take in an unspecified number of Hondurans and Salvadorans from a U.S.-led program to resettle refugees currently in a camp in Costa Rica. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bill thursday: Democratic U.S. Rep, according to Metro News. Bennie Thompson introduced a bill Thursday. A Mississippi congressman is trying to prevent deportation of an immigrant who spoke out against President Donald Trump's policies. The measure would prevent Daniela Vargas' removal on the grounds that she did not wilfully cross the border illegally, but was brought into the country by her parents when she was 7. She was released March 10 on a supervision order. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Vargas on March 1 after she spoke at a Jackson news conference. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city council: Facing sharp criticism, Mayor John Tory asked staff to study how it would impact service and vowed to re-evaluate the situation once he had the results, according to CBC. With more refugees pouring in, Toronto advocates ringing alarms about federal funding That report is here, and city hall sources tell CBC Toronto it's found there's been an increasing demand on city shelters in the past eight months. City council approved the controversial cut, which was set to save some 1 million, earlier this year. Further, some 20 per cent of those who use them identify themselves as refugees, and 70 per cent of those refugees are families. Coun. The report also notes that despite adding more than 300 beds and booking blocks of hotel rooms, shelter capacity remains at 97 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

everyone: Don Rickles loved everybody black or white, gay or straight, fat or thin, according to Metro News. But don't get him started on his wife, or the time she dove into their swimming pool while wearing all her jewelry. Really. And drowned. Warmth let everyone have it. For more than half a century, the hollering, bald-headed Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

facebook video: No air, according to Huffington Post Canada. His body clenching and revolting against itself. From somewhere overhead toxic bombs dropped on the young boy, waking him into panicked paralysis. I watch this sitting in my local coffee shop, playing on a Facebook video linked between Trump posts, little pieces of my spirit crumbling and falling away. Photo Ammar Abdullah/Reuters On Tuesday, the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun in the province of Idlib was hit by a poisonous gas attack. A man carries the body of a dead child, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

customs officers: Roques said she knew her mother had lived in Canada in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but not that her mother had obtained citizenship and passed it on to her at some point, according to Globe and Mail. I wasn't born in Canada, I never lived in Canada, she said. Read also Can U.S. customs officers legally search my phone when driving across the border Ms. I came here as a tourist in the past, but I was never told that I was a citizen. Roques got ensnared in new rules that force many travellers to obtain an electronic travel authorization ETA before they come to Canada, even if it is for a short stay in transit. Ms. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gaza strip: Back on earth, at least one person was instantly captivated, according to Hamilton Spectator. I was immediately like, download, print, said C line Semaan, a Lebanese designer and the founder of Slow Factory, a Brooklyn fashion company that began in 2012 with the goal of creating and selling products that raise awareness around issues such as the plight of refugees or the threat of global warming. It showed the lights of the Gaza Strip from above; what the astronaut saw but the static shot did not capture were rockets flying over the strip amid the region's 50-day war between Israel and Palestine. Eventually, Semaan printed the image onto silk scarves for a collection called Cities by Night. This spring, Semaan, who arrived in Canada with her parents in the late 1980s as a refugee herself, will add scarves with images of cities in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen the seven countries U.S. President Donald Trump named in his original immigration ban in January to the series. The current political climate has provided ample fodder for her creative challenges. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

housing market: Their employment opportunities are frequently temporary, unstable and short-term and the housing market appears unattainable for many with levels of inequity across society increasing, according to Huffington Post Canada. Youth most affected by such tensions and disparities may shrug their shoulders and wonder, 'why bother ' But there's one thing we can do to help Canadian at-risk youth forge a positive path forward provide positive mentorship. They are growing up in a divided society with ethnic, gender and political tensions at seemingly combustible proportions -- not just south of the border, but in Canada too. Research shows that mentorship programs for youth improve school success and academic performance. Mentorships also reduce drug and alcohol abuse, engagement in violence and with the law and improves peer relationships, social skills and employment. For example, 45 per cent of at risk youth with an adult mentor are enrolled in higher education compared with only 29 per cent of their unmentored peers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

humour: He was 90, according to Toronto Star. The cause was kidney failure, said his publicist, Paul Shefrin. Reuters By The Washington Post Thu., April 6, 2017 Don Rickles, the irrepressible master of the comic insult whose humour was a fast-paced, high-volume litany of mockery in which members of his audience were the usually willing victims of his verbal assaults, died April 6 at his home Los Angeles. When Mr. If he wasn't the first insult comic, he was by far the most successful and most widely imitated, becoming a fixture on television and in nightclubs for decades. Rickles developed his standup act in the 1950s, his humour was considered shocking, with a raw, abrasive, deeply personal edge. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration system: She talks about the graphic novel-style book Undocumented The Architecture of Migrant Detention, which she wrote and illustrated, according to Rabble. How we experience spaces and places is just as wrapped up in power and resistance as everything else in life. She is a migrant justice organizer, an artist, and a writer with training in architectural design. At the level of the nation, for instance, the power invested in borders keeps some people out and lets others in, and in a wide range of ways marks those who are admitted for different levels and kinds of harm and vulnerability and violence. Canada's immigration system -- notwithstanding all of the Liberal hype about its supposed gentle virtues -- embodies both of these things. At the scale of our everyday lives, buildings and landscapes are shaped by and can help to enact social relations -- to name a few examples, the form of houses in communities across North America reflect dominant assumptions about what makes a family; churches and mosques often embody principals of the faiths to which they are sacred; modern cityscapes are organized by and around the political dominance of fossil fuel industries and the private automobile; and solitary confinement units in prisons are a cruel crystallization of the violence of the carceral state. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

independence streak: But constitutional reality suggests the forced Meredith eviction will never happen, according to CTV. The ethics committee heard Meredith's side of the story this week, which was basically to agree to a statement of sordid facts with a plea for forgiveness. His disgraceful stalking of a teenage girl, who eventually and reluctantly succumbed to a sexual relationship under the heavy sway of his honorable title, is toxic to a Senate trying to rehabilitate itself in public esteem. But even as a Red Chamber with a fresh independence streak, senators will invariably act as they've always done It's all about preserving the club under the cover of the Constitution, a cozy club where membership is almost impossible to revoke without a criminal conviction in court. His attendance meets the requirement so, unless he revokes his citizenship, declares bankruptcy, commits treason or gives up the pittance of property a sitting Senator must own, he's in the clear. Meredith may have been busted for warped predatory behavior, but he has committed no act giving his fellow senators the constitutional grounds for an unprecedented ouster. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jeff sessions: The consent decree needs to be passed for us to feel we can call on the Baltimore Police Department without them making us into the criminals when we are the victims, said black high school student Shane-jah McCaffity, according to The Chronicle Herald. But Justice Department lawyer John Gore said Attorney General Jeff Sessions is worried about whether the agreement will achieve the goals of public safety and law enforcement while at the same time protecting civil rights. A government attorney weighed in on the proposed consent decree at a public hearing as about 50 Baltimore residents lined up to endorse the reforms and complain of deep-seated racism, abuse and deadly force at the hands of the police. Gore said there has been a spike in crime in Baltimore and the administration wants to make sure that the agreement will help rather than hinder public safety. In April 2015, Baltimore erupted in the worst rioting in decades over the death of Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken during what prosecutors said was a jolting ride in a police van while handcuffed and shackled. The stand represents the start of what appears to be a retreat by the Trump administration from the federal consent decrees that have been put in place in several U.S. cities in recent years to root out racism, excessive force and other abuses against minorities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city: But the city's decision to settle his wrongful arrest lawsuit Wednesday for 4 million still raised eyebrows, according to Hamilton Spectator. That's more than the city has paid out in some of its most notorious police brutality cases. He needed surgery and sat out while teammates went deep in the NBA playoffs. Several unarmed men shot to death by New York City police received less money. His injury probably shortens a career with significant dollars attached to it, said attorney Michael Duffy, who specializes in malpractice and other litigation but had no role in the case. Legal experts say the large settlement is a reflection of lost earnings potential as a professional athlete, not any judgment that his leg was worth more than a man's life. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

plane tickets: That hard work and sacrifice was about securing better economic and educational opportunities for herself and generations to come, according to Toronto Star. But after the teary airport hellos, the presentation of warm winter coats and the fun of arriving at an apartment freshly stocked with their favourite ice cream, the Banico clan was confronted with an aspect of adjusting to their lives in Canada that they hadn't expected trouble getting along as a newly reunited family. I'm so excited because for that long that I am waiting, says Melona, who worked as many as three jobs at once to save money for legal fees, plane tickets and a Toronto apartment suitable for a family of five. We struggled a lot for the first couple of months to adjust to each other, says Melona. They grow up without me. Because for that long, we don't know each other anymore. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

skin colour: To clarify, CRP occurs when a person is targeted as suspicious, or perceived as a threat based on assumptions, and informed by biases held by employees or security, according to Huffington Post Canada. These unconscious or conscious biases usually draw on stereotypes about the targeted person's race, ethnicity, skin colour, place of origin and other factors including gender, age, and perceived socio-economic status . Shoppers make their way through the Eaton Centre in Toronto,Canada on Dec. 26, 2015. This light is where consumer racial profiling is no longer part of the daily shopping experiences of many racialized and indigenous consumers in Ontario. Photo Gettystock Through my work at Prevent CRP, I have listened to community members share their consumer racial profiling stories. In other cases, people share their experiences of being stopped and searched by plain clothed loss prevention employees in front of other customers. In some cases, the person recalls being followed too closely or being treated rudely by staff or security. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian: Winnipeg family concert rock 'n' rolls to raise funds for refugees Syrian refugee benefit in Winnipeg raised 15KSyrian refugee benefit concert books Sweet Alibi, DJ Co-Op Money raised from the concert will pay for living expenses from the three sponsored families, who make up a total of 13 refugees, according to CBC. The South Osborne Syrian Refugee Initiative said it's short 32,000 of a 150,000 goal it has, which also includes the cost of a refugee application and funds to support families before they arrive in Canada. The benefit concert, taking place on Thursday evening, will feature homemade Syrian and Middle Eastern snacks along with entertainment from local recording artists JD Edwards, Scott Nolan and Katie Murphy. Joseph Chaeban said coming to Canada was like winning the lottery. The hope is that some of the money raised on Thursday will cover some of those costs. CBC The refugees also have to pay back travel expenses to the federal government that total about 7,000 per family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

television series: The cause was kidney failure, said his publicist, Paul Shefrin, according to Hamilton Spectator. When Rickles developed his standup act in the 1950s, his humour was considered shocking, with a raw, abrasive, deeply personal edge. He was 90. If he wasn't the first insult comic, he was by far the most successful and most widely imitated, becoming a fixture on television and in nightclubs for decades. Potato Head in the popular Toy Story series of animated features from 1995 to 2010. Trained as a dramatic actor, Rickles appeared in films and television series and was the voice of Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tips i: A couple of seasoned trustees told me it was the best annual event in the district, according to Vancouver Observer. The Globe and Mail's Gary Mason wrote a wonderful column five years ago titled The School of Second Chances. One of the best tips I got was to make sure I went to the Vancouver School Board's VSB adult education graduation ceremony. He captured the joyous, triumph-over-adversity spirit of the event which he described as more profound than anything you experience at your standard high-school grad. I shed joyful tears every time.I spoke at regular high-school grads too. I went on to attend seven of them over the years and had the honour of speaking at most. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

everyone: Don Rickles loved everybody black or white, gay or straight, fat or thin, according to Brandon Sun. But don't get him started on his wife, or the time she dove into their swimming pool while wearing all her jewelry. Really. And drowned. Warmth let everyone have it. For more than half a century, the hollering, bald-headed Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

homeland security: Twitter says its users have a constitutional right to disseminate such anonymous and pseudonymous political speech, according to Brandon Sun. The account in question is ALT uscis, a reference to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. The company filed a lawsuit against the federal Department of Homeland Security and its Customs and Border Protection office, charging that their efforts to unmask the people behind the account violated the First Amendment. The account described its users to the Associated Press in February as employees and former employees of the agency. DHS likewise declined to comment. Twitter declined to comment beyond the lawsuit. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jeff sessions: But Justice Department lawyer John Gore said Attorney General Jeff Sessions is worried about whether the agreement will achieve the goals of public safety and law enforcement while at the same time protecting civil rights, according to Brandon Sun. Gore said there has been a spike in crime in Baltimore and the administration wants to make sure that the agreement will help rather than hinder public safety. The consent decree needs to be passed for us to feel we can call on the Baltimore Police Department without them making us into the criminals when we are the victims, said black high school student Shane-jah McCaffity. The stand represents the start of what appears to be a retreat by the Trump administration from the federal consent decrees that have been put in place in several U.S. cities in recent years to root out racism, excessive force and other abuses against minorities. The Justice Department launched an investigation and issued a scathing report outlining widespread mistreatment of black people, including excessive force and unlawful stops. In April 2015, Baltimore erupted in the worst rioting in decades over the death of Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken during what prosecutors said was a jolting ride in a police van while handcuffed and shackled. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bill koenig: Long immune to the ratings tumbles that have plagued other television shows in the era of DVRs and cord-cutting, some sports leagues saw their viewership numbers dip in part because of a bombastic presidential election cycle, according to Hamilton Spectator. The NBA opened its season going head-to-head with a historic World Series matchup between the Cubs and Indians, but has emerged with what Koenig considers encouraging signs as the playoffs begin next week. For Bill Koenig, the league's president of global media distribution, that qualifies as a victory. The combined U.S. ratings held firm at 0.8 for the season while the league had a 3 per cent rise in unique viewers and a 6 per cent increase in the total hours of game action fans have watched in a season, according to the NBA. Also, 19 more games were broadcast nationally. Those numbers are growing over time, Koenig said in a phone interview. I think our game is very attractive to the younger, more technologically savvy, multicultural fan. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.