dalhousie university: Kolesov and the rest of the YAS string quartet were set to perform Beethoven's Serioso at a concert hall in Halifax on Sunday, but the show was cancelled because of his immigration issues, according to Hamilton Spectator. Kolesov, 23, is currently studying in Chicago, having previously pursued a music degree at Halifax's Dalhousie University, but the musical prodigy says he doesn't feel fully welcome in any of the three countries in which he has lived. But Artem Kolesov says first getting Canada's permission to cross the border for a classical concert is a struggle in itself. Kolesov says he has known he is gay since he was five years old, but between his parents' strict conservative beliefs at home in St. I truly believed that gay people were these horrible monsters that caused so many issues in the world, and you should really get rid of them, says Kolesov. Petersburg and homophobic sentiment in Russia sanctioned by a so-called anti-gay propaganda law he says coming out meant risking family banishment or even violence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

diversity: We really wanted to sort of go beyond the normative argument, and there is a lot of positive rhetoric about that it's a good thing for society, which we agree with 100 per cent, but we wanted to see if there was a business case, said Momani in an interview with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris on Tuesday, according to CBC. They found the strongest relationship between diversity and performance in cultural industries, communications, business and legal services. For every 1 per cent increase in ethnocultural diversity, on average companies saw a 2.4 per cent bump in revenue and a 0.5 per cent increase in productivity, said Bessma Momani and Jillian Stirk, the authors of Diversity Dividend Canada's Global Advantage, published on Monday. The report doesn't try to sugarcoat this, there is a lot of work to be done. They did statistical data modelling based on the workplace employee survey by Statistics Canada, which covers more than 7,900 workplaces in 14 sectors, from 1991 to 2005. There's a great deal of discrimination in this country.'- Bessma Momani, co-author of Diversity Dividend Methodology The pair spoke to about 100 business leaders across the country,in a series of roundtables in seven different cities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

emotions attachment: This left-right consensus means that voters are not offered a choice at election time, according to Rabble. If both left and right agree on who gets what -- let the impartial world market decide -- then politics as social conflict between profit seekers and employees becomes irrelevant. On the economic issues of how wealth is produced and distributed, the social democratic left in the U.K., France and Germany -- once elected -- have bought into the globalization is good agenda promoted by the conservative right. What Marine Le Pen and her Front National represent is a world divided between friends the French people and enemies others . The Front National appeals to strong emotions attachment to country and its flag, anthem and patriotic symbols. While the results of last Sunday's first round of voting for the next president of the French Republic showed support for LePen at 21 per cent, the French Socialist candidate Beno t Hamon gathered only six per cent support. With France shaken by dramatic incidents of violence and assassination, Le Pen plays off the 21-century war on terrorism and its associated Islamophobia to stoke fear and distrust of recent immigrants and French Muslims. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration rate: Even proponents of the provincial Liberals' new speculation tax conceded it accounts for only five to eight per cent of purchases, according to Toronto Star. The major explanation for mismatched supply and demand is domestic new homes not keeping pace with Toronto's 1.6 per cent annual immigration rate an increase in population of over 100,000 a year a local economy that's actually doing quite well, and the irruption into Toronto of an ascendant set of values that can be attributed to an already landed, prospering immigrant class. Rene Johnston / Toronto Star By Noah Richler Tues., April 25, 2017 Here's the rub about the red-hot housing market in Toronto it's not foreign buyers that are driving it. The latter is not a racist suggestion as, to an extent, the foreign buyers charge is but the tail end and proof of the arguments we use to justify welcome new arrivals, typically portrayed as hardworking and with the drive to augment Canadian prosperity. When finally she rented, it was from a new Canadian who believed as a certain fictional character in my own family's past did that a man without land is nobody. To wit one of my wife's daughters has been looking for a property for a year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

investment banker: French voters would be wise to make Macron the more sensible, centrist candidate their nation's next president, according to Hamilton Spectator. Macron is proudly and profoundly pro-European, strongly supportive of France's inclusion in NATO, the European Union and the eurozone. But bypassing entrenched political parties is one matter; rejecting institutions designed to increase cohesion among European nations is another. And although he has not held elected office, Macron's previous political experience in the incumbent administration, coupled with his career as an investment banker, suggest that even as a relative outsider he's not naive about France's challenges. Doing so will require political and economic reformation, and accordingly Macron created a new political movement En Marche! On the Move! to rally his nation. His approach to solving them is not to try to avoid the forces of globalization, as Le Pen impossibly promises, but to tackle the regulatory framework that puts France at a competitive disadvantage. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

journalism content: The fierce spirit of survival of Fort McMurray citizens during the wildfires, according to Huffington Post Canada. These are the stories we tell on Huff Post Canada, and they've captured the industry's attention. The truth about life as children of immigrants. Huff Post Canada has been nominated in four categories for the 2017 Digital Publishing Awards, including Best Blog or Online-Only Column for our Born And Raised series Best Online Video Feature for Coming Out To My First-Generation Parents Best Online Video Mini-Doc for our Salute video series Best Social Storytelling for Fort McMurray Wildfires coverage The awards celebrate the best and brightest of Canada's digital journalism content, publications and creators. Yum has led Huff Post Canada since its launch in 2011, and is proud of the recognition his newsroom received this year. Huff Post Canada's managing editor, Kenny Yum, will receive the inaugural Digital Publishing Leadership Award, which honours his numerous contributions to the Canadian digital publishing industry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

malaysia: It is based on the fictional story of a Myanmar Muslim teenager forced to flee her homeland and her struggle to survive in Malaysia, according to CTV. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative Richard Towles said Tuesday that the application will let users walk a mile in a refugee's shoes in order to understand what they go through every day in order to find safety. The Finding Home mobile application was developed by advertising firm Grey Malaysia. The UNHCR says there are more than 150,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Malaysia. About 36,000 of them are below the age of 18. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mexican border: The magistrate, Collis White, warned that a guilty plea would mean jail time and they couldn't return to the United States legally for years, according to Metro News. Speaking in Spanish, each of the 15 men said they understood. They had come for better jobs, many to earn more money to help raise their children, their defence lawyer told a federal magistrate in a quiet west Texas courtroom about 3 miles 5 kilometres north of the Mexican border. They faced up to six months in jail, but most were sentenced to just a few days. In other jurisdictions, authorities routinely skip the criminal charges and order quick deportations. They had the misfortune of landing in America's toughest courthouse for people who cross the border illegally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nova: According to the latest Stats Can count 2014 48,580 Nova Scotians survive on incomes of less than 5,000 a year, according to The Chronicle Herald. Another 55,340 are attempting to stay alive on less than 10,000. What will Thursday's budget do for Nova Scotians who need the most help We'll see, but given past experience they're not expecting much. Given these are income estimates, there are other considerations, but the reality remains that Nova Scotia has a bunch of very poor people. What this means is that poor folks don't vote. Without ever saying it, governments here have decided that Nova Scotia is just too darn strapped to do much to help our most disadvantaged citizens. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

order: City Attorney applauds ruling that blocks Trump's sanctuary city order Reuters The injunction will stay in place while the lawsuits work their way through court, according to Globe and Mail. The judge rejected the administration's argument that the executive order applies only to a relatively small pot of money and said Trump cannot set new conditions on spending approved by Congress. U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued the preliminary injunction in two lawsuits one brought by the city of San Francisco, the other by Santa Clara County against an executive order targeting communities that protect immigrants from deportation. Even if the president could do so, those conditions would have to be clearly related to the funds at issue and not coercive, as the executive order appeared to be, Orrick said. It was the third major setback for the administration on immigration policy. Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the president disapproves, the judge said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

residency checks: But immigrant advocates said it had the effect of trapping some people in violent, abusive relationships, according to CBC. Scrapping the two-year probation for permanent residency checks off another 2015 Liberal campaign promise, which the government signalled it would pursue last fall. The conditional permanent residency status policy, which kicked in October 2012, was designed to clamp down on marriage fraud. According to the Privy Council Office website, the cabinet decision was formally taken April 13 and will be published on May 3 in the Canada Gazette, the government's official newsletter. More training urged in report on gender-based violence Canadians divided on immigration Women face most danger when fleeing abusive relationship Under the Conservative policy, sponsored spouses and partners were given a status of conditional permanent residence, and were required to cohabit and remain in a conjugal relationship with their sponsor for two years. A formal government announcement on the change is expected Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

steamy thriller: Holdovers crushed a slew of underwhelming newcomers, including Disney Nature's Born in China, which opened in sixth place with 4.8 million; the steamy thriller Unforgettable that debuted in seventh with 4.8 million; and the costly historical epic The Promise, which launched in ninth place with only 4.1 million, according to The Chronicle Herald. The top films looked much the same as the past few weeks, with The Boss Baby in second with 12.7 million and Beauty and the Beast in third with 9.7 million. With international grosses, the film is expected to cross 1 billion this week. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theatres Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theatre locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by com Score 1. The Boss Baby, 20th Century Fox, 12,712,144, 3,697 locations, 3,439 average, 136,954,014, 4 weeks. 3. The Fate Of The Furious, Universal, 38,408,415, 4,329 locations, 8,872 average, 163,304,635, 2 weeks. 2. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

urquia: Families prefer to have boys rather than girls, said Urquia, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, according to CBC. Or, if they already have daughters, they want to have at least one male in the family. The lead author of an upcoming study, Marcelo Urquia, said his team's findings show Indian mothers are more than twice as likely to have a male third child, if a couple has already had two daughters. Abortions may be behind skewed boy-girl birth ratio among Indian-born moms While Canadian-born women give birth to about 105 boys for every 100 girls, Urquia and his team from the University of Toronto and St. We expected that with longer exposure to Canada's environment of greater gender equality, immigrants from India would progressively shift toward valuing daughters and sons more equally, Urquia said. Michael's Hospital, showed Punjabi-speaking mothers in Ontario, at their third birth, had 240 boys for every 100 girls. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vice media: He said six months before Michel's death, he was charged with possession of marijuana after he was involved in a collision on the highway while he was driving home to Montreal from the West Coast, according to CTV. Police had found a Sucrets box with a couple of joints inside when they were helping him collect his belongings that were scattered across the highway. Trudeau revealed the little-known fact about his brother, who died in a B.C. avalanche about 20 years ago, during a broadcast interview with Vice Media on Monday night about the government's plan to legalize marijuana. Trudeau said his father contacted his friends in the legal community to get Michel a good lawyer. We were able to do that because we had resources, my dad had a couple connections and we were confident that my little brother wasn't going to be saddled with a criminal record for life. He was very confident that we were able to make those charges go away, Trudeau said of his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

war article: It is estimated that Canada has spent about 12 billion for the mission in Afghanistan since 2002, according to Toronto Star. Also, 158 Canadian Armed Forces members lost their lives in Afghanistan while fighting to bring peace to the country. Obviously, as for any war, there comes a high price for taxpayers of the country. The question now is should Canada again participate in a war Article Continued Below The people of Syria would be happier if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to settle more refugees than to go to war in Syria. However, since 2015, more than 40,000 Syrian refugees have come to Canada. Furthermore, Canada is not a member of the UN Security Council, which means our country does not have the right to vote on matters pertaining to the security of the world, including that in Syria and Iraq. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

citizenship process: Supporters travelled to Detroit from Chicago to pack the courtroom, and many were in tears later on the courthouse steps, according to Brandon Sun. Odeh was convicted at trial in 2014 and sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the verdict was overturned. Rasmea Odeh, 69, will be deported to Jordan or another country in the months ahead. A second trial was planned in Detroit, the city where she went through the citizenship process in 2004, before she decided to accept a plea deal. He gave up and accepted her reply that she had admitted her crime in the court document. But even with the plea agreement, Odeh found it impossible to say the word guilty when repeatedly asked by U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

funding: Here is a look at Tuesday's ruling and what lies ahead WHAT DID THE FEDERAL JUDGE SAY ABOUT THE SANCTUARY CITIES ORDER U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco said the president has no authority to attach new conditions of his own to spending that was approved by Congress, according to Brandon Sun. The judge further ruled that Trump's order threatened a wide swath of funding not the relatively small amount the Justice Department claimed and that the government cannot cut off funding if there is no clear connection between the money and the policy at issue. It was the third Trump executive order on immigration to be thwarted by the federal courts. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said late Wednesday the president was well within his power to issue the executive order and the DOJ would continue to fight the cases in court. But that was the court that blocked the president's first travel ban against seven Muslim countries. It was not clear, however, whether he planned to appeal Orrick's ruling.WHAT COULD TRUMP DO NEXT Trump could appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

steamy thriller: Holdovers crushed a slew of underwhelming newcomers, including Disney Nature's Born in China, which opened in sixth place with 4.8 million; the steamy thriller Unforgettable that debuted in seventh with 4.8 million; and the costly historical epic The Promise, which launched in ninth place with only 4.1 million, according to Brandon Sun. The top films looked much the same as the past few weeks, with The Boss Baby in second with 12.7 million and Beauty and the Beast in third with 9.7 million. With international grosses, the film is expected to cross 1 billion this week. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theatres Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theatre locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by com Score 1. The Boss Baby, 20th Century Fox, 12,712,144, 3,697 locations, 3,439 average, 136,954,014, 4 weeks.3. The Fate Of The Furious, Universal, 38,408,415, 4,329 locations, 8,872 average, 163,304,635, 2 weeks.2. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

employers: If it succeeds, the pilot project will help government hire the best talent, while at the same time allowing it to better reflect the diverse people it serves, according to Toronto Star. The initiative could act as a model for other employers, both public and private. Dreamstime Mon., April 24, 2017 A new attempt by Ottawa to root out bias in the hiring of federal civil servants is a modest initiative, but with real promise. The idea behind the name-blind hiring project announced this week is simple; the names, emails and countries of birth of job-seekers will be removed from their applications, with the aim of preventing the bias unconscious or otherwise that too often leads employers not to bring in applicants of diverse backgrounds for interviews. A recent study out of U of T and Ryerson University, for instance, found that job seekers with Asian names and Canadian qualifications were considerably less likely to get calls for interviews than were applicants with English-sounding names -- even when the person with the Asian name had a better education. The body of evidence that ethnic and racial bias plays a troubling role in hiring is growing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

facebook page: How bout hire a Canadian or fck off, said another, according to Metro News. I have dog s--t to be cleaned it pays what you take, a third person wrote. WTF why only refugees were here don't need no MF taking over jobs, said one commenter on Hire A Refugee's Facebook page. The latter comment on April 14 is the one that sent co-creator Bob Axworthy over the edge, he said. These comments are vile. Usually his social media team simply scrubs the hateful comments from its pages when they arise every few days, but Axworthy felt it was time to pipe up late last week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

haradinaj: Many Kosovars have been granted Albanian citizenship in order to profit from the country's visa-free regime with the European Union's Schengen member countries, according to Metro News. Kosovo is the only country in Western Balkans whose citizens still need a visa to visit the Schengen zone. Bujar Nishani on Monday issued a decree granting Albanian citizenship to Haradinaj and his wife Anita. Haradinaj is in France on judicial supervision awaiting a court decision on whether he will be extradited to Serbia. Haradinaj, a guerrilla fighter in Kosovo's 1998-1999 war for independence from Serbia, has been cleared of war crimes charges by a U.N. tribunal. He was detained in January following arrest warrants from Serbia on war crimes charges. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

inlays: The value of the box itself is often minimal, according to The Chronicle Herald. The true value lies in the secrets of the past, the stirring of the imagination and even the hope for treasure, whatever it may be in the hearts and minds of those who lift the lid and peer into Pandora's box for the adventure. Wood and metal always seem the preferred material, often embellished with leather coverings, ornate inlays and locking systems giving more appeal to the beholder's eyes, creating the illusion, more often than not, of the great value of its contents. On a more simple everyday level, wooden boxes and the like have served their makers well. Popular inlays and additions include animals, ships and planes, and often exotic scenes from faraway lands. Often the lids or tops of the boxes are records of the timeframe when they were made. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jeopardy villain: It's featured in this year's Hot Docs Documentary Canadian International Festival launching April 27 in Toronto, according to Rabble. Arthur Chu, an insurance analyst from Cleveland, won almost US 300,000 on Jeopardy! in 2014 -- his haphazard style and forthright manner sparked intense emotions among viewers who called him a Jeopardy! villain and yes there is racism in that, a Tweet -- cheating chinx -- comes to mind . I admired his audacity, co-director Yu Gu writes to me in an email. And the film Who is Arthur Chu is testament in every way to that statement. I admire his courage to try to create a space for himself in a culture that has sought to erase him from the day he was born. I felt there weren't many films or stories that painted a portrait of an Asian-American person using all the colours available in the palette. Gu, based in Vancouver, tells rabble.ca that she was forced to examine her own immigrant background and the paternal ideals passed on to her through Asian cultures which often devalue women. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jordan countries: In our Middle East strategy, we are also making meaningful contributions to stabilize Lebanon and Jordan not least by welcoming more than 40,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, Freeland told a major meeting of the World Jewish Congress in New York, according to Huffington Post Canada. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said ISIL is a death cult that will be defeated. Part of that strategy, Freeland said Monday, is shoring up Lebanon and Jordan countries facing a massive influx of refugees from Syria displaced by fighting between various factions in that country's long civil war. Photo Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press Canada's assistance to Lebanon and Jordan is part of a three-year, 1.6-billion contribution to dealing with the humanitarian challenge posed by the rise of ISIL and the displacement of millions of people in the Middle East. And that is a core international value of Canada's. I mention this particular Canadian contribution to the region because, as we all know, the stability of these countries is inextricably linked to the security of Israel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

montr al: What do you then have left Just the sheer, unadorned, frictionless joy of five topnotch dancer-athletes Alexandre Hamel, Pascale Jodoin, Samory Ba, Taylor Dilley and Jasmin Boivin of Montr al's Patin Libre skating troupe gliding in gloriously unsynchronized harmony over a glassy, featureless plain, according to Vancouver Observer. They started out as refugees from the lockstep conformity of conventional figure skating, in which they were all rigorously trained. Dispense, also, with the lavish stadia, elaborate sets, cast of thousands and all the promotional donner und blitzen of your traditional Holiday-on-Ice-style extravaganza. For years they had no performance engagements, nor even a rehearsal space they just practiced and improvised their repertoire on frozen ponds. Their touring production, Vertical Integration, presents dernier cri choreography, but on the massive scale of a full-sized 200' x 80' hockey court. Gradually they built up enough of a reputation to garner some state-sponsored residencies and now they're on a cross-Canada circuit of public ice rinks. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nova scotians: The province also launched an online training course that is available free of charge for Nova Scotians to learn more about sexual violence, according to The Chronicle Herald. Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence A Nova Scotia Resource is designed for anyone who is concerned about sexual violence. The Prevention Innovation Grantssupport community groups and organizations, including youth and underserved populations such as African Nova Scotians, First Nations and the LGBTQ community, to reach out to their peers in innovative ways. The training has six separate topics, including an introduction to sexual violence, responding to a disclosure, choices following sexual violence, exploring sexual consent, enhancing the well-being of support people and Indigenous perspectives. The Prevention Innovation Grant recipients are as follows Annapolis Valley First Nation, Prevention of sexual violence through tradition, culture and dance project, 46,990 Autism Nova Scotia, Autism Sexual Education Project, 50,000 Chebucto Community Development Association, Halifax, Healthy Development and Relationships Program, 47,855 Autumn House, Amherst, Community Bystander Empowerment Program, 49,985 Eskasoni Mental Health and Dalhousie University, Break the Silence Be the Change, 48,458 Lea Place, Sheet Harbour, Taking Action for Growth Project, 5,000 Heartwood Centre for Community Youth Development, Halifax, Loosen Up and Start Talking for Grown Ups 25,000 Immigrant Settlement Association of Nova Scotia, Halifax, ISANS Breaking the Silence Immigrant Youth Sexual Violence Project, 50,000 L'Arche Atlantic Region, SEXCESS Supporting Sexuality and Healthy Relationships, 5,000 Leave Out Violence Nova Scotia, Sipkne'katik, Kesaluei Sipkne'katik, 35,750 Luna Sea Theatre Company, Halifax, SLUT the play, 50,000 Nova Scotia Native Women's Association, Sydney, Sisterness Outreach Care Project Increasing Safety for Mi'kmaq Women and Girls Gathering, 28,784.13 and 5,000 Residence Life, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, SMU Res Consent Project, 4,200 Sackville High School Student Support Group, Sackville High Girls on Fire, 3,500 Second Story Women's Centre and Be the Peace Institute, Lunenburg, The Pink Snowsuit Project, 25,000 Sexual Health Nova Scotia, AFFIRMATIVE - Sexual Violence Prevention and Intellectual Disability, 50,000 Shelburne County Youth Health and Support Association, Paint n Chat, 5,000 The Youth project, Healthy Relationship Education for LGBTQ plus Youth, 20,000 Youth Art Connection, Dartmouth, Intergenerational Arts Mentorship IAM Youth Arts Leadership Project YALP 16,380 Youth Health Centre Advisory Hosting Team, Sydney Mines, Opening Our Eyes, 5,000 YWCA Halifax, Spryfield, SafetyNET Living Labs, 30,591 (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.