education: Education Minister Ian Wishart said there have been ongoing discussions but no firm commitments, according to Brandon Sun. There's been no specific commitments. The Progressive Conservative government asked for federal help in Feburary to provide housing, education and other services for an influx of asylum-seekers entering the country near Emerson, Man. They're certainly willing to talk, which is a good sign, Wishart said. Welcome Place, a non-profit agency that has provided short-term shelter, paralegal services and other help to most of the recent arrivals, has also asked the federal government for money. And we will work with them on that and try and find some solution. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-capitalist marches: Activists also plan an overnight vigil in Phoenix, a farm workers demonstration outside Miami and a White House rally, according to The Chronicle Herald. In Seattle, pro-immigrant events are expected to give way to rowdier, anti-capitalist marches led by protesters who said they plan to shut down a major freeway through the city. Activists in major cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles expect tens of thousands of people to participate in Monday demonstrations, starting with morning neighbourhood protests and culminating in rush hour events downtown. We're seeing an unprecedented amount of enthusiasm and activity, said New York Immigration Coalition executive director Steven Choi. Around the world, union members have traditionally marched on May 1 for workers' rights. It's driven by the fact that Trump administration has made immigration the tip of the spear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

british columbia: Const, according to CBC. Dan Martin with the Airdrie RCMP said the digital images were initially discovered by a private citizen in British Columbia who alerted Ridge Meadows RCMP about them in October 2016. Troy Scott Young, 45, is believed to be living in San Diego, Calif., and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. The women in the photos and video appeared to be unaware that they were being photographed. Martin said RCMP made several attempts to locate the suspect but it appears he has dual citizenship with the United States and had fled to San Diego some time ago. The investigation led police to determine the images were recorded at a private residence in Airdrie, a city of about 60,000 just north of Calgary. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian council: The announcement by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday was hailed by migrants' advocates, who have said the requirement by the previous Conservative government placed sponsored newcomers, especially women, at increased risk of abuse, according to Toronto Star. Conditional permanent residence has had a devastating impact on women in abusive relationships, and its elimination can be celebrated by all who oppose violence against women, said Loly Rico, president of the Canadian Council for Refugees. Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Fri., April 28, 2017 The Liberal government has finally repealed the immigration rules that required migrants sponsored by their Canadian spouses to stay in a relationship for two years before earning their permanent residency. We are very pleased that the Government of Canada has repealed the conditional residence requirement in its entirety, added lawyer Avvy Go of the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic. Article Continued Below The conditional permanent resident visa for sponsored spouses came into effect in October 2012 under the Conservative government to deter marriage fraud and marriage of convenience. The requirement increased the vulnerability of immigrant women who often stayed in abusive relationships out of fear that they would lose their status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

car accidents: Sitting down for lunch at the Brew House on the Grand in Fergus, Ont., Chong explains that the spot is not far from here, according to Huffington Post Canada. It's down the road from his house as well as the home in which he grew up. It's where he lost both parents in separate car accidents, two decades apart. Naturally, his mind goes back to that gut-punch coincidence each time he drives through. Michael Chong speaks at Conservative leadership debate in Edmonton on Feb. 28, 2017. Only for a moment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

december elections: Political tension has been building in Macedonia for the past two years, and the country has been under a caretaker government since inconclusive early December elections, according to The Chronicle Herald. The hostility boiled over Thursday night over disagreements about the election of a new parliament speaker, leaving more than 100 people injured, including police, protesters and lawmakers. The simmering tensions in Macedonia and the opposing views of powerful nations have led to concerns that the former Yugoslav republic, which narrowly escaped all-out civil war in 2001, could become another flashpoint for increasingly frosty relations between Russia and the West. By Friday, the previous night's chaotic scenes had translated into a war of words between rival politicians despite calls for calm from abroad. Zoran Zaev, the head of the opposition Social Democrats, wore a white adhesive bandage over a gash on his forehead as he accused his attackers of attempted murder with the parliament invasion. In the evening, about 2,000 people held a protest outside the EU mission headquarters in downtown Skopje, calling for new elections. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

downhome boy: Some oppose Donald Trump and all that he stands for, while others voted enthusiastically for him, according to CTV. Now, they are critiquing him. They hail from all corners of the United States and very different walks of life a downhome boy from Kentucky, a third-generation Mexican-American from Texas, a stay-at-home mom in Pennsylvania, an Iranian immigrant in Los Angeles. One hundred days into Trump's presidency, The Associated Press returned to some of the everyday people interviewed these past months to ask them to write a letter to the president, evaluating the job he's done so far and looking ahead to the months to come. A refugee implores Trump to make America more friendly, but finds optimism in the president's reaction to this month's chemical attack in Syria I hope this is a turning point. One supporter tells the president he might have fallen a little short -- on Obamacare, in particular -- but he signs off with hope. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

face deportation: We're doing away with a measure that could potentially result in people choosing reluctantly to remain in abusive relationships as opposed to moving out and getting out of those abusive relationships, he said at a news conference in Toronto Friday, according to CBC. The Conservative measure required newcomers to live in a conjugal relationship with their sponsoring spouse for two years or face deportation. Hussen said the conditional permanent residency, which was brought in by the Conservatives in 2012, was leaving some women in harmful domestic situations. Liberals repeal residency requirement Canadians divided on immigration Women face most danger when fleeing abusive relationship When the Conservatives enacted it, then immigration minister Jason Kenney said the change targeted con artists who dupe Canadians into marriage then dump them once they get to Canada. Vast majority of marriages valid But Hussen said the policy did not achieve its intended outcomes, and that reversing course reflects the government's commitment to eradicating gender-based violence. It was also designed to deal with marriages of convenience, where two persons pretend to be in love for one to gain entry to Canada, often in exchange for money. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gulf states: Senior German officials, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the two-day trip, said Berlin believes the Gulf states can take in more refugees and provide more humanitarian aid than they've done so far, according to Metro News. During her first stop Sunday in Jeddah, Merkel will also raise the issue of Saudi Arabia's funding for religious institutions that spread a fundamentalist version of Islam. Germany has taken in hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years, straining the country's budget and increasing anti-migrant sentiment. Saudi Arabia recently closed several institutional establishments in Germany following pressure from Berlin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jeanette vizguerra: Guerrero was 14 when her parents and her older brother were deported to their native Colombia, according to Metro News. She decided to stay behind and live with friends. Guerrero, who stars in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, met with Jeanette Vizguerra on Thursday and told the woman and her daughters not to make the same mistake she did as a child by remaining silent. Guerrero was in Denver for a gathering of immigrant rights activists. She was recently named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of the year. Vizquerra has been living in the basement of the First Unitarian Church since February out of fear of being deported. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

months-old deadlock: Clashes over several hours injured 77 people, including 22 police officers and several lawmakers, authorities said, according to Toronto Star. Neighbouring countries along with the European Union and United States expressed concern at the small Balkan nation's escalating political crisis. Reuters By Konstantin Testorides The Associated Press Thu., April 27, 2017 SKOPJE, MACEDONIA Chaos swept into Macedonia's parliament Thursday as demonstrators stormed the building and attacked lawmakers to protest the election of a new speaker despite a months-old deadlock in efforts to form a new government. Dozens of protesters, some of them masked, broke through a police cordon after the opposition Social Democrats and parties representing Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority voted to name a new parliament speaker. He has been struggling to put together a coalition government and his supporters have been holding nightly street rallies for two months across the country to protest the political situation. Many of the protesters were supporters of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, whose conservative party won elections in December but didn't get enough votes to form a government on its own. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

needle holes: Fernandez moved to Edmonton in 2002 to work as a live-in caregiver, according to CBC. She sent most of her earnings home to support her daughters, Mia Denise and Zeina, who were six and nine at the time. Instead, she waited 15 years for her family to be reunited. It was very hard, Fernandez said. Every night, every day, you're thinking, 'How are they doing Are they safe ' Mely Fernandez right spent more than a decade going through the needle holes to reunite her family in Edmonton. The worry is always there. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opening u.s: Jones, an avid supporter of the president's hard line immigration policies, wasn't having it, according to Hamilton Spectator. In a nine-minute video rant posted to his You Tube page Thursday, Jones railed against Ivanka Trump for breaking with her father on allowing refugees into the country. The first daughter, who is a White House adviser, attended an international women's summit in Germany this week, where she spoke in favour of opening U.S. borders to migrants fleeing war-torn Syria. We did not elect Ivanka Trump to be the forty-fifth president of the United States, he said in the video. I have nothing against her personally, or Jared Kushner. I think she's talented, she's beautiful, I think the dresses she wears, her clothing line are cool. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

police officers: The official, who did not provide further details, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, according to CTV. Police said 102 people were injured during the Thursday night violence inside and outside parliament that followed the election of a new parliament speaker. An official in the Social Democrat party told The Associated Press that party leader Zoran Zaev would not be attending the talks. Zaev was among the victims, as were the head of a small ethnic Albanian opposition party and 22 police officers. Zaev accused former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and President Gjorge Ivanov of provoking the violence, and said they were prepared to sacrifice the state interest for their own personal interests. Speaking at a news conference in the capital of Skopje, Zaev described the attack on him, which left him with blood pouring down his face from a cut in his forehead, as attempted murder. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school year: You just think, Oh, God, whose child is it now ' said Stephanie Spezia, a longtime resident of this suburb in the heart of Long Island that's caught in the grip of a violent street gang with Central American ties, MS-13.MS-13 has been blamed for a trail of 11 corpses of mostly young people discovered in woods and vacant lots in Brentwood and neighbouring Central Islip since the start of the school year, according to Toronto Star. The bloodshed in the blue-collar towns has gotten the attention of President Donald Trump, who says it's the result of lax immigration policies that let too many criminal scum slip through. Esteban Felix / AP By Claudia Torrens Frank Eltman And Colleen Long The Associated Press Fri., April 28, 2017 BRENTWOOD, N.Y. Late at night, when helicopters thrum overhead and spotlights beam down onto lawns, many people here know exactly what's going on. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday gave a speech about the violence to law enforcement officials near a park where the bodies of four young men were found this month bearing MS-13's hallmarks repeated slashes from a blade that left them nearly unrecognizable. Teens say any perceived slight to a gang member, especially a refusal to join, can mean death. Article Continued Below Some parents say they're afraid to let their children go to school. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.s .,: Arturo spent nine months in 2015 living in sanctuary in a church, the First Unitarian Society of Denver, according to Rabble. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE notified Arturo back then that he was not considered a priority for removal from the U.S., that they would exercise prosecutorial discretion, in effect letting him carry on with his life. He is one of the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants without whom the U.S. economy would grind to a halt, yet who are forced to live in the shadows, at risk of arrest, detention and deportation. That all ended Wednesday. ICE told one of his advocates that the letter he has from the Obama administration doesn't count, as there are no longer priorities. As he was loading materials for his work laying tile, Arturo was arrested by ICE and taken into detention. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

union members: Activists also plan an overnight vigil in Phoenix, a farm workers demonstration outside Miami and a White House rally, according to Metro News. In Seattle, pro-immigrant events are expected to give way to rowdier, anti-capitalist marches led by protesters who said they plan to shut down a major freeway through the city. Activists in major cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles expect tens of thousands of people to participate in Monday demonstrations, starting with morning neighbourhood protests and culminating in rush hour events downtown. We're seeing an unprecedented amount of enthusiasm and activity, said New York Immigration Coalition executive director Steven Choi. Around the world, union members have traditionally marched on May 1 for workers' rights. It's driven by the fact that Trump administration has made immigration the tip of the spear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

video doesn: Montreal officials issued an apology, saying the video doesn't sufficiently represent the values of inclusiveness and equality, according to CTV. The two-minute long video, part of an effort that's been dubbed Operation Patrimoine, shows different Montrealers like artists and a priest in locations like museums. The video, which was meant to celebrate the city's cultural identity, was criticized online for featuring only white people. On Facebook, several commenters pointed out there didn't appear to be a single non-white person. They made a mistake. Mayor Denis Coderre said he was outraged when he saw the video. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

yugoslav republic: The simmering tensions in Macedonia and the opposing views of powerful nations have led to concerns that the former Yugoslav republic which narrowly escaped all-out civil war in 2001 could become another flashpoint for increasingly frosty relations between Russia and the West, according to Hamilton Spectator. Political tension has been building in Macedonia for the past two years, and the country has been under a caretaker government since inconclusive early December elections. Russia blamed the West for meddling in the Balkan nation's internal affairs. and The European Union and the United States said the events were inconsistent with democracy. The hostility boiled over Thursday night over disagreements about the election of a new parliament speaker, leaving more than 100 people injured, including police, protesters and lawmakers. In the evening, about 2,000 people held a protest outside the EU mission headquarters in downtown Skopje, calling for new elections. By Friday, the previous night's chaotic scenes had translated into a war of words between rival politicians despite calls for calm from abroad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american ties: The bloodshed in the blue-collar towns has gotten the attention of President Donald Trump, who says it's the result of lax immigration policies that let too many criminal scum slip through, according to Brandon Sun. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday gave a speech about the violence to law enforcement officials near a park where the bodies of four young men were found this month bearing MS-13's hallmarks repeated slashes from a blade that left them nearly unrecognizable. You just think, 'Oh, God, whose child is it now ' said Stephanie Spezia, a longtime resident of this suburb in the heart of Long Island that's caught in the grip of a violent street gang with Central American ties, MS-13.MS-13 has been blamed for a trail of 11 corpses of mostly young people discovered in woods and vacant lots in Brentwood and neighbouring Central Islip since the start of the school year. Some parents say they're afraid to let their children go to school. After one high school warned parents not to let their kids wear anything gang-affiliated, gang members started deciding on a daily basis what colours were off-limits, leaving students to guess what not to wear. Teens say any perceived slight to a gang member, especially a refusal to join, can mean death. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jeanette vizguerra: Guerrero was 14 when her parents and her older brother were deported to their native Colombia, according to Brandon Sun. She decided to stay behind and live with friends. Guerrero, who stars in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, met with Jeanette Vizguerra on Thursday and told the woman and her daughters not to make the same mistake she did as a child by remaining silent. Guerrero was in Denver for a gathering of immigrant rights activists. She was recently named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of the year. Vizquerra has been living in the basement of the First Unitarian Church since February out of fear of being deported. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

shopping street: The aim of this kind of attack is to spread terror and hatred, Lofven told Sweden's news agency TT. We will do everything in our power so people can be safe in Sweden, according to Brandon Sun. A 39-year-old Uzbek man, Rakhmat Akilov, has pleaded guilty to a terrorist crime for ramming the truck into a crowd on a busy pedestrian shopping street in the Swedish capital. It is with sorrow that I have received the message that another person died, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said. Police have not disclosed a motive for the attack and no extremist group has claimed responsibility for it. After the rejection, Akilov had been been ordered to leave Sweden in December. Akilov's Swedish residency application was rejected last year but police said there was nothing to indicate he might plan an attack. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

archives: The land was expropriated by the city of Toronto to build new CIty Hall and Nathan Phillips Square, according to Toronto Star. City of Toronto Archives City of Toronto Archives photo showing the now non-existent neighbourhood at Dundas and Bay known as The Ward on April 8, 1937. Lee Hong's laundry at 48 Elizabeth St. in what was Toronto;'s first Chinatown in The Ward in 1912. It was then 98-88 Elizabeth St. City of Toronto Archives, Globe This Toronto archives photo was taken at the Toronto Exhibition on June 18, 1926 is titiled Chinese Picnic. Arthur Goss / CITY OF TORONTO ARCHIVES Crowds gather to watch a parade celebrating the end of the Chinese civil war on Elizabeth St., in Toronto in August 1945. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

campaigns matter: Pierre Trudeau had won a huge victory in 1968 and earned praise for his stern leadership during the FLQ crisis, according to Globe and Mail. But a weak economy and a mismanaged Liberal campaign The Land is Strong may have been the worst slogan ever brought Conservative leader Robert Stanfield to within two seats of victory. Consider Conservatives approached the 1972 election prepared to lose. Campaigns matter. Pundits Paul Adams and Warren Kinsella published books urging the Liberals and NDP to merge, which they saw as the only hope for progressives seeking to unseat Stephen Harper's Conservatives. In 2012, it was the Liberals' turn to despair. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizenship: But it turns out the day had finally come the family no longer had to fear deportation to South Korea, according to Hamilton Spectator. They were granted permanent residency, setting the course to Canadian citizenship one day. The family of four had been summoned to the Federal Building in Hamilton last Friday for an interview, and Kim, 49, thought it was yet another round of formalities and documentation of the kind that had gone nowhere in his more-than-a-decade-old quest. I was numb. But when friends, co-workers and neighbours all said congratulations, then it really sunk in for me. A bit shocked, said Kim at his Mount Hope home Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian man: Steve Russell / Toronto Star File Photo By The Associated Press Thu., April 27, 2017 DETROIT A Canadian man has been sentenced to 15 months in a U.S. prison nearly 20 years after he smuggled immigrants across the Detroit River, according to Toronto Star. Justice moved slowly in the case of Thanh Nguyen because he fled home to Ontario, Canada, and didn't appear for his sentence in 2000. Canadian Thanh Nguyen, now 42, was arrested last year for smuggling immigrants across the river in 1999. Nguyen, now 42 years old, was arrested last summer in Windsor, Ontario, a city across the river from Detroit. Nguyen apologized to a judge, saying he was immature at the time. He was sentenced Thursday for smuggling immigrants on a boat back in 1999. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.