anti-trump demonstrators: At the White House gates, they demanded Donald Trump has got to go! But police shut down a protest in Portland, Oregon, that they said had become a riot, after marchers began throwing smoke bombs and other items at officers, according to Brandon Sun. Police said they made more than two dozen arrests as a group of anarchists wearing black bandanas and ski masks grew unruly, reportedly breaking windows at businesses, setting fires on downtown streets and damaging a police car. Peaceful protesters flocked to the streets in Chicago. Five people in Seattle were arrested, one for hurling a rock as pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators faced off. Objects struck nine officers and nine people were arrested, according to Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts. In the Washington state capital of Olympia, police ordered protesters to disperse, calling them members of a mob as some threw bottles, used pepper spray and fired marbles from slingshots at officers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

john weber: The jury found probable cause for abuse of a resident of a penal facility in the death of 38-year-old Terrill Thomas on April 24, 2016, according to Brandon Sun. The jurors recommended charges against two jail supervisors, Nancy Evans and Kashka Meadors, and five officers James Ramsey-Guy, Jor Don Johnson, Thomas Laine, Dominique Smith and John Weber. The jury's recommendation Monday came after a six-day inquest that included testimony from jail staff and evidence from county prosecutors. It's up to prosecutors whether to file charges. The six-person jury returned its recommendation just a few hours after morning testimony that the sheriff's office continued using water deprivation as a form of punishment even after Thomas' death. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said he had no timeline to decide, and that he could charge more people or fewer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

portland: We wanted to faint, according to Brandon Sun. After I pay all of my bills, I don't have anything left to pay that extra amount, Sanchez said while visiting the apartment of her cousin, who got a similar notice. The divorced mother held the paper in her hand in a state of shock. So did every other resident of the Normandy Apartments in Portland. Oregon set a historical low jobless rate in March of 3.8 per cent. Oregon has become one of America's most popular moving destinations, with tens of thousands of newcomers each year drawn by its forests and mountains, its quirky city of Portland and its job opportunities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

seattle hundreds: Police say anarchists destroyed a police car, set several fires in the street, damaged storefront windows and attacked police, according to Brandon Sun. No injuries were immediately reported. Portland police arrested at least three people near Pioneer Square after a protest permit had been cancelled due to actions of anarchists. In Seattle hundreds of people chanting Stand up, fight back, marched through downtown to support immigrants and workers on May Day. And police in Olympia, Washington, were ordered a group of protesters to disperse Monday evening, saying the group is not friendly. Seattle police arrested two people, including 26-year-old man from Olympia, Washington, for reportedly throwing a rock as a group of Trump supporters met up with other May Day protesters in Westlake Park. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

women candidates: Accusations over the lack of women candidates erupted on Day 1 of the campaign, as Premier Stephen McNeil responded to questions about why only 12 of the party's 51 candidates for the May 30 election are women, according to Brandon Sun. He said his government has a track record for appointing women to positions of power, and he accused the other parties of choosing female candidates to contest ridings they're unlikely to win. I'm pleased they've realized this is a major matter ... and I'm glad it is something they've decided to attend to, NDP Leader Gary Burrill said in an interview, after pointing out 24 of his party's 51 candidates are women. It's one thing for parties to go out and identify people to run in ridings that they don't think they have a great shot in McNeil said during a campaign stop. The premier said his party has stood beside women to have them elected in meaningful ridings. It's quite another when you actually go out and get them elected and put them in the house of assembly. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anticapitalist convergence: Most of the anti-capitalist protesters stayed above-ground, however, and marched through downtown to disturb what they claimed were the corporate playgrounds of the scheming rich, according to The Chronicle Herald. For the 10th consecutive year, a group calling itself the anticapitalist convergence organized a march in the city to celebrate International Workers' Day, also known as May Day. Moments later, red flags, black masks and other clothing littered a downtown square, belonging to a few protesters who entered into the city's underground network to evade arrest. Similar protests took place around the world. Aside from the initial tear gas incident, some protesters broke bank office windows and threw projectiles at cars along the march route, which was limited to the central core of the city. The slogan of this year's protest was, They are rich because we are poor and we are right to revolt, according to the group's literature. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chesterfield township: The charge filed by attorney Tony Paris said employees were threatened the day before the protests with a one-week suspension, but were instead fired, according to Metro News. Paris said some of the workers marched in rallies that day in Detroit, while others skipped work in protest. The workers have filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board saying they were unjustly fired by EZ Industrial Solutions in Chesterfield Township for taking part in a political protest, the Detroit Free Press reported. The charge also said that a company supervisor threatened to report the fired workers to immigration authorities. On its website EZ Industrial Solutions says it specializes in secondary operations for the automotive fastener and stamping industry. A worker said A supervisor came to my house asking, 'How are you affording an attorney Don't you know the company is going to send ICE, have ICE be involved ' Paris said, referring to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city councillors: When we challenge you city councillors it doesn't mean we don't like you, according to Metro News. But we are hurting and we want you to hear us. Let's start listening rather than undermine, said Ahmed Abdullkadir, with the Ogaden Somali Community of Alberta Residents group, during a community and public services committee meeting Monday. City council were set to debate the next next steps for the anti-racism framework Monday, which sets out how the city will support grassroots groups leading the charge against to bolster anti-racism action Edmonton man speaks out after alleged racist incident on bus Critics have long pushed the city to deal with incidents of racism on city streets, leading to the creation of the new framework. Mary Thomas, with the Interracial Alliance of Edmonton and area, said that they've been left out of meetings to share ideas, for example. But advocates in attendance Monday said their voices haven't always been heard as administration moves forward on anti-discrimination work. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

donald trump: At the White House gates, they demanded Donald Trump has got to go! And they sparked at least four arrests after creating a human chain to block a county building in Oakland, California, where demonstrators demanded that county law enforcement refuse to collaborate with federal immigration agents, according to CTV. Despite the California clash, the initial rounds of nationwide protests were largely peaceful as immigrants, union members and their allies staged a series of strikes, boycotts and marches to highlight the contributions of immigrants in the United States. Protesters flooded streets in Chicago. It is sad to see that now being an immigrant is equivalent to almost being a criminal, said Mary Quezada, a 58-year-old North Carolina woman who joined those marching on Washington. The demonstrations on May Day, celebrated as International Workers' Day, follow similar actions worldwide in which protesters from the Philippines to Paris demanded better working conditions. She offered a pointed message to Trump Stop bullying immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dwayne johnson: The Universal Pictures release also throttled past 1 billion globally, and passed its predecessor, Furious 7, to become the highest-grossing imported film in China with 361 million, according to Metro News. The Fast and the Furious franchise, the latest of which is helmed by F. Gary Gray, has always been held up as a model of the diverse blockbuster, given its cast led by Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson. As expected, it was another runaway weekend for The Fate of the Furious, which took No. 1 for the third straight week with 19.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the smaller films that trailed it over the weekend also reflected the box-office might of often underserved audiences. The film is easily the biggest success yet for Pantelion, the Latino-oriented joint venture of Lionsgate and Grupo Televisa. In second domestically with 12 million and drawing an overwhelmingly Hispanic crowd was Eugenio Derbez's comedy, How to Be a Latin Lover. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

executive orders: The demonstrations on May Day, celebrated as International Workers' Day, follow similar actions worldwide in which protesters from the Philippines to Paris demanded better working conditions, according to Globe and Mail. But the widespread protests in the United States were aimed directly at the new Republican president, who has followed aggressive anti-immigrant rhetoric on the campaign trail with aggressive action in the White House. She offered a pointed message to Trump Stop bullying immigrants. Trump, in his first 100 days, has intensified immigration enforcement, including executive orders for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and a ban on travellers from six predominantly Muslim countries. In Chicago, 28-year-old Brenda Burciaga was among thousands of people who marched through the streets to push back against the new administration. The government has arrested thousands of immigrants in the country illegally and threatened to withhold funding from jurisdictions that limit co-operation between local and federal immigration authorities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

frontenac metro: Held annually in cities around the world in support of workers' rights, the Montreal May Day event began in two places at Phillips Square and Frontenac Metro, according to CTV. The two separate protests joined at about 7 15 p.m. Historically, May Day was actually organized by immigrant workers in Chicago in 1886, so it's been a day where immigrants and migrants come together in solidarity with other parts of society and highlight those issues they face, said demonstrator Mustafa Henaway. Demonstrators were fighting to increase the minimum wage to 15 per hour the minimum wage climbed on May 1 by 50 cents to 11.25 per hour. The problem is capitalism, colonialism, racism. For those people who are here and working, we need to bump up the minimum wage, we need to tax corporations and fundamentally change society, said demonstrator Jaggi Singh. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fund scholarships: They left with 40,000 to help increase production and support the organization as they made salad dressings to sell, which fund scholarships for North End kids, according to The Chronicle Herald. The dressings have been sold at HRM Superstore locations since 2015, and in a few weeks two locations in Cape Breton will have the bottles on their shelves as well. Hope Blooms became a household name in Nova Scotia when the organization's team of youth volunteers appeared on the Dragons' Den on CBC, and made an impression on the dragons. This year their very first alumni is graduating from the University of Toronto. Mark Boudreau, Atlantic director for corporate affairs for Loblaws and a board member with Hope Blooms, says the organization is trying to navigate through all of this expansion, and with it comes concerns over funding. Next year there will be four more graduates, and more and more for each year coming up, and the organization has also expanded by helping a number of other community members, including seniors and Syrian refugees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kyiv post: The Russian Prosecutor General's Office confirmed the plan, according to Rabble. For those inclined to dismiss reports from such a source as likely to be fake news, they have been confirmed by Radio Free Europe, an online and broadcast news organization operated by the United States government, which also reported the Ukrainian government's assertion that the charges are politically motivated.A report in the online Kyiv Post on Saturday quoted sources in the Ukraine government saying Interpol would refuse to follow up on the Russian request. Last week, according to Sputnik International, an online news organization operated by the Russian government, a spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation said the national investigative agency intended to seek the extradition and prosecution of Yetsenyuk for the killings, which the court said occurred while the former Ukrainian PM was fighting alongside Chechen rebels against Russian troops. Readers may well ask Why should any of this matter to Canadians The answer, as reported in this space last summer, is that Yatsenyuk and members of his family may have been quietly granted expedited Canadian citizenship by the government of Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper in 2015 and issued Canadian passports. Due to privacy concerns we cannot comment on specific cases without consent, IRCC spokesperson Lindsay Wemp told me in late June in an email. In late June 2016, in response to queries from this blog, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada refused to comment on reports in Russian media that Yatsenyuk had been granted Canadian citizenship as part of a deal by Western powers to protect him and ensure the safety of his family for his role in the country's affairs after the so-called Euromaidan demonstrations resulted in a violent change of government in Ukraine in early 2014. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

legacy refugees: But more than five years on, Ekelemu still doesn't know whether she'll be allowed to stay, or deported to the country she thought she'd left behind, according to CBC. I don't want to be called tomorrow morning and be told, 'Margaret you have to go back home.' I have a life here.'- Margaret Ekelemu Ekelemu is one of an estimated 5,600 so-called legacy refugees, claimants who've been waiting four years or more for a hearing to find out if they can become Canadian citizens. She became a registered practical nurse at a retirement home, joined her church choir and built a circle of close friends in Ottawa. They came seeking a better life, but instead they're living in limbo, their futures uncertain. It's been a long process, she said. Ekelemu appealed the original decision turning down her application and was granted a second hearing, but because of a backlog she's still waiting. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

work: Though they do their work a world away from the grandstand and Millionaire's Row, where fans will sip mint juleps, don fancy hats and cheer for their Kentucky Derby favourites on the first Saturday in May, immigrants have become indispensable at Churchill Downs and other tracks, people in the industry say, according to CTV. Now, fear is spreading that a Trump administration crackdown on immigration will be a calamity both for the tracks and for many of their workers. The quiet is broken when they speak to each other and the horses -- in Spanish. While there's widespread acknowledgement that some jobs go to undocumented workers, many trainers rely on the H-2B visa program to supply immigrant workers legally, and the tightening of that program has contributed to a worker shortage. But Dale Romans, the second-winningest trainer in Churchill's history, says he can't find American workers to do the jobs. Some argue that the presence of foreign workers has a downward drag on everybody else's income. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

spending bill: It was made public in the predawn hours Monday and is tentatively scheduled for a House vote on Wednesday, according to Hamilton Spectator. The catch-all spending bill would be the first major piece of bipartisan legislation to advance during Trump's short tenure in the White House. The 1,665-page bill agreed to on Sunday is the product of weeks of negotiations. While losing on funding for the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump won a 15 billion down payment on his request to strengthen the military, though that too fell short of what he requested. It will avert a government shutdown but more important than that, it's going to be a significant increase in military spending, Pence said in an interview with CBS This Morning. Vice-President Mike Pence said the administration couldn't be more pleased and noted that it would include a boost in military spending, a down payment on border security and provide money for health benefits for coal miners. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

storytelling approach: M lisa Leclerc, the director of communications for the Senate, said Monday the book was drafted to provide senators with a tool to reach younger children when they visit schools across the country, according to CBC. This product uses a storytelling approach to capture kids' imagination and to provide an introduction to the important role senators play in Canada's parliamentary democracy. '933887555643', 'playlist Selector' 'container Selector' ' container54135929', 'ciid' 'caffeine14094172' ; The document was written entirely in-house, by the Senate communications staff and their graphic designer, and was printed at a cost of 6,179 for 3,500 copies, she said. The book is titled The Wise Owls and tells the story of Canadian democracy through the use of forest-dwelling animals, described as a whimsical fable that is sure to appeal to children of all ages. Other brochures released Monday are aimed at adults and visitors to Parliament Hill. But it also does much more. The Senate is famous for giving sober second thought to bills passed by the House of Commons, reads one brochure, titled A Strong and Principled Voice. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

supporters form: There's no words for it, Ali said of the moment on Friday he learned he would be released, according to CBC. I went through a lot, I thought there was no end to it. The West African man spent the last seven years in jail under Canada's system of indefinite immigration detention while the government tried to deport him. Canadian children 'locked up' in immigration detention centres, report says Ex-detainees, supporters form human chain demanding end to indefinite immigration detention Canada's immigration detention program to get 138M makeover Ali, who says he was born in Ghana but never received documentation, has found himself in legal limbo because neither Ghana nor Nigeria, where his mother was born, will recognize his nationality. No limit to detention length Ali's lawyer Jared Will said his client's prolonged detention was possible because Canada has no legislative maximum for the amount of time people can be detained. He told Metro Morning he's always been willing to be deported to either country, rather than continue to languish in prison or stay in Canada without a work permit. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

toronto contracts: City staff had said Four Seasons Site Development's work on a delay-riddled College St. sidewalk beautification project was problematic enough to warrant the rare and serious penalty, according to Toronto Star. The city, which is managing the 3.45 million reconstruction effort for the local merchants' group that initiated and funded it, fired Four Seasons from the project which stretched from Havelock to Shaw Sts. last fall. David Rider / Toronto Star By David Rider City Hall Bureau Chief Mon., May 1, 2017 A Brampton-based construction firm should be banned from bidding on City of Toronto contracts for three years, a city committee is telling council. The Star had chronicled merchants' anguish at plummeting revenues as customers navigated trenches and a maze of fencing, or simply gave up, and Four Seasons fell behind the four-month schedule for both sides of College. Article Continued Below Four Seasons chief executive Rohit Bansal told councillors on government management committee Monday that his company did nothing wrong. The company fell short, city staff allege in a report, on contract management, work performance, responsiveness to issues, minimization of disruptions to the public and public safety. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trade agreement: Since nirvana was never likely, it may be more productive to examine why we have, so far, avoided the worst, according to Hamilton Spectator. Preliminary thanks are owed to Congress, judges, the Congressional Budget Office, the American citizenry, and voters in the Netherlands and France. One hundred days into the Donald Trump presidency, we have neither achieved the nirvana he promised nor entered the dystopia critics, including us, feared. And, to a highly limited extent, to the president. He has not abandoned NATO or embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin. He did not, on Day 1, tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Iran nuclear treaty or the Paris climate change accord. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

washington post: Marine Le Pen of the populist, far-right National Front used her last big rally to call her centrist rival, former banker Emmanuel Macron, a representative of the caviar left and accused him of moralizing snobbery, according to Toronto Star. Macron, in turn, has been raking up the ghosts of the National Front's contentious past. ERIC FEFERBERG / AFP/Getty Images By Max Bearak The Washington Post Mon., May 1, 2017 With less than a week to go before the second and final round of the French presidential election, the two candidates are trading harsh taunts. He made a high-profile visit to France's biggest Holocaust memorial, which seemed to be aimed at drawing attention to two recent National Front scandals. And Jean-Fran ois Jalkh, who recently took over from Le Pen as the party's head, stepped down just two days after his appointment when an interview he did in 2000 questioning whether the poisonous gas Zyklon B was used against Jews in the camps resurfaced. Read more French presidential candidate Le Pen steps down as head of National Front party Article Continued Below French students protest both Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel MacronA week from presidential runoff, Macron summons shame of France's wartime history Last month, Le Pen was widely criticized for claiming that France wasn't responsible for the deportation of thousands of Jews to concentration camps in 1942. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

washington state: That system could eventually come to an end as at least two companies are rushing to get robotic fruit-picking machines to market, according to Toronto Star. Bob Brawdy / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sergio Garcia empties a bag of just-picked golden delicious apples into a bin at a Valicoff Fruit Company orchard near Wapato, Wash. Harvesting the vast fruit orchards of eastern Washington state each year requires thousands of farmworkers, many of them working illegally in the United States. Experienced pickers can earn up to 200 a day. That system could change dramatically as at least two companies are rushing to get robotic fruit-picking machines to market. Gordon King / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS By Nicholas K. Geranios The Associated Press Mon., May 1, 2017 SPOKANE, WASH. Harvesting Washington state's vast fruit orchards each year requires thousands of farmworkers, and many of them work illegally in the United States. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anticapitalist convergence: Most of the anti-capitalist protesters stayed above-ground, however, and marched through downtown to disturb what they claimed were the corporate playgrounds of the scheming rich, according to Brandon Sun. For the 10th consecutive year, a group calling itself the anticapitalist convergence organized a march in the city to celebrate International Workers' Day, also known as May Day. Moments later, red flags, black masks and other clothing littered a downtown square, belonging to a few protesters who entered into the city's underground network to evade arrest. Similar protests took place around the world. Aside from the initial tear gas incident, some protesters broke bank office windows and threw projectiles at cars along the march route, which was limited to the central core of the city. The slogan of this year's protest was, They are rich because we are poor and we are right to revolt, according to the group's literature. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

boulevard: Speakers on the back of a truck led the peaceful march along International Boulevard, punctuated by drum beats from protesters in indigenous costumes, according to Brandon Sun. The rally headed to San Antonio Park, about a mile away. More than 1,000 people took part in a May Day rally in Oakland, California, closing off a main downtown boulevard as they marched to another event at a public park. Different groups representing Mexican, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino and other immigrants took part in the march. The mood was festive and upbeat. 10 50 a.m. Protesters spoke out for worker's rights, immigrants in the country illegally and a variety of issues. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

holiday marches: Amid the holiday marches, masked demonstrators threw firebombs at police in Paris before being dispersed by tear gas, according to Brandon Sun. Four officers were injured, with one seriously burned in the face, Interior Minister Matthias Fekl said. Thousands across France celebrated May Day by showing their top concerns are jobs and the kind of country the next leader will give them. While violence from fringe groups is a standard presence in French demonstrations, at least some of those who mixed in the union-organized march came with an angry message against both candidates. Macron equals Louis XVI, Le Pen equals Le Pen, read another, a reference to Marine Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie, the co-founder of the anti-immigration National Front party known for his extremist views. Not one or the other; instead it's the people's self-defence read one sign. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.