immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

immigrant communities: Are we welcoming them I absolutely think it's incumbent on immigrant communities to branch out, according to CBC. But the question we have to ask ourselves is why do they feel more comfortable living together she told On The Coast's Vivian Luk Are we, the other neighbourhoods welcoming them Or are we shoving them back into their own silos because that's where the comfort is, that's where they're not going to experience racism and neighbours using racial slurs on them Growing up on Vancouver Island, Kang says she was the target of discrimination, both verbally and physically. Ninu Kang, a director with MOSAIC, a non-profit that helps new immigrants and refugees settle in Canada, is one such person. She says things are better for immigrants and their children in B.C. now. Still, things are far from perfect. There is more diversity and inclusivity, Employers are being trained in cultural competency and there is a lot more support for newcomers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

joseph nonato: Joseph Nonato Joseph Nonato in South Sudan, according to Toronto Star. FAMILY PHOTO Joseph Nonato front row, third from left during a royal visit to Toronto in 2009 with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Joseph Nonato has served in missions including Afghanistan pictured and South Sudan. Sheila Dabu Nonato By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Sat., June 3, 2017 Growing up in Brampton, Joseph Nonato loved hearing stories from his father, uncles and cousins about their experiences in the Philippines army. As a young child, Joe took an early interest in the military. While studying at the Cardinal Leger high school, he joined the cadet program and finally made it to the highly competitive Royal Military College in Kingston. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

seahawks: It just won't be in Seattle Carroll had high praise for Kaepernick on Friday as the Seahawks wrapped up their first week of OTAs, according to Hamilton Spectator. The former 49ers quarterback was in Seattle last week to meet with the front office but left still unemployed. Pete Carroll saw Colin Kaepernick's rise as a starting quarterback firsthand and the Seattle Seahawks coach still believes Kaepernick is capable of being a starter. While Seattle has seemed the most logical destination from its style of offence to the outspokenness of its locker room Kaepernick won't be signing with the Seahawks at this time. At this time, we didn't do anything with it, but we know where he is and who he is, and we had a chance to understand him much more so, Carrol said. Colin has been a fantastic football player and he's going to continue to be. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.s .,: Edward Snowden the now famous or to some infamous U.S. National Security Agency NSA agent was the one who first blew the whistle and exposed to us all and the world in general the vast extent and scale of surveillance of political, business and personal telecommunications traffic by the careful monitoring of what is called metadata from communications instruments of any form, according to The Chronicle Herald. Later charged with treason in the U.S., he sought refuge in Moscow. From the alleged Russian hacking of the U.S. presidential election to the new hacking of the French presidential election and even more leaked documents it is becoming more and more clear that the on-line and wireless world is a slippery slope indeed. No doubt the NSA whistleblower is still very useful to the intelligence folks in Moscow and he is not likely to try returning to the U.S. while he still faces a treason charge. It also raises questions about business-related communications. The uproar Snowden caused with his revelations of the sheer size and scope of U.S. NSA surveillance of personal phone, cell and Internet traffic and the outcry of potential invasion of personal privacy shook many capitals around the globe, including Ottawa. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nova: When given a choice, the largest percentage of voting-age Nova Scotians 46 per cent did not choose a political party to represent their interests, according to The Chronicle Herald. Instead, they chose not to vote. This is troubling for the future of democracy in our province. This is clear message to the political class. Voter turnout has been declining in Nova Scotia for a long time. The message is simply that it makes no difference which party is governing our province, so why bother to vote The recent voter turnout in Nova Scotia is the second-lowest in Canada, above only Ontario. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

river: Raqqa lies on the northern side of the river, according to Brandon Sun. Spokeswoman Cihan Sheikh Ehmed said the SDF, which enjoys the backing of the U.S. military, would launch the battle for Raqqa very soon. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are already encamped around the city's northern and eastern divisions and on Saturday made new progress against IS militants to approach the city from the south bank of the Euphrates River. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF has been engaged in fierce fighting with IS militants along the southern bank of the Euphrates River, around Mansoura, approximately 26 kilometres 16 miles southwest of Raqqa. Raqqa's size poses a new challenge for the SDF, who have captured smaller towns and strongholds from the IS group in northern Syria. The SDF said they were in control of 90 per cent of the town on Saturday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

drone strikes: Veteran actor Sean Bean is an American civilian contracted to obliterate Pakistanis from an office chair in suburban USA. His recently deceased father, we learn, dropped bombs on Hitler, according to Globe and Mail. The scriptwriter's math is off Bean's middle-aged character is too young to have a father of such vintage. We get that in Drone, a taut Canadian thriller from the Vancouver-born director Jason Bourque. More importantly, we're being pushed this notion that dropping bombs from an airplane is morally superior to drone strikes. That aside, Drone is a simmering, on-target drama involving a visiting Pakistani businessman whose motive and briefcase are both suspicious. We got this in 2014's Good Kill, but there's a good case to be made that it's a poppycock narrative. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

coalition government: Coveney won the votes of a majority of party members, but Varadkar was backed by most lawmakers and local representatives to give him victory Friday under the centre-right party's electoral college system, according to CBC. Ireland same-sex marriage referendum 'Yes' wins He is highly likely to become prime minister in Ireland's coalition government, although not immediately. Varadkar defeated rival Simon Coveney in a contest to replace Enda Kenny, who resigned last month. Kenny will remain for a couple of weeks while Varadkar holds talks with other members of the Fine Gael-led coalition government. Varadkar was born in Dublin in 1979, the son of an Indian doctor and an Irish nurse. At 38, Varadkar will be Ireland's youngest leader, as well as the first from an ethnic-minority background and the first openly gay leader. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

culture destination: Bernard Weil / Toronto Star By Shawn Micallef Columnist Fri., June 2, 2017 If you've only ever driven through Cooksville and the intersection of Hurontario and Dundas Sts. in Mississauga, you might buy into the lazy suburban wasteland epithets that places like this routinely get from people who don't know better, according to Toronto Star. However, getting out of the car and walking reveals a very urban place, one rich with passageways and layers of retail that, if the landscape was less car-oriented, would be celebrated as a multicultural food and culture destination. The intersection is called The 5 and 10, an old reference to an older Ontario, when the city was mostly rural and a collection of small communities. Big changes are coming to Cooksville though, and its potential as a major GTA hub may yet be realized. react-text 168 Big changes are coming to Cooksville and its potential as a major GTA hub may yet be realized. /react-text Bernard Weil / Toronto Star Sometimes the intersection is called The 5 and 10, an old reference to an older Ontario, when Mississauga was mostly rural and a collection of small communities in what was known as Toronto Township. Traces of the old highways can still be seen on both streets in the form of old houses of various vintages that sit among the newer urban form that has surrounded them. Dundas here was once part of King's Highway 5, and Hurontario was Highway 10, roads that still exist outside the city as largely rural routes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dui arrest: Today, some of those same people who were among Woods' most loyal fans are watching his downfall with sadness after his recent DUI arrest, according to CBC. They're still playing and watching his sport, but they see a man who appears broken and never really embraced the part of an ethnic and racial role model. Suddenly, golf was cool. Tiger Woods risks becoming a tragic figure Debert Cook, publisher of the African American Golfer's Digest, said the clubhouse talk among her and other black golfers sometimes turns to Woods and his convoluted legacy. He's one of us but he's not one of us. People really have said they are disappointed in his performance, and there's even a lot of push back upon why should we even consider this brother part of our community when he has not really been involved, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fredericton immigrants: The 12-week training came from a partnership between the Department of Post-Secondary Training and Labour, the New Brunswick Community College and the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, according to CBC. Immigrants with unrecognized credentials offered help scaling barriers N.B. employers have jobs they can't fill so they're looking south for job-seekers Young newcomers flourish in rural New Brunswick over cities The program was developed with newcomers in mind, said Lori Leach, the strategic manager of the apprenticeship and occupational certification branch of the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. The men graduated Friday from the first phase of a bricklaying program in Fredericton meant to train or re-certify them to work in the New Brunswick construction industry. It's an alternative delivery model at the early stages to deal with language barriers that refugees and newcomers would feel, said Leach. Catherine Harrop/CBC Vlad Kudish, a Russian immigrant who graduated from the first stage, said he didn't expect to reach that level so soon. Lori Leach, the strategic manager of apprenticeship and occupational certification at the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, says the program was made with the language barriers of newcomers in mind. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

law enforcement: Const, according to Metro News. Garry Woods said he hopes the book will also help newcomers develop a new idea of what law enforcement does especially if they didn't have a good relationship with police in their country of origin. The CPS diversity resource team wrote a Newcomer's Guide and illustrated an accompanying children's colouring book to cover things like how to identify a police officer, what their rights are when dealing with police and how to reach out should they need help. Many other countries around the world, their relationship between the communities and the police is not healthy. A lot of people who come here have had negative experiences with police, authority or uniforms and they become scared because it reminds them of negative experiences. Very often the police are not seen as a resource, they don't help people and there is a lot of corruption, said Woods. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

maryland judge: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to revive travel ban Reuters The move comes after the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on May 25 upheld a Maryland judge's ruling blocking the order, according to Globe and Mail. The administration also filed a separate appeal in that case. The administration filed two emergency applications with the nine high court justices seeking to block two different lower court rulings that went against Trump's March 6 order barring entry for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days while the U.S. government implements stricter visa screening. We have asked the Supreme Court to hear this important case and are confident that President Trump's executive order is well within his lawful authority to keep the nation safe and protect our communities from terrorism, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement. The court has a 5-4 conservative majority, with Justice Anthony Kennedy a conservative who sometimes sides with the court's four liberals the frequent swing vote. At least five votes are needed on the nine-justice court in order to grant a stay. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nordea masters: Connelly opened the tournament Thursday with a 1-under par 72 and followed it up with a 70 on Friday to vault him into a tie for fifth heading into the weekend, according to The Chronicle Herald. With two more rounds to go, Connelly is in line for a big payday. The 20-year-old and 711th-ranked player in the world is currently just three shots off the lead of the Nordea Masters in Malmo, Sweden after two rounds. Players this week are vying for a share of the 2,287,857 CAD purse. Last year, he finished seventh on the Mackenzie Tour money list, earning 46,218 in 12 events. Connelly, a native of Irving, Texas, has dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship and spent his summers at his grandparents' home in Digby County. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

party members: If my election as leader of Fine Gael today has shown anything, it is that prejudice has no hold on this republic, Varadkar said after his victory was announced in Dublin, according to Hamilton Spectator. Coveney won the votes of a majority of party members, but Varadkar was backed by most lawmakers and local representatives to give him victory under the centre-right party's electoral college system. Varadkar defeated rival Simon Coveney in a contest to replace Enda Kenny, who resigned last month. He is highly likely to become prime minister in Ireland's coalition government, although not immediately. His confirmation as Taoiseach Ireland's prime minister would come when the lower house of parliament resumes after a break on June 13. Kenny will remain in place for a couple more weeks while Varadkar holds talks with other parties and independents propping up the Fine Gael-led government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

party members: If my election as leader of Fine Gael today has shown anything, it is that prejudice has no hold on this republic,'' Varadkar said after his victory was announced in Dublin, according to Huffington Post Canada. Ireland's Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar launches his campaign bid for Fine Gael party leader in Dublin on May 20. Varadkar defeated rival Simon Coveney in a contest to replace Enda Kenny, who resigned last month. Photo Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters Coveney won the votes of a majority of party members, but Varadkar was backed by most lawmakers and local representatives to give him victory under the centre-right party's electoral college system. Kenny will remain in place for a couple more weeks while Varadkar holds talks with other parties and independents propping up the Fine Gael-led government. He is highly likely to become prime minister in Ireland's coalition government, although not immediately. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pasha malla: Brian Hughes / Toronto Star Fugue States, by Pasha Malla, Knopf Canada, 368 pages, 32, according to Toronto Star. Knopf Canada Pasha Malla, author of Fugue States. Illustration by Brian Hughes. Lucas Oleniuk / The Toronto Star By Dene Moore Special to the Star Fri., June 2, 2017 Fugue A disturbed state of consciousness in which the one affected seems to perform acts in full awareness but upon recovery cannot recollect the acts performed according to the Merriam Webster dictionary . Alternatively, it can mean a musical composition in which one or two themes are repeated or imitated by successively entering voices and interweaving voice parts. Malla's sophomore novel interweaves the voices of two opposite but equally strange including one who literally suffers a fugue state. In the case of Pasha Malla's Fugue States, it is both. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

police officers: Police said about 350 people, mainly families, would go to a camp in Thebes, about 70 kilometres 45 miles northwest of Athens, while the remainder of mainly single people would go to Derveni, about 140 kilometres 85 miles west of the capital, according to Metro News. No violence was reported during the evacuation, which was assisted by the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration. Access to the Hellenikon airport site was blocked off in the morning, and dozens of police officers and riot police stood by as the roughly 600 migrants collected their belongings and boarded buses to refugee camps elsewhere in Greece. The facilities at the old airport are a holdover from the initial stage of the crisis, when thousands of people were reaching our islands, Yiannis Balafas, deputy minister for migration, said on state-run ERT television. Migrants and Greek activists have held several demonstrations at Hellenikon to protest living conditions there over the past few months. So this was something that remained from that time, and now they will go to more suitable facilities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

role model: Suddenly, golf was cool, according to Hamilton Spectator. Today, some of those same people who were among Woods' most loyal fans are watching his downfall with sadness after his recent DUI arrest . They're still playing and watching his sport, but they see a man who appears broken and never really embraced the part of an ethnic and racial role model. Tiger Woods inspired a generation of minority golfers when he burst on to the scene as a charismatic young star who won tournaments with laser-like focus and power. Debert Cook, publisher of the African American Golfer's Digest said the clubhouse talk among her and other black golfers sometimes turns to Woods and his convoluted legacy. He's one of us but he's not one of us. People really have said they are disappointed in his performance, and there's even a lot of push back upon why should we even consider this brother part of our community when he has not really been involved, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tea room: Rent a kayak to paddle the bays or select a waterfall and hike to it, according to The Chronicle Herald. When you're driving through a community looking for a place to eat, roll down your window so the fiddles can guide you to the best spot. You can easily spend a week, or the rest of your life, exploring the offroads from the majestic Cabot Trail. Hear another strand of our musical history by catching a Men of the Deep show. If Working Man lodges in your mind, stop by Rita's Tea Room for a great meal in the former home of the late, great singer, Rita Mac Neil. The Cape Breton-based group is North America's only coal miners' chorus. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

women: The piece speculates this is because allergies as a whole are more common in women, but also acknowledges the results could be credited to women reporting their allergies more often, according to Huffington Post Canada. The research also noted peanuts were the exception men were more often allergic to them than women. According to a new study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, women are more likely to have food allergies than men. The study also stated people of Asian backgrounds are more likely to have food allergies compared to their counterparts in other races, and this could be due to differences in food preparation. This inconsistency may be partially attributable to the different preparation of peanuts; in Asian countries peanuts are primarily boiled whereas in Western countries they are roasted, a preparation that increases the allergenicity of the peanut. The higher prevalence documented among Asians was similar to that in previous studies in Western nations, but higher than that reported among Asian nations and Asian-born immigrants, the study said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

brother part: Today, some of those same people who were among Woods' most loyal fans are watching his downfall with sadness after his recent DUI arrest . They're still playing and watching his sport, but they see a man who appears broken and never really embraced the part of an ethnic and racial role model, according to Brandon Sun. Debert Cook, publisher of the African American Golfer's Digest said the clubhouse talk among her and other black golfers sometimes turns to Woods and his convoluted legacy. Suddenly, golf was cool. People really have said they are disappointed in his performance, and there's even a lot of push back upon why should we even consider this brother part of our community when he has not really been involved, she said. Woods' late father Earl was African-American, American Indian and Chinese; his mother Kultida is a native of Thailand who has Chinese and Dutch ancestry. He's one of us but he's not one of us. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

front office: The former 49ers quarterback was in Seattle last week to meet with the front office but left still unemployed, according to Brandon Sun. While Seattle has seemed the most logical destination from its style of offence to the outspokenness of its locker room Kaepernick won't be signing with the Seahawks at this time. It just won't be in Seattle Carroll had high praise for Kaepernick on Friday as the Seahawks wrapped up their first week of OTAs. Colin has been a fantastic football player and he's going to continue to be. He's a starter in this league. At this time, we didn't do anything with it, but we know where he is and who he is, and we had a chance to understand him much more so, Carrol said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gift shop: Still under construction are 50,000 square-feet about 4,600 square-meters of new galleries opening in 2019, bringing MoMA's total art-filled space to 175,000 square-feet about 16,000 square-meters on six floors, according to Brandon Sun. The expansion will allow more of the museum's collection of nearly 200,000 works to be displayed. Spread over three floors of the art mecca off Fifth Avenue are 15,000 square-feet about 1,400 square-meters of reconfigured galleries, a new, second gift shop, a redesigned cafe and espresso bar and, facing the sculpture garden, two lounges graced with black marble quarried in France. The project also will provide 25 per cent more space for visitors to relax or have a sit-down meal. The complex fuses original architecture by Philip Goodwin and Edward Stone with Philip Johnson-designed additions in 1951 and 1964 and a new section by Argentine native Cesar Pelli in 1984, topped in 2004 by Yoshio Taniguchi's 425 million expansion and renovation. The museum building, which opened in 1939, now nearly fills an entire city block and showcases works by artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, to name just a few from the permanent collection. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump policy: The legal fight pits the president's significant authority over immigration against what lower courts have said is a policy that purported to be about national security but was intended to target Muslims, according to Brandon Sun. The Justice Department is confident that President Trump's executive order is well within his lawful authority to keep the nation safe and protect our communities from terrorism, spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said. The Justice Department filing to the high court late Thursday argued that lower courts that blocked the Trump policy made several mistakes, including relying on statements President Donald Trump made during the 2016 campaign. The president is not required to admit people from countries that sponsor or shelter terrorism, until he determines that they can be properly vetted and do not pose a security risk to the United States. Again and again, our nation's courts have found that President Trump's Muslim ban is unconstitutional. Rights groups that have been fighting the policy in the courts said the justices should not allow the travel and refugee bans to take effect. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

andy buck: When he arrived, his sons were just 14 and 17 so they stayed back in the UK with his ex-wife, according to CTV. Andy brought his oldest son Alex over as a dependent when he turned 19 and his other son, Ben, was planning to make the move in January 2015 when he would turn 19 but that didn't happen. Andy Buck came to Canada in 2008 for work and became a Canadian citizen in 2014. In 2014, the federal Conservatives changed the age of dependency for sponsorship from under 22 years of age to under 19. The change goes into effect on October 24th and it is not retroactive so families that applied to sponsor dependents between August 1st, 2014 and October 24th, 2017 will still need to comply with the Conservative government policy. The Liberal government is switching the age of the dependency law back to under 22 but it won't happen in time to help the family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.