stampede grounds: It's another miracle on the Prairies, Kenney told 2,000 cheering party members at the BMO Centre on the Stampede Grounds in Calgary, minutes before cannons blasted out tufts of blue and white confetti and matching balloons tumbled from the ceiling, according to National Observer. We are one step closer to a government based on common sense and the mainstream values of ordinary Albertans, he added. Kenney takes over a new 27-member caucus and the Official Opposition to Premier Rachel Notley's NDP government in the legislature. And now if we work hard, stay humble, and earn every vote we will ensure that this deceptive, divisive, debt-quadrupling, tax-hiking, job-killing, accidental socialist government is one and done! Brian Jean, the runner-up in the UCP leadership race, congratulates Jason Kenney on stage in Calgary on Oct. 28, 2017. In the summer, members of both parties voted 95 per cent in favour of a merger. Photo by Louie Villanueva Kenney was the central figure in a push to see the Alberta Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose Party join forces on the right to fight the governing NDP. He won the leadership of the PCs earlier this year after criss-crossing the province, beating the unity drum. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american racists: Though this classic The Beaverton headline gets it right Homegrown Canadian racists determined to compete with flashier American racists and though we are sodden, absolutely dripping, with American culture in all its crass cruelty and violence, we haven't done too badly, according to Toronto Star. Personable as individual Americans are and I again invite lovely fed-up Democrats to apply for Canadian citizenship, we need your tired huddled masses, etc. history and habit have made their nation singular. In this Trumpian moment of madness, what a pleasure it is to remember this. To those easily offended here, may I remind you that it is my job to trace the pattern in the carpet, not each individual tuft. American adults dress like kids in baseball caps, sneakers and comfy pants, but add a semi-automatic rifle to the outfit and it's... troubling. The U.S. is how can I put this tactfully childish, with all the charm and menace that entails. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

barnaby joyce: He and four other lawmakers were disqualified by Australia's High Court Friday from sitting in Parliament after they were each found to hold citizenship of Australia and another country, according to Metro News. Joyce is leader of the National Party, the junior partner in the conservative coalition government with Turnbull's Liberal Party. Turnbull has refrained from officially appointing a new deputy in what is expected to be the five-week absence of Barnaby Joyce. Having recently renounced the New Zealand citizenship he inherited from his father, Joyce will contest a Dec. 2 byelection . Speaking to reporters in Sydney before leaving for Israel on Saturday, Turnbull said Bishop, as deputy leader of the Liberals, was next in line after Joyce to be acting prime minister. The government, the parliament ... goes on, Turnbull said. He also said that his coalition still holds a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives, where parties form governments. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bienvenue ndg: Mohamed switches between English and Arabic with Benaziz, who is helping her navigate the system as she's come to sign up for French classes, according to CBC. Mohamed arrived in Montreal seven months ago, after fleeing Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, for both safety and familial reasons. She's a refugee and she wants to live here because she is comfortable and in security here, said Asma Benaziz, an outreach worker at Bienvenue NDG, an immigration welcome centre in the city's west end. She had been studying to become a nurse and hopes to pursue the profession here. CBC But Bienvenue NDG says it's struggling to keep up with the demand for language classes especially in French that will help immigrants like Mohamed contribute to Quebec society by seeking education and employment. Munia Mohamed, left, who moved from Sudan seven months ago, and Bienvenue NDG outreach worker Asma Benaziz. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada celebrations: You might think her kiss-my-ass comment is rude, according to The Chronicle Herald. But whatever your opinion on Khan, her actions, views or choice of words, there is a fundamental principle at the core of this controversy that we should all agree upon. And you will probably have an opinion on her boycott of the Canada 150 celebrations. And it's not race, white fragility or Canada's 150 birthday celebrations. This week, Dalhousie University backed off on a disciplinary action against Khan that had the look, feel and smell of suppressing free speech. It's freedom of speech. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opposition stronghold: However, political uncertainty persists after opposition leader Raila Odinga boycotted the repeat presidential election on Thursday, according to CBC. The election commission had delayed voting in four out of Kenya's 47 counties until Saturday because of violence. The streets of Kisumu, Kenya's third-largest city and an opposition stronghold, as well as several Nairobi slums are quiet. This new postponement is until further notice because of concerns for the safety of election workers. It was the first time a court in Africa had overturned a presidential election. Kenya election Low turnout, at least 6 dead in clashes after disputed vote Protests turn deadly amid Kenya's election do-over Kenyans take to streets ahead of repeat presidential elections Thursday's election was a rerun of the Aug. 8 vote that was nullified by the Supreme Court because of irregularities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sail-handling systems: While some people wing it, experts recommend thoroughly understanding what you're getting into and being as prepared as possible -- taking lessons, having emergency and navigational gear, and packing more than enough food, according to CTV. John Neal, who with his wife, Amanda, conducts sail-training trips and seminars through their company, Washington state-based Mahina Expeditions, said crossing oceans is easier than it's ever been. But earlier this week, the U.S. Navy rescued two women adrift in the Pacific Ocean about 900 miles off Japan, at sea for months after their sailboat became disabled. He cites modern instrumentation and sail-handling systems as examples. And most of them make it, and the rest you never hear of. So it's not uncommon to have people who are very new to sailing take off and literally sail around the world, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sail-training trips: While some people wing it, experts recommend thoroughly understanding what you're getting into and being as prepared as possible taking lessons, having emergency and navigational gear, and packing more than enough food, according to Toronto Star. Read more U.S. navy rescues two Honolulu women, dogs who were lost at sea for months John Neal, who with his wife, Amanda, conducts sail-training trips and seminars through their company, Washington state-based Mahina Expeditions, said crossing oceans is easier than it's ever been. But earlier this week, the U.S. Navy rescued two women adrift in the Pacific Ocean about 900 miles off Japan, at sea for months after their sailboat became disabled. He cites modern instrumentation and sail-handling systems as examples. And most of them make it, and the rest you never hear of. react-text 149 Sailors from the USS Ashland approach a sailboat with two Honolulu women and their dogs aboard as they are rescued after being lost at sea for several months while trying to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti. /react-text Mass Communication Specialist 3r / The Associated Press The women had left Hawaii in May in hopes of reaching Tahiti and exploring islands in the south Pacific. Article Continued Below So it's not uncommon to have people who are very new to sailing take off and literally sail around the world, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

settlement process: Mac's and the consulting firms say the job positions were not guaranteed and the fees were not for job placement but for assistance with the immigration and settlement process, according to Toronto Star. The court's decision let the lawsuit proceed is significant as it means that workers recruited abroad to work in Canada and who have paid recruitment fees, or whose contracts of employment have not been honoured by Canadian employers, or who have otherwise had their rights infringed, have an effective means of seeking redress, said Charles Gordon, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs. The four lead plaintiffs two each from Nepal and the Philippines allege that Mac's and the consulting firms had promised them jobs but failed to deliver, and that the consulting companies unlawfully collected recruitment fees from them. Acting individually, legal action is not feasible for such workers. Article Continued Below All three immigration companies named in the lawsuit Overseas Immigration Services, Overseas Career and Consulting Services OCCS and Trident Immigration are alleged by the claimants to be controlled by Surrey, B.C. man Kuldeep Bansal, a licensed consultant with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council. By allowing them to act collectively as a class, the court has provided them a means of seeking justice. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

shelbyville: The protesters started in Shelbyville, then travelled about 55 kilometres north to Murfreesboro for a second rally, according to CBC. Both towns are near Nashville, the centre of a metropolitan area that has become home to refugees from Somalia, Iraq and elsewhere. The White Lives Matter rallies in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro, organized by some of the same groups involved in a Virginia march in August that turned violent, drew an equal number of counter-demonstrators and a heavy police presence. When they say refugees, what they really mean is Muslims.'- Ibrahim Hooper, Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesperson We don't want the federal government to keep dumping all these refugees into middle Tennessee, said Brad Griffin, a member of a group known as the League of the South, who has written about his desire to create a white ethnostate. To help keep the peace, Shelbyville police used temporary fencing to separate the white nationalists from counter-demonstrators. High security Saturday's rallies were organized by the Nationalist Front coalition, which embraces groups considered neo-Nazi or neo-Confederate by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

solomon islands: The three are among just 20 countries that extend Taiwan formal diplomatic recognition, according to CTV. Tsai's travels follow Panama's switching of diplomatic relations to Beijing in June in what was seen as a major diplomatic setback for Taiwan. Tsai will visit the Marshall and Solomon Islands along with Tuvalu while transiting through Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam. We want to prove to the world that Taiwan is capable of, and is willing to, make more contributions to the international community, Tsai said Saturday ahead of her departure. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang demanded Tsai be barred from transiting through the U.S., which, like most countries, has only unofficial relations with Taiwan. In the Marshalls and Solomons, Tsai will find an opportunity to better understand the sustainable development needs of the two countries and determine how Taiwan can assist in line with steadfast diplomacy, the government said in a statement posted on its official website. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

visa department: Rodriguez said the foreign ministry will authorize the entry and exit of expatriate Cubans through two tourist ports and allow the return of nationals who left the country illegally, except those who departed from the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, according to Metro News. He also said the children of Cubans residing outside the country and those born in foreign countries will be able to obtain Cuban citizenship and identification documents. Speaking to a group of Cubans residing in the United States, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the new rules go into effect as of Jan. 1, and blamed the United States for creating unjust obstacles in its visa department by expelling Cuban embassy personnel. The government of the United States closes and Cuba opens doors, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said that by reducing its diplomatic presence and suspending the issue of visas in Havana, Washington was hurting the ability of Cuban families to visit their relatives in the U.S. He said the new requirement that Cubans must travel to the U.S. consulate in Colombia to handle their visas through personal interviews represents an insurmountable obstacle in many cases. Cuba's government relaxed its migration policy in 2013, when it cancelled the requirement that island residents apply for an exit permit to travel abroad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mac isaac: He was holding a metal leg from a patio table he had broken on a neighbour's porch when three Durham Regional police officers arrived on the scene, according to NOW Magazine. He was dead within 12 seconds of their arrival, shot twice in the chest by Constable Brian Taylor after advancing toward the officer. Several neighbours reported him to police. MacIsaac died in hospital the next day. It's an all too familiar story for families who've had loved ones die in encounters with police. According to the province's Special Investigations Unit, which cleared Taylor of any wrongdoing, Mac Isaac confronted three separate motorists, one of them with a rock, before his encounter with police. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

apartment housing: That labour constraint will have the biggest impact on single-family home starts, says CMHC, as demand for apartment housing grows and building accelerates in that sector, according to CBC. Those factors will combine to drive up the average house price about 25 per cent over the three years of the forecast, from 226,868 in 2016 to about 285,000 in 2019. Single family home building more than doubles on P.E.I. The market will be held back not so much by demand, but by a shortage of skilled labour to build new housing, the agency says. Apartment vacancy rates in Charlottetown are expected to fall below 0.5 per cent. A growing population driven by immigration will be the main driver in increased demand. Higher rents will follow according to the report, with the average for a two-bedroom going from 872 in 2016 to 975 in 2019. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

building bylaws: Last week, the District of West Vancouver filed a petition asking the B.C. Supreme Court to force him and Raven Garrow to demolish the home, located at 733 20th Street, within 60 days, according to CTV. Legal documents claim the homeowners violated zoning and building bylaws by demolishing the existing structure without permission and building a new home that didn't match plans approved by district officials. The city may say whatever they choose to say, but all of the professionals have provided their assurance that construction was carried out according to plan and according to these building codes, a defensive Philip Garrow told CTV News Thursday. Municipal regulations require homes to have a setback of at least 7.6 metres for the front yard and 9.1 metres for the rear yard. The municipality however, said the new home encroaches even further into the required setbacks than the old one. The existing home did not meet these requirements, but was exempt because it was built before the current bylaw was enacted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

court records: U.S. court records in the case against an immigrant billionaire who is one of Arizona's wealthiest men describe the daunting market challenges that Insys Therapeutics founder John N. Kapoor and fellow executives faced after launching the opioid medication Subsys in 2012, according to The Chronicle Herald. The highly addictive drug was going to cost a cancer patient up to thousands of dollars a month to control intolerable levels of pain. So drug company executives moved quickly to make its production worthwhile. It could only be prescribed by a medical practitioner registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and it was among several cancer pain medicines already available. Defence attorney Brian T. Kelly, a high-profile Boston lawyer, has said Kapoor is not guilty. Five years later, Subsys is at the heart of the case against Insys Therapeutics executives, including Kapoor, 74, of Phoenix, who is charged with leading a nationwide conspiracy to bribe doctors and pharmacists to widely prescribe the potent painkiller to people who didn't need it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

editorial states: As your editorial states, we must help newcomers integrate and succeed, according to Toronto Star. This starts with having an adequate, clean living space. It is a fundamental human right for all people, including refugees, to have a place to live. Why is it acceptable to spend 20 million to extend hotel and motel contracts into 2018 to house refugee claimants Hotels and motels offer a bed to sleep, not proper space for daily living. What a visionary approach to help the marginalized. Why not put money into a long-term solution As caring Torontonians, is this the best we can provide for refugees who arrive in personal turmoil The Fred Victor Centre is housing some of our vulnerable citizens in the former athletes' residence from the Pan-Am Games. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

family ties: But the court said the lawmakers' foreign family ties were knowable, according to CBC. Australia, New Zealand locked in odd political feud The seven judges rejected the government's argument that five of the lawmakers including three government lawmakers should be exempt from the ban because they had not voluntarily acquired or retained citizenship of another country. Critics have condemned as outdated the 116-year-old constitutional ban on a subject or citizen of a foreign power standing for Parliament in a country where almost half the people are immigrants or have an overseas-born parent. While the judges said it may be harsh to disqualify Australian-born candidates who had no reasons to believe they were not exclusively Australian, those facts must always have been knowable. The decision to disqualify deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce means a byelection will be held for his rural electoral district on Dec. 2, the earliest possible date. Single-seat majority The judges also pointed to the difficulties of proving or disproving a person's state of mind and the regrettable possibility of a want of candor if ignorance of dual citizenship was recognized as an excuse. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

joyce: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's conservative coalition has a single-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives where parties form governments, according to CTV. Joyce will be able to stand for re-election, having renounced the New Zealand citizenship he unknowingly inherited from his father. The decision to disqualify Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce over a 116-year-old constitutional ban on dual citizens sitting in Parliament means a byelection will be held for his rural electoral district in December. With the government trailing the opposition Labor Party in opinion polls, voters could use the byelection to toss both Joyce and his government out of office. I was always apprehensive, some people say I'm a natural pessimist, I'm naturally cautious and I was always prepared for this outcome, Joyce told reporters. Joyce later apologized to his electoral division for the inconvenience of a byelection that will be held at the earliest possible date, Dec. 2. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

liberties groups: A hearing on the lawsuit was held Friday, according to Metro News. One of the immigrants is Hanad Abdi, who fled Somalia after men killed his father and stole the family farm. Civil liberties groups sued on behalf of the immigrants, who were jailed in a Batavia detention facility. He says his only hope for safety and freedom was to flee to the United States. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing immigration officials to end the abuse of parole and asylum provisions by immigrants in the country illegally. But when he got to the U.S. he was detained for months while his bid for asylum progressed through immigration courts. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

metoo movement: Toronto Rape Crisis Centre Multicultural Women Against Rape has been flooded by calls from survivors seeking support following the MeToo movement, which was triggered by mounting accusations against disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, according to CBC. How online conversations like MeToo make things better for women at work slowly While Deb Singh, a counsellor and activist at the downtown centre, doesn't have concrete numbers on the amount of calls, she has seen an definite increase in people using the 24-hour crisis line and coming in for counselling over the past few weeks. For some survivors of sexual assault and harassment, the two-word message MeToo exploding on social media has either been overwhelming and triggering or inspired them to seek help, a Toronto counsellor says. I've had many survivors tell me directly that the campaign MeToo and social media presence on their newsfeed has been pretty overwhelming and triggering, and lots of people have reached out more for support, she told CBC Radio's Here and Now on Friday afternoon. Callers, many of whom are sharing their stories with someone for the first time, are prompted by the critical mass of others with similar experiences and feel safer reaching out, according to Singh, who is a survivor herself. You're not alone' The avalanche of complaints has inspired other survivors to speak out about being sexually abused and harassed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

monsoon storm: The little boy was crying out louder than he ever had in his life, according to Toronto Star. He did not know how to swim. It was raining, and a fierce monsoon storm had transformed the sky and the sea into a kaleidoscope of grey shadows that was impossible to escape. Papa! Papa! Help Me! Papaaaaa. They were part of the largest human exodus in Asia since the Vietnam War a colossal tide of more than 500,000 Rohingya Muslims whose homes had been torched by Buddhist mobs and soldiers. Just moments before, they had huddled together in the relative safety of a small fishing boat filled with refugees from Burma that was bound for Bangladesh. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cent: While this is lower than other provinces and the national rate of 22 per cent, the number of newcomers to Nova Scotia is growing, according to The Chronicle Herald. From 2011 to 2016, Nova Scotia saw a 15 per cent jump in immigration, which was fuelled in part by Syrian refugees who have settled in the province. Nationwide immigration numbers collected from the 2016 census and released Wednesday shows the number of landed immigrants and permanent residents in Nova Scotia is now at 55,675, or 6.1 per cent of the overall population. More than 20 per cent of Nova Scotia's immigrant population landed in the last five years. Elizabeth Eustaquio-Domondon, the Philippines' honorary vice-consul in Halifax, says Filipinos immigrate to Nova Scotia and Canada for the same reasons she came here in 1999 family and opportunity. So where are these newcomers coming from The Statistics Canada data shows that the majority of recent immigrants from 2011 to 2016 came to Nova Scotia from the Philippines 12.7 per cent the United Kingdom 9.2 per cent and China 8.4 per cent . In that five-year period, 885, or 7.5 per cent, of the immigrants came from Syria. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

skin tone: The outfits often involve racial stereotypes and even include darkening your skin tone as part of the makeup, according to CTV. The results of the poll say that 30 percent of Albertans think it's okay for their kids to dress up as ethnic stereotypes and 44 percent think that darkening your skin to match the ethnicity of the costume is perfectly okay too. A poll, by Insight West, shows that Alberta is the one province in Canada that is more likely to embrace culturally insensitive or just plain offensive costumes. Balwinder Marwaha, who runs the Halloween Alley store in southeast Calgary, says he stocks a number of the questionable costumes. Jessie Loyer, an indigenous expert at Mount Royal University, opposes the idea. As long as they fit and they represent, they don't disrespect that culture or religion; we'll bring those costumes into the stores because people want them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

star newsroom: Before the latest census numbers were released earlier this week, one question kept coming up in the Star newsroom Would the data show that Toronto, for the first time, had become a visible minority majority city If that was the case, reporters and editors would have to be ready, according to Toronto Star. Statistics Canada gives advance notice about what will be released when, which gives newsrooms a chance to plan. This week, we look at how the Star put together its coverage of the recent release of 2016 census data. But, without data available beforehand, editors and reporters do their best to plan for the kind of coverage they think will be needed. The 2011 National Household Survey found that 49 per cent of those living in Toronto identified as a visible minority, so editors were on the lookout for a change in that number in 2016. With the return of the mandatory long-form census after a 10-year absence, an accurate look at the city's ethnic makeup was once again a possibility. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

suicide bomber: That is when it exploded, killing the soldier, Capain Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan, and two Iraqis who stood nearby, according to Rabble. Khan was a Muslim-American, killed by a suicide bomber who was likely of the same faith. A U.S. Army officer who was on watch saw it and ran forward toward the vehicle. He was laid to rest in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, along with thousands of others killed in the so-called Global War on Terror. Then the openly racist presidential campaign of Donald Trump swept them into the center of a political storm. His family privately mourned their loss daily, frequently visiting his gravesite. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.