ankles: There is a pink bus parked on the edge of the airstrip, according to Toronto Star. There are dozens of refugees with bags at their ankles, staring through the barbed wire at the plane that will take them from this 26-year-old camp. When you descend, the shapes distinguish themselves. It's the only place many have ever known. Either they have given up on refugee life where every year there is less food, less shelter, less everything and they are returning to Somalia. Where they going There are two possibilities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

appeals court: Robart limited that part of the injunction to refugees who have a bona fide relationship with people or entities in the United States, according to Metro News. He also said that refugees who have formal agreements with refugee resettlement agencies were covered under his order. Just before Christmas, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle imposed a nationwide injunction that blocks restrictions on reuniting refugee families and partially lifted a ban on refugees from 11 mostly Muslim countries. The government does not want to include resettlement agencies. That means the highest court indicates it disagrees with the appeals court on that point, the lawyers say. Government lawyers filed a motion Wednesday saying that although the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has interpreted the bona fide relationship to include connections to resettlement agencies, the U.S. Supreme Court has stayed that ruling. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rent control: It would have cost you, on average, 688,011 -- an unimaginably high amount to many people just a few years earlier, according to CTV. If you decided to sell that home one year later in March 2017, it would have fetched around 916,567 -- an incredible 228,556 more. Let's say you purchased a typical Toronto home in March 2016. But let's say you had hung onto it for another five months, until after the Ontario government slapped a tax on foreign buyers and expanded rent control. That roller-coaster ride was all too familiar to people in Vancouver. It would have been back down to 732,292. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

week: The number shot up to 17,500 applications the week after the new requirements kicked in, according to CBC. There were 12,530 applications submitted the week after that, but data for subsequent weeks is not yet available. Figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship provided to CBC News show there was an average of 3,653 applications a week in the six months before changes were brought in Oct. 11. Reducing the physical presence requirement gives more flexibility to applicants to meet the requirements for citizenship and encourages more immigrants to take the path to citizenship, said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship spokeswoman Nancy Caron. Relaxed citizenship rules kick in Applications decline as citizenship fees rise In recent years, there has been an average of 200,000 citizenship applications submitted each year. This helps individuals who have already begun building lives in Canada achieve citizenship faster. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gravel driveway: On the second official day of winter, the tract is a colourless bog, surrounded by tall, barren trees and covered with a blanket of dead leaves, according to Toronto Star. But this, promises Getaway a start-up that offers these rental not-cabins and this not-camping not far from major cities is where we may rejuvenate our very souls. The heavenly part is debatable. As our car crunches up the gravel driveway, we pass an ominous charcoal-gray box on wheels. It is a carbon copy of Lillian, Hank, Felix and Shirley, which is the tiny house we have been assigned, we learn in a succinct text from the company that also feeds us an entry code. A sign proclaims it Lenore. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sign: Navarro is deaf and while she knew Filipino Sign Language, American Sign Language ASL was something very new to her, according to CBC. When I first arrived here, I was overwhelmed, she told CBC Toronto. But that language wasn't English. With the assistance of a Toronto program that has been helping newcomers learn ASL for years, Navarro began to get her confidence back. CBC Toronto spoke with Navarro with the help of a a sign language interpreter. Shut out Lack of sign language at concerts frustrates deaf Canadians The Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada LINC offers full-day courses and has taught dozens of immigrants from all over the world how to communicate. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mass murders: Instead 2017 got globally Trumped by a constant stream of puerile, corrosively hostile and often hateful tweets from an American president whose words and actions make it difficult for anyone who cares about democracy to find a healthy Trump-life balance, according to Toronto Star. The id stayed in the picture. Ha. There were as well, in 2017, terrible mass murders, including a massacre in a Quebec mosque, growing incidents of unabashed bigotry, devastating floods and other natural disasters, and in many of us a deepening sense of outrage and despair. A joyful wedding, a new baby born into a family, a moment of mastery at work or at play. Yet there were also bright spots in all our lives, both personal and public. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

respect borders: The U.S. is the world's second-worst polluter, behind China in volume, and the worst by more meaningful measures, like crud-per-consumer, according to The Chronicle Herald. Greenhouse gases don't respect borders, even those with walls, so if the U.S. is out, as promised by President Donald Trump, the people of the world's other 194 nation-states suffer. When Syria came aboard in November, America was the only nation on earth outside the Paris Climate Accord. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is a shadow of its former self under Trump-appointed administrator Scott Pruitt, who as Oklahoma attorney general sued the EPA 14 times to overturn stuff like the regulation of toxic mercury, carbon emissions and protection of wetlands. Visionary naturalist and former Republican president Teddy Roosevelt would walk softly up to the current president and smack him with a big stick. A tidy chunk of the deregulation Trump trumpets has undone restrictions on polluters, and he intends to shrink national parks to allow mineral exploration on some of the continent's most awe-inspiring landscapes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

studies programs: State attorney general's office spokesman Ryan Anderson said Thursday that it would consult with Superintendent Diane Douglas about appealing the case, according to Metro News. Following a seven-year court battle, Judge A. Wallace Tashima issued a final judgment over a 2010 state law that he found to be motivated by racial discrimination and politics. Arizona officials are considering appealing a U.S. judge's decision to block a ban on ethnic studies programs in public schools. Lawmakers passed the ban after Tucson Unified School District began offering classes in 1998 focused on Mexican-American history, literature and art. Attorneys for the state have denied that racial discrimination played a part in the law. 3 45 a.m.A federal judge has issued a final judgment, blocking an Arizona state law that prompted the dismantling of a Mexican-American history program in Tucson's largest school district. Steven Reiss, an attorney for Tucson students who sued over the law, says he's pleased that the district is now free to revive the program. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

terror group: Friends and relatives of Ahmed Aminamin El-Mofty have described him as depressed over a lack of family contact and money problems, Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico said, according to Metro News. At this point in time there is no known nexus to any organized terrorist group or terrorist activity, Marsico said. An Egyptian immigrant who wounded a Pennsylvania state trooper and fired at other police officers before being killed has not been connected with any organized terror group or terrorist activity, a prosecutor said Thursday. El-Mofty is believed to have acted alone when he began firing from his vehicle on Dec. 22 in downtown Harrisburg, a few blocks from the state capitol building. No one was injured in the initial shootings, which generated a large police response. He then fired several shots at a marked Capitol Police vehicle. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump: After returning to Washington from Florida, where he is spending the holidays, Trump will host House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky at the rustic Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland during the weekend of Jan. 6-7, according to The Chronicle Herald. Spokesmen for Ryan and McConnell have confirmed they will attend. Eager for more legislative achievements before Washington's focus shifts to the midterm elections, President Donald Trump plans to start the new year by meeting with Republican congressional leaders to plot the 2018 legislative agenda, the White House said. The powwow will follow the recent enactment of legislation to cut taxes, beginning next year, for corporations and individuals at an estimated cost of 1.5 trillion added to the national debt over 10 years. While the tax bill ends the requirement that all Americans buy health insurance or pay a fine, which is a key component of the Affordable Care Act, it leaves intact other features of the health care law. The bill marked the first big legislative achievement for Trump and congressional Republicans, who made cutting taxes a must-do this year after the Senate failed to close the deal on another top GOP promise to repeal and replace the Obama health care law. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

uighur activists: He was a working-class electronics salesman, unknown even to most Uighur activists, according to CTV. So she worried that authorities might block his social media accounts, or maybe detain him. Zhang's wife had long feared some sort of backlash despite her husband's relative obscurity. Instead he was arrested and prosecuted for subversion and espionage. They wanted to make an example of him, to scare anyone who might question what they do in the name of security, Zhang's wife, Li Aijie, told The Associated Press earlier this week, one day after she arrived in the United States and asked for political asylum. His punishment 20 years in prison. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump campaign: They used a wholly unexpected and lethal weapon our own irresistible addiction to the Internet, according to National Observer. It was also the year that turned the scholar Caroline Orr into a social media sensation and must-follow for anyone hooked on U.S. Special Counsel Bob Mueller investigation into Russia and the Trump campaign. It was the year the world began to comprehend how deeply Russian propaganda has penetrated the American psyche. Better known to her hundreds of thousands of followers as RVAwonk, Orr has emerged as one of the most incisive and compelling observers on Trump, Russia, and the propaganda wars now consuming world attention.A social sciences scholar studying human interactions on the Internet, Orr watched the cyber-war continue unabated in real time. Lt. Her Twitter feed plays an invaluable role in decoding the cyber-mysteries of Trump and Russia for the amateur sleuth and average reader alike. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

venus fest: Lido Pimienta didn't release an album in 2017, but you'd never know it from the year she had, according to NOW Magazine. Though La Papessa came out in 2016, its mix of lush electronic soundscapes, virtuosic singing and Spanish white supremacy-dismantling lyrics resonated in major ways throughout the year. Lido Pimienta at Venus Fest. It doesn't hurt that the Colombian-born, Toronto-based artist's record won this year's Polaris Music Prize. She used her moment in the spotlight to speak up for immigrants, single mothers, the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee people on whose land the gala took place. That's a major feat for a totally independent release, not to mention one whose words are primarily sung in neither English nor French. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

albertans: You may be forgiven for losing track of how many times he stood up to roaring applause in a post-win reception the answer is four . When we set out on this path 18 months ago, Kenney said in Calgary-Lougheed, the pundits and the cynics said this couldn't be done, according to CBC. But we didn't listen to them. It's been a big year for the former federal Tory cabinet minister. We just did what Albertans have always done, we dug deep and worked hard. But his previous victory, just a few weeks earlier, was more of a challenge. In a riding with a history of leaning right, nobody would have bet on him losing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

district byelection: What message did you take away from the Green Party win in the November byelection We always say about byelections these are a local matter, according to CBC. People are selecting their local representative from a cast of four. This is an edited transcript of that interview. We've had two byelections since I became premier. Green's Hannah Bell wins District 11 byelection by 157 votes As I see it every day is a new day. We won one of them and came second in the other. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

el cerrito: Ramon Regalado died Dec. 16 in El Cerrito, California, said Cecilia I. Gaerlan, executive director of the Bataan Legacy Historical Society, which has fought to honour Regalado and others, according to CTV. She did not have a cause of death. He was 100. He really embodied the qualities of the greatest generation and love for country, she said. He was a machine-gun operator with the Philippine Scouts under U.S. Army Forces when troops were forced to surrender in 1942 to the Japanese after a grueling three-month battle. Regalado was born in 1917 in the Philippines. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

galapagos ecuador: Fodor's no list includes places plagued by overtourism and destinations with safety issues, according to CTV. They range from a U.S. state to bucket-list wonders of the world. The where not to go list is from Fodor's, the travel guidebook publisher. Here are the 10 places Fodor's suggests we avoid. The places that don't want you to visit Too many tourists in places like Venice and Amsterdam have resulted in a local backlash against visitors. The Galapagos Ecuador heavily regulates tourism in the Galapagos as part of its environmental conservation policies, but Fodor's says the islands' fragile ecosystems remain vulnerable. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

graduate studies: Douthwright read a similar study from Milwaukee, Wis., during her undergraduate courses and she was floored by the findings, according to Metro News. I thought there was no way this would be true here in Toronto, she said. For a city that claims to be multicultural, the results were shocking, said Janelle Douthwright, the study's author, who recently graduated with a Masters of Arts in Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies from the University of Toronto. She pursued her graduate studies to find out. The Black applicants also listed participation in a Black or African student association on their resumes. Douthwright created four fictional female applicants and submitted their resumes for entry level service and retail positions in Toronto over the summer. function set Cookie related path / ; Related Ontario launching economic study as part of anti-Black racism strategy Online game to players Don't touch black people's hair Biney is 1st black woman to make Olympic speedskating team Halifax police have lost credibility with Black community human rights lawyer She gave two of the applicants Black sounding names Khadija Nzeogwu and Tameeka Okwabi and gave one a criminal record. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya muslims: That's why we have brought these memories, this video, from Myanmar, according to Metro News. Since late August, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh to escape attacks by Myanmar security forces. My heart aches for my village, my home, the 16-year-old Rohingya refugee from Myanmar said in a camp in neighbouring Bangladesh. But before fleeing from advancing soldiers, few Rohingya had time to grab many of their belongings. Their old lives homes, cattle, villages, everything are gone. Instead, they poured across the border into Bangladesh bringing with them little more than horror stories of marauding forces and memories of terrifying treks through the forests. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya refugees: But there were some glimmers of hope amid the devastation, according to CTV. Here are some of the stories that restored our faith in humanity On-air rescue As Hurricane Harvey pummelled Houston on Aug. 28, a reporter helped rescue a truck driver from flooding live on local TV. Brandi Smith and cameraman Mario Sandoval were reporting on the severe weather when they spotted a truck stuck in several metres of water and a driver who was trapped inside. From deadly natural disasters, to some of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history and the steady stream of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar, 2017 delivered one tragic headline after another. While still live on air, Smith flagged down a sheriff's car towing a boat. Faith builders' There were numerous other stories of friends, neighbours and strangers helping one another as entire neighbourhoods flooded in the Houston area. The police helped the truck driver get out of his flooded cab, and Smith embraced the man after the rescue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ryan yamasaki: The U.S. government classifies marijuana as a controlled substance, like heroin and LSD. Prior to Jan. 1, it's going to be the same after Jan. 1, because nothing changed on our end, said Ryan Yamasaki, an assistant chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector, according to Toronto Star. If you're a federal law enforcement agency, you uphold federal laws. Marijuana possession still will be prohibited at eight Border Patrol checkpoints in California, a reminder that state and federal laws collide when it comes to pot. The checkpoints, located up to 161 kilometres from Mexico, are considered a final line of defence against immigrants who elude agents at the border. About 40 per cent of pot seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from fiscal years 2013 to 2016 were 28 grams or less from U.S. citizens, according to a Government Accountability Office report last month. They also have been a trap for U.S. citizens carrying drugs, even tiny bags of marijuana. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

socio-legal studies: Douthwright read a similar study from Milwaukee, Wis., during her undergraduate courses and she was floored by the findings, according to Toronto Star. I thought there was no way this would be true here in Toronto, she said. For a city that claims to be multicultural, the results were shocking, said Janelle Douthwright, the study's author, who recently graduated with a Masters of Arts in Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies from the University of Toronto. She pursued her graduate studies to find out. She gave two of the applicants Black sounding names Khadija Nzeogwu and Tameeka Okwabi and gave one a criminal record. Article Continued Below Douthwright created four fictional female applicants and submitted their resumes for entry level service and retail positions in Toronto over the summer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tank commander: Phan himself a former refugee who spent three years in a North Vietnamese prison camp after serving as a tank commander for the South Vietnamese military has been a longtime adviser for newcomers from dozens of countries, according to Metro News. He is retiring from Lutheran Social Services in Fargo, the state's lone resettlement agency, at the end of the month. Now Tri Phan wants to see their native countries, such as Nepal, Bhutan and Sierra Leone. I would love to travel, said Phan, who is moving to California with his wife to be close to their three grown children and their grandchildren. As a proportion of its population, the Fargo area takes in more refugees than most American cities. It would be interesting to visit these places I have heard so much about. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pete pantages: Built in 1907, Vancouver's Pantages theatre was vacant for nearly 20 years when it succumbed to the wrecking ball in 2011, according to Vancouver Courier. Alexander Pantages had a slew of nephews and cousins who helped him run this theatre and other Pantages theatres in his portfolio and a West Coast vaudeville circuit boasting over 70 venues. The man was Peter Pete Pantages, a Greek immigrant with showbiz in his family tree, a popular restaurant of his own, and the charm to have talked some buddies into plunging into the frigid Vancouver waters on January 1, 1920, essentially inaugurating the Polar Bear Swim.article continues below Trending Storiesrelated Polar Bear swimmers continue long, colourful tradition If the Pantages name sounds like it should be up in lights on the outside of a theatre, well, that's what it was and remains, in many North American cities . Pete's uncle Pericles Pantages who preferred to call himself Alexander, after Alexander the Great ran Vancouver's Pantages theatre, which was at 152 East Hastings Street. Pete Pantages, who was helping out with the family theatre business in Vancouver when he first moved to town, reportedly liked to swim up to three times a day in English Bay, according to writer and historian Eve Lazarus. Pantages ended up started the Polar Bear Swim Club. The Polar Bear Swimmers get ready to go in, January 1, 1939. - City of Vancouver Archives So confident you could swim in English Bay any and every day of the year, Pete convinced five or so friends to jump in with him on the first day of 1920. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

customs enforcement: Records from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicate Santiago Garcia entered the country illegally in 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune reported . She was first ordered to leave in 2006 but was given a delay, according to Metro News. She has tried to win a stay of deportation but was denied on Dec. 20, forcing her to leave the country. They carried signs that read No person is illegal and Keep families and communities together. Some supporters cried as Santiago Garcia make her way through the airport with her children 11, 9, 5 and 3, who are American citizens. They're afraid. Speaking through a translator, she said she was sad to leave and worried about the lack of opportunities in Guatemala and how her children would adapt to life there. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.