fuelling hope: But Trudeau then reneged on his promise, claiming disingenuously, and against abundant and clear-cut evidence, that voters weren't interested in change, according to National Observer. Now B.C., with an upcoming referendum on proportional representation, has an opportunity to show the rest of the country and the U.S. what they have been missing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to change the current system during the 2015 election campaign, fuelling hope among millions of Canadian voters. The U.S. system, and ours, is called the first-past-the-post system FPTP . It was inherited from our common British colonial masters a couple of hundred years ago. It's a system that pressures power-seeking insiders to aggressively seek to control voting outcomes. It's a system that leads inexorably to black-and-white, winner-takes-all outcomes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

media attention: The truth is, there's almost never a common thread to find yeah, maybe one year there are more comedies than dramas, or documentaries have a really strong showing, or a legitimate masterpiece emerges and acts as a lightning rod for media attention, according to NOW Magazine. And some years, it just feels like a random assortment of features and documentaries of varying quality. Rating NNNNEvery year, TIFF delivers the list of features and shorts that made it to Canada's Top Ten, and every year movie critics struggle to find a unifying theme among the winners or at least to tease out a few interesting connections. Which isn't to say there aren't some good choices in this year's CTT. Kyle Rideout's Adventures In Public School, which is the first film to be screened at the Lightbox January 12, 8 30 pm; repeating January 13, noon is a delight an idiosyncratic goof on the high-school comedy featuring a great performance by Daniel Doheny as a home-schooled Vancouver genius who enrols himself in public school to chase his dream girl Siobhan Williams and another one by Judy Greer as his twitchy, overprotective mom. And Ava January 18, 6 pm; January 19, 3 pm marks the feature debut of Tehran-born, Montreal-based filmmaker Sadaf Foroughi, who brings a sharp eye to a study of an Iranian teenager Mahour Jabbari trying to define herself in a society and a home that would really rather she didn't. Kathleen Hepburn's Never Steady, Never Still January 16, 6 pm; January 17, 2 30 pm similarly marries a great script with terrific performances, but here it's in the service of a more dramatic tale of an Alberta mother Shirley Henderson and her adult son Th odore Pellerin struggling through very different personal crises. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

one-second clip: You can't miss the giant neon rooster, another nod to the past, a meticulous recreation of the old Sai Woo Chop Suey sign in the days when Chinatown was bathed in neon, according to Vancouver Courier. Troy Hibbs and his team at TDH Experiential Fabricators recreated Sai Woo's neon rooster sign based on a one-second clip from a 1958 Chinatown parade video. Walk north and you'll find the mecca of craft breweries that are this century's incarnation of Brewery Creek; around the turn of the previous century, four neighbourhood breweries gave the area its nickname.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver airport now offering free feminine hygiene products Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019 analysis Sorry, there are no public tickets available to see Michelle Obama Five unregulated, Uber-like companies already operating in Richmondrelated Sai Woo's neon bird comes back to roost in Chinatown Vancouver's mom-and-pop stores make a comeback Walk north again and you'll find Sai Woo in Chinatown, a swanky pan-Asian restaurant and cocktail lounge that borrows its name from the restaurant that was there in the 1920s. Photo Dan Toulgoet Love for history and heritage is alive in Vancouver, and increasingly this love is showing up in places where you spend money. But this love, this business of nostalgia, can be a double-edged sword. Think of something you consumed lately that harkened to the past or boasted being artisan or authentic. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

administration officials: Boys take part in a vigil for immigrant rights and the protection of women and children fleeing violence in Central America, on Salvadoran Heritage Day in Los Angeles, on Aug. 6, 2014, according to CBC. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters The status was granted in the wake of two devastating 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador that left hundreds of thousands in the country homeless. The United States will end the Salvadorans' temporary protected status TPS on Sept. 9, 2019, giving them 18 months to leave or seek lawful residency, and for El Salvador to prepare for their return, administration officials said. The decision to end TPS for Salvadorans is part of the administration's broader push to tighten immigration laws and expel those living in the United States illegally. The Trump administration has faced a series of deadlines over the past year to decide whether to end the protected status of immigrants in the United States whose home countries have been affected by disasters. Largest group under TPS The move was heavily criticized by immigrant advocates who said it ignored violence in El Salvador and gave the Salvadorans few options but to leave the United States or remain illegally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

counterterrorism unit: In Operator Down, the author showcases the invisible world of the diamond industry, according to Metro News. Aaron Bergman and his partner, Shoshana, work for Mossad and once in a while they find themselves working with Logan and his team. Taylor worked in Special Forces, and previous novels featuring Logan and his counterterrorism unit known as The Taskforce have always felt authentic. Since the mission seems somewhat straightforward, Aaron accepts the assignment without telling Shoshana. He takes another woman with him instead, making Shoshana jealous, but the woman has keen knowledge he can use. With it being officially unsanctioned by his government, Aaron also doesn't want to get her involved unless it's absolutely necessary. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deportation hearing: His case has become a rallying point for advocates of immigration reform, with calls to halt his deportation hearing and a protest planned Tuesday night outside a Halifax-area town hall being held by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to CTV. Abdi, facing ejection because of a criminal record including an aggravated assault conviction, has spent his life in Canada, but never obtained citizenship after he was apprehended as a child by the Nova Scotia government and put into foster care. At 24, he's now facing deportation to Somalia -- a country so dangerous Canada has imposed sweeping travel restrictions and which he has no connection to. This is really a story about a child falling through a massive legal gap that prevented him from applying for citizenship on his own and a policy gap that created a situation where his legal guardian did not apply for citizenship, said Benjamin Perryman, Abdi's Halifax-based lawyer. Between the ages of eight and 19, Abdi was moved 31 times, separated from his sister and never completed high school. The boy and his sister were taken from his struggling aunt, who spoke little English, less than a year after arriving in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

el: After doing some research, they discarded the idea it was legally complex, required a return to El Salvador and would uproot them from their home in Houston, according to Toronto Star. I love this country. The El Salvador-born, Texas-dwelling IT worker says they specifically discussed one possibility Moving to Canada. My kids were born here in the U.S. . They go to school here. We don't want to leave. They have friends, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

march deadline: I really do believe Democrat and Republican, the people sitting in this room, really want to get something done, Trump said, according to Toronto Star. Read more Trump's about-face on Dreamers leaves his anti-immigration supporters raging Article Continued Below Trump ends Obama program that protects undocumented DREAMers,' putting 800,000 at risk for deportation react-text 155 Lawmakers are facing a March 5 deadline, set by Trump, before the bulk of nearly 700,000 work permits issued to the dreamers under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals DACA program begin to expire in bulk. /react-text DOUG MILLS / The New York Times Young DREAMers conquer their fears, step up to the megaphone Lawmakers in both parties have said they are waiting for the Trump White House to specify its demands before the negotiations can move forward. Ahead of a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers at the White House, Trump challenged them to put country before party in his push to tighten border-control laws in exchange for providing legal status to immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, a group known as dreamers. But at the meeting, Trump insisted he would support any deal that negotiators in Congress agree on. react-empty 165 My position is going to be what the people in this room come up with, he said. What I approve will be very much reliant on what people in this room come to me with. I have a lot of respect for people on both sides. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration reform: He also cited supporters who urged him to seek public office again after a crushing 2016 re-election defeat following six terms as sheriff of metro Phoenix, according to CTV. Then Trump offered the pardon last summer. The 85-year-old longtime lawman said the lack of support for Trump's agenda in Washington inspired him to make the bid. If I go to my grave, I don't think I'd be happy if I didn't take the shot to run, Arpaio said, adding that Trump had not asked him to run. Flake has sparred with Trump over free trade, immigration reform and opening relations with Cuba, even while supporting parts of the president's agenda, like recent tax cuts. Arpaio's plan could set up a race in which one of the president's most prominent supporters attempts to take over for one of his fiercest critics. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration sector: Immigration is a fast-growing industry, especially with the Canadian government's plans to bring nearly 1 million new immigrants in the next 3 years, says Ron McKay, director of immigration practitioner programs at Ashton College, according to Metro News. Here at Ashton College, we understand the need to fill the gap for skilled work in the immigration sector, which is why we developed a new program to help legal assistants advance their knowledge with specialization in immigration. Immigration Legal Assistant Certificate program prepares current and future administrative assistants for working in immigration offices, government offices or law firms. Ashton College has been providing education in the area of immigration consulting for over 10 years, helping hundreds of immigration practitioners achieve success in the industry. Students will learn basic immigration principles, develop an understanding of the code of ethics and liability, and gain knowledge of specific submission procedures. The new Immigration Legal Assistant Certificate program is designed to help each student develop a thorough understanding of the Canadian immigration system and procedures. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

re-election defeat: He also cited supporters who urged him to seek public office again after a crushing 2016 re-election defeat following six terms as sheriff of metro Phoenix, according to Toronto Star. Then Trump offered the pardon last summer. The 85-year-old longtime lawman said the lack of support for Trump's agenda in Washington inspired him to make the bid. If I go to my grave, I don't think I'd be happy if I didn't take the shot to run, Arpaio said, adding that Trump had not asked him to run. Read more Article Continued Below Trump pardons controversial ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio Trump calls former Arizona sheriff Arpaio a patriot,' defends pardon decision Flake has sparred with Trump over free trade, immigration reform and opening relations with Cuba, even while supporting parts of the president's agenda, like recent tax cuts. Arpaio's plan could set up a race in which one of the president's most prominent supporters attempts to take over for one of his fiercest critics. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

right: Trump last year ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shielded more than 700,000 people from deportation and gave them the right to work legally, according to CBC. He gave Congress until March to find a fix. Trump presided over a lengthy meeting with Republican and Democratic lawmakers seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. as children and living here illegally. Trump seeks 18B for Mexican border wall The president, congressional Republicans and Democrats expressed optimism for a deal just 10 days before a government shutdown deadline. I think my positions are going to be what the people in this room come up with, Trump said during a Cabinet Room meeting with a bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers, adding, I am very much reliant upon the people in this room. Trump said he was willing to be flexible in finding an agreement as Democrats warned that the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrants hung in the balance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

year-end appraisals: Picture what they've muffed the Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; electoral reform; Bill Morneau's fairness-oriented tax bill, according to Rabble. These weren't unpopular, they should've been doable. But really it's about the surprising, almost entertaining incompetence of the Trudeau government. Yet the first keeps sinking; the second basically vanished; and tax reform limps along, wounded. Trudeau's people seem to agree. Year-end pundits' appraisals laid the blame on problems of messaging and communications. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rooney rule: Drawing inspiration from the NFL, the English Football Association announced on Tuesday it had adopted its version of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview a diverse pool of candidates for coaching and management positions, according to Metro News. It is the right thing to do but there is also a business case for it, FA chief executive Martin Glenn said while overlooking the pitch at Wembley Stadium. When a successor to Gareth Southgate is eventually required, at least one black or ethnic minority candidate is set to be interviewed. If your management team reflects more the people that you are serving then you're going to make correct decisions. Currently, only one manager is black Kevin Betsy, who runs the men's under-15s. The FA's Rooney Rule covers jobs across all 28 national teams organized under the England flag, including youth and disability squads for men and women. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

senate ethics: A request was filed this morning with the Senate Ethics Officer, seeking an opinion on whether the posting of these materials on Beyak's website constitutes a violation of the Senate Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code, said Sen, according to CTV. Yuen Pau Woo, leader of the Independent Senators Group. Lynn Beyak's deeply offensive posts on her website breached Senate conduct. The group is a collection of independent senators. The senator is not part of the Independent Senate Group. Beyak is technically a non-affiliated Senator following her ouster from the Conservative caucus late last week, after a dispute with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer over the 100 letters that were posted to her website backing Beyak's position on residential schools, or commenting on Indigenous people in general. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tensions rise: I've seen this fear before, according to CBC. I've seen it in Vancouver's Chinatown when they were protesting against Insite, the safe injection site. Ma said the predominantly Asian community in Marpole is pushing back against modular housing for the homeless based on a predisposed notion that equates homelessness with criminality. Right now, Edmonton's Chinatown is protesting four safe injection sites, she told Stephen Quinn, host of CBC's The Early Edition. We were all safe. IN DEPTH 'Increasing distrust' tensions rise in Marpole homeless debate Your family will fall apart' As a young girl, Ma attended school in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood, where she said she frequently saw needles on the ground, but she was educated on safe practices to avoid injury. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

truthfulness: The Chronicle Herald caught up with four MPs to talk about what's on their plate in the coming months, according to The Chronicle Herald. You may be familiar with the term fake news through U.S. President Donald Trump, but the issue of news stories with questionable levels of truthfulness gaining huge traction on social media is not unique to Canada's neighbour to the south. The House of Commons sits again on Jan. 29 after a six-week hiatus. It's one of a number of files Halifax MP Andy Fillmore will be working on in 2018 in his role as parliamentary secretary to the minister of democratic institutions. Another area of focus for Fillmore will be launching a commission for political debates at a federal level something Fillmore said will make for a more informed electorate. More and more of us are getting our news through social media outlets, so we're encouraging conversations about what is the responsibility of outlets like Facebook, Twitter and Google to ensure people aren't just living in a bubble but have ready access to diversity of viewpoints on any given issue, Fillmore said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-sexual-violence training: While the spotlight shone brightly on the entertainment industry, the MeToo movement revealed that these incidents happen across all industries, according to NOW Magazine. The hospitality industry, where alcohol, later hours and shift work can create a perfect storm of inappropriate behaviours, is on the front lines of the issue. The end of 2017 saw a seemingly endless vault of sexual harassment and assault accusations levied at producers, actors and comedians. The topic has been a major point of discussion in the city's restaurant scene, but only now is anti-sexual-violence training being formalized on college curriculums for future generations of hotel workers, chefs and servers. Beginning with the winter sessions, the school will implement a new online training module that every full-time student in its School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts must complete. Centennial College is aiming to educate students on how to combat sexual harassment and assault before they become employees in the industry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

generations members: The language is really important to me, personally, because it's a way to connect with my community and really bridge the gap between the generations, according to National Observer. Members of her nation were fluent in the dialect about three generations ago, before they were sent to residential schools, Erickson said. To me, it's a bit of a symbol, she said. The Grade 10 student said she's been told generations since then were afraid to teach the language to their children. Languages don't die naturally but are actively snuffed out, usually by colonial forces, said Mark Turin, chairman of the First Nations and endangered languages program at the University of British Columbia. They didn't want the same experiences they went through to happen to their children if they passed on this language that was kind of looked down upon, Erickson said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

face deportation: El Salvador becomes the fourth country since President Donald Trump took office to lose protection under the program, which provides humanitarian relief for people whose countries are hit with natural disasters or other strife, according to CTV. The decision, while not surprising, was a severe blow to Salvadorans in New York, Houston, San Francisco and other major cities that have welcomed them since at least the 1980s. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen gave Salvadorans with temporary protected status until Sept. 9, 2019, to leave the United States or face deportation. Guillermo Mendoza, who came to the United States in 2000 when he was 19 years old, was anguished about what to do with his wife and two children who are U.S. citizens. Orlando Zepeda, who came to the U.S. in 1984 fleeing civil war in El Salvador, said the lack of surprise does not ease the sting for the 51-year-old Los Angeles-area man who works in building maintenance and has two American-born children. What do I do Do I leave the country and leave them here That is a tough decision, said Mendoza, a safety manager at Shapiro & Duncan, a mechanical contractor company in Rockville, Maryland, near Washington. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

facility: She recalled in a recent interview what the guard had said to her, according to Metro News. I told her that I was going to tell the supervisor what was happening, Monterrosa said in a recent phone interview from the facility. Months after accusing a female guard at the facility of groping her and suggesting they have sex, Monterrosa says she still sees the guard in the dining hall and other parts of the facility. She sarcastically said, 'Do you think they'll believe you or me ' As the national discussion of sexual misconduct grows, advocates for immigrants say they hope the conversation will include immigrant detention facilities. Our immigrant prison system thrives on secrecy, said Christina Fialho, co-executive director of Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement, or CIVIC. If more people knew what was truly happening behind locked doors, I think there would be an outcry against the immigrant detention system. They point to the FBI announcing in December that it had opened a civil rights investigation into Monterrosa's case as a positive sign. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

first-served process: Canada adopts immigration lottery95,000 vie for sponsorship spots Pushback against 'profoundly unfair' lottery The lottery system replaced the former first-come, first-served process last year, according to CBC. This year's version includes additional questions after widespread criticism that some people picked in the 2017 pool did not meet financial requirements or other qualifications. A one-month period opened this week inviting entries to an online draw that gives people a chance at one of 10,000 spots that allow them to apply to sponsor their parents or grandparents. The switch to a lottery drew a flurry of angry emails and letters to Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, his predecessor John McCallum and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Immigration fiasco' One email dated April 26, 2017 was fired off to Hussen under the subject line immigration fiasco, calling the lottery a shambles of immigration justice. In hundreds of pages of correspondence that were released through Access to Information and provided to CBC News, potential sponsors expressed anger, heartbreak and disbelief with what they described as a rushed and deeply flawed program that came without public consultation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

german film: How'd that happen said a stunned Fatih Akin as he accepted the award, according to Metro News. Thank you for elevating this movie even though it's in a foreign language. In the Fade, a German film that tackles terrorism from multiple, and multicultural, perspectives won the Golden Globe on Sunday for best foreign language film. Akin is a German-born filmmaker of Turkish descent whose film tells the tale of a woman, played by Diane Kruger, whose son and Turkish husband are killed in a bomb attack. The film alludes to a series of actual killings that shook Germany six years ago, when it came to light that police had spent more time investigating the possible mob connections of migrant victims than the tell-tale signs of the far-right plot eventually uncovered. I'm a German filmmaker, I live in Germany, I was born in Germany, Akin said later backstage, but my heart is in Turkey. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hillary gladish: Gladish said both families have moved to southern Canada, according to CBC. The Ahmet family, who first arrived in Yukon in September 2016, has now moved to Windsor, Ont. We're looking at this as something that is very positive, said Hillary Gladish, who speaks for the church. The Omar family arrived in Whitehorse last spring and has since moved to Calgary. The church committed to sponsoring each family for their first full year in Canada, so it's still supporting the Omar family from afar, until March. The private sponsorships were organized by the Riverdale Baptist Church, with financial help from the Yukon government and a local charitable group, Yukon Cares. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pot plants: The stereotypical image of a large industrial warehouse, with pot plants growing under bright lights and fans, loomed large in his mind, according to CTV. But when Sutton asked academics, horticulturists and engineers for advice, they all told him that no crop on the planet is grown indoors on a commercial scale. The former technology professional was new to the marijuana industry in 2012 when he founded Tantalus Labs. It just doesn't really make a huge amount of sense to replace the energy of sunlight, which is so abundant and obviously healthy for leafy green crops, with a synthetic alternative, he said. As Canada moves closer to legalizing cannabis, experts are warning it isn't so green for the environment. So he was focused on plant health, not sustainability, when he decided to build Sun Lab, a 120,000-square foot greenhouse in Maple Ridge, B.C. It was only after he crunched the numbers that he realized it would use 90 per cent less electricity than a traditional indoor facility, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohinyga villages: MacArthur had to abruptly leave the country for a private family issue, according to CTV. At which point, Mr. According to a foreign affairs official speaking on background, the Mac Arthurs spent the holidays in Yangon, where she is based, with their two children until Mrs. MacArthur and his children travelled to the south of Rakhine State to enjoy some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Some parts in the north of Rakhine State are still off limits to UN investigators and to Canada's Special envoy Bob Rae, who in the next few weeks, will be trying once again to see firsthand what's left of the Rohinyga villages. Rakhine state is also where the majority of the Rohingya population lives, though since August, more than 630,000 Rohingya refugees have poured into neighboring Bangladesh, fleeing what Canada has called a campaign of ethnic cleansing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.