european nations: Unfortunately for most Central and Eastern European nations, their histories do not fit into our often simple and binary understanding of the Second World War, i.e. that the Western Allies won and Hitler lost, according to The Chronicle Herald. Theirs is a history of multiple occupations, ethnic cleansing, political terror and flight as refugees, which ended for many of us, thankfully, in Canada. The prejudice with which recent articles smear the members of these communities and nations is intended to undermine the credibility of their sovereignty and membership in NATO. The history of the Baltic States is complicated. My own family arrived in Canada from Estonia as refugees fleeing Soviet cultural and political repression. Estonia's laws guaranteed the cultural autonomy of all ethnic minorities in the country and the right to self-government. Their homeland had been independent since 1918 and was developing into a prosperous and liberal European nation before the Second World War. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gender expression: Justice Minister Stephanie Vallee announced the impending projects, which came about after a call-out for proposals, according to CTV. The Fight Against Homophobia and Transphobia program was introduced in 2011 to support projects by community and LGBTQ organizations. The goal is to promote the recognition and respect of sexual minorities while helping to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, according to a statement released Tuesday. It was renewed as part of Quebec's action plan to fight homophobia and transphobia, and will go on until 2022. Vallee said special attention was paid to activities that prioritzed the prevention of sexual violence, or provided after-care for victims. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

community connection: The College is enhancing these relationships through Make Way The Campaign for NSCC. The goal is to raise 25 million through the generosity of donors and partners, which will support student success across the province, according to The Chronicle Herald. These connections are on full view at Akerley Campus in Dartmouth, where programs range from culinary and tourism, to metal fabrication, to heavy duty equipment repair. They are intrinsically connected to communities, local businesses and service organizations and industries that hire their graduates. One community connection at the campus was inspired by the arrival in recent years of Syria refugees to Nova Scotia. He reached out to the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia ISANS for advice. Gord Mac Kenzie, Academic Chair for Trades and Technology, wondered what the campus could do to welcome and support them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

feeling friendless: Likewise the supposed impact of feeling friendless on premature death, according to CTV. But even after dodgy lifestyle habits are taken into consideration, social isolation -- time actually spent alone -- boosted the risk of dying by about thirty percent in people who suffered a stroke or heart attack, according to the study, published in Heart, a medical journal. The alleged link between loneliness and heart disease essentially disappears once other well-known risk factors -- smoking, drinking, poor diet, lack of exercise -- are factored in, according to a study that monitored nearly 480,000 men and women in Britain for seven years. Social isolation, but not loneliness ... remained as an independent risk factor for mortality, the researchers, led by Christian Hakulinen, a professor at the University of Helsinki, concluded. For the new study, Hakulinen and his team drew from the so-called Biobank cohort, in which 479,054 people aged 40 to 69 were monitored for seven years. Earlier efforts to tease out the influence of a solitary existence on cardiovascular disease and heart-related mortality had produced mixed results, in part due to the relatively small number of people covered. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration: As part of the settlement, West Palm Beach sent a memorandum Tuesday to its employees stating they may share information regarding citizenship and immigration status with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to Metro News. The Justice Department singled out the South Florida city and 22 other jurisdictions in January when it sent letters demanding a review of its practices of information sharing. The U.S. Justice Department has announced it has reached a settlement with a Florida city over its policies of sharing information with federal immigration authorities. The city filed a complaint in February challenging the Justice Department's power to impose conditions on grants based on co-operation with immigration officials. Earlier this month, the Trump administration sued California for state laws passed last year to limit local authorities' collaboration with federal immigration authorities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

state fund: A general election must be held by August but is widely expected in the next few weeks, according to CTV. The anti-fake news bill, which must be approved by parliament, calls for penalizing those who create, offer, circulate, print or publish fake news or publications containing fake news with a 10-year jail term, a fine of up to 500,000 ringgit 128,000 or both. Prime Minister Najib Razak has been dogged by a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal involving an indebted state fund, and rights activists fear the new law could be used to criminalize news reports and critical opinions on government misconduct. The bill defines fake news as any news, information, data and reports which is, or are, wholly or partly false whether in the form of features, visuals or audio recordings or in any other form capable of suggesting words or ideas. This is an attack on the press and an attempt to instil fear among the people before the general election, opposition lawmaker Ong Kian Ming tweeted. It covers all media and extends to even foreigners outside Malaysia as long as Malaysia or its citizens are affected. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

islamist predecessor: The only other candidate on the ballot, Moussa Mustafa Moussa, registered at the last minute and supports el-Sissi, according to Toronto Star. With the outcome known, the government hopes to boost turnout and show it has popular support. El-Sissi came to power after leading the 2013 military overthrow of his freely elected Islamist predecessor, Mohammed Morsi, amid mass protests against his divisive yearlong rule. Voting is being held over three days, from Monday to Wednesday, as a way of encouraging participation among Egypt's nearly 60 million eligible voters. Election officials say it's too early to estimate turnout. react-empty 144 The election commission has issued vaguely worded orders banning reporters from asking people inside the polling stations who they plan to vote for, or from engaging in political discussions with voters. Read more Polls in Egypt open as President el-Sissi set for easy re-election Article Continued Below Egypt's military detains ex-general days after he launched presidential bid Egypt sets presidential election for March as el-Sissi win virtually guaranteed State and private media, which all support el-Sissi, say turnout appeared high on the first day, but Associated Press reporters on the ground at a dozen polling stations in Cairo observed only a trickle of voters entering. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ontario college: There are too many rules that stop you from working as a hairstylist here, according to Toronto Star. They test you on all these names of bacterial infections and medical terms that I have never heard of, said the 43-year-old, who fled to Canada in 2008 and was granted asylum shortly after. But he can't even cut anyone's hair in a salon without a hairstylist licence in Ontario.A native of Mosul, Gbo has made five failed attempts at the hairstylist exam mandated by the Ontario College of Trades, the professional regulatory body of 23 compulsory skilled trades in the province. I'm not trying to be a chemist or a doctor. Here are two hair cuts that he's styled. /react-text Benjamin Gbo Article Continued Below According to the regulatory body, there are approximately 35,000 certified hairstylists in the province. I just want to cut men's hair and shave their beard to make them look nice, and make a living. react-text 145 With a diploma and more than 15 years of experience as a barber in Iraq, Benjamin Gbo's dream is to open his own shop in Toronto to support his family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

release.a judge: Rene Lima-Marin, who was targeted for deportation after being pardoned by Colorado's governor for an armed robbery for which he spent two different stints in prison, is no longer behind bars.A smiling Lima-Marin walked out of an immigration detention centre in suburban Denver on Monday after winning his deportation case, according to Metro News. His lawyer, wife, father and a niece and nephew were there to greet him. A Cuban immigrant's long quest for freedom appears over. It's hard to put into words really, but it's wonderful, he said of his release.A judge in October ordered that deportation proceedings against Lima-Marin end and that he be released, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security appealed that decision.A lawyer at the firm representing him, Leah Rosenberg, was notified Monday that the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals had denied the appeal. Lima-Marin was convicted of armed robbery in 2000 and sentenced to 98 years in prison but mistakenly paroled in 2008 in prison. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said later Monday the agency was disappointed with the decision but would not pursue Lima-Marin unless other future criminal convictions render him removable. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

undercounting segments: The decision to restore the question after decades prompted an immediate lawsuit from California already tangling with Washington over immigration and moves by other states with large immigrant populations to engage in a legal fight, according to Toronto Star. The population count, a massive effort taken every 10 years, is far more than an academic exercise. Not since 1950 has the census collected citizenship data from the whole population, rather than just a population sample, says the Congressional Research Service. It's required by the Constitution and used to determine the number of seats each state has in the House as well as how federal money is distributed to local communities. The political stakes of undercounting segments of the population are high. Communities and businesses depend on it in deciding where to build schools, hospitals, grocery stores and more. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

montreal gazette: Proving that politics always make for strange bedfellows and that parties are always ready to defend ideals they once rejected if it suits their campaign agenda, the Parti Qu b cois and the Liberals recently joined forces to gang up on the CAQ to publicly criticize and undermine the current frontrunner. ; The gloves first came off about two weeks ago, when, during an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Quebec Finance Minister and Liberal MNA Carlos Leit o described the CAQ as a party that's promoting an ethnic-based nationalism, according to National Observer. Pay attention to what the CAQ is saying; pay attention to the words they use in the National Assembly, because they have a very inward-looking approach, Leit o told the reporter.CAQ Leader Fran ois Legault immediately demanded an apology and accused Quebec Premier Phillippe Couillard of being guilty of playing dirty politics, deliberately trying to make him appear anti-immigrant and racist. The CAQ's questionable declarations regarding their yet-to-be-defined immigration values test which would require recently arrived immigrants to be expelled from the province if they fail to integrate into Quebec society culturally and linguistically within a three-year period drew accusations of identity politics from the other parties. A few days later, Nathalie Roy, the MNA for Montarville and the Coalition Avenir Qu bec spokesperson for immigration, penned an op-ed for the same paper, where she accused the Liberals of being in panic mode. The reason for a knowledge test for values, according to Roy, is to ensure that every candidate for immigration knows and integrates values in line with the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms before receiving the Quebec selection certificate. To immigrate to Quebec is to want to integrate into our community, our values, our culture and to learn our language, she wrote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pepper plant: The home of Tabasco, the now ubiquitous but uniquely branded condiment controlled by the same family since Edmund McIlhenny first stumbled across a pepper plant growing by a chicken coop on Avery Island, is under threat, according to National Observer. An unimaginable plight just a few years ago, the advancing tides are menacing its perimeter. But the state is losing land to the seas at such a gallop that even its seemingly impregnable landmarks are now threatened. Avery Island, home of Tabasco hot sauce, is under threat from climate change It does worry us, and we are working hard to minimise the land loss, said Tony Simmons, the seventh consecutive McIlhenny family member to lead the company. Simmons allows a silent pause as he mulls a situation where Tabasco is forced off the island. We want to protect the marsh because the marsh protects us. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

life: Now Ling has turned this key childhood experience into a life of social enterprise through an organization and series of pop-up events she's founded called Flavours of Hope.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver lawyer wants solicitor general to change impaired driving laws he criticized in opposition Vancouver doctor performs nearly 300 vasectomies on week-long trip to Haiti Will Wai Young scuttle the NPA's mission to win back city hall Fighting on the frontline of Vancouver's fentanyl epidemic Food is the catalyst The premise of Flavours of Hope is to offer refugee women who are passionate about food an opportunity to cook for members of their new community, according to Vancouver Courier. At the dinners, guests sit down and experience not only a taste of food prepared by the skilled hands of the refugee women in the kitchen, but also a taste of tremendous hospitality. Isolated because of the unfamiliar language and culture, Ling's mother kept to herself, while Ling says she was profoundly curious about their new surroundings, and food was one of the most powerful tools for forging new connections. The dinners are about dialogue not just in the sharing of stories by the resilient women doing the cooking, but also as the evening opens up the opportunity for guests to articulate their own stories. It's the opening up of the table for people to come together. Food is the catalyst, explains Ling. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rights: She asked the government to end automatic citizenship rights for being born in Canada, known as jus soli, according to Vancouver Courier. Peschisolido maintains those rights are a fundamental pillar of freedom in Canada. I think it's a good petition, a little different from beforehand, said Peschisolido.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver lawyer wants solicitor general to change impaired driving laws he criticized in opposition Will Wai Young scuttle the NPA's mission to win back city hall Fighting on the frontline of Vancouver's fentanyl epidemic Police, Vancouver School Board officials counter clown crazinessrelated Richmond Hospital becomes passport mill Birth tourism not impacting maternity care VCHLetters special Richmond readers sound off over birth tourism Prior to this new petition, dubbed e-1527 online, an older one from 2016 was sponsored by Conservative MP for Richmond Centre, Alice Wong. Community activist Kerry Starchuk said that while the new petition is softened she is hopeful it will at least be discussed in the House, with Liberal support. By comparison, from 2004 to 2010 the hospital helped birth, on average, 18 new Canadians per year from non-resident mothers. There were 379 births to non-residents in Richmond, according to Vancouver Coastal Health's 2016-2017 fiscal year records. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

supreme court: Sabina Citron, president of the Canadian Holocaust Remembrance Association, was forced to make a private complaint under the Criminal Code to compel the government to act, according to NOW Magazine. Zundel was convicted but in the end the Supreme Court of Canada nullified the conviction when it found the law to be unconstitutional. In 1984, Ernst Zundel, a German national who had been living in Canada for decades, became the first person in Canada to be charged under the archaic false news law for anti-Semitic hatred. After many more years of legal and human rights actions, Zundel was finally deported to Germany where he was jailed for five years. Today, Canada has an anti-Muslim movement with many propagandists like Zundel who often escape responsibility for their actions and for the people they radicalize. He died last year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-fascist group: Some of the Walk on Locke's attendees wore jackets emblazed with Soldiers of Odin, which the U.S. Anti-Defamation League describes as an extreme-right group devoted to hatred and fear of immigrants and, especially, Muslims, according to CTV. Many of those with the so-called anti-fascist group wore red bandanas over their mouths, and sunglasses and hats that concealed their identities. The demonstration, billed as the Patriots Walk on Locke, was advertised as a walk in support of businesses on Locke Street that were damaged earlier this month by a group of black-clad vandals who police described as anarchists. One of them, Martin Rosso, told CTV Toronto that it was a real shame that police have decided to protect the fascist organizations and allowed them to march. Max Guerrero, from the revolutionary socialist group Fightback, said his group had joined the anarchists to stand against fascism, even though he believes their tactic had failed. He refused to comment when asked if he would condemn the vandalism spree on March 3, in which a group of about 30 people smashed windows with rocks. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lima-marin end: Rene Lima-Marin, who was targeted for deportation after being pardoned by Colorado's governor for an armed robbery for which he spent two different stints in prison, is no longer behind bars, according to The Chronicle Herald. A smiling Lima-Marin walked out of an immigration detention centre in suburban Denver on Monday after winning his deportation case. A Cuban immigrant's long quest for freedom appears over. His lawyer, wife, father and a niece and nephew were there to greet him. A judge in October ordered that deportation proceedings against Lima-Marin end and that he be released, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security appealed that decision. It's hard to put into words really, but it's wonderful, he said of his release. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parks canada: The government says the investment in two popular day-use areas will provide new and improved visitor experiences, according to CTV. The tower and stationary section of the marsh boardwalk will be refreshed, and a brand new observation tower will be erected near the Tip to provide an all-new visitor experience of exceptional views of this iconic area of the park. The federal government has announced 5.5-million in infrastructure funding to support the renewal of the Marsh Boardwalk and the Tip area. The announcement was made Monday by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, as Canada's southernmost park prepares for its 100th anniversary and a year-long celebration of bringing people and nature together. These investments will help more Canadians, including youth and newcomers, discover and enjoy Point Pelee and the remarkable diversity of species found there, says McKenna. Through investments to protect and restore our national parks, the Government of Canada is preserving nature for future generations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pauline marois: Indeed, Trudeau's predecessors were often expected to go the extra mile to try to prevent the advent of a sovereigntist government in Quebec, according to Toronto Star. As recently as four years ago, then-prime minister Stephen Harper implored his opposition rivals and the other premiers to avoid providing Pauline Marois's PQ minority government with referendum and re-election ammunition. From Ottawa's perspective, the defeat of a federalist government in Quebec was considered a bigger national concern than any regime change in Ontario for the better part of four decades. Things are strikingly different this year. Its referendum plans are on the backburner until at least 2022. Article Continued Below The Parti Qu b cois is running in third place. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sahel region: In 2016, the military conducted nearly 500 airstrikes in the coastal city of Sirte over several months to destroy Daesh's stronghold there, according to Toronto Star. But the attack Saturday that the military's Africa Command said had killed two militants later identified by a spokesperson as belonging to Al Qaeda's branch in northwestern Africa took place in the country's southwest, a notorious haven for a deadly mix of Al Qaeda and other extremist groups that also operate in the Sahel region of Niger, Chad, Mali and Algeria. Until now, the Pentagon had focused its counterterrorism strikes in Libya almost exclusively on Daesh fighters and operatives farther north eight since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. This appears to be the continuation of expanding AFRICOM activity in Libya's ungoverned areas, said Deborah K. Jones, who served as U.S. ambassador to Libya from 2013 to 2015, referring to the Africa Command.A missile fired by the U.S. drone struck a house in Ubari, 700 kilometres south of Tripoli, in an area close to major oilfields that was wracked by violent ethnic feuding in 2015. Local residents were quoted by the media outlets as saying the house had been frequented by foreigners. Pictures in Libyan news media outlets showed a mutilated corpse lying in the rubble of a house, and a pair of shrapnel-ridden vehicles nearby. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school bus: On the landing outside an apartment decorated with Buddhist prayer flags, she watched as a school bus turned down the block and the niece she had not seen in four years, hopped to the curb, according to Metro News. I am lucky, said Gurung, reunited with her sister's family just a few days earlier after spending more than half her life in a refugee camp. Only the teacher, Devi Gurung, was rewarded for her patience. The next morning, Amina Olow smiled, too, but faintly, as she recalled the daughters she has not seen in nearly a decade. She's heard nothing since. Then she unfolded a letter from U.S. immigration officials, dated more than a year ago, that seemed to promise the two girls would join her soon. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stage moments: I just hope that we can all rise above negativity in our lives and just do what we believe in, said Arcade Fire's Win Butler as he accepted the band's album award for Everything Now, according to CTV. Speak your truth and don't be afraid to just do whatever the hell you want. Host Michael Buble set the tone early on Sunday night by announcing his wife's third pregnancy -- but other performers were quick to grab the tide of optimism during their own stage moments. Gord Downie's brothers Mike and Patrick echoed an unbounded sense of resolve as they accepted a posthumous award for the singer, who died last October of brain cancer. This is Gord's award. If we've learned anything from Gord it was the value of taking care of each other, said Patrick. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

thousands: And some were comically obvious lies, according to Toronto Star. Trump twice claimed that big-time drug dealers who kill thousands of people get sentenced to 30 days in jail or a fine. Some of them were numerical exaggerations, some of them sneaky misrepresentations. Both claims are absurd individual drug dealers don't kill thousands, big-time traffickers do not get sentenced to mere fines. Democrats very obviously do Democratic president Barack Obama created the program; Trump cancelled it; Democrats have demanded that he immediately do something to secure the status of the immigrants who were aided by the program; Trump has refused, saying he will only agree to a path to citizenship if Democrats agree to billions in spending on his border wall and to make other changes to the immigration system. Trump claimed four times that Democrats do not actually want to save the DACA Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects from deportation some of the young immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

users: Everyone knows the story of how Facebook evolved from a university social site into a global media juggernaut, with users in almost every country, according to The Chronicle Herald. It has many fine features, which we users must enjoy or there wouldn't be 2.2 billion of us. Lately, 10 years feels like enough. But Facebook's greatest value is as an advertising and data-gathering vehicle. But Facebook is not accountable, at least not to its users who contribute, often unknowingly, the personal information that Facebook sells for profit. That's why the company is worth 480 billion. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lack genuineness: Immigration officers routinely find the most committed and long-standing relationships to lack genuineness or of having been entered into for an improper purpose, according to NOW Magazine. These negative decisions are often flawed and appealable. Even the strongest applications can be denied. So, wasting no time, affected couples appeal these negative decisions to the Immigration Appeal Division IAD of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, hoping for speedy resolutions. The IAD hears several types of appeals. What they don't know is that, at that point, they still have years of agonizing waiting left ahead of them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

shellmont street: Charges of assault and mischief are being considered against the protester, says RCMP E Division Cpl, according to Vancouver Courier. Tammy Douglas, but RCMP also turned the woman over to the Canada Border Services Agency, she said.A You Caring crowdfunding campaign for the woman launched by fellow protester Brett Rhyno, identifies her as Tia Chicome. The woman was arrested after police were called to the 8000 block of Shellmont Street just before 8 a.m. last Wednesday March 21 for reports several demonstrators had climbed onto a truck headed into the terminal.article continues below Trending Stories Dunbar Street construction mixed blessing for businesses Burnaby RCMP warns it won't tolerate Kinder Morgan pipeline protester hurting more Mounties Richmond will only have one summer night market this year Can you spot the lost hiker in this photo related Pipeline protester arrested after jumping onto semi headed into Kinder Morgan tank farm Trans Mountain completes work on time despite protests in Burnaby Number of arrests nears 200 in pipeline protest A security person began documenting the event using a video camera; a female allegedly ran toward the security person and slapped the camera out of his hand, causing it to break, stated an RCMP press release. She was arrested after stopping a tow truck trying to make its way into the terminal past another truck that had already peacefully stopped, according to Rhyno's description of the incident on Facebook. It did not stop and kept forcing the demonstrators backwards, pushing into their bodies with the grill of the truck. Land defenders put up their hands and yelled for the truck to stop, states his You Caring crowdfunding post. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.