atlantic canadians: As a recruitment professional, I want to see our young people stay in the region as much as countless other Atlantic Canadians who lament the move west for opportunity mentality, according to The Chronicle Herald. To limit the conversation to retention ignores strategies that offer local organizations distinct market advantages while growing our economy. The premise being that there simply aren't enough millennials entering through the front door to replace the retirees exiting out the back door. In a global economy, organizations do not need to halt operations due to limited local resources. Attracting people is a more important and more complex endeavour than sourcing inputs, such as raw materials or machinery. Rather, successful organizations look to the world to find the necessary resources and determine how best to acquire them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

businesses: There are many ways that business in our region can make investments with the intention that a return will follow, according to The Chronicle Herald. Sometimes it is in research and development related to new product. Businesses highlighted in the next few pages are investing in Nova Scotia from reimagining the future of a province that is accessible, to taking advantage of the untapped opportunities that the ocean sector may provide, or to simply supporting one another as members of a community. With other businesses it is an investment in a physical space, through new facilities or equipment. It's the latter that holds the most significant and immediate opportunity for our region. And with others, it is investment in people new and diverse talent that can create value for both customers and shareholders through capability, ingenuity and good old-fashioned service. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

changes fall: Advocates and critics say, however, they are disappointed the proposed changes fall short of a full repeal of the excessive medical demand clause, and that people with disabilities continue to be viewed as liabilities, according to Toronto Star. A full repeal was recommended by a parliamentary immigration committee in a study released in December. The change will be made as part of the government's inclusive agenda. On Monday, federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced that he will update the 40-year-old policy that bars prospective immigrants deemed medically inadmissible to Canada, with new criteria of medical demand for immigration assessment taking effect on June 1. The proposed changes will raise the cost threshold for medical inadmissibility to three times that level, or 19,965, and remove references to special education, social and vocational services and personal support services needed by the applicants. Vote now Under current law, medical demand is found to be excessive if it exceeds the average annual health-care costs for a Canadian, which is estimated at 6,655. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

emeline b: Under the current regime, immigration applicants whose annual medical costs would exceed 6,655 the average annual cost for a Canadian are considered too expensive, according to Toronto Star. The changes, which triple the threshold, to 19,965, come into effect on June 1. The Immigration Act will be amended to decrease the number of people found medically inadmissible to Canada. The announcement was seen as a victory for some families in B.C. whose applications had been denied because of the old rules. Article Continued Below In 2017, her application for permanent residency for her and her 12-year-old son, Laurence, whom she had been forced to leave behind in the Philippines, was denied. Emeline B., who requested anonymity due to an ongoing immigration application, is a single mother from the Philippines who came to the country eight years ago under the live-in caregiver program. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government tuesday: Champ accused the government Tuesday of shelving the prospect of a resolution with Abdelrazik over political blowback from a multimillion-dollar settlement in a lawsuit filed by Toronto-born Omar Khadr, according to The Chronicle Herald. Abdelrazik, 56, came from Africa as a refugee in 1990 and attained Canadian citizenship five years later. The federal government recently nixed the planned mediation sessions in the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik just before they were to begin, said lawyer Paul Champ, who has fought on behalf of his client for years. He was arrested, but not charged, during a 2003 visit to see his ailing mother in Sudan. Abdelrazik claims he was tortured by Sudanese intelligence officials during two periods of detention, but Canada says it knew nothing of the alleged abuse. While in Sudanese custody, he was interrogated by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service about suspected extremist links. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

inflatable boat: But that guilt in my heart, I will take it to my grave, according to CTV. Kurdi gave her brother Abdullah nearly 5,000 to pay smugglers to take him and his family from Turkey to Greece, after the Turkish government would not grant them the exit visas they needed to enter Canada as refugees. I was trying to help my family, Tima Kurdi, who is based in Coquitlam, B.C., said in an interview with CTV's Your Morning. Their September 2015 journey across the Mediterranean ended in tragedy after the flimsy inflatable boat sank in rough seas. The images of Alan, wearing a red T-shirt, blue shorts and black shoes, and lying face-down in the surf, sparked outcry around the world. Eleven refugees died, including Abdullah's wife, Rehanna, and his two young boys, Ghalib and Alan. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

myanmar citizens: It was granted to 8,490 Myanmar citizens and 51 foreigners, according to CTV. A statement from presidential spokesman Zaw Thay said those released included the aged, people in ill health and drug offenders. The amnesty, announced Tuesday, coincided with Myanmar's traditional New Year. None was individually named. The releases were to take place at prisons nationwide. It also said 36 of those freed had been listed as political prisoners by the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

record: The 44-year-old native of Nepal holds the world record for summits of Everest by a woman and plans to return this month for what has become an annual expedition to the top of the world, according to CTV. My body knows that I have already been this high. Even so, she has done it a record eight times -- and hopes to outdo herself yet again. It's like a computer. My body knows the high altitude. It figures it out very quickly. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vote: The vote was 5-4, with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch joining the court's four more liberal members to form a bare majority, which was a first, according to Toronto Star. Gorsuch wrote that the law crossed a constitutional line. The decision will limit the Trump administration's efforts to deport people convicted of some kinds of crimes. Vague laws, he wrote in a concurring opinion, invite arbitrary power. His vote in Tuesday's case was not entirely surprising, though, as he has a skepticism of vague laws that do not give people affected by them adequate notice of what they prohibit. Read more In 7 months on U.S. Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch has been just what conservatives hoped for and what liberals feared Article Continued Below Gorsuch had voted with the court's conservative majority in February in a different immigration case, one that ruled that people held in immigration detention, sometimes for years, are not entitled to periodic hearings to decide whether they may be released on bail. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-immigrant voices: He also browsed regularly for Muslims, mass murderer Dylann Roof, mass shootings, feminists, and a plethora of far-right conspiracists and pundits. ; Bissonnette's motives, clearly outlined during his confession and the 45-page report on the contents of his laptop, show a young man under the steady influence of far-right and anti-immigrant voices; a man clearly alarmed by Muslims, fearful of 'others,' and ultimately radicalized, according to National Observer. One day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that he was ready to welcome immigrants fleeing persecution, terror and war, and two days after Trump ordered his anti-Muslim travel ban, Bissonnette went to the Quebec City mosque to commit a heinous crime. According to evidence presented in court on Monday, the 28-year-old, who gunned down six innocent men in prayer at a Quebec City mosque last year, was obsessed with Donald Trump and searched for the U.S. president online more than 800 times between Jan. 1 and Jan. 29, 2017, the day of the harrowing shooting. I was watching TV and learned that the Canadian government was going to take more refugees, you know, who couldn't go to the United States, and they were coming here, he told S ret du Qu bec Sergeant Steve Girard in an interrogation clip that played at his sentencing hearing on Friday. I don't want us to become like Europe. I saw that and lost my mind. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

conservation movement: She pointed to examples, including a partnership with the Gitga'at First Nation, billed as the first of its kind, to protect marine life in British Columbia and promote sustainable economic development, and WWF-Canada's work on Arctic renewable energy, according to National Observer. But she said the conservation movement has historically had some problematic ways of looking at the world, such as failing to fully consider how its efforts to protect natural areas might intrude on communities in those areas or not respect Indigenous relationships with the land. Megan Leslie, who took over as president of WWF-Canada last fall, made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with National Observer's Ottawa bureau on April 17, where she also expanded on the issues of climate change, biodiversity, marine protection, species at risk, and the role of women and visible minorities in her sector. ; Leslie said she is proud of the way her group has worked with particular Indigenous communities and governments, but at their request. WWF, like other environmental NGOs, we have not been excellent on the issue of engagement with Indigenous communities all the time. The movement has done a good job of recognizing this, she explained, but it's the next step how do we use conservation as a tool for reconciliation World Wildlife Fund Canada president Megan Leslie in Ottawa on April 17, 2018. We need to go through a process of decolonizing ourselves, said Leslie. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

evening prayers: The victims are in the sky and I'm living in hell, according to National Observer. Cayouette's report was entered as evidence during sentencing arguments for Bissonnette, who pleaded guilty last month to six charges of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder in the shooting. In her report tabled by the Crown, social worker Guylaine Cayouette said Alexandre Bissonnette told her he had idolized serial killers since his adolescence and he wanted to make a splash of his own. ; I regret not having killed more people, Bissonnette reportedly said in September 2017, eight months after he entered a Quebec City mosque and shot dead six men following evening prayers. She had met Bissonnette on the request of a nurse, who said he had not been feeling well. The social worker added that Bissonnette also told her, I wanted glory. Cayouette noted that as soon as the 28-year-old entered her office in the Quebec City prison, he began to cry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

m b.c: Abdelrazik, 56, came from Africa as a refugee in 1990 and attained Canadian citizenship five years later, according to Vancouver Courier. He was arrested, but not charged, during a 2003 visit to see his ailing mother in Sudan. The federal government recently nixed the planned mediation sessions in the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik just before they were to begin, said lawyer Paul Champ, who has fought on behalf of his client for years.article continues below Trending Stories Rio Theatre crowdfunding campaign makes history Michelle Pfeiffer linked to 28.8m B.C. luxury estate listing Is rapid transit in Delta on horizon Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019 analysis Champ accused the government Tuesday of shelving the prospect of a resolution with Abdelrazik over political blowback from a multimillion-dollar settlement in a lawsuit filed by Toronto-born Omar Khadr. While in Sudanese custody, he was interrogated by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service about suspected extremist links. He denies involvement in terrorism and seeks financial compensation and an apology from the federal government for his prolonged ordeal in Sudan. Abdelrazik claims he was tortured by Sudanese intelligence officials during two periods of detention, but Canada says it knew nothing of the alleged abuse. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

toronto cmas: But Montr al's proportion of renters has declined slightly from 45 per cent in 2011, whereas Vancouver and Toronto CMAs are both on the rise.article continues below Trending Stories Rio Theatre crowdfunding campaign makes history Michelle Pfeiffer linked to 28.8m B.C. luxury estate listing Is rapid transit in Delta on horizon Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019 analysisrelated New laws give more protection to tenants facing renovictionsB.C. government forms Rental Housing Task Force Metro Vancouver's renter rate increased to 36.3 per cent in 2016 from 34.5 per cent in 2011, according to Vancouver Courier. Toronto CMA's proportion of renters rose to 33.5 per cent from 31.7 per cent during the same period. Overall, the Montr al Census Metropolitan Area CMA still has the highest rate of renters in the country, at 44.6 per cent of households, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's report. When broken down by age group, among non-immigrant millennials aged 25-34, the percentage of households who rent their home is now higher in both the Vancouver and Toronto CMAs than in Montr al. This resulted in Vancouver overtaking Montr al's renter proportion in that age group, which rose just 1.9 percentage points to 57.8 per cent. Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of these renters in Vancouver rose by 7.4 percentage points to 63.2 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers: Even the numbers we're getting from the federal government show us that the situation is different, there's going to be more asylum seekers, so we need a new plan, he said, according to CTV. Heurtel said projections suggest there will be up to 400 crossings a day this summer, compared to 250 in 2017. The number so far this year has tripled to 6,074 from about 2,000 during the same period in 2017 and is forecast to increase significantly this summer, Immigration Minister David Heurtel said Monday. He noted that the ball is in Ottawa's court and that he will meet with federal officials Wednesday to discuss the matter. This is not about money, this is about saying that Quebec can do its part, but our resources are completely saturated and we can't do more, Heurtel said. The province said in addition to front-line services, there are other costs like health care and education that are stretched thin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

backyard barbecue: On June 7, Ayoola plans to cast a ballot for a party she's never voted for before, now that there's a Ford in charge, according to Toronto Star. The way they care about the little people, the way they help them, that's what matters, said Ayoola, who moved to Canada from Nigeria in 1998. The 32-year-old Mississauga resident is a regular at Ford Fest, the annual backyard barbecue hosted by rookie Progressive Conservative leader and former Toronto councillor Doug Ford and his brother, late mayor Rob Ford, at their mother Diane's Etobicoke home. As a mother with six kids between 16 months and 11 years old, it can be tough to make ends meet, she said. Like, how can we cope Ayoola said. The food prices are going up, everything's getting higher and higher. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

guard troops: The governor determined that what we asked for is unsupportable, but we will have other iterations, Ronald Vitiello, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's acting deputy commissioner, told reporters in Washington, according to Toronto Star. Brown elicited rare and effusive praise from U.S. President Donald Trump last week for pledging 400 troops to the Guard's third large-scale border mission since 2006. Jerry Brown rejected terms of the National Guard's initial deployment to the Mexican border, but a state official said nothing was decided. Read more Sessions to bring his firm stance on immigration to border sheriffs meeting Article Continued Below Trump wins pledges of 1,600 National Guard troops for Mexico border duty Arizona, Texas sending 400 National Guard troops to U.S.-Mexico border after Trump's call But the Democratic governor conditioned his commitment on his state's troops having nothing to do with immigration enforcement, even in a supporting role. react-empty 142 Brown's announcement last week did not address what specific jobs the California Guard would and would not do, nor answer the thorny question of how state officials would distinguish work related to immigration from other duties. According to two U.S. officials, the initial jobs for those troops include fixing and maintaining vehicles, using remote-control surveillance cameras to report suspicious activity to U.S. Border Patrol agents, operating radios and providing mission support, which can include clerical work, buying gas and handling payrolls. Vitiello said the governor decided California will not accept terms of an initial troop rollout for the state that was similar to plans for the other three border states, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

land border: Asylum claims surged to 50,000 in Canada in 2017 more than double from the year prior and the highest number of claims in more than two decades according to data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, according to CTV. Beuze said that most of those seeking asylum in Canada in 2017 did so at regular points of entry, like an airport, seaport or land border. Beuze said the goal of his press conference on Parliament Hill was to dispel some fears within the population that those people who are arriving in large numbers in Canada pose any threat to the security of Canadians or are people who are not entitled for whatever reason to the protection of Canadian authorities. Roughly 20,000 crossed into Canada irregularly, he added, with the majority of irregular arrivals taking place in Quebec. A large number of the people coming into Canada are simply passing through the U.S. on the way to their final destination in Canada, Beuze said. He also challenged the idea that the withdrawal of temporary protected status for various immigrant groups in the U.S., coupled with anti-migrant rhetoric coming from the White House, was responsible for the surge in asylum claimants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

state: Since the Jeff Sessions-led Department of Justice sued California last month over its so-called sanctuary state law limiting police collaboration with immigration agents, at least a dozen local governments have voted to either join or support the lawsuit or for resolutions opposing the state's position, according to The Chronicle Herald. Those include the Board of Supervisors in Orange County, which has more than 3 million people. More local governments in California are saying they don't want to be part of the state's efforts to resist the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, especially in pockets where Republicans still dominate in the otherwise Democratic state. More action is coming this week, with leaders in the Orange County city of Los Alamitos scheduled to vote Monday on a proposal to exempt the community of 12,000 from the state law. On Tuesday, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is meeting to consider joining the Trump administration lawsuit. Demonstrators for and against the plan are expected to gather outside City Hall ahead of the council meeting set for 6 p.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tenured professor: Most of those impacted by the policy have been economic immigrants already working and creating jobs in Canada, but whose children or spouses may have a disability, Hussen said, according to CTV. The current provisions on medical inadmissibility are over 40 years old and are clearly not in line with Canadian values or our government's vision of inclusion. The government will no longer be allowed to reject permanent resident applications from those with serious health conditions or disabilities. He cited the case of a tenured professor at York University who was denied permanent residence because his son had Down syndrome and another case of a family that came to Canada and started a business, but were rejected because of a child with epilepsy. These newcomers have the ability to help grow our economy and enrich our social fabric. These newcomers can contribute and are not a burden to Canada, the minister said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trafficking network: Right now, there are projections on the table saying that we could go in the neighbourhood of 400 people per day, according to Toronto Star. The province says it wants the federal government to investigate a suspected trafficking network that is helping refugee claimants most of them Nigerian to travel to the United States and sneak across the border into Canada at Roxham Road, which connects New York State with Quebec. Last year, we peaked at about 250 a day and that was considered massive, said Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel. Read more For hundreds fleeing Trump, this dead end at Roxham Rd. has become the gateway to Canada Article Continued Below Montreal's Olympic Stadium becomes shelter as Haitian refugees from the U.S. seek home in Canada Opinion Vicky Mochama Canada vastly unprepared to process migrants and refugees It also wants refugee claimants to be sent to other provinces or regions to ease the burden on Quebec, particularly its education and health systems. react-empty 146 As if to underline the gravity of the problem, Heurtel said the 1,850-bed shelter system in the Montreal area will stop accepting new arrivals as of next week when the level of occupation hits 85 per cent. The new reality with migrants demands a new way of doing things. We can't take this situation lightly. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

alexandre bissonnette: It indicated that Bissonnette searched for Trump on Twitter, Google, You Tube and Facebook more than 800 times between Jan. 1, 2017 and the day of the shooting, according to National Observer. Here's a look at how often Alexandre Bissonnette's searched for Donald Trump material online in the month before he killed six men at a Quebec City mosque. Alexandre Bissonnette also visited the website of the city's main mosque numerous times as well as its Facebook page in the days leading up to the shootings. ; The Crown tabled a police report in court today during Bissonnette's sentencing hearing, which detailed the websites he visited before he stormed the mosque on Jan. 29, 2017. Andy Riga, Montreal andyriga April 16, 2018Evidence presented at Alexandre Bissonnette's sentencing hearing this morning includes a list of some of the Twitter accounts he was checking in the month before he killed six men at a Quebec City mosque. The gunman also searched the web for information on mass killers including white supremacist Dylan Roof as well as Marc Lepine, the shooter in Montreal's 1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre. ; On the day of the killings, Bissonnette also looked up a Twitter message written the previous day by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who used the social platform to welcome refugees. Andy Riga, Montreal andyriga April 16, 2018Bissonnette, 28, pleaded guilty last month to six charges of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder in the shooting. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

commissioner: The governor determined that what we asked for is unsupportable, but we will have other iterations, Ronald Vitiello, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's acting deputy commissioner, told reporters in Washington.article continues below Trending Stories SeaBus hero performs CPR to save fellow passenger's life Rio Theatre crowdfunding campaign makes history Transgender trailblazer considers run for Vancouver mayor's chair Roundhouse Radio CEO heartbroken' over station shutdown Brown elicited rare and effusive praise from President Donald Trump last week for pledging 400 troops to the Guard's third large-scale border mission since 2006, according to Vancouver Courier. But the Democratic governor conditioned his commitment on his state's troops having nothing to do with immigration enforcement, even in a supporting role. Jerry Brown rejected terms of the National Guard's initial deployment to the Mexican border, but a state official said nothing was decided. Brown's announcement last week did not address what specific jobs the California Guard would and would not do, nor answer the thorny question of how state officials would distinguish work related to immigration from other duties. According to two U.S. officials, the initial jobs for those troops include fixing and maintaining vehicles, using remote-control surveillance cameras to report suspicious activity to U.S. Border Patrol agents, operating radios and providing mission support, which can include clerical work, buying gas and handling payrolls. Vitiello said the governor decided California will not accept terms of an initial troop rollout for the state that was similar to plans for the other three border states, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

force: Rotrand recently suggested that Sikh police officers be allowed to wear turbans and Muslim officers be allowed hijabs to attract more diverse recruits and build a force that better reflects the population it serves, according to National Observer. Montreal mayor Valerie Plante immediately expressed an openness to the proposal and considers efforts to be more inclusive a sign of the times . While French Quebecers' aversion to religion is understandable and rooted in historical reasons, it's frustrating to still see the province ruled by it. Judging by the countless op-eds, heated online comments, and overzealous statements by Quebec politicians, following Montreal councillor Marvin Rotrand's suggestion to allow them in Montreal police uniforms, a consensus is nowhere to be reached. Toulastake cdnpoli qcpoli secularism hijab turban However, that's where the political enthusiasm for the proposal came to a screeching halt. In a rare display of unanimity, all opposition parties, The Parti Qu b cois, Coalition Avenir Qu bec and Qu bec Solidaire rejected the idea. With a fall election on the horizon, provincial parties grabbed on to this counterproductive debate and, once again, made it an electoral issue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

quebec ministers: Heurtel says projections suggest there will be up to 400 crossings a day this summer, compared to 250 in 2017, according to National Observer. Several senior Quebec ministers joined Heurtel to announce the province will soon reach its capacity for accommodating asylum-seekers. Immigration Minister David Heurtel says the number is forecast to increase significantly this summer. ; He told a news conference Monday there have been 6,074 asylum-seekers so far this year, up from about 2,000 during the same period last year. Heurtel is expected to meet with federal officials in Ottawa on Wednesday to come up with a plan. Last year, the influx of border crossers was linked to the end of a U.S. government program that granted Haitians so-called temporary protected status following the massive earthquake that struck their homeland in 2010. ; This year, Heurtel says asylum-seekers are coming from various countries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tenured professor: The current provisions on medical inadmissibility are over 40 years old and are clearly not in line with Canadian values or our government's vision of inclusion, according to Vancouver Courier. He cited the case of a tenured professor at York University who was denied permanent residence because his son had Down syndrome, and another case of a family that came to Canada and started a business, but were rejected because of a child with epilepsy. The government will no longer be allowed to reject permanent resident applications from those with serious health conditions or disabilities.article continues below Trending Stories SeaBus hero performs CPR to save fellow passenger's life Rio Theatre crowdfunding campaign makes history Transgender trailblazer considers run for Vancouver mayor's chair Roundhouse Radio CEO heartbroken' over station shutdown Most of those impacted by the policy have been economic immigrants already working and creating jobs in Canada, but whose children or spouses may have a disability, Hussen said. These newcomers can contribute and are not a burden to Canada, the minister said. The changes will amend the definition of social services by removing references to special education, social and vocational rehabilitation services and personal support services. These newcomers have the ability to help grow our economy and enrich our social fabric. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.