community groups: Now, we're hearing talk of an asylum crisis in which illegal border crossers are flowing across supposedly undefended frontiers, overwhelming public services and creating the potential for massive social disruption, according to The Chronicle Herald. What changed Is Canada now suddenly incapable of absorbing another 20,000 hard-pressed people Admittedly, the two cases are substantively different. The federal government and community groups responded, welcoming some 50,000 Syrians, including 1,500 to Nova Scotia. The Syrians came to Canada under government supervision and were sponsored by community volunteers. But are the borders really in crisis, as suggested by Ontario Premier Doug Ford Blaming the surge on the Trudeau government, Ford demands that Ottawa pay all the costs of sheltering the new arrivals. The new asylum seekers are arriving with no sponsors, crossing the border anywhere they can. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pc policies: While Ontarians were gearing up to fight the good fight, rabble.ca's Activist Toolkit launched the Ontario Fightback series to amplify the efforts of activists standing up against destructive PC policies and to help connect us to progressive MPPs who will fight with us, according to Rabble. The first part of the Ontario Fightback series involved reaching out to the new progressive MPPs with three main questions why they ran, what they heard at the doors, and how we can help them stand up for us. But we were also heartened by the fact that an amazing set of progressive MPPs were headed to Queen's Park. Right before the new government took power, on June 29, we published part one with the first set of responses from France G linas Nickel Belt Peter Tabuns Toronto Danforth Laura Mae Lindo Kitchener Centre Terence Kernaghan London North Centre Mike Schreiner Guelph and Chris Glover Spadina Fort-York . We continued to receive amazing responses from progressive MPPs -- so many that we had to publish a second part! Thank you to Jamie West Sudbury Doly Begum Scarborough Southwest Judith Monteith-Farrell Thunder Bay-Atikokan and Marit Stiles Davenport for your responses which are below And don't forget One of the first tools shared Activist Toolkit is a crowdsourced list of Ford government cuts and changes which was developed by Scott Neigh and Greg Mac Dougall. Meet the MPPsActivist Toolkit What made you run in your riding What are some of the issues that you really care about Judith Monteith-Farrell I ran because I was alarmed at the disparity and negative attitudes taking things backwards in so many areas of our region and our province. Please keep it updated and continue to send things you are working on to maya at rabble.ca. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

signature song: They built a musical empire with a string of successes, including their signature song, Conga, according to The Chronicle Herald. The show officially opened in Los Angles Tuesday, its latest stop after debuting on Broadway in summer 2015. On Your Feet! tells the story of the Estefans, who fled Cuba, settled in Miami and eventually attained the American dream. It was in the middle of its 780-performance run when Trump was elected president and has turned hardline immigration reform into one of his signature policies. I think it's actually what is happening now, Emilio Estefan said. This was written, like, six years ago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

states: These comparisons do not make America look great, according to Rabble. Since 2015, Yemen has been subjected to unrelenting airstrikes by Saudi Arabia, with critical support and arms from the United States, slaughtering the civilian population. Juxtapose this outpouring of compassion and solidarity with the catastrophe facing millions of children in Yemen, and the ongoing debacle created here in the United States by President Donald Trump with the forced separation of migrant children from their parents. The recent siege of the port city of Hodeida has forced at least 121,000 civilians to flee. More than 8 million are on the verge of starvation, and another 22 million people, 80 per cent of the population, are relying on humanitarian aid that is coming in through this port. Shireen Al-Adeimi, a Yemeni scholar and activist based in the U.S., told the Democracy Now! news hour Any kind of disruption to the aid that's coming in through the port of Hodeidah means the starvation of millions of Yemenis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

effect june: There are times I'm looking down the barrel of the exact same stereotypical role that I got 20 years ago. article continues below Trending Stories Remembering Megan Scraper adventurer was gifted athlete, social media maven Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C.UBC biologist killed during research trip was a leading authority in his field Police investigating female Kitsilano secondary teacher for unspecified allegations Turning down work is not something that Sabongui whose credits include Homeland, The Flash, and a Leo Award-nominated turn in the 2017 feature film Drone, in which he played a Pakistani father whose family is killed in a hellfire missile attack does lightly, according to Vancouver Courier. This is my career, and it often comes down to pay the bills or sleep at night, says Sabongui. I face the same issues today that I faced 23 years ago when I started in this industry, says the Vancouver-based, Egyptian-Canadian actor and producer. The choice becomes, Accept this role that's going to make a huge financial difference, or pass on it and make nothing, or take a smaller role and have enough for next month's rent.' I'm still caught in that loop. But Sabongui's story is not unique in Vancouver, a city that is statistically culturally diverse but whose culturally diverse actors face stereotypical roles and fewer opportunities than their Caucasian colleagues. Sabongui's experiences navigating the industry as an actor of colour were the inspiration for Kyra Zagorsky's award-winning short film, The Prince, about an actor of Middle Eastern descent played by Lee Majdoub who turns down the opportunity to play a terrorist in a blockbuster film. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

success story: The show officially opened in Los Angles Tuesday, its latest stop after debuting on Broadway in summer 2015, according to Vancouver Courier. It was in the middle of its 780-performance run when Trump was elected president and has turned hardline immigration reform into one of his signature policies. They built a musical empire with a string of successes, including their signature song, Conga. This was written, like, six years ago. In addition to being a love story and a success story, On Your Feet! also portrays challenges faced the Estefans, and many immigrants For example, how does one make a new home in a place where many say they want you to Go home. I think it's actually what is happening now, Emilio Estefan said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

minister: Once Trudeau returns later today from the annual NATO leaders' summit in Brussels, his focus will shift to putting the final touches on a Liberal cabinet that will carry his government through to the 2019 election, according to National Observer. Splitting Duncan's duties back into two jobs is expected to be one of the moves, since Trudeau is believed to be planning his first expansion cabinet since taking office, and he needs jobs to give the new faces. Now Kirsty Duncan, minister of science and minister of sport and persons with disabilities, finds herself at the centre of speculation as talk heats up about a cabinet shuffle. ; Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau will shuffle his cabinet sometime in the next week, sources tell The Canadian Press. Duncan has been the minister of science since the beginning of the Trudeau government. Trudeau never said how long he expected his science minister to juggle two departments, including two entirely different sets of staff, Duncan said. In January, she was sworn in as minister of sport and persons with disabilities just days after Kent Hehr, her predecessor in that post, was forced to resign from cabinet over harassment allegations from his time as a member of the Alberta legislature. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

star roseanne: It will face newcomers including The Marvelous Mrs, according to Vancouver Courier. Maisel and Barry, starring Bill Hader. Donald Glover's Atlanta is the top comedy with 16 bids. The revival of Roseanne, cancelled because of star Roseanne Barr's racist tweet, drew only one major nomination, a supporting actress nod for Laurie Metcalf. The previous high for Game of Thrones was 24 nominations in 2015. Saturday Night Live, riding high with its relentless pillorying of the Trump administration, was rewarded with 21 nods. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trade agreement: The conversation focused on trade, including efforts to revamp the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement and the ramifications for those talks of Mexico's presidential election, from which left-leaning populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador emerged victorious, according to National Observer. The conversation was positive, one official said. But for anyone hoping to see sparks fly at NATO headquarters in Brussels, the U.S. president did not disappoint, complaining anew about defence spending even as he endorsed a joint communique supporting current commitments, and pointedly slamming a German natural gas pipeline deal he says has left the country totally controlled and captive to Russia. ; Trudeau did not have an official bilateral meeting with Trump on Wednesday, but did have a conversation with the U.S. president on the margins of the NATO summit, said a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office. But Trudeau appeared to be far from Trump's orbit during the traditional gathering of leaders for the NATO family photo op and ceremony, standing quietly to the side as Trump chatted with Britain's Theresa May, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. There, he announced that Canada will assume command of a new NATO training mission in Iraq a deployment of 250 Canadian Armed Forces personnel, aimed in part at staving off Trump's complaints that Canada and other NATO allies are not doing enough to contribute to their NATO defence commitments. Trump held several official bilateral meetings, some 2,000 journalists following his every move, while Trudeau held only one a talk with the prime minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven, whose country is a partner nation to NATO. The only time the Canadian prime minister pulled focus was during an early question-and-answer session with NATO delegates. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

animal abuse: A few protesters bang on bongos, others chant, There's no excuse for animal abuse, and hand out animal-rights leaflets to passersby, according to NOW Magazine. Since last fall, members of the group Grassroots Anti-Speciesism Shift GRASS have staged protests outside the Dundas West restaurant every week. On a Saturday evening in late June, around 20 protesters hoisting signs with slogans like Peace Begins On Your Plate and Don't Buy While They Die! are staked outside Antler Kitchen & Bar. Antler's chalkboard sidewalk sign had read Venison is the new kale, which caught the attention of GRASS founder and local resident Marni Ugar. Meanwhile in nearby Parkdale, another group is taking a different approach, spreading the gospel via vegan Big Macs, chickpea steaks and tempeh fish and chips. Ugar says the goal of the protest is to dispel the myth of humane meat Antler's menu focuses on Ontario game meats and to force Antler to put a pro-animal-rights sign in its window. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chicago: Baer is based in Chicago, where he works for the local public television station WTTW and also gives tours for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, according to The Chronicle Herald. He spoke about the show and the backstory of some of the monuments featured in the episode airing July 17 in an interview with AP Travel's weekly podcast Get Outta Here ! Here are some excerpts from the podcast, edited for brevity and clarity. In addition to famous monuments, other episodes focus on streets that changed America like New York's Broadway and on modern marvels like the Hoover Dam. MOUNT RUSHMORE When cars were a new form of transportation, a state official in South Dakota really didn't think in the early days of the road trip that scenery was going to be enough to lure people to drive all the way there, Baer said. Originally the carvings were going to depict heroes of the American West, but that wasn't deemed a big enough draw, so the concept was changed to presidents. So he decided to create the world's biggest roadside attraction. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

coach tuesday: An undated handout photo released by the Royal Thai Navy on June 30 shows a group of Thai Navy divers in the Tham Luang cave during rescue operations in Chiang Rai, Thailand, according to Toronto Star. A team of cave divers rescued the last of the boys and their coach Tuesday from deep inside the warren of underground passages near Thailand's border with Burma, one of Southeast Asia's more remote regions. It turned into a nearly three-week-long story of survival, international collaboration and triumph over the impossible one that was avidly embraced and followed live across the world. Thai Navy SEAL via GETTY IMAGES A team of cave divers rescued the last of the boys and their coach Tuesday from deep inside the warren of underground passages near Thailand's border with Burma, one of Southeast Asia's more remote regions. How they did it was a mix of trial and error, improvisation, skill, massive water pumps, kilometres of guide rope and strategically placed air tanks along the three-kilometre-long escape route, much of it submerged. One by one, the divers brought the final four members of the Wild Boars team and their coach out of the flooded Tham Luang Cave. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

donor egg: The couple does not want to know whose genetic material was passed on to the child, according to CTV. We never want to know, O'Callaghan told CTV News Channel on Wednesday. Jay O'Callaghan and Aaron O'Bryan both provided sperm to fertilize the donor egg that was implanted in the surrogate who gave birth to their son Jake in Toronto. We're his dads. They want Jake to be a dual citizen, but claim they were met with silence from the Irish government when they started inquiring about an Irish passport for the toddler. Both men are permanent residents in Canada, and are awaiting Canadian passports. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

munich court: The group's name, often shortened to NSU, alludes to Adolf Hitler's Nazi party, according to CTV. Zschaepe was also found guilty of membership in a terrorist organization, bomb attacks that injured dozens and several lesser crimes including a string of robberies. The Munich court sentenced Beate Zschaepe, the only known survivor of the National Socialist Underground group, to life in prison in the killings of 10 people -- most of them migrants -- who were gunned down between 2000 and 2007. Four men were also found guilty of supporting the group in various ways and given prison terms of between 2 1/2 and 10 years. The verdict is a first and very important step, said Gamze Kubasik, the daughter of Mehmet Kubasik, who was shot dead by Zschaepe's two accomplices in the western city of Dortmund on April 4, 2006. While the verdict was widely welcomed by victims' families as well as anti-racism campaigners and mainstream political parties, the court's failure to investigate the secretive wider network of people sympathetic to the National Socialist Undergound group's cause drew criticism. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

prison terms: Four men were found guilty of supporting the group in various ways and sentenced to prison terms of between 2 1/2 and 10 years, according to Toronto Star. Defendant Beate Zschaepe arrives in a courtroom before the proclamation of sentence in her trial as the only surviving member of neo-Nazi cell National Socialist Underground NSU behind a string of racist murders, in Munich on Wednesday. Judges sentenced Beate Zschaepe to life in prison for murder, membership of a terrorist organization, bomb attacks that injured dozens and several lesser crimes including a string of robberies. Zschaepe, 43, was found guilty of complicity in 10 deadly shootings of mostly Turkish immigrants carried out by clandestine trio the National Socialist Underground NSU . MICHAELA REHLE / AFP/GETTY IMAGES Presiding judge Manfred Goetzl told a packed Munich courtroom that Zschaepe's guilt weighed particularly heavily, meaning she is likely to serve at least a 15-year sentence. The 43-year-old showed no emotion as Goetzl read out her sentence. Her lawyers plan to appeal the verdict. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

release children: They said their hands were tied by dueling requirements to release children from detention after 20 days and also keep them with their parents or other adult relatives, according to Toronto Star. Milka Pablo wears a monitoring bracelet on her ankle while holding her daughter Darly Coronado, 3, as they wait for a bus soon after being reunited after months apart, at the bus station in Phoenix, Ariz., July 10, 2018. Faced with a pair of court orders restricting immigration detentions, federal officials said they could not hold all of the migrant families who were apprehended at the southwestern border. The government was scrambling Tuesday to carry out the first court-ordered reunifications of young migrant children with their families, but thousands remain in custody. Parents with children under the age of 5 are being reunited with their children and then released and enrolled into an alternative detention program, Matthew Albence, executive associate director of ICE's enforcement and removal operations, told reporters Tuesday. VICTOR J. BLUE / the New York Times Confronted by audio of crying children that drew widespread outrage, Trump administration officials also said they had stopped referring migrant adults who enter the United States with children for prosecution. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

roger ardino: Scores of children separated from their families were sent to government-contracted shelters or foster care hundreds of miles away from where their parents were detained, according to The Chronicle Herald. Roger Ardino, from Honduras, was happy to be back with his 4-year-old son, Roger Jr., who sat on his lap and played with the microphones as the father spoke to reporters. The administration has been scrambling to reunify the families this week to meet the first of two deadlines set by a federal judge in San Diego who ordered thousands of children be given back to their immigrant parents. The father said he was still shaken by the ordeal he had to go through just to speak to his boy while he was in government custody. He described feeling a pain in his heart and like he couldn't breathe after his son was taken away. The two were separated in February. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wednesday afternoon: The meeting notice was posted Wednesday afternoon, after both NDP immigration and refugee critic Jenny Kwan, and Conservative critic Michelle Rempel issued statements requesting the House of Commons Citizenship and Immigration Committee urgently meet to discuss the matter, according to CTV. The pair also happen to be the vice-chairs of the committee. The opposition parties also want to hear from Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen on the matter, before early August. While united in their desire for the meeting, their reasoning differs. The time to act is now, before this situation gets any worse. The NDP have called for the meeting to discuss the lack of support for the asylum seekers coming from the United States, while the Conservatives want to meet to review the government's response to what they consider a border crisis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

west africa: Performers include Linda Carvery, Julio Fernandez, Brigitte Aucoin, Tamar Dina, SAMM, Anisha Rajaselvam, M.O.B. Syndicates, and the Dublin Street Poets, according to The Chronicle Herald. The afternoon will also feature musical contributions by Holly Arsenault, Lukas Pearse, Gary Steed and Woody Woods. Titled A Tribute to Culture Around the Globe, the show reaches beyond Canadian borders to Cuba, Sri Lanka and West Africa for a one-of-a-kind event. A Tribute to Culture Around the World is presented in English in Kenneth C. Rowe Hall, and is included with the price of admission to the museum. For more information, visit pier21.ca. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asian festival: Expand Jaime Espinoza What's your name, role and organization Vikas Kohli, executive director, MonstrARTity, according to NOW Magazine. Tell us about MonstrARTity's signature events. See all of the profiles here. Our Bollywood Monster Mashup event is the largest South Asian festival in Canada. Events will feature a space for kids to play, dance lessons, food vendors and shopping. This will be our eighth season and we're going to hold free concerts with international Bollywood stars Aaman Trikha and Khushboo Grewal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

housing costs: Rehearsal spaces at libraries, according to Vancouver Courier. They're ideas that would seem entirely foreign in places not crushed by an affordability crisis, but just about anything's on the table in a city where income inequality is 2.5 times higher than the national average and housing costs are highest in Canada.article continues below Trending StoriesUBC biologist killed during research trip was a leading authority in his field Young scallywags who stole taxi driver's rum return it, with interest Remembering Megan Scraper adventurer was gifted athlete, social media maven The Lookout' and The Ridge' could be the first developed sections of Arbutus small businesses struggle amid tax, property crunch Art of survival increasingly difficult for Vancouver's creative community The Vancouver Music Strategy was discussed at length by council July 10, given the policy document is two years in the making and deliverable ideas are taking shape. Gigs in churches or community centres. The end goals are fluid and there are many streamline communication between the city and artists, diversify building types that can house the arts and make life more affordable for creative types. What we want to see is partners in all things music, said Sandra Gajic, the city's director of civic theatres. There's even talk of mandating fair play standards so venue owners compensate bands fairly and the establishment of a poverty reduction plan for local musicians. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

liniker barros: LINIKER E OS CARAMELOWS with BRUNO CAPINAN at Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas West Thursday July 12 doors 7 pm. 33.50- 40. lula.ca, according to NOW Magazine. When Liniker Barros, who fronts Brazilian soul band Liniker e os Caramelows, sings deixa eu bagun ar voc let me mess you up from breakout single Zero, Brazilian audiences sing along with unabashed emotion and volume, a chorus echoing over a sultry, slow-groove backbeat. When a trans woman takes the stage, that alone is political. Audacious self-expression is paramount for any LGBTQ artist, but it takes on even more significance coming from a Black, trans singer in Brazil, which has one of the world's highest rates of anti-trans violence. They followed with their crowdfunded 2016 debut album Remonta. A collective from Araraquara in the interior of S o Paulo state, the band busted out with 2015's Cru EP, with Zero clocking 1.5 million You Tube views in its first week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

prison terms: The group's name, often shortened to NSU, alludes to Adolf Hitler's Nazi party.article continues below Trending StoriesUBC biologist killed during research trip was a leading authority in his field Young scallywags who stole taxi driver's rum return it, with interest Remembering Megan Scraper adventurer was gifted athlete, social media maven The Lookout' and The Ridge' could be the first developed sections of Arbutus greenway Zschaepe was also found guilty of membership in a terrorist organization, bomb attacks that injured dozens and several lesser crimes including a string of robberies, according to Vancouver Courier. Four men were also found guilty of supporting the group in various ways and given prison terms of between 2 1/2 and 10 years. The Munich court sentenced Beate Zschaepe, the only known survivor of the National Socialist Underground group, to life in prison in the killings of 10 people most of them migrants who were gunned down between 2000 and 2007. While the verdict was widely welcomed by victims' families as well as anti-racism campaigners and mainstream political parties, the court's failure to investigate the secretive wider network of people sympathetic to the National Socialist Undergound group's cause drew criticism. I just hope all other supporters of the NSU are found and convicted. The verdict is a first and very important step, said Gamze Kubasik, the daughter of Mehmet Kubasik, who was shot dead by Zschaepe's two accomplices in the western city of Dortmund on April 4, 2006. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

research trip: Scores of children separated from their families were sent to government-contracted shelters or foster care hundreds of miles away from where their parents were detained.article continues below Trending StoriesUBC biologist killed during research trip was a leading authority in his field Young scallywags who stole taxi driver's rum return it, with interest Remembering Megan Scraper adventurer was gifted athlete, social media maven The Lookout' and The Ridge' could be the first developed sections of Arbutus greenway Roger Ardino, from Honduras, was happy to be back with his 4-year-old son, Roger Jr., who sat on his lap and played with the microphones as the father spoke to reporters, according to Vancouver Courier. The father said he was still shaken by the ordeal he had to go through just to speak to his boy while he was in government custody. The administration has been scrambling to reunify the families this week to meet the first of two deadlines set by a federal judge in San Diego who ordered thousands of children be given back to their immigrant parents. The two were separated in February. The father held up his wrist and told reporters that after they were separated, he threatened to use a razor on himself if he couldn't speak to his son. He described feeling a pain in his heart and like he couldn't breathe after his son was taken away. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

brenda garcia: Brenda Garcia is reunited with her 7-year-old son, Kevin, at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., in June, according to Toronto Star. Dozens of immigrant children will be released from detention centres and reunited with their parents Tuesday. It was the largest single effort to date to undo the effects of U.S. President Donald Trump's zero-tolerance policy of separating families who try to slip across the Mexican border into the country. RYAN CHRISTOPHER JONES / The New York Times More than 50 children under five-years-old could be back in the arms of their parents by the deadline at the end of the day, the Justice Department said. Government attorneys returned to federal court in San Diego on Tuesday to seek an extension for releasing 20 other children under age five, saying officials need more time to track down parents who have already been deported or released into the U.S. Asked about the missed deadline, Trump said Well, I have a solution. Authorities gave few details on where the reunions would be held, and many were expected to take place in private. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

children: The Department of Justice asked Gee to alter a 1997 settlement after the president reversed a policy of separating migrant children from their parents that caused an international uproar when the emotional scenes of families being split up were caught on camera, according to CTV. The government wanted to alter the settlement so it could detain families together long-term. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee said the federal government had failed to present new evidence to support revising a court order that limits the detention of children who crossed the border illegally. Gee called the government's request a cynical attempt to shift responsibility to the court for over 20 years of Congressional inaction and ill-considered executive action that have led to the current stalemate. She said the application to change the agreement in the case named for lead plaintiff Jenny Flores was procedurally improper and wholly without merit. Gee said the government's had sought to replow the same familiar territory it had three years ago when she rejected a similar effort by the Obama administration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.