audit: The audit uncovered inaccurate statements made by CBSA officers involved in board hearings, immigration adjudicators deciding the fate of cases based on false information, and detainees left unrepresented and powerless at hearings, according to Vancouver Courier. The audit describes the relationship between the CBSA and the IRB as regional with the CBSA being more helpful in some areas than others. The newly released audit of the Immigration and Refugee Board looks at hearings and decisions in randomly selected cases where immigration detention exceeded a minimum of 100 days.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver council approves 400-foot tower that partially blocks North Shore mountain views When men are the abused male survivors move forward Vancouver High on Life vloggers die in Shannon Falls tragedy Vancouver Park Board to undergo colonial audit'While the external audit, commissioned by former IRB chairman Mario Dion, focuses on the Immigration Division of the board, it also shines a light on the role and behaviour of Canada Border Services Agency officers. The CBSA was reported to be tougher in Ontario, more adversarial in their hearing conduct, and also more likely to overstate evidence or draw conclusions based on speculation rather than fact, states the report. The border agency has authority to detain newcomers to Canada if they are deemed to be a danger to the public, their identity cannot be verified or they are considered a flight risk. And in some hearings the Immigration Division official reported being intimidated by the vehement positions expressed by the CBSA hearing officer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

enemy forces: A total of 421 people massed at two collection points where they were to make their crossing to safety, according to Vancouver Courier. By the time they crossed, they were 422. In the raging war zone that is southwestern Syria, with enemy forces on the march, the 98 White Helmets volunteers brought their spouses, children and a personal bag each. One woman went into labour, requiring an emergency C-section. It was a nail-biting trip to a crossing over one of the most tightly sealed frontiers in the world. Her son, Nairouz, came into the world in an open field under the darkness of night just short of the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver council approves 400-foot tower that partially blocks North Shore mountain views Powerlifters decry equipment loss at Vancouver gyms It was just one moment of drama in a complicated international rescue operation to extract the Syrian volunteer rescuers who work in opposition areas through their country's bitter enemy Israel by bus to a temporary haven in Jordan. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

grocery store: At the bar she helped run, she still gives regulars a warm welcome, and around the dinner table at night, she beams when she sees what her family managed to cook, according to Vancouver Courier. But Stegall's face only appears on a screen, and her words come in unreliable cell connections and a barrage of texts. When her husband goes to the grocery store, she fusses over the list with him. Lives once lived together are divided by some 1,600 miles. That's all that I want, she says of her life in Kansas City, Missouri. A woman who married an American and gave birth to an American and who came to think of herself as American, too, is now deported to her native Mexico.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver council approves 400-foot tower that partially blocks North Shore mountain views When men are the abused male survivors move forward Powerlifters decry equipment loss at Vancouver gyms Horny Hornby Island, a BC vacation paradise I wish I was there. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

business model: The Trudeau government reportedly does not want to bail out media companies that are no longer viable, according to Toronto Star. Federal officials defend their studied indifference with public opinion research that indicates Canadians believe that in this social media age, they are awash in news and therefore have no desire to fund legacy media companies in any way shape or form. And as the new line-up looks for opportunities to step up their game, federal policies regarding news organizations should be high on that list. Any viable business model for a news organization going forward is going to have to be subscription based. Anyone investing in news content would be eligible, writes Bill Fox. It avoids the need for independent panels to dole out federal subsidies, it avoids subjective criteria as to who qualifies and who does not. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

official port: Migrants prepare to cross the border from the U.S. into Quebec last summer, according to Toronto Star. So far this year, 10,744 people have been intercepted by the RCMP while crossing the border outside an official port of entry roughly on pace to match the number of irregular migrants Canada saw in 2017. Thousands of people are crossing into Canada from the United States to claim refugee status at a time when the U.S. president's anti-immigrant bombast clashes with the Welcome ToCanada posture of a Liberal prime minister. Charles Krupa / The Associated Press file photo Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has lashed out at conservative critics, labelling their political message that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau naively invited refugees to clog the immigration system as fear-mongering and not Canadian. And just last week, with Progressive Conservatives at Queen's Park joining the attack on Trudeau, the prime minister appointed former Toronto police chief Bill Blair to a brand new cabinet portfolio focused on border security and organized crime reduction. New Democrats, meanwhile, charge the federal government is blind to the need to rescind a 13-year-old agreement that declares the U.S. a safe country and forces migrants from south of the border to avoid official ports of entry if they want to claim refugee status in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.s: Immigrants separated from their children after crossing the U.S. border illegally was only one topic addressed by the former Democratic presidential candidate, secretary of state and U.S. senator from New York as part of the OZY Fest in the park's Rumsey Playfield, according to The Chronicle Herald. She was interviewed by Laurene Powell Jobs, founder of the Emerson Collective, a non-profit advocate of liberal causes that led the event. I'm going to be tweeting about this in the days to come, but if any of you work for an airline please direct message me because these families will need vouchers and discounted tickets to be reunited over these thousands of miles, she told a crowd cheering her Saturday in Central Park when she took the stage as part of a star-studded summer festival of conversation, music and food. Clinton also took on this week's burning topic Republican President Donald Trump's encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, amid special counsel Robert Mueller's warning that Russian intelligence services have active interference operations in U.S. politics. It should concern every American of any political party because this was a direct attack on our democracy. It's really distressing and alarming, Clinton said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

home: Thanks to God they did not rape my wife and kids, my daughter, according to National Observer. Now, the 44-year-old father said he's scared to be sent back to Haiti, where he believes his possessions will be gone and he won't be able to protect his family. Claude, who would not give his real name for fear of reprisal, said he came to Canada after criminals ransacked his home and threatened his wife and children. ; They charged me ransoms, came to my place and looted my home, he said Saturday. He stood on the margins as about two dozen protesters held a rally in Montreal on Saturday to call on the Canadian government to declare a moratorium on deportations to Haiti due to civil unrest in the country. Organizer Frantz Andre said they are asking Canada to reinstate a moratorium on deportations to Haiti that was previously in place between 2004 and 2014. Holding handmade signs some taped to hockey sticks they chanted No one is illegal! during a two-hour demonstrations in front of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Montreal office. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cent: Immigration and refugee board data shows that between February 2017 and March 2018, 68 per cent of processed claims by Haitian asylum seekers were rejected, while only 9 per cent were approved, according to Toronto Star. Charles Krupa / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS file photo They charged me ransoms, came to my place and looted my home, he said Saturday. Claude, who would not give his real name for fear of reprisal, said he came to Canada after criminals ransacked his home and threatened his wife and children. Thanks to God they did not rape my wife and kids, my daughter. Article Continued Below He stood on the margins as about two dozen protesters held a rally in Montreal on Saturday to call on the Canadian government to declare a moratorium on deportations to Haiti due to civil unrest in the country. Now, the 44-year-old father said he's scared to be sent back to Haiti, where he believes his possessions will be gone and he won't be able to protect his family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

home: They charged me ransoms, came to my place and looted my home, he said Saturday, according to The Chronicle Herald. Thanks to God they did not rape my wife and kids, my daughter. Claude, who would not give his real name for fear of reprisal, said he came to Canada after criminals ransacked his home and threatened his wife and children. Now, the 44-year-old father said he's scared to be sent back to Haiti, where he believes his possessions will be gone and he won't be able to protect his family. Holding handmade signs some taped to hockey sticks they chanted No one is illegal! during a two-hour demonstrations in front of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Montreal office. He stood on the margins as about two dozen protesters held a rally in Montreal on Saturday to call on the Canadian government to declare a moratorium on deportations to Haiti due to civil unrest in the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mohamed imthiyaz: Mohamed Imthiyaz, who arrived in Edmonton from his native Sri Lanka in 2007, has started his own digital marketing agency to help businesses expand their online presence, according to Toronto Star. Ameya Charnalia / Star Metro Edmonton Nearly 100 graduates of the program the Small Business and Supports Program for Immigrants and Albertans were honoured at a luncheon Saturday afternoon at the Chateau Louis Hotel & Conference Centre. Action for Healthy Communities AHC a local non-profit that assists newcomers held its first celebration for graduates of a 14-week program it started three years ago to help newcomers succeed in starting their own businesses. The program allows newcomers to better understand the business environment in Alberta, said Aftab Khan, executive director of AHC. They come from all over the world, he said, In their home countries, the business environment is totally different than what is here that's the first challenge. Almost 80,000 immigrants arrived in the city between 2011 and 2016. There are over 310,000 immigrants in Edmonton, according to Statistics Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rights advocates: Ebrahim Toure is Canada's longest-held immigration detainee Anne-Marie Jackson / Toronto Star Non-citizens have a right to liberty and to be protected from cruel and unusual treatment, but as this report shows, this right is routinely flouted under immigration legislation, said Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees, according to Toronto Star. Last year, 3,557 people were held in immigration detention in Canada. The damning findings, including decision-making based on inaccurate information, unchallenged faith in border enforcement officials and inadequate legal representation for detainees, have shocked even the most seasoned critics and rights advocates. Eighty-eight per cent of detainees were released within 90 days. Ebrahim Toure, 46, a failed refugee claimant who has been detained for five years pending deportation to Gambia, is currently the longest serving immigration detainee. But in 80 cases, people were held for more than a year behind bars.A Star investigation last year found an immigration detention system that indefinitely warehouses non-citizens, away from public scrutiny and in conditions intended for a criminal population, with hundreds of unwanted immigrants left to languish behind bars. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kids: Thanks to God they did not rape my wife and kids, my daughter, according to Vancouver Courier. Now, the 44-year-old father said he's scared to be sent back to Haiti, where he believes his possessions will be gone and he won't be able to protect his family. Claude, who would not give his real name for fear of reprisal, said he came to Canada after criminals ransacked his home and threatened his wife and children.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver High on Life vloggers die in Shannon Falls tragedy Positively 4th Avenue the rise and fall of Canada's hippie mecca Safety control or discrimination Pet food labelled 'no ingredients from China'Poll NPA's Ken Sim and independent Kennedy Stewart neck-and-neck in Vancouver mayoral race They charged me ransoms, came to my place and looted my home, he said Saturday. He stood on the margins as about two dozen protesters held a rally in Montreal on Saturday to call on the Canadian government to declare a moratorium on deportations to Haiti due to civil unrest in the country. Organizer Frantz Andre said they are asking Canada to reinstate a moratorium on deportations to Haiti that was previously in place between 2004 and 2014. Holding handmade signs some taped to hockey sticks they chanted No one is illegal! during a two-hour demonstrations in front of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Montreal office. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

adalicia montecinos: The parents got to embrace the 15-month-old boy again Friday, five months after U.S. immigration officials forcibly separated the baby from his father at the Texas border, according to The Chronicle Herald. Johan, who grabbed the world's attention when he appeared in a U.S. courtroom in diapers, at first didn't recognize his mom and dad after he was flown to San Pedro Sula. That's where he took his first steps and spoke his first words. I kept saying Johan, Johan, and he started to cry, said his mother, Adalicia Montecinos. He suffered everything that we have been suffering, she said. She broke down in tears as she talked about how her son had become a poster child for outrage over the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

children mcvety: The CBSC Panel, which dismissed the charges of discrimination against the disabled and Muslims, did determine that McVety was out of line when his program suggested that LGBTIQs prey on children McVety may not like homosexuality, according to Rabble. That is his entitlement, but to leave the totally unsubstantiated impression that gay and lesbian adults have a predilection toward young, underage people is insidious and unacceptable. This is a guy whose television show got booted off the airwaves in 2010 by the industry's own regulatory body the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council CBSC -- i.e. not the government -- after it received complaints about discriminatory comments on the basis of sexual orientation, religion and mental disability. In all, the Panel finds the McVety mis-characterizations as excessive, inappropriate, disparaging, and abusive . The Panel also found McVety's show grossly distorted facts, violating the Full, Fair and Proper Presentation Clause of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code of Ethics. This is also the guy who, as senior director of the Defend Marriage Coalition, fought against same sex marriage as well as, surprise surprise, the province's Health and Physical Education curriculum, a.k.a. sex ed. For example, the good reverend claimed that speaking out against homosexuality is now a crime in Canada, which the CBSB labeled an inaccurate statement regarding the hate speech provisions of the Criminal Code. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ali abuzeid: I was nervous, very nervous, said Mahmoud Abuzeid, according to CTV. His older brother, Ali, says it was a big adjustment. The Abuzeid brothers came to Canada from Syria and couldn't speak a word of English. When I got here, I felt lonely because it was different, everything was different around me, said Ali Abuzeid. Some children who escaped war-torn countries have mixed emotions on their arrival to Canada. People, language, and everything. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum deal: It's also an environment where people can share why they came to Canada and their hopes for the future -- narratives many at the centre feel are important to larger conversations about refugees and asylum seekers, according to CTV. One of them is Dennis, a 21-year-old who came to Toronto from an East African country in January 2017. The FCJ Refugee Centre is a place where those who've been accepted as refugees help others seeking asylum deal with all sorts of practical issues. He doesn't provide his full name because of concerns about safety and the status of his refugee claim -- he says he's waiting for a hearing. Refugees don't come because of the money in social assistance the government gives them. But he wants to talk. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

girl slides: A young girl slides down a muddy hill after a landslide destroyed eight shelters in Chakmarkul refugee camp, Bangladesh, according to Toronto Star. The monsoon season has arrived, bringing fresh dangers to the 900,000 Rohingya refugees who live in ramshackle huts on unstable hills. The threat of landslides is so dire that her neighbours have moved to a safer spot. Wong Maye-E / AP Mustawkima sits in a relative's shelter as she talks about abandoning her previous shelters destroyed by heavy rains in Balukhali refugee camp, Bangladesh. Wong Maye-E / AP . Though living here could spell doom as the monsoon rains fall, she will live here anyway. The monsoon season has arrived, bringing fresh dangers to the 900,000 Rohingya refugees who live in ramshackle huts on unstable hills. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lands: As Indigenous peoples, we have both seen our traditional lands colonized, our people ethnically cleansed and massacred by colonial settlers, the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel wrote the Iroquois Haudenosaunee Nationals on July 4, according to Rabble. We are asking you to respect our nonviolent picket line by withdrawing from the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships, denying Israel the opportunity to use the national sport of the Iroquois to cover up its escalating, violent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians throughout our ancestral lands. But Ottawa did so at the behest of those promoting the most aggressive ongoing European settler colonialism. While a number of Nationals players expressed support for the Palestinians' plight, the team rejected the call, possibly fearing a fine or banishment from future tournaments. As the only First Nations team officially sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally, playing lacrosse internationally is a way to assert their sovereignty, especially when governments accept their Haudenosaunee passports. Also affecting the Iroquois' decision, whose confederacy crosses the Canada-U.S. border, was the political importance they place on competing internationally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

media network: It needed only about a decade to go from a dorm-room startup to the largest and most influential communications platform in the world, according to Toronto Star. But it's been two years since a U.S. presidential campaign in which the company was a primary vector for misinformation and state-sponsored political interference and Facebook still seems paralyzed over how to respond. The speed at which it adapted to every challenge was legendary. Facebook leaders have stumbled over basic questions this week, including whether or not they would allow Holocaust denial on the social media network. Zuckerberg, in an interview with journalist Kara Swisher that was published Wednesday, argued that Facebook would not ban Holocaust denialism on the site because there are things that different people get wrong. Matt Rourke / The Associated Press File Photo In exchanges with reporters and lawmakers over the past week, its leaders including Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive have been comically tripped up by some of the most basic questions the site faces. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee claim: It's also an environment where people can share why they came to Canada and their hopes for the future narratives many at the centre feel are important to larger conversations about refugees and asylum seekers, according to The Chronicle Herald. One of them is Dennis, a 21-year-old who came to Toronto from an East African country in January 2017. The FCJ Refugee Centre is a place where those who've been accepted as refugees help others seeking asylum deal with all sorts of practical issues. He doesn't provide his full name because of concerns about safety and the status of his refugee claim he says he's waiting for a hearing. Refugees don't come because of the money in social assistance the government gives them. But he wants to talk. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

relationships: The foundation's director of professional services says the course has been designed for children up to five years old, and touches on notions of sexuality and equality in relationships in an age-appropriate way, according to CTV. Annie Fournier said the project is designed to help kids feel comfortable talking about relationships from a young age. The project will be run by the Marie-Vincent Foundation, which fights against the sexual abuse of children and teenagers. If we start to quietly broach those themes in daycare and afterwards, when kids get to school we'll keep talking about it, and the discussion will be easier and more open, she said. Several Quebec government departments are partners in the project, which is timed to coincide with a new sexual education curriculum that will be rolled out in schools in the fall. Some 300 educators will be trained by the foundation to implement the program, which could eventually be extended to more daycares and community centres if the pilot is successful. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

terror attacks: We've seen some terror attacks, according to Rabble. He thinks the some makes him sound precise though it really shows he has no specifics in mind. I think it's been bad for Europe, U.S. President Donald Trump said. I just think it's changing the culture and is very negative for Europe Look at what's happening to different countries that never had problems. The EU was a desperate, late attempt to stop the cycle. Never had problems Europe went to all-out war twice in 25 years when it had relatively little immigration and largely homogeneous nation states. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trudeau government: The man looks a bit grim, according to Toronto Star. Who is he Is that a MAGA cap No, just a regular cap. What is happening here Let's look for clues. Is he fishing Why is he alone The Conservative party pulled an ad from its Twitter feed Tuesday that depicted a dark-skinned man with a suitcase walking over a tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The image of the man in the centre of the photo appears to have been used in an ad tweeted by the Conservative party that was critical of the Trudeau government's immigration policy. Twitter/ CPC HQ via journo dale / THE CANADIAN PRESS A family from Haiti shown approaching crossing the Canada-U.S. border at Quebec, from Champlain, N.Y., last summer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers: The group was prevented from talking to anyone by private security forces, according to National Observer. Lawyer Saron Grebresellassie described the crossing as creepy, dangerous and dark. Last winter, Black Lives Matter activists went to see the border crossing at Lacolle, Quebec to witness how asylum seekers from the United States were being treated, and what they know about their rights. Police even followed them back to their hotel, stopped and questioned them. File photo by Alex T treault Justin Trudeau has tacked hard right. An abandoned stroller is seen on the American side of the former border crossing near Hemmingford, Quebec, in the winter of 2017, at the end of the now infamous Roxham road where most irregular crossings have been happening. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum deal: It's also an environment where people can share why they came to Canada and their hopes for the future narratives many at the centre feel are important to larger conversations about refugees and asylum seekers. ; One of them is Dennis, a 21-year-old who came to Toronto from an East African country in January 2017, according to National Observer. He doesn't provide his full name because of concerns about safety and the status of his refugee claim he says he's waiting for a hearing. The FCJ Refugee Centre is a place where those who've been accepted as refugees help others seeking asylum deal with all sorts of practical issues. But he wants to talk. They come to seek protection, he says. Refugees don't come because of the money in social assistance the government gives them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers.article: It's also an environment where people can share why they came to Canada and their hopes for the future narratives many at the centre feel are important to larger conversations about refugees and asylum seekers.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver High on Life vloggers die in Shannon Falls tragedy Fergie's Cafe in Squamish gutted by early morning fire Annual rent increase may be cut BC housing minister Downtown Eastside Canada's most famous junkie' comes clean One of them is Dennis, a 21-year-old who came to Toronto from an East African country in January 2017, according to Vancouver Courier. He doesn't provide his full name because of concerns about safety and the status of his refugee claim he says he's waiting for a hearing. The FCJ Refugee Centre is a place where those who've been accepted as refugees help others seeking asylum deal with all sorts of practical issues. But he wants to talk. They come to seek protection, he says. Refugees don't come because of the money in social assistance the government gives them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.