fall: The Army began booting out those enlistees last year without explanation .article continues below Trending Stories The top Instagram fall photo spots in Vancouver Has Vancouver become a better place under Mayor Gregor Robertson UBC is on the World's Most Innovative Universities list Here's 11 Vancouver happy hours to check out in fall The AP has interviewed more than a dozen recruits from countries such as Brazil, Pakistan, Iran, China and Mongolia who all said they were devastated by their unexpected discharges or cancelled contracts, according to Vancouver Courier. Until now, it's been unclear how many were discharged and for what reason because the Army has refused to discuss specific cases. The decade-old Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest recruiting program was put on hold in 2016 amid concerns that immigrant recruits were not being screened sufficiently. But the Army's own list, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last month, says 502 service members who enlisted under MAVNI were discharged between July 2017 and July 2018. That is the reason given for 35 per cent of enlistee discharges Army-wide, according to a research study posted on a Defence Department website. The list, which was unsealed this week after a request from the AP, offers refuse to enlist as the reason for expelling two-thirds of the recruits. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

january: She replaces Albert Schultz, who resigned in January after four female company members came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment, according to NOW Magazine. The women's civil cases against Soulpepper and Schultz were settled out of court in the summer. Gifted director Weyni Mengesha is the new artistic director of the city's largest not-for-profit theatre company. Mengesha's hiring comes a month and a half after the company brought on a new executive director, Emma Stenning, who replaced Leslie Lester who also resigned in January, and is Schultz's wife . Mengesha, who takes on her new role in January 2019, has a long history with the company. This means a lot to me, since it's like a homecoming, and I think Soulpepper is really well positioned for growth, said Mengesha in an interview earlier this week. She was part of its inaugural Soulpepper Academy, in 2006, and has directed some of its most acclaimed productions, including Kim's Convenience, A Raisin In The Sun and Father Comes Home From The Wars Parts I, II, III which won a Dora last year for best production. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

peacekeepers: That is reflected in the fact that while the Canadian military's primary task in Mali is to evacuate injured UN peacekeepers by helicopter, they have so far only conducted two such missions, both on Sept. 11, according to National Observer. Guterres nonetheless painted a picture of a country at war with itself as various ethnic and extremist groups targeted each other as well as the Malian military, international forces and even civilians. The assessment by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres coincides with the presence of Canadian peacekeepers in Mali, and suggests the country is in many ways worse off now than when they first arrived in June. ; Not that there haven't been some hopeful signs, including successful presidential elections in July and August and a marked decline in the number of peacekeepers killed or wounded despite continuing attacks by armed groups. The result was the largest number of civilians killed 287 in one three-month period since UN peacekeepers first arrived in the country in 2013, while thousands more have been forced to flee their homes to escape the violence. Intercommunal conflict, exacerbated by violent extremist groups, is fraying an already fragile social fabric and is deeply concerning, Guterres wrote. Much of the fighting was between members of two different ethnic communities in the centre of the country, while groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State were also responsible for a great deal of violence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

technology sector: Toronto is a global technology powerhouse, according to NOW Magazine. Toronto has created more jobs in tech in the last year than New York City and San Francisco's Silicon Valley combined. Toronto is having a special moment. These are phrases familiar to anyone in this city's technology sector, which came together for a massive celebration and marketing bonanza at the recent Elevate Tech Fest, billed by organizers as Canada's Tech Week. But as excited industry types in hoodies and suits took selfies and exchanged Linked In profiles, I couldn't help but think about some of the other ways Toronto is having a special moment. The event, which featured the theatre of a choreographed stock market countdown, provided a space for the tech sector to demonstrate its contributions to the city. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

alliance isa: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, attends the inaugural General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance ISA and the Global Re-investment summit on renewable energy in New Delhi, India, Oct. 2, according to Toronto Star. Guterres says the security situation in Mali has sharply deteriorated over the past three months while the need for more foreign aid to help provide food and other urgent humanitarian assistance has skyrocketed. The time period covered by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's assessment coincides with the first three months of Canada's year-long peacekeeping mission in Mali, though the report notes that the actual number of peacekeepers killed or wounded in attacks had markedly declined. The Associated Press Guterres nonetheless paints a picture of a Mali at war with itself, particularly in the centre of the country, as various ethnic groups and extremist groups targeted each other as well as the Malian military, international forces and civilians leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced. Making matters even worse were severe floods in some areas and drought in others that, when combined with the fighting, had doubled the number of internally displaced people and left one in four Malians needing humanitarian aid the largest number in years. The human rights situation was similarly worse due to hundreds of reported extrajudicial killings, disappearances, tortures and rapes across different parts of the country with the Malian military itself implicated in at least one mass killing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

beams pasini: Gianpaolo Pasini is happy to finally be a Canadian citizen after living here for six years, according to CTV. Very thankful to the country for granting me this beautiful thing to become a Canadian so thank you Canada, beams Pasini. The event was part of Citizenship Week celebrations being held across the country. Ryan Mohamed Mohamed Ahmed moved to Canada from Egypt. It's multicultural and I'm really happy to be here, says Ahmed. This is like the most peaceful country in the world. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

defame unions: Strategy No. 3 Disparage teachers, according to Rabble. Expect the UCP to do all three. Strategy No. 2 Defame unions. After all, the Alberta Teachers Association ATA union for the province's 43,000 public, Catholic and francophone school teachers and administrators, has invited the prominent B.C. environmentalist known for her opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline to a meeting near Edmonton on Saturday. And, yes, the Soldiers were invited, Kenney's tweeted denials notwithstanding. So we can count on the UCP to be even more vocal than usual in its denunciations of Berman, teachers and, by association with both, the NDP. Expect the full-meal deal -- red meat, not vegan or even gluten-free -- as UCP leader Jason Kenney tries desperately to get Albertans to forget about how all three of his party's candidates in the Edmonton-Henday West Riding invited members of the Soldiers of Odin vigilante group to their Friday night festivities and hung around for selfies with them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

marquee ballroom: Allegations were first emerging at that time that frontman Jacob Hoggard had committed sexual misconduct with young fans, according to Toronto Star. From left Neon Dreams' Frank Kadillac, Adrian Morris and Matt Gats are bringing their evolved sound to the Marquee Ballroom in a hometown show on Friday. The Halifax pop group performs at the Marquee Ballroom this Friday, their first big hometown show since they pulled out of Hedley's national tour this winter. Haley Ryan / Star Metro For Neon Dreams consisting of frontman and singer Frank Kadillac, drummer Adrian Morris and Matt Gats on guitar getting a slot on that tour and playing big stadiums was a huge break, but the decision to walk away was a simple one. The situation was about the victims' voices coming out and having a platform to speak on, Morris said Wednesday in Warner Music Canada's Halifax office above the Brewery Farmers' Market. That tour was like a dream tour for us, but at the time we realized it wasn't about us anymore. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

peacekeepers: Not that there haven't been some hopeful signs, including successful presidential elections in July and August and a marked decline in the number of peacekeepers killed or wounded despite continuing attacks by armed groups, according to CTV. That is reflected in the fact that while the Canadian military's primary task in Mali is to evacuate injured UN peacekeepers by helicopter, they have so far only conducted two such missions, both on Sept. 11. The assessment by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres coincides with the presence of Canadian peacekeepers in Mali, and suggests the country is in many ways worse off now than when they first arrived in June. Guterres nonetheless painted a picture of a country at war with itself as various ethnic and extremist groups targeted each other as well as the Malian military, international forces and even civilians. Much of the fighting was between members of two different ethnic communities in the centre of the country, while groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State were also responsible for a great deal of violence. The result was the largest number of civilians killed -- 287 -- in one three-month period since UN peacekeepers first arrived in the country in 2013, while thousands more have been forced to flee their homes to escape the violence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

percentage point: African-Americans directed 13 per cent of series TV in 2017-18, unchanged from the previous season, the study found, according to CTV. Asian-Americans at 6 per cent and Latinos at 5 per cent were up one percentage point each from 2016-17. Women directed a record 25 per cent of episodic television in the 2017-18 season, an increase of 4 per cent from the previous season, according to the Directors Guild of America study released Wednesday. The bright spot here is that the doors are finally opening wider for women, who are seeing more opportunities to direct television, guild President Thomas Schlamme said in a statement. The series SMILF, One Day at a Time and Queen Sugar were among the standouts for inclusiveness in their directing ranks. But it's disappointing the same can't be said for directors of colour. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

region: It would call on Trump to press his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to close the political re-education camps immediately, according to Toronto Star. Uighur security personnel patrol near the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar in western China's Xinjiang region in November 2017. The group proposed legislation on Wednesday that would urge Trump to condemn gross violations of human rights in the Xinjiang region, where the U.N. estimates that as many as 1 million Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities are being held in arbitrary detention. China's northwestern region of Xinjiang has revised legislation to allow the detention of suspected extremists in education and training centers. Ng Han Guan / The Associated Press The legislation, proposed by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, would also support an existing push for sanctions against Xinjiang Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo and other officials under the Magnitsky Act, which would prevent Chen from entering the U.S. and freeze any assets he has in U.S. banks. The revisions come amid rising international concern over a harsh crackdown in Xinjiang that has led to as many as one million of China's Uighurs and other Muslim minorities being held in internment camps. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bell media: She alleges the broadcaster later refunded her money and refused to run the clip, without providing an explanation for its decision, according to Vancouver Courier. The allegations have not been proven in court and Bell Media did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Faith Goldy, a former journalist who is now a fringe candidate in Toronto's municipal election, wants the court to order the broadcaster to run the ad until the Oct. 22 vote.article continues below Trending Stories Here's 11 Vancouver happy hours to check out in fall Vancouver weather sunshine forecast for the next 14 days The League Vancouver's newest dating app aimed at would-be power couples'VPD officer assaulted during routine traffic stop on Granville Strip VIDEO In documents filed this week, Goldy alleges Bell Media initially agreed to air her campaign ad on its television station CP24 and accepted a deposit of more than 13,000. Goldy, whose campaign includes anti-immigrant policies, once penned an article suggesting there was white genocide in Canada. Her lawyer, Clayton Ruby, said Wednesday there is nothing in the ad itself that the broadcaster could object to, calling it utterly innocuous. Vote Faith Goldy for mayor and Toronto ceases to be a Sharia safe space, she said in a recent tweet. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

doors pm: I was hungry, according to NOW Magazine. I'm hungry still. They don't take advantage of the days they have to make their shit happen, says Jessie Reyez. JESSIE REYEZ with Savannah R at the Danforth Music Hall 147 Danforth December 3 & 4, doors 7 pm, all ages. 25- 30. ticketmaster.ca. Sitting on the small covered patio of Perola's, a Latin American grocery store in Kensington Market that's been there since the 1960s, she rips open the tin foil of a freshly made papusa and dumps a pile of hot sauce on her plate. Jessie Reyez is hungry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration law: Justice Stephen Breyer seemed perhaps the most sympathetic to the arguments of immigrants in the case, according to Vancouver Courier. The immigrants, mostly green-card holders, say they should get hearings where they can argue for their release while deportation proceedings against them are ongoing. Several justices expressed concerns with the government's reading of immigration law. Breyer noted that the United States gives every triple axe murderer a bail hearing. article continues below Trending Stories Here's 11 Vancouver happy hours to check out in fall Vancouver weather sunshine forecast for the next 14 days The League Vancouver's newest dating app aimed at would-be power couples'Vancouver woman attacked on night bus questions transit security VIDEO While members of the court's conservative majority seemed more inclined than its liberal members to back the government, both of President Donald Trump's appointees asked questions that made it less clear how they might ultimately rule. Immigration law tells the government to pick those people up when they are released from federal or state prisons and jails and then hold them without bond hearings while an immigration court decides whether they should be deported. The issue in the case before the justices has to do with the detention of noncitizens who have committed a broad range of crimes that make them deportable. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya woman: Her parents were among a wave of 250,000 Rohingya Muslims who escaped forced labour, religious persecution and violent attacks from Buddhist mobs in Myanmar during the early 1990s, according to Vancouver Courier. She sees education as her ticket out of the camp. From the refugee camp in southern Bangladesh where she was born, Akter, a 19-year-old with a confident smile who goes by the name Khushi, says she aspires to become the most educated Rohingya woman in the world.article continues below Trending Stories Here's 11 Vancouver happy hours to check out in fall Vancouver weather sunshine forecast for the next 14 days The League Vancouver's newest dating app aimed at would-be power couples'Vancouver woman attacked on night bus questions transit security VIDEO Akter was born and has lived her whole life in the camp, a makeshift settlement of bamboo and tarpaulin huts spread out over rolling hills that were once protected forestland. If we take education then we will be able to lead our life as a life, she said. The U.N. has called for Myanmar's top military generals to be prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity. Akter has supplemented her family's income by working as a translator for aid groups and journalists responding to a new influx of Rohingya refugees who have flooded the camp since August 2017, when the Myanmar military and Buddhist mobs began clearance operations against Rohingya in retaliation for insurgent attacks on security posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state.A United Nations fact-finding mission reported last month that at least 10,000 Rohingya are believed to have died in the violence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sikh turban: Disheartened, frustrated and confused Quebec teachers have their say on the CAQ's religious symbols ban, via Nat Observer qcpoli The English, history and geography teacher is disheartened, frustrated and confused by the newly-elected Coalition Avenir Qu bec CAQ government pledge to ban teachers, judges and police officers from wearing religious symbols like the Muslim hijab, Sikh turban or Jewish kippah.CAQ leader Fran ois Legault has said he will go as far as using the notwithstanding clause recently deployed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford if necessary to push the policy forward, according to National Observer. The clause in the Canadian Constitution would be invoked to override provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ; In his first press conference as premier-designate last week, Legault said his party would create a framework where people employed by state in positions of authority are banned from wearing religious garments while at work. Not once has it ever prompted any hostility or caused any offence, she told National Observer. He said that his government will offer people who want to continue wearing the items desk jobs. He said people in authority should not wear religious signs, including those who are actually in a teaching position. On Tuesday the party's position was confirmed by Simon Jolin-Barette, the CAQ MNA who is spokesperson for the government transition and former justice critic when the Liberals were in power. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dog-whistle politics: Kenney needs to address this, according to Toronto Star. Going on Twitter to say the UCP is not racist, while important, is clearly not enough, Notley said at a Tuesday news conference. The UCP United Conservative Party has a bit of a problem and quite frankly, Mr. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley speaks at the legislature in Edmonton on Tuesday. Dean Bennett / The Canadian Press The photos were taken at a United Conservative Party constituency pub night on Oct. 5. Notley says Opposition Leader Jason Kenney must stop the dog-whistle politics she says is making hateful extremists believe they have a home in his United Conservative Party. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

edmonton-west henday: Before long, photos of the Soldiers with beaming UCP candidates Nicole Williams, Lance Coulter and Leila Houle were all over the internet, according to Rabble. They appeared first on the Edmonton group's own Facebook page. On Friday, several members of the group showed up in full regalia at a pub night for UCP nomination candidates in the Edmonton-West Henday Riding and were welcomed with big smiles all round. Soon thereafter screenshots were posted on social media by Progress Alberta, progressive activists who among other things have been tracking the activities of the Soldiers of Odin in Edmonton. Edmonton Chapter had a great night at the UCP pub event, said the Soldiers of Odin's accompanying post. All the candidates were smiling in the pictures from the Edmonton-West Henday pub night. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

facebook pictures: Araceli Ramos, with her five-year-old daughter, Alexa, peering over her shoulder, looks through Facebook pictures posted by Alexa's former foster family in Michigan, during an interview in a park in San Miguel, El Salvador, on Aug. 18, according to Toronto Star. Rebecca Blackwell / The Associated Press What followed one foster family's initially successful attempt to win full custody of Alexa reveals what could happen to some of the infants, children and teens taken from their families at the border under a Trump administration policy earlier this year. Ten weeks since she was arrested crossing the border into Texas and U.S. immigration authorities seized her daughter and told her she would never see the girl again. The zero-tolerance crackdown ended in June, but hundreds of children remain in detention, shelters or foster care and U.S. officials say more than 200 are not eligible for reunification or release. But an Associated Press investigation drawing on hundreds of court documents, immigration records and interviews in the U.S. and Central America identified holes in the system that allow state court judges to grant custody of migrant children to American families without notifying their parents. Federal officials insist they are reuniting families and will continue to do so. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

health care: Toronto pediatrician Dr, according to Toronto Star. Astrid Guttman said the research suggests there are important subgroups of immigrant and refugee children who face barriers in accessing outpatient mental health care. Newcomers did not seek early help from primary care doctors likely due to barriers in accessing and using outpatient mental health services, said researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences ICES and the Hospital for Sick Children. SUPPLIED PHOTO Dr. SUPPLIED PHOTO Efforts are needed to reduce stigma and identify mental health problems early, before crises, among immigrant populations, said the study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Tuesday. Natasha Saunders, a pediatrician at Sick Kids, is lead author of the report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

edge: He also delivered their oath, according to CTV. Marlon Blake, who immigrated from Jamaica, said he was a bit nervous before heading out on the edge of the tower, which is equivalent to about 116 floors above ground. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Ahmed Hussen joined the six immigrants for the experience, known as the Edge Walk. For the first 30 seconds my heart was pounding, and after I felt better, Blake said. The wind and the breeze coming from the lake, it's just an awesome feeling, she said. Inna Levechuk, a new citizen from Ukraine, said she was shaking at first but that it wasn't scary at all. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

planet warming: Failing to do so would mean a further increase in sea levels, more extreme weather events, water shortages, food scarcity, and increased numbers of climate refugees, according to Rabble. Several years ago, DARA International, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of humanitarian action for people affected by armed conflict and natural disasters, issued a report that projected 600,000 people would die worldwide each year by 2030 due to climate change. And it called for rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented change in all aspects of society to avoid the planet warming to this degree. Having seen the UN panel report before it was released, Canada's environment minister Catherine McKenna told the Canadian Press, We acknowledge this and we all know we need to do more. Since coming to power in October 2015, it has approved the Woodfibre LNG terminal and the Trans Canada NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. fracked gas pipeline. Those words ring hollow when we look at the Trudeau government's climate record. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

practice amounts: It says the student-run journals previously picked editors and articles based on merit alone but now consider race and sex, according to CTV. The lawsuits say the practice amounts to discrimination and demands that it be stopped. The group, called Faculty, Alumni and Students Opposed to Racial Preferences, filed a federal lawsuit against The Harvard Law Review on Saturday and a separate suit against The NYU Law Review on Sunday. The group's website says its membership is confidential. Harvard is separately being sued by a group that says its admissions policies discriminate against Asian-Americans. The group and the law journals did not immediately provide comment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

thomas university: Thomas University, according to Rabble. The second context and focus is the horrific violence done to Indigenous people in the part of Turtle Island known as Canada -- more particularly, Canada's tendency, while seemingly redressing the violence, at the same time minimizing, covering up the violence, and even perpetrating new types of violence, duly theorized as help. Roland Chrisjohn, member of the Oneida Nation and professor at St. To begin with the second of these, such obfuscations have happened throughout Canadian history, but to start in contemporary times, jubilation and enthusiasm abounded when the Royal Commission on Indigenous People was formed. The Commission was to visit a huge number of Indigenous communities. Finally, we were going to see an honest redressing of grievances, some figured. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

limit immigration: His right-of-centre Coalition Avenir Qu bec CAQ had been propelled into power, in major part, by identity-driven politics Legault's promises to limit immigration, implement French-language and values tests for new immigrants and expel them, if they failed and ban religious symbols and the people wearing them from public service positions of authority. ; While these promises have been welcomed by a segment of the population, many Quebecers worry that the measures will affect social cohesion, paint immigrants as an unwanted and undesirable threat, and marginalize a small segment of the Quebec population in the pursuit of an ill-defined and, ultimately, highly discriminatory government-sanctioned faux secularism, according to National Observer. First, France's extreme right National Rally leader previously known as the National Front Marine Le Pen tweeted out her congratulations. Within hours of the Quebec provincial election on Oct. 1, premier-designate Fran ois Legault was congratulated by the extreme right. Sharing a newspaper headline that declared that Quebec had voted in a nationalist, anti-immigrant government, she rejoiced that, contrary to the Liberals' wishes for more immigrants, Quebecers had just resoundingly voted for less ce que serinaient les lib raux immigrationnistes b ats, les Qu b cois ont vot pour moins d'immigration. MLP Qu bec Marine Le Pen MLP officiel October 2, 2018To his credit and probably in embarrassed panic Legault was quick to tweet out and reject any association with Le Pen's party. La lucidit et la fermet face au d fi migratoire est le point commun des lections de quasiment tous les pays du monde confront s cet enjeu. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

officials: The zero-tolerance crackdown ended in June, but hundreds of children remain in detention, shelters or foster care and U.S. officials say more than 200 are not eligible for reunification or release, according to Vancouver Courier. Federal officials insist they are reuniting families and will continue to do so. Ten weeks since she was arrested crossing the border into Texas and U.S. immigration authorities seized her daughter and told her she would never see the girl again.article continues below Trending Stories Charges approved against three men in alleged VPD assault VIDEO VPD officer assaulted during routine traffic stop on Granville Strip VIDEO Vancouver woman attacked on night bus questions transit security VIDEO Please, no more belugas at the Aquarium What followed one foster family's initially successful attempt to win full custody of Alexa reveals what could happen to some of the infants, children and teens taken from their families at the border under a Trump administration policy earlier this year. But an Associated Press investigation drawing on hundreds of court documents, immigration records and interviews in the U.S. and Central America identified holes in the system that allow state court judges to grant custody of migrant children to American families without notifying their parents. States usually seal child custody cases, and the federal agencies overseeing the migrant children don't track how often state court judges allow these kids to be given up for adoption. And today, with hundreds of those mothers and fathers deported thousands of miles away, the risk has grown exponentially. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.