clark moran: It's just not what we imagined, according to CTV. This isn't the way we pictured it. This has really become our worst nightmare, Clark Moran told CTV News from the Vancouver International Airport before his flight. This wasn't the plan. After spending several weeks finalizing their son's citizenship documents, the couple then travelled to Accra, Ghana in September to drop off Ayo's paperwork at the High Commission of Canada to Ghana. Kimberlee Moran, who has multiple sclerosis, has been in Africa since early August, when she arrived with her husband to adopt Ayo, their two-year-old son, in Nigeria. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

church: Six bells rang out after the blessing, according to Vancouver Courier. The church says the unfinished building has cost 110 million euros 125 million three-quarters of which was public money. The 120-meter 394-feet high cathedral towers over a giant palace nearby built by late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu. Critics say the money would have been better spent on churches and hospitals. Some 86 per cent of Romanians are believers in the Orthodox church, which enjoyed a revival after communism ended in 1989. The state pays priests' salaries and for church building maintenance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

multicultural library: Wanting to celebrate the multiculturalism he saw in Calgary, Najam went door to door collecting books from his neighbours to create a little library where people could choose from classic books written in languages like English, French, Arabic, Punjabi or Cantonese, according to Toronto Star. Syed Najam started a little free multicultural library on his front lawn in northeast Calgary, with chairs to enjoy a good read and the idea is spreading. In May, Najam, with some help from his Love With Humanity community-building non-profit, set up a makeshift library outside his Saddle Ridge home in northeast Calgary. Christina Ryan / Star Metro Calgary Six months later, Najam has found community partners around the Calgary area to set up two more of these little libraries in the city, along with offerings in Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere. Originally from Pakistan, Najam moved to Canada in 2009. The new box in Okotoks will mark the seventh location, which Najam projects will be ready for the public in the next week or so. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

appeal notice: Lawyers for Oberlander, 94, of Waterloo, Ont., refused on Friday to discuss the appeal notice filed this week, so the legal underpinnings of their action were not immediately evident, according to CTV. However, in a letter sent to the court, the federal government made it clear that it objects to the filing. The notice of appeal from Helmut Oberlander comes even though a Federal Court judge recently ruled that Ottawa had acted reasonably in the case and limited his ability to appeal. The letter further asks that the Federal Court of Appeal registry forward the appeal notice to the court for review. The squad was responsible for killing close to 100,000 people, mostly Jewish. The Ukraine-born Oberlander, who came to Canada in 1954 and became a citizen six years later, has steadfastly maintained he was just 17 when he was forced on pain of execution to join the Nazi death squad Einsatzkommando 10a, known as Ek 10a. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

decision: Earlier this month, the administration asked the high court to fast-track cases on the president's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields young immigrants from deportation, according to Toronto Star. Administration officials also recently asked the high court to intervene to stop a trial in a climate change lawsuit and in a lawsuit over the administration's decision to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 census. It's the fourth time in recent months the administration has sought to bypass lower courts that have blocked some of its more controversial proposals and push the high court, with a conservative majority, to weigh in quickly on a divisive issue. The flag flies outside of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, Nov. 8. Trump's recent salvo against the Obama judge who ruled against his asylum policy not one of the issues currently before the Supreme Court prompted Chief Justice John Roberts to fire back at the president for the first time for feeding perceptions of a biased judiciary. SARAH SILBIGER / The New York Times The ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a frequent target of criticism by President Donald Trump, is involved in three of the cases. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

media users: Porter Airlines says it hopes it has helped belsnickeling to become a wider Christmas tradition in Nova Scotia, according to Toronto Star. Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS The airline bemused social media users with an article in its in-flight magazine that said belsnickeling is a popular tradition in the province. emilydawnlove/Twitter The article said belsnickeling was introduced by German immigrants in the 1750s, and involves people going to neighbours' houses in Santa costumes, jangling chains and bells. Porter Airlines bemused social media users with an article in its in-flight magazine that said belsnickeling is a popular tradition in the province. Cake and hot drinks are also involved. Could the Nova Scotian who fed this hilarious lie to Porter please show yourself, Twitter user emilydawnlove wrote in a post that got about 850 likes. But the idea was met with surprise and some mockery from many Nova Scotians who said they'd never heard of it even as a few lonely voices suggested it was a real thing, or at least used to be, in certain parts of the province. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

policy irpp: The Richmond Hospital has the highest number of so-called anchor babies in the country, according to a new study, according to Toronto Star. More than one in five babies born in the hospital could be born to non-resident mothers who travel to Canada to give birth and ensure their children have Canadian citizenship, according to the study in Policy Options magazine. The study, authored by the Institute for Research on Public Policy IRPP and published Thursday in Policy Options magazine, suggests 21.9 per cent of the children delivered in Richmond Hospital are born to non-resident mothers more than double the percentage born in any other Canadian hospital. Jesse Winter / Star Metro The IRPP study also shows the number of such children born in Canada is far higher than previously estimated. The data shows the number of births to non-resident mothers including all provinces but Quebec, which refused to release the data skyrocketed to 3,628 last year from just 1,354 in 2010. While a Statistics Canada report found roughly 312 babies are born in the country each year to mothers whose place of residence is officially listed as outside of Canada, IRPP's study put that number at closer to 1,500 or 2,000 children annually. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

work obligations: The Abbotsford, B.C. couple spent weeks finalizing their son's citizenship documents and then travelled to Accra, Ghana in September to drop off the necessary paperwork at the Canadian immigration office there, according to CTV. Since then, Clark has returned home to Canada for work obligations while Kimberlee and Ayo wait in Ghana for the final phase of the citizenship process to be completed. Visit CTV Vancouver for more details on this story In early August, Kimberlee and Clark Moran travelled to Ibadan, Nigeria to adopt their two-year-old son Ayo. My wife is at the lowest point she's ever been at in her life, Clark tearfully told CTV Vancouver on Thursday. I lost normal feeling in both of my feet and both of my hands. Kimberlee has multiple sclerosis MS and her condition has worsened while she has been living in Ghana without access to her regular follow-up appointments for a treatment she received for the disease last year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

years: More than 60 homes have been sold in the community of about 1,250 people located 74 kilometres from Fredericton in the past two years, according to CTV. In fact, for the first time in 50 years, the town's population is growing, not shrinking. The generous offer isn't a desperate bid to repopulate a ghost town, according to McAdam Mayor Ken Stannix. They're coming from all over Canada, really. We've got three families that have moved in here from Texas, Stannix said. Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sarah paulson: Really, though is it a conceptual sequel to A Quiet Place It's okay, you can tell us, according to NOW Magazine. December 21The American Meme Bert Marcus's documentary about the way tabloid and reality TV culture has evolved on social media screened at Hot Docs earlier this year. Is this some weird conceptual sequel to A Quiet Place, or something else entirely The impressive cast which also includes Sarah Paulson, Tom Hollander, Parminder Nagra, John Malkovich and Trevante Rhodes intrigues, as does the fact that Arrival's Eric Heisserer is the one adapting Josh Malerman's 2014 novel. We missed it, but the big takeaway from reviews Paris Hilton, the original celebrity famous simply for being rich and famous, is the film's voice of reason, guiding viewers through the blueprint she forged for insta-stardom. December 7Dumplin'Body positivity, beauty pageants, country music and Jennifer Aniston are the algorithmic key words for this comedy about a cynical plus-size teen Danielle Macdonald who becomes a pageant contestant to piss off her high-strung, ex-beauty queen mom Aniston, in an updo . Netflix has sparked backlash with body image-centric projects To The Bone and Insatiable, but so far the trailer for Dumplin' which is soundtracked by old and new Dolly Parton tunes and features RuPaul's Drag Race queen Ginger Minj in Dolly drag hasn't inspired heated commenting. Other meme-able names that appear in the film are music exec DJ Khaled, Josh The Fat Jewish Ostrovsky, Vine star Brittany Furlan and Justin Bieber's wife, Hailey Bieber, among others. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

appeal registry: However, in a letter sent to the court, the federal government made it clear that it objects to the filing, according to Vancouver Courier. The letter further asks that the Federal Court of Appeal registry forward the appeal notice to the court for review. The notice of appeal from Helmut Oberlander comes even though a Federal Court judge recently ruled that Ottawa had acted reasonably in the case and limited his ability to appeal.article continues below Trending Stories Taiwanese large fried chicken spot 'Hot Star' is opening in Metro Vancouver'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver'Extremely cruel' Raccoon trapped, left to drown in garbage bin in Metro Vancouver'Keep up those snow dances' Snowfall recorded on Vancouver's North Shore mountains Lawyers for Oberlander, 94, of Waterloo, Ont., refused on Friday to discuss the appeal notice filed this week, so the legal underpinnings of their action were not immediately evident. The Ukraine-born Oberlander, who came to Canada in 1954 and became a citizen six years later, has steadfastly maintained he was just 17 when he was forced on pain of execution to join the Nazi death squad Einsatzkommando 10a, known as Ek 10a. In June 2017, the government revoked the retired businessman's citizenship for the fourth time since the mid-1990s, prompting his current effort to stave off deportation. The squad was responsible for killing close to 100,000 people, mostly Jewish. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

john roberts: Trump drew an unusual rebuke from the nation's chief justice, John Roberts, earlier in the week after the president assailed the judge who rejected his migrant asylum policy as an Obama judge, according to Vancouver Courier. Roberts rejected the insinuation that judges are beholden to the presidents who nominate them.article continues below Trending Stories Taiwanese large fried chicken spot 'Hot Star' is opening in Metro Vancouver'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver'Keep up those snow dances' Snowfall recorded on Vancouver's North Shore mountains'Extremely cruel' Raccoon trapped, left to drown in garbage bin in Metro Vancouver On Thursday, Trump was still venting on Twitter. He's spreading misinformation in the process and appearing to misunderstand how appeals work. Justice Roberts can say what he wants, but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster. Trump is wrong in suggesting that rulings by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are reversed by the Supreme Court more frequently than those of any other federal appeals court. It is out of control, has a horrible reputation, is overturned more than any Circuit in the Country, 79%, & is used to get an almost guaranteed result. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stories taiwanese: Each day, scores of women gather around Agime Sogojeva, a spiritual teacher known as a mualime, in the Haxhi Veseli mosque in Kosovo's northern town of Mitrovica, according to Vancouver Courier. They discuss the Qur'an, their rights as women and daily practices, in a scene unthinkable as little as a decade ago.article continues below Trending Stories Taiwanese large fried chicken spot 'Hot Star' is opening in Metro Vancouver'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver'Keep up those snow dances' Snowfall recorded on Vancouver's North Shore mountains'Extremely cruel' Raccoon trapped, left to drown in garbage bin in Metro Vancouver Sogojeva is one of some 100 female theologians aiming to revive Muslim traditions in Europe's newest country. But in Kosovo, an old Ottoman-era tradition is bucking that trend, with religious authorities seeking to establish the training of women as spiritual teachers in mosques. They teach at three Muslim high schools, at Muslim centres, or they work voluntarily. Although in much of the Muslim world women teach other women, it is more common for that to occur at home or in event halls rather than in the mosques themselves. The move to establish the religious training of women in mosques where women are allocated places in a separate room from the men is seen by some as a way to make Kosovo's approach to Islam more gender-balanced at a time when many in the West view Islam as oppressive toward women. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hashtag istand: But after he was admitted into a hospital in Belleville, Ont, for a suspected cardiac condition on Tuesday, thousands of his fans in the United Kingdom, Canada and across the world began using the hashtag IStand With Harry, according to CTV. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among them. For the past several years, Smith had used his Twitter account to highlight human rights abuses and social issues such as the refugee crisis, poverty and Britain's welfare state by showing parallels from the past. It's wonderful. He said the love his father had inspired is well-deserved and humbled him. It's touching and I'm so moved but I'm not surprised by it, his son, John Smith, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

han chinese: This is a Communist Party showcase for its efforts to tame the Xinjiang region, the heartland of China's often restive Uighur Muslim minority and an unforgiving terrain, according to CTV. The free or low-cost houses are assigned alternately to Uighurs and Han Chinese, who work side-by-side in greenhouses and send their children to school together. A Chinese flag flutters above the settlement, and a billboard at the entrance says, Welcome to the Hotan Unity New Village. It is the future the party envisions for Xinjiang after a massive security crackdown that has sent by some estimates more than a million Muslims to internment camps, and many of their children to orphanages. In their place are colorful murals of what authorities consider to be scenes of unity, such as a Uighur man and his family holding a Chinese flag. But a closer look at what the party calls ethnic unity reveals what isn't there mosques for Muslim worshippers, or traditional Uighur brick homes, often adorned with pointed arches and carved decorations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mexican officials: Those found to lack proper documents may face repatriation to their home countries, according to CTV. The migrants detained on a highway between the Guatemalan border and the southern Mexican city of Tapachula included 186 people from El Salvador, 16 from Guatemala, 10 Honduras and one Nicaraguan. Mexico's National Immigration Institute said 213 migrants were detained and taken to a processing centre. The group set out from El Salvador on Nov. 18 and apparently crossed the river dividing Guatemala and Mexico on Tuesday. The caravans find strength in numbers, and Mexican officials have been loath to confront the first caravans, which numbered between 1,500 and 6,000. That is the same route the three larger caravans took after entering Mexico starting Oct. 19. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parents aren: The Richmond Hospital in British Columbia had the highest volume of babies born to non-resident mothers, according to Toronto Star. Of the top 10 hospitals where such births were recorded, six are in the GTA. DREAMSTIME Statistics Canada has, since 2013, counted 1,561 babies about 312 annually born here to mothers, whose place of residence was listed outside Canada, based on figures from provincial birth registries. Birth tourism in Canada, where women late in pregnancy fly in to deliver their babies here, is controversial because the newborns are automatically Canadian citizens and enjoy full citizenship rights such as free education and lower university fees, even though their foreign parents aren't taxpayers. However, a new study from the Institute for Research on Public Policy published Thursday in Policy Options magazine suggests the number of anchor babies born here every year is likely in the 1,500 to 2,000 range. Article Continued Below The data shows the number of births to non-resident mothers including all provinces but Quebec, which refused to release the data skyrocketed to 3,628 last year from just 1,354 in 2010, said the report by the Montreal-based think tank. The study mined the Canadian Institute for Health Information discharge database, and according to researcher Andrew Griffith, the figures based on hospital financial data that codes services provided to non-residents under other country resident self-pay give a clearer picture of the extent of the problem. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

voters: In the case of Burnaby South, no question about local candidates was asked as Singh is so far the only nominated candidate in the upcoming , according to Rabble. We will be calling all three byelections, all three remaining ones, in January early, early new year for them to all take place in February, said a senior government source today who asked not to be named because the announcement hasn't been made officially. annoucement comes of the heels of a new poll taken by Mainstreet35.9% of decided and leaning voters in Burnaby South said that they would vote Liberal in the upcoming by-election, while 29.3% said that they would vote Conservative. 27.2% said that they would vote NDP. In ridings were parties have not nominated candidates for the next election, respondents were asked about the candidates that were fielded in the previous election. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ontario minister: I don't believe a federal briefing on the work of the task force will be necessary, but thank you for the offer, wrote an official representing Ontario Minister Lisa Mac Leod, declining an offer from a high-ranking federal public servant, according to National Observer. The briefing, offered at least twice in emails sent by a high-ranking federal public servant at the Privy Council Office PCO would have covered the work to date of a key government task force that looks at the influx of people crossing the Canada-U.S. border between ports of entry and claiming asylum. The rejection of the offer was delivered in an email that came from an official speaking on behalf of Ontario Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Lisa Mac Leod, an Ottawa-area MPP. It occurred the first week after Premier Doug Ford's cabinet was sworn into office, and raises fresh questions about whether his government was informed about all the facts before it criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's policies. The Privy Council Office is the central department in Canada's public service that supports the prime minister. MacLeod says services are overwhelmed and the province is owed 200 million. The emails were released to National Observer in response to a request under access to information legislation. ; The Ford government insists Ottawa is not doing enough to ease the burden of these asylum seekers that have crossed the border between checkpoints, where they would have been turned away under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country agreement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

right: Smith's son, who has been issuing regular medical updates to the famed activist's nearly quarter-million Twitter followers, posted Thursday that doctors said his father is very sick but they are beginning to right the ship, according to Vancouver Courier. But even as a tube pumps oxygen into his lungs to fight off pneumonia, Smith's concerns still lie with the disenfranchised, whispering solidarity with the thousands of migrants from Central America heading toward the U.S.-Mexico border, his son said. Online tributes have been pouring in for Smith, a survivor of the Great Depression and veteran of the Second World War, as he receives treatment in an intensive care unit in Belleville after a fall, according to his family.article continues below Trending Stories'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Vancouver can't get enough of otter on the loose in Chinatown garden Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C.VPD officer assaulted during routine traffic stop on Granville Strip VIDEO Notables including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, actress Mia Farrow and British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn are among the supporters extending their digital well wishes, with Twitter users proclaiming IStand With Harry more than 18,000 times since Tuesday. I am the world's oldest rebel, Smith told UNHCR Magazine in October. Smith, who splits his time living between England and Canada, rose to online prominence as a nonagenarian for his progressive polemics rooted in personal strife. I think there are many things we can do if we put our minds to it, and we shouldn't be leaving anyone out. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

services: Ontario was held up as a model for other minority linguistic groups in Canada with its French Language Services Act, an office of francophone affairs and a French language services commissioner to ensure rights are respected a position Chambers would like to see in Quebec, according to Vancouver Courier. But last week Ontario announced it was scrapping the office of the French language services commissioner and cancelling a French-language university planned to open in Toronto in 2020. The head of the Quebec Community Groups Network, which represents more than 50 anglophone groups across the province, said the Ontario moves are a step backwards after years of gains.article continues below Trending Stories'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Vancouver can't get enough of otter on the loose in Chinatown garden Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C.VPD officer assaulted during routine traffic stop on Granville Strip VIDEO Geoffrey Chambers, the network president, said the trend for linguistic minorities in Canada had been to establish new and better services just last year a francophone advisory council was put in place in Alberta, and we got our secretariat in Quebec . The trend line had been good for quite a long time. Meanwhile in New Brunswick, Canada's only officially bilingual province, language tensions have been fuelled by election results that left the balance of power with a party that questions bilingualism. In Quebec, lawmakers like to describe the province's anglophones as among the best-treated minorities on the continent, but Chambers said the notion his community receives special treatment misinterprets the history of its hospitals and universities. Now the trend seems to have reversed a bit, and that's worrying, Chambers said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

statistics canada: The data shows the steady growth in the number of babies born in hospitals to women who are residents of other countries, by absolute numbers and percentage, for all provinces except Quebec, Griffith wrote in an article in Policy Options, published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, according to Vancouver Courier. These births total just over one per cent of all live births in English Canada. Using numbers from the Canadian Institute for Health Information CIHI which captures billing information directly from hospitals, researcher Andrew Griffith found over 3,200 babies were born here to women who weren't Canadian residents in 2016 compared with the 313 babies recorded by Statistics Canada.article continues below Trending Stories'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver Vancouver can't get enough of otter on the loose in Chinatown garden Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C.VPD officer assaulted during routine traffic stop on Granville Strip VIDEO The finding suggests not only that the numbers are higher than previously reported, but that it's a growing trend, Griffith says. A petition tabled recently in the House of Commons by Liberal MP Joe Peschisolido calls on Canada to take stronger measures to end birth tourism, saying it abuses Canada's social-welfare system. While these statistics indicate that this is not a widespread practice, the government of Canada recognizes the need to better understand the extent of this practice as well as its impacts, Hussen said in his response, tabled in Parliament. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen responded by saying his department has commissioned research to get a better picture of the scope of the issue in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lakes state: The highest bidder was a man three times the 17-year-old's age, according to Toronto Star. At least four other men in Eastern Lakes state competed, said Philips Anyang Ngong, a human rights lawyer who tried to stop the bidding last month. It is the largest dowry ever paid in the civil war-torn country, the government said. Among the bidders was the state's deputy governor. An heated online bidding war for a South Sudanese child bride has sparked local and international outrage. South Sudanese flags flutter in Juba in July 2011. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cinder block: Jean Caleb Petit-Frere waits for his mother, Rose Marie Petit-Frere, after shopping at a street market in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, according to Toronto Star. His motorbike was purchased with money his father, Jean Felix Petit-Frere, sent from his job at Butterball. Jean Felix Petit-Frere, a 63-year-old grandfather, has paid for the house's every cinder block, walls that keep his wife of 37 years, two daughters, son-in-law, mother-in-law and granddaughter safe from the chaos and slums that surround them. Petit-Frere is one of the only people in his municipality to wear a helmet on the crowded roads. He lives in North Carolina, working at the world's largest turkey-processing plant, Butterball's facility in the small town of Mount Olive. Dieu Nalio Chery / The Washington Post But Petit-Frere has never set foot in the house. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

teaching: Only a month after arriving in Canada, she started teaching Colombia Folklore dance/Latin dance to a small group of people, and now more than a decade later she is teaching dance to 60 youth, sharing her passion with others, according to CTV. The dance group she runs is called Ritmo Y Caf ' and they perform at festivals across the province. Velasquez who owned a restaurant in Colombia and performed at the venue is now teaching others about their Columbian heritage through dance. Velasquez is one of 14 immigrants being featured as part of the I am London campaign. It's very important for me that the kids, Colombian kids, don't forget their roots because they are Colombian, we are Colombian, they are Colombian. The London and Middlesex Local immigration Partnership's I am London campaign celebrates London's diversity and showcases successful immigrants who are making a difference in the community. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

toronto centre: Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Women's Issues Lisa Mac Leod is embarking on province-wide consultations about how to best support women impacted by violence, according to Toronto Star. Rick Madonik / Toronto Star file photo For her Toronto centre, it meant an additional 159,000 this year, which is much needed to hire full-time staff, said Singh. Deb Singh, of the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape, said Wednesday the government had promised a 33 per cent budget increase for such centres over the next three years, but the money has not yet been released. The Progressive Conservative government could have expedited these funds knowing that survivors have been waiting for months to access services that could be strengthened if this funding had been granted months ago, she said. Article Continued Below Rape crisis centres are funded through the ministry of the attorney general which, like all ministries, is currently examining spending. Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa Mac Leod said Wednesday at Queen's Park that the 11.5 million will be distributed to 400 agencies, including shelters, that fall under her ministry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.