immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

feature-laden competitors: Roads are now detector-confusing thickets of radar signals, according to Rabble. Modern sedans and crossovers blast out radio waves, which serve as eyes for a glut of crash-avoidance systems. In the nearly 30 years since the device launched, the market has grown dense with cheaper, more feature-laden competitors. For sports-car drivers all over the United States, Valentine's little black box was once the benchmark against which all newcomers were measured. The Valentine One, Generation Two, or V1G2, is the culmination of a lifetime spent on a very specific pursuit. Can a new-generation device, packed with hyper-sensitive scanners and advanced software, put Valentine back on top This story originally appeared in the June 2020 issue of Road & Track. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

customer reviewers: Customer reviewers on Skytrax cited YVR's friendly staff, high level of organization, and easy access to downtown Vancouver as some of the best things about the airport, according to Georgia Asian. Vancouver International also boasts a floatplane terminal, as well as a sizable collection of art from the Pacific Northwest. According to Business Insider magazine online, YVR, with 19.5 million passengers latest figures available has good reason to have been selected tops in North America once more Vancouver tops this list for the seventh year in a row, and for good reason. The annual North America list compiled by international air-transport research company Skytrax is contained in its comprehensive World Airport Awards, sometimes referred to as the Passenger's Choice Awards. These awards showcase results gleaned from Skytrax's yearly World Airline Survey and World Airport Survey, which for 2016 covered 550 airports worldwide and attracted 13. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

detainees home: One of those children is a five-year-old orphan known as Amira who was found on the side of a road last year after her parents and siblings were killed in an airstrike and whose case has been raised with the federal Liberal government in the past, according to CTV. The government of Canada is flouting its international human rights obligations toward Canadians who are arbitrarily detained in northeast Syria, reads the 92-page report, which included interviews with detainees, families and Canadian and foreign officials. The accusation by New York-based Human Rights Watch is contained in a scathing report released Monday that calls on Ottawa to immediately begin bringing the detainees home -- starting with the 26 Canadian children known to be in the camps. The obligations that Canada has breached include taking necessary and reasonable steps to assist nationals abroad facing serious abuses including risks to life, torture, and inhuman and degrading treatment. Children were seen drinking worm-infested water while morality police hunted women who criticized ISIL. The Human Rights Watch report is the latest to take aim at the federal government when it comes to Canadians detained in northeastern Syria following the collapse of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. It went on to paint a disturbing picture of conditions in the camps, with food and clean water in short supply while disease and violence are rife. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

health care: As an immigrant to Canada from her home country of Uganda, Lakhani's family was expelled in 1972, according to a biography on the Government of Canada website, according to CTV. After moving to Edmonton, Lakhani took on a mentorship role with young students who did not speak English as their first language. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Salma Lakhani as Alberta's 19th lieutenant governor Tuesday. She's also done work to advance women's rights, health care, education and championed new immigrants, the government said in a statement. Lakhani was one of the first mentors of a program that provided guidance to ESL students at Nor Quest College in Edmonton. As Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, I know she will serve the people of her province and our country well, and continue to be a source of inspiration for all Canadians, said Trudeau. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nations leaders: The warning signs should have flashed red across the federal government that this request would likely result in the seizure of Canadians in China, according to National Observer. Taking Canadians hostage worked for China the last time More than anything, Canada needed to buy time. To be carried out the very next morning, when her flight from Hong Kong landed in Vancouver. What people are readingB.C. First Nations leaders want immediate end to open-net salmon farms Shifting to electric vehicles requires economic incentives, just ask Norway Sunshine Coast community members raise concerns over logging Because taking two Canadian civilians hostage is exactly what China did the last time we detained a politically sensitive Chinese citizen on a U.S. warrant, in 2014. Canadian hostages for each Chinese national arrest. Beijing's political calculus is pretty clear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pirate movie: It pits Evangelos Marinakis, one of Greece's most powerful businessmen and owner of its most successful soccer club, Olympiakos, against a fellow shipping magnate from Venezuela, Wilmer Ruperti, who has a long history of helping the country's socialist leaders, according to CTV. Round one appears to have favoured Marinakis, whose Piraeus-based Capital Ship Management Corp, operates the Alkimos. The commercial dispute, which hasn't been previously reported, has all the drama of a pirate movie a precious cargo, clandestine sea manoeuvrs and accusations of a high seas heist. On Wednesday, federal marshals in Houston are scheduled to auction off the ship's' cargo 100,266 barrels of high octane gasoline estimated to be worth more than 5 million. This clearly demonstrates that sanctions work, said Russ Dallen, who closely monitors maritime traffic as the head of Miami-based Caracas Capital Markets. The auction is in response to Judge Lynn Hughes' order seizing the cargo, which he said would've likely ended up in Venezuela, while arbitration over a 1.7 million lien continues. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee camps: The event was organized by Heart to Heart International along with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees, according to NOW Magazine. The volunteers put together 7,5000 hygiene kits which contained toothpaste, nail clippers, soap, hand towels, condoms, washable menstrual pads and other personal hygiene products to send to refugee camps in Turkey. At the historic 69th Regiment Armory in lower Manhattan, Muslim, Sikhs, Jews, Buddhists, Christians and Hindus volunteered to help pack care packages for Syrian refugees on June 26. The products were donated by the New York company Henry Schein. According to the Pew Research Center's latest annual study on global restrictions on religion, 24 percent of the 198 countries included in the study had high or very high levels of government restrictions in 2014, which is down from 28 percent in 2013. More Content NowSURVEY SAYSFor the second consecutive year, countries with both government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion decreased. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

salmon farms: Sea lice from open-net fish farms are contributing to the massive decline in wild salmon stocks, the First Nations Leadership Council stated Thursday, according to National Observer. Terry Teegee, Regional Chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, along with other FNLC leaders says sea lice from salmon farms is contributing to the collapse of wild salmon. And on Monday, NDP critic for Fisheries and Oceans Gord Johns also demanded the federal government fulfil its promise to transition to closed containment aquaculture made during the last election. Photo courtesy BCAFN. The federal and provincial governments have been taking a piecemeal approach to this problem, with long timeframes for transition to closed containment pens, and only in a few places, said Terry Teegee, regional Chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations. Reports published by international aquaculture companies Mowi, Cermaq and Grieg, suggest 35 per cent of salmon farms along the B.C. coast exceeded federal sea lice limits, FNLC stated. What people are readingU.S. strong-armed Canada into calamitous Meng strategy Shifting to electric vehicles requires economic incentives, just ask Norway Sunshine Coast community members raise concerns over logging We need to end salmon farming in our open oceans now to protect both wild salmon and Indigenous ways of being from extinction. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wellness checks: On June 19, 2020, CTV released an analysis of the last 100 people shot and killed by police, according to Rabble. Unsurprisingly for many of us, a disproportionate number of people killed were young men who were visible minorities, predominantly Black and policing impacts every province in Canada and has resulted in death and injury and long term physical and emotional trauma which communities are fighting to address. Five of the people listed above were killed after the police were called in for wellness checks by family or friends. Black Lives Matter is calling for the defunding and disarming of police and this applies to Canada as much as the United States. According to her interview, the demands focus on two areas, police accountability and defunding the police and re-allocating the funding. In an interview, Sandy Hudson, co-founder of Black Lives Matter in Canada, lays out the demands of the movement across Canada and the unique challenges we face in this country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

belgian fries: But it is also and rightly so known for its fries, according to Georgia Asian. Thus a cultural mashup that blends Belgium's crispy national dish with Canada's penchant for cheese curds and oozing gravy is a match made in coronary-inducing heaven. Belgian Fries, 1885 Commercial Drive Belgium is known for Tin Tin, fruity beers, chocolate, and delicious waffles. Head to this vast Drive institution for a heaping, budget-friendly plate of double-fried frites doused with real chewy curds and dark, tasty gravy, best enjoyed at this time of year out on the patio, and washed down with an icy-cold Stella Artois for the full country-colliding experience. We like them straight up, but for a true gut-expanding delight, opt for the Montreal smoked-beef poutine, a meaty mountain of steaming goodness; you'll probably want to share the guilt on this one. Note there are veggie options too. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leadership race: Don't forget us, yelled one woman, according to National Observer. I could never forget the people, Ford yelled back. When Ford, visibly hot in suit and tie, waded into a dressed up crowd after officially becoming the 26th premier of Ontario, wellwishers asked him to remember the disabled, to do something about condo prices, to work hard and fight for them. Premier Doug Ford, wearing a sweat-ridden jacket, met the people after being sworn in at Queen's Park, promising to never forget them. He unveiled a cabinet of 13 men and seven women, appointing his rivals in the leadership race to top jobs, along with other familiar faces from the business world and politics. Fatima Syed fatimabsyed June 29, 2018Mulroney, Elliott and Phillips in cabinet What people are readingU.S. strong-armed Canada into calamitous Meng strategyB.C. First Nations leaders want immediate end to open-net salmon farms Shifting to electric vehicles requires economic incentives, just ask Norway In a speech on the footsteps of the legislative assembly, he mentioned the people fifteen times after swearing his oath of office twice. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

road network: The federal agency has crunched the numbers and has compiled a list of reasons to be proud of Canada. 1, according to CTV. Approximately 9,976,182 square kilometres make up our vast nation, affectionately known as the Great White North, the second-largest country in the world. Sure, they may prompt a cheap laugh or two, but when it comes to over-generalized beliefs about Canadians, many of them appear to hold true, according to Statistics Canada. Russia is the largest, with 17.1 million square kilometres of land. 2. Road trip anyone 3. Canada's road network is so long it could circle the Earth's equator more than 19 times. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

orwellian surveillance: The source material, of course, is Roald Dahl's beloved 1982 children's book, according to Georgia Asian. It remains the tale of a young orphan named Sophie here played by newcomer Ruby Barnhill whisked out of isolation when she happens to spot an extremely tall creature traipsing around London. Rated PG. In The BFG, director Steven Spielberg and late screenwriter Melissa Mathison attempt to re-create the multigenerational magic they achieved together in E.T. The results, while pleasant enough for wee ones, fall short of that goal. It must be the 1980s, because there's little hint of the Orwellian surveillance now everywhere in the U.K. The tall guy, played by Bridge of Spies' Mark Rylance with giant ears and a lot of computer enhancement, couldn't survive unseen today. The movie certainly underplays the creepier aspects of this scenario, making it clear that the mismatched two are extremely lonely. But back then it might have seemed prudent to kidnap Sophie and Brexit her to his faraway lair. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

province: But we are also at a crossroads in terms of our ecological future, according to National Observer. Do we continue to be a province which wholeheartedly supports the extraction and export of fossil fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas Or do we openly seek a more sustainable and healthier future There are two main industrial proposals presently on the table that will shape our future as a province. As the BC NDP and BC Green parties assume power in the legislature, the province is poised to take on a wholly new political direction, armed with its first minority government in 64 years. These are the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion already approved by the federal and the outgoing B.C. Liberal government and the proposed massive expansion of the liquified natural gas industry LNG in northeastern B.C., and the hydraulic racking that comes with it. File photo by The Canadian Press, The Associated PressA big fracking problem If the Kinder Morgan pipeline proceeds, then as a society, we say yes to the mining and export of some of the most climate-polluting, emissions-heavy oil in the world. Workers tend to a well head at an Encana fracking gas well in western Colorado on March 29, 2013. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rights tribunal: The complaint was filed by six members of the Lake Babine Nation in northern B.C. They are Cathy Woodgate, Richard Perry, Dorothy Williams, Ann Tom, Maurice Joseph, and Emma Williams.A media release Monday June 29 by Dorothy Williams, hereditary chief Ronnie West, and counsel Karen Bellenhumeur recalls that the complaint was accepted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in January 2017, according to Georgia Asian. The release notes that following an investigation, the commission requested that the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal hold a hearing. The Mounties' probe found no wrongdoing after several Indigenous residents in the Burns Lake area swore affidavits alleging they experienced or witnessed mistreatment by Furlong while he was working at a missionary school in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The date of the hearing has yet to be determined. The release likewise states that the six complainants have filed a statement of particulars before the tribunal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

world champion: The six-time world champion began by writing, Damn, I just don't even know where to start with this one, according to CTV. Hamilton later called Ecclestone's comments both ignorant and uneducated. Hamilton -- the lone Black driver in Formula 1 -- took to Instagram to reply to the comments made by the 89-year-old billionaire to CNN Sport on Friday. Ecclestone ran Formula 1 for roughly 40 years before being replaced as chief executive in 2017. It makes complete sense to me now that nothing was said or done to make our sport more diverse or to address the racial abuse I received throughout my career. Bernie is out of the sport and a different generation but this is exactly what is wrong -- ignorant and uneducated comments which show us how far we as a society need to go before real equality can happen, Hamilton wrote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

brunswick: This article is about a recent event in Eastern Canada, but it should ring a cautionary bell for all Canadians since we will all soon be facing a similar issue, according to Rabble. New Brunswick's Education Minister Dominic Cardy is fuming because an amendment to provincial legislation that he championed was recently defeated in a free vote. The column below reflects the views of its author, but not necessarily that of the WS Editorial Board. Had it been successful, the amendment would have made numerous vaccinations mandatory for school children in New Brunswick, removing an exemption that previously existed for students whose parents filed a written objection. Cardy, There are no two sides to the debate around the safety of vaccines. According to Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cotroneo: It was meant to be a one-time event for the Manitoba centennial, says Folkorama executive director Teresa Cotroneo, according to CTV. It was so popular that here we are 50 years later. With just over a month before it begins, preparations are in full swing for its 50th year. In celebration of the event, there will be an honorary street naming and a flag raising at city hall. So guests can see how each community has changed throughout the years, she says. Cotroneo says they've also encouraged pavilions to incorporate a retrospective of their past involvement in the festival. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

racialized members: We have noticed that our Brotherhood does not have the same read on reality as its racialized members, the officers wrote in their letter dated Wednesday, which was the Fete nationale statutory holiday in Quebec, according to CTV. While the officers wrote that they agree with Francoeur's assertion that there may not be direct parallels between the death of George Floyd and the state of policing in Montreal, they assert that racism has not spared the SPVM. Floyd was a Black man killed by a white police officer last month in Minneapolis, sparking widespread protests against police brutality and racial profiling. The letter signed by nine racialized officers of the Service de police de la Ville de Montreal SPVM - seven men and two women - calls out Yves Francoeur for comments the union head made in interviews earlier this month in Le Journal de Montreal and on Paul Arcand's morning radio show on 98.5 FM. In their letter, the subject line of which is Consternation at your media statements regarding systemic racism and racial profiling, the officers wrote that they were surprised to hear Francoeur say he doesn't believe either exists within the ranks of the SPVM - especially since the force itself recently acknowledged the existence of systemic racism. It may be committed by a minority, but it discredits the entire organization, they said in their letter. In a response to the officers dated two days later, Francoeur still would not acknowledge that there is systemic racism within the SPVM. He said that while he and the Brotherhood recognize that there are people within the department who hold racist attitudes, his public comments were intended to defend the vast majority of Montreal police employees, who Franceour said are not racist. The officers are asking Francoeur to recognize that such problems exist within the force, saying that is the first step toward finding solutions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trudeau: COVID-19 has changed the lives of people everywhere, and it has highlighted inequalities around the world, Trudeau said, according to CTV. None of us have been spared from the effects of COVID-19 and none of us can beat it alone. Trudeau announced the new funds in another virtual international fundraiser -- this one sponsored by an organization, Global Citizen, that raised almost 9.5 billion in pledges. Canada's contribution includes 180 million to address the immediate humanitarian and development impacts of the pandemic and 120 million towards a new initiative called the Access to COVID-19 Tools ACT Accelerator. It supports organizations, health professionals and businesses in their efforts to develop a vaccine, as well as drug therapies and diagnostic tools to battle the pandemic. The ACT Accelerator was created in April by the World Health Organization, the French government, the European Commission and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to ensure equitable access to medical treatments. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

british way: Disappointment and shock at the outcome, especially among young Britons, has already generated a petition seeking to redress the outcome of the Brexit referendum; it has garnered 1.7 million signatures in almost no time at all, according to National Observer. Brexit - young Remain voters watching outcome. But in a characteristically British way, it has come into clear view not as a result of street protests or flagrant civil disobedience, but as the outcome of an orderly vote. CBC photo The outcome of the Brexit vote in Great Britain, a slim 2% win for the side that wants to leave the European Union, has stimulated an outpouring of sentiment and angst not seen since the global economic collapse of 2008. What people are reading How Canada tries to hide its racism by pointing a finger at the U.S. Federal government network outage hits Canadian pandemic research funding Saskatchewan's First Nations, M tis and Northern Affairs minister denies flunking file The distinction in age between those who wished to remain in the EU, and those who wished to depart, could not be more obvious. And that sentiment is sharply divided between young people looking to the future, and old people looking backwards to the past. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

crime incidents: Unfortunately, hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation are primarily violent, with the largest group of victims being male, according to Georgia Asian. Also, black Canadians remain the most targeted racial group for hate crimes. The good news is that violent hate crimes against specific groups are decreasing. While hate crimes represented only a very small percentage of all police-reported crime in Canada, police reported 1,414 hate-motivated criminal incidents in 2012. Although hate crime incidents related to sexual orientation were the smallest of the three most reported hate crimes, they were also the most violent, with 67 percent being violent offences. According to Statistics Canada, the majority of all hate crimes 704 incidents, or 52 percent were racially or ethnically motivated hatred while 419 incidents 30 percent were religious-related hate crimes and 185 incidents 13 percent were motivated by hatred of sexual orientation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

election night: The separatist movement saw new life breathed into it on election night 2019, with the Liberal win tapping into anger and frustration among voters who felt they've been short-changed by the federal government, according to CTV. Wexit began trending on Twitter in Canada in the early morning hours after the election results came in. The Wexit party's view is that Confederation isn't working for Western Canada, specifically Alberta and Saskatchewan, and that it's time to split off from the rest of the country. In an interview on CTV's Question Period, host Evan Solomon asked Hill who served as a Conservative MP for 17 years and was the house leader and government whip under former prime minister Stephen Harper when he came to the conclusion that it was time for Western Canada to go it alone. But when Justin Trudeau was elected, largely because of the Maritimes and Quebec and Ontario it was very clear then that the West is once again completely out of step with central Canada. I think the deal breaker was the re-election of Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government last October, but I've been speaking out on independence for Western Canada, writing newspaper columns over the last two years now, and I was clearly leaning that way, I was trying to lead some, or at least prompt some discussion on the subject, Hill said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

place: Canada Day at Canada Place is a popular event, according to Georgia Asian. Canada Place Canada Day at Canada Place, 999 Canada Place Presented by the Port of Vancouver, this iconic and popular event is the biggest Canada Day celebration outside of Ottawa. Here are five events to check out around town on our country's 149th birthday. Expect a full day of fun festivities 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. suitable for the entire brood. As for the grand finale, a fireworks show will take place at 10 30 p.m. at the Burrard Inlet to cap off the country's 149th birthday. Highlights include musical performances, a citizenship ceremony, multicultural talent performances, an Expo '86 pavilion, street hockey, the evening Canada Day parade 7 00 p.m. and much more. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

multicultural metropolis: Before that they were in Mumbai, India, according to CTV. But wherever they lived, Doris and Gabriel Chordekar didn't feel safe raising their two daughters. Eight years ago they were living in Tel Aviv, Israel. That's why they came to Canada. However, a job opportunity soon lured them further west, to the rural community of Port Stanley, on the shores of Lake Erie. The Chordekars immigrated here in 1999, fulling intending to lay down roots in the multicultural metropolis of Toronto. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

theater: The first performance will be staged at 7 p.m, according to NOW Magazine. Friday, June 28, and the final two start at 3 and 7 p.m. The two-week camp started June 17 and ends with three public performances of the show. Saturday, June 29. This is not the first time the theater has hosted youth drama camps before, but it had been several years. All three shows will be held at the Little Theater, located on 238 S. Clay St. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.