Interim Federal Health Program: Calling foul on Harper refugee health policy Editorial, July 7 , according to Hamilton Spectator. We are appealing the Federal Court decision on our government reforms to the Interim Federal Health Program because it fails Canadian taxpayers and neglects genuine refugees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Obama: Obama spoke in Dallas, Texas after meeting Wednesday with Gov. Rick Perry and other officials about the Central American children entering the country by the thousands. Immigration crisis in the U.S. Obama says 'now is the time' for immigration reform , according to CBC. Obama says the problem is fixable if lawmakers are interested in solving it. He says if the preference is for politics, it won't be solved. U.S. President Barack Obama says Congress has the ability to act immediately to address the wave of unaccompanied children coming over the border from Mexico into the U.S. Obama says Perry raised four areas of concern. Obama says he doesn't have a philosophical objection to anything Perry suggested. He says if Congress passes his emergency $3.7 billion funding request, the government will have resources to take some of the steps Perry recommended. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Margaret Cafley: Margaret Cafley adored her father, questioned her mother, envied her adopted brother, cherished her husband, protected her children and was always authentic to herself. She was well-read, self-taught and had a quick wit. Her exceptional memory did not allow her to forgive easily. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Margaret was the beloved only child of immigrant parents, Annie Robinson from England and Frederick Fargher from the Isle of Man. She grew up in Roseland, near the Humber River in Toronto. Her paternal grandparents followed their son to Canada and built a small farm beside the family home with a goat, ducks and chickens. They made their own cheese and wine, grew apples and plums, and delighted in their garden. When Margaret was 14, her doting father drowned while on a fishing trip. Despite her mothers caring reputation, Margaret was often critical of her and chose to remember her despised sandwiches made with overripe bananas and Story teller, Scrabble champion, avid traveller. Born on July 29, 1917, in Toronto; died on Jan. 12, 2014, in Port Credit, Ont., of natural causes, aged 96. Submit a Lives Lived column (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Australia: Immigration Minister Scott Morrison was speaking in Colombo a day after some of the 37 Sinhalese and four Tamils said they were ill treated by Australian Customs officials at sea. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Human rights Reports of Australia sending Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka draws fire from UN Australia on Wednesday rejected allegations by Sri Lankan asylum seekers returned to the island nation that they were mistreated and said their return sent a strong message to those thinking of following suit. Asylum seekers Australia hands asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, raising concerns for human rights (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Sobeys: The local store closed on Sunday, putting more than 60 people out of work. The Sobeys store in St. Stephen closed on July 5, along with about 50 other locations across the country. Shane Fowler/, according to CBC. "We know for instance there fraudulent activity in the unemployment insurance or the employment insurance program. We know there fraudulent activity in the provincial welfare program, everyone knows this," he said. St. Stephen businesses are holding a job fair Thursday for former Sobeys employees in the southwestern New Brunswick town. David Archambault, president of the St. Stephen Area Chamber of Commerce,s aid a number of Charlotte County businesses are looking for workers, especially in light of changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program . (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Temporary Foreign Worker Program: A year-long investigation, dubbed O-Nanny, began after the found that individuals at Platinum Care, a foreign worker recruitment and placement agency, were using falsified documents to create employment offers for foreign workers. , according to CBC. It is alleged that the accused are responsible for bringing 53 people into Canada under fraudulent means. Five people in the Toronto area have been arrested for an alleged scam in Canada Temporary Foreign Worker Program. N.S. company cleared of abusing Temporary Foreign Worker Program McDonald accused of favouring foreign workers Temporary Foreign Worker Program sanctions target 3 employers The accused were said to steal personal identification information from Canadians and use that information to create fictitious employment offers to foreign workers, allowing them into the country under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Since 2002, the program allows low-skill workers to fill jobs in Canada with offers of employment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

prostitution laws: Theres a reason prostitution is called the oldest profession Ottawa Didnt Seek Outside Legal Opinion July 8 . Peter MacKays attempt to rewrite the prostitution laws is very unlikely to change this. Bill C-36 will neither discourage entry into the profession or limit participation, according to Globe and Mail. Whats needed, as pointed out by the Supreme Court, is the assurance for security of the person protection for sex workers in a profession that invites violence and exploitation and Sex workers safety This bill is, in fact, more likely to place sex workers lives in jeopardy and cost taxpayers millions of dollars in court challenges. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee health care: We have seen a proposed prostitution law carefully crafted to thread its way maybe through perceived loopholes. Now we have a court decision on refugee health care that, if it stands, will doubtless send the lawyers and bureaucrats back to the drawing board to change a hair here, a hair there, to get a bad policy through. , according to Times Colonist. In 2012, the Conservative government reduced or eliminated health-care coverage for many refugee claimants. On Friday, the Federal Court said these changes are unconstitutional. We have reached a strange pass in Canada, when it might be constitutional is becoming a standard defence of government policies. The result is a system of tape-and-chewing-gum fixes to bad laws, which is not a good use of our court system or our Parliament. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Hassan Aden: The 31-year-old Flemington Park resident was one of three people shot outside his low-rise apartment building early Tuesday morning, according to CTV. "It shocking; it really happened within a few minutes that he came out from the house," Hassan uncle, Hassan Aden, said Tuesday outside his family home north of Toronto and In life, he became a teacher, mentor and role model. In death, Abshir Hassan would become Toronto 23rd homicide victim of the year. According to his family and police, it appears Hassan had just run outside to move his car so he wouldn't get a ticket when gunfire erupted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

citizens: But the difference with hockey is that new citizens feel they have to learn about everything from bodychecking to Zambonis just to fit in, according to The Star. Sport can be a unifying force, helping to break the ice between strangers and providing a shortcut to learning about Canadian culture, jargon and humour, according to the reports first-hand accounts from 4,000 new citizens across Canada and When new Canadians come here they often dont know much about hockey and, given how few ice rinks are found in most parts of the world, thats not a surprise. Many of them dont know about football or baseball either. New citizens quickly recognize how difficult social interactions can be without having some hockey sense, states a report released by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship . (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Zabeen Hirji: She had put her finger on one of the biggest challenges facing this city: moving from diversity to inclusion, according to The Star. Speaking at the annual meeting of the United Way of Toronto, Hirji was careful not to offend the business leaders in the room. Eighty per cent of the charitys funds come from the corporate sector in direct donations and employee payroll contributions . But she made it clear that diversity which Toronto has in abundance is simply a description of the citys talent pool. Inclusion is the act of tapping into the whole pool not just the top layer and mixing people from disparate cultures, backgrounds and generations together in a way that allows them to combine their strengths and Having diversity is interesting, said Zabeen Hirji , chief human resources officer for the Royal Bank non-commitally. Its when you do something with it that it becomes powerful. As a woman, an Ismaili Muslim and an immigrant from Tanzania, Hirji is acutely aware of the difference. Many Torontonians are not. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Paul Maranger: The biggest jump, surprisingly enough, was in the sale of $1 million-plus condos which skyrocketed by 53 per cent to the end of June over the same period of 2013 gains beyond those seen in Vancouver, Calgary or Montreal, notes the Top-Tier Real Estate Report released Tuesday, according to The Star. Sothebys realtor Paul Maranger said hes seen a surge just since this years brutal winter in baby boomers looking for spacious but low-maintenance luxury condos, ideally with two parking spots, which can be tougher to find and The GTA high-end real estate market is roaring along, with sales of properties over $1 million up 34 per cent in the first half of 2014 over a year earlier, matching gains in the countrys priciest market, Vancouver, according to a new report by Sothebys International. Despite fears of oversupply , demand for luxury condominiums remained high, says the twice yearly state of the high-end market report by the high-end real estate company. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Sotheby International Realty Canada: The realtor says in a new report that sales of homes worth more than $1 million boomed in the first half of 2014, with all four key metropolitan areas covered -- Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal -- recording double-digit gains, according to CTV. That was followed by Calgary with a 17 per cent increase and Montreal with an 11 per cent gain, even though Quebec largest city posted an overall decline in sales in 2013 and - Canada housing market may be cooling, but there no loss of appetite for high-end real estate, according to Sotheby International Realty Canada. Vancouver and Toronto continue to lead the way with sales of homes worth $1 million or more increasing 34 per cent compared with the first six months of 2013. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Abdoul Kadir Abdi: A 20-year-old Dartmouth man has been sentenced to 4 years in prison for what the judge called a vicious attack on an unarmed man last December, according to The Chronicle Herald. Abdi, who came to Canada from war-torn Somalia at the age of six, entered the guilty pleas rather than stand trial on 23 charges, including attempted murder and Abdoul Kadir Abdi pleaded guilty Monday in Halifax provincial court to four charges aggravated assault, theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving and assaulting a police officer with a vehicle. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay: It was hardly a model example of how to negotiate a deal, according to The Chronicle Herald. The leap of faith into a new deal, signed last week by federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay and Labour Minister Kelly Regan, came after months of finagling between the two levels of governments and But in the end, the new Canada-Nova Scotia Job Fund Agreement is a bit like the labour market: Whether you are an employer or a worker, you never know exactly what you re going to get. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Day: Canada Day, July 1, according to The Star. Its past the time to aspire to greater things. Our leaders have demonstrated their inability to provide what Canada needs most: visionary leadership, devoid of Houses of government with no respect, little civility, promises driven by power and partisanship at the expense of Canadians and Re: Canada Day, July 1 Your guest editor raised from its ongoing, daily mire of the various three-ring circuses that disguise themselves as our political infrastructure city, provincial and federal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Lee Cohen: Its going to completely change the ability of people claiming refugee status in New Brunswick to look after their health, said Lee Cohen, an immigration lawyer and the founder of the Halifax Refugee Clinic. Lee Cohen, an immigration lawyer, applauded a federal court ruling against federal cuts to refugee health-care funds, according to CBC. The federal court has seen the light and decided that oppressive government must be precluded from acting oppressively when peoples healthcare is at risk, Cohen said. Newcomers to New Brunswick could greatly benefit from a federal court ruling against Ottawas cuts to refugee health care, according to refugee advocate groups in Atlantic Canada. On Friday, a federal court threatened to strike down the governments cuts to refugee health care. The court ordered the government to reverse its cuts within four months. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Amandeep Dhillon: The sandals are three sizes too small, the truck is missing two wheels and the books are in tatters, according to The Star. The sandals, the truck, the books they all came from Toronto, with handwritten notes from his mother. Sometimes, she even slipped in a $10 bill or a photograph. They were among the last things Amandeep Dhillon sent for Manmohan, her only child, before she was stabbed to death in 2009 and From deep in a closet, Manmohan Dhillon fishes out a pair of blue sandals. Then, he takes out a toy fire truck, an alphabet book and a picture book. But Manmohan, 7, wont let go of them, says Kulwant Benipal, his maternal grandmother. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson: But Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson basically acknowledged Sunday that such proceedings might be long delayed, and he said that coping with floods of unaccompanied minors crossing the border is a legal and humanitarian dilemma for the U.S, according to Times Colonist. Repeatedly pressed to say whether thousands of Central American children will be deported promptly, Johnson said, "we need to find more efficient, effective ways to turn this tide around generally, and we've already begun to do that." A top Obama administration official says no one, not even children trying to escape violent countries, can illegally enter the United States without eventually facing deportation proceedings. "Our border is not open to illegal migration, and we are taking a number of steps to address it, including turning people around faster," Johnson told NBC "Meet the Press." At the same time, he said, the administration is "looking at ways to create additional options for dealing with the children in particular, consistent with our laws and our values." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

James Rodriguez: Ultimately all of the others were mere pretenders. Colombia and its brilliant youngster James Rodriguez, Belgium and its Golden Generation, France and its refocused freshness and plucky Costa Rica, reaching far beyond its own wildest dream. They, and 24 other nations, are left to ponder what went wrong. , according to CBC. What we, as fans, take away when our emotions are exhausted, somewhat depends on our entry point. Canada had 32 teams to cheer for We finally sorted the men from the boys. It has taken three and a half weeks and 60 games to reveal what we knew all along. It is South America vs. Europe for the championship. In the final analysis only one team can ever leave a World Cup truly satisfied. That team will hoist the trophy in a weeks time after successfully negotiating the seven steps to glory. Everyone else will have played a major or minor supporting role but for them the lingering question remains what if? (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mandatory sentencing: This is a government determined to bring its brand of law and order to this country, whether it is cracking down on bogus refugee claimants, giving police more surveillance powers, bringing in mandatory sentencing, ending early parole or always going the extra mile to bring down the hammer in the name of victims rights, according to The Star. But it is hard to imagine that many of Prime Minister Stephen Harpers initiatives, no matter how mean-spirited they may appear, do not appeal to at least a Conservative core and perhaps more than just that zealously guarded core and For the federal Conservatives, the temptation to campaign against the courts in next years federal election must be overwhelming. In most cases, that agenda has crashed on the rocks of judicial challenges. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

foreign workers: The formula has served us well by minimizing the us vs. them undercurrent that charges relations between new arrivals and the rest of society. In our native and adopted land, the old and the new are in it together, according to The Star. We were never like the oil-rich Persian Gulf nations that allow employers to import temporary foreign workers, but not their families, pay dirt-poor wages and hold them hostage as indentured labour tethered to their master and It hit me on Canada Day that even the name, temporary foreign worker program, is un-Canadian. Temporary and foreign are the antithesis of long-standing Canadian immigration policy, the bedrock principle of which is that immigrants are selected to be permanent residents and future fellow-citizens. Canada studiously avoided Europes guest worker program, under which hundreds of thousands were imported in the expectation that they d leave at the end of their work. Few did, creating a permanent underclass in Germany, France and elsewhere and all the resentments that go with it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Zarqa Nawaz: The conversation with Nawaz has been edited for length, according to The Star. Why was it necessary to put this in your foreword and Zarqa Nawaz went to journalism school and then realized that telling factual stories really wasnt her thing. She wanted to have fun and so she began writing comedy, first for films and then with a lauded television series, Little Mosque on the Prairie, which aired on CBC until 2012 . Nawaz has just finished a memoir, Laughing All the Way to the Mosque , which is as hilarious as her television show. It is so funny I had to share bits of the book with friends and my husband. She shows us Muslims are just like everyone else, funny and often carefree. You offer an apology to your Muslim readers at the beginning of your book: . . . dont think I ve forgotten you. First, stop sulking. This book could have had confessions about drug problems, strange sexual fetishes and criminal activity basically the stuff of white-people memoirs . . . There are no confessions of having sex while swinging from a chandelier . . . So you dont have to be scared of this book. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Karl Marx Street: Traffic hums as usual down Karl Marx Street, the main thoroughfare lined with cafes serving cappuccinos and macarons and boutiques selling Italian clothing, according to The Star. Dnipropetrovsk is a firewall of pro-government sentiment in a restive region, and local officials aim to keep it that way and The battlefields of eastern Ukraine are barely 160 kilometres from this city, but there is no visible sign of the militant separatism that has roiled neighbouring regions. The colours of the Ukrainian flag are on display as blue and yellow bunting is wrapped around a fence encircling the main government building. The flag itself is on conspicuous display from cars, balconies and rooftops. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Waubgeshig Rice Theytus Books: 1. Legacy by Waubgeshig Rice Theytus Books , according to CBC. Set in the 1990s, Legacy deals with violence against a young indigenous woman and its lingering after-shocks on an Anishnawbe family in Ontario. If you are looking for summer reading suggestions, you are in luck. Check out 10 new releases by indigenous authors from fiction to non-fiction, poetic prose, science, politics, romance and traditional stories brought to you by the editors of Muskrat Magazine. Legacy is the first novel by Waubgeshig Rice, whose collection of stories Midnight Sweatlodge was the gold-medal winner of the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2012 for Adult Multicultural Fiction. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee claimants: In a surprisingly strongly worded statement Friday, the federal court ruled Ottawas cutbacks to health-care coverage for refugee claimants are unconstitutional because they constitute cruel and unusual treatment, according to The Star. We remain committed to putting the interests of Canadians and genuine refugees first, he said in a statement and The Federal Court decision to strike down Ottawas cutbacks to health-care coverage for refugee claimants is just the beginning of what could be a long judicial battle. The decision was quickly lauded by many, including the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and Justice for Children and Youth groups that, along with two refugee claimants, challenged the law. But within hours Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said Ottawa would be appealing the decision. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.