Ontario: Once an economic giant, Ontario now has one of the largest debt-loads of any sub-national government in the world. And on a day-to-day basis for many, Ontario is a province in crisis. Forty per cent of those who suffer food insecurity in Canada live in Ontario. A job in the province no longer protects against poverty a full 10 per cent of those using food banks are gainfully employed. Immigrants, newcomers and other vulnerable groups are over-represented in precarious employment, often working multiple part-time jobs and still not earning enough to make ends meet. Social assistance recipients are living at least 40 per cent below any accepted poverty line , and thousands of people, including many youth, are homeless , living in shelters or on the streets, according to The Star. In her throne speech and in this weeks budget, Premier Kathleen Wynne provided us with a road map for the future that refreshingly acknowledged these challenges. While a number of commentators have focused on the fact that she intends to spend money and lots of it I was struck by something else: three concise sentences expressing her unequivocal belief in the important role for government in improving living conditions for Ontarians and These are tough times in Ontario. These are not the living conditions we expect in one of the most advanced democracies and one of the richest countries in the world. So what is a premier to do? (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Eric Hoskins: I see it as an advantage, Dr. Eric Hoskins said during an interview Friday. It gives me an insight that I think is really valuable, according to The Star. Although Hoskins is not the first doctor to become health minister, the appointment of a physician to the post is rare and one that premiers are reluctant to make for fear of the perception of a conflict and Ontarios new health minister insists the fact he is a physician does not place him in a conflict of interest, a concern many in the sector have quietly expressed. He went to medical school at McMaster University, which he says spearheaded the team-based approach to patient care and taught him the value of working with a group of practitioners including nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Peter Zezel: Zezel was generous with his time, and his love of sports and his community knew no bounds, Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson said before a sign was unveiled officially on the new road between freshly-built townhouses west of Midland Avenue. , according to Hamilton Spectator. Her brothers death in 2009 at age 44 made the moment of the streets dedication bittersweet, she said during the ceremony, but added that, Peter would have loved it. Peter and our family will always appreciate it. Peter Zezel was a great Scarborough son, and a street called Zezel Way will preserve the memory of a man whose talent and zest for life impressed all who knew him, family and friends of the late NHL player heard Friday. Born in Scarborough, Zezel was a direct descendent of the areas founding pioneers David and Mary Thomson, as well as of a Yugoslavian immigrant, Peter Zezel Sr., who could not have imagined, his daughter Neda said, a street bearing his family name. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

national team: The nation known more for shooting pucks than penalty kicks fields a national team that ranks 110th in the world, tied with Bahrain. But its fierce love for the beautiful game has been on display for all the world to see in Brazil. organizers say Canadians bought more than 29,000 tickets to World Cup matches, outranking all other nations that didn't qualify for the Cup and behind only 10 nations that did. , according to Hamilton Spectator. That multi-ethnic society and the national team struggles make it easy for fans of any nation to enjoy the World Cup in Canada. Canada has not sent a team to the World Cup in a generation. But that hasn't stopped Canadians from going a little Cup crazy. Canada was also the top non-competing nation in attendance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, officials say. As a nation of immigrants, it should be no surprise that that Canadians are wild about the Cup. One in every five Canadians is born in another country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration and Refugee Board: Figures provided by the Immigration and Refugee Board to News show 47 claimants from the U.S. have been approved since 2007, even though the U.S. is on a list of "Designated Countries of Origin" that are deemed by Canada to respect human rights and offer state protection and therefore don't produce what Canada would recognize as refugees. , according to CBC. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander has defended the federal government controversial move to cut back refugee health care by insisting taxpayers should not foot the bill for claimants who would eventually be rejected as illegitimate or "bogus." The federal government says refugees from a list of "safe" countries are "bogus" and don't deserve health care, yet hundreds of these claimants have been approved as legitimate refugees, including dozens from the United States. A small number of claimants from other "safe" countries, such as Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden have also been approved joining hundreds more from Mexico, Hungary and countries that have recently been added the DCO list. View the list of Designated Countries of Origin (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

First Nations: Tsilhqot in case Supreme Court expands land-title rights in unanimous ruling, according to Globe and Mail. First Nations Historic land-title ruling creates uncertainty for development, report says Watch Video: Once a thriving fishery town, is Namu, B.C., too contaminated for the Heiltsuk First Nation? Demonstrators took to Vancouver streets Tuesday to rally against the Northern Gateway pipeline, which would carry oil from Alberta to northern B.C. for shipment overseas. Ottawa has given Enbridge conditional approval for the project. CP Video Watch Video: Northern Gateway pipeline opponents vow to keep fighting Watch Video: Northern Gateway pipeline facts and figures First Nations in Northern Ontario have lost a fight to force the provincial government to obtain federal approval before permitting logging on their traditional lands a decision that helps clarify the jurisdiction of the two levels of government over resource extraction in territory covered by treaties. More Related to this Story First Nations B.C. First Nations take action on top courts land-title ruling (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Olivia Chow: The crowd cheered as Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Dong and federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pumped their fists in triumph to mark the Liberal victory in the NDP stronghold recently vacated by mayoral candidate Olivia Chow. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Liberals take two Toronto ridings, Tories hang on to Alberta strongholds Surrounded by a sea of supporters, former Toronto city councillor Adam Vaughan bounded to the stage to celebrate his victory in the Trinity-Spadina federal by-election in June. One of the first people he embraced was a fellow winner: newly minted Trinity-Spadina MPP Han Dong. Long-time NDP MPP Marchese blames loss on strategic voting (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada: Canada is known more for shooting pucks than penalty kicks fields a national team that ranks 110th in the world, tied with Bahrain. But its fierce love for the beautiful game has been on display for all the world to see in Brazil. organizers say Canadians bought more than 29,000 tickets to World Cup matches, outranking all other nations that didn't qualify for the Cup and behind only 10 nations that did, according to CTV. That multi-ethnic society and the national team struggles make it easy for fans of any nation to enjoy the World Cup in Canada and - Canada has not sent a team to the World Cup in a generation. But that hasn't stopped Canadians from going a little Cup crazy. Canada was also the top non-competing nation in attendance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, officials say. As a nation of immigrants, it should be no surprise that that Canadians are wild about the Cup. One in every five Canadians is born in another country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nova Scotia: Lets start at the beginning. Not the beginning beginning like the Big Bang and the dawn of the universe and the unfolding of all of matter but at the beginning of Canada. Or even earlier: Nova Scotia in the early part of the 19th century. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Back then, the Maritimes werent the convivial hotbed of cozy cable-knit sweaters, interesting facial hair, pint-clinking and interminable fiddle music we ve become accustomed to through beer and fish-stick commercials. Like: did you know that 1815 was colloquially referred to as The Year of the Mice ? Its true! Packs of mice decimated crops, arriving in such abundance that their waterlogged corpses were lining the coast. These hardships were rewarded in 1816, called The Year Without Summer which sounds like something out of Game Of Thrones , during which an abiding winter frost proved a significant hassle for agriculturalists who had just spent the last year shooing packs of rodents into the ocean. As one merchant noted, in the years following the War of 1812, an sic universal gloom had settled over the province and This summer, John Semley asks the tough questions of our nation: Are we Canadians really a funny people? And, if so, how did we get that way? Each week, for 10 weeks, he will explore a new facet of our history in humour. For the previous instalment, click here . The front lines of funny: Exploring how Canadians became so hilarious, one book at a time (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mbuyisa Makhubu: Raul Makhubu says these details should be enough proof to identify the mysterious man languishing in immigration detention in Canada for 10 years as his long-lost elder brother, anti-apartheid icon Mbuyisa Makhubu, according to The Star. He divulged all the information about the landscape in our home, how everything stood like in our yard. He knew our parents names. No one knows about my fathers history and what he was called at home. Yet this gentleman in detention in Canada knows all about this. I know he is my brother and A moon-like birth mark on the left chest. The knowledge of the landscape of the family home and location of the coal box in the yard. Information about the year their father left and where he died. This man gave information that only a member of our family can be aware of, Makhubu said in an interview from Johannesburg. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rue Bernard: But Flaneur , a startup literary magazine, went ahead with it, dispatched a team to scour a 1.9-kilometre strip known as Rue Bernard , discover its habits, haunts and its humanity and take from it inspiration for a collection of stories, comics, poems, essays, profiles and photos, according to The Star. Bernard stretches from the wealthy francophone enclave of Outremont in the west where it is officially an avenue to the back alleys that hum with black-hatted Hasidic Jews. It ends up in the east as a plain old rue, or street, in the rundown or reclaimed industrial area known as the Mile End. This in the neighbourhood put on the map a few years ago as Arcade Fires home base and It must have seemed at one point like a ridiculous notion: a Berlin magazine devoting an entire 123-page issue to one street 6,000 kilometres away in Montreal. Making money from the slick finished product, which was released last week, may be another matter. But it has mined a few nuggets of truth about life in Canadas second-largest city. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: Some members of Toronto Latin-American and Caribbean communities say they've been largely left out of preparations for the Games, with only superficial efforts made to include them. Toronto Pan Am Games start 1-year countdown , according to CBC. "There is no buzz in the community, the community is not aware much of the Pan Am Games," said Manuel Rodriguez, president of the Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Hordes of athletes from the Americas and the Caribbean competing in next summer Pan Am and Parapan Games might find themselves without a cheering crowd of local supporters from their home countries, a community leader says. And with only a year to go before the opening ceremony the Games kick off July 10, 2015 they worry there isn't enough being done to drum up enthusiasm for an event that should have thousands rallying behind their compatriots. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Peter Taptuna: All of us agree that the changes are detrimental to our jurisdictions, Dave Hancock said at the end of a brief western premiers conference hosted in Iqaluit, in the eastern Arctic, by Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Earlier PEI, Nova Scotia join Alberta in opposing changes to foreign worker program Western provinces have a genuine, pressing need for skilled labour and the federal governments recent overhaul of its temporary foreign worker program goes too far, the interim Alberta premier said Thursday. Related Manitobas foreign worker strategy called a model for other provinces (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

military procurement: They are chipping away at the prime ministers policies on everything from electoral reform to military procurement. Advocacy groups have raised red flags, the media have highlighted the damage he is doing to peoples lives and communities and the courts have reined him in. But the primary thrust is coming from citizens who dont like what is happening to their country, according to The Star. Alexander immediately announced he would appeal the ruling. Although the fight is not over, the Tories lost the first round badly and It took a while to find the chinks in Stephen Harpers armour. But Canadians have done it now. The latest manifestation was the July 4 Federal Court ruling striking down the governments cutbacks to medical care for refugees. Justice Anne Mactavish said the two-year-old policy shocks the conscience and outrages our standards of decency. She gave Immigration Minister Chris Alexander four months to bring Ottawas treatment of asylum seekers into line with the Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual treatment of any person. The doctors, lawyers and childrens activists who brought the case to court were relieved and heartened. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Idi Amin: If there was a poster child book for the virtues of this complex concept, it could easily be former daily newspaper editor Tasneem Jamals Where the Air is Sweet , a perfect summer read that could tempt even the most stalwart non-fiction devotee back into novel territory. The reader is immediately drawn in with a tense preview of the central conflict that will drive the narrative an Indian family in Uganda, threatened under the dictatorship of the brutal tyrant Idi Amin then further hooked with a lovely story of three generations of this family that emigrated from Gujarat northwest India in 1921, according to The Star. Many considered themselves lucky to get out alive. Others, however, faced with a future as penniless refugees, risked their lives trying to liquidate remaining assets and smuggle some money out of the country. The family in Where the Air is Sweet is one such, taking a risk that might appear unthinkable without the context and history that Jamal draws with the multi-generational tale. Unsurprisingly, after 50 years, the family has come to call Africa home, despite the cultural differences that Raju, the patriarch and central protagonist, struggled with on arrival and In the ongoing debate as to whether or not literary fiction is dead, its champions argue that indulging in fiction is a precious chance to simultaneously immerse ourselves in an alternate reality, engage with another mind, heighten our capacity for empathy and exercise our imagination. All while soaking up the rays on the patio. A passing familiarity with African history is all the spoiler alert we need, since many will already know that, shortly after Amin came to power in 1971, he expelled 80,000 Asians as part of his vision of Africanization. He exploited existing Indophobia and made scapegoats of the Indian and Pakistani communities, initially established before the turn of the 20th century. Amin seized Asians property regardless of their birthplace and citizenship status and gave them 90 days to leave. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

health care: As a family doctor in suburban Ontario, I know that health care for refugees is smart public health policy. Two years ago, my medical colleagues and I were stunned when the federal government implemented dramatic cuts to refugee health care funding. This has made it increasingly difficult for us to provide necessary care to refugees, according to The Star. Cuts to refugee health care are dangerous not only from a public health perspective, but from an economic perspective. Last weeks ruling made this clear by stating that there is no reliable evidence of the extent to which the 2012 changes to the will result in cost savings at the federal level. Moreover it appears that some of the cost of medical services that was previously covered under the has now simply been downloaded to the provinces and Cuts to refugee health care unnecessarily harm the most vulnerable in our society and go against our fundamental values as Canadians. On Friday, the Federal Court of Canada confirmed what both Liberals and health care providers have long been saying that the Conservative governments cuts to refugee health care are cruel and unusual. Refugees have been denied access to essential primary care and to tests that could identify treatable illnesses. Thankfully, many provincial governments have picked up the bill for some refugee health care costs; in provinces that have not, hospitals, clinics and providers have absorbed the costs directly. Many of these costs could have been minimized or entirely avoided through the formerly robust Interim Federal Health Program (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Michael Zekulin: Canadians seem to be shocked that Canadian citizens are fighting for al-Qaeda and its more radical rival offshoot, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. All are Muslims, some are converts, but all were apparently radicalized in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal or another Canadian community. How could this be? How could good Canadians end up serving groups that terrorize civilians and lop off prisoners heads? More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Michael Zekulin Made-in-Canada terror is real - and it s being ignored Historian J.L. Granatstein is a fellow of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. France set to prevent jihadists going to fight or train abroad (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Enriquito Balbin Figueroa: officials said Raquel Obras Figueroa and Enriquito Balbin Figueroa are facing a number of charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, according to CTV. Officials said the workers would enter Canada lawfully, either as visitors, students or workers and would come into contact with the couple as they looked for employment opportunities and Officials with the Canadian Border Services Agency have laid a number of charges against an Edmonton couple, for allegedly helping foreign nationals work in Canada, illegally. Its alleged the couple arranged employment contracts for foreign nationals in Ontario to work illegally in Alberta and British Columbia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

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.