permanent resident: He was also sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to submit a DNA sample, according to CTV. Frater launched the appeal after receiving a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada that said he was potentially inadmissible as a permanent resident because he had been convicted of an offence with a jail sentence of more than six months. Court documents show Nigel Frater pleaded guilty last year to assault and two counts of breach of probation and was sentenced to six months in jail, which he had already served while awaiting trial. The three-judge appeal panel says it wasn't known at the time of sentencing that the penalty imposed would have a "potentially devastating immigration consequence" for Frater, a Jamaican citizen and permanent resident of Canada. They say prosecutors did not object to the request, and found the revised sentence to be "within the acceptable range for this offence and offender." Court documents show Frater, 53, immigrated to Canada in 1989 and has lived here ever since. As a result, the judges have agreed to reduce his sentence to six months less a day. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Welcome Fund for Syrian Refugees: Andrew Chunilall, chief operating officer of Community Foundations of Canada, a national network of 191 community foundations, said the funds will help 1,800 government-sponsored Syrian refugees stay in permanent housing and will bridge the gap between the amount they receive from the federal government for rent and the actual cost of a rental unit in Toronto. "Although people are in permanent housing, they need money to stay on it," he said, according to CBC. He said the money will help Syrian refugees already in Toronto for a period of six to 12 months. The money is coming from what is called the Welcome Fund for Syrian Refugees, established by Manulife, CN and General Motors to help the 25,000 government-sponsored Syrian refugees who have come to Canada. Young Syrian refugees sing O Canada at an event in Toronto on May 22, 2016. Calla said COSTI Immigrant Services, which has resettled 1,800 government-sponsored Syrian refugees in Toronto since last December, expects another 1,100 in the city by the end of the year. Mario Calla, executive director of COSTI Immigrant Services, said the new pilot program will identify "new rent-reduced units" for Syrian refugees. "The most difficult part of resettlement has been finding suitable accommodation," Calla said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Cape Breton: The financial impact for the island and its many tourism operators won't be known for several months, but signs are pointing to a record season, according to The Chronicle Herald. When the year-end financials are eventually calculated, much of the credit will be given to one fateful day in February. Yet as a new tourism season begins, Trump is on top and the Destination Cape Breton website is seeing unprecedented traffic. It was Family Day at about 9:30 at night and I did what I wasn't supposed to be doing, I sat down to check my email and log into Facebook, said Mary Tulle, CEO of Destination Cape Breton. I was really impressed with how our story had been told and I sent it to my marketing team right away. I saw article about a 'Cape Breton If Trump Wins' website. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: By Murray Whyte Visual arts Tues., May 24, 2016 The big, dense, more-than-slightly ominous works by the British painter Hurvin Anderson will take you by surprise and not just because you likely don't know his name, according to Toronto Star. The surprise comes not just in novelty. Hurvin Anderson, Beaded Curtain – Red Apples, 2010 94 1⁄2 x 59 in. At the Art Gallery of Ontario, where Backdrop, an exhibition of Anderson works, opens Saturday, great big canvases toggle back and forth between the dense, organic rot of overgrown flora and rigid structures that contain them. Look more closely, though, and the specific can be divined. If Anderson trying to say something about our modern impulse to control nature with the mechanical means our great big brains produce, mission accomplished. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Morris: Canadian Border Services Agency says Morris made job offers between 2007 and 2010 to three people in the Philippines to induce them to come to Canada to work for her company, according to CTV. CBSA says Morris, who is 46, did not pay the wages promised, or the required amount of overtime pay stipulated in the contracts, and did not employ the workers in the positions approved in the contracts. Jennilyn Morris was also ordered to pay $22,000 in restitution to 13 of those workers. It says she also employed at least 68 foreign nationals between 2006 and 2010 who were not authorized to work in Canada. Morris was charged in June 2014. "The CBSA takes violations of Canada immigration laws, including fraud, very seriously and works to identify, investigate, and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who violate our immigration laws. The CBSA executed two search warrants in April 2011 and seized over 12,000 evidentiary documents relevant to the investigation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Sen Bob Kerrey: Kerry, McCain and former Sen, according to Metro News. Bob Kerrey all served in the Vietnam War. John McCain say President Barack Obama visit to Vietnam proves that old enemies can become new partners. They say in a joint op-ed that there are few easy answers about what lessons were learned from the war. They say U.S. leaders must be honest about the goals when deploying troops. The three veterans say the U.S. must never again confuse a war with its warriors. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Liberal government: In a major setback to a Liberal government still refusing to repeal the repressive Bill C-51, the Federal Court has found unreasonable the secret trial security certificate against the long-suffering Mahmoud Jaballah, almost 20 years to the day that the Egyptian refugee and his family arrived in Canada seeking asylum from the Mubarak dictatorship, according to Rabble. While the written decision for this finding has yet to be released, this hopefully brings to a close an 18-year legal fight that helped spur an international campaign of condemnation against Canada use of secret trials, indefinite detention, deportation to torture, and the patently illegal practices conducted by Canada spy agency, CSIS. Jaballah, who was jailed without charge and tortured on many occasions in Egypt , was originally arrested in 1999 under the much-criticized security certificate, alleging he was a threat to national security. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. The problem he faced He was not allowed to see the secret case against him in a process that allowed as evidence anything not normally admissible in a court of law. The response of CSIS was clear: co-operate or you will be jailed and deported to torture. CSIS had originally approached him to spy on his community, and he refused. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mediterranean Sea: His daughter Merna said her father had flown to France to surprise his youngest sister, who lived in Australia and who was meeting other family members in Paris, according to CTV. He was en route to Cairo to visit his in-laws at the time of the crash, she added. Medhat Tanious of Toronto was one of two Canadians to die when Flight 804 plunged into the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday en route from Paris to Cairo. Merna Tanious said she, her mother Gehan Erian and sisters Marina and Mariem are seeking solace for his death by remembering his impact on others. "He had a heart of a child," Merna Tanious said in a telephone interview from Toronto. "He loved unconditionally, and he had an unbelievable ability to forgive all people that did him wrong." Medhat lived much of his life in Egypt, his daughter said. She declined to discuss what her father did for a living, but said he became quite active in Toronto Coptic Orthodox Christian community. He married Erian in 1988 and the couple began raising their three girls there before deciding to immigrate to Canada in 2004. "He brought us here to try and give us the best life possible, and that what he did every single day," Merna Tanious said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Premier Pauline Marois: The assailant, Richard Henry Bain, was charged with first-degree murder in the deadly election night shooting, according to Huffington Post Canada. During his arrest that night, Bain shouted that, "Anglophones are waking up!" Why disassociate oneself from something with which we should not be associated In the aftermath of the Bain shooting, I was asked by Quebec media to publicly denounce Bain as a way to assure francophone Quebecers that his views were not shared by the province Anglophones and thereby prevent any acts of retaliation. This occurred as incoming Premier Pauline Marois was partway through her victory speech. When La Presse asked me about my reaction to the shooting I offered the following response: "My reaction was similar to that of all Quebecers. When I heard the phrase referring to Anglophones I said to myself the guy crazy. I was angry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Workopolis: Sullivan beat out more than 100 applicants following a year-long search, according to The Chronicle Herald. The board unanimously approved the hire. Sullivan, who stepped down from a near-three year stint as Tourism Nova Scotia CEO a year ago, will take his new position June 1, the chamber said in a press release. Sullivan Linked In profile lists him as managing partner at Break it Group, the consultancy he founded after stepping down from the Crown corporation. During his time with the company, Workopolis reportedly increased its revenue from $13 to $60 million and was valued at $300 million. His profile lists also almost six years as president at online recruitment portal Workopolis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Morris: Canadian Border Services Agency says Morris made job offers between 2007 and 2010 to three people in the Philippines to induce them to come to Canada to work for her company.CBSA says Morris, who is 46, did not pay the wages promised, or the required amount of overtime pay stipulated in the contracts, and did not employ the workers in the positions approved in the contracts, according to Brandon Sun. It says she also employed at least 68 foreign nationals between 2006 and 2010 who were not authorized to work in Canada. Jennilyn Morris was also ordered to pay $22,000 in restitution to 13 of those workers. The CBSA executed two search warrants in April 2011 and seized over 12,000 evidentiary documents relevant to the investigation. This sentencing is evidence of that," Kim Scoville, regional director general of the CBSA prairie region. Morris was charged in June 2014."The CBSA takes violations of Canada immigration laws, including fraud, very seriously and works to identify, investigate, and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who violate our immigration laws. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

permanent resident: He was also sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to submit a DNA sample, according to The Waterloo Record. Frater launched the appeal after receiving a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada that said he was potentially inadmissible as a permanent resident because he had been convicted of an offence with a jail sentence of more than six months. Court documents show Nigel Frater pleaded guilty last year to assault and two counts of breach of probation and was sentenced to six months in jail, which he had already served while awaiting trial. The three-judge appeal panel says it wasn't known at the time of sentencing that the penalty imposed would have a "potentially devastating immigration consequence" for Frater, a Jamaican citizen and permanent resident of Canada. They say prosecutors did not object to the request, and found the revised sentence to be "within the acceptable range for this offence and offender." Court documents show Frater, 53, immigrated to Canada in 1989 and has lived here ever since. As a result, the judges have agreed to reduce his sentence to six months less a day. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Alberta: There are thousands of people in Alberta who have lost everything to wildfires, so why not send them out there, according to Guelph Mercury. It time we Canadians started helping Canadians instead of refugees who are not here yet. I understand their need for these, but seeing how there are few refugees coming right now and the Salvation Army is having trouble finding space to store them, I want to offer an alternative. I have nothing against them coming, but Alberta can use everything they can get right now. I am sure they would be very thankful. I myself have sent a donation and hope more Canadians do the same. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Heather O Donnell: It was the prefect way for Nova Scotia newest citizens to get out and about, have some fun, and get to know their new community, according to The Chronicle Herald. Halifax Blue Nose Marathon 201650-year-old Bryan Hipson of Yarmouth wins Blue Nose Marathon Heather O'Donnell top marathoner for women, raises money for nursing homes Blue Nose wheelchair racers Brown, Cassidy set sights on Rio 2016 This is a great opportunity for our newcomers to feel like they're part of something, and part of the community, said Hilary Thorne, a community connections coordinator with ISANS, at the event. At the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon in Halifax on Sunday, a team of new immigrants and Syrian refugees were handing out water to runners at the finish line. Integration is a challenge, so we really need to create opportunities for immigrants to get involved. Since January, ISANS has helped settle about 800 Syrian refugees, and Thorne said it important for every single one of them to feel welcome. They really want to contribute, so events like the Blue Nose Marathon are perfect for that. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

: Five girls were injured in the Sunday night fire, according to Metro News. Many survived by rappelling down from a second-floor window using sheets tied together to form a rope. The victims were between 5 and 12 years old. The two-story wooden structure that caught fire housed 38 girls, most of them belonging to the area ethnic minorities. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Fifteen girls escaped without injuries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

neighbouring countries: Unless more resources are redirected, more children will lose out on education and become drawn to extremism, she said."It a matter of peace and security, according to Metro News. If we don't take care of these children and there a risk that, especially if they live in neighbouring countries, if I don't go to school, they don't have hope," Bibeau told The Canadian Press from the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul. Marie-Claude Bibeau said Monday that too little of the already insufficient amount of global humanitarian assistance is being directed to educate children forced to flee their homes. Bibeau was representing Canada at the first major summit that is trying to reshape the world aid architecture to help it better deal with the estimated 125 million people that require humanitarian assistance, including 60 million forced from their homes. Despite the soaring needs in places such as Syria and Sub-Saharan Africa, the UN faces a $15-billion funding shortfall in humanitarian funding. The two-day gathering is an effort to address what the United Nations says is the most pervasive degree of humanitarian disaster since the end of the Second World War. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Crystal: It just "a Thunder Bay thing." Wendy Darcis, who tends bar at the Port Arthur Curling Club in Thunder Bay, Ont., says Crystal is a favourite with regulars, but visitors from out of town also often ask to try it, according to CBC. Crystal is a European-style lager that about as fancy as a Kenora dinner jacket. It has been forever and ever," said Wendy Darcis, who tended bar at the Port Arthur Curling Club for 37 years. "If you are a Crystal drinker, you are a Crystal drinker, and they're die hard." The working-class lager with the waterfall on the label is often requested by visitors who can't get the brew in their part of the country, she said, and for her own brother, who moved to Calgary years ago, a cold Crystal is part of his homecoming routine. Essentially it a budget brew — albeit one with a surprisingly interesting history. At the time brewers in the province were limited to making low-alcohol "temperance beers," but they could produce a stronger beverage for the export market, a Labatt spokesperson explained in an email. Jazz-age creation Labatt started making Crystal in 1921 as part of its plan to weather Ontario prohibition years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

non-residents: For decades, the province has had limits on property that can be purchased by non-residents, who require the approval of the provincial cabinet to buy more than five acres of property, or a property containing more than 165 feet of shoreline, according to CBC. Now the province has changed its definition of who qualifies as a resident. But the province real estate association says the changes are moving in the wrong direction. Instead of residing in the province for 183 days over the course of a year, residents must now live in the province for 365 days over 24 months. The changes, introduced in the spring sitting of the P.E.I. legislature, came into effect May 13, 2016. For the first time, the province has also stipulated that to be considered a resident under the Lands Protection Act a person must be either a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant, regardless of how long they've lived in the province. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Hamilton: Being on the board at Global Hamilton Connect gives me the opportunity to showcase Hamilton as a welcoming city by facilitating initiatives that integrate newcomers and international students, according to Hamilton Spectator. As part of the planning committee of HIVEX, I work on the theme and layout of the event, directing efforts to empower emerging leaders and young professionals. As a business developer for Sustainable Hamilton Burlington, my role revolves around research and outreach to inspire businesses and provide greater social value. Is this the job you thought you'd be doing Yes and no. My experience derives from the construction industry in Dubai, so I believe this is just my first step toward reaching new heights within my domain of expertise and skills. I graduated in business administration with a specialization in sales and marketing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

local councillor: Botolph Church in the English town of Boston, making a fervent wish. "I want to be out, according to CBC. I want, want, want, want — please God! — let us be out." This is Yvonne Stevens, a local councillor for the U.K. Independence Party or UKIP. Its roots date back to the 1990s and British opposition to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty enshrining key tenets of European integration. An impeccably dressed woman in her 70s with carefully turned out hair sits on a sunny terrace not far from the famed tower of St. David Cameron warns against British exit from EUTrudeau steps into 'Brexit' debate, says Britain should stay in EU It also a party that played heavily on anti-immigrant sentiment, and immigration is one of the key issues motivating those who want Britain to leave the European Union in a referendum on June 23. Over the past decade, Boston has seen the arrival of thousands of EU migrants from eastern Europe and is now home to the largest concentration of Polish immigrants in England and Wales. Stevens is no exception. "Let say, 'No, let stop,'" says Stevens, referring to unfettered immigration of EU citizens entitled to live and work in any EU country of their choosing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada development minister: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - The world must do more to educate children forced from their homes as it grapples with the epic level of humanitarian disaster unfolding across the globe, says Canada development minister, according to Brandon Sun. Marie-Claude Bibeau said Monday that too little of the already insufficient amount of global humanitarian assistance is being directed to educate children forced to flee their homes. Bibeau says the world must do more to educate children forced from their homes as it grapples with the epic level of humanitarian disaster unfolding across the globe. Unless more resources are redirected, more children will lose out on education and become drawn to extremism, she said. "It a matter of peace and security. Bibeau was representing Canada at the first major summit that is trying to reshape the world aid architecture to help it better deal with the estimated 125 million people that require humanitarian assistance, including 60 million forced from their homes. If we don't take care of these children and there a risk that, especially if they live in neighbouring countries, if I don't go to school, they don't have hope," Bibeau told The Canadian Press from the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Robert Kagan: If only he would mouth the party conservative principles, all would be well, according to Toronto Star. But of course the entire Trump phenomenon has nothing to do with policy or ideology. By Robert Kagan Sun., May 22, 2016 The Republican Party attempt to treat Donald Trump as a normal political candidate would be laughable were it not so perilous to the republic. It has nothing to do with the Republican Party, either, except in its historic role as incubator of this singular threat to our democracy. His growing army of supporters no longer cares about the party. Trump has transcended the party that produced him. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Border Services Agency: Morris came to Canada herself as a live-in caregiver in 1998, according to a column in the Edmonton Journal, and went on to build two businesses, a restaurant, Smokey Joe Hickory Smoke House and Demot Cleaning Inc., which provided cleaning and kitchen staff to hotels, according to Huffington Post Canada. In addition, Morris also lent her Demot staffers out to Webco Printing to operate printing presses and insert flyers into newspapers, according to the Edmonton Journal. Jennilyn Morris, 46, pleaded guilty to two labour trafficking charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in February, making her the first person to be charged under the act in the province. It was after a Canada Border Services Agency raid on Webco that Morris' worker exploitation was discovered, Global News reports. "If you can stand, you can work." Under her management, Morris had her employees work up to 14 to 16 hours a day for less than minimum wage at $9 per hour and $8 per hour if they worked overtime, meanwhile, she was paid up to $20 per hour for staff, according to an Edmonton Journal column by Paula Simmons. Morris also provided rental housing for her victims where up to five people shared one bed or slept on the floor. One victim, single mother Teodora Bautista, was brought over to Edmonton from the Philippines, where she worked to support her five children back home. "When Bautista questioned Morris about the hours, Morris responded by saying, 'If you can stand, you can work.'" according to court documents obtained by CBC News. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jamaican food: Being a Muslim you have to eat halal and what I find is that there no halal Jamaican food really, he said, according to Toronto Star. Halal meat must be slaughtered in a specific way, by a Muslim, and if Johnson didn't cook it at home he had to do without. Order this photo By May Warren Staff Reporter Sun., May 22, 2016 When Scarborough Shawn Johnson converted to Islam about seven years ago, there was one thing he really missed: Jamaican jerk chicken. But with some help from his mom Rosemarie, he decided to fill a niche himself. Article Continued Below We decided, might as well do a business out of it and let everybody get a taste of my cooking, she added, standing beside drum barbecue and a tent full of family members, busy serving up steaming plates of chicken and corn on the cob. It catching on you know said Rosemarie, who came to Canada from Jamaica in 1975 and has been cooking ever since. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syrian refugee crisis: That caller was a stark reminder that millions of Canadians remain highly critical of federal Syrian refugee programs. "I say scrap the whole stupid program," another reader wrote, according to Hamilton Spectator. Others argued the refugees aren't war refugees at all, but rather economic migrants who cannot or will not be assimilated into what one termed "mainstream Canadian society." Indeed, a new Nanos Research poll released May 9 indicates that while most Canadians support Ottawa handling of the Syrian refugee crisis, a significant 30 per cent of those surveyed oppose or somewhat oppose it. Don't I know that ISIS terrorists may be hiding among the innocent refugees, the caller asked in responding to a recent column I wrote about how Ottawa has mishandled the Syrian refugee private sponsorship program Don't I care about the safety of women and children on our streets And don't I know that if Canada is so eager to bring refugees here, then a good move would be to stick them in remote, abandoned outports in Newfoundland until we can fully screen them. These findings are little changed from findings in similar surveys conducted months ago. That important because such concerns should not be ignored or simply dismissed as irrational, bigoted or self-centred. Such lingering levels of opposition should be a wake-up call to Canadians who support the refugee plan, especially those who are volunteering their time and donating money to help sponsor a refugee family, that little has been done to ease the fears — and in some cases the loathing — of many of their neighbours, friends and even family members toward Syrian refugees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Bob Hepburn Politics: Order this photo By Bob Hepburn Politics Sun., May 22, 2016 The caller from Hamilton was clearly upset and declared that I must be incredibly naïve to believe that welcoming more Syrian refugees into Canada is a good idea, according to Toronto Star. Don't I know that ISIS terrorists may be hiding among the innocent refugees, the caller asked in responding to a recent column I wrote about how Ottawa has mishandled the Syrian refugee private sponsorship program Don't I care about the safety of women and children on our streets And don't I know that if Canada is so eager to bring refugees here, then a good move would be to stick them in remote, abandoned outports in Newfoundland until we can fully screen them. The federal government is squandernig a great opportunity to allay a fear of refugees held by some Canadians by delaying the private sponsorship program, writes Bob Hepburn. That caller was a stark reminder that millions of Canadians remain highly critical of federal Syrian refugee programs. Others argued the refugees aren't war refugees at all, but rather economic migrants who cannot or will not be assimilated into what one termed mainstream Canadian society. Article Continued Below I say scrap the whole stupid program, another reader wrote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.