health-care professionals: Ralph Goodale speaks with the media in the House of Commons, June 15, according to Huffington Post Canada. Dr. Among those demands are an immediate meeting with Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and a 90-day limit on such detentions. "Sometimes, it feels like we're being kidnapped and held against our own wills," Richard Chinedu Abuwa said over the phone from the Central East Correctional Centre, where he has been for more than two years. "Some of us sit here for months, years, and years upon end not knowing what our futures hold for us, and it just really sucks." Abuwa was one of more than 50 detainees at facilities in Ontario who began refusing food — and in some cases liquids as well — 11 days ago. Michelle Fraser, one of 65 health-care professionals who wrote to Goodale last week urging he meet the detainees and end indefinite detentions, warned the hunger strikers could soon start suffering serious, potentially lethal health effects."It is shameful that 50 immigration detainees must resort to a hunger strike to capture the attention of the Canadian government," Fraser said. "This hunger strike is a sign of the desperation." Since 2000, at least 15 people have died in Canadian immigration detention — three since the Liberal government came to office. The plan, Scott Bardsley said, would be released "in the near future." "Canada continues to be a rogue nation. The deaths should be more than enough of a spur to action, activists said. "Canada continues to be a rogue nation," said Matt Scott, an immigration consultant. "People are starving themselves for a simple demand of a meeting." A spokesman for Goodale said Thursday the minister has a plan that will "align" with the United Nation global strategy on the detention issue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

innclusive.com noirbnb.com: Supporters of Airbnb held a rally outside City Hall, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, in New York, as the city reviewed the impact of the short-term stay service on the city economy, according to Huffington Post Canada. The sites are launching after months of allegations from travellers who say they've been rejected by Airbnb hosts because they are black. The new sites, Innclusive.com and Noirbnb.com, say they are enrolling hosts around the country and the world and hope to open their platforms for bookings toward the end of this summer. Many have posted their experiences on Twitter with the hashtag #Airbnb While Black. He was rejected for a stay in a property that later accepted him when he used a fake profile for a white man requesting the same dates. Among the stories that have made headlines was Gregory Selden's. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jewish opposition: Given all of the books that have been published over the years regarding Israel, what compelled you to write What Is Modern Israel My Tokyo publisher, according to Huffington Post Canada. Impressed by the success of the Japanese version of my earlier book, A Threat from Within: A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism, in his country , he asked me to write about modern Israel. Professor Rabkin earlier book on the subject of Israel, entitled A Threat from Within: A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism, was nominated for the Governor General Literary Award and for the Hecht Prize for Studies of Zionism. It was to be a shorter and more accessible book, aimed at young readers. In the present book I had to go further. In A Threat from Within, I had examined the reasons why Zionism was initially rejected not only by rabbis but also by the vast majority of Jews. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kipling avenue: That Michael is just 22 doesn't bother him, according to Globe and Mail. Nor does the fact that Michael formal experience consists of a year and a half as a school board trustee. After all, they are the same blood. Ask around in Ward 2 and you hear this sort of thing a lot. A minute later, Subhas Chandra, 64, comes along. I think he awfully young, but if he anything like his uncles, he'll do okay, says Lynn Herman, 58, outside a dollar store on Kipling Avenue, the wide north-south street that runs through the centre of Ward 2. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opposition conservatives: All the MPs on the Commons' immigration committee were visibly moved by testimony during hearings on vulnerable minorities that detailed the atrocities facing Yazidis in Iraq, according to Metro News. The unusual summer hearings were called to find ways to help. That prompted opposition Conservatives and New Democrats to propose their own solutions while slamming the Liberals for their seeming unwillingness to assist one particular group desperate to escape genocide, the Yazidis. But the immediate response to the testimony amounts to a letter to the federal immigration minister that contains no recommendations other than a call to expedite applications from the Yazidis, a Kurdish minority group which practices an ancient faith. It will take time to come up with solutions based on the volume of evidence presented, he said."It like asking a judge to make a decision on the same day as a 10 day trial," Sarai said in an interview Thursday. Randeep Sarai, one of the Liberal MPs on the committee, said the letter is the best that can be done right now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

research innovation: Little did the Ryerson vice-president of research and innovation expect the challenge would get so much traction, not just from her local community but also from OCAD University, the University of Toronto, York University, and communities across Canada, according to Toronto Star. This week, on the first anniversary of the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge, Cukier, the project founder, announced the final tallies: $4.5 million raised, 102 teams formed, 150 families sponsored, 23 families or 125 people arrived and 1,000 volunteers recruited. By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Thu., July 21, 2016 When Wendy Cukier first challenged her colleagues and students at Ryerson University a year ago to step up and help sponsor Syrian refugees to Canada, her goal was modest: forming 10 sponsorship teams to bring in 10 families. It really tremendously inspiring to see the work of the community. Cukier challenge was in response to the call by Lifeline Syria, a citizens' group that modeled on the success of Operation Lifeline, an effort by civilian Canadians that settled 60,000 Indochinese boat people to Canada in the late 1970s. This is incredibly exciting, said Cukier, who will be leaving Ryerson to be president and vice-chancellor of Brock University in September. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

debt: When it comes to increasing debts, however, Sask Power stands out from the rest, according to CBC. The Crowns' consolidated debt increased $955.2 million in the 15-month report period from 2015-2016. It reporting $342 million in earnings among all the Crowns, and it paid a $297-million dividend to the general revenue fund. Of that, $862.2 million comes from Sask Power. Saskatchewan Immigrant Investor Fund debt decreased by $11.4 million. At the same time, Sask Tel accounted for an $86.4-million debt increase and Sask Energy went up $12.4 million. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

scotia: We're looking at a workforce that projected to shrink by 15 per cent over the next 20 years, according to The Chronicle Herald. This is not a five-year blip — this is a long term, potentially devastating problem. He the workplace culture coordinator for the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia . Demographically, Nova Scotia is in big trouble. Even if we bring every group in Nova Scotia up to full employment, we're still at a deficit. Doing so requires that we confront some lingering negative presumptions about immigration, chief of which is the belief that immigrants take jobs from locals. We need to be looking at any underemployed population which certainly includes bringing in more immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stephanie levitz: By Stephanie Levitz The Canadian Press Thu., July 21, 2016 OTTAWA—An emotional three days of testimony on the plight of minority refugee groups has ended with no consensus on how the federal government could move forward to help, according to Toronto Star. That has prompted Conservatives and New Democrats to propose their own solutions while slamming the Liberals for their seeming unwillingness to assist one particular group desperate to escape genocide — the Yazidis. But MPs couldn't agree on the best action for Canada to take. All the MPs on the Commons' immigration committee were visibly moved by testimony during hearings on vulnerable minorities that detailed the atrocities facing Yazidis in Iraq. But the immediate response to the testimony amounts to a letter to the federal immigration minister that contains no recommendations other than a call to expedite applications from the Yazidis, a Kurdish minority group which practices an ancient faith. The unusual summer hearings were called to find ways to help. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tanavoli: I just continue doing my artwork, according to Metro News. And this artwork, it was never, ever before questioned."Tanavoli said that on July 2, officials at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport took his Iranian passport when he tried to board a flight for speaking engagements at the British Museum and Asia House in London. I am not a political man. He posted on Facebook that he tried unsuccessfully to resolve the issue at Iran main passport office. Tanavoli son said Iranian officials returned his father passport several days ago, which allowed him to fly to Canada. Tanavoli said last week that Iranian officials had received a complaint that his art work was "disturbing public opinion" and "spreading lies," which he dismissed as "baseless." But after returning to Canada he said he wasn't sure the reason for his being detained. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

day limit: As of Wednesday, the federal government said, 15 detainees at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont., were still refusing meals, according to The Waterloo Record. Dr. Among those demands are an immediate meeting with Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and a 90-day limit on such detentions. "Sometimes, it feels like we're being kidnapped and held against our own wills," Richard Chinedu Abuwa said over the phone from the Central East Correctional Centre, where he has been for more than two years. "Some of us sit here for months, years, and years upon end not knowing what our futures hold for us, and it just really sucks." Abuwa was one of more than 50 detainees who began refusing food — and in some cases liquids as well — 11 days ago. Michelle Fraser, one of 65 health-care professionals who wrote to Goodale last week urging he meet the detainees and end indefinite detentions, warned the hunger strikers could soon start suffering serious, potentially lethal health effects. "It is shameful that 50 immigration detainees must resort to a hunger strike to capture the attention of the Canadian government," Fraser said. "This hunger strike is a sign of the desperation." Since 2000, at least 15 people have died in Canadian immigration detention — three since the Liberal government came to office. The plan, Scott Bardsley said, would be released "in the near future." Bardsley also said detention was "always a last resort" and only allowed when someone identity is uncertain or a person poses a flight risk or danger to the public. The deaths should be more than enough of a spur to action, activists said. "Canada continues to be a rogue nation," said Matt Scott, an immigration consultant. "People are starving themselves for a simple demand of a meeting." A spokesman for Goodale said Thursday the minister has a plan that will "align" with the United Nation global strategy on the detention issue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opposition conservatives: All the MPs on the Commons' immigration committee were visibly moved by testimony during hearings on vulnerable minorities that detailed the atrocities facing Yazidis in Iraq, according to Guelph Mercury. The unusual summer hearings were called to find ways to help. That prompted opposition Conservatives and New Democrats to propose their own solutions while slamming the Liberals for their seeming unwillingness to assist one particular group desperate to escape genocide, the Yazidis. But the immediate response to the testimony amounts to a letter to the federal immigration minister that contains no recommendations other than a call to expedite applications from the Yazidis, a Kurdish minority group which practices an ancient faith. It will take time to come up with solutions based on the volume of evidence presented, he said. "It like asking a judge to make a decision on the same day as a 10 day trial," Sarai said in an interview Thursday. Randeep Sarai, one of the Liberal MPs on the committee, said the letter is the best that can be done right now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

partners grandparents: The family class residency option was created to reunite families, and it works primarily based on the relationship the sponsor has with the prospective immigrant, according to The Waterloo Record. Spouses, children, parents, common-law partners and grandparents of a sponsor are all eligible. Related Stories Daw Immigration Solutions Inc. If you don't have family in the country, that no problem, as Canada also welcomes many different types of workers to combat shortages in certain industries. Butchers, bakers, cooks and chefs may also qualify as part of Canada federal skilled trades initiative. If you're skilled in trades such as construction, electrical work, equipment operation, maintenance and the industrial trades, you may qualify. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

barry goldwater: Donald Trump officially secured the Republican presidential nomination early in the evening, completing his once-unthinkable takeover of the party of Abraham Lincoln, Barry Goldwater and the Bushes, according to Toronto Star. But, for once, the proceedings were only occasionally about him. In practice, it was a second consecutive attack parade devoted to the party foremost goal: savaging the character and record of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Instead, speaker after speaker went after his opponent once more. They did so, however, with far less vigor than the speakers who appeared on Monday night, when a procession of angry Trump allies painted a dark picture of a country besieged by enemies foreign and domestic. Mostly abandoning the economic arguments the Trump campaign claimed would be the focus – the official title of the night was Make America Work Again – a procession of party politicians denounced Clinton as a liar, a phony, a weakling, a security risk. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian press: By Michael Mac Donald The Canadian Press Wed., July 20, 2016 Halifax police are perpetuating damaging stereotypes by using Middle Eastern to describe three unknown cab drivers suspected in a recent string of alleged sexual assaults, critics say, according to Toronto Star. There no such thing as a Middle-Eastern-looking person, said Raja Khouri, president of the Toronto-based Canadian Arab Institute. Categorizing them as such opens the door for negative stereotypes. Khouri, who is also member of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, said the millions of people from the 17 countries in the region come from disparate backgrounds, which means their physical attributes vary widely. You can be black. You can be white. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

carol king: McNeil says he looking for increased federal health-care funding to address growing pressure on the health budget, according to Metro News. Premier Dwight Ball of Newfoundland and Labrador also says his cash-strapped province faces a spike in medical costs as the population ages.NEWFOUNDLAND WOMAN'S FORMER BOYFRIEND CHARGED WITH HER MURDERAn Alberta man is due in court Wednesday to face a charge of first-degree murder in the death of a woman originally from western Newfoundland. Stephen McNeil is in the Yukon for the Council of the Federation meeting. Originally from Mattis Point, Carol King was 40 when she disappeared from her farm near Herschel, Saskatchewan on Aug. 6, 2011. Police say 53-year-old Joseph Caissie — who was charged with first-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains — was King former boyfriend.NOVA SCOTIA PROVIDES FUNDING FOR SAILING PROGRAM FOR YOUTH WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMSThe Nova Scotia government is funding a program that allows young people with mental health and addictions problems to learn to sail. Her remains were discovered in a wooded area three weeks after she was reported missing and had to be identified through dental records. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

crimes: In 2015, our police department reported a 7 per cent bump in crimes from 2014, according to Metro News. Specifically, our city experienced a 9 per cent increase in property-related crimes, and a 6 per cent increase in violent crimes. That statistic was publicly revealed as a part of the service annual report, which was released Wednesday, the same day as The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics unveils its nationwide figures on crime. Our crime rate here in Winnipeg has been trending down for 10 years. 2015 is the first year where we've experienced a modest increase, deputy chief Danny Smyth told reporters during a news conference Wednesday. Smyth said that increase is consistent with how crime is trending across other Canadian cities. It is certainly our hope that 2015 is just a short term hiccup, and that we will continue to trend down. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

drivers: You can be black, according to Metro News. You can be somewhere in between," he said. "It an inaccurate description, and it leaves the door open to whatever stereotypes people have in mind for bad people."A recent spate of sexual assault allegations against Halifax taxi drivers has thrown the local industry into a state of crisis, cab drivers say. Khouri, who is also member of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, said the millions of people from the 17 countries in the region come from disparate backgrounds, which means their physical attributes vary widely."You can be white. There have been four alleged attacks in the past three months alone, compared with three alleged sexual assaults by cab drivers in all of 2015. I wouldn't accuse the police of racism ... it misguided. According to the most recent police reports, three of the four suspects were described as "Middle Eastern men." One police statement, from May 20, described the accused as "Middle Eastern or a light-complected black man with an accent."Khouri said the "Middle Eastern" identifier, when used in conjunction with criminal activity, is typically associated with stereotypical notions about terrorism suspects."You can be racist without meaning to be racist," Khouri said in an interview."But that doesn't make it any less racist in terms of its impact. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

explanation: What went so horribly wrong was that when Bouhlel was halted at a police checkpoint he took his rented truck onto the sidewalk and so around the barrier, with, inexplicably, the officer not stopping him from doing this, according to Hamilton Spectator. That Bouhlel then went on to kill 84 individuals, 10 of them children, is all that matters. Not a scrap of evidence connects the killer — Lahouaiej Bouhlel — to Daesh and while he did accomplish his terrible objective, luck rather than training may well have been his principal weapon. Except in one respect. Legitimately, many would say, so what The difference does matter, though. Certainty is impossible, but what may have triggered the horror that Bouhlel unleashed was not the tempting explanation that he did it because he hated non-Muslims but that, as a deeply depressed man whose life had become an utter failure, he hated himself. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

family lawyer: An application to bring Brar brother to Canada on a temporary permit to care for them was denied last week, but now immigration officials have reversed their decision after the CBC told their story, according to CBC. Kidney transplant patients left without caretaker after visitor visa refused Canada immigration system vulnerable to fraud, says lawyer'Discrimination' in Canadian visitor visa system, says immigration lawyer David Mata " The family is obviously very excited. Visakha Brar was set to donate a kidney to his wife, but the transplant was complicated because both needed post-surgery care but have no family in Canada to help. They're happy that they can now focus on their health and getting back on their feet as quickly as possible," the family lawyer, Jasdeep Mattoo told The Early Edition host Rick Cluff. "It a bit confusing on my end because none of the evidence when we reapplied for the visa had changed, except that the surgery date for Mr. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada wouldn't elaborate on the reasons for the initial refusal or the reversal of that decision. Brar here in Canada had moved up and was a little bit closer, but otherwise everything else was the same." Refusal may have been caused by overworked staff According to an earlier letter the family received from immigration officials, Brar brother, Gurchet, has "not satisfied me immigration officer that you would leave Canada at the end of your stay as a temporary resident." Reasons cited included "travel history," "family ties in Canada and in country of residence, current employment situation" and "personal assets and financial status." Gurchet has a wife and three children in India and a farming business. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hadn t: The two accused sat wedged between a translator listening to a victim impact statement read out by a lawyer, according to CBC. London, Ont., boy rescued from 'squalid' house a 'child with resilience' Their now teenaged nephew wrote it about a month ago. The sentencing hearing for the victim aunt and uncle, who were charged two years ago with failing to provide the necessaries of life and forcible confinement, was held Tuesday in London. In it, the victim said he felt bored, nervous, lonely and jealous that he couldn't go outside. The teen wrote he used McDonalds napkins as toilet paper in a jammed-up toilet. The court heard that the boy had likely been locked in a squalid room, he hadn't had a bath in a year and was eating a fast food diet. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

half-informed opinions: I use to 'typeset' a newspaper in the old days and it was sometimes useful to find just that one paragraph, according to Hamilton Spectator. In this case, it may have been a paragraph that talked about something that is just too close to intolerance for me to ignore. I think that when you put together the letters to the editor the week of July 6 , you had a small space to fill and you used a short letter that would fit. The writer is just the third writer in a few weeks awarded precious space in our daily paper to express more than dislike of one of our Canadian core values, or just half-informed opinions for that matter. Not liking a particular province because it may have 'caused' our country to have two official languages, is just another indication that we have to make sure that history is being taught in school. I tried all week to ignore it, but it just has to be addressed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

haven t: Canada Border Services Agency spokeswoman Erin Steeksma said that due to privacy concerns, she could not discuss whether the players have made refugee claims, according to CTV. David Long of U.S. Customs and Border Protection also cited privacy issues, saying he can't confirm whether the women are seeking admission into the United States. Tournament spokeswoman Laura Ballance said she notified the RCMP when the women did not arrive for the first game on Sunday and that the Canada Border Services Agency is involved. "It complicated because they're actually on a six-month visitor visa so they technically haven't done anything wrong," she said in an interview Wednesday. "But they're not with their team." Ballance said it unclear whether the women were trying to defect instead of playing in the 10-day tournament involving 31 countries including Australia, Israel, Switzerland and Uganda. He said that generally, a Cuban national who arrives at a U.S. border and expresses fear of returning home is inspected and paroled while checks are done on any criminal or immigration history in the United States. "The Cuban national may be eligible under the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act of 1966 to apply for lawful permanent residence one year after inspection and parole," he said in a statement. The team from Kenya, for example, donned worn-out running shoes and lost 28 to 0 against New Zealand, she said. "The went out that day and bought every single player on the Kenyan team cleats," Ballance said, adding the team from France has been overwhelmed by spectators bringing them flowers in the aftermath of a deadly attack in Nice. Ballance said 11 countries with players at the tournament had never before participated in any world championship. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

home country: Yazidis are a Kurdish minority group that practice an ancient faith, according to Globe and Mail. Because most of them have been unable to leave their home country of Iraq, the United Nations does not consider them refugees for resettlement in countries such as Canada. Our people have been suffering for the past two years and they must be helped. However, they face persecution by the Islamic State, which deems them infidels, according to Ms. They forced us to change our religion. Taha. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mp: Rempel met CTV Don Martin on the Hill to walk him through the basics -- although we're still not sure what a Pokémon gym is, according to CTV. Maybe Thornhill, Ont. Calgary MP Michelle Rempel is in Ottawa this week while the immigration committee meets, giving her the chance to track some of the virtual creatures on her way to and from work. MP Peter Kent can help us with that one. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

iraq syria: It means we can be murdered and raped and enslaved with moral and civil impunity, according to CBC. Without your intervention, my people will not survive." Naso is a member of Winnipeg Yazidi community, which totals about 200 people. I implore you to act to help save my people from extinction," Nafiya Naso told the House of Commons standing committee on immigration Wednesday in Ottawa. "The Yazidis have held a unique and terrible religious status in Iraq and Syria which is different from any other group. She is also part of Operation Ezra, a multi-faith grassroots group that brought two privately sponsored Yazidi refugee families to the city last week. Yazidi family fleeing ISIS violence finds new home in Winnipeg Yazidi refugees settle into life in Winnipeg After the hearing, Naso said she wants MPs to know that private sponsorship of refugees has its limits and a broader government program is needed to sponsor more Yazidis to resettle in Canada. "I could see in their eyes that they were very moved, and I think we've really touched them, so I am hopeful that they will take it into consideration and initiate a larger-scale program to sponsor Yazidi refugees," she said in an interview with CBC Radio Noon program. The group plans to bring another five families for a total of 42 people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.