bureau facilities: The federal prison population has been declining due to changes in sentencing policies over the past three years, reducing the need for private prisons, according to Huffington Post Canada. U.S. President Barack Obama holds a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. August 4, 2016. "Private prisons served an important role during a difficult period, but time has shown that they compare poorly to our own Bureau facilities,'' Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates wrote in a memo to the acting director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The decision announced by the Justice Department comes after an audit this month found that private facilities have more safety and security problems than the government-run prisons. As private prison contracts come to an end, the bureau is not to renew the contract or it should at least "substantially'' reduce its scope, Yates wrote. As of December 2015, private prisons held more than 22,000 prisoners -- or about 12 per cent of the total federal prison population, according to an inspector general report released earlier this month. The federal government started to rely on private prisons in the late 1990s due to overcrowding. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kids: Summer camp, for many Canadian kids, is almost seen as a rite of passage, according to CTV. The sponsor asked me, 'You want to go camping ' I said yes, why not said Dayeh. Fourteen-year-old Dayeh, from Aleppo, Syria, arrived in Canada with his mother and sister, and was given the chance to attend summer camp after his sponsor approached him. Multiple camps throughout Ontario offered free spots in their camps to the Ontario Camps Association this summer. Kids were able to choose from day and overnight camps, one week and multi-week camps and different activity-specific camps. The association then matched refugee kids between the ages of 4-15 to camps that they wanted to attend, for free. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

carolyn: Agriculture Minister Lawrence Mac Aulay, according to The Chronicle Herald. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale. Immigration Minister John McCallum. Treasury Board President Scott Brison. Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

coup aftermath: Gulen, a of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has denied any involvement, according to Hamilton Spectator. Another Turkish Canadian, Ilhan Erdem, was also arrested last month at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. He has been accused in Turkish media reports of having ties to Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric the Turkish government accuses of masterminding the coup. Since a state of emergency was declared in the failed coup aftermath, some 35,000 people have been detained for questioning. McCallum, in Calgary for a roundtable on immigration, said it is difficult to comment on an individual case because of privacy concerns. More than 17,000 of them — including soldiers, police, judges and journalists — have been formally arrested to face trial. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

coup aftermath: Another Turkish Canadian, Ilhan Erdem, was also arrested last month at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, according to The Chronicle Herald. Since a state of emergency was declared in the failed coup aftermath, some 35,000 people have been detained for questioning. Gulen, a former ally-turned-critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has denied any involvement. More than 17,000 of them — including soldiers, police, judges and journalists — have been formally arrested to face trial. Hanci wife, Rumeysa, said in an interview this week that she hasn't been able to get an explanation from Turkish authorities about what her husband is accused of doing. McCallum, in Calgary for a roundtable on immigration, said it is difficult to comment on an individual case because of privacy concerns. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

indian woman: I had no curves as an awkward pre-teen, according to Huffington Post Canada. I was told I wouldn't look good in a saree and at a time when Bollywood stars weren't super thin, I didn't feel like I would grow into what I thought was a "normal" body of an Indian woman. I never considered myself to be "too skinny," but I remember being reminded by South Asian aunties, including my mom of course, of how I looked. As a child of immigrants being raised with these values, I believed this was how South Asians -- and the rest of Toronto -- talked about bodies. Arti as a child. The words "fat" and "skinny" were thrown around my community like "hello" and "goodbye." It wasn't considered rude to call someone fat, it wasn't awkward to tell someone they gained weight to their face; and instead of focusing on eating healthily or exercising, I would hear people suggest skipping meals and fad diets like it was a one-stop easy fix. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

privacy concerns: Another Turkish Canadian, Ilhan Erdem, was also arrested last month at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, according to Metro News. Since a state of emergency was declared in the failed coup aftermath, some 35,000 people have been detained for questioning. Gulen, a former ally-turned-critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has denied any involvement. More than 17,000 of them — including soldiers, police, judges and journalists — have been formally arrested to face trial. Hanci wife, Rumeysa, said in an interview this week that she hasn't been able to get an explanation from Turkish authorities about what her husband is accused of doing. McCallum, in Calgary for a roundtable on immigration, said it is difficult to comment on an individual case because of privacy concerns. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee children: The couple spend several hours each day fixing and polishing used bikes they buy online and then donate them to refugee children who don't have one, according to Metro News. It started back in May when the couple donated their first bikes to a refugee family who came from Ivory Coast. Gilles and Huguette Remillard have donated more than 100 bikes through the Immigration and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba. Once other refugee children saw the bikes demand for donations grew. They now say they are fulfilling their dream in Winnipeg. Huguette Remillard says donating the bikes to the children is very rewarding."They all want bikes, it like a swarm of bees," she said Friday. "The smile on those kids' faces is worth more than a dollar."The couple always wanted to travel to Africa to help families in need but when Huguette had a stroke in 1994 they had to put their dream and their trip on hold. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rodeo: The rocker new role involves fundraising, expanding library services and overseeing a new digital media studio planned for the library, according to Hamilton Spectator. Egan — also a new dad with a 14-month-old son — jokes that he "clean-shaven and wearing slacks for the first time in 25 years." The Minnesota-born transplant has been with Blue Rodeo for more than 17 years and, before that, with the band Wilco. The 60-year-old says it wasn't an easy decision but that he couldn't refuse an offer to help build up the community in his southern Ontario home. Egan last gig with Blue Rodeo is set for Saturday in Toronto, but he doesn't rule out performing with them again one day. "It takes a lot for somebody to leave Rodeo," Egan says Friday from his new office at the Kitchener library. "As you can imagine, it the dream job and after 17 1/2 years it almost impossible to leave. But I got an offer I couldn't refuse." Egan says the library gig is a natural extension of his charity work. It almost like the mob — this is your second family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

security check: He had to do it before his visitor visa ran out on Jan. 9, 2016, according to CBC. Receipt for Dec. 11 package He has a receipt showing he sent off the package on Dec. 11. It not on." Last November Clark paid $550 for a physical, got a security check through London, and filled out the many documents required to apply for an open work permit and landed immigrant status. Another receipt for Jan. 29, 2016, indicates the day CIC sent his package back to him, saying he was missing a signature. Matthew and Katherine Clark wedding photos. He signed it, and sent it back to them the same day. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian passport: At different times, Interpol notices spelled his name differently and transposed his surname and forename, according to The Waterloo Record. CTV News has reported that he living with relatives in Kitchener and is driving a transport truck. Ravishankar Kanagaraja, 45, is wanted for terrorism by Sri Lanka authorities, according to a notice by Interpol, the international police organization. Lawyer Paul Copeland says he represented Kanagaraja a few years ago when the federal government tried to revoke his Canadian passport based in part on the Interpol notice. Copeland could not confirm where Kanagaraja is living. The government ended its action when the passport expired. "They just stopped," Copeland said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

middle ground: The previous Conservative government overhauled the program in 2014 by phasing in a 10 per cent cap on the number of temporary foreign workers most businesses can hire, according to Brandon Sun. It also disallowed the program in regions of Canada with high unemployment. McCallum says the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources should be ready to present its report to Parliament in September. The reforms followed a number of controversies that dogged the program, including reports of fast-food franchise restaurants favouring temporary foreign workers over local employees. In areas such as Alberta, he said, there a strong demand for temporary foreign workers in the agriculture, hospitality and meat-packing sectors."What we are seeking to find is a middle ground where there are legitimate needs for temporary foreign workers in certain areas, certain industries," the minister said Friday."As well, we want to have a pathway to permanent residency for those temporary foreign workers. McCallum said in Calgary that the program at first approved virtually everybody until "everything exploded" and it was cut back to a point where hardly anyone was getting in. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opposition parties: Chagger took on the powerful position — on top of her job as small business and tourism minister—in what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government described as an adjustment to the federal cabinet. "I really do believe that we can all work together," Chagger told a news conference less than two hours after being sworn in at Rideau Hall. "I think Canadians have given each elected official a mandate to deliver for their ridings." Chagger takes over the legislation-guiding position from Dominic LeBlanc, whose tenure as House leader was marked by some sharp clashes with the opposition, according to Guelph Mercury. Some insiders say an attempt last spring to ram legislation through the House poisoned relations with opposition parties and created a toxic atmosphere in the Commons. But the self-described, life-long political activist did pledge Friday that she will strive to build a new relationship with the opposition parties in her new role as government leader in the House of Commons. LeBlanc has been handling double duty as House leader and fisheries minister since Hunter Tootoo stepped down from the latter job. Tootoo resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus in May to go into treatment for alcoholism and has since acknowledged he had been involved in a consensual but inappropriate relationship in the workplace. LeBlanc made no secret of the fact that he preferred to sit as fisheries minister, a role he has retained. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rodeo: The rocker new role involves fundraising, expanding library services and overseeing a new digital media studio planned for the library, according to The Waterloo Record. Egan — also a new dad with a 14-month-old son — jokes that he "clean-shaven and wearing slacks for the first time in 25 years." The Minnesota-born transplant has been with Blue Rodeo for more than 17 years and, before that, with the band Wilco. The 60-year-old says it wasn't an easy decision but that he couldn't refuse an offer to help build up the community in his southern Ontario home. Egan last gig with Blue Rodeo is set for Saturday in Toronto, but he doesn't rule out performing with them again one day. "It takes a lot for somebody to leave Rodeo," Egan says Friday from his new office at the Kitchener library. "As you can imagine, it the dream job and after 17 1/2 years it almost impossible to leave. But I got an offer I couldn't refuse." Egan says the library gig is a natural extension of his charity work. It almost like the mob — this is your second family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian journalists: As a journalist in my mid-20s, I should have plenty to feel confident about, according to Rabble. After getting a masters degree in journalism from an Ivy League university, I moved to China, where I worked for a national newspaper and went on to my current job as a foreign correspondent at an international news wire. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. My ethnicity and language skills are an advantage while I am based in Beijing. The vast majority of Canadian journalists across all media are white. But I wouldn't feel the same about my prospects if I were to move back to Canada, where few people in the media industry look like me. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

exit control: The upcoming requirement has caught many by surprise calling the practice discriminatory against dual citizens and a money grab, and is expected to create havoc as travellers with dual Canadian citizenships may find out only at the last minute when trying to board on a flight, according to Metro News. What is changing is that the Government of Canada is implementing a new electronic system to assist airlines in verifying that all travellers have the appropriate documents to travel to or transit through Canada by air, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesperson Lindsay Wemp told Torstar News Service. The policy will come into effect Sept. 30 as a final phase of Canada move to an electronic screening system to step up border security and boost exit control of travellers, including Canadians on government benefits. Air carriers are obligated by law to confirm that all persons seeking to travel to Canada carry both proof of citizenship and proof of identity. Currently, Canadian citizens with dual citizenships can use the passport of the other country to enter Canada by air if they can provide proofs of residency in Canada, such as a driver licence and Canadian citizenship card. A valid Canadian passport satisfies these requirements for Canadian citizens, and is the only acceptable travel document for the purpose of air travel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

exit control: The policy will come into effect Sept. 30 as a final phase of Canada move to an electronic screening system to step up border security and boost exit control of travellers, including Canadians on government benefits, according to Toronto Star. The upcoming requirement has caught many by surprise calling the practice discriminatory against dual citizens and a money grab, and is expected to create havoc as travellers with dual Canadian citizenships may find out only at the last minute when trying to board on a flight. By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Thu., Aug. 18, 2016 Canadian citizens with dual citizenships will soon be allowed to fly into the country only if they have a Canadian passport. What is changing is that the Government of Canada is implementing a new electronic system to assist airlines in verifying that all travellers have the appropriate documents to travel to or transit through Canada by air, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesperson Lindsay Wemp told the Star. A valid Canadian passport satisfies these requirements for Canadian citizens, and is the only acceptable travel document for the purpose of air travel. Air carriers are obligated by law to confirm that all persons seeking to travel to Canada carry both proof of citizenship and proof of identity. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gavin cato: But the plan has opened a painful rift between the slain Jewish student family and organizers, and it has raised questions about when celebration and commemoration can mix, according to Metro News. Promoted by a roster of elected officials, community groups and Jewish organizations, Sunday "One Crown Heights" event starts with a commemoration ceremony. Yet the 25th anniversary of the Crown Heights riot is being marked with games, rides and "fun for all ages."It meant to showcase unity in an area shaken by four days of violence in 1991. But the ensuing " neighbourhood festival" galls relatives of Yankel Rosenbaum, who was stabbed to death as the riot began after a car in a prominent rabbi motorcade fatally hit 7-year-old Gavin Cato."It insensitive," said Rosenbaum brother, Norman, who notes that the event flier alludes to "the events of Aug. 20, 1991," not to rioting or deaths. "It a trivialization of a very, very serious period of time, of a series of incidents culminating in my brother murder."His disapproval dismays one of the organizers, Devorah Halberstam, who stresses her empathy for the Rosenbaums. To her, bringing children of different backgrounds together to have fun is a positive, forward-looking way to observe the anniversary and years of efforts to create more cohesion in Brooklyn Crown Heights. Her 16-year-old son, Ari, was killed on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1994 in a shooting aimed at a vanload of Jewish students."My total intention in this was to do right by Yankel and Gavin Cato" and show their families the community remembered and cared about them, said Halberstam, who helped establish the neighbourhood Jewish Children Museum. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

goodale: On Monday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced the federal government would be pouring $138 million into upgrading immigration detention facilities across Canada, according to Rabble. Two detention centres, in Quebec and British Columbia, will also be replaced. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. The announcement comes after Goodale refused to meet with hunger-striking immigration detainees in two maximum security Ontario prisons. It should end, not be expanded by throwing over $100 million at it," Tings Chak, organizer with End Immigration Detention Network , told rabble in a text message. The detainees held an 18-day hunger strike to demand a meeting with Goodale and call for an end to Canada practice of indefinite detention of migrants, which the UN condemned in a report last August. "Immigration detention, including in immigration holding centres, is imprisonment without charges or trial. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

husband mccollins: The 34-year-old mother and nursing home attendant moved to the country to reunite with her husband after they married in 2007, according to The Chronicle Herald. That the best thing, being together, said Jones. Originally from Sierra Leone in West Africa, Jones was sworn in as a Canadian Wednesday at Pier 21 during a special citizenship ceremony. No more traveling that much and we can stay and start a big family. After getting married, Jones started the process to move to Canada, though she faced some roadblocks along the way. Prior to Jones moving, her husband McCollins would journey back to Sierra Leone every six months to visit her both before and after they were wed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

john mccallum: Immigration Minister John McCallum speaks at a news conference in Vancouver on August 17, 2016, according to Huffington Post Canada. He is also conducting a series of consultations across Canada. John McCallum recently returned from a trip to China, where he lobbied officials to double or even triple the number of visa application centres in the country in an effort to open more doors for Chinese students, workers and tourists. Speaking after a roundtable of experts and business leaders in Vancouver, he said he hearing that the aging population means more young blood is needed to propel the economy, especially outside of big cities. "We would like to spread the immigrants across the country relatively evenly. The immigration minister trip to Beijing comes just before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to travel to China for the G20 summit in September. The last thing we want is that every immigrant either goes to Toronto or Vancouver," he said Wednesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

menu sunday: And sold in Canada, according to Huffington Post Canada. Windsor Sandwich Shop owner Lawrence Lavender Trump sandwich uses two pieces of white bread, is full of bologna and comes with a ramekin of Russian dressing. That is unless it hugged with a wall of Mexican chips, and named in tribute to one Donald Trump. It also comes with a little pickle — not big — little. Lavender told The Huffington Post Canada he got the idea after seeing a photo of another bar version of the sandwich circulate online. A Windsor, Ont. restaurant added a Trump sandwich to its menu Sunday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

prison: Eleven months after his release from an Egyptian prison on bogus charges, journalist Mohamed Fahmy has become a champion for freedom of expression, working with Amnesty International and Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression, whose activism helped free him, according to Rabble. Fahmy was in and out of Egyptian prison for more than 400 days -- convicted, released, re-tried, convicted again, and then pardoned -- triggering a storm of protest internationally, but particularly in Canada. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. He and his wife started the Fahmy Foundation for Free Press "during the six months I was out on bail," he said. "I was getting so much attention while I was in prison, and other prisoners of conscience were not." Mohamed Fahmy was a boy when his family moved to Canada from the Egypt/Kuwait area. "My dad wanted to live somewhere there was press freedom," he said. "That why we came." He grew up in Toronto and attended college there, before leaving to work as a journalist in the Middle East. "My first day on the job as a journalist was the first day of the Iraq war," he said, in 2003, when he worked for the Los Angeles Times. "I went in with the troops." The locals were excited to get rid of Saddam Hussein, he said, until reality sunk in. "I saw the mistakes the U.S. administration made too," he said. "Like disbanding the Iraq army. ISIS came out of those soldiers." After working with CNN in Iraq for a year, Fahmy arrived in Egypt in early 2011, just in time for the Arab Spring. Many of those fighters joined the opposition. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

toronto area: The story began to unravel when CTV Toronto received a tip that a man named in an Interpol red notice -- a notice that is issued in an effort to find, arrest and extradite a wanted person believed to be living abroad -- may be living in the Greater Toronto Area, according to CTV. The red notice in question was issued in 2010 for a then-43-year-old man named Ravishankar Kanagarajah. The case raises questions about the weight of Interpol notices as well as how the Canadian government deals with people they believe belong to terror groups. The notice currently on Interpol website lists the wanted party as Kanagaraja Ravishankar. According to Sri Lankan media, in 2014, Ravishankar was convicted and sentenced in absentia to 30 years imprisonment for transporting guns and explosives from North Korea to Sri Lanka for the LTTE, or Tamil Tigers. His charges are listed as "Terrorism" and he is wanted by authorities in Sri Lanka. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

birth rate: However, if the success of a province can be captured by how well it prevents infant deaths, then statistics also tell us that we may be failing our children, according to Brandon Sun. For decades, Manitoba has consistently had the highest provincial infant mortality rate in Canada — 5.9 for every 1000 live births in Manitoba versus 4.8 for every 1000 live births, nationally. Fortunately, our relatively high birth rate — around 1.93 for every 1000 women — combined with favourable immigration trends means that Manitoba population will continue to grow. In public health, infant mortality is often viewed as a marker for a society development, and Manitoba consistently falls to the bottom.A report by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy highlights that Manitoba also has one of the highest rates of children being taken into care in the world — an alarming statistic that should signal to all policy makers and politicos that something needs to be done differently. Clearly this is morally unacceptable — but what less often discussed is that failing our province children also puts Manitoba in economic jeopardy. Poverty, limited education, historical trauma and colonization, to name just a few factors, can be linked to both Manitoba high rates of infant mortality and kids in care and puts children at risk for other negative health and social outcomes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

group presentations: This service is provided to our clients in a number of different ways: one-to-one services, group presentations, networking with employers, developing bridging programs through the community college or university, and providing assistance to help them succeed, according to Brandon Sun. The employment program offers a variety of employment services that are geared specifically to newcomers. Westman Immigrant Services' Employment Facilitator, a provincially funded position, assists all newcomers, new Canadian citizens and those on open work permits to secure employment and build employment skills. Among those services provided are resume writing, cover letter, interview skills and job matching. We also assist internationally trained professionals in their quest to have credentials recognized. One of our daily tasks is to keep informed on the local job market and let our clients know when suitable jobs come up. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.