american catastrophe: Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Heather Mallick Columnist Fri., May 12, 2017 I am so in love with being Canadian right now, according to Toronto Star. I have a crush on my own country. Earlier, Thursday, protesters raised an anti-abortion flag at city hall that was later taken down after some councillors and others expressed outrage and demanded it be removed. Patriotism has always seemed a bit silly but in the Canadian nation's 150th year, look at the American catastrophe and take a little comfort. We will welcome you. Come to us, good Americans. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

art program: Workers and volunteers are also available to supervise children while moms participate in the classes, according to CBC. A social worker also attends to help facilitate the program. The partnership between the Mackenzie Art Gallery and the Regina Immigrant Women Centre provides guidance and supplies to help develop the women's artistic skills. Weekend walking tours show another side of Regina neighbourhoods Buffalo, symbol of strength and perseverance, highlights new art at Regina cancer centre Nicolle Nugent, the gallery's co-ordinator of public programs and community engagement, said the REALI art program is part of the gallery's mandate to be open and inclusive. So we've been able to really accomplish a lot of great activity and energy with these women in our studios. It's been really wonderful to see how the actual act of making art can transcend language, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vehicles: But Metrolinx said Bombardier missed a series of deadlines and grew concerned that the vehicles wouldn't be ready in time, according to Globe and Mail. Last month, an Ontario judge blocked the agency's attempt to scrap the Bombardier contract. Metrolinx originally signed a 770-million deal with Bombardier for vehicles for the Eglinton Crosstown which is set to open in 2021 and other transit lines. The Alstom deal provides a backup for Metrolinx in the event that Bombardier doesn't come through on the Eglinton Crosstown project. This is the daily Morning Update newsletter. If Bombardier delivers, the Alstom vehicles will be used on other LRT lines. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

contact everyone: He hasn't heard from parents left behind in Jordan, presumably because they fear the same fate if they make contact, according to The Chronicle Herald. Everyone is afraid, he said by Skype from Syria's Daraa province. After more than four years in Jordan, the 31-year-old is back in a war zone where he fears for his family's safety and struggles to find work. Deportations from Jordan have spiked in recent months, with entire Syrian families sent back for the first time, including large numbers of children, said two international aid officials. The international group Human Rights Watch said it has documented numerous cases since 2014 of Jordan forcibly returning Syrian asylum seekers to Syria. One official said that more than one-third of several thousand refugees who went back to Syria between January and April were forcibly deported, while others returned voluntarily. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ebb: The lead the Liberals ostensibly took into the election was unsustainable, according to The Chronicle Herald. The battle for the hearts and minds of the six-in-10 eligible voters who may cast ballots is fully joined just as the race enters the pivotal final two weeks. So now it's on. It's fun to watch the ebb and flow of polls and if a clear trend emerges the numbers can, with some reliably, foreshadow the outcome. This thing's gotten tighter. But to date the polling confirms the predictable. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

david millar: During debates in the early 1830s about finally putting a name to the muddy crossroads settlement, the Millars had vigorous discussions with their Germanic immigrant neighbours, according to Hamilton Spectator. Berlin won out and of course was changed to Kitchener in 1916. Around 1830, Frederick, William and David Millar opened the first store in a tiny hamlet south of Waterloo. Had Dundee been the choice, there would have been no First World War name change and nowadays the phrase Dundee-Waterloo would be common. Frederick eventually joined a fourth brother, John, at a promising site on Alder Creek in southeast Wilmot Township which they christened New Dundee. The Millars lost the argument so they dispersed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government decree: By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Fri., May 12, 2017 Shortly after the attempted coup last July against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime, Inan Korkmaz found out from an online government decree that his government scholarship had been cancelled, according to Toronto Star. The Queen's University computer engineering student also learned his educational credentials would not be recognized in Turkey because he was connected with the FETO short for Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization, which is how the Turkish government refers to the movement it claims was behind the July 15 coup. Mehmet Caman, a visiting political science professor at Newfoundland's Memorial University, said, There's no rule of law in Turkey now. With his postgraduate studies and status in Canada in jeopardy, Korkmaz went to the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa for assistance. The government shut down my bank account and my family couldn't send money to help me, said Korkmaz, 29, who came to study in Canada in 2011 on the scholarship and was granted asylum in March. Instead, officials there seized his passport, according to his asylum claim filed in January. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration attorney: The women are now all U.S. citizens, according to Metro News. I want them to see that anything is possible if you work hard, said Linnette De Los Santos, who immigrated with her family from the Dominican Republic when she was 5 years old. The contestants know what they are talking about as they were all born in other countries and immigrated to the U.S. at young ages as their families pursued their versions of the American Dream. As Miss USA, I would love to be able to be that inspiration for our immigrant community. The competition airs Sunday from Las Vegas. If I would have stopped following my dreams and working hard towards what I wanted, I wouldn't be sitting here as Miss Florida USA or in law school ready to become an immigration attorney. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jeanette vizguerra: Michael Bennet, according to Metro News. Bennet filed bills to help her and another Colorado Mexican immigrant, Arturo Hernandez, remain in the United States under a process that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently announced would be scaled back.ICE says 30 immigrants who had bills filed before May 5 will be grandfathered and given two-year deportation delays. Jeanette Vizguerra vihz-GEHR'-uh left the First Baptist Church near the state capitol on Friday after winning the deportation delay following the intervention of U.S. Sen. From now on, the relatively small number of immigrants who get bills filed on their behalf will only be eligible for stays up to six months with the possibility of one 90-day extension. 11 50 a.m.A Mexican immigrant who lived in a Denver church for three months to avoid immigration authorities is vowing to fight for another woman still in hiding. Speaking to the crowd while holding her daughter's hand, she said she is happy to be with her family for Mother's Day but sad that Ingrid Encalada Latorre is still living in a Quaker meeting house in Denver because she's facing removal from the United States.U.S. Sen. Jeanette Vizguerra vihz-GEHR'-uh left the First Baptist Church near the state capitol on Friday surrounded by her children and supporters after they say she won a two-year deportation delay. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

king arthur: Amy Schumer is back in a new comedy with Goldie Hawn, plus a Canadian blockbuster gets a second shot with Bon Cop Bad Cop 2, according to CBC. King Arthur Legend of the Sword From director Guy Ritchie who gave us Sherlock Holmes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and a personal favourite Snatch, King Arthur is a triumph of style over substance. Action fans can give the new and improved King Arthur a try. It is to Camelot what Fast & Furious was to physics. This is not a historical document, but rather a movie that looks like it was airbrushed on the side of a van. Like the best of Ritchie's films King Arthur is imbued with an easy sense of swagger. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leadership candidates: The French presidential election saw two non-establishment candidates fight to reverse an economic slump plaguing one of the EU's primary economies, according to Rabble. Even in North America, the election of Donald Trump in the United States spawned similar sentiments from leadership candidates for the Conservative Party of Canada. As a byproduct of populism, the United Kingdom voted on a referendum to leave the European Union based on a message of anti-immigration and protectionism. On the first weekend in April, Ottawa, Ontario was host to the Broadbent Institute's 2017 Progress Summit. On the panel was Desmond Cole, Fr d rick Guillaume Dufour, Ania Skrzpek, and Ed Broadbent. One such panel discussed social democracy and whether it is the way forward amidst a swell of populism. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

michael walters: Michael Walters on Thursday, and an increase in poverty comes health care and criminal justice costs all the negative things, according to Metro News. We have an opportunity to avoid some of that here. If we don't respond to these challenges, there's going to be that increase in poverty, said Coun. In two weeks, Walters will ask for support from city councillors to task administration with figuring out how well Syrian refugees are doing in the city, and what Edmonton can do to make their lives easier. I've been hearing a lot of cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among families. It's good to know how these folks are doing, and see any gaps in service or issues that may have arisen, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

money: But millions of low-income American families, he pointed out, would have been forced to let their newborn child die, according to Rabble. If your baby doesn't have to die, it shouldn't matter how much money you make, he argued, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, or something else. He said he had ample money to pay the steep cost of the surgery, which could amount to 200,000 or more. We all agree on that, right Unfortunately, there is no such consensus in the U.S. Even as Kimmel was speaking, the reigning Republicans were making another attempt to ram through a healthcare reform bill that would not only perpetuate this pay-or-die approach, but worsen it. Kimmel's experience parallels that of the parents of Tommy Douglas, now revered as the father of public health care in Canada. Kimmel could have reminded his audience that the United States is the only advanced country that lacks a national public health care system -- that in these other developed countries, including Canada, surgeries of this kind are performed with no cost to the parents. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

multicultural brawl: There are various conferences branded with both logos that would probably have happened anyway, according to Globe and Mail. But excitement Not so much except in discussions of how CBC Television's Canada The Story of Us forgot about quite a lot of Us as it hurtled through the centuries. Here in my hometown of Ottawa, there are competing logos for the city, a multicoloured maple leaf composed of triangles; for the federal government, well, a slightly different multicoloured maple leaf composed of triangles . There is chatter about Canada Day; stay tuned for the usual feverishly multicultural brawl on Parliament Hill. At my local independent bookstore, there is a table at the front laden with titles capturing the 150 moment. Are they being snapped up No, the bookseller sighed. Books about beer labels, tourist destinations, immigrants, inventors, landscapes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

others: As I approached my final semester of college, I decided to take on an opportunity out of my comfort zone by participating in a pageant, according to Huffington Post Canada. It was an exceptional journey with a lot of hard work, laughter, tears, and a lack of sleep LOL. Throughout the process I gained perseverance, a greater understanding of who I am as a person, and received constant support from others even when I didn't believe in myself. But not everyone was sure she was deserving of the title. I challenged myself by vulnerably expressing obstacles I face as a biracial woman and was not going to leave the stage without letting others know that my blessings and strength are in Christ alone. Introducing your 2017 Miss Black University of Texas. The journey may have come to an end but the deeper self confidence I have gained, the hilarious and sincere priceless memories I have experienced and the new family I didn't know I was incomplete without will live on I am humbly honored to be your 2017 Miss Black University of Texas and I'm ready to give a voice to the voiceless A post shared by Rachael Malonson rachael212 on May 2, 2017 at 12 21pm PDT Shortly after the school's National Association Of Black Journalists chapter announced that Malonson, who is biracial, was chosen, many questioned whether or not she was actually black, or black enough to hold the crown. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ottawa: Things are literally looking up for a group of Syrian refugees at the main building for the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization OCISO . They are taking a course called working at heights, according to CTV. It's a requirement of their new job with an Ottawa company called Tangent Building Systems. Here in Ottawa, a unique program is matching employers looking for skilled workers with the workers who have the skills they need. Among the many unique aspects of this program called RAISE or Refugee and Immigrant Support to Employment, offered through the OCISO, is that the owner of Tangent Building Systems, Gus Awada, speaks Arabic himself. We have a large community that's entered in Ottawa, Awada says during a break in the course, and if we can help, they will contribute and they will integrate and it will be a win-win for everyone involved. Awada says his Lebanese parents were once immigrants themselves; that it is time to give back. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

screenshot nicki: Sharing a screenshot of messages from her staff about the payments that have already been made, she wrote on Instagram This makes me so happy, according to Hamilton Spectator. A few from the other day I'll do another impromptu payment spree in a month or 2 but pls know that I'm launching my official charity for Student Loans/Tuition Payments VERY SOON! You'll be able to officially sign up! I'll keep you posted! sic . The screenshot Nicki shared said Hi Nicki, Here is the list of the payments that were done today. Just one week after the star offered to help a number of her Twitter followers by paying off their tuition fees, Nicki revealed she has already made the first round of payments and will soon launch an official charity to help out even more of her followers. Herman, 1,128 for 2 summer classes. I had to get off the phone cause he was about to make me cry too. He started crying. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

skills gap: Jim is a great example of the business community stepping forward and leading by example on integrating immigrants into our workforce, said Justin Falconer, manager of inter-governmental partnerships at Workforce Windsor-Essex, the group organizing Friday's event, according to CBC. Estill eventually built up a refugee support program, made up of volunteers who helped what ended up being 220 refugees integrating into Guelph community. SPECIAL PROJECT I Am a Refugee Guelph CEO Jim Estill sponsoring 50 Syrian refugee families The president and CEO of Danby Appliances was in Windsor on Friday sharing his story at a workforce summit that focussed discussions on a skills gap that has companies scrambling to find ways to train workers for in-demand jobs. He ran the operation like a business with directors leading each portfolio, such as transportation and housing. So, he expanded his operation and made it available to all refugees. We built a network of furniture distribution, food distribution and jobs, ESL ... but government refugees did not have that support group, Ellis told CBC News. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

star investigation: The man who ran the house is Michael Ryan, who represented himself as the homeowner but is not the rightful tenant, according to Toronto Star. He informally sublet the property from an ex-girlfriend, who is the only occupant listed on the lease but hasn't lived at the house in more than a year. Facebook By Brendan Kennedy Staff Reporter Fri., May 12, 2017 An upscale family home in North York was turned into an illegal rooming house and crammed with as many as a dozen international students without the owner's knowledge, a Star investigation has found. These people have taken our family home and used it illegally for their own profit to take advantage of us and the students, said Douglas Melville, who owns the six-bedroom house with his wife, Gailina Liew. We feel very sorry for the students who have found themselves in this situation, Melville wrote in an email to the Star. The couple bought the property in 2014, but two years ago moved to the Channel Islands, where Melville was hired as the financial ombudsman for the British archipelago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

treaty day: First Nations thought they were signing peace treaties, and safe passage treaties, with which they were familiar, according to Rabble. To them, treaties were and are sacred obligations. To Canada, these treaties cleared the way for mass migration 750,000 arrived from 1890-1920 and resource extraction, such as logging or mining. First Nations in Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba still celebrate their local Treaty Day as an important historical event. Little did they know that in 1876, the new federal government had already drafted the document that would really govern how they were treated the Indian Act. Indigenous people expected to relate to Canada on a nation-to-nation basis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

woody allen: Less a topical harangue and mainly just a good hang, it promotes the idea that the pursuit of happiness is right up there with life and liberty, according to Hamilton Spectator. The templates set by Woody Allen and Jerry Seinfeld and Louis C.K. demand neuroses and irritable responses to the human condition from its New York funnyguy bachelors, yet Ansari's show cannot help but see extroverted sunshine and potential friendship around every corner, even when it stops to chronicle bouts of heartache and rejection. Yet Master of None, which returns to Netflix for a thoroughly enjoyable if less impressive second season on Friday, is just as noteworthy for being one of the chilliest shows around. Which is why season 2 opens on a note of such studied ebullience that Ansari had to film the first episode in black and white, lending it the dreamy, escapist feel of classic Italian cinema. Recall, if you will, that at the end of season 1, Dev was reeling from his breakup with Rachel No l Wells and for a brief moment it seemed he might chase after her to Tokyo. Like a Fellini short for foodies, we catch up to Dev in a suspended state of Bella vita in the small city of Modena, Italy, where he's serving as an apprentice to a matronly pasta maker. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

contact everyone: He hasn't heard from parents left behind in Jordan, presumably because they fear the same fate if they make contact, according to Brandon Sun. Everyone is afraid, he said by Skype from Syria's Daraa province. After more than four years in Jordan, the 31-year-old is back in a war zone where he fears for his family's safety and struggles to find work. Deportations from Jordan have spiked in recent months, with entire Syrian families sent back for the first time, including large numbers of children, said two international aid officials. The international group Human Rights Watch said it has documented numerous cases since 2014 of Jordan forcibly returning Syrian asylum seekers to Syria. One official said that more than one-third of several thousand refugees who went back to Syria between January and April were forcibly deported, while others returned voluntarily. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration attorney: The women are now all U.S. citizens, according to Brandon Sun. I want them to see that anything is possible if you work hard, said Linnette De Los Santos, who immigrated with her family from the Dominican Republic when she was 5 years old. The contestants know what they are talking about as they were all born in other countries and immigrated to the U.S. at young ages as their families pursued their versions of the American Dream. As Miss USA, I would love to be able to be that inspiration for our immigrant community. The competition airs Sunday from Las Vegas. If I would have stopped following my dreams and working hard towards what I wanted, I wouldn't be sitting here as Miss Florida USA or in law school ready to become an immigration attorney. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

assistant secretary: The Canadian government and the prime minister have spoken out very strongly on two big issues one is around refugees and migrants and secondly, is around women and girls, said UN Assistant Secretary General Justin Forsyth, the deputy executive director of UNICEF. All G7 countries need to do more to address the exploitation of children crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Europe, Forsyth said in an interview, according to The Chronicle Herald. Ninety per cent of children making that journey are classified as unaccompanied and face no end of misery, including sexual slavery and detention during their flight, and further discrimination in some European countries, he noted. A senior UNICEF official wants the prime minister to push for progress on a serious aspect of the global refugee crisis children travelling alone without adult supervision while in Sicily later this month for the G7 summit. Trudeau's impressive leadership on Syrian refugees and his development focus on helping women and girls in poor countries give him the political capital to push his fellow leaders to accept and help settle more unaccompanied child migrants, he said. In all of these countries there are very strong debates around migrants and refugees. Forsyth singled out Britain and France as two countries that need to do more, citing the ongoing internal political debates in both as obstacles to progress. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bilan family: And that mop seemed only appropriate, given his namesake Justin Trudeau Adam Bilan, according to Huffington Post Canada. The name, of course, is in honour of Canada's prime minister, someone to whom the Bilan family is very thankful to after his refugee initiative welcomed over 40,000 Syrian refugees to Canada. Born in Calgary, the baby boy weighed seven and a half pounds and came out with a head full of dark hair. Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, arrives to speak during a roundtable discussion at the 2017 CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, March 9, 2017. He helped a lot of refugees. We love this man, we appreciate him. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizenship: The law involves changes to Canadian citizenship, according to Toronto Star. One of the most glaring flaws is a measure that allows immigration officials to revoke a person's citizenship without the possibility of a hearing before an independent decision-maker. THE CANADIAN PRESS By Star Editorial Board Thu., May 11, 2017 A federal judge has just given the Trudeau government the kick in the pants it apparently needs to get on with fixing a bad law left over from the Harper era. This week Federal Court Justice Jocelyne Gagn ruled that those parts of the law violate the constitutional right to a fair hearing. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen's department says it is considering whether to appeal. She quashed the citizenship revocations of eight people who challenged the law, and gave the federal government 60 days to fix it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.