immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

beer: The new restaurant stocks Dubai's most-extensive selection of American craft beer, part of a major 23.5 billion market for customers wanting a different style of ale, according to CTV. It represents a new scene for Dubai, long known as the Manhattan of the Mideast, with chic skyscraper bars serving the fanciest of cocktails while the typical tap offers only the standard lagers. It's also being poured out, one pint at a time. That's starting to change, with establishments like Black Tap and Dubai's two main distributors increasingly stocking American craft beer, breaking new ground among Gulf Arab nations, several of which ban alcohol sales entirely. For wine aficionados, teetotallers or those otherwise unaware, a craft brewery is a small, independent beer producer. In such an eclectic city, we should have such an eclectic range of beers to accommodate instead of just the same beers that you can get all around the world, said Eric Ballard, the group beverage manager for Sunset Hospitality, which runs Black Tap. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

record highs: And the numbers are expected to continue to rise, according to The Chronicle Herald. During a briefing Monday with immigration organizations in New York City, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said based on current trends, Canada could see 40,000 claimants by the end of the year, according to Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel, who was in the room. New statistics released Tuesday by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada show that as of August, 27,440 claims for asylum have been filed in Canada, a peak since record highs of between 36,000 and 33,000 in 2008 and 2009. Hussen's office confirmed her account. Nobody is saying that this is going to stop. Given the global forced displacement and forced migration, this is now a public policy concern, Rempel said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

report card: For the latter, committee members would do well to examine a new paper out of Rice University in Texas titled, The Racialization of Islam in the United States Islamophobia, Hate Crimes, and Flying while Brown.' We often hear that because Muslims are not a race, people cannot be racist for attacking Muslims, sociologist and study author Craig Considine is quoted saying in the University's media statement, according to Toronto Star. This argument does not stack up. Its report card will hopefully contain two outcomes Strategies to combat systemic racism, and a definition of Islamophobia that will place it in the context of Canadian laws as well as overall racism in the country. It is a simplistic way of thinking that overlooks the role that race plays in Islamophobic hate crimes. Article Continued Below In the U.S., some 30 per cent of Muslims describe themselves as white, 23 per cent as Black, 21 per cent as Asian, 6 per cent as Hispanic, and 19 per cent as other or mixed race, according to the Pew Research Center in Washington. Islamophobia is not colour blind. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

suu kyi: Myanmar's Suu Kyi condemns 'all human rights violations' in Rohingya crisis Aung San Suu Kyi accused of spouting 'falsehoods' in speech about Rohingya crisis Darusman's team started its work in August, the month that attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents in Myanmar triggered a military response that has forced more than 421,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh in the past month, according to CBC. Myanmar has denied rights groups' accusations that it is trying to drive the minority community out of Rakhine state, saying it is only targeting militants. '1045600835558', 'playlist Selector' 'container Selector' ' container73294125', 'ciid' 'caffeine14287361' ; Stuck in no man's land between Bangladesh and Myanmar0 40 Initial information has been given that some of the allegations that have been spelled out in the resolution are reflected in the initial findings of the team in their interviews, Darusman told reporters. Marzuki Darusman said his UN team was still trying to get Myanmar's permission to enter the country, but was gathering evidence from refugees and medics in the border town of Cox's Bazar in neighbouring Bangladesh. What they have come up with reflects in general the reporting of the international media so far on what is happening there. The international media has widely reported on the plight of the Rohingya and their accounts of persecution by Myanmar's military and security forces, which the UN human rights chief has referred to as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Allegations of ethnic cleansing The UN Human Rights Council's resolution to set up the fact-finding mission mandated Darusman's team to look into alleged recent human rights violations by military and security forces and abuses in Myanmar, in particular in Rakhine State. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

worker program: The decision says four representative plaintiffs paid up to 8,500, only to arrive in Canada to learn there were no jobs at Mac's, they couldn't work elsewhere and their money would not be returned, the decision says, according to The Chronicle Herald. The plaintiffs represent about 450 workers, including Prakash Basyal, a Napalese man who was recruited at a job fair in Dubai. A written decision posted Tuesday says the case involves employment contracts for work at Mac's stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker program. Basyal says in an affidavit that he met immigration consultant Kuldeep Bansal at a recruitment fair in the summer of 2012 and was told he'd be guaranteed a job in Canada if he paid 8,000. Overseas Immigration Services, Overseas Career and Consulting Services, and Trident Immigration Services are named as defendants in the lawsuit, and the decision says they are related companies controlled by Bansal, whose sister is the sole director of Trident. Bansal arranged for him to be interviewed in Dubai by a Mac's representative in November 2012 and again in February 2013 by phone, Basyal says in the document, adding he signed an employment contract a month later to work at a Mac's store for two years at a wage of 11.40 an hour. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

morning tuesday: Beverley Braham, who is married to a Canadian citizen and recently gave birth to a child, is facing deportation to Jamaica on September 21, according to NOW Magazine. Around 50 protestors gathered at 7 45 am. Members of Black Lives Matter-Toronto BLM-TO shut down Yonge and Bloor this morning Tuesday, September 19 to protest the imminent deportation of a Toronto mother. At 8 10 am, they blocked all four sides of the intersection, holding signs that read Let Beverley stay, Black families matter and Which side of history are you on Braham and her husband were in attendance. BLM TO first got involved in Braham's case this spring, when she faced deportation in March. She's one month away from the completion of her sponsorship application and they want to separate her from her family, says Syrus Marcus Ware, a spokesperson for BLM-TO. There's no reason why this should be happening. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

plane tickets: One of the higher profile events for student filmmakers in North America, the festival fielded 5,000 submissions from 40 countries, according to Vancouver Courier. The bad news revolves around extremely tight timelines. First, the good news four films produced by students in Templeton secondary's Afterschool Film Program have been accepted into the prestigious All American High School Film Festival in early October. The films were accepted in late August, the week before school started. The money being raised will cover plane tickets and partial accommodation costs. Getting 18 students to New York City costs roughly 13,000, a figure that needed to be raised in five weeks.A Go Fund Me campaign was launched in the days after the films were accepted, and roughly 9,000 had been garnered as of Sept. 19. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizen: The powerful military in Myanmar is accused of burning down the homes of Rohingya Muslims, forcing more than 400,000 members of the persecuted minority to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to the latest UN figures, according to CTV. Suu Kyi, an honorary Canadian citizen and a long-celebrated Nobel Peace Prize winner, has come in for withering international criticism for failing to stop -- or even speak out against -- the violence. It is with profound surprise, disappointment and dismay that your fellow Canadians have witnessed your continuing silence in the face of the brutal oppression of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim people, Trudeau wrote Monday in a letter to Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar. The letter from Trudeau, which follows a telephone call last week, outlines the reports of what Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, recently called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, including extrajudicial killings, burning villages and land mines. As the de facto democratic leader of Myanmar and as a renowned advocate for human rights, you have a particular moral and political obligation to speak out against this appalling cruelty, and to do whatever is in your power to stop it, he wrote. It was released publicly Monday after the prime minister made reference to it in a joint news conference in Ottawa with British Prime Minister Theresa May. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

council: There are 13 candidates running for mayor and 71 running for council, according to the city, according to CBC. The ward with the most candidates running for council is Ward 4, with 13 council hopefuls. A record slate of 132 candidates submitted their papers to run for office after registration opened at 9 a.m. The seat is currently held by five-term councillor Ed Gibbons, who is not running again in the October election. It's electrifying, said Don Iveson, who is seeking a second term as mayor. Iveson, 9 councillors seek re-election in next Edmonton election Is this a Seinfeld Edmonton municipal election There was a buzz around city hall as candidates arrived in campaign colours with supporters and family carrying signs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deportation protections: Abbott was asked Monday whether he was comfortable with Trump's stance on deportation protections for 800,000 young immigrants, or if he was clear about the president's intentions, according to Metro News. He answered with one word No. Greg Abbott has few words about President Donald Trump's plan for young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and living here illegally. Abbott was holding a press conference in Austin to announce staff changes. Trump had promised to end the Obama program. Trump said last week he was fairly close to an agreement with congressional Democrats that would enshrine protections for young immigrants established by former President Barack Obama. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

information: Facebook makes billions helping advertisers find and follow us around the net, according to The Chronicle Herald. It's always asking for more information about our likes, dislikes, views and beliefs. Facebook does not care about privacy. Then it decides what news we see via its famous algorithms. Now it turns out that Russian psychological warfare operators paid Facebook to influence the 2016 U.S. elections. All that is bad enough. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jesse gabriel: The lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco alleged the move violated the constitutional rights of immigrants who lack legal status and provided information about themselves to the U.S. government so they could participate in the program, according to Metro News. The consequences are potentially catastrophic, said Jesse Gabriel, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. Six immigrants brought to the United States as children who became teachers, graduate students and a lawyer sued the Trump administration on Monday over its decision to end a program shielding them from deportation. These people can very powerfully and very clearly communicate the extent to which they organized their lives around this program. More than a dozen states from Maine to California have sued over the administration's decision to phase out the program, alleging similar constitutional violations. The lawsuit joins others filed over President Donald Trump's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program which has allowed nearly 800,000 immigrants to obtain work permits and deportation protection since 2012. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nancy pelosi: We're in this fight to win for the dreamers, when it's easier and when it's harder, she told reporters later after a similar but quieter event in Sacramento, according to Metro News. Dreamers is a nickname used for young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children or by parents who overstayed visas. Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, said she understands the fears of young immigrants after they shouted her down Monday at an event where she planned to drum up support for legislation that would grant legal status to immigrants like them. I understand the fear that they have, Pelosi said. The protesters called for reform that gives legal status to all immigrants in the country, not just young people. Dozens of protesters marched into her event in San Francisco, her hometown, showing their displeasure over her recent meetings with President Donald Trump over the program that protects young immigrants from deportation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

obama-era program: Although Trump's move to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy a decision he has since hinted he will revisit has been controversial, Cohen points out Canada does not have a similar program that protects children brought here illegally, according to CBC. We need to look at ourselves and realize we're not doing anything either for young children who are here without status, he said. Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it would end an Obama-era program that shields from deportation about 800,000 so-called Dreamers who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children. Halifax immigration lawyer Lee Cohen. They are the quintessential victim in this morass and in Canada there is no program in place that looks after the needs of children that don't have status in this country, he said. Blair Sanderson/CBC Even if they've lived in Canada for decades since they were children, Cohen said those without status have few options. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya muslims: It is with profound surprise, disappointment and dismay that your fellow Canadians have witnessed your continuing silence in the face of the brutal oppression of Myanmar's Burma's Rohingya Muslim people, Trudeau wrote Monday in a letter to Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Burma, according to Toronto Star. The powerful military in Burma is accused of burning down the homes of Rohingya Muslims, forcing more than 400,000 members of the persecuted minority to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to the latest UN figures. Justin Tang / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Joanna Smith The Canadian Press Mon., Sept. 18, 2017 OTTAWA Aung San Suu Kyi must publicly condemn the atrocities being committed against Rohingya Muslims in Burma, or else her rhetoric and global reputation as a champion of human rights will mean nothing, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Read more India says it has evidence there are extremists among Rohingya Muslims Article Continued Below What Canada must do about the human rights crisis in Burma Burma's leader has one last chance' to stop Rohingya crisis, UN chief says Suu Kyi, an honorary Canadian citizen and a long-celebrated Nobel Peace Prize winner, has come in for withering international criticism for failing to stop or even speak out against the violence. react-empty 156 The letter from Trudeau, which follows a telephone call last week, outlines the reports of what Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, recently called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, including extrajudicial killings, burning villages and landmines. As the de facto democratic leader of Burma and as a renowned advocate for human rights, you have a particular moral and political obligation to speak out against this appalling cruelty, and to do whatever is in your power to stop it, he wrote. It was released publicly Monday after the prime minister made reference to it in a joint news conference in Ottawa with British Prime Minister Theresa May. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya muslims: Many say their homes were burned by Myanmar's military or by Buddhist mobs, according to CBC. The protesters chanted slogans and waved Bangladesh's flag as they marched through the streets of Dhaka, the capital. At least 412,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled from Buddhist-majority Myanmar in the past month and are living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh. One banner said, Stop Killing Rohingya. Supporters march toward Myanmar's embassy to protest against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday. Myanmar faces mounting international pressure Suu Kyi to skip UN assembly amid ethnic cleansing allegations The march, organized by the hardline Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam, began at Bangladesh's main mosque but was stopped by police well before the protesters reached the embassy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya refugees: Mahesh Kumar A. / Associated Press By The Associated Press Mon., Sept. 18, 2017 NEW DELHI India's government said Monday that it has evidence there are extremists who pose a threat to the country's security among the Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar and settled in many Indian cities, according to Toronto Star. India's Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed on behalf of two Rohingya refugees challenging a government decision to deport the ethnic group from India. India's government says it has evidence there are extremists who pose a threat to the country's security among the Rohingya who have fled Myanmar and settled in many Indian cities. The lawyer representing the Rohingya said the decision was discriminatory. Read more Article Continued Below What Canada must do to about the human rights crisis in Burma Burma's leader has one last chance' to stop Rohingya crisis, UN chief says World leaders to discuss plight of Rohingyas at UN react-empty 153 He said the government had evidence of the presence of militants among the refugees who fled a crackdown by the Myanmar government. This is clearly a case of religious discrimination and an attempt to arouse an anti-Muslim feeling, Prashant Bhushan said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

supreme court: It was auctioned off to an unidentified buyer in March for 2.14 million U.S. its second time going up for auction, according to Toronto Star. The international anti-poverty organization Oxfam rented it Saturday and invited four refugees to talk with journalists. The three-story Tudor-style home in Queens that Trump's father, Fred, built in 1940 is now a rental available on Airbnb that anyone can stay in for 725 U.S. a night. The Republican president's administration issued travel bans on people from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees. The justices will hear arguments on the bans Oct. 10. After various court challenges, the Supreme Court last week allowed the restrictive policy on refugees to remain temporarily. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wing groups: The debate around the motion set off showdowns between right and left wing groups on Parliament Hill and beyond, and saw the Liberal MP who sponsored it receive thousands of hate-laced messages and death threats, according to CTV. But Liberal MP Hedy Fry, who chairs the committee, said all parties worked together to draw up the witness list and are intent on learning and listening. On Monday, the heritage committee starts a study on systemic racism and religious discrimination in Canada mandated as part of a motion condemning Islamophobia that passed last spring. I don't think there's going to be any kind of nastiness. People have long been concerned with the global climate for minorities, Fry said, but things are shifting. The issue is among the first MPs will deal with after a summer that included a violent protest in Virginia between white nationalists and their opponents that left one dead and injured nearly 20 others, as well as a series of protests and counter protests between similar groups in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

counter protests: But Liberal MP Hedy Fry, who chairs the committee, said all parties worked together to draw up the witness list and are intent on learning and listening, according to National Observer. I don't think there's going to be any kind of nastiness. The debate around the motion set off showdowns between right and left wing groups on Parliament Hill and beyond, and saw the Liberal MP who sponsored it receive thousands of hate-laced messages and death threats. The issue is among the first MPs will deal with after a summer that included a violent protest in Virginia between white nationalists and their opponents that left one dead and injured nearly 20 others, as well as a series of protests and counter protests between similar groups in Canada. All that we see with the things that have happened in the United States and Canada and around the world is that it's becoming a little more acute, Fry said. People have long been concerned with the global climate for minorities, Fry said, but things are shifting. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

andre braugher: Veep and Saturday Night Live were also big winners, according to CTV. Sterling K. Brown won his second back-to-back Emmy for his role in the series This Is Us and in his speech honoured Andre Braugher, who was the last black man to be nominated in the same category, for Gideon's Crossing in 2001. The series is based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, and the celebrated Canadian author received a standing ovation when she joined the cast and producers onstage as they accepted the Emmy. It does feel different but for different reasons. That kind of blows my mind, he said. I'm the first African-American in 16 years nominated. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

suu: Aung San Suu Kyi, the celebrated de facto leader of Myanmar, has come under harsh international criticism for failing to speak out against the violence, according to CTV. Many of those gathered in Ottawa were demanding the Liberal government strip Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship. Scroll down or click here to vote in our poll of the day The powerful military in Myanmar is accused of burning down the homes Rohingya Muslims, forcing more than 400,000 members of the persecuted minority to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh as refugees, according to the latest figures from the United Nations. As Canadians, we believe in democracy, freedom, protection of human rights and a commitment to the rule of law, said Fareed Khan, who has sponsored a petition calling on the Liberal government to revoke the honour. Regrettably, that no longer seems to be the case, he said. When Canada conferred honorary Canadian status on Aung San Suu Kyi, it was because she was said to embody these principles, Khan told the crowd gathered below the steps leading up to Parliament Hill. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.n: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who lambasted Myanmar for atrocities during a visit to border camps last week, left Dhaka to address the annual U.N. gathering in New York, according to Metro News. Refugee camps were already beyond capacity and new arrivals were staying in schools or huddling in makeshift settlements with no toilets along roadsides and in open fields. Bangladesh has been overwhelmed with more than 400,000 Rohingya who fled their homes in the last three weeks amid a crisis the U.N. describes as ethnic cleansing. On Sunday, police were checking vehicles to prevent Rohingya from spreading to nearby towns in an attempt to control the situation. As many private and social organizations are coming and distributing relief, sometimes chaos breaks out. There is an instruction from the prime minister that we must treat Rohingya Muslims maintaining human rights, said A.K.M. Iqbal Hossain, a police superintendent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

clown nose: Vermette, a full-time humanitarian clown, has never felt so enriched, according to Toronto Star. He has never felt so enraged, either. The 29-year-old from Trois-Rivi res, Que., sold his entertainment company two years ago, launched a fundraising campaign, filled a backpack and dove into a new life marked by overwhelming misery, suffering, violence and desperation. Now his shows are for street kids in Haiti and Burkina Faso, Syrian refugees in Greece and Jordan, Burmese refugees in Thailand and Russian orphans living in ramshackle conditions. If you brought me a recipe to save the world I'd drop my clown nose and do it. Yes, it's rough sometimes, he admitted in a recent interview. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gourmet: Cate Simpson, one of the event organizers, says over 50 chefs and food professionals have donated hundreds of items to a gourmet garage sale, according to CBC. We have beautiful donations, she said. The B.C. chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a society of professional women associated with the culinary arts, is hosting the garage sale to provide funds for its scholarship program for culinary students. We have cookbooks signed cookbooks, limited edition cookbooks cooking tools, baking equipment. Major the Gourmet one of the first gourmet caterers in Vancouver known for her gorgeous food displays. Some of the highlights of the sale include contributions from Nicky Major a.k.a. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mass graves: Well over 1 million people have fled the fighting that began a year ago when the Democratic Republic of Congo's military killed the regional tribal leader of the Kamwina Nsapu militia, according to Toronto Star. More than 3,300 people in the region have died, according to estimates by the Catholic Church. Once again, children are among the most vulnerable victims. The United Nations has counted more than 80 mass graves. Children make up more than half of the displaced people, said Yvon Edoumou, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Congo. Across the once-peaceful region, children are forced to take up weapons, either recruited by militias, or to defend their homes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.