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.

citizen survey: The annual quantitative surveys done until last year had showed a decline in the perception among Calgarians that the city is a safe place to live, the commission says, according to CBC. Calgary police seen as less competent, fair and ethical in 2016 citizen survey The Calgary Police Commission wanted to dig deeper to find out what was driving the trend, so it commissioned a qualitative consultation instead of the annual survey, it said. The 2017 Citizen Consultation Research Report, based on online consultations conducted by Illumina Research Partners, gives a valuable snapshot of perspectives about safety and policing in our city, the commission said in a release on Friday. The online community consultation format allows participants to communicate in their own words how they feel about safety, crime, and the Calgary Police Service, and why they hold particular views, the final report says, while noting that the results are not statistically projectable to the population at large. More than 100 Calgarians from all eight police districts took part in the moderator-led online bulletin board discussions, which included in-depth probing of participants to understand different perspectives and why people feel or behave a certain way. According to the report, the participants' perception that Calgary is safe has eroded because of a perceived increase in crime, the economic downturn, changing demographics, media coverage and the growth of the city. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

drives guineans: After a de-facto amnesty on deportations between 2013 and 2016, requests for asylum by Guineans have been refused en masse since December, according to Rabble. According to the Refugee and Immigration Board, 10 Guineans in Canada have had their asylum rejected since June 30. The protesters called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to live up to his Welcome to Canada rhetoric and allow asylum seekers from the small West African nation to stay. Sixty-three claimants from the impoverished country are currently pending. Certainly, in a number of ways, this country has contributed to the impoverishment that drives Guineans to seek a better life elsewhere.A handful of Canadian mining companies operate in the small West African nation and to strengthen their hand Ottawa signed a Foreign Investment and Protection Agreement with Guinea in 2015. Rally organizers cited corporate Canada's exploitation of the mineral rich nation as a rationale for why asylum seekers should be allowed to stay. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrants: In the late 80s and 90s, developers built indoor malls in Metro Vancouver's growing suburbs with the region's influx of East Asian immigrants in mind, according to Metro News. Richmond has the most, with malls like Yaohan, Parker Place and Aberdeen Centre, named after a Hong Kong area. The destination every possible Asian mall, said Yu. For about three decades, the malls, filled with mostly mom-and-pops, supplied the local diaspora with what they're used to from overseas. These malls offer immigrants like Yu's mother an easier time transitioning to life in Canada, from overseas goods to the ability to speak in their mother tongue.A favourite of immigrants and locals alike are the mall's diverse food courts, with everything from Shanghai soup buns to Xinjiang skewers. You'll find stalls scooping rice and noodles out of vats for homemakers and parties, mountains of East Asian soaps and films on DVD and surprises like pig roasting, music schools and a Chinese Christian centre.A go-to place for Yu's mother was a store in Burnaby's Crystal Mall that sold ginseng and tofu. function set Cookie related path / ; Related Urbanite finds success growing organic choy for Vancouver market Vancouver Chinatown's cultural food businesses struggle to survive report Character homes, Chinatown top list of most endangered Vancouver heritage The owners always remembered her, said Yu. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration division: While your posts may not be criminal, I cannot pretend that they do not exist, according to Toronto Star. Nor can I ignore the impact that I think they are likely to have on those who read them and in turn on the Canadian public, Cook told Hamdan. Adjudicator Trent Cook of the board's immigration division said Thursday in an oral ruling that Othman Hamdan's behaviour and online activity make it necessary to keep him incarcerated pending the outcome of an immigration review. In my view, anyone who actively promotes and calls on people to engage in terrorist activity is engaging in behaviour and conduct that puts the Canadian public in danger, regardless of if that conduct meets the standard necessary to obtain a criminal conviction. Article Continued Below Hamdan, 35, is a Jordanian national of Palestinian descent who came to B.C. after living in the United States and was granted refugee status following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.A B.C. Supreme Court judge found Hamdan not guilty in September of allegations of encouraging murder, assault, and instructing a person to carry out a terrorist activity, ruling that Hamdan's comments might be offensive but they didn't constitute inciting terrorism. A date has not yet been set for Hamdan's admissibility hearing to determine if he should remain in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration review: While your posts may not be criminal, I cannot pretend that they do not exist, according to CTV. Nor can I ignore the impact that I think they are likely to have on those who read them and in turn on the Canadian public, Cook told Hamdan. Adjudicator Trent Cook of the board's immigration division said Thursday in an oral ruling that Othman Hamdan's behaviour and online activity make it necessary to keep him incarcerated pending the outcome of an immigration review. In my view, anyone who actively promotes and calls on people to engage in terrorist activity is engaging in behaviour and conduct that puts the Canadian public in danger, regardless of if that conduct meets the standard necessary to obtain a criminal conviction. Hamdan, 35, is a Jordanian national of Palestinian descent who came to B.C. after living in the United States and was granted refugee status following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A date has not yet been set for Hamdan's admissibility hearing to determine if he should remain in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

justice alfred: But O'Marra ordered Toure's immediate transfer to the Immigration Holding Centre, a less-restrictive facility for immigration detainees, according to Toronto Star. He said that detaining Toure, who has no criminal record in Canada, has never committed a violent offence and is not considered a danger to the public, in a maximum-security jail was a disproportionate means for the government to address its concern that he is unlikely to show up for his deportation if it is ever arranged. But Justice Alfred O'Marra rejected Toure's application for release, ruling that the federal government still had a right to detain the West African man, who has been behind bars for more than four-and-a-half years because Canada has been unable to deport him. His only conviction is for a non-violent property offence from 12 years ago in Georgia, O'Marra said, referring to Toure's 2005 conviction for selling pirated CDs and DVDs in Atlanta. Toure has spent more time in a maximum-security facility than someone convicted of a serious crime. Article Continued Below . . . Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mineral resources: Friday's attack, in which two rebels were also wounded, was a rare frontal assault on UN forces charged with protecting civilians in Congo's east, where dozens of armed groups exploit mineral resources and prey on local residents, according to CBC. UN peacekeepers in the Congo drive into their compound after patrolling the streets during mass protests against President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa last April. UN pushing for investigation in Congo after mass graves found Thirty-four rebels from a Mai-Mai militia have been killed during fighting with Congo's army in the past week, local army spokesperson Jules Ngongo said, a spike in violence he attributed to an army crackdown on the militia's harassment of local residents. Robert Carrubba/Reuters Very early this morning, about 30 Mai-Mai attacked, mission spokesperson Florence Marchal told Reuters, adding that UN forces drove off the assailants. The Mai-Mai comprise a number of armed bands that originally formed to resist Rwandan invasions in the 1990s. It was not immediately clear which Mai-Mai group attacked or what their objective was. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

population: There's growing evidence that ramping up the number of newcomers we accept from around the world is one of the best ways for Canada to meet the challenges of a falling birthrate and aging population, according to Toronto Star. This goes against a fair amount of conventional wisdom, which warns that more immigrants will make it harder for Canadians to find jobs. He should be bold. And for politicians it raises fears of a populist backlash against allowing more newcomers with different cultures and values. And the evidence is mounting that Canada needs more people, not fewer, if it is to maintain robust economic growth and soften the impact of our aging population. The government must manage these concerns, but it should follow the evidence when making such big decisions that will have effects far into the future. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rakhine: The UN has denounced the Myanmar military offensive as ethnic cleansing, but Myanmar insists its forces are fighting terrorists who have killed civilians and burned villages, according to CBC. Rights groups say more than 200 Rohingya villages in the north of Rakhine state have been torched in a campaign by the security forces and Buddhist vigilantes to drive out Muslims. Around 515,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh from Myanmar's western state of Rakhine in an unrelenting movement of people that began after Myanmar security forces responded to Rohingya militant attacks with a brutal crackdown. UN humanitarian relief chief Mark Lowcock reiterated an appeal for access to the population in northern Rakhine, saying the situation was unacceptable. Rohingya refugees arrive for a Friday prayer at a mosque in a camp in Bangladesh for those who recently fled from Myanmar. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has blocked most access to the area, although some agencies have offices open in towns there and the International Committee of the Red Cross is helping the Myanmar Red Cross to deliver aid. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee crisis: Many more people, from young children to old men, stand huddled with their belongings on the riverbank, according to CTV. Myanmar has come under international criticism for failing to stop the violence, and in turn the tide of more than half a million Rohingya who have made the often perilous journey to Bangladesh since late August, the largest refugee crisis to hit Asia in decades. A video obtained by The Associated Press that villagers said was shot Thursday in northern Rakhine state shows dozens of Rohingya attempting to swim across the currents of a muddy river, from where it is a more than 20-kilometre 12-mile walk through jungles to the border. The Myanmar government's information committee said in a statement late Thursday that it had stopped 17,000 Rohingya from fleeing in just four days last week. The local authorities told the Bengalis if they have difficulties with their livelihood, they will provide food and security and to return to their villages. The Myanmar authorities in northern Rakhine went to the border areas where thousands of Bengalis await to flee and talked to them, it said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

singh: To build a public identity that captured his essence, Singh reached far outside the world of seasoned political veterans, according to National Observer. Instead he approached the somewhat obscure Skyrocket, a boutique Vancouver branding agency co-founded by Mo Dhaliwal.A novice to federal politics, Dhaliwal is better known as a nationally recognized and award-winning arts and diversity advocate, curator, and former chair of the B.C. government's multicultural advisory council. Engineered with a dedicated strategy and ground-game, Singh's campaign was marked from the outset by a disciplined and unwavering commitment to his key identity marker, With Love and Courage. ; That framing went viral when Jagmeet Singh was captured on film calmly citing his mantra when confronted by a racist heckler during the campaign. National Observer caught up with Mo Dhaliwal to talk about how a complete outsider constructed the public identity of Jagmeet Singh for Canadians.Q Mo, you're not known as a political operator. Mo Dhaliwal founder, Skyrocket branding agency So they looked at it and said, Well, if he's that guy, then he might be the right guy to do this with us. How did you connect with Jagmeet Singh's campaign, and how did the process of creating his public identity work Dhaliwal There is an amazing circle of people around Jagmeet, his brother Gurratan, and many others, and they're quite familiar with my body of work. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian society: There they are almost invisible, according to Toronto Star. Indeed, a new report from Ryerson University's Diversity Institute points out that visible minorities make up a scant 3.3 per cent of corporate boards. But you wouldn't know it if you stepped into corporate boardrooms in this city. Put another way, only 3 per cent of companies have 20 per cent racialized minorities on their boards and 90 per cent have none. They are lagging behind profound demographic changes in Canadian society and risk becoming increasingly out of touch with their customers and their staff. Those stark statistics should be a wakeup call to corporate leaders. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cases: We are dealing with situations on site immediately as they present and they do not present on a regular basis, he said, according to CBC. It is overall, in our estimation, even less than one per cent of cases that are cases dealing with serious criminality and which are resolved at the time, in their entirety. '1063302723777', 'playlist Selector' 'container Selector' ' container28579604', 'ciid' 'caffeine14340100' ; Less than 1% of claimants have serious criminal records CBSA1 46 Liberal ministers taking questions at the committee worked to downplay any associated problems with the surge in asylum seekers and assure the public that federal officials are managing the influx capably. Appearing before the House of Commons immigration committee studying the issue today, CBSA associate vice-president Jacques Cloutier said any potential risks are swiftly identified and dealt with. Half of asylum claims rejected Protesters shut down border How border crossers claim asylum Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, responding to questions from Alberta Conservative MP Glen Motz about what the government is doing to restore public confidence, ensure people follow the rules and don't disappear after entering the country, insisted the border is secure. Officials from various departments, including CBSA and the RCMP, act immediately and effectively to minimize any risks to Canadians, he said. The implication in this dump of innuendos that somehow the border is insecure and somehow the safety of the country is being compromised is absolutely wrong, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

company catchphrase: Bryant is the third-biggest shareholder in Bodyarmor, which was founded in 2011 with the aim of upending the market long dominated by Gatorade and Coca-Cola's Powerade, according to Toronto Star. The next chapter in that fight is the drink's biggest sponsorship deal yet a partnership with mixed-martial arts juggernaut UFC. Bodyarmor co-founder Mike Repole, who helped found vitaminwater and Smartwater, said he sees parallels between the drink and the sport, both relative newcomers facing entrenched industry incumbents. But Bodyarmor had a HOT summer! Up over 110% in convenience stores, he wrote, adding a fire emoji and the hashtag Obsessionis Natural, a company catchphrase he came up with near the end of his 20-year NBA career. UFC is to boxing what Bodyarmor is to Gatorade, Repole said. The UFC sponsorship, the largest marketing deal in Bodyarmor's short history, is part of a larger push to get consumers familiar with the drink. People are looking for newer and better. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

heritage minister: It starts Saturday and will be followed by two other in-demand titles The Florida Project and Borg Vs McEnroe, according to Vancouver Observer. Tonight Thursday Alanis Obomsawin's new film Our People Will Be Healed will screen at 9 p.m. at the Van City Theatre with a special introduction. The most hyped title is a Chinese epic called The Hidden Sword. That'll be by Canada's Heritage Minister, M lanie Joly, who is visiting the festival and is expected to make a few announcements earlier in the day. It's entirely appropriate too that it stars a transgender actor. These films I have seen already and rate this way A Fantastic Woman 4 stars Faces Places 4Happy End 3 The Line 3 We hear so much about transgender people these days it's not at all surprising that a drama has come along about their lives and their problems and is aimed at a general audience. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration review: While your posts may not be criminal, I cannot pretend that they do not exist, according to Metro News. Nor can I ignore the impact that I think they are likely to have on those who read them and in turn on the Canadian public, Cook told Hamdan. Adjudicator Trent Cook of the board's immigration division said Thursday in an oral ruling that Othman Hamdan's behaviour and online activity make it necessary to keep him incarcerated pending the outcome of an immigration review. In my view, anyone who actively promotes and calls on people to engage in terrorist activity is engaging in behaviour and conduct that puts the Canadian public in danger, regardless of if that conduct meets the standard necessary to obtain a criminal conviction. Hamdan, 35, is a Jordanian national of Palestinian descent who came to B.C. after living in the United States and was granted refugee status following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.A B.C. Supreme Court judge found Hamdan not guilty in September of allegations of encouraging murder, assault, and instructing a person to carry out a terrorist activity, ruling that Hamdan's comments might be offensive but they didn't constitute inciting terrorism. A date has not yet been set for Hamdan's admissibility hearing to determine if he should remain in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

iv fluid: The two-year-old is thriving now, but the usually perky girl was sick with a worsening fever when she was diagnosed last year, according to CTV. When she arrived at BC Children's Hospital, her parents didn't think it was anything serious. About nine months ago, little Aubrey Hirsch underwent a critical medical procedure in her fight with acute myeloid leukemia. I went into the ER kind of thinking we would maybe just get a little IV fluid to give her some electrolytes or something just to perk her up, not thinking it was any big deal, but we didn't go home, Aubrey's mother Megan Davis said. Hours later, she was undergoing chemotherapy. They went straight into the pediatric intensive care unit, and Aubrey was given a bone marrow biopsy the next day. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

language requirements: Here are five important changes in the bill, according to Metro News. Some have been in effect since June, while others, specifically physical presence and language requirements, will be effective starting Oct. 11. It's part of Bill C-6, which amends the Citizenship Act to ease the immigration process. Revocation Dual citizens convicted of terrorism, spying or treason will face the Canadian justice system like any other citizen who breaks the law. Intent Applicants are no longer required to express intent to continue to live in Canada after receiving citizenship. No one can strip their citizenship. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

michel matte: Systemic racism is the practice wherein people discriminate--sometimes unwittingly--against those who do not share their own ethnic and cultural background in a myriad of ways, such as deciding who to hire, according to CTV. Couillard and two other Liberal MNAs, Michel Matte and Patrick Huot, identified the systemic racism consultations as a factor in the devastating loss for the Liberals in the Louis-Hebert by-election on Monday night. I think the important thing is to reconnect the process with the results that we want to obtain, he said. Some Quebecers have expressed discomfort, saying they are unhappy with the process. I think he realizes that a number of Quebecers feel that the commission is completely uncalled for, said PQ leader Jean-Francois Lis e. The PQ and CAQ have referred to it as putting Quebecers on trial; that it suggests Quebec society as a whole is racist. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

muskoka region: But, I did absolutely no exploring of the lake -- content to sit in a Muskoka chair mesmerized by the water as it transitioned through its day, evening and into its night, according to Rabble. Calm in the early morning churned into action by rainfall or the odd passing motor boat, a natural mirror for the glorious setting sun, and virtually indistinguishable from the dark sky once night fell, Fairy Lake was very much alive and exuding restorative energy. Touted as one of the jewels of the Muskoka region of Ontario, Fairy Lake is also the gateway to Algonquin Park. Yet, far too often, we take water for granted and waste or misuse it. Organized by the Unitarian Congregation of Guelph UCG Ontario and facilitated by Arlene Slocombe, executive director of the Wellington Water Watchers WWW the hour long celebration had me seeing water in an entirely new light. On Sunday, September 10 I was privileged to be invited to a Water Blessing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

news release: The program will involve mentoring from local, national and international entrepreneurs, and one-on-one training from business-oriented navigators, according to The Chronicle Herald. Our goal is to help immigrant women in our local community take their business ideas from paper to pitch to reality, Kyla Doornbos, the volunteer co-ordinator for the Newcomer Network through Enactus Dalhousie, said in a news release. The showcase is a series of workshops designed to help build, develop and feature immigrant women and their ideas from the Halifax business community, and ends with a pitch competition. We want to help them get their foot in the door and efficiently develop their businesses wherever they need the assistance. We want to help translate their skills into jobs that help them participate in the community around them, she said. Emily Miller, the curator of the Global Shapers Halifax Hub, said in the release that immigrant women often lack meaningful work experiences outside the home. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

polling stations: Its leaders claim this will happen in a matter of days even though Spain's national government and its courts declare this would be illegal, according to Toronto Star. If undeterred, this will be a historic collision between two extreme and stubborn sides that is certain to end badly. At issue is the apparent determination of the separatist government of Catalonia, one of Spain's wealthiest regions, to declare unilateral independence. We saw a preview of that last Sunday as Catalonia held a banned referendum on independence amid horrific scenes of police violence. There were scenes of Spanish police smashing their way into polling stations, dragging out voters, firing rubber bullets into crowds and beating pro-independence demonstrators. The Spanish government did its best to block the voting, and its brutal efforts were dramatically captured on television. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

program beneficiaries: The Spanish-language media company Univision filed a supporting document saying Trump's plan will hurt news gathering because program beneficiaries would be scared to speak publicly about their situation, according to Metro News. The Department of Justice says it looks forward to defending the program and restoring respect for the rule of the law. It also claims the young immigrants weren't given enough notice the program is ending. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sidra: The Newcomers part one The Newcomers part two The Newcomers part three Data released from the 2016 census showed that the census metropolitan area's population grew by just 25 people compared with the 2011 census from 121,596 to 121,621 people, according to CBC. And that's why we chose a total 25 of people to profile. All week, CBC Superior Morning is bringing you some of their stories. Here is the fourth group of five newcomers, sharing their stories. Sidra Sehrai Sidra Sehrai, originally from Hamilton, moved to Thunder Bay about five years ago. Sidra Sehrai Sidra Sehrai, originally from Hamilton, arrived in Thunder Bay about five years ago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sponsorship groups: However, Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel says she wants to know exactly who sponsored the 800 and how many of them are actually Yazidis, according to CTV. Almost a year ago, after intense lobbying by Rempel and private sponsorship groups trying to help Yazidis, the government agreed to support her motion to resettle Yazidi women and girls within months. Hussen made the comment in response to a question from a Liberal MP during question period. In February, Hussen announced 400 had arrived, about 300 of them Yazidis. The Yazidis are a religious minority group of about 700,000 people that had mostly lived in northern Iraq near the Syrian border. He said then the government was committed to sponsoring 1,200 Yazidis and other survivors of ISIL by the end of the year, with 28 million in funding. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian leader: The U.S. and Canada are linked in so many areas, according to National Observer. You just can't redo everything we did. It just doesn't work like that. If the Americans act foolishly with regards to NAFTA, then we will pay, but they will pay dearly too, Chr tien said. Chr tien affectionately called Clinton the kid, while the former president said he found the Canadian leader fascinating because he was the 18th of 19 children growing up in the small town of Shawinigan, Que. Earlier, it was a love-in as Clinton and Chr tien discussed trade and Canada-U.S. politics, but the two former leaders also spent a while on mutual admiration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.