league history: Most of Toronto's current team was around for last year's penalty shootout loss on home turf; of the 18 players on the roster that day, only defenders Mark Bloom and Josh Williams and midfielder Will Johnson moved on, according to Toronto Star. In their place are midfielder Victor Vazquez amd defender Chris Mavinga, regulars in the lineup, and wingback Nico Hasler, an effective substitute that gives TFC an extra attacking option. The Reds and the Sounders will face off in a second straight championship, the third time in league history two teams have met in back-to-back finals. The newcomers if you can call them that after a full season have yet to experience an MLS Cup but they already know the importance of this game, especially against the Sounders. Article Continued Below The midfielder was at home in Spain, nursing an injury sustained while playing for his former team in Mexico, when Toronto lost the Cup. Last season it was really sad for them and, even for me, because now I am here and I want to win this cup, Vazquez said Sunday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

media coverage: In a massive leap of logic, Thaci claimed that by attacking our shared principles and values, the Russians are attacking Canada as well, according to The Chronicle Herald. As is all too often the case, the media coverage of Thaci's blame Russia, praise Canada comments were stated without providing any context as to the man uttering them, or the failed state he represents. It was Thaci's assertion that Russia has been spreading fake news in an attempt to depict Kosovo as a failed state. Simply put, Hashim Thaci is a career criminal and a ruthless thug. Thaci's self-given nickname was Snake and he was responsible for trafficking drugs and weapons for the KLA. In 1997, he was convicted in absentia for committing acts of terrorism and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Back in 1993, at the age of 25, Thaci became a member of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army KLA which at that time was listed by the CIA as a terrorist organization. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

minority enrolment: As of school year 2014-2015, more than 1,000 of the nation's 6,747 charter schools had minority enrolment of at least 99 per cent and the number has been rising steadily, according to Metro News. The problem Those levels of segregation correspond with low achievement levels at schools of all kinds. National enrolment data shows that charters are vastly over-represented among schools where minorities study in the most extreme racial isolation. In the AP analysis of student achievement in the 42 states that have enacted charter school laws, along with the District of Columbia, the performance of students in charter schools varies widely. Desegregation works. But schools that enrol 99 per cent minorities both charters and traditional public schools on average have fewer students reaching state standards for proficiency in reading and math. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

transit bus: It's quite devastating for the whole community, according to CBC. It happened all very, very suddenly. 9-year-old girl struck and killed by bus at crosswalk in Abbotsford, B.C. The collision happened after 8 a.m. This came as a very sudden shock to the whole community, said Tahir Khalid, who is a board member at the Abbotsford Islamic Centre where the girl and her family went. PT Friday at South Fraser Way and Hill-Tout Street about 400 metres from Ten-Broeck Elementary, where Hala went to school. The crossing guard that's usually assigned to the intersection was not present at the time of the collision, according to the school district. Abbotsford Police said the girl was walking at a crosswalk when she was hit by a transit bus. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

year: This is the fifth year the event has been held, according to CBC. For Constable Cindy Provost, a 20-year member with the Calgary Police Service and the event's host, the round dance was a moving experience. The Calgary Police Service round dance is a cultural celebration to help build trust, understanding and relationships between police officers and the Indigenous community. This celebration really brings tears to my eyes. Constable Cindy Provost is a 20-year member with the Calgary Police Service. I'm so humbled and so grateful for the opportunity to share the best parts of my Blackfoot culture, our Indigenous cultures, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-mexican bias: More than a dozen states, the University of California and several immigrants are suing the administration over its decision to end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The cases have been mired in a dispute over documents sought by plaintiffs as they try to substantiate their claims against the administration, according to Metro News. The lawsuit by the states says the Trump administration's decision to rescind the program was motivated by anti-Mexican bias. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice said the order by U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup in San Francisco was too broad and would require the administration to turn over protected and nonpublic documents. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said President Barack Obama's decision to implement DACA was an unconstitutional exercise of his authority.A federal appeals court last month upheld Alsup's order, which came after the administration turned over 256 pages of documents. Put bluntly, the notion that the head of a United States agency would decide to terminate a program giving legal protections to roughly 800,000 people based solely on 256 pages of publicly available documents is not credible, Judges Kim Wardlaw and Ronald Gould wrote. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision said all of those documents were available on the internet. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian census: One brother has his card, which may be of commercial benefit because of his guiding business, according to Toronto Star. For my family, the benefit would be formally recognizing our heritage. We are legally entitled but perhaps not morally; we have never presented as M tis, having grown up in a prosperous white family. Since this has been divisive, we need advice Is it ethical for us to apply This is a tricky question for a white guy without a drop of Indigenous blood in his veins. The most recent Canadian census showed a 50-per-cent increase in the number of Canadians who describe themselves as M tis. But you've asked, so here we go. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

limit co-operation: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions demanded cities like San Francisco scrap immigration policies that limit co-operation with federal deportation efforts, according to Metro News. Here's a closer look at how the case unfolded and why it got embroiled in the intense national debate about immigration Steinle, 32, a medical device saleswoman, was shot while walking on a popular waterfront area in the city on the evening of July 1, 2015 with her father and a family friend who were visiting. President Donald Trump on Friday called the verdict a travesty of justice and renewed his push for a wall on the border with Mexico. Her father, Jim Steinle, testified that his daughter collapsed in his arms, saying, Help me dad. She was later declared dead at a hospital. He rolled her on her side and discovered a bullet hole. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

muslim minority: Speaking to reporters en route home from Myanmar and Bangladesh, Francis said he was very, very satisfied that his message had been received in his private meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar's powerful military chief, Gen, according to CTV. Min Aung Hlaing. Francis said he chose instead to speak in general terms about human rights in public so that he could engage more frankly in private about what the UN has said is a textbook campaign of ethnic cleansing against Myanmar's Muslim minority. It's true I didn't have the pleasure of slamming the door in their face publicly with a denunciation, Francis said. Human rights groups and Rohingya themselves had expressed disappointment that Francis had declined to even refer to the Rohingya by name, much less call out Myanmar's military for sparking Asia's worst refugee crisis in decades. But I had the satisfaction of dialogue, and letting the other side dialogue, and in this way the message arrived. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pro-refugee stance: Alexander Gauland, one of the party's parliamentary leaders and a power within AfD, was elected as co-chair, according to Toronto Star. Read more This German mayor was stabbed in neck for his pro-refugee stance. Joerg Meuthen was re-elected as chairman at the first full party congress since the Alternative for Germany, known as AfD, won seats in the national parliament for the first time. He was saved by a kebab shop owner Article Continued Below Germany's nationalist, anti-immigrant party rides discontent in east to third-place election finish Analysis Germany's Angela Merkel preserves command, but far-right takes bite The position Gauland assumes had been vacant since the day after the September election. Alternative for Germany received almost 13 per cent of the vote in the Sept. 24 federal election, making it the third-strongest party in the Bundestag. Former party co-leader Frauke Petry said AfD was flirting with far-right extremism and quit, saying she would not represent it in the Bundestag. react-empty 156 Both Meuthen and Gauland belong to the more conservative wing of the nationalist party. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

san francisco: More than a dozen states along with the University of California and several immigrants are suing the administration over its decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The cases have been mired in a dispute over documents that the plaintiffs are seeking, as they try to substantiate their claims against the administration, according to CTV. In a court filing Friday, attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice say the order by U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup in San Francisco is too broad and would require the administration to turn over protected and nonpublic documents. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rosary church: I don't know if it will be better or worse, but I promise it will be less boring, he quipped, according to CBC. And then for the next 15 minutes, Francis had the crowd in stitches, mixing paternal advice on how to tend to religious vocations with tenderness with gentle warnings about the havoc that gossip bombs can wreak when lobbed in closed religious life. As he has done in similar encounters, Francis told the priests and nuns gathered in Dhaka's Holy Rosary Church that he was ditching the eight-page speech that he had prepared and would instead speak to them from his heart. Pope Francis issues sharp critique of Vatican bureaucracy How many religious communities have been destroyed because of a spirit of gossip said Francis, adding that he was speaking from personal experience. History's first Jesuit pope has frequently lamented the damage gossip can do within the church, where vows of obedience, strict hierarchies and closed communities can breed jealousies and resentment. Please, bite your tongue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

saglam: I always wanted to see the Atlantic provinces, according to The Chronicle Herald. There were many people from Nova Scotia immigrating from east to west to find jobs, and many of them told me it's nice and Nova Scotians, the ones ones I met, were very nice, too, he said. Despite having no connection to the province, Saglam, who initially came to Alberta as an intern, soon decided he wanted to leave the Prairies for the East Coast. I like it here. Saglam now lives in Halifax and is employed full time as a programmer on top of running a small moving business. I'm really glad I moved. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

world governments: I don't know if it will be better or worse, but I promise it will be less boring, he quipped, according to Toronto Star. Read more Pope Francis says Rohingya' in emotional meeting with Muslim refugees in Bangladesh Article Continued Below Pope demands decisive measures' from world governments to resolve Rohingya crisis Pope Francis preaches forgiveness in Burma, references suffering of religious and ethnic groups And then for the next 15 minutes, Francis had the crowd in stitches, mixing paternal advice on how to tend to religious vocations with tenderness with gentle warnings about the havoc that gossip bombs can wreak when lobbed in closed religious life. react-empty 159 How many religious communities have been destroyed because of a spirit of gossip said Francis, adding that he was speaking from personal experience. As he has done in similar encounters, Francis told the priests and nuns gathered in Dhaka's Holy Rosary Church that he was ditching the eight-page speech that he had prepared and would instead speak to them from his heart. Please, bite your tongue. It's a message Francis has brought to ordinary parishes riven by divisions and to the top of the Catholic Church leadership. History's first Jesuit pope has frequently lamented the damage gossip can do within the church, where vows of obedience, strict hierarchies and closed communities can breed jealousies and resentment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

year i: In total 312 families across Manitoba are receiving jackets, according to CTV. Every year I have to think about oh it's too cold, but when the cold is over it feels normal. Around 400 coats were handed out today on top of 1,000 that have already been given out. It's really good to have brand new jackets, and I really appreciate that, too, said Afa Abodigin. Representatives from the families were on site at Knox Church to pick them up. The coats were donated through Brands of Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

court: While he could not remember ever explicitly discussing Taquisha McKitty's wishes in case she was deemed brain dead, Stewart told a Brampton, Ont., court he knows his daughter believed a person is alive as long as their heart still beats because that's what he taught her growing up, according to Toronto Star. Read more Religious beliefs do not recognize brain death as end of life, family argues in court Article Continued Below Judge adjourns case to revoke death certificate for Brampton woman on life-support until next month She's still alive' Brampton family goes to court to keep daughter on life support I do not believe that brain death is a true death, that is not my family's faith, he said during cross-examination. react-empty 158 That was the view that I was raised on and that's the same value system that I passed on to my four children and my granddaughter as well, he said. Stanley Stewart acknowledged that he never raised religious objections to brain death in speaking with doctors or in a series of affidavits he filed with the court in his fight to have his daughter's death certificate revoked. McKitty understood, she has a daughter and through her daughter she has continued that same philosophy. In concluding that Taquisha is dead,' the respondent has only applied medical criteria without regard to Taquisha's express religious beliefs, Hugh Scher wrote in his submissions to the court. The family's lawyer argues declaring McKitty dead based on neurological criteria contravenes her religious beliefs and therefore amounts to discrimination. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

god today: He apologized for the indifference of the world to their plight, according to CBC. The presence of God today is also called 'Rohingya,' he said. In a touching encounter Friday, Francis greeted and blessed a group of refugees, grasping their hands and listening to their stories in a show of public solidarity. Refugee camps overflowing The 16 Rohingya travelled to Dhaka from Cox's Bazar, the district bordering Myanmar where refugee camps are overflowing with more than 620,000 Rohingya who have fled what the UN says is a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar's military. Fleeing Rohingya have described rape and shootings by Myanmar soldiers and Buddhist mobs that left them no option but to make the dangerous and sometimes deadly journey through jungles and by sea to Bangladesh. The campaign has included the burning of Rohingya villages. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kate steinle: Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges Thursday, according to Toronto Star. The president began by calling it a disgraceful verdict. Trump launched an aggressive series of tweets over the 2015 shooting of Kate Steinle, which he often cited during his presidential campaign to push for a wall on the Mexican border. He then wrote that Zarate came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court. BUILD THE WALL! Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump He added that Democrats are so weak on Crime that they will pay a big price in the 2018 and 2020 Elections. His exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

life support: Stanley Stewart acknowledged that he never raised religious objections to brain death in speaking with doctors or in a series of affidavits he filed with the court in his fight to have his daughter's death certificate revoked, according to The Chronicle Herald. While he could not remember ever explicitly discussing Taquisha McKitty's wishes in case she was deemed brain dead, Stewart told a Brampton, Ont., court he knows his daughter believed a person is alive as long as their heart still beats because that's what he taught her growing up. A Toronto-area man waging a legal battle to keep his 27-year-old daughter on life support after she was declared brain dead told an Ontario court Friday that he never had the chance to tell her doctors about her religious beliefs. I do not believe that brain death is a true death, that is not my family's faith, he said during cross-examination. McKitty understood, she has a daughter and through her daughter she has continued that same philosophy. That was the view that I was raised on and that's the same value system that I passed on to my four children and my granddaughter as well, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

manitoba housing: The influx filled Winnipeg newcomer organizations and shelters to capacity, so on May 2 the province opened the Gretna reception centre in a converted seniors' home, according to CBC. It got pretty hostile' Manitoba Housing tells Gretna it will host reception centre for asylum seekers Manitoba premier defends Gretna reception centre for asylum seekers Since then, 430 asylum-seekers have spent their first nights in Canada there. Last winter, the story of two refugees nearly losing their lives to dart across the border was followed by more and more stories, and from February to May, hundreds of desperate asylum seekers were being dropped off just south of the border and walking into Canada every month. But as of Dec.1, it will close. We continue to work with partnering organizations to provide the same reception services in Winnipeg that were offered in Gretna, a provincial spokesperson said in a statement. The Manitoba government is relocating asylum seeker delivery services from the temporary reception centre in Gretna to existing offices in Winnipeg. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ottawa: Project Give 2017 in support of the Ottawa Food Bank This year, one group of volunteers has a special reason for wanting to give back, according to CBC. They're members of a Syrian family who arrived in Canada as refugees over the last three years, and they wanted to say thank you to the congregation that sponsored them to come here, and has supported them since. Volunteers make it all happen. When we came to Canada, the sponsors at the Ottawa Mennonite Church did a lot to help and sponsor and guide us, Lodi Ghossen said in an interview with CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning for Project Give. But now I feel very comfortable, especially when I came to this church. When I first came to Canada I had a lot of stress because I changed my city, my country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee camps: He apologized for the indifference of the world to their plight and then pronounced the name of their ethnic group to a gathering of Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian leaders, according to CTV. The presence of God today is also called 'Rohingya, ' he said. In a deeply moving encounter, Francis greeted and blessed a group of Rohingya Muslim refugees, grasping their hands and listening to their stories in a show of public solidarity amid Asia's worst refugee crisis in decades. The 16 Rohingya -- 12 men, two women and two young girls -- had travelled to Dhaka from Cox's Bazar, the district bordering Myanmar where refugee camps are overflowing with more than 620,000 Rohingya who have fled what the UN says is a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar's military. The Myanmar government has denied any such campaign is underway. The campaign has included the burning of Rohingya villages and fleeing Rohingya have described rape and shootings by Myanmar soldiers and Buddhist mobs that left them no option but to make the dangerous and sometimes deadly journey through jungles and by sea to Bangladesh. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee crisis: He apologized for the indifference of the world to their plight and then pronounced the name of their ethnic group to a gathering of Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian leaders, according to Toronto Star. The presence of God today is also called Rohingya,' he said. In a deeply moving encounter, Francis greeted and blessed a group of Rohingya Muslim refugees, grasping their hands and listening to their stories in a show of public solidarity amid Asia's worst refugee crisis in decades. Read more Pope demands decisive measures' from world governments to resolve Rohingya crisis Article Continued Below Pope Francis preaches forgiveness in Burma, references suffering of religious and ethnic groups Pope Francis avoids saying Rohingya' in speech after meeting Burmese leader The 16 Rohingya 12 men, two women and two young girls had travelled to Dhaka from Cox's Bazar, the district bordering Burma where refugee camps are overflowing with more than 620,000 Rohingya who have fled what the UN says is a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Burma's military. react-empty 164 The campaign has included the burning of Rohingya villages and fleeing Rohingya have described rape and shootings by Burma soldiers and Buddhist mobs that left them no option but to make the dangerous and sometimes deadly journey through jungles and by sea to Bangladesh. The army says clearance operations are targeting militants who attacked security positions in August. The Burma government has denied any such campaign is underway. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

san jail: Twitter users turned to the hashtags Boycott SanFrancisco and kateswall to demand construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall that Trump has called for, according to CTV. Conservative politicians and celebrities such as former Alaska Gov. U.S. President Donald Trump called the verdict a complete travesty of justice, and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions demanded cities like San Francisco scrap immigration policies that bar co-operation with federal deportation efforts. Sarah Palin and actor James Woods lambasted the city as unsafe. It's what led Jose Ines Garcia Zarate to be released from San Francisco's jail despite a federal request to detain him for deportation several weeks before Kate Steinle was fatally shot in the back in 2015. City officials vowed to stand behind their sanctuary city policy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stanley stewart: While he could not remember ever explicitly discussing Taquisha McKitty's wishes in case she was deemed brain dead, Stewart told a Brampton, Ont., court he knows his daughter believed a person is alive as long as their heart still beats because that's what he taught her growing up, according to CTV. I do not believe that brain death is a true death, that is not my family's faith, he said during cross-examination. Stanley Stewart acknowledged that he never raised religious objections to brain death in speaking with doctors or in a series of affidavits he filed with the court in his fight to have his daughter's death certificate revoked. That was the view that I was raised on and that's the same value system that I passed on to my four children and my granddaughter as well, he said. The family's lawyer argues declaring McKitty dead based on neurological criteria contravenes her religious beliefs and therefore amounts to discrimination. McKitty understood, she has a daughter and through her daughter she has continued that same philosophy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

textbook example: Last month, 30-year old Li travelled to Malumghat, Bangladesh, where several charities have set up hospitals to help those refugees at a camp that was a one-hour drive away, according to Metro News. About half of the patients we saw were children, said Li, who spent three weeks volunteering at a surgical centre set up by Samaritan's Purse, a Christian charity. Violence has forced more than half a million people in Myanmar's Rakhine State to flee across the border to Bangladesh since August, 2017, according to UNICEF. The UN has described the persecution of Myanmar's Muslim minority as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. The camps were incredibly crowded and shelters were little more than huts made out of tin and mud, he told Metro. Jennifer Gauthier/Metro Moses Li is back in Vancouver's St. Sadly, broken bones and gunshot wounds were the most common injuries, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.