half chinese: My mom is from Hong Kong and my dad is Dutch, according to NOW Magazine. I grew up in Calgary and I've lived all over Canada in the past six years. In fact, they give me the opportunity to talk about a part of my identity that's very important to me. When I was studying in London, Ontario, I felt very whitewashed. When I tell people I'm half Chinese, they sometimes say, Oh, you don't look Chinese. People would assume I was just a tanned white person. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

eyes: What does diversity mean to you The eager faces around the table had shined in anticipation and I remember pausing in confusion, according to Toronto Star. Were they looking for a standard answer, or were they waiting for the one visible minority in the room to unveil the meaning of the enigmatic term that has been floating in organizational workspaces since it was chosen to replace affirmative action Irritation took over my mind and I remember sitting up taller in my chair, meeting each pair of eyes as I slowly spoke and said something to the effect of, I'm not sure exactly. As I answered the standard queries posed to me by the panel, the inevitable question made its appearance. Eyes had widened but I couldn't stop. But I am not sure that we still need a term for this. I suppose it means representing everyone from all backgrounds, and putting up pictures on websites and marketing material that reflects the intended audience. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

agency: The report, released under the Access to Information Act, also recommends the watchdog be able to look into trends and any systemic problems at the border services agency, according to The Chronicle Herald. The power to conduct systemic reviews would be positive, said Josh Paterson, executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, which was consulted for the report. A report produced for Public Safety Canada says the government should establish an independent body to handle public complaints about the Canada Border Services Agency. But the suggested complaint mechanism falls short in Paterson's eyes because the border agency itself would first investigate any complaint. If the federal government follows this recommendation, it would be adopting the wrong model, Paterson said Tuesday. Only if that investigation fails to resolve the issue would the watchdog look into the matter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-immigrant bias: Victor Bolling, the owner of a house that Sam is working on, has been bludgeoned at the work site, according to The Chronicle Herald. And Ernesto Mazzotti, a carpenter that Sam likes and respects, has been charged with the murder, bringing out the worst in their neighbours' anti-immigrant bias. Amanda, Sam's lover, has fallen critically ill. Everything gets much worse when Sam's lawyer-friend Jackie Swaitkowski agrees to represent Mazzotti and hires Sam to help with the defence. It turns out that neither Bolling nor Mazzotti are what they seemed. In Knopf's first seven Acquillo novels, Sam has taken on and bested thieves, killers, drug dealers, crooked businessmen and corrupt cops in his little corner of western Long Island, but Tango Down finds him in over his head. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bills pmbs: At the start of each Parliament, MPs draw numbers to determine their standing in the PMB lottery, according to CTV. The lower their number, the earlier they'll have a chance to table and advance a bill of their choosing. Private members' bills PMBs are sponsored by an MP, or a senator called Senate public bills and they move through the House and Senate in the same way as government legislation, but on a different schedule. MPs often pick issues close to their constituents, or other widely agreeable aims, in a bid to better their chances of getting the bill through. Senate public bills follow a similar process, except senators have the advantage of being able to introduce multiple bills, and don't have a pecking order to follow. Not all will see their turn come up before the next election. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

family parents: Even after they all fled to Batman, a city in southeastern Turkey, in 2013, they still lived in the same building, according to Toronto Star. Now, for the first time, their family unit would be pulled apart. His whole family parents, elder brother, three sisters and their spouses and children had always lived together in Damascus. Although his wife, two children and parents all arrived in Toronto with him in February 2016, the majority of the Darwish clan 19 adults and children are still languishing in Turkey, except for one sister and her family who were resettled to Brussels in November. There was a lot of crying when we left Batman, said Darwish, a skilled trades worker who came here as a resettled Syrian refugee sponsored by the Canadian government. Darwish's brother and his wife and children have been waiting since November 2016 for their application to come to Canada to be approved. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deportation tens: Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last year but delayed its end for six months to allow Congress to act, according to Metro News. The Obama-era program protects from deportation tens of thousands of young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. President Donald Trump is blasting Democrats for doing nothing to protect people brought to the U.S. as children and living here illegally. Trump is demanding funding for a border wall and an end to family based immigration programs as part of an agreement on DACA. But Democrats and a few Republicans have suggested they may not vote for government funding that doesn't include DACA protections. President Donald Trump says A.G. Sulzberger's ascension as publisher of The New York Times gives the newspaper a last chance to fulfil its founder's vision of impartiality. Trump tweeted that DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS. 10 15 a.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

enforcement organizations: The new watchdog, the Canada Law Enforcement Review Commission, would scrutinize both the border agency and the RCMP, given the frequent overlap between the two enforcement organizations, according to Metro News. The June 2017 report by former Privy Council Office chief Mel Cappe, now a professor at the University of Toronto, was obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act. The report, prepared for Public Safety Canada, also recommends the proposed body be able to look into trends and any systemic problems at the border services agency. Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, would not comment directly on Cappe's recommendations, but said the government is working on legislation to create an appropriate mechanism to review CBSA officer conduct and handle complaints. The border agency's thousands of employees manage the flow of about 100 million travellers as well as some 16 million commercial shipments entering Canada annually. The government is committed to ensuring that our border services are world class and worthy of the trust of Canadians. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

huma abedin: Trump's latest tweets pressed familiar arguments for the president, who is set to begin his first full year in office with the victory of tax legislation but the Russia investigation still hanging over his administration, according to CTV. Crooked Hillary Clinton's top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. He also claimed that U.S. sanctions on North Korea were having a big impact and that he was responsible for preventing commercial aviation deaths in 2017. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents, Trump tweeted in an apparent reference to a report by the conservative Daily Caller. As he remains shadowed by the special counsel's Russia investigation, Trump has seized on recent revelations of anti-Trump behaviour by some FBI officials, including some who once worked on special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, to claim bias against him. Remember sailors pictures on submarine Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act Also on Comey & others, he added. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ice storms: The new watchdog, the Canada Law Enforcement Review Commission, would scrutinize both the border agency and the RCMP, given the frequent overlap between the two enforcement organizations, according to The Chronicle Herald. POWER RESTORATION CONTINUES IN B.C. About 800 customers were still without power early Tuesday as crews worked to restore electricity after ice storms swept through British Columbia's Fraser Valley. It also recommends the proposed body be able to look into trends and any systemic problems at the border agency. For some residents, Monday was their fourth day without electricity, after freezing rain left thick layers of ice in the hardest hit areas of Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack. EAST COAST BRACES FOR ANOTHER STORM Canada's east coast appears to be in the crosshairs of another storm. BC Hydro spokeswoman Tanya Fish says 450 field workers have been working around the clock and have restored power for more than 159,000 customers since the storms hit Thursday and Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

morning show: The idea is to make it a little bit easier to provide settlement services for immigrants and refugees.'- Justin Campbell The association is setting up satellite offices in Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor, Labrador City and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, using funding from both the federal and provincial governments, according to CBC. The idea is to make it a little bit easier to provide settlement services for immigrants and refugees, no matter where they live in the province, the association's Justin Campbell told the St. John's. John's Morning Show. John's. The Association for New Canadian has offices on Military Road in St. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

income bar: No matter how one slices this, whether it's on the basis of ... being below an income bar, or taking into account lower cost of living, anglophones still fall below the lower income lines more often than francophones do in Quebec, Jedwab told CBC News. if undefined typeof b in The study examines poverty based on several factors, including age, unemployment, ethnicity and region, according to CBC. It found that across all regions of Quebec, anglophones are more likely than francophones to be living below the poverty line. The findings, compiled from 2016 census data by demographer Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, fly in the face of a longstanding perception that Quebec anglophones are mostly well off. When it comes to age, only francophones aged 65 or older are more likely to be living below the poverty line than anglophones in the same age group. Allophones have it the hardest' Overall, Quebecers whose first language is neither English nor French are the most likely to be living in poverty. In this study, anglophones are defined as those whose first official spoken language is English, which includes a number of immigrants and people from various ethnic communities, Jedwab said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mac arthur: Monday, according to CBC. MacArthur deleted a tweet posted Monday from Myanmar, as that country continues to struggle through a humanitarian crisis created by the persecution of its Muslim minority population. Peter Mac Arthur, who serves as Canada's ambassador to Indonesia, praised the country's beaches in a posting that was published just before 10 a.m. Twitter First day of 2018 unfolded on a Myanmar beach where the great surf is pleasingly turquoise coloured, warm, clean and clear perfect for snorkelling to visit with nature and the fish, Mac Arthur tweeted, along with three photos of empty beaches. The posting is a stark contrast to the images of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims seen fleeing the country, as its government is accused of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign. MacArthur was on a private visit to Myanmar, also known as Burma, where his wife Karen serves as Canada's ambassador to the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian community: Blood drive organizer Sam Nammoura, from the Syrian Refugee Support Group, said that giving blood is considered a big honour in Syrian culture, according to CTV. If people are really committed they say, I will do this with my blood,' he said. Scroll down or click here to vote in our poll of the day Yo Rasso, who arrived in Canada about 18 months ago, said he decided to roll up his sleeves to say thank you Canada for help ing me and my children. This is an opportunity for them to show their appreciation and gratitude to the country. We are very grateful for the Syrian community and the newcomers, Delrosario added. Jhoanna Delrosario of Canadian Blood Services said she suggested New Year's Day for the blood drive because the New Year's holiday and January in general are a slow time for donations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

toronto kitchen: Even after they all fled to Batman, a city in southeastern Turkey, in 2013, they still lived in the same building, according to Metro News. Now, for the first time, their family unit would be pulled apart. function set Cookie related path / ; Related Toronto kitchen staffed by Syrian refugee women at risk of closing Syrian refugees facing challenges three years after settlement Tailor made Syrian refugee and Nova Scotia yoga teacher pair up on pants line Although his wife, two children and parents all arrived in Toronto with him in February 2016, the majority of the Darwish clan 19 adults and children are still languishing in Turkey, except for one sister and her family who were resettled to Brussels in November. His whole family parents, elder brother, three sisters and their spouses and children had always lived together in Damascus. Darwish's brother and his wife and children have been waiting since November 2016 for their application to come to Canada to be approved. We felt we would never see them again. There was a lot of crying when we left Batman, said Darwish, a skilled trades worker who came here as a resettled Syrian refugee sponsored by the Canadian government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

june report: The June 2017 report by former Privy Council Office chief Mel Cappe, now a professor at the University of Toronto, was obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act, according to National Observer. Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, would not comment directly on Cappe's recommendations, but said the government is working on legislation to create an appropriate mechanism to review CBSA officer conduct and handle complaints. The new watchdog, the Canada Law Enforcement Review Commission, would scrutinize both the border agency and the RCMP, given the frequent overlap between the two enforcement organizations. The government is committed to ensuring that our border services are world class and worthy of the trust of Canadians. They collect, analyze and distribute information concerning people and goods at border points, air terminals and seaports. The border agency's thousands of employees manage the flow of about 100 million travellers as well as some 16 million commercial shipments entering Canada annually. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

list champion: Thousands across the country participated in exercises such as snow shoveling, sailing and even pillow fighting! Sheila Wells of Northern B.C. was named a play list champion and documented the entire experience on her Twitter account Swel Sheila, according to Vancouver Courier. We asked her to share more about the challenge below. In celebration of our great nation's big 1-5-0 last year, ParticipACTION challenged us to get more active by taking part in their 150 Play List the ultimate list of activities that define us as Canadians. Rachel Johnstonarticle continues below Trending Stories Vancouver bus tracking map allows you to track movement in real time Memory loss Clark Drive plaza sits forgotten and neglected Online tool tracks empty homes across Metro Vancouver Michelle Obama is coming to Vancouver Feb. 15Tell us a little bit about yourself and your life in Prince Rupert. We have magnificent views of the mountains and Pacific Ocean and it is very easy to be outdoors exploring and taking in the beauty. Prince Rupert is small, coastal, somewhat isolated town in the North West corner of British Columbia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

business owners: That reduction had been promised for some time but was brought forward as the Liberal government struggled to deal with a backlash against other proposed changes, including a plan to make it harder for small business owners to sprinkle income among family members, according to CBC. Those changes also take effect on Jan. 1, although the first time business owners will have to account for them is when they file their 2018 taxes in 2019. One welcome change for Canadian small businesses is a drop in their tax rate to 10 per cent from 10.5. At the federal level, there will be a slight increase in EI premiums, but the Canadian Taxpayers Federation estimates it will add only about 6 in new costs for the average worker and 13 per employee for the average employer. Free prescriptions for Ontario youth What's going to cost more, less, in B.C. For those who want to bring elderly parents and grandparents to Canada, 2018 brings the return of the sponsorship program that had been closed down to deal with backlogs. The government's new inflation-adjusted escalator to the excise tax on beer, wine and spirits also comes into effect this year, although taxes won't actually rise until April 1. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

enforcement organizations: The new watchdog, the Canada Law Enforcement Review Commission, would scrutinize both the border agency and the RCMP, given the frequent overlap between the two enforcement organizations, according to The Chronicle Herald. The June 2017 report by former Privy Council Office chief Mel Cappe, now a professor at the University of Toronto, was obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act. The report, prepared for Public Safety Canada, also recommends the proposed body be able to look into trends and any systemic problems at the border services agency. Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, would not comment directly on Cappe's recommendations, but said the government is working on legislation to create an appropriate mechanism to review CBSA officer conduct and handle complaints. The border agency's thousands of employees manage the flow of about 100 million travellers as well as some 16 million commercial shipments entering Canada annually. The government is committed to ensuring that our border services are world class and worthy of the trust of Canadians. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

francis: Peter's Basilica and later greeted some 40,000 people in St, according to CBC. Peter's Square. Francis offered his reflections on paring down non-essentials as he celebrated New Year's Day Mass Monday in St. His advice included setting aside a moment of silence daily to be with God. At the beginning of the year, we too, as Christians on our pilgrim way, feel the need to set out anew from the centre, to leave behind the burdens of the past and to start over from the things that really matter, he said. Doing so would help keep our freedom from being corroded by the banality of consumerism, the blare of commercials, the stream of empty words and the overpowering waves of empty chatter and loud shouting, Francis said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mel cappe: The new watchdog, the Canada Law Enforcement Review Commission, would also be able to initiate its own studies of trends and systemic problems, according to Toronto Star. The proposed body would review both the CBSA and the RCMP, replacing the existing complaints commission for the Mounties, given the frequent overlap between the two enforcement agencies. The report, prepared for Public Safety Canada, says the body would fill a gap by independently scrutinizing public complaints about border officer behaviour. The Canadian Press used the Access to Information Act to obtain the June 2017 report by former Privy Council Office chief Mel Cappe, now a professor at the University of Toronto. Read more about Canada Border Services Agency Do you want to help shapethe Toronto Star's future Join our team of readers who are passionate about journalism and share your views. Article Continued Below A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the government is working on legislation to create an appropriate mechanism to review CBSA officer conduct and handle complaints. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

palm beach: Before his departure for the capital, he fired angry tweets at Iran and Pakistan, slamming Islamabad for lies & deceit and saying the country had played U.S. leaders for fools, a reference to frustrations that Pakistan isn't doing enough to control militants, according to The Chronicle Herald. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif tweeted that his government was preparing a response that will let the world know the truth. Trump started his second year in Washington after a lengthy sojourn at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, capped by a New Year's Eve bash. Meantime, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday the United States should be aware that his country's nuclear forces are now a reality, not a future threat. The president is hoping for more legislative achievements after his pre-Christmas success on taxes. To that, Trump only said We'll see. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sydney: Sydney Seaplanes CEO Aaron Shaw described Morgan as an extremely experienced pilot with more than 10,000 hours of flight time, including about 9,000 hours of seaplane time, according to Metro News. He said Morgan worked for Sydney Seaplanes on two occasions, the first from 2011 to 2014, after which he went to fly seaplanes in the Maldives before rejoining the company in May 2017. Tour company Sydney Seaplanes said Gareth Morgan was piloting the plane that crashed Sunday afternoon and a spokesman for the company said Morgan also held Australia citizenship. On a personal level, he was deeply respected and liked by me and all of the team here as a man and as a pilot, Shaw said in a statement. We are devastated by his loss. He flew my family and I to Palm Beach just before Christmas. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

turkish leader: Visiting heads of state usually don't criticize their hosts during state visits, but Erdogan is a politician who speaks his mind, according to The Chronicle Herald. The Turkish leader jettisoned diplomatic niceties during meetings that were supposed to cement ties between the rivals, and his confrontational stance stunned his Greek hosts. But there are other contentious issues between Athens and Ankara, dating back decades, and something that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was very explicit about during his two-day visit to Greece in December. What had been billed a groundbreaking visit to Greece, the first by a Turkish president in 65 years, turned into a verbal condemnation of some Greek policies, particularly in relation to its treatment of its Turkish Muslim minority in Thrace, the Balkan region near the Turkish border. Denying Muslims this right is a violation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, he declared, referring to the agreement which created the modern Turkish Republic. Muslims, Erdogan asserted on Dec. 7, should be able to elect their own religious leaders, rather than have them appointed by the Greek state. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

yahya rasso: What the Canadian people did and what Canada did for them, saved their lives and offered them a better opportunity, according to CTV. Wafa Anomar was one of the 65 refugees who donated blood on Monday. This is the first opportunity for them to show their appreciation and their gratitude to the country, said Sam Nammoura of the Calgary Immigrant Support Society. I'm so happy to see a lot of people who came to help other people, said Anomar of the turnout. All Canadians helped me and my children, said Yahya Rasso. It's a small help but it's good. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

census numbers: Census numbers from 2016 reveal Montreal is by far the country's most trilingual city, according to National Observer. The data were specially ordered by Montreal International, a business association, and provided Friday to The Canadian Press. The reality on the ground in Montreal, however, is that customers to the city's stores and restaurants would likely be just as comfortable with an Hola, Ciao, Namaste, Salaam or Marhaba. Statistics Canada's figures indicate more than 21 per cent of Montrealers can speak at least three languages, compared with 11 per cent of Torontonians and 10 per cent of people in Vancouver. Ironically, it's Quebec's language law and immigration policies that encourage trilingualism, said Jack Jedwab, head of the Association for Canadian Studies, who helped obtain the data. Nearly 850,000 Montrealers know at least three languages and more than 40 per cent of the city's immigrants are trilingual. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.