atlantic: The factors that transformed the mother of two from an Israeli with itchy feet to a dedicated Atlantic Canadian are the focus of intense study in this part of the world as policy makers, employers and academics puzzle over how to boost immigration to help the regional economy, according to The Chronicle Herald. Immigrants who stay in Atlantic Canada have higher employment levels, higher wages and face less discrimination than immigrants to other parts of Canada, yet the region struggles to attract newcomers and has the lowest retention rates in Canada. Now, she wouldn't leave for anything. Atlantic Canada is engaged in a radical experiment in population management that has profound implications not just for this region, but for the country as a whole. Francis McGuire, president of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, points out that there are more than 20,000 jobs unfilled in the region. The demographic bomb that threatens Canada is set to go off here first Atlantic Canada has Canada's lowest birth rate, highest median age and often sends more residents to other parts of Canada than it takes in. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ctv windsor: In an email to CTV News, the Consulate of Mexico in Leamington says it has been informed of two Mexican nationals who were working in this region without the proper permits, according to CTV. The statement also says they were promptly processed and they are now in Toronto to continue their deportation procedure. The Canada Border Services Agency confirms a number of people were arrested on Tuesday CBSA spokesperson Tim Armaly tells CTV Windsor the investigation is ongoing and he can't comment further. While few details are being released, social activist Chris Ramsaroop said in a Facebook post that 18 people were picked up in an immigration raid near Leamington at approximately 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Ramsaroop points out the sweep occurred on the same day as May Day, which is also the International Day of Worker Resistance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deprivation limits: The bulk of today's public discourse takes place online, so those who lack access to digital media are less likely to be civically engaged, according to Toronto Star. The stakes are highest for Indigenous people, whose deprivation limits their political participation. Yet in spite of continuing progress, four billion people around the world still remain offline, and some of them live in Canada. Their assimilation, should they continue to abandon reserves, also jeopardizes Canada's diverse character. For many Indigenous communities, gaining reliable and affordable broadband access is a matter of cultural survival. Canadians are obliged to recognize that fortifying our democratic society, and reconciling with Indigenous Peoples in a tangible manner, requires us to remedy the digital disparity that exists. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hazelnut bar: Nothing is nobler than spreading our message in the mother tongue of this land we are on and we call home, founder Tareq Hadhad said via email, according to CTV. He said it is his company's mission to translate the family's concept of peace to all Canadians, starting with the Mi'kmaq of his home province. Peace by Chocolate of Antigonish, N.S., revealed Wednesday its new milk chocolate and hazelnut bar is to be called Wantaqo'ti pronounced Wan-tahk-oo-di the Mi'kmaq word for peace. He said he and his company felt the need to be part of the noble process of truth and reconciliation so they reached out to Mi'kmaq leaders to help translate and guide them during the process. Peace is beautiful in every language, Hadhad said. Hadhad said other versions of the bar will be sold using the Arabic, French and Mandarin words for peace. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

slovenian couple: Viktor and Amalija Knavs are lawful permanent residents of the U.S., according to their lawyer Michael Wildes, according to CTV. The attorney and the White House have declined to comment on whether the first lady's parents are seeking to become U.S. citizens. The Slovenian couple had no comment Wednesday afternoon after about an hour-long meeting in the building which houses offices for federal immigration officials who help process citizenship applications. Republican U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed to restrict immigration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian adults: Refugee settlement organizations across the country have reported similar challenges and successes for the nearly 52,000 Syrian refugees who arrived in Canada between October 2015 and February 2018, according to The Chronicle Herald. More than half of those surveyed depend on food banks at least once a week, although that figure dropped to 56 per cent from 66 per cent over the last year, according to the report by Immigrant Services Society of B.C. The full-time employment rate has doubled in the past year to 27 per cent, it said. That's the picture painted by a small survey of 241 Syrian adults who arrived in British Columbia with government assistance over the past two years. At the same time, 87 per cent say their English has improved and 97 per cent say their children are doing well in school, the report said. Government-assisted refugees are selected based on vulnerability, he said. Director of settlement services Chris Friesen said given the huge obstacles government-assisted refugees have to overcome to get to Canada, full integration will take longer than two years, so the figures paint an optimistic picture. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian man: He dreams of someday soon coming to Canada, according to Toronto Star. I've stopped counting the days, the 36-year-old Syrian man said, because it's useless. He sleeps until an announcement wakes him. Kontar is stranded in Malaysia left by immigration officials from at least three countries and in legal limbo with no money, no visas, and few possessions. In January 2017, Kontar was ordered deported from the United Arab Emirates after his work permit expired. Article Continued Below Here's how he got here. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

development: How else can a guy with the worst resum of the three main contenders be this close to the second-highest office in the land Going against him Soft underbelly, according to NOW Magazine. Ford's rep for saying some of the stupidest shit known to humankind is slowly catching up to him. Also, one of the best BSers in the business, not to mention friends at Postmedia including Sun editor-in-chief Adrienne Batra, his brother's former press secretary orchestrating a campaign against Wynne on his behalf. There have already been a number of flip-flops, including this week on a secret pledge to developers to open up the Greenbelt to development. But for voters outside Toronto who may not be acquainted with his views on race, for example, it amounts to a wake-up call. For his supporters, it may all amount to zeroes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

evidence politics: That view has made the U.S. Senate's confirmation of federal judges fraught, with each party battling to block nominees they view as unsympathetic to their positions.article continues below Trending Stories Burnaby MP considers Vancouver mayoral run Update Police believe double homicide in Richmond may be targeted hit After guilty plea, man handed life sentence for gang killing of Jonathan Bacon Chemical spills wipe out fish in three North Shore streams But is there any evidence politics plays a role in judicial opinions An Associated Press review suggests it might, according to Vancouver Courier. The AP looked at opinions by nearly 40 federal district court and appellate judges about Trump's ban on travellers from mostly Muslim countries. Other observers describe America's judges as conservative or liberal, implying they bring an ideology to their decision-making that goes beyond a careful assessment of law and precedent. It found only one judge nominated by a Democratic president has supported Trump's authority to keep out all travellers or deport those who arrived just as the first ban took effect. The travel ban is now in its third iteration and under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.HOW HAS THIS SPLIT PLAYED OUT IN THE COURTS One of the first federal judges to consider the ban gave it the all-clear, saying Trump provided a legitimate reason for his January 2017 executive order and that a lawsuit challenging it was likely to fail. With some exceptions, Republican nominees have taken a broader view of presidential power and rejected limits on the executive orders. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

peace bridge: With help from friends within the Canadian Tamil community, Arulpragasam managed to secure a temporary visa to enter by land via the U.S.-Canadian border at Fort Erie, according to NOW Magazine. After flying to Buffalo this morning, she and her assistant arrived at the Peace Bridge hoping to drive to Toronto. The British-Tamil recording artist real name Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam was detained in a Canadian customs office at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Fort Erie, her manager Christopher Taylor told NOW. She is now en route to Toronto where she is scheduled to attend the Canadian premiere of her documentary Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. at the Hot Docs Film Festival this evening May 2 . The rapper and pop star had originally planned to fly to Toronto from London, England yesterday, but was unable to board the flight due to mysterious stamp on her passport. She was held at the border for some hours until just after 10 am.I'm hosting tonight's premiere and, needless to say, she and I are going to have a lot to discuss. Arulpragasam has previously spoken out about immigration issues when she said her label would not release her album AIM which included a song called Visa because she could not secure a visa for the United States in order to promote it. Over the past four months, Arulpragasam has attended festival screenings of the doc, which was directed by her long-time friend Steven Loveridge, in New York City and Utah. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

caravan cases: The caravan first drew attention in the U.S. when President Donald Trump promised that his administration would seek to turn the families away, according to CTV. The rest of the asylum-seeking process will happen slowly and secretively in immigration courts. Now that the group has arrived at the border, the next steps in their journey will unfold mostly out of public view. Dan Kowalski, editor of Bender's Immigration Bulletin, said the public will probably see very little of the caravan cases unless the applicant is represented and the attorney makes an effort to bring the client into the limelight. The crossing, the nation's busiest, processed about 50 asylum seekers a day from October through February, suggesting the wait will be short. A total of 28 caravan members were accepted for processing Monday and Tuesday by U.S. border inspectors at San Diego's San Ysidro crossing, an official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border: But is this a crisis Although an important issue it is certainly not a crisis, according to Toronto Star. Last year, 20,593 asylum seekers crossed between official border checkpoints. Some have called this a crisis. More than 90 per cent of these crossings happened at the U.S. border with Quebec. There seems to be a stabilization of the numbers over the last few months. Add to that another 21,180 asylum seekers coming through regular means. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cabinet meeting: But this is very exploratory at the moment, scoping issues and potential solutions, according to CTV. There have been reports this week that Canada wants the agreement rewritten to apply to the entire border. The aim would be to stem the flow of asylum seekers that have been coming into Canada from the U.S. It's a discussion we're having with the Americans about the various techniques that could be pursued on both sides of the border to ensure security and integrity, Goodale said as he left the weekly cabinet meeting. But that kind of expansion would not be in Canada's interests and could actually pose safety issues, said Goodale. He adds that Canada has not entered into formal talks with the Trump administration. That ... would increase insecurity at the border and make the crossing issues less safe, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

equity-seeking groups: That means publicly traded companies are now required, among other things, to disclose the number of women and others from equity-seeking groups, such as visible minorities, on their boards and in senior management, according to CTV. They will also now have to share their policies on diversity -- or explain themselves to their shareholders. This is really a call to action for corporate Canada to step up, Bains said in an interview Tuesday after the government's changes to the Canadian Business Corporations Act received royal assent from Governor General Julie Payette. The act affects nearly 270,000 companies, but Tuesday's amendments would only affect those that also issue shares and report to a securities commission, including about 600 companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Bains said he wants Canada to lead the world on the issue. The Conservatives, who began consultations on the possibility of bringing in such legislation when they were in power, supported it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrant community: The Trump administration has made very clear that they've declared war on the immigrant community on all levels, said Javier Valdes, co-executive director of the advocacy group Make the Road New York, according to The Chronicle Herald. Immigrant rights groups have joined in May Day activities for more than a decade, initially to push back against harsh legislative proposals and later to clamour for reform and legal status for immigrants in the country illegally who were brought to the U.S. as children or overstayed their visas. People were marching and holding other demonstrations for labour and immigrant rights from New York to Georgia to California on International Workers' Day, amid similar actions worldwide. Now, they want to drive turnout in the midterm elections. Elections have consequences, and the consequences for our community have been dire, and if we do not change the balance of power, we question our ability to remain free in this country, she said. Advocates hope voters target lawmakers who have pushed for measures that hurt immigrants and replace them with immigrant-friendly policymakers, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reception camp: Around 700,000 Rohingya fled the troubled area to squalid camps in Bangladesh last year as Burma's army launched a brutal crackdown following insurgent attacks on security posts, according to Toronto Star. State television showed the ambassadors touring the border area. Delegation members said they hope to help the refugees return quickly and safely to their homes there. Travelling by helicopter, they visited two villages, one transit centre and one reception camp, where refugees who return will initially be housed. Min Aung Hlaing. Read more Top-level UN team meets Burma leader in Rohingya probe Article Continued Below Indonesian fishermen rescue Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma Burma military put on UN blacklist for credibly suspected' of carrying out sexual violence They also met with members of different groups affected by the violence and upheaval, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and some Rohingya Muslims who did not flee. react-empty 140 The ambassadors visited refugees in Bangladesh over the weekend, and on Monday held talks with Burma officials, including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and military commander in chief Senior Gen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reception camp: State television showed the ambassadors touring the border area, according to The Chronicle Herald. Travelling by helicopter, they visited two villages, one transit centre and one reception camp, where refugees who return will initially be housed. Around 700,000 Rohingya fled their homes to squalid camps in Bangladesh last year as Myanmar's army launched a brutal crackdown following insurgent attacks on security posts. They also met with members of different groups affected by the violence, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and some Muslims who did not flee. Min Aung Hlaing. The ambassadors visited refugees in Bangladesh over the weekend, and on Monday held talks with Myanmar officials, including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and military commander-in-chief Senior Gen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee claimants: It's a discussion we're having with the Americans about the various techniques that could be pursued on both sides of the border to ensure security and integrity, Goodale said as he left the weekly cabinet meeting, according to The Chronicle Herald. But this is very exploratory at the moment, scoping issues and potential solutions. The aim would be to stem the flow of refugee claimants, who have been coming into Canada from the U.S. in growing numbers over the last year. Last year, many of the asylum seekers were from Haiti and left the United States over fears of being deported as President Donald Trump threatened to end a temporary residency program. Manitoba and Quebec have been affected the most by the influx. In more recent months, new arrivals have increased dramatically, with many coming from Nigeria after spending only short periods of time in the U.S. before boarding buses destined for the border. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

request protection: And the U.S. is, officially, safe, according to Toronto Star. You can't claim refugee status in Canada if you've already tried in the States. Under Canada's Safe Third Country agreement with the U.S., refugee claimants have to request protection in the first safe country they arrive in, unless they qualify for an exception. But there is the law, and there is real life. Of the 7,800 people seeking asylum who have so far been processed by the immigration department, over 3,000 were intercepted as they walked across the border. The RCMP recently reported that, compared to the same time last year, the number of people walking across the border to claim asylum has tripled. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

caravan organizers: Mexico's National Human Rights Commission and Baja California state agencies said in a joint statement that their priorities were guaranteeing the safety of pregnant women and children and maintaining order, while respecting caravan members' right to protest, according to Vancouver Courier. Mexican officials sent doctors and nurses to the encampment on Wednesday for medical exams and to dispense medicine to people suffering respiratory problems and stomach pains. Mexican federal immigration officials and directors of privately run migrant shelters met with organizers at a large conference room table Tuesday night, gently encouraging caravan members to return to shelters for temporary housing. Caravan organizers said decisions on where to sleep rested with the asylum-seekers. At the end, they make their decision and we support them. said Roberto Corona, a leader of Pueblo Sin Fronteras.U.S. authorities say temporary capacity constraints have forced asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico. Our job is to give them information as accurately as we can. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pop star: Jealousy is a terrible thing, according to NOW Magazine. At the airport in London they wont let me board a plane to Canada for screening of documentary, she wrote. The British-Sri Lankan rapper and pop star real name Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam is scheduled to attend the Canadian premiere of her new documentary Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto on Wednesday May 2 and participate in an on-stage conversation with NOW film critic Radheyan Simonpillai. Apparently a mystrious sic person has added a stamp on my name in 2017 for some issue. A spokesperson for Hot Docs said the festival has been in contact with M.I.A.'s reps, who are working to find a solution. No one knows who or what its about !!!. Hummm I wonder who is that powerful in Canada/US who also doesn't want me to talk about the film Cloak and daggers... its basically criminal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

show: The public debate moved on to an even wider television audience this past Sunday when Quebec's first female premier Pauline Marois joined journalist and author Pascale Navarro and former MNA Yolande James to continue discussing the issue on Tout le Monde en Parle, the province's most popular French-language talk show, according to National Observer. When we legislate parity, we find the women, and when we don't, we find excuses, Gouv Feminin founder and president, Caroline Codsi, concluded. qcpoli cdnpoli feminism toulastake Watching Sunday's show was an exercise in frustration. The non-partisan group is calling for parity in Quebec politics and specifically, asking for an amendment to the Election Act that would force all political parties to ensure women make up 40 to 60 per cent of all candidates by the 2020 election. Few issues manage to elicit as much agreement in what the end result should be, while remaining hopelessly divided on what the methods employed to get there are even among many women. The irrefutable fact is this Quebec women are still woefully underrepresented in the public sphere and governments and political parties have repeatedly failed to address the problem. As a result, we remain at an impasse those who demand forced quotas from political parties because they see it as the only way to true democratic representation Navarro and those who prefer to gently nudge progress in the right direction Marois and Yolande the way you do a hopelessly slow turtle that keeps turning its head to look at you accusingly because you woke it up from its nap. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

badian: See listing, according to NOW Magazine. Rating NNNNThis new romantic comedy from SMOOTHIELAND artistic director and Blyth Festival creator-in-residence Marie Beath Badian has the vibrant manic energy of a good sitcom, but also shines a light on the insidious microaggressions that many newcomers to Canada endure. Joseph Michael Photography PRAIRIE NURSE by Marie Beath Badian Thousand Islands Playhouse/Factory 125 Bathurst . Runs to May 13. 30- 50. 416-504-9971, factorytheatre. Set in the 1960s and inspired by her mother's own immigrant experience, Badian's story follows the arrival of two young nurses from the Philippines at a small-town hospital in Arborfield, Saskatchewan. Badian creates a string of awkward and telling mistaken-identity moments similar to those befalling the twins in The Comedy Of Errors despite the fact that Penny and Puring are not alike at all. But before the pair arrive, we're introduced to the lively staff they soon meet; there's no-nonsense head nurse Marie Anne Catherine Fitch ultra-enthusiastic high-school volunteer Patsy Janelle Hanna bug-eyed hunting-obsessed Scottish doctor Miles Mark Crawford folksy handyman Charlie Layne Coleman and lab technician/local hockey star Wilf Matt Shaw . The plot turns on these all-white characters' inability to differentiate between their new Filipino coworkers, Indepencia Isabel Kanaan who goes by Penny, and Purificacion Belinda Corpuz who is called Puring. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada ruling: The high court is expected to rule soon on whether it will examine the legal issues at the heart of the unusual espionage saga, according to Vancouver Courier. The brothers Timothy, 27, and Alexander, 23, were born in Canada in the 1990s to parents using the aliases Donald Heathfield and Tracey Ann Foley. The Federal Court of Canada ruling follows a similar decision in the case of his younger brother, Alexander.article continues below Trending Stories65 unusual gifts Ideas for the paleo, yogi, crossfitter, photographer and more Parents of missing man mark painful five-year anniversary Sweets for Diwali take a month's preparation Point Grey tax rally protests 'ideological' property tax However, the Supreme Court of Canada will have the final say on whether the young men are Canadian citizens. The parents were arrested eight years ago in the United States and indicted on charges of conspiring to act as secret agents on behalf of Moscow. Timothy tried to renew his Canadian passport in 2011, but was told to first apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate. In all, 11 people four of whom claimed to be Canadian were indicted on charges of conspiring to act as agents in the U.S. on behalf of the SVR, successor to the notorious Soviet KGB. Heathfield and Foley admitted to being Andrey Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

algonquin park: And her upcoming film looks at families from Syria and Iraq who have come to Canada courtesy of sponsors here, according to The Chronicle Herald. I wanted to do a film that was about immigration and the beauty of immigration from this country, when we're going through such horrors in the U.S. Kopple, who lives south of the border, said in a recent interview in Toronto. On Thursday, she'll speak onstage in Toronto as part of her outstanding achievement award retrospective at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. And I wanted to do it through the eyes of kids. The story focuses on Camp Pathfinder in Algonquin Park, where boys from the Syrian and Iraqi families she follows were able to attend thanks to their sponsors. Kopple said she's already shot the film and is nearly finished it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bone marrow: And that was the last day that I felt normal, according to Toronto Star. A month later, the engineering student's cold turned into lumps on his body and several trips to the hospital later his diagnosis came Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma, a rare slow-growing cancer. I remember I felt more tired than usual and it was the middle of the day and I turned everything off and I thought I'm going to have a nap, he said. Although chemotherapy is helpful, in Nguyen's case it failed. But finding a match is just as rare as the disease. Doctors informed his family that the only way the 25-year-old had any chance of survival was to do a stem-cell transplant, removing his entire bone marrow and replacing it with fresh stem cells from a donor. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.