Actively Passive

I’m going to be away from my social media networks for a couple of weeks. It’s going to be a nice break. I’m sure I’ll pop in here and there, kind of depends on internet access and other distractions. But, I certainly won’t be posting as much as I do now (especially to Twitter).

I tweet mainly about Canadian immigration, diversity and nonprofit tech issues, with a smattering of Canadian politics. In case you enjoy my tweets/posts, etc., I’ve pulled together some places you can get your #cdnimm, #nptech & #cdnpoli satisfaction while I’m away.

Follow the hashtags

Of course, the first thing is to monitor the hashtags on Twitter:

• #cdnimm - that’s immigration and some diversity, although a new hashtag #cdndiversity has popped up, give it a look)
• #nptech
• #cdnpoli

I also created a list of 206 (currently) people who actively tweet about Canadian immigration and diversity topics. You can find/follow it on Twitter.

That’ll keep you busy.

Want more? 

I get most of my information/news/article content via RSS feeds I subscribe to. What you see on Twitter is a pretty hefty filter of the information I subscribe to (I’m up to 822 subscriptions in Google Reader now, ay caramba!)

They’re made up of alerts, sites, blogs, etc., that I monitor and who, thankfully, push out an RSS feed I can easily subscribe to. Cool thing about Google Reader (until July 1st, anyway…) is that I can share those feeds with you. So, here are a few, if you want to dip into the firehose of information:

• Alerts
• Immigrants and employment
• Immigrant sector – blogs, sites, etc.
• Keyword alerts related to Maytree’s work (immigration, diversity, etc.)
• nptech
• Cool, deep thinkers
• Library 2.0 and other big information thinkers, with a smattering of socio-political commentary

There are some good diversity LinkedIn groups you could check out. Just log into your LinkedIn account and search, under groups, for diversity, nonprofits, immigration. Good stuff there.

Of course, stay up to date through Maytree’s tweets and posts.

That ought to keep you informed, overloaded and well fed. See you in a couple of weeks.

(image: verbeeldingskr8, information overload, June 18, 2009, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic)

IMMIGRATION AND DIVERSITY

Immigration backlash (Lawrence Solomon, Financial Post)
Last week’s news from StatsCan’s National Household Survey showed Islam to be the fastest growing religion in Canada, with the Muslim population, now 3.2% of the population, just about doubling every ten years. Next week’s news may well see calls to limit Muslim immigration, and by some to limit all immigration from the Third World. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has introduced reforms which should act to head off an anti-immigrant backlash but, judging from trends elsewhere in the world, he has much more to do.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/05/15/lawrence-solomon-immigration-backlash/&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAAoATAAOABAtdbQjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLUNB&cd=nCDBZFSDrx0&usg=AFQjCNHh_OjKN3U7Rkc6oz5eYtBSk3mczw

Canadians turning away from organized religion (Ron Csillag, Washington Post)
A new national study shows that while Canada remains overwhelmingly Christian, Canadians are turning their backs on organized religion in ever greater numbers. Results from the 2011 National Household Survey show that more than two-thirds of Canadians, or some 22 million people, said they were affiliated with a Christian denomination.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/canadians-turning-away-from-organized-religion/2013/05/15/eb61c3bc-bd9f-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAAoATAAOABAtdbQjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLUNB&cd=nCDBZFSDrx0&usg=AFQjCNFejYT038M_e6_4qpcOrPuYLaAY8g

Media Advisory : Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, Available to Media During His Visit to Silicon Valley and TieCon 2013 (Marketwatch)
Canada’s Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, will be in Silicon Valley May 17-20 to meet with entrepreneurs and business leaders and promote Canada’s new Start-Up Visa Program – the first of its kind in the world featuring active partnerships with angel investor groups and venture capital firms, and offering unconditional permanent residency up-front.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/media-advisory-canadas-minister-of-citizenship-immigration-and-multiculturalism-jason-kenney-available-to-media-during-his-visit-to-silicon-valley-and-tiecon-2013-2013-05-15&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAAoATAAOABAu9PPjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLUNB&cd=IlAoYxeP9ZA&usg=AFQjCNGy3JtKcview-to5tCWZg5tLjIg9Q

Kenney: On track to reduce backlog and welcome parents and grandparents as of Jan 2014 (South Asian Generation Next)
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will re-open the Parent and Grandparent (PGP) program for new applications in January 2014, by which time the backlog and wait times in the program are expected to have been cut in half.
http://www.sagennext.com/2013/05/15/kenney-on-track-to-reduce-backlog-and-welcome-parents-and-grandparents-as-of-jan-2014/

Multiculturalism competes on global market (Joe Greenholtz, Richmond News)
That is how multiculturalism actually works – not the multiculturalism that people thought they were getting where “heritage” cultures stay politely on the other side of the -Canadian hyphen to be paraded (literally) at annual festivals and national days. Canadian culture is dynamic and it also evolves as it absorbs influences; everything from pop culture to ideas whose times have come. Values are debated, re-evaluated and updated. You can’t expect to keep adding cream to your coffee without changing its look and flavour.
http://www.richmond-news.com/entertainment/Multiculturalism+competes+global+market/8386922/story.html

What Is Pluralism? (Inspirit Foundation)
This paper aims to: Contribute to a conversation on pluralism that focuses particularly on these questions:
Why is pluralism important to social change in Canada?
Can we speak of a “Canadian pluralism” based on our shared history and particular characteristics of Canadian society?
Share how the Inspirit Foundation works to encourage pluralism in Canada as an approach that strives to recognize, understand and engage with each other’s differences, including differences related to beliefs, as an element of identity.
http://www.inspiritfoundation.org/about-inspirit/what_is_pluralism

June 8: A Major LGBTQ Community Summit: The Countown to World Pride 2014 in Toronto (Kristyn Wong-Tam)
We have invited a wide range of groups, leaders, individuals, members, supporters, friends andparticipants from a wide range of Greater Toronto’s LGBTQ community to send several membersand representatives to attend a major Community Summit, on Saturday morning, June 8, 2013. They represent a wide range of interests, areas, involvements, backgrounds, and focus including: Aboriginal & Two-spirited, Advocacy, Activism, Arts & Culture, Media, Business, Diversity, Health,Social Services & Community based, Historical, Multicultural/Multi-ethnic, Human rights, Women’sgroups, Spiritual & Worship, Seniors, Sports, Students, Recreation, and Youth. We are also reachingout to non-LBGTQ friends, allies, groups, businesses, and sectors including: Restaurant, Hospitality,Tourism, and major Cultural attractions.
http://countdown2wp14to.eventbrite.com/#

Calling all bloggers! Win an invitation to the ‘Learning to Live in a Multicultural World’ Conference in Caux, Switzerland (Connektivism)
Are you interested in multiculturalism? Are you an active blogger? Do you want to attend the LLMW conference for free? The 5th CAUX – Initiatives of Change conference on ‘Learning to live in a multicultural world (LLMW): Building trust for action across generations’ will take place from 1 – 6 July 2013 in Caux, Switzerland, and this year the organizers are offering a competition for aspiring journalists and bloggers.
http://www.connektivism.com/2013/05/calling-all-bloggers-win-invitation-to.html

The Unlikely Place Where Diversity Thrives (Sam Singh, Huffington Post)
But there is one arena, literally, where questions of integration and assimilation melt in favour of the common bonds of citizenship and shared purpose: at the ice rink. We see this on our streets whenever a Canadian team chases the Stanley Cup or an Olympic medal. As husband-and-wife authors Karl Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac point out in Pax Ethnica: Where and How Diversity Succeeds, sports play an inestimable role in knitting together a collective culture. They criss-crossed the globe from Marseilles, France to Kerala, India and from Russian Tatarstan to Sydney, Australia and Queens, New York City looking at how diverse populations live together in domestic peace (other overlooked institutions that promote harmony? Rap music and public libraries).
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sam-singh/national-household-survey-canada-unity-hockey_b_3275153.html

TDSB Census 2011 shows Toronto’s divisions and diversity (Diane Dyson, Belonging Community)
Early results from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) 2011-2012 census of its students and parents are now being released. Unlike Statistic Canada’s staged release of data which leaves visible minority status and income data until the final stages, TDSB researchers pushed this key data out quickly. The TDSB census results, from 192,000 respondents, capture two wider trends in the city of Toronto: growing ethnocultural diversity and widening income inequality.
http://belongingcommunity.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/tdsb-census-2011-shows-torontos-divisions-and-diversity/

REFUGEES

Canadians respect due process on deportations, not abuse of the system (Raj Sharma, Globe and Mail)
Jason Kenney’s reforms to his Immigration department will likely prevent a repeat of this outlier case (as an aside, it remains to be seen whether the balance is tipped too far). Individuals will have refugee hearings in weeks, not years and removal proceedings are now initiated after that claim has been rejected. Access to other options has been restricted. Canadians respect due process, but do not respect an abuse of our process.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/canadians-respect-due-process-on-deportations-not-abuse-of-the-system/article11907604/

Paralyzed by bomb – he now helps others (Marelle Reid, Burnaby Now)
Hasan and his younger half-brother went to Jordan in 2006 and from there applied for refugee status to come to Canada. They arrived in Vancouver in 2009, and a couple of years later the rest of his family – his mother, sisters and nephew – followed, though his stepfather was unable to get refugee status and remains in Jordan. Hasan says he chose Vancouver because of its relatively mild climate, and soon after arriving he became a permanent resident with a dogged determination to assimilate and contribute to his new community as soon as possible. “When I come to Canada, I want to go to school and continue in my new life, learning Canadian language, learn the Canadian lifestyle, culture, traditions,” he says.
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/Paralyzed+bomb+helps+others/8386852/story.html

Trade talks squeeze Canada’s refugee-protection system (Campbell Clark, Globe and Mail)
In Cali, Colombia, next week, Stephen Harper will ponder a choice driven by the forces of globalization. Trade talks are increasingly applying pressure on Canada to lower restrictions on foreigners entering the country, and in turn, squeezing the refugee-protection system. Mr. Harper will travel to Colombia to meet the leaders of a new trade bloc, the Pacific Alliance, to consider whether Canada should join. The alliance might be the next big thing in Pacific Rim trade, quickly reducing barriers between emerging Latin American nations and then with Asia.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trade-talks-squeeze-canadas-refugee-protection-system/article11959228/?cmpid=rss1

POVERTY / HEALTH / HOMELESSNESS / SOCIAL INCLUSION / POLICY

Do-it-yourself-law — a trickle becomes a deluge (Carol Goar, Toronto Star)
This is not a small problem. Two-thirds of the litigants in the family court system don’t have legal counsel. In the civil court system, self-representation has reached 70 per cent. Self-represented litigants don’t fit the popular stereotype. Most are middle-class parents. Half have university degrees. The vast majority are over 40. In Macfarlane’s sample, 53 per cent started with lawyers but couldn’t afford to retain them as their trial dragged on.
http://yourlegalrights.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=baf0e648ac997f3cf9e7fa232&id=2782f2b712&e=aa9dba01b1

From Shelter To Career (CBC Metro Morning)
Matt Galloway spoke with Brian Smith is the CEO of WoodGreen Community Services , the agency behind Homeward Bound . It offers singles mothers in the city a chance to earn a college diploma and launch a career path. This afternoon, 22 graduates will be celebrated at a ceremony in Toronto.
http://www.cbc.ca/metromorning/episodes/2013/05/15/from-shelter-to-career/

An inexpensive way to reduce child poverty (The Record)
Poverty has been stubbornly persistent in Canada for the generation raising young kids. Ten per cent of families headed by 25 to 34 year olds were poor in 1976. Today, the rate is around 12 per cent. If we want to reduce child poverty, we must learn from our success at reducing poverty among retirees. A generation ago, for instance, 29 per cent of British Columbia seniors were poor — more than any other age group. Now seniors report the lowest rate of poverty: around six per cent. Why have we achieved such positive reductions for retirees, but not for kids?
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFO-LQRR7dKrq-aehrjL2ItB9K8tA&url=http://www.therecord.com/opinion/columns/article/933906–an-inexpensive-way-to-reduce-child-poverty

Video Clip – Champions for Change: Collective Impact Backbone Workshop (Tamarack)
http://tamarackcci.ca/blogs/tamarack/video-clip-champions-change-collective-impact-backbone-workshop

How to Save the Middle Class (TVO The Agenda)
Both the left and the right harken back with nostalgia to days when things were better for the middle class. Were things really better for everyone? If so, what can be done to regain what both the left and the right feel has been lost?
http://theagenda.tvo.org/episode/191095/murky-in-the-middle-and-lcbo-labour-strife

Canada’s inequality non-problem (William Watson, Financial Post)
Like most wonkish organizations these days, the OECD is fixated on inequality. It has just come out with a new report on how inequality has been evolving in its 30-plus member countries since the financial crisis of 2008. The report’s title encapsulates the message: “Crisis squeezes income and puts pressure on inequality and poverty.” “Except in Canada,” it might have added, for a lot of the trends the OECD is worried about either aren’t happening here or are biting much less. As so often, we’re not well served by living next to the world’s biggest media market. The U.S. is being hit harder by a number of these poverty/inequality trends and our policy debates are heavily influenced by U.S. concerns.
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/05/15/william-watson-canadas-inequality-non-problem/

Migrant Workers Filling Most New Jobs, Study Finds (Justina Reichel, Epoch Times)
Migrant workers are filling the majority of new jobs created in Canada in recent years, a new study has found. Conducted by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the study shows that between 2008 and 2011, migrant workers filled most of the new jobs created by the Canadian economy. “Roughly 75 percent of the new jobs created in Canada in 2010 and 2011 were filled by temporary foreign workers despite the fact that 1.4 million Canadian residents were unemployed,” says CLC president Ken Georgetti. The CLC, which represents 3.3 million Canadian workers, used figures from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey and from Citizenship and Immigration Canada to conduct the research.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/58950-migrant-workers-filling-most-new-jobs-study-finds/

Why austerity may be wrecking the recovery (Tamsin McMahon, Maclean’s)
That can morph into long-term unemployment with huge consequences for economic growth, says Michael Mendelson, a senior scholar at the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. “People have this sense of a morality story where we’ve spent, spent, spent and now we have to suffer the consequences. But it’s not a morality story. It’s a question of what are the numbers,” he says. “Some of our future advantages are being sacrificed now in the search for short-term savings, even if those savings may not have much of in impact on our debt burden anyway.” Others go as far as to say that austerity represents a form of class warfare, since it’s wealthy investors who benefited the most from governments’ decisions to guarantee the risky debts of insolvent banks, while regular citizens bear the brunt of tax hikes and cuts to programs. “What you’ve managed to do is a bait and switch with the debts of the private sector ending up on the public balance sheet and magically recast as excessive government spending,” says Mark Blyth, professor of international political economy at Brown University and author of Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea.
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/05/16/squeezed-to-death/

Migrant Voices: Stories of Agricultural Migrant Workers in Manitoba (Lynne Fernandez, Jodi Read, Sarah Zell, CCPA)
Each year approximately 400 Mexican men, migrant labourers under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), work on farms in Manitoba. These labourers perform physically strenuous work on vegetable farms and in greenhouses, jobs that most Canadians prefer not to do. Workers spend up to eight months in Canada, returning year after year for the agricultural season. They live and work under precarious conditions that often foreclose the possibility of accessing the human rights protections provided in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Workers regularly toil twelve hours per day, six to seven days a week, and they live socially isolated from Canadian society. This report highlights the stories of these labourers and invites readers to bear witness to the aspirations and transborder lives of these Mexican men working on Manitoban soil.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/migrant-voices-stories-agricultura-migrant-workers-manitoba

EMPLOYMENT & WORKERS

The 10th Annual RISE Awards – Ten Years of Recognizing Immigrant Success in Edmonton! (ERIEC)
Every year in the spring, the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) receives nominations from around the city lifting up exceptional people and businesses whose accomplishments amaze us and whose dreams inspire us. The RISE awards celebrate high-achieving immigrants, whose personal accomplishments and contributions demonstrate the important impact that they are having on our city of everyday. All of these nominations and the award winners serve as a reminder that the city and province were built by hard-working and forward thinking immigrants. In order for Edmonton to continue to be a leader in diversity, we must continue to invest in the future of today’s newcomers and acknowledge their contributions.
http://eriecedmonton.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/the-10th-annual-rise-awards-ten-years-of-recognizing-immigrant-success-in-edmonton/

Hey feds — we don’t need the help of the Temporary Foreign Worker program (Ian Robinson, Calgary Sun)
A recent study out of the University of Calgary’s school of public policy says that the army of 200,000 temporary foreign workers brought to Canada aren’t necessary. There’s a mismatch between training and actual employment opportunities and a reluctance of Canadians to relocate to where the jobs are. Alberta got what amounts to a free pass in the study, with the author saying there’s a genuine labour shortage here and in Saskatchewan. And I call crap on that. This is nothing less than an egregious case of what’s known as crony capitalism.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/05/10/hey-feds–we-dont-need-the-help-of-the-temporary-foreign-worker-program&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAEoATAAOABApMzPjAVIAlgAYgVlbi1VUw&cd=2saZKzZ6iPQ&usg=AFQjCNGmAyXrf5SEcFI-omx01utFD4gavA

Loan program for immigrant professionals launched (CBC)
The New Brunswick Multicultural Council has launched a new micro loans program to help immigrant professionals upgrade their foreign credentials. Many people who were trained in other countries arrive in Canada only to find out their credentials aren’t recognized here, said project co-ordinator Tanya Billings. Through the pilot project, about 150 people will be able to borrow up to $15,000 to upgrade their skills to meet Canadian standards.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2013/05/15/nb-immigrant-loan-program-multicultural.html&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAAoATAAOABAu9PPjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLUNB&cd=IlAoYxeP9ZA&usg=AFQjCNEpnIo1K3LZOTSO3iGAxgxe8MLlRA

Unique Recruitment Opportuntiy for Prince George Employers (IECBC)
Initiatives Prince George (IPG) is hosting an Online Job Fair on June 4, 2013 to connect local employers with new Canadians living in Metro Vancouver. Through a web portal designed specifically for the Online Job Fair, participating employers will talk with potential employees living in Metro Vancouver about job openings, accept resumes and conduct interviews. The Online Job Fair is possible through a $60,200 grant awarded to IPG through the Employer Innovation Fund that is overseen by the Immigrant Employment Council of BC and funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia. Businesses interested in participating in the Online Job Fair need to register for a virtual booth at www.pgonlinejobfair.com by May 17, 2013.
http://www.iecbc.ca/about-us/in-the-news/news/unique-recruitment-opportuntiy-prince-george-employers

Temporary Foreign Workers taking up 65 per cent of new jobs in Sask (News Talk 650)
Many of the new jobs created over the last four years in Saskatchewan have gone to Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW). New research compiled by the Canadian Labour Congress outlines how 65 per cent all of net jobs created went to those outside the country. “That’s not a sustainable, smart growth plan for the province,” said Saskatchewan NDP Leader Cam Broten in Question Period Wednesday.
http://www.newstalk650.com/story/temporary-foreign-workers-taking-65-cent-new-jobs-sask/110392

Manitoba to provide health benefits to seasonal migrant workers (Winnipeg Free Press)
The province shocked advocates rallying outside the legislature for Manitoba’s migrant farm workers today when Immigration Minister Christine Melnick announced health coverage will now be provided for the estimated 400 seasonal workers who plant and harvest Manitoba produce every year. “This will give workers great peace of mind,” said Jennifer deGroot with the Migrant Worker Solidarity Network. “I’m shocked. I’m thrilled.”
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Manitoba-to-provide-health-benefits-to-seasonal-migrant-workers-207589181.html&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgBIAAoATAAOABAh8_QjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=ghbiAKkIp1M&usg=AFQjCNHEigmjT2m2t3Yqip7tQooUVmjepA

Temporary foreign worker bust made in Kingsville (CBC)
CBC News has learned the Canadian Border Service Agency recently raided a farm in Kingsville, where agents apprehended six temporary foreign workers from Thailand. A CBSA spokesperson said the six people were “unauthorized workers at a farm in Kingsville.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/05/16/wdr-temporary-foreign-worker-bust-kingsville-cbsa.html

CITY OF TORONTO / CITIES / CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Newsstand: May 16, 2013 (Brendan Ross, Torontoist)
Next stop, Thursday! Here’s some news to keep you chugging along: TCHC starts naming names to police, a new complaint surfaces against the mayor, the City looks at making intersections better, and the anti-casino set gets a new ally.
http://torontoist.com/2013/05/newsstand-may-16-2013/

IMMIGRATION AND DIVERSITY

Choosing Canada (CBC Metro Morning)
Saumya Gautam is one of our lovely colleagues at CBC. Earlier this week, she was sworn in as a new Canadian citizen. She shared her thoughts about choosing Canada on the show.
http://www.cbc.ca/metromorning/episodes/2013/05/15/choosing-canada/

Editorial: Immigration changes are fair to new Canadians and taxpayers (Calgary Herald)
Canada owes its success to immigration. Without the flood of people determined to create a better life for themselves, Canada would never have become a thriving G8 country with 20 per cent of its population foreign born the highest among the group of developed western nations. The fact that growing numbers of people from around the world want to join us is a testament to the hard work, creativity and passion that generations of new Canadians have displayed. It goes without saying that when people immigrate to Canada, they by necessity leave some things behind, including loved ones. Canada has gone to great lengths to unite families, but the volume of applications has been too great for the government to deal with. Two years ago, when the backlog of applications for the family reunification program climbed to almost 165,000, and with a wait time of almost eight years, the federal government was forced to stop accepting new requests and to take a serious look at its policy.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/editorials/Editorial%2BImmigration%2Bchanges%2Bfair%2BCanadians/8379035/story.html&ct=ga&cad=CAEQARgAIAAoATAAOABAoYjLjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=7OP5UtQdioY&usg=AFQjCNE9xoc1OX37Pi0zT2WPI32hEwnn7w

Skepticism surrounds census results (Sean Pearce, YorkRegion.com)
The Chinese Canadian National Council expressed doubt about the quality of the data collected. First, there seems to be an undercount of Canadians in general and the Chinese-Canadian population in particular, council executive director Victor Wong said, explaining the 2011 census estimates the population to be 33,476,688, while an April 2011 estimate, based on the 2006 census, put it at 34,349,200, about 872,512 higher than the most recent count. Similarly, the Chinese and visible minority categories grew by just 141,070 and 108,135, respectively, he continued, when its known the number of immigrants from China alone was at least 144,292 between 2006 and 2011. The numbers dont add up, Mr. Wong said.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/2875844-skepticism-surrounds-census-results/&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgBIAAoATAAOABAp-7LjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=yiN3hYQQdy0&usg=AFQjCNEbEGQTF46rQVrTTEmXQtn6tHdp-g

Canada wants entrepreneurs! (CIC)
Canadas new Start-Up Visa is the first of its kind in the world, linking immigrant entrepreneurs with experienced private sector organizations that have expertise in working with start-ups. Canada wants entrepreneurs. Unlike programs in other countries, we do not provide temporary or conditional status. Successful applicants to this program will be able to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents with no conditions attached to the success of their business. Do you want to build a dynamic company that can compete on a global scale? It starts in Canada.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/entrepreneurs.asp?utm_source=rss-publications&utm_medium=rss-eng&utm_campaign=generic

Kenney pushes new visa plan in Silicon Valley (Steven Chase, Globe and Mail)
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is heading to Silicon Valley this weekend to lure high-tech immigrant entrepreneurs to Canada, dangling a new recruitment program that offers immediate permanent residency to qualifying foreigners. Canada has designed its new Start-up Visa program to make the country more attractive than the United States, where many foreign high-tech workers languish with temporary U.S. visas. Canada finds itself under pressure to more efficiently and quickly recruit skilled immigrants because its now in increased competition with other industrialized countries looking for the same people and trying to make up for low birth rates.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/kenney-pushes-new-visa-plan-in-silicon-valley/article11924233/&ct=ga&cad=CAEQARgAIAAoATAAOABAmorMjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=G3HPFneZAgU&usg=AFQjCNGeBOzcZ1sZczvHhDod_NUXhL2XTw

A look at Canadas future: Why our reporter is embedded in Brampton, Ont (Melissa Whetstone, Globe and Mail)
You may have never heard of Brampton, Ont., the city located 45 kilometres west of Toronto that happens to be Canadas 9th largest. But youre about to learn a whole lot about it from Globe reporter Dakshana Bascaramurty, who this month packed up her things and moved there. Why Brampton? As Globe T.O. editor Sarah Lilleyman explains: Brampton is one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities and home to one of the largest populations of ethnic and religious minorities its at the core of many of the demographic trends were seeing across the country. This project digs deep into what shapes the development of a city like Brampton. What draws new Canadians there? What challenges and opportunities are posed by its rapid growth? In another decade or two, other parts of the country could look just like it. Taking a closer look at Brampton offers a window on Canadas future.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/community/digital-lab/a-look-at-canadas-future-why-our-reporter-is-embedded-in-brampton-ont/article11912065/?cmpid=rss1

News Release Minister Kenney announces new Citizenship Judge for the Greater Toronto Area (CIC)
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today that Marian Sami, LL.B., has been appointed as a Citizenship Judge for the Greater Toronto Area. Marian Sami, LL.B., practiced law in Toronto prior to her appointment. She is an active member of the community through her involvement in a number of children’s charities. She has served as a community liaison to lawmakers and as a consultant for cultural events.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2013/2013-05-14.asp?utm_source=rss-media&utm_medium=rss-eng&utm_campaign=generic

Toronto Police and educator resolve racial profiling case (Canada Newswire)
The Toronto Police Service (TPS), the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB), and educator Dr. Clem Marshall have reached an agreement to settle his Human Rights Application. The terms of the settlement are confidential and neither the TPS nor the TPSB has admitted any liability. Dr. Marshall and a friend were driving in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto when stopped by police in 2009, an incident Marshall attributed to racial profiling. “Humiliation hurts. It has left a deep scar. I felt I had to stand up because we want our youth to know we have a right to defend our dignity. We can use this incident to continue to build a stronger community.”
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1164585/toronto-police-and-educator-resolve-racial-profiling-case

Do immigrants make Canada a stronger nation? (Yahoo! News)
That gives Canada the highest foreign-born population among all G8 nations. The majority of Canadian immigrants in 2010 were from the Philippines, India and China. As a result, Canada has an increasingly more diverse population, particularly in urban centres like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. According to the study, Ontario received 43 per cent of the immigrants over the past five years. British Columbia received 16 per cent. So here’s our question: Do you believe Canada’s growing diversity makes us stronger or weaker as a nation?
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/pulseofcanada/immigrants-canada-stronger-nation-161156907.html

Conference to explore contrast between Indigenous and immigrant communities (Canada Newswire)
Encounters in Canada: Contrasting Indigenous and Immigrant Perspectives, a three-day conference beginning May 15, will bring together academics, legal experts, government representatives and political leaders to identify solutions to the issues resulting from a divide between Indigenous Peoples of Canada and immigrants (including early settlers to recent immigrants and newcomers). The opening dinner will feature a conversation on Aboriginal Education with Canada’s 21st Prime Minister the Right Honourable Paul Martin, and Giller Prize-winning author Joseph Boyden will read from his book Through Black Spruce, at the opening reception.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1165341/conference-to-explore-contrast-between-indigenous-and-immigrant-communities

Startup Visa Canada Online Information Session on May 24th (Startup Visa)
As you know, Canada is officially open for business to the worlds startup entrepreneurs. We have been getting amazing responses from the worlds entrepreneurs since the new Startup Visa Program was announced. The program is the first of its kind and aims to connect immigrant entrepreneurs with experienced private sector organizations that have expertise in working with startups. Successful applicants will get their ideas funded and will be able to immigrate to Canada permanently.
http://startupvisa.ca/2013/05/14/startup-visa-canada-online-information-session-on-may-24th/

Immigration changes Canada’s religious composition (Ecumenical News)
Canada has a reputation for being one of the most immigrant-friendly nations in the world. In February, Canada’s citizenship and immigration minister, Jason Kenney, proudly announced that in 2012, immigration to the country had peaked for the seventh year in a row. More than 250,000 people immigrated to Canada last year, and according to the latest reports, a full 20 percent of Canada’s 35-million people are now foreign-born. Only Australia, with 27 percent of its population of foreign descent, topped Canada’s immigration numbers.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/immigration-changes-canadas-religious-composition-22180&ct=ga&cad=CAEQARgAIAAoATAAOABAv4TKjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=_OGsg5XQWM8&usg=AFQjCNGMyIRut5cztJqYfYlQ__3uuDJtbw

Canada ramps up search for skilled immigrants in specific trades (Emigrate UK)
Canadas state and national governments are ramping up their search for skilled workers, targeting the USA as well as the UK, continental Europe and other world nations. The Canadian immigration office now considers itself part of a global competition to gain the most skilled tradespeople and entrepreneurs, a contest its determined to win for the benefit of the country. The new specific trades category, which includes plumbers, electricians, pipefitters and other skilled construction workers, is expected to attract 3,000 migrants during its first year.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.emigrate.co.uk/news/20130514-6833_canada-recruiting-skilled-migrants-under-new-visa-programme&ct=ga&cad=CAEQARgAIAAoATAAOABAv4TKjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=_OGsg5XQWM8&usg=AFQjCNFM2cDa_NxoDg65dsEF6m4eDBGFdw

Border Security reality show called risk for vulnerable migrants (Nicholas Keung, Toronto Star)
The campaign against a Canadian reality TV series on border security has gained momentum with actors, directors, artists and advocacy groups including Amnesty International calling for its cancellation. Earlier this month, the Canadian Bar Association also took a position on Canada Border Service Agencys involvement with the production of Border Security, which airs on National Geographic Channel and is produced by Vancouver-based Force Four Entertainment.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/04/30/border_security_reality_show_called_risk_for_vulnerable_migrants.html

New Canadian entrepreneurs honoured for their hard work (Larissa Cahute, Vancouver Sun)
Developing a successful business is hard work – especially as a new Canadian. “It’s a long journey,” said Durga Soma, who works at her husband’s Richmond company, Advance Machines Ltd. “We need to go through so many channels, we have to adjust.” “It’s hard work, it’s a struggle.” The Somas moved from India 25 years ago and started Advance Machines Ltd. in 1996. They started with two employees and now have 12.
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Canadian+entrepreneurs+honoured+their+hard+work/8375700/story.html

Canada’s “Mosaic” Has Racist Cracks (Adam Kingsmith, Huffington Post)
It’s ironic really. Here in the “Canadian Mosaic”, issues of race are largely stricken from the language of the everyday. We prefer not to speak openly about racism, for deconstructing it might chip away at that illusory façade of Canada as a nation of perpetual tolerance and chronic multiculturalism — a delusion we all hold dear to our glowing hearts. Unfortunately for all those “liberal-minded” Canadians out there who view our country to be so forward thinking and accommodating that racism is a non-issue, institutionalized multiculturalism is not the same thing as social racial equality.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/adam-kingsmith/racism-canada_b_3269960.html#slide=2424921

Report on Proposed Electoral Reforms – PDF (City of Toronto)
This report responds to various Committee requests on the feasibility of implementing electoral reforms in the City’s elections: (1) holding elections on a Saturday or Sunday; (2) allowing permanent residents the right to vote; (3) using ranked choice voting; and (4) providing internet voting for voters with disabilities.
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/gm/bgrd/backgroundfile-57756.pdf

What this about visible minorities? (Sault Star)
Over five million Canadians identified themselves as a member of a visible minority group in the 2006 Census, accounting for 16.2% of the population. Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec have higher “visible minority” than the national average. Where such statistics become hilarious is in case of some municipalities such as: Richmond, BC (65.1%), Burnaby (55.4%), Vancouver (51%), Markham, ON (65.4%), Brampton (57%), etc. Why refer to more than 50% of the population as “visible minority”, just to be Politically Correct?! Why not just call it “non Anglo-Saxon or whatever” and get it over with?
http://www.saultstar.com/2013/05/15/what-this-about-visible-minorities

CIC announces outstanding details of the Federal Skilled Worker Program (Henry J. Chang, First Reference Talks)
As previously reported, on December 19, 2012, Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney (the Immigration Minister) announced that the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) would once again begin accepting new applications on May 4, 2013. However, several key details of the FSWP were not announced at that time.
http://blog.firstreference.com/2013/05/15/cic-announces-outstanding-details-of-the-federal-skilled-worker-program

REFUGEES

Proposed reduction in age of dependent children (CCR)
The government is proposing to narrow the definition of a dependent child in the immigration regulations in two important ways: The maximum age will be reduced to 18 years (from 21 years) The exception for full-time students will be eliminated This narrower definition will apply in all cases when a person applies for permanent residence in Canada and wants to include their children.
http://ccrweb.ca/en/reduction-age-dependent-children

Refugee testifies about alleged sexual assault by immigration counselor (Dave Battagello, Windsor Star)
An African refugee living in Windsor testified Tuesday she was sexually assaulted by an employee of an agency set up to help newcomers. The Congo native said immigrant counselor Binaishea (Fred) Muvunga, who she knew from her homeland, was supposed to escort her to a medical appointment in November 2009, but instead drove her to his house after claiming that he forgot something. Soon after the mother of five entered his home to get a drink of water, he emerged from his bedroom, grabbed her forcefully from behind and knocked her to the ground and assaulted her, she said.
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFJbunmbL6PO5ceNpiXUbJU-26jkw&url=http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/05/14/refugee-describes-alleged-sexual-assault-by-immigration-counselor-in-court/

Visa imposition worries refugee advocates (FCJ Refugee Centre)
Immigration Minister Jason Ken ney speaks at a press conference earlier this month. He announced Sept. 11 the imposition of visas on Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Namibia, Botswana, and Swaziland. Some people who work with refugees say the governments recent decision to impose visas on citizens of five countries could end up hurting legitimate refugees for whom the move could mean less access to seek refuge. One of the affected countries has also expressed disappointment and dismay in Canadas decision.
http://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/2013/03/visa-imposition-worries-refugee-advocates/

Youth Network (FCJ Refugee Centre)
The FCJ Youth Network has made amazing progress in its inaugural year. The group welcomed more than 60 members, spanning diverse experiences, backgrounds and identities. This unique, youth-led, youth-decided group met weekly to discuss issues relevant to them including anti-oppression, navigating the Canadian job market, access to education and sharing skills. The youth quickly mobilized their knowledge and gained a reputation in local and national networks.
http://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/2013/02/youth-network/

Making a difference for uprooted people (FCJ Refugee Centre)
FCJ Refugee Centre serves refugees and others at risk due to their immigration status, and welcomes anyone asking for advice, counsel and support regarding these issues.
http://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/2013/03/making-a-difference-for-uprooted-people/

Faster deportations come at the cost of compassion and fairness (Lorne Waldman, Globe and Mail)
Immigration Minister Jason Kenneys use of the case of Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammed to justify the draconian reforms to immigration and refugee law that he has implemented is ill founded. Mr. Kenney argues that the soon-to-be-passed Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act will prevent a repetition of Mr. Mohammads case. But Mr. Mohammads deportation was delayed due to a finding that he would be at risk of torture. That finding made in 2007 was allowed to stand until it was overturned in 2012. The delay in his deportation had nothing to do with loopholes but rather was a result of Canadas obligations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to not remove a person to torture.
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFfGzeIGTOD5BcT01Gkw4B9048IkQ&url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/faster-deportations-come-at-the-cost-of-compassion-and-fairness/article11908447/

If this is Kenneys quick-deportation policy, why did he sit on it for half a decade? (Robert Silver, Globe and Mail)
Canadas New Government is it too soon for a nostalgic flashback of the Harper governments first catchphrase? Before there was an Economic Action Plan (and Economic Action Plan sequels next year I believe they will exceed the Police Academy franchise) there was our New Government. You see, back in 2006 (for those too young to remember), there was massive confusion after the election. Yes, we have a new government, but are they Canadas new government? people would often ask strangers on the street. Stephen Harper, he leads Bptswanas New Government, doesnt he? They sure are lucky to have him someone famously said – hence the need for Canadas new government to use Canadas New Government on everything from mundane press releases to TV ads on the amazing things Canadas New Government was doing.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/if-this-is-kenneys-quick-deportation-policy-why-did-he-sit-on-it-for-half-a-decade/article11908290/

POVERTY / HEALTH / HOMELESSNESS / SOCIAL INCLUSION / POLICY

Many elderly living at or near poverty line (Hill Times)
Statistics Canada says the population over the age of 65 will pass 10.5 million in 20 years. With this demographic greying, governments will face challenges the likes of which Canada has never encountered. But as a country, weve known for many years that this demographic shift was coming, and that adequately preparing for it would take careful forecasting and prudent, long-term, national planning.
http://www.hilltimes.com/policy-briefing/2013/05/13/many-elderly-living-at-or-near-poverty-line/34692

EMPLOYMENT & WORKERS

Embracing the new demographic (Financial Post)
Successful Canadian companies have learned that a commitment to workplace cultural diversity offers more than the ability to reflect the countrys evolving demographics. A policy of diversity provides customers with confidence that a company gives employment opportunities to all Canadians. Internally, workplace diversity allows companies to create synergies and generate new approaches to business challenges. Diversity also benefits companies through the experiences and resources of employees who can offer unique insights into the needs, interests and preferences of all of their customers.
http://business.financialpost.com/2013/05/11/embracing-the-new-demographic/

The real problem with TFWs is the ‘t’ (Pat Atkinson, Star Phoenix)
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney thinks that his backpedalling on the Temporary Foreign Worker program has resolved some major problems with it. It took an expose by CBC on the Royal Bank of Canada laying off high-tech workers and outsourcing their work to iGate, a company using TFWs on Canadian soil, to make Kenney introduce some modest changes, but these reforms don’t go far enough. The federal program ostensibly allows employers to hire foreign workers to fill jobs temporarily when Canadians or permanent residents of Canada aren’t available. Employers apply to Service Canada, which then assesses the application and issues a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) on the impact that temporary foreign workers would have on the local labour market.
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/real+problem+with+TFWs/8385870/story.html

For migrant workers, injury often means a one-way ticket home (FCJ Refugee Centre)
After Eloid Drummond was hit by a car in Exeter, Ont., and suffered a dislocated shoulder, he was declared AWOL by his employer and Canada because he refused to quietly go home to Jamaica. Unable to continue farm work, he was terminated from Canadas Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, and hence lost his social insurance card and health coverage for his injuries. Being labeled AWOL (absent without leave) also meant he couldnt be rehired within the program, which each year brings in 25,000 foreign farm workers from Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America.
http://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/2013/03/for-migrant-workers-injury-often-means-a-one-way-ticket-home/

The temporary foreign worker program is a puzzle whose solution won’t satisfy polarized opinions (Canadian Business)
Stepping into the delicate politics of filling Canadian jobs with foreign workers, Jason Kenney was bound to appease no one. Prized by the business lobby, loathed by unionized labour, the temporary foreign worker program is either a solution to or an exacerbation of a problem that may or may not exist. The immigration minister spoke of the paradox of polarized opinion in announcing the programs overhaul. There are, Kenney said, constant pressures suggesting that the program is far too lax, and then from many, many employers and industry groups suggesting the program is far too rigid.
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/economy/jason-kenney-steps-into-the-foreign-workers-conundrum/

Canada needs skilled workers (Sunstar Phillipines)
CANADA needs skilled workers and this demand can be met by Filipinos, the countrys ambassador said. Canadian ambassador Christopher Thornley said this last week during the press conference held to inaugurate the Canadian Welding Bureau Facility (CWB-F) and the Hospitality Training Center (HTC) of Primary Structures Educational Foundation, Inc. (PSEFI) on General Maxilom Ave., Cebu City. Thornley said many countries want Filipinos workers for their skills, English proficiency and work ethic. He said there are upt to 600,000 Filipinos in Canada, which has a population of 34 million.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2013/05/14/canada-needs-skilled-workers-282345

Local MP justifies changes to Temporary Foreign Worker Program (Lloyd Minster Source)
Against the views of local politicians and some businesses, Vegreville-Wainwright MP Leon Benoit maintained proposed changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program are necessary. While understanding theres a need for TFWs in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the alterations including suspending the accelerated labour market opinion process and ensuring employers who rely on TFWs have a firm plan in place to transition to a Canadian workforce over time are a result of abuse of the program and businesses not selling its importance to the general public, Benoit said.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.lloydminstersource.com/News/tabid/68/entryid/3176/Default.aspx&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAAoATAAOABA-53KjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=myFDZfzM1FU&usg=AFQjCNHgL6-CZ1N2_mXLxVH7Sqv5WdyCNw

‘Harper’s low-wage model’ targeted by Steelworkers (Soo Today)
A key element of the campaign involves asking people affected by the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to speak out about their first-hand experiences through the campaign’s website. Temporary workers exploited by employers or Canadian workers passed over or replaced by temporary workers can call a hotline at 1-888-899-4405. The campaign illustrates how the Harper government in partnership with corporations is flooding Canada with low-wage and highly vulnerable temporary workers from abroad at a time of record unemployment, particularly among youth and Aboriginal communities.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp%3Fc%3D56996&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAAoATAAOABA-53KjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=myFDZfzM1FU&usg=AFQjCNFQ-Ce7X3WvtLXBApfwKG-3n_X-Ug

CITY OF TORONTO / CITIES / CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Torontos Urbanism Headlines: Tuesday (Spacing Toronto)
A daily round up of mainstream media news on Urban Development, TTC and Other News.
http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/05/14/torontos-urbanism-headlines-tuesday-12/

More mayors pledge support for CivicAction plan (CivicActionGTA)
Three York Region mayors pledged their support for better transit today, although there was some disagreement among them on how best to pay for it. Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow, Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti joined members of their respective councils at the Richmond Hill Centre bus terminal to add their names to the growing list of York politicians calling on the province to implement new, dedicated revenue tools to expand the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s transit and transportation infrastructure.
http://www.civicaction.ca/more-mayors-pledge-support-civicaction-plan

Urban Resilience for a New Century (Dr. Judith Rodin, Huffington Post)
First, every city must have a resilience plan in place to manage the risks we can predict, and mitigate the impacts of those we cannot. Fortunately, we know what characteristics resilient systems – and cities – share in good times and in times of stress: flexibility to change and evolve in the face of disaster; diversity and redundancy which enables the system to function even when individual parts fail; options for safe failure that limits shocks rippling across systems; the ability for rapid rebound to re-establish function quickly; and robust feedback loops that sense and allow new options to be introduced quickly as conditions change.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judith-rodin/urban-resilience-for-a-ne_b_3272474.html

When Doug Ford mentions you, seize the moment…

Yesterday, City of Toronto staff reported on Proposed Electoral Reforms (PDF).

Maytree, where I work, came up. And, according to 3 reporters, Councillor Doug Ford made some interesting remarks:

“Never heard of ‘em,” says Doug Ford of the Maytree foundation, one of the city’s most respected civic groups. #TOpoli

— Marcus Gee (@marcusbgee) May 13, 2013

Will the age of mortification never end? RT @goldsbie Doug Ford says that, bec he’s never heard of Maytree, it must be a downtown-only grp.

— Andrea Addario (@addarioandrea) May 13, 2013

City official refers to the Maytree Foundation. Doug Ford: “Can you explain who Maytree is? I’ve never even heard of ‘em.” Some sighs.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 13, 2013

Doug Ford then adds that Maytree must not exist in Etobicoke, only downtown.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 13, 2013

It made for a fun and interesting afternoon, and a great lesson in seizing the moment to showcase our work.

It was suggested that we seize the moment:

Lucky #PR day for @maytree_canada. I wish #DougFord would say he’s never heard of @orangeinkpr

— Orange Ink PR (@orangeinkpr) May 13, 2013

@maytree_canada Grab the social media moment. Surely there is a valuable opening here …

— Louisa Taylor (@louisataylorCIT) May 13, 2013

which I think we did:

Hi Councillor Ford. Nice to meet you. Our work spans ALL of Toronto, GTA, Ontario, Canada & internationally. Happy to share links/stories.

— Maytree Foundation (@maytree_canada) May 13, 2013

Lots of great tweets ensued, including some fun, but, most importantly, an opportunity to talk about our civic engagement, leadership diversity and inclusion work in the city, and beyond.

Had I been totally on the ball, I would have created and shared some of these images yesterday. I had some fun creating them today and wanted to share them.

Doug Ford also apparently said this:

Doug Ford during a speech on non-citizen voting: “If you loved your other country so much, you wouldn’t have left it.”

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 13, 2013

So I tweeted this, from my own account, today:

Related to last RT: Grumpy cat on #DougFord. #TOpoli twitter.com/marcopolis/sta…

— Marco Campana (@marcopolis) May 14, 2013

One of my colleagues just complained that these images don’t actually follow “the meme rules”, but I’m OK with that. They were fun to make. And, to borrow from the movie Lord of War:

You learn something new every day online.

Most importantly, in my opinion, is that there is no right way to do the internet. But, you should try to have fun doing it.

IMMIGRATION AND DIVERSITY

Education, immigration, communities: roadmap for Canada’s official languages 2013-2018 (Dan Lamoureux, Hill Times) Key public institutions and services that buttress community life—education, health and social services for example—rest within the power of provincial legislatures to act. Community halls and meeting spaces, local events, libraries, and other key aspects of community are usually managed or regulated by municipal governments, another area of exclusive provincial jurisdiction. In terms of renewal, communities rely on self-perpetuation, and the acceptance of newcomers through migration or immigration. Immigration is a matter of concurrent jurisdiction between the federal and provincial governments. http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHPISxub_KyKKDpauXvd5DsYGI7XQ&url=http://www.hilltimes.com/2013/05/13/education-immigration-communities–roadmap-for-canada%25E2%2580%2599s-official-languages-2013-2018/34725

Immigrants are essential to prosperity (Greg Van Moorsel, St Catharine’s Standard) It’s not just Alberta. Most of Western Canada, as anyone who’s lived there knows, is far more cosmopolitan than it’s given credit for, especially by Ontario and Quebec, which like to see themselves as the multicultural beacons for the entire nation. The just-released federal census dispels those myths about the West and about the East. Bluntly put, the census reinforces the old adage that money talks. Only, in the case of the West, money screams, especially for immigrants to Canada. http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2013/05/13/immigrants-are-essential-to-prosperity&ct=ga&cad=CAEQARgAIAAoATAAOABAwIXHjAVIAlAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=bCVX4dn8C70&usg=AFQjCNFkR6YDuGgNzr-edcADApn6b9N19w

Alleged Racial Slur at a Peterborough Nightclub (CHEX TV) A Peterborough woman is looking for answers after she says racial slurs were made towards her by a staff member at a local nightclub Friday night. But club owners say they’ve done nothing wrong. http://www.chextv.com/News/LN/13-05-13/Alleged_Racial_Slur_at_a_Peterborough_Nightclub.aspx

Toronto board to open second Africentric high school program (Caroline Alphonso, Globe and Mail) The Toronto District School Board will open a second Africentric high school program this fall in the city’s west-end. Students who sign up for the program at Downsview Secondary School will take four courses – English, geography, math and French – with an Africentric focus. An open-house for potential Grade 9 students will be held Tuesday evening, a spokeswoman for the board said. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-board-to-open-second-africentric-high-school-program/article11888134/?cmpid=rss1

CIC announces proposed changes to the definition of “dependent children” (Henry J. Chang, First Reference Works) On May 10, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) announced proposed regulatory amendments that will narrow the definition of “dependent child” by reducing the age limit to children under the age of 19 and removing the exception for full-time students. Once implemented, this proposed change will adversely affect the dependent children of all prospective immigrants to Canada. http://blog.firstreference.com/2013/05/13/cic-announces-proposed-changes-to-the-definition-of-dependent-children/

Toronto City Council Recommends Improving Access to Health Care for Medically Uninsured Residents (Emily Wong, Wellesley Institute) Toronto City Council passed recommendations from the Board of Health building on a Toronto Public Health report on medically uninsured residents. The Wellesley Institute, along with researchers, representatives from Community Health Centres (CHCs), Toronto Public Health, Women’s College Hospital Network on the Uninsured, Association of Ontario Midwives, and frontline physicians, played a “ferocious” role in acting for the equitable access and health of many medically uninsured residents in Toronto at recent Board of Health hearings. On the part of the Wellesley Institute, Bob Gardner presented the brief to the Board, as well as submitted a subsequent comment City Council to address the importance of this issue. http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/health-care/health-equity/toronto-city-council-recommends-improving-access-to-health-care-for-medically-uninsured-residents/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wellesleyinstitute+%28Wellesley+Institute%29

Toronto Values Health Before Immigration Status (Rikita Goel, Huffington Post) Last week, Toronto City Council made history by voting in favour of putting people’s health before their immigration status. Canadians may be surprised to learn that the universal healthcare system they consider a shining beacon of our humanity denies healthcare services to an estimated 500,000 people in Canada, of which over 100,000 live in Toronto. A report prepared for the Toronto Board of Health outlines the health crisis for these medically uninsured individuals who reside in Toronto. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ritika-goel/toronto-refugee-health-care_b_3264351.html

Ontario Mosque Clears Islam Image (OnIslam) Seeking to clear image of Islam following an aborted plot to attack trains and deadly bombings in the United States, the Muslim community in the east-central Canadian province of Ontario has opened their mosque doors to visitors to get a better understanding of their faith. http://www.onislam.net/english/news/americas/462628-ontario-mosque-clears-islam-image.html

Shyam Selvadurai brings book to Vancouver Writers Festival (Larissa Cahute, Vancouver Desi) When Shyam Selvadurai came out to his Sri Lankan immigrant family, they had an “unusual” reaction. “Unusual in the sense they understood,” the Toronto-based author said last week during his B.C. visit for the Vancouver Writers Festival to promote his latest book, “The Hungry Ghosts.” With his parents hailing from war communities in Sri Lanka, “they already knew what difference was,” he said. http://www.vancouverdesi.com/news/srilanka/as-canadians-were-all-part-of-toronto-authors-immigrant-story-the-hungry-ghosts/554955/

Saanich’s Surjit Bhandal allowed to stay in Canada (VicNews) Surjit Bhandal, the 83-year-old woman who was set to be deported back to India, has won her case to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. “I was very happy to learn that Bhandal will be allowed to stay in Canada with her family,” said Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Randall Garrison, who spearheaded the efforts to convince Citizenship and Immigration Canada to allow her to stay, in a press release. “This represents not just a victory for the Bhandal family, but for all the many diverse families who make up Canada.” http://www.vicnews.com/news/207274101.html

Visible majority in four Metro Vancouver cities (Jeff Nagel, Surrey Leader) Visible minorities account for one million people or 45.2 per cent of the population of Metro Vancouver, according to newly released voluntary census data. The National Household Survey conducted by Statistics Canada in 2011 found visible minorities make up a majority of the population in Metro Vancouver’s four largest cities. http://www.surreyleader.com/news/207285631.html

Collier: Diversity committee needed in Windsor (CBC) The city has 17 advisory committees. One of them is a diversity committee. Part of the committee’s mandate is “to develop and recommend to the mayor and members of city council policies and programs which will create an atmosphere conducive to harmonious community relations within the city of Windsor.” However, the city’s website says, “the Members for the 2011-2014 Diversity Committee have not yet been appointed by the Striking Committee of Council.” According to Collier, the committee got $3,870 in the 2011 budget, none last year, and is scheduled to receive $3,870 this year. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/05/13/wdr-windsor-council-diversity-committee.html

What Immigrant Mothers Lose When You Split Their Families (Farah Mawani, Huffington Post) Imagine losing the person who thinks of you as part of themselves, and puts your well-being before their own. People who have lost their mothers know how profoundly painful and life-changing that loss is. Many immigrants and refugees experience that loss through separation from their mothers in the process of migration. Some mothers migrate before their children, and some children before their mothers. Whatever the process, that separation has an devastating impact on mothers and children. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/farah-mawani/canada-immigrant-families_b_3264328.html

Anti-Islamic prejudice — or just a parking issue? (Noor Javed, Toronto Star) Across the GTA, places of worship have claimed intolerance and unfairness when their facilities face resistance from residents or their expansion plans and building permits are rejected by the city. But a look at parking bylaws across the city and the outcomes of dozens of Ontario Municipal Board decisions suggests the real culprit is much more benign and mundane. It almost always comes down to indiscretions of the vehicular kind — traffic and parking. http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2013/05/10/antiislamic_prejudice_or_just_a_parking_issue.html

Personal essay: North American dream began with watching TV sitcoms (Nicholas Keung, Toronto Star) Toronto Star reporter Nicholas Keung writes about his adventure as an immigrant from Hong Kong to Canada via the United States. http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2013/05/13/personal_essay_north_american_dream_began_with_watching_tv_sitcoms.html

Personal Essay: My parents came in search of a better life (Debra Black, Toronto Star) Toronto Star reporter Debra Black writes about being the child of immigrants to Canada after the Second World War. http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2013/05/13/personal_essay_my_parents_came_in_search_of_a_better_life.html

“Are we there yet?” PROJECT (Ron Wood Photography) We all know that Canada is a country of immigrants. My own family came over from Ireland and England in the early 1800s. At what point does someone truly arrive? Stepping onto Canadian soil is just one part of the immigration experience. “Are we there yet?” explores the immigration narrative from the perspective of the Macedonian immigrant. http://ronwoodphotography.blogspot.ca/p/are-we-there-yet-project.html

Toronto’s burgeoning ethnic press caters to a new wave of immigrants looking for news from ‘back home’ (Peter Kuitenbrouwer, National Post) After a successful career as a journalist in India, including a stint at the Hindustan Times, Jaspal Singh Shetra moved to Toronto 12 years ago. He bought a little Punjabi-language newspaper in Mississauga. A few years later, he noticed that 65% of his costs went to his printing bill. http://t.co/wQFW7J2IbJ

REFUGEES

Speaker’s Corner : LAO refugee changes amount to cutbacks (Kristin Marshall, Maureen Silcoff, Law Times News) If you broke your leg, would you look for a remedy on the Internet or go to the hospital? The answer is clear. But what if the hospital put out a notice telling you to cure yourself over the Internet? We would be outraged. And we should be similarly upset with Legal Aid Ontario’s suggestion that refugees prepare their cases based on Internet information. How is this a serious suggestion for refugees who arrived only recently in traumatic circumstances with no computer, English skills or money? http://www.lawtimesnews.com/201305139804/Commentary/Speaker-s-Corner-LAO-refugee-changes-amount-to-cutbacks

2012 Refugee Claim Data and IRB Member Recognition Rates (CCR) Data obtained from the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) through an Access to Information Request reveals vast disparities in refugee claim recognition rates across IRB Members in 2012. In 2012, some Members very rarely granted refugee status, including Daniel McSweeney (1.3%, 80 decisions) and David McBean (2.0%, 51 decisions). Others granted refugee status in most, if not all, of the cases they heard, including Gilles Guenette (100.0%, 572 decisions) and Cathryn Forbes (100.0%, 54 decisions). http://ccrweb.ca/en/2012-refugee-claim-data

Canada deports 70-year-old to Lebanon (Terry Pedwell, Metro News) A 70-year-old Palestinian man who built a family in Canada while fighting deportation for more than a quarter century was removed from the country over the weekend. Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad was transported by charter flight to Lebanon, said Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who described the protracted case as “almost a comedy of errors.” http://metronews.ca/news/canada/670126/canada-deports-70-year-old-to-lebanon/

Canada deports ‘convicted terrorist’ after 26 years (Meagan Fitzpatrick, CBC) Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced today that Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad, convicted in a deadly attack on an Israeli plane in the 1960s, has been deported to Lebanon a quarter-century after he was first ordered to leave Canada. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/05/13/pol-kenney-deportation.html

EMPLOYMENT & WORKERS

AA Group of Companies – shortlisted applicant for the 7th Annual IS Awards (TRIEC) The AA Group of Companies’ philosophy is growth through people. Since it started operating in 2005 as a Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken franchise, the company has grown to 16 locations and intends to open 27 more by 2016. This growth is due almost entirely to the skills of immigrants, starting with the moving force behind the company, owner Atiq Ahmad. http://triec.ca/2013/aa-group-of-companies-shortlisted-applicant-for-the-7th-annual-is-awards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aa-group-of-companies-shortlisted-applicant-for-the-7th-annual-is-awards

Look who’s lying about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (Karl Flecker, Our Times) The window was broken. The stones around my young feet and the one in my hand made it clear who was the culprit. No point in denying it. That is what I remembered as I watched Tory MP Jason Kenney and Parliamentary Secretary Kellie Leitch take the stage at the National Press Theatre on Wellington Street in Ottawa, at the end of April. Both appeared determined to deny the damage their government has made to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program. http://ourtimes.ca/Between_Times/article_274.php

SOCIAL INNOVATION / NONPROFITS

Looking Ahead Leadership Survey (Mowat Centre, ONN) This survey will explore the leadership skills that are needed in the sector today and in the future, the opportunities for growing talent, and how skills development can be shaped to meet the needs of the sector. ONN is asking executive directors / senior leaders of nonprofit organizations with paid staff in Ontario to complete this survey. The respondent must be familiar with the operations of the organization, including revenues and human resources. As a starting point, our focus in this study includes the following subsectors: Arts and Culture, Sports and Recreation, Health, Housing, Social and Human Services, and Environment. We are excluding respondents who work for municipalities and in hospitals, universities and colleges. http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/mowat-centre/looking-ahead-survey/

Private money, public programs? There will always be strings (Sherri Torjman, Caledon Institute) In response to the perpetual shortage of funding for a wide range of social needs, Ottawa just announced its commitment to the use of social impact bonds. The emerging sphere of social finance throughout the world opens many new fiscal doors. Social finance is a term that refers to a range of instruments, including social impact bonds, which blend public and private money to tackle tough social problems. http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/Detail/?ID=1010Immigration
& Diversity news headlines – May 13, 2013