an alliance of university, community, and government partners dedicated to fostering welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants and minorities across Canada
The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
Radio-Canada – Écoles franco-albertaines : un nouveau site Internet consacré aux élèves réfugiés
Le Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord (CSCN) a lancé vendredi un site pédagogique qui a pour but d’aider les élèves réfugiés ayant un retard scolaire. Le site Enseigner aux élèves réfugiéspropose une boîte à outils comprenant des ressources pour faciliter leurs études. Le personnel des écoles pourra utiliser ces éléments pédagogiques pour améliorer l’intégration des élèves réfugiés. « Les élèves réfugiés en situation de grand retard scolaire requièrent des interventions visées et intensives et ont besoin d’être exposés aux pratiques d’enseignement optimales en français […], principalement en lecture et en écriture », peut-on lire sur le site Internet. Le CSCN s’est associé au ministère de l’Éducation de l’Alberta pour offrir ce service.
Globe and Mail – Ending the Immigrant Investor Program was a Missed Opportunity [Sergio Marchi]
One of the items in the recent federal budget that little attention was the termination of the 25-year-old Immigration Investor Program (IIP). It was the flagship immigration tool that specifically focused on attracting global entrepreneurs and investors to Canada. The program was “suspended” some two years ago for study. I, like many, was hoping for the program’s resurrection as a more effective and strengthened version. Instead, the budget announced its obituary. […] We were the very first country to establish such a program. More than 20 countries have since copied and adopted our model, and the list will continue to grow, as economic growth is a priority issue for all governments and the labor market continues to be increasingly mobile. Just when this concept is really taking off globally, and when demand has never been higher, our government abandons this policy ground. Why give up on competing for investors who can add to our economic vitality?
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Welcoming More New Canadians
More than 19,200 people from 193 countries have become Canadian citizens at citizenship ceremonies held across Canada over the month of February. This is almost 100 percent higher compared to the same period last year (February 2013) when approximately 9,980 people were granted citizenship across Canada. […] The government’s proposed changes in Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, will also reduce wait times by streamlining the decision-making process for citizenship. It is expected that these changes will bring the average processing time for citizenship applications down to under one year and that the current backlog will be reduced by more than 80 percent by 2015-2016.
Toronto Star – Immigrant Advocates Plan Day of Action in Four Cities to Demand Accountable Border Enforcement
Four protests have been planned in Montreal, Vancouver, London and Toronto, where migrant advocates will deliver 10,000 petitions to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) headquarters on Airport Rd. on Friday. The network of advocacy groups is calling for civilian oversight over immigration enforcement, an end to indefinite detention, release of immigration detainees from maximum-security prisons and an overhaul of the detainee release process. […] Tings Chak, the Toronto protest’s organizer, said each city will highlight different issues with border enforcement. Here, she said, putting an end to indefinite detention of migrants is a key concern, because the city houses the largest number of migrant inmates. According to border officials, about 600 people are on immigration hold at a given time, and of those about 10 per cent have been detained for over a year.
PRWeb – FWCanada Launches New App for Assessment of Admissibility into Canada
Foreign nationals can be inadmissible into Canada for a number of reasons including posing a security risk, having a serious health problem, or having been convicted of a crime, stated the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Specifically, seemingly minor convictions such as being charged for Driving Under Influence (DUI) of alcohol or other drugs can render someone inadmissible to across the Canadian border, and many people are unaware of this fact, according to Marisa Feil, supervising attorney at FWCanada, a Montreal-based Canadian immigration law firm. […] This month, FWCanada launched an online assessment tool for U.S attorneys who are unfamiliar with Canadian immigration laws to better assist their clients who need to travel to Canada.
Radio Canada International – Ils dansent leur bonheur de vivre à Vancouver sur YouTube
Vous aimez le pays ou la ville qui vous a accueilli lorsque vous avez décidé de vous y installer? Alors, faites comme cette famille d’immigrants français qui danse son bonheur de vivre à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique. Dans une vidéo inspirée de celle de la chanson, Happy, du musicien américain Pharrel Williams, Amina et Loig Morin ont réalisé un petit film avec leurs amis dansant sur l’air de Happy en différents endroits de la ville. Le couple, qui s’est installé au Canada il y a quatre ans avec ses deux jeunes enfants, soutient que la décision de vivre à Vancouver était la meilleure décision qu’il ait prise.
