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.
The Varsity – Tuition Without Representation
Yelize Beygo knew that her Governing Council nomination would be rejected instantly. Nonetheless, the second-year student filled in the required form and went through the process to protest the fact that those without Canadian citizenship are barred from serving on the University of Toronto’s highest decision-making body. […] The U of T Governing Council manages most of the university’s affairs from budgets and academic programs to student life and tuition fees. However, it is the Ontario government, not the university, which sets the rules that prevent Beygo and other non-citizens from serving. […] “The administration agrees with the merits of pursuing this important issue, and has begun to consult with legal counsel and with relevant staff within the Ontario Government to do so,” says Louis Charpentier, secretary of the Governing Council. “The question of such restrictions — not just for international students but for all governors — is a complex one and the University is actively engaged in exploring options to respond to it.” […] There are over 10,000 international students at U of T and their undergraduate tuition can range from over $32,000 to nearly $36,000 per year.
Info News – New Partnership to Aid in Immigrant Support
South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services has entered into a new partnership with Citizen and Immigration Canada to improve services to Penticton and the South Okanagan’s increasing ethnic population. “We are one area in B.C. selected to take part in this federal program, that began in Ontario in 2008,” said Nora Hunt-Haft, local immigration partnership coordinator. The federal program will support a Local Immigration Partnership Council for the South Okanagan-Similkameen. Fifty community leaders will gather four times annually to build a strategy for the region to attract, integrate and sustain immigrants and newcomers. The council is made up of a cross section of community business, political, government and service leaders. Hunt-Haft said approximately 100 new immigrants arrive in the Penticton and South Okanagan-Similkameen region each year. Traditionally, newcomers come to the area from such countries as the United Kingdom, India and the United States, but have recently shifted in emphasis to countries such as China and the Philippines, she added.
Prince George Citizen – Finding Refuge in Higher Education
Whether it was Deng Manyang as a boy in the midst of the second Sudanese Civil War or Deng Manyang as a highschool student winning scholarships in a Kenyan refugee camp or Deng Manyang as the Canadian permanent resident doing his degree in Prince George, the goal has always been the same: excelling in education. […] One of the world’s largest refugee camps, Kakuma was home to more than 150,000 refugees in April 2014, according to the UN Refugee Agency. It’s also one of the refugee camps where WUSC works to bring promising students to Canada, granting them scholarships and permanent resident status. Since 1978, the organization has sponsored more than 1,300 students. Five, including Manyang, came through UNBC’s chapter, which is working on welcoming a sixth student next semester. Students become permanent residents and access domestic tuition rather than the much higher international rates.
Nova News – International Students a Big Part of Nova Scotia`s Economy, Program Director Says
According to Mitch Landry, director for the Nova Scotia International Student Program (NSISP), Queens County benefits from the international program, both economically and socially. In the 2012-2013 school year, international students contributed $240 million to the Nova Scotia economy, he said during a presentation to Region of Queens council Jan. 13 on the merits of the program. […] Canada has played host to more than 100,000 students since starting the international program and the Nova Scotia host group is the third largest in Canada, after Vancouver and Toronto as the top places. […] NSISP is funded entirely by the tuition fees of the students enrolled in the program and the tuition, he says, and students’ fees are also a fundraiser for their Nova Scotian schools.
Radio-Canada – L’Association syrienne d’Ottawa amasse des fonds pour les réfugiés de Syrie
La communauté syrienne d’Ottawa a organisé, dimanche, une campagne de financement pour venir en aide aux Syriens, qui se retrouvent dans les camps de réfugiés. Près de 400 personnes ont assisté à cet évènement, durant lequel les gens étaient invités à donner sur une base volontaire. Au moment d’écrire ces lignes, des dons s’élevant à 4000 $ étaient accumulés. Les participants ont également dégusté des mets du Moyen-Orient, assisté à des spectacles en boucle et participé à des cours de danse culturelle. Les membres de la communauté syrienne d’Ottawa veulent contribuer à l’effort d’aide humanitaire dans leur pays d’origine en amassant 25 000 $. L’évènement s’est terminé en soirée et les fonds seront remis à l’organisme Human Concern International (HCI). Le montant accumulé servira à acheter des matelas, des couvertures et des vêtements chauds pour affronter les rigueurs de l’hiver.
Washington Times – Anti-Islam, Anti-Immigration Movement Stifling Germany’s Economy, Business Leaders Warn
Europe’s divisive debates over immigration and Islam may be putting sand in the gears of Europe’s economic engine. Saying Germany needs skilled laborers to work in the factories and laboratories of its export-heavy economy, German corporate and industrial leaders are denouncing the string of anti-Islamic marches that have attracted growing crowds throughout the country in recent weeks. “We distance ourselves from this movement and any xenophobic movement that damages Germany’s reputation,” said Alexander Wilhelm, deputy head of the Confederation of German Employers Associations, a national umbrella group. […] Founded late last year in the eastern city of Dresden, PEGIDA has been staging demonstrations on Mondays against immigration from countries with large Muslim populations. […] Initial protests in Dresden numbered in the few hundreds but have been growing steadily and spreading: On Jan. 12, the group’s march in Dresden drew 25,000 people, including throngs of right-wing extremists and soccer hooligans. Thousands joined demonstrations in other cities.
