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.
A wealthy British Columbia businesswoman accused of luring a young Tanzanian woman to Canada and forcing her to work as a virtual domestic slave in her multimillion-dollar West Vancouver mansion has been found not guilty of human trafficking. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon said in announcing her decision Friday that the testimony of Mumtaz Ladha’s accuser was simply not credible.
Tim Rees, former manager of immigration strategy with the City of Hamilton, said although more services and help are in place for new arrivals, in some ways the transition to Canada has become even more difficult. With more new Canadians coming from China, the Philippines and India, he said language has become more of a barrier than ever. He also said it takes “a whole generation” for newcomers to reach economic parity with those born in Canada. Zoe Thanopolous of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said the visible minority in Canada will soon be the “visible majority”. Thanopolous said that also brings economic opportunity to Hamilton. The federal government estimates the buying power of Chinese and South Asian immigrants coming to Canada is $40 billion per year.
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4232536-new-canadians-challenges-and-opportunities/
Le ministère de la Famille a entrepris des vérifications dans une garderie de Verdun où les deux éducatrices portent le voile intégral lorsqu’elles sortent à l’extérieur avec les enfants. Les deux femmes ne portent toutefois pas le voile à l’intérieur de la garderie lorsqu’elles sont seules avec eux. Les inspecteurs se sont rendus deux fois dans la garderie de Verdun, jeudi, pour s’assurer que tout était conforme. Ils doivent y retourner vendredi. Le résultat de leur inspection sera connnu au cours des prochains jours. Les vérifications ne se font pas sur le port du niqab, puisque le gouvernement n’a pas de pouvoir de décision sur les vêtements que portent les travailleurs d’une garderie privée non subventionnée en milieu familial.
Dans le sillage de la lancée, plus tôt cette année, du Programme de visa pour démarrage d’entreprise (PVDE), le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada, Chris Alexander, s’est adressé aujourd’hui à des membres de la communauté des démarreurs d’entreprises et à des dirigeants de l’industrie du Canada, dans le cadre de la Journée de Startup Canada sur la Colline du Parlement. […] La Journée de Startup Canada sur la Colline du Parlement est organisée par Startup Canada, qui représente plus de 55 000 entrepreneurs, plus de 400 organisations partenaires et plus de 250 bénévoles.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/ministere/media/communiques/2013/2013-11-21.asp
Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal has ordered new hearings for 102 migrant workers who had their Employment Insurance parental benefits claims turned down. Ottawa had argued the workers took too long to apply and didn’t show good cause for the delay. But citing “unique disadvantages’’ of migrant workers “in particular,’’ such as lack of knowledge in English or French, lack of access to telephones or computers, social isolation, long and hard work schedules with little free time, and ineligibility for many social benefits, the court ruled Tuesday that the Office of the Umpire must re-hear each of the 102 cases, keeping these vulnerabilities in mind.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/11/21/migrant_workers_win_court_decision_on_benefits.html
Building on the momentum of the launch of Canada’s Start-Up Visa (SUV) Program earlier this year, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander spoke to members of Canada’s startup community and industry leaders today as part of Startup Canada Day on the Hill. […] The SUV Program is the first of its kind in the world, providing sought-after entrepreneurs with permanent residency and access to a wide range of business partners. Through this bold new program Canada hopes to become a destination of choice for start-up innovators, which will help Canada remain competitive in the global economy. The SUV is a five-year pilot program and is limited to no more than 2,750 applications per year. It is designed to attract high quality and select entrepreneurs who can advance the Government’s innovation agenda. In addition to standard admissibility requirements, SUV applicants must meet certain program eligibility criteria.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2013/2013-11-21.asp