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.
Toronto Star – Salvadoran Man Remains in Deportation Limbo Despite Court Ruling
A Salvadoran man who fears deportation remains holed up in a Vancouver church, more than four months after a Federal Court judge sharply instructed Canada’s immigration bureaucracy to revisit his case on humanitarian grounds. “I’m still in the church,” Jose Figueroa, 47, said Wednesday, speaking on a cellphone from the Walnut Grove Lutheran Church, his home for the past 13 months, as he resists being sent back to his native El Salvador as a supposed “terrorist.” “They have not yet done a redetermination.” Figueroa is one of two Salvadoran men who have run afoul of section 34 (1) (f), a catch-all provision of Canada’s Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act that bars admission to this country to anyone who has ever supported an organization that has sought to subvert a government or that might try to do so in the future.
International education brings in more than $200 million annually to the Manitoba economy. It could be more. A lot more. By keeping pace with the federal government’s goal to double the number of international students by 2020, Manitoba could receive a billion-dollar-plus economic boost over the next five years. In 2012 (the latest year for reported statistics), Manitoba received 7,243 of the 265,400 international students in Canada. This 2.7 per cent share is significantly below our 3.6 per cent share of the Canadian population. By locking in on targets set in the federal government’s international education strategy and reaching our proportionate share by 2020, the economic impact would increase from the current $230 million to $606 million annually. The cumulative difference between maintaining the status quo and keeping pace is $1.5 billion. But for this to happen, we need to take collective action. Canada’s high-quality reputation for education and as a safe, desirable place to live and study make it a destination of choice for many international students. Manitoba benefits from this well-earned reputation, but at the same time it competes with other provinces for students who opt for Canada.
CBC – More Condos Needed to Keep Up with Immigrant Demand, CIBC Says
Fears that Canada is building far more condominiums than it needs are overblown because of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are moving here in increasing numbers, one of Canada’s biggest banks says. “Ask any real estate developer in any of Canada’s major cities about the risk of overbuilding, and the first line of defence would be immigration and its critical role in supporting demand,” CIBC economist Benjamin Tal said in a report Wednesday. “It turns out that at least for now, this claim is more valid than widely believed.” Immigrants already represent about 70 per cent of Canada’s population growth at the moment — and half of those who come to Canada are in the prime homebuying age range of between 20 and 45. But even that large figure underestimates a fairly significant chunk of people who need housing, the bank says. […] The report also acknowledges that non-permanent residents — which are by definition more transient in their housing needs — have a “relatively higher propensity to rent” which raises the question of whether building condos (versus apartment buildings) is the best way to serve that market.
Manitoulin Expositor – Manitoulin Business Owners Learn of International Francophone Immigration Recruitment Possibilities
Business owners from across Manitoulin learned of the opportunities of international recruitment of francophone immigrants through a luncheon hosted by the Northern Ontario Francophone Immigration Support Network. The luncheon explored how business owners can recruit internationally for skilled professionals as well as information about immigrant investors and entrepreneurs who might be interested in buying up or starting up business on Manitoulin. Christian Howald, project coordinator with the Northern Ontario Francophone Immigration Support Network, gave the opening presentation, explaining how the Conference Board of Canada estimates that by 2015, Canada will face a shortage of 1.2 million skilled workers and that in Ontario alone businesses already lose $24.3 billion in economic activity because they are unable to find workers with the skills their companies need. The Northern Network works with key partners in Canada immigration such as Destination Canada and the Canadian Embassy in Paris to build bridges between organizations across Northern Ontario to implement a system that promotes and facilities recruitment, settlement and the integration of newcomers to the area.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Le ministre Kenney prend la parole à un dîner organisé à l’occasion de la remise des prix d’excellence de la Fondation canadienne des relations raciales
Jason Kenney, ministre du Multiculturalisme, a prononcé aujourd’hui le mot d’ouverture à un dîner organisé à l’occasion de la remise des prix d’excellence de la Fondation canadienne des relations raciales (FCRR). Le ministre a parlé de son expérience en tant que ministre responsable du Multiculturalisme depuis 2007 et félicité six organisations lauréates de leurs efforts consentis pour promouvoir l’unité et la diversité. La remise officielle des prix de la FCRR coïncide avec le colloque « Le Canada actuel ». Avec ces prix, la FCRR rend hommage aux personnes, aux communautés, aux organisations non gouvernementales et aux entreprises du secteur privé qui, par leurs efforts, encouragent la compréhension des valeurs et de l’identité canadiennes ainsi qu’un traitement positif de la question de la pluralité canadienne. Comme l’a souligné le ministre Kenney, le colloque représente une excellente occasion de reconnaître les réalisations de personnes et d’organisations qui œuvrent dans le domaine de l’établissement des nouveaux Canadiens et de réunir des spécialistes afin de discuter de la façon dont nous aborderons les enjeux modernes, tout en préservant l’unité dans la diversité du Canada dans le futur.
Radio-Canada – Opération parrainage réussie pour une quarantaine de réfugiés syriens
Après une année d’attente, la demande de parrainage de l’église syriaque orthodoxe de Sherbrooke a été entendue. D’ici les fêtes, une quarantaine de réfugiés syriens viendront rejoindre des membres de leur famille. Au total, une dizaine de familles immigreront à Sherbrooke d’ici Noël. Un dénouement heureux après une année de démarches. George Mourani, professeur à la retraite et Syrien d’origine, est à la tête de cette demande de parrainage. « On pensait que ça irait plus vite que ça parce que ces gens vivent des situations intenables et difficiles. Finalement, le gouvernement a tout réglé de façon satisfaisante en permettant à deux ou trois familles par mois de venir », explique-t-il. La première famille à s’installer à Sherbrooke arrivera le 2 décembre. Le curé de l’église syriaque orthodoxe Sainte-Ephrem de Sherbrooke, Gabi Sarkys, attend sa soeur, son mari et leurs trois enfants de 4, 6 et 8 ans. Au cours des dernières semaines, les membres de la communauté lui ont trouvé un appartement dans l’est de la ville.
