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.
CBC News – From Friends to Family: Together Project Matches Newcomers with Local Families
The Together Project matches families with government-assisted refugees to help them navigate life in Canada a bit better. Andrew Lusztyk, the project’s matching director, says that idea reverberates with a lot of families. “It’s really the kind of hands-on approach to supporting a vulnerable population that makes it very appealing,” he said. The Together Project works with the publicly-funded immigration agency, COSTI, to learn as much as they can about volunteer families and newcomer families to match them.
ICI Radio-Canada – « Hausse du nombre de réfugiés mineurs qui arrivent au Canada non accompagnés »
Le nombre de demandes d’asile présentées par des mineurs non accompagnés a augmenté de 40 % au pays en 2017 comparativement à 2016, passant de 287 à 492, selon les données de la Commission de l’immigration et du statut de réfugié du Canada.
Global News – Rohingya in Canada Hope to Resettle Families After Bangladeshi Election
Arguably, there is no demographic with more on the line in the Bangladeshi general election than the Rohingya people. For their families back home, the election will likely determine how the country decides to treat its nearly one million Rohingya visitors. Canada has made attempts to bring in some of the more vulnerable Rohingya, but was denied by the Bangladeshi government. Now that Bangladesh’s election commission has announced the election of Sheikh Hasina, Canadian Rohingya are planning on making a major push to reunite with their families by getting them sponsored in Canada.
CBC News – Growing Number of Refugees Arriving in Canada as Unaccompanied Minors
Refugees arriving in Canada as unaccompanied minors face the dual challenge of adapting to their new environment while also being children missing their parents. Longtime refugee advocate Anne Woolger says this is a relatively recent problem. According the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, in 2016 Canada received 287 refugee claimants who were unaccompanied minors (under the age of 18 and without a legal guardian). In 2017, that number increased to 492. (There is no reliable data available for previous years.)
Global News – Calgary Widow Struggling with Husband’s Death Now Facing Refugee Claim Denial
Just over a year ago, Milagros Ramirez and her husband Carlos Mechan moved to Calgary as refugees from Peru, where they ran a clothing store. Ramirez said they were victims of extortion and death threats in her home country. On Dec. 15, the couple’s eight-year-old son found Carlos dead in the family’s southeast home. He had died by suicide. In addition to dealing with her loss, helping the children cope and paying the bills alone, Ramirez has learned that her refugee claim was denied.
Le Devoir – « Crise migratoire : deux revers à la médaille »
L’année 2018 fut marquée sur tous les continents par des récits migratoires à relater sous l’angle du pays fui ou du pays convoité, des histoires à analyser par la lorgnette du migrant quittant les périls de sa nation mère ou par celle du dirigeant préoccupé par la sécurité de ses frontières. Petite invitation à ne pas négliger l’un ou l’autre revers de la médaille.
