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.
Globe and Mail – Deadline Looms for Hundreds of Asylum Seekers Temporarily Housed in Toronto Student Residences
Fifty four-bedroom dormitories at Centennial College now serve as temporary homes for 344 asylum seekers, including 96 families. Hundreds more are currently being housed in another student residence. But with less than a month before students return ahead of the school year, time is running out for refugee claimants who have yet to find a more permanent home. The Aug. 9 deadline has been the focus of political discussions in recent weeks.
CBC News – U.S. Fisherman Says Canadians not Alone in Being Stopped by Border Patrol Agents
John Drouin of Cutler, Maine, said Friday that he was out about two weeks ago when U.S. patrol agents came alongside his boat in the so-called Grey Zone to him to ask where he was from and to see his paperwork. The veteran fisherman said he was slightly bemused by the encounter, having rarely seen patrol boats in the area over four decades of fishing. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an email late Thursday that agents were enforcing “immigration laws and other violations of federal law.”
Radio-Canada – L’immigration et les services au cœur de la Conférence sur la francophonie canadienne
La 23e Conférence ministérielle sur la francophonie canadienne s’est terminée vendredi à Whitehorse, au Yukon. Les ministres provinciaux, territoriaux et fédéral qui y étaient rassemblés ont discuté de plusieurs dossiers touchant les communautés francophones du pays. Lors de la rencontre, il a notamment été question de l’immigration francophone au Canada […].
Canadian Lawyer – Feds Need to End Detention of Children, Say Human Rights Groups
Human rights groups are calling on Ottawa to reform the immigrant detention system by legislating against indefinite detention, detaining non-citizens with mental health conditions and eliminating the detention of children. The International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law joined Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change in delivering an open letter July 6 to the Trudeau government, telling them to accept recommendations made by four United Nations member states to address “severe rights violations” in Canada’s immigrant detention system.
Globe and Mail – Ontario, Federal Government Battle Over Resettling Migrants
Ontario has withdrawn its support for the resettlement of asylum seekers who are crossing the border illegally, with Premier Doug Ford saying that the federal government created the problem and should bear the full burden of fixing it. With the federal government paying a fraction of the cost of resettling migrants and Ontario now backing away from an earlier commitment made by the former Liberal government, cities in the province are worried about who will pay for overtaxed public services and shelters.
CBC News – Toronto Refugee Organizations Worry as Governments Fight Over Money for Asylum Seekers
Community organizations in Toronto are worried about what will happen to refugee claimants now that the new provincial government says it doesn’t want to pay to house them. Doug Ford’s office said Thursday that the federal government should pay the entire cost, adding that it believes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration has encouraged people to cross into Canada illegally. Francisco Rico-Martinez of the FCJ Refugee Centre says the province’s move could create a crisis and is hoping all levels of government will work collaboratively to support asylum seekers.
