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.
Global News – Mother Fears Canadian Government Could Force Her Family to Leave Due to Son’s Disability
Karolina Krystyniak and her family moved to Canada in the summer of 2016. But Krystyniak, 32, fears her family could be forced out of Canada because of her four-year-old son Franek’s medical condition. Franek has Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting roughly 1 in 20,000 people. It can cause developmental delay, intellectual disabilities and speech and mobility issues.
CBC News – Yukon Cares Ups Efforts to Bring More Syrian Refugees to Territory
Whitehorse-based charitable group Yukon Cares is hoping to bring four more refugee families to the territory within the next year or two, according to its president, Raquel de Queiroz.
She said Yukon Cares — which sponsored the first Syrian refugee family to come to Yukon, two years ago — is working on a number of refugee files.
Toronto Star – Immigration Department Makes Major Headway on Spousal Sponsorship Backlog
According to Hussen, the number of spousal immigration applications in the queue has dropped to 15,000 from 74,900 a year ago, and the average processing time has also been sharply reduced to 12 months from 26 months. The minister attributed the success to a focused working group, dubbed the “Family Class Tiger Team,” that was created in spring 2016 to develop innovative mechanisms and redesign application kits and workflow to reduce processing times.
CBC News – Regina Backpack Project Aim to Welcome Syrian Refugees into Schools
The Regina George Lee Backpack Project started two years ago in response to Syrian refugees coming to the city, says Jeff Perry, the president of the Regina Public Schools Teachers’ Association.
The project stemmed from a desire to make the students feel welcome and to ease their transition to Regina life. The project saw students from Campbell Collegiate prepare backpacks full of supplies for Syrian students to help them get started with school right away, Perry said.
Toronto Star – Refugee Claimants Challenge Federal Government Over Denial of Child Benefit
A law that bars refugee claimants from receiving federal child benefits violates Canada’s constitution, says the lawyer representing a family with a Canadian-born child. “The irony is we are allowing other temporary residents in Canada to claim this benefit as long as they have lived here for 18 months even if they may not need the money,” said Avvy Go, director of the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic in Toronto. Go is currently representing six clients who are challenging the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) over the differential treatment.
Global News – Feds Brace for More Irregular Quebec Border Crossings with Meal Plan, Extra Funding
The Canadian government has begun planning for a fresh influx of asylum seekers in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que. The contract, to be awarded in the coming weeks, is for a minimum of 12 months, and will ensure that asylum seekers who are detained after walking illegally across the border are given food and water or juice as they wait to be processed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Depending on how busy things get at the crossing, the wait can sometimes exceed 24 hours.
