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 – Frustration in Cape Breton Village as Backlog Delays Arrival of Syrian Refugees
When a community group formed two years ago to bring a family of Syrian refugees to a Cape Breton village, it was quickly flooded with $40,000 in donations, offers of furniture and clothing, and volunteers ready to help. But members of the Syria to Baddeck committee now feel they’ve let down their supporters and misled the refugees they promised to sponsor, as federal government delays stall prospects the family will soon be able to travel to Canada and settle in Baddeck.
Globe and Mail – Gay Chechen Refugee Physically Threatened in Toronto
Persecuted gay men from Chechnya who sought refuge in Canada now fear for their safety after a disturbing incident in which one of them was physically threatened.The Liberal government is worried about the security of the men taken from safe houses in Russia and brought to Canada as refugees under a secret program that Ottawa has still not officially acknowledged. Although the victim refused to report the incident out of fear of retribution, Toronto police are investigating.
Le Devoir – Le Bangladesh songe à déménager les réfugiés rohingyas sur une île déserte
Des dizaines de milliers de Rohingyas venus se réfugier au Bangladesh pour fuir les violences au Myanmar pourraient bien se voir déplacés de force sur une île déserte, si un projet controversé de Dacca aboutit.
CTV News – ‘Come From Away’ Attitude Lingers in Nova Scotia, Newcomers’ Agency Head Says
Nova Scotia must jettison its “come from away” attitude that views immigrants as outsiders if it wants to attract newcomers to grow the province’s population and economy, the head of a Halifax immigrant-settlement agency says. “There are many in Nova Scotia for whom ‘come from away’ and ‘who’s your father’ is still a common and familiar part of the vernacular,” Gerry Mills, executive director of the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, said Tuesday during a panel discussion in Halifax. “There are still people here that are suspicious of immigrants and suspicious of immigration.”
Winnipeg Free Press – Refugees Despondent English Classes Cancelled Without Notice
Saba Temnewo, a newcomer who aspires to become a nurse, was registered for Enhanced English Skills for Employment starting Monday. On the day her class was to begin, she learned her registration was cancelled due to a lack of federal funding. The bad news that newcomers like Temnewo are getting now is fallout from federal funding cuts announced this spring, when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said it was shifting funds toward very basic English as an Additional Language classes for those at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) between One and Four from more advanced classes for those trying to achieve a CLB between Five and Eight.
UNHCR – Over 3.5 Million Refugee Children Miss Out on School, Report Finds
More than 3.5 million refugee children did not have the chance to attend school in the last academic year, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, says in a report published today. Entitled “Left Behind: Refugee Education in Crisis”, the report says that, globally, 91 per cent of children attend primary school, but for refugees that figure is just 61 per cent, and in low-income countries less than 50 per cent.
