A national alliance dedicated to providing an evidence base for newcomer settlement & integration and the promotion of welcoming communities in 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.
Defence lawyers made their final pitch to the jury at a human-smuggling trial Thursday, arguing their clients provided humanitarian assistance to Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing persecution in a country ravaged by civil war, challenging the Crown’s view that the accused illegally organized the MV Sun Sea’s arrival in Canada.
The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council report released Thursday said a record 8,300 immigrants arrived in 2015, and yet more the following year. The Halifax-based council said 11,600 immigrants came to Atlantic Canada in the first nine months of 2016, due in part to an influx of Syrian refugees. “The total numbers have tripled since 2002,” David Chaundy, author of the report, said in a phone interview Thursday.
The federal government has quietly cancelled a program that matched private Canadian sponsors with Syrian refugees abroad who have relatives in Canada because of low sponsor turnout. The Syrian Family Links Initiative was discontinued on Dec. 31. While families in Canada had registered more than 8,000 people for the program, only 36 private sponsors applied, for a total of 127 refugees.
Misconceptions about paperwork and language abilities may still keep business leaders from employing Syrian newcomers, according to the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive officer. But Carol O’Reilly said there are also many people working together to help Syrians settle and find work in the southeastern city. And a recent member survey by the chamber shows that 32 per cent already hired immigrants, including people from Syria, the Middle East, Africa and the United States.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/hiring-syrians-moncton-chamber-commerce-1.3931756
In a typical year, a Manitoba front-line refugee organization sees 60 or 70 people ask for their help in seeking refuge in Canada. In just 10 months last year, the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council saw more than 80 new clients come through its doors. Eighty per cent of them crossed the border into Manitoba from the United States.
Members of Saint John council’s growth committee want the municipality to play a much bigger role in attracting immigrants to the city. […] Last year, the Saint John YMCA, with more than 600 volunteers, helped 535 government-assisted, mostly Syrian refugees.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/saint-john-immigration-initiative-1.3929635