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 – “Cruel in the Extreme”: Australia Deliberately Ignoring Abuse at Refugee Camps, Rights Groups Allege
Human rights groups accused Australia on Wednesday of deliberately ignoring the alleged abuse of asylum seekers being held at a remote Pacific island detention facility in a bid to deter future refugees from trying to reach the country by boat. A scathing joint report by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said detainees on the Pacific island nation of Nauru, where Australia sends asylum seekers, are routinely denied critical medical care, frequently attempt suicide and endure physical assaults by locals on the island.
CBC – New Cape Breton Immigration Centre Helps Newcomers Adjust
A new immigration centre in Sydney, N.S., is working to help people from different countries settle in the region successfully. The Cape Breton Island Centre for Immigration opened in May and works with the newcomers, including the six Syrian families who have arrived in the past year. The centre, which is in the New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation and has $175,000 in funding from the province, offers community outreach and help with job searches.
CBC – Program Provides Missing Link Between Language Skills, Skilled Trades
With over 20 years of experience as a mechanic in three countries, there isn’t much about working on cars that Mohamad Malli doesn’t know. But since he arrived in Nova Scotia in January, the language barrier was one problem that Malli, who is originally from Syria and most recently lived in Jordan, couldn’t fix on his own. Over the past month, Malli has been getting some assistance bridging that divide from an Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia program that helps him translate his skills as a mechanic to the Canadian context.
Reuters Canada – Czech Deputy PM Rejects Refugee Quotas, Says Country Should Fight Any EU Sanctions
The Czech Republic should not accept any refugees, Deputy Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday, rejecting the European Union’s quotas and threatening legal action if sanctions are imposed.
Toronto Star – Syrian Refugee Families Struggle Amid Delays in Benefits
COSTI, the settlement agency tasked with the government-assisted Syrians’ resettlement in Toronto, said the government allowances are in line with the social assistance rate for Canadians, but since most Syrian families are large, the meagre government support must be supplemented with child benefits. “It’s been a real struggle. “The child tax benefits can make a big difference,” said Mario Calla, COSTI’s executive director. “But the benefits take about three months to implement. That makes the first three months extremely difficult for them.”
Toronto Star – Contractor Wanted for Surveillance of Immigration Detainees Upon Release
According to a tender notice posted on a government website by Canada Border Services Agency, the successful bidder must also be able to enforce bail conditions, offer substance abuse programs, provide accommodation and hook up clients with jobs and education. […] Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has been under fire in recent months after a series of deaths of detainees held in immigration custody […] However, he has been mum about the alternatives under consideration and the tender notice provides a glimpse into the minister’s vision.
