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 – Successful B.C. Immigrant-Entrepreneur Program in Limbo
A program that helps Asian immigrants start small and medium-sized businesses in British Columbia, creating hundreds of jobs and injecting tens of millions of dollars into the local economy, has wound to a close. The “Business Immigrant Integration Support” program was started in 2012 by one of B.C.’s largest immigrant settlement agencies, known as Success, which has more than 400 employees and is headquartered on Vancouver’s downtown eastside. It offered courses, mentorship opportunities and practical advice on how to set up, operate and improve various types of small businesses, such as restaurants and cafés. […]Between the time it started and the time it lost its funding in April, 2015, the business integration program helped immigrant entrepreneurs start 109 businesses and create or maintain 612 jobs, with a total of more than $60-million invested in the provincial economy, according to Success. […] In 2012, the federal government announced it would take back funding from B.C. and Manitoba – the two remaining provinces that ran their own settlement programs – and administer such programs itself. The Success program got its original funding back in 2012, and received an extension, but the money has now run out.
CBC – Daycare for New Canadians Could be Shuttered Because of No Funding
An Edmonton child-care centre created for newcomers to Canada may be forced to close its doors if it can’t find long-term funding. The Intercultural Child and Family Centre opened five years ago just north of downtown, at 9538 107th Ave. It’s now home to 44 children spread over three rooms in the former McCauley School. The non-profit centre’s focus is to support families from various cultures by hiring caregivers with the same cultural backgrounds as the children, and having visible objects from many cultures around the rooms. The centre’s director, Jasvinder Heran, said creating a home-like atmosphere makes it easier for families who are new to Canada. […] The centre hasn’t been able to secure enough funding to ensure it can stay open long-term. Though it offers affordable fees, from $867 to $982 per month for full-time care, in a location close to downtown, it is not at its capacity of 63 children. […] The centre’s board has sought funding through grants and from the provincial government, and will consider applying for a fundraising casino through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
CBC – Canada’s “Paramilitaristic” Border Agency Locking Up More Foreigners: Report
Canada’s rising detention of non-criminal foreigners in maximum-security prisons amounts to arbitrary, cruel and inhumane treatment that violates international obligations, a disturbing new report concludes. The report by the University of Toronto’s International Human Rights Program finds that Canada Border Services Agency has become more heavy handed in dealing with migrants with little or no accountability. Renu Mandhane, a criminal lawyer and the program’s executive director, said the report reveals “shocking gaps” in the rule of law. “A CBSA officer essentially has the discretion to determine that somebody should be held in maximum-security jail conditions,” Mandhane said Wednesday in an interview. “It was really surprising to me…that decision was totally discretionary and also not subject to any rules.” The report, called “We Have No Rights”, concludes incarceration can have a catastrophic impact on migrants’ mental health. […] Figures show Canada detained more than 7,300 migrants at a cost of more than $50 million in 2013. About one third were incarcerated in jails, even though few might be considered criminals.
Radio-Canada – Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord : les recommandations d’un comité sur l’immigration adoptées
Le conseil scolaire Centre-Nord (CSCN) en Alberta a adopté mardi soir les sept recommandations d’un comité spécial sur l’intégration professionnelle des immigrants dans les écoles. Suivant ces recommandations, le CSCN devra, entre autres, développer une politique pour favoriser l’embauche de personnel issu de l’immigration. Un poste de conseiller en diversité sera également créé pour assurer une meilleure compréhension de la diversité culturelle dans les écoles et au sein du conseil scolaire. La présidente du comité Karen Doucet a assuré que certaines des recommandations seront mises en œuvre dès cet été, dont celle de favoriser une embauche plus diversifiée. « Ce n’est pas le conseil qui fait les entrevues, mais c’est sûr qu’une des recommandations c’est qu’on affiche dans davantage de places où les immigrants vont aller chercher l’information. Donc, oui, on espère avoir plus de candidats et avec ça avoir plus de succès avec l’embauche. »
St. Thomas Times Journal – Thames Valley Board Targets More International Students
Thames Valley District school board trustees pumped more money into international student recruitment and expanding bandwidth in schools at a budget meeting Tuesday night. […]The board will spend about $180,000 for international student recruitment now concentrated in China. The board earns a profit of about $3,000 profit from each international student and will have 29 international students next year. Next, it wants to move recruitment efforts into Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, India and Europe, trustees heard.
Saba Andu often relies on her own experiences when helping refugees make a fresh start in Saskatoon. Even though she came to Canada through family sponsorship, she can empathize with most of the challenges refugee struggle with in the city because she is a war survivor herself. […] Andu has been working at the Saskatoon Open Door Society, in various capacities, for 27 years. Currently, she is a settlement counsellor. She is also in charge of the One Year Window program, which reunites refugees with loved ones they left behind. […] Andu’s job, and that of fellow staff at the Saskatoon Open Door Society, is to help refugees reclaim the power that war stole from them. They need that power to take control of their lives once more, to make important life decisions. Sometimes that process takes as long as three years “In those three years, we are a bridge in the system. We hold their hands and we support them,” Andu says.
