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.
OHS Canada – Association Establishes Confidential Hotline for TFWs
The Temporary Foreign Workers Association (TFWA) has created a confidential hotline to help workers get answers about their rights, both under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and on the job. The association — a group started by Unifor and Migrante Canada, the Canadian chapter of a global alliance of over 100 organizations in more than 22 countries that advocates for the rights of Filipino migrant workers — announced the hotline on Jan. 12. The toll-free number, 1-888-366-0194, will provide information about legal entitlements, such as rates of pay, overtime and immigration requirements, to callers. “In many sectors of the economy, employers have taken advantage of language barriers and other challenges to exploit foreign workers,” Unifor contended in a statement. “Temporary foreign workers have rights just like Canadian workers, and we intend to ensure that they are enforced across the country,” added Wally Ewanicke, an organizer with Unifor, in the statement. “The new hotline is a confidential resource for workers who need answers about their rights at work.”
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Les nominations sont maintenant acceptées pour le Prix Paul Yuzyk pour le multiculturalisme 2015
Les Canadiens sont invités à soumettre les nominations pour le septième Prix annuel Paul Yuzyk pour le multiculturalisme, a annoncé aujourd’hui le ministre du Multiculturalisme, Jason Kenney. À compter de cette année, les candidats pourront être mis en nomination dans l’une des trois catégories suivantes : Jeunes, Organisations (du secteur privé ou sans but lucratif) ou Ensemble des réalisations/Réalisation exceptionnelle. Un lauréat peut être choisi dans chacune des trois catégories. Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada a ajouté de nouvelles catégories pour les jeunes et les organisations afin de permettre la reconnaissance d’un plus large éventail de Canadiens. Grâce à ces changements, les jeunes âgés de 15 à 24 ans qui ont contribué à la réussite du pluralisme au Canada pourront dorénavant être mis en nomination. De plus, les entreprises et les organisations canadiennes peuvent également être mises en nomination pour leur contribution à faire progresser le multiculturalisme. […] Chaque lauréat recevra une prime de 10 000 $, qui sera versée à l’organisme canadien enregistré sans but lucratif de son choix. La date limite pour présenter une candidature pour le Prix Paul Yuzyk 2015 est le 31 mars 2015, le cachet de la poste faisant foi. Les candidatures reçues après cette date ne seront pas acceptées.
Yelize Beygo knew that her Governing Council nomination would be rejected instantly. Nonetheless, the second-year student filled in the required form and went through the process to protest the fact that those without Canadian citizenship are barred from serving on the University of Toronto’s highest decision-making body. […] The U of T Governing Council manages most of the university’s affairs from budgets and academic programs to student life and tuition fees. However, it is the Ontario government, not the university, which sets the rules that prevent Beygo and other non-citizens from serving. […] “The administration agrees with the merits of pursuing this important issue, and has begun to consult with legal counsel and with relevant staff within the Ontario Government to do so,” says Louis Charpentier, secretary of the Governing Council. “The question of such restrictions — not just for international students but for all governors — is a complex one and the University is actively engaged in exploring options to respond to it.” […] There are over 10,000 international students at U of T and their undergraduate tuition can range from over $32,000 to nearly $36,000 per year.
Info News – New Partnership to Aid in Immigrant Support
South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services has entered into a new partnership with Citizen and Immigration Canada to improve services to Penticton and the South Okanagan’s increasing ethnic population. “We are one area in B.C. selected to take part in this federal program, that began in Ontario in 2008,” said Nora Hunt-Haft, local immigration partnership coordinator. The federal program will support a Local Immigration Partnership Council for the South Okanagan-Similkameen. Fifty community leaders will gather four times annually to build a strategy for the region to attract, integrate and sustain immigrants and newcomers. The council is made up of a cross section of community business, political, government and service leaders. Hunt-Haft said approximately 100 new immigrants arrive in the Penticton and South Okanagan-Similkameen region each year. Traditionally, newcomers come to the area from such countries as the United Kingdom, India and the United States, but have recently shifted in emphasis to countries such as China and the Philippines, she added.
Prince George Citizen – Finding Refuge in Higher Education
Whether it was Deng Manyang as a boy in the midst of the second Sudanese Civil War or Deng Manyang as a highschool student winning scholarships in a Kenyan refugee camp or Deng Manyang as the Canadian permanent resident doing his degree in Prince George, the goal has always been the same: excelling in education. […] One of the world’s largest refugee camps, Kakuma was home to more than 150,000 refugees in April 2014, according to the UN Refugee Agency. It’s also one of the refugee camps where WUSC works to bring promising students to Canada, granting them scholarships and permanent resident status. Since 1978, the organization has sponsored more than 1,300 students. Five, including Manyang, came through UNBC’s chapter, which is working on welcoming a sixth student next semester. Students become permanent residents and access domestic tuition rather than the much higher international rates.
Nova News – International Students a Big Part of Nova Scotia`s Economy, Program Director Says
According to Mitch Landry, director for the Nova Scotia International Student Program (NSISP), Queens County benefits from the international program, both economically and socially. In the 2012-2013 school year, international students contributed $240 million to the Nova Scotia economy, he said during a presentation to Region of Queens council Jan. 13 on the merits of the program. […] Canada has played host to more than 100,000 students since starting the international program and the Nova Scotia host group is the third largest in Canada, after Vancouver and Toronto as the top places. […] NSISP is funded entirely by the tuition fees of the students enrolled in the program and the tuition, he says, and students’ fees are also a fundraiser for their Nova Scotian schools.
