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.
Bay Today – Multicultural Centre Gets Cash for Incubator
A downtown business incubator will open February 2nd, thanks to financial contributions from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and FedNor, among others. The incubator, to be named Enterprise Genesis, is the product of 18 months of work by the North Bay Newcomer Network’s (NNN) entrepreneurial sub-committee, chaired by Nipissing University School of Business Chair Dr. John Nadeau. NNN is the Local Immigration Partnership project for North Bay, funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. It is operated by the North Bay and District Multicultural Centre. The Trillium Foundation grant is $116,500 over two years and the FedNor grant is $91,676 over two years.
Star Phoenix – Feds Increase Number of Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominees
The federal government has announced there will be an additional 51 nominations under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) in December. The increase brings this year’s SINP nomination cap to 4,818. The number of nominees in Saskatchewan has increased from 1,517 in 2007 to 4,793 (an increase of 216 per cent). “With Saskatchewan’s economy booming, it’s vital that newcomers to Canada know that opportunities abound on the prairies,” stated Federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander in a news release. “For those who come to Canada, who play by the rules and who are willing to work hard, Saskatchewan is one of the best places to be right now.” In 2015 the SINP nomination cap will be increased to 5,500 – a jump of 15 per cent over 2014.
CBC – Express Entry Could Sideswipe High-Skilled Foreign Workers
Some employers fear Americans working in Canada through the North American Free Trade Agreement, foreign nationals who have transferred to a Canadian branch and international youth working in Canada could be sideswiped by rules under the new express entry system that starts Jan. 1. New regulations suggest employers who want to offer permanent jobs to high-skilled temporary foreign workers who are already working here will not only have to ask them to apply for permanent residency under express entry, they will also have to prove they made every effort to hire a Canadian first. […] Under the new express entry points system revealed earlier this month, high-skilled immigrants who receive a permanent job offer backed by a positive LMIA will be among the first to receive an offer to apply for permanent residency.
CBC – Canada Seeks 50 Millionaire Immigrant Investors Under Pilot Program
The Canadian government will give permanent residency to approximately 50 millionaire immigrant investors and their families under a pilot program set to begin in the new year. Under the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital pilot program announced Tuesday, each investor will be required to make a non-guaranteed investment of $2 million over 15 years and have a net worth of $10 million. “Through the launch of this pilot program, we are attracting investors who can make a significant investment and who have the education and proven business or investment experience necessary to achieve success in Canada,” Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said in a news release Tuesday. […] This is the second pilot program announced by Alexander’s office this week. The government announced Monday it will be launching a one year pilot project to help the spouses of Canadians who have applied for permanent residency. […] The Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) pilot program comes after the government scrapped both the immigrant investor program and the entrepreneur program earlier this year.
Radio-Canada – Des cours de conduite obligatoires pour les nouveaux arrivants en Alberta?
Dans la foulée des accidents routiers qui ont coûté la vie à sept travailleurs étrangers temporaires, des voix s’élèvent pour qu’une meilleure formation soit à la disposition des nouveaux arrivants qui souhaitent prendre le volant sur les routes de l’Alberta. Dicky Dikamba, le directeur général de l’Association canadienne des volontaires unis dans l’action, aimerait que l’Alberta offre plus de formation pratique aux nouveaux arrivants. Son organisme offre déjà un programme de sensibilisation à la sécurité routière. Ce dernier compte six heures de cours et s’adresse aux personnes qui ne sont pas détentrices d’un permis de conduire délivré par une province canadienne et aux personnes qui ont un permis de conduire mais dont le pays d’origine n’a pas de rapport de réciprocité avec le Canada. M. Dikamba note que jusqu’à maintenant, le taux de réussite de ce programme est de 99 %. […] À l’heure actuelle, les travailleurs étrangers temporaires peuvent conduire sur les routes albertaines à deux conditions : qu’ils détiennent un permis délivré par leur pays d’origine et qu’ils possèdent un permis de conduire international.
L’Express – Le centre francophone de Toronto aidera les haitiens menaces de renvoi
Le 1er décembre dernier, le gouvernement canadien a annoncé la levée des suspensions temporaires sur les renvois vers Haïti. Ce moratoire en place depuis 2004 en raison de la situation instable dans ce pays a permis à des milliers d’Haïtiens de rester au Canada même après le rejet de leur demande d’asile. Dans cette nouvelle décision, les ressortissants haïtiens sans statut au Canada ont six mois pour déposer une demande de résidence permanente pour raisons humanitaires afin de ne pas risquer la suspension de leur permis de travail et le renvoi immédiat. «La suspension des renvois des ressortissants haïtiens se trouvant au Canada a été levée alors que le Canada conseille toujours fortement aux canadiens de faire preuve ‘d’une grande prudence’ lorsqu’ils se rendent en Haïti», fait remarquer Aissa Nauthoo, directrice des Services d’aide juridique du Centre francophone de Toronto. «Ce sont des membres de notre communauté qui sont visés par cette mesure et nous entamerons les démarches nécessaires pour leur venir en aide, en toute solidarité», a déclaré la directrice générale du CFT, Lise Marie Baudry.
