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.
La Presse – Passeur d’immigrants illégaux: Firinci demande la clémence du tribunal
Kenan Firinci demande au tribunal de lui accorder une absolution conditionnelle. Reconnu coupable d’avoir facilité à une famille turque l’entrée illégale au Canada en leur évitant de se présenter à un poste de contrôle frontalier en octobre 2011 en compagnie de Sebahattin Sabanci, Firinci revenait devant le juge Érick Vanchestein de la Cour du Québec. Plaidant notamment le fait qu’une peine pourrait lui nuire dans son processus d’immigration, Firinci étant résident permanent, son avocate Me Mia Manocchio a demandé au tribunal qu’une absolution conditionnelle soit imposée. Condition par laquelle Firinci devrait faire un don à un organisme de charité. Le procureur aux poursuites criminelles fédéral Me Alexandre Tardif a demandé au tribunal que l’accusé purge une peine de trois à quatre mois d’emprisonnement. Le dossier de Sabanci a été reporté au 9 février 2015, moment où le premier accusé devrait recevoir sa peine. Lors du procès, les deux passeurs d’immigrants illégaux prétendaient simplement avoir recueilli des compatriotes près de la frontière à Stanstead sans savoir que ces derniers étaient entrés illégalement au Canada. Ils n’ont pas été crus par le juge Vanchestein.
London Community News – Celebrating Welcome International Students Day
London’s educational institutions, the City of London, and the London Economic Development Corporation teamed up with the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada and Budweiser Gardens to welcome international students to the city. Over 400 international students attended the London Lightning basketball game on Nov. 9 and were recognized by the announcer. The students had the opportunity to meet Mayor Joni Baechler, members of city council, provincial and federal representatives and senior representatives of the city’s educational institutions. A number of different information booths were set up for the students to visit. […] Every year London welcomes students from over 110 countries from all parts of the world. Over 6,000 international students have chosen to make London their home away from home — that is 13 percent of the total post-secondary student population in London.
Toronto Star – Immigrant Nurses Face New Hurdles with Ontario’s Licensing Changes
Exactly three years after she submitted her application to be licensed as a registered nurse in Ontario, Mitra Shojaee was told she would need to restart her education over to qualify. The Toronto resident, a veteran RN from Iran, is among the three-quarters of immigrant nurses in the province who have failed the College of Nurses of Ontario’s new licensing exam. They face a double whammy, since the province also lacks remedial programs that could help them fill the skills gap. Changes made by the nursing regulatory body last year have created additional hurdles for internationally educated nurses, who say they are already struggling to meet the regulator’s new “safe practice” rules and face multiple delays in restarting their nursing careers. […] The Council of Ontario Universities said it became aware of the nursing regulatory changes when immigrant nurses, failing OSCE, began contacting nursing schools looking for help. […] Ryerson University has a two-year program to help individuals transition from registered practical nurses to RN, but it requires an approved one-year bridging program from another college to qualify for its degree program.
Globe and Mail – Universities Say Foreign Worker Crackdown Makes Recruitment Difficult`
Recent changes to the temporary foreign workers program aimed at slowing down the tide of low-skilled workers have made it more difficult for some Canadian universities to recruit international faculty. And there is concern the impact could be more severe as the hiring season ramps up in the coming months. Most of the changes the federal government made in June targeted low-skilled workers. They also capped the percentage of TFWs a business can employ. However, the changes also affected the recruitment of highly skilled workers. Universities now have to submit a transition plan with details of how they will reduce their reliance on temporary workers, and must explain why they did not hire the top Canadian candidates. […] For years, universities have brought in highly qualified professors and researchers from abroad using the temporary foreign worker stream rather than the much slower process for permanent workers. As a result, academic institutions went through a labour market opinion process similar to that for hiring low-skilled workers, such as restaurant employees.
Toronto Star – Website Navut.com Matches Newcomers with the Perfect Neighbourhood
When Mauro Repacci immigrated to Canada from Brazil in 2008 with only two suitcases in hand, he had no friend or relative here, and needed to find an apartment in a week. The business graduate ended up in a rough neighbourhood that didn’t meet his hopes for a hip, up-and-coming area with nice restaurants and artsy hangouts. And worse, he says he and his wife were charged $200 a month more on their rent than other tenants in the building. That’s how Repacci, 30, came up with the idea for a startup company to offer a free online service that would match newcomers with neighbourhoods suited to their desired lifestyle — and connect them with properties up for rent and sale in those areas. After a one-year trial run of the service in Montreal, where Navut.com is based, it has expanded into Greater Toronto, one of seven cities or regions and 1,011 neighbourhoods across Canada that are currently covered.
Toronto Star – Ottawa Ignores Rule of Law in Refugee Health Cuts Case
The Harper government’s recent decision to continue denying health care benefits to certain groups of refugees is deeply problematic not only because it means vulnerable people in this country will continue to suffer, and possibly die. All Canadians — regardless of their views on refugee health care — should also be deeply alarmed by the fact that this week our government chose to blatantly ignore an explicit court order. This type of action cuts directly against the rule of law, one of the most fundamental principles in any democracy. Canadians need to know that this has happened. And they need to care. […] While certain refugee claimants have had their coverage restored, others have not. Since the 2012 changes creating different levels of coverage for different people became void on Nov. 4, the government has no legal authority to draw these distinctions. Its public statements that it is following the court’s order are blatantly false.
