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 Canadienne – La performance des provinces atlantiques est qualifiée de faible pour 2014
Un organisme de réflexion qualifie de faible la performance économique des provinces atlantiques depuis le début de 2014. Dans un rapport publié mercredi, le Conseil économique des provinces atlantiques précise qu’une variété d’indicateurs, touchant notamment le marché du travail, les dépenses des consommateurs et la construction résidentielle, ont été décevants dans toute la région depuis le début de l’année. L’emploi a reculé dans trois des quatre provinces, et seul le Nouveau-Brunswick a connu une certaine amélioration de ce côté, tout en demeurant en-deçà de son niveau de 2008. Le Conseil estime que ces résultats sont partiellement attribuables à des changements aux programmes fédéraux, notamment celui sur les travailleurs étrangers temporaires.
Halifax may become the first Canadian city to let permanent residents, who are not Canadian citizens, vote in municipal elections. Mayor Mike Savage said Tuesday that he asked city staff to investigate the possibility and prepare a report. “Their kids go to school, they pay tax, they’re entrepreneurs, they’re business people, they’re working,” he said. “What they can’t do is vote.” No Canadian city currently permits non-citizens to vote. Calgary, Saint John and North Bay are discussing the idea, according to Immigration Settlement and Integration Services. Toronto city council voted last year to extend municipal voting rights to permanent residents but the province of Ontario has not yet agreed to amending the necessary legislation. […] Claudette Legault of Halifax’s Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services said 40 countries — including Ireland, New Zealand and Denmark — let newcomers vote.
Visa costs for foreign ski instructors will be a significant burden for Alberta ski resorts adapting to stricter rules for hiring temporary foreign workers, industry members say. Employment Minister Jason Kenney announced tougher rules for temporary foreign workers earlier this year after abuses of the program in the hospitality sector were revealed. Employers must now pay a $1,000 processing fee for each foreign worker visa application and face tougher applicant assessments, sparking outcry from industries that claim they are being unfairly targeted. David Lynn, CEO of Canada West Ski Areas Association, said western Canadian ski resorts only use the FTW program as a last resort, when they are unable to staff key seasonal positions. “During a typical ski season there are approximately 500 to 600 temporary foreign workers in the western Canadian ski industry. I would estimate that Alberta ski areas would account for 100 to 200 of these TFW’s.”
Toronto Star – New Zealand Decision Created World’s First Climate Refugees
A Tuvalu family has been granted residency in New Zealand after claiming to be climate change refugees, saying they would be affected by climate change if they were forced to return home. The unusual situation will not open the floodgates to such applications, but offers a peep into what the future may hold, experts say. […] The Tuvalu family, believed to be the first successful applicant for residency on humanitarian grounds where climate change is one factor, waited for two years for this decision. According to reports, the family of four first moved to New Zealand in 2007 but was without a legal status in the country since 2009. […] In November 2012 the family applied to be accepted as refugees. That claim was dismissed in March 2013. Then last month, a tribunal turned down their appeals because “they did not meet the refugee convention.” The family appealed that decision on humanitarian grounds and won. […] Climate change isn’t the only reason why the family is being allowed to stay: the family has three generations of relatives living in New Zealand and the children were born there.
Radio Canada International – Tapis rouge pour les étudiants internationaux au Québec
Tous les établissements universitaires et 55 collèges et instituts du Québec joignent leurs forces pour faciliter la vie aux étudiants internationaux qui débarquent à Montréal. Sous la coordination du Bureau des étudiants internationaux (BEI) de l’Université de Montréal et de la Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ) de Montréal, ces organismes ont déployé des équipes à l’aéroport Montréal-Trudeau. Non seulement les étudiants internationaux reçoivent de services simplifiés et accélérés aux services d’immigration, mais également ils reçoivent un accueil personnalisé et sont accompagnés dans leurs premières démarches d’installation. sur le site internet Accueil Plus avant de quitter leur pays. Ils y indiquent leur plan de vol, ce qui permet à l’Agence des services frontaliers du Canada (ASFC) de prépare en amont leurs permis d’études. Ce qui réduit le temps d’attente à l’aéroport. L’accueil à l’aéroport a débuté le 4 août et prendra fin le 2 septembre. Les étudiants ont jusqu’au 1er septembre 2014 pour s’inscrire sur Accueil Plus.
Edmonton Journal – Foreign Worker Rules Compromise Man’s Care
A Sherwood Park family says the changes to the temporary foreign worker program will harm their ability to find care for their disabled son. Grace Davidson who looks after her 52-year-old son with multiple sclerosis, says she fears what the changes to the temporary foreign worker program will mean for her son’s in-home care. […] Davidson receives funding from the province to provide for in-home care for Tim. Under the Self-Managed Care Program, she receives $4,650 to pay for 352 hours of work per month, to be divvied between two live-in caregivers. That translates to wages of $10.19 per hour, with a little extra for CPP, EI, workers’ compensation and to pay for a private agency that manages the payroll. Any additional expenses are be paid out of pocket, including fees to apply for temporary foreign workers to fill the caregiving positions. […] Unable to find Canadian workers to work at that rate, Davidson says she opted for temporary foreign workers to care for her son. And at $10.19 per hour, she says she even has difficulty attracting workers who have temporary foreign worker visas.
