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.
Toronto Star – Canada Ends Policy That Forced Immigration Applicants and Refugees to Disclose HIV Status to Sponsors
The federal government has revoked a controversial policy that required immigration applicants or refugees to disclose an HIV diagnosis to the person who was sponsoring them to Canada. The immigration department’s move to put an end to the automatic partner notification policy was hailed by advocates who have criticized the rule, saying it discriminated against people living with HIV and failed to reflect medical advancements in treating the once-deadly virus.
CBC News – Calgary Settlement Agency Lays Off Dozens of Employees, Citing Funding Uncertainty
The Centre for Newcomers (CFN) — a non-profit organization that’s been a key resource for immigrants and refugees to the city since 1988 — let go of 65 employees over the last two weeks, citing uncertainty in its government funding. The cuts will leave the centre with roughly 200 workers, Kelly Ernst, the CFN’s chief program officer, told the Calgary Eyeopener. Among those let go were settlement workers, case managers and English teachers, he said.
CBC News – Asylum Seekers Left Sleeping on Toronto Streets Amid Funding Stalemate Between City, Feds
For two weeks since fleeing violence in Uganda and arriving in Canada in search of asylum, Prosscovia Namusisi has been sleeping on Toronto’s streets. Namusisi is one of a group of asylum seekers from Africa sleeping outside the city’s shelter intake office at Peter and Richmond streets downtown. The reason, she says: the city tells them everyday there is no space in any of its shelters. Namusisi says she has only intermittently been able to go inside the facility to use its toilet and showers, while most of the food and supplies they’ve received have come from local aid organizations.
National Post – Facing Crisis Over Detaining High-Risk Migrants, CBSA Official Says Prison Contracts Cancelled Over ‘Poor Understanding’
The head of intelligence and enforcement at Canada’s border agency says critics have a “poor understanding” of the immigrant detention system, as the agency scrambles to find new places for high-risk migrants amid a backlash from provinces over detention practices. Controversy over the practice led seven provinces over the last year to cancel agreements allowing the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to use their prisons to house migrants detained over security concerns while their cases are considered.
CBC News – Gas Station Owner Ordered to Pay $60K for Taking Advantage of Employee’s Immigration Status
The owner of a Burnaby, B.C., gas station has been ordered to pay a former employee more than $60,000 after the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal found he took advantage of the young woman’s precarious immigration status. The tribunal found that Kuldip Singh withheld overtime pay from Harika Kasagoni for two years, and accused her of lying about an injury for which she had filed a WorkSafeBC claim.
Le Devoir – Les cibles de Québec en immigration ralentissent le regroupement familial, confirme Ottawa
Les longs délais pour parrainer l’immigration d’un conjoint vivant à l’étranger sont bel et bien causés par les cibles de Québec dans la catégorie du regroupement familial, qui sont plus basses qu’ailleurs au Canada. S’il faut patienter 14 mois dans le reste du pays, l’attente s’étire maintenant jusqu’à 24 mois au Québec, puisqu’Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada (IRCC) se voit forcé de fixer « des objectifs de traitement des demandes distincts », confirme ce ministère au Devoir.
