A national alliance dedicated to providing an evidence base for newcomer settlement & integration and the promotion of welcoming communities in Canada
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.
Richard Xu and Sarah Huang were eager to learn after coming to Canada. English lessons weren’t needed because they were already fluent. But they didn’t know any French. Today, the married couple are part of the free French lessons for newcomers program put on by the Coopérative d’intégration francophone of Prince Edward Island (CIF) and the College Communautaire Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB).
Canada’s “open” work permits for Hong Kong people, which will allow residents to get job experience in Canada, were officially made available on February 8. But the new pathway to permanent residency will only be introduced later this year, the Canadian government says, prompting concerns from some immigration advocates who say more easily accessible programmes are needed for people from Hong Kong, especially those seeking asylum.
The first asymptomatic testing event for newcomers to Canada took place Saturday and Sunday at the YMCA Centre for Immigrant Programs on Bayers Road. The event was hosted by Nova Scotia Health and the province alongside groups like the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, YMCA and Halifax Refugee Clinic. Margaret Angus, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s health authority, said there was a push to get more participants on Sunday after organizers saw fewer people than they hoped to see on Saturday.
It is just a small blue church in Halifax’s Fairview neighbourhood, but it represents family to members of the growing refugee and immigrant community in the area. Jean Serge Mangapi, a member of the congregation, was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but spent most of his life as a refugee in Kenya before migrating to Canada in 2015. He said after arriving in his new home country, he was concerned about finding friends and fitting in to a community. Being part of the church helped him to feel a sense of belonging.
A coalition of immigration rights organizations gathered in Montreal on Saturday to demand an easier and faster track to permanent work status in Canada. Many of those who attended the demonstration are temporary foreign workers, asylum seekers and international students who all want permanent status in Canada but feel there is too much red tape and say they feel the process is discriminatory.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7750803/advocacy-groups-pathways-permanent-residence/
Four public roundtables were part of the public engagement process Perth County staff has been utilizing during the development process of a charter for diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. The Listowel Banner attended the third roundtable on March 30. Although the roundtable discussions were open to members of the public to share their experiences with racism and exclusion, the participants at the third roundtable were municipal employees from North Perth and Perth County, and Stratford Social Services, Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) and the Multicultural Association of Perth Huron (MAPH).