crowd size: Here's what it's been like since last Jan. 20, according to National Observer. January 2017 ; Inauguration. It was a non-stop deluge of headlines with one eye-popping story swiftly supplanting another, the sensational often swamping out the significant. Argument over crowd size. Travel ban from certain Muslim-majority countries. Women's marches. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

film festival: That's always the topic, says film producer Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, according to NOW Magazine. The family doesn't like you, you're trying on the clothes, you're trying to do medical stuff, you're trying to get doctors' approvals and the story closes with the family coming around at some point. If you've ever attended a screening of trans short films at an LGBTQ film festival, you can probably guess coming-out storylines await you. But what happens after that The idea that a transgender person's physical transition is a beginning rather than an end point underscores the 13-minute short, For Nonna Anna, which is among the Canadian films selected to play at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival kicking off this weekend in Utah. Chris is still in the coming-of-age demographic, not entirely confident yet as a woman, while her grandmother's body is failing her. Directed by first-time writer/director Luis De Filippis and co-produced by Rosenberg-Lee, the film follows Chris Maya Henry a young trans woman, who is left home alone to care for her ailing Italian grandmother Jacqueline Tarne . Though not about transitioning from one gender identity to another, the film still has transition in a broader sense at its heart. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school gymnasium: There is much more we need to do as citizens to create neighbourhoods, a society, a political debate that is more respectful, less anchored in ignorance and insecurity and intolerance, he told the several hundred people in a high school gymnasium, according to National Observer. We all have our role to play. Trudeau fielded a number of questions on immigration and the need to fight intolerance during his stop in the city, which is preparing to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 29, 2017 deadly mosque shooting where six men were killed. ; The evening began with a question on how to better integrate immigrants into Canadian society and ended with Trudeau delivering an impassioned speech on the need to fight racism after a woman expressed concern over recent public demonstrations by far-right groups. Trudeau, holding a microphone and with his shirt sleeves rolled up, encouraged Canadians to remember and protect its history as a welcoming society. The town-hall event began with a young man who said he was from Venezuela, who said his mother had yet to find work after two years in Canada and asked why so many immigrant professionals had jobs such as cleaning floors.A few questions later, a woman from Brazil made a similar comment, who implored Canadian citizens to be a little more open, to accept a little more, because we're not just here to be janitors, she said. And that is done by remembering that this country we built didn't happen by accident and it won't continue without effort, he said in the nearly 10-minute long speech, which was met by applause. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american borders: The group's director, Kenneth Roth, singled out President Donald Trump, saying he has broken all the taboos against racism, against misogyny, against xenophobia, according to CTV. While Trump's supporters welcome his frank discourse, Roth warns that it has dangerous implications beyond American borders. In an annual report assessing the state of human rights around the world, the advocacy group says immigrant-bashing and other populist policies pose an enormous threat to hard-fought minority rights in democratic countries. Trump has this insatiable admiration for strongmen, like Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt or President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Roth said in an interview with The Associated Press in Paris. The report urges democratic governments to address the problems that allowed populism to prosper, such as income inequality, fears of terrorism and growing migration. This makes it much more difficult to stigmatize these authoritarian leaders when Trump says these are great guys, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

announcement thursday: But Haitian immigrants and advocates complained Thursday's measures wouldn't help thousands of Haitians who still hold immigration documents showing their legal and work status expiring Monday, according to Toronto Star. And they were upset by another announcement Thursday from the Department of Homeland Security that people from Haiti, Belize and Samoa were no longer eligible to apply for visas for seasonal and farm worker jobs. Officials said the delays had to do with working out how Haitians will be able to prove their employment status until they must leave the country in July 2019. The department's explanation was that those nations had a high rate of fraud, abuse and people overstaying their visa's time limits. So America is doing it for him Some wondered in light of the president's recent remarks about Haiti if the bureaucratic slowdown was deliberate. Read more UN condemns Trump's remark on Haiti, African countries as racist' Article Continued Below Opinion Shree Paradkar Trump's s---hole countries' remark casts remarkable light on immigration policies Analysis Mitch Potter Naturally, Trump won't apologize for his s---holes' slur. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ben perryman: His lawyer, Ben Perryman, said Abdi told him it felt unreal to be free and that he wanted to thank people who had supported him in his quest to be released and to remain in Canada, according to CBC. Abdi, 23, is now required to live in a Toronto halfway house, according to his lawyer, but his legal battle to stay in Canada continues. Abdoul Abdi had spent two weeks detained in jails in the Maritimes and Ontario on immigration grounds after serving a four-year prison sentence for aggravated assault. He could be deported to Somalia because of his criminal past and because he's not a Canadian citizen. The federal public safety minister is still pursuing a deportation hearing, according to Perryman, although it has not yet been scheduled. Abdoul Abdi to be set free, but his fight to stay in Canada isn't over The government was our parents' Abdoul Abdi's sister says Somali refugee failed by Canadian foster system Abdi arrived in Nova Scotia when he was six with his aunts and sister, and was put in the care of the Department of Community Services, which never applied for citizenship on his behalf. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chile francis: Francis arrived in Lima Thursday afternoon after finishing a trip to Chile, according to The Chronicle Herald. Francis will meet with Amazonian indigenous groups who are hoping he will call on the state to grant them formal land rights and encourage the government to support the cleanup of rivers and land spoiled by illegal mining and deforestation. Pope Francis has landed in Peru for a four-day trip that will take him into the sweltering Amazon jungle to meet with indigenous communities and put him face-to-face with a president narrowly escaped impeachment in December. He is also slated to speak with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who sparked nationwide protests in December after pardoning former Peruvian strongman Alberto Fujimori. Pope Francis is en route to Peru after wrapping up a visit to neighbouring Chile. The pardon reopened wounds from a bloody chapter in Peru's history. 5 p.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

diversity training: Lonodn police officer apologizes for blackface incident The police board revealed on Thursday an extension to its diversity training that will equip up to 800 officers with knowledge on sensitive topics related to the city's black community, according to CBC. The move comes after London police Const. Police officer's blackface photos prompt investigation in London, Ont. Katrina Aarts was observed in online photos last month painted in blackface. The board elected Coun. Through a public apology, Aarts clarified that the photos that were posted on another account were taken before she was a police officer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

farmworker jobs: Officials said the delays had to do with working out how Haitians will be able to prove their employment status until they must leave the country in July 2019, according to The Chronicle Herald. But Haitian immigrants and advocates complained Thursday's measures wouldn't help thousands of Haitians who still hold immigration documents showing their legal and work status expiring Monday. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released details Thursday about the next steps for the 60,000 Haitians with the special status. And they were upset by another announcement Thursday from the Department of Homeland Security that people from Haiti, Belize and Samoa were no longer eligible to apply for visas for seasonal and farmworker jobs. Between October 2015 and September 2016, 65 Haitians were allowed into the U.S. with seasonal farmworker visas, according to government data. The department's explanation was that those nations had a high rate of fraud, abuse and people overstaying their visa's time limits. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fernando karadima: Fernando Karadima, such accusations against Barros are all calumny, according to CTV. The pope's remarks drew shock from Chileans and immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates. Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the sex crimes of the Rev. They noted the accusers were deemed credible enough by the Vatican that it sentenced Karadima to a lifetime of penance and prayer for his crimes in 2011. As if I could have taken a selfie or a photo while Karadima abused me and others and Juan Barros stood by watching it all, tweeted Barros' most vocal accuser, Juan Carlos Cruz. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn't lacking. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

flight attendants: Then after landing, Francis came to the rescue of a policewoman who was thrown from her rearing horse as his Popemobile passed by, according to Toronto Star. In between, he did what he actually came to do celebrate Mass for some 50,000 people in a desert-hot field near the town of Iquique. First he celebrated the first-ever airborne papal wedding, marrying two flight attendants from Chile's flagship airline at 36,000 feet during a flight on Thursday to this northern Chilean beachside town. It all began with LATAM Flight 1250 from Santiago. Francis motioned for them to sit next to him for the photo and asked if they had been married in the church. Article Continued Below The crew was gathering in the first-class section for the usual photo with the pope when flight attendants Paula Podest and Carlos Ciuffardi revealed that they were a married couple. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

haitian immigrants: But Haitian immigrants and advocates complained Thursday's measures wouldn't help thousands of Haitians who still hold immigration documents showing their legal and work status expiring Monday, according to Metro News. And they were upset by another announcement Thursday from the Department of Homeland Security that people from Haiti, Belize and Samoa were no longer eligible to apply for visas for seasonal and farmworker jobs. Officials said the delays had to do with working out how Haitians will be able to prove their employment status until they must leave the country in July 2019. The department's explanation was that those nations had a high rate of fraud, abuse and people overstaying their visa's time limits. The number of Haitians who came into the country with nonagricultural visas was not disclosed. Between October 2015 and September 2016, 65 Haitians were allowed into the U.S. with seasonal farmworker visas, according to government data. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ian donaldson: Donaldson told provincial court that while Bonney lost his job after Clark appointed her deputy minister to conduct a review into allegations of the partisan use of taxpayers' money to target minority groups, others involved in creating the strategy remained employed and received fat severance cheques, according to Metro News. Bonney pleaded guilty last October before the start of a trial, though Donaldson said his client is barely guilty for blurring the lines between his public service employment and his partisan political activities. Ian Donaldson said Brian Bonney has admitted to some missteps as part of a so-called quick wins scandal that embroiled the B.C. Liberal party before the 2013 election but he mostly did what he was told, so his behaviour wasn't subversive to the democratic process as the Crown maintains. This case isn't about corruption or personal gain, he said, adding Bonney had been on the job for seven weeks before attending a meeting in December 2011 to discuss a strategy he wasn't involved in drafting. The Crown wants a conditional sentence of 12 to 23 months that would include house arrest. Donaldson has asked for a suspended sentence for what he described as a breach of employment terms. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

school gymnasium: The evening began with a question on how to better integrate immigrants into Canadian society and ended with Trudeau delivering an impassioned speech on the need to fight racism after a woman expressed concern over recent public demonstrations by far-right groups, according to The Chronicle Herald. There is much more we need to do as citizens to create neighbourhoods, a society, a political debate that is more respectful, less anchored in ignorance and insecurity and intolerance, he told the several hundred people in a high school gymnasium. Trudeau fielded a number of questions on immigration and the need to fight intolerance during his stop in the city, which is preparing to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 29, 2017 deadly mosque shooting where six men were killed. We all have our role to play. And that is done by remembering that this country we built didn't happen by accident and it won't continue without effort, he said in the nearly 10-minute long speech, which was met by applause. Trudeau, holding a microphone and with his shirt sleeves rolled up, encouraged Canadians to remember and protect its history as a welcoming society. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration lawyer: Her immigration lawyer blames government error, according to CBC. Each time, Alexandra Dickenson's application went back to the bottom of the pile. But for a Swedish woman living in Ottawa, the process has been anything but smooth, with her application being sent back not once, but twice. It's just ridiculous.'- Alexandra Dickenson, applicant It's just ridiculous, said Dickenson. They had two children and decided to move to Canada when Lou hung up his skates and retired. In 2011, Dickenson married professional hockey player Lou Dickenson who had spent a decade playing in Europe. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rent space: His campus tour organizer asked this week to rent space at Kent State's Student Multicultural Center on May 4 the date when, in 1970, Ohio National Guard members fired into a crowd protesting the Vietnam war and killed four students, according to Metro News. Each year, the school remembers the shootings with events on campus. Spencer, a leading figure in the white nationalist movement, and his associates have sought to speak at universities across the country, leading to lawsuits and battles over the fundamental right to free speech at public universities. The university said it can't accept the request because the first two weeks in May are too busy with the end of the academic year. Spencer has been barred by several schools from speaking on campus and has lawsuits pending against some. Kent State values respectful dialogue from all points of view, including ideology that is controversial or offensive, the university said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

skills level: We should evaluate them and make sure they're going to be lawful they're not a threat to us, according to CTV. They have the education and skills level to prosper in America. When we admit people to our country we should be like Canada, Sessions told Fox News in a broadcast interview Wednesday. Sessions questioned the value of bringing in low-skilled, illiterate immigrants, saying That is not what a good nation should do and we need to get away from it. We need to tighten up on admission from dangerous area of the globe were we can vet, where we have high numbers of terrorists that live in those areas. He also voiced support for the U.S. ban on visitors from North Korea and six mostly Muslim countries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

system: The government must stop deporting people who never had a chance to become citizens because they were in the child welfare system, according to Toronto Star. Systems have to serve people, not the other way around. And he's not the only one. At a town hall in Halifax earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to a question asked by Abdoul's sister, Fatuma Alyaan. He added, We will do what Canada always does try to do the right things based on both rules and compassion ... In truth, Abdi and his family have not felt the compassion of the system. Trudeau said, We have a system that is based on rules and principles that is also compassionate and reflects on individual cases. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vancouver: With Vancouver's sky-high rents, many workers live in surrounding communities, which are more affordable, according to Vancouver Courier. Their ability to work around a Vancouver restaurant's hours either early morning breakfast shifts or late night dinner shifts is therefore constrained by Translink's hours of operation. But making it easier for staff including new immigrants to get to work on public transportation is, says the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association.article continues below Trending Stories Updated police identify man found dead in stolen vehicle's trunk in East Vancouver Vancouver now has one of North America's biggest free Wi-Fi networks Trigger happy Tracing how guns make their way to Vancouver Online tool tracks empty homes across Metro roll up to Vancouver Tim Hortons in support of Ontario employees What happens when people can't afford to work in Vancouver How and why Generation Z needs to be treated differently in the workplace Let's make sure we can get people from where they are living to where they are working, Samantha Scholefield, project manager of the association's labour market study program, said at Tuesday's staff-shortage forum at the Italian Cultural Centre. In a survey, members said half of their staff members live within 15 minutes of work. We have to be more aware of how challenging that transportation piece is, Scholefield said. However, 42 per cent of respondents had no idea of where their staff live or how long it takes them to get to work. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

law: The new plan will eventually be rolled out nationwide, although it remains to be seen how many law enforcement agencies will volunteer, according to Metro News. During a news conference Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deputy director Thomas Homan and law enforcement from several Florida sheriffs' agencies said the new protocol will allow jail operators to legally comply with federal detainer requests that have drawn lawsuits. Seventeen Florida law enforcement agencies have agreed to co-operate with the federal government on immigration enforcement, offering what officials say is a template that can be used nationwide to overcome legal obstacles preventing tight working relationships. Essentially, the local agencies will hold immigrants who have been arrested for other crimes and are in the country illegally, in custody for ICE. Officials stressed that the policy targets immigrants with criminal records, or those who have been arrested. Matthew Albence, the Executive Associate Director of ICE's enforcement removal operations, said 92 per cent of the people arrested by the agency in fiscal year 2017 were either convicted of a crime, charged with a criminal offence removed from the country and re-entered, or ordered removed and then fled. The aim is to prevent the release of criminals back into the community, they said, citing cases where an immigrant facing a removal order was released from custody pending deportation, and committed crimes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lebanese-canadian neurologist: The Lebanese-Canadian neurologist learned from a reporter Tuesday afternoon that the White House had selected the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to test the president's faculties after days of speculation about his state, according to Toronto Star. This was the test Nasreddine developed as a young researcher two decades ago, in an effort to quickly assess, within 10 or 12 minutes, whether someone has suffered light cognitive impairment or the onset of Alzheimer's disease, by asking them to perform tasks such as drawing a clock, identifying animals and remembering words. That person was Ziad Nasreddine, the man who designed the test. Read more Article Continued Below White House to share more details about Trump's health later today react-text 155 Presidential physician Dr. He said he talks to Donald Trump daily, and didn't feel he even needed the test. /react-text Olivier Douliery / Abaca Press/Tribune News Service Trump set for first medical checkup as president in wake of Fire and Fury revelations, stable genius' comments He says it has now been used in 200 countries, in 60 languages, and has been deployed in one developing country to demonstrate its leader was no longer fit to govern. Ronny Jackson said he never doubted this president's cognitive ability. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

entry: Under a 2011 continental security pact, Canada and the U.S. agreed to set up co-ordinated systems to track the entry and exit information of travellers, according to Toronto Star. Read more Proposed Canada-U.S. border police teams on hold over legal jurisdiction questions Article Continued Below Canada Border Services Agency sharing information on American border crossings with Homeland Security The effort involves exchanging entry information collected from people at the land border so that data on entry to one country serves as a record of exit from the other. The federal government has flagged more than 1,000 possible cases of people overstaying their visas or committing other immigration infractions based on information provided by the U.S., newly obtained memos show. Canada says the information will be helpful in everything from tracking known fugitives to responding more effectively to missing-child alerts. react-empty 163 The federal NDP and privacy advocates are watching closely, however, out of concern the data could be used to build invasive personal profiles with little accountability. The first two phases of the program were limited to foreign nationals and permanent residents of Canada and the U.S., but not citizens of either country. The data includes the traveller's name, nationality, date of birth and gender, the country that issued their travel document and the time, date and location of their crossing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

eva sajoo: CBC-Angus Reid Institute poll Canadians want minorities to do more to 'fit in' Immigrants more likely to consider Canadian symbols important to national identity The first study presented a curious look at what it means to be Canadian, she told CBC host of On The Coast Gloria Macarenko, according to CBC. It was really a fascinating look at how identity changes over time, Sajoo said. Eva Sajoo, a researcher at Simon Fraser University, looked at Italian identity in Vancouver in a survey three years ago and has been asked by the city to expand her project for Canada 150. The original study showed marked generational differences when it comes to how immigrants feel about their identity. Love Italian food Here are 4 ways to celebrate Italian Heritage Month The third generation, the grandkids, were way more interested in where their grandparents had come from and in learning to speak Italian and learning to cook Italian than their parents were, Sajoo explained. First generation immigrants, she said, often feel a strong connection to their country of origin, while their children, born in Canada, who want to assimilate more. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lebanese palace: The business had alleged the City's ban on hookahs and water pipes violated Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, according to CTV. The section guarantees against discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability. In a memo, City Solicitor Rick O'Connor says the The Lebanese Palace Inc., owner Brian Mahmoud, and patron Fadi Itaif have withdrawn their application, which was to go before Ontario Superior Court next month. O'Connor says, in response, the City is withdrawing its sole by-law charge against the Lebanese Palace, which was issued last June. Further, O'Connor confirms the City has received 15,761.69 owed in legal fees from the same plaintiffs, after their previous attempt to obtain an emergency injunction to block the by-law was dismissed by the court. O'Connor says the business has been complying with the by-law since last summer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lgbt populations: Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef made the announcement at a sexual assault centre in Peterborough, Ont. today, according to CBC. Monsef calls MeToo 'inspiring'Atwood faces backlash over MeToo Does MeToo divide generations The money will give groups with scarce, or no, resources up to 30,000 to develop project proposals. That includes programs targeting Indigenous, immigrant and LGBT populations, as well as seniors and disabled women and those living in remote and northern communities. If they are accepted, they could get funding for up to five years as part of the 20-million envelope. It comes as the MeToo movement gains momentum across North America and around the world. The funding is part of the government's national strategy to tackle gender-based violence, called It's Time, which will fund research, prevention and groups that support survivors. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deal: The overwhelming number in our caucus have said they don't like this deal and they believe if we kick the can down the road this time we'll be back where we started from next time, Schumer said, according to The Chronicle Herald. So there's very, very strong support not to go along with their deal. Democrats' votes are needed to advance the stopgap measure through the Senate, but they have been rebuffed in their demands to add protections against deportation for younger immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children. Talks among a bipartisan group of leaders of both the House and Senate convened Wednesday, but participants reported little progress. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a negotiator but one whose loyalties lie chiefly with separate compromise legislation on the so-called Dreamer immigrants that he's co-authored with Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Cory Gardner, R-Colo., some of the Senate's most dovish Republicans on immigration. Good will but no progress, said Sen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.