#ImmigrationRefugeesandCitizenshipCanada; #ServiceDeliveryImprovements; #Kids Help Phone; #Ahmed Hussen

Ottawa, Jan 30 (Canadian-Media): Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is actively working to improve the settlement services to newcomers to Canada, and supports their integration into Canadian communities through the Service Delivery Improvements (SDI) funding stream to provide funding of $1,690,940 to Kids Help Phone to help deliver these important services, media reports said.

IRCC’s SDI fund is devoted to service delivery improvement, innovation and finding better ways to deliver services to newcomers, meet the needs of newcomer clients and support their integration process into Canadian communities..

SDI funding is a dedicated stream within the Settlement Program of almost $150 million over five years, over $30 million per year.

​IRCC is now funding over 100 projects across the country, after the first Expression of Interest process for SDI launched in fall 2017 with an aim to complete all projects will be complete by March 31, 2021.

Applauding Government of Canada's efforts to provide high quality services for newcomers, Ahmed Hussen, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said, would facilitate strengthening labour force and the economy across Canada.

There are 7 funding streams under the SDI: language acquisition; employment; youth supports; harnessing volunteers and supporting capacity building in the settlement sector; pay for performance; newcomer well-being and programming to support vulnerable clients; and research and analysis to drive innovation and understand the user experience.

Through the 1-800 number, the project with Kids Help Phone will address the well-being and mental health of newcomer youth to provide culturally responsive, immediate mental health services free of charge for young newcomers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

With an aim to reduce barriers to health services, improve mental health outcomes for newcomer youth and their needs, competency cultural training would be provided to counsellors.

Other services such as availability of interpretation services in the most in-demand language for 6 month trial, referring newcomer youth to trusted language and job training services to help them in their integration journey, would also be available.

Ontario's Premier Doug Ford issued today the following statement on Bell Let's Talk Day:

"Mental health challenges can affect anyone, including those we love most. Unfortunately, the stigma around mental illness has forced many Ontarians to suffer in silence.

That's why I applaud Bell Let's Talk Day for shining a spotlight on this important issue. It's time to take mental health as seriously as any other form of health. My government has made mental health a priority, and we are working hard to support everyone in their journey toward mental wellness.
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I encourage you to join the conversation today. Together, we can help end the stigma around mental illness."

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

#Immigrants, #Canada, #CanadaImmigrants; #permanentresidents


Toronto, Jan 11 (IBNS): The Canadian Parliament is planning to add more than one million new permanent residents in the next three years, media reports said on Friday.

The figure stands for nearly one per cent of the country's population each year.
"Canada welcomed more than 286,000 permanent residents in 2017 and projects that number could reach 350,000 this year," reported CNN.

Ahmed Hussen, Canada's minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) said CNN: "Thanks in great part to the newcomers we have welcomed throughout our history, Canada has developed into the strong and vibrant country we all enjoy."

The minister further said that the move will help offset Canada's ageing population and declining birth rate while growing its labor force.
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Canada is taking the stance at a time when several other Western nations, including the United States, have been adopting restrictive immigration policies in recent times.

Toronto, Aug 9 (Canadian Media): The City of Toronto has relocated all refugee/asylum claimants housed temporarily in the Centennial College and Humber College dormitories to hotels in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and into permanent housing. media reports said.

"The City of Toronto has worked diligently and compassionately to accommodate the ongoing arrival of refugee and asylum seekers," said Mayor John Tory. "With the partnership of other levels of government and surrounding municipalities, we have been able to relocate the dormitory population. However, the City continues to face great pressure on our shelter system that requires long-term action and partnership.”

The Centennial College and Humber College dormitories opened as temporary shelters in May as part of a contingency plan for Emergency Social Services as the City’s existing hotel/motel program for refugee/asylum claimants reached capacity. At its peak, about 675 people resided in the two college dormitory programs. The dormitories were available until August 9, when students begin returning for the academic year. With support from other levels of government, municipalities and community agencies, alternative accommodations were found for those living in the dormitories. 

The City would like to thank the Government of Canada for providing an initial $11 million to help offset the projected $64.5 million in costs associated with the arrivals of refugee/asylum claimants and for arranging and funding hotel accommodation within the GTA as part of efforts to relocate the dormitory population. The City would also like to thank the Government of Ontario for committing up to $3 million in Red Cross staffing costs as part of the anticipated $6.3 million total cost of operating the college dormitory sites. The City would also like to recognize the Red Cross and COSTI for site management and Centennial College and Humber College. The City is also grateful for the work of its community partners in providing information and referral services and fellow GTA municipalities who have taken in many refugee/asylum claimants.

Since November 2016, the City has served a total of 5482 refugee/asylum claimants in the shelter system and has successfully found permanent housing for 2900 during that time period. As of August 8, the total number of refugees in the City's shelter system is 2880, or 42 per cent of all shelter users. This has increased from 11 per cent in early 2016. 

The City of Toronto continues to face extreme challenges accommodating new arrivals of refugees and asylum claimants, including 185 arrivals over the last seven days. 

The City has requested that the federal and provincial governments take action to manage the inter-provincial flow of irregular migrants and coordinate the placement of new arrivals to locations outside of the City of Toronto’s shelter system. The City eagerly awaits the September opening of a triage centre in Cornwall, Ontario as promised by the Government of Canada.

The City is committed to continue its work with other orders of government, including municipalities, as well as community partners to find appropriate shelter, accommodation and supports for all those who need it.
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#QuébecSolidaire; #ManonMassé; #PartiQuébécois; #Quebec'sImmigrationMinistry

Montreal/Ottawa, June 10 (Canadian-Media): A plan for better integration immigrants in the Quebec had been unveiled by Québec Solidaire, media reports said.

Also included in the plan were creation of a network of information centres and recognition of diplomas obtained outside of Canada.

Manon Massé co-spokesperson, while speaking to reporters Sunday said the party would create a network to provide new immigrants information about jobs, French-language classes, and other kinds of support.

​Manon Massé/Facebook

​The plan also would ensure that ethnic and visible minority candidates were  25 percent of public sector employees.

Massé said the new information centres, called the Carrefours d'acceuil en immigration,  would operate -- under the umbrella of Quebec's Immigration Ministry -- in each region across the province.

According to official reports,  integration services currently are being offered unevenly depending on the place of your location.

This factor could force immigrants to leave Quebec altogether if they fail to get the support they need.
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"When you arrive here, you don't have any references. You don't necessarily know the language. You don't know how to get your health card done, [or] where jobs are needed," Massé said.

Québec Solidaire also reportedly plans to boost funding for French-language classes,  and speed up the recognition rate of diplomas obtained outside of Canada.

Québec Solidaire is the latest party to unveil its platform on immigration ahead of the provincial elections Oct. 1.



​(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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#asylumseekers, #SolidarityAcrossBorders, #refugeeclaimants,  #far-rightgroups, #StormAlliance

Quebec/Ottawa, May 19 Canadian-Media): Two competing protest rallies had been held Saturday at a major Quebec-New York border crossing close to where thousands of asylum seekers had been illegally crossing into Canada in recent months, media reports said.

Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que.border was the place were demonstrations took place under police presence to ensure the two sides were kept apart.

Far-right groups, including Storm Alliance, a self-described "ultranationalist" denounced, during the rally, the Liberal government's handling of illegal immigration  

"I'm against illegal immigration, I'm against the Trudeau government," said Mike Noble, a construction worker who made the trip from Ottawa for the protest.

Counter-protesters from groups including Solidarity Across Borders staged their own demonstration to show refugee claimants they are welcome in the country. 
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#emergencyreceptioncentreforrefugees, #refugeessurgeinToronto, #influxofrefugeesinQuebec, #JohnTory

Toronto, May 19, (Canadia-Media) Toronto Mayor John Tory said May 18 that Toronto will have to open an emergency reception centre within the next week for refugees arriving in the city, media reports said.

For the second time after a few weeks Toronto urged federal and provincial government on Friday for their assistance to ease the pressure put on the city's shelter system by the increasing number of refugees.

As of Thursday night, the city reportedly has 2,683 refugee claimants in the system accounting for 40 percent of Toronto's shelter spaces. 

The city expects the more refugees to arrive in Toronto in the coming months, something that could create more strain on the shelter system. 

At the current rate of 10 new refugee claimants per night, refugees reportedly could make up more than half of the shelter population by this fall.

Tory says the city will continue to welcome those people, but warns the city needs more support.

"The people of Toronto are generous, they are understanding and they value our role as Canadians in accommodating people in their time of need," Tory said in a news release.

"But the federal and provincial governments need to honour their values and their commitments to these populations as well."

John Tory/Facebook page

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T​he city estimates it's spent some $64 million to provide temporary housing in places like motels.

“Toronto is a city built by immigrants - many who came from around the world as refugees. The people of Toronto are generous, they are understanding and they value our role as Canadians in accommodating people in their time of need,” said Mayor Tory. “But the federal and provincial governments need to honour their values and their commitments to these populations as well.”

Tory's statement says he wants support from the other governments to reimburse the city for that expense, provide staffing support, to help settle the refugees, or the provision of new facilities.

City staff say they believe the rising number of shelter-using refugee claimants is likely tied to the influx of refugees in Quebec, including many who may be travelling to Toronto.

As of late April, more than 5,500 migrants have crossed illegally into Quebec so far this year — a big jump from the 2,000 or so who entered the province by this time in 2017.

Toronto's shelter system continues to operate well beyond the 90 percent capacity target set by councillors.

City statistics show family shelters were 100 percent full, women's shelters were 99 percent full and men's shelters (which have the most spaces) were 95 percent full last night.


​(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

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#Quebecborder, #Canada, #asylumseekers, #RoyalCanadianMountedPolice, #RCMP, #RalphGoodale

Montreal/Ottawa, May 14 (Canadian-Media): ​Almost 96 percent of asylum seekers who had so far crossed illegally into Canada in 2018 have done so through the Quebec border, media reports said.

Latest figures of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reportedly indicated 7,612 people who had entered Canada outside official ports of entry during the first four months of 2018.

More than 7,300 of them had crossed the Canada-U.S. border into Quebec, while Ontario and British  Columbia each had received the remainder, about 150 asylum seekers so far in 2018.

The federal government had been urged by Quebec leaders to help pay costs associated with the overrepresentation of asylum seekers in the province.

The official opposition of Quebec had requested Ottawa to suspend an agreement with the United States to encourage future refugees to enter outside official border crossings.

Earlier this month, Ralph Goodale, Canada's Public Safety Minister, had  said his government was exploring with the U.S. to reopen the so-called Safe Third Country Agreement.
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