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#Mentorshipprograms, #MichaelCoteau, #Ontario, #TogetherWeCan, #BlackYouthActionPlan, #DwayneDixon Toronto, July 28 (Canadian-Media): 25 locally developed mentorship initiatives in priority communities, including the Greater Toronto (Toronto and its adjoining cities) and Hamilton Area, Ottawa and Windsor are being supported by a new mentorship program being launched by Ontario to build confidence and develop skills in Black children and youth in school and work, a news release said.  Michael Coteau. Image credit: Twitter handle Michael Coteau, Minister of Children and Youth Services and Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism announced a new program ‘Together We Can’ earlier this week at Alexandra Park Community Centre in Toronto to help improve the futures of Black community. “Together We Can is a great example of an on-the-ground solution to help improve the futures of Black children, youth and their families. Partnering with local community organizations to provide mentorship opportunities specifically for Black children and youth will help them build the skills and connect them with the opportunities they need to succeed,” said Coteau, said the release. Over the next four years Onatrio would be investmenting $9 million, continued the release, for mentorship programs. These mentorship programs, which are part of ‘Together We Can’, are being designed with the help of an external implementation steering committee which comprises youth, leaders and experts from the Black community, as well as from community engagement sessions' feedbacks. Four mentorship programs are already in development and will be delivered by: by the African-Canadian Coalition of Community Organizations in the Regent Park and Alexandra Park community in Toronto, NIA Centre for the Arts in the Vaughan area, Tropicana Community Services in Scarborough, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel, in partnership with the Black Community Advisory Council in Peel Region. ‘Together We Can’ is part of the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan, with a $47 million commitment for four years and aims to help reduce inequalities for more than 10,000 Black children, youth and families in Ontario, said the release. Ontario Black Youth Action Plan in alignment with ‘A Better Way Forward: Ontario's 3-Year Anti-Racism Strategic Plan’ was announced in February 2017 to reduce race-based disparities. After this four-year's $47 million plan is fully developed, it will support nearly 10,800 Black children and their families annually in their education, employment and decision making processes. More than 25 engagement sessions on the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan, the release said, have been held in 13 communities across the province since May of this year and these sessions will continue throughout the summer. “Very early in my artistic journey, when I was coming up, there were very limited opportunities (financial or otherwise) for young black artists to make the arts a viable career choice. With the support of MCYS via the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan I'm confident, experiences like mine will be the exception and not the rule. I've made it my purpose to make a difference for the next generation, and so too has the Province of Ontario,” said Dwayne Dixon, Executive Director, Nia Centre for the Arts, the release said.
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#DipikaDamerla, #FabiennePrior, #Kitchener, #Ontario, DaieneVernile, #StatisticsCanada, #NationalSeniorsCouncil Toronto, July 27 (Canadian-Media): An announcement was made last week by Dipika Damerla, Ontario Minister of Seniors Affairs at the Rockway Centre in Kitchener, Ontario 40 New Seniors' Centres across the province would be supported by Ontario to help seniors stay healthy and active, media reports said.  Dipika Damerla. Image credit: Facebook page “Creating 40 new seniors’ centres across Ontario will help to improve services for seniors who may be vulnerable, including those living in multicultural, Indigenous and rural communities,” said Damella, a news release said. Recent census data confirmed there were more seniors than children across the country. According to the estimates of the research conducted by Statistics Canada and the National Seniors Council, 30 percent of Canadian seniors are at risk of becoming socially isolated. Social isolation can negatively affect both physical and mental health, the same research indicated. It was reportedly acknowledged by seniors that they feel happier and healthier with their increased involvement with social activities. Ontario is investing $8 million over three years, continued the release, to create the 40 new centres announcement in the 2017 Budget and is reported to provide $11.5 million in annual funding to support these centres. “We are big supporters of cultural diversity and inclusive participation at our Centre. This investment recognizes our unique focus on keeping vulnerable seniors active, healthy and socially-engaged,” said Fabienne Prior, Supervisor, City of Kitchener, Ontario. Social and recreational programming, continued the release, such as exercise classes, transportation services, communal dining and health and wellness classes would be organised in the 40 new centres to better meet the needs of our growing seniors' population. More than 100,000 seniors reportedly are already being served by a network of 263 Elderly Persons Centres across Ontario and new centres will added to this network. “Helping seniors stay connected, active and engaged has been shown to contribute to their overall health and well-being. This announcement addresses that need for a growing segment of our population,” Daiene Vernile, Member of Provincial Parliament (Kitchener Centre) said. To move forward with the new centres, said the release, a call for proposals will be issued in early fall 2017. A legislation was recently passed in Ontario, which once proclaimed, continued the release, these centres will be renamed as Senior Active Living Centres -- rather than Elderly Persons Centres – to better reflect the diverse and active seniors across the province. This legislation will also help the centres to act as community hubs in responding to community needs more efficiently, helping build strong partnerships and in strengthening their services. #BlackCoalitionforAIDSPrevention, #Toronto, #transgender, #nonbinarypeople, #Transphobia, #JohnTory, #TatianaFerguson, #ShannonRyan Toronto, June 20 (Canadian-Media): City of Toronto (comprising of Toronto and its adjoining cities) in collaboration with the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) -- comprised entirely of racialized transgender youth -- launched a public awareness campaign on June 19 to promote Torontonians’ perceptions of transgender and non-binary people, media reports said.  Transgender persons. Image credit: weforum.org Highlights of this campaign are to differentiate between gender and sex among the trans and non-binary Torontonians, specifically trans youth of colour. Trans women of colour form the most vulnerable groups in Toronto. Trans is an umbrella term, the report continued, that describes the gender for people who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Although trans youth of colour, are part of Toronto’s LGBTQ community, but are underserved and often neglected and experience bias and violence because of transphobia and racism. "Toronto continually strives to be a place that provides opportunities and supports the well-being of all its residents," said Toronto Mayor John Tory. "This campaign, which emphasizes that members of the transgender community are part of Toronto, is very timely. The City is committed to developing gender-inclusive services and policies to ensure we serve all of our residents." Tatiana Ferguson, Project Lead for Black CAP also emphasized that in order to understand the needs of trans youth of colour, we must take into consideration various aspects of these youth identities and understanding how race, gender, sex and class interplay and create barriers for trans youth of colour is a fundamental component required to identify and address the needs of trans youth in Toronto. Shannon Ryan, Executive Director of Black CAP said he was confident that this campaign will lead to important conversations about gender and sex and reduction of barriers that trans youth of colour in our city experience in their homes, schools, workplaces and beyond. The campaign was created by the social impact agency PUBLIC Inc, and features real Torontonian racialized trans youth and uses transit ads and social media to educate and encourage respectful and meaningful dialogue about transgender and non-binary individuals. The campaign also motivates trans people to get involved in educating others about trans-specific issues and provides extensive information and resources to educate Torontonians about non-binary people and with the aim to eradicate biases that trans people, specifically trans youth of colour, face in their daily life. This also fosters more understanding and advocacy amongst the cis gender community. (Cis gender individuals are those whose gender identities match with the assigned sex at birth.) This is the fourth phase of the City's Toronto for All campaign which aims for Torontonians to say "no" to all forms of discrimination and racism. Phase 1 ran in the summer of 2016 and focused on Islamophobia. Phase 2 was launched in the fall of 2016 and addressed anti-Black racism. Phase 3 ran in the spring and addressed the discrimination of homeless men. All campaign phases have successfully encouraged conversations among Toronto residents and media regarding the relevant issues. The City of Toronto (Toronto and its adjoining cities) is hosting an Open Dialogue on Transphobia in North York Civic Centre on Thursday, July 27, 2017 (9am to 12:30pm) free of cost as part of a series organized by the City’s Specialized Program for Interdivisional Enhanced Responsiveness (SPIDER). The aim of SPIDER is to increase public awareness on issues impacting vulnerable Torontonians and teach general public -- through a panel discussion, community organizations and community members -- on the multiple issues trans youth of colour experience. Registration is free and is recommended. #MuslimRunCemetery #MohamedKesri #BernardOuellet #Referendum #Quebec #Canada #CanadaMuslims Montreal, Jul 19 (Candian-Media): Trying to recover from the fatal mass shooting in January, which killed six worshippers at the Quebec City Grand Mosque, the Muslim community in Saint-Apollinaire, the second largest city of Quebec, received a fresh shock when the authorities rejected their proposal to open a cemetery in the town, media reports said.  Image Muslim Cemetry: Wikipedia Quebec City Muslims' project, led by Mohamed Kesri on behalf of the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, to create a cemetery had been defeated by three votes in a referendum. Bernard Ouellet, Mayor of the town of Saint-Apollinaire, -- reflecting on the result -- said he had hoped that the opening of the cemetery would become a symbol of acceptance toward the Muslim community, adding that this defeat was mainly because of fear of the people who considered all Muslims to be radicals, The Globe and Mail news reports said. Kesri said although he was disheartened, he still had the courage to pursue the fight. “We will not give up. It’s insane. Three votes. We speak for thousands of Muslims in Quebec City,” He was quoted in the media as saying. Although the community said it preferred to obtain the cemetery through negotiations, it added that if the proposal fails, it would be forced to consider a court challenge or human-rights complaint. A tentative deal had been struck by The Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec with a funeral operator to buy a piece of land in an industrial area of Saint-Apollinaire, southwest of Quebec City – which gained urgency after the January incident. Union of Quebec Municipalities -- while presenting a brief to a Quebec parliamentary committee this year -- called the referendum process for land-use issues “dysfunctional”. The union debated that only voters in the zone adjoining the proposed cemetery site, -- an industrial and semi-agricultural area of auto-body shops, horse farms and bungalows, separated from the Saint-Apollinaire town centre by a busy highway -- were eligible to vote. The referendum approval, said Muslim community, existed only in Quebec and nowhere else in Canada. Legitimate municipal leaders failed to act as they were constantly plagued with the threat of referendum and said "the fear of minimal number of signatures on the registry could cancel a municipal project and concluded this system of approval by referendum was dysfunctional.” Concerns of some opponents that a Muslim-only cemetery would result in concentration of more Muslims, mosques and would become the biggest threat to Western civilization. The community said they were disappointment after yet another futile cemetery debate, which usually ends in a failure each year. In justification of their demands, the community said they could get their dead into the ground before they get cold If only they could have a Muslim-only cemetery, Muslims said it was expensive to freeze the dead bodies adding that money could be used for the living. #TomBruce, #JohnFlengas, #StewardMikeStreet, #StephanieBruce, #CampOoch, #CUPELocal416, #Toronto Toronto, June 20 (Canadian-Media): Over $6,000 worth of craft supplies and 10 make-your-own guitar kits were donated to Camp Ooch on June 19 by Toronto paramedics Tom Bruce and John Flengas and CUPE Local 416 Steward Mike Street together with Bruce's six-year-old daughter, media reports said. Stephanie is a cancer survivor and an alumna of Camp Ooch -- a volunteer-based and privately funded organization -- that provides child cancer patients with unique opportunities for growth through fun, enriching and magical experiences. For a consecutive third year and in collaboration with CUPE Local 416, Toronto Paramedic Services employees have collected craft supplies to donate to Camp Ooch programs. The programs include an overnight camp in Muskoka, day camps, in-city programs at Ooch Downtown and in-hospital programs. Bruce said that during his daughter’s stay in the hospital, he had learnt a lot about the Camp Ooch's in-hospital programs "As Paramedics, we see the impact cancer has in the community we serve and in our own CUPE Local 416 membership," said Street. "We are thrilled to be able to make this additional donation of 10 make-your-own-guitar kits to Camp Ooch and the kids," CBCNews reports said. Over a period of eight weeks, the craft supplies were collected in collection boxes located in Toronto Paramedic Services ambulance stations. CUPE Local 416 had purchased the 10 make-your-own guitars to meet a special request from Camp Ooch for its camper music program. "Many of our teen campers have been learning guitar at camp for years," said Ken Aldridge, Coordinator of Music and Specialty Programs at Camp Ooch. "These 10 guitar kits will provide our teen campers an opportunity to create their very own custom instruments and will foster their love of music for years to come."
#JustinTrudeau, #JuliePayette, #GovernorGeneralofCanada #DavidJohnston, #CanadianSpaceAgency
Ottawa, July 14 (Canadian-Media): An announcement was made by the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau on July 13 that Her Majesty the Queen, on Trudeau's recommendation, had approved the appointment of Julie Payette as the next Governor General of Canada, media reports said.
#BardishChagger, #2017GlobalConferenceonWomenandEntrepreneurship, #JimYongKim, #LakshmiPuri, #VeraWang, #JackMa Toronto, July 13 (Canadian-Media): Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism -- in a keynote address at the 2017 Global Conference on Women and Entrepreneurship in Hangzhou, China hosted by Alibaba, the world’s largest retailer -- delivered the message July 10 on “Closing the Economic Inequality Gap: A Woman’s Perspective,” Toronto News release said.  Bardish Chaggar: Official “Canada is committed to diversity and equality, including gender equality and women’s empowerment. I’m proud to represent Prime Minister Trudeau and the Government of Canada at this impressive conference and thrilled to hear from the inspiring and diverse group of leaders and role models to women around the world. Today, women around the world are rising to success and leading impressive enterprises, and I believe that events like this help raise awareness, provide a venue for open dialogue and the sharing of experiences, and encourage women and men to take stronger action to promote equality into the future,” said Minister Chagger. Theme of this year’s conference is “Empowerment, Compassion, Aspiration.” which features discussions on how women can develop and grow in the SHE-ERA, Women across the world and from various industries got together in this conference to create networks and facilitate female entrepreneurship. Participants also had a chance to listen from Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group; Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations; renowned fashion icon Vera Wang; and Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba. Featuring in the conference also were video messages from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan. Minister Chagger laid emphasis that reduction of poverty and growth of economy in Canada and around the world can be achieved only by adoption of full gender equality, including women’s economic empowerment. Minister Chagger highlighted Canada’s continued commitment to supporting women’s economic empowerment through investments and actions. She also said the Government of Canada was working to address the issue of economic inequality among women, promoting diversity, women’s entrepreneurship and gender parity. In wake of the fact that an estimated $160 billion to the Canadian economy is contributed by Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises owned by women, the Minister highlighted some of the actions being taken, such as the introduction of Bill C-25, legislation to improve representation of women on corporate boards and in senior management; progressive trade agenda; encouraging participation of women in science, technology, engineering and math; flexible work arrangements; and legislation of pay equity for workers in federal industries.
#NanosResearchPoll, #Canada’sLiberalgovernment, #JustinTrudeau’s #LiKeqiang, #Norsat, #CanadianSecurityIntelligenceService, #ITFTechnologies, #artificialintelligence, #augmentedreality, #CanadaChinaBilateralTrade, #CanadiansOpposeChinaFirmTakeover Ottawa, Jul 5 (Canadian-Media): According to a Nanos Research poll, more than half of Canadians favouring Liberal government’s pursuit of an amicable bilateral free-trade agreement with China was strong opposied by a majority of Canadians, concerning sale of their technological military-based companies to Chinese investors, media reports said. 
Justin Trudeau. Image credit: Official site Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hoped that Canada would relax the restrictions on high-tech exports to China believing this would promote the growth of bilateral trade relations between the two countries, Globe and Mail News reports said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also believed relaxing restrictions on investment from China was in keeping with his foreign-policy objective to deepen trade relations, including a free-trade deal, with China, . But according to the Nanos poll, commissioned by The Globe and Mail, more than three-quarters of Canadians said Chinese investors should not be allowed to buy two Canadian high tech firms with developed military-edge technology. U.S. Defence Department also expressed concern, reported The New York Times earlier this year, about Chinese investing in startups important technology such as artificial intelligence, robotics and augmented reality. “Although people understand it is important to have good trade relations with China, they find it more difficult to understand why transactions that could directly impact our national security or have military purposes – how that connects,” Pollster Nanos said. Canadian Security Intelligence Service, fearing the transfer of Canada’s advanced military laser technology to China, also opposed Chinese’ takeover of such Canadian military-edge technology firms. 
Canadian Security Intelligenece Service: Wikipedia
76 percent of Canadians, according to Nanos poll, opposed the takeover of Norsat while only 18 percent supported the purchase and 78 percent of Canadians opposed China’s purchase of Montreal-based ITF Technologies.
“For many Canadians, they actually believe those transactions put Canada at risk,” Globe and Mail quoted NikNanos in an interview. “If the government continues to embark on this path, it will probably be a significant political risk for them." (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) |
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