NEWS FROM THE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
Recruitment for the September Accountants’ Bridging Program
Recruitment is underway for the next Accountants’ Bridging Program, with interviews beginning this week. The next ABP will start on September 8th, 2008.
Preparing for the Job of Finding a Job!
The students in the Accountants’ Bridging Program have completed their formal training at NAIT, and have returned to EMCN to learn all the strategies and tools needed for a successful job search. On Monday, July 21st, students were invited to a day of guest speakers and presentations to help them in their decision about job search.
The CMA students are also completing their training and preparing for employment with classes in resume writing, learning how to conduct a successful interview and other tools and strategies to ensure they are thoroughly prepared for their job search.
Team Appreciation Day!
Staff from the Bridging Programs enjoyed a day of team building and appreciation on July 4th with activities, exercises and entertainment. Everyone went away feeling that although they work in separate locations, they truly are working as a team; for the same purpose of serving program participants.
from Luella Gaultier
____________________
Alberta Works Update
It is a very valuable summary of all the benefits available to people through the Alberta Works program, very useful to keep close at hand for reference for many front line staff.
from Jim Gurnett
Here is the link to the update on
Financial Benefits Summary from Alberta Works
http://employment.alberta.ca/hre/is/reg/pdf/ncn0433.pdf
__________________________________
Room to Read - Edmonton Chapter
How can you contribute to literacy in the third world in a meaningfulway? Plans are underway to create an Edmonton Chapter of Room To Read,http://www.roomtoread.org/ <http://www.roomtoread.org/> . Room to Read is anorganization founded by John Wood, author of Leaving Microsoft to Changethe World. The organization raises funds to build libraries and schools,publish books for children in their local language and providescholarships for girls to attend schools in developing countries.Since its inception in 2000 Room to Read has built 442 schools,established over 5100 libraries, funded 4000 long term scholarships forgirls and published more than 200 books for children in countriesincluding Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, India, Cambodia and SouthAfrica with more countries to be added in the near future.You are invited to help change the world! The next planning meetingwill be held on Wed. Aug. 6th, 7:30 p.m., Whitemud Crossing LibraryProgram Room, 145 Whitemud Crossing Shopping Centre, 4211-106 St.
For more information about Room to Read or the Edmonton Chapter pleaseemail Pat Nelson, pnelson@epl.caPatricia Nelson,Manager, Mill Woods BranchEdmonton Public Library
from Jim Gurnett___________________
________________________
Education and Actions to Improve Immigrant Seniors’ Lives
Important financial, social and personal difficulties faced by immigrant seniors appear to be related to a specific Canadian policy on Old Age Security for seniors who have immigrated to Canada. This conclusion is frequently found in relevant research, and in recent consultations with immigrant seniors and their agencies and service providers in Edmonton.
However, a number of seniors agencies across Canada are working on this issue. In fact, an umbrella network, the Immigrant Seniors Advocacy Network[1] (ISAN) has been working since 2005 to educate and request better income security and a higher quality of life for immigrant seniors.
The ISAN's campaign has supported an initiative, the proposed Bill C-362, which addresses the issue of immigrant seniors’ residency requirement for receiving government benefits. Bill C-362, put forward by the MP Colleen Beaumier as a private members bill, calls for a reduction of the 10-year residency requirement for immigrant seniors to access Old Age Security benefits down to 3 years.
Current situation
Bill C-362 passed the First and Second Readings in the House of Commons, and the committee reviewing it has not been making any changes to it. On September 15, 2008 the bill will enter its Third Reading.
For more information, visit http://www.ccnctoronto.ca/seniors/isan.html (at the bottom of the page there is a specific link to Bill C-362 - An Act to Amend the Old Age Security Act), or contact Karen Sun, Executive Director, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto: e-mail karen@ccnctoronto.ca or phone 416-596 0833.
Submitted by: Luis A. D’Elia
[1] ISAN is comprised of the Old Age Benefits Forum, the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter, the African Canadian Social Development Council, the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, and the Hispanic Development Council.
from Jim Gurnett
___________________
Bill C- 362 Frequently Raised Concerns
This is going to cost the government too much money.
For the impact that this will make to immigrant families and the impact that it will having in reducing poverty and building healthy communities, this is a very affordable investment for the government to make.
The reality is that immigrant families are struggling. Lack of childcare and lack of access to professions by immigrants with foreign credentials mean that many newcomer families are having a hard time settling and making ends meet. The opportunity for adult children to bring their parents to Canada brings an incredible amount of support to that family. Government support for immigrant seniors is an equitable and affordable way to support newcomer families.
Why should we give immigrant seniors money if they haven't contributed anything to Canada?
One senior answered this question by saying, “We have given Canada our most important asset, our children!”
OAS is not a contribution based program, like CPP or EI, no one pays directly into OAS in order to receive benefits. This program was first introduced in 1952 recognizing the need by Canadian seniors for support. However the demographics of Canada have changed and the cost of living has also changed. It is time to update this Act so that all seniors living in Canada are able to access this support in an equitable way.
The reality is that seniors do continue to contribute to society even when they stop working. This is no different for immigrant seniors. An overwhelming majority of immigrant seniors help to take care of their grandchildren, so that both parents can work. Many immigrant seniors are active in the community, participating and organizing activities and events.
Many more immigrant seniors would like to be more active in the community, but the lack of income security limits their ability to get involved. Poverty means that they cannot afford public transportation, they can not afford to buy small presents for their grandchildren, they cannot afford to go for lunch with friends. This isolation can be very difficult for seniors to bear and can have physical and psychological impacts on their health.
Immigrant seniors are greedy and they come to Canada expecting our taxpayers to support them.
It is not easy to leave your homeland as a senior and this decision is never taken lightly. Seniors come to Canada because they want to be reunited with their children and grandchildren. In many cultures it is expected that children will take care of their parents in their retirement. Also, seniors see their children struggling and come to support them, particularly with respect to taking care of the grandchildren so that both parents are able to work fulltime.
No one is going to get rich from OAS payments. For anyone on a fixed income, you know how difficult it can be to make ends meet. Imagine your life if you had no income and were totally dependent on your savings and your adult children for 10 years. This, as you can imagine is an extremely stressful situation for immigrant families and the seniors in particular.
Immigrant seniors are irresponsible for not planning for their retirement.
In many cultures having children is an investment for retirement. Many immigrant seniors do have some kind of pension or savings in their retirement, but the cost of relocating to Canada combined with the exchange rate and the relatively high cost of living quickly deplete any savings they might have had.
Frequently Raised Concerns from Immigrant Communities
Shhh, if we ask for too much the government will take Old Age Security from everyone!
There are too many voting Canadians who are receiving OAS for the government to get rid of the whole program. Besides, this Bill has already been put forward by an elected official and been publicly supported by all three opposition parties during debates in the House of Commons. They will not be debating whether or not we should get rid of OAS, they will only be debating whether or not more people should have access to OAS.
Shhh, if we ask for too much the Canadian government won't allow any more of our parents into the country!
Immigration is important to the Canadian economy. Immigrants will soon account for 100% of growth in the labour market. Canada is depending on immigrants to keep the country running. Allowing seniors to join their families and supporting them through OAS is an equitable way for the government to support immigrant families, particularly in light of the fact that we have no national childcare program.
Aren't some immigrants already getting OAS before the 10 year requirement?
Canada has reciprocal agreements with 51 countries, most of which are in Europe but include places like Australia and the United States. Many of Canada's newest immigrants are now coming from places like India, China, and Africa. These countries do not currently have reciprocal agreements. It can take a long time to negotiate these agreements and in some cases other governments are not interested in having these discussions.
If the reality on the ground is that immigrant families in Canada are struggling, then it makes sense to develop internal policies and programs to address these issues rather than wait for the agreement of another country before moving forward. This is something that is within the power of the Canadian government to do now.
These new immigrant are a problem. I've heard that some of them have investments overseas that they aren't declaring here in order to get more money from the government.
OAS is not a needs-based program and it is not based on how much savings or income an individual has. All eligible seniors get the same amount of OAS, unless their income is over $102,865/per year, in which case they receive no OAS benefits. It is the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) that takes into account seniors’ income levels. Through GIS, seniors may receive up to an additional $620/month based on their needs, as assessed through their income tax payments.
Bill C-362 is not about the enforcement of fraud. Of course we agree that there should be enforcement against people who are taking more than their fair share, because we see how desperately some seniors and their families could benefit from this support.
*Please address questions to Karen Sun, Executive Director, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto, e-mail: karen@ccnctoronto.ca, ph: 416-596 0833.
from Jim Gurnett
