Updates from the Temporary Foreign Workers Settlement Services Team
Information Session at Our Lady of Guadelupe Hall
The Guest speakers were Tammy Milliken of Labour Standards & Workplace Safety Division, Ninfa Castellanos of the Temporary Foreign Worker Advisory Office, Diane Lee of ServiceCanada Labour Market Opinion Process and Sadhna Gupta from the Labour Attraction Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program.
A special thank you to everyone who assisted with the coordination of this event, the Temporary Foreign Worker Settlement Services team, Remy Lastiwka for coordinating all the volunteers and the registrations, Yohannes Yirsaw and Stephanos Habashi for helping with the crowd management, refreshments and event set up, and for all the help from the EMCN resource service providers and Katrina our Communications Officer for preparing and distributing flyers to promote this event.
Information Session in Westlock, Alberta at the Library of the Heritage Building
It was a pleasure for Remy Lastiwka and Terry Andriuk to present a small Information Session to Temporary Foreign Workers in Westlock, Alberta in the Library of the Heritage Building, Saturday, January 31, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. There were 13 temporary foreign workers in attendance and the information was well received. In rural communities there are limited resources and support for TFWs. There were several TFWs who could not attend the session as they were working. A further information session and perhaps a social will be coordinated in the near future.
Submitted by Terry Andriuk
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Preventing Violence
Irvin Waller notes work in the US on prevention. He points to the US Prevention Institute's approach to preventing violence that focuses on developing strategy, tools, and capacity to address the complex underlying contributors to violence. Their work addresses multiple forms of violence (e.g. school, community, family, intimate partner, sexual) and acknowledges the relationships amongst and from which they stem.
http://www.preventioninstitute.org/violenceprev.html . A quote from their site: "Violence - in its multiple forms - is prevalent in far too many homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. It results in death, injury, trauma, disability, and fear, stymies worker productivity and academic achievement, contributes to the deterioration of families and communities, and carries a heavy financial burden. By reducing risk factors, strengthening resilience factors, and changing norms, violence can be prevented."
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Re-Engergize
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Broadcast Notice - Canadian Documentary Premiere on OMNI.2
Whose Sharia is it anyway?
Sharia Law in Ontario
English-language version to air:
- Monday, February 16th at 11PM ET on OMNI.2 in Ontario
- Sunday, February 22nd at 10PM MT on OMNI in Alberta
- Sunday, February 22nd at 8PM PT on OMNI in BC
A documentary first for acclaimed writer Raheel Raza, Whose Sharia is it anyway? focuses, through the eyes of a new convert to Islam, on a proposal to use Islamic sharia law to settle family disputes in the province of Ontario.
Whose Sharia is it anyway? explores the pros and cons of the issue with questions from supporters and detractors alike. Among them:
- How will sharia affect freedom of religion under Canada’s constitution?
- How do members of the community view this proposal?
- Will the law be fair to women?
Whose Sharia is it anyway? is exclusively funded through OMNI's Independent Producers Initiative, a $32.5 million independent production fund that to date has supported over 200 new documentary programmes. Interested producers can access funding criteria at OMNI Television’s web site http://www.omnitv.ca/ontario/info/funds .
About Raheel Raza:
Raheel Raza was born in Pakistan and cites her experience growing up in a patriarchal culture – where women were supposed to “be seen and not heard” -- as the reason for her turn to writing at a young age. Today she is a world renowned, award winning writer, professional speak, diversity consultant and interfaith advocate who regularly bridges the gap between East and West, promoting cultural and religious diversity. Raza has appeared in print, on television and radio, and has received many awards for her work to build bridges of understanding. Among her many firsts, Raheel Raza is the first Muslim woman in Canada to lead mixed gender prayers.
About Rogers OMNI
Rogers OMNI is a free, over-the-air multilingual/multicultural television system made up of five regional broadcasters serving nine major markets across Canada: in BC (Vancouver and Victoria); Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton), and in Ontario (Ottawa-Gatineau, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area) via flagship stations OMNI.1 and OMNI.2. All Rogers OMNI stations share the collective mandate to reflect Canada’s diversity through the airing of inclusive and accessible programming, and are part of Rogers Media Inc., a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. In addition to specializing in Canadian multilingual/multicultural programming, OMNI carries well-known American and International series and films – including a station-wide schedule of Chinese Super Cinema and South Asian Bollywood Freetime Movies.
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To secure a screening copy of Whose Sharia is it anyway? photos for print or to interview anyone associated with its production please contact:
OMNI Media Contact:
- Sandy Zwyer - Programme Information Coordinator, 416-260-3590 sandy.zwyer@rci.rogers.com
- Koreen Ott – Director of Marketing & PR, 416-764-3250
koreen.ott@rci.rogers.com
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CCR New Initiative
The Canadian Council for Refugees is launching a new initiative to address the unfair burden of government requests for DNA testing for refugees seeking family reunification. The CCR has long been concerned that many refugees, especially those from Africa, are required to submit to these intrusive, costly and time-consuming tests, in order to reunite with immediate family members.
Thanks to a donation from a private family foundation, the CCR will be administering a fund of $10,000, which will be available to cover the costs for some families of DNA testing.
Applications to this fgund may only be made by organizations that are members of CCR. EMCN is NOT a CCR member, but MCC and CSS are and it may be possible to work in cooperation with one of them if a situation arises with someone where an EMCN staff person is assisting. Orlando works part time for MCC and could provide more information with this.
The cases funded will be used by the CCR, as part of our efforts for systemic change, to illustrate the hardship of DNA testing and the fact that it is not only requested as a last resort.*
*Criteria
To be considered, cases must:
1. Be submitted by a CCR member organization.
2. Involve children (minors) seeking reunification with their family.
3. Have been told by CIC that DNA testing is required.
4. Show a compelling special case of financial need (e.g. illness or
disability, or very large family and low revenue) and no alternative
sources of funding to cover all the costs.
To receive a copy of the application form, CCR members should write to
jdench@ccrweb.ca.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Save The Date! WCHRI Research Day 2009
Women & Children's Health Research Institute (WCHRI) Research Day 2009
Wednesday, November 25th 2009
Westin Hotel
Additional details will be provided as they are confirmed.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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ANIW – Workshops
Alberta Network of Immigrant Women will host 2 free all day workshops, funded by Citizenship and Immigration Ottawa, in Edmonton on Feb 20 and Feb 21. These workshops aren't anti-racism but empower visible minority women to identify and address such issues at workplaces and in the society instead of internalizing it. Each workshop accommodates max. 20 participants and please encourage your clients, friends and members to register.
Please contact me without any hesitations if you require further information. Thank you for your time!
Regards,
Nicky Liao - Project Coordinator
Alberta Network of Immigrant Women
#205 1409 Edmonton Trail NE
Calgary AB T2E 3K8
Tel: (403) 262-8040
www.aniw.org
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Bill C-291
Thierry St-Cyr, the Bloc québécois immigration critic, has tabled a private member's bill to compel introduction of the Refugee Appeal Division. It is Bill C-291.
For strategic reasons, the bill is the same text as the previous bill, C-280, as amended by the Senate. Since that text had almost completed passage through both the House and the Senate in the last Parliament, MPs and Senators have no reason not to support the speedy adoption of Bill C-291.
Please urge your MP to support rapid passage of Bill C-291. For more information, see the CCR campaign page: http://www.ccrweb.ca/eng/campaigns/RADaction.htm
Thierry is also asking groups to sign a statement calling on all MPs to be present at the vote and support the bill. His letter and the form to fill in are available (in French) at:
http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/SARlettre-stcyr.pdf
http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/SARformulaire.pdf
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Michael Shuman
Michael Shuman is coming to Edmonton. Shuman is an economist, author and advocate for sustainable growth and local economies.
Local Economies at the U of A
Time and Place
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009
Time:7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: TELUS Building, Room 150, University of Alberta
City/Town: Edmonton, AB
Tickets are available at Earths General Store or at the door.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Transforming Acculturative Stress Into Success (TASIS)
Submitted by Helen Rusich
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Temporary Foreign Workers Event Feb. 24
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Money Talks – A Seminar Series for New Canadians
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Hope, Resilience and Psychological Trauma Conference Package
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Free Family Day Dinner!
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The Impact of Violence on Learning
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Sri Lanka
Dear friends,
250,000 desperate civilians are caught in the crossfire of Sri Lanka's civil war. U.S. Secretary of State Clinton will be briefed on the number of messages sent by Avaaz members urging protection for civilians -- click below to easily send one now:
Take Action Now
In Sri Lanka, Asia's longest-running and often forgotten civil war is coming to a bloody climax, with 250,000 desperate civilians trapped in the crossfire.
The US government, Sri Lanka's biggest trade partner and one of its biggest development and military aid donors, has the most influence. The US has called for safe zones to protect civilians, but needs to use real diplomatic pressure to persuade both sides to agree to this, making clear that aid and trade deals as well as international legal consequences could be at stake.
Senior US diplomats have agreed to brief Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the number of messages sent by Avaaz members over the next few days -- and to respond to our messages in writing. This is a real chance to persuade the Obama team to play a constructive role in this serious crisis. Click here to easily send a pre-written or personalized message now:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/sri_lanka_civilians
There have been atrocities and tragedies on both sides of Sri Lanka's long war -- most of them unrecorded and hidden from the world, due to the government's brutal campaign against independent journalism. The end of the fighting won't, by itself, resolve the injustices that ultimately caused it; after the guns are silenced, the legitimate concerns of the Tamil and other minority groups must be addressed throughout the political dialogue and reconstruction that will follow.
But right now, in these final weeks or days of fighting, the quarter-million trapped Tamil civilians must not become the war's final casualties.
Let's add our voices to those activists and human rights advocates who throughout the years have fought against the marginalisation of minority groups and the deterioration of basic rights across Sri Lanka.
Click here to urge U.S. Secretary of State Clinton -- Obama's top diplomat – to support the threatened civilians in Sri Lanka:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/sri_lanka_civilians
With hope,
Luis, Ben, Graziela, Ricken, Paula, Alice, Iain, Pascal, Paul, Milena, and the rest
of the Avaaz team
SOURCES:
Press Release by Human Rights Watch on appalling situation of civilians in Sri Lanka
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/02/03/sri-lanka-disregard-civilian-safety-appalling
United States and United Kingdom Joint Statement on the Humanitarian Situation in
Sri Lanka, 3 February 2009
http://srilanka.usembassy.gov/sdpr-3feb09.html
"Sri Lanka Rebuffs Pleas for Truce, Says Rebellion Near End" - New York Times, 5
February 2009
http://www.avaaz.org/sri2b
Joint Statement by the so-called Tokyo Co-Chairs (Norway, Japan, US and EU)
expressing great concern about the plight of Sri Lankan civilians
http://www.avaaz.org/sri1
News release by the International Committee of the Red Cross on repeated shelling
and evacuation of hospital in the conflict zone
http://www.avaaz.org/sri2
Q A: Sri Lanka crisis, by BBC News
http://www.avaaz.org/sri3
Global media rights groups condemn "culture of impunity and indifference" in Sri Lanka
http://www.avaaz.org/sri4
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
