Health bond for immigrants mulled

By: Staff Writer

OTTAWA — Elderly immigrants cost the government approximately $3 billion annually in health care, while those older than 50 who have worked, have never reported earning more than $15,000 a year, figures suggest.

The figures are contained in a memo produced before the government froze the parent and grandparent stream and introduced a 10-year, multiple-entry super-visa that requires visiting relatives to show proof of a year’s worth of health insurance as a stopgap measure while Ottawa deals with a huge backlog in applications.

It suggests the government has concerns about the cost of elderly immigrants.

Released through access to information and prepared for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney in “response to a request for information regarding the cost of health care to senior immigrants and the contribution that parents and grandparents make to household income,” the memo raises questions about whether Canada might be moving toward a two-tier health-care system for newcomers.

It suggests some 2,712 refugees older than 65 cost the government $7.4 million in 2000-2010. Based on data collected between 1980 and 2010, Citizenship and Immigration estimates there were about 275,000 immigrant parents and grandparents over 65 living in Canada in 2010 at a cost of nearly $3 billion a year for health care.

The cost for a newcomer senior who lives to age 85 years was cited at about $160,000.

Burnaby recognized for circus rec program

By Staff Writer – Burnaby NewsLeader

The City of Burnaby has won a provincial Award of Excellence for its circus program.

The award, from the BC Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA), recognizes the program which was developed as a way to introduce physical activity to children from immigrant and low-income families.

The aim was to create such a program with a non-competitive environment that could also be easily communicated to children with varying levels of English speaking skills. It was designed so children worked through increasingly difficult activities.

The program took place after school in a school gymnasium with the Burnaby school district providing the free space and sponsors were found to allow it to be offered free of charge. Participation was strong with 119 children and 16 volunteers involved.

The Program Excellence Award recognizes creative, successful and innovative programs which may serve as an example of outstanding achievement in public recreation services programming.

“The City of Burnaby identified a need and came up with a novel program that created a safe place for children to learn new skills while being active and social,” said BCRPA chief executive officer Suzanne Allard Strutt. “The program excelled in promoting recreation and physical activity to what can be a hard to reach part of the community.”

How immigrants affect the economy: Weighing the benefits and costs

JOE FRIESEN

A few months after arriving in Canada in 2005, Edwin Sonsona was working 20 hours a day at six different jobs. He began each morning at 3 a.m., delivering the local newspaper.

By the time the sun was up he would don a uniform to flip hamburgers at McDonald’s for $7.25 an hour. He rushed packages around town as a courier and set up store displays for Coca-Cola. Then he would go to a warehouse where he supervised the unloading of clothing destined for Winners stores. In the evenings he delivered Kentucky Fried Chicken until 11 p.m.

He kept up that pace for a year, sleeping four hours a night and taking one day a week to dedicate to his church. It was exhausting, but everyone told him he needed to gain Canadian experience.

“I said to myself, ‘I’m starting from scratch. Nobody’s going to help you,’ “ Mr. Sonsona said. “Moving from your native land, if you’re not motivated, you’re not going to be successful – you’re going to be a sour-grapes man.”

Mr. Sonsona’s experience illustrates many of the hardships faced by immigrants over the last 30 years: Although he has an engineering degree and had been a mid-level employee at a multinational company in the Philippines, Canadian employers gave Mr. Sonsona entry-level, low-skill jobs. Even when working six of them, Mr. Sonsona was still earning less than $30,000 per year, substantially below the Canadian average, meaning he was contributing a relatively small amount in taxes.

The Canadians of Pakistani Origin (COPO) of Ontario hosted their 10th Annual Fundraising Gala on Friday at the Crystal Fountain Banquet Hall, raising enough funds to surpass their $1 million commitment to Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation’s $50 million expansion campaign.

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 | Posted by The Weekly Voice
Canadians of Pakistani Origin Donate $1 Million To Markham Stouffville Hospital Expansion Project
Markham: The Canadians of Pakistani Origin (COPO) of Ontario hosted their 10th Annual Fundraising Gala on Friday at the Crystal Fountain Banquet Hall, raising enough funds to surpass their $1 million commitment to Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation’s $50 million expansion campaign.

This sold out event with 700 guests, including politicians, diplomats, community leaders and philanthropists, celebrated Pakistan National Day at the 2012 Gala, raising over $300,000 bringing COPO’s total contribution to the hospital to more than $1.1 million.

Organization will eliminate some programs, cut staff by half

By Julianna Cummins, edmontonjournal.com

Charlene Hay fights racism

EDMONTON — An Edmonton organization that promotes racial harmony and education is facing a massive budget cut after Citizenship and Immigration Canada notified the group they will no longer receive funding from the federal department.

“We’re still here. We’re not going away. We’ll just have far less capacity,” said Charlene Hay, executive director of the Centre for Race and Culture.

Last week, Hay was informed by the organization’s contact at Citizenship and Immigration Canada that their funding would be cut. The Edmonton-based centre is dedicated to programming, research and education that addresses racism and discrimination.

The money from Citizenship and Immigration made up about half the total funding the centre receives in any given year. For the past few years, the centre received roughly $500,000 annually from the federal department, Hay said.

“It was something that we expected would be renewed again,” Hay said.

At least in the short-term, Hay said she will have to look at eliminating some programs and cut about half of the centre’s 14 staff positions.

Best, an African Canadian lawyer and community activist, was born in Jamaica. She was educated at the University of Toronto at Scarborough and Osgoode Hall Law School. She holds a Mutual Fund Certificate from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada. She is a mother, an avid gardener who loves the arts and has a passion for writing.

Ontario bill targets ‘cellphone shock’
The Canadian Press Posted: Apr 12, 2012 12:24 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 12, 2012 4:17 PM ET

Too many Ontarians are being hit with unexpected charges on their cellphone and smart phone bills, Consumer Services Minister Margarett Best said Thursday as she promised new legislation to govern wireless service contracts.

The issue is consistently among the top 10 consumer complaints to her ministry, Best told reporters.

“One common problem we are responding to is the cell shock that many consumers experience upon opening their monthly bill,” she said.