The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 23

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The International News Weekly REGIONAL December 01, 2017 | Toronto 02 Gurpreet's motion to cut senior bus pass rates denied BRAMPTON: Councillor Gurpreet Dhillon has expressed his disappointment in Council’s decision to deny his motion to be considered in the City of Brampton’s 2018 budget. The motion would have reduced the seniors’ monthly bus pass rate from $52.00 to $15.00 with no immediate cost or negative budget impact. “This proposal was cost neutral and also satisfied an increasing need,” said Councillor Dhillon. “With auto insurance, gas prices, taxes, and the cost of living all skyrocketing, this motion would have helped a vulnerable and growing sector of society,” said Councillor Dhillon. The motion outlined that the approximate $75,000 annual shortfall for the new rate would have been funded for a period of four years by transferring the 2017 Façade Program’s remaining budget of $300,000, and any costs thereafter to be absorbed by future transit revenue growth. The Façade Program, which Councillor Dhillon has continuously opposed due to it favouring downtown businesses only, funds the cosmetic changes to businesses in the downtown core by providing grants to land and business owners. “I don’t understand why Council did not see the immediate need for investing in reducing seniors’ transit costs, while they continue to waste millions on initiatives like the Façade Program, raising their own salaries and pensions, and giving $1.5 million to a private hockey team,” said Councillor Dhillon. “Our seniors deserve better. “With more and more of our seniors being forced to work, or solely depending on Old Age Security and pensions, getting by is becoming a challenge for them. This proposal would have helped their pocket books, as well as allowing them to become more active and socially engaged in the community.” Patrick Brown promises 12% cut in hydro bills The Canadian Parvasi MISSISSAUGA: Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown has promised to lower the average hydro bill by an additional 12 percent if his party forms the next government. Speaking in Burlington yesterday, Brown said this will save $173 per household annually. Laying it out as part of his Ontario PC plan, Brown said under Kathleen Wynne hydro rates have tripled. As a result, families now pay $1,000 more than when the Liberals took office. He said the Liberals have accepted $1.3 million in donations from companies who received thousands of energy contracts. These "sweetheart deals'' have resulted in families overpaying by $9.2 billion for hydro. Kathleen Wynne also sold off the publicly-owned Hydro One in a fire sale to reward her donors and friends. Sahara Senior Services celebrated Diwali Sahara Senior Services Club celebrated Diwali on Friday November10th, 2017. It was beautifully organized by the club organizers in Royal Banquet Hall and was celebrated with great hustle and bustle.MP Gagan Sikand, Honor. MPP Dipika Damerla, MPP Amrit Mangat, Nina Tangri, Bernard Jordan and many more leaders were present at this celebration. Ashok Bharti and Sushma Aggarwal introduced each other and Ashok Bharti introduced Urmil Sandhawalia. Club’s Vice President Urmil Sandhawalia honored and thanked all the guests and praised President Narinder Singh Dhuga’s hard work and efforts in establishing Sahara Senior Services Club. She also praised Manjit Dhuga for working very hard and for organizing our events. President Narinder Dhuga honored and thanked all the guests. He thanked Diwali Committee for working so hard so that we all could enjoy a well-planned Diwali event. He also gave introduction on Diwali Festival and proudly stated that Sahara Senior Services represents more female members than male members. Sumesh Nanda took group pictures for all of them. Diwali Dyas were lit up by MP Gagan Sikand, Honor. MPP Dipika Damerla, MPP Amrit Mangat, Nina Tangri, Bernard Jordan and by Club’s Board of Directors. Sumesh Nanda took pictures of all beautiful moments. MP Gagan Sikand, MPP Dipika Damerla, MPP Amrit Mangat, Nina Tangri and Bernard Jordan spoke highly about Sahara Senior Services Club and appreciated its uniqueness as it holds large number of women as club members. They all praised Narinder Dhuga’s hard work and efforts in collaboration with members in starting Sahara Senior Services Club and growing it day by day. Jagmeet says Indigenous languages ignored in Canada Continued from page 01 some who had hoped an Indigenous candidate would be chosen. But after his idea generated friction within his own caucus, Singh issued a statement to clarify he "strongly" believes that Supreme Court justices be bilingual with a functional understanding of both French and English, adding it is the only way to ensure Canadians access justice in an official language. Indigenous rights must also be recognized and defended, Singh said, noting Indigenous languages have historically been "grossly overlooked" in Canadian institutions. "I am open to hearing suggestions of how to remain fully committed to bilingual judges while supporting the advancement of judges from Indigenous communities," he said. "It's my sincere hope that we will see, in near future, a Supreme Court Justice from a First Nation, Metis or Inuit background." Earlier on Wednesday, Singh said there needs to be an understanding of the unique situation Indigenous communities have faced and a recognition of Indigenous languages. "I would say in general our position as a party is that we support bilingualism," Singh said. "It's important as a nation that has two official languages that we support bilingualism with respect to judges but there is a specific case to be made for the Indigenous community." The remarks touched off pushback from NDP MPs. "That is not a position of the NDP," Quebec lieutenant Alexandre Boulerice said. "He knows it ... but we are ready to work with anybody from the Aboriginal community to ... see how we can integrate more efficiently Aboriginal languages." NDP justice critic Murray Rankin said Singh's original comments were not in keeping with the NDP's position stipulating judges must be bilingual to sit on Canada's top court. The party's official languages critic had put forward a private members' bill to enshrine the bilingual requirement into law but it was defeated."We are trying essentially deal with two streams of rights," Rankin said. "The need to be more representative, particularly for the Indigenous ... legal traditions on the court and at the same time, an ironclad commitment to bilingualism which the NDP has long had as its policy." Justice Minister Jody Wilson- Raybould, who is Aboriginal, said Wednesday she suspects many current Indigenous judges will apply for positions on the top court in the future. All the leaders gave their blessings for club’s growth and success. Congratulations certificates were received from MP Gagan Sikand, MPP Dipika Damerla, Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown and Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne. Maninder Kalra, Roop Kahlon, Surinder Dhami and Jyotsna Davda presented Arti Song from a Film. It was recited very well. Sukhpal Chodda and Kuldip Gosal performed solo dance with their favorite songs. Mohini Bharti sang her favorite song. Rekha Uppal and Suman Sodhi danced with a beautiful song from a Mughal-E- Azam movie. It was enjoyed by everyone. “Hips Don’t Lie” Bollywood Dance was presented by three girls who were enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. Punjabi Gidha with Bolian was presented by Sukhpal Chodda, Maninder Kalra, Rekha Uppal, Surinder Dhami, Roop Kahlon and Jyotsna Davda. Sukhraj Nijjar sang Hindi and Punjabi songs with his band which were enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. Dance floor was full. The door prizes were drawn which were enjoyed by all the winners. Dance floor was filled with dance lovers as DJ was played and everyone had a chance to dance and to enjoy the rest of the evening. Sumesh Nanda captured every beautiful moment with his photography. Everyone enjoyed tasty snacks and dinner. (For any information about Sahara Senior Services, visit our website at www.saharaseniorservices.com or email tosaharass2015@ gmail.com or Call Narinder Dhuga at 416-985-5336) Sikh extremists abroad behind Punjab killings: NIA Continued from page 01 NIA officials said the arrested shooters have admitted their involvement in the killing of Gosain as well as in seven other incidents of murder or attempted to murder in Punjab that have taken place since January 2016. The killing of the RSS leader was the latest in a series of murderous attacks on right-wing and religious leaders in Punjab. "Targets in these incidents generally were members of the RSS and Hindu organisations." In July 2017, the shooters also murdered a Christian pastor named Sultan Masih in Ludhiana, the officials said. They said a conspiracy to "destabilize Punjab has been hatched by Sikh extremist elements and others located in various parts of the world including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan". "The investigation conducted so far has revealed channelling of funds from foreign countries for execution of these incidents.
The International News Weekly December 01, 2017 | Toronto 03 Joyeeta Dutta Ray Contributing Editor Toronto has always been a magnet for new immigrants. Some come here to escape bullets. Some come to fill up their wallets. Some are here to breathe in unpolluted air. Over the last few years however, more and more skilled immigrants have traded their Permanent Resident garlands for a rosy life elsewhere. The Toronto Star reports that every province and territory except for Ontario, saw immigration numbers rise drastically. Whereas in Ontario, the numbers dropped from 133,600 to 99,500. The reason is almost always one of the two: Unemployment or underemployment! This was seldom the case even a couple of decades back. When Mila Lebuda fled to Toronto from communist Poland in 1991 at the age of 21, the country embraced her with open arms. It did not matter that she did not speak English or that she didn’t have much work experience. The grounds for adopting her were purely humanitarian. “Canada gave me a new lease of life” she says. This is where she met her future husband, Vlad Lebuda another Polish immigrant like her. She made money as a caregiver. He drove a truck. As finances improved, their lifestyle did too. For Mila, the biggest barrier was language. Once that hurdle was crossed, life was sunshine and tulips. However, not everyone finds the same success in Canada! Mila’s tech-savvy Polish friend, Aron* (named changed for privacy) had higher ambitions. He went back to Poland as soon as conditions improved. “There are better opportunities there now. Despite living here for 10 years, he never got his due,” says Mila. Not surprising! Statistics Canada reports that even after being in Canada for 15 years, immigrants with a university degree are more likely than the native-born to be in low-skilled jobs. New Immigration Policies; New People There’s a shift in trends. As new policies replace older ones, immigrants flying in to Canada now, are visibly different than those who came in earlier. They are better educated, better versed in English and better positioned professionally. There’s a reason behind that. Earlier Canada took in more unskilled workers to meet economic needs. But recruitment efforts for skilled workers, entrepreneurs and investors are the need of the hour now. “Since 2006, the government has made dramatic changes to the federal skilled workers program by raising language requirements, restricting eligibility to specific professions and pre-screening applicants’ foreign credentials”, says the Toronto Star. Yet, these very skilled immigrants are the ones who are having it rough. For Roopa Rakshit who moved with her husband and 12 year old son to Thunder Bay (Ontario) from Thailand in 2012, migration was a decision based on being located closer to their daughter who was studying in UBC, Vancouver. It was an intimidating prospect at a stage in their lives when they were well-settled professionally. But they were confident that their international resumes would open doors. They were in for a surprise! It took Roopa 4 years to find a job suited to her skills. “I was an environmentalist in a United Nations affiliated organization in my previous life (Bangkok). While my International experience was appreciated, I was made to realize that I fell short of the “Canadian experience.“ In the race to build her “Canadianess”, Roopa sprinted on the volunteering path, networked along the way and picked up a scholarship for PHD at Lakehead University. That was the trophy that gave her the much needed break. “It was my research topic on energy planning with the First Nations people that led me to my current job in a First Nations Technical Services Organization.” Malak Ahmed, who moved from Egypt in August 2016 with her husband and three daughters, has a similar story. She was a Business Unit Director in a leading advertising agency in Cairo. Despite her fancy title and a McGill Graduate Certificate, no employer was ready to lay out the red carpet for her. “While I did expect to work my way up, I didn’t expect to stumble so many steps down the ladder in the process. I was surprised that a city that boasted of a high rate of immigration would put so much emphasis on 'Canadian experience'!” To cross the barrier, her next step was to get an employment agency to rewrite her CV. That’s quite another story. The Great Canadian Resume Few countries have elevated the resume to such heights. It’s almost an art form here, based not on jotting down your skills but how strategically you phrase them. No matter how clipped your English, how impressive your name card or how many reference letters you come armed with, it’s hard for foreigners to master this skill. Only Canadians know the trick! They have ingeniously made a business out of it, creating employment for themselves to help clueless newcomers like Malak. When the planets finally aligned to bless her with a job, the pay didn’t match up to her qualifications. But despite it all, Malak chooses to stay on. “After the revolution in Cairo, the economy struggled and so did we. But it’s all been worthwhile. We like the cultural diversity here. The kids love their schools.” Easy to see how soaring cost of living, rising crime and jobs with unscrupulous hours in Cairo make Canada seem like Disneyland. For Alexa, who came from Honduras (Central America) to North York, the road was as rough. She arrived armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, a Masters in Marketing, 5 years at an International Telecommunications company and dreams to make it big. None of these made things any easier! “I was a Marketing and Sales Manager at Huawei Technologies in Honduras. The biggest challenge for me was to start my career from the bottom up.” But she wouldn’t head back either. “Honduras is a small country where 50% of people live in poverty. There is a high rate of homicides and corruption.” In contrast, Canada offers commuting safety, free education and healthcare. The choice is clear! Escaping corruption was high on the list for Marcia to move from Brazil as well. She arrived with her husband in Toronto in 2016. “The social discrepancy of wealth makes for very dangerous streets, with thefts happening everywhere” she says. While it’s a dream to stroll around North America’s safest metropolitan“without fear of getting mugged”, the Marketing professional who worked for 9 years in a leading multinational company, found it hard to find a job. It took her 3 months to find full-time employment and when she did, the job was an entry level position in Customer Service that paid less than she expected because of her lack of “Canadian Experience”. The Great Canadian Resumé “You feel like your experience in a foreign country is devalued because you haven’t applied it in Canada. Recruiters tend to disqualify you too”, she says. Canada: More dependent on new immigrants than ever Canada thrives on new immigrants to bring in the bucks. Estimates from the Conference Board of Canada reveal that if Canadian employers recognized and rewarded immigrant skills, the country would earn an additional $10 million annually. Instead, every year, Canada loses valuable doctors, engineers, accountants and marketing professionals to the USA, where “American Experience” is an unheard of criterion! While others take up blue collar jobs that don’t do justice to their skills. Local employers argue that “Canadian Experience” assures understanding of the soft skills essential for success here. However, it pays for them to remember that the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) has laid down a strict declaration that “Canadian Experience” is discrimination and can only be used in very limited circumstances. Interestingly enough, smaller cities and rural areas in Canada have set a better example. In 2013, Moncton, New Brunswick ran career fairs that encouraged employers to PLATINUM MORTGAGES For All Your Mortgage Needs 2ND MORTGAGE No Credit Check No Job-Income Verification No Application Same Day Approval 1st Mortgage Starting from 2.25% OAC Special Rates For Refinancing We can close private 1st and 2nd Mortgage in 48 hrs Kanwaljit S. Dhunna Mortgage Broker Dir: 416-301-1976 Lic: M08002472 hire immigrants. In Manitoba the tiny cities of Winkler and Morden have not just drawn newcomers in large numbers with their successful immigration programs, but also helped them settle in to a quality lifestyle. How can Ontario follow suit? Roopa suggests, “Employers should be encouraged to accept professional immigrants to maximize on their experience. The integration can include in-house orientation.” Marcia agrees. “There should be more incentives from the government to encourage companies to hire qualified foreigners in appropriate positions. The success of the immigration policy should be measured not by the number of people who come in but by the number of people who stay on successfully in the country.” For a country that prides itself on being humanitarian, learning from the smaller towns and listening to the less heard voices could be the key to turning things around before an ageing population and shrinking birth rate get the better of the nation. (Joyeeta Dutta Ray is a freelance senior writer, editor and published author operating out of her own consultancy, Creative Joy. She can be reached on joyeeta.ray@gmail.com. Twitter handle: @joeyday20) (Credit Source: This article by Joyeeta Dutta Ray was first published in the New Canadian Media) 1st & 2nd Mortgages Refinancing & Renewal Line of Credit Debt Consolidation Self Employed Truck Loan Equipment Leasing Bad Credit Platinum Mortgages Inc. 215 Advance Blvd., , Unit #7, Brampton, ON L6T 4V9 FSCO #11992
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The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 23

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