Canadian Immigrant - November 2023

Volume 20 Issue 5 | 2023

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SUCCEED.

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MULTIMEDIA

VISIONARY

OCAD University’s President Ana Serrano

is playing a key role in shaping Canada’s

arts and culture sector

‘YOU START TO BELIEVE

IN HUMANITY AGAIN’

Canada continues to provide a

warm welcome to refugees and

displaced people

Award-winning

scientist

Dr. Housheng He

is at the

forefront of

cancer research

BUILDING A CAREER

IN SKILLED TRADES

CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA | 1

CONTENTS

Volume 20 Issue 5, 2023

4 FUSION

PROFILE: Aldo de Jong is leveraging innovation to

drive change

HUMOUR BY HEMETERIO

NEWS: Survey reveals shifting attitudes towards

immigration in the country

8 COVER STORY

Multimedia visionary: OCAD University’s President

Ana Serrano is playing a key role in shaping the arts

and culture sector in Canada

12 FEATURE

Building a career in skilled trades: Considered grunt

work by some, a career in skilled trades can be

financially and creatively rewarding

22 PROFILE

At the forefront of cancer research: Chinese-Canadian

Dr. Housheng He is an award-winning scientist

making significant contributions to the study of

cancer

24 LIVING

Through its unique programs, Canada has provided

a warm welcome to refugees and displaced people

WELLNESS: Are you mindful or is your mind full?

28 MONEY AND BUSINESS

MANAGING YOUR FINANCES: Credit card vs. cash

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Entrepreneurs are vital for

Canada’s economic growth

16 CAREERS AND EDUCATION

HIGHER LEARNING: Why internships matter and

how you can find one

CAREER COACH: Impostor syndrome in the

workplace

19 SETTLEMENT

IMMIGRATION LAW: Significant Benefit Work

Permits

Societal approach to settlement is key to change says

Samina Sami, CEO of COSTI


VOLUME 20, ISSUE 5

2023

Group Publisher

Sanjay Agnihotri

Editor

Ramya Ramanathan

rramanathan@metroland.com

Editorial Design

Safi Nomani

FUSION

People. News. Information.

ALDO

DE JONG

Leveraging innovation

to drive change

By Ramya Ramanathan

4

Brand Manager

Ricky Bajaj

rbajaj@metroland.com

Tel: 416 856 6304

Assistant Manager

Laura Jackman

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General Inquiries:

info@canadianimmigrant.ca

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ISSN 1910-4146

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 20 Issue 5 | 2023

Aldo de Jong is on a mission to make the

world a better place through innovation

and entrepreneurship. With experience in

multinational organizations like Meta (formerly the

Facebook company) and GE, he has spent most of his

career creating and working with leading startups.

Born in the Netherlands, de Jong lived in Spain for

over a decade and, in 2016, moved to Canada with

his family to establish a North American presence for

a company he had co-founded in Barcelona. He soon

decided to make Canada home. A father of two kids, in

his free time he can be found walking his dog or playing

the clarinet with the RCM Latin Jazz band at events

across Toronto.

What brought you to Toronto?

I’ve been an entrepreneur seeking to make an impact

by making the world better since high school in the

Netherlands, where I grew up. Toronto is the best

place to be for that. It is the fastest-growing tech hub

in North America, and it has great talent coming out of

the universities and to the city. I moved here with my

family six years ago to continue building the product

innovation and strategy firm Claro Partners, a company

I co-founded in Barcelona. Since 80 per cent of our

work was for American clients, Toronto was the best

choice for establishing a hub for serving clients across

the US, for many reasons including the political and

social climate, the cost of living and ease of immigration

for ourselves and future colleagues.

The single most important aspect of Toronto, that is

dear to my heart and core to my approach to building

companies, is what I call inclusive diversity. Leaders

should work for diversity itself to be inclusive, where

cultural and other differences between people are

sought to be understood and celebrated. This not only

makes anyone feel more welcome, but it also fosters a

work environment that is more enriching, creative and

productive!

What were a couple of challenges?

Making new friends was a key challenge. As a

newcomer, it is very important to build a strong circle

of friends. The welcoming attitude of Canadians to pay

it forward, watching the cherry blossoms, bringing us to

do pumpkin and apple picking with them, and inviting us

for brunch helped a lot. The Internations.org community

[a website connecting expats] has been great as well. This

is where I made most of my new best friends and it’s also

how I met my new love and partner for life!

Another challenge was finding good and reasonably

priced services, like banks and telecoms, since there’s

little competition leading to sub-par services compared

to what I was used to in Europe. In real estate I was

lucky to contribute to changing this, serving as the CEO

of Justo.ca for a couple of years to deliver the best-rated

service in the industry for half of the price.

How did your kids manage the transition?

The transition was quite easy for my children, who

were eight and four years old when we moved here from

Spain as they quickly made friends at their school. After

only seven weeks of living in Canada, my daughter, when

asked by my mother whether she felt Canadian, Dutch

or Spanish, said “Canadian, obviously, grandma!”. The

funny thing is that a couple of months later I started

feeling the same. Even though I lived in Spain for close

to 15 years, I always was the “guiri” there, which is a

term they use for foreigners, a bit like “gringo”.

What are you working on?

I am one of the co-founders and the CEO of Paddio.

ca, a climate-fintech company. We finance and facilitate

climate retrofits for homes, to help homeowners to

reduce their energy bills and their carbon emissions by

replacing the fossil fuel heating system with an electrical

heat pump and improving the insulation, for example.

With many different providers and government rebates,

it’s complex to manage and finance, which is what we

do, free of charge to the homeowner!

What keeps you going when things are tough?

What motivates me most is to see people grow.

That’s why I focus my leadership on empowering people

working with me to grow faster than they imagine

possible. This leads to great results from a high level of

motivation and engagement as well as an organization

that grows in capabilities.

What is your advice for newcomers?

Get out there doing whatever activity you like doing

to meet people and make friends. Do this at least once

per week.

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FUSION

news

Survey reveals shifting attitudes towards

immigration in the country

A national public opinion survey, conducted

by the Environics Institute for Survey Research

and Century Initiative, shows rising concerns

about the extent of immigration in Canada.

This is largely driven by rising concerns

about how newcomers may be contributing to

the current housing crisis. Also contributing

to this change is the fact that over the past year

Canadians have become more negative about

the direction of the country, the economy,

and in governments’ ability to plan for future

challenges.

However, there has been no corresponding

change in how Canadians feel about immigrants

themselves, how they integrate, and what they

contribute to society. The public is much more

likely to say that newcomers make their own

communities a better place than a worse one.

Lisa Lalande, CEO of Century Initiative,

points out that the research “shows that

Canadians have concerns about Canada’s ability

to welcome the number of newcomers we have,

but we are not seeing a rise in xenophobia or

hostility to immigrants themselves.”

“The true significance of this latest shift in

public opinion lies in the fact that it is the first

time in many decades (if ever) that a growing

number of Canadians are questioning how

many immigrants are arriving in the country,

as opposed to who they are and where they

are coming from,” comments Keith Neuman, a

senior associate with the Environics Institute.

Key highlights from the study

The survey reports that more than four in

ten Canadians now strongly or somewhat

agree with the statement, “there is too much

immigration to Canada,” up 17 percentage

points from one year ago and the largest oneyear

change ever recorded on this question.

Those who agree with this statement are most

likely to cite concerns that newcomers may be

contributing to the current housing crisis.

Only one in three Canadians are now satisfied

with the way things are going in the country

today (down 13 percentage points from 2022)

and the level of pessimism about the economy

is comparable to recessions over the past four

decades. As in 2022, Canadians continue to

identify inflation and the cost of living as the

most important issue facing the country, along

with the economy and interest rates with housing

affordability now near the top of the list in 2023.

A strong majority of Canadians continue to

strongly or somewhat agree that “immigration

has a positive impact on the economy of

Canada,” but this proportion has declined by 11

points over the past year and is now at its lowest

level since 1998. Those who are positive about

the impact of immigrants are most likely to say

this is because they add to the local diversity

and multiculturalism, with others emphasizing

economic and population growth benefits.

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COVER STORY

MULTIMEDIA

VISIONARY

OCAD University’s President Ana Serrano is playing

a key role in shaping the arts and culture sector in Canada

By Lisa Evans

Ana Serrano was destined to have a career in the arts. Born and raised

in the Philippines, Serrano’s parents, who were graduate students

at Harvard and MIT, had planned to move the family to the United

States. But when her stepfather received a job offer at York University

teaching at the business school, the family decided to move to Toronto.

Serrano and her family immigrated to Canada in 1979 when she was

10 years old. Reading was always an important value in her family. “My

grandmother spent a lot of money buying books from the U.S. for my

sister and I,” says Serrano. “We had every imaginable type of encyclopedia

and reference book about science, geography and history; and my parents

were fiction and poetry lovers.”

She says her taste in literature was wide-ranging in her early years,

from books about Victorian times to different planetary systems. “I think

my passion for film and media was just a natural extension of my being a

bookworm, devouring all the various lives I could inhabit.”

Serrano’s first foray into the world of the arts was in publishing. As a

university student majoring in English Literature at McGill University,

Serrano was the editor of the school’s literary magazine. Having been

raised in a world of literature, Serrano also ran a successful reading

series. “During my tenure running these various literary projects, I fell

into desktop publishing. It made running a magazine more flexible and

affordable and I fell in love with computers,” she says.

While Serrano’s interest in art and publishing was informed by her

childhood, her passion for multimedia was also encouraged and largely

informed by her family. During the 1980s, the “desktop revolution” was

led by several entrepreneurial writers who self-published zines using

this new digital technology. Serrano’s father bought her a copy of Wired

Magazine, a publication that focused on how emerging technologies

affected culture, politics and the economy. “This is the future where you

belong,” he told her. The magazine predicted that the publishing world

would change once moving images and animation were added.

This sparked her curiosity and led to an exploration of new media

as a way of telling stories. Serrano’s mother encouraged her to take

a Commodore Amiga course with her, so they could discover the

multimedia world together. Serrano’s grandmother gave her the funds to

take post-secondary schooling at the University of Toronto in information

technology and design.

That investment certainly paid off. Today, Serrano is one of Canada’s

most well-known individuals in the realm of new media and has received

numerous awards from the digital, media, film and theatre industries

across North America including the 2021 Crystal Award for Digital

Trailblazer from the Women in Film & Television in Toronto, the 2015

Digital Media Trailblazer Award from the Academy of Canadian Film

& Television and the 2012 Best Canadian Feature Film Award from the

International Reel Asian Film Festival.

8


THROUGHOUT

HER CAREER,

ANA SERRANO

HAS ASPIRED TO

“DESIGN WITH

INTENTION

EXPERIENCES

THAT CELEBRATE

OUR SHARED

HUMANITY,

CREATIVITY AND

INVENTIVENESS.”


COVER STORY

While she holds numerous awards for her artistic accomplishments,

Serrano’s entry into this new emerging field was unchartered waters. As

a woman and an immigrant, Serrano knew she was going to stand out.

“I entered the new media industry before 1994, before Netscape took

the World Wide Web and brought it to mainstream attention,” she says.

In those early days, Serrano was often the only woman in the room and

more often than not the only racialized person in the room. She was also

often the youngest. While some might have been intimidated, Serrano felt

fueled by her difference. “I observed. I listened. And I cultivated allies,”

she says. “I always approached my work in terms of how I could give value

to others, how I could help provide solutions, and/or how I could enrich

the experience of others.”

Throughout her career, Serrano has used these experiences to amplify

her voice as well as that of others. “I think that’s what I have always aspired

to do in my career; design with intention experiences that celebrate our

shared humanity, creativity and inventiveness,” she says.

From founding the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab and Canada’s

annual democracy summit, DemocracyXChange, to being part of arts and

culture boards across Canada and now as the first racialized President

and Vice-Chancellor in OCAD University’s 147-year-history, Serrano

has been a champion of progressive change and a creator and innovator

in digital media.

Serrano is also co-producer of Prison Dancer: The Musical, which

recently opened at the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa. This

award-winning stage musical and transmedia experience spanning

multiple platforms is Canada’s first-ever musical produced, created and

performed by Filipinos.

Serrano has produced some of Canada’s most critically acclaimed

works in digital media, including award-winning productions Body/

Mind/Change starring David Cronenberg, and the virtual reality

experience Small Wonders in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario;

co-produced Late Fragment with the NFB, which was the Board’s first

interactive dramatic feature film within North America that premiered at

the Toronto International Film Festival.

Serrano’s active creative practice reflects her commitment to shaping

the arts and culture sector in Canada and advancing OCAD U as an

emerging vibrant hub.

“OCAD U is more than a university; we are a vibrant community of

bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars. Our efforts

reflect the cultural diversity of our community and society, and gives our

students opportunities to experience different perspectives,” she says.

An advocate of hands-on learning, Serrano has also launched OCAD

U LiVE, a digital streaming channel with content produced by students

for students, enabling them to gain experience while contributing to

Canada’s booming content creator economy, while getting paid.

“The role we play in the city and the country at large is to be that

incubation space where we cultivate Canada’s next generation of leaders

who as makers, thinkers and problem solvers will build the equitable, just

and sustainable world we all dream of,” says Serrano.

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10


FEATURE

BUILDING A CAREER IN

SKILLED TRADES

Considered grunt work by some, a career in skilled trades

can be financially and creatively rewarding. Given the acute

shortage of workers in the sector in Canada, now seems to be

a good time for newcomers to explore opportunities.

By Baisakhi Roy

Pratik Panchal’s first foray into the Canadian job market wasn’t

quite what he’d expected. The automotive engineering graduate

immigrated from India in 2015, hoping to secure a job commensurate

with his education. Having to clean the company washroom during his first

co-op experience with a company manufacturing consumer products was

naturally shocking.

“It wasn’t really what I expected and was frankly a bit put off by the

experience,” says Panchal, who was training to be a millwright. “A

millwright is trained to fix everything that is mechanical. We are trained in

pipe fitting, welding, plumbing and a bit of machining,” he explains.

Panchal survived the apprenticeship period and persevered, thanks to

supportive professors at his college. Panchal now works at one of the oldest

and most reputed steel companies in Canada, Stelco, and has more than

five years of experience as a licensed millwright under his belt. He is also

the proud owner of a home in the Greater Toronto Area.

“I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue in the trades after my first

experience, but my teachers at Mohawk [College] urged me to give it

12


above Pratik Panchal

another shot,” he says. “They educated me about

the immense opportunities and superior pay

scales in the trades and that was encouraging.

When I see many of my peers struggling to find

jobs, I feel I made the right choice.”

Panchal is determined to rise in the industry

and is already working towards certifications for

the next step in his area of work.

Feeding the demand for skilled workers

For a few years now, Canada has been facing

shortages in several areas in skilled trades.

According to Statistics Canada, the demand

for skilled trades workers like Panchal rose

significantly in 2021 and 2022. Job vacancies

in trades, transport and equipment operators

and related occupations more than doubled as

did vacancies in trades-related industries such

as construction. Other in-demand jobs include

heavy-duty equipment technician, construction

electrician, industrial mechanic (millwright),

plumber, truck and transport mechanic,

electrician, hairstylist and welder.

A recent RBC report finds that some of the

most serious shortages will affect trades related

to infrastructure, namely, industrial mechanics,

welders and boilermakers, with 700,000 skilled

tradespeople expected to retire by 2028.

Employment and Social Development Canada

(ESDC) is also projecting a need for over 256,000

new apprentices over the next five years.

In an effort to deal with this crisis of increased

demand, in August this year, Canada announced

new pathways for newcomers with experience

in trades, to fill specific labour needs by issuing

invitations to prospective permanent residents

with specific skills and training. In this scenario,

newcomers with a skilled trade background have

a number of opportunities awaiting them.

However, there are concerns about the lack of

awareness amongst newcomers around the job

openings in skilled trades.

“Newcomers might not be fully informed

about the opportunities available in these sectors

due to a lack of information or guidance,” says

Sharvari Jois, the director of online services

and mentoring at JVS Toronto, an organization

providing pre-arrival supports for landed

immigrants to complete their Trade Equivalency

Assessment (TEA) among other services.

She also notes that there is some

hesitation to pursue careers in skilled trades.

“The misconception that trades jobs are

‘underemployment jobs’ in some countries and

among newcomers, increases the lack of interest

to explore these jobs,” she says.

Breaking the stigma around skilled trades

For some newcomers who come from a


FEATURE

Visit MyConsultant.ca

for Canadian

immigration and

citizenship information

above Sharvari Jois

culture that equates success solely with a university education and a whitecollar

job, a career in skilled trades doesn’t seem like a viable option.

“One of the most common misconceptions about working in the skilled

trades is the belief that these jobs are primarily for individuals who may not

have succeeded in university, possess limited education, or face restricted

career prospects,” says Jois.

She also points out there is a stigma that roles in the sector are “unsuitable

for women due to their perceived physical demands.”

These misconceptions are far from accurate, she says. “In reality,

careers in skilled trades and technology demand critical thinking skills and

training. This training may involve post-secondary education and on-thejob

learning through apprenticeships. Importantly, the skilled trades sector

provides numerous opportunities for women, offering competitive pay,

avenues for advancement, and engaging challenges.”

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Jois acknowledges that immigrants are also underrepresented in the

skilled trades sector due to insufficient knowledge, language barriers,

difficulty in obtaining recognition of foreign credentials, and the absence

of ‘Canadian work experience’.

At the end of the day, clients are motivated by their own unique

circumstances says Jois. “At times, we encounter newcomers who are

currently engaged in a different field but aspire to transition their careers

to a trade job in Canada. Some clients possess post-secondary education

in a profession regulated in Canada and view a career in the trades as an

alternative pathway to the licensure process. Recently, in our pre-arrival

program, we worked with a client who, despite being a lawyer, expressed a

desire to pursue a career as a carpenter in Canada. This client specifically

articulated a preference for moving away from office work and expressed

a keen interest in working within a more creative field. She was open to

exploring opportunities within the skilled trades sector,” she says.

Panchal advises newcomers, especially international students who may

be picking jobs that don’t interest them just so they can get their permanent

residency, to pause and reconsider and look at their long-term career goals.

“You have to change your thinking, your perspective. When you first come

to Canada, you need to complete your education and then look for a job

rather than the other way round. It might take time, but it will happen, and

the trades are a great way to establish yourself in this country,” he says.

14


CAREERS & EDUCATION

CAREER COACH

Imposter syndrome in the workplace

Nine ways you can overcome these feelings

Think back to the times when you studied all night and entered

the examination hall, nervous and petrified. Maybe the very first

question intimidated you, but you still ended up doing the exam

really well.

However, instead of acknowledging your hard work, you were critical

of yourself for not doing better. You became doubtful and questioned

your self-worth. This is what psychologists term “impostor syndrome.”

Similarly at work, if you find yourself often getting frustrated

and anxious that you are not good enough and concerned that your

co-workers may discover this, it may be nothing but your impostor

syndrome working overtime. The downside of this? You may end up

overworking, resent challenging assignments or even underperform at

your job, out of the stress and worry.

According to Psychology Today, people with impostor syndrome

struggle with self-efficacy, perfectionism and neuroticism. The article goes

on to say that impostor syndrome could come from personality traits. A

similar perspective shared in TIME Magazine suggests that, according to

experts, it stems from childhood memories.

If you are struggling with this syndrome, you may be belittling yourself,

attributing your achievements to mere luck instead of your work ethic,

talent or intelligence. Even after you go through a grueling interview

process and get hired, you may feel like you didn’t truly earn it. You might

be saying any of this to yourself: I’m a fake, I’ll never be able to do this, I

must not fail, I just got lucky, That was no big deal, I don’t deserve to be

16


here, I’m not qualified to do this work and more.

TYPES OF IMPOSTORS

The Science Of People website (scienceofpoeple.com) lists the following

five types of “Impostors”.

1

The Perfectionist can’t tell when the job is done because they’re

obsessing over minor details instead of finishing it. They have very

high standards for themselves, which at times may not be possible to

accomplish.

2

The Natural Genius believes they should know and grasp everything

they’re taught immediately. They get frustrated easily and believe

everyone else is finding a way to succeed while they continue to struggle

and fail.

3

The Expert believes they must always be perfect because there’s

always someone better. They try to learn as much as they can and

are constantly trying to better themselves because they never think they

are enough.

4

The Rugged Individualist believes they can do everything alone

and don’t believe in asking for help because they see it as a sign of

weakness.

5

The Superwoman/man believes in taking on more responsibility

than they should because they can’t say no. They tend to work harder

than their colleagues and put work before their personal lives.

SO HOW CAN YOU OVERCOME THESE FEELINGS?

Fortunately, research has shown that once it is acknowledged, impostor

syndrome can be changed. If you find yourself struggling with negative

self-thoughts, here are some small steps you can take to combat impostor

syndrome and think positively.

1

Acknowledge and accept your thoughts. As a first step, be aware

of your thoughts and accept them for what they are. Once you

identify the negative self-talk, you can confront them and take the right

steps to deal with them.

2

Be non-judgmental. Analyze your thoughts without judgment.

This helps you paint an unbiased picture of situations. For instance,

if you look at your career trajectory or business growth, you could look

at stats such as the number of clients served, growth over the years, and

even the awards received as evidence that your career or business is,

indeed, a big deal. Or that you are actually good at what you do. Statistics

don’t lie, so anytime you’re feeling less than certain, consider the facts for

confirmation.

3

Focus on the positives. Develop the ability to retrain your

thoughts. Only one of either — faith or fear can occupy your mind,

so make sure you turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. You can

eventually train your brain to do this automatically.

4

Don’t compare yourself with others. It will become hard to be

appreciative of your achievements if you keep comparing yourself to

others. This may not be the right approach as you have no idea of what

others have done or been through to get where they are today.

5

Welcome constructive criticism. When you are struggling with

impostor syndrome, the last thing you want to do is to accept

negative feedback from others. But remember that we all have areas that

can be improved. Instead of taking it personally, practice active listening

and consistently improve yourself.

6

Accept failure as part of life. How would you challenge or

motivate yourself if you succeeded at everything easily? Acknowledge

that failure is part of life, and it is only through failure you can learn where

you can improve. Accept and appreciate your failures. Their lessons will

push you to work harder on your goals.

7

Journal your achievements. When you’re confronted by negative

thoughts, it may help to reflect on all the times when others have

appreciated you. It’s a good idea to document your success by writing

frequent notes to remind yourself of your small accomplishments over the

years to look back on. Consciously appreciating compliments instead of

ignoring them can help you recognize how hard you worked to get there.

8

Confide in a friend. In your close circle, find a friend, colleague or

mentor you can trust. Often, just voicing your feelings can help you

feel liberated. What’s more, a friend with an outside perspective can help

you see things in a different light and create more clarity to take decisions.

9

Change your self-talk. If you catch yourself talking critically of

yourself and immediately change your self-talk. For instance, if you

catch yourself saying “I’m not qualified for this job”, you could correct

yourself and change your self-talk to “I absolutely deserve this job. I was

hired because I have the right skills to do the work.” Changing your selftalk

won’t happen overnight. Keep at it, and each little win will begin to

add up to something spectacular. Get ready to celebrate the real you!

Murali Murthy is an acclaimed public speaker, life coach and

best-selling author of The ACE Principle, The ACE Awakening,

The ACE Abundance and You Are HIRED! He is also chairperson

of CAMP Networking Canada. Learn how he can help unlock

your magic at unleashyourwow.com.

ARE YOU A NEWCOMER

TO CANADA?

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED

THE FOLLOWING?

Contact us:

Homesickness & Loneliness

Sadness

Nervousness & Anxiety

Stress

Lack of Hope for the

Future

Phone: 416-977-1333

Email: rise@madisoncs.org

Website: www.madisoncs.org


CAREERS & EDUCATION

Getting an education is an

important step towards

preparing for work in many

fields, however, it may not be

enough as employers often require

experience as well. An internship

provides an opportunity to learn

on the job under the supervision of

individuals with experience in the

field.

Internships are similar to

cooperative education (co-op)

opportunities, but more often

take place during the summer or

even after graduation, while co-op

placements usually occur during the

academic year. Internships can vary

in length and are typically longer

than co-op placements. Some

internships are paid while others

aren’t, depending on the field and

the organization. They can be with

a range of different organizations:

small or large, with businesses,

nonprofits or the government. Even

18

As an internationally trained professional,

The you CPA don’t designation have to start is from scratch on

Canada’s

earning your

globally-recognized

designation. CPA Alberta

has established agreements with

accounting

professional

and

accounting

business

bodies around

credential the globe, that allowing provides you to streamline the

professionals process becoming with the a skills CPA in Alberta.

and acumen to be leaders,

decision Build makers, your previous managers, hard-earned

entrepreneurs credentials and and open more. up all the

possibilities.


if it isn’t a requirement, here are

some reasons you may still want

to get an internship and how to go

about finding one.

Benefits of an internship

An internship provides an excellent

opportunity to go beyond the theory

and apply what you have learned in

the workplace environment. It may

even increase your motivation to

learn as you start to understand how

you are applying what you learn in

class. Is this something you enjoy

doing? Can you see yourself doing

this for a living?

Internships also provide an

opportunity to gain relevant

experience in your field of study

which can help you with future job

applications. An internship typically

does not require much experience,

if at all, and the expectations are

typically lower than they would be

for an employee. While it may be

The CPA designation is your

passport to a world of

career opportunities

Learn more

HIGHER LEARNING

Why internships matter and how you can find one

Seize opportunities to gain meaningful, practical work experience

tempting to forgo an opportunity

that is low paid or unpaid, remember

that you are getting free hands-on

education that will help you access

paid employment in the future. If

you do not already have experience

working in Canada, this can also give

you some insight into the Canadian

workplace culture. An internship is

something that you can add to your

resume.

Through an internship, you will

broaden your network by meeting

people in your field, you may gain

references for future employment,

and you may be the first to know

about job openings for which you

can apply. It provides an excellent

opportunity for you to showcase

your skills, knowledge, attitude and

work ethic and if you make a good

impression, you may be offered a job

in the future.

How to find an internship

If doing an internship is a

requirement to graduate from your

academic program, make sure

you consult with your academic

department first to determine the

type of internship that you need. Find

out if your educational institution

has a process to help you find an

internship or if searching for one is

something you must do on your own.

If it is the latter, you will need to make

sure that the opportunities for which

you are applying are recognized and

approved by your program. If you

are not required to complete an

internship but are choosing to apply

for one, determine your availability,

and the type of internships and the

organizations of interest.

Connect with people in your

network, including your professors

to see if they are aware of any

opportunities. Your school may have

a Career Centre that lists internships,

and they may also recommend

some external listings sites as well.

Many schools also offer support

with preparing your resume and

cover letter, and practice interviews.

Be sure to ask if these supports are

available at your school.

If you are interested in an

internship within a particular

organization, you may want to

contact them directly. Some

organizations have more formalized

internship programs with specific

application dates, while others

are more flexible and may take on

students at different times of the

year, based on their capacity.

Make the best of the internship

You may not be getting paid or

the level of responsibility may not be

what you expected; however, if you

think you might like to work in this

field and/or for the organization, do

not underestimate the importance

of making a positive impression. This

includes showing up on time, being

helpful to others, being receptive

to constructive feedback, and

working hard to show your worth

as a potential employee. Internships

are not only opportunities for you

to gain experience and learn; they

also give employers a chance to see

if you would be a good fit for their

organization. There are never any

guarantees, but if you impress the

employer, you may land your first

job in your field.

Some internships turn out well,

while others may not; however,

even a negative experience can be

helpful. You may learn that the field

or job you were pursuing is not right

for you or that the organization is

not a good fit. Positive or negative,

the opportunity will help position

you for the future, whether that is

to continue to pursue your current

field and access employment, or

to rethink your career direction

and explore options that are better

suited to you.

Geneviève Beaupré and Susan Qadeer have

extensive experience working in university and

college settings, providing career, academic

and personal counselling to international and

immigrant students.

On November 1, 2023, Immigration,

Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

published its Supplementary Information

for the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan

(Immigration Levels Plan). Under this, the target

for new permanent residents to Canada for 2024 is

485,000. This number will increase to 500,000 in

2025. The permanent resident target will then stay

the same in 2026.

The Immigration Levels Plan contains a detailed

breakdown of planned admissions in several

categories. What is somewhat remarkable is that

not only will the overall admissions from 2025-

2026 remain the same, but the planned admissions

in each category will as well.

IMMIGRATION LAW

SETTLEMENT

Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026

A plan of backlogs

The Canadian government reportedly decided

to freeze admission targets because of increasingly

negative public sentiment towards immigration

during the ongoing cost of living crisis, which was

starting to be reflected in political polls. While the

political rationale for freezing immigration levels

may be understandable, unfortunately, it will likely

mean difficulties for many temporary residents

inside Canada who wish to become permanent

residents, as well as application backlogs.

Difficulties for temporary residents inside

Canada to obtain permanent residence

In 2023, IRCC introduced category-based draws

to Express Entry, in which individuals with certain

language or occupational backgrounds would be

invited to apply for permanent residency with

lower points than general rounds of invitations.

While qualifying individuals have benefited from

this, many foreign workers in the Express Entry

pool have essentially been left behind. Prior to

the introduction of category-based draws, the

Comprehensive Ranking Score threshold for

general rounds of invitation was around 486, and

trending downwards. Since the introduction of

category-based draws the threshold for general

rounds of invitation has been over 500.

The Immigration Levels Plan is likely to lead to

a further increase in the number of Express Entry

points required to qualify for a general around.

The Plan calls for increasing the number of

French-speaking permanent resident admissions

outside of Quebec from 26,100 to 31,500 to 36,000

in 2024-2026. With immigration levels largely

staying flat during this period, it is not clear where

these new French-speaking admissions will come

from, other than Express Entry.

Express Entry already has a category-based

draw for Francophones. The frequency and size

of these draws will likely need to increase in order

to achieve the government’s new Francophone

immigration targets. Because overall levels are

largely staying flat, the amount of Express Entry

spots for non-Francophones will correspondingly

presumably need to decrease.

Backlogs

The Immigration Levels Plan seems inconsistent

with recent government press releases and

announcements regarding new programs. Indeed,

despite the announcement of these new programs,

the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan is largely

unchanged from the 2023-2025 Immigration

Levels Plan announced last year.

For example, from 2024-2026 the target for

“Total Humanitarian & Compassionate and

Other” will decrease from 13,750 in 2024 to 8,000

per year in 2025 and 2026. This category not

only includes Humanitarian & Compassionate

Class applications, but also the new public policy

permanent resident programs for Hong Kong and

Ukrainian nationals. As well, in October 2023,

Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees

and Citizenship Canada, announced that Canada

would be welcoming 11,000 Colombians, Haitians

and Venezuelans through a new humanitarian

permanent residence pathway. The number of

people eligible to apply for this category is much

bigger than the planned admission targets.

Similarly, the number of people that IRCC

plans on obtaining permanent residence after

successfully claiming asylum in Canada is

unchanged from previous plans, despite media

reports of an increase in refugee claims. The

number of resettled refugees planned for 2024 and

2025 also did not change from the previous 2023-

2025 plan. This is surprising because in February

2023 Canada’s House of Commons unanimously

voted to resettle 10,000 Uyghur refugees in 2024

and 2025. They do not appear to be factored into

the plan.

The only way to reconcile the seeming gap

between the announcement of new immigration

programs with the fact that these programs do not

appear to be reflected in 2024-2026 Immigration

Levels Plan is that IRCC does not plan on

processing these applications before 2027. The

implication is backlogs.

Mind the gap

As with Canadian immigration levels plans,

there is a tension between the number of

temporary residents and the number of permanent

residents admitted each year. Permanent resident

admissions to Canada are capped. Temporary

residence applications are not.

One thing is clear. If Canada plans on freezing

permanent resident admissions and the number

of temporary residents admitted to Canada

continues to rise, then the gap between those

who can come to Canada and those who can

stay permanently will only increase. This gap

will likely be the major immigration issue for

whichever political party wins the 2025 federal

election.

Steven Meurrens is an immigration lawyer with Larlee Rosenberg in Vancouver. Contact

him at 604-681-9887, by email at steven.meurrens@larlee.com, or visit his blog at

smeurrens.com.


SETTLEMENT

Societal approach to settlement

is key to change

By Ramya Ramanathan

particularly the dignity of employment, and education for newcomers…

helping newcomers is always what I’ve done in my personal life. And I said,

okay, I’ll take that leap.”

Since July 2022, Sami has been spearheading the development

and implementation of the agency’s strategic plan. She emphasizes

that COSTI’s strategic priorities place importance on key elements

including digital transformation and fostering strategic and diversified

partnerships.

“I want to emphasize partnerships,” she says. “The socio-economic

ecosystem is so complex in settlement, the only way to do it is with

partners. So, my vision is very much about building that ecosystem in

collaboration with other agencies, with other partners and even with other

sectors.”

She believes that partnerships with the private sector are also critical.

“I am delighted that employers and entrepreneurship opportunities are

coming to us. That’s a game changer from years ago when we went to the

employers,” she says.

In 2022, COSTI experienced a significant milestone. This communitybased

agency, dedicated to supporting diverse newcomers to Canada

and all individuals seeking assistance, celebrated its 70th anniversary.

Additionally, Mario Calla, who had been at the organization’s helm for half

of its history, retired, passing the torch to Samina Sami who assumed the

role of CEO.

With a proven track record of dynamic and visionary leadership of more

than 26 years in the public sector, Sami’s very first job was within the

settlement sector. She reflects on her motivation: “I’m an immigrant from

India, as are my parents. The issues around inequity, gender equity, and

the experiences of displaced people have always driven me.”

Sami went on to establish the HOST Program in Peel, under the

auspices of the federal government. “I started with an intentional desire

and deliberate focus to assist newcomers, and from there, my career

followed diverse paths, “ says Sami, as she reflects on her journey.

She worked in leadership roles with the provincial government for 16

years, followed by close to eight years in roles with a university. Sami

emphasizes that she carefully considered the opportunity with COSTI

when it presented itself. “I thought, this is the original passion. My love is

20


above Samina Sami

Sami also stresses the key role of civil society in the settlement

ecosystem. “We need a whole societal approach to settlement, civil society

along with the settlement sector and the private sector,” she says. “We may

lead in the sector, but we want to work with all these partners, right?”

She talks about COSTI’s mandate to accelerate engagement through

innovation. “The digital realm presents COSTI with many possibilities,”

she says.

Digitization has enabled COSTI to provide hybrid services in various

critical areas, including education and training, confidential mental

health support for families, assistance for youth facing crises, genderbased

violence programming, and more. She further notes that even

the innovative International Student Connect program, which offers

information and guidance to students pursuing post-secondary education

in Ontario, incorporates hybrid programming at its core. At the same

time, COSTI is also seeing a return to in-person services.

Sami underscores the agency’s commitment to elevating its existing

programs to a higher level of excellence.

“Employment and skills training is a huge priority for COSTI,” she says.

“What we are seeing is the need for agile work placement programs, agile

skills training programs.” The organization is incorporating this agility, to

meet the needs of clients and employers, through employment programs

and sector-specific skills and language training programs. “We want to be

innovative; we want to meet the needs of our clients. It’s a client first model.”

SETTLEMENT

An important part of the agency’s work is also advocating for its

clients.

Sami elaborates, “We’ve stressed the importance of supporting refugees

and immigrants in a world where we are seeing a significant increase in

displaced populations. We need all levels of government working together

to address crises in housing, health and skills shortages, working with

federal, provincial, municipal, levels. This collaborative policy, funding

and service ecosystem will take us forward.”

She speaks about the importance of tackling systemic racism to create

an inclusive society. “Governments and the wider society play a pivotal

role in promoting and facilitating welcoming societies. Achieving this

requires deliberate policy measures and intentional design.”

Sami points out that COSTI provides comprehensive (wraparound)

services. “We’re a full-service agency,” she explains. “Our approach is that

if someone seeks our assistance for gender-based violence, they might

have other needs like employment, mental health, or childcare. Our job is

to mobilize our extensive network of partners and services to accelerate

the [settlement] process.”

In 2021, COSTI became a partner of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant

Awards, presented by Canadian Immigrant. “This prominent event

celebrates and highlights the remarkable contributions that immigrants

make to Canada’s social fabric and economy on a daily basis,” she notes.

Operating from 18 locations in Toronto, York Region and the Region

of Peel, COSTI provides services in more than 60 languages, helping over

39,000 individuals. Learn more at costi.org.

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PROFILE

AT THE FOREFRONT OF

C A NCER R E S E A R C H

By Lisa Evans

Chinese-Canadian

Dr. Housheng He

is an award-winning

scientist making significant

contributions to the

study of cancer

Dr. Housheng He spent his childhood summers working in

the fields in a small village in China.

“We had to get up very early in the morning at 5 or 6 a.m., go to

the farm and work until 9 or 10 a.m., have breakfast then go back

to the farm and work again,” he says.

Dr. He’s hard work paid off as it instilled in him a strong work

ethic as well as lessons in planning and working as a team.

“Although it was very hard and we were sweating all the time,

when I look back, it’s a time that I learned how to work together

with others to complete a complicated task. I learned that you

have to work hard to get what you want,” he says.

Throughout his career, when faced with a hard task, Dr. He

thinks back to that time on the farm. “Nothing actually looks

hard compared to those summers,” he jokes.

This humble beginning laid the foundation for a remarkable

journey that has seen Dr. He evolve into an award-winning

scientist making significant contributions to the study of cancer.

These days, Dr. He can be found in his research lab at

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre where he is a senior scientist,

or teaching at the University of Toronto in the department of

medical biophysics. As an experimental and computational

22


biologist, Dr. He has contributed to uncovering new diagnostic and

treatment strategies for prostrate and other cancers. His research today

focuses on cancer epigenetics and non-coding RNA in cancer.

“If you consider genetics as computer hardware, epigenetics is the

software,” he says. The goal of his research is to identify epigenetic

markers and target therapies to improve cancer treatment. For his work

in this area, he received the Canadian Cancer Society 2022 Bernard and

Francine Dorval Prize.

The journey from rural China to big city Toronto working at the

forefront of groundbreaking cancer research wasn’t an easy one. The first

time Dr. He found himself on his own was when he left rural China to

attend Beijing Normal University. There he completed an undergraduate

degree in physics and a graduate degree in biology.

Beijing was a big city that stood in stark contrast to his life

on the farm. “The only way a child can get a better life is to get a

better education and go outside the town,” he says. His parents were

supportive of his pursuit of higher education. “Both my parents are

farmers. They’re poorly educated; they can barely read and write. They

have to work very hard on the farm and they didn’t want their kids to

repeat their life,” he says.

Dr. He’s next step was to leave China and head to the U.S. He

received postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

and Harvard University in Boston. There he was recruited into his

PhD supervisor’s lab and exposed to cancer research. “I really enjoyed

working on cancer and realized this is a big issue everywhere and there

are lots of things we can do to improve treatment and lives,” he says.

In 2013, he received a job offer from the Princess Margaret Cancer

Centre and went to Toronto to visit the hospital. While he was in awe

of the world-famous scientists whose work he admired, names he’d only

read in papers before coming to Toronto, Dr. He was also intrigued by

the vision that Princess Margaret had put forward to cure cancer in our

lifetime. “I was quite amazed by that, and I wanted to be part of it.”

Even more astonishing to Dr. He was how kind and helpful everyone

he met was. “During my second visit here, I chatted with people and

said I’m interested in moving here. People came up to me and gave me

tips and even offered to help me rent an apartment,” he says. The help

didn’t stop there. “My colleagues were so supportive; whenever I needed

something, I could always get support and help. Often people would

come to me and ask ‘what do you need, how can we help you’. It feels very

touching and makes me feel like this is home.”

Dr. He admits that adjusting to life in Canada wasn’t without some

struggle. During his first winter in Canada, a power outage caused by

freezing rain left his family without electricity for three days. Realizing

they’d have to find something to enjoy about Canadian winters, Dr. He

discovered skiing. “Both my kids are in the ski club and my wife and I

enjoy skiing. We spend our winters on the mountains,” he says.

Dr. He’s advice to newcomers is to take advantage of what Canada

has to offer. “Be passionate about what you’re doing. The environment

and the culture are really very collaborative... that you will not find

elsewhere and that will be helpful for your personal success.”

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LIVING

‘YOU START TO BELIEVE IN HUMANITY AGAIN’

Through its unique programs, Canada has provided a

warm welcome to refugees and displaced people like

Anastasiia Seitaj and her family

By Vivien Fellegi

Ukrainian Anastasiia Seitaj had never intended to leave her beloved

homeland. When war broke out, she and her husband were visiting

Albania. Seitaj’s father begged her to stay put. “Please just hold on,”

he said. “Don’t come.” Reluctantly, the couple decided to seek safety in a

country neither knew anything about – Canada.

The duo and their daughter arrived in Ottawa in September 2022. The

relocation was challenging.

“It was a completely new, unique experience for us,” says Seitaj. Most

of all, she missed her family back home. “It breaks my heart,” she says. The

24


pressure of finding work in the expensive new country was also stressful.

Canada’s spontaneously emerging host program, developed through

Facebook, proved to be a godsend. Seitaj’s hosts invited them into their

homes indefinitely. Their hosts also helped them navigate everything

from obtaining a document to finding a doctor. The locals also became

the Ukrainians’ cheerleaders as they tackled other challenges. “‘Guys, you

can do it,’” they told the couple.

Two weeks following the family’s arrival in Canada, a deadly attack on

Seitaj’s hometown of Kiev killed several of her friends. Her hosts rallied

LIVING

around the shocked family, staying close and listening. “My feelings were

valued,” says Seitaj.

Over time the Ukrainian family merged with that of their Canadian hosts.

Both have children of the same age, who regard each other as siblings. Even

after the newcomers moved out on their own, they’ve still been keeping in

close touch. “We consider each other family,” says Seitaj.

Today Seitaj has fully integrated into her adopted country. She’s

a settlement worker at the YMCA and is expecting the arrival of her

Canadian baby.

Seitaj credits her successful adjustment not only to her host family, but

also to the larger Canadian society who welcomed the couple so warmly.

“I’ve never ever seen this kind of generosity,” says Seitaj. “You start to

believe in humanity again.”

Senior resettlement officer at UNHCR Canada, Michael Casasola, is not

surprised by Seitaj’s warm reception. “Canada can be quite welcoming,”

says Casasola.

Through the years, Canada has shown a knack for integrating refugees,

says the expert. For those who meet the refugee designation, there are two

main channels of assimilation: government-assistant refugees (GARs) and

private sponsorship of refugees (PSRs). In the PSR program, humanitarian

and religious organizations or a private group of Canadians pool their

resources to support a refugee family financially and logistically for at least

one year. The sponsors help their dependents find housing, furniture and

clothing, locate language courses and enroll refugee children into schools.

Sponsors are also good sources of social capital, connecting refugees with

potential employers. Because of their personalized contacts, refugees

who enter the PSR stream have better integration outcomes short term

compared to GARs, says Casasola. In the long run, both streams of refugees

integrate successfully, with levels of homeownership and education

ultimately reaching that of native Canadians.

The PSR program was established as part of the Immigration Act of l976,

a few years after Canada had signed on to the Refugee Convention. Refugees

from Vietnam, who were admitted to Canada in the late 1970s, were the first

to benefit from the program. The Syrians fleeing civil war in their country

were the last large group of refugees admitted into the PSR program in 2015-

2016. Today several countries around the world have adopted Canada’s PSR

program, including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK.

But the Ukrainians’ situation was very different from that of most other

refugees to Canada. In an effort to fast-track large numbers of people fleeing

war, Canada processed the Ukrainians under the category of emergency travel.

Without the refugee designation, these de facto refugees were not entitled to

programs like the government assisted refugees or the private sponsorship of

refugees. In response to their overwhelming needs, private Canadian citizens

stepped up to the plate, hosting Ukrainians for free in their homes, orienting

them to Canadian programs, and served as emotional supports.

The hosting program’s benefits overlap with those of the privately

sponsored refugees program, says Casasola. Both sponsors and hosts guide

refugees through the Canadian landscape, practice English with them, and

befriend them. These personalized interactions propel refugees forward

with more assurance in their new lives.

For the Alshamalys, a refugee family from Syria, Canada’s PSR program

helped them kickstart their shattered lives. The Alshamalys had never

dreamed of uprooting their perfect lives in Syria — Ahmad Alshamaly

had a lucrative career as an IT engineer, they had a comfortable home, and

family just minutes away. But when the war broke out in 2011 and their

above Anastasiia Seitaj and her family

then two-year-old daughter, Shahd, saw blood on the streets, Ahmad and

his wife Nour knew they had no choice. “We were emotionally destroyed,”

says Alshamaly, who brought his family to Turkey and then Canada in 2016.

Their group of PSR sponsors immediately made the immigrants feel

comfortable. One of them picked up the Alshamalys at the Toronto airport.

The sponsors helped them open a bank account, located a good school for

the children, and found language training for the adults. Another one

helped Alshamaly connect to several companies, helping him secure a job

in IT just a month and a half after landing in Toronto.

The sponsors were also nurturing. Shortly after their arrival, the

Alshamalys were invited to their first Thanksgiving dinner, followed by

supper on Halloween. Over many meals, the Alshamalys bonded with their

sponsors and created an alternate community. “Everything was new to us,”

says Nour, “they helped us feel like we belong to this place.”

The advantages of these new connections were beneficial for both

sides, says Alshamaly, who recently launched his own startup, Hyphonics

Edugames, which teaches children a fun way to learn Arabic. Meanwhile,

Nour opened a catering business, Jasmine Kitchen sharing her culture

through her cooking.

The couple’s two daughters, Sedra and Shahd, are telling the world about

Syrian children in refugee camps. The sisters paint scenes of refugee life

onto postcards that are filled with wildflower seeds, ready to bloom.. This

enterprise raises both money and awareness of Syrian refugee children.

Today the Alshamalys are fully integrated into the fabric of Canadian life

– their children have music lessons and the whole family enjoys camping.

The family feels grateful not only to their sponsors but also to the wider

Canadian public who greeted them with open arms. “Most of Canadians are

welcoming,” says Alshamaly. “We feel lucky.”


Are you mindful or is your mind full?

Learning to live in the moment can reduce anxiety, stress and pain

We live in a society that has succumbed to the belief that if you

are somehow not “busy” then you are not being productive. We

wear fatigue like a badge of honour and complain about how

busy and tired we are while others nod in agreement.

But how sustainable is this? Not very, if you read the research.

In 2022, Statistics Canada reported that over five million Canadians (18

per cent) aged 15 to 24, met the diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety

or substance disorder within the previous 12 months. Additionally, 36

per cent of people living with a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder

reported having unmet or only partially met health and mental health

care needs.

One of the encouraging responses to this mental health crisis has been

the rise of mindfulness.

Mindfulness has gained tremendous popularity during the last 30

years in large part to people like Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness

Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and author of Full Catastrophe Living.

WELLNESS

LIVING

Kabat-Zinn began applying the foundational principles of mindfulness

meditation to patients within medical settings, which produced notable

results including helping to manage debilitating conditions like chronic

pain.

Since then, thousands of people have completed his multi-week MBSR

program and increased their ability to manage their responses to stress,

pain and other conditions including epilepsy.

“When we practice mindfulness, we are more aware of our thoughts,

emotions and actions as they occur,” says Rosie Smith, a registered

psychotherapist and director of adult services with Epilepsy Toronto.

“It allows us to notice changes in our mood and feelings moment by

moment. In this way, rather than push away negative thoughts and

emotions, we can learn to accept them as is, with compassion rather

than the judgements we often attach. In this way we can be more at

peace with ourselves.”

Smith goes on to say that as more research is being done in the field

of mindfulness, it is showing benefits for both emotional and physical

wellbeing: improving the health of those with high blood pressure, heart

disease, sleep issues and even weight loss.

“I have worked with many clients with anxiety and depression

and over the years have incorporated mindfulness in my Cognitive

Behavioural Therapy (CBT) practice as well as taught mindfulness-based

stress reduction strategies to those who need it,” says Smith. “I utilize

mindfulness practices in my individual therapy sessions as well as in

group settings. I also try to live my life mindfully.”

There’s no question that moving from one country to another and

starting an entirely new life can be disruptive and overwhelming. Whether

it is people fleeing violence in their homeland or dealing with the crushing

feelings of trying to adapt to the rhythms of a whole new culture. Thus, it

becomes easy for newcomers and immigrants to fall prey to the anxiety

of an uncertain future or the haunting refrains of a depressive past. The

result is that these feelings take you out of the present moment.

When applying mindfulness, try to remember that your thoughts,

emotions and sensations change from moment to moment. Try to focus

on what you are observing or feeling now and accept without judgment

attached. When your mind wanders try to bring yourself back to the

present moment.

Most importantly, be kind to yourself. You are no doubt going to

experience disruptive thoughts and feelings, but these are just visitors.

They come and go. A compassionate attitude towards yourself can go a

long way.

This is really just the first step in your mindfulness journey. There are

many Canadian resources available to help get you started. One of these is

the Canadian Mindfulness Centre (canadianmindfulness.ca).

“One of the areas of mindfulness that people often don’t realize is that

it is not necessarily the same as meditation, which means you don’t always

have to set aside 20 minutes of your day to practice mindfulness even

though you can,” says Smith.

Smith says that mindfulness can be practiced through everyday

activities such as mindful walking, mindful eating or mindful breathing.

“I believe our stress levels will be greatly reduced if we learn to do one

thing at a time thus enjoying the pleasant activities in a more meaningful

way while at the same time being more aware of our emotions so we can

address them earlier. After all, we cannot change what we

don’t notice.”

Carter Hammett is a freelance writer with two decades of

experience in social work, employment counselling and adult

education.


MONEY & BUSINESS

Credit card vs. cash

Upsides of using credit instead of relying solely on cash

In the day and age of digital everything, credit cards seem to be the

more convenient and secure way to make purchases. However, some

individuals still prefer to rely on cash transactions. Many financial

experts ask that you use cash if you’re bad with money, so you can be

mindful of your spending. However, if you have your expenses under

control, there are several upsides to using credit instead of just cash. In

this article, we will explore the reasons why relying solely on cash can be

detrimental in various aspects of personal finance.

BANKING

Credit score and history

Credit is one of those things that you never get when you need it. Your

credit history and credit score are taken into consideration for major

purchases like buying a home, getting a car loan or even getting a phone

plan in some cases. Credit is something that you will inevitably need at

some point in your life – and using cash is not going to help establish and

build your credit score. If you are concerned about misusing credit space,

pay off your credit card as soon as you make a purchase. This practice

makes you mindful of how much you can pay off and allows the credit

gods to see that you have used your available credit and paid it off. This

will build your credit history and improve your credit score, so you have

good credit when you need it.

Limited financial transparency

Another drawback of cash over credit is the lack of traceability. I don’t

know about you, but cash seems to vanish from my wallet and receipts

end up crumpled and discarded. Cash transactions lack the traceability

and financial transparency that credit card transactions provide via their

monthly statements. Credit card statements provide detailed records of

purchases, making it easier to review and analyze spending habits. This

level of transparency allows individuals to develop sound budgeting

strategies and identify areas for potential savings.

Points for rewards

Who doesn’t want to make money by spending money? Numerous

credit cards offer enticing rewards programs, including cashback, travel

miles, or points redeemable for merchandise. By utilizing credit for

everyday expenses and promptly paying off the balance, responsible

cardholders can accumulate rewards and maximize their spending power.

By solely relying on cash, consumers miss out on these potential perks

and fail to make their money work for them.

Consumer protection

Many businesses will offer discounts for cash transactions that often

come without a paper trail. However, this means you do not have any

consumer protection on the purchase. Unlike credit cards, cash does

not offer any safeguards against theft or loss. If you misplace cash, it is

nearly impossible to retrieve it. On the other hand, credit cards provide

fraud protection, allowing consumers to report unauthorized charges

and dispute fraudulent transactions. In the event of theft, cardholders

are generally protected against unauthorized purchases, while using cash

means the funds are lost forever.

Now I would be remiss if I didn’t say that credit card use comes with

responsibilities. Credit card companies make money by consumers not

being able to pay off the balance; so, they will often offer credit increases

or supplemental cards. You can follow the principles of the crash diet by

only spending (on your credit card) what you can pay off immediately.

Keep your credit limit low, and reasonable, and don’t fall for the incentives

to increase the credit limit beyond what you know you can handle. By

showing some self discipline, you can successfully build or

rebuild your credit while meeting your savings goals.

Shalini Dharna is a CPA and Investment/Insurance Advisor at

Dharna CPA Professional Corporation.

28


Despite a population that has reached 40 million, Canada has 100,000

fewer entrepreneurs than it did 20 years ago, finds a study conducted

by BDC, Canada’s Bank for entrepreneurs, in collaboration with the

Université de Montréal Innovation Centre and Millénium Québecor.

Alarming decline, but immigrants may provide a solution

This general trend is alarming. By 2022, only 1.3 out of 1,000 people

had started a business, compared to 3 out of every 1,000 in the year 2000.

“This is worrying because entrepreneurship is crucial to the economy,

fueling innovation and economic growth,” points out Pierre Cléroux,

BDC’s vice-president of research and chief economist.

The report identifies several factors contributing to this decline,

including low unemployment, high wages, an aging population and a

more complex business environment.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Entrepreneurs are vital for Canada’s

economic growth

An opportunity for immigrants to maximize skills for success

MONEY & BUSINESS

Cléroux highlights an important opportunity for Canada’s economy:

immigrant entrepreneurs. He says, “Business ownership rates are generally

higher among immigrants than among the Canadian-born population.

So, their contribution continues to be vital to our economy, contributing

to its diversity, innovation and competitiveness.”

Crucial skills

The report also highlights a sad fact: one-third of new businesses close

their doors within five years. “This situation shows the gap between the

intention to start a business and entrepreneurial success,” says Cléroux.

“To close this gap, it is important for entrepreneurs to acquire essential

skills to launch and grow their businesses, especially in an increasingly

complex business environment.”

The report identifies four distinct groups of skills needed to succeed in

business: the most crucial being grit and relationship skills, which prove

essential at all stages of a company’s growth.

1. Grit and relationship skills

2. Marketing and finance

3. Leadership and people skills

4. Operational administration skills

For Daniel Jutras, rector of the Université de Montréal, this shows how

important it is to better prepare those who want to start a business. “With

the work that has been done by BDC and Université de Montréal, we now

have solid and valuable information with which we can develop training

programs that address the concrete challenges faced by entrepreneurs,

and that meet the needs expressed by our students. And that’s what all

academics do: use reliable data to generate knowledge and pass it on,” he

adds.

It is worth noting that BDC’s research carried out in collaboration with

Université de Montréal has shown that business success is not linked

to innate abilities, but that these skills can be actively developed and

nurtured.

Free resources to develop key skills

For business owners looking to develop key entrepreneurial skills,

BDC curated a collection of insightful articles with input from industry

experts. For tips on how to become a better leader, how to communicate

more effectively, or how to grow a business network, visit www.bdc.ca/

entrepreneurial-skills.

Jean Philippe Nadeau is Senior Advisor, External

Communications, with BDC.

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GUIDED BY US.

POWERED BY YOU.

The creation of the Blueprint career services program

was driven by market, and environmental scans that

we conducted in late 2021. A key insight that we

gained from this market intelligence, as well as the

data on groups that were impacted by the pandemic,

is that there is a high need to support individuals who

are making career transitions. We have launched

a transformative career management offering that

emphasizes a strengths-based approach and gives

participants an opportunity for self-reflection and

action planning as they navigate a reintegration into

the world of work.

Blueprint career services seeks to encourage a lifelong

learning mindset among learners and is equally

accessible to individuals of diverse life and career

paths, and equity-deserving groups such as youth,

immigrants, Indigenous, Black, and racialized people.

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SUPPORTING YOUR

CAREER DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY

Blueprint Career Services Portal

Available to all those interested in exploring our

library of career development and self reflection

resources, the Blueprint Career Service Portal provides

complementary access to hundreds of employmentrelated

resources. These include alerts on upcoming

events, access to recording of previous events, and

exercises to encourage reflection and career mapping

activities.

Industry Insights and RealTalk panels

Join us for opportunities to learn from industry experts

and past learners on their career paths, trends, insights

and advice on how to apply these learnings. In addition

to the moderated panel sessions, informal networking

opportunities are embedded. As with our portal, this is

a service that is offered to all those with a curiosity to

learn how to confidently determine, direct, and action

your next career path and or career goals.

CliftonStrengths Workshops

CliftonStrengths programming is a pillar or our

Blueprint career services. CliftonStrenghth is an

assessment tool developed by the Gallup Organization

that measures naturally recurring patterns of thought,

feelings, and behaviours. Gaining insights into these

areas are important to help you raise awareness of your

own strengths. This part of our services begins with a

three-hour workshop and includes a coaching session

to help empower you to understand your strengths

and how you can apply them in your personal and

professional decision-making.

Career Wayfinding Series

We appreciate that sometimes the first challenge is

just determining “where do I begin?” If this sounds like

something you struggle with, you may want to consider

this three-part cohort-based program for those in

career transition. Each of the three sessions is three

hours in length and are interactive sessions that use

principles of design thinking to tackle those complex

challenges that can sometimes cause us to struggle

what are my first steps? These are often referred to as

the “wicked problems” of life and career navigation.

SCAN FOR

MORE INFO

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Canadian Immigrant - November 2023

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