WEB - Netolko News - Vaughan, 19/04/2020 - NEWS, Russian Image source: Netolko News https://netolkonews.com/ Translated Summary: Some diseases, as is well known to scientists, more often than others affect representatives of various racial groups, acting "selectively", but Canada is not going to conduct racial profiling based on statistics on the incidence of coronavirus. In the United States, where such data are collected, it was found that, for example, in Chicago, the proportion of black people infected with COVID-19 is higher than average. Latin Americans can be considered another “risk group”. Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, told CBC reporters this week that her agency does not intend to collect “social data” (including race, income, or education) that might be related to coronavirus. To the same question, Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief health officer, noted that the current disease is especially dangerous for the elderly, people with certain health problems or weakened immune systems. Racial differences do not matter for his department.
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WEB - New Canadian Media - Ottawa, 14/04/2020 - Article, English High blood pressure may be one of the underlying health conditions that make a Covid-19 infection a lot more severe for South Asian Canadians. Image credit: Photopin Image source: New Canadian Media website. Summary: Devyaani Datta - Preliminary research of COVID-19 data reaffirms a troubling reality: many of society’s most vulnerable populations face a greater chance of falling sick. For Canada’s South Asian populations, this news is met with a degree of alarm. Rakesh Kumar, an accountant who recently arrived in Calgary from India, is one of thousands of new Canadians from South Asia who are anxious about their health. Kumar suffers from both high blood pressure and high cholesterol and is aware that he’s in a difficult situation. Asked whether South Asians in Canada are at greater risk to fall ill from the pandemic or are more likely to get more severe infections, Dr. Maher Hussain, clinical director of the South Asian Canadians Health and Social Services in Brampton, said they are vulnerable on both counts. Citing a study from McMaster University, he said, “South Asian people in Canada have higher rates of heart disease, double the rate of diabetes and are more prone to becoming overweight compared to white people.”
TV - OMNI News: Punjabi Edition - Toronto, 10/04/2020 - FEATURE, 6 min, Punjabi Translated Summary: A lot of Canadians were detained in India because of the lock-down, but a number of Canadians have returned on recent repatriation flights. However, the odyssey from booking the flight to arrival in Canada will remain in their memory for life. One of the travelers, Dr. Dilbag Rana, said there were a lot of management problems. Entry to the airport was very slow. Ri Sihota is the moderator of the Facebook group 'Bring Canadians Home from Punjab.' Her father traveled on 6 April. She said the booking process was a lot of work and she was sleeping during the day [in Canada] to sort things out in India at night. Rana said they had to deposit the money for a non-refundable booking and then didn't hear anything for a long time. They traveled to New Delhi on a chartered bus that was quite chaotic in terms of luggage storage. Gurkirat Kular, who traveled on 6 April, said they were promised social distancing but the flight was over-booked. MP Ruby Sahota said emergency flights are negotiated with each country. The rules and protocols in each country keep changing. They tried to negotiate direct flights, but this was not possible. She said everybody coming from every country is paying a fee, not just people from India. The government is not making money on this, it is the cost of the airline. Sihota said the flights from India to London and from London to Toronto or Vancouver were 100% packed, without social distancing. Kular and Rana confirmed that the flight was fully booked. Sahota said they did consider social distancing and she knows the process wasn't perfect. Sihota said the repatriation was poorly organized and not safe. They are speaking out to ensure other Canadians stuck in India will not have the same experience.
WEB - The Philippine Reporter - Toronto, 14/04/2020 - English Summary: Irish Mae Silvestre - While some international students may have chosen to return home as international borders closed, others have little choice but to stay and contemplate their future in the midst of a pandemic. A combination of school closures and mass layoffs have left many foreign students in precarious situations both in terms of their visa status and financial situation. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as of December 31, 2019, there were 642,480 international students in Canada. Out of those, the Canadian Bureau for International Education stated that 60 percent of international students plan to apply for permanent residence. Although international students are expected to have enough money to cover their tuition and living expenses, the reality is that many students rely on the income from the twenty hours they’re allowed to work.
WEB - La Prensa - Calgary, 12/04/2020 - ARTICLE, Spanish Migrant farm workers pick peas on a farm near London, Ont. POSTMEDIA FILES Translated Summary: Sofia Verde - 1,600 Mexican and Guatemalan migrant workers will be in the midst of the pandemic helping in the fields to grow and harvest food so that the food supply chain to Canadian supermarkets is not interrupted. The workers will arrive in Montreal on April 16. Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba also receive significant help from seasonal agricultural workers who come from Latin America year after year to help with the growing and harvesting of crops. In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, these workers are heroes who help so that our tables are not short on food. Organizations like The Latin Section in British Columbia are organizing to bring food to these heroes of the fields on weekends.
RADIO - CIAO 530 AM - Toronto, 14/04/2020 - TALK SHOW, Punjabi Summary Translation: Gary Virk - There is a panic among foreign caregivers who came to Canada 10-12 months ago. Their jobs are discontinued as many of their employers are also sitting home in the current (COVID-19) scenario and not working. Many of them are concerned about whether they can be eligible to apply for permanent residency with 12 months of work experience. Foreign caregivers are required to have 24 months of work experience in Canada to qualify for PR. Last year, the government opened a special interim pathway for caregivers under which they were eligible to qualify for PR, even with one year of work experience. However, they must apply for education credential evaluation. The credential assessment may take six months.
PRINT - Chinese Canadian Times - Toronto, 10/04/2020 - ARTICLE, Chinese Translated Summary: Yuan Mo - This article discusses the underground sales of personal protective equipment in Canada, including face mask and sanitizers, and urges Canadians to prioritize the resources for the use of medical staff. Specifically, the article mentions that the public health experts in Canada have reached consensus that wearing a mask can be an additional measure to be used at places where social distancing would be difficult to implement. However, the Public Health Agency of Canada emphasizes that Canadians should be wearing non-medical masks, and reserve medical-grade masks for medical professionals.
WEB - Pride - Ajax, 07/04/2020 - COMMENTARY, 1/4 page web, English
Summary: Roberta K. Timothy - The fear and mistrust of health systems expressed by many in Black, Indigenous and racialized communities stem from historical eugenic practices of both governments and individual doctors. These communities have experienced systemic racist violence for generations. They have recently experienced xenophobic responses to COVID-19 and historically, other health crises. The author is concerned how anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism and other forms of intersectional violence will impact the health of our communities during this crisis. The question often asked is: how will we navigate health systems that continuously violate us? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said: “Our government is going to make sure that no matter where you live, what you do or who you are, you get the support you need during this time.” This sounds good in a speech, but how will it be practiced in a system that does not provide adequate services for racialized and marginalized communities? If we are to truly survive this global pandemic as a global community, we must drastically decolonize and change our health ideologies and practices. WEB - Toronto Hispano - Toronto, 26/03/2020 - COLUMN, Spanish
Translated Summary: Vilma Filici - Inadmissibility hearings, appeals and mediations have been postponed until after April 5. The pandemic is affecting practically all areas of life, including immigration processes. The border is closed and Ontario is in a state of emergency. What this means for individuals trying to immigrate to Canada is delays in their process. Canadians are allowed to return to Canada as long as they are not sick; however, if they manage to make it to the border, all Canadians have a constitutional right to enter even if they are sick. Those who are stuck are the ones not allowed to board planes while abroad. Individuals in immigration processes who have to send in criminal records, medical exams etc. automatically have 90 days more to meet those requirements. The government has announced that no application will be rejected for lack of documentation. Permanent residents who have their landing papers but cannot travel need to get in touch with IRCC. Applicants for permanent residency from within Canada will have a phone interview. Individuals in Canada on a temporary visa can extend their visas. All deportations have been stopped for three weeks. Hearings for inadmissibility, appeals, mediation and refugee applications are postponed. Detention review hearings will be held by video conferencing or phone. RADIO - CHTO AM 1690 Bhakhde Mudde - Toronto, 01/04/2020 - TALK SHOW, Punjabi
Translated Summary : Host Skhwinder Chandi said that the Canadian government announced benefits for Canadian workers, including self-employed people, during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the government has not announced anything for international students and visitors. Visitors are not the responsibility of the Canadian government and the students from India might be considered the responsibility of the Indian government. Harjinder Singh Dhnoa, a guest on the show, said that the government is saying that they will look after students as well, but it is yet to be seen what they will do. So far, any benefits are only announcements. However, those who are eligible must apply for benefits. The government will start the online application process on April 6, 2020. |