WEB - Pride (web version) - Ajax, 12/05/2020 - COMMENTARY, English Black nurses meet a number of barriers in health-care practice. Photo credit: (c) Can Stock Photo / michaeljung Summary: Keisha Jefferies - During the coronavirus pandemic, nurses are among the nation’s front-line workers. Over the years and to this day, the contributions of Black nurses are hard-fought, unrecognized and under-appreciated. The year 2020 is the year of the nurse and midwife. Yet, Canada’s history of racism and segregation has contributed to residual anti-Black racism that remains present in Canadian nursing. Overall, Black nurses are largely absent from leadership positions and specialty practice areas such as intensive care. Instead, Black nurses are often streamlined into areas that are more physically demanding and strenuous. At the same time, Black people are concentrated in entry-level positions, non-specialty roles or in non-licensed clinical roles such as personal care workers. Beyond physical challenges and visibility, Black nurses are subjected to micro-agressions and racism from patients, colleagues and superiors. Men who enter nursing usually ride the glass escalator: leadership, higher wages and other substantial advantages. It’s a marked contrast to Black women who do not encounter a glass ceiling but rather they hit a concrete wall from simultaneous racism and sexism; their existence is invisible, yet their mistakes and flaws are amplified. Anti-Black racism in nursing is detrimental to Black nurses and to the health of all Canadians, especially since Black folks suffer from high rates of chronic illnesses including diabetes, high blood pressure and mental illness. Despite the persistence of anti-Blackness in society, nursing education and health care, Black nurses continue to provide care. Now, more than ever, we must recognize and celebrate their contributions.
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B.C. minister 'cannot remain silent' about increasing anti-Asian hate crimes - South Asian English5/19/2020 WEB - Darpan Magazine - Vancouver, 15/05/2020 - News, English Anne Kang. Image Source: Darpan Magazine website Summary: British Columbia's minister responsible for multiculturalism says she can no longer remain silent about the rising number of hate crimes toward people of Asian heritage during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Anne Kang says she is deeply saddened by the recent rise in physical and verbal attacks as well as an increase in vandalism. Kang says she is "compelled as a government representative, immigrant and British Columbian to speak out against these vicious acts." The Vancouver Police Department has reported that the number of anti-Asian, hate-related crimes spiked in April, with 11 occurring last month, compared with 12 for all of 2019. "Chinese Canadians have deep roots in this province," Kang says. "Over many generations, Chinese Canadians have worked alongside all British Columbians to build the vibrant, multicultural society we enjoy today" she added. Kang has called on victims or witnesses to report hate crimes to police and urges all B.C. residents to "stand together and condemn these actions that seek to divide." Meanwhile NDP MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale Bowinn Ma has also spoken on the importance of inclusiveness with a jump in anti-Asian hate crimes during COVID-19.
Alberta’s anti-racism advisory council member speaks about racism in the province - Cantonese5/13/2020 RADIO - Fairchild Radio FM 94.7 Focus - Calgary, 11/05/2020 - COMMENTARY, Cantonese Summary Translation: Teresa Woo-Paw and Forest - Teresa Woo-Paw, former MLA, active member of Alberta’s anti-racism advisory council and president of the Action Chinese Canadians Together Foundation, was invited to speak about the current racial discrimination behaviour in Alberta and Canada. The host, Forest, brought up that the recent Cargill plant outbreak caused the Filipino community to be discriminated against. Since the plant was mostly occupied by Filipino workers, the Alberta community blamed the outbreak on them. Woo-Paw said it is a growing phenomenon across Canada. Forest is wondering if Canada has any plans to address this situation. Woo-Paw’s foundation is currently working with the Chinese senior community to gather support and create education materials for Albertans. This will help Chinese Albertans know what resources they have if they are experiencing racism. Woo-Paw also wants to take this opportunity to engage Caucasian community members to teach them how to be allies of the Chinese when they see racist behaviour occur. With the provinces slowly reopening, Woo-Paw said they will continue monitoring the situation by seeing if companies will stop hiring racialized employees after the pandemic. She also said it is important to promote the mechanism of reporting a complaint. Most Chinese Canadians are afraid to report an incident because of the fear of retaliation by the abuser. Woo-Paw said the reporting mechanism is also critical to inform all levels of government on priorities of addressing racism in the province.
PRINT - Can India News - Mississauga, 08/05/2020 - Editorial, P.3, English Summary: Pradip Rodrigues - Last week Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and other cities in Ontario began granting for the first time all local mosques permission to broadcast the call to prayer called "the Azan" over speakers at sunset every day during Ramadan for a maximum of five minutes. Municipalities are mindful of the fact that Muslims are unable to get to their mosques as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown thought this was a good gesture. Mayor Bonnie Crombie managed to pass a unanimous resolution amending the city noise bylaw that will legalize the blaring of loudspeakers at all Mississauga mosques. Cities have suspended their Noise Control By-Law up to May 24 and by and large, most people are too preoccupied with their changed circumstances brought about by COVID-19 to bother with protesting the Muslim call for prayer, but in cities like Mississauga and Brampton, there has been a swift backlash in the form of fierce online protests and petitions not to grant mosques permission to broadcast the Azan for several reasons. They fear that this could become a permanent and symbolic thing. If it was possible to congregate, hundreds would be out protesting outside Mississauga’s City Hall. Mississauga resident Ram Subramaniam who is part of the Peel Region group Keep Religion Out Of Peel Region Schools (KROOPS), announced a plan to launch a constitutional challenge against the change of Mississauga’s noise laws and is receiving plenty of monetary support for this cause through a Facebook page that has a growing number of followers. “This is not about religion or being against Islam. This is about the separation of religion and state and preventing any group trying to throw their religion on others via loudspeakers that blare religious messages into the privacy of homes,” he said. In places like Mississauga, which is home to a large South Asian population, this controversy is the latest to divide people along religious lines.
PRINT - Hamdard Daily - Toronto, 07/05/2020 - NEWS, p. 1, Punjabi Image Source: Hamdard Daily website Summary Translation: At least ten taxi drivers who operate taxis from Pearson International Airport in Toronto have lost their lives due to coronavirus infection so far. The president of the Airport Taxi Association, which has 350 taxis and 700 member drivers, Rajinder Aujla, has expressed anguish at the tragedy saying no effective measures have been taken for the safety of drivers while we know people from all over the world have been landing at the airport.
PRINT - Contacto Directo - Vancouver, 01/05/2020 - NEWS, Spanish Image Source: Contacto Directo Summary Translation: No byline - In Montreal North, a culture of helping others, combined with close living quarters, has led to the creation of a hot spot in Quebec for COVID-19. Almost a quarter of the 1,100 people infected are health workers. The area is home for many new immigrants attracted to working as assistants for nurses and caregivers. The residents of the city have been sent in recent weeks to long-term care homes without staff in the province where the virus has been the worst. "These people arrive in Canada and Quebec and want to work, and it's the first job that is offered to them. And then the government, or the placement agencies for which they work, send them to seniors' homes, often totally unprotected, and then they get infected and return to their small apartments. It's very sad," said Paule Robitaille, MNA for Bourassa-Sauve and opposition critic for international relations and La Francophonie.
WEB - Sing Tao Vancouver - Vancouver, 06/05/2020 - News, Chinese Image Source: Sing Tao Vancouver website Summary Translation: No byline - The Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society has been tapped by the province to help communities deal with hate activity and racism amid what the B.C. government describes as a rise in attacks against people of Asian heritage. Executive director David Lau said the group "is very proud to lead the important work being done in B.C. communities to stop the spread of racism and end the recent spikes in hate crimes." The society has been given $240,000 for the year. The group hopes to meet with community leaders from around the province. B.C.'s Minister of Citizens' Services Anne Kang said recent allegations of racially motivated attacks toward people of Asian heritage during the COVID 19 pandemic have been very concerning.
WEB - Van People - Vancouver, 04/05/2020 - ARTICLE, Chinese Image Source: Van People website Translated Summary: Wu Wei - Every May is Canada’s Asian Heritage Month. Unlike in previous years, May this year coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, causing celebrations, exhibitions and performances to be cancelled. Cabinet Minister Bardish Chagger issued a statement on May 1 announcing the start of Asian Heritage Month. The theme of this year's Asian Heritage Month is "Asian Canadians: Unity in Diversity." Chagger’s statement said that Asian Canadians come from more than 20 countries and each has a unique culture. Chagger also said she was disturbed by the reappearance of discriminatory and racist words and actions. All Canadians should fight back and resist xenophobia and racial discrimination, whether online or in real life. She said that despite being unable to participate in or organize events, we can still work hard to understand the history of Asian Canadians.
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.
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