Toronto designers have raised over $100,000 to create the face mask of the future - Russian5/20/2020 WEB - Torontovka.com - Toronto, 19/05/2020 - NEWS, 1 page web, Russian Image Source: Torontovka.com Summary Translation: no byline - LuxMea, a multidisciplinary design studio with offices in Toronto and Boston, is working with Health Canada and testing their products at the University of Toronto so they can distribute them to frontline healthcare workers. LuxMea has an idea for a face mask that goes beyond the usual cotton or polyester varieties. They have raised over $100,000 to begin the mass production of masks made by 3D printers. What sets these masks apart is that they will be made using AI (artificial intelligence) technology so that they are individually tailored to each wearer. Each mask will be lightweight, flexible and glasses-friendly to prevent fog — a common issue with many cotton masks. They will also come with replaceable filters, making them reusable, durable and washable. The way personalization will work is that measurements for each individual customer will be taken online to generate the desired fit. The masks with then be 3D-printed by LuxMea's partner Shapeways, the largest 3D printing manufacturer in the world, and delivered directly to the customer's home.
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WEB - Chinese Readers - Vancouver, 08/05/2020 - COMMENTARY, Chinese Image Source: http://www.creaders.net/ Summary Description: RCI - The financial issue is more serious for colleges and universities that recruit more international students, and as a result, colleges and universities may have to reduce staffing. Universities Canada president Paul Davidson pointed out that foreign students not only pay tuition fees, but they also drive the Canadian economy through rent, transportation, etc. Davidson said that all Canadian universities want to get back to normal as soon as possible, but too many factors are out of their control. The industry is putting pressure on the federal and provincial governments and asking the two levels of government to help them get through the difficulties arising from the novel coronavirus outbreak. One internet user, aoyun2012niand, suggested layoffs. This internet user says the management of American and Canadian universities is too chaotic; there are more hands than needed; tuition fees increase every year.
RADIO - CIAO 530 AM - Toronto, 13/05/2020 - TALK SHOW, Punjabi Summary Translation: Host Gurdeep Sekhon talked about the impact of COVID-19 on immigration in Canada. Current affairs expert Amrit Grewal said that Australia’s policy to reduce visa issuance is benefitting Canada. Canada had planned to bring more than one million new immigrants to Canada in the next three years, which was good news. At the moment, we can question the need for new immigrants when the unemployment rate is high in Canada. However, the current situation is temporary. The economic situation will improve and immigration will be back on track. There are many jobs that depend on immigrants. International students play a significant role in contributing to the Canadian job market and economy.
TV - OMNI News: Punjabi Edition - Toronto, 11/05/2020 - FEATURE, Punjabi Summary Translation: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is redeploying staff from other areas to inspect meat processing plants. These workers are not properly trained to inspect meat processing sites, but they have been threatened with dismissal if they refuse to redeploy. Agriculture Union President Fabian Murphy said that as more and more meat inspectors contract COVID-19, they may run out of inspectors to send into these meat plants. They have been able to obtain some face coverings, but those masks are not personal protective equipment that would protect the wearer from this biological hazard. At the Cargill plant in High River, Alberta, 18 inspectors have contracted COVID-19. Another Cargill plant in Quebec has been closed after at least 64 workers tested positive. The Agriculture Union reports that the CFIA only gives the redeployed inspectors two-day training in meat sector inspection. Murphy said inspectors are expected to take the training and to "answer the call of duty." University of Ottawa Associate Professor Sarah Berger Richardson said the food industry has been quite irresponsible in saying that keeping the plants closed would lead to a food shortage. It would at most be a meat shortage, and even that might not impact consumers. Dalhousie University Director of the Agri-Foods Analytics Lab Sylvain Charlebois said he was wondering where the leadership on this was. We have seen plants close while others have not, with COVID cases. Companies seem to be deciding for themselves. CFIA has stated that staff have a right to refuse dangerous work and so far, nobody has refused to work.
WEB - (Vancouver) - Vancouver, 11/05/2020 - NEWS, Chinese Image Source: http://www.mingshengbao.com/ Summary Translation: No byline - In the recently published International Education Strategic Plan, the federal government stated that international students contributed approximately $21.6 billion to Canada's GDP in 2018 and from 2014 to 2018, the number of international students studying in Canada increased by 68%. The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada has posed a threat to the number of international students to be enrolled at post-secondary colleges and universities across the country this fall, and therefore many colleges and universities in Canada are expected to cut their budgetary spending substantially this fall to cope with the decline in revenues contributed by the international students.
WEB - Philippine Canadian News - National, 08/05/2020 - EDITORIAL, English Summary: Ted Alcuitas - A community advocacy group is calling for ethnic data collection to fight the coronavirus. A University of British Columbia professor and a community advocacy group is calling for the collection of ethnic and racial data as part of a program to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. J.P. Catungal, a professor at UBC’s Social Justice Institute and RJ Aquino of Tulayan Filipino Diaspora Society claims lack of racial and ethnic data limits BC’s COVID-19 response. In a virtual press conference on April 30, Catungal and Aquino urged the B.C. government to collect data on race and ethnicity to determine whether some communities are being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Filipino-Canadians are over-represented in essential industries such as health care, long-term care, and food service. “In terms of hospitalization, who is being admitted? Who is dying or recovering? Are there differences in terms of severity that are affected by race and ethnicity?” Catungal asks. Pre-existing conditions or access to care may be factors, he said, but health officials need to be informed by race- and ethnicity-based data. Health experts say governments need to commit to collecting this data because, otherwise, it’s difficult to glean a full picture of how minority communities are being impacted. Catungal cited New York and Louisiana as among U.S. jurisdictions that already collect data. Image Source: Philippine Canadian News website
Canadian universities are preparing to start the Fall semester with online classes - Russian5/6/2020 WEB - Knopka - Toronto, 05/05/2020 - NEWS, Russian Image Source: https://www.knopka.ca/ Summary Translation: no byline - According to the latest updates from universities across Canada, many post-secondary institutions are looking at offering at least some of their classes online this September. While Canada is officially flattening the curve, experts are already gearing up for a second wave of the coronavirus in the fall, which could delay in-person instruction until January 2021. Ontario universities are exploring different options for conducting classes depending on the situation with the coronavirus. Online classes are part of the solution to the problem. At the University of Toronto, some classes may be delivered fully or partially through remote instruction. The University of Alberta is also preparing for the possibility of online classes. The University established a Fall 2020 Planning Group, who have developed three scenarios in anticipation of the September semester. The University's most optimistic scenario involves limited in-person classes and international students being allowed in Canada; the worst scenario involves no in-person instruction and international borders remaining closed. Canadian universities are also bracing themselves for a potential budget crunch this fall as the future of international students, who contribute billions of dollars in tuition, is unclear. It is not known whether foreign students will be allowed to study in Canada in the fall.
RADIO - Fairchild Radio FM 94.7 Cantonese - Calgary, 22/04/2020 - NEWS, Cantonese Translated Summay: The University of Calgary expects hundreds of positions will be terminated in the coming months to meet budget needs in 2020, but that number could increase depending on COVID-19’s impact. The Alberta government announced in February it was cutting provincial funding by six per cent (from the previous year) for post-secondary institutions. This reduction resulted in more than $20 million decrease to the University of Calgary (Campus Alberta Grant). Linda Dalgetty, University of Calgary’s Vice-President of Finances and Services, said many international students have returned to their home countries amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The university is watching the fall semester closely and how the pandemic might impact the term.
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.
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