Canadian Immigrant - July 2018 by Canadian Immigrant

Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018 c anadianimmigr ant.c a

ARRIVE. SUCCEED. INSPIRE.

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RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Publications mail agreement number 40011993 | $5.95

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CONTENTS 4

FUSION

PROFILE: Singer Jessica Chaz CANADIANA: 7 Canadian sports facts NEWS: Bursaries for immigrants, hotel jobs …

RBC TOP 25 CANADIAN IMMIGRANTS

The 10th annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2018 are announced

24 SETTLEMENT AGENCY AWARD

Presenting the inaugural winner of the Settlement Agency Award

25 LIVING

above Calgary’s Margaret Adu is one of this year’s RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants.

Philippines-born Joseph Lopez travelled across Canada by rail

26 INTEGRATION

A new study points to social integration as a key feature among successful immigrants

29 CAREERS AND EDUCATION

CAREER COACH: 10 quick resumé fi xes JOB SEARCH STRATEGIES: How to win the job game

32 CULTURE

Indian-born Eisha Marjara explores her life through film

SETTLEMENT

PARENTING: Think safe this summer with first aid training IMMIGRATION LAW: The ‘Lonely Canadian’ program TIPS FOR SETTLING IN FASTER: The art of the job search Immigrating with a learning disability

BACK PAGE

CANSPEAK: English language expressions HUMOUR BY HEMETERIO

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FUSION

People. News. Information. VOLUME 15, ISSUE 3

profile

Group Publisher Sanjay Agnihotri

Jessica

2018

Editor Margaret Jetelina mjetelina@metroland.com

Chaz

Editorial Design Terry Lankstead, Anne Nawrocka Courtland Shakespeare Digital Media Developer Kamil Mytnik Sr. Ad Manager Ricky (Kawaljit) Bajaj rbajaj@metroland.com Tel: 905 273 8170 Sales, Events & Marketing Coordinator Laura Jackman ljackman@metroland.com General Inquiries: info@canadianimmigrant.ca Circulation/Distribution Inquiries: ljackman@metroland.com ISSN 1910-4146 Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher

Publications mail agreement number: 40065097 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 3145 Wolfedale Road Mississauga, Ontario, L5C 3A9 Printed on recycled paper. Toronto Circulation 30,000 copies Vancouver Circulation 15,000 copies Calgary/Edmonton Circulation 5,000 copies Canadian Immigrant is published four times a year in print. Canadian Immigrant welcomes submissions, but is not responsible for unsolicited material. Canadian Immigrant is a publication of Metroland Media Group, a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Entire contents property of Canadian Immigrant.

Dreamin’ in Canada By Margaret Jetelina

ancouverite Jessica Chaz released her new EP “Dreamin’” last month, and her powerful video for the title single starts off with these words on a simple black screen: “Saying your dreams out loud can be difficult … what will people think? Will I fail before I begin?” Throughout the video, real people in video selfies hold up signs that list what their dreams are. For South African-born Chaz, her dream has always been to be a singer. When she immigrated to Vancouver in 2012, she pursued that dream wholeheartedly, writing and releasing music in her signature soulful vocals, and even starting her own music label. How did growing up in South Africa influence your development as an artist? Growing up in South Africa, music is pretty much a part of ev-

Canadiana

Tel: 905 273 8111, Fax: 905 277 9917

above South African-born Indian singer Jessica Chaz. erything. It’s hard to explain, but it’s unique. Church, celebrations, choral music and dancing are a part of the culture that you grow up with. And it’s usually some eclectic mix because you are surrounded by a mix of cultures, especially in Durban, South Africa, where community is so important. Has your ethnic heritage further influenced your music? I’m South African Indian, and growing up with such a mix of culture and music in South Africa, it all helped shape my sound. Most of my music at the moment feels like it has to have an emphasis on the groove, but also has to be meaningful in some way. I think about what I am saying with lyrics

You say your journey as an immigrant has also shaped your career? I think the journey of going through university, building a network of people, vendors, places that you work in regularly, being surrounded by a support system and then immigrating is what I mean. When we got to Canada, I had to start from scratch with every part of my network of people I worked with, but also with everything else. Ultimately, three years of not fi nding people to work with or help build something here, that is what pushed myself [and entrepreneur Vanessa Moodley] to start the label, Moodlab Music, and create the opportunities ourselves, and provide more opportunities to female artists. What do you enjoy about being a Canadian? Oh man, I love Canada. Vancouver is so safe and beautiful! The opportunity here, and the infrastructure in place to support artists and students is so rare in other places. I feel blessed to have been able to make this gorgeous place my new home.

7 Canadian sports facts

canadianimmigrant.ca TORONTO 3145 Wolfedale Road, Mississauga Ontario, L5C 3A9

when writing a song and I am both adventurous and picky in what I choose to sing.

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

Sports fan? Here are seven facts you may not have known about athletics in Canada. 1. Hockey is Canada’s national winter sport, but lacrosse is the country’s national summer sport. 2. Lacrosse has Indigenous roots. Different First Nations played it across Canada hundreds of years ago. 3. The Royal Montreal Golf Club, founded in 1873, is the oldest golf club in North America. 4. A Canadian, James Naismith, invented the game of basketball in 1891. 5. Basketball player Steve Nash is the only

Canadian to win the NBA MVP award. He is also a 2013 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant winner (he immigrated to Canada from South Africa). 6. The Toronto Blue Jays baseball team was the fastest American League expansion team to win the World Series in 1992, only 16 years after being founded. They won again in 1993. 7. The Toronto Raptors basketball team was founded in 1995, but did you know that Vancouver also got a team the same year as part of the NBA’s expansion to Canada? Unfortunately, the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis in 2000.

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news

Free tuition for newcomers Interested in going back to school? Are you a new immigrant who arrived in Canada for the first time in the last five years? Does Ashton College have a program that interests you at its Vancouver or online campus? If so, you may be eligible for one of their Ashton College Bursaries for New Immigrants. Applications for 2018 are now being accepted! Since 2005, Canadian Immigrant has co-sponsored the bursaries (formerly known as Lilian To Bursaries for Immigrants), to help newcomers add a Canadian educational credential to their resumé. The bursaries cover full-time tuition (valued up to $8,000) for a range of Ashton College programs, which include everything from diplomas in immigration consultancy to human resources to sales and marketing, and more. “We’ve been offering these newcomer bursaries for so many years because we understand that getting Canadian credentials can be

an important stepping stone in reestablishing your career and getting licensed, too,” says Colin Fortes, president of Ashton College. In fact, immigrants looking to gain Canadian credentials make up a big portion of the student population at the college, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Ashton College’s programs are all accredited by, or offered in partnership with, professional associations and national licensing bodies. Deadline for submissions this year is on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. Apply online at ashtoncollege.ca/2018-ashton-college-bursaries.

Hotel jobs pilot program A new pilot project has been announced by the federal government that will connect newcomers with jobs in the hotel industry, while also supporting their language

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skills and integration into Canada. Tourism directly accounted for $41.2 billion of Canada’s GDP in 2017, but the industry often struggles to attract and retain enough employees to meet the demand. This project hopes to counteract this. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will provide Tourism HR Canada with nearly $7 million to run the three-year pilot project, in partnership with the Hotel Association of Canada. It will assist up to 1,300 newcomers in gaining job experience. While on the job, newcomers will also have the opportunity to improve their English or French through informal learning, which will be supplemented by formal language training. “This initiative demonstrates the

government’s commitment to seeking innovative solutions to the labour challenges currently facing the sector,” says Philip Mondor, president of Tourism HR Canada. “The pilot program will introduce a scalable model that provides a win-win for hoteliers seeking engaged and committed new recruits, and newcomers who see the opportunity as an entry point to the Canadian workforce.” The focus is on employing newcomers in long-term hotel jobs in five locations: Atlantic Canada, Southern Ontario, Saskatoon/Regina, Banff/Lake Louise/Southern Alberta and the Yukon. Between 200 and 600 hotels across Canada are expected to participate in this pilot program.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

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Presenting the

RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2018

By Margaret Jetelina and Gloria Suhasini

t’s the 10-year anniversary of the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, an incredible milestone celebrating the contributions of immigrants to this country. For the last decade, the awards, presented by Canadian Immigrant magazine with the support of title sponsor RBC, have highlighted inspiring stories of Canadian immigrants from coast to coast. Over the years, the winners have been a true reflection of Canada, its diversity and its nation-building spirit. The 2018 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants are no different. From community leaders to artists to entrepreneurs, the 2018 winners were chosen after an extensive judging and online voting process from among 75 finalists. (Thank you to the past winners who formed this year’s judging panel: Ishita Aggarwal, Gabriela Covaci, Dahlia ElShafie-Mostafa, Trish Mandewo, Gautam Nath and Ninela Sanchez.) From among the Top 25, two winners have also been chosen for special recognitions: the fourth annual RBC Entrepreneur Award and the second annual Youth Award. All the winners were celebrated at ceremonies in Toronto on June 19 and Vancouver on June 27. Each winner also received $500 toward a Canadian charity of their choice, courtesy of RBC. Now, let’s discover this year’s winners!

Introducing the new Settlement Agency Award Concurrent with the RBC Top 25 campaign this year, we introduced the Settlement Agency Award to recognize the amazing work immigrant settlement agencies are doing to help newcomers integrate and succeed in Canada. We invited nominations from across the country and, after an online voting process, one agency has been selected as the Settlement Agency Award winner for 2018. Find out who the winner is on page 24.

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

Margaret Adu Courage to succeed

CDI-BON-EVT-Black Press_3.7917X4.8125.pdf

hen Margaret Adu came to Edmonton from Ghana to be with her husband who was studying at the University of Alberta, she had no intention of staying forever. They figured they would eventually return to Ghana, where Adu had her own successful architectural practice. But, after deciding to stay in Canada, Adu started knocking on doors of local architecture firms for a job. “There was an architecture company close to where we lived, and I was told there was no position, but I persistently told the owner I wasn’t leaving until he offered me a job. Then I offered to work for free,” she says. The firm agreed. “I didn’t have any Canadian experience, I had an accent and I was Black. So, OK, I had to prove that I was good.” When Adu decided to find a paying job in home care, the architecture firm owner quickly offered her a paycheque, too. So Adu juggled architecture work during the day, and home care work in the evenings. developed a1:10 newfound passion in work1She2018-06-25 PM

ing with people and — in between having three children and moving to Calgary — developed a vision for a company that combined both architecture and health care. Adu founded Aomega Group Ltd., a company that builds and runs personal care homes in Calgary — real houses designed to accommodate four to six clients, and 24/7 staff. “We are the gap between a nursing home and no longer being able to live on your own,” says Adu who is also manager of operations of Secura Care Homes and More T’a Life Homes. Adu, who has also served as president with the Ghanaian Canadian Association of Calgary, attributes her success to courage. “I needed courage to hold the mantle of leadership and courage to face my worst fears of not being a born Canadian,” she says. “I have learned that you never know what you can do until you try it. And each time you go out, it’s an experiment, and you learn an awful lot about yourself, your limits and your capabilities.”

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Pooneh Alizadeh Dance goddess

our years after arriving in Canada in 2000, Iranian-born dancer Pooneh Alizadeh opened up her own dance academy to share the movement of her culture. Academy of Middle Eastern Dance (AMED) in North Vancouver, B.C., has been a go-to place for Middle Eastern dance ever since. “I came to Canada to follow my dream to become a professional in my art,” says Alizadeh, who earned a master of arts at Tehran University. The artistic direction of her academy is based on a fusion of Middle Eastern dance, folkloric dances and ballet influences — including belly dance! “I combine an authentic feeling with a modern flair,” says the performer, instructor and choreographer. For Alizadeh, dance can also be healing. She uses dance movements as a form of therapy — a full workout for the body and soul. “Dance can play an essential role in creating a feeling of relaxation and peace, in developing healthy relationships and behaviours, creating a better self-image and releasing negative energy,” she explains. “I’m so pleased to live in Canada,

Mohammed Alsaleh Refugee advocate

ohammed Alsaleh has built his new life in Vancouver around helping refugees. He advocates, speaks (he has his own TEDx Talk) and is the official refugee sponsorship trainer for B.C. He understands what refugees have been through, because he’s been through it all himself. It’s been just three-and-half years since Alsaleh landed in Canada as a Syrian refugee. “Coming to Canada as a refugee is not easy at all,” says the 29-year-old. “Many people think that arriving in Canada is a happy ending to a fairy tale story; rather it is the start of the real journey of building a new life in a faraway land, where you don’t speak the language or know anybody.” Alsaleh had been studying to be a doctor in Syria before he was arrested by the Assad regime for his involvement in the peaceful Syrian uprising. After surviving imprisonment and torture, he escaped to neighbouring Lebanon, where he registered with the UNHCR and came to Canada as a refugee. His first job in Canada was to assist newly arrived refugees to resettle in B.C. as a refugee re-

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

settlement counsellor with ISSof BC — the same immigrant-serving agency that assisted him when he first arrived. “I stopped considering myself a refugee once I started working because that’s when I became a productive member of society and was able to give back to Canada,” he says. Today, as the refugee sponsorship trainer for B.C., Alsaleh travels across the province providing ongoing information and training for the refugee private sponsorship community. “I am never intimidated by new challenges,” he says. “Quite the contrary, I welcome them as new learning opportunities. And, if I make a mistake, the worst that could happen is that I will learn from it.” One of the most important lessons he’s learned is that any newcomer can be a Canadian. “You can be anyone, any religion, any ethnicity or background. Simply be yourself and contribute what you can offer to Canadian society, while embracing the Canadian values of diversity, inclusion and acceptance.”

where I can inspire and motivate others with my passion, helping them toward a better life, living with less stress and finding their inner goddess.” Alizadeh has also become an entrepreneur in Canada, successfully running her studio for the past 14 years. “In Canada, your hard work will always be recognized.” Beyond the success she’s achieved, Alizadeh says dance has allowed her to connect to her community. Named a B.C. Culture Ambassador in 2016, Alizadeh uses her art to create connections by teaching and performing at seniors’ homes, hospitals, schools and community events. Alizadeh has also developed a dance routine combined with sign language for Deaf people. “It empowers them to explore movement in a way that is stimulating and creative. This type of dance therapy can increase their recognition of rhythm and patterns of movement,” she says. “I always want to encourage others, contribute positive things and offer my help to anyone who needs it.”

Celebrating 25 exceptional individuals. Visit canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25

We are proud to congratulate and celebrate the RBCÂŽ Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award winners. Their stories of perseverance and courage are motivating and inspiring to all Canadians. Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate and vote for these remarkable individuals. ÂŽ / â&#x201E;˘ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada.

103426 (06/2017)

Loizza Aquino Fighting the stigma

alking about mental health isn’t easy. Philippines-born Loizza Aquino understands the stigma of asking for help. When she was in Grade 10, she lost her best friend to suicide. He was one of four high school students in Winnipeg who died by suicide within one month. “It changed my whole perspective on life in general,” Aquino says. “That’s why I created my own non-profit at the age of 15 because I realized that the things lacking in terms of mental health were conversation, awareness and education.” Her youth-led non-profit organization, Peace of Mind Canada, holds events called Youth Against Metal Health and Illness Stigma (YAMHIS), which provide a safe space for students to share their stories and experiences. “The more that you talk, the more normalized [mental health] becomes. The more normalized it becomes, the easier it is to ask for help,” she explains. Winner of the Young Humanitarian Award of Manitoba, Aquino also recently created her own scholarship fund to empower other youth

Sara Asalya Student leader

orn and raised in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight refugee camps, Sara Asalya was deeply impacted by the displacement and trauma all around her. It instilled in her a passion for social justice and human rights. After immigrating to Canada six years ago, the desire to help others remained just as strong. Here she has turned her attention to supporting refugees and newcomers in Canada. “I have encountered various challenges and barriers that newcomers typically face when trying to access education and employment, and relocating to a different culture,” Asalya says. “I found that there is no shortage of agencies that offer professional help to newcomers, but not enough attention is paid to their particular situations and environments. This gap was the impetus behind establishing my newcomer student organization.” A student at Ryerson University, she started the Newcomer Students’ Association of Ryerson (NSAR). “I wanted to provide a safe setting for my fellow students to belong, connect, grow and receive the support they need.”

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

Under NSAR, the ambitious Asalya organized a conference in 2017 called Integrating our Voices: Centring Stories of Migration, inviting prominent speakers like politician Olivia Chow and human rights activist Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish (both past RBC Top Top 25s!). “The second annual conference, which focuses on migrant student experiences and Indigenous–migrant solidarity, is taking place this October and I have the privilege of being its chair,” says Asalya. “We are also working on other initiatives and events that include an Empowering Immigrant Women club, peer mentoring and a new NSAR scholarship.” A busy student, wife and mom of two young sons, Asalya also works (she’s the student engagement and leadership assistant at Ryerson University) and offers her time and voice as a volunteer with various organizations and boards. And she recently got accepted into a master’s program in education at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto. What drives this 30-year-old to do so much? “I am very passionate about the work I do and continuously strive to improve.”

mental health activists like her across Canada and the Philippines. Meanwhile, the 18-year-old Winnipegger is studying at the University of Toronto, with a double major in mental health studies and international development studies. And she has brought her activism along with her, hosting Peace of Mind events in Toronto. “I also plan on expanding Peace of Mind Canada to Ottawa in the 2018-2019 school year.” Aquino has experienced a lot of heartache in her young life, including watching her family struggle as new immigrants. So, what has helped her not only cope, but thrive? “What has helped me overcome some of the hardest times of my life is realizing that for every struggle or painful situation, there is always a lesson to be learned,” she says. “There is a bigger picture and every adversity we face is an experience that will help us grow as individuals.” Wise words from someone so young — highlighting the reason Aquino is this year’s RBC Top 25 Youth Award winner.

Harbhajan Singh Athwal Community leader

arbhajan Singh Athwal’s life story has all the elements of a Bollywood blockbuster — romance, adventure, struggle and success! Athwal who grew up in Chitti, a small village in India’s Punjab region, followed his fiancée to Canada in 1968 and married her weeks later in Gurdwara Sahib Khalsa Diwan Society Sukh Sagar in New Westminster, B.C. — where he now serves as president. Athwal was only 22 years old back then. “I spoke and understood very little English, so I enrolled in night school English classes,” he remembers. “I was eager and motivated to create a good start in Canada.” Within a month of arriving, he got hired by a sawmill and continued as a millworker for nearly 40 years. “With the amazing support of my wife, we were very soon able to buy a home,” he says. “And we opened it up to other immigrants who did not have family here.” Athwal says that all three of his Canadianborn children often faced prejudice for the way they dressed, looked and talked. “That’s one of

the reasons why I put a lot of effort now into educating youth in our communities, especially about Sikhism,” he says, noting that his religion stresses the importance of service to humanity. Athwal volunteers countless hours per week to improve the lives of others, from creating yout programs and camps, to spearheading the a free kitchen program for the homeless, to organizing donations for wildfire disaster relief and other global disasters. This past November, during a large power outage in New Westminster, Athwal ensured that hot meals were available to all residents in the neighbourhood. “I arrived at Canada’s doorstep in 1968 with only $7 in my pocket, and now I am wealthy in health and in success,” says Athwal. “Over the last 50 years, I have volunteered much of my time and effort in helping others in the community. It makes me happy to do ‘seva’ (service) as it is the foundation of who I am as a Sikh. I intend to continue my efforts for the rest of my life.”

Nav Bhatia Superfan, super Canadian

e has not missed a Toronto Raptors basketball home game since the inception of the team in 1995, and that’s why Nav Bhatia was given the title of official Toronto Raptors’ Superfan and community ambassador. From his now-famous courtside seats, Bhatia hopes to change misperceptions of Sikhs and South Asians, starting among Canada’s youth. Each year he brings thousands of kids of all backgrounds together to watch the Raptors play in Toronto. The successful entrepreneur — Bhatia owns the Mississauga and Rexdale Hyundai dealerships — is now taking his philanthropy to new heights. “I am launching the Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation where I am building basketball courts and hosting camps for kids from all backgrounds to come together through the game of basketball.” Not just a legend in basketball, Bhatia, who arrived humbly in Canada in 1984, has become a Canadian icon — an inspirational story of immigrant success.

“When I first came to Canada, I faced a lot of discrimination because of the way I looked,” Bhatia says. “It was very difficult landing a job, but I never got angry. Whatever work I did, I made sure I was the best at it. My first job was as a landscaper and I was the proudest Canadian landscaper, I can guarantee you that.” Next, he got a job as a car salesman. “One day, a Caucasian customer came in, took one look at me and said he wanted someone else to serve him,” Bhatia remembers. “I could have been upset, but instead I stayed calm and made a deal with the next salesperson — he could do the deal, but I would get to deliver the car.” When the customer returned, Bhatia treated him with excellent customer service, showing him all the features of the car. The customer has been buying from Bhatia ever since. “There are lots of speed bumps along the way, but you have to stay positive,” he says. “That moment reinforced the personal philosophy I’ve followed ever since: treat people how you want to be treated yourself.” CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

Roberto Campanella Passion for dance

t was Roberto Campanella who gave the amphibious creature from The Shape of Water his moves in the Oscar Award-winning fi lm’s dream dance scene. The Toronto-based choreographer has become a sought-after choreographer and director for fi lm and TV. But the Italian-born’s first passion is leading his dance company ProArteDanza, which he founded to showcase choreographers and dancers from both ballet and modern dance. Campanella started off as a dancer himself, of course. He joined Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea in 1985 and later joined Italy’s prestigious Aterballetto. In 1993, he made the transatlantic leap to join the National Ballet of Canada. Learning English was a challenge — “I often found myself smiling along without understanding what people were saying” — but dance is a universal language, and he was quickly promoted to soloist. In 1996, he had to leave the stage for good due to an injury. “I felt pretty desperate,” he says. “I was about to become a father and not knowing how

Kundan Joshi Cutting-edge talent

he technology sector in Canada is critical to the country’s innovation and progress, and we can thank immigrants like Kundan Joshi for leading the way. Indian-born Joshi is the founder and CEO of TheAppLabb, a product innovation fi rm focused on strategy, design and development of cutting-edge apps. With six global offices in Toronto, New York, Hong Kong, Melbourne and India, and 75 employees, TheAppLabb has created more than 500 apps for a variety of clients. “Today, we are at a stage where technology has progressed to a point where our only limitation is our own imagination,” says Joshi, who also serves as a partner, investor and advisor to more than 20 tech startups, including Urbery, a grocery delivery app, and Mygreat, a chatbot for new immigrants. “If you can imagine it, with technology, we can achieve it.” Joshi is particularly excited about the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI). “We’re planning to launch a new AI platform,” he says.

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

It’s been an amazing journey for Joshi since coming to Canada in 2000, and he attributes his success to “grit, persistence, never giving up despite failures — and staying focused on the ultimate vision.” He also believes in giving back, serving on a variety of groups and boards, including as vice-president of the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce, and as part of the information and communications technology leadership team at Mississauga Board of Trade. Joshi is also known as a passionate advocate for new immigrants. He hires them, mentors them and has established an internship program at TheAppLabb for newcomer co-op students. The budding philanthropist is also a founding director of Startups Give Back, a charity that unites startups with others in the community who are less fortunate. “To become a good leader, you need to empower others to become good leaders,” says Joshi, who was chosen as this year’s Entrepreneur Award winner. “So, let’s extend ourselves, imagine, think creatively about the problems in the world that really need to be solved, for the greater good of humanity and the world.”

I would provide for my family was a terrifying thought. But I realized there was an entire country out there that was prepared to give me an opportunity to continue to use my skills as an artist.” He graduated from National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program, and he started choreographing. He received awards including the Fellowship Initiative Award from the New York Choreographic Institute, and premiered his first full-length work, Alice in Wonderland, in Germany in October 2008. Today, Campanella, a proud new Canadian citizen, choreographs predominantly for his own company, and is big on collaboration. He won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography with frequent co-choreographer Robert Glumbek for their work … in between …. “In general, I’m at my very best when collaborating,” Campanella says. “I bring a lot of warmth, passion and enthusiasm to any project.” His next project for ProArteDanza? A new evening of dance inspired by The Marriage of Figaro, which will open in Toronto, November 1. From sea creatures to Mozart, we can’t wait to see what new moves Campanella has next.

Isabel Kanaan It’s kind of a funny story …

sabel Kanaan was doing live theatrical productions by age 10 in the Philippines. When she immigrated to Canada as a teenager in 2008, the budding thespian set her sights on fi lm and TV. “People laughed when I said I wanted to be an actor in North America because it wasn’t a ‘real job,’” Kanaan says. Today, the 26-year-old is making people laugh for real — she’s on CBC’s sketch comedy show Air Farce and is a member of the Canadian sketch troupe, the Sketchersons, performing on their weekly show Sunday Night Live. She also teaches and performs for young audiences with Second City. “I worked hard, got into as many audition rooms as I could, built connections and am now a working actor,” Kanaan says, adding with a laugh, “With all that work, trust me, it is a ‘real job.’” Beyond working hard, Kanaan also had to do a lot of soul searching. “I kept running away from who I was,” she admits. “Coming to Canada, I was taught to trick people into

Dr. Raj Khanuja Do-good dentist

r. Raj Khanuja was only 18 years old when he left India on his own. “I had always dreamed of studying in the U.S.,” says Khanuja, who received a full tuition scholarship at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. With an undergraduate degree in hand, Khanuja found himself with just $200 in his pocket while waiting for a summer internship to start. “I ended up sleeping in my car for four weeks, showered at the local YMCA, and lived on bagels and juice,” he remembers. His fortunes would soon turn, however; he was accepted into the University of Iowa College of Dentistry with $40,000 in scholarships. “That set the course for my future,” says Khanuja, who immigrated to Canada in 2000. “Today, I own seven dental clinics in southern Ontario, located in Brampton, Orangeville, Scarborough, Fergus, Stoney Creek and Mississauga.” He attributes the success of his R. Khanuja Dentistry Professional Corporation (with clinics under the names Castlemore Dental, Headwaters Dental and Flower City Dental) in large

part to his commitment to community. “The communities I serve embraced me, and giving back to members of the community whose circumstances may not be favourable has always been a top priority of mine.” He’s held an annual pro-bono dental day called “Doing positive in my backyard” since 2012. “It is a basic necessity for people to have dental access,” he says. “And we just try to fi ll the gap.” Khanuja’s vision is to open a community clinic where visiting dentists can donate their time. For his efforts, the compassionate dentist received the Canada 150 Medallion for community service and the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism from the Government of Ontario this spring. His business has also been recognized by numerous awards, including the Canadian Business Excellence Award for Private Businesses for the last two years in a row. Khanuja is grateful to his adopted country for what he’s achieved. “Being Canadian is the best-kept secret on this planet,” he says. “You can achieve anything you want; the only limit is you.”

thinking I wasn’t an immigrant. It took doing improv shows every night for me to realize that I wasn’t being my true self. How can I perform and make the audience believe in a character’s truth if I didn’t believe in my own character?” she asks. “I decided to show people the truth. I started advocating for representation in the media as a person of colour, as queer and as an immigrant.” She received rave reviews for her performance in the Filipino-Canadian fi lm Ponytail, and is a core member of the FilipinoCanadian Carlos Bulosan Theatre in Toronto. She also starred in the LGBTQ-friendly series Haunted or Hoax, which won the NYC Webfest’s Audience Choice Award. Up next, she has a lead role in the immigration-themed Prairie Nurse, at Ontario’s Thousand Island Playhouse in August 2018. “Now, in whatever project I do, I always pay homage to my heritage, my culture and my truth.”

Photo by Shoot Me Studios CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

Sophie Lavieri A successful experiment

itting in front of the hiring committee at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Venezuelanborn Sophie Lavieri, an accomplished scientist with a PhD in medicinal chemistry, was anxious about her English language skills. “I was worried since I had never taught in English before,” she says. “However, as I told the SFU hiring committee, ‘Just give me a year, and you will see!’” Her confidence outshone her worries. She was hired. And, over the years, Lavieri has not only become a popular, award-winning senior lecturer at the Burnaby, B.C.-based university, but she has also helped SFU become a leader in promoting science education to children. “I noticed that here in Canada exists a culture that supports the helping of others. I decided to use this to spread my love of science to the next generation,” she says. Lavieri founded Science in Action, a free science outreach program that has reached more than 100,000 kids. “You can’t imagine how rewarding it is when some of my stu-

Photo by Paul Joseph

Kin Wah Leung Fruitful business

hat started out as an eight-foot produce table in Granville Island Public Market has turned into a multi-million-dollar business with 32 locations across B.C. Looking back, Kin Wah Leung, president and founding director of Kin’s Farm Market, says he has been guided by words his grandmother said to him when leaving China for Canada in 1981 — “Work hard on your career, build a great and bright future, be successful in business, and bring honour to the family and ancestors.” Leung did just that. He took English classes in the morning, worked as a dishwasher at a Chinatown wonton restaurant from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., then walked 45 minutes home every night to save money. “All I knew was that if I worked hard, tomorrow will be better than today.” By 1987, the fi rst Kin’s Farm Market location opened its doors at Blundell Centre in Richmond. “We started with five employees at our fi rst location and now we have more than 800 employees,” says Leung, who owns

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

the company with his brother, Kin Hun, and wife, Queenie. Next, they opened a second location in Ladner, but it wasn’t an automatic success. So, when a representative from Brentwood Mall in Burnaby asked them to open a third location, they hesitated. “We had to think about this long and hard … but the landlord gave us an offer that we could not resist.” It was a turning point. “Our success in Brentwood ushered the way to a new dream for myself and my family,” he says. “We were sought out by other shopping centres, and our brand began to flourish.” Today, Leung is happy to share his success, not only through generous philanthropic donations, but also by supporting Kin’s largely immigrant staff with their management partnership program and franchise opportunities. “I started with nothing and now I want to help other new immigrants,” he says. “I believe if I can do it even though I had no experience and money to start, anyone can do it.”

dents tell me that their interest in science was sparked by one of my workshops they took as a child!” says Lavieri, whose efforts have helped secure more than $4 million in funding to build a science outreach centre and observatory on campus. Looking back, she says immigrating to Canada in 2000 had not been an easy decision, but she and her husband, Luis, wanted to give their two kids a better, safer future. “Canada is now home with a capital ‘H,’” she says. “Becoming part of a community that takes care of others and of its environment, a community that appreciates multiculturalism and values teamwork, a community that offers security and a great quality of life is priceless,” adds the new grandmother. When not in the lab, the multi-talented Lavieri can be found singing with Chem-semble, a choir she founded that performs at local retirement homes. The singing scientist says she just wants “to give back to the country that has given me and my family so much.”

Tinashe Mafukidze Social innovator

imbabwean-born Tinashe Mafukidze was a globetrotter by the time she was 15, moving with her mother and two brothers to wherever work took her, including Burundi and Kenya. But the next move was not all that pleasant — the family had to flee to Canada for safety. “Our family’s reality literally changed overnight,” says Mafukidze. “We lived in a refugee shelter for a couple of months and that was the beginning of my Canadian immigrant journey.” As a refugee claimant, Mafukidze faced uncertainty. “One of my biggest struggles in my immigrant journey was navigating a new country without ‘papers.’ I would wish I could get a Canadian passport to go on those school trips across the border,” she recollects. Undeterred by such impediments, she forged ahead, and engaged in volunteering and activism. “I decided that I would not let my status pause my ambition,” she says. “I would volunteer as much of my time on issues that I cared about.” She went on to launch her own projects tackling complex issues using social

innovation and social enterprise. Eighteen years later, the established Canadian immigrant is an impact designer in Toronto. “[My] work focuses on curating customized solutions and supports for people and projects in Canada and the world that seek to drive systems level impact, innovation and change.” Currently, Mafukidze is senior manager, operations, innovation and strategic partnerships, at the Youth Research Evaluation eXchange (YouthREX) project at York University’s School of Social Work. The project is about supporting youth programs and evaluating their impact on the wellbeing of Ontario’s youth. Mafukidze, who has also served on various boards and committees, currently on the Telus Community Board, is making a name for herself as a changemaker. “I’m thrilled to be one of this year’s fellows for the Social Innovation Residency at the Banff Centre in Alberta,” she says. For Mafukidze, managing change is not just a career, but a reflection of who she is. She sees herself as “a mixture of being adaptable when I need to be and always reflective about my experiences so I can learn and grow.”

Mario Monteiro Scientific influencer

ario Monteiro, a professor with the University of Guelph in Ontario, is one of the most influential vaccine researchers in the world. He has identified key molecules capable of preventing bacterial infections responsible for deadly diarrhea in humans. The first vaccine target that Monteiro worked on was against Campylobacter infections, among the most common bacterial infections in humans. The vaccine he developed is now in human clinical trials in the U.S. It was 2014 when Monteiro was named one of the world’s 50 top vaccine influencers — the only Canadian to be recognized. “That was a special thing because it brought a lot of attention to the university and to Canada,” he says. It’s been a long journey since he arrived in Toronto as a 14-year-old from Portugal. “My biggest challenge was learning about the high school system and how to navigate it,” says Monteiro who started school with no pathway to post-secondary education. Eventually, his teachers took notice of his po-

tential and he began taking more advanced level courses. He discovered a passion for science, and moved on to post-secondary studies. “It was during the last year of my university undergraduate degree that I was given the chance to carry out research work in a lab — and I enjoyed it.” After earning a PhD in 1996 from York University, he was hired by the National Research Council in Ottawa to study the chemistry of microbes. Monteiro was then hired by a U.S. company to develop medicines against infectious diseases, before being recruited by the University of Guelph in 2003. A new vaccine he developed at Guelph targets surface molecules exposed by C. difficile and thus can control infection and colonization levels —a discovery that is now the cornerstone of C. difficile research worldwide. Monteiro uses his success to advocate for education among students in the Portuguese community, who have suffered from low graduation rates. “You can’t let the system dictate what you can and cannot do,” Monteiro says. “You have to believe in yourself.” CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

Dr. Saroj Niraula Doctor with purpose

Photo by Manuel Sousa

Dr. Boluwaji Ogunyemi Medical leader

t is well known that many immigrants come to Canada sacrificing their own ambitions to put their children’s future first. Young Boluwaji Ogunyemi’s Nigerian parents did the same — they brought the 11-year-old and his older brother to Canada to give them the best possible opportunities in life. Becoming a prominent doctor certainly meets that objective. “With my immigrant parents as my earliest and greatest role models, I learned the importance of hard work, dedication and sacrifice from an early age,” says Ogunyemi, who grew up and went to medical school in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. On June 30, Ogunyemi completed his fiveyear postgraduate training at the University of British Columbia — where he was named chief resident in the department of dermatology and skin science — and become a board-certified dermatologist. “I plan to work as a medical dermatologist, diagnosing and managing patient of all ages with skin diseases ranging from eczema and melanoma to acne and severe

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

n Dr. Saroj Niraula’s first week in Canada nine years ago, the future oncologist had one of those “a-ha” moments. “When I started working with my Canadian mentors [at the University of Toronto] that first week, I had an instant realization about the impactful, practice-changing cancer research that I could contribute to here, and potentially improve the lives of cancer patients around the world,” he says. “I realized that I had found my life purpose.” Niraula resolved to devote his professional career to “doing my bit to develop better cancer treatments to improve the quality and quantity of life of patients dealing with cancer.” Originally from the Himalayan country of Nepal, Niraula is today a cancer physician and affi liate scientist with CancerCare Manitoba and University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. He is the leader of the breast disease site in the provincial cancer institute. Published extensively in medical journals, Niraula has also designed, conducted and reported a few cancer clinical trials, and is the

drug reactions,” he says. Ogunyemi also hopes to seek an academic appointment and continue his work in leadership and advocacy. He served as president of the Medical Student Society at Memorial University of Newfoundland, as director of communications for Resident Doctors of British Columbia and on the board of directors of the Canadian Dermatology Association. Ogunyemi has also spent time mentoring youth and encouraging those from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in health sciences. “I have recently been awarded the American Academy of Dermatology ‘Members Making a Difference’ award for contributions to patient advocacy and mentorship,” he says. The 31-one-year old has also been published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals and regularly gives presentations at scientific conferences. Ogunyemi, recipient of the Harry Jerome Award in health sciences, also regularly writes about issues related to diversity and inclusion, social justice and medicine for mainstream publications. “I think that embracing different ways of thinking have contributed to my success,” he says.

local principal investigator for several international collaborative clinical trials of women with breast cancer. If that weren’t enough, Niraula is deeply concerned by inequity in health care around the world and volunteers to mentor cancer doctors from low- and middle-income countries. Niraula is proud to represent Canada and its universal health care program, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t face some hiccups as an immigrant. “My main struggles, unsurprisingly, were about getting used to differences in professional culture. There are fundamental differences in professional culture in the East and the West that immigrants need to overcome in order to flourish in Canadian work life,” he explains. “Although there is always room for improvement, meritocracy embedded within democracy is what has helped Canada become the rare example of a near-perfect country in the world, in my opinion.” With a real sense of purpose to his work, Canada is lucky to have a leader in the fight against cancer like Niraula.

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Senator Ratna Omidvar In the chamber

enator Ratna Omidvar has been pretty busy lately, helping shape Canada’s new cannabis laws in the country’s Upper Chamber. It’s just one of the many important issues Omidvar has been influencing in the Senate of Canada since her appointment in April 2016. Becoming a senator wasn’t a role she was expecting, but when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called her up to ask her to sit as an independent senator for Ontario, she was overjoyed. For someone who has been shaping social issues in the country for the past 30 years — and even named Nation Builder of the Decade for Citizenship in 2010 — it was a fitting next step. “It is my hope that I can make lasting impacts on the legislation that comes before us in Ottawa,” Indian-born Omidvar says. “I also look forward to spending a good deal of my time advocating for things like community benefit agreements and better regulations for Canada’s charities and non-profits.” A recipient of both the Orders of Ontario and Canada, Omidvar has become a prominent

Bernardo Riveros Leading the way

ernardo Riveros came to Canada as an international student in 1996 not knowing it would become his permanent home. Today, the Vaughan, Ontario-based leadership coach says he loves Canada as much as his home country of Colombia. It was not love at first sight, however. With a degree in advertising and marketing, and more than six years of experience, Riveros struggled after arriving in Canada. “Adapting to a new culture that is pretty different wasn’t easy,” he says. “Then came the lack of Canadian experience and not having my credentials recognized. It was a big challenge to build credibility.” A turning point came when he started to network. “It was an activity I was not familiar with at all, but I was able to meet other immigrant professionals and that gave me encouragement,” he says. It also taught him an important lesson: “I believe we have to give without expecting anything in return. I had met some friends and I offered my expertise to help them start their new

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

business. The result was very positive. And they offered me my first job, which later turned into a partnership.” Riveros became the co-founder of International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC), one of the largest private English schools for international students in Toronto and Vancouver. As its executive director for 18 years, Riveros developed a strong passion for leadership. He researched and trained, and used his experiences with both ILAC and as president of the Colombian Canadian Professional Association, to launch Global Impact Leadership Consultants. “My team and I have been able to train and equip close to 2,000 leaders,” Riveros says, adding that he also chairs their non-profit CanadaForward Foundation, which focuses on leadership development in unprivileged communities. The devoted husband and father of three kids has lots of tips to share with immigrants looking to become leaders in their own stories. “Number 1: believe in yourself. Become intentional in all you do, never stop learning and help others.”

voice on migration, diversity and inclusion. Her own experiences of displacement and integration after immigrating in 1981 became the foundation of her advocacy work. “Like countless other immigrants to this country, I chose to reinvent myself. This reinvention takes time and is never linear,” she reflects. “I’d like to think it was resilience and patience that defined my path.” Others might define her path as one of influence. She was the president of the Maytree Foundation and founding executive director of the think-thank Global Diversity Exchange (GDX), at Ryerson University. She is also cochair of the Global Future Council on Migration hosted by the World Economic Forum. The list of accomplishments goes on, and she’s not stopping yet. “Our country will forever be a work in progress,” Omidvar says. “There is far more work to be done to bridge gaps, bolster equities and modernize for the times we live in.”

Priti Shah Pursuing justice and peace

or Priti Shah, the pursuit of justice and peace is simply a way of life. An immigrant community leader who has been involved in too many humanitarian initiatives over the last 30 years to count, Coquitlam, B.C.-based Shah has built a reputation as a “mover and a shaker” in all things related to equity. Shaped by her upbringing in India and her experiences as a racialized female immigrant in Canada, much of her work is focused on challenging systemic racism. As principal of Drishti Consulting, she works with non-profit organizations, governments and others to improve the integration of newcomers and marginalized communities, with a particular focus on women. “I’m committed to my vision for equity, and finding creative ways to remove or jump over roadblocks,” she says. Shah has created more than 350 workshops that challenge gender and racial inequality, and has designed local and international conferences focused on issues of social justice. Her work has also translated into creative

Naseem Somani Transformative leader

oung Naseem Somani travelled a treacherous path with her parents and siblings, fleeing Central Africa to safety in Canada in 1974. However, their troubles didn’t go away upon immigration. “My biggest struggle was losing my father one month after landing in Canada. We were not settled, and my mom and sister had to work six days a week to make ends meet,” Somani shares. “I was a young teenager and had the responsibility of taking care of my brother. It was quite an adjustment and I had to grow up fast.” Educated in French throughout high school, Somani also faced difficulty learning in English at the university level. “While settling down in a new country, we should make every effort to learn the local language — the ability to communicate is key,” she says. “Other key attributes that helped me overcome my struggles were the values my parents had taught me,” she says. “They taught me that integrity, hard work, being a contributing member of society and getting a solid education were

outlets. She led a partnership of diverse interfaith groups including Indigenous communities that led to the fi lm Hidden Legacies, about the impact of residential schools. She also worked as a facilitator and wrote a school guide for Jabber, a play on students confronting stereotypes, racism and Islamophobia. All her experiences really came together with the creation of the Pathways to Leadership (PTL) for immigrant women, a program now being used by many non-profit agencies in Vancouver. “I’m just in the process of writing part two of the curriculum for PTL,” says Shah, who is also a board member on Women Transforming Cities, which is working on a gender equality strategy in Vancouver. In all she does, Shah is guided by “practising activism with love and compassion.” And like the women activists and mentors she credits for paving the way before her, Shah encourages others to not be afraid to raise their voices. “Use your voice if you are made to feel ‘less than.’ Believe in yourself. Be innovative. Be fearless.” In other words, just follow Shah’s example.

the passport to stability and personal security.” She pursued chartered accountancy, taking the advice of a high school teacher, who identified Somani’s aptitude for numbers. She got a job in 1987 as a controller in a small medical lab, which was acquired by medical lab service provider Dynacare in 1991. In 1996, she became the vice-president of operations and general manager of its central Ontario division. By 2005, she was appointed Dynacare’s CEO. After consolidating the Ontario operations, she expanded into Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, transforming the company into Canada’s largest provider of medical laboratory services. Along with its growing success, Somani brought more philanthropy to the company, too. She established a scholarship program for employees’ children and introduced Dynacare’s corporate giving program, which focuses on underfunded charities. “I value the generosity, compassion and tolerance that Canadians have for others,” she says. “I believe immigrants [like myself] who have experienced difficulties are more appreciative of how great Canada really is.” CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

Karl Subban Hockey dad

arl Subban is best known as the father of three NHL players: P.K., Malcolm and Jordan. And, after years of being asked how they did it, he recently wrote a book, aptly titled: How We Did It: The Subban Plan for Success in Hockey, School, and Life, due out in paperback this fall. Every hockey parent in Canada wants to know how he managed to guide not just one, but three sons into the most coveted profession in Canada. Jamaican-born Subban has, in fact, dedicated his life to helping others reach their potential, not only as a father of five, but also a school teacher, and the book documents his views on resilience, perseverance and how to bring the best out of everyone. When the boys were young, Subban says: “We’d shoot pucks in the basement, do stickhandling in the driveway. If there were eight days in one week, we’d use it to practise.” Family life revolved around hockey. Hockey played a defining role in Subban’s own young life after his family immigrated to

Photo by Alessandro Shinoda

Josephine Victoria Yam Legally brilliant

f you want to be an achiever, “be clear about your ‘why?’ — your purpose in life,” says Josephine Victoria Yam. That focused approached helped her become a successful lawyer despite facing barriers as a new immigrant in Canada. “When you are propelled by your ‘why?’ you muster within yourself the hard work, grit and determination to overcome the inevitable challenges to reach your big dreams,” she adds. Before immigrating to Canada, Yam was already a practising lawyer in her native Philippines and in New York, becoming one of Asia’s first internet lawyers. But Yam and her husband made the difficult decision to leave their friends, family and successful careers behind to raise their two children in a better environment. “Being Canadian means being a citizen of one of the most diverse and inclusive countries on the planet,” she says. “It means having a shared commitment to an ideal — that all of us are created equal and that we have the power to defi ne our lives as we so wish.”

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

But, in the beginning, Yam could not find a job — even as a legal secretary. “It was a lonely, humbling, confusing and dark phase.” But the Law Society of Ontario then recognized her credentials, and she was admitted to practise law in Ontario and Alberta. As a lawyer-entrepreneur, Yam worked with international law fi rm Baker & McKenzie in Toronto, Hong Kong and Manila, and as senior legal counsel with the Alberta government handling multi-billion-dollar energy infrastructure projects. Yam is now CEO and co-founder of Building Breakthrough Boards (B3) Canada, a social enterprise that matches skilled corporate employees to serve on non-profit boards for leadership development, diversity and inclusion, which benefits them, their corporations and the nonprofits they serve. “What’s the key personal attribute that helped me achieve all this? I was not afraid to fail and took risks,” says Yam. “I have developed the skill to turn setbacks into successes — and then I got luckier and eventually became more successful!”

Ontario in 1970. “Transitioning to a new country were great challenges for me. Starting in a new school environment during my adolescent years was also a heavy burden. “The turning point of my journey came when the kids on my street invited me to play street hockey with them. I was able to make new friends, had something fun to do … and it helped me to ‘fit in,’” he says. “It was my love for sports that helped me to discover that bright light inside me, my potential. When you believe in something, it makes dreams possible — especially when you do the work.” Subban worked hard to achieve great things in his own career, eventually serving as a school principal in Toronto’s toughest neighbourhoods. Now retired, the doting grandfather is a sought-after motivational speaker. “Success is success when you use it to help others to be successful. I want to continue to use our story to inspire others,” he says.

Rana Zaman Faithful activist

Photo by Zahra Zaman

ana Zaman arrived in Canada as a child in 1971, and tried hard to fit in. “Canada was lacking diversity at the time we arrived, let alone embracing it [as it does now],” Zaman says. “It was a struggle to hold on to my identity and as a child I just wanted to fit in. As an adult, I tried to reclaim my identity and became more confident in myself. Fortunately, the environment had become more receptive to diversity.” But there’s always more work to be done, and Zaman says part of being Canadian is “a responsibility to improve this country.” Zaman has put that belief into action. She co-ordinates events and speaks on topics of racism, feminism, bullying, poverty and Islamophobia to create awareness in her community of Halifax, Nova Scotia. In her work with the United for One Association, she helped raise $200,000 for Syrian refugees. With the Caring Human Association, she helps provide food and other items for the homeless and low-income families. She’s

also part of Diverse Voices for Change Halifax, which aims to increase the number of diverse women who are actively engaged in local government decision-making. “Any success I have gained I attribute to my faith and the belief that I’m meant to do something good,” Zaman says. “The qualities I consider as my strengths are honesty, sincerity, the ability to get things done, not to take ‘no’ for an answer and to stay determined despite the odds.” The mother of three adult children, Zaman adds: “As a social activist, I will continue to be the voice of those who are not heard and stand up for human rights. As a volunteer on 13 boards and committees, in which I’m the founding member of three and the president for two, it keeps me doing what I love the most — addressing the needs of the most vulnerable in our society and giving back to a country that has given me the opportunity to build a better life for myself and my family.”

Jianhua Zhu Sweet success

cientist Jianhua Zhu arrived in Canada as a visiting professor in 1998 at the University of Alberta. “It was smooth sailing,” says Zhu, whose wife received a fellowship at the same university. But he didn’t anticipate that they would stay in Edmonton forever. “I originally thought that, after my term at the University of Alberta, I would return to China to teach. But then I was hired as a senior scientist at two Edmonton biotech companies,” says Zhu, who has a PhD in chemistry. “I was laid off but then hired by a third company. While there, I decided to take the risk of starting my own business,” he adds. His company, BioNeutra, began as a multimillion-dollar international research program that resulted in the production of a low-calorie, healthy sweetener called VitaFiber. Not just a sweetener, VitaFiber is also a prebiotic, dietary fibre designed to help with weight management and digestive issues. Today, the company is a Canadian business success story. “Determination pays off and I have tons of it,”

says Zhu, recalling the moment the company first turned a profit. “So many friends and colleagues had helped fund the company when we started in 2003, which was humbling to realize the trust they had in me. You can’t believe how happy I was the day we turned a profit in 2012. I was able to say, ‘I’m so grateful for the trust you had in me. We are now making money.’” Named one of Edmonton’s business leaders by Business in Edmonton magazine in June 2017, Zhu credits his achievements to passion. “I don’t give up!” This past November, BioNeutra was also honoured with ASTech Foundation’s Outstanding Commercial Achievement in Alberta Science and Technology. Inspired to help other scientists innovate, Zhu donated a $1.5 million pilot plant to the University of Alberta to enable other scientists to test the viability of their business ideas. “Canada is a fantastic, welcoming country,” he says. “Just roll up your sleeves, work hard and you can realize your dream.” CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

Presenting the inaugural Settlement ISS Agency Award winner: ISSofBC

o celebrate the 10th anniversary of the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, Canadian Immigrant and RBC wanted to recognize the amazing work immigrant settlement agencies are doing to help newcomers integrate and succeed in Canada. So, we invited our readers to nominate settlement agencies from across the country for this national award. above Patricia Woroch, The list of nominees was posted online for a vot- chief executive officer ing process, concurrent with the Top 75 finalists. of ISSofBC. After the voting phase closed, one agency rose to the top. The winner of the inaugural Settlement Agency Award is ISSof BC. “We are very touched and so pleased,” says Patricia Woroch, chief executive officer of ISSof BC in Vancouver. “I’ve been following the magazine for many years, and I am really excited about this.” Incorporated in 1972 as Immigrant Services Society of B.C., ISSof BC — one of the oldest immigrant-serving agencies in Canada — has grown over the years into a dynamic network of services and support for newcomers in offices across Metro Vancouver and other parts of B.C. In 2016, ISSof BC undertook a bold, innovative project by opening the ISSof BC Welcome Centre, which serves as a hub for their services, temporary

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

housing for government-assisted refugees, and space for partner agencies that provide complementary services for newcomers. It’s like a one-stop shop for all the services new immigrants and refugees need. “There is nothing really like this for newcomers anywhere else,” says Woroch. ISSof BC is also a great place to work. The non-profit organization has been a consistent winner in the Best 50 Workplaces in Canada awards, having received the award seven times since 2007. Now ISSof BC can add the Settlement Agency Award to its list of honours. Why does Woroch think hundreds of clients, staff and stakeholders took the time to vote for ISSof BC for this new award? “We have a real focus on delivering quality services to our clients, and I’d like to think that’s what brought their votes in. They are showing their appreciation of that.” In dealing with both its clients and employees, Woroch says ISSof BC is guided by a certain set of values: “Certainly, there is working with integrity, respecting each other, and respecting views and ideals. Being inclusive is also very important to us. There is this wonderful expression that goes: ‘diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.’ We work really hard at being inclusive.” Not only are ISSof BC’s clients immigrants from around the world, but so are its employees. “We have a lot of first-language services, so without question, a majority of staff are immigrants to Canada themselves. It makes sense because they’ve gone through many of the same experiences the clients are going through,” Woroch says. The programs and services ISSof BC offers are just as diverse, falling under three broad categories: settlement services (“the information that helps newcomers integrate”), language acquisition (“we’re running 81 English classes”) and employment (“whether they came as a refugee or as an immigrant, everyone wants to work, and our programming is geared to help them do that”). When asked what message she’d like to send to newcomers, Woroch says she wants to encourage them to take advantage of the many free services ISSof BC has available at its 16 locations around the Lower Mainland, including the Welcome Centre in Vancouver at 2610 Victoria Drive, plus offices in Squamish and Prince George. “We’ll help you add to the bucket of skills and knowledge that you need to be successful in Canada,” she says.

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along Yonge Street, to visiting the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) to the famous Bata Shoe Museum (the late Sonja Bata was an immigrant, too!), I wish I had had more time to explore this sophisticated city. Heading home, a stop in Saskatchewan showed just how diverse Canada truly is. While the train was cruising past the farms, the flatness of the land seemed to stretch the sky’s horizon. Breathtaking! It was a great expedition. Two days later, I was back home in Vancouver. But, after my trip, I should really call all of Canada my home. I am, after all, now the Canadian!

T:9.875”

s a proud new citizen of Canada, I took a VIA Rail train trip on “The Canadian” this past May, which you can board at Vancouver and take all the way to Toronto, and back again. It is advertised as a “trip of a lifetime.” And it was — all 4,466 kilometres each way. A trip like this is no doubt on many people’s bucket lists, and new citizens are entitled to a 50 per cent discount on VIA Rail train tickets through the Cultural Access Pass program. When I boarded at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, I was like a kid giddy with excitement. As the train coursed through British Columbia, we hugged the mighty Fraser and Thompson Rivers. Hours later, the snow-capped Rockies appeared as we entered Jasper, Alberta. Then rolling hills, grazing lands and farms in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan before hitting a flatter Manitoba and stopping in Winnipeg. I toured the city, learned about its history and connected with the locals. Winnipeg’s crown jewel is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, with its arresting architecture inspired by Canada’s majestic landscapes. I reboarded the train, and after a two-day trip of passing by a lot of lakes, we arrived in the largest city in Canada — Toronto. From strolling

S:9.875”

By Joseph Lopez

Studio #:

1176152

FILE: CRB-18-11_Canadian_Immigrant.indd

PP: Kim Fijan

Created: 7

INTEGRATION

the

success factor

A new study points to social integration as a key feature among immigrants who succeed in Canada By Margaret Jetelina

ork University academic and associate professor Jelena Zikic wants to understand why some immigrants in Canada succeed professionally, while others don’t. An immigrant from Serbia herself, Zikic has been studying career transitions of immigrant professionals for several years, examining both personal and structural barriers to their career success in the Canadian labour market, as well as their coping strategies. Her interest in the topic started early. “It was very hard for me as a teenager to adjust. Very early in my life I started thinking about migrants and their resilience. I started looking at my own community at how people cope and how they dared to leave their previous lives to start a new life in a new country,” she says.

As she pursued her post-secondary studies, Zikic, now a PhD, took part in research studies that confirmed that skilled immigrants face significant interruption in their careers due to migration. Such studies show that international experience is often discounted or seen as less valuable once immigrants arrive to the new labour market. However, there has been no systematic empirical evidence for how skilled immigrants manage this roadblock in their career after immigrating, according to Zikic. “Less is known about how migrants generate career resilience during this challenging career transition process.” This is where her latest research comes in. And it was inspired, in part, by the RBC Top

25 Canadian Immigrant Awards program. Here, she saw a group of immigrants who have achieved success in Canada, earned recognition and even given back to their adopted country through philanthropy and community service. How did they do it?

Learning from the Top 25 So, Zikic set off on a new study with the goal of interviewing and learning from past winners of the Top 25 award. How did they achieve professional success in Canada? Did they face the typical challenges and “career shocks” other newcomers face in credential recognition and labour market integration? To that end, Zikic’s study asks: “What can we learn from migrants who successfully manage

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

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above Serbian-born York University academic Jelena Zikic is exploring migrant resilience in a new study inspired by RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant winners.

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INTEGRATION to surpass the barriers?â&#x20AC;? Zikic and her research team interviewed several past Top 25 winners with questions on their motivation to adapt and integrate, the challenges they faced along the way, and how they overcame those challenges, among other questions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This targeted, theoretical sample aimed to explore questions about why and how skilled migrants cope and adapt their foreign

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

a life here would not be as easy as we thought.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We always had to have a plan B or C, and we knew that even if they cut us tomorrow, we would do something else. Like the Medusa from the Greek mythology â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if one of our arms was cut, two more would grow,â&#x20AC;? said Rosalind. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The migrants we studied dealt with these setbacks through proactive behaviors,â&#x20AC;? said Zikic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They

The messages that come from my study are related to the importance of persistence, communication and relationships.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Jelena Zikic

career capital following a major career interruption [like immigrating],â&#x20AC;? Zikic notes.

Preliminary findings After more than a year of preparation, research and interviews with the Top 25 winners, Zikic has come up with some preliminary findings, which she shared in June at the Newcomers, Resilience and Settlement: Knowledge Exchange conference at York University. In her presentation, Zikic said a successful career transition for immigrants involves them coming to terms with what they can no longer do and with who they can no longer be. Their inability to fully use their previous credentials and experience â&#x20AC;&#x153;forces individuals to rerethink their career paths.â&#x20AC;? Zikic invited some of the Top 25 winners she interviewed for her study to be part of a panel discussion at the June event, including scientist sisters Rosalind and Lorelei Silverman, who won the award in 2009. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every single day was a small challenge when we first arrived, from opening a bank account to even getting official pieces of identification,â&#x20AC;? said Lorelei during the panel discussion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Later, we realized that finding a job and making

display strong motivation to integrate and persistence. They have a desire to succeed.â&#x20AC;? Beyond a desire to succeed, Zikic found that many of the immigrants she interviewed also shared a common strategy to achieve that success. Because they were missing social connections and did not have professional networks in Canada, they focused on â&#x20AC;&#x153;establishing integration attitudes early on and fostering motivation to integrate beyond just â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;work,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? writes Zikic in her accompanying academic paper. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They talked about the need to be connected with others and communities [and] to build links to other individuals and to the wider society.â&#x20AC;? While Zikicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research continues, the studyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preliminary findings point to the role of societal integration as the crucial indicator of migrant resilience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The messages that come from my study are related to the importance of persistence, communication and relationships,â&#x20AC;? Zikic says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People who succeed and overcome the barriers are those who are able to relate to locals in a way that allows them to connect to the local culture to create new relationships and in this way also to pursue new work opportunities.â&#x20AC;?

CAREERS & EDUCATION CAREER COACH

10 minutes, 10 quick resumĂŠ fixes Take your resumĂŠ from OK to WOW in a few minutes

ish to polish up your resumĂŠ, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like you have the time to do it? No worries, all it takes is 10 minutes to give your resumĂŠ a quick shine. Here is a list of 10 useful updates to give your resumĂŠ the overhaul it deserves.

Open with a dramatic top one-third

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the short time that recruiters spend with your resumĂŠ, they look at your name, current title and company, current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education,â&#x20AC;? according to Vivian Giang, of Business Insider. So, take a close look at the top third of your resumĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the first thing that the hiring manager sees when the document opens up. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your opportunity to make your powerful first impression, so make sure it serves as a hook that makes the hiring manager eager to read more. Update your header with the relevant job title and keywords to make it pop. Make your personal brand stand out and catch a recruiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye.

Replace the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Career Objectiveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Value Statementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

That standard, done-to-death boilerplate â&#x20AC;&#x153;A dynamic, hard-working professional looking for a challenging opportunityâ&#x20AC;? has run its course. Please remove it and instead use a value proposition â&#x20AC;&#x201D; employers want to know what you can bring to the table and what you can do for the company.

Simplify the document name

Include your LinkedIn profile URL

Change the fi le name from â&#x20AC;&#x153;ResumĂŠâ&#x20AC;? to â&#x20AC;&#x153;[First Name] [Last Name] [Job Title] ResumĂŠ.â&#x20AC;? You would agree that this makes things easier for hiring managers and ensures your resumĂŠ doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get lost in the crowd. At the very top, mention your LinkedIn profi le or any other relevant social media handles. You can create a custom URL to your public profi le using simply â&#x20AC;&#x153;/yournameâ&#x20AC;? (or some similar variation if somebody already has your name). Look up â&#x20AC;&#x153;Customize URLâ&#x20AC;? on LinkedIn for instructions.

Make all your hyperlinks live

Make your hyperlinks live, including your email address, LinkedIn profi le, website, blog and/or media and publications. Your resumĂŠ will most likely be read on a mobile device or on a computer. So, keeping things like your online profi le and portfolio of work clickable makes it easier for the recruiter to learn more about you.

Delete irrelevant data

Is it really necessary to mention your birth date, marital status or religion? Surprisingly, many people still do. Please remove them as they may not be relevant from the job position point of view.

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Update your skills section

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to update your skillset as thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the main things that recruiters look for. Add any new skills youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gained and remove anything that is a little dated.

CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

Power words for your resumĂŠ Some good action verbs to use in your resumĂŠ and cover letter include: â&#x20AC;˘ achieved, advised, acted, accomplished, adapted, analyzed â&#x20AC;˘ built, brainstormed, boosted â&#x20AC;˘ communicated, co-ordinated, contributed, created â&#x20AC;˘ developed, discovered, documented, doubled, directed, distributed â&#x20AC;˘ formed, focused, financed, formulated â&#x20AC;˘ guided, generated, granted, gathered, galvanized â&#x20AC;˘ hired, helped â&#x20AC;˘ improved, innovated, ignited, illustrated, installed â&#x20AC;˘ judged, joined â&#x20AC;˘ lectured, led, located â&#x20AC;˘ managed, motivated, mastered, minimized, maximized, moved, mentored â&#x20AC;˘ negotiated, navigated, noticed â&#x20AC;˘ observed, oversaw, organized â&#x20AC;˘ participated, placed, planned, passed, processed, provided, proposed, prioritized â&#x20AC;˘ recovered, recorded, reduced, replaced, reviewed, researched, received, rewarded, redesigned â&#x20AC;˘ saved, stabilized, supplied, standardized, selected, sold, signed, strategized â&#x20AC;˘ transformed, tested, targeted, trained â&#x20AC;˘ updated, utilized, upgraded, uplifted â&#x20AC;˘ verified, validated, visualized â&#x20AC;˘ won, worked, wrote

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Standardize the typeface and keep the design clean and simple

Use power words

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

Make sure you standardize the font of your resumĂŠ to preferably Times New Roman, Helvetica or Arial â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in other words, make sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not overtly creative, funky or hard to read. Using a common, clean font will make it more readable and less likely to be rejected by the ATS (Applicant Tracking System). Also, get rid of distracting design and any funky images or shapes that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really serve a purpose. Make sure all the text is formatted, the spacing is uniform and all dates are right-aligned. Unless you are submitting to an artist or graphic designer position, remove any pictures or visual elements. The right keywords can land you the interview â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the job in Canada. Replace a couple of boring verbs and adjectives with some more powerful (and interesting) ones. Check out the sidebar â&#x20AC;&#x153;Power words for your resumĂŠâ&#x20AC;? for some ideas.

Quantify everything, use numerals wherever possible.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly recommended to quantify your experience on your resumĂŠ. Even small numbers that are written numerically pop out, and save space, too. Go through your bullet points, and add as many numbers and percentages as you can to quantify your work. 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 more at aceworldfoundation.com.

CAREERS & EDUCATION J O B S E A R C H S T R AT E G I E S

How to win the job game

11 strategies to get you on a level playing field in your career

n my years of experience as a career counsellor working with immigrants, I have met many highly skilled professionals who came to Canada to find a better life only to have shock set in when they realize their educational degree and international experience are not enough to land good jobs here, particularly in licensed professions. And when they seek out a job search program at an immigrant settlement agency for help, the implicit expectation may be that we will place them in a job. Otherwise, they rely solely on online job search and nothing else. Well, I have some good and bad news for you. The bad news is there is no magic formula for finding a job. The good news is that if you follow the 11 strategies below and take responsibility for your job search, your chances of getting a professional job, or at least a good start in your industry, will increase dramatically.

11 ways to approach your job search

Think of one to three jobs you can do right away without further training or experience. These may be entry-level positions in your industry/field or even unrelated positions in which you could earn an income while practising valuable skills that will support your career in the future. For example, if you are a lawyer and are unable to work as such until you get the full licence, you can try legal assistant or receptionist in a legal firm.

2 Read job postings that you want to apply for carefully. Focus not only on the requirements, but also the job description and the responsibilities. With a coloured highlighter, underline the aspects of job postings that you don’t understand or feel that your skills and experiences are a weak match. This exercise will help you to figure out whether you are targeting the right jobs or whether you may need to

upgrade your skills. With a different colour, highlight or underline the aspects on job postings where you think you have strong skills and experience to offer. This will help you to tailor your resumés and cover letters, focusing on those skills.

in Canada for opportunities in your profession.

3 Read about the hiring organizations behind the job postings you would like to apply to. This will give you a better understanding of the labour market and available jobs.

11 Think even broader: why not become an entrepreneur? The community where you are settling in may have unmet needs and potential for self-employment, small business opportunities and even co-operatives, where you join other professionals to create jobs for yourselves: the ultimate job security!

4 If the exercises in steps 1-3 show you that there are not enough jobs in your field or your skills don’t match, consider an alternative career. Talk to an experienced career coach and consider changing careers in a way that leverages the skills you already have. 5 Do not delay credential assessment and recognition. If your trade or profession is regulated, the earlier you start the process with the regulatory body, the better.

10 Think outside the box: the old model of working many years for the same company until you retire is becoming extinct. Consider parttime and contract opportunities.

ward Canadian experience!

9 Be ready to relocate. You may have chosen your new city without truly understanding the best place

Argentinian-born Silvia Di Blasio is a certified career counsellor. With a passion for sustainability, food security and resilient communities, she shares her time and skills through diverse projects including writing, blogging, facilitating workshops, coaching and consulting.

6 Find a mentor. Use social media and existing professional groups, associations and networking events to connect with potential mentors who can introduce you to people, guide your steps, review your resumé and provide references. And remember that this is a reciprocal game; don’t ask for more than what you are willing to give back. 7 Select training and seminars strategically so you can improve your skills while meeting other professionals and potential employers.

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8 Do not spend too much time waiting for jobs to come. Employers in Canada pay much more attention to experience and to candidates who are active, even if this means working in unrelated jobs. Being currently employed means you are healthy, eager and employable. And it counts toCANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

CULTURE

Identity in art

Indian-born Eisha Marjara explores her life, culture and relationships through film By Vivien Fellegi

ndian-born fi lmmaker Eisha Marjara’s art has been a lifeline helping her cope with trauma and carve out her destiny. Marjara was only 19 years old when her growth ground to a halt after she lost both her mother and a sister in the Air India crash of 1985. Her pre-existing anorexia worsened, she shrank to skin and bones, and was admitted to a Montreal psychiatric ward where she was at times force fed through a tube connected to her stomach. Languishing for months in her hospital bed, overwhelmed with grief, she couldn’t fi nd a single reason to get better. Then one day her father brought in her old camera, and Marjara began taking pictures of her fellow patients. She reconnected to her forgotten passion for photography and decided to pursue a degree in the subject, pushing Marjara to recover. “There was something to work toward, and it motivated me to get my weight up and leave the hospital,” she says. She never went back. “Photography gave me a reason to live.” Marjara’s fascination with photography dates from her early adolescence, when her father loaned her a camera to chronicle a trip to India. She was mesmerized by the majestic Himalayan mountains and began snapping her first “breathtaking” photos. But her camera gave her more than just pretty pictures. It became a buffer between her self-conscious person and an uncomfortable world. “When I’m in the zone, my goal is to capture that image — I’m not thinking of the guy staring at me taking a photo,” she says. Released momentarily from her anxiety, she would come alive. “The experience becomes nourishing because I’m creating it rather than just witnessing it,” she says. After completing a degree in communications at Concordia University, Marjara began making

above Filmmaker Eisha Marjara. fi lms exploring identity. Her first fi lm, Desperately Seeking Helen, detailed her journey to Mumbai, India, to look for a Bollywood actress. But the search for the vamp was really an excuse to revisit Marjara’s complicated relationship

Marjara. Her traditional Punjabi parents are pressuring her to settle down with a nice Indian girl and start a family. But Sid is her own worst critic. “She hates herself and her life,” says Marjara. Then her biological son, Ralph,

There’s very little separation between my life and art … There’s a transformative power in art.” with her unhappy mother, before her sudden death. Marjara’s latest fi lm, Venus, chronicles an Indo-Canadian trans woman’s journey toward self-love and integration. The fi lm’s title alludes to her alienation at the beginning of the fi lm. “Sid feels like she belongs on another planet,” says

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

fathered before her gender change, arrives on her doorstep and shakes everyone out of the closet. Ralph’s unconditional love for Sid helps her feel more comfortable in her own skin. The teen also becomes the glue between the heroine and her parents, who ecstatically welcome their new miracle grandchild.

Like Sid, Marjara has also struggled lifelong with her identity. “I’ve always felt like a fish out of water,” she says. Marjara was born to Sikh parents in Delhi, India, and immigrated to Canada with her family in 1971, at the age of four. Marjara and her relatives were the only brown people in the town of Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Though her own classmates embraced her uniqueness, delighting in her long black braids, Marjara’s father was ridiculed when he strolled through the town’s shopping mall sporting his red turban. “Everyone would stare and laugh — I just wanted to die,” says Marjara. Growing into a woman presented new challenges, and she started dieting to the point of illness. Marjara’s anorexia, which mired her in perpetual girlhood, was also a form of rebellion against her lonely and unhappy mother. “I didn’t want to be like my mom,” she says. Her mother’s sudden death precluded a healthy resolution of their conflict and extended her period in developmental limbo. Marjara’s fi lms have helped her come to terms with her losses. “There’s very little separation between my life and art,” she says. All her fi lms are veiled coming-of-age stories, she says, many exploring the transition from girl to woman. “I get the transformations in fi lm that I didn’t get in life,” she says. Her next project is the film Calorie, which delves into the familiar territory of heartbreak and healing. The main character is a single IndoCanadian mother who lost her own mom in the Air India disaster. Her teen daughters have inherited the unresolved trauma, acting it out in rebellion or in sickness. Marjara herself has come a long way on the journey to maturation. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully grown up, but today I deal more easily with things,” she says. “There’s a transformative power in art.”

SETTLEMENT PARENTING

Think safe this summer

Consider first aid training in case your child gets sick or hurt tial life-saving skills and knowledge, to provide care, preserve life, prevent conditions from worsening, and promote recovery to an ill or injured person. This training includes a variety of hands-on skill training and up-todate first aid knowledge, in a variety of topics including CPR, choking, allergies, burns and so much more.

mergencies and injuries such as allergies, burns, scrapes and falls — no matter how small or big — can happen anytime, to anyone, especially young children. As a newcomer in a new environment, especially during the adventurous summer months, it’s important to understand how to keep our kids safe, which is why I recommend immigrant parents get first aid training.

What is first aid training? First aid training teaches you essen-

Why should parents take a first aid course? Prevention is key to health and safety. First aid training will provide you with information on some common injuries and potential accidents, along with common prevention methods to avoid any problems in your home or when you’re outdoors with your children. And, if something bad does occur, you will feel ready to deal with it. After all, help might not be available during an emergency immediately, so first aid training will

prepare you to step up until professional help is available. Time, of course, is of the essence when dealing with many emergencies. Even if help is on its way, some illness and injuries, such as choking, require immediate first aid treatment. In many cases, a few minutes delay can mean the difference between life and death. By having first aid knowledge, you will be able to make better decisions, get the appropriate help in a timely manner, lower risk of infection and to provide proper care until help arrives. Administering medication or using first aid kits and other life saving equipment such as a defibrillator might be necessary at

times as well. You will learn how to find and use the proper supplies. Children look to their parents for guidance, especially when they are in emergency situations. So, if parents are trained in first aid, they can better calm and care for the child, and be able to communicate all relevant medical information to the paramedics. By taking first aid training, we will be able to calmly and confidently take charge and help in emergency situations. Most importantly, it gives us peace of mind that we have what it takes to help our families when needed. Sign up for a first aid class today! Ask at a local community centre or immigrant settlement agency on where to sign up!

Cheryl Song, an immigrant from Malaysia, has more than 20 years’ experience of working in early learning and family programs. Contact her at cheryl@learnwithsong.com or visit her website at learnwithsong.com.

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SETTLEMENT

I M M I G R AT I O N L AW

The ‘Lonely Canadian’

Sponsoring an extended family member beyond parents, children and spouses

t is generally well known that Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their spouses, common-law partners, children, parents and/or grandparents to immigrate to Canada. What is less known is that in certain circumstances it is also possible for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor an extended family member to immigrate. Under a program that is generally referred to as the “Lonely Canadian Program” or the “Other Relative Program,” a Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor one adult son or daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece or nephew to immigrate to Canada. If that extended family member is married or has children, the person being sponsored can bring their immediate family with them to Canada. But the person being sponsored must be related to the sponsor by blood. To sponsor such a relative, how-

ever, the Canadian must show that they do not have a spouse, common-law partner, child, parent or grandparent or child who is either a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or who is a foreigner that can be sponsored. For example, if a Canadian citizen is married, they cannot sponsor their uncle to immigrate. The program is designed to favour persons who do not have relations in Canada and have no possibility to sponsor immediate family. The normal rules of sponsorship apply, and the Canadian sponsor would need to commit to being financially responsible for their relative for a period of 10 years after they immigrate.

Ability to sponsor a parent One issue that frequently arises is whether a Canadian can sponsor an extended relative if that Canadian has a living parent or grandparent but is likely unable to sponsor

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

them. The answer is unfortunately confusing. After several seemingly inconsistent decisions on the matter, the Federal Court in Bousaleh v. Canada attempted to summarize the law by stating that if it is the Canadian sponsor who does not meet the requirements of sponsoring a parent or grandparent, then the Canadian can sponsor their extended family member. However, if it is the foreign parent or grandparent who does not meet the requirements of immigration, then the Canadian cannot sponsor a different relative. The Federal Court of Appeal is expected later this year or early next to answer the question of whether a visa officer should con-

sider if the Canadian’s hypothetical application to sponsor a parent or grandparent would have a reasonable chance of success.

A caution about sponsoring relatives On occasion, Canadians sponsor relatives who they may not know well. They may also have unrealistic, or insufficiently explained, expectations for how their relationship will proceed. It is important that prospective sponsors understand that they remain financially liable for their extended relatives even if their relationship deteriorates. So, make sure you discuss any expectations that you have with your relative before sponsoring them.

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.

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SETTLEMENT T IP S F OR SE T T L ING IN FA S T E R

Mastering the art of the job search Three tips to help you along

Here are three tips to help you along with your job search.

Leverage social networks

There are many online platforms that are frequently updated for jobseekers and are available for free. LinkedIn is a popular example where professionals can network, learn more about different industries, and search or apply for jobs. Having an up-to-date profile with relevant work experience, education and volunteer experience will be an asset when it comes time to applying on this social platform.

hether it’s your fi rst job out of post-secondary school or the next step up the corporate ladder, fi nding a new job is never easy. If you’ve recently arrived in Canada, the process can be even more daunt-

ing. Your day-to-day life, as well as navigating the job market might be quite different from what you are familiar with. Understanding how it works in Canada will help set you on the path toward a fulfi lling career.

Find local resources Look for free resources avail-

able in your neighbourhood. Immigrant-serving organizations like ACCES Employment can help you with your job search and so much more. Aside from just helping you search for jobs, community-based companies may also be able to offer skills training, language courses and resumé help.

Make time to volunteer

While you settle in and get your job search underway, explore volunteer opportunities. While they may not lead to a full-time job, volunteering is a great way to expand your network and help you hone in on skills or develop your interests.

Ivy Chiu is the senior director, cultural markets, at RBC. Once a newcomer herself, Chiu is interested in helping newcomers integrate to life in Canada. Are you new to Canada or know someone who is? Visit rbc.com/newcomers for more advice.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

SETTLEMENT

Immigrating with a learning disability Overcoming the challenges and stigma

hen teachers in his native Bangladesh suggested that eight-year-old Azan (name changed for privacy) would be better off at home or sent to an “institution,” his parents despaired. Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Azan could be disruptive in class, often even getting physical with his classmates at the end of a long school day. His parents, Raina and Karim (names also changed), knew this day was coming since there’s not much awareness, let alone resources, to assist a child in school with a developmental disability in their home country. “Learning was a distant dream; we knew that he would never be accepted by his teachers and the society we lived in. Stigma related to disability is a real thing,” Karim says. Even after immigrating to Canada, the family, like many families who have a child with an identified disability, keeps the knowledge of their son’s diagnosis to a limited few — namely, his school, close family members and peers he interacts with on a regular basis. “We keep it on a need-to-know basis. It’s our circle of trust,” Karim says. Luckily for them, they did not face any problems getting their residency approved despite mentioning Azan’s diagnosis in their application form. But, generally, families who had a member with a disability could be denied residency under the “medical inadmissibility” clause in Canada’s immigration laws. This allowed the government to deny residency to families who could place “excessive demand” on Canada’s publicly funded health system and social service programs. That changed in April of this year when the government amended the policy to bring it in line with current views on the inclusion of persons with disabilities. That’s good news for families with learning disabilities who want to immigrate to Canada. But the reality is they still face challenges once in Canada, from isolation to cultural

By Baisakhi Roy

stigma to accessing support.

Overcoming the challenges “Newcomers with learning disabilities are already socially isolated [and] their learning disabilities impact friendships, school/work, self-esteem and daily life,” says Valerie Martin, executive director of Learning Disabilities Association of Toronto District (LDATD). Other challenges newcomers face include a lack of awareness and information about learning disabilities, and how to find support services, all while dealing with general settlement issues as well. “There is the cultural stigma around learning disabilities, which also prevents newcomers from seeking support and help. Many cultures do not screen or have an appropriate context for learning disabilities, and newcomers are typically unaware of services and supports [in Canada] that can assist their families within the education system and in the community,” adds Martin. “There are also not enough resources that are accessible in the language they speak.” The Lees, who immigrated from China in 2013, have a son with ADHD who is now thriving in the school system in Toronto, thanks to LDATD’s help. “We did not disclose our child’s condition either back home in China, or to the immigration authorities during the application process,” says Michelle Lee (name changed for

privacy), adding that his learning disability wasn’t totally apparent until he started school in Canada. “The school environment and the academic challenges he faced really brought the symptoms of ADHD to the forefront.”

Finding support When you realize your child

needs support, accessing resources and support is the obvious next step. The Learning Disabilities Association (LDA), which has provincial associations across Canada and local chapters like the LDATD in Toronto, is a good place to start. From navigating special supports at school for children, to helping adults with learning disabilities with job help, LDA chapters can point you to a variety of services available to help new immigrants with learning disabilities. “When we first came here, it was all a blur,” says Lee. “We felt a bit lost in the new environment. Later, we found welcoming staff in the settlement department at LDATD. They gave us free information, consultation, and group and individual services to our family, and my child became an achiever at school as per his teacher’s assessment, which is amazing to us.”

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Words, expressions and sayings The theme of our Top 25 issue is all about resilience and success. Here are a few related expressions. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again Don’t give up too easily. Be persistent. You could be one try away from success! Get back on the horse You have to get back on the horse that threw you. In other words, if you fail, try again. Take the bull by its horn Taking the bull by its horns means you are tackling your challenges directly. You’re willing to do what’s needed to succeed.

See more words at canadianimmigrant.ca under “Work & Education > Language.”

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 3 | 2018

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