Canadian Immigrant - October 2018

Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018 c anadianimmigr ant.c a

ARRIVE. SUCCEED. INSPIRE.

Surviving Canadian winter CASUALLY

RACIST?

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CONTENTS

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Volume 15 Issue 4

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8

FUSION

PROFILE: Crown counsel Aminollah Sabzevari CANADIANA: Fun facts about Canada NEWS: Bursary winners

COVER STORY

30

Read more great content at canadianimmigrant.ca

LIVING

Surviving Canadian winter WELLNESS: New column!

BACK PAGE

HUMOUR BY HEMETERIO 201807_Canadian_Immigrant_JS_Ad_Newcomer.pdf 2 2018-06-22 CANSPEAK: English language expressions

Newcomer Services

The story of Pratap Reddy, an underwriter by day and writer by night

Are you a newcomer looking for work or starting a business?

12 CULTURE

Established and emerging immigrant authors that should be on your must-read list

15 SOCIETY

Dealing with everyday racism and battling stereotypes

18 CAREERS AND EDUCATION

Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan’s positive leadership CAREER COACH: Assess your interview skills HIGHER LEARNING: Value-added training

22 MONEY AND BUSINESS

The evolution of Peace by Chocolate’s Tareq Hadhad TIPS FOR SETTLING IN FASTER: Social entrepreneurship

25 SETTLEMENT

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FUSION

People. News. Information.

VOLUME 15, ISSUE 4

profile

Group Publisher Sanjay Agnihotri

Aminollah

2018

Editor Margaret Jetelina mjetelina@metroland.com 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 Assistant Manager Laura Jackman ljackman@metroland.com Marketing & Events Taylor Budd, Jamie Coffi n 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.

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canadianimmigrant.ca TORONTO 3145 Wolfedale Road, Mississauga Ontario, L5C 3A9 Tel: 905 273 8111, Fax: 905 277 9917

full name, for example. But there were many immigrant children in North Vancouver, B.C., where I grew up, even at that time. I had friends with even longer names than mine!

Sabzevari Working for justice

By Margaret Jetelina

I

ranian-born Aminollah Sabzevari is a successful young lawyer promoting justice in Edmonton, Alberta. As a Crown counsel with the Department of Justice Canada, he has conducted proceedings in all levels of courts, from the Court of Appeal of Alberta to the Federal Court of Appeal.

Working for a just society is not just his day job. He is also big on making a positive impact on his community by volunteering with the Edmonton Community Legal Centre, which provides free legal advice to people with low income, and serving as a mentor with the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers.

All of this is no doubt the reason he’s been a repeat Top 75 Finalist in the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards program. We wanted to catch up with him to learn more.

What does being a lawyer mean to you?

Canada’s legal system is one of, if not the primary reason why Canada is a great country. There are many countries in the world that have some sort of system of democracy, but very few that have a legal system as strong as Canada’s.

Democracy is not enough; there must be a strong legal system with an independent judiciary to prevent and punish corruption, to en-

above Aminollah Sabzevari is a Crown counsel in Edmonton. force rights, and to support peace, order and good government. And lawyers have an important role in the legal system as they are responsible for ensuring there is sufficient access to justice.

Did you always know you wanted to go into law?

No, I did not. I completed a science degree at the University of British Columbia. However, I also did a minor in philosophy, focused on applied ethics. From my studies of bioethics and legal ethics, I became interested in working as a lawyer. My parents were not surprised since they always said I was “good at making arguments.”

You came to Canada as a youth. How have you balanced growing up between cultures?

My parents were very proactive about adapting to life in Canada and making many friends here from a variety of backgrounds. I was able to grow up in Canadian culture while still understanding and respecting my family’s background and culture.

Nonetheless, it was difficult at times. Like many children, I just wanted to fit in. I did not like having such a long and distinctive

Tell us about your current role as Crown counsel.

I am a litigator, which means I work on fi les that involve litigation and appearances in court. I work cross-portfolio, which means I have tax fi les, immigration fi les, Aboriginal law fi les and other fi les involving litigation with the federal Crown.

How often are you actually in court?

I usually appear in court at least once a week, and sometimes I have a full week of hearings. Most days I am in the office preparing fi les for court hearings through the many preliminary steps that are involved before a hearing.

Has your immigrant background helped in your work?

I believe my immigrant background has helped my legal practice, as has volunteering with people from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Practising law involves dealing with a variety of people with different backgrounds and a variety of factual situations. It is good to be able to try and consider situations from other points of view, because you need to be able to understand the best possible legal arguments the other side can make in order to be prepared to respond to them.

You’re so busy with work and volunteering … how do you unwind?

I was active in sports when I was in school. I still play badminton

See canadianimmigrant.ca for more questions and answers with Aminollah Sabzevari, including on how to become a lawyer in Canada.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

twice weekly, which has always been my main sport. I play ultimate frisbee weekly as well, indoors in the winter and outdoors in the summer. I play squash, too. I believe it is important to keep up a physical lifestyle, because I spend so many hours each week sitting down and working on a computer like many modern professionals.

And what about living in Edmonton? Is it a good place

for immigrants?

Edmonton has everything I need living in a modern city without being overcrowded or suffering from serious traffic problems.

Housing is still affordable here.

There are many local events and festivals, and the transit system is fairly good as well. The main difficulty with Edmonton is the long winter, but at least it is a dry cold, which makes it is easier to dress for than wetter cities.

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FUSION

11 fun facts about Canada 1

Some of Canada’s national parks are bigger than some countries.

Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta is larger than Switzerland.

Queen Elizabeth II is Canada’s official Head of State.

The Canadian government has claimed Santa Claus as a Canadian. You can even mail your Christmas wish letter to the North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada, and you will receive a letter back from Santa.

There are nearly 2.5 million caribou (or reindeer) in Canada.

Canada is home to a majority of the world’s polar bears; just head over to the tundra of Churchill, Manitoba, to catch a glimpse.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Canada was in Snag, Yukon, at -63 degrees Celsius, in 1947.

Similar to the Loch Ness Monster, Canada has its own mythical lake creature, Ogopogo, in Lake Okanagan, British Columbia.

2 3

8 9 10

The famous Canadian interjection “eh” is listed in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary as a word.

The beaver is the national animal of Canada.

Canada’s population has passed the 37 million mark in 2018, due in large part to

immigration. But that’s still less than the population of metropolitan Tokyo!

“Canada” comes from an Iroquoian language word, kanata, meaning “village.”

Canadiana

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4 5 6 7

news

Winners of Ashton College bursaries announced The winners have been announced for the 2018 Ashton College Bursaries for Immigrants.

Canadian Immigrant has cosponsored the bursaries since 2005. The bursary covers full-time tuition (valued up to $8,000) for a range of Ashton College programs on campus in Vancouver or online — everything from diplomas in immigration consultancy to human resources, and more.

One of this year’s winners is Kathrin Phung, who landed as a permanent resident just one week before learning about and applying for the bursary. An HR professional from Vietnam, her career goal in Canada is to find a mid-level position in human resources.

“My research before arriving to Canada indicated that not having Canadian education can be a barrier in applying for jobs here,” she says. “I knew that taking a short

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

course on HR would provide me with the [Canadian] knowledge in this field, making me more marketable and more confident when applying for jobs. I’m grateful for the bursary.”

Bursary winner Onyinye Adibe, originally of Nigeria, is looking to study immigration consulting at Ashton College.

“I faced — and still face — a myriad of challenges as a new immigrant,” Adibe says, explaining that her integration experience inspired her to focus her career to immigration consulting. “Going back to school at Ashton will prepare me to write the exams needed to become a regulated Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC). This, in turn, equips me with the right skills to constructively engage new and prospective Canadian immigrants.”

Learn more at canadianimmigrant.ca under “Awards.”

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COVER STORY

The story of a

storyteller Newly published author Pratap Reddy likes to call himself an underwriter by day, a writer by night

By Vivien Fellegi

P

Photos by Stephen Uhraney

ratap Reddy is a late-to-bloom writer. His writing career took many years and two countries — India and Canada — to come to fruition; he published his first full-length novel, Ramya’s Treasure, this September.

“I was a reader for so many decades and only recently started writing — I feel like an imposter,” admits the Toronto-based insurance professional.

But the desire to write was a seed planted long ago. Growing up in a country with few televisions but a high regard for reading, Reddy was always steeped in stories. His beloved aunt, a schoolteacher, enchanted him with Greek myths, and his father stocked his library with educational books as well as popular fiction. “Turning each cover was like opening a window to a new world,” he says. Reddy was determined to join these keepers of words.

He credits his parents for the tenacity that has brought him publishing success today. “I never say die — I don’t have it in my constitution,” Reddy says. Both his mother and father were physicians who demonstrated patience and determination in their volunteer social work with India’s street children. Their even-keeled attitude extended to Reddy’s pursuits as a child in India. When the young Reddy failed to win a painting competition, his father consoled him.

“There’s no shame in losing — setbacks are the stepping stones to success.”

His father was right. Though Reddy published a few stories and articles in magazines in India, he put his writing dreams on hold when he entered university. “In India, writing wasn’t encouraged — it was viewed as a hobby,” he says. Luckily, Reddy had an analytical side in addition to his creative bent. After completing a master’s in economics, he landed a job as an executive in a telecom company.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

While he earned a good living, he became restless by the time he hit his 40s. “I wanted a new experience, like living abroad,” he says.

After receiving his Canadian visa in 2002, he packed his bags for Toronto, temporarily leaving his wife and young son in the care of relatives.

His adventure had some speed bumps. “It was not a piece of cake,” he says. Living alone in a cramped single room, he had to learn how to fend for himself. Having relied on a cook in India, Reddy had no idea how to feed himself. “I only knew how to make instant coffee — even tea was difficult,” he says.

His tropical skin chafed from Canada’s whipping winds. But the hardest challenge was the rejection of his professional qualifications.

One of Reddy’s first jobs was in security, guarding Christmas trees during bitter cold night shifts. One evening, he noticed photos of missing children hanging on a branch. The pictures reminded him of his own toddler still living far away. “I missed him so much — a wound opened as I stood there,” he says. A year later, Reddy landed a job as a financial analyst at Great-West Life, where he continues to work.

These growing pains of transplantation proved useful, however, providing fodder for his fiction. “There was a purpose — I wanted to capture what it is to be a newcomer,” he says.

Reddy geared up for his goal. He began carrying a notebook everywhere, jotting down quaint phrases and intriguing anecdotes (he humorously calls himself an underwriter by day, a writer by night).

Since he didn’t have a computer, he used the one at the local Mississauga Library, writing each day for the maximum allotted time of one hour. He became his own harshest critic as he pushed himself to improve. “Every time I pick up my work I think I could have used

On his lunch hour from his insurance job, you might find author Pratap Reddy planning his next story at Kariya Park in Mississauga.

CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

9

COVER STORY a more apt word,” he says. Eventually he enrolled at Humber College, completing its creative writing program.

Reddy churned out one story after another, sending them to magazines and book publishers. His only answer was a deafening silence. But Reddy didn’t despair. “I don’t take rejection to heart,” he says. “It motivates me to try harder.”

His persistence finally paid off in 2012, when a manuscript won a writing contest sponsored by Diaspora Dialogues, an organization fostering the work of emerging immigrant authors. As the prize consisted of a mentorship program, Reddy acquired a seasoned instructor who helped him develop his own voice rich in detail and description. After finessing his collection of short stories, he submitted them to an editor at Toronto-based Guernica Press. And finally, he got a “Yes.” Reddy could hardly believe it when he saw his name on the book cover sent by his publisher. He touched the computer screen just to make sure it was real. “It was one of the finest moments of my life.”

Weather Permitting and Other Stories, published in 2016, documents the gap between immigrants’ expectations and the sometimes harsh reality of life in Canada. The struggles with employment, the separation of family

members and the ubiquitous cold are recurrent elements in the stories. Many stories were drawn from Reddy’s own experience. “Ramki and the Christmas Trees,” about an electrical engineer unable to find professional work, flowed out of his own stint as a security guard.

Reddy isn’t one to rest on his laurels. For his new book, this time a novel, he decided to chronicle a female immigrant’s dilemma. Most

If there are 100 doors, you don’t know which one will open, so you knock on every door.” of the time, the decision to immigrate comes from the husband, and the wife goes along with it to support him, says Reddy. “The woman gets a raw deal — she has to take care of the children, clean the house, and also go out and work,” says Reddy.

The protagonist of Ramya’s Treasure, a down-and-out immigrant from India, was born

from these considerations. At the beginning of the book, Ramya is paralyzed by depression — she has suffered both the breakdown of her marriage and the loss of her job. A sandalwood box fi lled with mementoes from India reanimates significant relationships. As Ramya reconnects to each one through memory, she rebuilds her fragmented identity and recovers a sense of meaning.

Though he took a creative risk writing his novel from the perspective of a woman, his readers have found her credible. “They feel her pain,” he says. “That makes me kind of a little proud,” he adds, with humility.

Reddy has plenty more ideas left.

“I have more plots than life to live,” he says. He is currently working on a novel about a young man who grows up in Canada and then revisits his homeland of India, where he witnesses its rising prosperity.

Having earned a hard-won success, Reddy is dedicated to helping others achieve their dreams. Whether he’s advising a struggling immigrant he’s just met at a bus stop or counselling his own son, Reddy’s message is the same.

“If there are 100 doors, you don’t know which one will open, so you knock on every door,” he says. “Persevere — eventually it will happen.”

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CULTURE

DIVERSE FICTION Established and emerging immigrant authors have inspired a new Canadian literary genre, and their thought-provoking books should be on your must-read list

By Baisakhi Roy “Migrant writers are part of two literary traditions: the tradition of the place of their birth and those derived from their new homeland.”

— Trinidadian-born, award-winning Canadian author Rabindranath Maharaj

T

hat pretty much sums up what it means to be an immigrant writer in Canada. And there are many established and growing numbers of emerging immigrant authors who are writing stories informed by this duality.

These stories, often about displacement, rootlessness, struggle and the universality of the immigrant experience, have become an important and compelling new genre of Canadian literature.

Here are some of today’s must-read works of fiction by these diverse writers.

Game, won the Impac Dublin Literary Award; his second, Cockroach, was shortlisted for the Giller Prize as well as the Governor General’s Award.

His fourth and most recent, Beirut Hellfire Society, also made it to 2018 Giller Prize long list.

Hage’s stories are borne out his experiences in wartorn Beirut, a city he was forced to leave to be exiled to Cyprus, after which he made his way to

above Kim Thúy.

Must-reads on the awards circuit Lebanese-born Rawi Hage is not new to acclaim and praise. His debut novel, De Niro’s

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

Montreal via New York. His latest novel also talks about death and the ritual surrounding it.

Another author on the Giller long list is Vietnamese-born Kim Thúy for her new novel, Vi.

above Rawi Hage. Photo by Babak Salari

Thúy’s writing inspiration stems from her early days as a refugee to Canada. In her books, she relates her struggles of growing up in her adopted country while dealing with the ghosts of her

past. When asked by the Toronto Star in 2012, when her debut novel, Ru, had just been published, if she had always aspired to be a writer, the Montrealer simply said, “I just took on whatever came to me … a typical immigrant. I just

above Thea Lim. felt lucky to have a job, or the skills and tools to be able to cope with whatever came my way.

I’ve been so busy learning what I needed to get by in my life.”

And among this year’s Giller shortlist is Singaporean-born Thea Lim and her debut novel An Ocean of Minutes. In this compelling read set in the U.S., the Toronto-based writer challenges the reader to confront contemporary issues such as social class, immigration, citizenship, corporate power, poverty, love and loss.

All three authors certainly deserve the ac-

colades for their contribution to the Canadian literary scene.

Rising-star writers to read Israeli-born Ayelet Tsabari’s debut story collection, The Best Place on Earth, won the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice. Published internationally to great acclaim, Tsabari is currently in Israel working on her new book, The Art of Leaving, a memoir about growing up Mizrahi (referring to Jews of Arab lands) in Israel and about growing up with grief and how the two shaped her identity and influenced the choices she made in life.

Tsabari, who teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Education and was Toronto Public Library’s spring 2018 writer in residence, says she struggled to get her words on paper during her initial days in Canada. “I started writing in English, my second language, after eight years of living in Canada. Before that, writing in the English language seemed inconceivable, and since I wasn’t using my Hebrew very often in Canada, I ended up just not writing at all,” she says.

“The experience of migrating to Canada greatly informed my writing, and I think the experience of writing in a second language runs parallel to the experience of immigration. I write from one place about another place, in one language about another language, and this dual-

ity, sense of displacement and in-betweenness inform and inspire my work in terms of themes and style.”

Essayist and novelist Manjushree Thapa also deals with this duality, and feels the need to visit her native Nepal when she wants to write.

Before immigrating to Canada, Thapa was already a published author, having penned two

above Ayelet Tsabari. Photo by Jonathan Bloom novels while studying in the United States as a Fulbright scholar. She was known in international literary circles for her literary reportage, Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy, published merely weeks before the royal coup in Nepal in 2005.

“My transition was smoother, but it was also difficult in the sense that Canada has so many CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

13

CULTURE writers ... there is already a community here. So, in that respect, it’s daunting to find your way here. The concept of CanLit was unfamiliar to me and I spent the first four to five years just reading and catching up,” she says.

Thapa’s just-released book, All of Us in Our Own Lives, straddles her new and old worlds,

An emerging writer to definitely watch is Aparna Kaji Shah. Born in Kenya and raised in India before immigrating to Canada, Shah’s collection of short stories, The Scent of Mogra and other Stories, was a long time in the making. She wrote her first story in 2004 and the last one this year. The stories are about women fighting challenging situations in male-dominated societies by tapping into their inner strength.

Shah, having gone back and forth between India and Canada, admits to being in a strange space when it comes to her writing. “I feel like the distance from both countries helps a great deal — one sees India in a sharper focus having lived in Canada. The contrast between both so-

above Anubha Mehta.

above Manjushree Thapa.

Canada and Nepal. But she flips the immigrant experience, and her protagonist Ava, a Bay Street lawyer in Toronto, is struggling to build a bond with her country of birth, Nepal, rather than her adopted country.

Emerging voices to watch There are many new immigrant writers writing and getting published in this space, from Pratap Reddy (see page 8) to former Canadian Immigrant columnist Mayank Bhatt, who published his first novel, Belief, last year.

The Indian-born author has had quite a decorated public service career in Canada, having worked as the diversity officer at the regional government of Peel. People she met and the stories they told her during this stint informed her voice as a writer. Mehta herself immigrated 18 years ago and experienced what most immigrants above Aparna Kaji Shah. who’ve left a good life in their native country to cieties is something that I have always thought come to Canada do — change, isolation, but also of. I’m affected at what happens in India, what I excitement about the adventure ahead.

Perhaps part of that feeling led to the story see and hear in the daily news reports coming from there, but yet there is a distance because of Maya, the protagonist of Mehta’s novel, who comes into her own by conquering her innermost I’m Canadian, too,” she says.

Shah finds that Canadian readers are inter- fears and false expectations set on her by society ested in the new immigrant voice and how new- around her. “I got the feeling when I first started comers are settling into their new environment. exploring the idea of writing that if you are an Now Shah is onto her next adventures — a novel immigrant, you are expected to write only about set in 18th-century India and another book ex- loss and being the victim. I wanted my voice to be ploring the impact of displacement and root- so much more than that,” she says.

Getting her book out was a major challenge lessness. “It’s an exhausting but deeply satisfythough, but Mehta’s book finally found a home ing process,” she says. when she approached a feminist publishing house in Toronto. Already working on a sequel to Peacock in the Snow, Mehta finds time to update her own blog with resources for new writers. apply in store at our concierge “My own journey has desk or apply online provided me with the insight that as writers we need to find our For a full list of own voices and tell our OPEN positions visit own stories in whatever stongs.com/careers way suits us best,” she YOUR LOCAL FAMILY OWNED & 2150 DOLLARTON HWY 4221 DUNBAR ST. signs off.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

When talking to another emerging immigrant writer Anubha Mehta about her novel, Peacock in the Snow, the passion in her voice is palpable. She describes it as a “genre-bending thriller about the power of love, sacrifice and the tireless capacity of people to hope, strive and succeed despite impossible circumstances.”

SOCIETY

EVERYDAY

RACISM The effects of casual stereotyping and outright discrimination aren’t as different as you’d think

By Kaitlin Jingco

J

anice Tinio was having a standard phone conversation with a client when things took an uncomfortable turn.

“I was working on his account when he said to me, ‘Oh, you have an accent. Where are you from? You French?’ … I said, ‘Oh, I’m from Jamaica.’ Then he said, ‘Really? You’re not like regular Jamaicans. You’re smart,’” recalls the Toronto-based technical sales expert.

Tinio was offended by what her client was implying, though she says she’s grown used to hearing these kinds of “dumb comments” as they happen “all the time.”

Henry Huang, who moved to Canada from China as a child, can relate. From what he does

for a living to his communication skills, he says, “People just make assumptions about the way I live or the type of person I am.”

Huang, who works at a university in Ontario, remembers one instance in a workshop when he told the administrator that he is a graphic designer, but was still later referred to as an IT employee. He also recalls times when people have asked him to read Japanese or Korean, while knowing that he’s a Chinese Canadian.

“It’s just assumptions and general ignorance,” he says.

Tinio and Huang both say they’ve had many encounters with this casual or everyday racism, which is described by the Ontario Human

Rights Commission (OHRC) as “the many and sometimes small ways in which racism is experienced by people.”

Other examples include the slight movement away from a person of colour in an elevator and the extra attention paid to a Black customer in a store. According to OHRC, “sometimes it is not even consciously experienced by its perpetrators, but it is immediately and painfully felt by its victims.”

Does intent matter?

In this era of overt racist confrontations going viral on social media, some may think the everyday type of racism is not that harmful — at CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

15

SOCIETY least it isn’t meant to be purposefully harmful.

After all, doesn’t every community have its assumptions and jokes about other cultures?

“But, in the end, they all lead to the same thing,” says Iman Bukhari, CEO of the Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation, a Calgarybased non-profit organization that works to mitigate racism through education, technology and the arts.

“Subtle forms of racism really build up and can cause a lot of frustration, depression and anxiety because it keeps coming back to you on a daily basis, and you are constantly reminded of the fact that you’re different than others.”

Bukhari adds that such common assumptions and stereotypes in the mainstream community can lead to policies and practices that negatively impact diverse people.

An example of this, according to the Canadian Labour Congress, is that employers are 40 per cent more likely to interview people with “English-sounding names” among candidates who have equivalent resumés.

“When you apply for a job, if people have these [stereotypical] ideas, it’s not intentional, but they ignore you,” says Goli Rezai-Rashti, a professor at Western University in Ontario whose expertise includes anti-racism, race and education.

In a school setting, Rezai-Rashti says that teachers’ subtle comments to students — like

16

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

above Iman Bukhari, CEO of the Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation in Calgary, tackles racism through her non-profit work.

Photo by Anya Zoledziowski/StarMetroCalgary

assuming some children are from Canada while asking children of colour where they’re from —can communicate a message that some kids don’t belong.

“It affects children in a dramatic way,” she says. Especially when these experiences of everyday racism start at a young age, it causes people to “function differently in society.”

Battling stereotypes For Huang, he says the stereotypes facing Asians have given him a heightened need to be accomplished in certain areas. Pointing to the assumption that “all Asians should be smart,” he says many feel pressure living up to this ideal, lest people will think there’s something wrong with them.

“We’re working our butts off trying to meet these expectations put on us,” he says. “And we are held more accountable than others for having to accomplish those things.”

In contrast to Asian stereotypes, Tinio says, “The stereotypes about Black people are more along the lines of gangs and drugs and violence. Delinquency.”

Having had false assumptions made about her in the past, she says it has affected how she meets new people. “When you expect that someone’s going to treat you unfairly or unkind, even if it’s in a casual way, I’m going to prepare myself,” she says. “It’s almost like a subconscious protection of yourself and of your feelings.”

With expectations coming from both ends, she says, “It becomes a vicious cycle.”

So, how can this cycle be broken?

While there is no easy solution to this complicated and multifaceted matter, Rezai-Rashti and Bukhari agree with the OHRC that one of the most important strategies is education.

“We have to really engage people more in a reflective kind of thinking,” says Rezai-Rashti. “[Help people] to think about their own ideas and attitudes and how we can change them.”

Some ideas they suggest include: informing people that race and genes do not determine a person’s

skills or behaviour; increasing programming about anti-racism and multiculturalism; teaching people to celebrate differences; and encouraging others to look at immigrants in a positive light.

Another way to address everyday racism, and racism in general, is to call it out.

When it comes to everyday racism, Bukhari acknowledges that it can actually be more difficult to address than overt kinds of racism.

“It’s hard to call out because people might not be aware [they’re doing it],” she says. “It is so subtle, and people may say, ‘Oh, you’re pulling out the race card, you’re getting too sensitive, you’re getting too politically correct.’”

To this end, Bukhari helped create Language De-Coded, an app that lists racist, sexist and other potentially harmful terms that lend to everyday racist language.

Huang’s personal strategy is to be empathetic. He thinks about how society may have groomed someone to have uninformed beliefs, and then he approaches the situation with kindness.

“I think what works for me is just being invitational. I’ll say ‘Here’s some stuff about Chinese culture if you want to know more.

I’m always here to talk about it,’” he says. “It’s making yourself available and making it feel welcoming [for people to] want to talk about those things.”

It’s not always easy and requires some patience, but Huang says important changes take time. And he’s optimistic that we’re moving in the right direction in Canada.

Tinio remains hopeful as well, and she looks forward to a time where new people will be looked at with a blank slate, where opinions are formed after people get to know each other, not before.

“Stop forming conclusions in your head because someone eats different types of food or dresses a different way than you do,” she says. “Ignorance blocks us from being able to get to know all the awesome things that we have in common. Let’s take down these barriers, take down these walls and get to know people.”

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CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

17

CAREERS & EDUCATION

Leading with optimism

From social work to university leadership, Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan’s career has been defined by a positive outlook, building relationships — and a little bit of adventure

By Margaret Jetelina

S

obhana Jaya-Madhavan likes to call herself an optimist. Chatting in a coffee shop at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., Jaya-Madhavan speaks candidly about life, work and her immigration journey to Canada — all of which has led her to her current position as the university’s associate vice-president of external relations.

“Life will always have ups and downs, irrespective if you move to a foreign country or not,” she says. “And I’m an optimist by nature. So, if there’s a problem, there must be a solution. It’s up to each of us to get up, roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

18

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

Photos by Tiffany Cooper And that’s exactly what she did.

After landing in Canada with her then husband, Jaya-Madhavan had no luck in finding work in her field of social work. So, she did what she had to do: she deleted the master’s degree she earned in India off her resumé and went to a hiring fair at GM Place (now Rogers Arena).

“When we landed here, I presumed I wouldn’t have any problems landing a job as a counsellor, community development worker or social worker. But none of my early [job] applications even got a response. I was shocked and very, very disheartened to say the least,” she admits. “So, I

When an opportunity came up to interview for one of 300 new social realized I should try to forget about trying to get the perfect social worker worker positions with the Ministry of Children and Family Development, job, and just get a job.”

However, when she applied for an entry-level job at the stadium hiring Jaya-Madhavan eagerly applied.

At the interview, she faced a hiring panel asking her questions related to fair, she was told she was overqualified. “I was very blunt and I said, ‘It’s been several weeks since I arrived in Canada and my savings are running child welfare in B.C. that she couldn’t answer. But when they asked her to do a role play, the panel saw something special in her approach. They hired out. I am willing to do any job.’”

They hired her as an usher. “And that was my first paid Canadian job — her as a front-line child protection worker based in Surrey. a minimum-wage job,” she says.

“They looked at what I had to offer, rather than what I didn’t say While she admits it hurt her self-esteem, she held onto her optimism. right,” she says. “It changed my life and gave me a 20-year public service As Jaya-Madhavan sips from her cup of hot tea and nibbles on a savoury career. From a child protection worker, I moved all the way up to execuscone, she starts to delve into her past, sharing more of her early story and tive director.” how it’s shaped the positive, confident woman she is today.

Her career included a gutsy stint as a child-welfare team leader in the Born in Malaysia to Indian beautiful but isolated Haida parents, Jaya-Madhavan says Gwaii — while she was herself she was a tomboy, who wore a new mom to two boys, Prabjeans and rode motorbikes in hanj and Niranj. her small town in Kerala, India.

“It was the best career deci“I was always a bit of a risksion I made. It gave me an optaker,” she says. “People were portunity to be immersed in very critical of my parents for Aboriginal child welfare and letting me be so independent. work with the Haida to change They were ahead of their time. things fundamentally,” she says.

My father was a feminist and “It was a life-changing experimade me feel like I could do ence.” anything, so did my mum.”

With her own children getAt five years old, she was sent ting older, Jaya-Madhavan next to a convent boarding school moved to Victoria, to work at in southern India. “My parents the ministry’s administrative loved the idea of me pursuing headquarters. “That was the university, and had the foredream job. And it was an amazthought and vision to know ing 10+ years there,” she says, that I should have a strong Engcrediting her mentors within lish education,” she says.

B.C. government in helping her rise to senior positions.

She studied and worked Her mentors and colleagues hard, eventually completing a also nominated her for the B.C. master’s degree in social work Medal of Good Citizenship. She and moving back to Malayeventually served as the first sia in 1991. “But I was disapexecutive director for B.C.’s pointed to fi nd out that my Provincial Office of Domestic master’s degree from India Violence. was not going to get me a soIn these senior positions, her cial work job there,” says Jayafocus shifted to management Madhavan, who also didn’t above Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan with her two sons, Prabhanj (left) and Niranj. and leadership, and building speak fluent Malay.

Her career took a turn into research and publishing for an English- relationships between the provincial government and other institutions, speaking company. “It was interesting work, but in terms of a career, you communities and business. “I worked closely with them to build a bridge can’t get much farther from social work than that,” says Jaya-Madhavan, to government, to strengthen relationships, and to share knowledge and skills,” says Jaya-Madhavan. who today still likes to dabble in writing and publishing.

It was this skill in building relationships that has led her to her current It was 1995 when she made the leap to Canada.

Working as a stadium usher in Vancouver, Jaya-Madhavan worried position at SFU, where she works to strengthen the university’s relationabout what the future held for her here. She didn’t want to give up on her ships with community partners, business leaders, governments, media dreams of social work. So, on the advice of a settlement agency, she found and other institutions.

Jaya-Madhavan actually got the job after a two-year sojourn back to volunteer work at a senior’s centre in Coquitlam. That “Canadian experience” then helped her land a job as an employment counsellor with Coast India to help take care of her mother after her dad passed away. Upon arriving in Canada this time around, Jaya-Madhavan, now divorced, had no Mental Health Foundation.

“Because of my difficulties in landing a job, I decided to keep both,” she problems in re-establishing her career. In fact, she received two job offers says, with a chuckle. “My day job was my employment counselling job, — one back in Victoria with the provincial government, and the other at and I loved it. And, in the evening, I’d put on my fancy uniform and dash the university.

Always up for a new adventure, Jaya-Madhavan accepted the job at SFU, off to GM Place.”

She would come home at midnight, exhausted, but “being a sort of an where her oldest son now studies and the youngest plans to attend after optimistic person, a fighter, I decided to embrace the experience. I abso- high school.

“I’m relatively new to SFU,” she says, “but I’m embracing it, learning lots lutely loved, loved Vancouver. And, despite the culture shock, I knew I and looking forward to what lies ahead.” was going to be happy here.”

CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

19

CAREERS & EDUCATION CAREER COACH

Great interview, not so great response?

Do a post-interview self-review

T

he interview ended and as you walked out of the building, you genuinely felt good.

In your opinion, everything went very well. You felt that you did a great job in answering all their questions. In fact, the interviewer assured you that you were impressive and that someone would get back to you soon. Whether it’s your first interview in Canada or you immigrated here years ago and are looking to change jobs, it feels good to have a good interview.

And then comes a common occurrence. Days and sometimes weeks drag on without any word, and you find yourself asking questions like: “Why hasn’t anyone called me yet, what’s holding up the decision, did I say or do something that’s causing them to rethink?” And so on.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Unfortunately, this is

to consider that can help you as an internationally trained professional to prepare well for future job interviews.

“Did I market myself well during the interview?”

where a lot of qualified candidates land. And very few interviewers are willing to share honest feedback, so you never know the real reason you weren’t hired. If you do possess the skills, credentials and experience to fi ll the role, but didn’t get the job, here are four self-review scenarios

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It’s imperative that you treat the interview as a sales presentation and yourself as a product. Here is what you need to keep in mind. Your candour, image, the clothes you wear, your hair style, packaging, all matter — and they have to be top notch on the day of the interview.

In short, if your resumé boasts great credentials, you need to look the part, too. This increases your credibility and complements the skills mentioned on your resumé.

“Did my career objective really meet the employer’s needs?”

A common lament among recruiters is that job applicants simply do not match their resumés to the job description. So, here’s a question to ask: did you read the job posting —and consciously weave some of that content into your resumé?

Was your resumé relevant and customized to the employer’s needs?

The question topmost on their minds is: “What are you going to bring to the table. Why should we hire you?” Perhaps you may want to consider rewriting your value proposition to focus more on how you will use your strong communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills to improve productivity and increase customer satisfaction.

“Did I take the time to brand my resumé?”

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Truth be told, no one thoroughly reads your resumé — at least not the first time. In the first six seconds, they scan the pages and look for resumés that are inviting. This means that the design is eye-catch-

ing and clean, and the applicant has effectively used the white space to enhance readability.

They also look for articulate communication skills, i.e., a clear value proposition and a resumé that highlights your strengths and “sells” your “benefit” to the organization. These would include past results and accomplishments. The packaging of your resumé is important because it substantiates your strengths, increases your credibility and gives you the edge over others. It’s imperative to market the steak as well as the sizzle if you want to get noticed.

“Did I assess the overall fit?”

During the interview, it is important to demonstrate that not only do you possess the skills that they are looking for, but that you “fit” in with the company’s culture. If the company that you are applying to has a “serious, get down to business” culture, and you are a fun outgoing person with a bubbly personality, you may not be a good fit.

Similarly, if the job requires you to be outgoing and friendly and your personality is reserved or introverted, you would not be considered a good fit. That’s why, we recommend that you research the company online and through sources thoroughly prior to your interview.

It’s time to move on Stuff happens — and often it’s not that fatal for your job search. There may be many seemingly small details in a job interview that can affect your chances. Some may be within your control, but there may be others out of your control, like the weather on the day of the interview. So just resolve to move on and set forth on to the next adventure.

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 HIGHER LEARNING

Value-added training Want to go back to school for a Canadian credential?

Think continuing education courses

I

f you haven’t considered taking courses through the continuing education department of a postsecondary institution or school, you may be overlooking valuable opportunities. Continuing education courses are usually offered part time in the evenings or weekends, and some are offered online.

The courses may be work-focused, academic or interest-based.

Consider these seven benefits that continuing education courses have to offer.

1 They can introduce you to some of the expectations of studying in Canada.

2 You will acquire the latest information on what is happening in your field of work and learn about Canadian practices.

3 You will meet people with

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similar interests who may become friends or part of your professional network.

4 If you are not sure about changing careers, or want to try something new, one or a few courses may give you an idea of what level of prior knowledge, skill or ability is needed to be successful.

5 The skills and knowledge you learn will add some interest to your life and make you more marketable to an employer.

6 You may be able to work while you study and you only pay for one or two courses at a time; therefore, it is less of a financial burden than full-time education.

7 If you need an opportunity to improve your reading, listening and speaking skills in English (or French), weekly classes can provide this. A

course where there are expectations of writing essays and giving presentations will provide you an opportunity to read, speak and write. Choosing courses related to your field of work could improve your vocabulary specific to your field, bring you up to date with current practices and earn Canadian credentials.

How continuing education works Continuing education courses are usually listed on the websites of colleges and universities as well as local school boards. Unlike full-time programs, you register

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and pay for individual courses and there are generally no extra fees, other than books and supplies. You are generally not required to apply and be accepted into a program prior to registering for courses.

Continuing education offers wide-ranging courses, from accounting to furniture repair, and are very popular. These courses can help with an introduction to new fields as well as to Canadian social and academic life. They are an excellent option for individuals who want to advance their careers, follow their interests and meet new people.

Geneviève Beaupré and Susan Qadeer have extensive experience working in university and college settings, providing career, academic and personal counselling to international and immigrant students.

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21

MONEY & BUSINESS

above Tareq Hadhad is the general manager of Peace by Chocolate, a family business in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Business with a message From chocolatier to motivational speaker, Syrian refugee Tareq Hadhad is building a reputation as a Canadian business leader with a meaningful purpose

By Lisa Evans

W

hen the Hadhad family arrived in Canada along with thousands of other Syrian refugees, they had one dream — to find peace.

For more than 20 years, the family had run a successful chocolate business in Damascus, but it was destroyed in a bombing in 2012.

After fleeing Syria, they spent nearly three years living in a refugee camp in Lebanon before arriving in Canada in December 2015.

Shortly after their arrival, they were invited to a community potluck in their new home town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and brought the one item they viewed as a symbol of celebration: chocolate. They made the first

22

CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

pieces in their home kitchen, the same way they started in Syria back in 1986. The chocolates were met with resounding praise by the community.

Their Canadian chocolate business, Peace by Chocolate, was born soon after and has became a prime example of what happens when a community comes together to support newcomers’ dream and ambitions.

The Hadhad family’s story caught international attention when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned them at the United Nations in February 2016.

“Everyone wanted to know what are the Syrians doing? That made me

realize it’s really time for me to stand out and send a positive message,” says Tareq Hadhad, general manager of Peace by Chocolate.

A business built by community Although Hadhad dreamed of re-establishing the chocolate business his father started, he thought it would take several years to make this a reality. “It took us a long time in Syria to find a factory, machinery, employees and a business network,” he says. Starting over in a new country meant learning about Canadian business and the consumer market.

Hadhad immersed himself in business books and researched how to market to the Canadian consumer. He found that in order to be memorable, a company needs to build a story behind what they are creating.

“Now is a time that our stories are being shared,” he says. “In a second you can reach 100, 1000 or 1 million people around the world.”

the language of the mother country, the land we have now,” says Hadhad.

Their chocolates are available throughout Atlantic Canada, as well as in Ontario, including Sobeys, and in select retailers in each province. Their products can also be ordered online at peacebychocolate.ca.

From chocolatier to speaker Hadhad says Peace by Chocolate is not just a chocolate company but an opportunity to spread their story and the message of peace all around the world.

In February 2016, Hadhad was invited to speak at a community breakfast. He had never given a speech before and was still mastering the English language.

“I was very afraid, I was sweating,” he says. “It was my first time standing on a stage holding a microphone,” he says. Once on stage though, Hadhad began sharing his experience in Syria and Lebanon and spoke about his first days in Canada.

Peace is the thing we cannot live without. We cannot build businesses without peace. We cannot go to school without peace. We cannot raise families without peace.”

The family, with the help of the community, came up with the name Syria Chocolate for Peace; a name that would tell the family’s story. The name was then shortened to Peace by Chocolate.

The Antigonish community not only helped to name the business, but pitched in and helped the family build the small shed that would become the first Peace by Chocolate shop. “Without this community in Antigonish, really none of that could happen,” he says.

Hadhad calls Peace by Chocolate a true community effort. As a result, he has integrated giving back to the community as a key component of the business. “We were 16 of us in Syria, but when we arrived in Canada we had a new family of 4,000,” he says.

In recognition of the community and their new home, Peace by Chocolate named their very fi rst chocolate bar — a milk chocolate and hazelnut bar — Wantago’ti (pronounced wan-tahk-oo-di), the Mi’kmaq word for peace.

Hadhad reached out to Mi’kmaq leaders to ensure the translation to the Indigenous language was correct. “There’s nothing nobler than spreading

“After the speech, I realized I was on stage for an hour and 15 minutes,” he laughs, acknowledging that was the moment he realized he had a talent for public speaking.

Hadhad has now travelled all across the country, attending more than 350 speaking engagements coast to coast to share the story of his family and their business success, which now includes a contract with Sobeys.

“I want people to realize how important it is to keep peace in our lives and how important it is to open our doors and welcome people from other countries. I want them to know how privileged we are to live in a safe zone and welcome those who have lost everything in a moment and give them the opportunity to live again,” says Hadhad, who was the keynote speaker at the Halifax Canadian Immigrant Fair in September.

With this message of peace and resilience, Hadhad hopes to inspire Canadians and millions of people all over the world to embrace peace. “Peace is the thing we cannot live without,” says Hadhad. “We cannot build businesses without peace. We cannot go to school without peace. We cannot raise families without peace.”

In his speeches, Hadhad gives thanks to Canada for giving him the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. He was recently named a board member of Invest Nova Scotia, an independent board granting economic incentives to businesses. With his position, Hadhad’s focus will be on making startups easier for newcomers like his family.

He uses the story of Peace by Chocolate to show newcomers what is possible to achieve in their new country.

“Being in business in Canada has driven my motivation to a very clear path to helping my community and caring about society,” says Hadhad.

CANADIANIMMIGRANT.CA |

23

MONEY & BUSINESS T IP S F OR SE T T L ING IN FA S T E R

Good business

A

Four lessons from a socially conscious entrepreneur

s consumers, we have the choice every day to make more socially conscious purchases. Like 95 per cent of Canadians, I’m making more of an effort to support Canadian businesses with a mission to give back.

Through my work at RBC and in the community, I have noticed many immigrants to Canada are actively engaged in creating and starting a business with socially responsible roots in the community.

For example, I recently learned about RBC client Gifty SerbehDunn. Born and raised in Ghana, Serbeh-Dunn came to Canada as a student in the early 1980s where she fell in love and married a Canadian. When her husband’s work took them to Africa, she had the chance to reconnect with her roots.

On these trips she would often take care packages of goods that she thought would be useful to women in her home country.

above Gifty Serbeh-Dunn created a business to help women in her homeland of Ghana earn an income.

But, after many visits, an elder in her village confided that they didn’t really want her care packages. What they wanted was work — a way to earn a sustainable living.

Serbeh-Dunn was floored by the request — how could she possibly employ these women? She wasn’t a businessperson and she lived half a world away.

This conversation stayed with her. She had longed to give back to the women in Ghana and knew that, particularly for widows, providing an income source is the most important way to help them.

One idea that stood out to SerbehDunn was shea butter. A popular balm used for many generations in Africa, it was gaining popularity in North America. She bought a few thousand kilos of shea butter made by widows in a remote community and brought it to Canada. Her next step: create a market.

Serbeh-Dunn created Shea Butter Markets in 2005. Fast forward to today, she employs more than 200 widows in Ghana, her product line is sold in health food stores across Canada, and the business has now grown to sell directly through Alibaba.

Below are four key lessons Serbeh-Dunn has shared with us on succeeding as a socially conscious business:

1

Never forget your mission.

All entrepreneurs know that there are peaks and valleys in business ownership. When times were tough, Serbeh-Dunn says she would pause and remind herself of exactly why she was doing this. Quitting meant letting down dozens of wom-

en who needed the income — this was more than enough to motivate her to take on the next challenge.

2

Understand business fundamentals. While her socially

3

Diversify

4

Look for ways to create and grow the community. For

conscious vision drives her every day, Serbeh-Dunn also knows that running a good business is what will make he succeed. Fundamentals like getting her distribution in order and having proper invoicing in place means she can focus on growing the business.

your

product.

During a slower point in her business, Serbeh-Dunn decided that she could open a new segment by wholesaling the shea butter directly to other distributors. Expanding to this new wholesale segment has helped her business grow tremendously.

Serbeh-Dunn, employing widows is her driving mission. When women in the community have become unable to continue the work (making shea butter is very labour intensive), she has paid for and facilitated small business training, helping them to create new sustainable businesses for themselves.

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 4 | 2018

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SETTLEMENT PARENTING

Homework help

Set your children up for schoolwork success

H

elping children with homework can be challenging and frustrating, even with the parents’ best intentions. It requires careful thought and lots of patience, support and encouragement.

Set up your environment Children learn best in the right learning environment. Ensure that your homework area is well-lit and uncluttered, with adequate required school supplies. Avoid hightraffic locations with excessive distractions, such as television, loud music, phones/tablets and so on.

Schedule homework time Depending on the age of your child, set aside a reasonable amount of time for homework.

Be mindful of children’s developmental and concentration levels, and schedule homework time when they are not too tired or hungry. Encourage children to

take breaks to optimize learning.

Support and encourage Stay close to children when they are doing their homework and provide assistance when needed.

Let them know you are available if they need help and regularly check in with them. However, try not to monitor them too closely, as it might distract them.

Be your child’s best cheerleader, and regularly give them positive encouragement and feedback on their effort. Remind children that what’s most important is that they try their very best and always learn from mistakes. Refrain from immediately helping them or criticizing or shaming them when they make mistakes, or get distracted or frustrated with their homework.

Check their homework Sometimes it is necessary to check your children’s homework

and help them complete it. However, it does not mean doing the homework for them. Rather, it is about empowering children with homework tips and strategies, so they can do it on their own.

Resist the temptation to immediately help children when they are stuck. Help them by rephrasing the questions, providing examples and hints, or breaking down the questions or assignment to manageable sections. Alternatively, encourage them to move to the next question or take a break before resuming their homework.

And, if you spot a mistake, give them hints and opportunities for them to figure out the mistake on their own.

Seeking additional support Seek help from teachers or tutors if your kids require extra help that is beyond your ability. Start with working with classroom teachers to see if they can provide any tips, suggestions or extra help.

If more help is needed, you can look into hiring a private tutor or tutoring agency. Consider the hourly fee, teaching style, experience and how the tutor can bring out your child’s best.

Every child is different, with his or her own learning style, strengths and needs, and personality. The best way to help children with their homework is to appreciate and support their uniqueness to bring out their best academic self.

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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25

LIVING

Surviving winter in Canada

A guide for newcomers to not just endure, but also enjoy, the season

By Lisa Evans

Y

ou may have heard the expression “Canada only has two seasons: winter and construction,” or heard horror stories of people getting trapped in their houses by snowstorms. Canadians love to warn all newcomers about the harsh winter they’re about to experience.

Here are the top four ways to not only survive, but also enjoy winter in Canada.

a laugh. “We bought snowsuits, coats, mittens, hats, scarves, neck warmers and boots.”

Finding the right cold weather gear is essential to getting through the colder months. But beware of dressing too warm. While the outside may be freezing, inside is heated. The best approach is to dress in in layers and invest in good quality outerwear such as a downfi lled jacket.

1

2

Invest in warm clothing

When Renata Cressoni moved to Canada from Brazil, she feared her family wouldn’t survive their first winter. So, she set out on a mission to find the right gear. “I would talk to other moms at the park, trying to figure out what kind of clothing would keep my fiveyear-old son alive,” she says with

Appreciate winter’s beauty

Although winter brings a lot of nuisances, from snow days to ice on your windshield that takes 10 minutes to scrape off (wear gloves while doing this task or your fingers will freeze into icicles!), there’s also a peaceful beauty to this season.

When she came from the U.K. to

Ontario, Rosie McKinley thought Canadian winter would be just like her home country; damp and drizzly. While it’s more like that on the west coast of Canada, she was pleasantly surprised to find winter in Ontario is bright and crisp.

“There’s something very special about the bright sunny cold winter days,” she says.

Cressoni, too, appreciates the beauty of winter. “I realized I loved the feeling of stepping outside when everything was white and covered with snow and listening to the silence of it. It’s so quiet and it’s like the city disappears, like you’re in the middle of nowhere and there’s only houses, but no roads.”

3

Be careful of winter hazards

But, beware, not all snow is the same. There’s the beautiful fluff y

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stuff you can make snowmen out of.

Then there’s the crunchy snow and ice that can be very slippery and the slushy snow that just makes a mess when you trample on it.

Step carefully when outside, be careful when shovelling snow and invest in a winter mat to save your floors.

And, if driving, make sure to invest in good snow tires to keep you safe on the road!

4

Get active outdoors

Getting involved in winter activities can help you to enjoy the colder months. Karl Subban, dad to NHL hockey stars PK, Malcolm and Jordan Subban, says hockey helped make him Canadian.

Subban’s family immigrated to Sudbury, Ontario, from Jamaica in 1970 when he was just 12 years.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

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“After the first snowfall, the boards went up, the ice went in, the skates went on and the game was on,” he says. Subban purchased a pair of skates from the Salvation Army and joined the neighbourhood kids.

Subban, an RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant of 2018, not only

credits hockey with helping him to enjoy Canadian winter, he says hockey was what helped him transition to his new life in Canada. “I was able to make friends and learn about Canada,” he says. “We looked a bit different, but it wasn’t really a problem because there I was play-

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[Hockey] took us off the sidelines of new Canadians and helped us to become Canadians.”

Besides hockey, there are many fun winter activities you can try.

Some Canadian favourites include skiing, tobogganing, ice fishing,

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LIVING WELLNESS

To your health

9 habits for a long life in Canada

O

ne reason many people migrate is for a better life for themselves and their family. Whether the move is forced or voluntary, my experience and observation has been that immigrants usually arrive with a specific mindset. The determination to find work opportunities. Motivation to push through the challenges and setbacks. Willingness to collaborate and build relationships in order to realize their idea of a better life.

According to Statistics Canada, immigrants also arrive with good health. Their research, in the National Population Health Survey, indicates immigrant health is generally better compared to Canadianborn, but tends to decline as years in Canada increase.

There are no reasons given for this health decline over time so we can only assume. Maybe it’s the average North American diet, which tends to be rich in red meat, processed and artificially sweetened foods, and salt.

It could be due to the stress of relocating, the pressures of building a new life and dealing with the ongoing challenges of living as an immigrant in a different culture. Maybe it is all of the above.

We have an opportunity to change the statistics. What we know to be true is that when we eat, think and move well, we feel better and we do better. Here are nine habits for vitality to enjoy a long life in Canada.

Nutritional habits

Nutrition is the first step to becoming healthy and maintaining optimal health. The cleaner the food you eat (your fuel) the more efficient and long lasting your body (your engine).

Eat whole foods, mostly plants. Most of us are 80-90 per cent nutri-

ent deficient. Living, fresh food will give you all the basic nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health. Where possible, buy organic produce because non-organic contains up to 95 per cent more pesticides and herbicides, which are toxic to your health. The next best to organic is local produce.

2

Avoid consuming processed, packaged foods that are high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. These inflammatory foods will de-

3

Get your carbohydrates from organic fruits and vegetables. These will provide clean fuel for energy and plenty of fibre so

4

If you eat animal protein, eat it only occasionally and in small quantities. Try choosing meat from organic, grass-fed cows and free-

5

Consume good quality, healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, grass-fed butter. Avoid the highly refined oils

plete your energy levels, increase your toxic load and result in weight gain.

On a diet of junk food, you are more likely to feel tired, stressed, irritable and have trouble thinking clearly. You will also accelerate aging and increase your risk for degenerative disease and chronic illness.

your body can easily digest these.

range chickens. If you eat fish, buy sustainable and wild-caught, such as salmon, sardines, Atlantic mackerel. If you consume dairy, look for labels that specify organic, grass-fed or rich in omega-3s.

such as sunflower oil/canola oil/soybean oil/corn oil/peanut oil. These will increase your bad cholesterol and may cause digestive disorders.

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Move more for health

Movement improves health and can reduce your risk of disease.

6

Prioritize time for physical activity, daily. In addition to gaining

more energy and motivation, research proves that exercise is important for a healthy immune system and brain function.

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Relax and rest. Disconnect from technology; reduce your screen time, especially an hour before bedtime. Many people are hyper-stimulated due to constant information overload, which causes anxiety and sleeplessness. Unplug, stretch, unwind and heal.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

8

Connect and be social. Get support from family and friends when times are tough. Healthy relationships and community are medicine for the mind and key to longevity.

Final health tip Attitude and a sense of positive wellbeing can help prevent disease, improve your quality of life and help you live longer.

9

Practise gratitude. Give thanks; notice the positives; focus on what

gives you joy. Gratitude keeps you optimistic, and optimism will improve your health.

Hazel Morley has worked as a trainer, facilitator and coach for more than 25 years, in England and after immigrating to Canada in 2009. After her own personal health crisis, she shifted gears to focus on strategies for enjoying optimal health.

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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 15 Issue 4 | 2018

Words with Indigenous origins Toboggan Tobogganing is probably something you first tried only after immigrating to Canada. But did you know this word for sled has Indigenous origins? From the Mi’kmaq tobâkun, it evolved into a French Canadian word before making its way to English.

Caribou Caribou is another word that comes to us from Mi’kmaq (caleboo)) via Canadian French. Of course, it’s also known as reindeer.

Kayak Paddling is a proud Indigenous tradition, and the word kayak comes from the Inuktitut word qayaq.

Igloo This one is no surprise: the word “igloo� comes from the Inuktitut iglu, which means “house.�

Sockeye The west coast salmon get their name from the Halkomelem dialect; suk-kegh means “red fish.�

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