Winners of "Canada's Best Diversity Employers" for 2012 Announced

ORONTO, ONTARIO, Feb 21, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The winners of this year's Canada's Best Diversity Employers competition, sponsored by BMO Financial Group, were announced today, recognizing 50 organizations that lead the nation in creating diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Each year, the editorial team at Canada's Top 100 Employers reviews the top employer pool to identify the leading organizations that have developed a wide range of initiatives, including programs for: women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, aboriginal peoples, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) peoples.

"We are seeing a significant expansion in the range of inclusiveness initiatives that leading employers offer," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project at Mediacorp Canada Inc., which oversees the selection process. "Employers with well-established diversity programs are moving beyond the groups that traditionally have been covered."

"As a founding partner of the competition, it's our hope that we can encourage all Canadian organizations to be Diversity Champions," said Lynn Roger, Senior Vice President, Talent Strategies and Executive Resourcing at BMO Financial Group. "It's encouraging to see that employers are working harder to see Canadians' talents instead of their differences, and accept their credentials instead of hiding behind preconceptions. In the end, all of us in our business community must work to ensure that all Canadians get the opportunity to prove themselves. Only through their participation and success will the barriers fall away.

"Through our own deep experience we know that diversity and inclusion is a 'must have' that leads to stronger corporate performance, more successful and engaged employees, and the delivery of relevant products, services and advice to our customers. BMO has been developing innovative diversity programs since 1989. Our Pre-Employment Training program for people with disabilities and the Ron Jamieson Aboriginal Scholarship and Internship program are just two very successful examples of how we reach out to groups that are under-represented in Canada's workforce. Finding new and innovative ways to help integrate Canadians and their skills into our operations is just the way we do things - it's how we help all of our employees reach their full potential," added Ms. Roger.

"The diversity conversation is changing," says Trevor Wilson, President of TWI Inc., the consulting firm that pioneered a diversity measurement methodology called The Equity Continuum and a founding partner of the competition. "Employers are realizing that inclusiveness starts with the individual, and extends beyond designated groups - real diversity initiatives aim to optimize the human capital each of us brings to an organization, based on our own unique backgrounds, abilities and life experiences."

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $501 billion as at October 31, 2011 under IFRS, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.

BMO Financial Group funds the costs of managing the competition and, as a sponsor, is not considered for the award. BMO and TWI did not take part in the selection of winners. Mediacorp editors do this on the basis of the applications reviewed.

The editors' full reasons for why each of the 2012 winners was selected can be found at: http://CanadasTop100.com/diversity .

In alphabetical order:

        
        Agrium Inc.                             Newalta Corporation
        Amex Canada Inc.                        Northwestel Inc.
        BC Hydro                                Ontario Public Service
        Boeing Canada Operations Limited        Ottawa, City of
        Bombardier Aerospace                    Public Works and Government Services
                                                Canada
        Business Development Bank of Canada     Saskatchewan Government Insurance
        Cameco Corporation                      Saskatoon, City of
        Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce      SaskPower
        Capital District Health Authority       SaskTel
        Centre for Addiction and Mental Health  Seneca College of Applied Arts &
                                                Technology
        Corus Entertainment Inc.                Shell Canada Limited
        Deloitte & Touche LLP                   Stantec Consulting Ltd.
        Ernst & Young LLP                       Statistics Canada
        Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP              Stikeman Elliott LLP
        Health Canada-Sante Canada              TD Bank Group
        Hewlett-Packard Canada Co.              Telus Corporation
        Home Depot Canada, The                  TransCanada Corporation
        Human Resources & Skills Develop.       University of British Columbia
        Canada
        Information Services Corporation / ISC  University of Toronto
        Jazz Aviation LP                        University of Victoria
        KPMG LLP                                Vancouver, City of
        Loblaw Companies Limited                Workers' Compensation Board of
                                                Manitoba
        Manitoba Hydro                          Xerox Canada Inc.
        Manitoba, Government of                 YMCA of Greater Toronto
        Mount Sinai Hospital
        National Bank Financial Group
        
        

        
        Contacts:
        For Media Inquiries:
        Canada's Top 100 Employers
        Tony Meehan, Publisher
        (416) 964-6069 x9179
        
        BMO Financial Group
        Ralph Marranca, Director, Media & Public Relations
        (416) 867-3996
        
        TWI Inc.
        Trevor Wilson, President
        (416) 368-1968 x400
        

Canadian boarding schools target international students in emerging markets

Nicholas KeungImmigration Reporter

Last October, admission officials from 11 Canadian boarding schools conducted a tri-city promotional tour in Turkey.

Although such tours are not new in an increasingly competitive market for international students, the group has achieved something they never had individually.

Led by the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), the group was on TV morning shows and radio, creating a buzz among Turkish media about the prospects of studying and boarding in Canada.

“That was some amazing PR,” says Kathy LaBranche, admissions director of the 146-year-oldTrinity College School, which has 260 boarding students and is known for its small-town feel in Port Hope. “This was the first of its kind for us in an emerging market.”

Over five days, the 11-school group visited Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, meeting government officials, school principals, parents, prospective students and education recruitment agents.

The Canadian officials no longer just tagged along with their colleagues in public schools or competitors from the United States, the U.K. or Australia — they were the stars of this tour.

It was part of a campaign by 28 of CAIS’s 93 schools to raise awareness of the Canadian boarding schools brand and create a stronger presence in the ever-changing market for international students.

Anne-Marie Kee, CAIS executive director, says boarding enrolment across the country dropped by 10 per cent from 2008 to 2009. In response, its boarding schools came together for a “collaborative marketing initiative” that involves research, relationship building, marketing and recruitment.

International recruitment is a crucial component of the plan, since 49 per cent of Canada’s boarding school population is international.

CAIS marketing research identified nine emerging markets: Brazil, Colombia, India, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela and Vietnam.

“We can do much better together than individually when we try to go into these new markets,” says Kee.

Guy McLean, principal of Oakville’s Appleby College, says trying to break into an emerging market is expensive and difficult, with high costs in advertising, travel and receptions, but no guarantee of returns.

“Going in as a group gives you the marketing clout. There is also the credibility and professional management that come with it,” says McLean, whose school just celebrated its centenary anniversary.

Nicknamed the “Road Warrior,” Sarah Milligan, CAIS boarding schools outreach director, is charged with coordinating the overseas promotional efforts.

In addition to the tour to Turkey, Milligan, a graduate of St. Catherines’ Ridley College, has also visited Russia, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and the U.S.

With a 40-kilogram display case in tow — carrying a roll-up banner, poles, maple leaf candies, an iPad for slide shows about CAIS schools and other materials — Milligan has joined different circuits to promote Canada’s new boarding school brand.

This fall, 18 CAIS boarding schools will invite recruitment agents from around the world to visit their campuses, to help them assist parents of prospective students to make the best choice for their children.

“We, at CAIS, deliver the main message about our products. Our schools do the retail. Our agents overseas are part of that as well,” Milligan explains.

“If the agents know what the food is like in the dining hall, what the people and dormitory are like, they can do a better job in translating that experience to parents.”

As part of the branding initiative, CAIS has launched a new internet portal to give prospective students easy access to boarding opportunities in Canada.

LaBranche says the Internet has become an integral part of the marketing scheme and many schools are using social media to build an online presence.

“We try to have pictures, blogs and videos on the website. The idea is to let people get a live feel of the community,” she says.

Peer-to-peer dialogues could be one effective way to reach out to potential students and CAIS plans to have a contest for boarding students to encourage them to share their experience.

Although the joint recruitment tours and website will help diversify the outreach, nothing can replace the old-school word-of-mouth marketing through alumni around the world.

Upper Canada College admissions director Struan Robertson has been doing school fairs and small-group meetings for 15 years. He has been to 15 countries since September to recruit students.

“It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You meet a lot of people but they may not fit your school profile,” says Robertson, whose school has 88 boarders. “You get a lot of ‘nos’ but you also get into good conversation when they show interest in your school, come to visit you and apply.”

The overseas marketing is just the first step, as CAIS also plans to reach out to Canadian students to consider boarding as an option to enrich their learning experience.

Conservatives mull changes to citizenship rules for babies born on Canadian soil

It's one of the oldest immigration tricks in the book: get pregnant, fly to another country, have your baby, and voila - you've got immigrant ties to said country.

It even happens in Canada.

According to the Toronto Sun, Ottawa has discovered a number of unscrupulousimmigration consultants in Hong Kong, who are coaching wealthy Chinese mainlanders about how to keep their pregnancies hidden while entering Canada on student or visitor visas.

"Avoid any baby or maternity items in luggage, wear dark clothing going through customs to look slimmer, and arrive in Canada no later than in the seventh month of pregnancy are among the tips given," notes the article.

Once here, the women go into hiding until they are due to give birth and then go to a hospital to deliver the baby. And, because all babies born in Canada are considered citizens, they could return later in life as a student, for example, and sponsor their parents under family reunification.

Immigration minister Jason Kenney admits his department isn't sure how widespread the problem is but is considering citizenship law changes to prevent so-called anchor babies from automatically becoming citizens.

"We don't want people to get the idea that citizenship is a way to get a passport of convenience, that Canada is a country to be exploited," he told the Sun.

Toronto based immigration attorney Michael Niren says he doesn't think anchor babies are a "growing problem" and that changing the citizenship rules would be like "throwing the baby out with the bath water."

"Kenney is on a mission to clean up the immigration system from Refugee cases to Citizenship claims. Yes there are many broken aspects of our immigration system but I think he is going way to far here," Niren told Yahoo! Canada News.

"The solution is not to terminate this method for citizenship all together.  Free societies like Canada have always granted citizenship to those born on their soil. This, in my view, should be a right not a privilege.

"[Instead of changing the law,] I think more careful screening of applicants to Canada should be conducted. In some cases, medicals are required which would reveal pregnancies.  Sometimes the government gets ahead of itself and forgets that we are still a democracy."

(CP Photo)

Pagination

Canadians to ease rules allowing Americans entry

• rticle by: DOUG SMITH , Star Tribune 
• Updated: February 25, 2012 - 4:02 PM

Past convictions for certain offenses, such as drunken driving, will no longer be a stumbling block.

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After years of turning back Americans with drunken-driving and other misdemeanor convictions, Canadian border officials are about to relax their entry restrictions.

The move, which begins March 1, should prevent many hunters, anglers and other tourists heading to Canada from being rejected at the border when officials discover a single DWI or other misdemeanor on their records. Thousands of Americans, including many Minnesotans, have been snared by the increase in border security in recent years.

But the changes won't apply to those with multiple convictions or more serious offenses.

As issue for Americans is that drunken driving is a felony in Canada, while a single offense here often is a misdemeanor.

Canadian tourism industry officials say the tightened border restrictions have resulted in thousands of American customers being turned away at the border, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue.

"We've had hundreds of customers turned around," said Gene Halley, who runs Halley's Camps, a fishing lodge-outpost business in the Kenora, Ontario, area. "The recession hasn't hurt as much as the border crossing issue."

Often if one member of a group gets rejected at the border because of an old criminal offense, the entire group calls off the trip.

"We call them $6,000 vehicles -- if one gets turned around, the whole group goes home,'' said Mike Loewen, executive director of a regional tourist council that represents more than 200 resorts, lodges and outfitters in northwestern Ontario, a prime destination for Minnesota anglers.

"The restrictions have cost millions of dollars just in northwestern Ontario over the years," said Loewen. "People are being turned away who shouldn't be. We're not saying let criminals in, but someone who made a minor indiscretion years ago shouldn't be prevented from coming here to fish."

It was the Canadian tourism industry's continued pressure on their government that led Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to develop the new policy, which begins Thursday. Under it, people with one minor conviction can get a free Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) to enter Canada. Previously, obtaining that permit was a lengthy, costly process.

Americans with convictions still would have to go through a "rehabilitation" process to permanently clear their record, but the TRP would prevent their rejection at the border.

A key unanswered question is whether the permit will give an American essentially one "free pass" into Canada, or whether the pass would be good for a certain period of time.

The government has yet to release the details, but a spokesperson said in a written response to questions from the Star Tribune: "It aims to facilitate the entry of those who are currently inadmissible for certain offenses, such as where the individual has served no jail time and there is no evidence of repeat behavior."

The policy apparently will apply to a DWI, if it is the only conviction on a person's record.

Loewen and other Canadian tourism officials were recently briefed about the coming changes. Though they, too, are awaiting details, they are encouraged the changes will benefit them and their American customers.

"We're hoping it's a large step in the right direction," said Halley.

Attorney Satveer Chaudhary of Fridley, a former state senator, works on immigration issues and has helped clients jump through the legal hoops necessary to enter Canada.

"I have dozens of clients either turned away or know they can't get into Canada," he said.

"I have a client who was going with a group of friends to Winnipeg for a softball tournament. He had a prior DWI from years before, and was denied entry. He spent the weekend at Pembina, N.D., waiting for his friends to return to pick him up."

For those with criminal records, the procedures to overcome inadmissibility to Canada are complex. See the Canadian government's explanations at www.startribune.com/a1086.

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Immigration distribution in Canada is rapidly changing

David Campbell – A blog about economic development in Atlantic 

It is pretty impressive the change in the destination of immigrants in the past few years.  From 1991 to 2006, Ontario attracted 54.5 percent of all immigrants into Canada (using Census data). In the  most recent year that is down to 40.5 percent.  BC is down a bit but the rest of the country is up.

Distribution of Immigrants into Canada by Province – Total from 1991 to 2006

Annual Immigration into Canada – per 1,000 population 1972-2011

Distribution of Immigrants into Canada by Province – 2011

Growth Rate of Annual Immigrants 2006 to 2011 – By Province

__________

Sources:
Statistics Canada. Table 051-0004 – Components of population growth, Canada, provinces and territories, annual (persons)
Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.
Statistics Canada. Table 051-0004 – Components of population growth, Canada, provinces and territories, annual (persons)

Canada's pattern of immigration spreads east and west

DAVID CAMPBELL

Globe and Mail Blog

A metal fabrication business in northern New Brunswick is bringing in workers from Eastern Europe to assemble heating and ventilation systems. A food manufacturing company in a small rural community in the province has been attracting Romanians to work at its plant since the mid-2000s. A national coffee shop chain is recruiting for bilingual (French and English) workers for its stores in the Moncton region.

Immigration into Canada is nothing new. There are now more than seven million first generation immigrants in the country and some four million of them have come to Canada in the past 20 years.

What is rapidly changing is the distribution of new immigrants within Canada.

From 1991 to 2006, Ontario attracted 54.5 per cent of the immigrant population (using Census data for those years). During that same period, the Maritime provinces attracted less than 1 per cent of immigrants, even though the region’s population was more than 5.5 per cent of the Canadian total. Saskatchewan only attracted 0.6 per cent of the country’s immigrants over the 15 year period.

The pattern of immigration in recent years has been changing and not only towards western Canada. In 2011, 2.7 per cent of all immigrants settled in the Maritime provinces and a full 2.9 per cent settled in Saskatchewan.

From 2006 to 2011, the number of immigrants to Prince Edward Island has risen sixfold. While this growth is from a small base, it still means that the Island is attracting more than twice as many immigrants (1 per cent of total immigrants) compared to its share of the total population (0.4 per cent).

New Brunswick has witnessed a 42 per cent increase in immigrants over the past five years and Nova Scotia has also been attracting significantly more immigrants compared to a decade ago.

In many ways this spike in immigration into parts of the country other than Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia was inevitable. Out-migration of young people from the Maritimes for decades to the rest of Canada and beyond coupled with low levels of immigration since the early 1970s has turned what was once the youngest region in Canada (by median age) into the oldest -- by a fairly wide margin.

This is the reason why a place like New Brunswick -- with no new employment growth since 2007 -- can now still be attracting four times as many immigrants each year compared to the 1990s. Immigrant workers are needed to replace retiring workers.

This is different than places like Saskatchewan and Alberta, which are attracting record levels of immigrants to fuel a rapidly expanding work force.

Immigration into the Maritimes also raises another tricky challenge. For decades, thousands of people in the region cobbled together enough hours to become eligible for Employment Insurance because there were not enough year-round jobs to go around. Now employers are bringing in immigrant workers because they can’t find local people that are willing to work all year. The locals complain that wage levels on offer are not high enough to justify the move from seasonal work supplemented by EI to full-year work.

There isn’t much statistical data around to prove this trend but the anecdotal evidence is rising. Using immigrant workers to ignore a structural labour market problem is not a particularly positive development.

It is likely the Maritimes and other non-traditional destinations for immigrants into Canada will need to attract far more in the coming years -- just to replace retiring workers. This broader distribution of new immigrants across Canada can only strengthen the cultural fabric of the country.

Visit my blog for a series of tables showing the changing pattern of immigration into Canada in recent years.

David Campbell is an economic development consultant and columnist based in Moncton, New Brunswick. He also authors a daily blog on economic issues in Atlantic Canada which can be found atwww.davidwcampbell.com.

Jason Kenney: smart, competent and hard to trust

Either Immigration Minister Jason Kenney misled the public two years ago or he’s misleading us now.

Whichever it is, he has a credibility problem and we have a trust problem.

In 2010, he introduced the Balanced Refugee Reform Act after extensive consultations with refugee groups, human rights activists and immigration lawyers, and fruitful negotiations with the opposition parties. The legislation streamlined the refugee system without sacrificing Canada’s tradition of fairness. It was widely praised by his colleagues and critics.

Kenney hailed the New Democrats and Bloc Québécois for proposing affordable safeguards for rejected refugee claimants. “We found very reasonable compromises,” he said, calling it a “win-win” example of parliamentary collaboration.

Last week, he tabled a new version of the bill, the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act. The safeguards were gone. The balance had disappeared.

“Canada’s asylum system is broken” he said, defending his new bill. “Too many tax dollars are spent on people who do not need our protection.”

Under his latest plan, Kenney told Parliament, refugee claimants from countries he considered safe would be fast-tracked. They’d get a decision within 45 days. If it was negative, they’d be removed from the country immediately, even if they sought a judicial review by the Federal Court. (Under the current process, with its multiple court appeals, it takes 1,038 days. Under the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, slated to take effect in June, it would have included one appeal and taken 171 days.)

“We need to send a message to those who would abuse Canada’s generous asylum that if you are not in need of protection, you will be sent home,” he explained.

It is as if his previous attempt to fix the problem had never happened.

How can the minister responsible for the fate of 12,500 refugees discard a piece of legislation he extolled 20 months ago? How can he dump a solution the government never tested?

The practical answer is easy: Kenney belongs to a majority government now. He does not have to accommodate the views of the opposition parties or anyone else.

But his behaviour raises bigger questions:

 • How much confidence can Canadians have in a minister who changes his position with the political winds?

 • How willing are we to see Canada’s immigration system used to crack down on unwanted foreigners? It’s not just refugee claimants. Kenney and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews are conducting a manhunt for foreign war criminals living in Canada. Kenney is revoking the citizenship of new Canadians accused of making false statements to immigration officials. And Canada now detains all refugee claimants suspected of links to human smugglers. These measures are expensive. They divert resources from the department’s primary job: dealing with people who have applied to live in Canada.

 • How do we feel about compelling Muslim women to lift their niqabs as a condition of Canadian citizenship?

 • How comfortable are we with the wider changes Kenney is making to Canada’s immigration system? So far, the minister has increased the intake of foreign temporary workers. He has reduced the number of spots allotted to parents and grandparents of new Canadians. And he has set a cap on the number of economic immigrants admitted each year, barring those without either a job offer or skills Canada needs.

Through both words and actions, Kenney is transforming the face Canada presents to the world.

The sad thing is that he is the most competent immigration minister the country has had in 20 years. The 43-year old Calgarian is knowledgeable, hard-working and he actually wants the job, unlike most politicians. He has implemented some long overdue reforms. And he has made an extraordinary effort to reach out to a number of ethnic communities.

But skill and dedication can be used to build or tear down. Kenney’s recent actions have divided the nation and diminished Canada’s reputation for tolerance and compassion.

Carol Goar’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Micro loans to help newcomers receive accreditation

BY SCOTT LARSON, THE STARPHOENIX FEBRUARY 23, 2012

 

 

Babar Sultan listened intently to the announcement that he might be eligible to receive up to a $10,000 microloan to help pay for the costs associated with obtaining Canadian accreditation for his accounting skills.

"After getting my credentials recognized and getting my licence, I can jump into my field," said Sultan, who recently arrived in Saskatoon from Pakistan.

On Wednesday, the federal government announced that Immigrant Access Fund (IAF) of Saskatchewan will receive $1.7 million dollars to fund micro-loans given to internationally trained professionals to help finance the costs of having their credentials recognized in Canada. IAF also received $450,000 through a multi-year agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan and $100,000 from the Morris Foundation.

Sultan graduated from a two-year commerce program followed by a two-year master's degree majoring in finance back in his native country. He needs to get those qualifications accredited before spending another two years at the Edwards School of Business.

"When you are looking to get your credentials recognized, you feel anything you have to pay is out of your pocket and that may not be successful," he said. "(The loan) can be the source of my inspiration to get into the field of my choice."

The IAF lends to skilled immigrants who cannot access suitable mainstream credit because they lack a credit history in Canada, have no collateral and/or have low incomes. Skilled immigrants may borrow up to $10,000 to pay for costs of accreditation or training such as exam fees, tuition for short-term training, books and course materials, professional association fees, living allowance while studying or other related expenses.

Loan recipients pay interest only while going through their accreditation process, to a maximum of two years, and then principal and interest for two years until the loan is paid back

The IAF funding is part of the Foreign Credential Recognition Program that will see $18 million invested in projects across the country over the next three years.

"Too many Canadians with international training are doing jobs that are far below their real capabilities and that can't be productive for them or us," said Ed Komarnicki, MP for Souris-Moose Mountain, in making the announcement at the Newcomer Information Centre in Saskatoon.

"A small loan can make a world of difference to a new immigrant," he said.

Wendy Morris, chair of the board for IAF Saskatchewan, said the loans are character driven.

"Participants in the program do not require collateral, a credit history or minimum level of income to access loans," Morris said. "They must have a strong learning plan, agree to repay the loan and have a reasonable chance at employment in the field.

Irene Gannitsos, executive director for IAF Saskatchewan, said the program comes at an opportune time.

"It is reflective of the recent surge of immigration here," she said. "It really comes to the forefront in terms of the volume of immigrants and the growth in the Saskatchewan economy that is creating this demand for skilled labour."

She said the program will complement other initiatives to help newcomers find employment in their field of expertise.

"Access to finance is not the only barrier," Gannitsos said. "Skilled immigrants also need resources from professional associations, support from employment and settlement agencies, but I do believe that this is removing that financial barrier that might have held people back before."

Gordon Wyant, MLA for Saskatoon Northwest, said the program will help find the 75,000 to 90,000 skilled workers the province will need in the next five years.

"This pilot project will help align newcomers with jobs in their field of study and provide employers with more skilled workers to meet demands of our growing labour market."

A similar program has operated in Alberta since 2005 and Morris said 70 per cent of those who have finished the program in Alberta have found work in their field.

She said the Saskatchewan program will benefit from the learning curve

"We didn't have to come here and start from scratch," she said. "We had a very well-developed program to launch here in Saskatchewan."

For Sultan, it is a chance to continue to work as a skilled professional.

"I came here to strengthen my knowledge in finance.," he said. "I am looking forward to going to the Edwards School of Business to enhance my education."

© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

 

 

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