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I would like to wish all of my clients, past and present, a very happy and prosperous New Year!
u NEWS Steps to tackle depression, P. 2 u SPORTS Skaters hone skills in Kitimat, P. 11 u NEWS Kitimat RCMP vehicle hits pole, P. 6 u CLASSIFIEDS, P. 7-10
Free Published by Black Press Ltd. at 3210 Clinton Street, Terrace, B.C.
FRIDAY, January 1, 2016
Volume 10 Issue 28
TMC 20,200
Legion contributes âŚ
SHANNON DOS SANTOS
UP THE HILL
Geordies wee
PUB & SPORTHOUSE
Spirits, Cold Beer & Wine Store
MARGARET SPEIRS / THE NORTHERN CONNECTOR
176 & 178 NECHAKO, KITIMAT 250-632-5637/4277
âWalk-out-the doorâ Prices!!! EXTRA Lower prices OLD STOCK than LDB! 15 pack cans
$
2100
THE NORTHERN CONNECTOR
Molson Canadian 24 pack cans
36 90
INCLUDES ALL TAXES & DEPOSIT
DOWN THE HILL
BIG JIMâS SPIRITS STORE
Cold Beer ⢠Wine ⢠Spirits
LOWER CITY CENTRE MALL ⢠250-632-4800 KITIMAT
Kitimat joins effort to sponsor Syrians By Cameron Orr
INCLUDES ALL TAXES & DEPOSIT
$
TERRACE - Branch 13 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Terrace made two donations leading up to Christmas. Top, on the left, Mary Ann Misfeldt from Branch 13 provides a $2,000 cheque to John Wiebenga of the Terrace Churches Food Bank while on the right, she provides a $2,000 cheque to Captain Jim VanderHeyden from the Salvation Army.
KITIMAT - Attendance of 16 people at an information workshop regarding taking in Syrian refugees is a good sign there is local interest in the subject. Even more, there are some Kitimat applications already in the works to bring in refugees, which will join applications being made for families to move to Terrace and Smithers. The information workshop was hosted by Liz Hoffman of the Kitimat Immigration Resource Centre. Hoffman gave those in attendance information and assurances on how the immigration process works in Canada. Hoffman says on the securi-
ty aspect, itâs actually a rigorous process of screening and being a refugee in Canada is a harder process than just coming here as a visitor. Because of those security checks itâs not an ideal process for would-be terrorists. She also countered the concern that it costs the government money to support refugee families. While she said the federal government has a settlement assistance fund, that is special funding that has always been available and is not a new program in response to the Syrian issue. Provincially refugees donât typically receive social services as well, at least for their first year in the country, which is the term
of sponsorship for them by Canadians. Its the sponsors who also have to provide the costs for the family, including housing. Hoffman said the most common route to sponsor a refugee is to do the Group of Five process, where at least five people commit to financial and emotion support of the family for the first year, at an expected year-long cost of $25,000. The refugees also are on the hook for the transportation cost in to Canada, and if they canât pay outright for it a loan, with interest, is offered by the Canadian government. The Kitimat Immigration Resource Centre is in the Northwest Community College building and she said information litera-
ture and forms are available for interested persons. She said there are two Kitimat applications submitted to sponsor a refugee family, and two more are being seriously considered. Similar applications are being readied to accept families in Terrace and Smithers. The provincial government earlier this year committed to supporting the federal governmentâs ambitions to bring in 25,000 refugees by the end of February. âWe are going to fund their children when they go to school, of course, and support them in finding the counselling services, the housing and general settlement services that they need,â said Premier Christy Clark.
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