January 2015 Canadian Immigrant

January 2015 I free

Arrive.

Succeed.

Inspire.

Publications mail agreement number 40065097

e t a m i t l U S ’ A D A N CA

d a D y e k c o H Jamaican-born Karl Subban has th ree sons in the N H L

— his grandson may be next!

What

Express Entry might mean for you

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U

SUCCESS BOOTCAMP IN CANADA

upfront

Contents

10 | SUCCESS STORY

Hockey dad Jamaican-born Karl Subban raised his sons on the ice straight into the NHL — his grandson, Legacy, may be next!

REGULARS 4 | Our Take/Your Take 6 | Fusion

›› PROFILE: Teruni (Rahasin) Walaliyadde ›› NATIONAL BRIEFS ›› CANSPEAK: English sayings explained

28 | Driving

›› Wheels in winter

29 | Settlement ›› PARENTING: Healthy families in 2015 Photo by Alessandro Shinoda

30 | Back Page

›› TOP TIPS: Advice from our Top 25 ›› HUMOUR BY HEMETERIO

18 | IMMIGRATION ›› Express success

How will the new system change the face of immigration?

22 | ›› CAREER COACH: Skills employers want ›› HIGHER LEARNING: Study smarts

14 | SUCCESS4U BOOTCAMP Transform your life in 2015

This new practical print and online series will help you

Help bring in newcomers to Canada. Respond to the need for immigrants.

Become a Regulated Immigration Consultant Full-time | Part-time | Online Apply online at www.ashtoncollege.com or contact a program adviser at 604.899.0803.

604.899.0803 | 1.866.759.6006 www.ashtoncollege.com Ashton College

we build careers

January 2015

Canadian Immigrant

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upfront

our take Happy New Year!

Volume 12, Issue 1 january 2015 Group Publishers Gautam Datt Sharma Sanjay Agnihotri Editor Margaret Jetelina mjetelina@metroland.com Senior Editor Baisakhi Roy broy@metroland.com Creative Director & Editorial Design Safi Nomani snomani@metroland.com Digital Media Developer Kamil Mytnik Advertising Sales Sr. Ad Manager (B.C. and Alberta) Alla Gordeeva alla@canadianimmigrant.ca Tel: 778 558 3397 Sr. Ad Manager (Toronto) Ricky (Kawaljit) Bajaj rbajaj@metroland.com Tel: 905 273 8170 National Sales Manager Varun Munjal vmunjal@metroland.com Tel: 905 273 8169 Sales Events & Marketing Coordinator Laura Jackman ljackman@metroland.com General Inquiries: info@canadianimmigrant.ca Circulation/Distribution Inquiries: ljackman@metroland.com ISSN 1910-4146

Subscription rate in Canada: $36 plus HST for 12 issues Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher

Publications mail agreement number: 40065097 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 3145 Wolfedale Road Mississauga, Ontario, L5C 3A9 Printed on recycled paper.

Toronto Circulation 50,000 copies Vancouver Circulation 30,000 copies Calgary Circulation 3,000 copies Canadian Immigrant is published monthly and distributed free throughout Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Canadian Immigrant welcomes submissions, but is not responsible for unsolicited material. Canadian Immigrant is a publication of Metroland Media Group, a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited.

Entire contents property of Canadian Immigrant.

canadianimmigrant.ca Toronto 3145 Wolfedale Road, Mississauga Ontario, L5C 3A9 Tel: 905 273 8111, Fax: 905 277 9917 Vancouver 793 8th Street East North Vancouver, BC, V7L 2A1 Tel: 778 558 3397

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January 2015

Welcome to 2015 … and another new year of Canadian Immigrant magazine. January also marks the launch of the new express entry system of immigration and a projected increase in the number of immigrants coming to Canada this year — up to 285,000.

The hope is that the new system will bring in new Canadians who are set up for success, with jobs waiting for them. But there are still lots of Canadian immigrants who are struggling to find their career success, as evidenced in the last “Your Take” letter on page 5.

For those who are still trying to find their way or those who want to keep improving, we are launching a new six-month editorial series called “Success4U Bootcamp” (see page 14). We want to help motivate you, and provide practical tips and tools to help you succeed in 2015.

Role models continue to also be important sources of inspiration for new Canadians. That’s why we wanted to share the story of Jamaican-born hockey dad Karl Subban, who has seen three sons make it into the NHL, thanks in large part to his dedication and support (see page 10)!

We love finding stories like “Team Subban,” and want to discover more. So we are happy to once again announce a new nominations phase for the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. Who’s your role model? Go online to canadianimmigrant. ca/rbctop25 starting Jan. 6 to nominate them for the 2015 edition of this award.

Margaret Jetelina Editor, Canadian Immigrant

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your take Perspective of a child of immigrants

When the bell rang marking the end of the day, the nostrils of the students of my elementary school were flooded with the aroma of Filipino food. I’d walk home with my head down, embarrassed because I knew that smell was coming from my house. I loved my lola (Filipino version of grandma) to death, but back then, I sure wished that she wouldn’t fry fish that stunk up the whole subdivision. I wished that people didn’t think it was weird for me to call my sisters Ate (a Filipino title used before the names of older female relatives). Some days, I even wished that I was like most of my peers: Caucasian and barely able to identify where their ancestors originated from.

I was born in Canada to parents who emigrated from the Philippines when they were teenagers. My parents decided to settle in Courtice, Ontario, a town surrounded by farmland, where my family would be some of the only visible minorities around.

Courtice was, and is, a very welcoming, community-oriented area. However, the few experiences I had with racism and racist people definitely stuck with me as a child. I knew that the people who had bad things to say were idiots, but regardless of how stupid the people speaking are, being the target of negative

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words can really hurt. I secretly took pride in myself when people would say that I was “whitewashed” or “basically white.”

As my sisters and I got older, my parents began telling us stories about their lives growing up. My dad was 18 when he came to Canada with his family, and he was advised to get a job right away so that he could help pay family expenses. Looking back, he would have loved the higher education that I so often complained about. My mom left the Philippines when she was 16. As she left her parents behind and had a hard time speaking English, moving to Canada was a lonely struggle. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard her say, with welling eyes as she remembers the times, “I could write a book.”

A few years ago, my family and I took a trip to the Philippines.

It was amazing to meet the rest of my family; they acted as if we’d known each other forever, and they welcomed us the proper Filipino way: with tons of food. The country was beautiful, and everyone was so happy, but it was evident that they didn’t have everything that I did. It was amazing to see the humble beginnings that my parents came from and compare it to all that they’ve been able to provide my sisters and me.

In more recent years, and after the trip in particular, I’ve taken the time to reflect upon my life as the child of immigrant parents. My parents had a tough life, and the privileged life I live is all thanks to the sacrifices they made when they uprooted their lives to come to Canada. It must have been so difficult to leave behind everything they knew, start from scratch in a strange place, and fight through adversity to reach better things for themselves and their children. I can’t believe I didn’t appreciate that before.

When people tell me that I’m “whitewashed,” I don’t take pride; I correct them. Why would I want to disregard the amazing things my parents did to get to where they are? Why would I be ashamed of the amazing country that my family came from? I’m proud to be Canadian, but I’m also so proud to be Filipino.

Kaitlin Jingco, Ontario

Obstacles for the ‘overqualified’

Canadian Immigrant is a very documented and useful magazine not only for newcomers, but also for all of us who want to know how to improve our lives here in Canada. Reading “Educated choices,” a letter from an anonymous reader in the November 2014 issue, I have learned sincere and expressive statements about a similar situation that my son is living in Toronto. He migrated as skilled worker, alone, with his master’s degree, a PhD from a prestigious university and a post-doctoral fellowship on his resumé, several academic publications, speaks four languages and much more. He came to be near us, his father, who is 82 years old, and me, 76 years old. His good filial feelings encounter walls here; almost four years, he doesn’t have a position.

He continues studying, doing a lot of volunteer work for the Canadian experience, he sends his resumés to a lot of institutions, only to hear “you are overqualified” or “we are not hiring.”

I admire the research the letter’s author was doing about this situation in British Columbia that is the same here in Ontario. Despite Canada being so rich a country, full of resources, we are disappointed to see the bureaucratic obstacles against the well-educated people who wish to live in Canada.

In our case, we came in 2001 for political reasons, but our son applied to come for us and for himself, thinking he will be recognized as the excellent professional his diplomas accredited. That is enough.

We think the government and the university authorities need to know what is happening and how they need to resolve the big problems this hard situation is creating. In the letter from the November issue, we read the families are going apart, couples split, some gave up, we feel these problems are injustice. Work is a human right. Don’t get a job is to be humiliated. Treat well our professional immigrants because Canada is an immigrant’s country.

Name withheld Want to share your thoughts? Email mjetelina@metroland.com.

Since 1979

January 2015

Canadian Immigrant

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fusion news. people. events.

profile

Teruni (Rahasin) Walaliyadde Photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa

Nurturing human rights

By Rebeca Kuropatwa

B

orn into war in Sri Lanka, Teruni (Rahasin) Walaliyadde says her earliest memories are of bombs, gunfire and poverty. She became a preschool teacher before coming to Canada in 2009. Walaliyadde is now in her second year of studies at the University of Winnipeg, with a double major in human rights and conflict resolution. One of just a few universities that offer a bachelor of arts in human rights, Walaliyadde hopes it will lead to a career advocating for children.

Tell me something about yourself.

Sri Lankan-born Teruni (Rahasin) Walaliyadde is studying human rights at the University of Winnipeg.

Both my parents are lawyers in Sri Lanka and they brought me up to be independent, to question and to help others around me.

as you enter the bus.

What were your first impressions of Canada?

Why did you decide to go back to school to study human rights?

My first impression of Canada was that it is an extremely multicultural country, where people of all ethnicities and walks of life live together. I also realized that, in Winnipeg, people had the time to greet each other while walking by on the sidewalk, and where the bus driver greets you

I want to make a difference in the world. While human rights are supposed to be universal, they are not. Evident in Sri Lanka’s struggles with a 30-year civil war, it seemed human rights never reached parts of the country. Even after the war was over, human rights are not a given.

What are your thoughts on Canadians’ understanding of human rights? What about Sri Lankans?

I am truly skeptical about the level of awareness of human rights amongst both Canadians and Sri Lankans. It seems that some of us are not aware of our human rights, while others may know them, but are not able to claim those rights. Oppression of women at different levels is an example of having and knowing our rights, however, claiming them and living them at times seem to be impossible, especially since we live in a patriarchal society governed by norms mostly set by men.

I believe that the change our world needs will come through children who do not see colour or race.”

What do you plan to do when you graduate?

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My passion is to become an advocate for children and join UNICEF. I believe that the change our world needs will come through children who do not see colour or race. If we can break the cycle of stereotyping and forming hatred due to difference and move toward embracing the wealth multiculturalism brings, we will see a new tomorrow, through tomorrow’s children.

Do you have any tips for newcomers wanting to go into human rights?

Going into human rights can become quite an emotional roller coaster, as you grapple with issues from genocide, to child soldiers, to female genital mutilation, to misogyny. As one of my professors reminds us, keep in mind the sweet moments in life — that is how you push through the darkness of this harsh world. facebook/canimmigrant

@canimmigrant

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canspeak Canada >> Canada will unveil a pilot program in January 2015 to attract experienced business immigrants who can actively invest in the Canadian economy, stimulating innovation, economic growth and job creation. The new Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program is aimed at wealthy entrepreneurs with a net worth of $10 million who can make an investment of $2 million for a period of 15 years. These immigrant investors will also be required to meet certain program eligibility criteria related to language and education, and have proven business or investment experience.

B.C. >> Small to medium-sized businesses struggling to fill job vacancies can take part in a series of five free online tutorials designed to help them attract and hire skilled B.C. immigrants. The series was created by the Immigrant Employment Council of BC in collaboration with the Human Resources Management Association (HRMA).

Manitoba >> In addition to the 5,000 immigrants the province of Manitoba endorses through its provincial nominee program, the province will be allowed to invite an additional 500 immigrants from the new express entry pool of candidates.

Ontario >> The Mentoring Partnership, a program of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), celebrated its 10th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Recognition Reception Dec. 2, in Toronto. The program has made more than 10,000 mentoring matches between skilled immigrants and professionals in their field, and the event honoured the outstanding work of the program’s mentors in 2014.

Also announced at the event were exciting plans to reach thousands more skilled immigrants, thanks to an investment by LEAP: The Centre for Social Impact in the Mentoring Partnership, which will help scale the Mentoring Partnership in the GTA and across Canada.

Do you sometimes wonder whether to end an English word in “or” or “our” … “er” or “re” … “ise” or “ize”?

Canadian English uses a mix of British and American preferences for various words and suffixes.

-OUR vs. -OR

-OUR is the Canadian preference for words such as neighbour, colour and honour, as in British spelling.

-RE vs. -ER

Again going British style, -RE is preferred for words such as centre, kilometre, theatre and fibre.

-ISE vs. -IZE

Canadian spelling goes American here, with the “z,” in words such as organize, recognize and realize. But some words never go with “z” like despise, exercise, revise and supervise.

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SETTLEMENT Spotlight

Staying focused An HR professional shares her experience of immigrating to Canada and finding a job in her field

N

Nimmy Martin is a successful HR professional in Canada, thanks to the help of ACCES Employment.

immy Martin moved to Canada to experience the benefits of a developed country and to find increased career opportunities. She and her family considered a number of other countries, but ultimately chose to come to Canada. They arrived within six months. It was a big decision for Martin to uproot her life and career to move to a new country. She had more than 10 years of experience in recruitment before arriving in Canada from India. She knew that it would be a challenge to find a job in her field, but ultimately this was her goal and she stayed focused.

“I never thought about a survival job. Even when others told me it might be difficult, I didn’t change my goals. For me, a job was going to be something in my field that used my experience and education. I had to set clear goals and stay focused,”

she says. Martin knew from the very beginning that it would be a challenge, but she also knew what she wanted and that eventually, she would get there.

Once she arrived in Toronto, she actively started her job search and learned about ACCES Employment’s Human Resources Connections program. She chose the program because it offered a timeefficient way to learn about the HR sector in Canada and to refine her knowledge about Canadian standards and legislation. The program offered an opportunity to fast-track her career in Canada and to start working in her field of expertise more quickly.

Upon completing the program, she successfully secured paid employment as a recruiter for a small firm. The following month, she was contacted by a member of the HR

Connections team — one of her target employers was looking for an intern and she would be given an interview opportunity. After being awarded the internship, Martin started in the role and, shortly afterward, she was offered a permanent role with the company. She is now a talent acquisition specialist for Randstad Canada.

“I knew that if I could only get my foot in the door, I would be able to move up,” she says.

Martin shares that her story is about persistence and focus, something that is often difficult to do when you are starting over in a new country. She also acknowledges the help of the HR Connections program at ACCES Employment, which helped connect her with her job at Randstad Canada. For more information about this program, please contact 905-454-2316.

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January 2015

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Photo by Alessandro Shinoda

Hockey dad

Success Story

Jamaican-born Karl Subban raised his sons on the ice straight into the NHL — his grandson, Legacy, may be next!

By Lisa Evans

J

amaican-born Karl Subban is the ultimate Canadian hockey dad — and now granddad. When I speak with him over the phone, he’s babysitting his three grandchildren and getting ready to take his eldest, three-and-a-half-year-old Legacy, to the skating rink. “He was still in diapers when he started skating,” says Subban proudly.

Given this family’s hockey history, this shouldn’t come as a surprise; Subban’s three sons, Pernell Karl (P.K. for short), Malcolm

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and Jordan have all been drafted into the NHL. P.K., a Montreal Canadiens star, was recently named the NHL’s top defenceman.

Malcolm is a goalie with the Boston Bruins and Jordan, a defenceman with the Vancouver Canucks. Few other hockey dads can claim the same! But it’s assuredly no fluke; all three sons no doubt owe a great deal to their dad’s encouragement and commitment to their hockey careers. facebook/canimmigrant

@canimmigrant

Success Story

Jordan Subban is a defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks.

Sports, and hockey in particular, played a defining role in Subban’s own life, starting when he was a kid himself. His family immigrated to Canada in 1970 when he was just 12 years old and settled in Sudbury, Ontario. As one of only a few black families in a predominantly French Canadian neighbourhood, it’s easy to imagine how Subban might have struggled to fit in. His chosen method of integration? Hockey.

“After the first snowfall, the boards went up, the ice went in, the skates went on and the game was on,” he says. His parents bought him a pair of skates from the Salvation Army and he was invited to join the neighbourhood kids in Canada’s national game.

Subban credits that invitation to play hockey with helping him transition into his new life in Canada. “Right away, I was able to make friends and I was able to learn about Canada, learn about the community, learn about the people,” he says.

On Saturday nights, Subban tuned in to Hockey Night in Canada and fell in love with the game. Although Subban still spoke patois (a Jamaican dialect) and many of his peers spoke French, hockey was the common language that connected everyone in the neighbourhood. “We looked a bit different, but it wasn’t really a problem because there I was playing hockey with all these kids,” says Subban. “Hockey took us off the sidelines of being new Canadians and helped us to become Canadians.”

The sport continued to play a role in Subban’s life, even after he left Sudbury to study at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and when he moved to Toronto where he worked as an elementary school teacher. His career as an educator spanned three decades, culminating in 2013 with his retirement from Claireville Junior School.

He and his wife, Maria, had five children: Natassia, Natasha, P.K., Malcolm and Jordan. Skating became an important part of the

Subban family’s life. “The one thing we did as a family was skate,” says Subban.

Subban bought his eldest son, P.K., his first pair of skates shortly after he learned to walk. A few years later, some friends from work gave him some hockey equipment, but Subban, who had never used full equipment playing in the neighbourhood, was stumped by how to put all the pads on. “I remember the Friday night sitting there trying to fit the equipment onto P.K. It was like trying to put together a puzzle without a picture,” laughs Subban When P.K. was in kindergarten, Subban resolved to skate with him every night. Working as a night school vice-principal meant Subban often wouldn’t get home until 9:30 or 10 p.m. As soon as he came home, he would wake P.K. up and drive down to Nathan Phillips Square to skate (the first outdoor rink to open in the city). “After a while, he’d go to bed with his snowpants on [to save time getting ready],” recalls Subban.

Subban knew the importance of practice and instilled that into his boys. “We’d shoot pucks in the basement, do stickhandling in the driveway. If there were eight days in one week, we’d use it to practise,” he says. Family life soon revolved around hockey.

Subban didn’t know his boys would grow up to become NHL players, but he knew sharing his passion for the sport with his kids would help them grow closer as a family. “Hockey benefitted me as a parent because I spent a lot of time with them. It wasn’t just the hockey they loved. They loved being with their parents,” says Subban.

Of course, enrolling three boys in hockey wasn’t easy on the family.

“Maria and I made a tremendous amount of sacrifices,” says Subban.

“The car I bought in university (a Toyota Corolla) was our family car.

We never bought a new car. We didn’t have too many new things in the house.”

Family trips were car rides to tournaments around the province.

The boys played with used equipment and the family skated at city rinks and attended free family skating events. Subban even built a skating rink in his backyard for the kids to practise on. “Everyone in the neighbourhood knew we had it, [but] I don’t think people knew what it would eventually lead to,” says Subban.

While having one child play in the NHL is a dream come true for any hockey parent, having three is remarkable. Some might think that the Subban boys’ talent must be genetic, but in speaking with their father, it’s clear their success is the result of a strong work ethic and dedication to a dream.

Subban says the key to success for any child begins with having a dream — what he refers to as “loading their GPS.” “When their GPS is loaded from a young age, they know where they’re going,” he says.

It’s just up to parents to help them get there.

Subban encouraged his boys to follow their

P.K. Subban is a defenceman and alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens.

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Success Story dreams, despite all obstacles, including discrimination. With few visible minorities in the NHL (today there are fewer than 30 visible minority players in the 700-or-so player league), the Subban boys have frequently had to brush off racial remarks made by fans, the media and even other players. In 2010, two fans showed up to a Montreal Canadiens game wearing Afro wigs and their faces painted black, and just last year, a caption in a Vancouver newspaper after Jordan’s first NHL goal identified him as “the dark guy in the middle.” Subban says he advises his sons to not let this stand in the way of

their success. “Race is just a distraction,” he says.

Subban hopes his family’s success in Canada’s national winter sport will serve as an example to others that they, too, can achieve any

Hockey took us off the sidelines of being new Canadians and helped us to become Canadians.” goal they set their mind to, regardless of colour. “The arena crowd doesn’t look the same as when P.K. started out,” says Subban. “The kids who look like P.K., Malcolm and Jordan, and parents who share the same colour as Maria and me, they can look to us and say ‘look what they did,’” says Subban.

But Subban doesn’t measure his family’s success by the number of goals scored or games won, for this proud hockey dad, Team Subban’s greatest success is showing others that they, too, can achieve their dreams. “Success is success when you use it to help others to be successful. I want to continue to use our story to inspire others.”

Malcolm Subban is a goaltender for the Boston Bruins.

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U

SUCCESS BOOTCAMP IN CANADA

Train for success — bootcamp style Canadian Immigrant starts off 2015 with the launch of a new practical print + online series to help you whip your Canadian journey into shape

By Margaret Jetelina

T

he word “bootcamp” may evoke images of military recruits engaged in intensive basic training — or perhaps a group of out-of-shape suburban women in flashy athletic wear working hard to get fit. But what exactly does the word mean? A bootcamp is a short but intensive training program, whose purpose is to get you to learn something new or improve yourself in a short period of time.

Using this intensive approach, we want to help you transform your life in 2015 and become accountable for your own success and happiness in Canada, notwithstanding the things that are out of your control. And we’re not just talking about your career; success is ultimately a holistic endeavour and should look at your whole life, not just your resumé. So, over the next six months, we will offer you tips, motivation and hands-on exercises (in print and online at canadianimigrant. ca) on the following themes — one part per month: 1. Building a solid foundation 2. Behavioural and soft skills 3. Career planning 4. Lifelong learning 5. Health and wellbeing 6. Relationships and community

Part 1.

Building a solid foundation

As the old saying goes, you must have a solid foundation to build a sound building; the same applies to your immigration journey. So many times newcomers will come to Canada with hopes and dreams that are quickly dashed. They are surprised that the transition isn’t simpler; that they have to struggle before they can succeed in their new country.

Part of that struggle comes from having to start from scratch in so many aspects of life: from figuring out how to apply for health care benefits and a social insurance number, to en-

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rolling children in school, to choosing a city and neighbourhood in which to live, and to finding safe housing. If you have just landed, then you need to get these arrival basics checked off your list first. To guide you along these steps, find our “First Steps in Canada Newcomer Checklist” at canadianimmigrant.ca/bootcamp.

Once these settlement tasks are all checked off, next come the more intricate steps for building a solid foundation in Canada. In addition to the above settlement basics, there are three main foundational aspects, including: 1. Having a positive and confident approach (i.e., surround yourself with positivity and good influenc es, including your own inner voice).

2.

Understanding your new environment — and accepting both its good and bad.

3. Ensuring excellent communication skills in your new country’s lan guage, without which nothing else will much matter.

makes Canada a great country for my family and me?”

Our resident magazine “Career Coach” Murali Murthy says confidence in yourself is a critical part of being positive. “Self-belief is very important. Believe in your own capabilities,” he says. “Too many people land here and they behave like deer trapped in headlights.”

Then they start feeling sorry for themselves, he adds, which is destructive. “A pity party can be the most expensive party. Stop whining about who you were and what you did, and recognize that you have won many battles in the past and you can win this one, too,” he says.

Murthy cautions to avoid not only a negative inner voice, but negative external voices.

“Lots of people ar-

1. Be positive and confident

One of the most important building blocks for success in Canada is the belief in yourself that you will, in fact, succeed.

Call it the Law of Attraction or good karma, positivity begets positivity.

We know staying positive can be hard to do. Your hopes and dreams for Canada are still frustratingly unfulfilled, and you’re not sure how to translate your experiences into success. You have probably asked yourself the following: “Why aren’t employers more welcoming? Why do I feel so alone?

Why did I move here?”

These types of questions can easily put you on a negative downward spiral. Why not ask yourself positive questions like, “What can I do to show employers I am a good asset?” “What

silos, where people offer all sorts of opinions. This experience can turn negative quickly. Although everyone has an opinion, not everyone has a solution,” he says. “There are lots of people who make it every day in spite of facing similar challenges like yours; observe them and learn from them.”

In other words, role model yourself on positive, confident people, and learn by their example.

Another positive influence readily available for newcomers is the professional guidance offered by immigrant settlement agencies. In most cases, these services are free to newcomers.

The counsellors at these organizations are informed, helpful and often inspiring (many are immigrants themselves!).

Take our columnist Silvia Di Blasio, who works with newcomers every day. “Isolation is an easy trap to fall into as a

rive in Canada and somehow end up within their own silos, often ethnic facebook/canimmigrant

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SUCCESS BOOTCAMP IN CANADA

Bootcamp exercises

newcomer. You left your support network behind in your homeland, and it’s not easy to achieve relationships of the same depth overnight, especially across cultures,” says Di Blasio. “But it’s important to reach out to others, and seek the advice of both Canadians and immigrants who have already integrated well.”

2. Understand — and accept — your environment

Being positive is critical, but so is being realistic, bringing us to the second step of building a solid foundation in Canada — understanding and accepting your new environment. After all, how can you succeed in a place that feels unfamiliar and strange?

Let’s start with learning more about your new country as a whole.

Here are a few basics about Canada: it is a multicultural country that guarantees freedom and equality for all races and genders under its Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Canada offers public education, public health care, and many other social services paid through (often-high!) taxes. The country has two official languages: English and French, based on the two founding nations. Canada has a complicated and often dark history with its Aboriginal Peoples, which is still being worked through today.

And, while Canada has been built through immigration, discrimination against ethnic newcomers has always been present and still exists in many ways. There are many barriers for immigrants especially in relation to the recognition of their foreign credentials, and immigrants who succeed have to work hard to overcome these.

Choosing the right province and city in Canada is also important to success. Canada is a vast country, and is quite diverse from coast to coast in terms of its natural landscape, economies, employment, cultures, climate and lifestyle. Are you in the right location for your interests and profession? Find out more about the varying regions and cities under “Choose a Province” or “Find a City” at canadianimmigrant.ca under “Settling in Canada.”

One of the most critical things an immigrant must understand is knowledge of the Canadian labour market in relation to their own profession and location. “The more they know, or take the right steps to truly research the market, the more successful they tend to be,” says Di Blasio. Find our national labour market overview table at canadianimmigrant.ca/bootcamp.

16 canadianimmigrant.ca

January 2015

3. Ensure excellent English skills

Perhaps the most important element of building a solid foundation in Canada is ensuring you have excellent communication skills (in English for most of Canada).

Many newcomers don’t fully appreciate how big of an obstacle not knowing the language can be in their successful settlement. Maybe your English is good — that’s what everyone back home said anyway — but is it excellent? Is your accent an impediment to clarity? Is your written English full of grammar and spelling errors?

“Lack of professional English is probably the no. 1 reason why newcomers don’t get commensurate jobs; it is reflected in your cover letter and resumés, and even more during phone and in-person interviews. It shows in the way you write emails (or don’t), how you use social media (or don’t) and how you communicate with others,” says Di Blasio.

Interestingly, language is considered by many as a newcomer’s top barrier, but not all newcomers avail themselves of the federally funded ESL classes available for free in the community, let alone pursue more sophisticated language training or accent reduction training (usually for a fee). “Without professional (also known as ‘business’) English, however, the chances to obtain and keep a professional job are narrow: you may get stuck in survival jobs or no job at all for months or years,” Di Blasio adds.

Accent and pronunciation are also important. “I often see highly trained professionals, with the skills we need in Canada, turned away at job interviews. It’s impossible for the newcomer to know this, but pronunciation plays a major factor in a decision,” says Catherine Steele, a pronunciation coach in Vancouver with her own company, English Pronunciation for Success.

She adds that improving your language skills should be not put off.

“The time between when a person arrives in North America, and the time first language ‘errors’ and speech patterns become fossilized, is extremely short. A great deal of damage can be done in a short time in terms of a person’s feeling of self-worth regarding their language skills,” Steele says.

“Unfortunately, most people think that newcomers will just ‘pick up’ the language as they go along. But I believe that English pronunciation training is an area of professional development that is essential to a newcomer’s success.”

The bootcamp experience is all about doing something often, repetitively and with intensity. Here is a sampling of exercises you can do throughout this first month to help you build your foundation in Canada. Strive to do one or more bootcamp exercises every day! Find our full list of exercises and worksheets at canadianimmigrant.ca/bootcamp.

Be positive and confident Exercise no. 1 Smile. Scientific studies have shown that the physical act of smiling actually improves one’s mood. For the next month, practise smiling every day, at yourself and everyone you meet. Make it a habit!

Exercise no. 2 Surround yourself with positive people and avoid complainers.

For the next month, put yourself out there to meet new, positive people every week.

Exercise no. 3 Visit an immigrant settlement agency and sign up for two programs that may assist you, such as a host program or settlement counselling.

Understand — and accept — your environment Exercise no. 1 Spend one afternoon this month at the library and read up on Canada. Find books about Canadian history, its people, its icons and its natural landscape.

Exercise no. 2 With your street map in hand, spend some time exploring your city. Take public transportation, walk or bike.

Exercise no. 3 Experience something truly Canadian once a week this month.

For example, for week one, rent a pair of ice skates and take a turn around the local ice rink.

Exercise no. 4 Do some research and ask someone in your industry for an informational interview to better understand your profession in Canada. Is it in demand? Which parts of the country is it more prevalent?

Ensure excellent English skills Exercise no. 1 Go back to the library, this time with a focus on improving your English skills. Read books, rent movies and take part in programs they offer such as conversation groups.

Exercise no. 2 For the next month, always speak English when you’re outside the home, even when you’re with family or friends who speak your home language. Only speak your native tongue at home.

When outside the home, practise, practise, practise. It’s the only way your English will improve.

Exercise no. 3 Attend a local Toastmasters meeting. They are not generally ESL focused, but they will help you to become more comfortable with your English public speaking skills. Most Toastmasters are free or charge a low annual fee.

Go online to canadianimmigrant.ca to find the full list of exercises and worksheets for the Success4UBootcamp, Part 1: Building a foundation. facebook/canimmigrant

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success Immigration

success Is ‘express entry’ the solution to getting newcomers to settle in successfully faster? What about existing permanent residents who are still struggling to find work in their field?

How will the new system change the face of immigration?

By Lisa Evans

18 canadianimmigrant.ca

January 2015

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upfront

S

tarting in January 2015, Canada’s immigration system will undergo its greatest change this century. Called “express entry,” the new system will allow Canadian employers to select skilled workers from a pool of candidates to fill jobs for which there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents seemingly available. Candidates who are offered jobs will be on the fast track to Canada — their applications will be processed within six months!

The hope here is that they will come to Canada, integrate quickly and start contributing to the economy, for their benefit and that of the country’s. According to a statement from Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokesperson Sonia Lesage to Canadian Immigrant, “Express entry will offer a faster and more effective way to help skilled international workers connect with Canadian employers and come to Canada on a permanent basis. It will also allow the Government of Canada to be more flexible and responsive to Canada’s changing economic conditions and priorities.”

Under express entry, applicants who meet the criteria of the federal skilled worker, federal skilled trades, Canadian experience class and provincial nominee programs will be accepted into a pool of potential applicants and ranked based on their skills, experience and other factors deemed important for economic success in Canada (such as English language skills). Those ranked highest will be “invited to apply,” which is virtually guaranteed if they have an employer lined up ready to hire them. Candidates who do not already have a job offer can register with the Government of Canada’s revamped Job Bank and are encouraged to promote themselves to employers using recruiters and private sector job boards. But, even without a job lined up, those who rank high may still be invited to apply. (There is no limit to the number of candidates allowed in the pool, but an individual can only remain in the pool for a year.)

It’s good news for those who get the coveted invitation. Margaret Eaton, executive director of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) — an organization that seeks to connect employers with immigrant labour pools in Canada — says express entry will help newcomers get off to a more successful start. The major source of Canada’s immigrant population struggles, she says, is the mismatch between skilled immigrants and the needs of the labour market, creating the PhD taxi driver phenomenon. “The idea that you could have the labour market much more closely match the labour force is a winning idea in a lot of ways,” she says.

While on the surface, express entry seems to solve two of Canada’s biggest immigration woes — finding jobs for skilled newcomers and filling Canada’s labour market shortage needs — what does the new system mean for existing immigrants who are still struggling to achieve career success in Canada, not to mention the face of immigration as a whole?

Illlustration by Ainsley Ashby-Snyder

New competition

Some fear this new generation of cherry-picked immigrants — who will have high English language skills, and may have previous Canadian connections, temporary work experience or education credentials — will present competition to immigrants currently in the country.

“The immigrants who are currently here, who came here in the last 10 years and who have not been able to find their footing in Canada, will have a very tough time because now they will have all these new foreign graduates who may have either worked or studied in Canada competing against them,” says Toronto immigration lawyer Sergio Karas.

An Ipsos Reid study, commissioned by Citizenship and Immigration Canada in 2014, shows newcomers already in Canada aren’t so enthusiastic about the new system for this very reason. “A number of participants wondered why the government was focusing on those who have yet to immigrate to Canada rather than those who have already immigrated,” the study states. Those surveyed said they “have been frustrated by the lack of recognition of their credentials and their inability to acquire a sufficient amount of Canadian experience.”

Jeffrey Reitz, director of ethnic, immigration and pluralism studies at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, says although immigrants selected under express entry will have a leg up in the short run, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be more successful than other immigrants in the long term. “If you have a job in hand when you enter the country, then certainly, in the short term at least, that’s going to give you an upper hand over someone who came in highly qualified but with no job,” Reitz says. However, he points out that a great amount of Canada’s economic success has come from skilled immigrants who have been unable to relicense or find jobs in their fields and end up opening their own businesses.

Pick and choose

Harald Bauder, academic director of the Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement, says while express entry may help alleviate a problem immigration researchers have identified for years — namely that of skilled immigrants who end up unemployed or underemployed once in Canada — he says the new immigration system isn’t exactly January 2015

Canadian Immigrant

19

Immigration

the response to the problem researchers had hoped for.

“I think researchers wanted to have a mechanism to recognize credentials and work experience rather than have employers select [who the immigrants to Canada will be],” he says.

Bauder, among others in the policy field, also worries that handing power over immigration to employers turns the immigration process into a private entity and can create a system ripe for cultural biases.

“Do we only get people with European and American degrees through express entry and no one from South Asia, East Asia or Af-

A number of participants wondered why the government was focusing on those who have yet to immigrate to Canada rather than those who have already immigrated.” rica?” he wonders. Although he says it’s too early to tell how the new system will impact immigration, an immigration system that places greater control in the hands of employers creates a strong potential for personal bias that could alter every aspect of the selection system in terms of skill levels as well as countries of origin.

“Employers favouring immigrants from certain backgrounds is certainly going to create the possibility for cultural biases in immigrant selection,” says Reitz, echoing Bauder’s concerns.

Reitz cites research that suggests Canadian employers already exhibit a cultural bias. One study in which employers reviewed the resumés of individuals with Asian names or English names demon-

Although we will have to wait and see how exactly the express entry system will play out for both new immigration applicants and those already in the country, policy analysts, immigration lawyers, academics and those working on the ground with newcomers can agree on one thing: express entry will be a game changer in Canada.

Student concerns While on the surface the new system seems to favour candidates who have achieved some Canadian experience through temporary work visas or schooling, international students have raised concerns about the new express entry system. Up to now, international students who study at a Canadian post-secondary institution and work in Canada for one year can apply for permanent residency under the Canadian experience class and their application is guaranteed to be adjudicated (although this could take some time). Under express entry, however, there is no longer a guarantee that one’s application will be selected for an invitation to apply for permanent residency. And, if seeking a job offer, they will now also have to gain a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) from a potential employer.

“All applications will go through two filters. The first filter is an algorithm that ranks candidates, and the second filter is the number of applications. The government wants to move to a just-in-time system so they’re not going to select more applicants than they can process,” explains Toronto immigration lawyer Sergio Karas.

Applications will only sit in the system for one year and will then die, leaving unpicked international student applicants wondering whether their hard work and high tuition fees in Canada were worth it.

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strated preference toward those with English names even though their qualifications were the same as those with Asian-sounding names.

Reitz adds that employers’ candidate preferences may not be representative of what is good for the country as a whole and that placing greater power over the immigration process in the hands of employers assumes that employers’ objectives and values are the same as those of the rest of Canadians. “We have to ensure that we’re bringing in immigrants not just to serve the private interests of particular employers, we want people who are going to come and contribute to the country,” says Reitz.

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| C areer Coach |

Skills employers want Be job-ready with these 10 sought-after traits

A

lthough you may be able to tick off many of the skills that are mentioned on any given job posting, there may still be other transferrable skills that employers expect from you.

Once you know what employers are actually looking for, you can easily customize your resumé, cover letter and even your job interviews to let them know that you understand their needs and that you possess the range of skills they expect.

Here are the top 10 skills hiring managers look for in today’s hyper-competitive workplace.

ability to communicate effectively is definitely a most preferred skill and, if you can demonstrate your mastery in that, you definitely have an edge over the competition.

1. Communications expertise

The ability to optimally assess a situation, gather relevant information and identify multiple perspectives is crucial to progressing in your career. Every employer is

No matter what the job, hiring managers continually seek candidates who possess great writing, speaking and listening skills. The

How you can excel:

• Make sure your resumé, cover letter and LinkedIn profile communicate your proficiency in communications, with examples and testimonials.

Be prepared to talk more on this subject at the interview.

2. Analytical and research skills

looking to hire candidates who can help him or her solve problems.

capabilities to effectively prioritize and juggle multiple projects simultaneously.

How you can excel:

5. Interpersonal abilities

• In the interview rounds, make sure you showcase your ability in coming up with multiple solutions to complex problems.

• Make sure you have some good “real story” snippets ready of how you have analyzed and solved complex problems in the past.

3. Internet, digital and social media mastery

Regardless of your industry or background, just about every job today requires a basic understanding of the internet and, more and more, social media, in addition to your prowess with word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software and email.

How you can excel:

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• Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was built every day. Increase your social media proficiencyFace-to-face day by day and regularly keep polishing your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles.

• Make sure you optimize the use of keywords and highlight your capability in these areas on your resumé and within your cover letter.

This relates specifically to your ability to relate to colleagues, clients, customers and others, and how you share ideas, inspire others to participate, manage conflict and more.

How you can excel:

• In your resumé, include information regarding your initiatives, collaboration with co-workers, group participation and facilitating teams in previous work environments.

6. Leadership and management skills

The ability to motivate and lead others is a skill that companies definitely value in the workplace.

Every employer desires a goaldriven leader who maintains a productive climate and confidently mobilizes others to meet high performance standards.

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How you can excel: •

Share your top leadership and management success stories that demonstrate your ability to take charge and manage coworkers, meet goals and deliver to high standards.

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it in a meaningful and concrete manner.

evaluating all options, resulting in creating intelligent solutions.

8. Planning and organization

How you can excel:

9. Problem-solving, reasoning and creativity

The ability to plan, organize, set goals and get the work done in a realistic timeframe is a must-have skill for job candidates old and new. It’s critical that you know how to take unorganized information and deliver

• Demonstrate that you are a results-driven achiever with exemplary planning and organizational skills, along with a high degree of detail orientation.

• Share examples of how you determined the best course of action by

•

Keep a set of case studies ready to exhibit your ability in finding solutions to problems using your creativity and reasoning.

The ability to think logically and solve problems creatively will make you a very valuable member of any team. From negotiating with clients to handling customer complaints and more, these skills are a must. Organizations daily face internal and external issues that affect the workplace. And every manager wants to hire people who can help him or her solve these problems.

10. Teamwork

How you can excel:

How you can excel:

• In cover letters and during the interviews use the STAR Formula (Situation, Tactics, Action, Results) to show that you are an innovative problem solver who can generate work able solutions and resolve com plaints.

Most jobs require people to work effectively in teams, so employers certainly look for previous examples of teamwork in your profile. As a potential employee, you must communicate and demonstrate that you have the ability and experience of working effectively with other people in a professional manner to achieve common targets and goals.

• Show how you have been a resourceful team player in your previous assignments. Have references and testimonials of people appreciating you for building trusting relationships

with customers and colleagues.

Indian-born Murali Murthy is owner of Vantage Copy, as well as a speaker, coach and best-selling author of The ACE Books — The ACE Principle and The ACE Awakening.

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| Higher Learning |

Study smarts

Five simple tips for boosting your academics

G

etting ready to go back to college or university? Here are five tips to help you do your best at your studies in Canada. They may sound simple, but follow them and you may improve your grades, feel more confident and continue to benefit, even after you graduate.

1

Attend all classes

When you attend all classes, there shouldn’t be any big surprises. You know the material being covered and what the professor feels is important. You are present for the instructions for upcoming assignments and tests.

And during classes right before examinations, professors often review important material. This repetition helps determine your study focus and may also improve your learning.

Being a constant presence in the class also demonstrates your keen interest to the professor. In some courses, regular attendance can help you boost your participation marks. In addition, it may be useful if you need to make a request or ask for a reference at a later time.

2

Pace yourself

The academic year is fairly short in Canada. You will want to get to your academic work as soon as possible, so that you don’t fall behind and new learning has time to sink in. The professor usually gives out a syllabus (also called a course outline) so you will be aware of assignments and examination dates. Leaving too much work until later in the semester may coincide with work from other courses and could bring on anxiety or panic that can interfere with your concentration.

3

Take notes, but not too many

Notes are useful for recalling the content of lectures. Make a template for your notes that includes the date and topic; leave space to add material you may have missed and your own comments or questions. Use an interesting pen and good paper and you’ll feel like taking careful, legible notes. Try to avoid taking notes on a laptop, as recent research shows the results are inferior to handwritten notes.

Taking notes during a lecture should not distract you from listening.

Write what is important to study, add enough detail that you can recall the professor’s examples and, after that, focus on listening. Usually, if a professor is putting something on a board or slide, it is probably important and should be noted. Soon after you take lecture notes (within a day), go back and look at your notes and fill in any gaps.

If you prepared for the lecture ahead of time by looking at the material, listened to the lecture and then reviewed your notes, then you have

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already had three opportunities to learn the material.

4

Identify where you need help

Worrying about doing well is not nearly as productive as identifying where you might need help and doing something about it. If you are underprepared, consider a preparatory or remediation course before you start your regular academic program. Make use of the school’s writing and tutoring services, and see your professor or the teaching assistant for clarification and guidance with assignments or material you don’t understand. Consider looking for a study partner. The weaker student gets help, the stronger student gets a chance to review the material.

If you have a disability, connect with the school’s disability office. If you have difficulty managing stress, speak to a counsellor. Financial assistance staff may help you with loans and bursaries so you can concentrate on your studies and not have to work too many hours.

Staff in the career centre can help with job- and career-related issues.

Medical staff may also be available on campus. These services are usually covered by your tuition fees so you can access them at no additional charge.

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5

Meet people

Make friends with your classmates; you can help each other if one of you misses class. They can also become your new social network and future work contacts. Meet other people by joining a club, volunteering or working on campus. Using much of what your school offers may make your academic life easier and more interesting. Being a student can be an enriching and life-changing experience, if you let it.

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SETTLEMENT Spotlight

MNLCT: Offering mental health and employment support to newcomers

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By John Zhang

ounded in 1983, the Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto (MNLCT) has worked to “build a caring and inclusive community, where the ideas and contributions of newcomers are respected and valued,” says Shelly D’Mello, executive director. “We show our compassion for newcomers in practical ways by answering questions, helping with immigration needs, and teaching English with various programs and services.” MNLCT also offers specialized programs in mental health and employment.

Bridging professionals

Are you a Newcomer to Canada?

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“In 2010, we started to host the Bridge Training Program for Internationally Trained Psychologists and Allied Mental Health Professionals (BTMH Program),” says D’Mello. “It creates pathways to employment for internationally educated mental health professionals in Ontario.” This Ontario Bridge Training Program is funded by the Government of Ontario.

Professionals like Ahmed Haider have experienced a difficult time as newcomers. With his master’s degree in public health, Haider was a successful medical doctor in Bangladesh, but as a newcomer to Canada, he found himself working a factory job to survive. Khadija Shayan from Pakistan also has a degree equivalent to a master’s in clinical psychology, but she couldn’t find a job in her field in Canada. Referred by friends, both Haider and Shayan enrolled in the BTMH Program.

“It changed my life in Canada,” says Haider. “It prepared me with all transferring skills to a new professional environment, using a variety of adult learning activities.” He got a job as a counsellor at MNLCT just two months after he graduated from the program.

Shayan, too, got a job, even before she had graduated, and credits the program’s contributions to her success. “It’s a very comprehensive program that helped me a lot to enter the Canadian health system,” she says. Currently, Shayan works as a counsellor/psychotherapist with Homewood Human Solutions, an employee assistance program (EAP)

provider.

“To date, the 10-month program has assisted more than 150 international professionals,” says Tracy Docheff, outreach and communications coordinator. “Not only does the program support participants in building relationships with professional bodies and potential employers, it also provides a space for participants to make friends and gain confidence.”

Community mental health Mental health is another important area of service for MNLCT, as many immigrants and refugees experience high levels of stress and trauma from their migration and settlement experiences, and can struggle to find help in their first language.

Leticia Esquivel arrived in Canada in 2005 with her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Havana University, Cuba. Without Canadian experience, she was unable to find a job.

“I was very disappointed,” she says.

“I tried to be a volunteer in different organizations, but I wasn’t allowed to even participate in a workshop for women that were victims of abuse because I had no Canadian experience.”

Fortunately, in 2007, she was accepted as a volunteer in MNLCT’s Community Mental Health (CMH) Program, where she gained hands-on work-related experience. After participating in an internship program, she landed a full-time job at MNLCT in 2009.

Esquivel is now a settlement counsellor, happily serving newcomers and meeting their emotional health needs to promote resilience, strength and wellbeing at the individual and community level. She also leads the CMH Program team, which offers services in English, plus other languages like Spanish, Turkish, Bengali and Chinese.

Walking together with newcomers In addition to specialized mental health and employment programs, MNLCT offers services in integration, settlement, social housing, job search, LINC programs, and services for youth and seniors. For more information, see bridgingprograms.org and mnlct.org.

January 2015

Canadian Immigrant

27

Driving Brought to you by:

In case of emergency: what to keep in your car

Be prepared for any winter situation with these items in your trunk: • sand, salt or cat litter (non-clumping) to put on icy driveways or roads • antifreeze and windshield washer fluid • tow rope in case you slip into a ditch • jumper cables in case your car battery needs a jump • road flares in case you need to call for help • flashlight • snow scraper and snow brush • roadmaps • emergency kit that includes food that won’t spoil, like granola bars, water bottles,

blankets, first-aid kit, matches, candles and even extra clothing or shoes

Wheels in winter

Ready to tackle driving in the Canadian snowy season?

Here’s some ice-proof advice to keep you safe on the road Experience the comfort and safety of winter driving in a Buick — with available heated seats and Stability Control for improved handling on icy roads.

T

he temperature has dropped and the first snows of the winter season have fallen … are you driving for the conditions? As a newcomer to Canada, you may still be unfamiliar with driving and maintaining your car at wintertime, but it’s important to understand these conditions, which can last until March in some parts of the country, before you get behind the wheel.

Driving for the conditions

The most important rule for driving in winter is to simply slow down. Speed and icy conditions can be a risky combination, leading to compromised brakes, slippery driving, skids and accidents. Drive for the conditions.

It’s simply not worth it to speed to get to your destination a few minutes early. In the event of severe weather — black ice making the roads slippery, or snow storms causing poor visibility — consider taking transit or even staying home if going out is not necessary.

Is your vehicle prepared?

Your vehicle also has to be ready for the conditions. Depending on which area of the country you

28 canadianimmigrant.ca

January 2015

live in, you may want choose your next vehicle with winter driving in mind; someone living in Calgary, for example, may opt for an all-wheel-drive SUV or 4X4 truck, rather than a front-wheel-drive sedan more popular perhaps in Downtown Vancouver. But regardless of which type of vehicle you have, get it prepped for winter with these five features in mind: Tires. Having a good set of tires is one of the most important features for your car in winter. Having four winter tires with good tread helps improve traction when driving on icy, snow-covered roads. (They are mandatory in Quebec in winter!) All-weather tires pass the test of a winter tire (both types carry the Transport Canada pictograph of snowy mountains), but they can be left on the car all year round. These are a good choice for drivers in cities with milder winter weather.

These are different from all-season tires, which do not pass the winter tire test. All-season tires are made to remain flexible over a wide range of temperatures, but become harder and less effective when temperatures drop below the freezing mark.

Brakes. Having properly functioning brakes is as important as good tires. Make sure you have good brake-pad life and rotors before you enter the winter season. If your brakes are squealing when you press down on them, it’s probably time for new brakes!

Fluids. Ensuring your car’s fluids are filled up is vital in harsh weather. That is, ensure you have clean oil, full brake fluid, engine coolant/antifreeze and winterfriendly windshield washer fluid.

Battery. Make sure your battery and ignition system are in top shape, too. A weak battery is a common reason for not being able to start your car in winter.

Lights and wipers. Don’t forget to ensure all your lights (headlights, hazards and brake lights) and windshield wipers are in good working order during this time of year when poor visibility and less daylight is typical.

And, in case your car breaks down or gets stuck in snow, it’s always a smart idea to have road-side assistance available through your local automobile association or OnStar.

8 newcomer driving mustknows

1. Before you hit the road, you must have a licence to drive, and insurance for your vehicle.

2. Pay attention to rules of the road, including speed limits, stop signs, road signs and traffic lights.

3. Babies and young children must be secured in appropri ate child car seats.

4. Stay in the right lane unless you’re passing someone. The left lane is for faster traffic or passing only.

5. Pull to the side of the road if an emergency vehicle like a fire truck, ambulance or police car is trying to get by.

6. Be safe: no using a handheld phone while driving, or drinking under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

7. If you get into a car accident, you must exchange insur ance information with the other driver. If someone is seriously hurt, call 9-1-1 for help.

8. Keep your car in good shape, with clean oil and fluids, gas in the tank and working lights.

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@canimmigrant

SETTLEMENT | Pa r e n t i n g |

Healthy families

A

As the saying goes, ‘the greatest wealth is health’

s we all know, without health, nothing else matters. As we start another new year, do take this opportunity to evaluate and prioritize your family’s health and wellbeing. Lack of illness is not a very good indicator of good health. Having good health involves all aspects of our lives. It is about being proactive and taking preventative steps to improve our family’s overall wellbeing. Here are some tips to get you started.

Knowledge is power

Take the time to educate your family about important health-related facts. Research and talk to health-related professionals about any health concerns; get trained in emergency first aid; stay informed about any recent product recalls, such as children’s toys or food.

Safe home environment

Identify potential danger in your home, and take steps to reduce the chance of possible accidents and injuries, such as falls and burns.

Remove any toxins in the home environment; store and secure any dangerous materials away from young children. In addition, prepare an emergency kit and evacuation plan for your family, in case of earthquake, flood or fire.

Healthy lifestyle

Make a healthy lifestyle a part of daily life by ensuring everyone regu-

larly eats healthy meals, drinks plenty of water, and has sufficient sleep and adequate physical exercise. More importantly, take time to appreciate all we have, treasure and live in the moment, take time to meditate and rejuvenate, and spend quality time with those we love.

Routine checkup

Make sure everyone in your family goes for regular checkups with a trusted family doctor. Ensure that children’s immunizations are up to date, and remember to include regular checkups for eyes and dental.

Moreover, listen to your body; do not ignore any warning signs and make sure to follow doctor’s instructions.

Relationships with family

Having a good relationship between children and parents can play a crucial role in enhancing a family’s health, along with having a positive, loving and respectful family atmosphere,. That involves taking time to nurture your relationship with your children and spending quality time with each other.

Overall wellbeing

In addition to physical health, pay attention to the other aspects of wellbeing, such as social, emotional, psychological and spiritual health. All these aspects are interconnected, and contribute to our quality of life.

So why not start today, take inventory of your family’s wellbeing and create a feasible health plan. It is not always necessary to make major and drastic changes. Sometimes, taking smaller and gradual steps can result in lasting change.

Wishing all Canadian immigrant families an amazing and healthy year in 2015.

Cheryl Song, an immigrant from Malaysia, has more than 10 years’ experience of working in childhood education and family programs.

January 2015

Canadian Immigrant

29

Back Page

N

ewcomer tips from our RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2014!

Dalal Al-Waheidi

“

Always consider every challenge as a learning opportunity to grow. Don’t sell yourself short. Your diverse skillset and cultural context can be an asset, especially when working in international organizations.

”

Naval Bajaj

“

Hard work and dedication is the key to success in Canada. Set goals and keep working in your desired field, never give up, give to the country and country will start giving you back.

”

30 canadianimmigrant.ca

January 2015

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