Today is World Refugee Day. To mark the day, we celebrate the countless contributions former refugees bring to our communities, while building empathy and understanding to what it means to be a refugee. Jeannette and Mohammad have kindly offered to share their stories with us. Jeannette’s Story “On February 20th, … Read more
Twenty-eight Government Assisted Refugee children have the opportunity to learn how to play tennis thanks to a grade 12 student at Armbrae Academy. Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) has partnered with Armbrae Academy student Niket Sampalli, and Tennis Time founder David Greer to offer six weeks of free … Read more
The sky was grey but the streets were yellow on Sunday afternoon as more than 250 participants marched from the Garrison Grounds to the Halifax Central Library for the sixth annual Walk with Refugees for a Stronger Canada. New Nova Scotians and life long Nova Scotians took to the streets … Read more
Big or small, we all have a role to play to help shape our world for the better. ISANS has partnered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on their 2 Billion Kilometres To Safety Campaign. The campaign challenges individuals across the globe to walk, run, or cycle two … Read more
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced $13.1 million dollars in funding for ISANS to continue its Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA) program. This groundbreaking program developed and overseen by ISANS ensures that immigrants arrive prepared for their new life in Canada.
“Our mission is to help immigrants build a future in Nova Scotia. This funding will allow us to better prepare newcomers for their arrival in Canada through SOPA’s expanded pre-arrival services, alleviating some of the stresses associated with the settlement process,” says Jennifer Watts, CEO of ISANS…
By Frances Willick, CBC News, November 3, 2018 The new skaters, from 5 years old to 14, came to Canada as government-assisted refugees For some, falling on the ice was the scary part of playing hockey. For others, that was the fun part. But it was, for better or for … Read more
Marwa Harb’s face lights up when she talks about the people she has met since arriving in Canada as a refugee from Syria. Topping her list – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “I paint (a picture of) the prime minister,” says Marwa, 16. “I gave it to him. He was … Read more
The streets of downtown Halifax were yellow Saturday afternoon as over 500 participants marched from the Garrison Grounds to the Halifax Central Library for the fifth annual Walk with Refugees for a Stronger Canada. At the reception, participants heard from Immigration Minister, Lena Diab, ISANS CEO, Jennifer Watts, and former … Read more
In many ways, the Al Saieds fit the mould of an average Halifax family. They drive a Toyota. The father, Mohamad, works in construction. His wife, Rouida, works as a cleaner for their condo complex. The kids are in school, with big dreams: 16-year-old Hana wants to be a police officer, journalist and a nurse. To this idea, her older brother Khaled, 20, smiles lovingly. He’s hoping to attend school to become a pilot in the fall.
From the Ottawa Citizen, May 14, 2018 Michelle Rempel, Conservative immigration critic, tweeted recently that the media was finally writing about “illegal border crossings” after she had been raising it for a year. The problem is that several recurring myths are shaping much of the coverage. Here are four of … Read more
A Canadian chocolate company founded by Syrian refugee Tareq Hadhad has produced its first chocolate bar — and given it an Indigenous name. Peace by Chocolate of Antigonish revealed Wednesday its new milk chocolate and hazelnut bar is to be called Wantaqo’ti (pronounced Wan-tahk-oo-di), the Mi’kmaq word for peace.
CBC’s Shaina Luck launches a new series called Beginning Again: Stories of new Syrian Nova Scotians that grew from the question: how are the Syrian newcomers doing now? Read the series or listen here: Syrian refugees bump N.S. population to record high — but will they stay? Unable to find … Read more