Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Canadians will be able to sponsor people fleeing North Korea under a new program to help refugees escaping Kim Jong Un's authoritarian regime, according to a Toronto-based human rights organization.
HanVoice says a pilot program being launched next February will allow Canadian citizens to sponsor women and children who have fled to a neighbouring country, such as Thailand.
The U.S., South Korea and Canada currently accept North Korean refugees. North Koreans who head to China are sent back if caught, while those who make it to Thailand have no official status.
HanVoice says the pilot program will start with the sponsorship of five North Korean families who have already fled to Thailand.
The program will focus on bringing women and children fleeing North Korea to Canada.
The human rights group says Canada's Immigration Department will vet and process the applications. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Canada is the only country to resettle North Korean refugees using a private sponsorship model, said HanVoice executive director Sean Chung.
“North Koreans who have managed to flee their country have very few options of settling safely without risk of detention or repatriation,” Chung said. “Canada is now a safe pathway. We hope this can be the spark that opens new doors around the world for North Korean refugees.”
HanVoice is working closely with the Immigration Department on the pilot program, Chung added. “The Canadian government will be responsible for liaising with Thai authorities, processing the applications and ensuring compliance.”
Under the scheme, private sponsors must support the North Korean families for a year after they arrive, or until the family becomes self-sufficient, for up to three years.
Community groups, as well as individual Canadians, will be able to sponsor the North Koreans, with support from HanVoice.
Sponsors will have to help provide financial and social support for the North Korean newcomers, from welcoming them at the airport to paying for food, rent, gas and electricity, as well as clothes and furniture.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2021.
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.