Community Scoop

ACCESS Your Potential in our Women's Business Accelerator Program! Are you ready to start that business you’ve dreamed of opening? Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! Our Women's Business Accelerator Program is designed to empower newcomer women and help them achieve their dreams of launching their own businesses or enhancing their existing ventures.

Registration is open until November 2nd or until all the spots are filled.

The program runs from November 6th to December 18th, 2023.

This program is for newcomer women who are:permanent residents
Ukrainian temporary residents convention refugees live-in caregivers interested in launching their own business or improving their business plans

What's covered:

How to develop an idea and craft a business plan

Entrepreneurship essentials such as cash flow management and marketing

Networking with other entrepreneurs and industry professionals

Gaining the confidence and skills to successfully pitch a business idea

During the final session, all participants will do a live pitch to a panel of judges for a chance to win $300 for first place, $200 for second place, or $100 for third place.

Where: All workshops will be held online, on the Zoom platform. Participants will receive information on accessing the meetings after being accepted into the program.

When: Starts November 6th and runs until December 18th. The workshops will be held Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: Free!

Next start date: May 23 - June 2 + 1 Week Placement

Future start date: June 19 - June 30 + 1 Week Placement

2 Week in-person (Monday - Friday) food and beverage program for employment readiness in Front of House (customer-facing) or Back of House (kitchens) restaurant roles including Hosting, Busser, Server, Barback, Dishwasher, Kitchen Porter, Prep Cook, Line Cook and Bakery. In-person sessions for this program take place at HWTC's offices located in Toronto West side: 116 Industry Street, Toronto, M6M 4L8.

To register and/or for more information, visit the HWTC website: hwtc.ca/work/j2j_restaurant_ready/.

Work at Toronto's Distillery District Restaurants!

Next start date: May 15th - May 26th, 2023
Future start dates: June 5th - June 16, 2023

HWTC is offering the 2-week Fast Track Distilled program again this year. This is an exciting free opportunity to learn directly from the chefs and managers at some of Toronto's top-ranked restaurants. HWTC is looking for 15 participants per cohort to train in person and then interview for work at the Distillery District's 5 highly rated restaurants.

To register and/or get more information, visit the HWTC website at https://hwtc.ca/work/fast-track-distilled/

This Hospitality Housekeeping program is run by HWTC: Hospitality Workers Training Centre. Limited spots available!

This unique, 3-week program is led by experienced industry instructors and followed by a 5-day job placement. It includes all the fundamentals of good housekeeping along with soft skills and tips needed to become an exceptional Room Attendant. This will be the last cohort, and registration will run into next week if necessary to fill all spots.

Duration: 4 weeks
Cost: Free
Method of Study: In-person
Study Time: 6.5 hours/day
Age Requirement: 18 years and older
Program Elgibility: Resident of Ontario/eligible to work in province, unemployed or working part-time, physically able to stand for 8 hours and lift up to 30 lb, and valid SIN or work permit (6 months).

For more information and to register, visit hwtc.ca/work/hospitality_housekeeping/.

May 11th at 1:00 pm: Web Conference for Internationally Educated Banking and Financial Professionals

This FREE 90-minute event will discusses career development, education and aspects of settlement you need to succeed on your journey in Canada. As a newcomer support worker, we are thrilled to offer an update Banking and Finance Web Conference for Internationally Educated professionals like those you support. Space is limited for this event!

To register: https://canadianimmigrant.ca/web-conference/internationally-educated-finance-and-banking-professionals
In addition to this webinar we will also be running several other web conferences for internationally educate professionals including: Nursing and Medical professionals (June 2), Engineering, Technicians and Technologists (July 13), Lawyers & Legal Professionals (July 27), Accountants (August 17), IT Professionals (Sept 14), Starting your own business (Sept 28) and Hiring Trends & Interview Prep (Oct 12).

https://youtu.be/HNjA30coFvA

This is a great, informative resource for Filipinos in Canada/interested in coming to Canada created by Alain Lemay that we encourage you to check out.

Dr. Anna Gagliardi, a researcher at the University Health Network in Toronto, is seeking women
who had high blood pressure during pregnancy (HDP) to take part in a research study. You can
participate if you:
➔ Are 18 years of age or older
➔ Were born in or immigrated to Canada in the last 10 years
➔ Are Black (African/Caribbean), Caucasian (White/European), Filipino, Indian or Pakistani
➔ Had at least one HDP pregnancy in Canada

If you agree to participate, we will share a question prompt tool (a list of questions) about HDP
with you and ask you to bring the question prompt tool to your next visit with a clinician (e.g.
family doctor, nurse practitioner), and discuss questions that most interest you with the
clinician. One week after the clinician visit, we will speak with you by telephone about the visit.

Do not respond to this ad by replying to the post as the reply would be public. Please
contact smita.dhakal@uhn.ca if you are interested or wish to learn more, or scan the QR code.
Disclaimer: Please note that communication via e-mail is not absolutely secure. Thus, please do
not communicate personal sensitive information via e-mail.

A message from the Liberal Research Bureau follows:

On March 28th, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, tabled our Budget 2023: A Made-in-Canada Plan: Strong Middle Class, Affordable Economy, Healthy Future in the House of Commons. 2023 Federal Budget outlines the next steps in our government’s plan to build a stronger and more resilient economy for everyone.

The federal government will provide up to $467 to help eligible families with the cost of groceries, and a tax-free payment of $500 to help low-income people who are struggling with the cost of rent. This budget will deliver $198.3 billion to reduce backlogs, expand access to family health services, and ensure provinces and territories can provide the high quality and timely health care Canadians expect and deserve. It also introduces a new Canadian Dental Care Plan, to benefit up to nine million Canadians and ensure that no Canadian has to choose between taking care of their health and paying the bills at the end of the month. These will strengthen Canada’s universal public health care system and will provide you and your family the relief and support to address the rising cost of living.

The federal government will also improve foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professionals and advance multi-jurisdictional credential recognition so that health care professionals can work wherever there is a need.

Lastly, the budget announced an investment of $49.5 million over five years for the Security Infrastructure Program to address the evolving security needs of diverse communities. This enhanced program will be launched later this year as part of Canada’s new Action Plan to Combat Hate.

For more information, please see the news release in English, French, and Filipino.
English: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2023/03/government-of-canada-releases-budget-2023.html
French: https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-finances/nouvelles/2023/03/le-gouvernement-du-canada-publie-le-budget-de-2023.html
Filipino: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/fin/images/news/2023/tagalog-tagalog.pdf

Councillor Cynthia Lai of Ward 23 recently hosted two sessions aimed at making seniors aware of the City of Toronto services available to them and their caregivers. The slide decks used for the presentation are shared below (one in English, one in Mandarin/Cantonese) .

A recording of the English session can be found here: https://youtu.be/to2c2tpT_ss.

Seniors and caregivers are encouraged to take advantage of these resources, and contact Councillor Cynthia Lai's office with any questions or concerns they may have.

Catholic Cross-Cultural Services (CCS) are currently recruiting for a Child-minding Language Training Cohort. This is FREE for all participants, offered online and in-person, and includes volunteer work experience placements!

Start date: April 17, 2023.

➔ Sector-specific language training
➔ Workplace communications training
➔ Childminding skills training
➔ CPR training and certification
➔ Networking opportunities
➔ Job search support
➔ FREE childminding and TTC support available

Eligibility Requirements:
➔ Permanent resident, convention refugee, live-in caregiver, Ukrainian temporary resident/dependent
➔ Basic English skills CLB 2-4 (language assessment required)
➔ Interested in pursuing a career in childminding

For more information or registration, contact Whitney at 416-550-7283, or wlangley@cscan.ca.

You can find more about Catholic Cross-Cultural Services at www.ccscan.ca.

While not an opportunity, the FCT felt it important to highlight to the community this exciting new documentary feature, a debut of director Thea Loo!

Filipina Canadian producer and director Thea Loo’s documentary feature debut Inay. Produced by No More Productions, the film takes an in-depth look at the trauma experienced by many Filipino Canadians because of the “flawed” immigration pathways that have separated many Filipino children from their mothers. Principal photography commenced in February, with an all Asian-Canadian cast and crew and filming will take place in Ottawa and Cobourg, Ontario and Vancouver, North Vancouver and New Westminster, BC.

With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, Inay investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers. Inay, which means “mama” in Tagalog, is an intimate and personal look at the experiences and trauma endured by many Filipino Canadians. Filmmaker Thea Loo and her husband Jeremiah Reyes, who is also the film's Director of Photography, explore the intersections of mental health and migrant labour and the effects that continue to be felt years later. Through intimate conversations, this self-reflexive documentary aims to bridge the silences and disconnect between the first and second generations of the Filipino community.

Inay is produced in association with the Knowledge Network, Canada Media Fund and The Cinematheque. The documentary features cast and subjects Shirley Lagman, Jeremiah Reyes and Thea Loo. Priscilla Galvez (Islands, Sing Me a Lullaby) serves as executive producer, Natalie Murao (Blue Garden, No More Parties) is associate producer and Jeremiah Reyes (Like Minded, Nanay) and Christian Yves Jones (To Make Ends Meat, Pride: The LGBTQ+ History Series) are co-directors of photography.

Inay is set to air on the Knowledge Network in the summer of 2024.

UFL is an organization running multiple programs aimed at improving literacy in language, mathematics, and computers. A calendar of their programs is attached below. They have both virtual and in-person classes. If you are interested in knowing more, you can contact Pooja Verma (pverma@unitedforliteracy.ca,
1-800-555-6523 x 1202)

You can also find more info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedForLiteracy/
And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitedforliteracy/?fbclid=IwAR02uQWs_hXc1c9w39SGIfhl7ZsSfP7XhXEL1HUUGJQX798_j_cupiFf6hk