The post OB 668 appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

Canadians are often perceived as being polite, kind, and generous. Many of us take modest pride in this fact, and subliminally it leads us to perpetuate that image through acts of goodwill.

From the sea of negativity in media reports, there exists a few pearls; stories of Canadians helping the most vulnerable and spreading positivity during these difficult times.

Take the Winnipeg seamstress, Suhaiba Ahmed, who donated nearly 300 masks to the Immigrant, and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba. Her small business was shut down due to a public health order, and so she has been paying for the materials with the business subsidy funds she is receiving from the Canadian government.

Or Mita Hans who set up the first “Caremongering” Facebook group out of Toronto that sparked a social media movement across Canada. The idea is to connect vulnerable people and individuals who are able and willing to help in their community. The BBC reported cases where people were cooking meals for those who were unable, donating gift cards to someone who was laid off, standing in line at the grocery store to buy food for a single mother’s baby, and other heart-warming stories.

If you walk down the streets of Montreal, Quebec, you will likely come across a window that is decorated with a drawing of a rainbow arched above the words, “Ça va bien aller.” In English, this could be translated to “Everything will be alright.”

The woman who is responsible for this popular message of hope in Montreal is Gabriella Cucinelli, who was inspired by a similar image that she saw in an Italian newspaper. She got her kids to draw the rainbow and translate the inscription to French, it was then shared on social media and took off.

Of course, these are many more stories than what the media can pick up. There are also countless settlement organizations and other non-profits across the country are still working to help immigrants with the particular challenges newcomers face.

We are all in the same storm, but we are not on the same boat. I encourage my fellow Canadians to reach out to one another, and especially newcomers, and show the world that kindness is part of what it means to be Canadian.

© 2020 All Rights Reserved

Source: New feed

The post Canadian kindness during coronavirus pandemic appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

The post Canadians can now apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

The post Canada announces support to those experiencing homelessness and women fleeing gender-based violence during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

The post COVID-19: In person Service Canada Centres to be closed appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

“Flatten the curve” became the catchphrase to mean prevent the virus from spreading so as not to overwhelm the capacity of the healthcare system.

Provincial governments started taking it seriously as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases suddenly jumped in early March. Schools were the first to be closed, sending children back home. Following that, parents were either working from home or laid off from their jobs as many businesses were ordered to shut their doors. Legal firms were considered to be “essential businesses” and have been permitted to remain open.

The size of acceptable social gatherings has diminished to two, and we aren’t done yet. Governments are still in talks about how to further prevent spreading the virus by urging people to stay inside.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been frequently quoted for telling Canadians during his March 23 address to the nation, “Enough is enough. Go home and stay home.”

But what if that is not the right approach?

The New York Times published an editorial titled “Is our fight against coronavirus worse than the disease?” in which Dr. David Katz of Yale University says governments should be taking a more targeted, or “surgical,” approach to stopping the spread of the virus.

Dr. Katz, who is a specialist in preventive medicine and public health, argues in favour of a herd immunity strategy. Instead of closing schools and sending kids home where potentially elderly parents and grandparents live, let those who have not been determined to be vulnerable still participate in the community.

“If we were to focus on the especially vulnerable, there would be resources to keep them at home, provide them with needed services and coronavirus testing, and direct our medical system to their early care,” Dr. Katz wrote. “I would favour proactive rather than reactive testing in this group, and early use of the most promising anti-viral drugs. This cannot be done under current policies, as we spread our relatively few test kits across the expanse of a whole population, made all the more anxious because society has shut down.”

Dr. Katz does not recommend gathering in large groups like sporting events and concerts, but if resources were spent focusing on the smaller, vulnerable population then healthy people could go back to school and work. The majority of people who are not especially vulnerable to the virus would be exposed to it, and if infected, would very likely recover and gain natural immunity.

As it is now, intergenerational exposure is more likely due to more people staying home. Hospitals are being overwhelmed by non-serious cases demanding their attention, meanwhile, medical staff are also dealing with school and other service closures.

I understand many people may disagree, especially as governments are taking the advice of other reputable health experts, who are also treading through unchartered waters.

In praise of Dr. Katz’s article, Thomas L. Friedman wrote a follow-up op-ed where he reminded us of the dangers of “group think.” Wide-reaching decisions are being made in response to a global crisis. The fallout of these decisions affects us all, and we need to seriously ask ourselves if we are making the right ones.

I am not a health expert, but I am just as concerned as anybody else about coronavirus and its impact on our health and economy.

The goal should be to preserve the economy as best we can, while at the same time protecting those who are most vulnerable. Sacrificing the economy with only a hope of flattening the curve does not seem like the logical choice to me.

Now is not the time for emotionally motivated and fear-based decision making. All of us are living through unprecedented circumstances, including the experts and politicians who are promising to get us through this. For we, the public, despite our impetuous nature, we must approach each new development with logic and rationality.

No matter what, my wish is that we all stay safe as best we can.

Click here for more information about the coronavirus and Canada immigration.

© 2020 All Rights Reserved

Source: New feed

The post What if we’re doing coronavirus prevention all wrong? appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

The post Canada provides update on exemptions to travel restrictions to protect Canadians and support the economy appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

The post Minister Mendicino Addresses The Canadian Club appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

The post Canada announces plan to continue growing the economy and creating middle class jobs through responsible increases in newcomers appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.

The post Canadian employers recognized for their work with newcomers to Canada appeared first on Immigration Nation - Immigration Consultant Edmonton.