ETA Canada News

As early as June, new Canadian citizens will be able to swear themselves in without a judge.

The Canadian Gazette, a federal government agency, recently reported that as one of the plans to modernize the immigration process, it is discussing a plan to reorganize the citizenship oath so that applicants can proceed on their own.

This kind of attempt is to improve the immigration screening backlog that has been exacerbated through the pandemic. As the government’s various administrative processes were paralyzed due to the corona crisis, there were situations in which those who passed the citizenship test could not take the oath ceremony.

The Federal Immigration Department expects that the waiting time will be reduced by about three months if the oath ceremony is liberalized.

Currently, citizenship ceremonies are held face-to-face or non-face-to-face on weekdays or Saturdays. However, many applicants feel burdened when the oath ceremony is held during weekday working hours.

According to the 2021 census, only 45.7% of permanent residents obtained citizenship within 10 years. This is a steady decline compared to 75.1% in 2001 and 60% in 2016, showing that citizenship is waning in popularity.

However, some argue that the citizenship ceremony is not a simple event, but a milestone for a sense of belonging and commitment to Canada, and that the autonomous ceremony undermines the value of citizenship.

In Ontario, where rents are skyrocketing, landlords filing for evictions have surged in the past three years.

More than 5,550 tenant eviction applications were received in Ontario last year, according to the Landlord and Tenant Dispute Resolution Board. This is a 41% increase from 2019.

In Ontario, you can evict a tenant if the landlord or the landlord’s immediate family intends to live directly in the unit being rented.

This phenomenon was notable outside of Toronto. In Toronto, the city’s own data showed little change but a 59% jump in the rest of the region.

In response, the Tenants’ Rights Advocacy Group points out that the surge in eviction applications is no accident, as landlords can get higher prices if they rent to new tenants.

Ontario sets an upper limit on rent increases to protect tenants. Because of this policy, landlords cannot arbitrarily raise rents from existing tenants. The maximum rate increase allowed this year is 2.5%.

However, once a home has been vacated, landlords often apply for an eviction order because they or their families live in it because they can demand rent from new tenants at the market rate regardless of these restrictions.

“It’s hard to believe that there has been a sudden increase in landlords trying to move into homes they’ve rented in the past three years,” said Benjamin Reese, executive director of South Etobicco Community Legal Services. It should have made a profit.”

Even if they believe the landlord’s eviction motion is unreasonable, tenants must personally prove that the landlord does not intend to live in it, and resolving disputes is costly and time consuming.

On the other hand, rents are soaring every year due to chronic housing shortage in Ontario. According to rental analysis site Rentals.ca, the average monthly rent for a two-bed in Toronto has risen 17% over the past year to about $3,200.

As low-cost airlines have increased domestic flights in recent years, consumers have a wider range of choices.

Compared to existing large airlines, low-cost airlines must pay additional fees for checked baggage, seat selection, and in-flight services, but their low basic fares are attractive.

Low-cost airlines have relatively limited seating space, but some passengers say it’s worth the price.

Compared to major airlines, the cancellation rate is also low. However, it is cited as a weakness that these low-cost airlines do not have adequate financial resources to quickly deal with problems when various problems arise.

At the end of last year, hundreds of people were stranded in Cancun, Mexico, when flights with local low-cost airline Sunwing were canceled due to bad weather. Earlier in April, Sunwing had to hand-write boarding passes for all passengers due to computer paralysis.

According to domestic air passenger protection regulations, some travel insurance plans cover hotel accommodations and other expenses in case of unexpected flight delays or cancellations, but the amount of compensation is less for small budget airlines than for major airlines.

For this reason, for everyday trips such as family visits, low-cost airlines can be a good alternative in terms of cost savings, but for important trips, you need to carefully examine the conditions of the airlines first.

In terms of safety, this is not a major concern as all airlines are subject to the same standards.

A woman driver who had an accident in which her car overturned while trying to avoid a raccoon was lucky to receive only minor injuries. Although her breasts were terribly surprised.

The accident occurred on Jarvis Street/Carlton Street in downtown Toronto at around 5:15 am on Sunday, the 20th.

A woman noticed a raccoon on the road she was driving on and took a sharp turn to avoid it, but the car flipped over when it collided with a minivan parked nearby.

Police said the woman was not driving drunk and she was trying to avoid the raccoon.

The raccoon often appears in her residential area, destroying her garden and overturning her garbage cans. She shouldn’t kill herself though.

The raccoon belongs to the raccoon family and is a mammal with a body length of 40 to 140 cm and a weight of 5 to 29 kg. Even if a raccoon invades a house, citizens do not have the right to kill an animal that does not immediately endanger human life.

Survey by the National Statistical Office found that the 35-44 age group has the most severe financial instability.

The survey found that 25% of Canadians find it difficult to establish even an emergency fund of $500.

On the 13th, the National Statistical Office announced the results of a survey on the theme of ‘quality of life and cost of living’. The nationwide survey was conducted from mid-October to early December of last year.

Nearly half of the respondents (44%) were worried that housing costs such as rent could become difficult to afford.

33% said they had suffered financial difficulties in the past 12 months.

This economic insecurity was especially noticeable among the young.

Twenty-five percent of all respondents said they would not be able to afford a sudden expenditure of $500.

To the same question, 35% of respondents aged 35 to 44 answered ‘yes’, while only 19% of those aged 65 and older answered ‘yes’, contrasting.

A generation gap also appeared in housing-related questions.

Those aged 15-24 said they were very concerned about housing and their ability to afford rent, with 58% of all age groups reporting being very concerned, followed by 56% of those aged 25-34. On the other hand, seniors aged 65 and older showed the least interest in housing expenses at 27%.

The age group most worried about their finances is between the ages of 35 and 44, with 46% of respondents reporting that they have struggled financially in the past year. However, only 25% of those aged 65 and older reported experiencing financial difficulties, the lowest percentage.

Canada’s annual consumer price index (CPI) rose the most since 1982, according to the National Statistical Office. The overall price index rose by 6.8%, and prices rose in almost all sectors. Of these, the greatest increase was seen in transportation (10.6%), food (8.9%), and housing (6.9%).

City Council “We need to increase support from the federal government.”

The Toronto City Council rejected the city’s recommendation on the 8th to keep the warming center open 24 hours a day until mid-April.

Previously, the city health commission recommended that the city of Toronto declare a public health crisis related to the lack of space in the warming center and the saturation of shelters for the vulnerable, and to operate 24 hours a day without holidays until April 15.

However, instead of extending the warming center, the city council asked the Ontario government to provide population-proportionate shelters to local governments, and the federal government to financially support the Toronto warming center and those seeking shelter.

City Councilman Michael Thompson argued that extending the operation of the Toronto Warming Center would not solve the problem of space shortage as homeless people from other cities would flow into Toronto.

He said simply declaring a crisis does not change the situation, and that financial support from the federal government is desperately needed to solve the problem.

On the other hand, city councilor Alejandra Bravo, deputy chair of the city’s health commission, said the crisis was right in front of our eyes and needed immediate action.

Four warming centers in Toronto were saturated during the recent -30 degree cold wave. Downtown shelters are reaching their limits as record numbers of homeless people seek shelter.

According to City of Toronto data, more than 10,000 people were homeless in December last year alone, and an average of more than 100 people a day were rejected from shelters because of overcrowding.

The city estimated that it would cost $400,000 a year to operate just one warming center with a capacity of 50 people.

Meanwhile, these shelters cater not only to the homeless, but also to asylum and refugee seekers, whose numbers are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Asylum and refugee applicants using Toronto shelters surged from 530 in September 2021 to 2,390 in December last year.

The Federal Immigration Department has partially relaxed the regulations related to the ‘Super Visa’, which is being implemented as an alternative to the parent-sponsored immigration program.

Regarding health insurance subscription, which is a prerequisite for applying for a super visa, the Ministry of Immigration recently announced that it has changed the insurance premium to be paid in monthly installments.

Previously, when entering the country with a super visa, a yearly private medical insurance premium had to be paid in advance as a lump sum. The average premium is $1,500 per year for a 65-year-old.

However, according to the Korean insurance industry, insurance premiums go up if you have a chronic disease, such as diabetes or heart disease, or if you are older.

At the end of 2011, the Ministry of Immigration stopped inviting parents to immigrate and began implementing the Super Visa system. This visa allows you to live in Canada for up to 5 years.

However, to obtain a visa, parents must subscribe to private health insurance with a compensation amount of 100,000 dollars or more for at least one year.

According to data from the Immigration Department, 17,000 foreigners enter the country with a super visa every year.

According to a recent report by public transit worker advocacy group Ridefair, Uber drivers in Toronto earn an average of $7.90 an hour after expenses, well below the Ontario minimum wage of $15.50 an hour.

According to The Globe and Mail, the report estimated the cost, including gas, auto insurance and vehicle maintenance, to be at least $12 an hour. The average wage for an Uber driver, including costs, is $20 an hour.

The report was analyzed by an independent researcher in Waterloo based on data from the City of Toronto, the Internal Revenue Service and Uber’s own data.

Tom Sleeley, who wrote the report, said Uber has rarely disclosed wage-related information, so he compiled data from multiple sources.

In a statement sent to The Globe and Mail, Uber argued that the reported figures did not match the actual figures. The company said in December that Toronto’s Uber drivers earned an average of $33.98 per hour based on the number of hours spent picking up passengers. This amount does not include tip.

The $20 an hour wage reported by Ridefair includes the time Uber drivers are paid for rides and the time they spend waiting when they are not picking up passengers. Based on City of Toronto data, the report estimated actual travel time to be 48% of total hours worked.

In response, advocacy groups argue that Uber should recognize drivers as workers, not sole proprietors, and pay minimum wage, including waiting time.

However, Uber said it has some workers accessing other platforms, such as Lyft and DoorDash, at the same time, making it complicated to include waiting time in their working hours.

Meanwhile, the Ontario government passed a law in April that would require ridesharing companies to pay drivers minimum wages only for the time a passenger rides.

However, according to internal data sent to Uber and worker advocacy groups obtained by The Globe and Mail in December, the Department of Labor is reportedly considering forcing Uber drivers to pay a minimum wage higher than $15.50 an hour, considering waiting times.

As a result of a survey of 1,001 adults nationwide from the 19th to the 23rd of last month by Ipsos, a polling company commissioned by Global News, 59% of the respondents said they supported the operation of a private hospital supported by public funds.

60% of respondents were in favor of private health care for those who can afford expensive medical care.

Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker said he hadn’t seen such a change in support for privatization in opinion polls in the past 30 years.

“This is the first time that the majority of respondents said they could consider private health care,” he said.

Maintaining the public health care system is a key issue in Canadian politics, and privatization of health care has often been raised, but each time it has encountered strong reluctance and resistance.

He said that these discussions have raised fears about changing to an American-style private health care system in the public.

However, Bricker analyzed that attitudes towards privatization of health care are changing, given that the majority (85%) of the survey believe that the current health system needs drastic changes. It is presumed that this is because of the inconvenience of having to wait for a long time to receive surgery at a public hospital.

By province, Quebecers are most open to private hospitals, including private health services for those who can afford them. This idea was supported by 75% of Quebecers surveyed, 15 points above the national average.

By generation, the MZ generation had the highest tendency to support private medical services. However, middle-aged people aged 55 and older, who make up a significant portion of the voters, are most attached to the public health system, and their approval rating has declined.

Meanwhile, medical experts point out that the biggest problem of the public health system is manpower shortage, and that the public may not be aware of the limited number of doctors and nurses working in private hospitals.

A study has found that most Canadians are concerned about the current health care system.

The pollster Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies recently asked 1,554 adults across the country for their opinions on the state of the health care system.

The Atlantic Coast, which has suffered a hospital emergency services crisis due to staff shortages in recent months, has taken the situation more seriously.  While 86% of respondents said they were concerned about the state of the health care system, in Atlantic Yan’an, an even higher percentage (94%) felt the health system was in crisis.

In the eastern region, 81% of respondents were also concerned about the quality of emergency care. On a national basis, 67% said they were worried.

When asked about the overall service quality of their local health system, 54% of respondents said it was good, while 43% said it was bad.

Recently, the Ontario government announced that it would significantly increase the types of surgeries that private hospitals can perform to overcome the backlog of surgeries caused by medical manpower shortages.

Some medical experts objected to the plan, saying it would only benefit private hospitals without improving patient care while draining public hospitals’ resources.

Meanwhile, 53% of survey respondents said they did not want to see further privatization of the current health care system.