Government of Canada announces special immigration measures for typhoon victims in the Philippines

If you are living in Canada and is sponsoring someone in the Philippines. You may want to read this.

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Ottawa, October 1, 2009 — Residents in the Philippines who are significantly affected by Typhoon Ketsana are being offered special measures to facilitate immigration to Canada, announced Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

“I would like to express my deepest sympathy and support for the people of the Philippines affected by this terrible disaster,” said Minister Kenney. “This government is moving quickly to reunite Canadians and permanent residents with their families by extending a welcome to those who wish to come to Canada.”

Effective immediately, Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) visa office in the Philippines is responding on a priority basis for those directly affected by the disaster.

This will be applied to new and existing applications from Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons who have close family members in the Philippines. They must, however, identify themselves as being directly and significantly affected by the current situation and notify CIC.

New sponsorship applications should have “Philippines” prominently written on the mailing envelope. Sponsors and applicants presently in Canada who have applications in process should notify the CIC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100 (in Canada only) to identify their existing applications, if they or the family they have sponsored have been adversely affected.

Temporary residence applicants will be given priority processing by the visa office in Manila once they demonstrate that they have been significantly affected by the typhoon.

These special measures are in addition to the up to $5 million for humanitarian assistance and early recovery to respond to the needs of the populations affected by Typhoon Ketsana announced by International Cooperation Minister Beverley J. Oda earlier this week.

For further information, please visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Alykhan.Velshi@cic.gc.ca

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

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Here is the link http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-10-01.asp

Canada Day Parade

Canada Day Parade, originally uploaded by exphiles8.

Canada Day Parade in Richmond, BC on July 1st. Moncton Road is closed for the parade.

Happy Canada Day!

Canada is 142 years old today.

Happy Canada Day!

London Drugs

London Drugs, originally uploaded by exphiles8.

London Drugs was founded in 1945 as a small drugstore in Vancouver, BC by Sam Bass. In 1976, the business was acquired by the H.Y. Louie Group under the direction of President Tong Louie.

As of Sept 2005, it is the fourth largest pharmacy chain in Canada and carries a range of mechandise including personal care products, foodstuffs, electronics and computers.

Gulf of Georgia Cannery

Gulf of Georgia Cannery, originally uploaded by selihpxe8.

The cannery was opened in 1894 and was the largest cannery in BC until 1902 packing more than 2.5 million cans of salmon in 1897.

The Federal Government purchased the site in 1984 and was purchased by Parks Canada.

It opened its doors to the public in 1994 in celebration of the centennial of the building. It is now designated as a National Historic Site.

Les Miserables

Les Miserables, originally uploaded by exphiles8.

Les Miserables showing at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage Theatre June 16, 2009 - Sunday, July 19, 2009

Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage Theatre
2750 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC V6H 3J3

Stanley Park

We spent Sunday at Stanley Park with some friends. It borders downtown Vancouver and it was opened in 1888.

It's 10% larger than Central Park in New York. Here you'll find several attractions like the Vancouver Aquarium, Totem Poles, horse drawn carriage tour, playground, water park, swimming pools and beaches.

It's great to take the kids there to have a picnic or just enjoy the view.

We went to Prospect Point.


From here, you can see the Lion's Gate Bridge and North Vancouver.

The best way to enjoy the park is to drive around first to see what you like, then park your car and take in the sites or go around it. You can walk, roller blade or bike around the park. Most attractions like the playground and water park are free but you have to pay for parking. The Vancouver Aquarium does have an entrance fee and you can check out their info on this here.