Refugee Turned Citizen
By Catherine Leckey Raed Al Salkhadi has shared with the parishes of St Simon’s and St Jude’s of Oakville the happy news that on November 2, 2021 he became a Canadian citizen. Raed is the eldest of the three children of the Al Salkhadi family, which in April 2017 arrived in Oakville as refugees from […]
The Refugee Journeys of the Masri Family
By Hollis Hiscock In 2016, Basel, Sabah, Aboudy, and Amira Masri were warmly welcomed by St. Christopher’s Church, Burlington. Their multiyear odyssey started in Syria, through Turkey and eventually Canada. Today, the Syrian Family Reunification Committee (SFR) is working to bring 10 more Masri family members from Turkey to Canada. The three brothers and their […]
Called to Life, Compelled to Love: Welcoming Refugees
For more than two decades, parishes in our diocese have been helping refugees regain their self sufficiency and self determinacy, warmly welcoming them into the communities of the diocese, providing emotional, physical, and financial support and protection as they resettle in Canada. It is just one of the ways we continue to live into our […]
Refugee Rights Case Supported by Canadian Churches
The Federal Court of Appeal recently heard the Canadian government’s appeal of a decision finding that the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) is unconstitutional. Amnesty International (AI), the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), and The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) joined individual refugee claimants as their lawyers reiterated to the court that the STCA […]
“Very, Very, Very Happy” to be in Canada
What does one crave after traveling for 72 hours, traversing three countries and crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a packed flight, in the midst of a global pandemic? After four hours spent clearing Canadian immigration at Pearson Airport, and with only the final leg of the journey remaining, three weary travelers made a simple request: […]
