Latest news with #JennyHowe
CBC
17-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'Pretty devastating': Alberta charities cut language classes after Ottawa slashes funding
Social Sharing Newcomers settling in Calgary face massive wait times to access free English classes, ranging up to a year, according to the Centre for Newcomers. Now, due to federal funding cuts, the non-profit said those wait times could get even longer. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has cut funding for some organizations offering Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) as Ottawa plans to start reducing immigration levels. LINC classes are fully federally funded classes that help new arrivals learn to read, write, listen and speak in English. Because of the funding change, the Centre for Newcomers has made cuts to its popular LINC classes — even though around 900 people are on a waitlist. "I think it's pretty shocking news," said Charlie Wang, the interim CEO at the Centre for Newcomers. He spoke to CBC host Jenny Howe for this week's episode of This Is Calgary. "Since the Afghan and then Ukrainian [crises], the waiting list for language programs has been fairly long," Wang said. Bow Valley College, Maple Leaf Academy and Lethbridge Polytechnic have also announced they're scrapping their popular LINC classes. Across the city, Immigrant Services Calgary says 6,199 new Calgarians were waiting for LINC classes as of April 2. Language classes critical, say student, English teacher Marite Rojas, who grew up in Bolivia, moved to Calgary just over two years ago. She waited for about a year before she got a spot in a LINC classroom. "I [didn't] have a choice," she told Howe. "I tried to find another school where you had to pay, but if you don't work, [it's] expensive." "If you cannot communicate with people … you are [isolated] for everything," she said. "You cannot go to the doctor and understand what the doctor said, you cannot open a bank account and read the contracts." Rojas has passed some LINC classes but plans to continue studying English with the goal of eventually attending a post-secondary school. Until the start of April, Maple Leaf Academy offered the classes for free, but the loss of government funding forced the school to shut down its LINC program. "It's been pretty devastating. I'm at the school right now, but it's quite empty and there are fewer teachers, way fewer students," said Kevin Simpson, an instructor and e-learning specialist at Maple Leaf Academy in downtown Calgary. Simpson said some former students arrived in Calgary planning to attend these classes, as part of their long-term plan for building a new life in Canada. "You're teaching them, you're with them every day. You form relationships with people and then you give them this news and you can just see how much it affects them," he said. "Language proficiency is pretty necessary for success in this society. And they are faced with a huge challenge that they, a month ago, didn't face." In a statement, an IRCC spokesperson said funding to support newcomer settlement needs is up 4.2 per cent in 2024-25 from the previous fiscal year. The funding available for supports, like LINC classes, depends on how many newcomers are expected to arrive in Canada. "Since, according to the Immigration Levels Plan, fewer newcomers are expected in 2025-2027, available resources have been reduced to match this decrease, which has resulted in a reduction in service providers," the IRCC spokesperson said. Next year, the annual number of newcomers issued permanent resident status will go from 500,000 to 395,000, then to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. Calgary's Immigrant Education Society received an additional $450,000 in February to expand its free English classes programming — enough to accommodate five extra classes and an additional 125 students. In an email, the non-profit said the funding is meant to bridge the gap created by the loss of other LINC programs in the city, but it "doesn't really make a dent considering the long wait times." The Immigrant Education Society has around 2,500 new Calgarians on its waitlist. It can take upward of a year to access their classes, the charity said.
CBC
15-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Jobs. Taxes. Access to women's health care. South Calgary residents share what matters this election
Social Sharing The top issue for voters in Seton isn't tariffs, at least not among the library patrons who stopped by to talk with CBC Calgary's The Homestretch recently. Tariffs have dominated headlines this campaign. But jobs, taxes and the price of groceries dominated the sticky notes on the CBC's whiteboard at a pop-up engagement effort Thursday afternoon. What issue matters the most to you this federal election, and why? Share your personal stories with us at ask@ Homestretch host Jenny Howe broadcast live from the library in Seton all afternoon, and people stopped by to write about the issue that matters the most to them in the federal election, and how it will shape their vote. Adrian Diaz is a student at the University of Calgary. After writing a few notes, he explained it this way. "The cost of living has gone up. The gas prices have just skyrocketed up. Honestly, I remember when it used to be 70 cents, it was crazy.… Now it's like $1.50. Utilities, groceries, all the simple stuff has gone up, for sure," he said. "I have an idea of who I want to support, definitely. Because 10 years of the same thing, I think it's time to change." The Seton library is in the YCMA recreation centre, which is south of the ring road and east of Deerfoot Trail on the southeast edge of Calgary. It's in the Calgary Shepard riding. In the library, some people had already decided who they are voting for, others were still making up their minds and waiting for the leaders' debate. Many people wrote about wanting lower taxes and to find a way to reduce the price of houses. One person wrote about wanting tax dollars to go to fighting homelessness and hunger here in Canada before funds are allocated to helping overseas. But that's not what Lamar Hassan is hoping for. She is 15 and watching the election from the sidelines. She said what she wants is to see the parties focus more on foreign policy and how they can help other places such as Ukraine and Gaza. "We're able to aid so we should be aiding more," she said. "I feel for people. Everyone deserves to have a good life, and as someone whose parents came here from a different country, they came here for me to have a better life and everyone deserve to have that chance." Moana Rae Michelbrink Rhynold is now 18 and will be voting for the first time. She said the issues she's following the most are the cost of housing and access to reproductive health. "I've been busy in my own world but I've heard snippets. The biggest thing is how the Conservative campaign has leaned a lot toward what's been happening in the States in terms of women's access to health care. That's the biggest thing that's scaring me." On Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre touched on this on the campaign trail. He was asked about a local candidate's views and said that, if elected, a Conservative government would not restrict access to abortion. Since CBC News was asking "what matters to you," children also stopped by to have their say. Many of them will vote at school in a parallel student election, even though it won't count for the general election. Jasmine Jones, 8, wrote "focus on the environment" and stuck that to the whiteboard to share with her neighbours.
CBC
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Come see CBC's The Homestretch live at the Banff Public Library
Open to the public, no tickets required CBC Radio's The Homestretch will broadcast live on location at the Banff Public Library on Thursday, March 13, as part of CBC/Radio-Canada's ongoing partnership with public libraries, known as Collab. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the public can attend the special broadcast — free of charge and no ticket needed — while hosts Chris dela Torre and Jenny Howe focus in on some of the bigger issues affecting Banffites, with stories from those living in surrounding communities. Banff-born musician Amelie Patterson will perform live. Other special guests include Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno, Banff Public Library director Sarah McCormack, Banff and Lake Louise Tourism's vice-president of destination development David Matys, and more. Thursday's conversation will feature information on the new CBC Banff bureau, which will cover the Bow Valley and the national park, including Canmore, Lake Louise and Kananaskis. Attendees will also hear from residents on what they love about their community, why they choose to live in the mountain town, and what they're most concerned about for the future of Banff. For those who can't attend in person, listeners can tune in live to 99.1 FM in Calgary or use the CBC Listen app.
