Latest news with #SyedHassan
National Observer
30-07-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Federal reforms for migrant farmworkers draw sharp criticisms
A federal plan to reform Canada's migrant worker system would ditch proposed indoor temperature standards designed to protect workers from extreme heat while also allowing farmers and food processors to deduct thousands of dollars in worker wages to pay for housing. The proposal is contained in a suite of public consultation documents — created by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and shared publicly Wednesday by the Migrant Rights Network — that outline part of the government's effort to reform Canada's migrant farmworker system. The consultation comes a year after the UN's special rapporteur on modern slavery lambasted Canada's system for being a "breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery." Canadian farms and food processors rely heavily on temporary foreign workers and hired more than 78,000 such workers in 2024. 'Housing is too hot' "We've been asking workers what their main issue is and they've been consistently telling us that the housing is too hot," said Syed Hassan, executive director of the Migrant Workers' Alliance for Change. However, the government's proposal "completely abandoned the notion of indoor temperature control [which is] the way you deal with heat stress." Under the proposed rules, the government has watered down a suite of housing standards that farmers, food processing companies and fishers would need to meet before they can hire migrant workers. Those standards were first proposed in 2020 as COVID tore through worker housing, and, initially, specified things such as indoor temperature requirements — between 20 and 25.5 degrees C — or how many workers can sleep in each bedroom. A federal plan to reform Canada's migrant worker system would ditch proposed indoor temperature standards designed to protect workers from extreme heat while also allowing farmers and food processors to deduct thousands of dollars in worker wages. Those details are gone in the more recent documents and are replaced by guidelines that don't have specific, measurable standards, making it nearly impossible to hold employers to account, said Hassan. Last year, researchers at UBC found that indoor temperatures in migrant worker housing on farms in the Okanagan "consistently exceeded outdoor temperatures" during the previous summer and far exceeded guidelines established by the BC Agricultural Council and the Western Agriculture Labour Initiative. Javier Robles, a settlement worker with KCR Community Resources, described how excessive indoor heat exacerbates the difficult work conditions the migrant workers he supports already face. "They wake up at 5 am, make breakfast, make lunch, go to the fields in 37-degree temperatures, come back home — and there's no air conditioning. Some of the workers sleep outside in hammocks," he said. As the government guidelines abandon temperature targets, the proposed system would also let employers deduct up to a third of their employees' wages to pay for housing costs, on top of existing deductions for EI and CPP. According to projections by ESDC using farmworker wages in Ontario, that amounts to roughly $1,000 in housing deductions each month. Existing housing deductions are capped at about $130 a month. They're only allowed under one of Canada's three temporary foreign worker streams, with some exceptions for BC. Employers there can already deduct housing costs from workers they hired under the seasonal agricultural worker program. A survey of migrant workers by the Migrant Rights Network published Wednesday alongside the federal documents found that over 83 per cent of temporary foreign workers labouring in Canada are already struggling to afford to care for themselves and their families. On top of the proposed housing deductions, migrant workers are still required to pay into EI — they contribute about $131 million annually, according to ESDC — but many can't access it in the case of unplanned job losses because to receive it, they must be eligible to work in Canada. It is mostly impossible for migrant workers to find other jobs in Canada, because their visas are tied to their employers. In a statement, an ESDC spokesperson said that "all contributors, including temporary foreign workers, are entitled to EI benefits, provided that they meet qualifying and entitlement conditions … all claimants who have worked sufficient hours, meet eligibility and qualifying conditions, and are authorized to remain in Canada may continue to be paid EI. Claimants may be eligible to receive some types of EI special benefits (for example, maternity benefits) even if they leave Canada." Hassan was unforgiving in his assessment of the federal government's proposed overhaul of its temporary foreign worker system. Canada has come under sustained criticism for its migrant worker program since the start of the pandemic — especially after the UN report last year, he said. But instead of fully reforming the system, the proposed changes amount to a "public relations exercise." "This is capitulation to the worst kind of bosses' demands. These are not reforms — this is robbery," he said.
Calgary Herald
09-07-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Love For Humanity brings food, books to Calgary in support of newcomers
Syed Hassan loves Canada. Article content 'It's one of the best countries,' he said. 'They want you to (succeed).' Article content Article content And it's why he strongly believes it's important to 'give back.' Article content 'When you do something for people, they are always ready to recognize you, help you, support you,' he said. ' (We) get so many things from Canada . . . help out in whatever way you can.' Article content For the past nearly nine years, Hassan has been doing his part by leading volunteer-led campaigns supporting newcomers to Canada — setting up outdoor food banks, multicultural libraries and social gatherings for seniors — all through Love for Humanity, a non-profit he launched in 2016. Article content Article content It hasn't always been an easy road, but his efforts have not gone unnoticed. Over the years, he has won numerous awards for his efforts, from the Alberta Northern Lights, the Windmill Microlending Empowerment Award and this year being named Calgarian of the Year. Article content Article content Hassan said he found out he had won the award through a friend. 'Someone messaged me and said, 'you received this because someone nominated you.' ' Article content He said the honour caught him by surprise. 'The recognition is a motivation,' he said, and a 'boost' to him to continue his efforts. Article content He moved here with his family in 2009 from Pakistan, and said they faced some challenges settling into their new home — looking for a job, figuring out the requirements necessary to settle in smoothly and looking for resources to upgrade skills necessary to be employed. Article content Article content 'The initial stages,' he called them. Article content Article content Before launching the non-profit, Hassan spent much of his free time volunteering — helping newcomers file their taxes, create resumes, and find resources for accessible food and clothing. Article content 'Their needs can be different,' he said. 'First thing is food. Food is very important. And they need shelter . . . they don't have much money.' Article content The non-profit, he says, assists newcomers through a multitude of services and programs. Article content Free tax-filing programs, a food distribution table where families can pick up fresh vegetables for dinner — 'we usually help out 200 to 250 families in events like these, usually struggling or low-income families,' he said. Article content The organization recently established 16 outdoor food banks in communities across Calgary and surrounding regions, along with some pet food banks for families struggling to feed their animals.
CBC
14-06-2025
- CBC
'Unacceptable': Some of Windsor's parking meters are wrong — but people are still getting tickets
Social Sharing Syed Hassan says he doesn't like to complain much. But when his wife told him she got a parking ticket on Thursday night, he knew he needed to speak out. The parking meter on Wyandotte Street West said enforcement hours ended at 6 p.m. Yet when his wife returned to her car after a class at the University of Windsor, she and several other students had $30 tickets on their windshields. Hers had been issued at 6:17 p.m. "I was just kind of upset that they were doing that to students, that's what really got me," he said. "I have a very soft spot for students. And I remember being very broke." Hassan said he felt like the students were targeted because they'd all be in night classes. "That's unacceptable. Taking advantage of people," he said. Windsor city council approved changes to parking fees and hours of enforcement earlier this year. Fees were set to rise from $2 an hour to $2.25, effective June 1, and hours of enforcement were extended by an hour to 7 p.m. A spokesperson for the city said in an initial statement Friday that it had previously issued warnings to people who parked without paying between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., and has handed out 53 tickets during those hours since Tuesday. Pressed on why people were getting tickets at meters with the wrong times listed, the city said that "all 1,440 parking meters across the city have been individually updated to reflect the new pricing and enforcement hours. "While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, there may be a small number of meters that were inadvertently missed," spokesperson Michael Janisse wrote by email. But CBC checked out parking meters near the university and downtown, and didn't see any with the updated enforcement hours. Downtown Coun. Renaldo Agostino told CBC that people who receive a ticket at a meter that hasn't been updated should "just send it in, call 311." "The city's willing to work with everybody on this one," he said. Agostino maintains that all the meters still displaying the old enforcement hours are "all getting transitioned." "All that'll be fixed," he said. "You'll see stickers over things; you'll see information there. You may see some cover ups, but you're going to see it." But Hassan says when he called 311 he was told to formally dispute the ticket using the process described on the back. "311's like, 'We have no clue. There is no such thing. Nobody has told us to refund all the tickets,'" Hassan said. Janisse confirmed that people who get tickets in these scenarios will have to go through the formal dispute process. "In cases where a discrepancy exists, and the meter signage was not updated, the complaint resolution process would see the ticket cancelled," he said, adding that residents should report meters that haven't been updated to 311. But Hassan said the city made the mistake, so it should own up to it: He says it shouldn't be on residents who were following the posted rules to have to take time to go through the dispute process. "Obviously there's a certain level of incompetence I expect from every organization, whether government or private," he said. "The problem is when you find out that you made a mistake, instead of giving people the run around, like I was told to call 311 and then I called 311 and they're telling me, 'I have no idea what you're talking about. You have to go through the dispute process.' That is where my problem lies." At the end of the day, Hassan said, the city just needs to put stickers with the new enforcement hours on the meters. "It's the simplest thing," he said. "They don't have to go make a huge apology to anybody. They just have to go to all their meters and update them."
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Peaceful rally in KL highlights concerns over Malay rights
KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — A crowd gathered outside Sogo Kuala Lumpur this afternoon for the 'Himpunan Melayu Berdaulat' (Sovereign Malay Rally), calling for the protection of Malay rights, reserve lands and national sovereignty. Led by a coalition of non-governmental organisations headed by Perkasa president Syed Hassan Syed Ali, the rally attracted participants from nearby areas including Masjid Jamek and Kampung Baru, with arrivals starting around 1.30pm. The gathering, which lasted just over two hours, concluded peacefully by approximately 4.30pm. 'This is a gathering of Malays that goes beyond political party lines,' Syed Hassan said during the rally. People participate in the 'Himpunan Melayu Berdaulat' (Sovereign Malay Rally) in front of Sogo Kuala Lumpur May 24, 2025. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin Participants, numbering in the hundreds, chanted slogans such as 'Melayu Berdaulat', 'Islam Hebat', and 'Rakyat Selamat', while holding placards calling for the return of Malay reserve land and the cancellation of long-term visas issued to foreign nationals. The rally took place under hot weather, and there was no rain — a contrast to recent afternoon showers. Many attendees used umbrellas for shade. Police were present to monitor the situation, while safety marshals assisted with crowd management. The event remained orderly throughout. People participate in the 'Himpunan Melayu Berdaulat' (Sovereign Malay Rally) in front of Sogo Kuala Lumpur May 24, 2025. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin Onlookers and passersby observed from across the street, with some recording the event on mobile phones. Traffic in the area slowed but was not significantly disrupted, as officers directed vehicles away from the gathering site. Cleanup crews moved in shortly after the rally ended to restore the area.
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Melayu Berdaulat' rally to proceed outside Sogo tomorrow
Dang Wangi police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman said the rally organisers had already notified them about the gathering. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A pro-Malay rally in the city centre will proceed outside the Sogo shopping complex tomorrow, with 80 policemen deployed to monitor the gathering. Dang Wangi police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman said the 'Himpunan Melayu Berdaulat' rally organisers had already notified them about the gathering and that everything was in order. 'The organisers will continue with the gathering and the police will facilitate the rally with reasonable controls. 'A total of 80 police personnel will be on duty around the location of the gathering to monitor the rally,' he said in a statement. The rally is being organised by a coalition of pro-Malay NGOs to protest the government's alleged failure to look after the rights and interests of Malay-Muslims. Its chairman, Syed Hassan Syed Ali, is president of Malay rights group Perkasa. Syed Hassan previously said that over 700 NGOs had confirmed their participation and the group was expecting up to 20,000 rallygoers.
