As a child, it wasn’t unusual for Ann Y.K. Choi to be at work behind the counter of her family’s convenience store in Toronto. She and her two brothers were expected to help their parents…
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Beatrice Paez
Beatrice Paez is the digital editor at The Hill Times in Ottawa.
Reshaping Populations: Reflecting on the Chinese Immigration Act
July 1, 2016 marks 93 years since the Chinese Immigration Act came into force, which marked the culmination of a decades-long initiative to limit Chinese immigration to Canada. The Chinese head tax already existed to…
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Rediscovering Toronto’s Lost Chinatown
Tucked behind Toronto City Hall’s curved towers, on Elizabeth Street, is a modest patch of greenery outfitted with bright red benches and blossoming tulips. It’s from this spot — once a parking lot— that historian…
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Author ‘Pays It Forward’ for Writers of Colour
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz owes his early literary education to the two local librarians who nurtured his love for reading. The all-too-familiar story of unsupportive Dominican immigrant parents equating success with being a doctor…
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Haitian Canadians in Quebec: A Rich Political History
When Elizabeth Philibert arrived in Montreal as an émigré in 1979, she immediately felt the city would be her closest connection to Haiti. The city’s circle of activists quickly embraced Philibert, who had risked her…
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Without Placement, Refugees in Toronto Hotel Remain in Limbo
It had been such a whirlwind process, Zuhir says of the journey that he and his family took earlier this year from Jordan — where they had lived as refugees for four years — to…
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Breaking Silence Around Elder Abuse
Asking seniors subtle questions about their daily routines opens up dialogue – and can point to signs of elder abuse, which rarely reveals itself in obvious ways. Nirpal Bhangoo-Sekhon often asks seniors she meets about…
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No Avoiding Bias When Covering Gaza: Blumenthal
Journalists can pay a high price with their reputations for reporting on the polarizing, decades-old Israel-Gaza conflict. That was the message journalist and author Max Blumenthal delivered at Embattled Truths: Reporting on Gaza, a presentation…
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Translators Lend Voices to Incoming Refugees
Disoriented and anxious after a long journey from Beirut to Montreal, a Syrian refugee suddenly began running through the airport welcome centre, speaking frantically in his mother tongue. Staffers tasked with distributing winter care packages…
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Syrian Children Carry Trauma Into the Classroom
When Syrian refugee children arrive in Canadian classrooms for the very first time, the anxiety they feel might be more than simply first-day-of-school jitters, say humanitarian relief workers and health-care providers. Many may be experiencing…
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