News For Newcomers
Movie captures the essence of a game-changer
Tiger is an award-winning film directed by Alister Grierson (Sanctum, Parer’s War) about a young Canadian boxer who fights injustice and gets his day in court and the ring.
Based on the true story of Par-deep Singh Nagra, the movie is billed as entertaining, thrilling, motivating and inspiring.
Hollywood North magazine rated the movie 9.5/10 Maple Leafs and says, “The whole film is filled with lots of meaning and shows a powerful positive message that Pardeep himself has been promoting for many years... It’s a great movie with great depth”.
Written by Prem Singh (who plays Pardeep Nagra) and Michael Pugliese (who plays Brian Doyle).
Nagra, the executive director of the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada, believes that there could not be a better time for the release of Tiger given the social climate of the day and the quest for Hollywood to be more inclusive because representation matters.
More information about Tiger at www.pardeep.ca and the SHMC at www.shmc.ca
Research project studying employment equity in immigrant communities
The Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) is a not-for-profit organization which facilitates the economic, social, political and cultural empowerment of South Asians by serving as a resource for information, research, mobilization, coordination and leadership on social justice for the community.
CASSA is now conducting a community-based research project. The Research on Employment Equity for South Asian Immigrant Communities in Toronto project is funded by United Way Greater Toronto.
In its first year, the project will aim to conduct a needs assessment study to identify the needs and barriers of South Asian immigrant communities in Toronto to gaining meaningful employment.
Subsequent years of the project will develop recommendations for public policy changes and business process improvements. In its last phase, the study will disseminate information on the study and advocate for public policy changes and sector wide changes for employers.
CASSA has experience addressing labour policies, credential recognition and discrimination in the workplace through research projects such as Access to Trades for Newcomers in Ontario, Access to Professions and Trades and Capacity Creators: Needs Assessment Study Year 1, 2 and 3.
“With our exposure to the research collected through these projects, we will be able to further understand the barriers and limitations South Asian groups are facing when trying to attain employment which they are qualified for,” said Mathura Karunanithy, senior research analyst at CASSA.
For more information or to participate, contact Mathura Karunanithy at mathura@cassa.on.ca.
What’s in your thali?
The World Sikh Organization (WSO) is working with the Central West Local Health Integration Network, Region of Peel, City of Brampton, William Osler System, and Ontario Khalsa Darbar on the #CelebrateHCI initiative which is raising awareness within diverse communities to promote a healthy lifestyle. The project brings the What's in your thali? initiative to Ontario Khalsa Darbar, one of the largest gurdwaras in North America. Brampton has the highest rates of diabetes in Ontario and calorie and nutritional information is key to making healthy choices. For more info, visit www.WorldSikh.org.