A2
MetroVanIndependent.com
April 2015
News
Exclusive: Couple, baby survive Coquihalla mishap
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Instead of pulling over to the shoulder, the couple’s 1998 Grand Jeep
Cherokee started to spin several times.
The 32-year-old Michelle, who was sound
asleep, was awakened by the continued
shaking inside the vehicle.
Brian tried to regain control of the
steering wheel but failed as they kept
rolling. There were luckily no vehicles
coming from the passing lane.
Repeatedly stepping on the brake
while maneuvering, resulted in their vehicle
crossing the meridian before flipping
and turning turtle over and into a ditch.
Miraculously the oncoming traffic was clear
of any vehicle.
Both of them started to panic as they
stumble – while upside down -- to check
their son at the backseat. They saw and
with a sigh of relief seeing Shiloh still intact
in his car seat.
“We were spinning and spinning till our
vehicle rolled over a couple times and all I
could think of is Shiloh,” Michelle’s voice
was trembling as she reached out for her
baby in the car seat.
It seemed that a guardian angel was
watching over the little one. He was
glued to his carrier with the seat belt still
attached.
“Smoke was coming out of the engine.
I was quick to respond while Brian was
still in shock. I took off my seatbelt and
Steve Marshall checking out the status of the victims.
grabbed the car seat right away. We were
stuck in the car for awhile trying to break
the mirror, trying to open doors. We got
freed on the passenger side,” Michelle
said. Someone opened the door.
Michelle is working as international
manager of Forever New, an Australianbased company operating in Lower
Mainland.
“I was in total shocked and went blank
after losing control of the wheel. I was
confident the weather is going to be a
good one,” says 30-year Brian. “I’m used
to driving commercial vehicle before in this
kind of weather but I didn’t have any idea
that this would happen.”
Steve and Luisa Marshall were cruising
Photo by Luisa Marshall
along on their way to Vancouver afte r two
successful shows in Kelowna when they
noticed something on the road. It didn’t
look normal. A vehicle was turned upside
down. Steve checked if the people were
alright.
According to Brian, “Steve was already
there when we finally came out of our
vehicle. He checked us right away if we’re
okay,” he said.
What floored Luisa and Steve was that
the first item out of the vehicle was a baby.
“It was really crazy,” Luisa said.
Brian, who works as recreational
therapist in Kitsilano asked Steve if they
can provide a warm place for the couple
and the baby to chill. It was frigid outside.
Steve brought the family right away to
their RV and hosted them there until the
paramedics arrived.
Since the couple won’t be able to drive
their vehicle as it was in total wreck, Steve
and wife Luisa Marshall arranged a booking
for an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. The
local RCMP warned them conditions will
deteriorate at nightfall.
The generous couple then drove the
family to their home in Surrey. They also
treated them for lunch the following day.
“I’m so thankful to Steve and Luisa for
their kindness and generosity,” says Brian.
Michelle later on expressed her
gratitude to all the Good Samaritans who
stopped by and help them through. She
posted in her Facebook account:
“To Steve and Luisa, thank you for
everything and even with this disaster, it
turned around into meeting amazing and
beautiful people like you. You are God sent.
May God repay you for all that you have
done for us and so much more,” she said.
From left: Steve Marshall, Brian Esteras, Michelle Esteras,
Luisa Marshall and baby Shiloh.
3,670 Filipino workers to be sent home
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Government data shows that Ontario,
Alberta and British Columbia account
for 80 percent of temporary foreign workers
coming to Canada.
According to Canada's budget watchdog, there isn't enough information about
temporary foreign workers, noting the
dearth of data makes it difficult to assess
the impact these workers have on the
economy although they represent only 1.8
percent of Canada’s work force.
Economist Jean-Denis Fréchette's,
Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer,
echoed concerns raised by Opposition
critic Jinny Sims in the case of temporary foreign software engineers hired at
Facebook’s Vancouver office. They have
all left.
Fréchette earlier released a report
showing the number of temporary foreign
workers in Canada jumped by more than
200,000 in a decade -- rising from 101,098
to 338,221 between 2002 and 2012.
He noted, however, that the government did not list the skills of nearly half or
about 154,000 -- of those foreign workers
in Canada in 2012. As a result, he could
not determine what job positions they held,
the report said.
In the case of Alberta, however, Jason
Kenny, former immigration minister who
was recently appointed to the defense
portfolio, assured temporary foreign workers there they will be given a one-year
bridging permits to allow them to apply
for permanent residency or apply in other
categories or streams that will allow them
to stay.
“About 65 percent of the estimated
number of affected TFWs comes from the
“My fear is that people will go
under- ground. Some may seek
sanctuary in churches. It has
happened before. It could happen
again. People will be moving out
of the province to another where
they are not known. They will be
forced to work under- ground,”
Alejandria said.
province of Alberta, where a number are
expected to avail themselves of the oneyear reprieve in the form of bridging work
permits granted for Alberta-based TFWs by
the federal government,” Philippine Consul
General Neil Ferrer said.
No such bridging permit applies to
Ontario or British Columbia.
Migrante B.C. community worker Leo
Alejandria said that there are a substantial
number of Filipinos whose contracts will
expire. They do not want to go home as
there are no comparable economic opportunity to provide for their family once they
are back home.
“My fear is that people will go underground. Some may seek sanctuary in
churches. It has happened before. It could
happen again. People will be moving out of
the province to another where they are not
known. They will be forced to work underground,” Alejandria said.
Reynold Esteban came to British
Columbia as chicken catcher under the
TFW program in 2011. Catching the dream
of staying in Canada, however, along with
an estimated 154,000 other TFW is turning into a real nightmare as the new rule
take effect.
Esteban is currently waiting for his
labour market impact assessment (LMIA)
under his new role as a dairy farm supervisor. Hoping for a positive result, he plans
to apply as permanent resident under
the Provincial Nominee Program through
Express Entry. If he gets a negative
result, Esteban said he will return home
to Cagayan Valley where his wife and two
kids live.
Labour lawyer Rene-John Nicolas said
that foreign workers have other avenues
they can avail to stay in Canada. They can
either apply through the provincial nominee
program or the Canadian Class Experience
program.
“If they are qualified to get a permanent residency, they should access it on
an expedited basis. If they don’t obtain a
permanent residency or maintain their status, it would be really difficult for them.”
Nicolas said.
Rubber processing supervisor Rey
Gonzales is currently on an implied status.
He has been in Alberta for a total of 7 years.
His last four years was affected by the “4-in
4-out” rule. He has applied for a restoration
of status before his work permit expired.
Restoration, however, will not allow him
to work while waiting for a new work permit
to be released.
Gonzales hopes that a restoration of
status is granted. He already has a positive
LMIA. If refused, however, Gonzales have
no choice but to go back to the Philippines.
“If there is an application pending, for
the most part, they have an implied status;
it will allow them to maintain their ability
to stay here. However, if they don’t have a
pending application, there is a possibility
that they will overstay. If you’re expected
to leave the c ountry on a certain date and
don’t abide by that order, there will be a
repercussion.” Nicolas added.
According to Alejandria, Migrante B.C.
is compiling a list of institution and legal
service providers that can give legal assistance to Filipino temporary workers.
“We don’t want them to be left hanging in the dark and not knowing what to
do. It is difficult to become a burden. The
temporary foreign workers can help build
a better economy.” Alejandria said.
A report done by Canadian Federation
of Independent Business (CFIB) shows
how essential the foreign workers are to
Canada’s economy. CFIB appealed for a
stronger solution to chronic labour shortages of entry-level workers by replacing TFW program with the proposed
Introduction to Canada Visa. The proposal
hopes to address the shortages experienced by small businesses. It also provides a clear path to permanent residency
for foreign workers.
“It looks like Canada’s Conservative
government don’t seem to see it that way
as they refuse to open a pathway for permanent residency. There will be a lot of
Filipinos who will be repatriated. Others
will probably overstay,” Alejandria said.
Consul General Ferrer confirmed
that his office is working closely with the
Philippine Embassy in Ottawa in making
representations with federal and provincial
authorities on TFWs concerns.
The Consulate has programmed a total
of 19 consular outreach services in Alberta
and British Columbia for this year and
stands ready to extend appropriate assistance to affected Filipino TFWs, including
guidance on how to avail themselves of
reintegration programs and other forms of
assistance available to returning OFWs in
the Philippines.