A26 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY December 16 - 31 , 2016

By Editha Corrales Nelson Immigration Consultant , Notary Public , Mediation / Arbitrator

Canada has introduced a new entry requirement , known as an eTA , for visaexempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada by air . Exceptions include U . S . citizens and travellers with a valid visa . Entry requirements for other methods of travel ( land , sea ) have not changed .

This new “ registry ” system called eTA ( Electronic Travel Authorisation ), which will become mandatory on 15 March 2016 , and costs $ 7 CAD ( per person ). Any person who is from a non- Visa required country and who is flying into Canada , must be able to present an eTA approval document in order to be admitted into Canada . It is important to note that an eTA must be completed for each family member who is flying into Canada irrespective of age or dependency . There are exceptions to the eTA program , such as : US citizens ; visitors , students or workers who seek to re-enter Canada after solely visiting the USA and returning to Canada before the expiry of their current CIC document ; diplomatic passport holders , etc .

A foreign national can apply online to obtain an eTA that is valid for 5 years . The eTA is linked to the foreign national ’ s passport , and thus , if the foreign national loses his / her passport or if it is lost or stolen , then a new eTA must be obtained .

The online service requires the foreign national to have a valid passport , credit card and email address . The foreign national will need to go online and fill out the form which asks for basic

information ( name , date of birth , passport details , etc .). The form also asks the foreign national for the following details :

Preferred language of communication with Citizenship and Immigration Canada ( English or French ); Marital status ; Whether the foreign national has multiple citizenships or permanent resident status in another country ;

How much money the foreign national will be travelling with ;

Job title , occupation and the employer ’ s name and address ;

Whether the foreign national has been denied entry into any country , including Canada ;

Whether the foreign national has ever been charged with or been convicted of a crime ; Health questions ; The reason for coming to Canada .

Generally , the eTA application will be approved within minutes , but there are instances where CIC requires more time . In those cases , CIC will send the applicant email correspondence ( within 3 days ) which outlines the next steps . As the program develops , eTA processing times will be posted on the CIC website ( www . cic . gc . ca ).

If the person is a Canadian Permanent Resident then he / she does not need an eTA .

*** strictly taken from CIC website and Imeda Education Alliance A Canadian Certified Immigration Consultant , Certified Senior Advisor and a Notary Public in the City of Burnaby , Editha

Corrales Nelson ’ s preferred areas of practice are Powers of Attorney , Wills Preparation , International Legal Documents , Name Changes , Affidavits , Letters of Invitation , Statutory Declarations , Drafting of Business Contracts and other notarial services . For an appointment , please call : 604-777-2757 .

The following should not be construed as providing legal advice and information in this column is intended only as a general guide and should not be applied to specific circumstances without further consultation . For more information on the subject , contact Editha Corrales Nelson at 604-777- 2757 or email : corrales @ shaw . ca .

SURREY – Fraser Health is implementing temporary overdose prevention services in Langley ,

Abbotsford and Maple Ridge today , recognizing the need to act quickly to respond to the ongoing public health emergency and to respond to the negative impacts of cold weather on our vulnerable populations . The decision follows the Minister of Health ’ s extraordinary measure to support the creation of overdose prevention services .

“ The need to act quickly in the face of the ongoing elevated overdose numbers is paramount ,” said Health Minister Terry Lake . “ Overdose prevention services help save lives by ensuring people with the skills to respond are in close proximity in the event an overdose happens .”

In addition to the enhanced emergency measures that were implemented in Surrey

last week , Fraser Health has selected four new temporary locations following a careful analysis of overdose data to determine the communities where the need is greatest at this time . Fraser Health will continue with feasibility assessments for permanent supervised consumption services ( SCS ) in high risk communities but currently has no immediate plans to implement additional SCS other than the two proposed locations in Surrey .

Overdose prevention services include emergency health resources and outreach personnel to prevent and reverse overdoses and to get people out of the cold weather . These services will be available at existing high risk settings such as shelters , and on an outreach basis to monitor and observe people at risk for overdose and respond immediately to health concerns . There will be no supervision of illicit drug consumption . This is an emergency strategy in locations where injections and overdose risk already exist .

Between January and November of this year , there have been 24 overdose deaths in Langley , 32 in Abbotsford , 25 in Maple Ridge , and 92 in Surrey .

“ These emergency measures are essential for our at-risk populations to be monitored and treated if they overdose ,” said Fraser Health chief medical health officer Dr . Victoria Lee . “ The services are part of our ongoing strategy to respond to the overdose crisis with data-driven and evidencebased approaches to caring for people who use substances .”

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supervised consumption services , and the expansion of opioid substitution treatment in Surrey , Abbotsford and Maple Ridge . We have also opened dozens of substance use beds in our region over the last 18 months , and we are on track to open another 100 beds in 2017 . We are working to embed opioid substitution treatment into residential substance use disorder services and , across our region , we have 56 sites equipped to distribute Take Home Naloxone , including all of our Emergency Departments and Public Health units . We have also developed and implemented a safe prescription policy for opioids in all Emergency Departments across the region .

Fraser Health is working closely with community partners including the BC Emergency Health Services , St . John ’ s Ambulance , the Salvation Army , RainCity Housing and Support Society ,

Lookout Emergency Aid Society and RCMP . For more information on Fraser Health ’ s overdose response , please visit our Overdose Hub online .

Under the task force , the Province launched a broad campaign to alert people of how to prevent , identify and respond to overdoses . It is also investing in research , education and training through the new B . C . Centre on Substance Use to make sure addiction treatment is effective and evidence-based . Ongoing work to support and treat British Columbians with substance use issues is also a key part of the province ’ s response . Government is committed to meeting the goal of opening 500 new substance use treatment beds in 2017 . In the past two years , more than 220 new beds have been opened as part of this commitment to provide better access to appropriate substance use supports .