New Board of Directors
As of January 2011, CCESO’s new Board of Directors are:
Bong Castro
Stephanie Sarile
Mila Tabugsoc
Mildred Emolaga
PJ Alafriz
Erna Irorita
Leony Canay
Armi Crucero
Advisory
Martha Ocampo
Genie Policarpio
Eli Bisenio
Allen Fabro
Anita Fortuno
Coco Diaz
1st Annual General Meeting
Join us for CCESO’s First Annual General Meeting
on December 11th , 2010
11:00 am
51 Clarkson Ave. (North of Eglinton Ave West. @ corner of Caledonia & Clarkson Ave.)
Free Legal Clinic - Oct 30, 2010
Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization (CCESO) invites you to attend a FREE LEGAL CLINIC with Mac Scott, an Immigration Lawyer whose expertise includes Live-in Caregivers and Non-Status Individuals.
Mac Scott will answer questions on your immigration status, labour problems, conflicting issues on your marriage or marital status, misrepresentations, etc.
Join us for this FREE LEGAL CLINIC. Refreshments will be provided.
Date: October 30, 2010
Time: 1 pm to 4 pm
Place: 51 Clarkson Ave. Toronto, On
Located at the corner of Caledonia Road and Clarkson Avenue, three blocks north of Eglinton Avenue West.
Q: Can I be fired if I am pregnant?
QUESTION: I arrived in Canada last month under the LCP and I am two months pregnant. My employer is unaware of my situation, can my employment be terminated?
ANSWER: You cannot be fired because you are pregnant. That would be in violation of the Employment Standards Act.
As a live-in caregiver, there are chores that you may be expected to perform that may be difficult and affect your pregnancy. You need to consult a doctor immediately and have a medical check-up.
Since you have been in Ontario for less than 3 months, you do not have medical coverage under OHIP.
If you need medical referrals, information about financial assistance, or advice on how to discuss the situation with your employer, please contact a CCESO counsellor at 416-656-5778.
Q: How do I deal with a deportation order?
QUESTION: While I was still in the Live-in Caregiver Program, I fell in love with someone and gave birth to a son. My partner and I broke up and he vanished along with his promises of marriage and spousal sponsorship. I am left without valid immigration status and I need to provide for our child on my own.
I received a deportation order from Citizenship & Immigration (CIC). They advised me to apply for a Canadian passport for my child or else I will be sent home without him. What should I do?
ANSWER: For “humanitarian reasons” CIC does not want your child to be separated from you. If your son has a Canadian passport, he can travel with you to your country of origin and he can return to Canada anytime as a Canadian-born citizen.
You need to consult an immigration lawyer immediately regarding your situation.
Please call a CCESO counsellor at 416-656-5778. We can help you find the nearest Legal Aid office in your area.
Future Folk
Sunday May 2, 2010
Future Folk
By Sulong Theatre Collective
Sunday May 2, 2:00 pm, $5-$10 sliding scale
Fixt Point Studio, 1550 Queen Street West
Over the course of 45 minutes, the play Future Folk will allow the audience to live through the 24 months of service required by Filipino ‘nannies’ under Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
Dedicated to the development of the Filipino-Canadian artistic community, Sulong Theatre Collective, consisting of Karen Ancheta, Aura Carcueva, Romeo Candido, and Catherine Hernandez, has created a jaw-dropping, heart-breaking play about the strength and dignity of female caregivers under the notorious LCP. Using traditional Filipino folk elements such as dance and music, the lives of these remarkable women come alive with every foot stomp and every chant. All it takes are three malong (traditional, hand-woven skirt), four of the most talented Filipino artists in the city and thousands of years of tradition.
The play will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Martha Ocampo, founding member of Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization (CCESO) and with panelists Filipina Aldaba from the Independent Workers Association, Pura Velsco, a former domestic worker and organizer with the Caregiver Action Centre and Nancy Prieto of Migrante.
CCESO supports the April 9th book launch of
“Garden Behind Bars: The Diary and Letters of Angie B. Ipong”
“To see the light and the dawning of a new day …
The bright hope that someday we’ll be free.
Free to continue the task that we have started,
Free to touch the heart of the downtrodden,
Free to teach our children and learn from them,
To find meaning in these prison walls,
To keep on the fight to the very end.”
- Angie, Pagadian City Jail
Q: What are the new requirements for the Live-in Caregiver Program?
Effective April 1, 2010, all employers applying for a Labour Market Opinion under the Live-in Caregiver Program and wishing to hire foreign live-in caregivers must meet the following requirements:
