Caregiver Connections

Join Caregiver Connections, Education and Support Organization...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:53:27 -0500

Join Caregiver Connections, Education and Support Organization on International Women’s Day

Saturday March 6, 2010

Rally 11 am, OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor St. West

March begins at 1 pm

Fair 1:30 pm at Ryerson University, 55 Gould St.

Visit Facebook page

Annual General Meeting

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Join us for CCESO’s 2nd Annual AGM

on Saturday December 10, 2011

Location: Parkdale Project Read (at King & Dufferin)

Address: 1209 King Street West, Unit 2 (next to Subway Restaurant)

Click here for map

Call 416-656-5778 for more info!

Join us for the CCESO Costume Party Saturday November 5, 2011at...

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0400

Join us for the CCESO Costume Party

Saturday November 5, 2011
at Cecil Community Center, 58 Cecil St. [map]

Doors open @ 6:00 pm
Dinner served from 7:00-8:30 pm

$20 per ticket. Call 416-656-5778 or contact a CCESO Board member for more info.

Win a prize for Best Costume!

CCESO Newsletters

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:05:00 -0400

FREE DOWNLOAD

Join us for an Apple Picking Trip on Saturday October 15,...

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:15:00 -0400

Join us for an Apple Picking Trip on Saturday October 15, 2011

Call 416-656-5778 or contact a CCESO Board member for more info!

The Learning (film) by Ramona Diaz was shown in Toronto at the...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:26:00 -0400

The Learning (film) by Ramona Diaz was shown in Toronto at the Kapisanan Centre in August 2011. Click here to watch trailer

Info Session - Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:25:00 -0400

Are you a Caregiver seeking assistance?

Are you confused and looking for answers concerning:

o New Immigration policies on the Live-In Caregiver Program
o How to sponsor your family-/husband,/parents
o What is the so-called “misrepresentation”?
o How to deal with oppressive employer
o Unfair job termination
o Running out of time to complete the 24 months pre-requisite to apply for Open Work Permit and Permanent Residency

CCESO is inviting you:

What: Free information session
When: Saturday September 24, 2011, 1 pm

Where: Cecil Community Centre (58 Cecil St.) CLICK HERE FOR MAP

By TTC: Take #510 streetcar from Spadina Subway Station and get off at Nassau St. Cecil Street is on the other side of Spadina Road across Nassau St.

Two counsellors will be in attendance to answer your questions and issues of concerns regarding the Live-in Caregiver Program.

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For more information call (416) 656-5778

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Come all and bring your friends and questions!!!

Q: What are my sponsorship options?

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:20:00 -0400

QUESTION: I worked with my employer for 11 months since I arrived in Canada under the LCP (Live-in Caregiver Program) in June 20, 2009.

I am now separated from my husband and our children, ages 6 and 8 years old. They live with him in my country of origin.

My husband has informed me that he will not allow our children to travel to Canada to be reunited with me because he was the one who has been providing care for them since I left to work overseas 5 years ago.

Is it possible to not include my children in my application for permanent residence and sponsor them later when they are adults and can decide for themselves?

ANSWER: Yes, you can choose to not include your dependent children in your application for permanent residence now but you have to declare them.

They will not be processed for permanent residence but they will be required to undergo medical checkup and maybe asked to submit some documents as proof of your relationship to them.

However, if you do not declare your children in your application, you will not be able to sponsor them in the future. According to CIC regulation: ‘anybody who was not declared and did not comply with the requirements as a dependent or family member by principal applicant during his/her application for permanent residence cannot be sponsored in the future’.

You may want to talk with your husband and try to convince him to allow your children to comply with requirements of the Canadian Visa office in your country of origin.

You could explain that if your children come to Canada under your sponsorship, that your children could sponsor him as a parent in the future.

If your husband does allow your children to undergo processing, this could cause delay in your approval for permanent residence.

For more detailed information and options, please make an appointment to see a Settlement Counsellor at Caregiver’s Connections Education and Support Organization. Call 416-656-5778.

Upcoming CCESO Events

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:01:00 -0400

August-to-September 2011

Saturday August 20, 2011 - Pot-Luck Picnic, Earl Bales Park (10am-5pm)

Saturday September 24, 2011 - Caregiver Information Session

Saturday October 15, 2011 - Apple Picking Trip

Friday November 4, 2011 - CCESO Costume Party & Dance

Saturday December 10, 2011 - CCESO’s 2nd Annual General Meeting

We have not had a chance to update our website in awhile but...

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

March 2011 - International Women's Day

2011 Planning Meeting

First Aid Training Session

First Aid Training Session

First Aid Training Session

Spring 2011 Dance

Spring 2011 Dance

Summer 2011 Cherry Picking Trip

Summer 2011 Cherry Picking Trip

We have not had a chance to update our website in awhile but here are some photos to show you some of the activities CCESO has been busy with in 2011!

(click on image for slideshow)

New Board of Directors

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

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

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:54:52 -0500

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

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:59:00 -0400

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.

Click here for map

Q: Can I be fired if I am pregnant?

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:46:00 -0400

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?

Sat, 22 May 2010 11:38:00 -0400

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

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

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.

- from Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts

Saturday, May 1, 2010 is International Workers’ Day See http://may-1.org/ for details.

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:30:00 -0400

Saturday, May 1, 2010 is International Workers’ Day

See http://may-1.org/ for details.

CCESO supports the April 9th book launch of “Garden Behind...

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

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

Click here for more information

Q: What are the new requirements for the Live-in Caregiver Program?

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:53:00 -0400

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:

The employer must:

• Pay for the caregiver’s health insurance at no cost to the caregiver until he/she becomes eligible for provincial health insurance.

• Enroll the live-in caregiver in provincial workplace safety insurance (also known as workers’ compensation) or equivalent insurance if the former is not available.

• Pay for the services, fees and costs of a recruitment or third party agency if you are using one for recruiting the caregiver. Employers are not permitted to recoup recruitment fees from live-in caregivers.

• Pay for transportation costs for the caregiver to travel from the caregiver’s country of permanent residence to the location of work in Canada (where caregiving will take place). Or if the caregiver is already in Canada, pay the transportation,costs for the caregiver to travel to the new place of work in Canada.

• Submit to HRSDC/Service Canada an employment contract with the Labour Market Opinion application to hire a foreign live-in caregiver. The employment contract must include the duration of the contract, duties of the position, wages, hours of work (including overtime, holidays, and sick leave as per provincial legislation), accommodation arrangements, as per provincial and municipal standards; transportation costs and arrangements; health insurance coverage; terms of resignation and termination; registration for provincial workplace safety coverage.

The employer must also:

• Keep records of the number of regular and overtime hours the live-in caregiver has worked for you on a weekly/monthly basis. The caregiver will need this information for their application for permanent residency.

Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

For more information, call Caregiver Connections at 416-656-5778