Alice Wong, MP

By providing funding to non-profit organizations, the New Horizons for Seniors Program helps to ensure that seniors can benefit from, and contribute to, the quality of life in their communities, through active living and participation in social activities.

The program funds projects that help improve the quality of life for seniors and their communities – from enabling seniors to share their knowledge, wisdom and experiences with others, to improving facilities for seniors’ programs and activities, to raising awareness of elder abuse.

There are three kinds of funding: Community Participation and Leadership, Capital Assistance, and Elder Abuse Awareness.

For Capital Assistance Funding, grants of up to $25,000 are available for upgrading community facilities and equipment related to existing programs and activities for seniors. Deadline: October 8, 2010.

Please visit Capital Assistance Funding for further details on how to file for a grant.

August 27, 2010
STATEMENT OF CONDOLENCES

RICHMOND – Alice Wong, MP for Richmond has the following statement, concerning the deaths of Canadians Ken, Jessie and Doris Leung, and the injuries of Jason Leung and Mrs. Amy Ng [Leung] in Manila, Philippines:

“I would like to express my condolences to the Leung family and all the victims on this very tragic incident. I have contacted the Canadian embassy at Manila and the Canadian Consulate in Hong Kong, and can confirm that they have offered assistance to the family. I have also offered to make a personal visit to the surviving members of the family, but the family has requested privacy. Also due to privacy concerns, no further details can be released.

On behalf of Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney, I have signed the book of condolences.

I implore the Philippine government to be vigilant and extensive in its investigation on this tragic matter, and implement the changes that will enhance the protection of foreigners, including Canadians, in their country.

It is my sincerest wish that the wounded and surviving members of the Leung family have a speedy physical recovery, but it is unfortunate that the emotional wounds from this tragic incident will remain with them for their lives.”

Attached to the release are two pictures: One of MP Wong signing the book of condolences, and one with the message she wrote in the book, which states:

“On behalf of the Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism, we would like to send our deepest condolences to all the families and individuals who were in the terrible tragedy in Manila. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you especially those who lost their loved ones. [We wish] a rapid recovery to those who were wounded. Canadians are all with you at this difficult time.”

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This is a follow-up to the April 2009 announcement concerning the federal government’s contribution to a new interchange at Highway 91 and Nelson Road in Richmond. The contract has been awarded, and the work is required to be completed before March 31, 2011 to qualify for federal funds.

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August 25, 2010
Farmers Will Benefit From New Interchange

RICHMOND – A new Highway 91 interchange will move trucks off Westminster Highway and provide direct access to the Fraser Port industrial area, easing traffic for farmers and moving goods to their destinations quicker.

“As Richmond grows, it’s essential we keep up with infrastructure and economic demands,” says Richmond East MLA Linda Reid. “Providing direct access from Highway 91 to the Fraser Port industrial area for truck traffic and easing congestion on Westminster Highway means goods get where they need to go and commuters spend more time at home than on the road.”

“The Economic Action Plan continues to work for Richmond,” says Richmond MP Alice Wong. “With the Nelson Road Interchange, we will be able to transport goods to and from the Fraser Port more efficiently. This is another incremental step in improving our road network for both commuters and truckers.”

The project involves the construction of a partial interchange connecting Highway 91 eastbound to Nelson Road southbound, and Nelson Road northbound to Highway 91 westbound. The new interchange will provide an alternate route for traffic using Westminster Highway from Richmond, Highway 99 and Knight Street to the Fraser Port industrial area.

Work is scheduled to begin in early September, with completion set for March 31, 2011, and will involve fast lane closures during construction. All lane closures during construction will happen at night to lessen the impact to the traveling public. Surrey’s Westpro Infrastructure Ltd. won the contract with a $7,932,728 bid.

Funding for this project is cost-shared between the federal and provincial governments, Port Metro Vancouver and the City of Richmond.

The federal contribution comes from the $4 billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which provides funding to provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure projects. Since March 2009, almost 400 projects have received a total federal investment of more than $490 million under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund across British Columbia.

Since October 2008, more than $5.3 billion in infrastructure projects have been announced throughout B.C., which are estimated to create more than 34,000 jobs over the life of the projects.

Our office received a copy of an invitation for a town hall meeting by a future candidate in the next general election. In light of the fact that the media was also sent copies of this invitation, the letter is attached here.

Our response, given last Monday, is the following:

Dear Mr. Peschisolido,

Thank you for the invitation to your town hall meeting. However, I do not feel that this is the proper forum to discuss this issue and so will politely decline your invitation.

Having said that, I certainly respect the fact that you are a constituent of Richmond, so if you would like to book a private meeting with me at my office I am more than happy to accommodate you. Please feel free to contact my staff and we can schedule a meeting at a mutually convenient date and time.

Sincerely,

Alice Wong, MP (Richmond)

Government of Canada Invites Funding Applications for Intercultural and Interfaith Events

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Aug. 11, 2010) – Inter-Action, Canada’s new Multiculturalism Grants and Contributions Program, is now accepting applications to fund events that promote interaction among cultural and religious communities, Senator Yonah Martin and Dr. Alice Wong, Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism, announced today on behalf of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

“The Government of Canada is acting to help individuals and communities build a strong, integrated society,” said Senator Martin. “Through Inter-Action, we will support activities that contribute to a deeper understanding of our shared Canadian values and civic pride.”

Activities eligible for funding through Inter-Action’s Events stream include:

* Community events celebrating the historic contributions of a particular ethnic, cultural or religious group, including events that support such initiatives as Asian Heritage Month and Black History Month;
* Youth events celebrating citizenship, organized by a coalition of ethnic, cultural or faith-based groups within a community;
* Sporting or musical events involving various ethnic, cultural or faith-based communities;
* Interfaith dialogues that bring together local representatives from Canada’s religious groups;
* Public education events that foster intercultural and interfaith understanding, civic memory, civic pride and respect for core democratic values

“We are looking for innovative proposals for events that will encourage interaction among cultural and faith communities,” Dr. Wong said. “Through Canada’s new Multiculturalism Grants and Contributions Program, we are investing in Canada’s future — a future that depends on intercultural understanding and equal opportunity for people of all cultures and faiths.”

For additional information about Inter-Action, including details on how to apply for funding, please visit CIC’s website.

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada

For more information, please contact
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Minister’s Office
Alykhan Velshi
or
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Communications Branch
Media Relations
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

The following is a press release from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration:

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Government of Canada supports Chinese-Canadian historical recognition project –
Multi-year initiative aims to preserve knowledge of Chinese-Canadian legacy

Vancouver, BC, August 9, 2010 – Citizenship and Immigration Canada will fund the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) efforts to preserve and share the history of Chinese-Canadians by various means, including archiving project materials prepared under the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP). Dr. Alice Wong, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and Member of Parliament for Richmond, made the announcement today.

“The Community Historical Recognition Program has funded many projects that tell the story of the Chinese community in Canada, and how it has persevered, thrived and contributed to the building of our country,” Dr. Wong said. “Now, through the UBC project, the community’s proud history will be preserved for the benefit of all Canadians.”

UBC will receive $900,000 for a 25-month project to gather all of the materials created or collected through other Chinese-Canadian CHRP projects. The project will create:

o A website on the history of the Chinese community in Canada;
o A digital archive, housed at UBC, accessible across Canada;
o Learning resources for students based on the archived projects;
o Three ‘Mobile Museum’ kiosks

“Through this project, we will ensure that all Canadians, now and into the future, have access to the work of those organizations that have completed historical recognition projects,” said Stephen Owen, UBC’s Vice President External, Legal and Community Relations. “We welcome the support of the Government of Canada toward UBC’s goals of promoting intercultural understanding and expanding knowledge through new technologies.”

“I urge all of the organizations who have participated in the program to work with UBC to ensure the success of this project,” added Parliamentary Secretary Wong.

Announced in June 2006 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and formally launched in May 2008 by Minister Kenney, the CHRP is a grants and contributions program that funds community commemorative and educational projects related to Canadian historical wartime measures and immigration restrictions. For more information about the program, please visit our website.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alykhan Velshi, Media Relations
Minister’s Office Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

As mentioned previously, the Standing Committee on Finance is taking submissions for the Budget 2011 consultation. The deadline is August 13, 2010, so please submit your comments in before this deadline.

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CANADIANS ARE INVITED TO SHARE THEIR PRIORITIES FOR THE 2011 FEDERAL BUDGET

Ottawa, June 17, 2010 -

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance is inviting Canadians to participate in its annual pre-budget consultation process. The 2010 consultations will result in a report to be tabled in the House of Commons in late fall 2010, and the suggestions by Canadians as well as the recommendations by the Committee will be considered by the Minister of Finance in the development of the 2011 federal budget.

“This year, like in previous years, Canadians are invited to participate in this very important process. The federal budget is important to all Canadians, and the suggestions received by the Committee during its annual pre-budget consultation process are a critically important contribution to the development of the budget. On behalf of all Committee members, I invite you to share your budget priorities with us,” said Mr. James Rajotte, M.P., Chair of the House Finance Committee.

Interested individuals and groups should submit a written brief not exceeding five pages, in either English or French, to the Committee Clerk no later than August 13, 2010. These briefs will be translated and distributed to Finance Committee members. Briefs can be submitted electronically to FINA@parl.gc.ca or can be mailed to:

Jean-François Pagé, Clerk
Standing Committee on Finance
6-14 131 Queen Street
House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Beginning in September, the Committee will hold hearings in Ottawa and in designated Canadian cities. For these hearings, an invitation will be extended by the Committee Clerk, on behalf of Committee members, to selected individuals and groups. Those invited to make a presentation to the Committee should expect to be contacted by the Committee Clerk no later than the last week of September.

In particular, the Committee anticipates that its schedule will be:

– Surrey, British Columbia: September 27, 2010
– Kamloops, British Columbia: September 28, 2010
– Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: September 29 and 30, 2010
– London, Ontario: October 18 and 19, 2010
– Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Québec: October 20, 2010
– Saint John’s, Newfoundland: October 21

Ottawa, July 30, 2010 – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement regarding the racist graffiti left in a Richmond, B.C., shopping mall parkade on July 21:

“Like many Canadians, I was saddened and appalled to learn about this act of vandalism targeting members of Canada’s Chinese community”, Minister Kenney said.

“In Canadian society, individuals are free, within the confines of our law and consistent with our traditions of democracy and freedom of expression, to speak their mind,” said The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety. “The scrawling of racial slurs, however, is a hateful and hurtful act of vandalism, and cannot be tolerated. Such a cowardly act of intimidation has absolutely no place in Canada”, Minister Toews added.

Alice Wong, Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism, added: “Ours is a harmonious society that embraces diversity and finds strength, stability and unity in the coming together of the many cultures and faiths of the world. Those who seek to disrupt the multicultural nature of our society through bigotry and intolerance must be denounced.”

“As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I call on all Canadians to reject intolerance. All forms of racism, bigotry and vandalism are unacceptable and completely contrary to Canada’s fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law”, Minister Kenney said.