November 20, 2022 by Loren Balisky
Background In the Summer/Fall of 2022, Canada’s Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, with partner agencies and people with lived immigration detention experience, successfully campaigned for four provinces to end their contracts with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for immigration … Continue reading
October 11, 2022 by Loren Balisky
When Maria arrived in Canada seeking refugee protection from persecution in her country, she knew little about Canada’s refugee protection process or how to begin to make a refugee claim. She knew she had temporary safety, but didn’t know who … Continue reading
September 18, 2022 by Loren Balisky
I first met Layne in 1999. My partner Tama and I had recently launched the Kinbrace community and I was looking for mentors. I’d heard about Layne, this Baptist pastor who had, by then, served as a decision-maker Member with … Continue reading
June 10, 2022 by Loren Balisky
Ashki Shkur arrived in Canada in 2017, was student council president at Britannia Secondary School 2021-2022, and is now heading to UBC on a full $80,000 scholarship. So proud of this young woman! Thanks to you—if you are a Kinbrace … Continue reading
April 5, 2022 by Loren Balisky
Feeling the inadequacy and frustration of the humanitarian, charitable, and organizational approaches to welcoming refugee claimants, the Kinbrace community asked the question: “What would a values-based, human-centred, and transformational welcome for and with people seeking refuge and protection in Canada … Continue reading
March 23, 2022 by Loren Balisky
The harm inflicted on Ukraine by Russia is horrific. And it is deeply impacting Ukraine’s people who are fleeing for safety by the millions into neighbouring countries and beyond. We need to do everything we can to help. As we … Continue reading
March 22, 2022 by Loren Balisky
The harm inflicted on Ukraine by Russia is horrific. And it is deeply impacting Ukraine’s people who are fleeing for safety by the millions into neighbouring countries and beyond. We need to do everything we can to help. As we … Continue reading
July 23, 2020 by Loren Balisky
These are the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about refugee claimants and the Kinbrace community amid the ongoing pandemic. The Canada-USA border is closed. How is this affecting the number of people making claims for refugee protection in Canada? The … Continue reading
May 4, 2020 by Loren Balisky
My eyes well-up with tears when loss and unexpected love intermingle. It’s happened several times to me during this pandemic. Perhaps you’ve experienced the same. Most recently for me, at last Tuesday’s weekly Kinbrace community meeting where residents hosted a … Continue reading
April 7, 2020 by Loren Balisky
Suspending Tuesday dinners for COVID-19 in mid-March felt apocalyptic, the end of the world as we knew it. Weekly meals in this community of welcome for people seeking refugee protection started in 1998 around our family dining table. These meals … Continue reading