1ST ANNUAL AFCA-BC INDUCTION BALL
Januuary 5, 2009   Vancouver, BC
The Association of Filipino-Canadian Accountants in BC will be holding its First Annual Association Induction Ball on February 21, 2009 from 6:00 pm to 12:00 midnite at the St. Patrick's Parish Ball, located at 2881 Main Street, Vancouver, BC.  Tickets cost $30.00 each which includes dinner and dance.   Sponsorships are also available at $25, $50, $100 for quarter page, half-page and full page ads on the AFCA-BC Souvenir Program.  For ticket reservations and sponsorship ads, please contact Meliton Cruz at Tel. 604-590-2006.  (Note: AFCA-BC is the BC chapter of NCPACA- National Council of Phililippine American and Canadian Accountants. This non-profit organization aims to provide mentioring opportunities amongst members and to help new Filipino-Canadian immigrant accountants integrate into the Canadian workforce).  For more information about the organization, go to www.afca-bc.org


Free Summer Classes for BC students

May 21, 2008 Vancouver, BC.  
BC students are rushing to register for free summer classes offered by the local schools.  Schools have always offered summer classes in the past, charging fees in return.  However, a 2006 court decision prohibits schools from charging fees for classes that are part of the graduation curriculum.    In July of 2007, Shirley Bond, education minister issued the policy change prompting for refund of fees for registrants who have already paid.   Summer classes can include ESL (English as second language), creative writing, music, sports, drama, etc.  Other summer classes are preview courses that offers students a headstart in the new school year.  Some classes are full credit courses for students who want to lessen the course loads during a normal school year by taking some of the classes during the summer.
 

Professional Development Workshop went smoothly for the infant organization AFCA-BC
 
May 17, 2008 Vancouver, BC.  
It took a lot of planning and coordination, and in the end, it all paid off.  Under the able leadership of the organization's president, Thelma Siglos, AFCA-BC put together a workshop packed with powerful keynote speakers who truly delivered.  This is no small accomplishment for an organization barely six months old from the day of conception.  Over 50 participants attended the workshop, 25 of which came all the way from Seattle. 

(photo on left) Thelma Siglos, President AFCA-BC

Technical topics  including "Computer Security and Networking" by Jude Silverio and "Warning Signs of Fraud" by Meredith Yu were presented in the morning, while participants are still fresh and alert.  Then comes a lunch buffet of baked salmon, broiled chicken, roast beef complete with rice, pasta, baked potatoes, green salad, pasta salad, potato salad and a whole array of dessert.  The afternoon speakers dealt with the softer business skills and issues.  Irene Ongkeko talked about "Doing business in the Philippines".  A short presentation by Sunny Parwar of First Canadian Barter Exchange on "Doing Business using Barter" was an add-on bonus, followed by "Managing your Career" jointly presented by Monica Murray and Sonia Jensen of Higher Resources. 




The sessions were interspersed with Questions and Answers periods which made the workshop lively with participation.  Monica Murray and Sonia Jensen provided some networking exercises involving interaction between participants.    Bt the end of the session, everyone's not only wiser and smarter, but also made new friends and got more intimate with each other.

Thelma Siglos graciously acknowledged the contributions of the council members instrumental in founding the organization.  Cecil Sanchez, VP,  who generously hosted council meetings at his home while Mel Cruz, in addition to being the treasurer, opened up his home to accommodate some Seattle participants.  On behalf of the association, she thanked Tess Martires, the chairperson for the membership committee for recruiting several new members to the organization;  to Vance Noriega for his vision, his encouragement, support and liason with the Seattle chapter of FAACPA,  and to Shirley Shannon, chairperson for the PD committee for working out the workshop logistics. 

The support of FACCPA was certainly not forgotten, and for the first time, AFCA-BC members got to meet Zeny Quitlong, president of FAACPA- Seatte.  Zeny introduced the council members of the Seattle chapter, and invited everyone from AFCA-BC to the coming October PD workshop that FAACPA is sponsoring.

The evaluation surveys collected at the end of the workshop gave high marks for the speakers and the chosen topics.  Cheers Restaurant was also commended for their good service, and good food.  Several participants all agreed that a similar workshop run by other professional organizations could easily cost $500 for the participant.  The only complaint was.... "it got a little too hot by about late afternoon". - this complaint voiced by 2 out of 50 participants.  Hey, if that's the only complaint, it ain't bad after all.  Congratulations to you all... AFCA-BC!!!!!

photo (c) Angelo Siglos Group photo taken at Cheers Restaurant
May 17, 2008  Spring 2008 Professional Development Workshop participants
 

Canada to welcome up to 2,000 Iraqi Refugees for 2008

Posted March 20, 2008

VANCOUVER, BC - As the world marks the 5th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, Diane Finley, Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister announces on Wednesday, March 19, that it will double the number of Iraqi refugees admitted to the country.  Canada resettled 900 Iraqi refugees for 2007.  It is estimating to resettle between 1,800 to 2,000 Iraqi refugees for 2008. 

photo shows Iraqi refugees in Jordan.
Canada is also increasing its Middle East resettlement target to 3,300 this year, up 54% from last year.

Every year, 19 countries resettle about 100,000 refugees, of which Canada resettles about 10,000 to 20,000 refugees from 70 different nationalities.

Canada has a long standing tradition of providing protection to the refugees that are most in need.  Ever since the Iraqi conflict started in 2003, more than 2,000,000 (2 million) Iraqi refugees fled to neighbouring countries including Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

City Councillor to seek Vision Vancouver nomination

Posted March 16, 2008

VANCOUVER, BC – City councillor Raymond Louie celebrated the launch of his campaign to become mayor of Vancouver with an over-capacity crowd at the Jade Dynasty Restaurant today.
“I believe Vancouver should be a city where everyone has a chance to succeed,” said Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Raymond Louie.
“But in Vancouver today, our citizens are facing challenges – challenges securing affordable housing, accessing convenient transportation options, and feeling safe from crime in their neighbourhoods,” said Louie. “We simply must do better. That is why I have decided to seek the nomination to be Vision Vancouver’s mayoral candidate.”
Louie’s cited a lack of leadership at city hall, the NPA’s dismal record, and a need for greater community involvement in civic life as his reasons for running for mayor.
“My record has shown I will take action on important civic issues like housing, transportation and community safety,” said Louie. “Together, we can create a city that works for everyone.”
Community leaders from the South Asian, Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, business, and labour communities gathered in Chinatown for the celebration. The crowd also crossed political lines with both Liberals and New Democrats pledging their support.

Louie cited his diverse support as the reason for his success saying, “it is because of all of you I am where I am today. And it will be because of you that I am going to become Mayor of Vancouver this November.”
The campaign’s website – raymondlouie.ca – also went live today. The website includes background information on Louie, as well as translations in five languages.

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News Release Posted March 5, 2008 Canada's Top 100 Employers Competition.  Launched in 2007, the Best Employers for New Canadians competition is a new national awards competition presented by Mediacorp Canada, editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers, in partnership with TRIEC (The Toronto Region Immigrant Employer Council) This special designation recognizes the employers with the best initiatives and programs to assist recent immigrants to Canada. These employers offer leading programs to assist new Canadians in making the transition to a new workplace – and a new life in Canada. The competition attracts an average of 200 entries.  It does not charge an entry fee, and offers no financial rewards.  Applicants simply fill out an entry form to be considered.    One of the criteria is how employers are adapting to the changes in today's workforce, with the growth of labour force coming from new Canadians.  Previous winners include CAE, and Providence Health Care, who both were named one of Canada's top 20 employers of New Canadians.                           ***********************

News Release Posted March 4, 2008 SUCCESS Employment Services has recently moved into its new premises at the Royal City Centre at Room 217, 610 6th Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3C2.  They have 2 programs offered from these premises.  1.  Experience for Hire for 45+ clients 2.  Professional & Technical Individuals (immigrants included) For more information, please contact: Mumtaz Patel Employment Consultant Pro-Tech Career Connect Success Employment Services Tele:-  604-524-2100 Extn 107 Email: mumtaz.patel@success.bc.ca Web Site: www.success.bc.ca                           ***********************

News Release Posted March 3, 2008 AFCA-BC Association of Filipino Canadian Accountants - BC Chapter, in conjunction with the FAACPA Seattle Chapter (Filipino American Association of Certified Public Accountants) jointly sponsors a Spring Professional Development Workshop for accountants based in BC and Seattle.  The workshop will run on May 17, 2008 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.  Registration starts at 8:30 am.  The event is to be held at Cheers Restaurant, on East 2nd Street, North Vancouver, BC.  For more information: email:  info@afca-bc.org or visit the website www.afca-bc.org.   For those who are seeking PD points, this will be a good chance to gather PD points as well as network with fellow accountants.                           *********************** Home   Immigrant Stories  Resources   Education   Relationships  Travel   Advertise with us     Contact us   Copyrights 2007-2009  TML