Local News
Increase in allocations to Provincial Nominee Program likely to lead to influx of Israeli immigrants to Winnipeg
By BERNIE BELLAN From time to time we’ve had articles on this website that refer to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). If you’re not familiar with that program, here’s a summary of how it works:
Although the Federal government is ostensibly responsible for immigration to Canada, beginning in 1998, the Federal government (when the Minister of Immigration at that time was our own Lloyd Axworthy), allowed Manitoba to “nominate” a small number of individuals to immigrate to Manitoba, to fill labour needs in the province at that time.
Here is how the program first began, according to information on a Province of Manitoba website, and how it has developed since:
“Manitoba was the first province to launch a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in 1998. As a small province with few newcomers, it needed the PNP to promote itself as a destination of choice to skilled immigrants. Since then, Manitoba has been a tremendous immigration success story. Thanks to the Manitoba PNP, immigration has played a major role in Manitoba’s population, labour force, and economic growth.
“The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) was Canada’s first PNP. It became a permanent immigration program in 1998.
“The program launched to help grow the province’s economy through immigration, based on their economic and labour market needs.
“In its first year, the MPNP welcomed 418 new immigrants. Today, the province nominates more than 4,000 new immigrants through the program per year. (Ed. note: The information on the website where we obtained information about the PNP is now quite out of date. The province nominated 6,275 individuals as candidates for immigration under the program in 2021.)
“Manitoba has been very successful with the MPNP. In fact, without it, Manitoba’s GDP would be up to 30 per cent lower.
“Manitoba is also popular among newcomers. Having a friend or relative in Manitoba helps you to immigrate through the MPNP. In addition, over 90 per cent of provincial nominees get a job in their first year. The province’s retention rate is high with almost 90 per cent choosing to stay in the province.
“The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) seeks recent graduates, skilled workers, businesspeople and their families with the intention and ability to successfully settle and economically establish in Manitoba as permanent residents. Manitoba makes it easy to immigrate and settle in our province.
“The Skilled Workers Stream is locally driven and based on the needs of Manitoba employers. We select internationally trained and experienced workers who have the skills needed in the local labour market, and nominate them to receive Canadian permanent resident visas to settle and work in Manitoba.”
Under the program, prospective immigrants are granted “points” based upon various criteria that they meet. Points are given for skill levels, educational background, and whether they have family members already living in Manitoba.
In 2016 immigration consultant Eka Mednikov wrote an article for our paper describing how important the Provincial Nominee program has been in helping Israelis, in particular, move here. Eka also explained how the Jewish Federation has worked hand in hand with the provincial government to bring newcomers here:
“The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg has the option to support applicants interested in settling in Manitoba and become part of the Jewish community in Winnipeg. The minimum requirements are: Jewish life style, being between the ages of 21 and 45, a post-secondary education, two years of work experience and knowledge of English. Eligible applicants are asked to travel to Winnipeg for an exploratory visit during which time they will attend an interview with a Jewish Federation representative and a Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program Immigration Officer. Due to very high demand, to obtain permanent Canadian residency under this program might take between three to five years.
“Applicants who have family members who have resided at least one year in Manitoba can use the support of their family members for their immigration process. Interested applicants are screened according to a points system that is based upon the age, education, work experience and level of English of the applicant.
“The friends’ support stream is very similar to family support with one unfortunate difference: Points granted for having friends in the province are minimal and in the past two years I haven’t seen anyone able to move here relying upon friends’ support.
“Foreign workers coming to Manitoba on a work permit are eligible to apply for residency under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program after six months of continuous employment and a job offer from a Manitoba employer. This is the way used by many truck drivers to move to Canada from Israel.”
Recently we were contacted by a representative for Jon Reyes, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration for the Province of Manitoba, who told us that, after a lull period in the Provincial Nominee program that came about in 2020 as a result of the onset of Covid, the province is now accepting a large number of immigrants through the program once again.
We were curious to know how many immigrants had been coming from Israel under the program, so we posed some questions to Minister Reyes.
We asked the Minister: “How many immigrants is the province hoping to bring in under that program this year?”
Minister Reyes responded: Last year, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) nominated a record 6,275 candidates as individuals who can then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residence. The program’s nomination allocation has not been finalized for 2022. The Manitoba government is waiting to receive its MPNP 2022 allocation from the federal government in the near future.”
We asked the Minister how many immigrants from Israel have come here through the PNP?
In the table accompanying this story you can see the number of Israeli citizens who have come to Manitoba under the Provincial Nominee Program between 2017 and 2021. The drop-off in numbers in 2020 and 2021 is directly attributable to the onset of Covid. Many individuals who had contacted the Jewish Federation about coming to Manitoba under the PNP delayed coming here for exploratory visits.
We also asked the Minister this question: “Are there particular classes of immigrants that Manitoba is wanting to recruit? e.g., computer programmers, nurses, etc. (also good hockey players)”
The Minister responded:
“The MPNP is an economic program that aims to address labour market needs by nominating skilled workers and business investors who satisfy program criteria – and who are employable in their areas of professional experience – across all industry sectors.
“Based on the Manitoba government’s Labour Market Outlook 2021-2025 and recent Manitoba occupations gap analyses for the 2022-2026 period, the need for the following occupations is expected to be acute until 2026, given new and expanding businesses and organizations and replacement of retiring workers:
· Retail salespersons
· Transport truck drivers
· Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
· Retail and wholesale trade managers
· Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
· Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occu- pations; and
· Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
Going forward, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg is anticipating quite a large increase in the number of immigrants who will be coming here under the PNP. As Dalia Szpiro, GrowWinnipeg Director for the Federation, told me recently, there is a large backlog of prospective immigrants who delayed coming here for exploratory visits. In the past little while many individuals have now been coming here on those exploratory visits.
In our next issue we hope to have detailed information from the Federation about the number of individuals who are hoping to come here under the PNP with the assistance of the Jewish Federation.
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
Local News
A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
