If you are studying or working in Canada on a visa, here as an asylum claimant, visa expired, undocumented resident, the odds have never been better that you good soon be on the path to citizenship.
In order to maintain immigration targets, the federal government is aggressively courting non- Canadians who are living here to apply to become permanent residents. This may stock resentment among some old-stock Canadians who don’t like the change. But there is no alternative, if Canada is to grow and prosper.
Because borders were closed by the pandemic, we accepted only 184,000 new permanent residents las year, rather than the target of 341,000. Most of those granted status were already in the country when the pandemic hit.
To make up the loss the Liberal government has set goals of 401, 000 new permanent residents this year. But with borders still closed, a recent Royal Bank report predicted we will be lucky to get to 275,000 in 2021.
In the near future , rather than the federal and provincial governments choosing which applicants get to come to Canada. We will be begging potential new comers to pick us over the American, European competition. The Sooner we get used to that idea, the better.
Blue Flowers Under Open Skies: Finding Courage in the Colors of Hope
Sometimes a single flower can remind us that beauty still belongs in the world. Across a hillside, the blue flowers swayed beneath the morning sun. The sky above mirrored their color. For a moment, earth and heaven seemed to agree. Among the many colors found in gardens, blue remains one of the most striking. It…
Among the Olive Groves: What Ancient Trees Teach About Endurance
The strongest roots often belong to those who have survived the longest storms. An olive tree does not hurry. It measures time differently. Across the landscapes of Israel stand olive trees older than kingdoms, older than empires, older than many of the conflicts that once surrounded them. Their trunks twist. Their bark bears the marks…
The Almond Blossom of Jerusalem: Hope That Arrives Before Spring
Some flowers bloom before the season seems ready. Some people keep believing before the world sees the promise. In the hills surrounding Jerusalem, winter still lingers when the almond trees begin to bloom. The earth is cold. The winds still carry traces of winter. Yet the blossoms appear anyway. Among the first flowers to announce…
The Olive Tree and the Rose: A Floral Reflection on the Resilience of Israel
Some flowers bloom after winter. Some people flourish after centuries of storms. There are gardens that survive because conditions are perfect. And there are gardens that survive because their roots refuse to surrender. When we walk through a garden, we often admire the blossoms. The rose catches our attention. The lily draws our gaze. The…
A Thousand Petals of Gratitude: Learning to Notice Everyday Beauty
The garden is filled with miracles. Most of them are small enough to miss. Not every flower becomes a centerpiece. Not every bloom receives attention. Yet every petal contributes to the beauty of the garden. There are flowers that dominate attention. Roses. Peonies. Sunflowers. And then there are the quiet flowers. The tiny blossoms beside…
The Quiet Strength of Lavender: Finding Peace in a Noisy World
Some flowers heal not through color, but through calm. The garden has its singers. Its performers. Its dramatic blooms. And then it has lavender. Quiet. Fragrant. Unshaken. Walk through a lavender field and something changes. The wind softens. The mind slows. The noise of the world feels farther away. At EssuCenter.com, we often think lavender…
The Flower That Faced the Wind: Finding Courage in Difficult Seasons
Strength is not standing where there is no wind. Strength is blooming despite it. Some flowers grow in sheltered places. Others learn to dance with the storm. The strongest flowers are rarely the most protected. They are often the ones that have endured. The wildflower growing on a hillside. The sunflower standing in an open…
The Patience of Peonies: Why Beautiful Things Take Time
Some flowers bloom quickly. Others spend months preparing for a few breathtaking weeks. The peony never rushes spring. It trusts the season. It trusts the soil. It trusts the unseen work taking place beneath the earth. There is a lesson hidden inside every peony. Not a loud lesson. Not an urgent lesson. A patient one.…
When the Dawn Finds the Garden: Lessons from the First Light
Every sunrise carries a promise that darkness could not erase. Before the flower sees the sun,it feels the warmth approaching. There is a sacred moment just before dawn. The world is quiet. The garden is still. Yet something has already changed. Light is coming. The flowers know it before we do. At EssuCenter.com, we love…
The Garden of Second Chances: Why Nature Never Gives Up on New Beginnings
Every spring carries a letter from yesterday, folded carefully into tomorrow. The branch looked empty in winter. The soil appeared silent. The garden seemed to have surrendered. Yet beneath the frost, life was already writing its return. There is a corner of almost every garden where miracles quietly happen. Not dramatic miracles. Not sudden miracles.…
The Bloom Beyond the Storm: Why Beauty Often Arrives After the Hardest Rain
Some flowers need sunshine to grow. Others discover their greatest strength after the storm. The storm arrives without invitation.The sky darkens.The winds rise.The rain falls harder than we imagined possible. And yet, when it passes, the garden often looks more alive than before. There are moments in every life that resemble storms. Seasons when plans…
Fields of Forever: What Flowers Teach Us About Hope Beyond the Horizon
When blossoms remind us that endings are not always endings. Every autumn, petals fall.Every winter, gardens grow quiet.And every spring, life returns with astonishing faithfulness. Nature has been preaching hope long before humans learned to listen. There is something mysterious about standing in a field of flowers. The horizon stretches beyond sight. The breeze carries…
After the Frost: Why Some Flowers Bloom Stronger Following Hard Seasons
The garden’s greatest miracles often arrive after its harshest winters. Winter never asks permission before it arrives.It comes with cold winds, long nights, and silent fields.Yet beneath the frozen ground, life is preparing its next chapter. Every gardener knows this truth: A winter garden can look lifeless. Branches stand bare. Beds appear empty. The earth…
Roots of Resilience: What Flowers Teach Us About Strength Beneath the Surface
The strongest blooms are sustained by what nobody sees. A flower is admired for its petals.A tree is praised for its height.Yet neither survives because of what stands above the ground.Their true strength lives below it. When we walk through a garden, our eyes are naturally drawn upward. We notice the colors. We admire the…
The Secret Life of Seeds: How Great Things Begin in Small Places
‘The smallest beginnings often carry the largest dreams. A forest begins with a seed.A garden begins with a seed.Sometimes, a new life begins with a single brave thought. When we admire a rose, a sunflower, or a field glowing with wildflowers, we rarely think about the beginning. We see the bloom. We celebrate the color.…
The Courage to Bloom Again: Flowers That Teach Us About Starting Over
Because every garden knows that endings are often disguised beginnings The seed breaks before it grows.The bud opens before it blooms.And the heart often heals before it learns to trust again. There are moments in life when starting over feels impossible. A dream may have faded.A friendship may have changed.A season may have ended before…
Flowers of Forgiveness: Blossoms That Mend the Heart
Because healing begins when we loosen our grip on yesterday Forgiveness is not forgetting. It is choosing not to let the wound write the rest of the story. There are flowers that seem to understand this truth. They bloom after heavy rain. They return after harsh winters. They rise again from roots hidden beneath the…
Beyond “ማን አየብኝ ደግሞ”: When the Hidden Flower Finally Blooms
There is a moment in every garden when a flower finally opens. Not when the seed is planted. Not when the roots begin their silent work beneath the soil. Not when the gardener waters, waits, and wonders. But when the bloom appears. Only then do passersby stop and notice. Only then do people say, “What…
From Encirclement to Engagement: Rethinking Security in the Horn of Africa
Security in the Horn of Africa has long been understood through a narrow lens: alliances versus adversaries, bases versus borders, encirclement versus resistance. This mindset, while rooted in historical experience, is increasingly misaligned with the realities of a region shaped by trade routes, demographic pressure, climate stress, and global interdependence. If stability is the goal,…
Why Maritime Access Is an Economic Right, Not a Security Threat
For much of modern geopolitical history, access to the sea has been treated as a privilege—something granted, restricted, or leveraged through power politics. Yet in today’s interconnected global economy, maritime access is not a luxury or a threat; it is an economic right, particularly for large, trade-dependent, landlocked states like Ethiopia. Understanding this distinction is…
From Rivalry to Responsibility: A Cooperative Red Sea Vision for Ethiopia, Somaliland, Israel, and the United States
The Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean are no longer peripheral waterways; they are central arteries of global trade, energy flows, and strategic competition. In recent years, instability—from piracy and militant attacks to great-power rivalry—has exposed the fragility of this corridor. Yet within this volatility lies a less discussed possibility: a cooperative security and…
Merry Christmas: Flowers for Friendship — Blooms That Speak Gratitude
By Eyasu Esayas, Director of EssuCenter Christmas arrives not only with lights and songs, but with memory.It arrives quietly, carrying names, faces, and moments we hold close — friends who walked with us, listened to us, stood beside us when words were few. In this season of reflection, I find myself thinking about friendship —…
Best Blooming Heart: Transforming Connections Through the Art of Flowers
Expressions of warmth, splashes of color, exquisite fragrances seeping into our senses – such is the persuasive and revitalizing power of flowers. The beauty of nature cannot be overstated, and one of its most profound gestures is encased within the delicate petals of flowers. The Art of Flowers lies not only in their aesthetic triumphs…
Best Strength of Softness: Transforming Power in Gentle Ways
Unleash the transforming power gentle strength possesses as you discover its captivating depth beneath natures tranquil layers and the aesthetic beauty of flowers. Dive into this paradox, enveloping yourself in a world where humble beings embody potent resilience, and every petal unfurls a tale of survival and unparalleled transformation.