#border towns

( At least get this through your heads, Conservatives: The united states is appearing less and less safe for asylum seekers. (Many) Asylum seekers’ panic, doubts, suspicions, and fears of the U.S. are justified. Stop blaming the immigrants and refugees; that is just fearmongering. Stop saying that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “started this problem and is the sole or main reason for it” instead of the (possible) reality that he “made it worse because of a single tweet” when the entire u.s.’s immigrant and refugee population was galvanized for half a year, a bigot came into and is still in power, and ongoing events. I say the tweet making it worse is a, “(possible) reality” because not one of you has any numbers to support it; despite all of your wailing, no one can back this claim up. The current u.s. president, a bigot, your kin, is the sole and main reason for the increase in asylum seekers. )

I am only speaking of the Safe Third Country Agreement in this article and post; do not think of this as an ‘Immigration Laws And Policies In Canada’ article and post. --- Canadian immigration authorities encourage people to make sure they fully understand all of Canada’s requirements and rules before making any decisions. An asylum seeker must have a genuine basis for their claim to be accepted, along with meeting the criteria to move in and live here. You may be removed and possibly sent back to your country of origin, or maybe the u.s., if you do not meet the standards or if your claim is found inadmissible. Canada has its own limits as our immigration system stretches under an excessive pileup of refugee claims from people who crossed irregularly. Add that to the limited resources like people to work on them and temporary housing, and stresses on canadian officials, and there will be long claim delays, which means you will wait in uncertainty. Use official channels if you are certain to flee (the u.s.) and come here to Canada. Crossing irregularly has dangers, such as the elements, animals, and getting lost just to name a few. Canada sincerely urges that no one attempt to cross the canada-u.s. land border irregularly. Know the risks you are taking, and what options you may already have in the u.s. (and elsewhere). Know the details of and stay up to date with your individual situation.

Please read the Agreement in full at the Canadian Government website http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/menu-safethird.asp Or search for it here: cic gc english department laws policy menu safethird asp canada.ca Government of Canada/Gouvernement du Canada

2. In this post I am not trying to encourage people to uproot their lives and spend their hard-earned dollars, possibly in the thousands, to try their luck in coming into Canada, nor am I trying to paint Canada as the safe haven for the world’s displaced or beleaguered because we are not. It would be nice if we could be, but we cannot be that. Crossing the border irregularly will not speed up the evaluation process and it will not give you an advantage; you get as much consideration as anyone else. A respectful greeting by border officers and RCMP at the canada-u.s. border does not mean your refugee claim will be accepted. In this post, I only want to spread the facts and provide life-saving information for asylum seekers irregularly coming in (especially in winter) because simply, I should participate in making sure they are safe. That information is under the headline Help For Asylum Seekers at the bottom of this post. \* \* \* \*

This post can also be titled ‘Dear, Southern Canada border towns and areas’:

Please read the Agreement in full at the Canadian Government website http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/menu-safethird.asp Or search for it here: cic gc english department laws policy menu safethird asp canada.ca Government of Canada/Gouvernement du Canada

To let those of you confused by their appearance know, this post includes emojis. They may appear as innocuous symbols like squares or question marks on some electronics that do not support their appearance for different reasons.

Under S.T.C.A. http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/stca-etps-eng.html#protection cbsa asfc gc agency agence stca etps eng html protection ! This information has been prepared as a guide only. All refugee eligibility decisions made in Canada must be based on applicable legislation and policy. ! Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) (IRB = Immigration and Refugee Board)————————————————————— Claiming refugee protection in Canada at the Canada-United States land border —–Referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board —–—–Refugee claimant is not eligible 🌾 the claimant  had  arrived in Canada directly from a designated safe third country; The u.s. is the only country recognized as a safe third country, which seems to be the main reason for refugees and asylum seekers not crossing at official border posts.

I, as one person, do not have all of the answers on the S.T.C.A.. I have no affiliation with the IRB of Canada (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada), the evaluations and hearings of refugee claims, or anything surrounding the S.T.C.A.. This article and post is only what I have compiled to the best of my ability in as much clarity as I can muster for asylum seekers coming in irregularly now, and by that I mean people in the middle of crossing the canada-u.s. border. I depend on reliable sources (like the Canadian Government website) for the authentic information within this article and post, and it is possible for these sources to change such information so in turn I would then have to change or update the information here in this article and post. All information contained within this post is current as of May 2017. I originally posted this in May 2017, then revised it in September 2017, and for the last time I am revising it now for January 2018.

Due to current u.s. governmental attitudes towards refugees and asylum seekers and how double-edged the S.T.C.A. is for them, I personally agree the S.T.C.A. should be changed, or taken down and replaced. I hope Canada rises with compassionate common sense solutions. — Canada’s attitude is and needs to stay welcoming, but within reason. Over time we must consider overpopulation (and results like infighting, an increase in laws for the conservation of our nature, etc.), the stressing of resources to the point of breaking, expenses, and the quality of our care dropping as a direct result of dividing up resources. The possibility of this happening if we are too welcoming is an unfortunate reality. People are also often not aware of why someone would choose to cross irregularly rather than officially. For most of Canada, any fear or doubt of asylum seekers stems from these concerns and not a place of any real prejudice. Canada is a small population and honestly, speaking as a Canadian, we are used to being one. We like our small population because it is a good thing. Small populations are easy to manage, and better for the environment. In many cases such as our assets though, because of our population size they get strained. That being said, anybody who has concerns needs to realize that immigration has been happening for over 100,000 years. There is still always resistance, but this is how countries change. Change can be bad (like environmental destruction and profiteering), or it can be a positive thing (like environmental care and protection); it just depends on how all sides handle it.

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A refugee flood? Pull yourself together, Canada Maclean’s Scott Gilmore 2017-02-23 https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/a-refugee-flood-pull-yourself-together-canada/ar-AAneyQ9 msn com en-ca news canada a refugee flood pull yourself together canada

I agree with Thomas Mulcair; I am angry with the current u.s. president too, however he and his administration will not change. Canada should always continue to receive asylum seekers.

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Support and solidarity: How Manitobans can help Muslim refugees By Jillian Taylor, CBC News Posted: Feb 01, 2017 5:00 AM CT http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/how-manitobans-help-muslim-refugees-1.3960929 cbc news canada manitoba how manitobans help muslim refugees

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Kellie Leitch vows to deport border crossers after visit to Manitoba border town By Austin Grabish, CBC News Posted: Apr 24, 2017 4:00 AM CT Last Updated: Apr 24, 2017 4:54 PM CT http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/kellie-leitch-visits-emerson-1.4081912 cbc ca news canada manitoba kellie leitch visits emerson

Currently, the u.s. already makes it difficult to legally come in while their only obvious loophole, the border with Mexico is proposed for an actual wall at the moment. Common sense and decency would agree that all of that is awful. Presently seeking to close the canadian loophole in the S.T.C.A. while considering what is presently required of an asylum seeker coming in to canada at an official border checkpoint is presently a step towards becoming more similar to the u.s.. As of right now, trying to send asylum seekers fleeing the u.s. back across the border (or to another country per the S.T.C.A.) no matter their claimant likelihood, our current resources, quality of care, or the space we have, etc.: you are prejudiced and unreasonably fearful. In sending them back to the u.s. you are sending them back to a country that does not currently prioritize them. There is not going to be a ‘crisis’ or a ‘flood’ of refugees. Canada’s screening process for refugee claimants is no more lax than the u.s. Both countries are as incredibly thorough as they are going to get.

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Anyone crossing the border illegally whose claim is rejected will be sent home, not back to U.S. By Amy Minsky National Online Journalist  Global News February 23, 2017 12:19 pm Updated: February 23, 2017 12:26 pm https://globalnews.ca/news/3268281/asylum-seekers-rejected-claims-sent-country-citizenship/ globalnews ca news asylum seekers rejected claims sent country citizenship

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http://ccrweb.ca/en/refugees-welcome-here ccrweb en refugees welcome here

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For clarification, Refugees and Immigrants: A glossary http://ccrweb.ca/en/glossary ccrweb en glossary or Canadian Council for Refugees Talking About Refugees and Immigrants: A Glossary Of Terms http://ccrweb.ca/sites/ccrweb.ca/files/static-files/glossary.PDF ccrweb sites ccrweb files static files glossary.PDF ☃️ An immigrant is someone who has settled permanently in another country. **⛄ An emigrant is someone leaving a country.**This term is not included in either of the above links.** ☃️ An asylum seeker or a refugee claimant is a person who has fled the country they were born in or previously a part of, and is asking for protection in another country. A refugee claimant is specifically a person who might be eligible for protection, but first their case must be heard in their hearing. ‘Claimant’ is the term used in Canadian law. ⛄ Refugee is a person who is forced to flee from persecution and has left their home country. A determination must be made on whether or not they are a ‘refugee’. ☃️ Convention refugee is someone who meets the refugee definition in the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. This definition is used in Canadian law and is widely accepted internationally. It is someone who must be outside their country of origin and have a legitimate fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. ⛄ A migrant is somebody who moves from region to region, continent to continent, or from within their own country, often for work, but they are not stationary for very long. They are always moving. If it is for work, they may be a ‘migrant worker’ or ‘economic migrant’ then.

❄️ There are no such things as political refugee, economic refugee, or environmental refugee. Also, you shouldn’t use illegal migrant or illegal immigrant or illegal because it criminalizes the person from the beginning. Although it is generally understood that in casual conversation “illegals” does not mean “not white”, it does literally mean “criminal”. ❄️ I will use the word “irregular” instead of “illegal” to describe border crossings made anywhere besides at official border checkpoints. I do this because the loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement that Canada has with the U.S. is legal. This means that by S.T.C.A. definition, no border crossing made without going through official channels is ‘illegal’, and by default, the official channels themselves are not ‘legal channels’. Therefore concerning the S.T.C.A. there is no such thing as an ‘illegal border crossing’ into canada. Just because this is semantics does not mean it isn’t important; words have an impact, and how you refer to other human beings as a human being is an important and relevant part of conversation. ❄️ Using the word “alien” to refer to any kind of border-crosser i.e. non-Canadian-born individual is seen as disgusting as alien is a word for “something not from Earth”, or is used to refer to “something that does not belong”. These people aren’t alien, they are @!#&** human. All situations are different and several terms can often be applied to one person, so be careful when applying any of the outlined glossary terms to anybody or a group, especially if there is a language barrier.

Please read the Agreement in full at the Canadian Government website http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/menu-safethird.asp Or search for it here: cic gc english department laws policy menu safethird asp canada.ca Government of Canada/Gouvernement du Canada

The asylum seeker who has crossed irregularly i.e. between official border checkpoints, must first be eligible to make a claim if their goal is to live in Canada. If that claim is found admissible then that claim is referred to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), a branch of the independent organization IRB of Canada (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada) for a hearing. The refugee claimant’s responsibility is to prove that she/he is a person in need of protection or a Convention Refugee. The Agreement described does not apply to u.s. citizens or habitual residents of the U.S. who are not citizens of any country (‘stateless persons’). Due to what seems to be a trending attitude towards asylum seekers in the u.s. Canada is expecting an increase in asylum seekers and immigrants coming from the united states, certainly in warmer months.

Canada has an agreement with the united states called ‘Safe Third Country Agreement’. The united states is the only country recognized by canada as a ‘safe third country’. It was signed by both countries on December 5, 2002 and came into effect on December 29, 2004. It was created to share the amount of refugees and asylum seekers between canada and the u.s., to take stress off both countries, and under the idea that the u.s. is safe for refugees and asylum seekers. Under this agreement, an asylum seeker must request protection in the first country they arrive in, either the united states or Canada, unless they qualify for an exception to the Agreement (outlined in the S.T.C.A.). An asylum seeker cannot apply for protection in both countries. Under this Agreement, if they are in the u.s. and try to migrate to Canada later using an official point of entry at the Canada-U.S. border, they will be sent back to the u.s. if they already have refugee claimant status in the u.s. or if they meet certain exceptions to the Agreement (outlined in the S.T.C.A.), unless other, different exceptions to this Agreement are met (outlined in the S.T.C.A.). If it is found out that the asylum seeker has no refugee claimant status in the u.s. they will be sent back to any country they previously occupied that cannot be proven is a danger to them. While the Canadian government may not send asylum seekers who do have refugee claimant status in the u.s. back to their country of origin, once back in the u.s. they are therefore then under responsibility of the u.s. government who will decide. Do your research. | Even if particular exceptions are met however, asylum seekers must still meet all other criteria for entry to canada. |

Keep reading, please, and thank you....

Please see point 6 of the following link Claiming refugee protection in Canada at the Canada-United States land border —–Referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board ————Refugee claimant is not eligible http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/stca-etps-eng.html#protection cbsa asfc gc agency agence stca etps eng html protection ! This information has been prepared as a guide only. All refugee eligibility decisions made in Canada must be based on applicable legislation and policy. ! Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) (IRB = Immigration and Refugee Board)————————————————————— Refugee claimant is not eligible A refugee claimant will not be eligible to have his/her claim referred to the IRB if: 🌾 a refugee protection has been given to the claimant under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; 🌾 a prior claim for refugee protection has been rejected by the IRB; 🌾 a prior claim for refugee protection has been determined not to be eligible to be referred to the IRB; 🌾 a prior claim for refugee protection has been withdrawn or abandoned by the claimant; 🌾 the claimant has been recognized as a Convention Refugee by a country other than Canada and can be sent or returned to that country; 🌾 the claimant  had  arrived in Canada directly from a designated safe third country; or 🌾 the claimant has been determined to be inadmissible on grounds of security, violating human or international rights, serious criminality or organized criminality. If the border services officer has determined that a refugee claimant is not eligible to make a refugee claim in Canada, his/her claim will not be referred to the IRB and he/she will be issued a removal order and immediately returned back to the United States. —————————————————————————————————————————

There is a legal loophole that if an asylum seeker crosses into canada irregularly i.e. not at any of the official border posts mentioned within the Agreement, once they touch canadian soil they are granted fair consideration as if they crossed the border at an official border post. This means they can make a refugee claim, but there is no guarantee for staying here as I mentioned earlier. Research, and know what options you may already have in the u.s. (and elsewhere). Know the details of and stay up to date with your individual situation. Asylum seekers crossing into canada irregularly are arrested and detained by Canadian border officers to be properly processed, vetted, and identified.

The fact that asylum seekers do not see the u.s. as safe, this legal loophole exists, and the high possibility they will be rejected entry into canada at official checkpoints only encourages irregular border crossings.

To close that legal loophole would cost more lives and fewer asylum seekers from the u.s. would get into canada at all. Amongst other things while back in the u.s., they could be arrested for living there illegally.

Asylum seekers (people forced to run) who cross irregularly are scared and desperate and they are the ones most in need of help versus immigrants (people who choose to enter into a country) who have the time to wait to be processed and come in officially, or other asylum seekers or refugees who come in at authorized border checkpoints.

The original reasons and thinking behind signing the Agreement are seen as more and more unsuitable as the u.s. treatment of refugees and asylum seekers becomes more and more questionable. The current u.s. president’s aspirations for asylum seekers is why many international agencies and many a Manitoba, Canada immigration lawyer say the Safe Third Country Agreement should be suspended. Even before the 2016 election, even before 9/11, it’s always been debatable as to how good the u.s. government takes care of their refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. (Observation: The current u.s. president’s 2016 election and presidency is having rippling effects on the rest of the world. “America first” is absurd. You are not the only ones who live on this planet. Something the americans who support him, and americans in general, should consider is that it is never just about them. Any country’s politics can have far-reaching consequences, and they are negative in this case.)

Within the very definition of ‘asylum seeker’, if they irregularly cross in the first place it is because they have no other choice, which will be true in many cases here. It is not that they are lazy or they think they have no other choice; it is that they truly believe they don’t have any other choice. Maybe they are getting the wrong information and as I have corrected at the beginning of this post they believe their claim will be accepted, and then maybe they truly don’t have any other options. In any case, besides moving their lives to a new country on foot, one clear indication their distress is well-founded is that no one wants to cross canada’s border with the u.s. in -42 Celsius (-43.6 Fahrenheit) winter. Essentially being told by the country that you are staying in, “You are not welcome here if you are from this/these country(ies).” terrifies people from that/those country(ies) that person is speaking of into leaving, and so they try their luck elsewhere. Additionally, the chances that anybody is taking advantage of Canada’s S.T.C.A. loophole for malevolent purposes are extremely slim, if they exist at all.

Edit, May 12, 2017: I am aware some americans have the ridiculous worry the more refugees we (Canada) accepts, it heightens the possibility of one slipping back across the border in hostility. Before siding with that opinion, please consider the folly of someone going to all that trouble only to cross back to the u.s.. Secondly canada, generally-speaking, has the attitude that the amount of refugees we help is worth the risk a small handful might be to everyone else. The true reason any american has this concern is because once a refugee is across the border and in canada, your government cannot track them anymore. They are now the responsibility of canada’s government and that just doesn’t sit right with you.

Yes, for those of you wondering I would take in and help anyone in the process of crossing the border if I lived near the damn border and had a large house and a car and legal permits for an unofficial safehouse and appropriate resources and supervision from the law etc. Additionally, for the people questioning the character of asylum seekers or so fervidly ready to reject or cast them out, I wonder what your mother or grandfather or great-grandmother would say if they could hear you. The very first people to set foot in what is now known as Canada, and the u.s. were ancestors of Indigenous Peoples or Aboriginal Peoples (the words do not hold the same meanings for everyone of this race). Anyone in the united states (Alaska is part of the u.s.) and Canada who is not an Aboriginal Person is an immigrant or an asylum seeker or a refugee, or a descendant of an immigrant or an asylum seeker or a refugee. Maybe you are mixed. My point is you should know your own damn history considering you would not even be here or possibly exist without your ancestors irregularly crossing the border, scared and desperate like those crossing today. Smarten up. (Black peoples’ ancestors are excluded from the asylum seeker/immigrant/refugee definition as they were forced into the united states.) The kinds of people saying these gratuitous things do not think before they speak. (To clarify something quickly: The word “settler” has a white connotation in the ((Western)) immigration lexicon because it is typically used to only ever describe the white European newcomers to North America. This link is convenient for the racists who insist, “whites were here first!” but don’t want to sound racist. Frankly, the white ‘settlers’ to North America were explorers and immigrants, while the Indigenous Peoples were the first explorers and the real settlers in North America.)

Please read the Agreement in full at the Canadian Government website http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/menu-safethird.asp Or search for it here: cic gc english department laws policy menu safethird asp canada.ca Government of Canada/Gouvernement du Canada

Help For Asylum Seekers: 🔦

Canada in winter is certainly not as dangerous as the Arctic, but crossing the canada-u.s. border irregularly (in winter) is dangerous so I wanted to post what’s below now. Yeah I know below I talk about the possibilities of (white-tail)deer being dangerous and that may seem overzealous, but Canada’s winters do kill and/or maim, and there is the risk of being mauled by something. The original poster with the original of the post below is here http://fuckingrecipes.tumblr.com/post/103577224363/fuck-everything fuckingrecipes tumblr post 103577224363 fuck everything to help the protesters of Michael Brown’s unfounded killing by (now ex-cop) Darren Wilson. I am editing, rearranging, and adding everything that I can think of for asylum seekers irregularly crossing into canada (in winter) so they enter as safely as possible. This post is specifically for the asylum seekers who cross the border irregularly (and are unprepared in winter), whether or not they are coming from the u.s.. I can help with what I do know so that is what I will do.

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣ --–-–—--Animal activity increases as the snow melts.--—–----— –—–—–Children are much more vulnerable to the cold.———–—

🌲 Canadian winters are known to typically last from sometimes-September-October–November to March–April-sometimes-June and they will fall to 30, 40, 50 below 0 or lower, depending where you are in Canada (snow days do not exist in canada. I love winter). The below 0 temperatures are a real concern, but the wind chill increases the cold and your chances of things like pain, frostbite, death, or hypothermia. Below -27 Celsius (-16.6 Fahrenheit) increases the risk of frostbite with or without wind chill. -28 Celsius – -39 Celsius (-18.4 Fahrenheit – -38.2 Fahrenheit) can freeze exposed skin in 10 – 30 minutes; do not go outside alone, keep moving, do not sit or stand still, and always stay dry. 🌲 Do not use how much snow is on the ground as a way to judge how warmly you should dress or how well prepared you should be. Only 10 centimetres of snow could still easily mean -35 Celsius (-31 Fahrenheit) temperature. With wind chill it could be -40 Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit) or more. 🌲 Some areas of southern Canada that asylum seekers are entering have very few roads, and so there is little human activity. This means possibly little help if you get into trouble. Be prepared. (For example, the Canadian Prairies are not ‘featureless’, it has diversity, but as a newcomer there is a fine line between boring solitude and feeling completely alone when you’re not used to it. Add the howling of coyotes and that’s the Prairies. I love the Prairies.) — You may very well not need every single thing I list here, however please note that every single thing listed here is a good idea. Nothing listed here is in any particular order. Remember to keep up your strength.

🌙 Clothing- 🌙 Those of us used to the cold are not joking around when we say that in the cold your skin feels like it is constantly being whipped by, say, the back of a wooden spoon, and when you are warming up the skin changes to feeling like it is on fire. ⭐ Dress warmly! If you have met all of the standards to live here and proven you are in need of protection or are a Convention Refugee, this will not be the last time you need winter clothes. Keep them. Even if the IRB rejects your claim, your removal order could be delayed. A zipped up coat, gloves, and winter boots is not even close to being enough to keep warm. ⭐ Get snowpants, they normally have suspenders, and buy lots of thermal underwear. Wear a thick scarf. Wear two pairs of thick socks. Gloves separate your fingers and thumb individually, they are all apart, and mittens (or mitts) encircle your fingers together and separate your thumb from your fingers. So gloves are great for writing things down, picking things up, handling objects, but mittens keep your extremities together so you conserve heat. Get both mittens and gloves. Get ski masks to cover your face, they have little holes for your eyes and mouth. — I seriously cannot stress getting snowpants enough – amounts of snow vary but you may end up having to trek through snow that is up to your waist or even your chest. Do not risk it. People think to cover their torso (winter coat), hands (gloves or mittens), face, neck, and head (hat, scarf, ski mask, etc.), and feet (winter boots), but people tend to only cover their legs with a pair of pants and nothing more. People do not always think about their legs in winter. Although you probably won’t be outside long enough to lose your legs to the cold, it is still painful especially on your thighs because all the muscle and fat of your thighs (and calves) are taking the brunt of exposure here. ⭐ Make sure your boots are waterproof; not water resistant, and not water repellant. Water-proof. ⭐ A parka is for winter, a jacket is for the autumn season. Get both to double up (one over the other). Get ones with hoods that have strings attached so you can pull and tighten the hood around your head to brace against wind chill. ⭐ A toque is a French word for a winter hat, there is no one type of toque, just get one. ⭐ If you are outside in winter in Canada and you are feeling hot under all those layers, that’s a good sign. Although sweating sounds better than not being able to make a fist because your fingers are too stiff, you need to make sure the amount of clothes are not so much to hamper your energy or movement, or force overexertion, which increases muscle fatigue. Sweating also means your skin is wet, which is dangerous to extremities like toes and fingers that already have limited blood flow, and the wetness only draws more heat out.

🌙 Food and water- 🌙 ⭐ drink lots of water. Remember that the more you sweat or urinate, the more water you lose. 🌟 list of foods that are fine to eat cold, and/or stuffed in a bag in your pocket. Just in a bag with your fingers. ⭐ Cheese chunks, Salami/sausage/Pepperoni, Muffins (without toppings), Carrots, Pepper slices, Scotch/Hard boiled eggs, mixed nuts, Apple/Pear/Orange/Banana, Baked potato (bring some ketchup/salt packets) Peanut butter&Jelly&bread / Lunch meat&Mayo&Mustard (bag them separately, put together before eating), Tamagoyaki, pickled vegetables, Melon chunks, Cold pizza, 🌟 May require fork and/or container ⭐ Cold Soup, Chicken/ham/egg/tuna/macaroni salad, chunks of cooked chicken/ham, Meatloaf, Guacamole, Hummus, Yogurt, Rice (cook in diluted meat broth instead of water for extra energy stores), Grilled or steamed vegetables, Canned vegetables/fruit ⭐ If you’re going to be out in the cold for a while, eating high-fat things -  particularly meats and cheeses, will give you longer stores of energy than most grains. Macadamia nuts, Pecans, and Avocados are also high in fat. ⭐ Citrus fruits, dark green leaves, and meaty broths will help you ward off/fight any minor cold you are exposed to. Potatoes and cucumbers are god-tier vegetables.  Avoid sugary things, like candy and soda - they encourage bacterial infections in your throat.

🌙 Miscellaneous- 🌙 ⭐ Any women or girls in your group will likely have thought of this but bring extra pads and tampons for their periods, or other uses, just in case. ⭐ Pack diapers for the elderly and/or small children and/or pregnant women. There are no bathrooms nor facilities for kilometres around, for long stretches at the Canada and u.s. border. ⭐ Metal sucks out heat, and increases likelyhood of frostbite, so you may want to take peircings out of your ears/eyebrows/nose, and remove extra rings if you’ll be outside for a while. ⭐ While chemical heat packets are great for pockets, do not put them in your shoes. (Constant agitation from walking/running can raise the heat enough to actually burn you) ⭐ Take as many power-naps during the day as you can, if you know you’ll be up late. Little sleep increases stress, which decreases your resistance to illness. ⭐ Get packets of facial tissues, you will probably need them; your nose will most likely be dripping. ⭐ Tensions are rising and patience is wearing in some halfway stops for asylum seekers. Study up on the Safe Third Country Agreement canada has with the united states so you can help to dispel concerns people may have over the sudden amounts of newcomers. Knowing why people are coming in irregularly rather than going through official border checkpoints will make this process easier. You can’t exactly officially seek asylum when you have a high chance of being turned away even though you are not a danger, so of course under those conditions anyone would irregularly cross; it makes sense. Border towns are appropriately scared and have concerns, but asylum seekers who cross irregularly are rightfully terrified, and I fricking wish everyone would understand that. ⭐ Get on that internet and use it and its google maps to chart where you might be going or want to go. Get a compass. Find out where the roads and highways are and then where any immigration havens are. Do not rely on going up to someone’s house and ringing their doorbell for help – it’s the same reason that you shouldn’t expect people to stop for hitchhikers; it is dangerous. People can easily get lost out here when there are no lights, and especially when night comes, and especially in winter. There are only two colours in the entire winter landscape – the snow and sky are both the same colour (at night it is orangey-pink from the city lights and purple-blue-black for everywhere else) because during winter there is heavy cloud cover so they reflect each other, and then the trees and everything else is dark brown-black. It can be disorienting for people who have never seen that. An orangey-pink sky is likely a positive sign that means there are lots of lights ahead, probably a city or town. Nighttime comes early in the day for most of Canada in winter; it will start getting dark along the border at about 3:00 PM -to- 6:00 PM. ⭐ If you get on one of our highways or roads do not expect anyone to stop for you. Stopping for hitchhikers is dangerous for the one stopping and is also dangerous for the hitchhiker because you don’t know who they are. Going up to someone’s house to ask for help is dangerous as well. ⭐ Buy or fix yourself a portable first aid or medical kit. ⭐ Do not bring a gun to ward off predator animals, even if it is to only scare them. A lot of animals are protected species and if you shoot one you will be prosecuted. I don’t know what would happen if you were caught with a gun while trying to get into Canada; as an undocumented asylum seeker you may be fined, jailed, your claim may be (automatically?) rejected, or all three. Your gun will be taken and you may not get it back. A gun is a bad idea. ⭐ Buy thermal blankets, buy heating pads, buy flashlights with lots of batteries.

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——-EXCEPT FOR THE LAST LINE THIS BIT BELOW IS ALL MY OWN. THIS BIT BELOW IS NOT JUST FOR WINTER, BUT ALSO FOR ALL MONTHS IN CANADA AND FOR ANYONE VISITING CANADA. WE MAY BE AN UNFAMILIAR COUNTRY TO YOU, SO JUST BE CAREFUL. DIFFERENT COUNTRY, DIFFERENT CLIMATE, DIFFERENT ANIMALS.——–. 🌲 Do not bring a gun to ward off predator animals, even if it is to only scare them. A lot of animals are protected species and if you shoot one you will be prosecuted. I don’t know what would happen if you were caught with a gun while trying to get into Canada; as an undocumented asylum seeker you may be fined, jailed, your claim may be (automatically?) rejected, or all three. Your gun will be taken and you may not get it back. A gun is a bad idea. 🌲 As of writing this it doesn’t seem any asylum seekers have been injured or attacked by any large predators or animals. I haven’t heard of anything. However, I think Canadians would all agree that everywhere up here is ‘Bear Country’. The best defense against any animal is to stay out of their way. 🌲 Moving together in large, tight groups will keep animals at bay. Avoid all the animals; give them all a wide berth. 🌲 Making noise lets the animals know where you are. Since certain animals such as cougars will inspect noise, travel in a large, tight group as stated above. Stumbling upon an unsuspecting animal is one of the worst things you can do in life. Predator animals are not likely to come after you since they have their own food. They don’t want you unless you are a last resort or super easy to take down, like small children, stragglers, one or two people or small groups, the sick, elderly, and wounded — making noise makes you seem more difficult to take down as well. This does not mean challenge the animal; some animals attack if they feel threatened or challenged. Do not make and hold eye contact. MAKE NOISE so they don’t come to you and you don’t find them in the first place and be in a large, tight group so they know an attack would be a lot of work! Laugh loudly. Sing a song, loud. Bring a noisemaker and an airhorn, and press that button like your life depends on it because it probably does. It doesn’t matter if you bring pepper spray or bear spray because they are the same thing, just bring some.

🍂 Wolves pick out the weakest and youngest looking of a group, they get most of their strength from moving in packs. 🍂 Bears normally only become a concern when they have cubs with them, or you come between them and their food. Otherwise making a lot of noise and staying together in big groups can let them know where you are so they stay away. Bears rarely if ever attack people unprovoked. 🍂 While wolves have strength in numbers, cougars, bobcats, and canadian lynx have strength, so stay together. 🍂 Coyotes hunt alone or in pairs. They only sometimes hunt in small packs of about 4. 🍂 This is white-tailed deer. Yes, even deer can get dangerous or aggressive but it shouldn’t be too much of a concern. People don’t usually think to watch out for them. While deer are not predators, mating season does encourage a spike in aggression, and a buck (male deer) will protect their doe (female deer) certainly if they are pregnant. If a doe feels she has to, she will crack your skull open with her hooves to protect her fawns (baby deer). Avoid herds of deer, make lots of noise, and stay together. Deer will usually steer clear of people. 🍂 A cow is a female Moose, Elk, or Caribou, a bull is a male, and a calf are the babies. These three herbivores are much larger and much stronger than deer. You do not have enough muscle to fight these vegans. (Caribou and reindeer are the same species but with different names.) Therefore, during mating season and if they are protecting any cows, bulls can be incredibly dangerous, and female moose are not likely to run, but are likely to attack a person to defend their calves. Male moose are the only ones of the three large herbivores who don’t have a harem, a group of females. All three have attacked cars and people before, and have killed people before. Elk often charge without warning. Even a baby moose, elk, or caribou could break your ribs with one kick. (Elk are also called “Wapiti”, a Native American word that means “light-coloured deer.”)

The best defence against any animal is to stay out of their way. Whatever time of day it is, you have to keep moving fast. Do not ever confront any of these aforementioned animals. Do not feed these aforementioned animals. They are wild, leave them be.