Marvi Yap and Anna Maramba, crowned “the multicultural moguls” by no less than the Financial Post, are the two Filipino women behind a successful niche advertising agency that links mainstream brands to the ethnic consumer.

The primary objective of the Act Establishing Absolute Divorce  in the Philippines is to give women and men, in a marital relationship that is beyond repair, the option to end the union and start a new life. The measure refers to absolute divorce as "the separation between married couples that is total and final where the husband and wife return to their status of being single with the right to contract marriage again.

The Edmonton-based Philippine Arts Council has initiated an online petition asking the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to designate a Filipino Heritage Month. According to the petition, June is the appropriate month for such a declaration.

The Filipino Catholic Ministry of the archdiocese of Vancouver held a day-long consultation meeting on April 28 at St. Matthew church in Surrey with heads/leaders of Filipino religious organizations and representatives of various parishes in the archdiocese. Its purpose was to begin the process of developing a comprehensive Pastoral Plan to fully integrate and encourage the full participation of Filipinos as active members and leaders in their respective parishes.

Ontario holds its next provincial election on June 7, and a few Canadian Filipinos are hoping to make a breakthrough.

No Canadian Filipino has been elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario so far.

The Philippines and the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, are the only two countries in the world that do not allow divorce as a means to end a bad marriage. Currently, what the law allows in the Philippines are annulment and legal separation. The annulment option is expensive (costing upwards of Pesos 250,000) which only the rich can afford and a long one that sometimes takes years to process. On the other hand, legal separation does not allow separated couples to remarry.

Five artists of Filipino heritage are participating in a month-long exhibit aimed at encouraging dialogue around women’s roles, struggles, and triumphs. The exhibit titled Essence will open on April 26 at the CityScape Community Art Space at 335 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver.

Following the success of two locations in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jollibee opens a third Canadian location at #15 William Kitchen Road in Scarborough, Ontario on Easter Sunday, April 1.

Without tins of the luncheon meat Spam, many Filipino pantries are considered not up to scratch.

The appetite for Spam follows Filipinos all over the world, including in Canada, where children of immigrant families grow up with a taste for the canned product.

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has made a promise regarding caregivers working as temporary foreign workers in the country.

Ahmed Hussen assured in a statement on February 16, 2018 that Canada is not abolishing its caregiver program, and that caregivers have a guaranteed path to permanent residence.

In an awards ceremony held on February 15 at the MacEwan University, the Edmonton Arts Council (EAC), City of Edmonton and Edmonton Community Foundation recognized the 2017 recipients of the annual Cultural Diversity in the Arts project grants and the Edmonton Artists’ Fund awards.

The B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training has appointed Rene-John Nicolas to the Board of Governors of the Vancouver Community College (VCC).

In the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, Canadian Filipino long track speed skater Gilmore Junio showed the world the true meaning of sportsmanship.

After qualifying for the 1,000-metre race, the Alberta-born and –raised athlete gave his spot to his teammate Denny Morrison, who he believed had a greater chance of winning a medal. Morrison won silver.

Junio, 27, is getting another shot at Olympic glory, this time at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games in South Korea.

The long track speed skater is competing in the 500-metre race, his strongest category, on February 19.

According to his official profile with the Canadian Olympic team, Junio started playing hockey when he was seven years old. In 2003, his father suggested that he try speed skating.

Junio is one who doesn’t allow setbacks to stop him in his tracks.

As a junior short track speed skater, he suffered back fractures during a crash in 2009. As he was recovering, he decided to switch to the long track.

Junio’s parents Gino and Julie came from the Philippines. They met in Winnipeg during the 1970s. Later in the 1980s, the two settled in Calgary, where they raised a family. Junio has two siblings.

Junio is taking up kinesiology at the University of Calgary, with plans of becoming a physiotherapist.

He won his first World Cup medal in the 500-metre race in 2012 in Nagano, Japan, where he took silver. He earned his first gold at the 2013 World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah.

According to his official profile, Junio won seven World Cup medals in the 500-metre race during the 2016-2017 season. His haul included two gold medals.

In the 2014 Sochi games, Junio placed 10^th in the 500-metre category.

The PyeongChang Olympics’ website notes that Junio’s philosophy in life goes, “Always learn. Always grow. Give what you have.”

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A motion declaring the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month across Canada is expected to be taken up in the House of Commons in the spring.

The motion was filed by Salma Zahid, a federal Liberal who represents Scarborough Centre in Ontario as its Member of Parliament (MP).

She was a poet, playwright, critic, and journalist. Petronila Cleto was also an activist, who fought for democracy in the Philippines. In Canada, where she moved in 1991, she was a fierce advocate of migrant rights.

A dying sport in Canada may still find its lifeline in an unlikely source – Filipino immigrants.