A soft, silvery glow of afternoon light frames the living room with the white floor, taupe walls, and white sofas, just like in a dream.
But it is not a metaphor, the dream Vivian Olumide he hopes to continue living.
That is why tears flow so easily, when she considers that it can all end for her and her 11-year-old son Kelvin in a jarring way shortly after Christmas.
“I love white, it represents something very dear to me,” Vivian said of the appearance inside her meticulously cared-for home, a small apartment in a low-rise building on the central mountain.
“For me, white is purity, and it tells me that one day my life will be clean, you know? But some days, if I buy clothes, I just choose black, because that’s how I feel inside. Like the dark. “
After living in Canada for six years, the last four in Hamilton, Vivian and Kelvin they have been forced to buy airline tickets to return to their former home in Nigeria.
He said that on November 2, the day before his 37th birthday, he met with a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer, who said he must leave between now and January 4.
Vivian chose that last day, hoping to reverse her deportation order.
His long-standing asylum application has been rejected, as well as an appeal, said his attorney, Lorne Waldman.
He told The Spectator that Vivian subsequently requested to stay on humanitarian grounds, arguing that deportation would not be in the best interest of Kelvin, as he spent years of training here and had “traumatic experiences” as a child in Nigeria.
“Kelvin feels integrated here and has a much better chance in Canada,” Waldman said. “It is thriving here.”
Kelvin sings in the Hamilton Boys Choir, and has shown a gift for playing the piano.
“I want to stay here,” Kelvin said. “I have a lot of good friends who care about me and I don’t want to abandon them.”
But Vivian’s humanitarian request was also denied.
“As we are, deportation is progressing,” Waldman said.
Vivian said she fears for her safety if she returns to Nigeria, and that the trauma Kelvin suffered growing up would make it difficult for her to adjust.
Waldman said a CBSA official who considered the request did not find Vivian credible.
“Some of their findings were extremely troublesome,” he said.
The CBSA did not respond with a comment about the case to The Spectator in time for the story’s deadline.
About two weeks ago, Waldman filed an appeal in federal court of the latest CBSA decision. He said they have a “compelling case” and hopes the decision will be reversed.
If deportation proceeds, he said he will try to bring them back from Nigeria, but that would pose additional challenges.
He suggested that a broader issue is that the two federal agencies responsible for deciding such cases, CBSA and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada (IRCC), operate independently.
“Sometimes their deadlines don’t match, so (clients) end up going to court and a judge has to decide.”
Vivian and Kelvin came to Canada in 2015, traveling from Nigeria to Toronto on vacation, she said, along with her then-husband, a banker in Nigeria. He had worked in human resources for an oil exploration company.
She said her spouse left her, returned home and told her not to follow her. But since then, he said, he has called for Kelvin’s return.
The Jan. 4 air ticket that Vivian bought will take them on Ethiopian Airlines for a short layover in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and then to Abuja, Nigeria, in West Africa.
He said CBSA chooses the airline and the itinerary.
“It’s a real eye-opener, the control (CBSA) has,” said Tom Fleming, who is among Hamilton’s friends. supporting Vivian and Kelvin, and who launched a GoFundMe campaign which raised $ 19,800 for legal fees.
Fleming urges those interested in helping the cause to go to PursuitOfSafety.org and contact the politicians listed there.
He plans to bring Vivian and Kelvin to Ottawa to pressure the leaders on Parliament Hill face to face.
Vivian volunteers Hamilton out of the coldAnd although her refugee status has made it difficult, she recently obtained a work permit. She is a personal support worker at a long-term care home in Ancaster and at St. Joe’s Hospital. She takes the bus and said they often call her on days off.
She shows her cell phone call history to a reporter to show how much they need her.
“I usually go when they call me. Everything feels so heavy to me these days, every minute, my fears are always right in front of me, but I go to work and put on a smile. “
As for Kelvin, his face lights up talking about singing, pajamas with friends, and playing in the park. Meanwhile, Vivian gazes into empty space, as if contemplating her future, or past, or some combination.
“I feel like I’ve always been running,” he said. “I just want to be safe, I just want to stay, that’s all I ask. I am not asking for money from the government. I just want them to say, ‘Stay home.’
Last week, a prayer vigil was held in his honor at his church, Central Presbyterian on Charlton Avenue, chaired by Pastor David Anderson.
Anderson has previously assisted two female refugee claimants in their offers to stay in Canada: one who was from Hungary and the another from Jamaica.
“The Christian faith and other religions speak of the principle that it is about loving God and loving neighbor, especially those who are vulnerable,” Anderson said. “I can’t think of anyone more vulnerable than the people who are here as refugees and who face violence and retaliation if they are sent home.”
Vivian is grateful that they gave her such kind friends.
And while you are still praying in the quiet of your home, there are times when you feel speechless.
“I have said it all, and perhaps God has listened too much to my voice. I wonder if maybe he needs to hear from someone else. “
Jon Wells is a Hamilton-based reporter and screenwriter for The Spectator. Contact him by email: [email protected]
Reference-www.thestar.com