By Nick Hume

Shabnam J. Janani, an internationally trained journalist based in Toronto, received an honorary award from The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in the category of Journalism on Thursday. She received the award in recognition of her contributions to the multicultural ethnic communities and to Canadian society as a whole.

"Many cultures, ethnicities, and faiths make up Canada's free, democratic, and pluralistic society," said David C.Onley the L. Governor during the opening ceremony. "But their individual strength is drawn from the communities in which their beliefs and identities were formed and nurtured."

Janani, 27, is a reporter for Toronto Star Newspaper-the largest daily newspaper in Canada. She also has worked as a managing editor of the weekly Iranian community magazine- Salam Toronto since 2001, a few years after immigrated with her family to Canada.

"Canada is a unique country in that it gathers people from different parts of the world," said Janani, who received an award for her outstanding journalism work in the field of diversity and humanities. "But there are a lot of problems with multiculturalism in this country. Canadian immigrants struggle with a lot of obstacles in their daily lives and the media should reflect their voices in order to help them be heard."

A lack of secured jobs for skilled immigrants, the stress of establishing a new life and the subsequent impact the stress has on one's health as well as facing cultural differences with their new environment are the fundamental concerns for immigrants within Canada, she said.

Janani  currently works on a book of short stories about first and second generation immigrants. Her book covers a variety of social and cultural topics and will be available to the public in Fall 2009.

The award ceremony was hosted by the L.Governor at the Queen's Park- Legislative assembly of Ontario, and was presented by the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada in celebration of EthnoMedia Week in Canada.

The L. Governor is the representative of Her Majesty The Queen in Ontario.

Related Story: Cheers to Shiraz - Shiraz takes me to a city of that name. Shiraz is more than 4,000 years old. Once the centre of the Persian empire, now it's Iran's third-largest city. It has a reputation for its poetry, history, orange blossoms - and once for its wine. - By Shabnam Janani

... Payvand News - 11/03/08 ... --