Sefika Ozlem Yaman Sahin marches 500 km to demand Canada extend earthquake refugees' permits
A mother and her 12-year-old son walk from Toronto to Ottawa as temporary work permits for Turkish and Syrian nationals near expiry
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Sefika Ozlem Yaman Sahin marches 500 km to demand Canada extend earthquake refugees' permits
Photograph: Battlefords NOW (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Sefika Ozlem Yaman Sahin and her 12-year-old son began a 500-kilometre march from Toronto to Ottawa on 19 July to demand an extension of the TS2023 work permits.
- The TS2023 program, created after the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, granted three-year open work permits to affected nationals, with permits now set to expire within months.
- A petition by Liberal MP Sima Acan gathered over 8,000 signatures calling for a 24-month extension, but the government has not announced any changes to the program.
- Community estimates suggest over 9,000 permits were issued, though Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has not released official figures.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
56/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
15/100
12 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 12 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Sefika Ozlem Yaman Sahin, 47, and her 12-year-old son began walking from Toronto to Ottawa on 19 July. The 500-kilometre march is expected to conclude in the coming days. Yaman Sahin said she is walking on behalf of Turkish and Syrian nationals whose temporary work permits, issued under the TS2023 program, are set to expire within months.
The TS2023 program was created in response to the February 2023 earthquake that struck the Turkey-Syria border, which killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. The Canadian government granted three-year open work permits to affected nationals, later expanding eligibility to those already in Canada on temporary permits. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it would need at least ten days to compile data on the number of permits issued, though community estimates suggest over 9,000 were granted.
In March, Liberal MP Sima Acan presented a petition with over 8,000 signatures calling for a 24-month extension of the permits. The petition also urged the government to create pathways to permanent residency for permit holders and exempt them from the Labour Market Impact Assessment. The government responded in June, stating that eligible nationals could apply to renew their visas through regular programs but did not announce any extension or new pathways.
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the issue at a news conference earlier this week. He said the government is exploring ways to help those affected find pathways to permanent residency but noted that decisions must consider provincial capacity for housing and services. Yaman Sahin and other permit holders say the uncertainty has left them unable to plan for the future, with some having invested emotionally and financially in Canada.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet ran this story at all. None of the digests, whether left or centre-rated, included the exact number of permits set to expire, as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it would need at least ten days to compile the data. The full report in Battlefords NOW noted that it was unclear how many permit holders remain in Canada, but this detail was omitted from all digests.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 8 Aug 2026, 12:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- All six left-rated digests led on the personal story of Sefika Ozlem Yaman Sahin and her son’s march. They included the estimated number of permits issued under TS2023, the petition by Liberal MP Sima Acan, and the government’s response that permit holders could apply for renewals through regular programs. The digests also noted the emotional and financial investments made by permit holders in Canada.
- The full report in Battlefords NOW, which the left-rated digests summarised, quoted Yaman Sahin directly: “We just need extra time to complete our process here.” It also included the voices of other permit holders, such as Can Ors, who described the anxiety of facing deportation. The report framed the march as a protest against the government’s refusal to extend the permits, using phrases like “immigration limbo” and “retraumatize” to describe the impact on permit holders.
Centre
5 rated outlets
- The five centre-rated digests also led on the march by Yaman Sahin and her son. They included the same key facts: the 500-kilometre distance, the petition by Sima Acan, and the government’s statement that permit holders could apply for renewals through regular programs. The digests mentioned the estimated 9,000 permits issued but did not emphasise the emotional or financial toll on permit holders as prominently as the left-rated reports.
- The full report in Battlefords NOW, which the centre-rated digests also summarised, provided the same direct quotes from Yaman Sahin and Can Ors. It included the government’s argument that the program was always intended to be temporary and noted Prime Minister Mark Carney’s comments about considering provincial capacity for housing and services. The report used the phrase “immigration limbo” but did not frame the issue as a protest against the government’s decision.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Read it at the source
12 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens Bay Today in a new tab)
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens Sudbury in a new tab)
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens Orillia Matters in a new tab)
Orillia Matters — is Orillia Matters biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens SooToday.com in a new tab)
SooToday.com — is SooToday.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens St Catharines Standard in a new tab)
St Catharines Standard — is St Catharines Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
5- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens Ckpg Today in a new tab)
Ckpg Today — is Ckpg Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens Medicine Hat News in a new tab)
Medicine Hat News — is Medicine Hat News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens meadowlakeNOW in a new tab)
meadowlakeNOW — is meadowlakeNOW biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens Battlefords NOW in a new tab)
Battlefords NOW — is Battlefords NOW biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mother, son march in protest as Turkish, Syrian nationals face immigration limbo (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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