Mark Kennedy: His son, Mark Kennedy, spoke eloquently about the former Maple Leafs captain, who became the first inductee into Legends Row, a new monument to Leaf players that will be unveiled in full during FanFest on Saturday, Sept. 6, according to The Star. Kennedy, who passed away in 2009, will have his likeness placed on the monument, which is a 30-foot long granite players bench. It will eventually include two more players to be unveiled during FanFest and up to 10 or more by the time the Leafs centennial celebration rolls around in the 2017-18 season and According to those who knew and played with him, Ted Teeder Kennedy was best defined by his work ethic, heart and modesty. If he were here now, I think he d wipe away a tear and say and say this is his greatest honour as a Leaf, Kennedy said Thursday morning as the Leafs announced Kennedy as the first name to go n the new, interactive monument outside Gate 6 at the Air Canada Centre. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Queen of Canada: In that sense, the three would-be Canadian citizens who have been in the courts challenging the existing oath of loyalty to the Queen have a good point. Our pledge of allegiance to Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors is confusing and outmoded, according to The Star. The court was correct in interpreting Canadian law and tradition. The Queen of Canada, as described in the oath, is not a person but a symbol that stands for constitutional government, the parliamentary system and rights-based democracy. All new citizens can and should support that and New Canadians ought to be able to swear their allegiance directly to Canada, their chosen land. We should not require them to affirm their loyalty to the head of state whoever he or she may be. Still, the Ontario Court of Appeal was completely right this week when it rejected their case . The court ruled that requiring them to swear allegiance to the Queen in order to become citizens did not violate their constitutional rights. In fact, it declared that the oath to the Queen simply makes new citizens promise to accept and support our form of government of which the Queen is a symbol. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

foreign workers: While virtually all programs dealing with temporary foreign workers were revised, the live-in caregiver program remained unchanged. , according to CBC. When changes are announced, it is important that the program, which helps thousands of Canadian families, be maintained but be reformed to allow live-in caregivers and their families to arrive in Canada as conditional permanent residents. Caregiver program 'out of control' When the federal government overhauled the Temporary Foreign Worker program in June, it did so with the release a 40-page paper outlining detailed changes. While no changes to the live-in caregiver program have been announced, the federal government has signalled that changes are on the way.. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Thailand: The crackdown follows the case of an Australian couple one of whom is a convicted child sex offender who left a male twin surrogate baby with Down Syndrome in Thailand , bringing only his sister back to Australia. , according to CBC. In response, Thailand new military government gave preliminary approval on Wednesday for a draft law to make commercial surrogacy a criminal offence. U.S. and Australian couples attempting to leave Thailand with babies born by surrogate mothers have been stopped at the airport and prevented from leaving the country in recent days, an Australian surrogacy advocate said on Friday. We did not abandon our son,' Australia couple says of Down syndrome baby Australia may intervene in case of abandoned baby Australian couple abandons Down syndrome baby from Thai surrogate The incident, made public earlier this month, unleashed an international outcry over a shadowy business that rights groups say preys on poor and vulnerable women in countries such as India and Thailand. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Thomas Lawless: I am pleased to report that the mystery of the photograph of a man told you was Pte. Thomas Lawless, a Canadian soldier killed in France in the First World War, has also now been solved, according to The Star. Almost immediately, numerous Star readers raised questions about the photo, expressing doubt that the picture could have been taken in the First World War years, largely because the hair and clothing of both the man and woman do not appear consistent with the Great War era and As feature writer Oakland Ross told you in a riveting story last week , the mystery of Pte. Thomas Lawlesss long-lost bones has been solved at last, the result of decades of sleuthing and science. Rosss brilliant account of the astonishing efforts that went into identifying the remains of Lawless and another Canadian soldier who were lost near the town of Avion in northern France nearly 100 years ago included a prominent photograph published on the front page of the Insight section. The photo caption said the picture showed Lawless in an undated photo with his cousin Eilleen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mount Sinjar: Canada, France and Australia were among the nations standing by to assist as fears grew about a humanitarian crisis taking shape on Mount Sinjar , in northern Iraq, according to The Star. But on Wednesday, a small team of U.S. soldiers that had deployed to Mount Sinjar to scout the area as a possible prelude to a large-scale operation to get the refugees to safety reported back with a surprise appraisal and A U.S.-led humanitarian effort to rescue stranded Iraqis who took refuge atop a mountaintop to flee Islamist militants appears in doubt after American soldiers found fewer refugees than expected in need of help. Its there that thousands of religious minority Yazidis had fled to escape Islamic State militants advancing through their villages in the northern region of the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

York University: The York Federation of Students, which represents the universitys 53,000 undergraduates, said students began bringing the flyers to their attention on Wednesday. The page includes the York University logo, and displays two photos of York sports teams: one is black and white and shows white men only, while the second, more recent picture shows students of various ethnicities, according to The Star. The student federations vice-president, equity, Mithilen Mathipalan, said students were disgusted and appalled by the flyers and Anti-immigration flyers have appeared at York University, less than a week after similar flyers resurfaced in Brampton . The flyer is titled The Changing Demography of York University, and says that if mass third world immigration continues, Canadians will be reduced to a persecuted minority, not only at York, but in their own country!! It doesnt have to be this way!! (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Statistics Canadas: Approvals for EI claims are partly based on regional unemployment rates, but officials say staff will be able to manage the expected backlog next week so the wait for Fridays new job numbers wont affect when people get their cheques. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Statistics Canada rushing to redo July job numbers Statistics Canadas decision to pull its latest jobs report forced officials to put employment insurance claims on hold and triggered a flood of speculation from economists as to what Fridays updated numbers will reveal. Business Briefing 12 jokes: Next jobs report? Your guess is as good as a statistician s (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Islamic State: The U.S. announced Wednesday that it was talking to several countries including Canada about helping Yazidis, Iraqi Christians, and other people who have become displaced by the advance of Islamist fighters. Related Items Articles U.S. attacks on insurgents a necessary response US credits airstrikes with allowing Iraqis to escape mountain, making rescue mission unlikely France announces it will send weapons to Iraq 'in coming hours,' co-ordinating with the Brits Egypt top Muslim cleric condemns Islamic State as danger to Islam Australian prime minister won't rule out sending a combat force to Iraq to prevent 'genocide' Iraq prime minister seems increasingly isolated; urges military not to meddle in politics , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "We have offers of support from a number of allies like France, Australia, Canada," Rhodes said. The United States is considering a multinational mission to whisk displaced people to safety in Iraq and it appears there may be a supporting role for Canada. At a White House briefing, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the U.S. was taking up offers to help those who are under threat from the al-Qaida splinter group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporations: The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporations latest quarterly forecast predicts lower sales volumes for 2015, with 163,000 to 203,200 homes expected to be built. The lower end of that forecast is below the 179,600 to 189,900 new homes expected by the end of this year. MAP: House prices across Canada , according to CBC. Add it all up, and the housing agency calls for a "soft landing" in housing a term used by economists to describe a housing market that slowly cools down without ever experiencing a jarring, sudden large drop in prices, sales or new builds. Prices will tick higher Canada national housing agency says it expects builders to stop making as many new homes and focus on selling the ones they've already built. The low end of that range is itself a slowdown from 2013, when 187,923 new Canadian homes were built. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian citizenship: The group launched a constitutional challenge last year, arguing that forcing candidates for Canadian citizenship to swear allegiance to the Queen violates the protections for free speech and freedom of religion in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Our case against the Queens oath When new citizens swear an oath to the Queen, they are not pledging allegiance to her personally, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday , rejecting a challenge by three permanent residents who have refused citizenship over an oath they say violates their political or religious beliefs. Globe editorial The oath to the Queen is constitutional as is changing it (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Chuck Hagel: Calling the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan "catastrophic," France said Wednesday it would start supplying arms to the Kurdish forces fighting Sunni extremists from the Islamic State group. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. It said the French president spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday evening and agreed on the need for an "extremely rapid response," but didn't clarify whether Britain outright consented to furnish weapons to the Kurds, who are trying to push back radicals of the IS group. WIth Marines standing at attention, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel arrives at a Camp Pendleton hangar where addressed the Marines and answered questions Tuesday Aug. 12, 2014. Hagel announced the deployment of another 130 U.S. troops to Iraq in remarks to Marines at this Southern California base on the final stop of a weeklong, around-the-world trip that also took him to India, Germany and Australia. AP Photo/The Orange County Register, Paul Rodriguez Paris and London have agreed to co-ordinate their actions on both humanitarian aid and arms, the office of President Francois Hollande said. Related Items Articles White House talking to Canada, others about aiding Iraqi refugees (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rijnsburg: On May 10, 1940, nine-year-old Case awoke to sounds of gunshots and aircraft overhead. Black figures with white plumes above them were dropping from airplanes; the sky over Rijnsburg was filled with enemy paratroopers. Five years of Nazi occupation followed. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Although born into the Great Depression, followed by the privations of the Second World War, Case had a resilient spirit and a lust for life. The fifth of 12 children, he was apprenticed to a carpenter at age 12. Bombing disrupted his education but he was enterprising, bright and precise, and proved well suited to his craft and Husband, father, great-grandfather, old-world craftsman. Born on Nov. 11, 1930, in Rijnsburg, the Netherlands; died on March 12, 2014, in Norval, Ont., of cancer, aged 83. Submit a Lives Lived column (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Fashion industry companies: Fashion industry companies that hire foreign models say they have been lumped into the same category as employers who hire low-skilled workers in the fast-food industry. , according to CBC. Canadian retailers, modelling agencies, photographers and hundreds of other members of the fashion industry are calling on the federal government to expedite applications to bring in foreign models and eliminate the $1,000 fee employers must pay for every foreign worker they hire. Canada fashion industry appears to be the latest sector of the economy side-swiped by changes announced earlier this summer to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Businesses needing skilled workers sideswiped by changes (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Israel: Both made the initial mistake of accepting the broad parameters of Stephen Harpers position that Hamas is a terrorist entity and that Israel has a right to defend itself. But as Israeli missiles, bombs and shells ripped through civilians, day after day, many stunned Canadians asked why, amid the mounting humanitarian catastrophe, the opposition parties were mouthing mostly platitudes, according to The Star. The NDPs Quebec and youth wings made their displeasure known to the party brass. Some activists protested at the offices of Thomas Mulcair and the partys foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar and The federal New Democrats and Liberals, especially the latter, have been weathering a backlash for what has been seen as their kid glove treatment of Israel over the Gaza war. Liberal supporters wondered why Justin Trudeau issued a statement July 15 laying all the blame on Hamas but not calling on Israel to show any restraint. They were further outraged by a solidarity trip to Israel by two Toronto-area Liberal MPs, John McCallum and Carolyn Bennett paid for by the pro-Israeli lobby group, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Winners: Intimidation factor: High. I am schlepping a Winners plastic tote bag and feel like I should have come bearing a Vuitton tote and a latte from Starbucks. I could be taken for a prospective shoplifter though I would be hard-pressed to physically lift most of the merchandise, according to The Star. Response time: 15 minutes. I am conspicuously ignored see Winners plastic tote above until a staffer who is a ringer for Adam Levine appears and asks if I need assistance and Restoration Hardware, 2434 Yonge St. Number of salespeople on floor: Indeterminable, they pop up intermittently armed with headphones and iPads. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Serhat Seyhoglu: Serhat Seyhoglu, president of Construction Ltd., appeared in provincial court Monday to face charges of breaching the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by employing two foreign nationals without proper authorization. , according to CBC. The raid was captured by a camera crew for Border Security: Canada Front Line , a reality television show that had the blessing of the to film its officers and staff on the job. Charges have been laid against a Vancouver contractor in connection with a controversial raid by Canada Border Services Agency last year. Eight of Seyhoglu employees were arrested and several deported after a sweep of a Vancouver condominium construction site in March 2013, where Seyhoglu and his company had been hired as a subcontractor. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Bell Aliant: Opposition parties are taking the premier to task for not organizing a meeting to discuss potential job losses at Bell Aliant, while the union representing those workers says government action may be premature, according to The Chronicle Herald. On Monday, deputy planning and priorities minister Bernie Miller wrote to Baillie and MacDonald to say the coalition is already engaged in work focused on startups, immigration and exports. Discussing the Bell Aliant matter appears to be outside the intended scope of the coalitions mandate and may not be consistent with the coalitions desire to stay focused on its identified priorities, Miller said and Bell Canada Enterprises BCE announced in July its intention to privatize Bell Aliant Inc., a move expected to save the telecom giant $100 million a year in capital and operating costs. Earlier this month, Tory Leader Jamie Baillie and acting New Democrat leader Maureen MacDonald wrote to Stephen McNeil asking that he bring the issue before the oneNS Coalition, the group of political and business leaders established in the wake of the Ivany report. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Michael Chan: Michael Chan says in a statement that he is disgusted by the flyers in the city northwest of Toronto and that there is no room in our province for intolerance, hatred or division on cultural or racial lines. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Police investigating anti-immigration flyers distributed in Brampton Ontarios Citizenship and Immigration minister is denouncing what he calls hateful flyers that police say have been distributed in Brampton the second time this year anti-immigration flyers have emerged there. Wynne condemns anti-immigration flyers being distributed in Brampton (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Kien Le: The 100,000-strong community in the GTA envisions, along a tree-lined side road in Vaughan, a not-for-profit elderly care facility with three wings that can meet the linguistic, cultural and dietary needs of Vietnamese-speaking seniors, according to The Star. Most of these seniors in their 60s and 70s do not speak English. Their second language is French, said Kien Le, vice chair of the board, whose family came to Canada as refugees in July 1975 via the Philippines and If founding an ethnocultural-specific senior home is a reflection of an immigrant communitys coming of age, Vietnamese Canadians have just reached a milestone. The recent purchase of a 5.6-acre, $2.8-million property on Pine Valley Dr. is a major step toward realizing that dream. Its hoped the 200-bed Golden Age Village for the Elderly can be erected there in five years, to serve the generation that arrived here largely in the late 1970s-80s boat people migration, after the Communist takeover of South Vietnam. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tarek Loubani: In an interview with The Globe from Europe, Dr. Tarek Loubani said he flew to Tel Aviv on Aug. 6 with the intention of entering Gaza to help provide emergency medical assistance to those injured in the latest conflict. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. AND Only the PM got us out of Egyptian prison. He must act now The Canadian doctor who spent 53 days in an Egyptian prison was recently detained again, this time at an immigration jail in Israel while he appealed the decision to deny his entry there. Globe editorial Ottawa must raise its volume in defence of Mohamed Fahmy (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

unaccompanied children: The scale and pace of the displacement crisis is staggering. This year, U.S. custom officials picked up 17,500 unaccompanied children from Honduras, 15,700 from Guatemala and 14,500 from El Salvador. , according to CBC. Most of these kids are currently in limbo, interned in the roughly 100 shelters scattered along the U.S.-Mexico border. This past year alone, more than 62,000 children and adolescents made the perilous trek from the northern triangle El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to what they hoped would be safe refuge in the U.S. Five years ago, there were just over 3,000 from all three countries combined. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Fashion industry companies: Fashion industry companies that hire foreign models say they have been lumped into the same category as employers who hire low-skilled workers in the fast-food industry. , according to CBC. Canadian retailers, modelling agencies, photographers and hundreds of other members of the fashion industry are calling on the federal government to expedite applications to bring in foreign models and eliminate the $1,000 fee employers must pay for every foreign worker they hire. Canada fashion industry appears to be the latest sector of the economy side-swiped by changes announced earlier this summer to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Businesses needing skilled workers sideswiped by changes (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

healthy food: Joel MacCharles , co-founder of WellPreserved.ca, writer, cook 2013 TEDxToronto speaker, according to The Star. Transforming our food policy has the potential to reduce congestion on roads with less need to transport food , lower cost of healthy food by building infrastructure, reduce waste, decrease health costs, lower hunger, increase food security, lower cost of living, lower the environmental impact of our food system, increase employment and enhance community. Every one of us needs to eat. By improving food policy we are improving the quality of life for every individual, and this is why it has my vote and As we close in on a transformative list of Big Ideas to transform Toronto , some of TEDxTorontos biggest thinkers have jumped into the citywide brainstorming session. Past and upcoming speakers and performers from TEDx , whose mission is Ideas worth spreading, have chosen their favourite proposals from the top 20 ideas unveiled earlier this month: Big Idea: Adopt a bold food strategy (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Islamic State: U.S. ready to help new Iraq leader, Iran welcomes choice, according to Globe and Mail. Iraq s Yazidis and the escape from Mount Sinjar Once again, the Middle East is in flames. The Islamic State formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is overrunning cities across Iraq and Syria. Last week, IS was on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, and its militants were circling Iraqs Yazidi minority, threatening them with genocide. At this point, the United States belatedly decided to intervene and is currently bombing IS outposts. More Related to this Story U.S. to consider more support for Iraq once new government formed: Kerry (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

President Barack Obama: Stephen Harper expressed strong support for U.S. airstrikes in Iraq during a telephone conversation Tuesday with President Barack Obama, according to The Chronicle Herald. The pair agreed on the need to confront the terrorist threat posed by the al-Qaida splinter group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, MacDonald noted and The two leaders talked about the latest developments in the unfolding crisis, and during the conversation Harper expressed Canadas willingness to do more on the humanitarian aid front, said spokesman Jason MacDonald. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.