Public Service Commission Dept: News has learned that the Public Service Commission investigated two hiring processes involving the manager one in 2007 and another in 2009 and concluded that errors were made that affected the fairness of the processes, according to CBC. Service Canada has more than 300 offices across the country, providing Canadians with information on a range of government programs, including employment insurance, pensions and passports. 2007 job competition investigated A former manager with the federal public service in Manitoba has been found to have acted improperly by hiring unqualified candidates and people to whom she was connected. "Nepotism is not acceptable in the federal public service," said Kelly Minucci of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, which represents Service Canada employees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federal Restriction Dept: Canadian Chamber of Commerce president Perrin Beatty said interprovincial trade barriers, such as a prohibition-era federal restriction on the movement of liquor across borders, are part of broader problems that raise questions about the federal government's commitment to growth, according to Vancouver Sun. "We should have one market in Canada, and if someone in British Columbia has a winery and is producing wine, it should be possible for people in any part of the country to be able to order that and readily have it delivered to them," Beatty told a news conference and all Canadians should be able to make direct purchases of B.C. wine, the national chamber of commerce said Wednesday in a stern critique of the numerous barriers to competitiveness. The chamber is also calling for an end to regional "discrimination" in the Employment Insurance system, a more open foreign investment regime, better job training, a revamped immigration system, greater incentives for research and development, a reformed tax system, and major investments in roads, bridges, highways, water systems and the electrical grid. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian Consulates Dept: Sources tell News that up to eight Canadian consulates and trade offices in cities across the U.S. could be closed by the end of the year, according to CBC. Insiders say six of the most likely targets are satellite consulates Philadelphia, Anchorage, Houston, Raleigh, Phoenix and San Diego opened in 2004 by the then Liberal government of Paul Martin and while Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in China this week trying to open doors for new bilateral trade and investment opportunities, his government is quietly reviewing plans to padlock some of Canada s consulates in the United States. A final decision will be made by the federal cabinet in time for the Conservative government s next budget, expected in March. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Metropolitan Areas Dept: Census metropolitan areas do not conform to established municipal boundaries. Statistics Canada defines them as a metropolitan area with a population of at least 100,000, where the urban core of that area has at least 50,000 people. Commuting patterns and other factors are used in determining these census metropolitan areas. Looking at metropolitan areas this way takes in to account the growing impact of suburban areas on Canada's largest cities, according to CBC. Statistics Canada pegs the current population at just over 108,000 thousand and new census data shows the population of the metropolitan area of Thunder Bay fell over the last five years, during a period of time that saw Canada spiral into the most serious economic tailspin since the Great Depression. Metropolitan areas In the 2011 census data released Wednesday, it showed about 800 fewer people in the city compared with five years ago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Premier Dalton McGuinty Dept: It's been a slow dissolution, rather than a precipitous or cataclysmic decline. It has taken years to set in and will continue to unfold for decades to come. But the pattern in the 2011 census data is clear and, barring the discovery of major new resource deposits in Northern Ontario, perhaps irreversible, according to Montreal Gazette. But the draws to newcomers are now westward and eastward, rather than central. This builds on the results of the last census, in 2006, and marks a fundamental, cross-Canada shift and you wouldn't have guessed, as Premier Dalton McGuinty basked in the adulation of fellow Liberals at the party's biennial convention here last month, that he has presided over what may be a permanent decline of Ontario's place within Confederation. Canada's population is healthy, with steady, roughly six-per-cent growth driven by immigration. People from around the world still flock here, chasing opportunity, prosperity and security for their children. National population growth outstrips that of any other G8 country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Norman Paterson School Of International Affairs Dept: The latest census reveals a new population, a westward trend and an ongoing influx of newcomers but what else does it tell us about where the country is, and where it's headed? What are your thoughts on the census and the story it tells? Tell us by joining our live chat with Carleton University's Elliot Tepper, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs who has extensive experience interpreting the census and the role of diasporas, immigration and demographic change, Mark Kennedy, Parliamentary bureau chief for Postmedia News and Jesse Ferreras, an online editor with canada.com. Be a part of the discussion, Thursday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. ET. Census Chat div (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Dept: The 2011 census results released on Wednesday found the fastest growing census area in B.C. was Langford, which grew by 30.1 per cent, followed by Lake Country with 21.9, Port Moody with 19.9, and Kent with 19.5, according to CBC. Vancouver is now also the most dense city in Canada, at 5249.1 people per square kilometre. Canada's 2011 census package: results were released Wednesday. Canadian Press B.C.'s population is growing faster than the national average, with the cities of Surrey, Port Moody, Kelowna and Langford leading the way, according to the latest census data. On a larger scale, the combination of census areas used to define metropolitan Vancouver grew 9.3 per cent to hit 2.3 million, making it the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Monica Linares Dept: Statistics show Canadians on the whole only contribute about 6 to 7 per cent of the maximum they re allowed to their RRSPs every year. SPECIAL REPORT RRSP season: How to make the most of your investments What you need to know to start, build and protect your retirement nest egg, according to CBC. Immigrants have other priorities when they come here, says Monica Linares, a financial advisor with Sun Life Financial. They left everything in their country, so they have to start again to build another life and besides the challenge of settling into a new home and culture, immigrants to Canada face a host of issues when it comes to getting their financial lives in order and planning for their retirement. But there s one thing Canadians all have in common: the sooner we start investing in our financial future, the better. While nobody seems to track the data on new Canadians specifically, there s ample anecdotal evidence to suggest the numbers for immigrants are even lower. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Port Moody Dept: Port Moody, Coquitlam and Surrey were the fastest-growing communities in the 2011 census, with some neighbourhoods in those cities doubling or tripling their population between 2006 and 2011, according to data released Wednesday, according to Vancouver Sun. While growth was more vigorous than expected in the Tri-Cities, it is consistent with the regional growth strategy, which calls for development to be centred along transit corridors and town centres and metro Vancouver continues to lure new migrants and suck residents from B.C's rural towns, but it appears most people are skipping Vancouver in favour of settling in the Tri-Cities or neighbourhoods south of the Fraser. Port Moody experienced 19.9-per-cent growth during this five-year period, followed by Surrey with 18.6 per cent. Vancouver's growth rate, meanwhile, sat at 4.4 per cent, with population increases concentrated in its downtown core, Mount Pleasant and Fairview. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Circle Of Friends Dept: And when her husband s job kept him absent for nine of the first 12 months of Ella s life, that really cemented it for me, she said. Could I do it with throwing another baby in the mix? The answer to that was definitely, No way, Jose. The Solomons two-kid family is typical among their circle of friends in Ottawa. Indeed, couples with just one or two children have become the norm in Canada, part of a trend of steadily dwindling family size that has been going on since the early 1960s, according to Globe and Mail. Canada s birth rate is currently hovering around 1.67 children per woman, well below the minimum of 2.0 needed for natural population replacement. We knew with Ryan s naval career that there were going to be a lot of periods of time when I would be by myself, said Ms. Solomon, the 39-year-old stay-at-home mother of Aidan, 9, and Ella, 6. They re not alone, according to population projections Statistics Canada released Wednesday as part of the first release of data from the 2011 census. On its current trajectory, the numbers suggest, Canada s growth rate could be almost entirely dependent on immigration within 50 years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.