Brian Perchaluk Dept: Much like Shaw in his time, Canadian playwright Wendy Lill is a social reformer who addresses political and moral issues in this nearly plotless 1984 drama about Winnipeg suffragists between 1910 and 1917, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Brian Perchaluk's striking set, which rotates to present intimate domestic and office spaces that are never completely walled off from each other, might be something of a metaphor for multiple perspectives and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre's elegant production of The Fighting Days comes on the heels of ShawFest, the company's salute to playwright George Bernard Shaw. As in Shaw, there are impassioned speeches and fierce arguments about personal freedom, social responsibility, gender roles, human rights, patriotism and pacifism. But like the Irish dramatist, Lill makes her dissenting characters highly sympathetic, drawing the viewer into weighing multiple sides of moral debates. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Roman Catholic Church Dept: The Roman Catholic Church has had a rough time with modernity, the culture that transformed the pectoral cross into bling. Collins largely blames it for shrinking church attendance. The 65-year-old now gazes at some 200 teenagers who, despite their Catholic school uniforms, have modernity imprinted on their genes, according to The Star. The topic What it means to be a Catholic Christian doesn t sound promising. Collins begins with an almost pedantic explanation of the inability to comprehend God and the Holy Trinity. It s met with polite silence and many glazed eyes and chatter and deep yawns fill the gym at St. Joseph s College School, near Queen s Park, where Grade 12 girls watch Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins take the stage. His Grace has his work cut out for him. And it s 8:45 in the morning. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nathan Englander Alfred A. Knopf Dept: Novels often get graded on a curve. The occasional boring patch is easily tolerated - an implausible plot twist, here and there, is to be expected. The point is: you can still love a flawed novel, according to Montreal Gazette. It's not surprising, then, that the eight stories that make up Nathan Englander's new book, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, can be read as a collection of running gags. They have the distinction though - as do Englander's two previous books - of not just being seriously funny, but deadly serious and wHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK By Nathan Englander Alfred A. Knopf, 207 pages, $27.95 Short stories, by comparison, are pass/fail. Either they work or they don't. In this respect they have as much in common with jokes as they do with literature. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jewish Pirates Dept: Moss-covered and cracking, the tombstone was wedged between hundreds of others, many of them only centimetres apart, in this crowded 357-year-old Jewish cemetery crammed into bustling downtown Bridgetown, the seaside capital of Barbados, according to Montreal Gazette. It's true that it is possible to enjoy Barbados without ever leaving the beach. From bathing and surfing to shopping and golf, there is more than enough to occupy any visitor to this, the most easterly of the Caribbean islands and it was the sinister skull-and-crossbones carving on one tombstone that made it so conspicuous. Were there Jewish pirates in Barbados? It's easy enough to imagine. After all, there were Jewish pirates in other Caribbean islands. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Turtle Mountain Dept: Some divisions, such as Gimli-based Evergreen, Lord Selkirk and Killarney-based Turtle Mountain, don't qualify for a penny more in operating grants than they received last year and may be raising taxes -- like many school boards across Manitoba, according to Winnipeg Free Press. It's been two weeks since Education Minister Nancy Allan announced an increase in operating grants of $25.5 million, a 2.2 per cent increase in the province's share of funding the $1.96-billion public school system and brandon School Division received a way-above-average increase in provincial operating grants of five per cent -- yet still faces a potential school property tax increase of 6.3 per cent. And so far, only Flin Flon is reporting the provincial funding formula was generous enough the tiny division can freeze property taxes this year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Maple Leaf Dept: It was generally a good report card for rural Manitoba and one of the highlights of the 2011 census is Brandon, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The reason for Brandon's growth is the Maple Leaf Foods hog plant, which is doing what it was supposed to do. It promised to grow Brandon's population. What no one knew is it would become an immigration machine. That happened when Maple Leaf cut salaries and bruce Bumstead / Brandon Sun Archives Brandon s population grew by 4,500 people since 2006, thanks in large part to immigrants. Brandon increased by 4,500 people, 11 per cent more than in 2006. Winnipeg grew by five per cent. It's extremely good considering western Manitoba keeps losing population to the large oil patches in Saskatchewan and Alberta. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Dept: I ve tried everything. But all I keep getting is let down. If he got his permanent residency he still wouldn t be able to work for months and I m told he would still have to wait for approval for 18 months. He can stay but if he cannot work that isn t good. If he finds a job he has to get a labour-market opinion, which means he will have to wait for months just to be able to work. And the business that wants to hire him has to fill out a lot of paperwork and it has to be a job a Canadian cannot do. Does this make any sense? Is there no way I can get around this? We wanted to get married this year and start our life. But now we can t. I just want to be happy again and be able to start my life with him, according to The Star. Q. It came to my attention this week that my UK. passport expires this month, so I decided to go on line and download a renewal form. What a surprise. It said that all passports are now being handled in Washington and not at the British High Commission in Ottawa. The charges for a passport are listed at around $250 U.S. and a fee of $33 U.S. for courier services. These must be paid by credit card or certified cheque when sending in the renewal. This is outrageous as at least Canada and the UK are related but the UK. has nothing to do with the U.S. Have you heard anything about this? I have applied for Canadian citizenship, which should be finalized within the next few months and I was hoping to carry dual passports but not at this outrageous charge and q. My fiance is from the U.S. and I want him to be able to live here. He is leaving next week and it breaks our hearts to see him go. This is literally my last option. A. As a citizen of a foreign country your husband-to-be needs to go through immigration procedures before he can settle here. Those are simply the rules. There was a time when it was very difficult for spousal sponsorships to be processed from within Canada. In those days, the would-be spouse in most cases had to leave Canada and await processing. Some years ago, the immigration department realized the strain this kind of separation can cause and changed the rules to allow an application for spousal sponsorship to be submitted and processed from within Canada. That was a progressive move. What you would seem to be proposing is that officials go one step farther and waive the work-permit requirements for those who are married to a Canadian citizen. But I believe many others would argue that at a certain point the rules have to be applied. My suggestion is this: If it is your intention to marry at a later date, why not get married now so that you can initiate the spousal sponsorship from within Canada. That way your fiance could remain in Canada while you get the ball rolling to obtain a work permit. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Freda Guttman Dept: Improbable as it seems, the draw is a panel discussion. No music, no stand-up, no spoken word. Just earnest Kevin Yuen Kit Lo as moderator, carefully drawing out the personal experiences of his guests: visual artists Coco Riot and Freda Guttman, filmmaker Malcolm Guy and poet Vincent Tinguely. Grey heads, except for Lo and Riot, who looks 20-something and describes herself as "a queer Hispanic migrant artist." Guttman has a 40-year track record as installation artist, printmaker and political activist. President of Productions Multi-Monde, Guy is known for documentary films treating immigrant issues, dating from the late '80s, according to Montreal Gazette. "Reality is a narcotic," Tinguely tells the crowd. "Entertainment numbs." Art cannot be aloof from what's happening in the street. "It must be a weapon to tear holes in the web of illusion," he says, quoting liberally from an essay he wrote for the occasion and on a chilly Thursday night in January, the country kitchen temperature in Caf Cagibi's backroom is pushed upwards by a standing-roomonly crowd. While most people wrestle with bulky coats and backpacks, early arrivals who snagged a seat on the couch must crane for a glimpse of the featured event. Climate change, police violence, corporate excess, gentrification - none of the above are specifically on the menu, yet all are in the air. Consensus among the span of ages is as thick as a fresh-cut slice of whole wheat bread. The topic is art and activism. Not if but how art can be used to rouse awareness and draw people into action on the burning socio-political issues of our time. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Sayed Shah Sharifi Dept: The Star has been asking the PMO to get involved ever since Immigration Minister Jason Kenney made a promise which turned out to be hollow that Afghan interpreters would be fast-tracked and get special consideration to relocate in Canada. Federal immigration officials vacillated about accepting most of the visa applications, saying the Afghans had to prove extraordinary and individualized risk and serious injury in order to be approved. That s hard to do when faced with such cruel and evasive enemies as the Taliban, according to The Star. The interpreters and cultural advisers often worked on the battlefield under fire for Canadians in Kandahar and other risky parts of Afghanistan. Most were highly praised for their efforts. One of the men whose visa request was turned down, Sayed Shah Sharifi, was described by his former boss, Capt. Alexander Duncan, as someone who would contribute greatly to Canada as a citizen. Although Sharifi worked the required 12 months for Canadians, immigration officials said there were credibility issues with his application and dismissed his claim that Taliban insurgents were threatening his life and more than 100 Afghans who put themselves in personal danger by working as interpreters for our military may be getting another chance to seek a new life in Canada. It took pressure from the public and the media, as well as direct intervention from the Prime Minister s Office. Finally. Only 97 out of the hundreds of applicants and their families had actually been allowed to move to Canada by the end of 2011. Now, after the PMO got involved, some restrictive criteria to verify personal danger have been set aside and other limitations relaxed. It should end major roadblocks for Afghan interpreters and advisers who are seeking to resettle in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Honour Killing Dept: But legal experts and those who work in women's shelters say that once the words are stripped away, the crime is one that happens often in Canada: women being killed for not doing as they are told, according to Montreal Gazette. It's a violent assault on women because they're women.'' MONTREAL - For months during the Shafia murder trial in Kingston, Ont., the term honour killing was bandied about as if it were some exotic ritual that only happened in other countries with cultures far removed and backward from our own. I think we're fascinated right now with the concept of honour killings because that was the name given to it by the prosecution and the accused but that doesn't change what the underlying activity is,'' said Pearl Eliadis, a Montreal human rights lawyer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.