French-Canadian Dept: English Canada remains somewhat ignorant of acclaimed contemporary French-Canadian literature, possibly the result of lingering anti-Quebec sentiment or lacklustre marketing reach, or both. And though translations have actually been decreasing over time, stories like Ru offer a compelling bridge for readers interested in hearing voices from across the linguistic and cultural divide, according to The Chronicle Herald. Here s Ru s protagonist describing the chaotic background action during her birth: I came into the world during the Tet Offensive, when the long chains of firecrackers draped in front of houses exploded polyphonically along with the sound of machine-guns. Ru translates as lullaby in Vietnamese and small stream in French, dually applicable titles for this book from a Montreal writer that won a 2010 Governor General s Award for French-language fiction and several hefty international prizes. Kim Thuy was born in Saigon and immigrated to Quebec in 1979 at age 10. The book is carefully billed as fiction but reads as straight autobiography and scarcely like a novel at all. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

RIM Dept: RIM is looking to fill 600 positions, in fields such as software development and testing, hardware engineering and technical support. Most of the jobs are at its Waterloo, Ont., headquarters, with some openings based in Mississauga, Ont., said Ali Rajah, the company s global talent acquisition leader, according to CBC. The technology business is cyclical, said Rajah. RIM is growing considerably few companies are growing at the same rate. We re looking for talent, fresh ideas and innovative people to address that growth and research in Motion has its challenges but the chance to work for a company that was once Canada s high-tech darling and has nowhere to go but up is what lured them to a job fair in Toronto for the BlackBerry maker, job seeking hopefuls say. The hiring boom comes just eight months after the company laid off 2,000 people, 11 per cent of its global workforce. Some of them were back trying to get hired again by RIM, among the hundreds of job seekers at the career fair Thursday at the Metro Toronto Covention Centre. Ali Rajah, RIM's global talent acquisition leader, says the company wants to fill 600 positions. Prithi Yelaja/ (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Astonishing Performance Dept: That's mostly because this Montrealer of Serbian origin has made one remarkably accomplished film. But it doesn't hurt that it features an astonishing performance by Ali Ammar as a 20-year-old man with a serious physical disability who is desperately unhappy - and not just because he has extreme difficulty walking. The performance is all the more notable when you realize Ammar had never acted before, not even in a school play, according to Montreal Gazette. "I didn't take it seriously," Ammar said in an interview this week. "But I said, 'Why not try?' " Writer-director Ivan Grbovic's first feature, Rom o Onze, has quietly become one of the most acclaimed Qu b cois films of the past 12 months, picking up accolades at film fests around the globe. Ammar was studying psychology at Ahuntsic College when someone from the CEGEP who works with disabled students told him he'd heard a filmmaker was looking for an actor of Arab origin with a disability. So Ammar decided to audition even though he had absolutely no experience. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rock Climbing Wall Dept: On board there's an indoor soccer field, a rock climbing wall, biking circuit and a thousand people from all over the globe China, Croatia, Kazahkstan who are absolutely convinced they're the next Steve Jobs, according to CBC. The vessel is an offshore incubator, a place where an idea for a start-up is developed, scaled and, in the best cases, moved inland to Silicon Valley and twelve miles off the coast of California there's a vessel that looks like a cruise ship that never moves. Ferries arrive three times a day from the mainland, maybe the occasional helicopter. But as luxurious as the vessel appears, this is not a ship of leisure. The cabins are work units, and the guests are there to build businesses. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rebecca Margolis Dept: Less noticed that day was another happy event for the community - or at least an event of hopeful promise. On March 3, 1912, in the immigrant quarter along St. Lawrence Main, the doors opened to a small Jewish library, according to Montreal Gazette. A library could fill a void, writes Rebecca Margolis in her new book Jewish Roots, Canadian Soil, "where they could meet, further their education and enjoy their leisure time after a long day at the factory." The joyful festival of Purim was celebrated a century ago by Montreal's Jews in the time-honoured way. The Book of Esther, describing the thwarting of Haman's plot to murder Persia's Jews, was read in the city's synagogues. "The social side," The Gazette reported, "was also given free scope, consisting of interchange of visits and gifts, with alms for the poor, and several balls were arranged." One of its founders was Poalei Zion, a workers' association that had begun running a rudimentary library of its own in 1905. Another was the Zionist group Dorshei Zion, which had sponsored a reading circle since 1903. Their joint aim was to establish something more substantial "for the advancement of learning and of Yiddish literature in particular." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jean Charest Dept: Parti Qu b cois leader Pauline Marois deserves credit for weathering a tumultuous few months of MNA defections, calls for her resignation, and underwhelming public support. Recent polls show that the PQ has rebounded. If a spring election were called, there are solid indications that Marois could hold her own against both Fran ois Legault's Coalition Avenir Qu bec and Jean Charest's Liberals, according to Montreal Gazette. To that last end, Marois has assembled a new committee on sovereignty - a committee made up entirely of white francophones and mostly men. Of the 12 politicians, union leaders, intellectuals, artists and actors in the group, only three including Marois are women. is a Montrealer and a PhD candidate in sociology and equity studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. This renewed success can be attributed, in large part, to Marois's capitulation to the party hardliners on a number of issues, including a promise to lower the voting age to 16, implement citizen-initiated referendums and ramp up the push for independence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Permanent Residence Dept: Starting immediately, Kenney said spouses will have to wait five years from the day they are granted permanent residence status before they can, in turn, sponsor a new partner, according to Vancouver Sun. "I held town hall meetings across the country to hear from victims of marriage fraud," said Kenney, who made the announcement in Brampton, Ont., just west of Toronto. "In addition to the heartbreak and pain that came from being lied to and deceived, these people were angry. They felt they had been used as a way to get to Canada. We're taking action because immigration to Canada should not be built upon deceit." A crackdown on bogus marriages of convenience falls short of addressing the real problem, critics said Friday, shortly after Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced the regulatory change. The move is meant to prevent people from fraudulently marrying Canadians for the purposes of immigration only to leave them and then sponsor a new partner while their Canadian spouse is still financially responsible for them for three years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Philippines Edition Moises Dept: THEY might not have become The Next Star, but there s no question Moises and Mimoza Duot are among their community s new generation of musical stars, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Philippines edition Moises and Mimoza Duot in their home studio: "YouTube is wonderful, because it's one of the best things you can have nowadays to showcase your talent as an artist." The Winnipeg siblings were finalists -- in separate seasons, two years apart -- on the YTV reality/competition series The Next Star. Neither ended up winning the title, but each took lessons from the experience that have helped shape the ongoing pursuit of their musical dreams. Related Items Articles Winnipeg is home, closely knit home for nearly 60,000-strong Filipino community (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Vladimir Putin Dept: Unpopular Putin headed for win, according to The Star. Putin has now visited the icon in a 16th-century monastery five times. His latest visit to the monastery east of St Petersburg was in January, before he revved up his campaign for Sunday s election and erased any doubt he will win convincingly and tIKHVIN, RUSSIA Vladimir Putin followed in the footsteps of Russia s tsars when he interrupted his presidential election campaign to seek the blessing of the Virgin of Tikhvin, a Byzantine icon which believers say works miracles. Legend has it that all the tsars except one sought the Virgin s blessing before ascending the throne. The one who did not, Nicholas II, turned out to be the last, killed by revolutionaries in 1918. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Maureen O Reilly Dept: In requesting the no-board report last week, CUPE Local 4948 said negotiations had reached an impasse, according to The Star. With cuts of permanent staffers in the budget, we will now have more part-timers in Toronto Public library than full-timers, O Reilly said and the province issued a no-board report Thursday, meaning 2,300 Toronto Public Library employees will be in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. March 18. We re just hoping that it will bring greater focus to our talks, Maureen O Reilly, Local 4948 president, said Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.