Margaret Piszker Dept: Disconnected, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Lindsay Gauld with frostbite injuries while involved in the 2012 Itidarod Trail Invitational. Handout photo. Enlarge Image Laszlo and Margaret Piszker with a ticket for driving while on a cell phone, Sunday, March 4, 2012. Neither Laszlo nor Margaret own a cell phone, and the officer who issued the ticket refused to believe him. TREVOR HAGAN/ see aldo santin story "It's been a terrible day, but it's something we had to do. You have to stand up for your rights, don't you?" Enlarge Image (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federal Policy Dept: In a sharp break from their first two mandates, the Harper Conservatives are preparing to unveil a budget that is revolutionary rather than evolutionary, one that will introduce sweeping structural changes in key areas of federal policy, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Whether in trade, immigration, retirement benefits, resource development, innovation or fiscal policy, Conservative insiders say, the years of plodding, minority-era "incrementalism" are over. Indeed, there's a sense within Conservative ranks their moment of truth, a chance to distinguish themselves from the other parties in stark terms and establish a lasting legacy, has arrived and finance Minister Jim Flaherty CP Politically, from the government's standpoint, that won't happen a moment too soon -- even if the budget provokes great controversy, which it most certainly will. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Ice Floes Dept: Police say an ice floe that was originally about two kilometres long began to break up rapidly in today s high winds, according to The Star. Rescue crews could be seen being helped from the icy water after falling from ice floes that continued to break after the rescue and twenty-seven people have been rescued from broken ice floes on Lake Simcoe near Barrie today after they were stranded while ice fishing. One of the anglers was taken to hospital with unknown injuries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration Dept: David Olive's column on immigration includes several factual errors. He writes that Ottawa has cut the inflow of immigrants from an annual 250,000 to 225,000, trapped by a recession-era mindset that is obsolete. The opposite is true. The average intake of permanent residents under the previous Liberal government from 1994 to 2005 was 222,000. Since taking office in 2006, our government has welcomed an average of 254,000 new permanent residents per year, an increase of 14 per cent. This represents the highest sustained level of immigration in Canadian history, and the highest per capita level of immigration in the developed world, adding 0.8 per cent to our population per year, according to The Star. Olive also writes that Ottawa has slashed its funding of immigrant settlement services for Ontario by $70 million. Again, the opposite is true. The $70 million has been reallocated to other parts of the country, where immigration levels have increased massively, to ensure fair per capita funding across Canada. But even after that change, we are spending three times more on settlement services in Ontario than the previous government did in 2005, moving from $111 million to $347 million. That's a huge increase, not a cut and re: Skills shortage highlights faulty thinking on immigration, Column, March 5 Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly pointed out that, unlike previous Canadian governments and many other developed countries, we maintained high immigration levels throughout the recession precisely because we understand that one of the greatest challenges facing the Canadian economy is a large and growing labour shortage. For example, in 2010 we welcomed 280,000 newcomers, the highest number in six decades, notwithstanding the global economic downturn. By comparison, the Trudeau government slashed immigration levels from 143,000 to under 90,000 during the recession in the early 1980s, and the Chretien government cut intake from more than 257,000 to 174,000 in the mid-1990s. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Troubled Family Dept: She did leave behind a troubled family: a father, Vakhtang, who had reportedly been acquitted of public indecency and would later go on to stab three people; a brother, Giorgi, who would briefly disappear himself, before returning unharmed within 24 hours, according to Globe and Mail. In the absence of concrete evidence, journalists and the public floated wild theories: Some speculated she had been kidnapped in broad daylight; others that she had joined a religious cult; some thought they spotted her among a group of travelling hippies in Alberta and the slender teen with chestnut hair left behind no hint as to her fate, baffling investigators and prompting them to reach out in all directions interviewing thousands of people, combing garbage dumps and scouring Toronto parks by helicopter to no avail. She had been in Canada just three months when, after walking to school with her brother Giorgi on Sept. 14, 2009, she vanished. For 2 years, the mystery captivated the city, a fascination deepened by Ms. Makhniashvili s equally inscrutable personality. An introvert, she had few close friends, spending her time studying physics. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Magical Place Dept: High Park, Nash, 60, says without hesitation when asked where she goes to find rejuvenation, according to The Star. To me, High Park is a magical place, she says and peggy Nash lights up when she talks about her favourite place in the city the heart of the neighbourhood where she lives and works. Her slow, deliberate way of speaking picks up pace as she talks about how much she loves the zoo, running in the park, how her children, now three grown men, played sports on its grassy lawns, how the trees surrounding Grenadier Pond change with the seasons, the deer, foxes and coyotes she has spotted there. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jamie Krilyik Dept: Jurors selected to hear the Mark Stobbe murder trial had Manitoba Justice officials reaching for the Tylenol when the high-profile case got off to a rocky start last month. Fortunately, 14 jurors had been selected to hear the two-month trial -- instead of the usual 12 -- and the case was able to proceed as scheduled without dipping below the mandatory minimum of 10. The remaining jurors are expected to begin their deliberations in the high-profile case as early as next week, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Jamie Krilyik, Manitoba Justice's jury co-ordinator, told the Free Press that getting picked to sit on a jury is sort of like winning the legal lottery. Every year, justice officials are given 30,000 random Manitoba Health numbers of people who live in the city and are older than 18. Typically, only about half of those will be issued summons. And of those, only a couple of hundred are chosen jury duty and one had to be excused for fear she might go into labour. Another couldn't stop falling asleep in court. And a third simply decided he no longer wanted to show up. But the complications presented by this particular prosecution follow a pattern that proves regular folks are often less-than-willing to perform their so-called civic duty. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Texting Dept: DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I recently asked my husband to leave the home. He has assaulted me, controlled me with his jealousy, isolated me from family and friends and mentally abused me. We relocated to my hometown where all of my family live. I finally feel safe and secure enough to end this marriage. Now he's out, and I've changed the locks, a huge burden has been lifted. But, he won't stop texting me and calling me saying that he has changed! He has gone for several acupuncture sessions, has spoken with an anxiety counsellor and has Googled for countless hours. It seems like every day he has some sort of "breakthrough" and is calling to tell me he's better. Then, every other day, he's crying the blues about how much he's done for me and given me, and how he wants to come home. He still questions my whereabouts and gets jealous. I told him I'm no longer answering to him and to stop bothering me. He's suggested he's going to commit suicide and has said jokingly in the past that he will kill me if I ever leave him. In your opinion, is he a danger to me or others? One marriage counsellor and one of my personal counsellors told me to get out of the marriage before he kills me. I really don't love him. How can I explain that to him? We have kids, so obviously there will have to be some sort of contact, but I want to get on with my life. -- Next Steps Please! Manitoba Dear Next Steps: Yes, he's a danger, so beef up your protective support team and proceed with the divorce. See a lawyer, get a court order to keep him away, and tell police about the harassment, his state of mind -- and threats towards himself and you, past and present. They need to know he's threatened murder if you left, half-joking or not. And he needs to be notified by authorities -- not just you -- to cease and desist the harassment, including phoning and texting. He should be aware they have their eyes on him. You must enforce a court order by calling police the minute he steps over the boundary in order for it to work. You may want to move in with your family to get some adult males in the household for a time. Meanwhile, totally block him from texting and calling so he can't get through and you don't see it. Do call Osborne House Crisis Shelter 942-3052, toll free 1-877-977-0007 as they have decades of experience. Ask them what they suggest you do, and in which order. The message your husband needs to get is your love is long gone, and this is not temporary. Nothing he can do will change that fact and he should move on. Children can be visited without your being there as the intermediary. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration Policies Dept: Mr. Breivik has confessed to the July 22 attacks but denies criminal guilt, portraying the victims as traitors for embracing immigration policies he claims will result in an Islamic colonization of Norway, according to Globe and Mail. Reading from the indictment, prosecutor Inga Bejer Engh said 34 of the victims at Utoya were between 14 and 17 years old, 22 were aged 18-20, six were between 21 and 25 and seven were older than 25 and as expected, they charged him under a paragraph in Norway s anti-terror law that refers to violent acts intended to disrupt key government functions or spread fears in the population. The indictment listed the names of the eight people killed when a bomb exploded in downtown Oslo and the 69 victims of a shooting spree on Utoya island outside the capital, where the youth wing of the governing Labor Party was holding its annual summer camp. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Bill Gates Dept: We want the next Bill Gates or the next Steve Jobs. We want those folks with the brilliant ideas that are going to generate sustainable jobs for a long time to come, Mr. Kenney said. We want to create a policy which is more likely to attract entrepreneurs in areas like technology, energy and environmental innovations. These areas have a lot more potential than just running a kiosk at the mall. , according to Globe and Mail. The provincial nominee programs had become an approach of choice for would-be immigrant entrepreneurs even before the federal application window was shut, said immigration consultant Deepak Kohli, of Transcend Consultants in Brampton, Ont and potential immigrants with experience and the ability to set up a small business would still be encouraged to apply, he said. But the new program, which he hopes to officially announce by the end of the year after consultations with industry groups will encourage immigrants who can do much more in terms of adding value to the economy than opening up a convenience store. The new program will be in addition to existing categories in provincial nominee programs, which take applications from potential entrepreneurs who want to live and set up a business in their provinces, and send them to Ottawa for fast tracking, Mr. Kenney said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.