immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

Elections Canada: Records released from Elections Canada show Patricia Rondeau and Lisa Rowson had been paid salaries "based on the regular MP staff pay rate" for work they did for the Manitoba MP during the 2011 election campaign. A government of Canada directory says Rondeau is currently Glover's constituency assistant in Ottawa, and Rowson is currently her executive assistant. , according to Huffington Post. The two women gave up some of those salaries in 2013 in the middle of a fight between Glover and Elections Canada over changes the agency ordered the campaign to make to its election return. Rowson returned $540.15 and Rondeau gave back $1,642.20. Two staffers from Conservative MP Shelly Glover's office returned part of their campaign salaries after Elections Canada asked for changes that would have put the campaign over its spending limit, documents show. Rowson had been paid $15.54 an hour for a total of $1,515.55 for the campaign. Rondeau received $25.64 an hour and $2,692.20 for the campaign. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Craig Tucker Redmond: Craig Tucker Redmond, 19, was given a nine-month conditional sentence last week in Halifax provincial court, according to The Chronicle Herald. Redmond will be on house arrest for the first six months of the conditional sentence, with exceptions for employment, school, medical emergencies and appointments and four hours a week for personal needs and A young Halifax man wont be going to jail for smuggling brass knuckles. He pleaded guilty earlier to two charges of violating the Customs Act by smuggling and selling brass knuckles and one Criminal Code count of possession of a prohibited weapon. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Engineer Albert Chapman: It was shaping up to be a warm, early-summer day and a pleasant trip west. Engineer Albert Chapman had made the journey on the CPR steam locomotive many times, according to CBC. Mail car, baggage car, three "colonial cars," two second-class "tourist cars," a comfortable first-class coach, a dining car and a Pullman and The Winnipeg Express chugged out of Montreal at 9:45 a.m. ET on June 25, 1913, hauling 10 cars. LISTEN Alistair Steele talks to relative of crash victim Three passenger cars nearest the front were packed with immigrants, many of them Scottish and Irish, and many having arrived in Montreal earlier that same morning aboard the S.S. Pretorian. The ship had sailed from Glasgow 10 days earlier but for its weary passengers, the journey was far from over. The 10 cars (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

voluntary survey: The survey has been a "success" and those who criticize it are "doing Canadians a disservice," Wayne Smith told the Globe and Mail in an interview, according to Huffington Post. Many critics say the voluntary survey is not as reliable as the census, since ultimately it's a poll with a margin of error . They fear inaccurate government data could lead to bad planning and poor policy and Though he admits Canada's new voluntary household survey has had some failures, Canada's top statistician is defending the Harper government's decision to replace Canada's mandatory long-form census with a voluntary household survey. Its irresponsible to try and dissuade Canadians from using what is an extraordinary rich and powerful database. To make them nervous about that is I think irresponsible. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Blair Feltmate: That's the grim future predicted by Blair Feltmate, chair of the Climate Change Adaptation Project at the University of Waterloo, according to CTV. "In the absence of weather-hardening infrastructure, under the new extremes of climate change and extreme weather events, we are categorically heading towards an uninsurable housing market in Canada in many, many regions." OTTAWA -- Millions of Canadians living in many parts of the country could find their homes declared uninsurable, as the insurance industry grapples with skyrocketing water damage claims. "That's going to be the harsh reality," Feltmate said in an interview Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edward Snowden: QUITO - Even as Ecuador contemplates offering asylum to former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden, there are few signs on the streets that the small South American nation is at the center of a global dispute between superpowers, according to Reuters. But the country is hardly on guard for a diplomatic fire storm and By Brian Ellsworth and Alexandra Valencia Taking in Snowden would mark the second time in a year that Ecuador has defied the West, following its decision in August to grant asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy despite furious objections by Britain. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

owner Ontario Highway Service Centres: The service centre closed in 2011 as one of 20 locations earmarked for an overhaul by owner Ontario Highway Service Centres, according to CTV. These redeveloped sites offer a fresher, more modern stop for travellers and Nearly two years after it closed for renovations, the westbound service centre on Highway 401 east of Cambridge reopened for business Tuesday. So far everyones receiving it quite well, says David Giles, director of operations for the ownership consortium. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

climate change: The severity of the flooding has a former top federal environmental adviser hoping that the Alberta-centric Harper government will finally get its head out of the sand bag when it comes to climate change, according to 660 News. While one can debate the causes of climate change, McLaughlin said its indisputable that the planet is warming and setting off more frequent extreme weather events: floods, tornadoes, drought, freezing rain, prolonged heat waves or cold snaps and OTTAWA Water-logged southern Alberta is on track to set a new Canadian record for flood damage, both in terms of cost and the number of people forced from their homes. Its a helluva warning, really, about unpredictable, extreme weather events and the need to prepare for it, said David McLaughlin, former head of the now-defunct National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Latin American immigration: Latin American immigration and community activism have bolstered Latino queer visibility over the last few decades, especially in the past 10 years, with the influx of a young and social media-savvy set. Add to that escape from the regions machismo and Catholicism and you have a recipe for a 2013 Pride with a distinctly Latin flavour, according to The Star. Paola Solorzano, an entrepreneur and activist who moved to Canada 10 years ago and is this years Honoured Dyke, says the events Latino presence shows the community has reached maturity and They re Latin American, they re queer, and they re making a big splash at this years Pride. The 33rd annual Pride Toronto festival features an International Grand Marshal from Argentina and Honoured Dyke from Mexico, and a number of other events are putting the region in the spotlight. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

survey results: His comments come ahead of the next batch of survey results, to be published Wednesday, which will focus on labour and education trends in Canada. The first wave of data, on aboriginal and immigrant populations, generated debate over data quality and the usefulness of the results, particularly around data at the local level. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. LOOKAHEAD: GDP Economy likely to have hit a speed bump in second quarter Canadas first National Household Survey has been a success, and those who criticize the quality of its data are doing a disservice to Canadians, Statistics Canadas chief statistician says. An in-depth look at the national household survey (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.