census information: The 1921 census was released by Library and Archives Canada on the Ancestry.ca genealogy site Thursday. Genealogists had been anticipating the release of the post-First World War data like the resolution to a cliffhanger television show, according to The Star. A 92-year waiting period before census information is released is enshrined in the Statistics Act. For censuses since 2006, people must give consent to that release 92 years later and The people of 1921 Toronto the Mildreds, Kathleens and Alfreds have never been exposed like this. The details of their lives, from how much they earned to whether they could read and write, have been closely guarded by StatsCan for 92 years. Now, the handwritten secrets are ours for the taking. Its been quite a long haul for some people, and for some of them it will certainly answer some mysteries, said Shirley Sturdevant, president of the Ontario Genealogical Society, from her home in Chatham. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Legalizing pot: Re: Legalizing pot, endorsing stupidity, Aug. 7, according to The Star. The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. The history of cannabis prohibition is long, but all errors come to an end and Re: Spell out policy on pot, Editorial Aug. 5 Spell out policy on pot, Editorial Aug. 5 (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

RCMP: RCMP say they were called to the scene late Thursday and discovered a 19-year-old female had been stabbed at a home on the Hobbema town site, according to Huffington Post. The Mounties say the victims name is being withheld for now pending positive identification and HOBBEMA, Alta. - The death of a young woman found injured on a reserve south of Edmonton has been ruled a homicide by the medical examiner. She was rushed to the Wetaskiwin Hospital, but passed away a short time later with an autopsy performed on Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Oprah Winfrey: GENEVA -- Switzerland is a glamorous playground of the rich and famous, filled with glitterati from princes to movie stars. It's also a land with a sometimes uneasy relationship with foreigners -- especially when they aren't white. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "She said: 'No, no, no, you don't want to see that one. You want to see this one. Because that one will cost too much; you will not be able to afford that,' " Winfrey, appearing on the U.S. television program Entertainment Tonight," quoted the clerk as saying. "And I said, 'Well, I did really want to see that one.' And she refused to get it." Elise Amendola / The Associated Press Archives Oprah Winfrey says she encountered racism while browsing at a pricey Zurich boutique. CP Billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey says she ran into Swiss racism when a clerk at Trois Pommes, a pricey Zurich boutique, refused to show her a $38,000 handbag, telling one of the world's richest women that she wouldn't be able to afford it. Winfrey earned $77 million in the year ending in June, according to Forbes magazine. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

LONDON Jewelry: LONDON Jewelry, pieces of ships, medieval ice skates, centuries-old skulls some fascinating pieces of Londons history arent in museums, but underground, according to The Chronicle Herald. The 118-kilometre Crossrail line is Britains biggest construction project and the largest archeological dig in London for decades. In the citys busy business core, archeologists have struck pay dirt, uncovering everything from a chunk of Roman road to dozens of 2,000-year-old horseshoes, some golden 16th-century bling and the bones of long-dead Londoners and More often than not, they stay there, but work on a new railway line under the British capital is bringing centuries of that buried history to light. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

TD Canada Trust: Quick facts, according to Winnipeg Free Press. By the numbers: TD Canada Trust did a recent survey of newcomers and found: Settlement assistance counsellor Dhirta Subedi in her office at the Welcome Place. PHIL HOSSACK / Photo Store (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Some call it clich while others call it irrefutable fact: our country has been and will continue to be built by immigrants. From economic prosperity to social harmony, the well-being of Canada and its people are intrinsically linked to both our immigration policy and the way immigrants are treated in this country, according to The Star. Where we stand on immigration is a reflection of who we are as a nation and Citizenship and Immigration Canada CIC is currently consulting the public on Canadas future immigration plan. Very few Canadians know about this, and even fewer may participate. Given the consultation design and the questions posed by CIC, perhaps that should not be a surprise. Yet immigration is forever a subject of polarized debate. On the one hand, with the aging population and ever declining birth rate, many Canadians economists and demographers among them are calling for a significant increase in immigration intakes. On the other side of the debate are those including some newcomers arguing for a decline or even a complete halt of immigration in light of current unemployment rates and the persistent underutilization of immigrants talents and skills. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: In fact, several high-profile Tories including Prime Minister Stephen Harper have spoken out on these issues for years, according to Huffington Post. Baird said he is concerned the legislation will be enforced during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and called the law an "incitement to intolerance, which breeds hate. And intolerance and hate breed violence." While John Baird was accused this week of alienating the conservative base by denouncing anti-gay laws in other nations, support for gay rights abroad is actually nothing new for the Harper Conservatives. REAL Women of Canada, a privately-funded and socially-conservative group, slammed the foreign affairs minister this week for saying he has been working behind the scenes to persuade Russia to ditch a controversial anti-gay law. The legislation bans "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" and imposes fines on those holding gay pride rallies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Matamoros, Mexico: Re: Thompson, Matamoros: There's a link Aug. 9 . Don Marks offers a simplistic analysis of the problems facing places like Matamoros, Mexico. The drug trade does not originate in Mexico. It largely originates in South America and Mexico is the transition country through which much of it passes into the U.S. and Canada. Send a Letter to the Editor , according to Winnipeg Free Press. To send a letter for consideration on our Letters page: Fill out our online form at the link above, or Email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or Fax 204 697-7412, or Mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6. Mexican tragedy The Free Press welcomes letters from readers (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

entertainment industry: LONDON From Hollywood to Broadway, the entertainment industry is using its star power and financial muscle to raise a storm of protest over the anti-gay legislation in Russia that is battering the image of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, according to The Chronicle Herald. With stars and activists using their high-profile platform to bring the issue to global attention, the gay rights crackdown in Russia has exploded into a hot-button controversy that is challenging Olympic leaders like no other since the protests over Tibet and human rights before the 2008 Games in Beijing and Actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein, British writer-actor Stephen Fry and Star Trek actor George Takei are among those who have publicly condemned the new law, fueling an uproar that is overshadowing preparations for the Feb. 7-23 Olympics. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.