elegant glass pavilion: The library, still under construction, rises up on the east side of the Bathurst Street bridge. Its an elegant glass pavilion that will glow like a welcoming lantern at night. Its such a presence that the neighbourhood of condominium towers and community housing has been named by the developer, Context, in its honour: the Library District, according to The Star. But whats with the odd angles, the tilting roof which will have a green roof and the trapezoid shape? Behind the new library is another similarly shaped pavilion the amenities building for the nearby condominium in forest hues of green and blue, also with an angled roof and Torontos newest library, its 99th, is set to open in November. The Fort York Library, an unusual, modern building with what looks like a crazy tilted roof, offers a rare view of its namesake, Fort York. Its a historic site we rarely see unless stalled in traffic high up on the Gardiner Expressway. When she first visited the site, architect Shirley Blumberg says she was astonished by the view. It is the gateway visually and physically to Fort York and a way of connecting the fort to the city, says Blumberg of KPMB Architects. We ve been cut off from Fort York and that site for 200 years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Participatory Budgeting Hamilton: Residents selected 21 ideas as part of the Ward 2 participatory budgeting process this weekend. Of the roughly 19,000 possible voters, 1,024 came out to cast ballots on how to spend $1 million in the ward, according to CBC. We have to now get into the details of the implementation, he said. Now we dot the I's, cross the t's and make these things happen. The turnout reflects about five per cent of eligible Ward 2 residents. But that's not bad, said Norman Kearney, president and CEO of Participatory Budgeting Hamilton. RELATED: Poll changes lead to 'bumpy start' for Ward 2 budget vote A multicultural festival, a Chinese garden and alleys turned into urban trails are among the ideas that will be funded through a new inner-city process that allows citizens to vote on how tax dollars are spent. Coun. Jason Farr was happy with the results and said all the projects will be good additions to the ward. His staff will start working with city staff this week on making the projects happen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Doug Holyday: Members at Toronto City Hall gathered for a special meeting on Monday to decide what to do about the vacancy left by the departure of Doug Holyday, who was recently elected to the provincial legislature, according to CBC. "Council obviously didn't listen to what the people what in Ward 3 and it's political they don't want me campaigning," Ford said, following the Monday vote and Mayor Rob Ford says he's disappointed that an appointment will be used to fill a vacancy on city council, instead of giving residents a chance to choose their representative. While Ford had been pushing for a byelection, council voted 22-11 in favour of appointing a new councillor in Ward 3 Etobicoke Centre. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

CIBC World Markets report: The CIBC World Markets report says that while completing a post-secondary education is still the best route to a well paying, quality job, the premium is dropping as too few students are graduating from programs that are in high demand, according to The Chronicle Herald. Tal says students will get the biggest bang for their educational buck from specialized and professional fields such as medicine and law and TORONTO A new report says some students arent getting as much of a return on their education investment as they should because they arent focusing on the ideal fields. CIBC economist Benjamin Tal says that despite overwhelming evidence that ones field of study is the most important factor in determining labour market outcomes, students have not gravitated toward the fields that make most financial sense. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Master Corporal Renee Mitchell: A local group of civilians has been working to try to fix the problem, according to CTV. It's very mentally demanding and physically demanding as well," Mitchell. "There's nothing for infantry guys which is what most of the guys are around here." Windsor is losing some of its military reservists and the reason has to do with jobs. Master Corporal Renee Mitchell has been a reservist with the Essex and Kent Scottish regiment for more than 13 years. She says getting a full-time job can be a challenge. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Shyon Baumann: In a survey released earlier this month sociology professor Shyon Baumann and PhD student Loretta Ho analyzed 1,063 white, black and East and Southeast Asian characters appearing in 244 prime time TV food-related ads from 2008-2009, according to The Star. But there may be sound reasoning behind that domination, according to one marketing expert. Its a business proposition, said Ishan Ghosh, a partner at Toronto agency Barrett and Welsh, which specializes in multicultural marketing and A new study says whites are overrepresented in Canadian TV ads and more likely than blacks or Asians to be depicted in a positive light. Some experts, however, are divided on whether thats a bad thing. They found that whites, who comprise 80 per cent of the Canadian population, were in 87 per cent of the commercials, that aired on CBC, CTV and Global in Toronto, a city which is 50 per cent non-white. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Richmond County fish plant: Two days after fire ravaged a Richmond County fish plant, the areas MLA said Sunday people remain in shock, according to The Chronicle Herald. No injuries were reported and A fire broke out at Premium Seafoods Groups groundfish processing plant in Arichat at about 12:30 a.m. Friday. Despite the efforts of firefighters from Isle Madame, Louisdale, Port Hawkesbury and St. Peters, the building, including a retail market, was a total loss. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Andrew Bennett: Bennett was appointed as religious freedom ambassador earlier this year. Andrew Bennett, Canada's ambassador for religious freedom, right, and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, second from right, met with Nigerian community leaders in Toronto Monday. Canada will spend $1.2 million to promote religious freedom in Nigeria and Central Asia. Galit Rodan/Canadian Press, according to CBC. The government will provide: $553,643 over two years for the promotion of "intercommunity dialogue and conflict mediation" in Jos, Nigeria, and other parts of Nigerias Plateau State to develop local mediation capacity and bring together community and religious leaders to talk, and will train 10 senior government officials and key persons from institutions dealing with peacemaking to strengthen the federal governments capacity to support conflict management and resolution. The project funding is going to the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. $672,000 over three years for national training events for government officials and civil society actors in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and South Caucasus, funding for up to 10 small-scale projects seeking ways to address violations of freedom of religion or belief at the national level, and the launch of guidelines on the recognition of belief communities. The funding is going to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE and the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights ODIHR and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Andrew Bennett, Canada's ambassador for religious freedom, are announcing $1.2 million for projects to promote tolerance for religions around the world. The office, which is modelled on a similar department in the U.S., aims to protect and advocate on behalf of religious minorities under threat, and oppose hatred and intolerance for religion, according to the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

United Nations: Baird condemned "in the strongest terms" a sniper attack on a United Nations convoy carrying a team investigating the alleged chemical attack, which Syrian activists claim killed hundreds of civilians, according to Huffington Post. "The Syrian regime has the fundamental duty to protect these individuals, these representatives of the United Nations and the international community." TORONTO - The crisis in Syria has entered a "dangerous new phase," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird warned Monday, as Washington announced it had "undeniable" evidence of a chemical weapons attack. "The attacks on the United Nations convoy in Damascus are absolutely abhorrent," Baird said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

religious clothing: Last week, details of the proposed Charter of Quebec Values emerged in Quebec media reports, which suggested that it would essentially ban public employees from wearing religious clothing such as turbans, hijabs and kippas, and other symbols, such as crucifixes, according to CTV. The split is stark between francophones and Anglophones, however. Sixty-five per cent of francophones support a charter of values, compared to only 25 per cent of Anglophones and A majority of Quebecers agree with proposed legislation that would ban religious clothing and symbols in Quebecs public buildings, a bill that also has the support of the political party that could give the Parti Quebecois the votes it needs to get it passed. The bill wont be officially unveiled until mid-September. However, a Leger Marketing poll says that: 57 per cent of Quebecers say its a good idea. 28 per cent of Quebecers say its a bad idea. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.