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.

Justice Diane Lahaie: Court was told Thursday the two girls had reached a resolution with Crown prosecutors. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. She is to be sentenced on Dec. 20. OTTAWA -- Two of three teenaged Ottawa girls accused of befriending other teens through Facebook and other social media before forcing them to work as "escorts" have pleaded guilty in a surprise about-face at trial. Justice Diane Lahaie has ordered a pre-sentence report and a psychiatric review of a 16-year-old girl who pleaded guilty to six charges, including human trafficking, making and distributing child pornography and exploitation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

provinces population: According to Statistics Canada, as of July 1, the provinces population was pegged at 940,789 a decrease of 4,272 people 0.5 per cent from a year earlier, according to The Chronicle Herald. Federal figures show that on Canada Day, the nations population was about 35.1 million, up 404,000 over the last year and The following may come as no surprise: Nova Scotias population is shrinking as the population in other provinces is increasing. The estimate is based on 2011 census data, Statistics Canada said in population particulars released Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

offshore oil industry: News blowing in from the offshore oil industry this week puts the jobs debate into perspective, according to The Chronicle Herald. But a significant oil discovery off Newfoundland and Labrador is a reminder that the winds of the market blow where they will, shifting jobs around like sand, from one place to another and Politicians in this election campaign are debating the need to subsidize jobs to keep workers from leaving the province. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers: JAKARTA, Indonesia - A boat carrying dozens of asylum seekers sank off the coast of Indonesia's main island of Java on Friday, killing at least 21 people, an official said. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Some survivors told officials that more than 100 asylum seekers from Lebanon, Pakistan and Iraq were believed to be aboard the boat, but the exact number of passengers was not known, Bakti said. Survivors said the boat was headed for Australia's Christmas Island. In this photo taken with a mobile phone, villagers stand around the bodies of the victims of a boat that sank off Java island, on Sinarlaut beach in Agrabinta, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 27, 2013.The boat carrying dozens of asylum seekers sank en route to Australia off the coast of Indonesia's main island of Java on Friday, an official said. AP Photo Twenty-five people were rescued and transported to the Sukabumi immigration office for identification, said Cianjur police chief Lt. Col. Dedy Kusuma Bakti. The search for survivors was continuing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott: CANBERRA - Australia's new conservative government sought on Friday to ease tension with neighboring Indonesia over a ramping up of border security meant to deter asylum seekers, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott calling concerns about his plan a "passing irritant". , according to Reuters. "The last thing I would ever want to do is anything that doesn't show the fullest possible respect for Indonesia's sovereignty," Abbott told Australian radio. By Rob Taylor Abbott, who arrives in Jakarta on Monday on his first overseas visit since winning the September 7 election, played down comments by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa that clouded Canberra's portrayal of talks on Australia's tough new policy to turn asylum boats back at sea as "cordial". (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Chief Jamie Graham: The B.C. Justice Ministry announced three appointees Friday 12 days after the hiring process came to a halt because the contracts of four members werent renewed, and their replacements hadnt been named. , according to Times Colonist. Greater Sudbury Police Chief Frank Elsner, 50, had been selected to replace Graham but the police board couldnt make a formal offer until the decision was ratified. The Victoria police board now has enough members to finalize the process of hiring a new chief. That left the board with only four members, not enough to continue the process of hiring the replacement for Chief Jamie Graham, whose term ends in December. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

the RCMP: Dix said Friday that the NDP found evidence after the May 14 election and that party lawyers advised him to submit a letter to the RCMP, according to CTV. Dix said he has not been contacted by the RCMP since he sent the letter on Aug. 29 and VICTORIA -- British Columbia's New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix says he forwarded information to the RCMP in connection with the Liberal government's discredited plan to court ethnic voters, but he refused to provide details while saying his actions had nothing to do with losing the provincial election. "As part of our work, we uncovered new information that we believe to be serious evidence of wrongdoing," he said. "This isn't about the election campaign. This is about serious misconduct over time that the Liberal party has been engaged in." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Martinrea International Inc.: Martinrea, which disclosed Friday that Rea's employment had been terminated in June 2012, said it hadn't a received the formal statement of claim, according to Times Colonist. "The board will continue to act in the best interests of its shareholders and fulfil its fiduciary obligations." TORONTO - Canadian auto parts maker Martinrea International Inc. TSX:MRE faces a possible court challenge from former vice-chairman Natale Rea, whose is alleging certain directors and senior officer have breached their fiduciary duties. "While the company has not had a chance to review the claim or allegations, it will review same and respond appropriately in due course," it said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Deputy Chief Peter Sloly: The data collected goes into a massive database. Between 2008 and 2012, Toronto police officers conducted 1.8 million such checks. The officers comments, as told to reporter Jim Rankin, have been edited for length, according to The Star. Shown some of the former officers remarks, Deputy Chief Peter Sloly said they are not indicative of whats happening across the citys 17 police divisions. Could it happen in the realm of possibility. Absolutely, said Sloly. But that is not a standard that we would find acceptable either from supervision or from front-line performance. And thats not what we do in the Toronto Police Service and What follows is the frank perspective of a former Toronto police officer, who asked not to be identified out of concern of being seen as anti-police and how it might affect employment. asked the former officer about the practice of stopping, questioning and documenting citizens in what are mostly non-criminal encounters. These are called street checks, 208s, or contact cards. Toronto police say carding is an invaluable investigative tool. They intend to propose changes to the way officers conduct these stops and how personal data is kept. Police also say there are no official quotas but acknowledge contact cards are a factor in promotions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada: The report, released last week, found 219 reported cases of forced marriage in Ontario between 2010 and 2012. Some 97 per cent of the reported victims were women, according to The Star. We take the issue of forced marriage very seriously and will review the reports recommendations, said Nancy Caron, spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. CIC visa officers are trained to identify all types of application fraud and work diligently to prevent it and Ottawa will review a set of recommendations on forced marriage made in a recent groundbreaking study by the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario. The majority of the cases unearthed in the study, 81 per cent, involved victims 16 to 34 years old. Most were forcibly removed from Canada and married abroad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.