BlackBerry: The smartphone maker TSX:BB issued a statement saying the location in suburban Bedford would be shut down as of Jan. 10, affecting more than 350 employees. Most of them work as technical support representatives, according to 660 News. However, the company is now in the process of cutting its global workforce by 4,500 as it struggles to deal with a shrinking market share and disappointing sales of that device and HALIFAX Embattled tech giant BlackBerry announced the closure Thursday of its offices in the Halifax area, eliminating more than 300 high-paying jobs as part of a global push to cut costs. But the Nova Scotia operation was supposed to be much more than just a support centre. In February, the company announced the location would be the home for a new so-called centre of excellence to promote the BlackBerry 10 smartphone. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

defamation law: York served a libel notice the first step in launching a libel lawsuit to the publisher of the magazine and the author of the article, award-winning journalist Katherine Laidlaw late last month, according to The Star. I d say its pretty troubling because its a large, essentially public body. The courts have held that governments like municipalities cant sue for defamation, and I think there is a real question whether a university as a large public institution should be doing that, says Paul Schabas, an expert in defamation law and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto who also represents the Toronto Star. There is concern about whether its proper for them to try and muzzle criticism in this way and In an extremely rare move, York University is pursuing libel action against Toronto Life after the magazine ran an article in its October issue characterizing Yorks campus as a hunting ground for sexual predators. The unusual action has defamation law experts questioning whether as public institutions, universities are allowed, or should be allowed to sue for libel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edward Snowden: MOSCOW - Edward Snowden's father arrived in Moscow on Thursday to visit the former U.S. spy agency contractor who is living in a secret location in Russia beyond the reach of U.S. authorities, according to Reuters. Snowden, who worked for the National Security Agency in Hawaii, fled to Hong Kong in June and then flew to Moscow where he was given a year's political asylum. President's Vladimir Putin's refusal to hand him over aggravated already tense relations with the United States and By Steve Gutterman "I am his father, I love my son and I certainly hope I will have an opportunity to see my son," Lon Snowden told reporters at the airport, adding that he felt "extreme gratitude that my son is safe and secure and he's free". (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Pierre Karl Peladeau: Marie Barrette, a spokeswoman for Premier Pauline Marois, said Wednesday that Peladeau is the only chairman of the board of a government agency to be part of such a select committee, according to Huffington Post. He resigned as Quebecor CEO earlier this year and QUEBEC - Prominent businessman Pierre Karl Peladeau, who is chairman of the board of Hydro-Quebec, has attended two select cabinet meetings featuring Premier Pauline Marois and a few key ministers, The Canadian Press has learned. Peladeau is also vice-chairman of the board of the Quebecor TSX:QBR.B conglomerate and chairman of the board of Quebecor Media and TVA Group. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federal Aviation Administration: The Montreal-based manufacturing giant says it cant ship two regional aircraft, with a combined value of about US$75 million, because the Federal Aviation Administration has laid off employees that register the new planes, according to 660 News. Its a nuisance, Bombardier spokesman Marc Duchesne said Thursday and MONTREAL A partial U.S. government shutdown appears to have limited impact on Canadian businesses even though its prevented aerospace companies like Bombardier from delivering aircraft to U.S. customers and collecting millions of dollars in sales. Banks require a registration number to close the financing and pay the manufacturer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mohamed Harkat of Ottawa: As a Supreme Court hearing on the controversial certificate system began Thursday, federal counsel Urszula Kaczmarczyk said the 2007 reworking allowed Mohamed Harkat of Ottawa, accused of terrorist ties, to know the case against him, according to CTV. The person named in a security certificate -- a means of deporting non-citizens suspected of being terrorists or spies -- receives only a summary of the case against them, stripped of supporting details to protect sensitive intelligence sources and methods and OTTAWA -- The Conservative government "carefully crafted" changes to the national security certificate system that brought the rarely used tool for dealing with threats to Canada in line with the Constitution, says a federal lawyer. The high court agreed last year to hear a challenge of the system from Harkat, an Algerian refugee who was taken into custody under a certificate in December 2002 on suspicion of being an al Qaeda sleeper agent. A revised certificate was issued in his case in 2008 after the secretive process was revamped to make it more fair. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Supreme Court: In a submission to the Supreme Court, Harkats lawyers argue the process is inconsistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it provides scant information about the allegations he faces, according to The Star. The Supreme Court proceeding will decide just how transparent the process should be when the government wants to deport a non-citizen who is branded a threat to national security and OTTAWA Mohamed Harkat, an Ottawa man dogged by accusations of terrorist ties for more than a decade, heads to the Supreme Court of Canada today to challenge the constitutionality national security certificates. Almost 11 years after his arrest, the former gas station attendant and pizza delivery man is still unaware of the substance of these very serious allegations, says the filing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

House speaker John Boehner: The S P/TSX composite index ran up 164.08 points to 12,894.41 after House speaker John Boehner said Republicans are offering legislation that will allow for a temporary increase in the debt ceiling, according to The Star. Boehner said the proposal involves extending the governments ability to borrow money through Nov. 22 but only if President Barack Obama agrees to negotiate over ending the partial government shutdown and a longer-term increase in the debt ceiling. Under the Republican plan, the partial government shutdown would continue. But that is a secondary issue for traders and Boehner said that issue would be discussed at a White House meeting later Thursday after the markets close and A sign that an agreement may be in the works to head off a possible default by the U.S. government was enough to push North American markets sharply higher Thursday. New York indexes had their second best day so far this year as the Dow Jones industrials surged 323.09 points to 15,126.07, the Nasdaq shot up 82.97 points to 3,760.75 and the S P 500 index rose 36.16 points to 1,692.56. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Barbara Jackman: The Canadian public is unaware that secret evidence is being invoked in lot more than anti-terror cases, said lawyer Barbara Jackman of the Canadian Council for Refugees, according to The Star. Jackman told the Supreme Court that since 2008 the Federal Court has conducted secret proceedings in more than 100 cases of judicial review of decisions such as sponsorship applications where the Ottawa cites national security as a reason to bar a public hearing. The number could not be confirmed immediately with federal court officials OTTAWA As the Supreme Court of Canada prepared to take the rare step of going behind closed doors Friday to hear secret government evidence in an anti-terror case, it was warned secrecy is becoming the alarming trend in federal courts. Jackman said while there have been some 30 security certificate proceedings in the past 22 years, there is a huge upswing in the use of secret evidence and closed-door proceedings in a range of other civil proceedings, notably immigration matters. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edward Snowden: The Americans, who once worked for the CIA, FBI, Justice Department and NSA, have criticized the U.S. government and exposed what they believed was wrongdoing in the security agencies. All supporters of Snowden, they are the first Americans known to have met with him since he was granted asylum in Russia in August, according to 660 News. He spoke about going out and about and getting to understand Russia and its culture and the people, said Thomas Drake, who started working for the NSA in 2001 and disclosed an electronic espionage program that he saw as invasive. This is where he lives now, and so where you live is your home and MOSCOW Four former U.S. government officials who met with former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden said Thursday that he is adjusting to life in Russia and expresses no regrets about leaking highly classified information. Separately, Snowdens father arrived to see his son. In interviews with The Associated Press, they described spending the previous evening with Snowden to present him with an award given annually by a group of retired national security officers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.