Brookfield Office Properties: Thats when forward-thinking engineers found a way to create a platform over what had been filthy, polluting railway tracks in whats now the bustling heart of Manhattan, Midtown, according to The Star. A new generation of engineers is at it again, only this time on behalf of two of Canadas biggest real estate developers Oxford Properties and Brookfield Office Properties and NEW YORK In a city where people have pretty much seen it all, no ones seen anything quite like this before, unless they were walking the streets back in 1913. Out of that monstrous engineering feat came Grand Central Station and atop its tracks would spring up some of the most desirable real estate in the world along an exclusive boulevard, Park Avenue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

President Bashar Assad: The Syrian conflict, which began as a largely peaceful uprising against President Bashar Assad in March 2011, has triggered a humanitarian crisis on a massive scale, killing more than 100,000 people, driving nearly 7 million more from their homes and devastating the nations cities and towns. With the country now carved up into rebel- and regime-controlled areas, providing desperately needed food and medical aid has become a colossal and dangerous task, according to 660 News. The United Nations Security Council issued an appeal in early October for immediate access to all areas of the country to deliver humanitarian aid, including across conflict lines. Still, organizations that provide assistance continue to struggle to reach all the people who need it and BEIRUT A general director of Doctors Without Borders called Tuesday for greater access for humanitarian aid to Syrians suffering in their countrys civil war, and urged the international community to show the same urgency to help them as it did to address dismantling Syrias chemical weapons stockpile. You have an industrial-scale war, but you have a very kind of small-scale humanitarian response, said Christopher Stokes, a general directors for Doctors Without Borders. There is a recognition that greater humanitarian access is needed for life-saving assistance, but at the same time we dont see the mobilization. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

citizenship test: The website and its accompanying Android/iPhone app explain the benefits of becoming a citizen and the application process as well as providing preparation materials for the citizenship test, according to The Star. Many immigrant and refugee youth are unsure of what it means to be a Canadian citizen, or are unaware of their citizenship status, said Debbie Douglas, executive director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, an umbrella organization of 200 groups behind the initiative and A national website and mobile app will be launched Tuesday to help young immigrants learn about the importance of getting their Canadian citizenships in light of tightening government rules. More important, there is a section that aims to dispel myths and misinformation about becoming a Canadian citizen, such as having to give up ones citizenship and passport from the home country, and how getting charged or convicted with a crime will affect a persons immigrant status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Justice Richard Goepel: Franco Orr has been a productive member of society with no criminal record but he must spend time behind bars in order to deter others who would violate Canada's immigration laws, Justice Richard Goepel told the 50-year-old businessman before he was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom by a sheriff, according to CTV. Orr was convicted in June on three counts under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: human trafficking, employing a foreign national and misrepresenting facts to immigration officials and VANCOUVER -- A British Columbia man who lied to immigration officials in order to bring the family nanny to Canada from Hong Kong, luring her with empty promises so she would care for his three children, should spend 18 months in prison, a B.C. Supreme Court judge said Tuesday. "Individuals cannot be allowed to disregard the immigration laws of this country with impunity," Goepel said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Abousfian Abdelrazik: Abousfian Abdelrazik, who was imprisoned by the Sudanese before being stranded in the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum, put questions to Cannon now Canada's ambassador to France through his counsel during a closed-door examination process, a precursor to trial, according to Huffington Post. "He sat across the table from Mr. Cannon which was, I think, quite a difficult moment for him," Champ said in an interview and OTTAWA - Former foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon recently spent more than two hours answering questions under oath as part of a lawsuit filed by a Montreal man seeking compensation and an apology from the federal government for his prolonged detention in Sudan. Abdelrazik's lawyer, Paul Champ, says while particulars of the session which took place in Ottawa last Thursday are confidential at this point, his client found the experience both cathartic and challenging. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Abigail Fulton: In fact, even if one in five students graduating from high school in B.C. during the next three years were to pursue a trade, there still wouldnt be enough workers to fill shortages in the provinces construction industry, Abigail Fulton said. , according to Times Colonist. Yet, a consensus is developing that there will be a shortage of skilled workers in the coming decade, as proponents of the liquefied natural-gas industry, hydro-electric projects and oil and gas pipelines push their proposals forward. The shortage of skilled tradespeople in Western Canada is so dire that the B.C. Construction Association is returning to Ireland this month to hire 600 people, the groups vice-president said. Not everybody agrees with the recruitment drive, especially the provinces labour leaders, who argue employers can find skilled, unionized Canadian workers to fill immediate, vacant positions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

David Johnston: The first order of business for belatedly returning Conservatives: the 2013-14 course syllabus, according to 660 News. Now, through the office of Gov. Gen. David Johnston, the prime minister will lay out the broad strokes of his governing priorities from a document whose major themes have been widely leaked and OTTAWA MPs last seen in the parliamentary precinct at the end of June return to work Wednesday following Prime Minister Stephen Harpers extension of their summer recess past the Thanksgiving weekend. Harper delayed the scheduled return of Parliament by a full month in order to let a boiling Senate expense scandal cool. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Parti Quebecois: In an open letter published in the Gazette, about 20 professors and researchers at Montreal universities and hospitals say the PQ approach to immigration ignores the success of Quebec's longstanding multiculturalism approach, according to CTV. The group also points out the double standard in proclaiming obviously Christian symbols in the National Assembly, Quebec's flag, and on Mount Royal as being exempt from any religious legislation and MONTREAL - Mental health professionals are rejecting the Parti Quebecois's divisive Charter, saying it would violate human rights and legalize discrimination. "In the last 50 years, we have made real strides in moving beyond this history of discrimination in public institutions, including schools, hospitals, social services, police and the courts. Now, the charter proposal is sowing the seeds of dissension by proposing a policy that violates fundamental human rights and creates an environment openly hostile to minorities," wrote the group. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Quebec Charter: In August, the Parti Qu b cois sent up trial balloons on its Quebec Charter of Values. It wanted to test reaction to a proposed ban on religious dress and symbols among public employees. , according to Times Colonist. In September, the charter was unveiled. NDPLeader Tom Mulcair spoke up. Minister of Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, who is privately outraged, talked of challenging the charter in court. For weeks, events in Quebec have unfolded with an elegant predictability. Even in a world in which politics routinely trumps principle, rarely have we seen an electoral ploy as nakedly cynical as this. The early response was hostile in English Canada. The P quistes had a fright when the Conservatives and New Democrats were silent at first, but they were relieved when Justin Trudeau condemned the proposal early and enthusiastically. Although his views were much applauded in multicultural Montreal, the P quistes knew that they would play less well in rural Quebec, where the partys prospects for a much-coveted majority government lie. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Ministers Office: Governor General David Johnston will take his place in the Senate chamber Wednesday afternoon to read the speech from the throne, an outline of Conservative priorities that has been billed as a consumer-friendly pitch to win over voters , according to The Star. In the coming weeks and months our government will take steps to reduce roaming costs for Canadians, increase choice for television package services, and increase high-speed broadband networks in rural Canada, an official in the Prime Ministers Office said in an email and OTTAWA Stephen Harpers Conservatives roll out a populist agenda Wednesday that they hope will carry them to the next election with promises to deliver lower wireless rates, friendlier cable bills and relief for harried airline passengers. On Tuesday, the Prime Ministers Office offered a tease of the theme expected to dominate the document giving Canadian families a price break, even if it means taking on big business. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.