Prime Minister Enrico Letta: ROME - Italy will seek an overhaul of European asylum policies and emergency action to handle a crisis that has seen tens of thousands of African migrants arrive in Sicily and hundreds of deaths, Prime Minister Enrico Letta said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. "No one should be under any illusion that these tragedies are passing episodes or that they will end with the arrival of bad weather," he told the Italian parliament and By James Mackenzie Speaking ahead of a European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday, Letta said chronic instability in Africa and the Middle East meant the disasters earlier this month, in which as many as 550 migrants drowned, would not be the last of their kind. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Bank of Canada: A subdued global economy means the bank will need to revise downward its forecast for economic growth for this year and likely next year, from the current expectation of 1.8 and 2.7 per cent respectively, say analysts, according to Times Colonist. Under these conditions, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz will look to keep the trendsetting overnight rate, which determines short-term interest rates, at one per cent - where it has stayed for the past three years and OTTAWA - With interest rates apparently set in concrete, the Bank of Canada is expected to provide a cautious offering when it issues a new outlook Wednesday morning. And the bank may also need to set back the timetable for when it expects the economy to return to full production capacity beyond the end of 2015. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Ian Cullwick: Board vice-president Ian Cullwick says frenzied resource development and a shortage of trained workers means that Alberta and Saskatchewan will lead the way next year with average increases of 3.7 per cent, according to Huffington Post. "Frenzied resource development and near bottom unemployment rates means that Alberta and Saskatchewan are again expecting to offer the highest pay increases next year." CALGARY - The Conference Board of Canada says workers in Alberta and Saskatchewan will fare the best with wage increases next year largely due to a shortage of qualified employees in the energy sector. "The divide between East and West persists," said Cullwick. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rick Snyder: The New Energy to Reinvest and Diversify, or NERD, fund is being replaced with a fund that will "go far and above" legal requirements by disclosing donors, the amounts given and an overview of expenditures, Snyder's spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said Monday. She said while the Republican governor has full confidence that the legal NERD fund met compliance and reporting requirements, criticism "had simply become an unnecessary distraction.", according to Times Colonist. The fund was created primarily to lessen the "financial burdens of government." The money has been spent to upgrade a press auditorium in his Lansing office and cover travel expenses of staffers, among other things and LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Rick Snyder is dissolving a non-profit fund that came under scrutiny because money from anonymous donors was used to pay one of his top aides and some expenses for Detroit's state-appointed emergency manager. Snyder will not make public the donors who contributed nearly $1.7 million in 2011 and 2012 because, at the time, the parameters were such that they could be anonymous, Wurfel said. The non-profit social welfare organization had a roughly $230,000 balance at the end of 2012, according to its most recent IRS filing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian Museum of Civilization: Those may well be among the questions Tuesday when Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, Historica Canada, high school students and community members take part in The Amazing Citizenship Race Game Show at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, according to CTV. The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies will be urging Ottawa to hurry up with its new Building Canada Plan at a news conference to highlight the importance of federal spending on infrastructure and OTTAWA -- Quick: who was Canada's first prime minister? What's the capital of the Northwest Territories? Don't expect similar questions later in the day, though, during question period in the House of Commons, where the Senate spending scandal remains all the rage. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

U.S. Federal Reserve: TORONTO - Canada's main stock index gained for a sixth straight session on Tuesday, led by banks and mining stocks after weak U.S. jobs data bolstered expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will stick with its monetary stimulus program for a while longer, according to Reuters. "The numbers out of China seem to be better now and that seems to be having an impact especially on the materials area," said John Kinsey, portfolio manager at Caldwell Securities and By Alastair Sharp Optimism about the economic outlook in China, a major buyer of many of Canada's raw materials, also lifted mining companies. Among them, Teck Resources Ltd TCKb.TO: Quote jumped 4.1 percent to C$29.72. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Luanne Lynch: Luanne Lynch, 57, was laid off three times in the past decade and previous layoffs brought jobs with a lower salary; this time she can't even get that, according to Times Colonist. After Worboys was laid off and his hunt for another teaching job was fruitless, he sought counselling positions. When those leads dried up, he applied for jobs in juvenile detention centres, in sales and elsewhere. He finally settled for part-time work, all the while still scouring online listings and sending out applications each week and ROCKFORD, Ill. - When Charlie Worboys lost his job, he feared searching for a new one at his age might be tough. Six years later, at 65, he's still looking. They're not alone. A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds many people over 50 reporting great difficulty finding work and feeling that their age is a factor. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: They quickly learned no federal or provincial agency tracks interns. Statistics Canada does not keep data on interns and neither does Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. In Ontario, the category simply doesnt exist, according to The Star. Frankly, the fact that two students researchers are the ones tackling the data collection for this issue something far better suited to our official statistics agency is embarrassing and deserves public attention, Couture said. She and Attfield are working toward a Master of Public Administration from the University of Victoria but are based in Ottawa and When grad students James Attfield and Isabelle Couture wanted to study unpaid interns in Canada, they turned to government. Couture and Attfield, both 28, designed a survey, in conjunction with the Canadian Intern Association, to find out who is doing internships, paid or unpaid, something they say government should know. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Central African Republic: Guy Mbongo remains in hiding in his home country, the Central African Republic, after having his life threatened and all his possessions stolen during a rebel uprising earlier this year, according to CTV. Konchalski has coached hundreds of basketball players in his 39-year career at St. FX but he holds special regard for three players from the Central African Republic, especially Mbongo and Efforts are growing across the country to help bring a former St. Francis Xavier basketball star to safety after an incident in his African nation. Basically he told me they put a gun to his head and told him that he was going to die, says St. FX basketball coach Steve Konchalski. They did spare him but they took all his belongings. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Bruce Kidd: A decade ago, Bruce Kidd led an effort that saw the University of Toronto join a watchdog group that demands its apparel partners disclose the names and locations of factories where their clothing is made. The schools apparel licensees, which include Adidas, New Era Hats and Roots Canada, must agree to release safety and workers rights inspection reports, as well as measures taken to correct violations, according to The Star. Factory disclosure the names and addresses of the factories is a commitment to transparency, Kidd said. It shows that there is nothing to hide in the production line and enables independent monitoring. Olympic athletes represent the best values of youth and competition and athletes should not be competing or marching in uniforms that exploit people, especially children and A former Canadian Olympian and amateur sporting legend wants to make the shadowy world of Olympic garment production more transparent. Kidd, the former dean of the faculty of physical education and health at the University of Toronto, said that while he has been told by Canadian Olympic Committee staff that the organization has an ethical sourcing policy, he is concerned that the policy is not publicly available. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.