Kevin Lynch: So, in responding to various queries on Ottawas immigration dance spouting a pro-immigration position on one hand, while creating frustrating roadblocks on the other Kevin Lynch deftly says the Atlantic Region has to find better ways of selling itself and You dont become the top civil servant in the country by taking shots at the federal government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

omnibus bill: The sentencing laws, enacted as part of the Harper government's 2008 omnibus bill, could see people sent to prison for three years for what would amount to a licence violation, the Court of Appeal for Ontario ruled, according to Huffington Post. The law as written could capture anyone from a person keeping an unloaded restricted gun, with ammunition accessible, in their cottage when their licence requires it to be in their home, to a person standing on a street corner with a loaded gun in his back pocket "which he intends to use as he sees fit," the court said and TORONTO - Mandatory minimum sentences for gun possession enacted by the federal Conservatives' as part of their law-and-order agenda are "cruel and unusual punishment," Ontario's top court ruled Tuesday in striking the laws down as unconstitutional. In that scenario, there is a "cavernous disconnect" between the severity of such an offence and the severity of the sentence, the court ruled. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

the Yellow Dogs: NEW YORK - When the Yellow Dogs were still playing secret gigs in their native Iran, even the unruly hairstyles of the four 20-something members of the indie-rock band were enough to get them in trouble with the police. , according to Reuters. The murder-suicide early on Monday that left two of them dead plunged those in the Williamsburg music community, on which the Yellow Dogs had quickly left a mark, into shock. By Jonathan Allen But on the streets of Williamsburg, a neighborhood in Brooklyn thick with young musicians, they blended in effortlessly after arriving in 2010 to seek asylum and the freedom to play the wiry, punk-inflected music they loved. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federal Reserve: NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO - Year after year Federal Reserve policymakers have clung to a belief that the U.S. economy will soon regain its pre-recession stride. And year after year they have been wrong. , according to Reuters. They argue gross domestic product is more likely to grow at a 2 percent annual rate, rather than 3 percent or more, given the retirement of baby boomers and the extent to which the Great Recession discouraged workers and badly damaged industries such as finance and construction. By Jonathan Spicer and Ann Saphir Now a growing number of economists and at least one top Fed official think Americans should lower their expectations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The Canadian Forces was also helping with the deployment of a separate 12-member Canadian Red Cross field hospital, while the Immigration Department said it would give special consideration to Filipinos affected by the tragedy, according to CTV. "The DART team is now on the way to Iloilo, which is one of the affected areas that has so far been less served by some of the humanitarian efforts," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said at the Philippines embassy after signing a book of condolences and OTTAWA -- The Canadian military's Disaster Assistance Response Team, or DART, was bound for the Philippine city of Iloilo on Wednesday as the death toll from typhoon Haiyan continued to rise. The Canadian response came in the face of a rising death toll in the Philippines that rose to more than 2,300 lives lost across the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

public education: It was an epiphany for me, a sudden realization that the path to progress for public education is always hampered by the fact that almost everybody has been to school and holds, for the most part, a rosy the way we were memory of that experience. , according to Times Colonist. That unsettles and scares them. How would I like my childs school to be? Just like it was when I went there myself. The young mother had been invited to an interview as part of a rural district reorganization project on which I was consulting. Any proposed change to the structure of public education the what, where and how teaching and learning happen moves some people from a position of understanding what exactly schools do now to a place of schools just arent what they used to be. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Hebe Chen: Making minimum wage, the Toronto woman must juggle just to find a way to pay for baby formula and diapers for her 16-month-old son, Austin, according to The Star. But then, just before Austins first Christmas in 2012, two elves knocked on the door of Chens tiny rental apartment in Chinatown and handed Austin a Star Santa Claus Fund gift box and A new mother, Hebe Chen has lived from paycheque to paycheque working part-time in customer service. I have bills to pay. I cant buy anything for Christmas, says Chen, who came from China in 2007 as an international student. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Pension Plan CPP: Economist Milton Friedman argued that one of the great mistakes is to judge policies by their intentions rather than their results. Take, for instance, the Canada Pension Plan CPP and recent discussions to reform and expand its scope, according to The Chronicle Herald. Mr. Sheridan and Ms. Wynne argue that it is necessary to expand the CPP to ensure that Canadians are financially secure during retirement. Their compassion and consideration, however, does not address several implications and unintended consequences of CPP expansion and P.E.I. Finance Minister Wes Sheridan, with support from Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, recently called on the federal government to raise the CPP contribution rate to 13 per cent from 9.9 per cent on income between $25,000 and $51,000 in which case the employee and employer would each contribute 6.5 per cent. The reforms would also include expanding the earnings cap from $51,000 to $102,000, for which the contribution rate would increase from zero per cent to a combined rate of 3.1 per cent and the annual contribution limit would nearly double from $2,356.20 to $4,681.20. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian Red Cross: Just hours before she boarded a plane Wednesday as part of a Canadian Red Cross medical team headed to the disaster zone, the Quebec doctor reflected on the human suffering she expects to see, according to The Star. Indeed, her big worry is how the Red Cross field hospital able to treat 300 people a day and has space for 70 in-patients will cope with demand for both treatment and medications and OTTAWA Dr. Danielle Perreault is under no illusion about the hard work and heartache that awaits her in the typhoon-ravaged ruins of the Philippines. Its going to be very intense in terms of shocking situations, Perreault said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Queens Park, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne: At Queens Park, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne begs to differ, according to The Star. On the surface, it seems that Canadas two largest governments are at an impasse over economic policy, one not seen since 1991 when Bob Raes Ontario New Democratic Party government famously announced it was breaking ranks with Ottawa in order to fight the recession rather than the deficit and In Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harpers federal Conservatives say elimination of the federal deficit is their top priority. Deficit reduction may be important, she says but she wont slash necessary services just to cover her governments fiscal shortfall. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.