rugged mountain region: BEIRUT Thousands of Syrians poured into Lebanon over the past two days, taking shelter in wedding halls and makeshift shacks after fleeing heavy fighting in a rugged mountain region across the border in western Syria, UN and local officials said Sunday, according to The Chronicle Herald. Over the past month, Assads forces have made headway against the rebels on two key fronts, capturing a string of opposition-held suburbs south of Damascus and taking two towns and a military base outside the northern city of Aleppo. A government victory in the battle for Qalamoun would deal a severe blow to the already beleaguered rebels on Damascus doorstep and The clashes in Qalamoun, an area that stretches from north of the Syrian capital along the Lebanese frontier, appeared to be part of a long-anticipated government offensive aimed at cutting a key rebel supply route and cementing President Bashar Assads hold on the strategic corridor from the capital to the coast. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Georges Vervust: Georges Vervust is the top official with the Belgian Oblates, an order of Catholic priests that sent Eric Dejaeger to several communities in what is now Nunavut, according to Times Colonist. "What I have heard is that he got advice from people from the Justice Department, off the record, that he should leave," Vervust said in a Belgian documentary. He confirmed his comments to The Canadian Press and IQALUIT, Nunavut - A former priest who this week is to face 76 sex charges involving Inuit children may have been tried years ago but for a quiet nod from Canada that allowed him to leave the country, says a church leader. Vervust sheds light on questions that have troubled Dejaeger's alleged victims for nearly a decade: How was a man facing child abuse charges allowed to leave the country days before his trial? And why did it take so long for him to be returned? (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Eric Dejaeger: "It's almost a relief," the woman said recently from her home in Igloolik, Nunavut, the community where most of the charges against Eric Dejaeger from 18 years ago are based, according to Times Colonist. It was as if he'd returned from the dead when he was brought back in January 2011 after Belgium kicked him out for immigration violations, the woman said and IQALUIT, Nunavut - The worst is already over, says one of the dozens of alleged victims of a disgraced priest whose trial on 76 sex-related charges involving Inuit children is to begin Monday. Dejaeger was supposed to be tried in 1995 for his activities as an Oblate priest in the tiny Arctic hamlet on the Melville Peninsula. Instead, he fled to his homeland of Belgium some say with the tacit consent of Canadian justice officials. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Allan Cutler: And the law, which is supposed to be re-examined every five years, is well past the due date for a review, the federal integrity commissioner has confirmed, according to 660 News. Allan Cutler, a former whistleblower during the federal sponsorship scandal, said the law has done nothing to help and OTTAWA Canadas whistleblower law, enacted by Prime Minister Stephen Harpers government in 2007, has done nothing to help people who raise red flags, critics say. Not only is there no report, there is not even a review on at the moment, Integrity Commissioner Mario Dion told The Canadian Press. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Eric Dejaeger: IQALUIT, Nunavut - A former priest who this week is to face 76 sex charges involving Inuit children may have been tried years ago but for a quiet nod from Canada that allowed him to leave the country, says a church leader. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Vervust sheds light on questions that have troubled Dejaeger's alleged victims for nearly a decade: How was a man facing child abuse charges allowed to leave the country days before his trial? And why did it take so long for him to be returned? Eric Dejaeger is shown in an undated Interpol photo. Dejaeger, a former priest who this week is to face 76 sex charges involving Inuit children, may have been tried years ago but for a quiet nod from Canada that allowed him to leave the country, says a church leader.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Interpol Georges Vervust is the top official with the Belgian Oblates, an order of Catholic priests that sent Eric Dejaeger to several communities in what is now Nunavut. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Commissioner Mario Dion: OTTAWA Canadas whistleblower law, enacted by Prime Minister Stephen Harpers government in 2007, has done nothing to help people who raise red flags, critics say, according to The Chronicle Herald. Not only is there no report, there is not even a review on at the moment, Integrity Commissioner Mario Dion told The Canadian Press and And the law, which is supposed to be re-examined every five years, is well past the due date for a review, the federal integrity commissioner has confirmed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leadership development: Established in 1992, the non-profit youth centre has been running after-school programs for people 14 to 30 and their families, offering culturally sensitive services, leadership development, settlement, recreation, employment support and referrals as well as an accelerated education program to earn a high school equivalency diploma, according to The Star. Thats key to the growth of the youth-led organization, said board member Mowlid Ali, adding the association which serves 1,200 youth will be housed under one roof with agencies working to provide programs easily accessible to the community and Long before violence gripped the community in the summer of 2012, the Somali Youth Association of Toronto was working on the ground with young people, offering them alternatives to guns and gangs. With headquarters in the Duncanwoods Dr. housing complex, the association will be opening a satellite office at United Way Torontos Rexdale Community Hub in the coming weeks, spreading its roots into that community. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender: Trustee Tom Ferris initially proposed a raise for trustees last month. But he said Saturday that he has changed his mind given the massive deficit facing the district. , according to Times Colonist. Board chairwoman Peg Orcherton said in a recent letter to Education Minister Peter Fassbender that the district is looking at an $11-million shortfall due to rising medical, pension, employment insurance and utility costs that the province refuses to cover. Greater Victoria school trustees might wait until after the next municipal election before deciding whether to give themselves a pay increase. Its totally crummy, he said. We re totally going to get kicked in the face this year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tacloban: Aquino is expected to set up camp in Tacloban, the capital of hardest-hit Leyte province, but it is not clear where he will find suitable accommodations amid the ruins. Virtually every building in the city was damaged or destroyed by the Nov. 8 Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 3,974 people, according to the latest official count released Sunday. The storm left about 1,200 people missing, according to Huffington Post. An aerial photo shows residential and commercial establishments devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban in the province of Leyte on November 16, 2013. The first food and medical aid began reaching isolated towns devastated by the typhoon that killed thousands in the Philippines, as humanitarian groups warned of huge challenges in accessing hundreds of small island communities. AFP PHOTO/JOSEPH AGCAOILI TACLOBAN, Philippines -- President Benigno Aquino III said Sunday that he will stay in typhoon-battered Leyte province until he sees more progress in the aid effort following complaints from survivors that they have yet to receive proper help. Story continues below slideshow Loading Slideshow (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: And the law, which is supposed to be re-examined every five years, is well past the due date for a review, the federal integrity commissioner has confirmed, according to Times Colonist. Allan Cutler, a former whistleblower during the federal sponsorship scandal, said the law has done nothing to help and OTTAWA - Canada's whistleblower law, enacted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government in 2007, has done nothing to help people who raise red flags, critics say. "Not only is there no report, there is not even a review on at the moment," Integrity Commissioner Mario Dion told The Canadian Press. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.