Halifax Stanfield International Airport: The Halifax-based group that sponsored the couples move to Canada met them at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport with open arms on Wednesday, according to CTV. This is not like that here. Here we are free, says Navid, after arriving in Halifax and After years of living in fear of persecution, a gay couple from Iran is safe on Canadian soil. Navid and Hadi, who asked to keep their last names private, fled from Iran two years ago. They say homosexuality is shunned and punishable by death in the Middle Eastern country so they decided to flee to Turkey. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

The Canadian dollar: The S P/TSX composite index slipped 12.76 points to 13,430.01, according to CTV. The Canadian dollar was up 0.22 of a cent at 95.72 cents US, but off earlier highs as the greenback gained in value after the release of the Fed minutes and TORONTO -- The Toronto stock market closed lower Wednesday as minutes from the last meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve in October failed to provide reassurance that the Fed won't soon start to withdraw economic stimulus. The market was held back by sliding gold stocks, which continued to deteriorate alongside bullion prices, which hit their lowest level since mid-July on worries about when the Fed will begin tapering its US$85 billion of monthly bond purchases. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Santa Claus Fund: Thank God they are safe. They re going to school. No one is going to kidnap them, she says of Zhaleh, 12 and Laleh, 17, according to The Star. The family doesnt have much money so when Asim heard about the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund box, filled with practical items that Zhaleh could use, she eagerly registered her younger daughter through Neighbourhood Link , a social service agency. The Santa Claus Fund provides gift boxes for children up to 12 years and Now that Afghanistan native Luna Asim and her family are safe in Toronto, she says she doesnt have to worry about harm coming to her two daughters. Asim, who was accepted into Canada as a refugee about a year ago, recently completed a community worker program and is seeking work. Her husband, Abdul Zahir, was a teacher in Afghanistan but is struggling here with the new language. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

temporary employment: Researchers out of Australia's University of Adelaide found that the likelihood of childbirth by 35 is reduced by eight per cent for every year a woman spends in temporary employment, according to CTV. Researchers say the finding is important because it challenges the widespread notion that highly-educated women are delaying motherhood to focus on their careers. The study found the effect of temporary work on beginning a family was consistent among the study participants, regardless of their socioeconomic status and The longer women work in casual or temporary jobs, the less likely they are to have their first child by their mid-thirties, a new study suggest. "Our findings suggest that, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances, women generally aspire to economic security prior to starting a family," the study authors write. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Bob Mussett: Several great projects are on the horizon for downtown Halifax, but that, in itself, will not help curb the flight of people to the suburbs or Western Canada, a local business audience heard Tuesday, according to The Chronicle Herald. But that may not be enough to attract people to live there, Mussett said and Speaking at the annual CB Richard Ellis Ltd. market outlook breakfast, Bob Mussett, the firms Atlantic senior vice-president and senior managing director, cited the YMCA redevelopment, the Roy Building, the Nova Centre, the Cunard Block and the redevelopment of the former Bank of Canada as examples of exciting downtown projects. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rob Ford: OTTAWA -- Jason Kenney, long considered an aspirant to the Conservative leadership, has become the first federal cabinet minister to call on Rob Ford to resign, accusing the infamous mayor of shaming the city of Toronto. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "I wished he had taken a leave of absence some time ago to go and deal with his personal problems. But not having done that, I personally think he should step aside and stop dragging the city of Toronto through this terrible embarrassment." Jason Kenney: Ford has brought 'dishonour' CP Related Items Articles Scandal surfaces in federal debate Ford vows healthy comeback "I will say as an elected official that I think Mr. Ford has brought dishonour to public office and the office of mayor and his city," Kenney, the employment and social justice minister, said Tuesday as he left the House of Commons. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nova Scotia Jobs Fund: In his fall report released today, Jacques Lapointe says he found examples within the Nova Scotia Jobs Fund of unsecured loans and loans that were approved without any financial assessment, according to CTV. He says inaccurate information was also provided to cabinet where funding decisions were made and HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's auditor general says a cabinet-controlled business loans program that distributed hundreds of millions of dollars lacks monitoring and accountability and is not well managed. Lapointe says in some instances, employment and salary targets in final agreements were lower than those used to assess the project's economic benefits. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

2008 financial crisis: The sector creates high-paying jobs, it continued to grow despite the 2008 financial crisis, and it is successfully going global, says the report by the Conference Board of Canada , according to The Star. As other emerging centres, such as Dubai, Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Mumbai, begin to compete for a greater share of the global financial market, Toronto cant afford to rest on its laurels, the report cautions and Banking, insurance, securities and other financial services are a key driver of Torontos economy, a new report confirms. But Torontos image as an international financial centre lacks the glamour and cachet of New York, London or even some smaller rivals, says the report called Ensuring the Future: Understanding the Importance of Torontos Financial Services Sector. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nova Scotia: A gay couple from Iran received a warm welcome on a chilly day after stepping off a plane in Halifax Wednesday to start a new life together in Nova Scotia, according to The Chronicle Herald. The welcome-to-Canada group included members of the Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia, a local organization sponsoring the men and Several adults and children greeted Navid and Hadi at the quiet arrivals area in the airport. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Australias Parliament: Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Australias Parliament that he would do everything he reasonably can to repair relations with Indonesia, according to 660 News. Indonesias intelligence agency chief, Norman Marciano, told reporters Wednesday that he had been assured by Australian intelligence officials that the wiretapping has stopped and will not resume and JAKARTA, Indonesia Indonesia has downgraded its relations with Australia and suspended co-operation on people smuggling following outrage over reported eavesdropping on senior Indonesian leaders phones, officials said Wednesday. Australian Broadcasting Corp. and The Guardian reported Monday that they had documents from National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden showing that the top-secret Australian Signals Directorate targeted Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos cellphone and the phones of first lady Kristiani Herawati and eight other government ministers and officials. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.