Statistics Canada: It says the number of beneficiaries was 503,800, about 7,100 fewer than in August and down 8.8 per cent compared with September 2012, according to Times Colonist. There were notable declines in Ontario and British Columbia, smaller drops in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and increases in Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces and OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says the number of people receiving regular employment insurance benefits decreased in September by 1.4 per cent compared with the previous month. Before the small decline, the number of EI beneficiaries had been relatively unchanged for three months. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Hugh Segal: At a national intelligence conference Wednesday, Segal described current oversight of the spy world as a "non-system of zero legislative accountability.", according to Huffington Post. He pointed to countries such as the United States and Britain where parliamentarians are able to tackle current crises head-on, eliciting candid testimony from spy chiefs and OTTAWA - Conservative Sen. Hugh Segal says it's "deeply problematic" that Canada lacks a full-fledged national security committee of parliamentarians to keep an eye on spy agencies. It features parliamentary committees including one on which Segal sits that aren't allowed to see secret documents and watchdogs that conduct after-the-fact reviews, the senator told a symposium of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

housing market: The central banker, testifying before the Senate banking committee on his latest economic outlook, said he believes the most likely scenario is a soft landing where home prices stabilize, although he acknowledged that an imbalance in the market and high household debt remain key risks, according to CTV. "Our judgment is the housing market is a situation that is improving, this is not a bubble that exists here that would have to be corrected," he said. "If there is a disturbance from outside our country that's another analysis." OTTAWA -- Canada's housing market is not in a bubble and not likely to suffer a sudden and sharp correction in prices unless there is another major global shock to the economy, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz said Wednesday. Poloz used the testimony to pointedly disagree with a couple of forecasting organizations that weighed in this week on the Canadian situation -- the Fitch Rating service that judged Canada's housing market as 21 per cent overpriced, and an OECD recommendation that he start raising interest rates in a year's time. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Dan Jacobs: I do not believe that there is going to be any current media availability at this time, Fords newly minted chief of staff Dan Jacobs said when reached by phone on Wednesday. I can keep you up to date if that changes. But I think at this time, theres not going to be anything available, according to The Star. The refusal stands in stark contrast to the mayors recent television appearances, granting sit-down interviews to several American networks such as CNN, Fox News and NBCs Today Show as well as the CBC and CP24. Ford and his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, also debuted their own show, Ford Nation on Sun News Network, this week. The show was cancelled a day later and After a recent international media blitz, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is no longer available for press interviews. Jacobs did not provide a reason for the mayors sudden change of heart. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Valerio Mosca: Valerio Moscariello, also known as Valerio Mosca, on Tuesday posted a photo on picture-sharing site Instagram of himself, the embattled mayor and Fords new driver, Jerry Agyemang, at what appears to be a gym, according to CTV. Moscariello was convicted and sentenced to federal prison in 2005 for the distribution of steroids. He is currently banned from coaching in Canada for his involvement in administering the muscle-enhancing drug and Rob Fords lawyer is denying reports that the mayor is receiving physical training from a Toronto trainer who was convicted in the United States of distributing illegal anabolic steroids. The image has since been taken down, but a screengrab showed the photo with the caption: Putting Toronto mayor Rob Ford through a Valerio workout. The BodyPro training system!!! (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

federal government study: TORONTO A new federal government study provides the first estimates of the proportion of the population infected with the hepatitis B and C viruses, according to The Chronicle Herald. The projections are drawn from the Canadian Health Measures Survey, which actually tested the blood of people who took part to look for the viruses and But experts say the figures are a significant underestimate of the scale of the problem in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: You dont look back, you dont offer a bucket of water. You just sprint the other way, according to The Star. The longtime Ford family friend, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is the only one to figuratively touch what has become the third rail of Canadian politics, a mayor or Toronto councillor named Ford and OTTAWA In politics, if your ally is on fire, you run. But one federal Conservative ran back to the burning house known as Rob Ford . (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

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.