Frank McKenna: The job announcement was welcome news in Saint John, where the industry is working through a rough patch. The positions are coming to a centre that was first established when McKenna was premier, 16 years ago, according to CTV. Roughly 275 jobs will be added to the TD Insurance workforce over the next three years, giving a much-needed boost to the Saint John industry and Frank McKenna, the former premier of New Brunswick, has announced new call centre jobs for his province. Year in, year out, over almost 20-some years now, the quality of the workforce has resulted in this centre getting larger and larger and larger, says McKenna, who is now the deputy chairman of TD Bank. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Border Services Agency: OTTAWA - Border controls need to be tighter because some dangerous people still manage to slip into the country despite stricter post-9-11 scrutiny, the auditor general said Tuesday. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The agency is supposed to get advance information about arriving air travellers, but an audit sample shows that the data can be incomplete or missing entirely. In this Dec. 7, 2011 photo, a car approaches the United States and Canada border crossing in Lacolle, Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz Michael Ferguson's latest report said the Canada Border Services Agency doesn't always get the information it needs to pinpoint threats. Related Items Articles Auditor general raises red flags over handling of emergencies on reserves Border agency needs tighter controls, some dangerous people get in: auditor Canadian navy may be shortchanged on ships because of budget problems: auditor Rail-safety audit days before Lac-Megantic crash found 'significant weaknesses' Highlights from the auditor general's fall report, released Tuesday Auditor general flags foot-dragging by federal government in latest report (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

National Capital Commission: A new analysis by the Movoto real estate blog puts the value of 24 Sussex Drive at $7,523,280 . For comparison, Movoto recently appraised the White House at $110 million USD, according to Huffington Post. Of course, it's very unlikely that the National Capital Commission, which manages the property, will be selling it any time soon. But that's not to say the NCC shouldn't consider it and Stephen Harper's residence is worth some serious coin. The Sussex Drive evaluation looked at eight similar homes in the area to arrive at a cost per square foot of $627. At 12,000 square feet, the 34-room home would demand some serious value were it placed on the market. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Siksika Nation: Nearly 60 candidates are vying for the 13 jobs and five are in the running for chief, according to CTV. What I ve noticed is a change in attitude, people care for one another. And when that flood came, it was a sign, you seen it, I witnessed it. How the people came together forgot about politics and went hand in hand, said Red Gun and Members of the Siksika Nation are going to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new band council and chief. Dion Red Gun is running for council and says the flood forced the community to pull together and he hopes that attitude continues in the future. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sexual harassment: Of the 12 cases referred to adjudication in 2012, eight involved allegations of sexual harassment and two of sex discrimination, the commission said in a news release announcing its annual report. Related Items Links MHRC 2012 Report , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Between 2000 and 2011, only two human rights public hearings have been held in Manitoba in which the adjudicator was asked to consider allegations of sexual harassment, the release said. The Manitoba Human Rights Commission saw a "worrisome" number of sexual harassment cases last year. "Although it is too early to consider this is a trend, or to speculate why so many sexual harassment cases are being referred to adjudication, the one year statistic is worrisome," chairwoman Yvonne Peters said in a prepared statement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

university-based research: Bill Blacks idea Nov. 16 column to divert 10 per cent of the estimated $300 million we spend on university-based research toward a Nova Scotia industry first research program to support our resource- and energy-based economic opportunities would be a good start, according to The Chronicle Herald. The Internet has fuelled a NIMBY revolution, where thought and respect take a backseat to loud and anecdotal. Left-wing Tea Party-style politics has become one of Nova Scotias growth industries and Sadly, the well-organized anti-everything lobbies able to fund full-page Herald ads objecting to growing salmon in pens and developing our energy resources will be in a better position to hijack these funds than any one company or provincial department. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Howard Sapers: While the racial makeup inside the corrections system is changing, prison hiring practices have not kept pace, correctional investigator Howard Sapers said as he released his offices latest annual report to Parliament, according to The Star. Recent inmate population growth is almost exclusively driven by an increasing number of aboriginal and visible minority groups behind bars, he said. Today, four in 10 of the federal inmate population is comprised of non-Caucasian offenders and OTTAWA Minorities make up a disproportionate percentage of the countrys prison population but the faces of the guards dont match the faces on the other side of the bars, Canadas prisons watchdog said Tuesday. Sapers points out that close to a quarter of all inmates are aboriginal even though they make up only 4 per cent of the general population. He made a similar report last March . (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Zahir Belounis: FIFPro is demanding action is taken to stop players who are in dispute with Qatari clubs from being prevented from leaving the country, according to Times Colonist. FIFPro said Tuesday that its delegation plans to meet Belounis as it tries to "resolve the deplorable situation" during the four-day visit to Qatar from Thursday and LONDON - A delegation from the international footballers' union is going to Qatar to challenge authorities over concerns players' rights are being abused in the 2022 World Cup host nation. The "kafala" employment system has been thrust back onto the international agenda by the case of French-Algerian player Zahir Belounis. He is under contract at Al-Jaish until 2015, but has been denied the chance to leave Qatar because he is suing the club in order to recover unpaid salary. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mumtaz Ladha: The fact is, however, the provincial agency can continue the civil lawsuit to claim the West Vancouver home owned by Mumtaz Ladha, with or without a conviction, according to Huffington Post. Phil Tawtel, director of the office, said the agency is reviewing the court decision and VANCOUVER - Lawyers for a British Columbia businesswoman acquitted of human trafficking have written to the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office asking that it drop court action to seize the multimillion-dollar home she owns with her daughters. "We're still waiting to hear from them," Casey Leggett, Ladha's lawyer, said Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

child poverty rate: Campaign 2000 said while there has been a slight drop in the country's child poverty rate since the 2008-2009 recession, 967,000 children and their families are still unable to fulfil their basic needs, according to Times Colonist. Based on recent budget projections, the federal government "can afford to spend" on programs that would help prevent children from depending on food banks and homeless shelters, the group said and OTTAWA - Ottawa should funnel predicted multi-billion-dollar budget surpluses into helping Canadians who are struggling to make ends meet, an anti-poverty coalition said in a report released Tuesday. And more children lived in poverty in 2011 than in 1989, when the House of Commons unanimously resolved to end child poverty by 2000 14.3 per cent, up from 13.7 per cent, it said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.