Michael Griffin: Michael Griffin was fired from Holy Ghost Preparatory School after administrators said his obtaining a license to marry his same-sex partner was a violation of his contract, according to Times Colonist. He said in the statement that Griffin's decision "contradicts the terms of his teaching contract at our school, which requires all faculty and staff to follow the teachings of the Church as a condition of their employment. In discussion with Mr. Griffin, he acknowledged that he was aware of this provision, yet he said that he intended to go ahead with the ceremony." PHILADELPHIA - A gay teacher at a Catholic high school was fired Friday after he applied for a marriage license. Father James McCloskey, the school's headmaster, said in a statement that faculty at the school are required to follow church teachings, NBC Philadelphia reported. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

David Taylor: David Taylor, the part-time geographer who brought us Canada's population by latitude has devised a map that shows a significant portion of the U.S. lies north of our southernmost point, according to Huffington Post. The red area comprises 22 per cent of the contiguous U.S., according to Taylor's website , 38 per cent including Alaska. It also makes up 15 per cent of the country's population and Many of us think of the United States as our neighbours 'to the south', but a new infographic might make you think differently. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The first thing you notice is just how big they are. A couple of the players stand just under seven feet, according to CTV. Yet there is one thing that sets him apart. He is this years number one NBA draft pick. In effect, the top basketball prospect in the world and Late fall, in the dressing room of the NBAs Cleveland Cavaliers, the players get ready to take to the court for the start of the exhibition season. Most others, not much shorter. A young man crosses the room swinging to music being pumped through a large set of earphones clamped to his head. Compared to the other giants, he seems almost average, 6-foot-8, 256 lbs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

days before Christmas: The non-profit organization is being forced to close the doors just days before Christmas, according to CTV. When you lose that without any kind of notice, without any kind of conversation it really pulls the rug out from under your feet. Ray of Hope Executive Director Harry Whyte says and A clerical error may be the reason why federal funding was denied for downtown Kitcheners Morning Glory Caf . Its a business that teaches at-risk youth job skills. After ten years of federal funding, the Ray of Hopes youth employment program was turned down. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nelson Mandela: UPDATED 3:13 p.m, according to The Chronicle Herald. Harper will attend a public memorial for Mandela on Tuesday in Johannesburg, as well as his lying in state in Pretoria on Wednesday and A whos who of Canadian politics is boarding Stephen Harpers plane today to join the prime minister when he flies to South Africa to pay his final respects to Nelson Mandela. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Philippine city: TACLOBAN, Philippines - The government is back at work, and markets are laden with fruits, pork, fish and bread. Shredded trees are sprouting new leaves. Above all, the sounds of a city getting back on its feet fill the air: the roar of trucks hauling debris, the scrape of shovel along pavement, the ping of hammer on nails. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. City administrator Tecson Lim says a sense of "normalcy" has returned and has begun talking of a silver lining: "The opportunity to transform our city into a global city, a city that is climate change resilient and that can perhaps be a model." Typhoon survivors attend mass at the damaged Santo Nino Church in Tacloban, central Philippines on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. One month since Typhoon Haiyan, signs of progress in this shattered Philippine city are mixed with reminders of the scale of the disaster and the challenges ahead: Bodies are still being uncovered from beneath the debris. Tens of thousands are living amid the ruins of their former lives, underneath shelters made from scavenged materials and handouts. AP Photo/Aaron Favila One month since Typhoon Haiyan, signs of progress in this shattered Philippine city are mixed with reminders of the scale of the disaster and the challenges ahead: Bodies are still being uncovered from beneath the debris. Tens of thousands are living amid the ruins of their former lives, underneath shelters made from scavenged materials and handouts. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tim Hortons: Heidi Kibanoff and her boyfriend, Richard Pepito, say Pierre Pelletier hired them and other Filipinos under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program to work at the Tim Hortons in the small town, where they often put in long hours. , according to Huffington Post. CBC News has interviewed nearly half a dozen employees with a similar story at the Tim Hortons in Fernie, but cannot identify them, because they fear losing their jobs and being sent back to the Philippines. The B.C. Federation of Labour wants police to investigate the owner of a Tim Hortons in Fernie, B.C., after two former workers accused him of cheating them out of overtime pay. The pair allege that Pelletier often made sure that the overtime that was paid came back to him in cash even driving employees to the bank and waiting while they cashed their paycheques. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: Harper will attend a public memorial for Mandela on Tuesday in Johannesburg, as well as his lying in state in Pretoria on Wednesday, according to 660 News. He was a great, great man, Chretien said of Mandela as he boarded the plane and OTTAWA A whos who of Canadian politics is on its way to South Africa with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to pay their final respects to Nelson Mandela. Hes being accompanied by three of his predecessors Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien and Kim Campbell, all of whom were invited by Harper to fly on the prime ministerial plane to attend the service. Joe Clark, meantime, is already in Africa and will join the Canadian delegation when it arrives in South Africa. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mandela: Harper will attend a public memorial for Mandela on Tuesday in Johannesburg, as well as his lying in state in Pretoria on Wednesday, according to Huffington Post. "He was a great, great man," Chretien said of Mandela as he boarded the plane and OTTAWA - A who's who of Canadian politics is on its way to South Africa with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to pay their final respects to Nelson Mandela. He's being accompanied by three of his predecessors Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien and Kim Campbell, all of whom were invited by Harper to fly on the prime ministerial plane to attend the service. Joe Clark, meantime, is already in Africa and will join the Canadian delegation when it arrives in South Africa. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Corey Beals: Veteran fire department staffer Corey Beals is climbing the ladder of success at Halifax Regional Municipality, according to The Chronicle Herald. Along the way theres been post-secondary education, community work, marriage, parenthood, healthy living and professional development and Its a career ascent that was spawned in childhood, when he was a kid running after fire trucks near his North Preston home. It has evolved from being a volunteer firefighter to a department manager. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.