Canada First Nations: The prime minister apology to Canada First Nations has not worn well. In 2008, Stephen Harper issued a heartfelt apology to First Nations for the hurt inflicted by Canada with its policy of assimilation, according to The Chronicle Herald. He asked for their forgiveness. He said he wanted to walk with First Nations on their journey, and share their burden. His speech sounded genuine and authentic. I remember thinking that this might just be the turnaround moment for Canada and its First Nations and There is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian residential schools system to ever again prevail, he said before the House of Commons. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mike Myers: After a year of rough headlines, the retailer is facing a battle not just to turn the business around and post a profit, but also fight the growing perception that they're just running out the string. , according to CBC. The latest quarterly numbers show the chain is still losing money $118 million in the past three months, in fact. But as an ad with Canadian Mike Myers airing only in Canada says, the chain remains confident Canadians will keep seeing their "softer side" for years to come. Offside call for Roger hockey move Retailers always have a lot riding on a strong holiday shopping season. But if there one store that especially true of, it has to be Sears Canada. Nothing could be further from the truth, executives from Sears told the Dianne Buckner in one of our most-read stories this week. The chain books are stronger than most, and Sears is looking forward to many more years as an iconic name in Canadian retail, spokesman Vincent Power said this week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Patricia Capitain: It was the river that first drew Patricia Capitain to Brockville, Ont. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Retirement property Nanaimo a sea change for retirees This is the sixth of seven articles about Canadian communities that may appeal to 50-plus people reader picks of seven great places for retirement. Do you have a favourite place for retirement? Tell us in the comments section. Retirement Property Attention retirees Sarnia has $100,000 homes to spare (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Barack Obama: - If you took the millions of people touched by U.S. President Barack Obama immigration announcement Thursday and gathered them together, their ranks would rival the population of Canada. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "You can come out of the shadows and get right with the law," Obama said in a statement from the White House. Barack Obama has used executive order to push his immigrant plan through. JIM THE The president announced legal rights for almost five million people who are undocumented immigrants -- a move that would impact not only them, but also their families, communities and workplaces. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

consumer price index: 2. Bang for your buck: Statistics Canada releases the consumer price index for October on Friday. This is the time of month when Canadians find out what been a drag on their bank accounts. Last month, energy expenses were the biggest headache for Canadians, but clothing and footwear saw the biggest jump in month-to-month inflation between August and September, according to CTV. 4. Snowmageddon: The Buffalo area has been blanketed by a three-day snowfall total of 7 feet and counting. There no relief in sight with somewhere between another one to three feet of snow expected on Thursday. Forecasters are calling for warm temperatures and rain over the weekend, which could put the area at risk of widespread flooding and 1. Del Mastro Elections overspending sentence: Dean Del Mastro sentencing hearing, originally scheduled for Friday, has been postponed until January after he changed lawyers, according to media reports. Following his conviction of election misspending, Del Mastro, once the parliamentary secretary to Harper, resigned as the MP for Peterborough Nov. 5 in a teary speech in the House of Commons. Last month, the former MP for Peterborough, was found guilty of exceeding campaign spending limits, failing to report a personal contribution to his own campaign and knowingly submitting a falsified document. 3. Felons, not families: U.S. President Barack Obama charged ahead with immigration reform Thursday night. Obama flexed his presidential powers using executive actions to bypass the Republican Senate and House of Representatives. The goal was to spare nearly the 5 million people living in the U.S. illegally from deportation. The GOP is considering lawsuits, a government shutdown and even impeachment in response. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

east Jerusalem: This vision of a North American suburban bubble in the bucolic vicinity of east Jerusalem seems oblivious to the daily and sometimes deadly clashes between Jews and Arabs over land and the Temple Mount in Israel disputed capital, according to Rabble. That future state seems to be a distant prospect following a failed peace process and the summer Gaza war. A sense of hopelessness may be fuelling Palestinian anger, especially in east Jerusalem and "Save the Date, November 9, 2014 The Ramat Givat Ze'ev Real Estate Fair is Coming to Toronto! A once in the lifetime opportunity to live in the Jerusalem Hills " -- advertisement, Oct. 30 edition of the Canadian Jewish News . Ramat Givat Ze'ev is another new Jewish settlement sitting on land that Canada and the rest of the world recognizes should be part of a negotiated Palestinian state within Israel occupied territories. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

passport fees: Recently released figures show Canadians paid $462.5 million in passport fees last year, but it cost the government only $256.5 million to produce the necessary documents, according to 660 News. We are not forecasting any change to passport fees to cover revolving fund requirements at this time, Caron said and A hike in passport fees has turned out to be a cash cow for the federal government, but Canadians won t be getting any cash back as a result. The way Passport Canada funds are managed allows it to simply bank the rest, Citizenship and Immigration spokesperson Nancy Caron said in an email. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jose Figueroa: I m still in the church, Jose Figueroa, 47, said Wednesday, speaking on a cellphone from the Walnut Grove Lutheran Church, his home for the past 13 months, as he resists being sent back to his native El Salvador as a supposed terrorist. They have not yet done a redetermination, according to The Star. The section extraordinarily broad language would have barred Nelson Mandela from entering or remaining in Canada, say immigration lawyers and A Salvadoran man who fears deportation remains holed up in a Vancouver church, more than four months after a Federal Court judge sharply instructed Canada immigration bureaucracy to revisit his case on humanitarian grounds. Figueroa is one of two Salvadoran men who have run afoul of section 34 1 f , a catch-all provision of Canada Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act that bars admission to this country to anyone who has ever supported an organization that has sought to subvert a government or that might try to do so in the future. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Simon Fraser University: Appearing at Vancouver Harbour Centre campus of Simon Fraser University, the former PM sat down with Shari Graydon of Informed Opinions to discuss women participation in government, business, and the media. She spoke with ease and humour about her time in politics, relating such anecdotes as the aura of stunned silence which prevailed when, having recently been promoted to cabinet, she disrupted the old boy atmosphere by launching into a graphic elucidation of some of her own personal struggles with birth control; or the way the press hammered her during the 1993 election over such irrelevancies as her choice of earrings, or whether it was wise for her to have made a proclamation she never actually made i.e. "an election is no time to discuss serious issues" , according to Rabble. The plan is not without its difficulties. It would require either an increase in the number of MPs, a decrease in the number of ridings, or, most likely, some moderate combination of the two. I also worry that with the reintroduction of multi-member districts under what is still a plurality voting system , the problem of disproportionality would be exacerbated. In fact, Campbell herself admitted that gender parity might fit more easily with proportional representation , under which parties could simply be required to alternate female and male names on their party lists and I had the pleasure last week of attending a public talk called "Women Voices: What Difference Do They Make?" featuring Canada first and only female prime minister, Kim Campbell. The moment I had been waiting for, however, came towards the end when, in response to a question from the audience, Campbell talked about a proposal for electoral reform she had outlined some weeks earlier at a women conference in Prince Edward Island. The proposal goes like this: every federal riding would elect two members of parliament -- a man and a woman -- instead of just one. Thus, the perennially out-of-reach goal of gender parity in the House of Commons would finally be achieved. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

President Barack Obama: Republicans are deeply divided over the president likely actions and have spent much of the week intensely debating how to respond. Some conservative members have threatened to pursue a government shutdown and one House lawmaker has raised the spectre of impeachment. , according to CBC. On mobile and can't see the video? Watch here In a move that could provoke one the most pitched partisan confrontations of his presidency, President Barack Obama will sidestep Congress and unveil administrative actions on immigration Thursday, measures that could spare from deportation as many as five million people illegally in the U.S. The president will use a primetime address to announce his measures and will sign the executive actions during a rally in Las Vegas on Friday. In doing so, Obama will be taking an aggressive stand that he had once insisted was beyond his presidential power. Post by The White House . (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport: Bledar Alex Batska, 38, was arrested at Halifax Stanfield International Airport after arriving on an Oct. 13 flight from Iceland, according to The Chronicle Herald. The other man, who was using a false American passport, has applied for refugee status here and A U.S. citizen of Albanian descent has been denied bail on an immigration charge in Dartmouth provincial court. Batska is accused of violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by helping an Albanian man on the same flight enter Canada illegally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Palestinian men: Related Deaths linked to militant attacks soar to all-time high, according to Globe and Mail. Israel Israel tightens security in major cities, West Bank after deadly Palestinian attacks At least 30 people are injured after clashes erupt in East Jerusalem during a funeral procession of a 16-year-old Palestinian boy. Rough Cut no reporter narration . Reuters Watch Video: At least 30 injured during Jerusalem clashes after funeral for Palestinian boy Watch Video: Palestinian kills one in attack at Jerusalem train station Two Palestinian men are suspected killing four people in a synagogue attack in Jerusalem. Julie Noce reports. Reuters watch Video: Four Israelis killed in Jerusalem synagogue attack Two Palestinian cousins armed with meat cleavers and a gun stormed a Jerusalem synagogue during morning prayers on Tuesday, killing five people and wounding at least eight others, including a Canadian-Israeli. The attackers were killed in a shootout with the police that wounded two officers, one of whom died later of his injuries. More Related to this Story Attacks Palestinian stabbing attacks leave one Israeli dead, three others wounded (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: The attack ratcheted up fears of sustained violence in a city already on edge amid soaring tensions over its most contested holy site. , according to Hamilton Spectator. Police said the dead worshippers were three Americans and a Briton, and that all held dual Israeli citizenship. The attack occurred in Har Nof, an ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood that has a large population of English-speaking immigrants. Two Palestinian cousins armed with meat cleavers and a gun stormed a Jerusalem synagogue during morning prayers Tuesday, killing four people in the city bloodiest attack in years. Police killed the attackers in a shootout. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "respond harshly," describing the attack as a "cruel murder of Jews who came to pray and were killed by despicable murderers." He immediately ordered the demolition of the attacker homes, as well as homes of Palestinians who carried out several other recent attacks. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Twitter: Follow Michael Babad and The Globe Business Briefing on Twitter, according to Globe and Mail. That because demand for housing isn t being measured properly, today report from World Markets found. More Related to this Story These are stories Report on Business is following Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014 . Don t fret, study says Amid the angst over Canada housing market, a new study suggests there no significant overbuilding. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Dalhousie University: The public administration professional, who has lots of experience and a couple of degrees related to her field, networked in Halifax with organizations such as the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia and completed yet another degree at Dalhousie University, according to The Chronicle Herald. It very difficult to find jobs and to meet people who can help you find a job in Nova Scotia, Al Rousan said Wednesday in a Halifax interview and Sataneeh Al Rousan hit the ground running when she and her two sons arrived in Nova Scotia from Jordan four years ago. Her latest unsuccessful stretch on the job market lasted about a year, and now she is back at the books earning her chartered professional accountant designation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Benjamin Tal: "Ask any real estate developer in any of Canada major cities about the risk of overbuilding, and the first line of defence would be immigration and its critical role in supporting demand," economist Benjamin Tal said in a report Wednesday. "It turns out that at least for now, this claim is more valid than widely believed." , according to CBC. But even that large figure underestimates a fairly significant chunk of people who need housing, the bank says. Fears that Canada is building far more condominiums than it needs are overblown because of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are moving here in increasing numbers, one of Canada biggest banks says. Immigrants already represent about 70 per cent of Canada population growth at the moment and half of those who come to Canada are in the prime homebuying age range of between 20 and 45. Housing numbers tell tale of 2 cities: houses vs. condos Shoddy buildings raise spectre that new condos will become slums (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Ovid Metamorphoses: Theatreworks, which produced his version of Creon in 2007, has commissioned a play that Dickens named Paulo And Daphne. The show is inspired by Ovid Metamorphoses, which deals with tales of creation and transformation. , according to NOW. Dickens characters are Paulo, a Toronto immigration lawyer, and Daphne, his assistant. The story carries over the sexual and emotional drivers from the original: Paulo wants her, Daphne feels she can t love anyone. Playwright Ned Dickens has always recognized the power in the myths of Greece and Rome. In works like Horse, Icara and the epic City Of Wine, he gives a contemporary spin to millennia-old stories of gods, heroes and common people. In the mythic version, the god Apollo chases the nymph Daphne, he desperately in love and she equally anxious to escape him. She is saved by being turned into a laurel tree, which the god declares he will care for; its leaves will adorn the heads of leaders and champions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Remembrance Day Letters: Perhaps plan your own Remembrance Day Letters , Nov. 15 , according to Hamilton Spectator. I attended the ceremony at City Hall on Nov 11. An impressive crowd included members of the Muslim community, many recent immigrants and Canada First Nations people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

The Immigrant Settlement Integration Services agency: The Immigrant Settlement Integration Services agency in Halifax is now known as the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, or , according to CBC. Last month, the organization said the old name became a problem because it was a shared acronym with the jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. On their website, says the name is the only change, with the essence of the organization remaining the same. www.isans.ca An organization that helps new immigrants settle in Nova Scotia unveiled its new name on Wednesday in an effort to avoid being associated with a terrorist group. On their website, said the name of their organization is the only thing that changed the essence of the group will remain the same. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Michele Biss: The Conservative government proposed changes to who can qualify for welfare amount to an effort to pressure provinces into adopting anti-refugee policies, say critics who are picking a new fight over benefits for refugee claimants. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The Conservatives say they are just giving provinces the flexibility to determine benefits, but it not a benign change, Michele Biss of the group Canada Without Poverty told a news conference Tuesday. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Monday, Nov. 17, 2014. A new battle is brewing between refugee advocates and the federal government this time over whether those awaiting a decision on their refugee status ought to have access to social assistance. THE Sean Kilpatrick Nearly 160 groups from across the religious and social spectrum are calling on the government to reverse measures, buried in the latest omnibus budget bill, which open the door to refugee claimants being denied welfare. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

federal government: Nearly 160 groups from across the religious and social spectrum are calling on the government to reverse measures, buried in the latest omnibus budget bill, which open the door to refugee claimants being denied welfare, according to CTV. "The federal government is offering a financial incentive as a means of the provinces implementing the government ideological driven policies towards refugees," Biss said and - The Conservative government proposed changes to who can qualify for welfare amount to an effort to pressure provinces into adopting anti-refugee policies, say critics who are picking a new fight over benefits for refugee claimants. The Conservatives say they are just giving provinces the flexibility to determine benefits, but it not a benign change, Michele Biss of the group Canada Without Poverty told a news conference Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

St. Johns MLA Gord Mackintosh: In St. Johns, there are many important cultural treasures that celebrate the traditions, art and history of those who built our city. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The Polish word ogniwo means "links to the past." True to its name, the museum reveals these historical links through fascinating exhibits that explore the evolution of Polish-Canadian culture. St. Johns MLA Gord Mackintosh at Ogniwo Polish Museum with Dorothy Paryzek, board member and exhibiting artist, and Christine Tabbernor, president. Photo Store One such treasure is Ogniwo Polish Museum, the impressive gallery of which is hidden behind a modest Main Street storefront. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federation of Canadian Municipalities: The federal finance minister will be in Ottawa for a gathering of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities less than a week after a fall economic update that made only passing reference to the biggest issue on the minds of Canada big-city mayors -- infrastructure, according to CTV. More than 200 municipal leaders are in Ottawa hoping to lobby the government to free up some of the shrinking, but still widely anticipated, budget surplus in 2015 for transit system improvements and other critical infrastructure projects and - Joe Oliver will today stand up in front of municipal leaders who may not be all that happy with his most recent messages. The crumbling of Canada roads, sewer and water systems has been a major -- and growing -- concern of municipalities for years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Princess Mabel van Oranje: Princess Mabel van Oranje of the Netherlands praised the government so-called child bride initiative, saying it has made Canada a world leader on an international development issue that has few champions, according to CTV. Baird also announced another $10 million contribution to the initiative on top of a $20-million commitment earlier this year and - A Dutch princess lauded by the Harper government for her efforts to oppose the forced marriage of young girls is calling on Canada and its wealthy partner countries to boost overall aid spending. On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird bestowed the government John Diefenbaker human rights award on van Oranje organization, Girls Not Brides, an umbrella group of 400 non-governmental organizations operating in 60 countries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Israeli citizenship: Police killed the attackers in a shootout, according to 660 News. Police said the dead worshippers were three Americans and a Briton, and that all held dual Israeli citizenship. The attack occurred in Har Nof, an ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood that has a large population of English-speaking immigrants and Two Palestinian cousins armed with meat cleavers and a gun stormed a Jerusalem synagogue during morning prayers Tuesday, killing four people in the city bloodiest attack in years. Among the wounded was a Canadian. The attack ratcheted up fears of sustained violence in the city, which is already on edge amid soaring tensions over its most contested holy site. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

employment challenges: The primary challenges faced by Canadian cities is growing income inequality and deepening poverty. Much of this has to do with the growing wage gap between the well-off and not so well-off and the employment challenges being faced by recent immigrants to Canada, many of whom are people of colour. , according to Hamilton Spectator. The first and probably the easiest to implement would be to make unionization of workplaces easier. It is well documented that workers in unionized workplaces earn better wages, experience greater job security, receive better benefits, and in all likelihood are more productive than workers in non-unionized places. Additionally, it is well demonstrated that in nations where unionization rates are higher, income inequality and poverty rates are much lower. There has been much hand-wringing about the divisions that exist in the City of Toronto mingled together with hopes that its new mayor, John Tory, will respond to these challenges. Actually, reducing the greatest divides in Toronto and most other cities in Canada including Hamilton see the Code Red Series in The Spectator would be rather easy. The solution to these problems are available through several public policy innovations that have been successfully implemented in jurisdictions both across Canada and the world. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.