deputy mayor: It's never too late to make things happen, according to Guelph Mercury. Tartans have been around for centuries, Halliday said in an email sparked by a recent Mercury Tribune story. Related Stories Guelph's tartan stash on way out as... All is not lost as Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary this year and all things old are new again, says Stewart Halliday, who lived in Guelph from 1977 to 2000 and is now deputy mayor of the Grey Highlands municipality in Grey County. Last month, council directed the city clerk to develop a new policy on the sale and distribution of Guelph's tartan material and items made from it, which should make it easier to get rid of the Guelph Tartan inventory now stored at city hall. However, Halliday said a former mill manager from West Coast Woollens is now an agent for a Scottish worsted mill, so more fabric using Guelph's official tartan design could be purchased from Scotland. West Coast Woollen Mills, the manufacturer of the Guelph Tartan fabric, is no longer in business, and if city hall can get rid of its tartan inventory it doesn't intend to get any more, says a city staff report. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

half truth: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of leading movie stars tweeted condolence messages shortly after Puri's death was announced Friday morning, according to Guelph Mercury. The artists will all miss him and it's a big loss to the industry. He was 66. His name was taken along the great artists of the world, not just India, film director Prakash Jha said, as he joined several people from the Indian film industry outside Puri's Mumbai home. His breakthrough film was the 1983 gritty drama Ardh Satya, or Half Truth, about a young policeman's crisis of conscience as he deals with the nexus of crime and politics in India. In a career spanning more than three decades, Puri had won a slew of national awards and international fame for his work in several critically acclaimed films. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mexico: Now as he nears inauguration, that wall is sounding increasingly like it could end up a fence, according to CTV. And his team and Congressional Republicans are hatching a plan in which taxpayers -- at least initially -- would foot the bill. And Mexico was going to pay for it. Trump and his aides insisted Friday the president-elect wasn't breaking with his campaign vow. Trump was more direct The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall for sake of speed will be paid back by Mexico later! he tweeted. Nothing has changed from our perspective, said top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway in an interview with CBS. She said Congress was taking it on themselves to explore different options to pay for the wall, and voiced no objections. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

migrants: We are worried, Edwards said, according to a summary of his statements, according to Metro News. More than 15,500 migrants or refugees are stuck on Greek islands. The need for better protection will become all the more acute this weekend when temperatures on the islands are expected to drop. On Lesbos, 5,537 people were crammed into facilities designed for 3,500, while in Samos 1,944 people were in facilities built for 850, according to Greek government figures. Edwards noted that only vulnerable asylum-seekers or those who have completed the registration process could be transferred to the mainland, and delays in registration or identifying vulnerable cases contributed to serious Europe's border agency Frontex said Friday there had been a significant drop in the number of migrants reaching Greek islands from Turkey in 2016 compared to the previous year. Under a European Union-Turkey deal to reduce migration into Europe, those arriving on islands after March are held and face being returned to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parliament hill: The Aga Khan is the hereditary spiritual leader of the world's approximately 15 million Ismaili Muslims and a renowned philanthropist, according to Huffington Post Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with the Aga Khan on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 17, 2016. A spokesman for the prime minister, Cameron Ahmad, is confirming a National Post report that the Aga Khan invited the Trudeau family and a few friends to join him on Bell Island. Photo Chris Wattie/Reuters Ahmad notes that the Aga Khan and Trudeau have been close family friends for many years.'' As required for security purposes, Trudeau and his family flew to Nassau on a government Challenger jet; Ahmad says no friends were aboard. The Aga Khan founded one of the world's largest development agencies, the Aga Khan Development Network, dedicated to enhancing progress in under-developed regions of the world. He says Trudeau will reimburse the cost of the airfare for himself and his family to and from Nassau. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rights groups: Two days of testimony are scheduled, including a day for Sessions to address the committee, and a day for rebuttal witnesses from those opposing his nomination, according to Metro News. Echoing Senate Democrats, the civil rights groups want to delay the hearing. Sessions' hearing is set to begin Tuesday and he is expected to be confirmed in the GOP-controlled chamber. They say the Judiciary Committee needs more time to review his voluminous nomination materials, which they also say may be incomplete. The point of the hearing is to reveal who the candidate is and to inform and educate the senators about his qualifications. The hearing has to be meaningful, said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defence and Educational Fund, who rejected any suggestion that the hearings are a foregone conclusion. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

show compassion: The problem is that sometimes I'm so self-absorbed that I miss opportunities to learn from someone else's experience; I remain unaware, according to Hamilton Spectator. New volunteers in social programs often say they didn't realize how difficult people have it, or that there is so much prostitution, violence, and poverty in the streets; they simply weren't aware. Each day I can explore, listen, and understand people who live around me. I believe that awareness helps me become a better person, and that it's a key ingredient for change. The more aware we are of others, the more we accept, engage, show compassion, and build community. Although many of us dislike change, we need to experience it to grow. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city: I was in my third month of pregnancy when the conflicts started in my country, according to CBC. We lived in the city of Homs in Syria during a very difficult time constantly confronted with death and were unable to secure our basic needs. To read it in Arabic, click here. Sleeping problems and nightmares started affecting my three kids, Ayman, Zainab and Nadia. We decided to pursue the unknown and leave friends and memories behind. That was when I started discussing leaving Syria with my husband, Khalid. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian conflict: The brutal Syrian conflict has forced over 2.2 million children to flee to neighbouring countries and beyond, according to Huffington Post Canada. The Canadian Government, which welcomes 300,000 immigrants every year -- nearly one per cent of its population -- has resettled over 25,000 Syrian refugees nationwide. Nearly 50 million children worldwide have been uprooted -- more than half of them by violence and conflict. Basel Alrashdan left playing in the snow with other sixth graders at St. The Alrashdans were the first Syrian family to be resettled on the Island. Jean Elementary School, came to Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island P.E.I. with his family on 27 December 2015. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

transition: Instead, they would rely on existing law that already authorizes fencing and other technology along the southern border, according to Hamilton Spectator. The potential approach was disclosed Thursday by two congressional officials and a senior transition official with knowledge of the discussions; all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. His tweet came as congressional Republicans and his top aides consider a plan to ask Congress to ensure money is available in U.S. coffers for the wall without passing any new legislation. Trump said in a tweet early Friday The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall for sake of speed will be paid back by Mexico later! Mexico's president and other senior officials have repeatedly insisted that Mexico won't pay for a wall. But Trump never settled on a mechanism for how Mexico would pay. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly told voters if elected he would build a wall along the U.S. southern border and make Mexico pay for it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump tweet: Lawmakers would be asked to ensure that enough money is available in U.S. coffers to build the wall, but Congress would not pass a stand-alone bill authorizing it, according to The Chronicle Herald. Related Toyota stock dip after Trump tweet on planned Mexico plantGOP has Trump's back as he questions US intelligence Toyota is latest Trump target over Mexico production plansA traditional end to an unconventional presidential election Trump said in a tweet early Friday that Mexico will reimburse American taxpayers. Under the evolving plan, the Trump administration would rely on existing legislation authorizing fencing and other technology along the southern border. The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall for sake of speed will be paid back by Mexico later! The potential approach was confirmed Thursday by two congressional officials and a senior transition official with knowledge of the discussions; all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The approach could come as a surprise to some but could also stave off a legislative fight that Trump might lose if he tried to get Congress to pass a measure authorizing the kind of border wall he promised during the campaign. The officials emphasized that no final decisions had been made. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump: Won the electoral college, not the election, according to Toronto Star. A strong enough majority of Americans voted against him. Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Rick Salutin Columnist Fri., Jan. 6, 2017 Let's be clear on why Trump won. It wasn't because of racism, fear of immigrants or misogyny. He won because he carried four states in the rust belt, where factories once guaranteed people decent lives and which Democrats had always taken for granted. White supremacists and Confederate flag buffs didn't do it though they backed him. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

infant jesus: At the end of the service, homeless people and refugees joined volunteers to hand out 50,000 booklets with biblical tales of God's mercy to pilgrims gathered in a frigid St, according to The Waterloo Record. Peter's Square. Francis celebrated Mass marking Epiphany, the biblical tale of the three wise men who set out to find the infant Jesus and offer precious gifts. Francis said he too wanted to give the faithful the gift of God's mercy for the coming year. During this Christmas season, Francis has emphasized the humble setting of Christ's birth while criticizing a church that is closed in on itself, its wealth and its achievements. He then offered some 300 needy people a simple lunch of a sandwich and drink, the Vatican said, part of his long-running outreach to the poor and homeless who live around the Vatican. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kultr: There were the years that the Big Music Festival happened on the same weekend in 2014 and 2015 and Country Music Fest in 2016, according to The Waterloo Record. Both festivals leached prospective audiences from Kultr n. Isabel Cisterna has faced down near-defeat in the past, but always surfaced in the black. Until 2014, the annual festival took place on the concrete pad at Waterloo Town Square, but she said the city only offered small, almost token support. But without the anticipated grants, and finishing the festival short 25,000, Cisterna thought it might be the end of Kultr n. Kultr n moved to Kitchener's Victoria Park in 2015 and has received good support from the city. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

migrants: We are worried, Edwards said, according to a summary of his statements, according to Brandon Sun. More than 15,500 migrants or refugees are stuck on Greek islands. The need for better protection will become all the more acute this weekend when temperatures on the islands are expected to drop. On Lesbos, 5,537 people were crammed into facilities designed for 3,500, while in Samos 1,944 people were in facilities built for 850, according to Greek government figures. Edwards noted that only vulnerable asylum-seekers or those who have completed the registration process could be transferred to the mainland, and delays in registration or identifying vulnerable cases contributed to serious Europe's border agency Frontex said Friday there had been a significant drop in the number of migrants reaching Greek islands from Turkey in 2016 compared to the previous year. Under a European Union-Turkey deal to reduce migration into Europe, those arriving on islands after March are held and face being returned to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

policy matters: One of my friends was a football manager and they were picking on him, according to Brandon Sun. Jeff stood up and said, 'Leave him alone,' recalled fellow student George Alford, laughing as he remembered the 140-pound player who went on to represent Alabama in the U.S. senate and is now President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general. But linebacker Jeff Sessions, a senior who was barely bigger than his younger schoolmates, didn't join in. It's not like he had any physical presence, Alford said, but he stood up. Yet critics question whether Sessions, whose confirmation would mark a profound change from the Obama administration's Justice Department, can universally apply that sense of fairness to the divisive policy matters that buffet the agency each day. That's the man Sessions' backers want the nation to see on Tuesday when the 70-year-old Republican appears before his colleagues for a confirmation hearing a polite but tenacious little guy fighting for other little guys. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wall: The potential approach was confirmed Thursday by two congressional officials and a senior transition official with knowledge of the discussions; all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, according to The Waterloo Record. Trump said in a tweet early Friday The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall for sake of speed will be paid back by Mexico later! Mexico's president and other senior officials have repeatedly insisted that Mexico won't pay for a wall. His tweet came as top aides consider a plan to ask Congress to ensure money is available in U.S. coffers for the wall, but to rely on existing law that already authorizes fencing and other technology along the southern border. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly told voters if elected he would build a wall along the U.S. southern border and make Mexico pay for it. In an interview Friday on ABC's Good Morning America, Spicer said I think he's going to continue to talk to them the Mexican government about that. Trump transition spokesman Sean Spicer said putting U.S. money up-front doesn't mean he's broken his promise. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

barack obama: Where Trump was once the most prominent birther, attempting to deny President Barack Obama's legitimacy with a racist campaign accusing him of being born in Kenya, Trump now will wield a pen to legally undermine Obama's legacy, according to Rabble. But Barack Obama is still the president of the United States until Jan. 20, and retains the enormous executive powers that the office bestows. A wave of regressive executive orders and legislation are already being prepared to ensure that Trump's first 100 days effectively erase the Obama presidency. That is why a swelling grassroots movement is now urging Obama to use executive clemency and the presidential pardon to protect the nation's millions of undocumented immigrants from the mass deportations Trump repeatedly promised on the campaign trail. According to Reuters, the Trump transition team asked for details on border wall construction, the capacity for increased immigrant detention, and about the ability to restore aggressive aerial surveillance of the southern border which was scaled back by the Obama administration . Chillingly, they also asked if any DHS staff had altered biographic information kept by the department about immigrants out of concern for their civil liberties. In case some think Trump's deportation pledge is mere bluster, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday on an internal Department of Homeland Security memo that summarized a December meeting between the Trump transition team and the agency. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cabinet minister: I am grateful for the support that I have received from the entire community, she said after a cabinet meeting, according to CTV. As always, I will continue to be focused on the very good work that we are doing in this very beautiful province of ours. In her first public statement since the alleged incident, Lena Diab spoke in a quiet, halting voice as she described enduring a very tragic, sad, private and personal matter. The cabinet minister and entrepreneur declined to respond to questions, but colleagues offered their support. Under a court order, he is prohibited from having any contact with Lena Diab and two other people, unless a lawyer is involved. Diab's husband, Maroun Diab, was released on a series of conditions in Halifax provincial court Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

feed: As Canadians, we are fortunate to celebrate our 150 anniversary, according to Huffington Post Canada. In so many ways we are a young country built by immigrants and the existing indigenous populations. This is a special new year. Looking at the Canada 150 Twitter feed I was pleased to see a lot of pride and gratitude for the benefits of Canada and saddened to see it being used as a platform for criticizing the government instead of a place to reflect on what is great about Canada. Nature abounds from seascapes to mountains, rivers, lakes and waving fields of grain to mention but a few. As someone who has travelled extensively inside and outside of Canada I am constantly grateful for what we have in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizens: On Dec. 14, the Liberals announced that the first-come, first-serve application processing system used by the previous Conservative government would be replaced by random draws, according to CTV. As of Jan. 3, Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to sponsor a parent or grandparent have 30 days to fill out an online form. But some say the move is anything but fair, forcing those who have already spent considerable time and money preparing sponsorship applications to face the possibility that their parents or grandparents may never be considered for entry to Canada. The form is merely a declaration of intent to sponsor someone. Under the old system, the government accepted for consideration the first 10,000 sponsorship applications that arrived at the Mississauga, Ont., immigration office as soon as it opened at the start of a new year. Immigration officials will then randomly draw 10,000 individuals who will be asked to submit the full application within 90 days. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ethan horvath: He would give Arena another veteran option in addition to Colorado's Tim Howard, projected to be sidelined for four months following November surgery on his right leg, and Brad Guzan, who on Monday made his first appearance since August for Middlesbrough, according to Hamilton Spectator. In my view we have about eight goalkeepers we're going to be looking at throughout the year, Arena said Thursday during a Facebook Live session, mentioning the five invited to camp along with Ethan Horvath and William Yarbrough. Frei, 30, relocated from Switzerland with his family in the 1990s and played college soccer for California. Certainly Tim Howard and Brad Guzan would have the edge at this point in time. Veterans Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya and Chris Wondolowski also are on the roster that will report to Carson, California, starting Jan. 10 ahead of exhibitions against Serbia on Jan. 29 at San Diego and versus Jamaica on Feb. 3 at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Manneh, a 22-year-old Gambian, moved to Texas in 2010. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government-built camps: Mouzalas praised a 10-month-old deportation deal between the European Union and Turkey that human rights groups have criticized, according to Metro News. He claims that 100,000 more migrants and refugees would have been stranded in Greece without the agreement. Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas said Thursday that the people arriving on Greek islands from are not predominantly from war-torn countries like Syria and Iraq, a shift from the mass arrivals in 2015. Greece has reported that about 60,000 people are stranded in the country due to border closures elsewhere in Europe last year. Most live in government-built camps or state-sponsored housing schemes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hamilton courtroom: Andrew didn't elaborate on what's next for Zabel or how this decision plays into the numerous complaints that were filed with the Ontario Judicial Council after the Nov. 9 incident, according to Hamilton Spectator. Ontario Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve would not comment further on the matter, her spokesperson said. Justice Bernd Zabel stopped being assigned to preside in court December 21, 2016, Kate Andrew, an Ontario Court of Justice spokesperson, said in an email Thursday. The complaints including from the University of Windsor's law faculty and an Osgoode Hall Law School professor were filed after Zabel entered a Hamilton courtroom with a Make America Great Again a day after the U.S. election. What I did was wrong. A week later, Zabel apologized for his behaviour. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration partnership: What we've found is that it's really important for the newcomer communities to have a voice in the planning of services, said Irmtraud Hutfless, project manager at Catholic Crosscultural Services, a settlement agency in Scarborough, according to Metro News. We want to see them involved in influencing programs that are designed to help other newcomers, because they understand the issues better than anyone else. Members of the Local Immigration Partnership are recruiting civic-minded immigrants from across the city to join the Toronto Newcomer Council a grassroots platform that aims to give newcomers better representation at decision-making levels. The council will be made up of approximately 40 people from different backgrounds and different communities of Toronto. Group members will receive training on how the municipal government works and what's expected of them, before the council starts up this summer. A particular focus will be paid to women, youth, the elderly and other under-served groups. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

campaign vow: Now as he nears inauguration, that wall is sounding increasingly like it could end up a fence, according to Brandon Sun. And his team and Congressional Republicans are hatching a plan in which taxpayers at least initially would foot the bill. And Mexico was going to pay for it. Trump and his aides insisted Friday the president-elect wasn't breaking with his campaign vow. Trump was more direct The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall for sake of speed will be paid back by Mexico later! he tweeted. Related Items ArticlesUS report Putin ordered effort to help Trump, hurt Clinton Nothing has changed from our perspective, said top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway in an interview with CBS. She said Congress was taking it on themselves to explore different options to pay for the wall, and voiced no objections. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.