32 Year Low Decline in Canada’s Unemployment Rate
Labour Force Survey
Stats Canada -March 2006
Employment increased by 51,000 in March, bringing total gains from 12 months ago to 330,000 or 2.1%. The unemployment rate declined 0.1percentage points to 6.3%, a 32-year low.The employment increase in March pushed the Canadian employment rate up 0.1 percentage points to a record 62.9%. The employment rate is the share of the working age population that is employed.

Canada has traditionally had higher employment rates than most other countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, with stronger employment growth in this country, the rate in Canada has pulled further ahead of the OECD average in recent years. Canadians aged 16 and over have been more likely than Americans
to be employed since November 2002. Most of the employment gain in March was the result of an upswing of 44,000 in full-time work. This continues the long-term trend toward full-time employment growth in this country. Despite monthly fluctuations, part-time employment has remained around the same level for the last three years.
 

Ontario Government To Honour More Than 8,000 Volunteers Twentieth Anniversary Of Awards For Volunteer Service
TORONTO, April 3 /CNW/ - Ontario is honouring volunteers across the province for making such a difference in the lives of others, said Ontario Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle.

"Over the past 20 years we have celebrated the dedication and outstanding achievement of approximately 100,000 volunteers for their community service," said Colle. "These are the people who give back to their communities in so many ways, from driving seniors to coaching young people." This is the twentieth anniversary of the Volunteer Service Awards.

The theme is 'Volunteers Build Communities.' More than 8,000 people will receive Volunteer Service Awards over the next three months at ceremonies in their communities. They will be
recognized for years of service with a single organization, ranging from five to more than 50 years of continuous service. This year the Outstanding Achievement Award for Volunteerism will go to 16 people, and one community organization for their extraordinary leadership. The Volunteer Service Award Ceremonies will kick off in Aylmer on April 5 and continue through to June 27th in Kingston (see backgrounder for full tour schedule).

"Volunteers started the first hospitals, homes for the aged and the YMCA," said Colle. "Volunteers really are the foundation of our communities." More than 2.3 million Ontarians volunteer over 390 million hours each year.
 

East African Heads of State Declare Common Market Plan
From: "Mervyn Lobo" <mervynalobo@yahoo.ca>
To: "TANZANET" <list@tanzanet.org>

ARUSHA, Tanzania (AP)--The presidents of three East African countries announced plans Wednesday to establish a common market by 2010 as part of a plan to
boost regional integration.

The leader of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda said negotiations would begin on July 1 and that a protocol should be finished by December 2008, giving the member states time to ratify the agreement. The three countries, which are home to 90 million people, agreed on a regional customs union last year.

The announcement came at an East African Community heads of state summit in northern Tanzania.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete also agreed to decide in November whether to allow Burundi and Rwanda to join the East African Community.

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunzinza attended the meeting as an observer. Rwanda was represented by Prime Minister Bernard Makuza.

Museveni announced that Nkurunzinza has agreed to open peace talks with the last remaining rebel group in Burundi, the National Liberation Front. But no other details were released.

The leaders also appointed a new East African Community secretary general, Juma  Mwapachu, who is the former Tanzanian envoy to France. He will serve a five-year term.

The East African Community was revived in 1999 after it collapsed in 1977 mainly because of divergent economic and political policies.
 

India's first Floating Port in Goa uses Canadian Technology
Excerpts  from: http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=40495

Mumbai, Apr 10 : In a bid to ensure efficient handling of dry bulk cargo, India's first Floating Port has been created in Goa called M V Goan Pride

Typical Transhipper

The port set up by Katra Wilhelmsen Logistics (P) Ltd of Norway, is 250 mts long, can store over 1.2 lakh tonnes of cargo and transfer at speed over 4,500 tonnes per hour.

It also has other features like the traveling ship loader, capable of loading vessels up to 3 lakh DWT and computerised control systems.

"Although India has a huge coastline of over 6,000 km and a large number of ports, it is cursed with shallow drafts in almost all ports. Consequently large bulk carriers do not come to India due to poor loading and unloading capacbilities," Katra Group Chairman Ramesh Vangal told reporters here.

Hence, the Group devised a unique solution to overcome the problem by taking port to ships not the other way, Vangal said here prior to the official launch at Goa tomorrow.

The transhipper is equipped with features developed and patented by Seabulk Systems Inc Canada.  http://www.seabulk.com/contact.html 
sbs@seabulk.com
It classes for ocean trades and hence can be used as a bulk carrier, while the surge capacity of 1.2 lakh tonnes permits the transhipper to achieve a high speed transhippment without relying on barge deliveries, Seabulk president Sid Sridhar said.

2006 Census of Canada
May 16, 2006

 To assist people whose first language is neither English nor French, the census questions have been translated into 62 other languages, including 18 Aboriginal languages. (But not yet Konkanim ! )

Census Jobs
Statistics Canada is currently hiring staff to fill approximately 25,000 census positions. These are full-time and part-time temporary jobs. Census Online Recruitment.
https://www21.statcan.ca/jobs2006/index_e.cfm
 

CSoE - Canadian Seniors of the East
Greetings and best wishes for a Very Happy Easter, from the Board of Directors.