Heat Wave in Canada !- Record energy consumption
http://www.northpeel.com/br/news/v-printbrampton/story/3616727p-4181199c.html
08/02/06
Brampton residents and businesses put unprecedented drain on the local power grid yesterday, toppling the previous record demand set just two weeks ago. At 2:30 p.m. Hydro One Brampton reported a load of 760 megawatts and rising, beating the July 17 record of 758 megawatts. Ontario had already hit record demand at noon.

Despite the strain, hydro staff said the local transmission system stayed strong.

"It's held up well under the circumstances," said engineering manager Remy Fernandes, who praised local control room staff for staying on top of the demand. "It's quite hectic, and the guys are under tremendous stress."

Brampton was under smog, extreme heat and humidex warnings yesterday, and the soaring temperatures sent residents scrambling for air-conditioned comfort. According to Environment Canada, the mercury hit an uncomfortable 36 C at Pearson International Airport at 2 p.m., but humidity made it feel more like 46 C. The all-time record temperature for Aug. 1 is 36.7 C, set in 1955.

Ontario's Independent Electricity Operator urged residents and businesses to curb their power use to avoid voltage reductions and rolling blackouts yesterday. At 3 p.m., the province's demand had outstripped domestic supply and Ontario was depending on imported power to keep the lights on.

Though the local authorities echoed the call for conservation, they also urged Brampton residents to stay cool in the dangerous heat.

"You want to conserve as best you can, but you also want to be safe," said Fernandes. "This is a time when some people are in dire straits."

Environment Canada was calling for a bit of a break in the heat today, with a forecasted high of 32 C and showers.

Canada’s Birth Rate Declines Ontario relies much more on international immigrants for births
Excerpts from: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060731/d060731b.htm

Canada's crude birth rate (the number of live births for every 1,000 people in the population) edged downward to another record low in 2004 — despite a second straight increase in the number of live births.

The crude birth rate declined from 10.6 live births for every 1,000 population in 2003 to 10.5 in 2004. Rates appear to have stabilized, with crude rates hovering around 10.5 to 10.7 since the millennium.

The number of births in 2004 actually increased by 1,870 compared with 2003, but the increase in the number of births was not large enough to outpace the increase in the crude rate.

In total, 337,072 babies were born in 2004, up 0.6% from the previous year. This followed a 1.9% gain the year before.

The number of births increased in only 5 of 13 jurisdictions: Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Yukon.

Alberta edged out British Columbia for third spot in the number of births, after Ontario and Quebec. A total of 40,779 babies were born in Alberta in 2004, up 1.2%. The number of births in British Columbia was virtually unchanged.

The last time Alberta topped British Columbia for the number of births occurred in the 1980s, and previous to that in the early 1960s. On both occasions, it was associated with resource booms in Alberta.

Newfoundland and Labrador had the largest relative decrease (-3.0%), similar to its annual average decline of 2.8% in the number of births throughout the 1990s.?

Trends in migration from province-to-province, as well as inflows of international migrants, have a major impact on the number of births in various provinces.

Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest proportion of births to residents who were born outside of Canada (less than 1 in every 100 births). It also had one of the lowest for births to residents who were born elsewhere in Canada (9 in every 100).

On the receiving end of migration trends, about 29 births in every 100 in Alberta were to women who were born elsewhere in Canada, while about 20 were to international immigrants. Only 51 in every 100 were to women born in Alberta.

In contrast, Ontario relied much more on international immigrants for births. A total of 56 births out of every 100 in Ontario were to women born in Ontario, while 36 out of every 100 were to international immigrants. Only 8 in 100 were to women born elsewhere in Canada.

Studies have shown that immigrants have higher fertility rates compared with Canadian-born women, but those rates decline to Canadian levels with the second-generation.

The average age of women giving birth in Canada was 29.7 years in 2004, a slight increase from 29.6 in 2003. This continues a long-established upward trend.

The change in the age distribution of mothers is particularly striking compared with one generation earlier. In 2004, women aged 24 and under made up 20.6% of all mothers, half of the proportion of 40.7% in 1979.

The bulk of the births now occur to women aged 25 to 34, who accounted for 62.1% of all births in 2004 compared with 54.7% in 1979.

Indians Without Visas Flood Beirut Mission
Shreevatsa Nevatia
From: www.HindustanTimes.com
Beirut, August 3, 2006

The Indian embassy in Beirut has an unusual problem on its hands. While the last of the 2,000 Indian evacuees left by naval ship on July 26, there's been a steady stream of Indians turning up at the embassy after that. The problem: Most of them are illegal immigrants with no visas. Many don't even have a passport or a photocopy of any proof of identity.

Sandeep Singh, of Punjab, only had a passport number. He was sent to Beirut by an agent named Tarseem. He was first sent to Jordan, where he was made to hand over his passport to another 'agent' and put on a donkey cart to Lebanon. Sandeep crossed the border 10 months ago, but couldn't find any work. Finally, he landed a job at a plastic factory north of Beirut.

While that area is not under direct Israeli attack, the factory shut due to lack of raw material. Sandeep was thrown out without being paid his last salary. He somehow managed to get to the Indian embassy, only to find that evacuations were over.

The Indian embassy is doing all it can to help such individuals. Indians still trickling in will be sent to Damascus from where they'll board an Air India flight back home.

But the operation is a handful. Tejinder Kumar Bakshi, second secretary and consular of the embassy, said: "All Indians must register at the embassy when they first come to Lebanon. But illegal entrants bypass this. They come here only when they lose their jobs and have no way out." This leads to identity and nationality verification issues.

"We are preparing certificates that will let these people travel to India. But the certificate by itself is not enough. Those without work permits or visas have to pay heavy penalties to the Lebanese immigration authorities. And, to exempt them from that, we have to prepare a set of documents," said Bakshi, explaining how cumbersome the whole process is.

There were about 12,000 Indian in Lebanon before the start of hostilities. About half of those approaching the embassy now are without proper documentation.