Visible Minorities In The Workplace: Foreign Educational Credentials Not Seen As On Par With Canadian Equivalents
…visible minority managers, professionals and executives experienced lower rates of career satisfaction….
 
www.ryerson.ca/faculties/business/diversityinstitute/
New Research Findings by Catalyst and Ryerson University
Excerpts….
TORONTO, Feb. 28 /CNW/ - Preliminary findings from a national research study by Catalyst Canada and the Diversity Institute in Management and Technology at Ryerson University sheds new light on the recognition of foreign educational credentials. The study, which examines the career development and advancement of visible minorities in Corporate Canada, is based on the responses from more than 6000 professionals, managers and executives in Canadian corporations and professional service firms. These findings are part of a larger study in progress: Career Advancement in Corporate Canada: A Focus on Visible Minorities.

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A Portrait Of Canadian Seniors

Tuesday, February 27, 2007
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/070227/d070227b.htm
2006

With millions of baby boomers knocking on the door, Canada's seniors are poised to become an even more heterogeneous crowd than they are today, according to a new statistical profile of people 65 years and over.

The report suggests that over the coming years, what it means to be a "senior" could undergo an important re-assessment, especially as the baby boom generation turns 65.

For one thing, seniors are living longer. Near the beginning of the 20th Century, the average 65-year-old Canadian could expect to live another 13.3 years. In 2003, this individual could expect to live another 19.2 years.

Even in the short span between 1991 and 2003, life expectancy at the age of 65 in Canada increased by 1.2 years.

Seniors themselves are changing. Financially, they are much better off than they were a quarter century ago. They are better educated, they are Internet savvy and they are active.

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Brown Wants Compulsory Community Work For Immigrants Seeking Citizenship

UK World News | Home
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/35091.html
Posted on : Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:16:01 GMT | Author : James Simpson
News Category : UK (World)
LONDON: Britain's prime minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown said immigrants seeking citizenship of the country should participate in community work before they aspire to become citizens.

The chancellor of the exchequer said citizenship should go with rights as well as responsibilities and it should be a contract. It is necessary that those who want to become British citizens should demonstrate that they are ready to contribute to their new home, he told a seminar on Britishness at the Commonwealth club in London Tuesday. He added such a method will help foster a "stronger sense of national purpose" among the immigrants wanting to make Britain their home.

Brown also said the requirement of community work should go with the requirement of the immigrants learning English and acquiring a fair knowledge about British history and culture.

Brown, however, did not give any details of the plans he professed, including funding.

However, he gave an outline, saying, "Being a British citizen is about more than a test, more than a ceremony; it's a kind of contract between the citizen and the country involving rights but also involving responsibilities that will protect and enhance the British way of life. Citizenship means there are common rules and accepted standards. There is now agreement with the proposition I made some time ago that for new citizens, learning English should be a requirement. New citizens should have an understanding of our history and our culture.

Canadian International Development Agency has failed to make a difference in Africa for the last four Decades…says Senate committee
Excerpt from : Mike Blanchfield, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, February 16, 2007
More Details

OTTAWA - The government should consider disbanding the Canadian International Development Agency because it has failed to make a difference in Africa for the last four decades, a Senate report recommended Thursday.

"Given the failure of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Africa over the past 38 years to make an effective foreign aid difference, the government of Canada should conduct an immediate review of whether or not this organization should continue to exist in its present non-statutory form," says the Senate foreign affairs committee in a report that was two years in the making and heard from hundreds of witnesses.

Since 1968, CIDA has spent $12.4 billion in Sub-Sahran Africa, but has little to show for it. Part of the problem, the report says, is 81 per cent of CIDA staff is based in the Ottawa area - not in Africa.

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Earthly Memorial No Substitute For Heavenly Bliss
From Western Catholic Reporter

Word Made Flesh
By MARIA KOZAKIEWICZ
http://www.wcr.ab.ca/columns/readings/2007/readings022607.shtml

This time of the year I am into tree catalogues. I crave the feel of earth on my hands and the promise of a seedling. It is also typical that the deeper the snow and the lower the temperatures, the taller and long-lived trees I choose.

I was far less interested in trees when I was young. I loved the annuals, fast growing, short lived and bright.

Now that I am older, I turn to Burr oaks and Colorado spruces which will outlive me by many decades.

One day last spring, as I was pressing the earth around a tiny Lodgepole pine, I stopped and suddenly realized that all that planting was a race against time - that I was trying to outlive my own death. The next thought was, "Am I still a Christian? Where is my faith?"

I professionally dabble in antiquity and belief system of pre-Christian societies. In the Iliad, the famous ancient Greek epic telling the story of the Trojan War, the main hero of this war, Achilles, chooses a short life - a price for immortal glory because only glory would make him remembered forever.

The afterlife was believed to be a gloomy place, filled with shadows nursing old grievances and wounds, their sins unrepented and unjudged. The true existence was on earth and earth only.
Pagan literature

All pagan ancient literature is filled with fear of the final non-existence or grim half-existence as a shadow. This resulted in intense longing for some kind of earthly immortality, be it a grand mausoleum, a statue, one's own name inscribed on a slab of stone, a poem, a story of one's life in the book.

"Non omnis moriar" - "I shall not die wholly," says one poet "because my poetry will survive."
Or - non omnis moriar - because that Burr oak will keep growing even when the hands which planted it have become ash?

Where is my faith?
Compared with the ancient Greeks, Romans, even the Egyptians - we, the Christians, are unbelievably spoilt. Our Father is the Creator of the universe, who is in heaven. His Son opened this heaven to us at a price of his own life.

Glorified body
"Our citizenship is in heaven," says the Apostle. This is our destiny, not gloomy Hades. We will not be shadows, either. Lord Jesus Christ "will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body." What else do we need, do I need - to live in the state of perpetual joy?
The answer is: faith, the same kind of a blind faith that Abraham had.

This old, childless husband of a barren wife had every reason to doubt God's promise.
The promise was absolutely, completely irrational. How could an old man father a child or a post-menopausal woman, barren all her life, give birth? Therefore, how could their descendants be as numerous as the stars?

All Abraham's life experience must have been rising within him in rebellion at God's words. Yet he trusted and believed - how great was the effort we do not know. All we know is that "Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness" - and the promise was fulfilled.

God willing, I will plant a few trees this spring yet. But I will try to do it as a thanksgiving for my citizenship in heaven.

India Inc Sees Positive Growth For Economy
Printed from www.mangalorean.com

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Leaders of the Indian industry hope for a positive growth trajectory of the Indian economy in the light of the Economic Survey 2006-07 presented by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in the parliament here Tuesday.

"It is credit worthy for the finance minister that he has promised to contain fiscal deficit to 2.8 percent with GDP growth, touching 9.2 percent growth rate to push up education, health and tame inflation," said Venugopal N. Dhoot, president, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

According to Dhoot, inflation, education and health remain prime areas for concern for the finance minister with agriculture growth staggering at 2.7 percent and thereby its share in GDP dipping to 18.5 percent.

Assocham was also content with the growth registered by services and industry.

Kudos have also poured in from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), according to which, "India is now poised for the next wave of growth, having comprehensively established its strong economic fundamentals through two consecutive years of nine percent plus GDP growth".

"The economy is on an unprecedented growth momentum and this is a unique opportunity for India to build on this with further rapid economic reforms," R. Seshasayee, president of CII, said in a statement.

Telecom tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal, who is also vice president of CII, said: "The current growth rate of 11.2 percent is very healthy and the consistent growth of this (services) sector has been a key driver of the Indian economy."

Habil Khorakiwala, president, Federation of India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) lauded the government's emphasis on the growth of the social sector, especially in education, health and poverty alleviation.

According to him, the quality of the social sector can be improved through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) also expressed concern over the slow growth of the social sector.

"Immediate steps should be taken, including higher budgetary allocation for education, health etc to ensure that the fruits of reforms are permeated to the grassroots and common man is brought to the mainstream," said Deepak Pahwa, president, IACC.

According to the CII, food grain production needs to be revamped in the agricultural sector to check the declining contribution of the sector to the country's GDP.
IANS

Printed from www.mangalorean.com

Hector Jacques Appointed to the Order of Canada

Hector Jacques, co-founder of Jacques Whitford, a North American leader in environmental engineering, scientific and management disciplines, has been appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour for lifetime achievement.

Established in 1967, the Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement and service in various fields of human endeavour. The three different levels of membership – Companion, Officer and Member – honour citizens whose accomplishments vary in degree and scope.

Jacques has been elected as an Officer for his outstanding contributions to the field of engineering. “It’s a tremendous honour to be selected among thousands of outstanding citizens,” says Jacques. “Canada is a great country and I am proud to have the opportunity to contribute to its growth, with the support of so many exceptional colleagues and friends.”

Born and raised in Goa, India, Hector J. Jacques began his career in geotechnical engineering after completing his master’s degree from the Technical University of Nova Scotia, today part of Dalhousie University. In 1972, he and fellow graduate Michael Whitford founded Jacques Whitford. Starting with only a handful of employees, the firm has become one of the largest and most innovative in the environmental engineering industry. Jacques served as President and Chief Executive Officer from the firm’s inception until 2003, leading the company through remarkable growth over the years. As Jacques Whitford celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, Jacques continues to provide leadership and guidance for the company in his current role as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced the appointment of the 87 new members on Tuesday, February 20, 2007. A ceremony will be hosted at a later date to present the appointees with their insignia - a maple leaf on a stylized snowflake inscribed with the motto of the Order, Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam, meaning, “They desire a better country.”

For profile of Hector Jacques go to
http://goanvoice.org.uk/supplement/HectorJacques.html


The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize significant achievements by Canadians. It is the highest civilian honour.
There are three levels: Member, Officer, and Companion (which is the highest).
The middle level is officer of the order, a recognition of a lifetime of achievement, especially in service to Canada or to all of humanity. A maximum of 64 are appointed each year.

Canada Reads Winner


Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill
Published in 2006 by HarperCollins

The Song of Kahunsha
by Anosh Irani

Published in 2006 by Vintage Canada / Random House
The Song of Kahunsha is a story of violence and love, poverty and hope, despair and the saving grace of the imagination.Ten-year-old Chamdi, a sensitive and precocious boy, has rarely ventured from his home, a Bombay orphanage. He entertains an idyllic fantasy of what the city is like outside the building's gates, picturing an Eden of colours and delights where he will one day find the father he barely remembers. He calls this mirage Kahunsha, "the city of no sadness."
When he runs away from the orphanage, Chamdi finds that the real Bombay is very different from his dreams. He is aided by a worldly wise young brother and sister, who are themselves struggling to survive and care for their ailing mother and infant sibling. His friendship with them is a lifeline, but draws him into the clutches of a thief master named Anand Bhai.
The Song of Kahunsha also explores the undercurrents of Bombay's contemporary politics and social unrest. Irani's second novel was published in the spring of 2006, only months before racially-motivated riots in Bombay again were being reported worldwide.
Defended by Donna Morrissey

Listen to the debate in RealAudio [runs 30:00]

Sunday, June 3rd,
2007

Click for Flier

Sunday June 10, 2007

Villagers of Siolim Association - Greater Toronto Area

Celebration St Anthony's Feast at Woodbine Banquet Hall & Convention Centre at 12 noon.

Complete details to follow

Sunday, July 22nd 2007.
11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Details to Follow
Watch
www.goanvoice.ca

Click for Flier

Sunday,
30th September 2007

Click for Flier

 TORONTO EAST GOAN SENIORS ASSOCIATION (T E G S A) - 2007 Events
 

Mark these dates on your calendar and stay tuned for further details. You will be contacted by e-mail or telephone. If you have a change in your contact information, please contact our Communications Co-ordinator, Uvy Lopes – (416) 449-9117
 

Click to download form to join TEGSA or renew membership for 2007
 

55 PLUS GOAN ASSOCIATION – West GTA

Join 55 PGA to Niagara Falls on
    June 2, 2007 to see OH
         CANADA EH?

 Sept 01 Sat - Sept 03 
 Mon 2007 (Labour Day
 Long Weekend)

• The Annual General Meeting : March 22, 2007, @ 7.00 p.m.
  at St. Martin of Tours Parish Hall, 1290 McBride Avenue, Mississauga.
  (nearest intersection Burnhamthorpe Road & Erindale Station Road)
  Members can receive ‘Notice of Meeting & 2006 Report’ by sending E-mail to 55PGA@goanseniors.net
   
• Our Second Anniversary Dance: Saturday, June 09, 2007, @ 6.30 p.m.
  at the Renaissance Convention Centre. Details to follow.
  You can reserve your table by sending E-mail to 55PGA@goanseniors.net
   
• Summer Picnic in the Park - Sunday July 15, 2007
  East (TEGSA) meets West (55PGA) Picnic.
  Erindale Park., at Dundas and Mississauga Road.
  Picnic Coordinator: Juliet Rebello 55PGA@goanseniors.net
   
• Our Popular Christmas Dance. Once again a sit-down dinner dance at the Oasis Convention Centre. Details to follow.
  
  Our Monthly Socials will take place every 3rd Tuesday per month.
   
•  We have a new venue for our monthly socials !!
  The Gateway Centre for New Canadians,
  3450 Wolfdale Road, Mississauga, ON L5C 2V6
  (Just south of Burnhamthorpe Rd)
  See location and directions at: http://www.gcnc.ca/index.php?page=contact
  The first event “Getting To Know You “
  will take place on April 17, 2006 @ 6.30 p.m.
  This include a “Rice & Curry” Dinner – Tickets $10.00
  Members Only – Send request for reservation to 55PGA@goanseniros.net
   
• Further Events will take place – same venue – same time May 15, 2007 & June 19, 2007.
  
  Details to follow.

55 Plus Goan Association –West GTA

Notice of Annual General Meeting
The Annual General meeting of the 55 Plus Goan Association –West GTA, will be held on March 22, 2007, @ 7.00 p.m. at St. Martin of Tours Parish Hall, 1290 McBride Avenue, Mississauga.

Meeting Agenda

1. Message of Welcome by Chairperson.
2. General Secretary’s Report
3. Treasurer’s Financial Report
4. Auditors Review
5. Discussion of 2006 Report & Financial Statements
6. Approval of 2006 Report & Financial Statements
7. Social Secretary Events for 2007
8. Trip Coordinator Program for 2007
9. Any other Business
10. Conclusion

(Refreshments will be served)
Muriel Lucas
Hon. General Secretary

For further information e-mail: 55PGA@goanseniors.net
Click to download Membership form for renewal or New application.

Broadcast of Cricket World Cup in Canada gains RBC support

TORONTO, Feb. 27 /CNW/ - The largest cricket event in the world - Cricket World Cup 2007 - will be broadcast live throughout Canada, with the support of RBC, on the Asian Television Network (ATN). RBC has signed an agreement with ATN to be the exclusive financial institution to advertise throughout their broadcasts of Cricket World Cup 2007, which is being held in the Caribbean from March 13 to April 28, 2007.

"In a country as diverse as Canada, cricket is a treasured part of the culture of so many of our  communities," explained Mark Whitmell, RBC's director of Cultural Markets. "We want to help ensure that cricket fans across our country have the opportunity to celebrate this World Cup, and to enable those new to the sport to learn from the best the world has to offer."

This is RBC's second major cricket-related announcement, following an agreement last month that the company would be the presenting sponsor of "Legends of Cricket Live," being held in Toronto's Rogers Centre on March 3, 2007. This event is bringing world-class cricket stars from Pakistan and India to Canada and is the first all-star, international cricket event to be held on Canadian soil in more than 15 years.

The Cricket World Cup - held once every four years - will be hosted by nine Caribbean countries, with matches beginning in Jamaica and concluding in Barbados. A total of 51 matches will take place over 47 days, with each match expected to last eight to nine hours. Competing teams will include Canada, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Bermuda, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.

Tips To Reduce Tax-Time Tension
ASQ Quarterly Quality Report Offers Tools to Assist Tax Procrastinators

MILWAUKEE, February 28 /CNW/ - Nearly 14 million Americans will wait until the very last minute to submit their income tax returns, according to the IRS. For many of these tax filers, completing returns is a nail-biting exercise in frustration.

The latest Quarterly Quality Report released by the American Society for Quality (ASQ), focuses on how quality tools typically used by businesses can help individuals make tax filing less traumatic.

"For years businesses have applied quality strategies to meet deadlines, avoid errors and increase revenue," says Debra Owens, an ASQ course instructor and spokesperson. "It just makes sense for you and me to use some of these same basic tools to accurately prepare our taxes."

Taxpayers who have the greatest angst this time of year are usually the least disciplined when it comes to organizing. The Quality Report offers a detailed checklist of quality tools that can help make tax preparation easier:

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The Forgotten Disease Comes Back to Haunt Survivors

TORONTO, Feb. 28 /CNW/ - A forgotten disease little understood by most Canadians continues to cause disability today.

For most Canadians, polio is merely another part of routine immunization. Most believe that the havoc wreaked by the polio virus across Canada in the mid-half of the twentieth century is safely in the past. But for tens of thousands of Canadians who survived polio, there is tragedy still to come. It is estimated that the majority of the over 125,000 polio survivors in Canada are unaware that their bodies are like ticking time-bombs that at any moment could suddenly unleash post-polio syndrome.

Little understood by most doctors, in the 1980's medical researchers confirmed that many survivors of polio would develop post-polio syndrome later in life, a condition with symptoms that include weakness, fatigue, breathing and swallowing problems and muscle atrophy. In fact, it is estimated that up to 50 to 70 percent of polio survivors may experience the disabling effects of post-polio syndrome 25 to 45 years after their initial recovery from polio. Unfortunately, an estimated 50,000 Canadians do not know they contracted the virus in the 40's and 50's as the symptoms of mild or "non-paralytic" polio are similar to a bad case of the flu. "Anyone who has been dealing with mysterious medical issues involving fatigue, weakness and pain should speak to their family doctor about the possibility of their symptoms being caused by post-polio syndrome," says Kimberley Dowds, Associate Director of March of Dimes Canada.

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Attention News Editors:
Ontario Government Working to Reduce Workplace Pains and Strains
New Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention Guideline Will Help Reduce
Workplace Injuries

TORONTO, Feb. 28 /CNW/ - Ontarians now have a new resource to help protect themselves against painful and costly ergonomic-related workplace injuries, Labour Minister Steve Peters announced today.
"Ergonomic-related injuries, or musculoskeletal disorders, account for over 40 per cent of all lost-time injuries," said Peters, speaking at Ryerson University's George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, "We are making progress in our fight against pains and strains by arming workers and employers with this new resource."
The Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Prevention Guideline for Ontario offers employers and workers in-depth information about MSD hazards in the workplace so that they can be addressed and controlled. The guideline is available through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) website at:
http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/PreventMSD.
"Direct costs due to lost-time MSDs totalled over $3.3 billion from 1996 to 2004," said Steve Mahoney, Chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, "Having an MSD prevention program will significantly reduce these costs."
"MSDs are a significant hazard for all sectors of business," said Steve Will, General Manager of the Pulp and Paper Health and Safety Association, "Focusing on prevention not only keeps workers safe, but it's good for business too." The guideline was written by health and safety professionals from the Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario's members, which includes the Ministry of Labour, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Institute for Work and Health and Health and Safety Associations and was provided with valuable input from employer and labour stakeholders.
The Ontario government is committed to reducing workplace injuries by 20 per cent by 2008. Through the Pains and Strains campaign, the ministry has implemented six specific recommendations made by the Minister of Labour's Ergonomics Advisory Panel, which deal with areas such as awareness, education and prevention, as well as improved training, more resource materials, increased expertise and better tracking of ergonomic-related inspections.
"We want to make Ontario workplaces the safest in the world," said Peters, "And we can do it by building a culture of prevention amongst Ontario's workers and employers."

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