Ontario Goans Take Part In Celebrating The 60th Anniversary Of India’s Independence

Message from G.O.A.

The Goan Overseas Association Invites all its members, family and friends to join in celebrating the 60th Anniversary of India’s Independence on August 19, 2007.

The Goan Overseas Association is pleased to join Panorama India, who with the support of the Consulate General of India, is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of India's Independence day at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto on Sunday, August 19th 2007. Panorama India was established in 1999, as a non-profit organization, which provides a platform for all Indian cultural associations to showcase their art and culture, in addition to other objectives.

The festivities on August 19, 2007, begin with a 2 KM parade through the streets of downtown Toronto, and will culminate in a day long festival of music, dance, food and fun. Various Indo-Canadian cultural associations and groups, representing various states, regions, and parts of India, are participating in this India @ 60 celebration.

Date: Sunday, August 19, 2007
Time: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Where: Yonge Dundas Square, Toronto

http://www.goatoronto.com/announcements/india-day-celebrations-august-19th.html

While marching with the group please where khaki or white trousers or skirts, blue or yellow shirts and/or either blue or yellow hats

Australian Education Beckons Goan Youth
By Armstrong Vaz, Qatar
Armstrong Vaz works as a sub-editor for the Peninsula largest circulated English daily in Doha Qatar

VIEC* opens Australian doors for Goan students
Excerpts from http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=50167


                                                Seminar held in Goa by VIEC

Doha August 12: If ten years back Aston Pereira was given the option of migrating between the US and Australia, he says he would have gone the US way. But in the current scenario, the south Goa resident has preferred Australia over the US to complete his further studies and with further plans to settle down under.

Pereira comes under an increasing number of Goan students who are enrolling themselves for studies in Australian universities with an eye to further their career prospects and with long-term goals of settling down-under.
He is studying at the La Trobe University in Australia since February this year to complete his Masters in Accounts, a two-year degree course. He is not lone Goan student who have taken the Australia route, more students are on their way for Australia. And La Trobe University is not the only university in which the Goan students are enrolling themselves.
The students have a choice in studying in any of the Australia's 38 universities which are regulated by the Vice Chancellor's committee. The Indian students studying in Australia which is turning out to be an multi-million-dollar business.
Goan students are arming themselves with Australian university education in a wide spectrum of courses. Though hospitality industry related courses are much in demand, many Goan students are also completing their Masters education or Bachelor degree course in Australia Universities.
Those who seek to make hospitality industry as a career are currently studying at Holmes Institute for Diploma of Hospitality and Commercial in Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney campus.

Some facts and figures
• Australia has 38 universities which are regulated by the Vice Chancellor's committee.
• More than 40,000 Indian students are studying in Australia.
• More than 26,000 Indian students were granted study visas for Australia last year.
• Indian students studying in Australia is a multi-million-dollar business.

* VIEC (http://www.vieceducation.com/profile.php) has 20 offices in India, Delhi being the main office which manages a wide spread network of regional offices throughout India. On an average, VIEC has been sending over 1500 students per year to Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada and Ireland.

VIEC was one of the seven agencies in India which was granted the authority by the Australian High Commission to assess student visa applications for Australia. This was a Pilot Project under the Australian Department of Immigration.

Teachers Bring Message to Liberals on Closing The Funding Gap: "Let's Get It Done!"
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2007/13/c6487.html?view=print

TORONTO, Aug. 13 /CNW/ - With the provincial election and the next round of bargaining on the horizon, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) will face some daunting challenges, outgoing ETFO President Emily Noble said today. Foremost of these challenges is the $711 gap in funding between an elementary and secondary student, she said.

Noble was speaking to the more than 500 delegates attending the opening session of ETFO's annual meeting in Toronto today. The funding gap "defies explanation and devalues the work you and I do and ignores the needs of our students," Noble charged. Noble reminded meeting delegates that over the past nine years during which she served on the ETFO Executive, the federation has always prevailed when faced by seemingly overwhelming challenges. "When confronted with a challenge, our attitude has always been Let's get it done," she said. "We have yet to see if Education Minister Kathleen Wynne is prepared to work with us to eliminate the $711 gap in funding," she added. "My advice to her, of course, would be Let's get it done."

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario represents more than 70,000 public elementary school teachers and education workers across Ontario and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.

TORONTO, Aug. 14 /CNW/ - When launching their careers, only 16 per cent of today's under-30 workforce believe salary is the most important factor in a job. This is down significantly from the 25 per cent of workers over 40 who say salary was their primary consideration when they started out. This shift in values is revealed in a new national career survey conducted by Decima Research for RSM Richter, one of Canada's largest independent accounting, business advisory and consulting firms. The survey directly compares the career priorities of the under-30 and over-40 age populations.

Carried out between July 20 and July 29, 2007, Canadians under 30 and over 40 were asked to rank the most important things a company could offer for them to consider an employment opportunity. "Money can't buy you happiness, and these days it can't buy young talent either," said Lisa Fusina, Human Resources Manager, RSM Richter - Toronto/Calgary. "Because money is less of a motivator for young professionals than ever before, we find smart businesses paying more attention to career and professional development issues to attract this new generation of workers."
 
The survey found when people over the age of 40 were seeking their first jobs, monetary compensation was higher on their list of importance than it is for people under 30 today. This suggests that the younger workforce may not be swayed by offers of a better starting salary; they value opportunities for career growth and professional development far more highly than a bigger pay cheque.

This telephone survey was conducted with 259 Canadians under 30 years of age and 724 Canadians 40 years of age and older. The survey was carried out between July 20 and July 29, 2007 by Decima Research Inc. Results of the "under 30" survey can be considered accurate to within plus or minus 6.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20, and results of the "40 and older" survey can be considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.6 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Hellenic Community Celebrates Construction Of Affordable Housing For Seniors
(What about the Goan Community ?)

HAMILTON, ON, Aug. 13 /CNW/ - Canada's New Government, the Government of Ontario and the City of Hamilton held a ceremony today to celebrate the construction of the Hellenic Community Seniors' Residence, an affordable housing project that will provide rental units for lower-income seniors under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.

Gary Goodyear, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development; Judy Marsales, Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton West, on behalf of the Honourable John Gerretsen, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and Mayor Fred Eisenberger attended today's ceremony. "Canada's New Government is committed to providing real housing solutions for seniors, so that they can continue to live in their communities and be close to family and friends," said MP Goodyear. "Seniors in Hamilton will soon have more access to quality, affordable housing to meet their specific needs."

"The McGuinty government is committed to helping Ontario seniors - the people who built our communities," said MPP Marsales. "That's why we are proud to partner with the different levels of government and community organizations to create affordable housing that will allow seniors to live with dignity and independence."

The $4.7 million project, including $2.5 million from the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program, will provide 39 apartments at 37 Strathcona Avenue North in the City of Hamilton. The project is sponsored by Hellenic Community of Hamilton and District, and the units will be occupied by lower-income seniors and people with disabilities.

Federal and provincial funding was complemented by more than $1.4 million in municipal financial incentives. "This project demonstrates the City's commitment to partnering with the federal and provincial governments and the private sector to provide affordable housing to those citizens who need it," said Mayor Eisenberger. "This particular development, which will provide affordable housing to lower-income seniors, would not have been possible without these partners, and is a great example of the ongoing revitalization we are seeing in our Lower City neighbourhoods."

"The Hellenic Community has saved for a long time so we may complete a community project. It is exciting to see the move-in date come closer, and we appreciate the support of our federal, provincial and City of Hamilton partners in making this possible," said Nathan Hondronicols, President of the Hellenic Community of Hamilton and District.

In Hamilton, the Government of Canada, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), has contributed $9.68 million through the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program. The new Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement comprises a commitment of $301 million from each of the two senior levels of government. In total, the federal, provincial and municipal governments will invest at least $734 million in the program, which will provide affordable housing for 20,000 households in Ontario.

Expat Blues Fuel Suicide Rate
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10145589.html

By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Manama: Ekanayaka Gnanawathie walked towards the airport gate, trying to hold back tears and clinging to the dignity she had fought for months to keep.

She was painfully torn between the elation of being reunited with her daughter within hours and the bitter disappointment of reaching home without any of the money she had dreamed of making in a Gulf country.
The world of rosy dreams and wonderful expectations that she conjured up in the remote village of Maho in her native Sri Lanka before coming to Bahrain were shattered by the excruciating physical and emotional abuse she had to endure for about 10 months.
The 34-year-old Sri Lankan domestic worker twice ran away from her sponsors. But both times, the people whom she hoped would help, took her back to the house that inexorably turned into a prison.
When she was eventually rescued and offered a shelter at the Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS), she spoke openly of the torture. She was often slapped, kicked, dragged by the hair and pushed against the wall. She was often left without anything to eat and had to share scraps of food thrown to a pet cat.
Now, at least Ekanayaka is going home, hoping to resume her life with her 13-year-old daughter.
Frustration
Hundreds of other expatriate workers return in cold coffins to grieving families in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

They may not have been abused like Ekanayaka, but, unable to deal with incessant financial demands, they preferred to commit suicide.
"It all starts with the dream of making a decent living in a Gulf country and of earning enough money to secure a rewarding life for the family. The mirage is too appealing to be dismissed," Lateef, an Indian office boy, told Gulf News.
"Some Indians borrow up to BD1,200 [about Dh11,714] to pay their way to Bahrain where they were promised good jobs and golden opportunities to make a decent living.
"That is a lot of money, but they are made to believe that they will be able to make so much money that they will pay off their debts in no time. When they come here, they find that their new job is totally different from what they were promised. They also discover that the BD120 they were promised as [salary] is in fact only BD80 or 60.
Afraid of losing job
"Of course they cannot go home because they are heavily in debt and they cannot fight back because they are afraid they would be kicked out of the country. So they take the job and pledge to themselves that they would work until the situation eases up."
Lateef, a Keralite who considers himself "very fortunate" to receive his salary on time, said: "Most of the time, the situation does not ameliorate. The boss does not pay the meagre salary on time, and the labourer starts borrowing money to survive in the country. He also needs to send some money to his family. The man is eventually trapped by the system and there is no escape. Some of the labourers cannot cope and eventually kill themselves, hoping to put an end to their agony."
He points to a labourer working nearby under the scorching heat, beads of sweat covering his face, and carrying bags of bricks. "I would not be surprised if something terrible happened to that man.
He has not been paid for the last three months and he is forced to borrow from other people to buy something to eat. His grocer cannot give him any more credits and the poor man has no choice.
"He gets only BD40 a month .... It may be nothing for the contractor but for this man it is a matter of life and death," Lateef said.
The man had requested some money or food. "Resilience is a good virtue in our culture, but not to the degree where people are pushed into deep frustration or desperate misery."
Hamad, an Indian shopkeeper who has spent 25 years in Bahrain, said many expatriates commit suicide because of their commitments to their families.

"The dowry conditions are in themselves a terrible tragedy for Indians who have several daughters. They are obliged to work hard, swallow their dignity and never contest or speak back to keep their jobs ... so that they can pay for their daughters' dowries ... the families back home think that those who emigrate to the Gulf are very rich and ... so they increase their demands," the frail-looking man said.
Hamad swore that after 25 years in the Gulf, he had almost no money. "And believe me, I am not the spending type. I get BD80 a month and I have to pay for my accommodation and food from that amount. I also need to send money to my family back in India. I call my wife once a week and I always time it so that I never exceed one minute as I cannot afford to spend more on telephone calls. Thank God, I have kept my sanity," he said.
Sameer, his colleague in the Manama shop, said that some of the expatriates who committed suicide had borrowed money that they could not pay back.
"There are also those who indulge in drinking and in being with prostitutes. ... They cannot break out of the addiction and when they do realise that they were in deep debts, they commit suicide," said the 30-year-old man.
Two suicides earlier this year at a six-lane highway near Manama have led to an outcry from activists and calls to pay more attention to the conditions of expatriates.
But suicides quickly turn a news event that with its share of fleeting attention and as a cartoon depicting a driver carrying an open coffin on his car, with the caption "Just in case someone throws himself from the bridge onto my car".
"Rights organisations rarely dwell on the issue of suicides by expatriates," a Western diplomat told Gulf News.
"There are activists who regularly send statements and reports to the press about the situation of migrant workers, warning of impeding dangers and highlighting abusive practices. But these efforts do not ... have the anticipated ripple effect because not everyone is interested and the local and international communities do not show enough concern. For them, it is a matter between the employer and the employee," the diplomat said.
Rights group
residential areas.
Migrant workers who killed themselves in 2007:
January 3: an Indian man hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his apartment.
January 20: Hamza Maheen, a 47-year-old Indian, threw himself off a pedestrian bridge.
January 21: A man's body was discovered hanging
February: A 49-year-old Bangladeshi man committed suicide
April 15: Ashokan Vamoora threw himself off a bridge
Major population group
Economists estimate that about 10 million expatriates and three million relatives live in the region. Foreigners constitute more than 75 per cent of the population in two Gulf Cooperation Council countries and about 40 per cent in the others.

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