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Foreign-trained workers to be told within one year if credentials valid: Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley says. Extract from: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5img  TORONTO - Foreign-trained workers will be told within one year of applying whether their credentials will allow them to work in their profession in Canada, the federal government announced Monday. Attracting and retaining the best international talent is critical to Canada's long-term economic success, Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley said in announcing the new framework. Beginning Dec. 31, 2010, foreign-trained architects, engineers, pharmacists, physio and occupational therapists and registered nurses will be among the groups that fall under the framework. Doctors and others are slated to be included in the one-year timetable by the end of 2012. See also http://canadianimmigrant.ca/learn/newsitems/article/6074

Quality of employment in the Canadian immigrant labour market http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/091123/dq091123b-eng.htm On average, immigrant wages were lower, while rates of involuntary part-time work, temporary employment and over-qualification were higher In 2008, there were key differences in many indicators of quality of employment between immigrants and non-immigrants. On average, immigrant wages were lower, while rates of involuntary part-time work, temporary employment and over-qualification were higher. For immigrants who landed in Canada more than 10 years ago, however, the indicators of quality of employment more closely resembled those of the Canadian born. Despite differences among many employment quality indicators, shares of immigrants and Canadian-born workers who were multiple-job holders were similar. There were also similar shares of immigrants and Canadian born working on a part-time basis, receiving on-the-job training or with flexible work hours. In 2008, compared with their Canadian-born counterparts, employed immigrants aged 25 to 54, particularly those who landed in Canada more recently, were younger, more likely to be male, had higher levels of post-secondary education, were more likely to work for smaller firms and tended to be in different occupational groups. Working hours and part-time work The average usual weekly hours worked by immigrants in their main job was 38.3 hours in 2008, only slightly higher than the 38.1 hours of Canadian-born workers. The gap was wider for immigrants who landed more than 10 years earlier (38.6 hours). However, immigrants were less likely to work either paid or unpaid overtime compared with the Canadian born, regardless of period of landing. In 2008, 5.2% of both employed immigrants and Canadian born were working at more than one job, or moonlighting. There were no notable differences based on an immigrant's period of landing. Immigrants who had multiple jobs worked longer hours overall than Canadian-born multiple-job holders. Immigrants who had more than one job were working an average of 50.0 hours in 2008, which was 2.3 hours per week more than Canadian-born multiple-job holders. This gap was particularly evident for those who landed prior to 1998. Among part-time workers, the share of immigrants who cited working part time involuntarily (38%) was higher than Canadian-born in 2008 (30%). This gap persisted regardless of period of landing, but it was widest for newly-arrived immigrants. In 2008, 41% of immigrant workers who landed within the previous five years worked part time involuntarily, compared with 30% of Canadian-born workers. Stability and security of work Employment quality can also be measured by the proportion of employees in temporary jobs. In 2008, 9.7% of immigrants were working in temporary positions, slightly more than the 8.3% of Canadian-born employees. The share of immigrants who landed within the previous five years who worked in temporary positions (16%) was nearly double that of their Canadian-born counterparts. However, the share of those who landed more than 10 years earlier in temporary jobs (7.2%) was lower than that for Canadian-born employees. Wage-related indicators In 2008, the average hourly wage of a Canadian-born employee in the core working-age group of 25 to 54 was $23.72, compared with $21.44 for an immigrant worker, a difference of $2.28 an hour. A gap existed regardless of when the immigrants landed. However, it was widest, at $5.04, for immigrants who had landed within the previous five years. The gap in wages between immigrant workers and their Canadian-born counterparts was particularly wide among those with university degrees. Immigrants aged 25 to 54 with a university degree earned $25.31 an hour on average in 2008, about $5 an hour less than their Canadian-born counterparts. In terms of wage distribution, the proportion of immigrants earning less than $10 an hour in 2008 was 1.8 times higher than for Canadian-born workers. At the other end of the spectrum, a lower share of immigrants earned $35 or more an hour than the Canadian born. Union coverage among immigrant employees aged 25 to 54 in 2008 was lower than the Canadian born regardless of period of landing. The share of Canadian-born employees with union coverage was nearly 1.5 times higher than for immigrants as a whole, and 1.3 times higher than for immigrants who had been in Canada for over 10 years. Over-qualification for the job In 2008, 42% of immigrant workers aged 25 to 54 had a higher level of education for their job than what was normally required, while 28% of Canadian-born workers were similarly over-qualified. Regardless of period of landing, immigrants had higher shares of over-qualification. More than 1.1 million workers aged 25 to 54 who had a university degree were working in occupations whose normal requirements were at most a college education or apprenticeship. The share of immigrants with degrees who were over-qualified was 1.5 times higher than their Canadian-born counterparts. Over-qualification was particularly prevalent among university-educated immigrants who landed within five years before the survey. Two-thirds worked in occupations that usually required at most a college education or apprenticeship.

Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship http://www.cnmag.ca/news-blog/57-news/704-Citizenship%20study%20guide Extracts from article in Canadian Newcomer’s Magazine Tuesday, 17 November 2009 10:06 New citizenship study guide to help newcomers and Canadians better understand Canada Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship includes information on common values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the equality of men and women. It promotes to immigrants and Canadian citizens alike a greater understanding of Canada’s history, values, symbols and important Canadian institutions, such as Parliament and the Crown. It also highlights the contribution of ethnic and cultural communities in shaping our Canadian identity and the sacrifices made by Canada’s veterans for our country. "People come from all over the world to seek Canadian citizenship. It is highly valued," said Minister Kenney. "We expect people who want to become Canadians to have a good understanding of their rights and responsibilities, and the values and institutions that are rooted in Canada’s history. By strengthening the guide, we are increasing the value of Canadian citizenship." In developing the study guide, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) consulted with a panel of prominent Canadians, including public figures, authors and historians. The new guide has also been reviewed by well-known organizations involved in citizenship promotion, such as the Historica-Dominion Institute, the Association of Francophone and Acadian Communities and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. "Discover Canada should be in the hands of not only new Canadians, but every high school student in Canada," said Marc Chalifoux, Executive Vice-President of the Historica-Dominion Institute. "All citizens, whether they were born in Canada or not, need to understand how the institutions of this country came to be. This guide tells them how." These are the first substantive changes to the study guide since it was created in 1995."It is not easy to capture Canada - its geography, its people, its society and its history - in a brief document, but this one does a fine job," said Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan of Oxford University, author of the bestselling Paris 1919. "At last, Canada has a guide for prospective citizens that is not an embarrassment," said historian Jack Granatstein, author of Who Killed Canadian History? Rudyard Griffiths, co-founder of the Dominion Institute and author of Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto, said: "Finally we have a citizenship guide that provides newcomers with a comprehensive overview of the people, places, symbols and values that define our collective way of life. Two thumbs up!" One of the requirements of citizenship is to demonstrate an adequate knowledge of Canada, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Xavier Gelinas, a Quebec historian and curator at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, noted that the guide, in both text and powerful images, includes a focus on the bilingual and bicultural nature of Canada. "One example is the inset photograph of the Speaker’s chair in the Quebec National Assembly, featured on the cover. As a historian, I have rarely seen such a frank recognition of Quebec’s reality and distinctiveness in a document published by the Canadian government. It demonstrates federalism in words, deeds and images." "Discover Canada introduces would-be Canadians to a nation of distinctive history, geography, character and traditions," said Professor Randy Boyagoda, novelist and contributor to The Walrus magazine. "This guide cogently describes many of Canada’s strengths, not least of which are the rights and responsibilities of its citizens." "The new guide is a very positive step forward in providing more historical context than we’ve seen in previous editions, and presenting it in a way that helps readers to understand its relevance in shaping the way we are today," said Deborah Morrison, President and CEO of Canada’s National Historic Society. "I hope you will encourage even greater distribution of the guide as I think it will be beneficial to all Canadians, the old and the new!" Citizenship applicants who are scheduled for a test or an interview before the end of February 2010 should read the old study guide, A Look at Canada, which will continue to be available on the CIC website. Those who take the test, or who have an interview in March 2010 or later, should study Discover Canada. Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship can be downloaded or ordered from the CIC website . http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/index.asp  Citizenship applicants can contact the CIC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100 if they have any questions.

Ontario's housing market bounces back but homeownership gets less affordable, says RBC Economics TORONTO, Nov. 25 /CNW/ - Ontario's housing market has recovered its past strength with rising home prices contributing to a decline in affordability for the first time since early 2008, according to the latest third quarter housing report released today by RBC Economics Research. "Ontario's housing market has experienced a remarkable turnaround with price levels returning to and, in some cases, surpassing earlier peaks," said Robert Hogue, senior economist, RBC. "The downside is that rising property values and a modest increase in mortgage rates have negatively affected affordability, after significant improvement over the past year." Hogue noted that housing affordability improved considerably throughout most of 2008 and the first half of 2009, which has caused many home buyers in Ontario to jump into the market and drive up property values. The RBC Housing Affordability measure for Ontario captures the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to service the costs of owning a home. During the third quarter of 2009, the RBC Affordability measure in Ontario rose across all housing types (the higher the measure, the more expensive it is to afford a home). Affordability of the benchmark detached bungalow in Ontario moved up by one point to 39.4 per cent, the standard townhouse rose by 0.6 percentage points to 32.2 per cent, the standard condo climbed by 0.5 per cent up to 27.4 per cent and the standard two-storey home increased by 1.0 percentage points to 45.2 per cent. In the Toronto area, full confidence in the housing market and a renewed sense of urgency are now fuelling buyers to purchase homes. This has significantly bolstered resale activity, tightened inventories of homes offered for sale and pushed prices higher to near-record levels. Affordability levels have suffered as a result, with RBC's affordability measures for the Greater Toronto area (GTA) rising between 1.0 and 1.9 per cent in the third quarter. "Affordability levels in the GTA still remain close to long-term averages, suggesting that this real estate rally is likely to continue in the near-term," added Hogue. Ottawa's housing market is among the very few in the country expected to reach an all-time high in home resales this year. The RBC affordability measures moved up between 0.3 and 0.5 per cent in the third quarter, depending on the housing type. With affordability levels still above long-term averages, further increases in home costs within the region may become a restraining factor in the near term. The report also looked at mortgage carrying costs relative to incomes for a broader sampling of cities across the country, including Kitchener, London, St. Catharines, Thunder Bay, and Windsor. RBC's Affordability measure for a detached bungalow for Canada's largest cities is as follows: Vancouver 66.8 per cent, Toronto 48.6 per cent, Ottawa 39.2 per cent, Montreal 37.5 per cent and Calgary 36.7 per cent. The Housing Affordability measure, which RBC has compiled since 1985, is based on the costs of owning a detached bungalow, a reasonable property benchmark for the housing market. Alternative housing types are also presented including a standard two-storey home, a standard townhouse and a standard condominium. The higher the reading, the more costly it is to afford a home. For example, an Affordability reading of 50 per cent means that homeownership costs, including mortgage payments, utilities and property taxes, take up 50 per cent of a typical household's monthly pre-tax income.

East Africa sign customs union protocol http://www.newvision.co.ug/PA/8/12/701837 Publication date: Friday, 20th November, 2009 Presidents Yoweri Museveni, Paul Kagame (Rwanda) Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Mwai Kibaki (Kenya) and Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi) at Arusha, Tanzania during the signing of the East African Common Market Protocol yesterday. This was part of the celebration to mark 10 years of the revival of the East African Community after its collapse in the 1970s By Vision Reporter THE five leaders of the East African Community (EAC) have signed a landmark agreement for a common market which allows free movement of people, goods, labour and capital across the member countries.  The ceremony, that took place in Arusha, Tanzania, coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Community. It was attended by presidents Yoweri Museveni, Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi. The common market agreement comes into effect on July 1, 2010 after ratification by the member countries.  The next stage will then be to adopt one currency and later a political federation or one East African president.  Under the common market, East African citizens can enter another country without a visa. Limitations can be imposed by individual countries on grounds of public policy, security and health. The protocol also allows for the right of residence, free movement of service and capital, and protection of cross-border investments.  The presidents signed the protocol during a colourful ceremony at Arusha International Conference Centre. Initially, the signing was to take place at the Sheik Amri Abeid Memorial stadium in full view of the public. “The tradition is that all the protocols establishing the East African Community institutions are signed in public in order to be witnessed by the people,” Kikwete had explained.  However a heavy downpour marred the programme, prompting a change of venue. The common market is the second stage in the EAC integration process and comes 5 years after the launch of the customs union.  The five presidents also laid the foundation stone for the headquarters of the EAC, a project co-funded by Germany.  In his address, President Yoweri Museveni called for investment in oil exploration and assured East Africans that the recently discovered petroleum in Uganda will benefit the entire region. A jovial Museveni said the oil exploration companies were initially opposed to the idea of building a refinery and, instead, wanted to build a pipeline to export the crude oil. “Then I made a trip to Iran, which is not a popular country in some parts of the world. Through the president, I learnt that they have nine refineries and are building another seven.”  He said the discovery of petroleum deposits in Uganda is a signal that there may be oil in other parts of the western rift valley, which is shared by Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. He stressed that agriculture should not be neglected because petroleum is a finite resource that will get exhausted one day. The money accrued from oil should be used to build infrastructure for transport, energy, and science, he noted. Rwandan President Kagame, who handed over the chairmanship to Kikwete, said signing the protocol signaled the “passing of a region of states competing with each other, and welcoming a region with common interests and aspirations.” The establishment of the customs union has enhanced trade among the member states, he noted adding that the fear of loss of revenue of some countries has been removed. During the ceremony, certificates were awarded to individuals who contributed to the Community’s success. Edith Mwanje, the PS of the Ministry of East African Affairs, Moses Kaggwa, the chief negotiator for Uganda, and Ambassador Onen received certificates.  Ochen of St Mary’s Kisubi was the second runner-up in the students’ essay contest. He got a certificate and $1,200. Under the common market protocol, the countries agreed to eliminate all barriers to trade, harmonise standards of goods and implement a common trade policy. They also agreed on freedom of movement of labour, provide for social security benefits and establish common standards for workers’ and employers’ associations. Except for Tanzania, the rest agreed to use national identity cards as travel documents. This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/701837

Uganda could be an Oil Exporter by 2015 East Africa's third largest economy hopes to join the league of oil producing nations in the next few years after explorers found commercially-viable reserves of a few billion barrels in the nation's west. "Compared with comparable deals around the world, from northern Iraq to Libya, Uganda's government has signed deals that leave it worse off in real cash terms," London-based Platform said in initial findings of a report to be released later. There was no independent confirmation of the analysis. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8374261.stm Exploration company Heritage Oil has agreed to sell its stakes in two Ugandan oil fields to Italy's Eni for $1.5bn (£903.2m). Heritage will sell its 50% share in the fields for $1.35bn in cash and a deferred payment of $150m. The deal, which requires approval from Ugandan authorities, is expected to be completed in early 2010. Eni already has interests in Angola, Nigeria, Gabon, Mozambique and the Republic of Congo. The company produces about 450,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from its sub-Saharan fields. Eni said the two Ugandan fields had the potential to produce 1 billion barrels of oil. Analysts expect much of the oil to be exported by a pipeline to the Kenyan coast for onward supply to international markets.