Audio version of citizenship guide now available ‎

Ottawa, April 7, 2010 — Citizenship and Immigration Canada, www.cic.gc.ca

Starting today, the popular new citizenship study guide, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship is available as an audio download. The announcement was made by Senator Marjory LeBreton at the Canadian War Museum on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.
“We want newcomers to successfully integrate into Canadian society and become full and equal citizens,” said Senator LeBreton. “This study guide is a necessity for anyone seeking Canadian citizenship and it must be accessible to everyone. Now you can listen to it in your car, on your commute, while you exercise – anywhere you choose.”
Because not all citizenship applicants have the same literacy or learning ability, this audio guide has been produced to assist those who are still strengthening their proficiency in French or English. It is the first step in developing more resources to accompany the guide. continue reading

Why are students penalized for attending part-time?

I found this as an interesting post, by Laura, and that has received many thought provoking comments:

Canada has something called the "Lifelong Learning Plan," which allows you to use money from RRSPs for tuition without tax penalties. Only full-time students are eligible.

I recently learned that the Friends of the Mississauga Library System make an annual award to four Mississauga residents who are enrolled in library programs. I could sure use that! I emailed for more information: only full-time students are eligible.

Continue reading, 'Why are students penalized for attending part-time?' @ her blog: We Move to Canada

PS. Interestingly, I found some thing that does exists but goes unnoticed; let me know if these help you in any ways:

Assistance for Part-Time Students -- Part-Time Canada Student Loan

StudentAid BC - Programs for Part-time Students

Google for more

Toronto Public Library has Quiet study rooms, a meeting room, auditoriums and theatre facilities

PS. I hope this is being read & considered by the Marketing managers @ TPL, in order to advertise the quite, most-wanted corners.

You want to meet, and the only place you thought you can do this is a coffee shop. Right. But libraries are getting into this role of offering you a place where you can meet (if not simply eat). In doing so, TPL (Toronto Public Library) is following the best practices (see below: a glimpse of whatz up @ British Library, London).

Toronto Public Library, has newer facilities, a few in the news and more to come; but the bottomline is you need to Ask if you don't find on their site. Some of these are free (less publicized and you need to ask), others are for FEE. And much more for those in-need of a small space, see the following description:


Gladstone library's Bloor bliss-out
Gladstone Library makes you think you deserve elegant public spaces
By Ashley Botting

At the Bloor/Gladstone branch, there are quiet study rooms, a meeting room, group study areas and reading lounges for adults, children and teens. There are two restored fireplaces, a pulsing teen zone with a large flat-screen TV, a new learning centre, CD listening stations, 44 computers for public use and the enclosed outdoor reading garden I mentioned earlier.

See also on the same shelf:

The future of public libraries – local, connected, innovative Posted by: Fiona in public libraries, March 16th, 2010

Small meeting rooms for freelancers and small business. I really like the Business and IP Centre at the British Library, but it doesn’t really do meeting spaces very well if you don’t have a reader’s card (my BL card is just about to expire…). I frequently have to find meeting spaces in the city during business and after hours, and usually end up at a coffee shop, which is far from ideal – noisy, bad lighting, crowded etc. Not to mention, it’s a commercial space. Wouldn’t it be great if businesses and freelancers could stay local and rent out small meeting places now and then in the library, or even a casual coworking style setup? I’m sure some libraries are already doing this, but where are they? How would I find out when such information is so buried on their website?

Coffee Shops Are New Desi Offices, Rahul Mehta @ South Asian Generation Next, Toronto, 17 March 2010

Siddiqui: Our home and native - and adopted - land

By Haroon Siddiqui Editorial Page, Toronto Star Mar 14 2010

Extract:
"If you don't like non-whites, Statistics Canada has given you more reason to grumble. But if you are among the overwhelming majority of Canadians who have adjusted well to our demographic diversity, indeed see it as a defining feature of our nation, take a bow.

Statistics Canada's population projections to 2031, released Tuesday, showcase what is perhaps the most ambitious and successful experiment in heterogeneity in human history. The population of visible minorities is expected to rise from one in every five Canadians to to one in three – potentially 14.4 million. The largest group, as now, would be South Asians.

The Toronto CMA (census metropolitan area, Oshawa to Burlington) would be nearly two-thirds non-white – 5.6 million. Among them, South Asians would have tripled to 2.1 million. Chinese would be 1.1 million. Vancouver also would be almost two-thirds non-white. But, in a flip of Toronto, the largest group there, as now, would be the Chinese, followed by South Asians." continue reading

It's Time To Vote Now: Canada's Top 25 Immigrants!

A nationwide survey in three stages:

inviting nominations from across Canada for a list of people's favourite and most respected Canadian immigrants;

identifying 75 of them who received the highest number of votes from Canadians;

selecting those who were voted there from as Canada's Top 25 Immigrants!

It's now at the third stage, VOTE NOW. Click here to view / vote / details
See on the same shelf:

The painful truth about age discrimination in tech

By: Lisa Schmeiser,  18 Feb 2010, IT World Canada: InfoWorld
There are bold programmers, but no old programmers -- the reasons for this reality aren't simple. A closer look suggests that it's the nature of IT itself to push its elderly workers out.

There's a commercial airing on ESPN right now that features two hiring managers discussing the two job candidates sitting in the lobby. We see the backs of these candidates' heads; one is dark brown and lustrous, the other brittle and gray. The managers debate -- should they go with the experienced candidate? ("He won't have energy!" frets one manager) -- or the fresh young thing? And then -- surprise! -- the two candidates are the same person before and after a hair-dye job.

It's a nasty and effective commercial, and one that deftly plays on a pervasive fear of job hunters: Will my age be held against me? And in IT -- where the popular narrative favors kids launching companies in their dorm room or bringing down a corporate network as a way to blow off steam after finals -- that fear of age discrimination is especially pervasive. continue reading

On the same shelf:

• Five Pervasive Myths About Older Software Developers | Lessons of Failure

Toronto woman awarded $25,000 after boss used racial epithets

Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service, February 17, 2010

TORONTO - A Toronto woman who was repeatedly called "Paki" and other racial slurs at work has been awarded $25,000 by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.

The ruling, handed out earlier this month, orders Cheryl Khan's former employer, Lynn Tompkins, the owner of Lynx Trucking Transportation in northwest Toronto, to pay the fine, in addition to $6,500 in lost wages. He has also been ordered to create an anti-harassment policy at his company and attend sensitivity training.

"It was horrible," said 36-year-old Khan on Wednesday. "I knew that if I stood back and let this gentleman walk all over me and not do anything about it, it makes it seem like it's OK." continue reading

On the same shelf:

Racist taunts cost boss $25,000, Moira Welsh, Staff Reporter, Toronto Star

The words were shocking and so unfamiliar that Cheryl Khan's friends could not believe her boss used them.

"Paki," he called her, according to Khan's testimony before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. "Half-nigger babies," he said of her two little boys. "That's what you get for sleeping with a nigger."

Immigrants still lagging in jobs mart, Peel Region Unveils Labour Market Survey Findings

ML Brampton Guardian, South Asian Focus » Thu, 11-Feb

Staff Report
Immigrants are still lagging their Canadian-born counterparts in the jobs market.
That’s the short answer of a Peel-centric report on how immigrants are faring in finding employment.

The report, The Peel Immigration Labour Market Survey, has just been released to Regional Council.

Peel is considered to house one of the highest concentrations of South Asians in the GTA. The survey is the first study ever conducted that provides local data on the labour market in Peel.

“This study is one of three key immigration initiatives led by the Region’s Human Services department in Peel,” said Janet Menard, Commissioner of Human Services. “The study findings reveal there is a significant gap in skill utilization, income and credential recognition of immigrants in the workplace. continue reading

See also:

Peel Region Unveils Labour Market Survey Findings - First Peel-specific report shows immigrants lagging behind in accessing the job market 

In the sample of 1,425 immigrants and Canadian-born Peel residents surveyed:

• Of the immigrant respondents who have international work experience, only about one-third were successful in obtaining their desired employment.
• Lack of Canadian work experience was reported as the barrier faced most often for immigrants and correspondingly, lack of work experience was reported most often by Canadian-born individuals.
• Networking was a serious barrier for both immigrants and Canadian-born individuals but more significant for immigrants.
• One in four immigrants accessed some government-funded employment services, and just under one-third obtained more education and credentials in Canada.
• Both immigrants and Canadian-born individuals report underutilization of their skills in their current job. Recent immigrant respondents are less likely to utilize their skills at work, but skill utilization improves with length of time in Canada, and through full recognition of credentials by employers.

Funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the study was done in collaboration with Ryerson’s Diversity Institute in Management and Technology. The final report was prepared by PinPoint Research. The complete report of survey findings will be available to the public to download on Feb. 22, 2010 at www.peelregion.ca/labourmarketsurvey.

'Ghost' consultants pose problem to Canadian immigration

South Asian Observer Digital version, 11 Feb 2010 09:30 hrs EST

Extract: "The depth of the problem can be gauged from the following advertisement that appeared in a Chandigarh newspaper recently:

“JOB VACANCY IN CANADIAN HOTEL CANADA: Ominicity Hotel Director wish to advertise through this medium that the Following Job Vacancy in our Hotel. We need both men and females workers to fill in different categories of job openings. Currently, if your interested in working with us you can contact us back E-mail Address: ottawahotelss_canada@yahoo.ca Our Hotel Director shall connect you with our Canadian immigration director during your visa processing, SIGN BY DIRECTOR MRS RESOLING ANNA.”

But inquiries revealed that there was no hotel by this name in Ottawa.  continue reading: 'Ghost' consultants pose problem to Canadian immigration. [Copyright Indo Asian News, Click here]

See also:

• Suckers Wanted: OMNICITY HOTEL OTTAWA CANADA (Impostors)
  
• Move to fight immigration fraud, By NICHOLAS KEUNG Special to South Asian Focus, Feb 11, 2010