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Canadian embassies have till Sept. 15 to hang the Queen's portrait

2011-09-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

The Harper government, a staunch proponent of the monarchy, has ordered all Canadian embassies and missions abroad to display a portrait of the Queen by mid-month.

It’s the latest effort by the Conservatives to demonstrate support for Canada’s sovereign and part of a steady Tory campaign to champion more traditional elements of this country’s national identity, including the military.

“Like virtually every other country in the world who display pictures of their head of state in their missions, we expect all Canadian missions abroad to display pictures of Canada's head of state, the Queen; along with the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and relevant ministers,” said Rick Roth, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

The instruction to install royal portraits in all of Canada’s foreign missions – scattered throughout 150 countries – calls for the pictures to be in place by Sept. 15, a government official said.

The Tories acknowledged that most Canadian offices abroad already hang a portrait of the Queen but said the new order is “simply to ensure conformity” across the board. They declined to identify scofflaw missions.

Gar Pardy, a former Canadian diplomat, recalled one foreign mission where Canada didn’t hang the Queen. “I remember that most embassies use to carry a picture of the Queen somewhere in the public area. The only exception was Argentina and there for obvious reasons,” he said, referring to the Falklands War.

The Conservatives have repeatedly tried to build respect for the monarchy since taking office more than five years ago, putting an emphasis on hanging portraits of the Queen in places such as the Prime Minister’s Office. One of Stephen Harper’s veteran aides, Ray Novak, is a staunch monarchist.

Back in August, the Harper government restored the word “royal” in front of the names of Canada’s navy and air force, reviving designations that had been discarded decades earlier. Defence Minister Peter MacKay championed the change as “celebrat[ing] our heritage” in the face of complaints from anti-monarchists and some Quebeckers.

Earlier this summer, Mr. Baird ordered colourful modern artworks by Quebec painter Alfred Pellan removed from the lobby of the Department of Foreign Affairs and replaced with a portrait of Elizabeth II.

Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat, said the moves at Foreign Affairs suggest that it’s Mr. Baird who has a particular affinity for the monarchy. He could not recall previous Conservative foreign affairs ministers driving similar initiatives.

“This is, I think, particular to the minister. I don’t think we saw anything like this under [Lawrence] Cannon or [Peter] MacKay or [Maxime] Bernier,” said Mr. Robertson, vice-president of the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute.

Officials said that while Ottawa could courier pictures of the Queen to foreign missions, diplomatic staff are also able to cobble things together themselves: downloading a high-resolution picture of Elizabeth II from a government website, printing it off on a photo printer and purchasing their own frame.

Hydro bills feeling the heat

2011-09-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

TORONTO - Toronto Hydro is warning customers not to be shocked when they open their latest bill, as a warmer-than-usual summer led to a significant increase in electricity use.

Customers with air-conditioned homes can expect to pay about $12 more on their July bill thanks to the hot and humid weather, a Toronto Hydro spokesman said Tuesday.

“This would of course depend on the frequency and extent of air conditioner use,” Alexandra Stadnyk said.

According to Environment Canada, July saw 272 hours above 25C, that’s up from 234 hours in July 2010 — a 21% year-over-year increase.

According to Toronto Hydro, air conditioning can account for up to half of a home’s power consumption during a heat wave.

Dehumidifiers and refrigeration appliances are also culprits for higher bills.

“If you don’t have an air conditioner and your bill still went up, there’s a number of questions to ask yourself,” Stadnyk said. “These include things like whether you had visitors stay with you over the summer, or if you recently added an extension to your home, was there a pool pump running or did you use more energy during peak time-of-use hours? Any of these factors could lead to a higher bill.”

With Environment Canada forecasting a warmer-than-average fall ahead, Stadnyk recommends surfing over to torontohydro.com for energy conservation tips.

“There’s a lot you can do,” she said. “Drawing blinds when it’s hot, or opening windows during cooler periods. You can plant trees for shade.

“Shifting your power usage to non-peak hours when possible is useful too.”

Customers also can track how much electricity they are using during peak time-of-use hours at torontohydro.com/tou.

“Once you see the information, you might decide to change what time you’re doing laundry or running the dishwasher,” Stadnyk said.

Uni exchanges win top marks

2011-09-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

Uni exchanges win top marks
Liz Porter
September 6, 2011
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Self Managed Super (SMSF)

Uni exchanges win top marks
Liz Porter
September 6, 2011
Ads by Google
Self Managed Super (SMSF)

www.esuperfund.com.au

Take Control of Your Super Special Offer Ends Soon. Apply Now!
More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one.

More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one. Photo: iStock

LAST semester, Rachael Thompson swapped her usual timetable of lectures at Deakin University's Geelong and Burwood campuses for an unusual learning experience: time behind the walls of a forensic psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands.

The law/commerce student spent the first half of this year as a law student at the University of Utrecht, where she studied gender and the law, introduction to European law and criminal law.

Her course work for a unit on forensic mental health took her into the high-security Pieter Baan Centre, where people accused of some of the Netherlands' most shocking crimes spend an intensive seven weeks undergoing observations, interviews and tests.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Rachael Thompson...student and traveller

Rachael Thompson...student and traveller.

This was the second exchange trip for the 22-year-old, now in the fifth year of her course. In 2009, she studied media law, international commercial law and intellectual property law at the University of Copenhagen — and took a free one-month intensive course in Danish, useful for social if not academic life as the courses were taught in English. Her chosen subjects, along with the units she studied in the Netherlands, counted towards her Deakin degree.

She is one of 300 Deakin students undertaking semester or year-long exchanges this year.

Jack McCardel studied in Canada. Photo: Eddie Jim

Thompson and McCardel are symbols of a trend. The "globetrotting degree" has become an increasingly popular option for today's undergraduates.

This year more than 9000 Australian undergraduate students have enrolled in courses at hundreds of universities in Asia, Europe, Africa, the US and Canada. More than 6000 of them were on exchange partnership arrangements, with their course costs covered by their HECS fees and the overseas "partner" university sending an equivalent number of students to Australia to do units that will count towards their degrees.

Students on exchange are also eligible for Australian government "OS-HELP" loans of $5611, which are added on to their HECS debt. Some receive scholarships, but most just save to raise the minimum $10,000 to $12,000 required for living expenses and travel overseas.

Uni exchanges win top marks
Liz Porter
September 6, 2011
Ads by Google
Self Managed Super (SMSF)

Uni exchanges win top marks
Liz Porter
September 6, 2011
Ads by Google
Self Managed Super (SMSF)

Uni exchanges win top marks
Liz Porter
September 6, 2011
Ads by Google
Self Managed Super (SMSF)

www.esuperfund.com.au

Take Control of Your Super Special Offer Ends Soon. Apply Now!
More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one.

More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one. Photo: iStock

LAST semester, Rachael Thompson swapped her usual timetable of lectures at Deakin University's Geelong and Burwood campuses for an unusual learning experience: time behind the walls of a forensic psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands.

The law/commerce student spent the first half of this year as a law student at the University of Utrecht, where she studied gender and the law, introduction to European law and criminal law.

Her course work for a unit on forensic mental health took her into the high-security Pieter Baan Centre, where people accused of some of the Netherlands' most shocking crimes spend an intensive seven weeks undergoing observations, interviews and tests.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Rachael Thompson...student and traveller

Rachael Thompson...student and traveller.

This was the second exchange trip for the 22-year-old, now in the fifth year of her course. In 2009, she studied media law, international commercial law and intellectual property law at the University of Copenhagen — and took a free one-month intensive course in Danish, useful for social if not academic life as the courses were taught in English. Her chosen subjects, along with the units she studied in the Netherlands, counted towards her Deakin degree.

She is one of 300 Deakin students undertaking semester or year-long exchanges this year.

Jack McCardel studied in Canada. Photo: Eddie Jim

Thompson and McCardel are symbols of a trend. The "globetrotting degree" has become an increasingly popular option for today's undergraduates.

This year more than 9000 Australian undergraduate students have enrolled in courses at hundreds of universities in Asia, Europe, Africa, the US and Canada. More than 6000 of them were on exchange partnership arrangements, with their course costs covered by their HECS fees and the overseas "partner" university sending an equivalent number of students to Australia to do units that will count towards their degrees.

Students on exchange are also eligible for Australian government "OS-HELP" loans of $5611, which are added on to their HECS debt. Some receive scholarships, but most just save to raise the minimum $10,000 to $12,000 required for living expenses and travel overseas.

Every Victorian university has exchange arrangements. Monash University's "Passport" program offers students semesters at Monash campuses in South Africa, Malaysia, at the Monash centre in Prato, Italy, and at 115 partner universities in 25 countries, while La Trobe's exchange program offers students a choice of more than 100 universities in 30 countries.

Rachael Thompson says her exchange experiences have made her far more confident and independent.

"I also find myself being able to deal with change and stress a lot better than before I went. It has broadened my horizons, now that I have been to so many places in the world. You gain so much knowledge without even realising."

She still has the slides from her field trip to the Pieter Baan Centre: another experience she would never have had in Melbourne. There were no The Silence of the Lambs encounters with any of the centre's inmates, the most notorious of whom must be the man who made world headlines after he skinned his mother, donned the skin as a cloak and then, brandishing his Bible, was found directing traffic.

But she left with a deep understanding of the philosophy of the centre, where specialists decide whether inmates can be held wholly responsible for their crimes.

Her exchange experiences also exposed Thompson to different styles of teaching. In Denmark, for example, attendance at lectures was compulsory, university was free and students received an automatic Centrelink-style payment enabling them to live away from home without having a job. As a result, perhaps, her fellow students were very dedicated.

"There was no 'Ps (scraped pass marks) get degrees' there. Marks matter, it's all you've got," she says.

It's barely September but Stuart Hibberd, Melbourne University's Manager of Education Abroad Student Programs, is taking applications for students wishing to study at overseas universities in July 2012.
Take Control of Your Super Special Offer Ends Soon. Apply Now!
More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one.

More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one. Photo: iStock

LAST semester, Rachael Thompson swapped her usual timetable of lectures at Deakin University's Geelong and Burwood campuses for an unusual learning experience: time behind the walls of a forensic psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands.

The law/commerce student spent the first half of this year as a law student at the University of Utrecht, where she studied gender and the law, introduction to European law and criminal law.

Her course work for a unit on forensic mental health took her into the high-security Pieter Baan Centre, where people accused of some of the Netherlands' most shocking crimes spend an intensive seven weeks undergoing observations, interviews and tests.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Rachael Thompson...student and traveller

Rachael Thompson...student and traveller.

Uni exchanges win top marks
Liz Porter
September 6, 2011
Ads by Google
Self Managed Super (SMSF)

www.esuperfund.com.au

Take Control of Your Super Special Offer Ends Soon. Apply Now!
More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one.

More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one. Photo: iStock

LAST semester, Rachael Thompson swapped her usual timetable of lectures at Deakin University's Geelong and Burwood campuses for an unusual learning experience: time behind the walls of a forensic psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands.

The law/commerce student spent the first half of this year as a law student at the University of Utrecht, where she studied gender and the law, introduction to European law and criminal law.

Her course work for a unit on forensic mental health took her into the high-security Pieter Baan Centre, where people accused of some of the Netherlands' most shocking crimes spend an intensive seven weeks undergoing observations, interviews and tests.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Rachael Thompson...student and traveller

Rachael Thompson...student and traveller.

This was the second exchange trip for the 22-year-old, now in the fifth year of her course. In 2009, she studied media law, international commercial law and intellectual property law at the University of Copenhagen — and took a free one-month intensive course in Danish, useful for social if not academic life as the courses were taught in English. Her chosen subjects, along with the units she studied in the Netherlands, counted towards her Deakin degree.

She is one of 300 Deakin students undertaking semester or year-long exchanges this year.

Jack McCardel studied in Canada. Photo: Eddie Jim

Thompson and McCardel are symbols of a trend. The "globetrotting degree" has become an increasingly popular option for today's undergraduates.

This year more than 9000 Australian undergraduate students have enrolled in courses at hundreds of universities in Asia, Europe, Africa, the US and Canada. More than 6000 of them were on exchange partnership arrangements, with their course costs covered by their HECS fees and the overseas "partner" university sending an equivalent number of students to Australia to do units that will count towards their degrees.

Students on exchange are also eligible for Australian government "OS-HELP" loans of $5611, which are added on to their HECS debt. Some receive scholarships, but most just save to raise the minimum $10,000 to $12,000 required for living expenses and travel overseas.

Every Victorian university has exchange arrangements. Monash University's "Passport" program offers students semesters at Monash campuses in South Africa, Malaysia, at the Monash centre in Prato, Italy, and at 115 partner universities in 25 countries, while La Trobe's exchange program offers students a choice of more than 100 universities in 30 countries.

Rachael Thompson says her exchange experiences have made her far more confident and independent.

"I also find myself being able to deal with change and stress a lot better than before I went. It has broadened my horizons, now that I have been to so many places in the world. You gain so much knowledge without even realising."

She still has the slides from her field trip to the Pieter Baan Centre: another experience she would never have had in Melbourne. There were no The Silence of the Lambs encounters with any of the centre's inmates, the most notorious of whom must be the man who made world headlines after he skinned his mother, donned the skin as a cloak and then, brandishing his Bible, was found directing traffic.

But she left with a deep understanding of the philosophy of the centre, where specialists decide whether inmates can be held wholly responsible for their crimes.

Her exchange experiences also exposed Thompson to different styles of teaching. In Denmark, for example, attendance at lectures was compulsory, university was free and students received an automatic Centrelink-style payment enabling them to live away from home without having a job. As a result, perhaps, her fellow students were very dedicated.

"There was no 'Ps (scraped pass marks) get degrees' there. Marks matter, it's all you've got," she says.

It's barely September but Stuart Hibberd, Melbourne University's Manager of Education Abroad Student Programs, is taking applications for students wishing to study at overseas universities in July 2012.
Take Control of Your Super Special Offer Ends Soon. Apply Now!
More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one.

More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one. Photo: iStock

LAST semester, Rachael Thompson swapped her usual timetable of lectures at Deakin University's Geelong and Burwood campuses for an unusual learning experience: time behind the walls of a forensic psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands.

The law/commerce student spent the first half of this year as a law student at the University of Utrecht, where she studied gender and the law, introduction to European law and criminal law.

Her course work for a unit on forensic mental health took her into the high-security Pieter Baan Centre, where people accused of some of the Netherlands' most shocking crimes spend an intensive seven weeks undergoing observations, interviews and tests.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Rachael Thompson...student and traveller

Rachael Thompson...student and traveller.

Every Victorian university has exchange arrangements. Monash University's "Passport" program offers students semesters at Monash campuses in South Africa, Malaysia, at the Monash centre in Prato, Italy, and at 115 partner universities in 25 countries, while La Trobe's exchange program offers students a choice of more than 100 universities in 30 countries.

Rachael Thompson says her exchange experiences have made her far more confident and independent.

"I also find myself being able to deal with change and stress a lot better than before I went. It has broadened my horizons, now that I have been to so many places in the world. You gain so much knowledge without even realising."

She still has the slides from her field trip to the Pieter Baan Centre: another experience she would never have had in Melbourne. There were no The Silence of the Lambs encounters with any of the centre's inmates, the most notorious of whom must be the man who made world headlines after he skinned his mother, donned the skin as a cloak and then, brandishing his Bible, was found directing traffic.

But she left with a deep understanding of the philosophy of the centre, where specialists decide whether inmates can be held wholly responsible for their crimes.

Her exchange experiences also exposed Thompson to different styles of teaching. In Denmark, for example, attendance at lectures was compulsory, university was free and students received an automatic Centrelink-style payment enabling them to live away from home without having a job. As a result, perhaps, her fellow students were very dedicated.

"There was no 'Ps (scraped pass marks) get degrees' there. Marks matter, it's all you've got," she says.

It's barely September but Stuart Hibberd, Melbourne University's Manager of Education Abroad Student Programs, is taking applications for students wishing to study at overseas universities in July 2012.
Take Control of Your Super Special Offer Ends Soon. Apply Now!
More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one.

More students are opting to study overseas, a learning experience in more ways than one. Photo: iStock

LAST semester, Rachael Thompson swapped her usual timetable of lectures at Deakin University's Geelong and Burwood campuses for an unusual learning experience: time behind the walls of a forensic psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands.

The law/commerce student spent the first half of this year as a law student at the University of Utrecht, where she studied gender and the law, introduction to European law and criminal law.

Her course work for a unit on forensic mental health took her into the high-security Pieter Baan Centre, where people accused of some of the Netherlands' most shocking crimes spend an intensive seven weeks undergoing observations, interviews and tests.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Rachael Thompson...student and traveller

Rachael Thompson...student and traveller.

Olivia Chow rules out NDP leadership bid

2011-09-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

Olivia Chow rules out NDP leadership bid

Jack Layton as head of the New Democratic Party, saying the role of Official Leader of the Opposition is "not for me."
Olivia Chow rules out NDP leadership bid
Olivia Chow rules out NDP leadership bid

Jack Layton as head of the New Democratic Party, saying the role of Official Leader of the Opposition is "not for me."

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with the CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air Monday night on The National.

    "We have a lot of capable people that can be leader. That’s not my role," she said in her first interview since her husband's death, conducted at the site of the couple's marriage on Toronto Island.
CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together.CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together. (CBC)

"I will continue the work that needs to be done in the House of Commons and pushing a public transit bill, a national one. And I will continue doing that kind of work. But leader, not for me."

When asked by Mansbridge whether she would resist any attempt to convince her to run, Chow shook her head and replied: "Drafting? No."

In the interview, Chow talks about her life with Layton, their last few days together and takes questions about his final struggle with cancer.

Layton, who died Aug. 22 at the age of 61, led the New Democrats to a historic second-place finish in May's federal election to replace the Liberals as the Official Opposition to Prime Minister's Stephen Harper's Conservative majority government.

Since Layton's death, his wife's name had been thrown in with several other NDP figures as a possible candidate to replace him at the helm of the party.

NDP deputy leaders Thomas Mulcair and Libby Davies have said they are considering running but insist they haven't made a decision yet. A number of other MPs — including Megan Leslie, Francoise Boivin, Robert Chisholm, Romeo Saganash and Peter Julian — have also said they are thinking about it, while the NDP's president, Brian Topp, said he is weighing his options.

The party's federal council is meeting next week to set up the rules that will govern the leadership race. A date and location for a leadership convention must also be decided upon.Jack Layton as head of the New Democratic Party, saying the role of Official Leader of the Opposition is "not for me."

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with the CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air Monday night on The National, Chow said she wouldn't join the leadership race to continue Layton's legacy as Opposition leader.

"We have a lot of capable people that can be leader. That’s not my role," she said in her first interview since her husband's death, conducted at the site of the couple's marriage on Toronto Island.
CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together.CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together. (CBC)

"I will continue the work that needs to be done in the House of Commons and pushing a public transit bill, a national one. And I will continue doing that kind of work. But leader, not for me."

When asked by Mansbridge whether she would resist any attempt to convince her to run, Chow shook her head and replied: "Drafting? No."

In the interview, Chow talks about her life with Layton, their last few days together and takes questions about his final struggle with cancer.

Layton, who died Aug. 22 at the age of 61, led the New Democrats to a historic second-place finish in May's federal election to replace the Liberals as the Official Opposition to Prime Minister's Stephen Harper's Conservative majority government.

                         NDP deputy leaders Thomas Mulcair and Libby Davies have said they are considering running but insist they haven't made a decision yet. A number of other MPs — including Megan Leslie, Francoise Boivin, Robert Chisholm, Romeo Saganash and Peter Julian — have also said they are thinking about it, while the NDP's president, Brian Topp, said he is weighing his options.

The party's federal council is meeting next week to set up the rules that will govern the leadership race. A date and location for a leadership convention must also be decided upon.

           Jack Layton as head of the New Democratic Party, saying the role of Official Leader of the Opposition is "not for me."

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with the CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air Monday night on The National.
    "We have a lot of capable people that can be leader. That’s not my role," she said in her first interview since her husband's death, conducted at the site of the couple's marriage on Toronto Island.
CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together.CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together. (CBC)

"I will continue the work that needs to be done in the House of Commons and pushing a public transit bill, a national one. And I will continue doing that kind of work. But leader, not for me."

When asked by Mansbridge whether she would resist any attempt to convince her to run, Chow shook her head and replied: "Drafting? No."

In the interview, Chow talks about her life with Layton, their last few days together and takes questions about his final struggle with cancer.

Layton, who died Aug. 22 at the age of 61, led the New Democrats to a historic second-place finish in May's federal election to replace the Liberals as the Official Opposition to Prime Minister's Stephen Harper's Conservative majority government.

Since Layton's death, his wife's name had been thrown in with several other NDP figures as a possible candidate to replace him at the helm of the party.

NDP deputy leaders Thomas Mulcair and Libby Davies have said they are considering running but insist they haven't made a decision yet. A number of other MPs — including Megan Leslie, Francoise Boivin, Robert Chisholm, Romeo Saganash and Peter Julian — have also said they are thinking about it, while the NDP's president, Brian Topp, said he is weighing his options.

The party's federal council is meeting next week to set up the rules that will govern the leadership race. A date and location for a leadership convention must also be decided upon.Jack Layton as head of the New Democratic Party, saying the role of Official Leader of the Opposition is "not for me."

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with the CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air Monday night on The National, Chow said she wouldn't join the leadership race to continue Layton's legacy as Opposition leader.

"We have a lot of capable people that can be leader. That’s not my role," she said in her first interview since her husband's death, conducted at the site of the couple's marriage on Toronto Island.
CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together.CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together. (CBC)

"I will continue the work that needs to be done in the House of Commons and pushing a public transit bill, a national one. And I will continue doing that kind of work. But leader, not for me."

When asked by Mansbridge whether she would resist any attempt to convince her to run, Chow shook her head and replied: "Drafting? No."

In the interview, Chow talks about her life with Layton, their last few days together and takes questions about his final struggle with cancer.

Layton, who died Aug. 22 at the age of 61, led the New Democrats to a historic second-place finish in May's federal election to replace the Liberals as the Official Opposition to Prime Minister's Stephen Harper's Conservative majority government.

                         NDP deputy leaders Thomas Mulcair and Libby Davies have said they are considering running but insist they haven't made a decision yet. A number of other MPs — including Megan Leslie, Francoise Boivin, Robert Chisholm, Romeo Saganash and Peter Julian — have also said they are thinking about it, while the NDP's president, Brian Topp, said he is weighing his options.

The party's federal council is meeting next week to set up the rules that will govern the leadership race. A date and location for a leadership convention must also be decided upon.
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with the CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air Monday night on The National.
    "We have a lot of capable people that can be leader. That’s not my role," she said in her first interview since her husband's death, conducted at the site of the couple's marriage on Toronto Island.
CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together.CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together. (CBC)

"I will continue the work that needs to be done in the House of Commons and pushing a public transit bill, a national one. And I will continue doing that kind of work. But leader, not for me."

When asked by Mansbridge whether she would resist any attempt to convince her to run, Chow shook her head and replied: "Drafting? No."

In the interview, Chow talks about her life with Layton, their last few days together and takes questions about his final struggle with cancer.

Layton, who died Aug. 22 at the age of 61, led the New Democrats to a historic second-place finish in May's federal election to replace the Liberals as the Official Opposition to Prime Minister's Stephen Harper's Conservative majority government.

Since Layton's death, his wife's name had been thrown in with several other NDP figures as a possible candidate to replace him at the helm of the party.

NDP deputy leaders Thomas Mulcair and Libby Davies have said they are considering running but insist they haven't made a decision yet. A number of other MPs — including Megan Leslie, Francoise Boivin, Robert Chisholm, Romeo Saganash and Peter Julian — have also said they are thinking about it, while the NDP's president, Brian Topp, said he is weighing his options.

The party's federal council is meeting next week to set up the rules that will govern the leadership race. A date and location for a leadership convention must also be decided upon.Jack Layton as head of the New Democratic Party, saying the role of Official Leader of the Opposition is "not for me."

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with the CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air Monday night on The National, Chow said she wouldn't join the leadership race to continue Layton's legacy as Opposition leader.

"We have a lot of capable people that can be leader. That’s not my role," she said in her first interview since her husband's death, conducted at the site of the couple's marriage on Toronto Island.
CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together.CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and NDP MP Olivia Chow talk about her life with Jack Layton and the couple's last few days together. (CBC)

"I will continue the work that needs to be done in the House of Commons and pushing a public transit bill, a national one. And I will continue doing that kind of Business. But leader, not for me."

When asked by Mansbridge whether she would resist any attempt to convince her to run, Chow shook her head and replied: "Drafting? No."

In the interview, Chow talks about her life with Layton, their last few days together and takes questions about his final struggle with cancer.

Layton, who died Aug. 22 at the age of 61, led the New Democrats to a historic second-place finish in May's federal election to replace the Liberals as the Official Opposition to Prime Minister's Stephen Harper's Conservative majority government.

                         NDP deputy leaders Thomas Mulcair and Libby Davies have said they are considering running but insist they haven't made a decision yet. A number of other MPs — including Megan Leslie, Francoise Boivin, Robert Chisholm, Romeo Saganash and Peter Julian — have also said they are thinking about it, while the NDP's president, Brian Topp, said he is weighing his options.

The party's federal council is meeting next week to set up the rules that will govern the leadership race. A date and location for a leadership convention must also be decided upon.

MORE

Toronto to pay tribute to Jack Layton

2011-08-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

Thousands of people are expected to pay tribute to Jack Layton at Toronto City Hall, where the NDP leader will lie in repose before his state funeral on Saturday.

Dignitaries and invited guests are expected to begin arriving at city hall at 8 a.m. on Friday. The public can pay their respects and sign a book of condolences from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Well over 10,000 people paid tribute to Layton as he lay in state in Ottawa Wednesday and Thursday, and similar crowds are expected in the city where Layton lived for decades as an activist, councillor and MP.

Toronto residents' affection for Layton has been clear since his death, with tributes and well-wishers leaving flowers and mementoes at Layton's constituency office, his home, and at Toronto City Hall — where a single chalk message scrawled on the concrete wall of a raised walkway became a large-scale memorial, with hundreds of messages written in chalk.

Dozens of people, many ringing bells or honking the horns on their bicycles, were on hand as the hearse arrived at Toronto City Hall late Thursday. They broke into spontaneous applause and cheered and the motorcade slowed to a halt, and again when a Toronto police honour guard carried Layton's coffin into city hall.

The public and will have a chance to pay their respects to Jack Layton at Toronto City Hall before his state funeral this coming Saturday.

Amid the applause some were heard shouting "we love you, Jack," and "welcome home."The city's CN Tower will be lit in orange from sundown Saturday until sunrise Sunday in honour of the late NDP leader.

poll says, More health-care accountability sought

2011-08-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

The majority of Canadians polled said a health-care agreement should take a national approach rather than focusing on the individual health needs of each province or territory. (Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press)

Canada needs a health-care ombudsman to address complaints about poor medical treatment, a new poll suggests.

The poll was part of the Canadian Medical Association annual report card on health care, released Monday at the group's conference in St. John's.

"Patients are too often lost in the shuffle in health care," said CMA president Dr. Jeff Turnbull.

The report card looked at attitudes on topics such as adopting a Canadian patient health charter to ensure accountability, a complaint mechanism, funding models for health care and the next federal-provincial health agreement.

Respondents felt strongly that a patient health charter should include recourse for those who receive poor health service, with 87 per cent saying they support a mechanism for citizens to complain about poor health service.

About 86 per cent supported including an independent ombudsman for complaints about poor health service in the patient health charter.

The survey also suggested:

    * 82 per cent of Canadians agreed that a patient health charter that outlined patients' rights and responsibilities would make the system more efficient.
    * 80 per cent agreed that the number of complaints against a jurisdiction should be reported so people can compare jurisdictions to one another.
    * 97 per cent agreed federal, provincial and territorial governments need to start working together on a new health accord to replace the current agreement that expires in 2014.
    * 93 per cent agreed that governments should meet every year to discuss the state of health care in the country.

Those surveyed were more divided about whether the federal-provincial health-care agreement should take a national or jurisdictional approach, with 52 per cent preferring one national in scope with all provinces agreeing on how the system will be funded, delivered and made accountable.

Similarly, 49 per cent chose a model where provinces and territories receive a certain amount of funding for health care to spend as they see fit. The other 46 per cent felt a portion of each provinces and territories' funding should be held back until performance targets are met. Five per cent did not answer.

Ipsos Reid conducted the poll between July 5 and July 8, using an online survey of 1,026 Canadian adults and a telephone survey of 1,000 Canadian adults on July 6 and 7.

The results of the telephone survey are considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

This is The First Time In 122 Years The Central Canada Exibition Has Been Shut Down - Except For Wartime

2011-08-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

This year's SuperEX event has been cancelled, marking the first time there will be no exhibition at Ottawa's Lansdowne Park since the world wars.


Ottawa's SuperEX has been suspended for 2011 due to Lansdowne Park's planned redevelopment.

The Central Canada Exhibition Association's board of directors made the decision to suspend the fair — which was first held in 1888 — last week, citing Lansdowne's redevelopment as the main reason.

It will be the first time in 122 years the Central Canada Exhibition has been shut down, barring the war years; for Moran, it will mark the first time in 78 years she will miss the Ex, which was suspended this year as organizers look for a new venue in the wake of the redevelopment of Lansdowne.

In its heyday, the Ex was one of the top fairs in North America, drawing as many as 800,000 people a year — double the number of recent years. Its grandstand shows featured famous acts such as the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and country star Willie Nelson, as well as the renowned “travelling railroad” carnival, the World of Mirth.

“My mother would make us lunches, and my father built us a wagon” to get there and back, she remembers. In the 1930s and ’40s, the kids would earn a few pennies scavenging empty Coke bottles for the deposits. You could buy food at any of the church-run booths, which offered wholesome fare such as “apple pie and a cup of tea — not the greasy stuff you get nowadays.”

Moran remembers paying a quarter to see the freak show, and recalls the time then-mayor Charlotte Whitton shut down the burlesque shows at the Ex. “We didn’t go in, of course, but we’d see the girls going in” to perform.

Moran can also recall the surreal sight of carnies unloading circus animals from the railroad that used to run where the Queensway now stands, and taking them down O’Connor Street to the fairgrounds.

No surprise that her coming-of-age stories all revolve around the Ex: “We had a lot of fun picking up guys,” she recalls, hastening to add that it was just innocent flirting. “They never tried to get smart with us. … There was no dope or drink involved. We had good, clean fun at the Ex.”

And she savours the tale of her father, who used to enter vegetables he grew in contests at the Ex in the 1950s and 60s. One year he wasn’t ready, “so he went down to the (Byward) Market and bought some,” and entered those as his own. “He won first prize for every item,” laughing as she recalled the memory.

As the years went by, Moran went on to have her own children, but her love of the Ex never faded, and she went faithfully every year; she even once penned a poem about the Ex.

Even in her 80s, the magic has never faded: “I went three or four times last year,” she says, although she admits the fair is not what it used to be: “It wasn’t that good over the last 10 years.”

The Ex used to offer much more than just rides and entertainment: Before television ads and home shows were the norm, that was “where people used to go to see latest and greatest TVs, appliances and cars,” he adds.

Now they shop elsewhere, and gambling — another major money-maker at the Ex — goes on at casinos and even corner stores. Over time, people have forgotten where it all began, he says.

Memories of the Ex: 122 Years at Lansdowne airs at 8 p.m. at the Coliseum Building at Lansdowne Park on Thursday.

Read More

Installation/Service technician

2011-07-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

PowerOn Control Systems
poweron.ca
TORONTO

Job Description:
•On site installations/troubleshooting of control systems
•Commissioning and Troubleshooting of PLC controls
•Read, interpret, and revise schematic drawings and documentation
•Wiring of control panels and cables
•Reading electrical and layout drawings
Required Skills:
•Knowledge of the current Electrical Code and industrial power distribution systems
•Experienced in PLC and VFD programming, robot programming an asset
•Troubleshooting skills - PLC controls
•Ability to travel to customer sites
•Must have valid driver’s license and own vehicle
•5 years Canadian experience in control systems
•
Visit www.poweron.ca for all details. Email resume to Natalia@poweron.ca

Full-Time, Permanent
Previous Experience Required
Bachelor Degree Required
Email: natalia@poweron.ca
Fax : 905-669-4324

Licensed Practical Nurse

2011-06-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

Job Title:	Licensed Practical Nurse
Company:	Victorian Order of Nurses
Job Location:	Winnipeg, MB
Job Reference:	1069

The VON Manitoba site is looking for candidates to provide footcare services to clients in both the in-home and clinic setting throughout the Winnipeg area.
Qualifications include:
- Registration with CLPNM and a graduate from an accredited school of nursing;
- Footcare certification;
- Experience in community health care;
- Proficient in clinical nursing skills;
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
- Current CPR Certificate;
- A valid Manitoba driver's license and access to a reliable vehicle.

To Apply:
Interested candidates are invited to apply online at: http://www.von.ca/en/careers/default.aspx

Corporate/Commercial Litigation Legal Assistant

2011-06-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

Job opening:

Company:	Dare Human Resources
Job Title:	Corporate/Commercial Litigation Legal Assistant
Job Location:	Ottawa - Ontario - Canada
Employment Category:	Law/Legal
Employment Type:	Full Time
Job Reference Number:	CL1246
Posting Date:	2011-06-28

Job Description:

LEGAL ASSISTANT -- CORPORATE / COMMERCIAL LITIGATION

LOCATION: Ottawa, Ontario
SALARY: OPEN, D.O.E.
BENEFITS: Full benefits package is included

EXPERIENCE: Minimum of three (3) years

A prominent downtown Ottawa, Ontario based Law Firm is actively searching for a Legal Assistant, with three (3) to five (5) years of corporate/commercial litigation law firm experience, for its busy commercial department.

It is vital that this person be warm, friendly, energetic, poised and team-oriented. Strong organizational and time-management skills are keys, as is the ability to work independently in a fast paced environment under the pressure of multiple deadlines. Excellence in Client services is of utmost importance.

A previous stable employment background is necessary. The applicant must have strong computer skills, as well as proficiency with MS Office.

The Firm offers a very competitive compensation package, including full benefits to the successful candidate. If you wish to apply, please email your resume/CV. If you have any questions, you can call (613) 238 4485 or toll free at (877) 346 7823.

YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY IS RESPECTED. THERE IS NEVER A FEE FOR APPLICANTS

Position Requirements:

Skills / Qualifications Required            :    SEE JOB DESCRIPTION
Minimum Education Level required       :    High School
Minimum Years of Experience required :    3 to 5 Years

Contact Information:

Contact Name:	Dare Human Resources
Contact Phone:	(877) 346 7823
Preferred method of contact:	E-mail via Apply Online Box

For Registration Click Here

After 16 years on the run captured Notorious mobster picture

2011-06-23T03:59:00.000-07:00

The FBI 10 Most Wanted Poster page for Whitey Bulger lists him as captured shortly after his arrest was announced. (FBI/Associated Press)

A notorious Boston gangster on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, was captured Wednesday near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said.

James (Whitey) Bulger, 81, was arrested along with his longtime girlfriend, 60-year-old Catherine Greig, in the early evening at a residence in Santa Monica, said a law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case. The arrest was based on a tip from the recent publicity campaign that federal authorities had regenerated, according to the official.

The two were arrested without incident, the FBI said. The FBI had been conducting a surveillance operation in the area where the arrest was made, Santa Monica police Sgt. Rudy Flores said.

FBI agents still swarmed around Bulger's building late Wednesday, hours after the arrests in a neighbourhood of two- and three-storey apartment buildings. Bulger lived on the third floor of The Princess Eugenia, a three-storey, 28-unit building of one and two-bedroom apartments three blocks from a bluff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

Barbara Gluck lives on the same floor as Bulger and Greig. She said she didn't know their names but recognized them after she heard news of their arrest from photos on the internet.

Gluck described Greig as "sweet and lovely" and said they would have "girl talk" when they ran into each other in the building. Bulger became angry whenever he saw the two of them talking, and would say, "Stop talking to her," Gluck said.

"He was nasty," she added. "At one point, she [Greig] said he [Bulger] has a rage issue," Gluck said.

Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted. Bulger was a top-echelon FBI informant.

Embarrassment for FBI

Over the years, the FBI battled a public perception that it had not tried very hard to find Bulger, who became a huge source of embarrassment for the agency after the extent of his crimes and the FBI's role in overlooking them became public.

Prosecutors said he went on the run after being warned by John Connolly Jr., an FBI agent who had made Bulger an FBI informant 20 years earlier. Connolly was convicted of racketeering in May 2002 for protecting Bulger and his cohort, Stephen (The Rifleman) Flemmi, also an FBI informant.

Bulger provided the Boston FBI with information on his gang's main rival, the New England Mob, in an era when bringing down the Mafia was one of the FBI's top national priorities. But the Boston FBI office was sharply criticized when the extent of Bulger's alleged crimes and his cozy relationship with the FBI became public in the late 1990s.

Along with Flemmi, he led the violent Winter Hill Gang, a largely Irish mob that ran loan-sharking, gambling and drug rackets in the Boston area. U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern said in 2000 that the two were "responsible for a reign of intimidation and murder that spanned 25 years."

The government has connected Bulger to a series of ruthless killings. One victim was shot between the eyes in a parking lot at his country club in Oklahoma. Another was gunned down in broad daylight on a South Boston street to prevent him from talking about the killing in Oklahoma. Others were taken out for running afoul of Bulger's gambling enterprises.

He has been the subject of several books and was an inspiration for the 2006 Martin Scorsese film The Departed.

During his years on the run, the FBI received reported sightings of Bulger and Greig from all over the United States and parts of Europe. In many of those sightings, investigators could not confirm whether it was actually Bulger who was spotted or simply a lookalike.

But in September 2002, the FBI received the most reliable tip in three years when a British businessman who had met Bulger eight years earlier said he spotted Bulger on a London street.

After the sighting, the FBI's multiagency violent fugitive task force in Boston and inspectors from New Scotland Yard scoured London hotels, internet cafes and gyms in search of Bulger. The FBI also released an updated sketch, using the businessman's description of Bulger as tan, white-haired and sporting a gray goatee.

Tories are desided to end Canada Post labour dispute

2011-06-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

The federal government has served notice that it intends to introduce back-to-work legislation to end the contract dispute between Canada Post and its 48,000 urban postal workers.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt made the statement in the House of Commons during question period Wednesday.

Raitt said the government served the required 48-hour notice in the House of Commons Wednesday night, which means the legislation that would strip workers of their collective bargaining rights could be introduced in two days.

"Our Government is concerned about the effect this strike is having on Canada's economic recovery and on Canadians," Raitt said in a statement Wednesday night. "Canadians gave us a strong mandate to complete our economic recovery, and this is why we will put legislation on notice to ensure resumption and continuation of postal services."

Since the House isn't sitting Friday, the earliest the legislation can be debated is Monday.

Opposition parties railed against the decision, saying the government was using a "sledge hammer" to solve the problem instead of letting the two sides work out an agreement on their own.

NDP Leader Jack Layton called the idea of back-to-work legislation "very discouraging."

"They're attacking pensions. They're attacking the ability of workers to negotiate a decent wage," he said. "I think they were prepared to shut this process down right from the get go. I don't think the government has been serious about urging the sides to come together towards a resolution."

Air Canada strike talks near deadline

2011-06-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Air Canada and its customer service and sales staff continued talking in Montreal on Monday against a midnight strike deadline.


Air Canada customer service and sales staff are threatening to walk off the job if the airline doesn't budge on key concessions in their contract negotiations. Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press

The company and the Canadian Auto Workers union representing 3,800 workers say they are committed to reaching a deal, but there's been no sign of an agreement. The union served a 72-hour strike notice on Friday, allowing them to walk out 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The strike threat throws the travel plans of thousands of Canadians unto disarray, though the airline has tried to reassure customers that it will continue to operate unimpeded.

"We're getting a lot of questions from the consumer, and we're looking for the same information the consumer is looking for," travel agent Jonathan Carroll, of itravel2000, told CBC News. "The only thing we've heard from Air Canada is, 'We have a contingency plan.' Unfortunately, that's not good enough. What we need is detail with the contingency plan."

Jamie Ross, who heads the Canadian Auto Workers local representing the workers, said the big sticking point is changes the airline has proposed to workers' pensions. Air Canada was forced into creditor protection from April 2003 to September 2004 partly because of its pension deficit.

Air Canada has downplayed the potential impact of a strike and said it will continue to operate a full schedule.

Both Fitzpatrick and Bob Chernecki of the Canadian Auto Workers union said their organizations are committed to achieving a negotiated settlement and that talks are continuing.

http://www.canadaclassifiedsflyer.com/l/automobiles/

2011-06-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.canadaclassifiedsflyer.com/l/automobiles/

Clinton in talks about possible move to World Bank

2011-06-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been in discussions with the White House about leaving her job next year to become head of the World Bank, sources familiar with the discussions said Thursday.

The former first lady and onetime political rival to President Barack Obama quickly became one of the most influential members of his Cabinet after she began her tenure at State in early 2009.

She has said publicly she did not plan to stay on at the State Department for more than 4 years. Associates say Clinton has expressed interest in having the World Bank job should the bank's current president, Robert Zoellick, leave at the end of his term, in the middle of 2012.

"Hillary Clinton wants the job," said one source who knows the secretary well.

A second source also said Clinton wants the position.

A third source said Obama had already expressed support for the change in her role. It is unclear whether Obama has formally agreed to nominate her for the post, which would require approval by the 187 member countries of the World Bank.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney denied the discussions. "It's totally wrong," he told Reuters.

A spokesman for Clinton, Philippe Reines, denied Clinton wanted the job, had conversations with the White House about it or would accept it.

People familiar with the situation, told of the denials from the White House and State Department, reaffirmed the accuracy of the report.

Revelations of the discussions could hurt Clinton's efforts as America's top diplomat if she is seen as a lame duck in the job at a time of great foreign policy challenges for the Obama administration.

Under normal circumstances, names of potential candidates for the World Bank would not surface more than a year before the post becomes vacant. But the timing of the discussions is not unusual this year given the sudden opening of the top job at the bank's sister organization, the IMF, after Dominique Strauss-Kahn's resignation following his arrest on charges of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York.

The World Bank provides billions of dollars in development funds to the poorest countries and is also at the center of issues such as climate change, rebuilding countries emerging from conflict and recently the transitions to democracy in Tunisia and Egypt.

WOMAN HAS NEVER HEADED WORLD BANK OR IMF

The head of the International Monetary Fund has always been a European and the World Bank presidency has always been held by an American.

That gentleman's agreement between Europe and the United States is being aggressively challenged by fast-growing emerging market economies that have been shut out of the process.

The United States has not publicly supported the European candidate for the IMF, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, although Washington's support is expected.

Neither institution has ever been headed by a woman.

If Clinton were to leave State, John Kerry, a close Obama ally who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is among those who could be considered as a possible replacement for her.

Clinton's star power and work ethic were seen by Obama as crucial qualities for her role as the nation's top diplomat, even though she did not arrive in the job with an extensive foreign policy background.

She has embraced the globe-trotting aspects of the job, logging many hours on plane trips to nurture alliances with countries like Japan and Britain and to visit hot spots like Afghanistan and countries in the Middle East.

She has long been vocal on global development issues, especially the need for economic empowerment of women and girls in developing countries. She has made that part of her focus at State. Her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, has also been involved in those issues through his philanthropic work at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Calgary, Edmonton postal workers on strike

2011-06-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Calgary and Edmonton are the latest targets in the revolving postal strike as union representatives consider their next moves, including a full-blown national walkout.

The Alberta walkouts began at 10 p.m MT in Edmonton and 9 p.m MT in Calgary Tuesday night.

"The reason why Alberta was chosen is because in the past years we've had serious issues dealing with the employer with respect to staffing here and the level of forced overtime that letter carriers have been having to work," said Bev Ray, Edmonton Canadian Union of Postal Workers local president.

"Alberta has been one of the hardest hit locations across the country with respect to that."

A spokesman for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers says escalation was discussed Tuesday, as it has been every day, but CUPW will continue the less disruptive localized strikes for now.

"We're continuing with the rolling 24-hour walkouts at this time and for the next 24 hours," John Bail, CUPW's national director for the Pacific region, said Tuesday evening.

"At this point in time we don't see a need to deprive the public entirely of all their postal service."

About 1,000 postal workers were on strike Tuesday in Moncton, N.B., and Victoria and earlier strikes were held in Winnipeg, Hamilton and Montreal.

Strike 'completely unnecessary,' Canada Post says

Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said strikes in Calgary and Edmonton are "completely unnecessary as CUPW has still not responded to our latest offer."

"The people of Alberta should be asking why the union is stopping their mail service when the company is offering wage increases, job security, a defined benefit pension, seven weeks of vacation and more."

Bail said Calgary and Edmonton were chosen because they are suffering from a chronic shortage of Canada Post workers.

There is a difference between Canada Post's wage proposal and the union's, but it's not insurmountable, Bail said.

A bigger sticking point is the union's position that Canada Post should convert more temporary jobs to permanent and more part-time jobs to full-time, Bail said.

Earlier Tuesday, Canada Post said the strikes have already had a severe impact on its business, dropping mail volumes as much as 50 per cent since they began.

"This decline in volume comes at a time when the company is already struggling to address significant business challenges," the corporation said in a statement.

"Canada Post does not understand why the Canadian Union of Postal Workers would willingly damage the business with strike action when the company has put a strong offer on the table."

Canada Post said its latest offer includes annual wage increases that for current employees would bring the top wage rate to $26 an hour, job security, no changes to a defined benefit pension plan, medical benefits and "generous" vacation leave that tops out at seven weeks per year.

Future hires would get a starting wage of $19 an hour, rising to a maximum $26 an hour, up to six weeks vacation and a defined benefit pension by age 60.

"The package for new employees is still superior to the wages and benefits offered by competing logistic and delivery companies," Canada Post said.

"Equally important, these changes will help Canada Post is manage labour costs that take-up two-thirds of its revenues."

Rotating strikes a pressure tactic

Labour experts agree that a rotating strike strategy is an effective bargaining tool for a union because it keeps employers guessing and scrambling to prepare as it learns the union's next move, but the tactic also has drawbacks that could drag a labour dispute out.

"The disadvantages are that it doesn't bring the full force of workers' bargaining power to bear — the bargaining power of the union is its greatest when all members withdraw their labour and try to use that to pressure the employer to move in negotiations," said David Camfield, associate professor in the department of labour studies at the University of Manitoba.

He said there are too many factors to predict how long the strike could last, including the potential of federal back-to-work legislation.

But even though the strikes have been localized so far, businesses are already suffering as customers forgo making some purchases as they fear their package or cheque might get stuck in the mail, said Dan Kelly of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Businesses are complaining that customers who would normally buy online are going to stores instead, he added.

"So some online retailers are starting to tell us that the threat of a [national] strike is actually causing an impact on their business, not the actual action of slowdown or stoppage that's happened to date," he said.

more

Job opportunity in Ottawa

2011-06-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

Salary:	Direct
Location:	USA, Airport-Uplands, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Job Type:	Contract
Posted:	5th Jun 2011
Closing Date:	3rd Jul 2011
Posted By:	HILTON SUITE HOTEL USA FLORIDA.
Details:
Job Vacancies ATTENTION!!! HILTON SUITE HOTEL wishes to inform the entire public of the 2011 on going Job Vacancies in USA Florida. This Opportunity is open for Job Seekers From America, Europe, Asia, Africa and all Part of the World to get Part-Time, Full-Time and Permanent Job Contract here in Our Company here in USA Florida.. All interested Applicant are advice to send us the Following Information. Your Full Name: Your Nationality: You’re Telephone Number: Your Fax: Your Sex: Your Country Of Residence: On receiving the above Information, we will send you Our Current Job Vacancies & The Salary Scales In Our Company. You are to kindly select One Post that best suite you and then send us your attach CV/Resume to Our Reviewing/Interview Department via Email for proper Verification and Interview. Note: All applicants must have up to one year working experience and must be able to write good English and speak English language well. Looking forward to receive the Information Needed from You. Best of Regards Hilton Suite Hotel Human Resources Department

Banned the Rowing club miffed over on recreational use of Glenmore Reservoir

2011-06-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

CALGARY — Some call it the best place to row in Canada, with low winds and a prime location surrounded by beautiful scenery.

But a ban on all recreational use on the Glenmore Reservoir has rowers fuming and accusing the city of overblowing the safety concerns that prompted the restriction.

The ban, in effect since May 28 and reviewed daily by the city, has forced onto dry land recreational water-goers and elite athletes who sail, paddle and row.

One of those unhappy with the situation is Steve Payne, a rower training for the summer on the reservoir as he tries to qualify for the Pan American Games in October.

The city says debris, a low water level, and murkiness are behind the ban, but Payne calls the reasons “ridiculous.”

“You need to spend time in the water to practise technique, make the boat move,” he said Sunday. “It’s tough — if you can’t get on water, you can’t do that. Frustrating.”

Rowing, canoeing and sailing classes for dozens of schoolchildren were cancelled last week, with the local rowing club said it is taking a significant financial hit.

But the city argues the water is simply too dangerous at the moment.

The restrictions on the Glenmore were enacted when the flow of the Elbow River into the reservoir increased tenfold in just a day, according to Doug Bruneau, supervisor of Glenmore Reservoir services.

Although the flow has tempered, there are several problems. To deal with the heavy waters anticipated with the melting snowpack, the level of the reservoir has been lowered, which means difficulty launching patrol boats.

Bruneau said there is an “extreme” amount of debris, like trees, in the reservoir, while the water is very turbid and the level is fluctuating.

He said the two primary uses for the Glenmore are drinking water and flood control, with recreation a third concern.

And while those with a lot of experience may not have any trouble on the water, Bruneau said the city has to think of the public at large.

“I wish I had a crystal ball,” he said of when the ban might be lifted. “We’re evaluating it every day.”

Still, some question why the city has made the Glenmore off limits, including Calgary Rowing Club coach Michael Simonson, who said the reservoir is the best rowing location in the country.

He said there’s never been restrictions in place for so long and the water has been this low before without prompting concern.

“The longer that we are off the water, the more at risk we are to losing our core membership group and the new individuals coming to use the reservoir on a daily basis,” Simonson said.

The president of the Calgary Rowing Club said he wants to sit down with the city to hammer out better closure criteria, adding the problems cited in support of the ban aren’t unusual.

“There’s hazards in the water throughout the year, it’s the nature of the beast,” Tom Cook said.

He added: “As far as the murky water goes, every year, this time of year, the water’s murky.

Cook said the ban is hitting more than a hundred rowers a day, adding a regatta scheduled for the end of this month could be in jeopardy if volunteers can’t begin working on the course.

The club is also suffering financially from the ban, he said: “It depends how long it goes on for how significant the damage is.”

Some also point out that the Heritage Park paddlewheel boat, the SS Moyie, is still allowed on the reservoir. Bruneau said that’s because it would be unhurt if by hit any debris.

The reservoir restrictions by the city came the same day as the fire department instituted a perimeter ban on the Elbow and Bow rivers.

That ban even applied to firefighters and their aquatic unit, which was banned from the river except in the case of a rescue.

Those reins were loosened a bit late last week, with firefighters able to perform assessments.

Urgent Openings on PHP DEVELOPER

2011-06-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

Job ID : 48157

Job views : 2

Location : Richmond Hill, Canada

Zip Code :
Job Category :Imformation Technology
Employment Type: Full Time
Salary : Per Month

Posted : 06.01.2011

Occupations

IT-Software Development : Computer-Network Security, Database Development-Administration, Desktop Service and Support, Enterprise Software Implementation & Consulting, General-Other: IT-Software Development, IT Project Management, Network and Server Administration, Software-System Architecture, Software-Web Development, Systems Analysis - IT, Telecommunications Administration-Management, Usability-Information Architecture, Web-UI-UX Design

Job Description :

Anticipated Start Date:As soon as possible

Skill Requirements: Experience: 3 years +

Languages:Good knowledge in written and spoken English and Russian.

Programming Language: HTML, JavaScript, CSS, PHP, mySQL, XML. Experience with other programming languages such as C/C++, AJAX, PEAR, C#, ASP, ASP.NET, FLASH, Python, PERL, RUBY, MSSQL, ORACLE, etc. will be considered an additional asset but are not requirements for the job.

EssentialSkills:Reading text, document use, writing, oral communication, working in team with others, problem solving, ICT decision making, critical thinking, finding information, computer use, continuous learning.

Women over 55 country’s fastest-growing labour market demographic

2011-05-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

VANCOUVER - Paula Bradner was in her mid-50s when she found herself looking for a full-time job.
It was scary at first — the very thought of going up against applicants potentially half her age.

“It makes you feel that it’s not even worthwhile stepping up to the plate,” the West Vancouver resident recalled of her initial concerns.
But Bradner wasn’t without her own competitive strengths.

At 58, she is part of the country’s fastest growing labour force, according to the latest snapshot of Canada’s job market.
Statistics Canada has reported employment among women 55 and older grew by 29,000 in April.

Year-over-year, the numbers are up nearly eight per cent, the fastest employment growth rate of any demographic group.
Employment for so-called core-aged workers 25 to 54 was little changed for women during the past year, and up less than two per cent for men during the same period, the federal agency reported.

“If a woman in her 50s applies for a job, generally speaking, she really, really wants it and she is not using it as a springboard to go on to something else,” Bradner said of her age advantage.

“The generation we come from feels a responsibility to the company we are working for. We feel the obligation to work hard and give back the best way we can, whereas a lot of young people today that I’ve noticed, they never stop looking to move on to a better situation.”

Jan Snell, a Vancouver-based business developer with the staffing firm Hunt Personnel/Temporarily Yours, said she is seeing a definite shift among employers when it comes to hiring women in their 40s and 50.
“We are seeing women in this demographic getting jobs,” Snell said.

Increasingly, employers are seeing the advantage of mature staff. Older workers are more likely to remain in a job longer than the more-mobile generation of 20- and 30-somethings, and often bring a whole host of valuable life and professional skills to the job, Snell said.
Not that ageism doesn’t still exist.
“It’s definitely alive and well,” she said, noting a common misconception that older workers returning to the workforce are somehow less committed and less likely to keep up with technology and other demands of the office.
“There are a lot of pre-conceived notions out there, usually coming from younger managers who don’t understand,” she said.
It’s up to the job seeker to help dispel those ideas with a resumé that highlights their experience within the modern workforce, including updated computer and social media skills.

Listing a work history that dates beyond a decade is “the worst thing” an older worker can do, Snell said. Too often “they are nixed before they even get in the door.”
Jan Mansfield, 59, said she was uncertain what attitude she would find when she jumped back into the labour market in her mid-50s after taking time off to raise her children.

The former journalist turned communications professional said she had trepidations about how she would be perceived by younger clients and colleagues, and initially struggled to maintain her confidence.
That she wasn’t alone in her struggle proved an enormous comfort. She sought, and found, support among other professional women of a similar age and, today, runs a successful freelance career that includes managing communications for the provincial sporting agency, Team BC.

“I find that my friends my age, we don’t sweat the small stuff. We have the history and the experience to be able to put things into perspective and I think that is the most important thing that we can bring to any situation,” she said.
Bradner, too, recently found work after completing a course in Vancouver run by the Minerva Foundation tailored to get professional women back into the workforce.
The course, she said, gave her both the tools and the confidence to identify and land her dream job, coordinating events and promotions with the Dairy Farmers of Canada.
“It’s given me a whole bunch more self-esteem than I was operating on before. I love my brain working at this level again. I love the challenge,” she said.
“Sometimes I pinch myself and think, ‘Is this really happening?’.”

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the PM require Libyan mission extended

2011-05-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is planning to extend the Canadian military mission in Libya, saying that although progress has been made against the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, more needs to be done.

Warplanes, like the Canadian CF-18 shown taking off, have dropped 240 laser-guided bombs on Libyan targets. PM Harper says the Canadian Military will remain in the Libyan air campaign.

As the G8 summit wrapped on Friday in Deauville, France, Harper said he would ask Parliament in June to agree to an extension of the mission.

"We've had good, strong support across parties in Parliament for this mission," Harper said.

"I would hope now that we continue to have it here, internationally… I hope that would encourage Parliament to continue to support the actions of the Canadian Forces."

The House of Commons approved a three-month operation in mid-March.

NATO's involvement in the North African nation was a hotly debated topic around the G8 table, as the Russians have been critical about what they called an excessive use of force by NATO and urged a quick end to hostilities.

But all eight leaders agreed Friday that the Gadhafi regime needed to be ousted.

"Gadhafi and the Libyan government have failed to fulfill their responsibility to protect the Libyan population and have lost all legitimacy," the declaration said.

Warplanes keeping busy over Libyan skies

The military says Canadian warplanes have dropped 240 laser-guided bombs on Libyan targets since March 31.

Brig.-Gen. Richard Blanchette revealed the number of bombs only a week after he had said the information was off limits for "operational security" reasons.

Blanchette said military intelligence and counter-intelligence experts reconsidered the request.

However, despite the revelation of the number of bombs dropped, the cost of those 227- kilogram bombs along with the total cost of the Libyan mission to date remain among aspects of the mission the military deems too sensitive for public consumption.

Dad who killed daughter's boyfriend found guilty

2011-05-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

A jury has found 54 year's old Kim Walker of Yorkton, Sask., guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of his daughter's boyfriend 8 years ago.

Shortly after shooting and killing his daughter's boyfriend, Kim Walker

The twelve jury's could have found Walker guilty of 2nd degree murder, but opted for the less-serious charge.

For a 2nd degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no parole for at least 10 years, where as manslaughter with a firearm is punished by a min of 4 years in prison and a maximum life.

"I'm completely disgusted right now. I don't even know what to say," said Dan Hayward, brother of the shooting victim, 24-year-old James Hayward. "It just goes to show the gullibility of people and that you can trespass in a man's house and shoot him five times in front of everybody and it doesn't matter."

Walker, who had been free on bail during his trial, was remanded into custody and is to appear in court Friday for the start of his sentencing hearing.

His lawyer said he will ask for a sentence of time already served, since Walker already spent more than three years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder in his first trial in the case. That conviction was overturned last year.

The Crown said it will press the judge to keep Walker, a career welder, behind bars, arguing that he committed a very serious crime.

Nearly 24 hours of deliberations

The jury arrived at its verdict at the end of their third day of deliberations.
Earlier Thursday, the seven men and five women had reassembled in the courtroom to ask to review Walker's trial testimony.

Judge Ellen Gunn approved the request, but said they would have to listen to the entire recording of Walker's testimony, which lasted more than two hours.
Walker's daughter, Jadah Walker, saw the resulting verdict in a positive light.
"In this situation, this is not the worst-case scenario for us," she said. "There's a lot of fight left in us, and we're ready to go."

During the trial, which began May 9, Walker's lawyers argued he acted in self-defence when he shot James Hayward in 2003.
Hayward was Jadah Walker's boyfriend and the man her father blamed for getting her hooked on drugs.

The court heard that Jadah, who was 16 years old at the time, had moved in with Hayward and become addicted to morphine and other substances.

Walker went to Hayward's house in Yorkton, a city of about 15,000 people in southeast Saskatchewan, on March 17, 2003. He was armed with a pistol, and several eyewitnesses, including his daughter, identified him as the shooter.

Walker testified he experienced memory loss and can't remember the actual shooting, but said he recalled seeing Hayward coming at him with his fist raised just before it happened.

Ten bullets were fired, five of them striking Hayward, killing him almost instantly, court heard. The Crown said it was murder because Walker acted deliberately against the unarmed Hayward.

Second trial

Jadah Walker, now 24, attended the trial in support of her father, who she hoped would be acquitted. Also a constant presence at the proceedings was Hayward's mother, Lorrie Getty, who said she was confident the jury would find Kim Walker guilty of murder. The two families exchanged heated words outside the courthouse after the verdict was handed down Thursday afternoon.

This was Walker's second murder trial in Hayward's death. In his first trial, in 2007, he was convicted of second-degree, but the verdict was thrown out last June on appeal and a new trial ordered. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal said a "fatal error" had been made when certain discussions were held between lawyers and the judge without Walker being present.

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People could use a little reconnecting to the farm

2011-05-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

The case of watermelons are spontaneously exploding in Chinese fields made headlines recently. This coming weekend marks the annual Rural Romp in the Wellington County – a county-wide food and farming open house of sorts. These two events are worlds apart, yet to me, they are both part of the complex network our global food system has become.

Reconnecting to the farm

Most of the Canadian farmers feel that agriculture is mis-understood and that the general public doesn’t “get” what they do. And they’re often a little amazed at how much people are don’t know, especially about things that those of us in the food and farming world take for granted.

How could they not know that oranges don’t grow in Canada, why we spray to control weeds and pests, and that there is a season for sweet corn and peaches? My response to that is often the opposite – how could they possibly know when there’s little chance to learn?

Most Canadians are several generations removed from the farm, meaning we have very little direct connection to the land, the crops that are grown on it and the hard work – and yes, science – that goes into coaxing, for example, a small seed potato to grow and ultimately end up on our plates as mashed potatoes or fries. Our schools generally don’t teach agriculture and most have eliminated any food or home economics classes that used to be a standard offering.

Our modern, globalized world means we have strawberries and asparagus year-round, and we enjoy a steady supply of citrus, bananas, mangos and all manner of other produce in our grocery stores — fruits and vegetables we used to only read about or see on special occasions.

Most Canadians do want to know more about where their food comes from. Consumer attitudes research by Ipsos Reid consistently shows that consumers have questions and that they are interested in answers to those questions.

For many farmers, it is enough to just keep up with the day-to-day responsibilities of running a farm and staying on top of the paperwork required to comply with the many rules, regulations and compliance programs that must be followed. Yet increasingly, more and more are taking the time to reach out and make that consumer connection in a variety of ways.

Spring means the re-opening of market gardens and farmers’ markets, of grown-in-Ontario produce at local food shops and of buy-direct opportunities offered by farmers. Local food maps provide the chance to visit farms and markets and experience food and farming (and farmers) up close.

Here are home, we have a unique chance to get up close and personal with agriculture this Saturday with the Rural Romp. It’s a self-guided annual tour of more than a dozen farms and local food markets throughout Wellington County — a perfect opportunity to ask food questions and learn why the exploding Chinese watermelon story is one we don’t really have to worry about here.

Other farmers are turning to social media to virtually throw open their farm gates to the public. Trevor Herrle-Braun, a Waterloo Region fruit and vegetable farmer, is one such example. Tweeting as @HerrlesMarket since March 2010, he became interested in social media as a way to connect with his customers outside of business hours, answer questions, respond to problems and be transparent in the community.

Twitter lets him put personal elements into his business, he told me recently, while educating customers and community about agriculture in a high-tech region, how vegetables grow, what’s in season, and sharing the stresses, triumphs and fails of being a farmer. He currently has over 1,300 followers.

One of my most frequent comments about food and farming is how lucky we are to live where we do and have access to such a wide array of great, locally produced food. And we’re just as lucky to have farmers in the region who are willing to let us re-connect with that food, learn how it is grown and are doing their best to ensure its safety.

Sony reports another online security breach

2011-05-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Sony has suffered another online security breach, this time for 2,000 customers of its Sony Ericsson joint venture in Canada, the latest in a series of hacker attacks against the electronics and entertainment company.

Sony Corp. spokesman Atsuo Omagari said Wednesday that names, e-mail and encrypted passwords may have been stolen from Sony Ericsson Canada website, but no credit card information was taken.

There have been no reports of damage from the security breach, discovered Tuesday evening, and the server was shut down, he said. An investigation was under way, and other details were not immediately available.

Sony Ericsson is a mobile phone maker that is a joint venture between L.M. Ericsson of Sweden and Sony.

On Tuesday, Sony was said it found a security breach affecting 8,500 user accounts in a music entertainment website in Greece, involving names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Tokyo-based Sony has been battling production will delays and sales losses after supplier factories were damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

Bracing for a national postal strike

2011-05-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

That birthday parcel expected this week from your aunt in Winnipeg might be delayed.

Those wedding invitations may have hit a glitch, and the cable bill might go missing for a while.

But the question becomes: with the proliferation of email will most Canadians really notice if 45,000 postal workers walk off their jobs this week?

Canada’s unionized postal workers are in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. But negotiations are continuing and both union and management have promised to provide 72 hours notice of a work stoppage, so it is hard to say when or if the mail will come to a halt.

Local 548 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers represents some 1,350 workers in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Dundas, Ancaster and Stoney Creek, who are bracing for the first postal strike since 1997. That last strike lasted two weeks before employees were ordered back to work by the government.

Canada Post Website

Mark Platt, president of Local 548 said that, like last time, striking postal workers will come off the picket lines to ensure that all government pension and welfare and child benefit cheques are delivered.

Some 7,000 rural mail carriers are in a separate union and would still remain on the job, although there is some question just how much mail would still get out in the event of a strike.

Platt said the main issues concern management changes to sick time, a two-tier pay grid that would pay new employees less, and modernization changes. The union also wants to see an expansion in door-to-door delivery. Most postal workers earn about $24 an hour, and are looking at a four-year contract that boost wages by just over seven percent over the length of the contract.

Platt believes the mail is likely to come to a stop.

“I’m just literally waiting for the call. I have my cellphone on and it’s like when I get my call, then 72 hours hence is when we’re going to go,” he said.

The City of Hamilton had originally announced a contingency plan for Ontario Works/Ontario Disability Support Payment recipients. But given the union assurances that cheques will be delivered, city manager Chris Murray said the plan to have Ontario Works recipients pick up cheques at the Hamilton Convention Centre has been scrapped.

But Murray said the city is concerned about how to ensure property tax bills are delivered. He said the city plans to unveil a strategy on that front later Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Horizon Utilities has placed newspaper ads advising customers to register for online access and paperless billing through the company website.

Horizon Utilities will also try to have utility bills hand delivered to their service locations for customers who choose not to use paperless billing.

Platt believes Hamiltonians will feel the impact in the event of a postal strike.

“What we see with the mail is whether it is big business, small business or a home business, because the Internet and computers aren’t reliable, people always back it up with a paper trial, they always do,” he said.

Platt said Canada Post still processes 11 billion pieces of mail each year. “It’s still a significant amount,” he said.