PRESS RELEASE: 

The text below describes an upcoming performance by two award winning Sami performers from Norway. They are in Canada to participate in Winterlude in Ottawa and to perform in Montreal. In addition to the performance below, there will also be an afternoon school performance at a local school in Lachine. For interviews or to attend the performances, please use the contact information below.

The Norwegian Embassy is proud to promote the strong ties between Canada and Norway, and our common commitment to the High North, its people and resources.

AWARD WINNING STORYTELLERS FROM NORWAY TO MONTREAL

For the first time in Canada, the two acclaimed performers Stina Fagertun and Anita Barth-Jørgensen will be sharing some of Norway’s most exciting cultural traditions. Through stories, legends and music you will be transported to the arctic landscapes of Northern Norway and immersed in the regions rich history and heritage. 

More of Prof. Grubel’s important research below the fold.

International student fees questioned
Erick Maleko, The Gauntlet

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, comprised of 26 students’ unions accross Canada, is lobbying the federal government to reduce fees for international students. The federal government and university administration say international students are not taxpayers, and therefore should not receive subsidized rates for tuition.

International students pay tuition fees three times higher than domestic students. Additionally, most student visas do not come with a multiple entry permit. Each time a student leaves the country the student has to re-apply for another visa. International students are also not allowed to work off-campus unless they have a work permit visa, an application process that costs $150.

These difficulties are faced by the 190,000 international students attending post-secondary institutions across Canada.

Newcomers finding diversity policies aren’t working

TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2012 /CNW/ - Despite their good intentions, Canadian employers have been slow to embrace diversity.  A new study of Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) found that fewer than half (49 per cent) work in companies that have policies welcoming new Canadians.

The 5th annual research study of IEPs and local employers was commissioned by the Progress Career Planning Institute (PCPI).

“While employers recognize the value of hiring new Canadians in our global economy, we’re finding workplace diversity and recruitment policies lack the bite needed to really make a difference,” said Silma Roddau, President of PCPI. “IEPs recognize they are responsible for learning about the Canadian workplace, but employers also need to do more to welcome new Canadians and workers from different cultures.”

The study, “PROGRESS: IEPs’ Experience Matters“, focuses on the experience of mid-career IEPs, or those with six to 15 years experience in the workplace. A total of 560 IEPs were surveyed, of which 238 are employed and 322 unemployed. A total of 24 Toronto region employers in small, medium and large, public, private and non-profit sectors were also surveyed. The study found that IEPs and employers have different views on how well diversity programs are working:

• 34 per cent of working IEPs said their employers do not have the resources to address workplace cultural and new Canadian issues.
• 71 per cent of employers say their diversity programs have been successful or very successful.
• Only 45 per cent of employers have a method of assessing credentials, including interviews, testing, World Education Services (WES) demonstration of skills and background and reference checks.

Trial begins for accused in Port Perry murder

Failed immigration bid sparked dispute, court hears

Nguyen will get his wish to stay in Canada after all

OSHAWA — A failed immigration bid was at the heart of a dispute that led to a Port Perry shooting that left one man dead and another wounded, a jury heard as a trial began Thursday in Oshawa.

Danny Nguyen was being pressured to repay money he’d been given to marry a Chinese woman so she could move to Canada, Crown attorney Kent Saliwonchyk said in summing up what he expects to be heard as evidence during the trial. But the deal fell through when federal officials held the marriage up, he said.

It’s anticipated jurors will hear that Andrew Lee Shue was assigned the task of recovering the money, and that he enlisted the help of Frank Lee, who knew Mr. Nguyen from the poker tables at the Great Blue Heron casino, Mr. Saliwonchyk said.

Evidence will show the two men tracked Mr. Nguyen down at the casino on March 4, 2010, and that a dispute over the money ensued, Mr. Saliwonchyk said. It’s alleged the three men went to Mr. Nguyen’s apartment on Scugog Street, where he kept documents relating to the immigration case.

And it was there that Mr. Nguyen opened fire on the two men, killing Mr. Lee Shue and wounding Mr. Lee, who escaped after a struggle with Mr. Nguyen, the prosecutor said.