Speaking in tongues: census 2011 reveals Canada’s language diversity
By The Canadian Press October 24, 2012 8:02 AM

OTTAWA – Selected highlights from Wednesday’s Statistics Canada release of 2011 census data, focused on language:

— One in five Canadians — some 6.6 million people — reported speaking a language other than English or French at home; 191 distinct languages were among those identified as either a mother tongue or a home language.

— Nearly 10 million people said they could conduct a conversation in French, up from 9.6 million five years earlier; however, as a proportion of the population, those able to speak French slipped to 30.1 per cent, down from 30.7 per cent in 2006.

— Nearly seven million Canadians said they speak French most often at home, a modest increase over 2006, but comprising just 21 per cent of the population — down from 21.4 per cent five years ago.

Census: Immigration altering Canada’s language landscape

By Mark Kennedy, Postmedia News October 24, 2012 11:51 AM

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OTTAWA — Canada is steadily becoming a nation of many languages, as recent waves of immigration turn the country’s main cities into a translator’s paradise. Results from the 2011 Census, released Wednesday, found that one in five people spoke a language other than French or English in their homes.

A kitchen accident left Basma Hameed badly scarred when she was two. (CBC)

Childhood scars spur tattoo artist to help others

Founder and owner of Basma Hameed Clinic (BHC)

CBC News Posted: May 8, 2012 6:24 PM ET Last Updated: May 9, 2012 2:45 PM ET

A kitchen accident left Basma Hameed badly scarred when she was two. (CBC)

After a horrific childhood accident left Basma Hameed badly scarred, the Toronto tattoo artisan took matters into her own hands. She taught herself the tattoo techniques to conceal her scar and is now offering free help to those with similar scars but no money for expensive surgeries.

Her story began when she was just two years old. While playing with her brother in the kitchen of the family’s home in Iraq, a pan filled with hot oil fell from a stove top onto Hameed’s face. The accident left the left side of her face badly burned. Raw, red tissue extended from her left eyebrow to her jaw line and her eye was seared shut.

Sex offender denied refugee status
By Tom Godfrey ,Toronto Sun 
First posted: Monday, May 21, 2012 05:12 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, May 21, 2012 05:14 PM EDT

An Iranian man convicted of molesting three women has lost his bid for refugee status and will be deported to the United States where the crimes occurred.

The man, who has not been identified by an Immigration and Refugee Board, filed a claim at the Canadian border with his wife and their two children, who were accepted as claimants.