The kirpan, which is a stylized representation of a sword, will be allowed in public areas of Toronto courthouses subject to certain conditions.

The kirpan, the Sikh ceremonial dagger

Sikhs’ ceremonial daggers now allowed in Toronto courthouses

Published On Wed, 16 May 2012

Curtis Rush
Police Reporter

Toronto has become the first city in Canada to develop a formal policy allowing Sikhs to bring their ceremonial daggers into its courthouses.

The kirpan, which is a stylized representation of a sword, will be allowed in public areas of Toronto courthouses subject to certain conditions.

For instance, the court officer must be informed the person is a Khalsa Sikh, which is an initiated Sikh, and that they are carrying a kirpan.

Trevor Edwards pleaded guilty in Newmarket court Monday to a dozen charges, including extortion, unlawful confinement, obstructing a police officer and assault.

Tarantino-esque chase ends in guilty plea
Published On Mon, 14 May 2012

Trevor Edwards pleaded guilty in Newmarket court Monday to a dozen charges, including extortion, unlawful confinement, obstructing a police officer and assault.
Peter Edwards
Staff Reporter

Trevor Samuel Edwards’ life was playing out like a Quentin Tarantino movie.

The Markham man was driving hard in July 2010, trying to catch up with his former lover, who had fled him at the wheel of his black C Class Mercedes.

Making her flight all the more troubling for Edwards, 42, was the fact that he had stashed $50,000 cash in a shoebox in the Mercedes’ trunk before she hit the road.

A crowd protests changes to the province's immigration rules in front of Saskatchewan’s legislature on Tuesday. Photo Credit: Whitney Stinson , Global News

Canadian flag waving crowd protests changes to Saskatchewan immigration rules
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 4:11 PM

A crowd protests changes to the province’s immigration rules in front of Saskatchewan’s legislature on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: Whitney Stinson , Global News

A crowd waved Canadian flags in front of the Saskatchewan legislature to protest changes to the province’s immigration rules.

They say the changes announced earlier this month without notice or a phased-in period are a betrayal.

Under the new rules, someone in Saskatchewan can nominate only one family member at a time instead of nominating multiple relatives.

Family category nominees also require a high-skill job offer.

Pirubhai Garasiya immigrated from India in 1994, then moved from Ontario to Saskatchewan in 2010 because of the immigration program.

Garasiya wants to bring his only son to Canada, but worries that may not happen now because his son doesn’t have a job offer.

Jermaine Douglas-Jackson, 22, is wanted by police in connection with the alleged assault of an officer Monday. SUPPLIED PHOTO

Toronto police warn public after officer assaulted
Published On Mon, 14 May 2012

Jermaine Douglas-Jackson, 22, is wanted by police in connection with the alleged assault of an officer Monday.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
Graham Slaughter
Staff Reporter

Police issued a public safety alert after a man allegedly assaulted an officer and resisted arrest on Monday.

Jermaine Douglas-Edwards, 22, is described as a black male with a medium build who stands at 5-10. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and no shirt.

Douglas-Edwards faces charges of assault, resisting arrest, disarming a peace officer and escape of lawful custody

Police ask the public not to approach Douglas-Edwards, but to contact police immediately if he is seen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at the 53 Division at 416-808-5300 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222 TIPS (8477).

Princess Basma (formerly Basma Hasan) is third from left in this handout photo. Photograph by: Canadian Press, Handout

Princess Basmah al Hussein, formerly Basmah Hasan of Stratford and Prince Hamzah Al Hussein of Jordan at their wedding ceremony in Amman. BALKIS PRESS…

Daredevil Canadian acrobatic pilot becomes member of Jordan’s royal family
By: Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press 
Posted: 3:02 AM | Comments: 1 (including replies) | Last Modified: 6:39 AM

OTTAWA – A barnstorming Stratford, Ont. woman with a daredevil streak and a passion for adventure has quietly become a member of Jordan’s royal family.

Aerobatic pilot Basmah Hasan became Princess Basmah in January after she wed Prince Hamzah of Jordan’s Hashemite royal family.

Hamzah is the son of the late King Hussein and his American-born wife, Queen Noor, and a senior officer in Jordan’s armed forces. He is the half-brother of the current King, Abdullah II, and for a short time had been Crown Prince before being replaced by his nephew in 2004.

Police and military personnel wear surgical masks as they board the MV Sun Sea after it was escorted into CFB Esquimalt in Colwood, B.C.,Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. Two people have been charged with helping to smuggle a ship full of Tamil migrants into Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Two charged with helping to smuggle migrants to Canada aboard ship
By: The Canadian Press
Posted: 4:31 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies) | Last Modified: 4:37 PM

Police and military personnel wear surgical masks as they board the MV Sun Sea after it was escorted into CFB Esquimalt in Colwood, B.C.,Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. Two people have been charged with helping to smuggle a ship full of Tamil migrants into Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VANCOUVER – Two people have been charged with helping to smuggle a ship full of Tamil migrants into Canada.

Lesly Jana Emmanuel and Kunarobinson Christhurajah are accused of organizing and aiding in the operation that brought 492 Tamils by boat to British Columbia’s coast.

The rusty MV Sun Sea landed off Victoria in August 2010 with the refugee claimants on board.

The court indictment against the pair says they planned their crimes between August 2009 and August 2010 in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand.

The Canadian government has launched an extradition request for a third man charged with similar offences and arrested in France.

Six men from the ship remain in detention almost two years after they landed, while 19 passengers have been issued deportation orders and six people have been accepted as refugees.

Rustem Tursunbayev, Facebook

Kazakhstan asks Canada to extradite millionaire accused of stealing from state-owned nuclear agency
Adrian Humphreys May 14, 2012 – 12:58 PM ET

TORONTO — Kazakhstan has made an official request for the arrest and extradition of a millionaire businessman — accused of stripping assets from the state-owned nuclear company in his homeland before fleeing to Toronto — but the revelation hurts and helps his fight for freedom in equal measure.

The Federal Court of Canada issued a rebuke against the Canada Border Services Agency for telling an immigration tribunal it did not know if an extradition request had been made for Rustem Tursunbayev when, in fact, it knew there had been.

Justice Anne Mactavish ordered Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board to hold a fresh detention review hearing for Mr. Tursunbayev, a hearing that continues on Monday.

(…)

Samsu Mia, left, with his son Mostofa and daughter Meenara Akter, at their new restaurant. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

Ottawa refugee opens new restaurant
CBC News Posted: May 15, 2012 9:52 AM ET Last Updated: May 15, 2012 12:08 PM ET
Samsu Mia, left, with his son Mostofa and daughter Meenara Akter, at their new restaurant. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

A man who took refuge in an Ottawa church nearly a decade ago to avoid deportation has opened his own restaurant in the city’s west end.

Samsu Mia took sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church in 2003 fearing for his life after he criticized a government official in his home country of Bangladesh.

The church gave him refuge for 18 months until he was granted a ministerial permit to stay in Canada in 2004.

Toronto police are investigating a fatal crash involving a taxi and a skateboarder near King and Jarvis streets. (CBC

Taxi driver charged with 2nd-degree murder of skateboarder
CBC News Posted: May 15, 2012 8:57 AM ET Last Updated: May 15, 2012 1:56 PM ET
Toronto police are investigating a fatal crash involving a taxi and a skateboarder near King and Jarvis streets. (CBC)

A Toronto taxi driver has been charged with second-degree murder after a skateboarder was killed in a collision on Monday.

Adib Ibrahim, 43, was charged after police were called to investigate a collision at the intersection of King Street East and George Street just after 6 p.m. ET.

The skateboarder, identified as 28-year-old Ralph Bissonnette, was thrown to the curb and his skateboard snapped in two. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The circumstances surrounding the collision are not clear.

Homicide detectives are now leading the investigation and are asking witnesses to come forward.

Ibrahim was remanded into custody after appearing in court on Tuesday. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 22.

Friends and fellow cab drivers gathered in court on Tuesday, in support of the accused.

A driver named Elias Abrahim told CBC News that Ibrahim has been driving a cab for 15 years and is originally from Ethiopia. He has a wife and two children and lives in the west end of the city.

Abrahim said his friend’s long service as a cab driver is a testament to his careful nature on the road.

“I told you he’s been driving over 15 years, this shows you how much [of a] careful driver he is,” he said.

__________

Immigration office won’t be missed

Tina Khanjin

BARRIE – Closing the Barrie immigration office was a right thing to do, and we can go back to the times when newcomers were invited to the City Hall to write citizenship tests and be congratulated by the city and immigration officials.
For many immigrants, especially for those who came from the countries where they would never be allowed to visit government offices, it was an exciting ceremony, and they appreciated the attention to them.
Moving the procedure from the beautiful City Hall to a small space in the simple building did not improve the service at all.
Those who attended the Barrie immigration office, other than for getting a permanent resident card, know well that the staff there had no access to the files and all they could do is to give the phone number of the general automated immigration service.
In the past, the Orillia office was much more helpful in this respect. They did help to obtain work permits, and they were able to access the files and help people in many respects.
It is too expensive for taxpayers to keep several full time government employees to give out information that is available on internet.

By Dean Pritchard

A Chinese immigrant arrested working on a massive rural dope farm has been sentenced to two years house arrest.

Goon Kim Wong, 61, pleaded guilty to a single count of production of marijuana. Wong was one of 28 Asian immigrants arrested at the Sundown area farm in October 2005 and the last to be dealt with by the courts.

Court heard police seized 11,000 plants and 2,700 pounds of harvested marijuana worth at least $10 million.

When police raided the farm property, they found the 28 accused in a small house sleeping “head-to-foot, side-to-side,” said Crown attorney Geoff Bayly.

Wong is one of only three accused to be convicted in connection with the operation. Prosecutors stayed charges against 20 co-accused, while another five were acquitted at trial.

Many of the accused were recruited from Toronto’s Chinatown district and did not know they were harvesting marijuana while others felt trapped with no means of escape from the farm, Bayly said.

Prosecutors had evidence Wong may have had a supervisory role at the farm but agreed to a plea bargain due to witness translation issues, Bayly said.

Wong spent over 20 years working as a cook in Toronto and came to Sundown hoping to earn money for his children’s university education, said defence lawyer Rob Tsang.

“He was trying to help his children make a better life for themselves,” Tsang said.

Simon Wong, the man police allege ran the dope farm, has never been arrested. After the bust he boarded a Winnipeg plane bound for British Columbia and disappeared.

Brampton teacher charged with sexually assaulting student
Published 35 minutes ago

Dylan C. Robertson
Staff Reporter

Police have arrested a Brampton teacher following allegations of sexual assault involving a former student.

David Lang, 29, is charged with sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and sexual assault.

He was held for a bail hearing and will appear in Brampton court on June 4.

Lang is a teacher at Cheyne Middle School in Brampton. He has spent the past three years with the Peel District School Board, and also taught at Fairwind Public School in Mississauga and Williams Parkway Senior Public School in Brampton.

He was arrested following a complaint from a 13-year-old girl, who is a former student.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (905) 453-2121, ext. 3460 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).