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Ottawa Star The Voice of New Canadians www.OttawaStar.com • December 1, 2014 • Volume 2, Issue 6
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Last year’s passport fee hike poured millions more into federal coffers Canadians paid $462.5 million in passport fees last year, but it cost the government only $256.5 million By Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press
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TTAWA—A hike in passport fees has turned out to be a cash cow for the federal government, but Canadians won’t be getting any cash back as a result. Recently released figures show Canadians paid $462.5 million in passport fees last year, but it cost the government only $256.5 million to produce the necessary documents. The way Passport Canada’s funds are managed allows it to simply bank the rest, Citizenship and Immigration spokesperson Nancy Caron said in an email. “We are not forecasting any change to passport fees to cover revolving fund requirements at this time,’’ Caron said. The cost for a five-year passport increased to $120 from $87 last year, while a new 10-year passport was introduced at a cost of $160. Approximately 4.9 million passports were issued in 2013-2014, which government records suggest is down slightly from the year before. In 2012-2013, passport fees on 5.1 million passports brought in $312.5 million at a cost of $333.5 million to the government. When the fee increases were introduced, Passport Canada said they were essential. “At a time when Canadians are increasingly concerned about identity fraud, Passport Canada is quickly reaching a point where not only will new advancements be impossible, but the organization’s ability to maintain current operations will be jeopardized,’’ the agency said when it outlined the new fee structure. Continued on page 10
An El-Funoun artist at their debut performance in Ottawa. Story on Page 3
Dubai selling fun, sun and plastic surgery to vacationers in new medical tourism bid 120,000 medical tourists generated revenue of $200 million in 2013 By Aya Batrawy, The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates— Dubai, the emirate known for its celebration of over-the-top glamour and luxury, is racing ahead to dominate the Middle East’s plastic surgery
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market with plans to attract half a million medical tourists in six years. Where cosmopolitan Beirut was once the region’s best known city for going under the knife, turmoil in Syria and violence often spilling into Lebanon is driving away wealthy
Arab tourists. After splashing out on medical infrastructure over the past years, Dubai already ranks globally and aims to move up the list of top international destinations for medical tourism. Continued on page 14
Space station’s 3-D printer pops out 1st creation, A sample replacement part for itself By Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press
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Photo: PGA
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—The first 3-D printer in space has popped out its first creation. The 3-D printer delivered to the International Space Station two months ago made a sample part for itself during last week on November.
It churned out a faceplate for the print head casing. Space station commander Butch Wilmore removed the small plastic creation from the printer Nov 25 for eventual return to Earth. About 20 objects will be printed in the next few weeks for analysis back home, NASA Continued on page 14
First output from the 3-D printer in space Photo: Made In Space, Inc