Ottawa Star - Volume 1 Issue 17

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Ottawa Star The Voice of New Canadians www.OttawaStar.com • May 1, 2014 • Volume 1, Issue 17

For Canada & World News visit Ottawa Star.com

Ottawa proposes new target benefit pension scheme instead of CPP changes

The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz

Ottawa high school student Céline Sayed collected 1,025 pairs of jeans to donate to organizations in need across the city. Story on Page 5.

By Linda Nguyen, The Canadian Press

TORONTO—Ottawa unveiled a third option for pension plans April 24, touting it as the best way to secure a retirement for more Canadians rather than move towards expanding the national Canada Pension Plan, as some provinces like Ontario have long wanted.

The federal government said the targetbenefit plan, also known as the shared-risk plan, can be a middle ground between definedbenefit plans, generally favoured by workers, and defined-contribution plans, which are favoured by employers.

It’s billing the new framework as a “sustainable and flexible’’ option, which will only be available for Crown corporations and federally-regulated workers that are generally in the transportation, banking and telecommunications sectors.

“We need to have a third option,’’ said Kevin Sorenson, minister of state for finance, following a speech at the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto.

“We are not picking and choosing for Canadians. We want the defined-benefit plan there as a choice, we want the defined-contribution plan to be an option and we want the target-benefit plan to be an option.’’

Continued on page 10

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n World

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Photo: Samantha Ammoun.

A look at predictions of the 1964 New York World’s Fair Some were hits, others misses

By The Associated Press

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EW YORK—The New York World’s Fair of 1964 introduced 51 million visitors to a range of technological innovations and predictions during its run. Fifty years later, some of those ideas have turned out to be commonplace in our world.

Others? Not so much.

Continued on page 12

New York World’s Fair August 1964

Photo: Wikipedia

Replace temporary foreign workers program with immigration, incentives

By Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—How to solve a problem like the federal government’s scandal-plagued temporary foreign workers program?

Economists and immigration experts say there are solutions at hand as the Conservatives grapple with controversies involving temporary foreign workers.

“We have to figure out what we want as a labour market in the end,’’

David Green, an economics professor at the University of British Columbia who specializes in wage and employment issues, said in an interview April 22.

“Are these workers truly needed in some sectors? There’s a tendency for nonContinued on page 6

PAGE 2 • www.OttawaStar.com

Community

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Fighting deportation

By Aaron L. Pope

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n 2009 Deepan Budlakoti would have been considered nothing more than a common criminal. An unstable family life coupled with questionable acquaintances led to his eventual arrest and trial.

No doubt he knew what he was doing was wrong and could land him in prison, but he couldn’t have guessed that he might be facing a punishment far more severe than a stay in the penitentiary.

“The Government of Canada is seeking to have Budlakoti deported based on his criminal past as well as the circumstances surrounding his birth,” said Alexis Pavlich, the press secretary for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. “This convicted criminal has never been a Canadian citizen. He should not have chosen a life of crime if he did not want to be deported from Canada.”

It’s a good thing Budlakoti was arrested, tried and sentenced when he was, because he is young enough to have the chance to turn his life around. And isn’t rehabilitation a cornerstone of Canadian justice?

But the government seems to be hell bent on sending him to India – perhaps because they are not convinced of the rehabilitation powers of the justice system.

India, on the other hand, has denied citizenship to Budlakoti because he wasn’t born in India and his parents never attempted to get him an Indian citizenship.

Deepan Budlakoti (right) and his lawyer Yavar Hameed Photo: Aaron Pope

Budlakoti never denied his sordid past. In 2009 he was convicted of break and entry and sentenced to four months in prison. A year later he faced two more charges: one count of trafficking drugs and another count of transfer of firearms.

According to Budlakoti, he pleaded guilty to the charges because he couldn’t afford a legal defense, an unfortunate but common situation for many young people who have run afoul of the law.

“The whole idea of incarceration is to deprive someone of their liberty for a certain amount of time, and in Deepan’s case, he served that amount of time. It’s not to endlessly punish someone,” said Sukanya Pillay, general counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

“He’s not a threat to public safety, and he’s not a threat to national security. He doesn’t meet the criteria for wanting to get rid of somebody.”

Budlakoti was born in October 1989 in an Ottawa hospital. His parents had been employed by the Indian government up until June 1989. They continued to live in Canada and worked for a Canadian employer from then on.

Being of the belief their son enjoyed citizenship based on the Canadian principal of jus soli – right of the soil – his parents never attempted to have him declared a permanent resident because they believed he was Canadian by birth.

If he had been born somewhere else the government would have a solid case

“To my future children”

By Hala Farid

Dear children, his letter was written in March of 2014, way before you little ones were even born. However, I came to writing this letter prior to your existence for a good reason. Things change day by day and so, I felt the need to mention some things in this letter before things continue to drastically change and my memory stops to serve me correctly.

Today, technology has taken its toll and has rapidly advanced - everyone owns some kind of smart phone, tablet, PC, laptop, or electronic device. However, I can only imagine that this technology-based life will continue to take over.

It scares me to even think of the possible devices you guys will be holding in your hands.

What pushed me to write this letter was my experience yesterday at McDonald’s when your aunt and I stopped in for some ice cream. As she stood in line to order, I got us a seat and noticed a family of three sitting across the room.

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The father was on his laptop on Facebook, an online social network; the mother played candy crush, a game often played on Facebook; and the young daughter had her earphones plugged in as she nodded her head to the sound of music from her iPad, (another smart device, don’t worry, I’ll have pictures for clarification.)

You might think, “What’s the big deal?” but, this scenario scared me. No, terrified me. It seemed that although this family was attempting to spend some “family time” together, clearly each member was totally occupied with some sort of electronic device, leaving them absolutely zoned out from their surroundings. I tried not to stare as we all know that’s rude, but my mind would not stop replaying what my eyes had just seen.

Seconds later, my sister returned with our ice cream. I held my cup of ice cream as my imagination carried me 20 years down the road, where I imagined you, MY children. My sister bumped into a friend and chatted away and I continued to imagine the future.

Will my family end up like them?

Will we occupy our time with these silly

devices that never fail to fascinate us and render us addicts of technology? Will we allow technology to program our lives? Will we make time to simply love one another?

As I struggled to formulate answers, I only found myself more puzzled and startled. I shut my eyes for a few seconds and said to myself, “O God, please grant me a future where my children, husband and I will have peacefully play outside, travel, bond with nature and simply have nights of endless laughter.

I passionately want to see my son shooting hoops with his father and my daughter shopping, jogging, and cooking with me (yes, your mother has always been a terrific cook.). Grant us a reasonably paced life in which my family and I will not become reliant on electronic devices for personal satisfaction, rather the love of one another.” I opened my eyes and looked down only to see that my ice cream had melted...

You see, sadly we live in a time where people seem to be connected to the virtual world and surely disconnected from... well,

for deportation. If he overstayed his visa, or tried to work illegally as a foreigner, they would have a case. But Canada is Budlakoti’s home, it is where he grew up, it is where he went to school and it is where his family and friends live.

The fact of the matter is that he’s never lived anywhere else and had he never been arrested, no one would have pursued him as someone worth deporting.

His adult past is problematic – criminal behaviour is not considered a favourable trait in anyone – but banishment is not on the list of acceptable punishments for Canada. It is an over-the-top reaction by a system that has taken a personal interest in making sure the government is never wrong.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is helping Budlakoti on an international level and has submitted a petition to the United Nations on his behalf.

Budlakoti hasn’t run out of options yet and is committed to fighting for his right to remain in his homeland of Canada. He says he will fight for as long as it takes and he is not giving up.

No matter the outcome of this case, the Government of Canada has already lost. By testing the limits of an individual’s rights, they are proving to the country and to the world that they cannot be trusted to uphold Canadian values on their own.

To learn more about Budlakoti’s case visit www.justicefordeepan.org.

life. Life is family and friends. Life is work. Life is nature. Life is connecting and bonding with people. Life is the community. Life is love. Life is where you find inner peace and tranquility.

Life for that little girl is in the sandbox at the park, in gymnastics class, at soccer practice after school or at the movies with her friends. I am not one to judge people by simply observation, and surely I have no idea how their life is like outside McDonald’s, but certainly many families are suffering from the presence of several “essential” devices in their everyday lives. Today felt like a wake-up call to myself first and foremost.

I wish technology can just slow it down a bit but realistically that is not what›s expected to occur in the near future. So promise me to never let it dominate our little family and always allocate time for us to bond and constantly revive family time and traditions.

Although we have yet to meet and I am completely oblivious to your names, genders, and appearances, you must very well know that your mother and father love you unconditionally and will forever cherish every moment spent away from electronics and time/mindoccupying devices.

Sincerely, Your mother at the age of 21.

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Community

Refugee set on life in Canada fights lingering suspicions from 9/11 era arrest

By Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

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TTAWA—A Syrian refugee says his efforts to build a new life in Canada are being stymied by the federal government’s lingering— but long discredited—suspicions about his past.

In a rare interview, Hassan Almrei said his arrest 13 years ago on a national security certificate continues to haunt him, even though the certificate was tossed out in late 2009.

Almrei, 40, has long sought permanent resident status, and he hopes to become a Canadian citizen. But his application is stuck in the system.

He’s had trouble getting a job, finding a spouse or travelling overseas to see his parents. And friends tell Almrei that Canada’s spy agency has been asking about him.

“I cannot move on with my life,’’ Almrei said. “It hurts you inside.’’

Almrei, who lives in Mississauga, just west of Toronto, came to Canada in January 1999 on a false United Arab Emirates passport and attained refugee status the following year.

In the frenzy of October 2001, just after the attacks on New York and Washington, Almrei was arrested under a national security certificate, a seldomused tool for deporting suspected terrorists and spies.

The government argued Almrei’s travel, activities and involvement with phoney documents were consistent with supporters of Osama bin Laden’s alQaida network.

In late 2009 Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley said there were reasonable grounds to believe Almrei was a security danger when detained following 9/11, but there was no longer any reason to cling to that position.

The security certificate system was revamped after the Supreme Court of Canada found aspects were unconstitutional in 2007.

Mosley’s ruling said the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and federal cabinet ministers breached their duties of “good faith and candour’’ to the court by not thoroughly reviewing information on file prior to reissuing the certificate against Almrei under the reworked system in February 2008.

In 2010, Almrei filed a lawsuit, citing “egregious failings and errors’’ on the part of several federal agencies including CSIS. The government countered that the suit should be tossed out, saying Canadian officials acted in good faith in order to protect the public.

The case is still grinding its way through the courts.

As a rule, the spy agency does not publicly confirm or deny its interest in individuals.

Almrei said he’s been unable to find work as a security guard—despite proper certification—because it’s difficult to explain the period when he was locked away.

“If I said I was in jail, good luck with getting hired.’’

The security certificate derailed Almrei’s first attempt to become a permanent resident, but he has revived the effort with the help of lawyer Lorne Waldman.

Almrei’s application on humanitarian and compassionate grounds was approved in principle, but he still had to satisfy the federal government that he was admissible to Canada, Waldman said.

“He received all the clearances except the CSIS clearance.’’

Almrei agreed to let the spy service interview him, but limited the conversation to developments since the certificate was quashed.

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 3 Waldman said CSIS once again began asking about his client’s distant past.

Now the government is trying to use a different section of the immigration law to try to deny Almrei status in Canada, he added.

“If they had some new evidence, they could do whatever they like. But they can’t just do it based upon the same facts.’’

Almrei said CSIS has approached two friends with questions about him in the last year or so.

Waldman is disappointed with the federal stance.

“The government should acknowledge their mistake, accept that Hassan was wronged, give him his permanent resident status, and I think they should also give him compensation,’’ he said.

“It will be for the courts in the end to decide, but I’m certainly going to do my best to see that that happens.’’

Despite a difficult path over the last decade, Almrei remains optimistic.

“I love life. I love people,’’ he said.

“Wherever you put me, I will survive.

Why? Because I like everybody.’’

PAGE 4 • www.OttawaStar.com

Community

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

When You Gotta Certain immigrants appear Go: Campaign for to face ‘unreasonable’ more public toilets hurdles with OAS, critics say

By Ellen O’Connor

By Diana Mehta, The Canadian Press

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ranko Sucic has been waiting a long time for his Old Age Security pension.

His daughter says the 78-year-old has been faced with a barrage of government demands for decades-old documents ever since first applying for the payments in 2004, but 10 years later she feels he’s no closer to getting what he deserves.

“He could die by the time this goes through,’’ said Marianne Rukavina, whose father immigrated to Canada in 1970.

“This is so wrong...and I just want to make it right.’’

Sucic, however, doesn’t seem to be alone - some advocates for seniors and immigrants claim certain applicants who came to Canada from other countries appear to be treated unfairly when they apply for OAS. “This is more particular to people who have come into the country some time through their life and moved in and out of the country apparently,’’ said Susan Eng, a Toronto lawyer and vice-president for advocacy at CARP, a group that defends seniors’ interests.

“I think it’s a practical problem of barriers that are very difficult for people to overcome. If you ask the average citizen whether or not they kept their travel documents from 20 years ago to prove how long they spent some place they would have a hard time coming up with them.’’

Service Canada says OAS payments are available to most people aged 65 or older who meet legal status and residence requirements. Applicants living in Canada typically need to be Canadian citizens or legal residents at the time their application is approved and must have lived in Canada for at least 10 years after turning 18.

To satisfy requirements, all applicants must provide “supporting documentary evidence’’ to prove all the dates they entered and exited the country.

“It is important to establish periods of Canadian residence because, not only does residence

determine eligibility to the OAS pension, it can also affect the amount of pension the applicant will receive,’’ said Eric Morrissette, a spokesman with Employment and Social Development Canada. “An application for an OAS pension cannot be approved until all eligibility requirements have been met.’’

Those dissatisfied with decisions from Service Canada can request a reconsideration of their case but it must be made in writing within 90 days of being notified of the decision.

Sucic’s daughter can’t believe how onerous the process has been for her father, who grew up in what is now Croatia. He left the country for Italy in the late 50s with his wife, before moving to Australia in 1959, where he became a citizen of that country.

He then brought his family to Canada in 1970, where he lived and worked until December 1993, when he moved back to Croatia to support his extended family during the war in former Yugoslavia. He returned to Canada in 1997 and has lived here ever since.

With three failed applications behind them and a fourth underway, Rukavina has now made it her mission to ensure her father succeeds.

In their latest communication with Sucic, Service Canada asked for his exact residences from birth until present, Rukavina said, including her father’s “current address’’ in Australia, despite the fact that he hasn’t been back to the country since 1970.

“This is absolutely insane, the amount of documentation wasted, sent, not acknowledged - the things that they’ve asked for they have received,’’ said Rukavina, who has also raised the case with the office of the minister for employment and social development.

“If this is happening to my dad, there’s other people out there that this is happening to.’’

Ed Janicki would have been in the same situation if not for an old luggage tag he found while rummaging through his mother’s possessions.

The 67-year-old came to Canada with his family at the

age of three from a refugee camp in Germany. Although he got his citizenship in 1955, served in the military and worked in Canada all his life, Service Canada demanded he show proof of his original arrival at a port in Halifax.

Janicki didn’t find any landing papers, but he did find the luggage tag from the family’s journey to Canada which was stamped with the date they landed.

The government accepted the tag as a landing record and allowed his OAS application to proceed, but Janicki wonders what would have happened if that tag hadn’t been saved.

“It just doesn’t make any sense the way this government treats some of the immigrants,’’ he said. “You spend your whole life working, you spend your whole life giving taxes and then they’re going to say we’re going to make you jump through a hoop.’’

Avvy Go, director of Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic in Toronto, said she sees such cases at least a few times a year.

“The OAS issue affects, I think, certain immigrant populations more so than others,’’ she said. “A lot of times we feel that people are being denied in an unreasonable manner.’’

Defining the scope of the problem, however, is tough because there are no official figures available on rejected applications for the OAS pension. The anecdotal evidence that is available though, is enough for advocates to ask questions, said Go. She recounts a case where a husband and a wife who had immigrated to Canada and had exactly the same residency records applied for OAS only to have one spouse denied while the other’s application was accepted.

“They start out with an assumption that certain people are not actually living in Canada and are taking advantage of our benefits,’’ said Go. “This assumption of immigrants and seniors, questioning whether their tie is with Canada or their home country, that really is the issue behind these cases.’’

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regnant mothers, parents with kids, the elderly, tourists, bus users or joggers, and those with disabilities have all had to cross their legs and pray they make it to a bathroom in time. But if you’re away from home, a shopping centre or don’t have access to private bathrooms in a restaurant or cafe, you could be out of luck.

A non profit organization called the GottaGo! Campaign is working to right this wrong by creating a network of safe, accessible and environmentally responsible public toilets in major transit stations, parks and high traffic public spaces.

The campaign officially kicked off in January with an intensive research project to find out the current situation in Ottawa, and how similar organizations and countries have successfully implemented an effective public toilet system, such as in Japan, South Korea, and capital cities in Europe.

The 8-member team has developed a proposal to the City and the National Capital Commission that includes five key points. Arguably their most urgent key point requires building new toilets in major transit stations and the new LRT system.

“We were appalled to discover that the LRT stations have no plans for toilets, except at the end of the line and that’s required by the Ontario Building Code,” said Joan Kuyek, chair of GottaGo! She added that working toilets into the LRT plan and budget will be the focus of their campaign for the next few months.

The other key points call for investing in signage, appropriate staffing, improvements and maintenance for existing public toilets, and to have at least have one 24/7 unisex direct access facility built into public buildings or new commercial developments.

For businesses that do have private washrooms, they suggest providing them with subsidies in return for access, improvements, and clear signage.

New developments should provide for wheelchair/unisex direct access toilets and invest-

ing in adult changing tables for those with disabilities.

“If we don’t have things like that, then you’re caging people.

Our biggest argument is that it may cost a lot of provide capital and operating funds for these things, but if you don’t do it then the social costs are entirely born individuals, people who are afraid to go out,” said Kuyek.

Kuyek and her team have consulted with many key decision makers in the city already, including city councillors, the NCC, Crime Prevention Ottawa, the Ottawa Police Services, and senior organizations.

“The biggest obstacle to having these networks of toilets is in fact the operating cost, not the capital cost,” said Kuyek. “Municipalities can absorb capital cost, but operating costs is another question. To keep them clean and usable you really do have to invest in human labour.”

She added that while the cost may be a challenge, it also presents an opportunity to employ people who may otherwise be on social assistance.

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, the only organizational member of the campaign right now, have been advocating for accessible, public washrooms as part of their own mission, and even developed a Can’t Wait Bathroom Finder phone app a few years ago.

“At one point or another, it affects everyone, not to mention the tourists,” said Sherry Pang, development coordinator for Ontario East. “To not recognize it or do something about it, is a shame. It’s a slap in the face to people with disabilities.”

Pang said that 23,000 people, including 6,000 in Ottawa, are living with Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis. Without public washrooms available, many are reluctant to leave their homes.

“They won’t even use the 417 for a fear of being stuck there, and this is one group of many. It’s not healthy to be so frightened all the time,” said Pang.

Kuyek said the campaign is a five to 10 year project, but they are focusing on getting it into the city budgeting process next year and in the NCC budget now. For more information visit ottawapublictoilets.ca

Community

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 5

A little denim goes a long way

By Samantha Ammoun

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hen Céline Sayed told her parents she wanted to collect jeans as a fundraising campaign at her school, everyone told her the task was never going to be easy.

However, when her classmates began to stack one pair of jeans on top of the other, Sayed had come to a grand total of 1,025 pairs of jeans for women, men, boys and girls, including the latest brand name styles.

“I started the 12th grade and I knew I wanted to do something for my school and for my community, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do yet,” said Sayed, a student from École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité in Ottawa.

“One day, I was watching CBC and they had a program on about homelessness. They were saying how often homeless people die from hypothermia because they don’t have clothes,” she said.

Sayed, who is looking to attend the University of Ottawa in biomedical sciences next fall, began looking at bursaries online and came across a bursary called Teens for Jeans. The bursary asks students to collect jeans and hand them to the American retail company Aeropostale, who in turn distributes the jeans for those in need and give the donor an Aeropostale discount.

Inspired by the Teens for Jeans bursary, Sayed used it has a model to form her own Ottawa campaign to collect jeans and independently distribute them to local organizations.

Kicking off her campaign in early December, Sayed got her school on board then went to organizations including the Youth Service Bureau and the Ottawa Mission to see if they could make use of donated jeans.

Her second task was to then get the attention of her fellow students. Her solution? A chance to win gift cards from stores and brands students love in exchange for donated jeans.

“The idea was great, but getting the gift cards was definitely not an easy

Ottawa high school student Céline Sayed collected 1,025 pairs of jeans to donate to organizations in need across the city. Photo: Samantha Ammoun

task,” said Sayed. “We sent letters and emails, we went to the Rideau center and spent six hours going from store to store and asking them to sponsor the campaign. We had a whole speech prepared and it was rejection after rejection for the first two months.”

However, perseverance soon paid off as Sayed began to receive responses from known retailers, food chains and theatres across the city. Every pair of jeans donated equaled a ticket in a ballot box for a gift card, ranging from Sens tickets to Ray-ban sunglasses.

Is It Time For A Second Opinion?

“We checked [the jeans] out and made sure there were no holes in them and they were washed,” she said. “Some of them were completely new, I could tell because they still had their tags on them and even the stickers with the size too.”

Sayed not only collected hundreds of jeans in only a couple of weeks, but she gained the support of everyone around her, as many of her friends helped her create a depositing area, contact sponsors, and sort and separate the jeans into boxes.

In the coming weeks, Sayed’s jeans will be shipped off to the several orga-

nizations she has been in contact with.

She also plans to pay follow-up visits to the shelters to tour the facilities and ensure that are fitting the organizations’ needs.

“We’re very fortunate, me and my family, to have what we have. I’m not afraid to say it that sometimes I’m spoiled and that I have more than I need, and I just want give that to other people,” she said. “I believe giving them a pair of jeans and not money is another way of saying we’re here for you, someone’s thinking about you and you’re not alone.”

When the markets turn as volatile as they have been in recent years, even the most patient investors may come to question the wisdom of the investment plan that they’ve been following.

I would be pleased to provide you with a personal consultation and second opinion on your portfolio. Call me at 613 239-2881.

Patrick Brooks, Investment Advisor 50 O’Connor Street, Suite 800 Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 patrick.brooks@cibc.ca

Opinion

PAGE 6 • www.OttawaStar.com

Replace temporary foreign workers program with immigration, incentives

Editorial

Elections in India I

vibrant, massive, and festive!

ndia—the world’s largest democracy and second most populous country on earth began its marathon election exercise from April 7, 2014.

India which is made up of 28 states and 7 union territories and with population of more than 1.2 billion will elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha- lower house of parliament, which will then select the country’s next prime minister India’s general election, the largest democratic exercise in history is truly humongous and a logistical marvel .About 814 million voters are eligible to participate—that’s 100 million more than India’s general election in 2009, and more than 100 million voters are first-timers who turned 18 in the last five years. The vast poll will be held in nine phases over a five-week period culminating in May 16 when votes will be counted in a single day. About 11 million polling officials and security personnel will staff 930,000 voting stations during the election period.

India has remained a stable democracy in South Asia and 67 years after its independence on August 15, 1947, has so far seen 15 General Elections which have been largely free and fair.

The immense proliferation of Internet-enabled smartphones with about 900 million subscribers is helping shape India’s elections. Another interesting trend has been the new prominence of rural voters.

Thanks to their mobile savviness they are yearning to be stakeholders in their futures and to fight for more accountable government.

It is estimated that 150 million Indian youth between the ages of 18 to 23 years will cast their vote for the first time. Many of these young, smart and informed Indians who believe in the power of the ballot to change things have cast off the fatalism of their forefathers.

Growing up in an India of fast growth and development, they have more confidence in their culture, identity and language. This youth bulge is motivating candidates to prioritize economic development, as well as increase the importance of social media in campaigns.

Like everything in India this election is not only huge in proportion but also has generated a lot of enthusiasm. There is a festive atmosphere and lots to cheer: a large number of young first-time voters, enthusiasm in cities and villages with men and women, and a determination and confidence to take part despite the heat. For the first time in India’s history, a majority of Indians are connected and engaged.

They know that information is power and are determined not to be taken for a ride.

—Editorial by Sangeetha Arya

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Continued from page 1

economists to think of an economy as a machine, where if you’re missing certain parts, the machine doesn’t work, and certainly businesses want us to regard it that way. But that’s not always the case.’’

Some say the entire program should simply be scrapped in favour of other, simpler ways to tackle supposed labour shortages in provinces and regions that are booming.

Allowing more low-skilled immigrants into Canada and requiring them to settle in regions of the country with labour shortages is one option, says Jeffrey Reitz, an immigration expert at the University of Toronto.

“That would certainly be a possibility since we haven’t been bringing people in on a permanent basis at low-skill levels,’’ Reitz said. “It may be that our economy hinges on having more unskilled workers coming in as permanent immigrants.’’

Larry Hubich, head of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, is calling for something he calls “proactive immigration.’’

“We built this country with the expertise and commitment of immigrant workers,’’ Hubich said.

“So let’s develop a number that’s reasonable and that encourages citizens from other countries to come to Canada to work and set up residence here by providing the supports required to build communities. Often new immigrants end up in remote locations where they don’t have community and they’re isolated; we need to be pro-active in helping them settle here.’’

As well, Hubich said, the government must do a better job ensuring there aren’t Canadian workers who would happily do the jobs filled by temporary foreign workers.

“I don’t know that the government or employers are doing an adequate job of canvassing the domestic work force,’’ he said.

“There is a good body of available labour in Saskatchewan, for example, particularly in First Nations communities. The challenges

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become providing adequate training programs for those workers.’’

Green said the free market must also be allowed to do its work without any government interference.

If a fast-food restaurant in booming Fort McMurray, Alta., refuses to improve wages, enhance working conditions and even boost prices in favour of offering a 99-cent burger, it will suffer the consequences, he said.

If, on the other hand, it offers better pay and finds other ways to hike revenues that don’t involve measly wages, employees will stay put.

“Life could certainly be grand if you’re a Tim Hortons operating in a boom town and you can continue to pay workers low wages, but that’s not the way markets work,’’ he said.

“Oil companies working nearby are willing to pay them so much more, so why would they stay? What the businesses are trying to do is completely rational—who wouldn’t prefer a docile workforce willing to work long hours for low pay and not legally allowed to work anywhere else? But should the government be facilitating that?’’

Dan Kelly, head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the temporary foreign worker program should become part of a broader, economically focused immigration system.

“Some of the ways out of jail here would be to allow all temporary foreign workers a pathway to permanent residency. Let them work here for two to four years, gain skills and experience, and then flip them to permanent residence.’’

Kelly also called on the government to require that for every temporary foreign worker it employs, a company must hire a Canadian worker at the same wage level, demonstrating that their wages are truly attractive and they aren’t driving down income levels.

“But the only way you could scrap the program entirely would be to fix the permanent immigration system and allow employers access to immigrants of all skill levels,’’ he said.

“Unfortunately, that’s not on the table—even though we really need to fill low-skill jobs, too—because it would violate the so-called Canadian consensus that we only want to attract the best and the brightest to our shores.’’

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Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Opinion

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 7

How to succeed in the age of robots Robots are on the verge of becoming much more common in the workplace

By Roslyn Kunin

V

ANCOUVER, Troy Media—‘The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed’ The above quotation is attributed to Cicero of Rome in 55 BC. While I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the source, it does show, as a glance at current media confirms, that some things have not changed much over the last 2000 years or so..

However, some things do change dramatically within decades as well as centuries or millennia.

Look at what it takes to earn a living. Molson Coors attributes its 4 per cent decline in sales in Canada to the fact that its main customers, those under 30, are often unemployed and short of beer

money. Anyone in Ontario can tell you how much harder it has become to find a job in manufacturing.

Another change affects university graduates. Through much of the last century a university degree pretty well assured you a good career. Now alumni have trouble getting any job. In 2011, another Statistics Canada study found that one in six university graduates between 25 and 34 years old were in jobs that could have been filled by high school grads.

Computerization and outsourcing have dramatically reduced the numbers of traditional jobs. Now a new threat is looming: robots. Robots have been in our minds for some time now. They have been a staple of science fiction, filling books and movies. Now, ‘bots’ are moving onto factory floors, living room floors (Roomba cleaners) and into dangerous places like nuclear plants, undersea or near live explosives. We are glad to have them there, but worry about what will happen when robots become more widespread. It is already starting to happen.

Robots are on the verge of becoming much more common. The costs of producing them has declined as they can be assembled using bits of pre-existing technology. Basic, one-armed robots for

use in manufacturing, packaging, etc. can now be bought for well under the cost of one person year of factory labour. Modern connectivity from ‘the cloud’ and via smart phones make robots not only cheap, but also more flexible and more viable in different uses.

As a special feature in the March 29 Economist points out, robots are already in use replacing workers from hospital orderlies to airplane pilots. Robots move carts of laundry, linens, medicines and meals around hospitals. Drones are doing the work of spy planes and other aircraft.

So what will be left for people to do?

Remember where robots come from. They are imagined, created, built, programmed and maintained by people.

In many cases they are even operated by people, usually remotely in what is called tele-operation. That is certainly the case for drone spy planes.

This tells us what kind of human workers we will need. Innovative and creative people will be in demand to develop and advance robots and robotic technology. Numerous engineers, technicians and technologists will find work building and maintaining the robots.

Robots will require extensive, ever-advancing programming and coding and

people will have to do at least some of that. We can say ‘physician heal thyself ’, but we are still far from saying, ‘robot, program thyself ’.

Most of these jobs will require at least some STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills, but we will not all have to be rocket scientists to work in a more robotic environment.

Many devices from drones on down will be remotely controlled by an operator receiving information on a screen and filling the work day with activities that have much in common with playing video games. Gamers would agree that this is not a bad way to earn a living.

Some things don’t change. Governments are still trying to figure out how to keep their budgets balanced. Some things do. We can see that the robots are coming.

As individuals, we can start planning now to acquire the right skill set and fill the opportunities a more robotized economy will generate. If we do it right, we can not only maintain a base of good jobs here in Canada, we can also become a world leader and export the robotic-related equipment and know-how to the rest of the globe.

Troy Media BC’s Business columnist Roslyn Kunin is a consulting economist and speaker and can be reached at www.rkunin.com

Windmills are things of beauty

By Dr. David Suzuki VANCOUVER, Troy Media—I have a cabin on Quadra Island off the British Columbia coast that’s as close to my heart as you can imagine. From my porch you can see clear across the waters of Georgia Strait to the snowy peaks of the rugged Coast Mountains. It’s one of the most beautiful views I have seen. And I would gladly share it with a wind farm.

Sometimes it seems I’m in the minority. Across Europe and North America, environmentalists and others are locking horns with the wind industry over farm locations. In Canada, opposition to wind installations has sprung up from Nova Scotia to Ontario to Alberta to B.C. In the U.K., more than 100 national and local groups, led by some of the country’s most prominent environmentalists, have argued wind power is inefficient, destroys the ambience of the countryside and

makes little difference to carbon emissions. And in the U.S., the Cape Wind Project, which would site 130 turbines off the coast of affluent Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has come under fire from famous liberals, including John Kerry and the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

It’s time for some perspective. With the growing urgency of climate change, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t shout about the dangers of global warming and then turn around and shout even louder about the “dangers” of windmills. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity will face this century. Confronting it will take a radical change in the way we produce and consume energy—another industrial revolution, this time for clean energy, conservation and efficiency.

We’ve undergone such transformations before and we can again. But we must accept that all forms of energy have associated costs. Fossil fuels are limited in quantity, create vast amounts of pollution and contribute to climate change. Largescale hydroelectric power floods valleys and destroys habitat. Nuclear power plants are expensive, create radioactive waste and take a long time to build.

Wind power also has its downsides.

It’s highly visible and can kill birds. But

any man-made structure (not to mention cars and house cats) can kill birds – houses, radio towers, skyscrapers. In Toronto alone, an estimated one million birds collide with the city’s buildings every year. In comparison, the risk to birds from wellsited wind farms is low. Even the U.K.’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says scientific evidence shows wind farms “have negligible impacts” on birds when they are appropriately located.

Improved technologies and more attention to wind farm placement can clearly reduce harm to birds, bats and other wildlife. Indeed, the real risk to flying creatures comes not from windmills but from a changing climate, which threatens the very existence of species and their habitats. Wind farms should always be subject to environmental-impact assessments, but a blanket “not in my backyard” approach is hypocritical and counterproductive.

Pursuing wind power as part of our move toward clean energy makes sense.

Wind power has become the fastest-growing source of energy in the world, employing hundreds of thousands of workers. That’s in part because larger turbines and greater knowledge of how to build, install and operate them has dramatically

reduced costs over the past two decades.

Prices are now comparable to other forms of power generation and will likely decrease further as technology improves.

But, are windmills ugly? Mostafa Tolba, executive director of the UN Environment Programme from 1976 to 1992, told me belching smokestacks were considered signs of progress when he was growing up in Egypt. Even as an adult concerned about pollution, it took him a long time to get over the pride he felt when he saw a tower pouring clouds of smoke.

Our perception of beauty is shaped by our values and beliefs. Some people think wind turbines are ugly. I think smokestacks, smog, acid rain, coal-fired power plants and climate change are ugly. I think windmills are beautiful. They harness the wind’s power to supply us with heat and light.

They provide local jobs. They help clean air and reduce climate change.

And if one day I look out from my cabin porch and see a row of windmills spinning in the distance, I won’t curse them. I will praise them. It will mean we’re finally getting somewhere.

Dr. David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.

Article courtesy: www.troymedia.com

PAGE 8 • www.OttawaStar.com

Community

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

DIL Ottawa Chapter Gala raises funds for Pakistani Schools

By Staff writer

T

he Development in Literacy Ottawa Chapter held their 13th annual fundraiser gala event, “Live, Laugh & Learn with DIL,” on Saturday, April 12 to raise funds to go toward operating schools in Pakistan for disadvantaged children.

The atmosphere was electric at the gala as an enthusiastic and passionate crowd filled the St. Elias Banquet Centre to support the global non-profit organization’s mission to establish primary schools and provide high-quality education to young girls who have no other means of becoming educated.

There was an outpouring of support from Ottawa residents at the event, along with the High Commissioner for Pakistan, His Excellency Miangul Akbar Zeb, Yasir Naqvi, MPP Ottawa Centre and Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, prominent members of the Pakistani Community, and the DIL Ottawa Chapter led by President Javed Somra.

The key-note address was delivered

by Dr. Salman Mufti, associate dean and executive director of Queen’s School of Business. Mufti’s talk highlighted the importance of new and innovative e-

technologies and their role in providing access to education to populations in remote areas in the world.

They believe that education leads to a successful ripple effect in a young girl’s life and subsequently her family’s life – better health, a later marriage and 2.2 per cent less children.

A live auction featuring items collected and donated by the DIL Ottawa team drew a substantial amount of money toward the fundraiser, and a musical group from Toronto and whirling Dervish dances provided entertainment for the evening.

An international organization with headquarters in California, U.S., DIL has two Canadian chapters in Ottawa and Toronto. According to their website, organizations like DIL were created as an alternative to Pakistani Government schools, which are often under staffed, poorly managed, and lack basic amenities such as running water, electricity and even a physical school building. Pakistan has the lowest primary school enrollment in South Asian and spends only 2.6% of its GDP on education.

DIL has worked to establish 152 community-owned schools so far to provide education to almost 15,000 students, along with village educa-

DIL Ottawa Chapter President Javed Somra Photo: Smiles Photography

tion committees to provide support to teachers and encourage community involvement, and teacher development

centers to improve teaching skills.

To learn more about DIL Canada visit www.dilcanada.org.

“Small loans make a big impact”

By Ellen O’Connor

L

eaping into the world of entrepreneurialism and sorting through the ins and outs of starting a business comes with its challenges, particularly if you are a newcomer to Canada.

While good credit ratings, a solid business plan, and money in your back pocket are all key elements to success, utilizing the services available and building a strong network should be at the top of the list.

The Ottawa Community Loan Fund, a non-profit organization that provides microloans for business and professional development purposes, tuned into the needs of the immigrant community over the last year and as a result created the Immigrant Partner Programs.

IPP was initially launched by OCLF President Michael Oster as a 6-month pilot program in January 2013 with funding from the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

“OCLF had not been actively reaching out to the immigrant communities,

and with the change in Ottawa and newcomers becoming a bigger part of the city, [Oster] decided that would be a priority for the next little while,” said Laura Koivisto-Khazaal, director of IPP. Now funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, IPP offers key services for newcomers to Canada that are interested in starting a business or in professional development, including a Credit in Canada workshop and business plan support.

IPP has also begun holding meetings for the Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, Mandarin and French speaking communities in Ottawa, with plans to extend to the Hindispeaking community soon.

“The purpose of this is to get people from the community together and tell us what are the needs in the community, especially when it comes to starting a business and professional development,” said Koivisto-Khazaal.

The Spanish-speaking community meetings were first held in the summer

of 2013 and IPP found that a gap exists between newcomers and Canadian-born entrepreneurs.

“Spanish entrepreneurs don’t want to share information with each other because they are competitors.

They don’t know where to go to ask for information, so the connection between a newcomer entrepreneur and a Canadian-born entrepreneur is missing,” she added.

IPP plans to eventually bring representatives from the different language groups together to mingle and share ideas, as well as bring in experts to speak about subjects such as taxation and accounting.

OCLF also provides small business loans and professional development loans for both newcomers and Canadian-born residents.

“The professional development loans have been well received by the immigrant community, because for a lot of the newcomers when they come to Can-

ada they have to go through a licensing exam,” said Koivisto-Khazaal.

In the first three months of this year, 45 newcomers showed interest in professional development loans and more than 15 successfully received a loan. Although they try to help as many interested applicants as they can, she added as a non-profit organization they do still have limitations, like requiring acceptable credit status.

“We have to make sure that if we give out a loan, they we are actually doing a favour for the person; that we are not just giving out loans for the sake of giving out loans. We want the person to succeed.”

She recommends checking with your bank, OSAP and Second Career to make an informed decision. IPP also partners with community and settlement agencies in the city, such as Catholic Centre for Immigrants, World Skills, and the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre, to provide employment counselling and other services.

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Canada

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 9

A chronology of nearly 150 years of Senate reform proposals in Canada

By The Canadian Press

O

TTAWA—Reforming the Senate has been the subject of sporadic debate in Canadian politics for nearly 150 years. Here’s a look at some key dates in the history of reform.

1867: The British North America Act creates the Senate. It is loosely patterned after the British House of Lords, with members appointed by the Crown and serving for life.

1874: Just seven years after Confederation, the Commons discussed allowing the provinces to appoint senators.

The idea was dropped.

1909: The Senate debated changes that would limit terms to seven years, and allow for the election of two-thirds of senators. The changes were rejected.

1960s: The Quiet Revolution in Quebec and increasing dissatisfaction with the status quo in western Canada inject more urgency into the reform debate.

1965: An amendment to the British North America Act eliminates life terms for senators, imposing retirement at age 75.

1979: The Pepin-Robarts task force on Canadian unity rejects the idea of an elected Senate. It proposes a Council of the Federation, made up of provincial delegations appointed by the provinces.

1981: The Canada West Foundation lays the basis for the “Triple E’’ reform movement—“equal, elected and effective’’—which becomes a rallying cry in the West, especially Alberta.

1984: A special joint committee of the Senate and Commons is struck to study reform proposals.

1987: The Reform party is born, embracing a “Triple E’’ Senate as one of its keystone policies.

1992: The Charlottetown Accord proposes that provincial governments choose either direct election by the people of the province, or election by the provincial legislature. The accord is voted down in a national referendum.

2006: The Harper Conservatives, a blend of former Progressive Conservatives and Reformers, takes office, with Senate reform a main campaign plank.

2011: The speech from the throne reaffirms the Conservative government’s commitment to changing the upper house and the government introduces the Senate Reform Act in the Commons on June 21. The bill would allow the provinces to hold elections for Senate candidates and would limit terms to nine years.

2012: Quebec challenges the validity of the legislation at the Quebec Court of Appeal. The court eventually held that Parliament could not unilat-

erally change the terms for senators or introduce consultative elections for the appointment of senators.

2013: The Harper government refers six questions to the Supreme Court of Canada dealing with Parliament’s ability to reform or abolish the Senate.

2014: The Supreme Court holds that Parliament alone cannot change

The Senate chambers.

the terms of senators or institute consultative elections for senator nominees.

It says that requires the consent of seven

provinces representing half the population and abolition requires unanimous provincial consent.

Canada

PAGE 10 • www.OttawaStar.com

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Five recent Supreme Court decisions that went against Conservative government

By The Canadian Press

O

TTAWA—The Supreme Court of Canada dealt the Harper government another blow April 25, this time on the subject of Senate reform.

Here’s a look at five recent cases in which the high court rejected the government’s arguments.

April 25, 2014: The court rules that the Harper government cannot use Parliament alone to impose Senate term limits, allow consultative elections for senatorial candidates or abolish the upper chamber. The justices hold that the first two changes would need the consent of seven provinces repre-

senting half the provinces. Abolition would require provincial unanimity.

April 11, 2014: The government’s Truth in Sentencing Act sought to stop judges from routinely giving inmates extra credit for time spent in jail before custody. The court ruled judges have the discretion to allow up to 1.5 days credit.

March 21, 2014: The court rules 6-1 that Justice Marc Nadon, named to the Supreme Court by Harper last year, is ineligible to sit.

They found he did not meet the special criteria laid out for candidates from Quebec.

Dec. 20, 2013: The court struck down the country’s laws prohibiting brothels, streetwalking and living off the avails of prostitution.

The Harper government had strongly argued in favour of the laws. The 9-0 decision gave the government a year to enact a new statute.

Sept. 30, 2011: The court rules that Vancouver’s controversial Insite safe-injection facility can stay open. The Harper government tried to close it by denying it a renewed exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The court found that denial contravened the principles of fundamental justice and ordered the exemption renewed immediately.

Ottawa proposes new target benefit pension scheme instead of CPP changes Continued from page 1

Ottawa calls the voluntary plan as an “innovative approach’’ that will allow employers and employees to create targets, and adjust benefits and contributions to their needs in times of surplus or deficit. This issue was highlighted in the recent financial crisis that put many defined-benefit plans in jeopardy due to investment shortfalls.

The proposed framework would allow companies with defined-benefit and defined-contribution plans to convert to target-benefit plans, if all parties agree.

Sorenson added that the flexibility of the third option may prove attractive to employers who are moving away from the risk of defined-benefit plans but still want to offer employees some security.

Public consultations regarding the proposal will be held during the next 60 days.

With more workers retiring in the next few years, and living longer, the drain on pension plans, including the Canadian Pension Plan, has led to concerns that Canadians may be not be adequately prepared financially for retirement.

But Liberal MP John McCallum said that this shared-risk proposal will only apply to a small proportion of workers. There are currently more than 1,200 federally-regulated pension plans in Canada and federally-regulated employees account for about six per cent of all Canadian workers, not including those who work for Crown Corporations.

“It’s absolutely not a substitute to expanding the Canada Pension Plan that would’ve helped all Canadians have a better pension,’’ said McCallum, the Liberal critic for seniors, citizenship and immigration and multiculturalism.

“This would harm Canadian pensions.

It wouldn’t help them.’’

He said that companies with defined-benefit plans—in which employers shoulder the majority of the investment risk - would have an incentive to downgrade their employee plans to a shared-risk plan, which comes at a cost to the worker. Whereas employers with defined-contribution plans—in which employees assume the investment risk and rewards—or no plans in place at all, would have little reason to offer a shared-risk plan at a cost to the company.

Yet the Canadian Federation of Independent Business argues that there would be reasons for companies to upgrade their defined-contribution plans if they want better benefits to attract new workers.

CFIB president Dan Kelly said although it would be a step down for employees on a defined-benefit plan, the shared-risk is a better option than the defined-contribution plan, or no plan at all.

The group added that although it supported Ottawa’s move, it hoped that this option will soon be extended to the public service. “With the private sector moving quickly away from tra-

ditional defined benefit pension plans, a shared risk model will be a terrific addition to Canada’s pension landscape,’’ said Kelly.

“A shared risk plan could also help taxpayers get out from under massive unfunded pension liabilities, such as the $6.5 billion liability at Canada Post alone. We hope the federal government doesn’t stop with Crown Corporations and considers moving the core civil service to a less costly shared risk pension plan.’’

Sorenson refused to comment on applying this option in the public sector and said that, for now, the new plan will only be available to Crown Corporations and federally-regulated industries.

Sorenson said Ottawa continues to oppose expanding the Canada Pension Plan by boosting premiums and benefits, an initiative favoured by Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba, but one it called “risky’’ and said would cost jobs and stunt business development by raising premiums for workers and firms.

“We are not looking at the present time enhancing CPP. We have said that now is not the time to talk about extra payroll taxes,’’ he said.

“We would encourage Ontario to look at balancing their budgets, and move away from higher payroll taxes for people of Ontario. We believe it would put businesses here in Ontario at a disadvantage to other businesses across the country.’’

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said his province plans on moving ahead with its own provincial pension plan, even without the support of the federal government. In the past, Sousa has accused Sorenson of misrepresenting the issue with statements that enhancements to CPP could cost up to 70,000 jobs.

“Talk of a modest enhancement was, however, dismissed by the federal government in December, and today’s announcement gives no sign of a change in direction,’’ he said in a statement.

“It is as a result of this continued inaction that has forced Ontario to act now, so that today’s workers have a more secure retirement tomorrow. We will continue to move forward to implement a made-in-Ontario alternative to protect Ontario workers in their retirement. Doing nothing is not a solution to this problem.’’

The Harper government has long preferred tax-free savings accounts and pooled registered pension plans, both voluntary savings vehicles created by the Conservatives, rather than mandated CPP improvements.

The CPP, established in 1965, currently provides retirement benefits to contributing workers up to a maximum of about $12,500 annually.

Maximum yearly premiums of about $4,700 are split half-and-half with employers; the self-employed pay the full amount.

Canada

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 11

Canadians can The five Senate reform questions bank on low the Supreme Court answered interest rate environment for years to O come

By The Canadian Press

TTAWA—In the Senate reform ruling handed down on April 25, the federal government posed five questions to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Here are the high court’s answers.

By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—Canadians can expect to enjoy relatively cheap borrowing costs for some time to come—perhaps years —even after the economy returns to full capacity and the Bank of Canada starts hiking interest rates, bank governor Stephen Poloz said April 24.

The central banker told a luncheon in Saskatoon that the economy has room to grow before it can be considered to be firing on all cylinders, but even when it does—likely sometime in early 2016—Canadians shouldn’t expect a sudden increase in interest rates to fight inflation.

Because of the aging workforce and particularly because rates have been at super-low levels for years, modest increases will likely be sufficient to achieve the bank’s goal of keeping inflation in check.

“Our economy has room to grow and when we do get home, there is a growing consensus that interest rates will still be lower than we were accustomed to in the past,’’ he said.

“Both because of our shifting demographics and because after such a long period at such unusually low levels, interest rates won’t need to move as much to have the same impact on the economy.’’ The clear statement represents a slight shift of tone for the central bank, which has for years warned households to be mindful of overextending themselves in the housing market because one day interest rates will need to start rising.

Poloz reiterated his belief that the risks of a housing bubble were subsiding, saying that “we have what looks like a soft landing emerging in housing.’’ The Bank of Canada has kept the overnight rate, which impacts short-term borrowing costs, at one per cent since September 2010, but in essence rates have been well below so-called normal levels dating to early 2008.

Some economists speculate the new normal in the bank’s overnight rate will settle in at the 2.25 to 2.5 per cent range, more than a full point or more below pre-recession levels.

The super-low borrowing costs are generally acknowledged to have aided the economy through the 2008-09 crisis and soft recovery— stimulating borrowing and spending among Canadians and businesses—but not without costs, including an overheated housing market and record high levels of household debt. As well, it has been a difficult six years for savers who have realized low yields on investments, and it has made it tough for defined benefit pension plans to cover their liabilities.

In the past, Poloz has hinted that he might have been prepared to cut rates further in an effort to stimulate economic growth if not for fear of encouraging even more borrowing, particularly in the housing market.

1. Can the federal government unilaterally limit the term served by senators?

No. “Fixed terms provide a weaker security of tenure,’’ the ruling says. “They imply a finite time in office and necessarily offer a lesser degree of protection from the potential consequences of freely speaking one’s mind on the legislative proposals of the House of Commons.’’

2. Can the federal government unilaterally create a consultative election process for choosing whom to appoint to the Senate?

No.

“The implementation of consultative elections would amend the Constitution of Canada by fundamentally altering its architecture. It would modify the Senate’s role within our constitutional structure as a complementary legislative body of sober second thought.’’

3. Can the federal government establish a framework to enable provinces to create their own consultative election process?

No. “We conclude that introducing a process of consultative elections for the nomination of senators would change our Constitution’s architecture, by endowing senators with a popular mandate which is inconsistent with the Senate’s role as a complementary legislative chamber of sober second thought. This would constitute an amendment to the Constitution of Canada in relation to the method of selecting senators.’’

4. Can the federal government unilaterally repeal the constitutional requirement that a senator must own $4,000 worth of property in the province he or she is appointed to represent?

Yes, except for Quebec.

“We conclude that the net worth requirement ... can be repealed by Parliament under the unilateral federal amending procedure. However, a full repeal of the real property requirement ...requires the consent of Quebec’s legislative assembly.’’

5. Would abolition of the Senate require the consent of seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population or unanimous consent?

No. “As for Senate abolition, it requires the unanimous consent of the Senate, the House of Commons and the legislative assemblies of all Canadian provinces.’’

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Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Earth’s twin?

NASA telescope discovers most Earth like planet yet outside our solar system

By Alicia Chang, The Associated Press

L

OS ANGELES—Astronomers have discovered what they say is the most Earth-like planet yet detected—a distant, rocky world that’s similar in size to our own and exists in the Goldilocks zone where it’s not too hot and not too cold for life.

The find, announced April 17, excited planet hunters who have been scouring the Milky Way galaxy for years for potentially habitable places outside our solar system.

“This is the best case for a habitable planet yet found. The results are absolutely rock solid,’’ University of California, Berkeley astronomer Geoff Marcy, who had no role in the discovery, said in an email.

The planet was detected by NASA’s orbiting Kepler telescope, which examines the heavens for subtle changes in brightness that indicate an orbiting planet is crossing in front of a star. From those changes, scientists can calculate a planet’s size and make certain inferences about its makeup.

The newfound object, dubbed Kepler186f, circles a red dwarf star 500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. A light-year is almost 6 trillion miles.

The planet is about 10 per cent larger than Earth and may very well have liquid water—a key ingredient for life—on its surface, scientists said. That is because it

resides at the outer edge of the habitable temperature zone around its star—the sweet spot where lakes, rivers or oceans can exist without freezing solid or boiling away.

The planet probably basks in an orange-red glow from its star and is most likely cooler than Earth, with an average temperature slightly above freezing, “similar to dawn or dusk on a spring day,’’ Marcy said.

The discovery was detailed in April 18 issue of the journal Science.

Lead researcher Elisa Quintana at NASA’s Ames Research Center said she considers the planet to be more of an “Earth cousin’’ than a twin because it circles a star that is smaller and dimmer than our sun. While Earth revolves around the sun in 365 days, this planet completes an orbit of its star every 130 days.

“You have a birthday every 130 days on this planet,’’ she said.

Scientists cannot say for certain whether it has an atmosphere, but if it does, it probably contains a lot of carbon dioxide, outside experts said.

“Don’t take off your breathing mask if you ever land there,’’ said Lisa Kaltenegger, a Harvard and Max Planck Institute astronomer who had no connection to the research.

Despite the differences, “now we can point to a star and know that there really is a planet very similar to the Earth, at

The artist’s concept depicts Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone. Image Credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech

least in size and temperature,’’ Harvard scientist David Charbonneau, who was not part of the team, said in an email.

The latest discovery is the closest in size to Earth than any other known world in the habitable region.

Kepler-186f is part of a system of five planets, all of which are roughly Earth’s size. However, the other planets are too close to their star to support life.

Astronomers may never know for certain whether Kepler-186f can sustain life.

The planet is too far away even for nextgeneration space telescopes like NASA’s overbudget James Webb, set for launch in 2018, to study in detail.

Cast as tax evaders But deciding to give up US citizenship As much for life as wealth

By Adam Geller, The Associated Press

Inside the long-awaited package, six pages of government paperwork dryly affirmed Carol Tapanila’s anxious request.

But when Tapanila slipped the contents from the brown envelope, she saw there was something more.

“We the people....’’ declared the script inside her U.S. passport - now with four holes punched through it from cover to cover. Her departure from life as an American was stamped final on the same page: “Bearer Expatriated Self.’’

With the envelope’s arrival, Tapanila, a native of upstate New York who has lived in Canada since 1969, joined a largely overlooked surge of Americans rejecting what is, to millions, a highly sought prize: U.S. citizenship. Last year, the U.S. government reported a record 2,999 people renounced citizenship or terminated permanent residency; most are widely as-

sumed to be driven by a desire to avoid paying taxes on hidden wealth.

Six years after Tapanila’s husband lost his job at a Boeing factory in Washington state and they moved to Canada for work, the couple became citizens of their new country.

She says U.S. consular officials told her that, by swearing allegiance to Canada, she might well have lost her American citizenship.

After retiring from a job as an administrative assistant at an oil company in Calgary, Tapanila began putting $125 a month into a special savings account for her developmentally disabled son, matched by the Canadian government.

In her will, she authorized creation of a trust fund to draw on retirement savings and other assets to provide for her son, who is now 40, after her death.

Tapanila says she didn’t know she was required to file U.S. tax returns until 2007, when her daughter raised the subject. Her troubles were compounded by her decision

to apply for a U.S. passport after a border officer told her she should have one. She has since spent $42,000 on fees for lawyers and accountants and paid about $2,000 in U.S. taxes, including on funds in her son’s disability savings account.

In 2012 she turned in the passport, renouncing U.S. citizenship to protect money saved for her retirement and her son. Tapanila, 70, has tried and failed to renounce U.S. citizenship on his behalf, saying officials told her such a decision must be made by the individual alone.

“You know, we are not rich people and we are not tax evaders and we are not traitors and I’m more than tired of being labeled that way,’’ Tapanila says.

“I’m sorry that I’ve given my son this burden and I can do nothing about it ... I thought we had some rights to go wherever we wanted to go and some choices we could make in our lives. I thought that was democracy. Apparently, I’ve got it all wrong.’’

1964 New York World Fair Continued from page 1

What they had right: —“Picturephone’’: Bell System introduced this innovation, which allowed people to see whom they were calling. It didn’t go over well at the time, but it’s a concept that’s an everyday part of our lives now in apps such as Skype and Facetime.

—Personal use of the computer: Several pavilions had exhibits set up where visitors could ask computers for information and get responses in seconds.

—Robotics: Walt Disney’s “It’s a Small World’’ exhibit introduced robotic animation in which characters sing, speak and make lifelike gestures such as smiles and blinks. It’s still in use in theme parks and movies today.

—Ford Mustang: The two-seater sports car with its long hood and short rear deck was officially unveiled at the World’s Fair and immediately became popular. It has remained in production ever since.

—Touch-tone phones: Originally introduced at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, this was still the first time many visitors were exposed to this technology.

What they had wrong: —Colonies on the moon, underwater and in Antarctica: The “Futurama 2’’ ride from General Motors, which featured images of people living in places where they clearly, uh, don’t.

—Paved-over rainforests: Another image from “Futurama 2’’ featured a machine that used a laser to cut through the rainforests and left behind paved roads.

—Jet packs: There were demonstrations of jet pack power at the fair, with men wearing them and zooming around the grounds. Sadly, they remain a mode of transport found mainly in science fiction.

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Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

By The Associated Press

NASHPORT, Ohio—A couple who held hands at breakfast every morning even after 70 years of marriage have died 15 hours apart.

Helen Felumlee, of Nashport, Ohio, died at 92 on April 12. Her husband, 91-year-old Kenneth Felumlee, died the next morning.

The couple’s eight children say the two had been inseparable since meeting as teenagers, once sharing the bottom of a bunk bed on a ferry rather than sleeping one night apart, the Zanesville Times Recorder reported.

They remained deeply in love until the very end, even eating breakfast together while holding hands, said their daughter, Linda Cody.

“We knew when one went, the other was going to go,’’ she said. According to Cody, about 12 hours after Helen died, Kenneth looked at his children and said, “Mom’s dead.’’ He quickly began to fade and was surrounded by 24 of his closest family members and friends when he died the next morning.

“He was ready,’’ Cody said. “He just didn’t want to leave her here by herself.’’

Son Dick Felumlee said his parents died of old age, surrounded by family.

“At Dad’s bed we were singing his favourite hymns, reading scriptures and praying with him,’’ he told The Associated Press in an email. “It was a going away party, and we know he loved it.’’

The pair had known each other for several years when they eloped in Newport, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, on Feb. 20, 1944. At two days shy of his 21st birthday, Kenneth— who went by Kenny—was too young to marry in Ohio.

“He couldn’t wait,’’ son Jim Felumlee said.

Kenneth worked as a railroad car inspector and mechanic before becoming a mail carrier for the Nashport Post Office. He was active in his Nashport-Irville United Methodist Church as a Sunday school teacher.

Helen stayed at home, not only cooking and cleaning for her own family but also for other families in need in the area.

She taught Sunday school, too, but was known more for her greeting card ministry, sending cards for birthdays, sympathy and the holidays to everyone in her community, each with a personal note inside.

When Kenneth retired in 1983 and the children began to leave the house, the Felumlees began to explore their love of travel, visiting almost all 50 states by bus.

“He didn’t want to fly anywhere because you couldn’t see anything as you were going,’’ Jim Felumlee said.

Although both experienced declining health in recent years, Cody said, each tried to stay strong for the other.

“That’s what kept them going,’’ she said.

Electronic cigarettes How they work, what’s in them and who smokes them

By The Associated Press

ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES: The battery-powered devices made of plastic or metal heat a liquid nicotine solution, creating vapour that users inhale. Some models are disposable, and some are designed to be refilled with cartridges or tanks containing what enthusiasts call “e-juice.’’ Some e-cigarettes are made to look like a real cigarette with a tiny light on the tip that glows like the real thing.

WHAT’S IN THEM: The ingredients in the liquid used in most e-cigarettes include nicotine, water, glycerol, propylene glycol and flavourings. Propylene glycol is a thick fluid sometimes used in antifreeze but also used as a food ingredient.

SELLING POINTS: Users say e-cigarettes address both the addictive and behavioural aspects of smoking. Smokers get their nicotine without the thousands of chemicals found in regular cigarettes. And they get to hold something shaped like a cigarette, while

puffing and exhaling something that looks like smoke without the ash, odour and tar.

THE WORRIES: Scientists haven’t finished much research on e-cigarettes, their safety and whether they help smokers quit, and the studies that have been done have been inconclusive. The federal government is pouring millions of dollars into research to supplement independent and company studies looking at the health risks of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products—as well as who uses them and why.

GROWING MARKET: The industry has rocketed from thousands of users in 2006 to several million worldwide, leading to the rise of more than 200 brands. Sales have been estimated to reach nearly $2 billion in 2013.

ARRAY OF FLAVOURS: While some e-cigarette makers are limiting offerings to tobacco and menthol flavours, others are selling candy-like flavours like cherry and strawberry—barred for use in regular cigarettes because of the worry that the flavours are used to appeal to children.

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 13

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World

PAGE 14 • www.OttawaStar.com

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

Woman comprise half of Indian voters But remain marginalized despite formidable women leaders

By Nirmala George, The Associated Press

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ARAI, India—Trudging home after a long day harvesting wheat, Veena Devi has little time for the political workers swarming her northern Indian village seeking votes for their candidates.

“They come to us each time promising piped water, public toilets and factory jobs.

But these political leaders will Women at work, India Photo: Wikimedia Commons disappear after they win,’’ For most Indian women, safety remains said the grey-haired Devi, sitting outside her their biggest concern. thatched-roof hut in Sarai, a village just outside the Hindu holy city of Varanasi.

Outrage seized India more than a year Women form more than 49 per cent of ago when a young woman was gang-raped India’s 814 million voters, but many of them, on a moving New Delhi bus and later died of especially in rural India, feel their concerns are her injuries, becoming a symbol of the dangers that millions of women face every time not taken seriously by political parties, and that they leave their homes. they take a back seat to men in everything from An outpouring of protests pushed the health care to education to legal protection. government, and political leaders of all hues, Nearly seven decades after independence to join the cause. Since then, voyeurism, stalkfrom Britain in 1947, India has had many formidable female leaders. The best known, Ining and the trafficking of women have been dira Gandhi, was prime minister for 15 years. made criminal offences, courts dealing with The current leader of the ruling Congress sex crimes have become faster and men who party, Sonia Gandhi, is the widow of Indira’s are repeatedly convicted of rape have become son, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. eligible for the death penalty.

India has had a woman president, a Political parties also promised to find woman speaker of Parliament and women ways to empower women—though have leaders of political parties. Two of India’s done very little to follow through. Except for biggest states have women chief ministers. the high-profile female leaders, most parties field few women candidates. The last But few Indian women feel these leaders general election saw 59 women, or a little have served them well. And women leaders over 10 per cent, elected to the lower house have rarely made women’s issues a priority. of Parliament, out of 543 members. India Women in West Bengal were particularly ranks 99th in the world in terms of female incensed last year when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state’s top elected leader, representation among legislators. tried to play down a rash of rapes in the state Few women politicians have the money and said her administration was unable to they need to fund campaigns, making them speed up trials of rape cases that have been dependent on parties for financial help. Fewer pending in courts, sometimes for decades. still get that help.

Amendments to India’s constitution that “The biggest hurdle women in politics would reserve for women a third of all seats face is from within the political parties to in Parliament and state assemblies have been which they belong,’’ said Sehba Farooqui, a hanging for more than a decade.

New Delhi-based political activist.

“Most women leaders are careful not to Major parties are careful to include identify themselves with women’s causes. They women in their platforms, though the communists are the only one that favours setting fear they will be marginalized in their own aside one-third of legislative seats for women. parties,’’ said Suniti Kumar, a shop manager The Congress party says it will “provide from Varanasi. “In that, they are not so different from the men.’’ women equal access to social, economic and political opportunities,’’ and the opposition BharatiFor millions of Indian women, the national elections that take place every five years ya Janata Party says it will “transform the quality are merely a minor distraction in their quietly of life of women in rural India.’’ But the most desperate lives. serious attempts to reach women voters are done While India has a growing middle class, with free saris and pressure cookers. tens of millions of women still struggle with il“When politicians want our vote, they say: literacy, poverty and little social status. For these ‘Sister, we will get you water pipelines, we will women, political choices are often still made by get you higher wages,’’’ said Devi. their husbands or male community leaders.

“They win, and then they forget their sisters.’’

Ottawa Star • May 1, 2014

World

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 15

Muslim groups, civil liberties advocates applaud end of NYPD Muslim surveillance program

By Jake Pearson And Tom Hays, The Associated Press

N

EW YORK—Muslim groups and civil liberties advocates applauded the decision by New York Police Department officials to disband a controversial unit that tracked the daily lives of Muslims as part of efforts to detect terrorism threats, but they said there were concerns about whether other problematic practices remained in place.

The Demographics Unit, conceived with the help of a CIA agent working with the NYPD, assembled databases on where Muslims lived, shopped, worked and prayed. Plainclothes officers infiltrated Muslim student groups, put informants in mosques, monitored sermons and catalogued Muslims in New York who adopted new, Americanized surnames. NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis confirmed April 15 that detectives assigned to the unit had been transferred to other duties within the department’s Intelligence Division.

Linda Sarsour, the executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, said she was among a group of advocates at a private meeting last week with police at which the department’s new intelligence chief, John Miller, first indicated the unit—renamed the Zone Assessment Unit—wasn’t viable.

She applauded the decision but said there’s still concern about the police use of informants to infiltrate mosques without specific evidence of crime.

“This was definitely a part of the big puzzle that we’re trying to get dismantled,’’ Sarsour said. But, she added, “This doesn’t necessarily prove to us yet that these very problematic practices are going to end.’’

An ongoing review of the division by new Police Commissioner William Bratton found that the same information collected by the unit could be better collected through direct contact with community groups, officials said.

In a statement, Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, called the move “a critical step forward in easing tensions between the police and the communities they serve, so that our cops and our citizens can help one another go after the real bad guys.’’

Since taking office, de Blasio has taken other steps toward changing how the police department operates, like ending the city’s appeal of a Islamic Cultural Center, New York Photo: Jim Henderson/Wikipedia judge’s ruling ordering major reforms to the department’s implementation of a controversial street stop Another person at the meeting, Fahd policy including the implementation of the Ahmed, legal and policy director of Desis first-ever inspector general for the NYPD. Rising Up and Moving, called the decision “a small step.’’ He questioned what After a series of stories by The Associated Press detailing the extent of the NYPD’s had happened to the information gathered by the unit. surveillance of Muslims, two civil rights lawsuits were filed challenging the activities as “The concern wasn’t just about the unconstitutional because they focused on fact that this data was being collected secretly - it was about the fact that this data people’s religion, national origin and race. was being collected at all,’’ he said.

Former Police Commissioner Ray The NYPD’s decision to disband Kelly had defended the surveillance tactics, the unit was first reported by The New saying officers observed legal guidelines York Times. while attempting to create an early warn-

ing system for terrorism. But in a deposition made public in 2012, an NYPD chief testified that the unit’s work had never generated a lead or triggered a terrorism investigation in the previous six years.

In Washington, 34 members of Congress had demanded a federal investigation into the NYPD’s actions. Attorney General Eric Holder said he was disturbed by reports about the operations, and the Department of Justice said it was reviewing complaints received from Muslims and their supporters.

The AP’s reporting also prompted an investigation by the CIA’s inspector general. That internal inquiry concluded that the CIA, which is prohibited from domestic spying, hadn’t broken any laws, but it criticized the agency for allowing an officer assigned to the NYPD to operate without sufficient supervision.

The Center for constitutional Rights in New York and the California-based Muslim Advocates, which represented eight Muslims in a 2012 lawsuit challenging the spying program, welcomed the unit’s dismantling but expressed concern it wouldn’t stop the surveillance in Muslim communities.

“But nothing in the City’s announcement definitively suggests they will put an end to broad surveillance practices, which would continue to be illegal regardless of which department within the NYPD might be engaged in it,’’ they said in a statement.

New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman said policecommunity relations took a blow from the NYPD unit’s broad surveillance of all Muslims, not just people suspected of wrongdoing.

“We hope this means an end to the dragnet approach to policing that has been so harmful to police-community relations and a commitment to going after criminal suspicion, rather than innocent New Yorkers,’’ said Lieberman, whose organization is involved in lawsuits over the practice.

Georgia’s president warns against alienating Russia over Ukraine crisis

By Karel Janicek, The Associated Press

PRAGUE, Czech Republic—The president of Georgia, a country carved up by Russian troops in 2008, warned Western countries on Friday against alienating Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

In an interview with The Associated Press in Prague, Giorgi Margvelashvili said that could have consequences for the rest of Europe.

“I don’t think it’s a right choice to alienate Russia, to cut relations with Rus-

sia,’’ Margvelashvili said. “Because alienating Russia makes Russia even more aggressive, unpredictable and dangerous.’’

He said diplomats should instead make it clear to Russia “that relations between neighbours or countries around the world aren’t built through military interventions.’’

Georgia plans to sign a political association agreement with the 28-nation European Union in June to boost ties and get a free-trade deal and visa-free travel.

Moldova is another post-Soviet republic planning to sign a similar agreement.

Ukraine did so on the same day last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed parliamentary legislation annexing Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.

Russian forces crushed the Georgian army in a brief 2008 war over Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The two regions then immediately claimed independence but have been recognized only by Russia and a few of its allies.

Margvelashvili said it was important to convince Russia that “this is not an anti-Russian track.’’

He said his country was not afraid of any retaliation by neighbouring Russia for the EU move but added: “We are cautious.’’

“This is a sovereign decision of our nation and I don’t think that anyone has the right to punish either Georgia, or Moldova or Ukraine, for taking sovereign decisions in the 21st century,’’ Margvelashvili told reporters earlier Friday.

Margvelashvili was in Prague for a two-day summit of presidents of postSoviet nations with their European Union counterparts.

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