March 23 - April 05, 2011
www.southasianstar.com
Arranged marriage breaks down at Toronto airport Bride returns to Pakistan
Owais Qurni and Aisha Noor were wed in 2009 during an arranged marriage in Peshawar, Pakistan. (CBC) A young bride from Pakistan who was rejected by her husband at Toronto’s Pearson airport flew home Sunday night, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Aisha Noor, 23, arrived in Toronto two weeks ago only to be told her husband had cancelled her sponsorship for residency. Owais Qurni told CBC he had informed Noor he intended to divorce her and that she should stay in Pakistan. The pair — wed in an arranged marriage in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2009 — did not meet while Noor was in Toronto. In an email to CBC, Qurni, 22, said the marriage was never consummated and had only been held to start the immigration process. Noor’s visa was issued in January, but Qurni had second thoughts, he wrote.
Qurni said he told Noor before she arrived March 4 that the marriage would be a failure because there was no chemistry between them and that they didn’t share any interests. Qurni says he had no idea Noor was flying to Canada. Noor claims that’s not what happened. She says he told her he loved her and couldn’t wait for her to arrive. Noor also accuses Qurni of withdrawing her immigration sponsorship because her family refused to pay thousands of dollars. Qurni said those allegations are “completely false.” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said all spouses should check on their sponsorship status before getting on a plane to Canada. Reprinted with permission from CBC.ca
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Modest budget aims at stability: Flaherty The federal government is taking advantage of a rebounding economy to offer a wide range of small but strategic goodies in its 2011 budget delivered Tuesday. Laying out what he called a “low-tax plan for jobs and growth,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told the House of Commons the Conservative government’s sixth budget will help secure Canada’s economic recovery. The budget contains no tax increases and keeps the government on track to eliminate the deficit by 201516. As Flaherty and Prime Minister Stephen Harper had warned, there is little in the way of major new spending programs -- such as the two-year, $60billion federal stimulus program that has come to an end -- but contains a multitude of small measures designed to appeal to a wide range of Canadians and maybe to the opposition parties. According to the finance minister, Canada’s economy is performing well but the global situation is still fragile and the Conservative budget aims to strike a balance with that in mind. The budget includes more money for low-income seniors, a return of the ecoEnergy Home Retrofit program and measures to attract doctors and nurses to rural areas, all demanded by the NDP, and money for caregivers look-
ing after disabled family members, a nod to the Liberals. As expected, the budget is silent on the Bloc Quebecois’ key demand of $2.2 billion for Quebec to compensate for the HST and the corporate tax cuts scheduled for this year and next stand despite Liberal demands to roll them back to last year’s rate. There are no personal income tax cuts in the budget but Flaherty says the Conservative government is helping individiuals, workers and families through a range of other measures that help Canadians save money and he said this year’s budget directs money to people who need help the most. It includes a top-up for the poorest one-third of seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement, amounting to $600 a year for singles and $840 for couples. Three years after it was promised in the 2008 campaign, the budget includes a Children’s Arts Tax Credit that would allow parents to claim 15 per cent of registration costs for eligible arts and culture programs for children under 16 years old. The tax credit is non-refundable and can only be claimed on expenses up to $500. Reprinted with permission from CBC.ca
City of Brampton joins in for Earth Hour This Earth Hour, Go Beyond the Hour
The City of Brampton is gearing up for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 26 from 8:30 – 9:30 pm. Earth Hour is a one hour lights out event, created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that
mobilizes millions worldwide to show support for action on climate change. This year, residents are challenged after Earth Hour 2011 to think about what else they can do to make a difference and be a part of the climate solution. The City will turn off non-essential lights at various facilities during the designated hour on March 26. Lighting affecting public safety, security or service - such as streetlights, stoplights, park pathway lighting and parking lot lights at City facilities - will remain on. Brampton Fire and Emergency Services encourages residents to maintain a safe environment by using flashlights and avoiding candles and open flames. Public programming at recreation and
community centres will also continue as normal. “The City of Brampton embraces the principles of sustainability and we are once again proud to participate in Earth Hour. I encourage all our residents and businesses to join in and to look for ways of conserving energy in our daily living,” says Mayor Susan Fennell. In partnership with Hydro One Brampton, the Region of Peel and local school boards, the City of Brampton is encouraging all residents and businesses to join the campaign and turn off lights and non-essential appliances during this time, and to go above and beyond the hour to embrace a sustain-
able, energy aware lifestyle. According to statistics from Hydro One Brampton, during Earth Hour 2010, the City of Brampton saw a five per cent – or 21.7 megawatt – decrease in energy consumption. This is equivalent to removing 18,000 homes from Brampton’s distribution system for that hour. The Earth Hour campaign was started in Sydney, Australia by WWF in 2007, when 2.2 million people and 2,100 Sydney businesses turned off the lights for one hour. This campaign has now spread to major cities worldwide making Earth Hour a global movement. For more information please visit www.brampton.ca or call 311.