Canada introduces new 'super visa' program to criticism for its processing time

A program that allows Canadians to apply for so-called super visas launches Thursday, but the NDP immigration critic is worried that the new 10-year visa for parents and grandparents may be hard to obtain.

The new visa is part of the Conservative government's plan to battle an enormous backlog of about 165,000 parents and grandparents who are trying to join family in Canada.

The so-called super visa will be good for 10 years, but will have to be renewed every two years.

People applying to sponsor a parent or grandparent will have to show they can support their visiting relatives. To be accepted, the visitors will be required to have private health insurance coverage during their stay in Canada.

NDP immigration critic Don Davies likes the new super visa for parents and grandparents, but he wants assurances that they will be easy to get, unlike a five-year visitor's visa that has been available for years.

"I have cases in my office in Vancouver where someone's sponsoring their parents, say from New Delhi, and their application is in the lineup for 10 years," Davies said.

"So they apply for a visitor visa to come and they're turned down because they have a permanent resident application in the queue and the officials think that they won't leave."

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says that won't be a problem — people who have applied for permanent residency will definitely be eligible for the visa.

"The department informs me that they're confident that the approval rate for these parent super visas will actually be very high," Kenney said last week at an appearance before a parliamentary committee.

Kenney said the new health insurance requirement may make it easier for visa officers to say "yes."

"One of the reasons we are requiring that people demonstrate they have health insurance when they come into Canada, is to add greater certainty for our visa officers that admitting people is not going to end up representing a net cost to Canadian taxpayers," he told the committee last week.

Debbie Douglas, the executive director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, said that overall, the new program is a "really good way forward" in terms of serving parents and grandparents.

She also said the new program would give the government a chance to create a more transparent system.

"It also gives us a chance to ensure that our visa posts are being consistent and fair and transparent in terms of who it is that they're granting visas to," Douglas said.

But she noted that there are still concerns about how visas will be allocated, as well as the health insurance requirement.

"We really do have to pay attention to the fact that the requirement for private health insurance is not disproportionately affecting who we let into Canada," Douglas said.

The new super visa program was announced in early November as part of a broader plan to try and clear the backlog.

Burger King changes its popular french fries

Burger King Corp, the second largest hamburger chain, has changed its french fry recipe for the first time since 1998 as competition from upstarts and traditional fast-food rivals mounts.

Burger King said it made the new fries thicker, reduced sodium and added a coating that makes them crisper and keeps them hotter longer.

The fries, now a bit wider in diameter than a No. 2 pencil, will be available in its more than 7,000North American Burger King restaurants by December 5. Prices remain the same.

"We're always trying to have the best menu possible. French fries are a big seller for us and we want to make sure we're always improving," said Leo Leon, vice president of innovation.

Leon said Burger King tested the new fries against other options: "This, by far, was the winner."

Burger King's move comes a little over a year after rival Wendy's introduced thinner "natural cut" fries that leave on some skin and are sprinkled with sea salt.

McDonald's Corp's french fries often take the top spot in customer surveys, but independents like Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Smashburger and In-N-Out Burger have been dialing up the pressure.

"The competition to have good quality french fries is heating up," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at consulting firm Technomic, who recently tried the new Burger King fries.

"Making them thicker certainly makes them easier to eat, and since many of them are consumed in the car with one hand on the steering wheel, that's probably not a bad idea," Tristano said.

Burger King said the new fries have 20 percent less sodium than their predecessors.

The smallest, $1 portion has 330 mg of sodium and 240 calories. The fries are cooked in trans fat-free vegetable oil and do not contain animal products, Burger King said.

On December 16 Burger King is promoting its new fries by giving away $1 "value" portions for free. The new fries will be available outside the United States in 2012.

The trend in french fries is toward more "natural" offerings. That includes fries that are or appear to be made from fresh-cut potatoes and topped with "artisan" toppings like sea salt.

"The term natural seems to resonate (with diners) even though there isn't a great definition of natural," Tristano said.

In-N-Out cuts its french fries in its restaurants every day and cooks them in cholesterol-free vegetable oil.

Five Guys cooks its fries in peanut oil and gives customers the option of having them "cajun style."

Smashburger seasons its regular fries with sea salt. It also offers fries made from potatoes or sweet potatoes that are "toasted with rosemary, olive oil and garlic."

McDonald's lately has attempted to reinforce its position as the top french fry seller by promoting its fries, Tristano said.

Investment firm 3G Capital last year bought Burger King and took it private in a $3.3 billion deal. Burger King has 12,400 restaurants around the world.

VHP opposes proposed anti-violence Bill

Dehradun, November 30
General secretary (organisation) of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Dinesh said today that the proposed Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill-2011 was anti-Hindu and aimed at appeasing the minority communities.

He said: “The Bill holds Hindus solely responsible for riots in the country.”

Dinesh further said the VHP would soon launch an awareness campaign across the country to make the public aware of the disastrous consequences of the Bill.

He further said: “The proposed Bill also gives right to the Centre to dismiss any state government without assigning any reason in the name of internal peace, which is in itself autocratic.”

Dinesh said the VHP would oppose the proposed Bill as those behind the preparation of its draft were biased.

Youth booked for abusing police on Facebook

Chandigarh, November 30
The police has booked a resident of Sector 19, Panchkula, for allegedly abusing the police on its Facebook page.

A case under Sections 66-A, 67 and 67-A of the Information Technology Act 2000 has been registered against the accused, Nitin Jindal, at the Industrial Area police station. The police said the accused was posting abusive comments on the Facebook page of the Chandigarh Traffic Police.

Jindal had been abusing the Chandigarh Police for the past two months on its Facebook account.

The police said Jindal had even created multiple accounts on Facebook.

The traffic police had created the page to obtain feedback from the general public on traffic violations.