Sec 8 property dispute

SHO’s role under scanner

Chandigarh, February 6
The functioning of Chandigarh’s first-ever woman Station House Officer (SHO) Punam Dilawari came under the Punjab and Haryana High Court scanner today, with a notice being issued on a plea seeking initiation of action against her for her alleged unfair role in a Sector 8 property matter. A DSP-level officer will now look into the controversy; and the UT SSP too has been asked to step in.
Snapshots have been placed on court record, showing Dilawari standing near the gate of the Sector 8 house, while alleged attempts were being made to take over the possession of the property in violation of the High Court orders.
Taking up the matter, Justice Surya Kant of the High Court also directed that a police officer not below the Deputy Superintendent of Police rank “shall take over the inquiry into the complaint by the petitioner”, instead of the local SHO.
The directions, further hitting the somewhat already dented image of the Chandigarh Police, came on a petition filed by Manavjit Kaur and another. The directions came just over a month after the Chandigarh Police registered a case against Manavjit Kaur and two others at the Sector 3 police station on the allegations of manhandling Dilawari.
The dispute pertains to a portion of house number 506, Sector 8-B, Chandigarh. It’s sale is currently under challenge. Two of the respondents Satjit Kaur and Girish Pal Singh are co-owners of the property.
Referring to an order passed in December, 2011, Manavjit Kaur, in her plea, contended that the possession of the suit property was not to be delivered to anyone during the pendency of an application, which was directed to be decided within a month.
She added that it was apparent from the order that the co-owners were restrained from handing over the possession to any party. But on December 24 last year, Rajesh Kumar of Sector 44-B attempted to take the possession.
On January 31 at about 6.30 pm, he came on a scouting mission and on February 3 at about 1 pm, he along with his wife and eight-nine others, took forcible possession of the property.
“Punam Dilawari, the SHO was also present at the scene…. In the presence of the police, Rajesh Kumar, his family and goons brought their mattresses, table, chairs and furniture in the house and are in possession thereof.”
The same, she contended, could not have happened without the connivance of the co-owners as well as Dilawari and investigating officer Pardeep Kumar. “The mere presence of the police at the time of the incident is itself a testament of the true picture."
Before parting with the case, Justice Surya Kant also directed the UT SSP to personally visit the site and ensure the compliance of the previous order.

Juicy returns evade kinnow growers

Govt fails to operate modern juice plants

Chandigarh, February 6
Inability of the state government to operate its two ultra-modern kinnow juice units at Hoshiarpur and Abohar has left the growers high and dry. Established in 2008, the main aim behind setting up the plants was to boost kinnow cultivation in Punjab by procuring a chunk of the crop for processing.
As a result, growers have been left at the mercy of middlemen who procure the crop at a low rate even as kinnow continues to sell at a much high price in the retail market.
Progressive farmer Deepak Puri of Hoshiarpur said compared to the rate of Rs 12-15 per kg last year, good quality kinnow was selling at Rs 8-9 a kg this year. He said farmers were also facing problems in sending the fruit to distant markets.
Puri said farmers did not opt for bringing the fruit to the market in December because of the presence of orange from Nagpur, the fruit quality got affected due to extreme cold in January. He said the ripe fruit that was being sent to distant markets was getting spoilt due to which farmers were choosing to sell it in local markets.
Available at Rs 3-4 a kg, the low-quality kinnow could have been absorbed by the two juicing units at around Rs 5 per kg, a farmer said. In earlier seasons, the juice plants had maintained that it was not profitable to process the fruit by acquiring it at Rs 8-9 a kg.
Both the juice units, established at a cost of Rs 84 crore, have been lying idle for three years. A limited processing of kinnows took place in 2008 by Tropicana.
Punjab Agro Managing Director Sanjay Kumar admitted that the plants were non-operational.
Horticulture Department Joint Director Dr Gurkamal Singh said while the intense cold spell in January had limited the kinnow sales, the quickly rising temperature was harming the crop of late. He said the department was advising the farmers to market their produce immediately.

For rural youth, IAS coaching in Punjabi

Patiala, February 6
With a view to attract rural youth towards civil services, Punjabi University's IAS Training Centre has decided to visit villages to inform people that the university also provides coaching in Punjabi language.
Dr Harjinder Singh Walia, director of the centre, said that many youngsters in rural areas despite being intelligent rarely go for civil services due to fear of English language. "Therefore, we have taken this initiative to apprise people that Punjabi University provides civil services training in their mother tongue - Punjabi. It will certainly attract more youth," he added.
He said the step has been taken under the guidance of Vice Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh, who wants to ensure that more and more students from rural areas should come forward for this training.
He said, "I myself is visiting various colleges to inform students about subjects combination before going for the preparations. Most of them, including many tutors, are unaware as how to prepare for this exam. Therefore, we will hold counselling sessions for them and also take English classes to help them understand the language better."
Under this initiative, a lecture would be held at a college at Bhador village on February 10, which would be followed by lectures at Shanti Tara College, Morinda College, University College, Ghanaur, Rampura Phool, Rajpura and Barnala.

60 things you might not know about the Queen

Queen Elizabeth II is only the second UK monarch to mark 60 years on the throne.

OTTAWA - On Monday, it will be 60 years since the Queen ascended to the throne. But what do we really know about her? Well, she owns all the porpoises surrounding Britain, and is patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association. She's been trained in how to replace spark plugs, once needed a push from the Archbishop of Canterbury, and reportedly claimed to find one of our prime ministers "rather disappointing.'' Which one? Read on.

1. Her reign of 60 years is the second-longest of any British monarch, behind Queen Victoria's 63 years, 216 days.

2. The suggestion that she and her sister, Margaret, be evacuated to Canada during the Second World War was dismissed by her mother, who said: ``The children won't go without me.

3. She was born by caesarean section.

4. When she reaches the 60-year mark on Monday, she'll be tied in 66th place with former Indonesian ruler Pakubuwono XII for the longest verifiable reign in history. Swaziland's Sobhuza II leads the pack with a reign of 82 years, 254 days.

5. In 1928, Winston Churchill wrote of the two-year-old Elizabeth: ``She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant.''

6. Her coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised. An estimated 20 million people in Britain tuned in, while 100 million in North America reportedly watched the recorded ceremony.

7. The 1st Buckingham Palace Company, a Girl Guides group, was formed when she was 11, specifically so she could socialize with girls her age.

8. When she was a youngster, her family called her "Lilibet.''

9. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service in February 1945, and trained as a driver and mechanic.

10. She fell in love with Prince Philip when she was 13 years old. He was 18 at the time.

11. She was in Kenya, en route with Philip to a tour of Australia and New Zealand, when her father, King George VI, died in 1952 and she became Queen.

12. Elizabeth used ration coupons to buy the material for her wedding dress. Many people sent her their clothing coupons; she returned them, however, as it was illegal to give them away. The dress was made of Chinese silk.

13. Philip's three surviving sisters at the time of his wedding - all married to German noblemen with Nazi links - and former king Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne to marry socialite Wallis Simpson, were not invited to Elizabeth and Philip's wedding on Nov. 20, 1947.

14. Her coronation gown was embroidered with the floral emblems of the Commonwealth countries, including Canada's Maple Leaf.

15. According to former British MP and cabinet minister Tony Benn, the Queen found former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau ``rather disappointing.''

16. In 1981 during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, six gunshots were fired at Elizabeth at close range while she rode down The Mall on her horse. They were found to be blanks, and her assailant, 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant, was sentenced to five years in jail. He served three.

17. She has received more than three million pieces of correspondence during her reign.

18. In a November 1992 speech marking the 40th (ruby) anniversary of her reign, she referred to the year as her annus horribilis, or horrible year. That year, her son Andrew separated from his wife, Sarah; her daughter, Anne, divorced Mark Phillips; Windsor Castle was damaged in a fire; German protesters threw eggs at her; and then-prime minister John Major announced that, beginning the following year, she would have to pay income tax for the first time. Before the year was out, her son Charles formally separated from Diana.

19. In 2003, she underwent laparoscopic surgery to both knees.

20. In welcoming the Queen to the UN General Assembly in 2010, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called her "an anchor for our age.''

21. A security guard denied her entry to a private stand at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1991, later noting: "I thought she was some old dear who had got lost.''

22. Two years ago, Forbes magazine estimated her net worth at $450 million US.

23. In conversation with her, she should initially be addressed as "Your Majesty,'' and thereafter "Ma'am.''

24. Her birthday is officially celebrated in Canada on the last Monday before May 25. She has spent her official birthday in Canada only once, in 2005.

25. Combined, her four children - Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward - have been married six times. Only Edward, who married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, has not divorced.

26. She is the patron of more than 600 charities and organizations, including the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.

27. Since 1952, she has conferred close to 400,000 titles and awards.

28. She shares a birthday - April 21 - with author Charlotte Bronte, actors Anthony Quinn, Charles Grodin and Tony Danza, singers Michael Franti and Iggy Pop, and swimmer Alex Baumann.

29. She is the most widely travelled ruler, having visited more than 125 countries.

30. Among the gifts she has received are jaguars and sloths from Brazil and two black beavers from Canada. She has also received pineapples, eggs, snail shells, maple trees, prawns and a feather cape.

31. She has sat for approximately 140 portraits, including a holographic one in 2003.

32. In 1969, she sent a congratulatory message to the Apollo 11 astronauts to commemorate the first moon landing. The message was micro-filmed and placed on the moon in a metal container.

33. She sent her first email in 1976.

34. For her 18th birthday in 1944, she was given her first corgi, named Susan. Since then, she has owned more than 30 corgis. Susan accompanied the Queen and Prince Philip on their honeymoon.

35. She has visited the sets of British soap operas Coronation Street, East Enders and Emmerdale.

36. As declared in a statute enacted in 1324, the Queen technically still owns the sturgeons, whales and dolphins (aka ``Royal Fishes'') in the waters within five kilometres of Britain.

37. Since her accession to the throne, four likenesses of the Queen have appeared on Canadian coins. The first was drawn by Mary Gillick in 1953. Arnold Machin's 1965 portrait depicted her wearing a jewel-studded tiara. In 1990, a new royal portrait was commissioned from Dora de Pedery-Hunt, the first of a reigning monarch by a Canadian artist. The current effigy was produced in 2003 by Susanna Blunt of Vancouver.

38. Her mother was initially against Elizabeth's marriage to Philip, and reportedly referred to him as "The Hun.''

39. The Queen uses her handbag to signal staff. If she wants to leave a dinner in five minutes, she'll put it on the table. She moves it from arm to arm to let aides know she's tired of talking to someone.

40. She once demoted a footman for feeding whisky to her corgis.

41. Who loves ya', baby? She was a fan of the 1970s TV drama Kojak, starring Telly Savalas.

42. When Australian prime minister Paul Keating broke protocol and put his arm around her in 1992, he was dubbed "The Lizard of Oz.''

43. It's estimated she's worn more than 5,000 different hats during her reign. She typically wears her favourites 20 or 30 times.

44. She loves to read crime thrillers by P.D. James, Agatha Christie and Dick Francis.

45. In 1982, Irishman Michael Fagan broke into her bedroom at Buckingham Palace and sat at the end of her bed for seven minutes as she engaged him in conversation. Help finally arrived when he asked for a cigarette.

46. She has launched 23 ships. The first was the HMS Vanguard, in November 1944. In 1967, she christened and launched the eponymous Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth 2.

47. She was awarded a gold disc after 100,000 copies of the 2006 CD Party at the Palace, featuring children's music performed by the Band of the Welsh Guards, were sold.

48. Prince Philip's pet names for the Queen are said to include "sausage'' and "cabbage.''

49. Her engagement ring was made using diamonds from a tiara belonging to Philip's mother. Following their wedding in 1947, the couple received more than 10,000 congratulatory telegrams and 2,500 presents.

50. The Queen and Prince Philip share the same great-great-grandmother: Queen Victoria.

51. The Queen sued The Sun newspaper after it published the full text of her 1992 broadcast two days before it aired. She later accepted an apology and a £200,000 donation to charity.

52. She is the only person in Britain who can drive without a licence or a registration number on her car. She also doesn't have a passport.

53. She has been in Canada more than 30 times. Twenty-three of those occasions were official visits; the remainder were largely refuelling stopovers.

54. She is reportedly the only British monarch in history properly trained to change a spark plug.

55. She introduced a new breed of dog known as the ``dorgi,'' after one of her corgis mated with a dachshund named Pipkin.

56. At her coronation in 1953, her robes were so heavy that she asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to give her a push, saying, "Get me started.''

57. She has nine royal thrones - one at the House of Lords, two at Westminster Abbey, and six in the throne room at Buckingham Palace.

58. She stands 5-foot-4. Actress Helen Mirren, who portrayed her in the 2006 film The Queen, is also 5-foot-4.

59. When her father unexpectedly became king in 1936 following Edward VIII's abdication, Margaret, then six, said to Elizabeth: "Does that mean you're going to be queen? Poor you.''

60. The Queen, or at least "The British Monarchy,'' joined Facebook in 2010. More than half a million people currently "like'' her, but none is her "friend.''

Canadians evenly split on keeping monarchy: survey

There's an even split among Canadians on whether to abolish the monarchy, according a new survey.

Forum Research released data Wednesday showing 43 per cent of respondents were in favour of abolishing the monarchy after Queen Elizabeth II dies, 43 per cent were against it and the remaining 14 per cent had no specific opinion.

Some notable differences were seen among people from different regions and between those of different political stripes.

For instance, 67 per cent of Quebec respondents favoured abolishment. That was down to 39 per cent in Ontario, 35 per cent on the Prairies, 30 per cent in British Columbia and 28 per cent in the Atlantic provinces.

``In Quebec, of course, the monarchy has never been that popular,'' said Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research. ``The monarchy has always been popular in the Atlantic, and still is, as well as the Prairies.''

Not surprisingly, Bloc Quebecois supporters were most supportive of abolishment at 71 per cent. New Democratic supporters were the next most likely to answer this way at 49 per cent. It was 41 per cent among Liberal backers, and 37 per cent for those supporting the Conservatives.

These results follow data of another survey released this week, also from Forum Research, that showed 66 per cent of respondents in favour of either outright legalization of marijuana or decriminalizing the possession of small amounts.

A federal Liberal party convention last weekend resulted in delegates voting against a proposal to support abolishing the monarchy but coming out in favour of legalizing marijuana.

With these poll results suggesting more of a consensus on reforming marijuana laws than on severing ties with the monarchy, Bozinoff said the Liberals were politically wise in the way they came down on both issues.

``(The monarchy) is way more divisive than pot,'' he said.

On the 41-45 split among Liberal supporters in this survey on whether they want to abolish or maintain the monarchy, Bozinoff said: ``Why would you get into a wedge issue like that when half your supporters aren't really with you on it?''

He added that those who support the monarchy tend to have stronger feelings about it than those who support its abolition. An example of this, he said, is the fact that, according to a report in London's Guardian newspaper, two anonymous Canadians have contributed $12 million toward a new yacht for the Queen to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee, even after British Prime Minister David Cameron refused to provide funding for it.

Bozinoff said with a majority Tory supporters - 53 per cent - saying they were opposed to abolishing the monarchy, it could explain some of the federal government's recent moves, such as reinstating the term ``Royal'' in the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy, and putting more pictures of the Queen in government buildings.

``That's because that's where (the Tories') base is,'' Bozinoff said. ``Otherwise you would say, `Where does this issue even come from?' ''

The survey was based on phone interviews taken of 1,211 Canadian adults in random phone interviews on Jan. 13. The results are considered to represent the population within 2.82 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Students across Canada protest tuition increases, student debt

Students across Canada protested rising tuition and student debts Wednesday, the same day NPD leadership candidate Peggy Nash released her post-secondary education platform.

The Toronto-area MP was on hand to show support at Vancouver Community College’s downtown campus, where students rallied against the possibility of a 2% tuition increase.

“We shouldn’t be penalizing our young people when they’re starting out in life,” Nash said of the student loans and ensuing debt that graduates often face. “I don’t think that’s fair. Today’s students have debt the size of a mortgage but without the house.”

Nash’s plan includes lowering tuition, converting student loans into non-repayable grants and reducing interest rates on student debt.

“What I’m saying is the federal government can transfer money to the provinces expressly for the purpose of reducing tuition fees,” Nash said, adding while there’s no costing done yet, the proposal is “very possible.”

But not everyone gives Nash’s plan a passing grade, with some blaming students’ sense of entitlement for crying foul on debts.

“There’s definitely a bit of that,” said James Liang, a fifth-year University of B.C. full-time student who works part-time to pay for school.
While Liang welcomes lower tuition, he says it’s a student’s personal decision to take on the burden of debt.
“It seems a bit unfair for some students, who work everyday while attending classes in order to stay debt free, to see others potentially get a free pass of sorts,” he said, suggesting strict conditions be met to prevent students from abusing debt relief.
According to Statistics Canada, undergraduate tuition fees dropped in 2008/2009 but are creeping back up, with B.C. students paying an average of $4,852 this year, an increase of 2% from the previous year.
Across Canada, average tuition fees rose 4.3% to $5,366 this year.

No jail time for billionaire in a case of unlawfully confinement

Vancouver billionaire Ting Kwok David Ho pleaded guilty to unlawfully
 confining a prostitute in 2008, receiving a one-year suspended
 sentence and a $5,000 fine by a provincial court judge

Vancouver billionaire Ting Kwok David Ho, who pleaded guilty Thursday to unlawfully confining a prostitute in 2008, received a one-year suspended sentence and a $5,000 fine by a provincial court judge.

The Hong Kong-born businessman, scion to a tobacco fortune, spent a drug-fueled night having paid sex with a Lava Links chat line worker he picked up Dec. 28 that year, the court heard.

“They went upstairs to Mr. Ho’s bedroom where they smoked cocaine, engaged in role playing and consensual sexual activities,” court documents revealed.

Less than five hours later, the now 60-year-old Ho prevented the prostitute, identified only as K.N.R., from leaving his Shaughnessy home.

The court heard how he was trying to prevent her from leaving without a jacket or transport at 4:45 a.m. in snowy conditions.

“He was trying to get Ms. R to allow him to drive her to her home, which was some distance away,” the judge said.

“In attempting to assist Ms. R, Mr. Ho went too far.”

K.N.R., who has agoraphobia – a fear of being trapped – hurt her Achilles tendon and suffered a bone fracture trying to escape. The court heard how she scaled and jumped from an eight-foot fence outside the home.

Minutes before her injury, she phoned her father on her cell phone and screamed, “Dad, help me! I’m on a bad date,” before dialing 911, the court heard.

She didn’t know where she was, but managed to run to a neighbour’s house – topless and dressed only in panties – where police were called again.
The court determined Ho did not hurt K.N.R. physically. A search of his home, however, uncovered 13 weapons, including an unregistered and loaded 9mm Glock handgun.
Ho, said to have numerous business connections in North America and Asia, will also have to serve 45 hours community service, is banned from owning firearms for 10 years, and must take drug counselling, the judge ruled. He will also have to report to a probation officer.
He previously breached bail conditions last February by unknowingly carrying a switchblade through airport security. The judge reasoned in his sentencing it would be “ludicrous” if Ho had known he was carrying a knife, as he used to own local carrier Harmony Airways.
The court found him guilty of three charges: unlawful confinement, breaching bail and possession of a restricted firearm. Originally, he faced eight charges.
K.N.R. has since filed suit against Ho, alleging he injured her.

Surrey woman murdered in Holland

A Surrey man is looking for answers after being told that his sister was murdered in Holland while she prepared to start a new life in B.C.

Thirty-nine-year-old Kamaljit Kaur and her three children, aged 14, 12 and five, had recently relocated from Holland to join the rest of their family in Surrey.

Kaur, who recently returned to The Hague to take care of personal business, was murdered last week, her brother Aman Grewal told The Sun.

Grewal expected his sister back in Canada on Jan. 31, but she didn’t return.

He said he contacted Dutch authorities after trying to reach her without success for two days.

“[Dutch police] broke the news to me,” he said, adding they told him his sister was found in her home murdered, but they wouldn’t say how.

Right now, Kaur’s family has more questions than answers, Grewal said, adding that Kaur’s three children — a girl and two boys — are with him in Surrey. “The [two] older ones know,” he said. The five-year-old doesn’t understand what’s happening.

“Who did it? Why?” Grewal asked. “We’ve all sat down and gone over a million different scenarios and we can’t come up with an answer.”

Kaur had lived in Holland for several years. After getting divorced, she decided to move to Canada with the kids to be with her siblings and mother, who also lives in Surrey.

Grewal said Kaur and her ex-husband, Balwinder Dhillon, had a history of domestic problems, but Dhillon isn’t a suspect in the murder because he’s in jail in Holland in connection with an earlier altercation with Kaur.

“They had some sort of dispute ... in August,” Grewal said. He said the full story never came out, but he doesn’t think Dhillon had anything to do with Kaur’s murder.

Grewal said he spoke with local police Sunday morning and was told they will help with local questioning and liaise with Dutch authorities.

Grewal said he’s looking into private counselling for his sister’s children.

“First things first,” he said, adding the priority is to get Kaur’s body back and figure out what happened.

The family wants to “give her the funeral she deserves,” he said, but it’s not known how long it will take to get her remains back to B.C.

Air India defendant’s appeal of legal fees declared abandoned by B.C. Court of Appeal

The B.C. Court of Appeal has dismissed as abandoned an appeal by Ripudaman Singh Malik of a ruling ordering him to pay back $5.8 million in his legal fees during the Air India trial.

Under a series of agreements reached with the B.C. government, Malik had his legal fees covered in exchange for a promise to repay the money.

After the trial, he argued that the funding agreements were executed under duress and were therefore voidable.

But in a summary judgment released in May 2009, the B.C. Supreme Court granted judgment against him in the amount of $5.8 million.

Malik filed an appeal of that ruling shortly afterwards and in August 2011, Malik put up for sale a building he owned a half interest in, on Hamilton Street in Vancouver.

In November, Malik sold the building for $14.5 million, with the province consenting to the sale on the condition the proceeds would remain in trust.

By October last year, Malik had not served the province with the required materials in the appeal, including appeal records, factums and appeal books.

The appeal was returned to the “inactive” list and no application has been filed to remove it from that list, according to a ruling released by the B.C. Court of Appeal.

In a ruling released Friday, B.C. Court of Appeal Madam Justice Daphne Smith said there was a failure by Malik to demonstrate any “bona fide” intention to pursue the appeal and no apparent merit to the appeal.

The judge also noted Malik’s “history of attempting to defraud the province and admitted contempt of court orders.”

In 2005, Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, were acquitted at the Air India bombing trial.

Immigration in the face of globalization

BY SALIM MANSUR

FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2012 08:00 PM EST

In 1958, John F. Kennedy, then a U.S. senator, published a small book aptly titled A Nation of Immigrants. The world was much different then, as new states in Asia and Africa emerged, while European colonialism retreated.

The West was in the midst of a post-war economic recovery, and there was demand for low-wage workers in a growing economy.

Kennedy’s book made the case for ending quotas on immigration based on national origins. His argument was also in keeping with the Cold War politics, of denying Soviet Union influence among the newly emerging countries at the expense of the U.S. depicted as a racist society.

Two years after President Kennedy’s assassination, his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The U.S., as Kennedy had called for, adopted an open immigration policy and Canada followed soon after.

Kennedy celebrated in his book how much America, in its making, owed to immigrants. He wrote, “Since 1607, when the first English settlers reached the New World, over 42 million people have migrated to the United States.

“Another way of indicating the importance of immigration to America,” Kennedy observed, “is to point out that every American who ever lived, with the exception of one group, was either an immigrant himself or a descendant of immigrants.” The exception was the aboriginal people inhabiting the continent.

The act of leaving the old world for the new, Kennedy wrote, involved breaking with the past and embracing the future as immigrants braved the immense hazards in making the journey across seas and oceans filled with uncertainties. But inside a decade of Kennedy’s writing, the arrival of wide-body transcontinental jetliners brought about a revolutionary change in the means of travel, and with it the entire meaning of immigrants and the experience of migration were altered.

Then came Pierre.

Elliott Trudeau’s multiculturalism and this policy, together with the revolutions in global transportation and communications, meant immigrants arriving since the 1970s were more or less trading places without making any break with their old world cultures and loyalties.

As a result, what Kennedy wrote about earlier generations of immigrants may not be said to the same extent for new immigrants. In the new conditions of globalization, the distinction between migrant workers and immigrants became increasingly obscure.

Many among new immigrants — given the policy of multiculturalism and the acceptance of dual or multiple citizenships — are migrant workers landed as immigrants, who draw upon the benefits of the host country while remaining attached to the customs and values of their native country.

It is politically incorrect to probe the practical reality of what has come to pass in the half-century since Kennedy pushed for open immigration, but the growing disconnect evident among newly arriving immigrants with the culture of their host country is undeniable.

These are issues that need to be discussed openly and widely. Immigration is not merely about numbers, as I indicated in my previous columns. Its effects over time inevitably change, and not necessarily for the better, the host country’s culture.

Kennedy, in looking back, celebrated the overall positive outcome of immigration. In looking ahead, we are far more aware since 9/11 of immigration’s divisively negative side.

Research In Motion may not have many suitors despite PM's comments on takeovers

MONTREAL - Research In Motion may not have many suitors at home or abroad especially with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's comments that he would like to see the BlackBerry maker remain a Canadian company, analysts said Monday.

The prime minister recently told Reuters news agency that he wants to see the "company succeed and continue to grow as a Canadian company."

"A hostile takeover is not very likely to go through based on what Harper has said," telecom analyst Troy Crandall said.

But RIM (TSX:RIM) also doesn't seem to have a lot of obvious suitors.

"Any of the potential acquirers for RIM right now seem to either have partnered with somebody else already or bought somebody else," said Crandall of investment firm MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier.

Harper's comments last week reflect a worry that too many Canadian companies are being swallowed up by foreign buyers and that could eventually harm the economy.

In a wave of consolidation a few years ago, most of Canada's steel industry and major nickel and aluminum producers were taken over by U.S. or global companies.

However, Ottawa blocked the foreign takeover of specialized radar data company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX:MDA) in 2008 and stopped the US$40 billion sale of PotashCorp. to the world's biggest miner — Australia's BHP Billiton — in 2010.

The federal government also went to court to fight U.S. Steel's plans to cut jobs at the former Stelco operations in southern Ontario.

After a legal battle, Ottawa got some guarantees from the big U..S. steelmaker on future jobs and investment at Stelco, whose 2007 sale had been approved by Investment Canada.

On Monday, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty called for changes to the Investment Canada Act to prevent companies from taking over Canadian factories, then shutting them down and stripping them of their equipmen.

The provincial premier's comments came three days after U.S.-based Caterpillar announced it will close a locomotive plant in London, Ont. after a lockout sparked by a company demand for big wage concessions from the plant's workers.

At RIM, the company has come under pressure from some shareholders to put itself up for sale or dispose of some of its assets — primarily its valuable patents

Elsewhere in the tech sector, Google has bought Motorola Mobility, mainly to get its hands on 17,000 patents and mobile phone company Nokia and software giant Microsoft have partnered to launch the Windows 7 smartphone.

Meanwhile, electronics giant Samsung, which sells Google-powered Android smartphones, has said it's not interested in RIM.

Amazon.com recently approached RIM to discuss a takeover, but a report said the Canadian company rejected the move.

RIM has a stock market value of about $8.6 billion dollars, which would be considered a lot for a Canadian suitor such as a pension fund to buy, Crandall said. A number of pension funds likely would have to band together to make such a bid, he added.

The Canadian tech company could end up being sold off in pieces if its new generation of BlackBerry smartphones, based on the operating system in its PlayBook tablet computer, isn't successful after they're launched later this year, Crandall said.

Benj Gallander, president of Contra The Heard Investment Letter, said Ontario-based Teachers' Pension Plan or the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec are unlikely bidders.

"They certainly don't have the expertise to take a majority stake and run the company," Gallander said from Toronto.

"If you look at those organizations, they generally don't invest in companies that are having an awful lot of difficulty. The perception of RIM right now is that it's in a lot of difficulty."

The Waterloo, Ont. company recently replaced long-time co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis with its chief operating officer Thorsten Heins in an attempt to turn around its market share and successfully launch the next generation of its BlackBerry smartphones.

RIM has been losing market share in the lucrative U.S. market as consumers and some companies have turned to Apple's iPhone and Google's Android-powered smartphones. Analysts also say RIM's international market share will also start to erode as it faces more competition.

In his interview with Reuters, Harper singled out hostile takeovers and bids for what he described as "critical technology" companies as the ones his Conservative government might block.

In its 2010 decision to block BHP Billiton's hostile bid for PotashCorp (TSX:POT), Ottawa said the takeover would not be a net benefit to Canada.

The MacDonald, Dettwiler friendly deal two years earlier was rejected because the sale of the company's space division to a U.S. defence contractor could have hurt national security interests.

At RIM, Jaguar Financial and more than a dozen other shareholders own about 10 per cent of RIM and have been pushing for a revamped board and a strategic review of the company, which would include a possible sale.

Jaguar chief executive Vic Alboini said he still believes RIM's new chairwoman Barbara Stymiest should carry out a strategic review of the company and consider a sale.

"I think if the federal government wants to put its toe in this water it has to lay out what the guidelines are so there is no uncertainty in the capital market," said Alboini, head of the Toronto-based merchant bank.

"I am not sure we want a government poison pill here," Alboini said of the prime minister's comments.

"Is it something he would consider to be a problem if management of RIM entered into a friendly deal with a foreign acquirer?" he said.

"It raises a ton of uncertainty for potential acquirers whether domestic or foreign because people don't know where the government stands and, therefore, what you're going to do is take out the takeover bid premium out of the marketplace," Alboini said.

"Is that what the government really wants to do?"

Shares in Research In Motion closed down 25 cents, or 1.5 per cent, to $16.53 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Police say 11 people killed in Perth County car crash

TORONTO- Ontario Police are reporting that 11 people have been killed in a collision near a small town north of Shakespeare. Reports indicate a large flatbed truck broadsided a large passenger van. Police say the crash occurred at 4:45 p.m. at Perth Road 107 and Line 47. They say the impact of the crash caused the truck to roll over into the yard of a home, pushing the passenger van against the side wall of the house.

It appears that those killed included 10 people in the van and the driver of the truck, police said.

There were three survivors. Two were taken to Stratford General Hospital by ambulance. One victim was airlifted to a Hamilton hospital. There is no word on condition of the survivors.

Fort McMurray condo fire forces out residents

Monday, February 06, 2012 1:14 PM

A massive blaze ripped through a condo building in Fort McMurray.

EDMONTON - An investigation is underway into the cause of a fire that broke out late Sunday in a Fort McMurray condo building.

Emergency response teams were called around 11:30 p.m. to the blaze at the Parsons Landing condo complex, at 350 Parsons Creek Dr., in Fort McMurray’s Timberlea community, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said Monday in a news release. Firefighters battled the blaze for two hours before declaring it under control. There were no reported injuries.

The fire was contained to the north wing of the complex, where it appears to have started, RCMP said in a news release. While a damage estimate has not yet been determined, “the level of property damage is considered to be significant.”

Residents of the condo building won’t be allowed to return to their homes for at least the next 24 to 48 hours, as investigators work to determine the building is safe for re-entry, RCMP said.

Classes were cancelled at nearby Ecole McTavish School where an evacuation centre was set up for displaced residents.

“We ask residents impacted by the fire go there where they can receive any sort of assistance they may require,” said spokesman Matthew Harrison.

He couldn’t say how many residents were displaced by the fire, but noted 125 people had already registered at the school by 10 a.m.

It’s not yet clear how many of the building’s 160 suites were damaged or destroyed in the blaze.

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Photos: Top images from around the globe