Perfect storm of red tape to blame for IRCC delay of over a year, says immigration lawyer Daniel Torres has been in Canada since 2017, receiving his advanced diploma in marine technology and navigation from Georgian College in Owen Sound, Ont., last year. The Peruvian immigrant applied for his post-graduate work permit in May 2021 and permanent residency status in July last year, believing it would be granted well before his student visa expired in November. But he is still waiting. “So all I want is the minister of immigration can look atRead more

Group of MPs, border-city mayors call on Canada, U.S. to lift requirements A group of MPs and border-city mayors is calling on the Canadian and U.S. governments to lift COVID-19 restrictions at the border. On Tuesday, they published an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden that asks them to remove the “unnecessary” rules at the border, which they say would allow border communities to recover from the pandemic. “When COVID-19 was at its peak and border measures were effective at slowing transmission rates, we did our part toRead more

Official inflation rate hit a 40-year high of 8.1% earlier this year Canada’s inflation rate cooled to seven per cent in August, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. Economists had been expecting the rate to come in at 7.3 per cent, after inflation rose to a 40-year high of 8.1 per cent earlier this summer. Instead, the rate decelerated by even more than expected, in large part because gasoline got much cheaper during the month. Gas prices fell by 9.6 per cent in August from where they were the previous month. That is theRead more

Victim’s husband says he holds out ‘hope’ final report will be valuable Lawyers for most families of the 22 people killed in the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting laid out blunt assessments Tuesday of RCMP “failings” before, during and after the horrific massacre. The Mass Casualty Commission leading the inquiry into the tragic events of April 18 and 19, 2020, heard final submissions from family members of many victims during hearings in Truro, N.S., either through lawyers or speaking on their own behalf. Sandra McCulloch of Patterson Law, which represents most ofRead more

Calls for long-term support needed to help community heal from immense trauma WARNING: This story contains distressing details. Nicole Moostoos was jolted awake by her crying daughter sprinting into her bedroom. “She told me that my mom and Creedon had been stabbed.” It was around 6 a.m. on Sept. 4. Moostoos, 41, jumped up in a panic, threw on some clothes and headed out the door. She has walked the road to her mom Arlene’s on the James Smith Cree Nation countless times before. This time she ran. “As I was running by, there wereRead more