OTTAWA – Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Friday that Haitian authorities had given approval for Canadians to adopt Haitian children and that the first 86 children could be brought to Canada by plane as early as this weekend.

“Those will be the first children to arrive here in Canada,” Kenney told the media. An aide to the minister said it is not known yet which Canadian airport will be the site of the arrival.

Kenney said Ottawa is aware of another 68 applications from Canadians to adopt Haitian children. The government in Port-au-Prince has authorized the adoption and departure to Canada of these 68 children as well but the applications are in an earlier stage in the approval process in Canada.

The federal government has asked provincial authorities to move quickly to complete their certification of the would-be parents so these children can also be brought here quickly, Kenney said.

Canada and other nations helping earthquake-battered Haiti face nothing less than the “rescue of a shattered society,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.

But Harper vowed that Canada would stand by Haitians in the long-term and “help them find their way to hope.”

“Canadians have been profoundly moved by the suffering of their fellow human beings in Haiti. Canadians have asked us to do everything in our power to help,” he told members of the Conservative caucus Friday morning.

Hours before Harper spoke, a ramp ceremony was held at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for Sgt. Mark Gallagher and Supt. Doug Coates.

They were among the 16 Canadians confirmed killed in the quake, in which some 200,000 people are estimated to have died.

Gallagher was remembered as a policeman with a common touch, while senior UN officials paid tribute to Coates’s humility and professionalism.

More than 200 people attended the ceremony, including Canadian and Jamaican soldiers and Chinese police officers.

The bodies are expected to arrive later today at CFB Trenton, east of Toronto — the same base where the remains of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan are repatriated.

Harper said Canada’s response to the disaster has been “unprecedented,” led by the armed forces, diplomats and aid workers.

“Their challenge in the coming days and weeks as part of the multinational relief effort amounts to nothing less than the rescue of a shattered society,” Harper said

“The even larger task in the months and years that will follow is to rebuild Haiti to transform its unimaginable grief into a sustained hope for the future,” he said.

Three hundred and six Canadians remain unaccounted for as rescue efforts continue to probe collapsed buildings, and 1,892. More than 1,700 Canadians have been evacuated from the island nation.

Ottawa estimates there were more than 6,000 Canadians in Haiti when the magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck on Jan. 12.

Canada has committed some 2,000 soldiers to the relief efforts, including two ships, helicopters and a disaster assistance team. Nearly 1,000 Canadian soldiers, sailors and aircrew are already on the ground or off the coast of Haiti.

Take our FREE Online Assessment Today!
FREE ASSESSEMENT

Socialize with Abrams & Krochak
•    AKCanada
•    Facebook
•    YouTube
•    Twitter

More than 20 Canadian institutions will be promoting Canadian education on Jan 23-24 in Kuala Lumpur, Jan 26 here and Jan 26 in Kuching.

Programmes such as engineering, business, actuarial science, biotechnology, computer science and pre-university courses will be showcased.

Representatives from these institutions will be on hand to counsel interested individuals on admission requirements for this year’s September intake.

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada will also be part of the fair to provide information on student visa applications for Canada.

Eligible foreign students at public post-secondary institutions can also gain work experience through off-campus employment during school year and study breaks.

It will be held at Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu from 2pm to 7pm on Jan 26.

Take our FREE Online Assessment Today!

FREE ASSESSEMENT

Socialize with Abrams & Krochak

• AKCanada
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter

New home sales in the Greater Toronto area were up by 24 per cent in 2009 compared to a year earlier, according to figures released today.

The Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) stated 33,165 new homes and condos were sold in the GTA, compared to 27,153 in 2008.

Most of those sales were in the second half of the year when consumer confidence, sparked by low interest rates, returned to the market.

The solid figures were helped by a strong December, with 3,148 home sold, representing a more than five-fold increase over December of 2008.

The recovery was “kick started by builders slashing costs and margins on inventory and new product to the bone,” said the association.

“It was propelled by an improving economy, increased consumer confidence and overall housing affordability.”

That strength has continued into 2010. Sales in the first two weeks of January were almost double those of the same period last year – 1,749 so far this year up from 888 at the same time in 2009, according to figures released by the Toronto Real Estate Board on Monday.

The average price of a home in January was also up, at $395,307, compared with $332,495 in the same month in 2009.

The board expects the strength in sales and pricing will continue for the next few months.

Take our FREE Online Assessment Today!

FREE ASSESSEMENT

Socialize with Abrams & Krochak

• AKCanada
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter