Ontario Cuts College, University Fees By
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Leader in South Asian News - Tel: 905-795-0639 Friday, JanuaryJune 2, 2017 18, 2019 www.WeeklyVoice.com VolVol 25, 23, No. No. 03 22 PM: 40025701 Jagmeet’s Liberal Rival Drops Out Of Race, page 5 Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday Marked, page 7 ICCC Announces New Initiatives, page 12 Parent Sponsorship Program Launch Soon Intake Will Now Be On First-Come Basis; Forms Will Be Available From Noon On January 28 Ottawa: The Parents and intake process. The Government for applicants. Grandparents (PGP) Program of Canada has listened to and Immigration, Refugees and interest to sponsor form will be addressed concerns from clients Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will available to potential sponsors and stakeholders about the pre- accept interest to sponsor sub- starting at noon EST on January vious intake process, and has missions for a limited time and 28, 2019. taken steps to provide a first-in- then invite potential sponsors to Minister of Immigration, Refu- first-served approach for 2019, he submit a complete application, in gees and Citizenship, the Hon- said. This approach will further the order their submissions were ourable Ahmed Hussen, made enhance the client experience by received, until the 2019 cap of tha announcement in Ottawa. The keeping the application process 20,000 complete applications is launch of the 2019 PGP Program fair for all, while remaining an reached. will include a new and improved easy-to-access electronic method Continued on page 2 Thousands Take Dip At Confluence Of Three Rivers In Prayagraj Kumbh Mela Has Spectacular Opening PRAYAGRAJ,: In one of the and Nirmala. After a spectacular largest religious gatherings in the opening on the occasion of Makar world, several thousands of pil- Sankranti, the ongoing Kumbh grims and holy men took a dip Mela here is slowly settling down at the Sangam, the confluence as thousands of devotees who had of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers gathered here for the first of the and the mythical Saraswati, as the ‘Shahi Snan’ are making their Kumbh Mela opened on Tuesday, way back to their homes. officials said here. The Kumbh administration has Devotees take a holy dip on Makar Sankranti at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Jan. 15, 2019. “We are glad to announce made elaborate preparations for (Photo: Saket Suman/IANS) that the first ‘Shahi Snan’ (royal the visitors and expressed hap- bath) began and concluded at the piness at the successful handling scheduled time. The participation of the first day. The next ‘Shahi of all the 13 akharas remained Snan’ is scheduled to take place Ontario Cuts College, orderly and was successful. Ap- on January 21. The Kumbh proximately 400,000 devotees Mela will reach its culmination took the holy bath,” Dilip Kumar on March 4, with the last of the Tripurayan, ADM Kumbh, told ‘Shahi Snan’ taking place on the % reporters. occasion of Maha Shivratri. Elab- University Fees By 10 Soon after midnight Monday, orate security arrangements were throngs of devotees gathered in place and pontoon bridges had here for the Kumbh from within Continued on page 2 Refocus On OSAP To Make It Sustainable; NDP Blasts Move the country and abroad began proceeding towards the bathing TORONTO: For the first time the government will be refocus- challenging our partners in the ghats. Loud religious chanting in Ontario, students at every pub- sing the Ontario Student Assis- postsecondary sector to deliver as well as melodious singing of licly-assisted college and univer- tance Program (OSAP) to ensure better value for the high tuitions ‘bhajans’ reverberated through sity will see their tuition rates go it remains sustainable and viable they already charge.” the by-lanes of this Uttar Pradesh down by 10 per cent thanks to a for future students while direct- The Minister also announced a city for most of the night. province-wide tuition rate reduc- ing a greater proportion of OSAP Student Choice Initiative through Visitors reached the ghats that tion introduced by the Ontario funding to families with the which every individual student were lit up like Diwali in a hue Government. greatest financial need. in Ontario will be empowered to of multiple colours, amid height- “We believe that if you’ve got “The previous government choose which student fees they ened security and waited for the the grades, you deserve access to believed in handing out OSAP want to pay and how that money ‘Shahi Snan’ to begin. an affordable postsecondary edu- money to some of Ontario’s high- will be allocated. Fees for essen- The moment arrived before cation,” said Merrilee Fullerton, est income earners with virtually tial campus health and safety ini- just dawn around 5 a.m. when, Minister of Training, Colleges no meaningful criteria for suc- tiatives will continue to be man- with prayers on their lips, many and Universities. “By lowering cess,” said Fullerton. “It is no datory. took the holy dip in the water as BROKER tuition across the entire province, surprise that student enrolment “Student fees in Ontario can cold as ice. The 13 ‘Akharas’ par- our government is ensuring that has remained flat while tuition range as high as $2000 per year ticipating in the ‘Shahi Snan’ on all qualified Ontario students will rates skyrocketed. Instead of us- and, too often, force students to Tuesday included Maha Nirvani, have more affordable access to ing OSAP to indirectly subsidize pay for services they do not use Atal, Niranjani, Anand, Juna, high quality skills, training and future rounds of tuition hikes, we and organizations they do not Avahan, Panchagni, Nirvani Ani, education.” will focus our resources on the support,” said Fullerton. “We will Digambar Ani, Nirmohi Ani and Fullerton also announced that families in greatest need while Continued on page 5 Naya Udaseen, Bada Udaseen Golden Horseshoe Plan To Ease Housing Crunch TORONTO: Ontario is pro- tially pledged to open parts of the housing supply shortage in the posing changes to the Greater area to build housing _ a promise Toronto area. Golden Horseshoe’s growth plan he backtracked on after facing in- A government statement said that the government says would tense criticism. the changes would make it faster make it easier and faster to build But the NDP and the Green and easier to build housing for housing. party accuse the government of the growing number of people The government says the putting Greenbelt protections at who will live and work in the changes would come while main- risk through omnibus legislation region in the next 20 years. The taining protections for the Green- introduced late last year aimed at changes would allow municipali- belt, an area designated to keep cutting red tape. ties and developers to work to- environmentally sensitive land The proposed changes to gether to build communities that from urban development. the growth plan include some address local needs and regional Critics have suggested the Pro- eased density targets. The pre- priorities. gressive Conservative govern- vious targets, introduced by the “We believe there are too many ment wants to open the door to Premier Doug Ford generated former Liberal government as barriers standing in the way of Greenbelt development, but it has controversy during last year’s anti-sprawl measures, had been creating housing and attracting denied that charge. election campaign when he ini- blamed by some critics for a Continued on page 3 A-2 | Friday, January 18, 2019 FRONT/INDIA www.WeeklyVoice.com THE WEEKLY VOICE New Form Will Help Detect Duplication, Fraud EDITOR Bala Menon Continued from page 1 2011, to just over 28,000 people Interested potential sponsors in October 2018. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS are encouraged to familiarize • Once invited, potential spon- Preeti Thandi themselves with the new intake sors will have 60 calendar days Harj Chaggar Amitabh Saxena process for 2019, as other im- from the date of their invitation to provements have been made. ensure IRCC receives their com- Graphic Design These include a requirement for plete application for sponsorship. Tamarind Tree potential sponsors to upload a Ottawa said it has listened to copy of a status in Canada docu- feedback from clients, stakehold- Classifieds ment when submitting their inter- ers and the public to identify im- HarSimrat Panfer est to sponsor form. provements needed in the Parents The interest to sponsor form and Grandparents (PGP) Pro- ACCOUNT MANAGERS Manu Ramachandran has also been enhanced from pre- gram – specifically, the applica- G Prasaad vious years to include features tion process. Here’s how the new Rohit Malhotra that will help IRCC detect dupli- will accept in 2019 to 20,000 – 4 to their communities. In reunit- process will work: Maha cate submissions and potential times the number of applications ing Canadian citizens and perma- Step 1: Potential sponsors in- fraud. Potential sponsors should accepted in 2015. This increase nent residents with their parents dicate their interest. However, ONLINE MARKETING submit an interest to sponsor was made possible by an over and grandparents, not only do we in 2019, the enhanced version of MANAGER form as soon as possible once it’s 80% reduction of the application help these families to succeed – the interest to sponsor form will Amitabh Saxena available online, after confirm- backlog and processing times that doing so also benefits our entire require potential sponsors to up- ACCOUNTS ing that they meet the necessary have been shortened from 7 to 8 country”. load a copy of a status in Canada Asha J Singhh minimum income requirements. years, to about 2 years. • The PGP Program continues document. The onus is on potential sponsors Ahmed Hussen, Minister of to be very popular, with contin- Step 2: Invitations to sponsor PHotograpHER to ensure they are eligible before Immigration, Refugees and Citi- ued high volumes in the interest are sent.