Canadian Multicultural Council awarded the Community Service Award to Samina Talat as the nominee representing the Pakistani community.

Samina Talat has a long and progressive career in the health and community sector. After completing her Bachelors and Masters in Psychology in Pakistan she started her career in health research across sub-urban parts of Pakistan. Upon arrival in Canada in 1998, Samina pursued work with a settlement agency working with children and families and then at a health agency to work with seniors with mental health issues.

With a quest to advance her career further, Samina then proceeded to do a Masters of Health Sciences in Health Administration at University of Toronto. Upon completion of her degree and securing the designation of a Certified Health Executive, Samina joined the Central West LHIN, a Crown Agency of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. During her tenure at the LHIN, Samina received a scholarship to do the Advanced Health Leadership Program at the prestigious Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. Subsequently Samina worked at a Local Community Health Centre and also completed her certification as a Certified Clinical Service Management Specialist from Schluich School of Business at York University. Currently, she is the Lead for Primary Care at the Central West CCAC – a government funded community health organization.

With a distinct desire to serve the community Samina laid the foundation of Aurat Health Services, a not-for-profit charitable organization, over 4 years ago. Voluntarily, she works with service providers and the South Asian community to promote health literacy and education that is culturally and linguistically appropriate for the benefit of South Asian women across the GTA.

South Asian Heritage Day at the ROM on Saturday May 11^th filled the Royal Ontario Museum with vibrant colors from South Asia. The event branded as ‘RUNG’ – Colors of a Living Culture – was a huge success, attended by close to 3500 people including the following VIPs:

• Hon. Senator Salma Ataullahjan (Chief Guest)
• Hon. Senator Nicole C. Eaton
• Hon. Senator Asha Seth
• Hon. Minister Bal Gossal
• Hon. Minister Michael Chan
• Hon. MP Jim Karygiannis
• Hon. MP Chungsen Leung
• Consul Generals: Pakistan, Nepal, Turkey, Cuba and Afghanistan

Culture and heritage from all South Asian countries was well represented and showcased. The event’s highlight, however was the internationally recognized Truck Artist Haider Ali from Pakistan, who flew in specially for the event and painted before a live audience (courtesy: Govt. of Pakistan). Haider Ali’s work as an artist was recognized by Senator Salma Attaullajan and she presented him with a certificate of appreciation. Hon. Ministers Bal Gosal and Michael Chen, recognized the importance of such events and appreciated Ethnic Marketing for organizing this community event in collaboration with the ROM.

South Asian Heritage Day was packed with multiple exhibits, set up throughout the ROM. These included classical music and dance performances, Miniature paintings, Textile crafts, Rangoli display (floor art), Truck Art, Kites display, Digital Photography, Documentary and Film, Calligraphy, Islamic Art, Youth Dance etc. Live Storytelling for children and delicious South Asian food at the ROM Cafe continued all day long.

Former Liberal leadership candidate Harinder Takhar has resigned suddenly from Premier Kathleen Wynne’s cabinet due to “medical issues.”

Takhar, 61, one of the longest serving ministers at Queen’s Park, will continue on as MPP for Mississauga—Erindale.

Sources say the former government services minister fell ill Saturday and almost missed his mother’s funeral that day.

However, he was back at Queen’s Park earlier this week and met briefly with the premier in private on Tuesday.

“I wish Harinder a speedy recovery and thank him for the role he has played in my new government,” Wynne said in a statement Wednesday.

There was no reference in her terse news release about a possible return to cabinet once he is on the mend.

Government House leader John Milloy will now oversee Ministry of Government Services.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa is taking on Takhar’s role as chair of the Management Board of Cabinet.

The two ministers were quietly sworn in — away from media cameras — on Wednesday afternoon.

Takhar finished respectable fourth in the January Ontario Liberal leadership contest, ahead of Sousa.

First elected in 2003, the successful self-made businessman went straight into then premier Dalton McGuinty’s first cabinet.

In 2006, he violated the Members’ Integrity Act over conflict-of-interest rules related to a blind trust for his personal assets.

Toronto, May 4 (IANS) An Indian-origin man has been arrested in Canada in connection with the 2012 murder of another Indian-origin man.

Dinesh Suntharalingam, 23, was arrested from his home at Markham in the Greater Toronto Area of the Canadian province of Ontario in connection with the killing of Sathiyaraj Mahindran, media reported Friday.

The body of 21-year-old Mahindran was found at the edge of river Welland in King’s Bridge in the Niagara area April 21, 2012. He was reported missing the same day.

Police charged Suntharalingam with second-degree murder.

“The investigation into Mahendran’s death is still ongoing and further arrests are anticipated,” the Toronto Star quoted police as saying in a statement.

Though no cause of death was given at the time the body was recovered, police confirmed it as a homicide in August 2012.

Niagarathisweek.com quoted Niagara Regional Police media officer Derek Watson as saying that both Mahindran and Suntharalingam knew each other and lived close to each other.

The Clorox Company of Canada marked the 100^th anniversary of The Clorox Company internationally by pledging a donation of $100,000 to the William Osler Health System Foundation in support of the new Peel Memorial Hospital.

Clorox strives to make a positive impact in communities by giving back. Whether it’s contributing to disaster relief efforts through donations of Clorox® regular bleach, teaching classes at local schools or funding education, arts and culture programs, Clorox is committed to help restore, enrich and protect the communities it serves.

The Clorox Company of Canada is proud to call the city of Brampton home. The company first relocated its Brita plant to 102 Parkshore Boulevard in 1995, followed by the relocation of its Canadian Corporate Headquarters to 150 Biscayne Crescent in 2004.

“Our corporate mission at Clorox is to make everyday lives better every day. We do this by providing consumers with products that enhance their daily lives and by contributing to the communities that we operate in. This is why we are proud to give back to our community through this donation to the new Peel Memorial Hospital” said Chris Vickers Tucker, President of The Clorox Company of Canada.

Clorox is the maker of iconic brands such as Brita®, Glad®, Burt’s Bees®, Hidden Valley Ranch®, Kingsford ®, GreenWorks® and Clorox® cleaning and laundry products.

Today, more than a quarter of Canadian households use Clorox products. Clorox® bleach, laundry and home cleaning products are sold in more than 100 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Toronto, Ontario, April 29, 2013 – BMO PIFF 2013 had its official kick off April 25 at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre with a star studded press conference, reception and North American premiere of the Punjabi feature film, Lucky Di Unlucky Story starring superstar and Punjabi singer Gippy Grewal. Grewal attended the event and made an exciting entrance as part of a dance number by the famed Shiamak Davar’s Toronto dance team. The launch also saw performances by Bhangra dancers and appearances by Pakistani film star Meera, director Harry Baweja and many others from the film fraternity.

“This year’s festival is going to be bigger and better than ever with a diverse mix of films that touch of themes of Punjabi culture,” said festival president Sunny Gill.

Most festival events are free to the public thanks to the generous support of festival sponsors including title sponsor BMO Bank of Montreal and lead sponsors Qatar Airways, Kudoo mobile and Metroland Media.

More than 800 people attended the launch evening events with a packed theatre for the screening of Lucky Di Unlucky Story. Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, city councilors Bonnie Crombie and Jim Tovey, MPP Dipika Damerla, MPP Todd Smith, Ontario Minister of Education Liz Sandals and many other dignitaries were on hand along with representatives from festival partners including: Sheridan College, The Mississauga Arts Council, Brampton Board of Trade and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

Visit PIFF online at www.pifftoronto.com for all the latest information about the festival.

Supporters, volunteers and MPPs mark World Meningitis Day

Meningitis Relief Canada was at Queen’s Park on April 24^th to mark World Meningitis Day and raise awareness of this potentially deadly—and preventable—disease.

In honour of World Meningitis Day, NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh (Bramalea—Gore—Malton) introduced the Meningitis Awareness Day Act in the Ontario Legislature. If passed, the bill will recognize April 24^th of every year as World Meningitis Day in this province.

MPPs wore burgundy carnations in the Legislature to recognize World Meningitis Day. Liberal MPP Dipika Damerla (Mississauga East—Cooksville) and PC MPPs Christine Elliott (Whitby—Oshawa) and John Yakabuski (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke) spoke in support of meningitis awareness in the Legislature.

Later in the day, Meningitis Relief Canada hosted a successful reception attended by a number of MPPs and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews, and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Linda Jeffrey.

Meningococcal meningitis is an inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. It appears suddenly and can be fatal within 24-48 hours. Some individuals will die of the disease, and many who don’t will face long-term disability, such as neurological damage, hearing loss, or limb amputation.

Meningitis Relief Canada is a registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of individuals.

By: Aabida Dhanji

Mississauga

The annual Toronto World Partnership Walk is just around the corner and will take place on May 26, 2013!  The event is not only packed with fun-filled activities for the entire family, but it is all for a fantastic cause.  The Walk is Canada’s largest annual event dedicated to increasing awareness and funds to fight global poverty.  It is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), a non-profit international agency and registered Canadian charity, working in Asia andAfricato find sustainable solutions to the complex problems causing global poverty.  Last year close to 40,000 people and more than 500 corporate and community teams participated in the Walk in 10 cities across the country.

I had a chance to talk to Rehana, an inspiring and driven Torontonian, who is contributing to breaking the cycle of poverty by creating a team of “tiny” changemakers for the Walk this year.

In 2006, Rehana had a life changing experience volunteering and living in rural areas of South Africafor 9 months.  She says, “I will never forget the day we arrived – a foreign country, a new language, no friends or family, none of the comforts I took for granted at home on a daily basis such as toilets or running water. It was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least, but being thrown into a new culture makes you face the reality of your own. It made me realize how much “first” world countries can learn from “developing” countries.  I quickly adjusted to living a simple life and was filled with many soulful moments and lessons. I became very aware of the differences between needs and wants. The trip taught Rehana how little it takes to make a big difference.   When she had her first child in 2009, it was very important that he would grow up with strong values of compassion, empathy, generosity, kindness, gratitude and a strong inclination to philanthropy.  

In 2010 Rehana and a group of mothers created The Tiny Transformers team with the same hope: To get their little one’s involved in the Toronto World Partnership Walk to take steps towards alleviating global poverty.  The Tiny Transformers range in age from 18 months to 7 years old.   Although the moms do the work in soliciting donations, they get the kids involved by explaining the intention of the Walk and encouraging others to get involved.

The team started out with 9 kids and raised $7,871.  In 2011, they grew to 11 kids and raised $11,333.00.  In 2012 they grew to 14 kids and raised $13,965.00.  To, date the Tiny Transformers have raised over $33,000 and aspire to bring that total to $50,000.00 this year!

While reflecting on working as a team, Rehana says, “We all know that we couldn’t have made this much impact on our own. We come together with a lot of love, a bit of effort and a strong desire to make a difference that allows us to exceed our goals every year. The biggest impact we have all noticed is in our children.” Last year Qais (age 3) looked at his team photo from the previous year and said, “Mommy, are we going to help the kids who don’t have food again – can I give them my toys too?”

Why is it that the Tiny Transformers walk and want to participate in the World Partnership Walk?  Rumi, aged 7 says “I walk because the money goes to people who are sick because they can’t buy medicine – so we can help them.”.  Armaan, aged 7 says “The World Partnership Walk means that we help poor people get clean water.”.  So, despite their size, these kids are passionate about making a difference!

In almost 30 years, the World Partnership Walk has raised more than $75 million to support international development initiatives.  Another factor that makes the Walk unique is that 100% of funds raised go directly to poverty alleviating programs, including health, education, rural development and supporting community-based organizations.  Additionally, funds raised leverage additional support from large donors like the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Join the Tiny Transformers and thousands of Torontonians at the 29th Annual World Partnership Walk on Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 10:00am at Metro Hall in Toronto.

Parm Gill, M.P.

Brampton Springdale

It seems not a week goes by without a high-profile case of bullying in the news. Youth who have been tormented by their peers, often with tragic consequences. As a society, we cannot allow incidents like this to continue to happen, and must work together to make harassment and bullying of this kind a thing of the past.

Bullying, sadly, has come a long way since my generation was young. What was once contained to school yards has entered the digital age. With the rise of cyber-bullying, these children have no escape from their harassers. While once limited to schoolyard taunts & threats in the hallways between classes, bullies now have the ability to prey on their victims using social media, such as Facebook or Twitter. This spreads their message to a larger audience, bringing more individuals into the fray, and increasing the feelings of isolation felt by victims.

This inability to avoid their tormenter has sadly led to many of these children being feeling lost & alone, and far too many have made the tragic choice to end their lives in the hope of making the pain stop. No child should ever feel that there is no escape from their torment, and

When asked about the recent high-profile case of cyberbullying involving Rehtaeh Parsons, a young girl who was sexually assaulted at a party & tormented online when photographs of the assault were circulated, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, “I think we’ve got to stop using just the term bullying to describe some of these things. Bullying to me has a kind of connotation … of kids misbehaving. What we are dealing with in some of these circumstances is simply criminal activity.” Prime Minister Harper is absolutely correct in this statement, and it speaks to how easily social media technology can cause bullying to spiral out of control. In the case of Ms. Parsons, the taunting from classmates regarding the assault became too much to bear, and she took her own life.

Bullying has, in some form, always existed in schools and groups around the world. What we see now, with cyber-bullying, goes far beyond kids simply being mean to each other. We see children and youth harassing their peers in a way that cannot be seen as anything less than criminal. It will take efforts from all levels of government, school boards, community groups and from parents to solve the problem that is cyber-bullying, and ensure those who engage in cyber-bullying face the full consequences of their actions.

This week, as we mark National Victims of Crime Awareness Week, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection has launched their You(th) Are Not Alone campaign in support of cyber-bullying victims. The Centre has also launched the websitehttp://www.needhelpnow.ca/ as a resource for children who are being victimized, with tips for handling the situation & reminders that they need not face this trauma by themselves.

We need to treat youth crime seriously, and we must never forget the victims. Our government will remain vigilant when it comes to protecting Canada’s most vulnerable individuals, our children, and will look for new ways to protect youth from this sort of harassment. My own bill, Bill C-394 is just one of the ways we’re working to protect our youth from those who wish to cause them harm.

In tackling cyber-bullying, we must all work together to prevent bullying in all of its forms, ensuring that no child is forced to suffer in silence. It will take a combined effort from government, school boards, community groups and parents to end the threat of cyber-bullying and ensure no child faces such harassment again.

Parm Gill is Conservative MP from Brampton-Springdale.

Gangaur is traditional festival of Rajasthan, mainly for women folk.

RANA Ladies came in traditional colourful attire of Rajathan to perform Gangaur Pooja. The event was sponsored by Gauri Goel , Chair Rana Ladies Club & Taruna Poddar. Hansa Heda & Newly Wed Shipra led the Pooja.

Rajasthani Canadians have been a growing presence in Canada’s diverse cultural landscape, adding their strong values and determination to our common effort to enhance the diversity and prosperity of communities throughout the country. As Prime Minister Harper stated: “Our incredible cultural diversity is one of Canada’s greatest assets. The harmony and vitality that characterize our Canadian diversity are part and parcel of what defines us as a free, democratic country. Together, we are building a stronger and more united Canada.”