Terrorist mastermind given life sentence

Zakaria Amara is the mastermind of a 2006 plot to bomb Toronto. By the Ontario judge Zakaria has received a life sentence behind bars. Justice Durnos decision is said to be the stiffest punishment imposed to date under Canada’s anti-terrorist laws. Despite the stiff sentence he still stands eligible for parole in about six years which is the time of his 30th birthday. The police had Mr. Amara under surveillance in Mississauga over the last couple of months than quickly arrested him after seeing that he was building truck bombs and planning to blow them up in Toronto. Zakaria committed a terrorist offense and deserves to be in bars for the rest of his life.
It can't be said that terrorism just occurs in other countries. Zakaria's bomb plot is a huge eye opener and will bring stress to many Canadians. Is Canada safe? Should we have to fear things like this? These are all reasonable questions that can be asked and Canada is no different from other countries in the fact that there is terrorism. This man deserves to be locked up for the rest of his life.

Girl sexually assaulted during school trip to park

The police are searching for a suspect after a seven year old girl was sexually assaulted during a school outing in Scarborough. The girl was with a school group at around 1:30 pm last Friday when she was approached by a man and was sexually assaulted. The suspect is described as a white male aged 40-50. He was around six foot to six foot four. He was a medium build with short grey hair and had brown eyes. The police say that the assault has happened despite the presence of an adult. They assume that the adult who was with the group did not realize the assault has taken place. The police are currently on search for this man.
This is a very sad event and is why I believe schools should have smaller classrooms. A teacher looking after 30 plus kids may not be able to handle them all. It is very easy for one to wander off or to get taken away. Schools should definitely lower the amount of students in per class or make more teachers go on field trips to avoid accidents like this. This could have easily been avoided and unfortunately a young girl is stuck with a terrifying memory. I hope this man is found and goes to jail for this sick crime

Congress makes job creation top 2010 priority

Members of the United States congress begin 2010 trying to reduce the number of jobless people. One in every ten Americans are out of work which is the highest unemployment rate in around 25 years of America. The democrats who control the Senate and house of commons are making job creation one of their top priorities for the 2010 year. The senate is making relief for Haiti number one however, fixing the employment rate is defiantly on the agenda. Last month the house passed on a $155 billion bill that aims to stimulate the job market.

Right know the unemployment rate is really high in America and I think that they should be doing all they can so they can lift the Americans back on their feet. If Americans can get more jobs the economy will be better and there will be more hope for the future.

At least 10 dead after religious violence in northern Nigeria

Witnesses have stated that at least ten people have died in fighting between Christians and Muslims in the northern Nigerian city of Jos. The violence erupted early Sunday morning and there were churches and buildings burnt to the ground. Witnesses state that they saw at least 10 dead bodies laying on the streets all killed from bloodshot wounds. The police refuse to say how many were killed and injured. Previously in 2008 there was an incident leaving over 300 people killed on a religious issue.



In both the Bible and the Qur'an it says you should not kill and I guess the people fighting didn't really get this message. I think it's dumb that people are dying because they have different religious views that someone else. This is plain sad and it’s a good thing that the police got there when they did or there could have been a lot more deaths.

War deserter released from U.S. prison

An American soldier named Cliff Cornell is currently in jail for desertion. He has been granted an early release and he still refuses to fight in the Iraq war. Cliff Cornell stated, "If I had to do it again, I would because I'm not killing innocent people." He then went on to say he stood by his decision one hundred percent. When he gets out of jail he plans to spend some time with his family then immigrate to Canada. Cornell fled to Canada one month before he was suppose to leave to Iraq. He feared his life and didn't have the stomach to kill anyone. Cornell lived in British Columbia for four years until the Canadian Government forced him to leave. It is now a debate if they will let 28 year old Cliff Cornell back into Canada
Personally I wouldn’t let this man back into Canada. He signed up for the military than just left them, deserted them. He signed a contract basically devoting his life to them and then he ran away. If he didn't want to do the military he didn't have to sign up but, because he did than fled he's a criminal and I don’t think he should be allowed back into Canada

Canada may fast-track Haitian immigration

The Canadian government says they are looking for a way to fast track immigration into Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that he is trying to find ways to ease immigration and refugee rules to allow Haitians to live in Canada quicker. The first three air transports arrive in Montreal from Haiti Friday morning carrying over 220 passengers. As the situation in Haiti continually falls downhill the government is looking at a plan to allow Haitians with Canadian relatives to come to Canada as well. Is this the right move?

I don't think that this is not fair. I think that immigration rules should apply to all and that you can’t just "fast track" the rules and make exceptions. Immigration is suppose to strengthen Canada and how does allowing all these people into our country do that? We have to get information about these people and find out will they be able to benefit Canada? Also if we lower the immigration rules now for Haiti then others might expect the same thing in the future.

Disease 'outbreak' feared in Haiti

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake left tens of thousands in need for food, water and health supplies. The top concerns right now are to supply relief to the Haitians. Many believe that the Haitians are very vulnerable to getting diseases. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere and has already suffered from malnutrition and less than half the population has access to fresh clean drinking water. Over 200,000 Haitians have HIV or AIDS and around half the population isn’t even vaccinated. “If there’s a widespread outbreak of disease, the first line of defense is your own immune system,” Mr. Brown said. Canada's disaster response team has a job to ensure that the water is clean, filtered and safe to drink. The AID organizations are also ensuring that the victims have safe water to drink to lower the risk of diarrhea and hepatitis. Avril Bennot stated, "Despite Haiti's fragile state the spread of disease was not an immediate threat.
What happened in Haiti is a tragedy and the victims will never forget it. I believe that the diseases could be very harmful epically to those who have weak immune systems. Without food or water or treatment the Haitian's won’t be able to survive. Disease outbreak is definitely a threat however; I think that providing food, water, and first aid should be first priority. They should keep an eye on this disease threat but ensure that the essentials for living are provided first.

Airlines organizing Haiti Earthquake Aid

People stuck under peices of rubble, people with homes that have been torn down, people with no food or water what so ever. The Airlines are trying to make a difference after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. They are currently organizing and planning for relief planes to be sent. They are sending three more both releif planes Thursday and Friday. The Haitian government is currently not accepting any incoming flights due to the lack of fuel and ramp space. Yesterday there were 3 planes carrying over 30,000 pounds of relief supplies, including food, water and other non perishable goods. The airlines are currently not letting any flights come into Haiti. 

I think this is great that the Airlines are sending help to Haiti. Right now, Haiti needs all the help they can possibly get. Haitis death tolls are increasing by the minute and we need to get there as fast as we can to provide food and water for those who need it. With a predicted over 100,000 deaths we cant wait and we have to send relief to Haiti as soon as possible.

Canadian Airlines fear violiating privacy under new U.S. Rules

Over the last couple of years the security in the airports has tightened and it has gotten to the point where Canadians fear that their privacy is at risk. To fly to the over the United States your personal information is now required. Even if you don't set foot on American ground your personal information is needed. The program would collect information such as your name, gender and birthdates. Around five million Canadians would have to fill in this information to fly through American airspace to get to destinations such as the Caribbean, South America, Mexico. Once your name and information is in the program the TSA ( transportation security administration) would check your name with names against security watch lists. If your name turns up on this security watch list you can receive anything from a extra security check to loosing your spot on the plane. The council stated that if this was to occur it would breach the personal protection and electric document act which is a federal privacy law that applies to Canadian companies. There is also a fear that your personal information will be used for purposes unrelated to aviation safety.

I think it is ridiculous that you have to give up your personal information when you’re not even sure where it could be going. You could be flying to Mexico and have to risk yourself, your information. I think the Airlines are getting too strict and they have to find a better way than taking getting the information of every single Canadian. The shoulders of Americans have lifted and I believe after bombing threats and 911 there watching every move however, they are making traveling a huge pain. They need to find a better way to make traveling safer without risking ourselves.