12:00PM | Sunday | March 14
Choices... to choose between right or wrong is simple, but what defines one's life is the decision between the greater of two goods or the lesser of two evils. This is the advice that Zooni Ali Beg (K... [Read More]
ConocoPhillips Youth of Distinction Awards: Call for Nomination
Monday, February 15 to Monday, March 15, 2010
Immigrant Youth Art Contest: Echoing the Youth Experience
Submission deadline: Monday, March 22, 2010
Beth Shalom Sunday Movie
Every third Sunday of the month
As we've mentioned -- for the second year in a row-- festival city is recognizing diversity in the arts. One such artist is a painter from Punjab, India. The city of Edmonton embracing all forms of all from all over the world is one thing. A south asian deciding to choose art as a career is another. Aadel Haleem (aadel.haleem@rci.rogers.com) profiles Punita Chohan.
More Stories: (Click title to view story)
+Controversial bill moves forward (2010-03-09)
A bill that hopes to better the plight of women in India is on its way to becoming law. The country is reserving a certain percentage of seats for women. By having women in power, lawmakers hope to make real changes. But South Asian countries have been lead by female heads of state -- when women still weren't value at home or in the work place. As Lisha Hassanali (lisha.hassanali@rci.rogers.com) reports, poverty is still an issue...but one that is being tackled.
+Tough on crime? (2010-03-09)
A former alberta mp no longer faces criminal charges. Rahim Jaffer learned his fate today as he appeared before a judge in Ontario. The former MO for Edmonton-Strathcona was accused of driving drunk and possessing cocaine. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and is now facing a traffic fine. Jaffer was known for his tough on drugs stance during his 11 year reign as an MP. The Tories are also pushing more tough on crime legislation -- claiming the offenders have been getting too easy a ride. No doubt the former Tory's plea bargain was a hot topic in the House of Commons. Many felt in Jaffers case -- justice was not served.
+Lahore bombing (2010-03-08)
A suicide bomber claimed at least 13 lives in Pakistan's largest city of Lahore, and injured at least 60 others. The explosion was so large that it brought down a two-storey building. The Pakistani government condemned the attack, saying it's another attempt by insurgents to destabilize the country. Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
+The ugly face of racism (2010-03-08)
Racism reared its ugly head on the University of Calgary campus this week, as the posters of several students running for the students' union were defaced. Two of the students are young Muslim women, and they feel that their posters were targeted because of their faith. The posters, which had hate messages scrawled on them have since been removed, but the students feel something needs to be done. Lisha Hassanali (lisha.hassanali@rci.rogers.com) explains.
+Schools under threat of closure (2010-03-08)
Aging populations and growing movement from urban centres to suburbia has city officials concerned. They say that inner city schools are no longer economically viable, especially given the lack of enrollment. Aadel Haleem (aadel.haleem@rci.rogers.com) explores what possible closures mean for new immigrants.
+Afghan detainee scandal (2010-03-05)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative party promised hearings on the Afghan detainee scandal would continue once the House of Commons was back in session. But opposition parties are now crying foul, after the justice minister called for a Supreme Court judge to look into the matter.
+Challenging crime against cultural communities (2010-03-05)
The deaths of several Somali men is an ongoing story in Alberta, and police are still looking for leads. But that has people wondering how crime rates compare in new cultural communites in Canada, versus those of more established ones, like the South Asian and Chinese communities. Aadel Haleem (aadel.haleem@rci.rogers.com) explains.
+Interfaith discussion (2010-03-05)
Religion and God have often put people from different faiths at odds with one another. But a group of Calgarians is choosing to bring their differences together, rather than set them apart. Lisha Hassanali (lisha.hassanali@rci.rogers.com) sits on the interfaith discussion.
+Police warn public about alcohol-related rape (2010-03-04)
Edmonton police are concerned about the growing number of sexual assaults. They say most of the crimes are commited by people who knew the victim. And, they say many of the perpetrators may not realize how their behaviour could constitute sexual assault. But, as Aadel Haleem (aadel.haleem@rci.rogers.com) tells us, for ethnic communities, the situation is a bit more complex.
The Alberta Nurses Union is outraged at the latest contract proposal put forward by Alberta Health Services. The super board is calling for rollbacks in salaries, benefits and scheduling protections. The nurses exchanged proposals with the province yesterday. The union asked for a two year contract with a 4% wage increase each year. The government contract called for a reduction in rest times before shifts and would allow casual employees to be let go without a reason. Heather Smith of the United Nurses of Alberta says they are being intentionally provocative with their proposals. The nurses union represents 24,000 registered nurses in the province. A release from the province says they believe they are offering a fair and competitive proposal that will keep nurses working. Negotiation meetings are set up for March and April. The current contract expires on March 31st
More than 45,000 Canadians could be recognized as status Indians under planned changes to Canada’s Indian Act, the CBC reports. Under current rules, women who marry non-natives retain their Indian status, as do their children, but not their grandchildren. However, the same rule does not apply to the opposite sex. Men with Indian status and their descendants keep their status when they marry non-native women. But planned changes would extend Indian status for one more generation, meaning grandkids of women who marry non-natives would have native status also.
Two teenage boys are in police custody after the savage beating of a wheelchair-bound Canadian man in Sydney, Australia. The victim, 35-year-old Heath Proden of Manitoba, was in Sydney to visit his girlfriend and was waiting for a train at the time of the brutal attack. Police say the assailants stomped on him and hit him with metal bars, leaving Proden with a fractured skull.
A new study on tuberculosis suggests the lung disease is 185 times more common among Inuit than other Canadians. Researchers also found incidence of TB among Inuit has increased over recent years, prompting Canada's Inuit community to call for a new plan to deal with the disease in the country's North.
Wrapping up annual meetings in Florida, the NHL’s general managers have developed the framework for a new rule punishing hits to the head. Under the new rule, referees would be allowed to assess a minor or major penalty for blindside hits that target the head. The penalty is subject to approval from the competition committee and has not yet been given a specific name.
Air Canada reports it was forced to delay a flight from Vancouver during the Winter Olympics because travellers watching the gold medal hockey game at the airport ignored repeated calls to board. Air Canada’s chief executive called the source of the delay something the airline had not encountered in more than 70 years of existence.
CIBC World Markets predicts the Canadian dollar will pass parity with the U.S. greenback by this summer, led by higher interest rates and investor demand for Canada. On Wednesday, the loonie rose 0.05 of a cent to close at 97.48 cents US.

OMNI Television and other Ethnic Media, Organizations Team Up for Multicultural Canada for Haiti Collective Appeal for UNICEF to run on OMNI stations in BC, Alberta and Ontario.