Alberta needs 100,000 more workers

JAN 31: The Alberta provincial government in Canada has projected that its super-heated economy will be short 100-thousand workers over the next decade.

Its new report calls for relaxed federal immigration policies to allow more skilled workers to come to Alberta from outside of Canada. It is also calling for a stronger push to train more workers and better recruitment programs.

It also plans to hold 60 meetings over the next several months to deal with the shortage of workers.

"We are short on technicians, trades, welders and construction laborers, and foreign assistance may be needed to fill the gaps," said Tom Collins, a vice-president with PricewaterhouseCoopers' Calgary practice. "It is conceivable that we will see complete oilsands projects in Canada being built totally by Chinese labor."

PricewaterhouseCoopers are an international energy expert. There are 48 oilsands projects currently on the go - with an estimated capital expenditure of $75 billion - "but there just aren't enough skilled people to build them."

Toronto desis want tahir Khan memorial

46-year-old Tahir Khan, who was killed while driving his cab, is seen in this undated photo.

JAN 31 - Toronto's Muslim community want the city to build a granite memorial to Tahir Khan, and to rename the Rosedale corner where he died Tahir Kahn Square.

Pakistani-Canadian Tahir Khan, a Diamond Taxi Driver, died in a car crash three days before he was set to become a Canadian citizen. Police say Khan died after turning into the path of what police say was a street race involving two Mercedes Benzes driven by two high school teens.

In a letter to Toronto Mayor David Miller, the Muslim Canadian congress has asked the monument also be dedicated to "the hard work of the cab drivers of this city who suffer so much simply to make ends meet."

"We feel the city should do more than just pay platitudes to the services of the people you call the ambassadors of Toronto," says the letter.

Ontario's Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle has said he would do his best to ensure Khan is awarded citizenship posthumously and his family in Pakistan is given the option to move to Canada.

"The least we can do is respect that wish that he had in his heart," he told the crowd of about 1,000 people at the city's Islamic Foundation Mosque , which included the city's Pakistani Consul-General Ghalib Iqbal and hundreds of Toronto taxi drivers.

He later said such designations were rare, but that he hoped the government would allow this one on humanitarian grounds.

The Toronto-based Islamic Foundation said it has contacted Khan's family and they are still in shock and unsure whether to move to Canada.

President Mohammad Alam said the group will monitor the legal proceedings surrounding Khan's death and look out for the relatives' interests in the meantime.

In the meantime, the foundation will send 100,000 Pakistani rupees, or about $2,000, to Khan's widow to cover her living costs.

The two teens involved in the accident have been freed on $50,000 bail after being charged in the death of Tahir Khan. The pair was bailed out by their parents after spending seven days behind bars.

Their release Tuesday comes with a set of conditions that includes no driving and the surrendering of all travel documents. One of them was charged with failing to stop after an accident.

Alberta needs 100,000 more workers

JAN 31: Canada's Alberta Government projects its super-heated economy will be short 100-thousand workers over the next decade.

A new report calls for relaxed federal immigration policies to allow more skilled workers to come to Alberta from outside of Canada. It is also calling for a stronger push to train more workers and better recruitment programs.

The Alberta Government plans to hold 60 meetings over the next several months to deal with the shortage of workers.

"We are short on technicians, trades, welders and construction laborers, and foreign assistance may be needed to fill the gaps," said Tom Collins, a vice-president with PricewaterhouseCoopers' Calgary practice. "It is conceivable that we will see complete oilsands projects in Canada being built totally by Chinese labor," he added.

PricewaterhouseCoopers are an international energy expert.

There are 48 oilsands projects currently on the go - with an estimated capital expenditure of $75 billion - "but there just aren't enough skilled people to build them."

Need For speed Killed Pak cabbie

Scene of fatal accident Tuesday evening in Scarborough, Ont. Tahir Khan, 46, a driver with Diamond Taxi who would have become a full Canadian citizen tomorrow, is the 30th person to die in the Greater Toronto Area since 1999 as a result of street racing. (Sun Media)

JAN 27 - The fantasy world of video game street racing may have influenced two teenage boys accused of piloting real-life luxury cars in a high-speed contest that claimed the life of a Pakistani-Canadian taxi driver, reported a Toronto newspaper quoting GTA police.

A copy of Need for Speed, a game that allows players to select high-end cars and race them through crowded urban areas, was found on the front seat of one of the suspect's cars following the late-night crash in Scarborough, Ontario.

The game involves street racing, drag racing and pursuit racing, where players attempt to evade police. Police are reportedly exploring a connection between the accident and the game.

Meanwhile, the body of the 46-year-old Pakistani-Canadian taxi driver Tahir Khan who died in the car crash will be flown back to his hometown of Jhang in Punjab next week. His wife and two children live in Pakistan.

Police say Khan died after turning into the path of what police say was a street race involving two Mercedes Benzes driven by two high school teens.

Tahir Khan, a Diamond Taxi driver, was to receive his Canadian citizenship Friday when his Ford Crown Victoria was crushed against a utility pole Tuesday night.

Toronto police said two 18-year-old friends belonging to Ontario's elite private high school were racing their parents' Mercedes Benzes when one of them struck Tahir's cab as he attempted to make a left turn. The cars were traveling at up to 140 kilometers an hour in the 50 km/h zone.

The two men face charges of criminal negligence causing death in connection with the incident.

Police said one of the drivers later fled the scene, returning to the accident after parking his car a few blocks away and posing as a bystander, police said.

The two teens are being held in custody at a detention centre.

Friends and co-workers said Tahir Khan, who immigrated to the country six years ago, was a well-liked, quiet man who worked long hours to support his wife in Pakistan. He was hoping to bring her to Canada.

One of Mr. Khan's friends contacted family members in Pakistan on Wednesday to break the news. The consulate has also contacted Mr. Khan's brother to arrange the transportation of the body.

Diamond Taxi Association has established a trust fund for the family and will pay for Khan's funeral service, to be held at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto mosque in Scarborough.

The Immigration and Citizenship Canada would let Khan's wife apply to come to Canada on humanitarian grounds, if before his death, he had applied to sponsor her.

Scarborough MP Tom Wappel is encouraging the federal government to posthumously grant citizenship to Khan.

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