This is the right time to support a great cause!!! The Zimbabwe Health (Hutano) Fundraiser: “Rebuilding the Future through Education.” This event will highlight the plight of many young Zimbabweans who are trying to pursue a career in healthcare without the simple aids of textbooks and other supplies.

While Canada is known internationally as a land of opportunity for the poor and the disenfranchised - a reputation that has slid northward from the United States over the past hundred years - some inequalities remain, despite the best efforts of politicians and educators. Whether or not inequality can be exterminated entirely is a matter of much debate and no small difficulty, and a battle that's fought daily at personal, municipal, provincial, and federal levels. For every nine citizens that are against discrimination, one person in a position of power harbours secret hate or makes unfair decisions. No minority is immune either - women, immigrants, the disabled - for bigotry is something that takes many ways and many forms.

Canada has the highest net immigration rate of any country in the world. While this is due to any number of cultural, historical, and political reasons, the immigration rate is enabled by the open immigration policy of the federal government.

COSTI, established in 1952, is “one of Canada's most culturally diverse agencies”, with help in over 60 languages. According to their website, “84% of the clients who come to COSTI, come from elsewhere in the world.”
As the organization says, "the thousands of individuals that come through COSTI each year are extremely diverse, yet they have one thing in common - they share a dream to make new and prosperous lives for themselves in Canada."

For those not familiar with the term "humanitarian aid", it refers to any undertaking intended to restore basic human rights to unlucky individuals. This aid can take many forms: donations of food or blankets, money given to third-world governments in crisis, or even simply a welcoming hand extended to refugees- more common in Canada than anywhere else. This country has a long track record of humanitarian support, and there are even those reading this who may owe their lives or their presence here to a government program, a non-profit organization or even an individual.

Culture shock is not something, as the name may suggest, that happens right away.  You can experience this feeling days, weeks or even months after arriving in Canada.  Culture Shock describes the anxiety or feelings that people have when living in or visiting a new country.  In the beginning you may be excited about the new opportunity and have high hopes and expectations.  This is what is commonly referred to as the honeymoon stage.  At this time everything seems interesting and exciting and you may tend to focus on the similarities between your home country and Canada.  Quite frequently, however, when they honeymoon stage is over the symptoms of Culture Shock set in.   Here are a few things to look out for and some tips to help get you through this difficult transition.

Choosing a University for yourself or child is a big decision, especially if you are new to Canada and are not familiar with our schools.  Newly immigrated citizens may not have access or connections to anyone who has attended a prospective school.  To help those people, or even those who have lived in Canada their whole lives and are exploring future schools, here is a comprehensive list of the top Universities in Canada as rated by Maclean’s for 2008, including those best suited for students looking to study to become a medical doctor.