Immigration, Citizenship, and Culture Blog

Increased Scrutiny by Canada’s Border Agents — Don’t Take Chances
By Stephen Fogarty • February 29, 2012

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has demonstrated an increased vigilance in recent months. This approach goes hand in hand with Canada’s international obligations to combat terrorism and organized crime, as well as the Harper government’s emphasis on ‘law and order’. We all benefit when close attention is paid to passports to verify the identity of travellers.  Similarly, CBSA officers often play a key role in thwarting international arms smuggling and child kidnapping. Canada Customs: not the place to seek sympathy However, the more intense scrutiny by CBSA officers can have some less than pleasant consequences for the great majority who do not consider themselves criminals or terrorists. Read More

---

A memorable Mozart night in Montreal with the OSM
By Stephen Fogarty • February 26, 2012

It seems unlikely that Maestro Kent Nagano had the Oscars’ weekend in mind when he planned this season’s schedule for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM).  Nevertheless, there was measure of serendipity in the timing of the four sold-out concerts this week at the Maison Symphonique which included two works by Mozart so famously featured in the multiple Academy Award winning film Amadeus. Although Amadeus was not mentioned anywhere in the program notes, the dramatic initial passages of Mozart's Symphony number 25, showcased in the opening sequences of Miloš Forman’s 1984 Best Picture, were familiar to almost everyone in the hall. Read More

---

---

Navigate Posts