2012

 

Merry Christmas! ¡Feliz Navidad!

Toronto house prices hit new record- The Toronto Star

The Toronto Star's Susan Pigg  reports on Toronto's house prices:

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The Toronto housing market slipped back into sellers’ territory in November, helping propel prices even higher to a record average of $481,305.
That’s a 2.1 per cent increase from October and, when adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, almost 10 per cent more than the average GTA home was worth a year ago, according to figures released Thursday by the Canadian Real Estate Association.
In fact, November sales across Canada were 7 per cent above the 10-year average for the month, resulting in the fourth highest level of sales on record for what’s typically the slow season, CREA noted.

A sold sign sits on the corner of Toronto's Manning Ave. and Ulster St.

Tara Walton/Toronto Star

While no one is uttering the dreaded B-word — bubble — as did Britain’s venerable magazine The Economist when it recently warned Canada’s housing market may be 25 per cent overvalued, the warning is clearly of concern among the country’s housing experts.
“With interest rates expected to remain low for longer, the housing sector will no doubt be closely watched for signs of excess,” say CREA’s chief economist Gregory Klump.
“That said, current trends for resale housing and new home construction suggest that tightened mortgage regulations are working as intended and fostering economic stability in Canada.”
A record November of sales in Halifax-Dartmouth, up a seasonally adjusted 34.7 per cent, helped offset a 10.5 per cent decline in sales in Toronto where 7,773 homes changed homes.
New listings across the GTA were down 4.4 in November while prices climbed by 9.7 per cent.
Despite economic turmoil in the rest of the world, Canadians continue to see real estate as a sure thing: A total of 432,048 homes have traded hands across Canada between January and the end of November, up 2.1 per cent from the same period last year, CREA says.

Ten tips for getting a fair price on a home - The Globe and Mail

An article from The Globe and Mail on September 7, 2011, by Amy Fontinelle:

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Whether it's a buyer's market or a seller's market, all homebuyers have one thing in common: they don't want to get ripped off. But how do you know if you're getting a fair deal on the home you're prepared to place an offer on? Read on to find out how to evaluate the price of any home so you can make a sound investment decision.

Realtor standing with family in front of new house Getty Images/OJO Images

Research recently sold, comparable properties
A comparable property is one that is similar in size, condition, neighbourhood and amenities. One 1,200-square-foot, recently remodeled, one-story home with an attached garage should be listed at roughly the same price as a similar 1,200-square-foot home in the same neighbourhood. That said, you can also gain valuable information by looking at how the property you're interested in compares in price to different properties. Is it considerably less expensive than larger or nicer properties? Is it more expensive than smaller or less attractive properties? Your real estate agent is the best source of accurate, up-to-date information on comparable properties (also known as “comps”).

Check out comparable properties that are currently on the market
In this case, you can actually visit other homes and get a true sense of how their size, condition and amenities compare to the property you're considering buying. Then you can compare prices and see what seems fair. Reasonable sellers know that they must price their properties similarly to market comparables if they want to be competitive.
 
Look at comparables that were on the market recently but didn't sell
If the house you're considering buying is priced similarly to homes that were taken off the market because they didn't sell, the property you're considering may be overpriced. Also, if there are a lot of similar properties on the market, prices should be lower, especially if those properties are vacant. Check out the unsold inventory index for information about current supply and demand in the housing market. This index attempts to measure how long it will take for all the homes currently on the market to be sold given the rate at which homes are currently selling. (For further reading, see Selling Your Home In A Down Market.)
 
Consider market conditions and appreciation rates in the area
Have prices been going up recently or going down? In a seller's market, properties will probably be somewhat overpriced, and in a buyer's market, properties are apt to be underpriced. It all depends on where the market currently sits on the real estate boom-and-bust curve. Even in a seller's market, properties may not be overpriced if the market is on the upswing and not near its peak. Conversely, properties can be overpriced even in a buyer's market if prices have only recently begun to decline. Of course, it can be difficult to see the peaks and valleys until they're history. Also consider the impact of mortgage interest rates and the job market on the economy. (Knowing your mortgage choices is important. For more information, read Shopping For A Mortgage.)
 
Are you buying a for-sale-by-owner property?
A for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) property should be discounted to reflect the fact that there is no 6 per cent (on average) seller's agent commission, something that many sellers don't take into consideration when setting their prices. Another potential problem with FSBOs is that the seller may not have had an agent's guidance in setting a reasonable price in the first place, or may have been so unhappy with an agent's suggestion as to decide to go it alone. In any of these situations, the property may be overpriced.
 
What Is the expected appreciation for the area?
The future prospects for your chosen neighbourhood can have an impact on price. If positive development is planned, such as a major mall being built, the extension of light rail to the neighbourhood, or a large new company moving to the area, the prospects of future home appreciation look good. Even small developments like plans to add more roads or build a new school can be a good sign. On the other hand, if grocery stores and gas stations are closing down, the home price should be lower to reflect that, and you should probably reconsider moving to the area. The development of new housing can go either way - it can mean that the area is hot and is likely to be in high demand in the future, increasing your home's value, or it can result in a surplus of housing, which will lower the value of all the homes in the area.

Remembrance Day - November 11, 2011

Thank you to all of those who have served and who continue to serve in our Armed Forces. To those who give up time with their families, who give up their lives to defend our nation and who give us their all, we salute you.

 

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is a very important day for Canadians. November 11 is a day of national commemoration where we honour the over 100,00 fallen Canadian soldiers who gave their lives to their military service.

Throughout the country, services are performed to remember the dedication and sacrifice these soldiers made for not only their own countrymen, but for those whose countries they helped liberate. We honour them with ceremonies

The Poppy

After Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) of the Canadian Army's poem In Flanders Fields was published in 1915 the poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle.

There exists a record from that time of how thickly Poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in the area of Flanders, France. This early connection between the Poppy and battlefield deaths described how fields that were barren before the battles exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended. 

Just prior to the First World War, few Poppies grew in Flanders. During the tremendous bombardments of that war, the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing “popaver rhoes” to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and the Poppy began to disappear again. 

Remembrance Day Services in Brampton and Toronto

November 11, 2011- Remembrance Day service in Brampton

November 11, 2011- Remembrance Day service in Toronto

In Flanders Field, written by Lieutenant John McCrae

  

Brampton Readers Choice Awards

It's that time of year again, the Brampton Guardian has put out its Readers Choice Awards survey.

If you were pleased with the work Guerrero Law did for you or is currently doing, please consider voting for us. The survey closes on Friday, November 4, 2011.

If you live in Brampton, the print version can be found in your Brampton Guardian newspaper, alternatively, you can access the survey online here or click on the Brampton Guardian icon below. The lawyer's section is #79. If you complete the entire survey, you are automatically entered into the draw for a $500 shopping spree at the Bed & Bath Warehouse.

The Beauty of Our Province/La Belleza de Nuestra Provincia

Ontario in all its splendour.

Your home’s sale price is private information by Mark Weisleder

An article from the Toronto Star, October 14, 2011, by Mark Weislader.  

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Condos under construction between the Rogers Centre and the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto. (Apr. 8, 2009)

Steve Russell/Steve Russell

A few years ago, the federal Privacy Commissioner ruled a home’s sale price is personal information and cannot be advertised or disclosed without the permission of the buyer and the seller.

This is what privacy legislation is all about — protecting your personal information. The lesson is that if you do not want to see your home’s sale price advertised after closing, then don’t agree to it.
In another case decided in 2006, an insurance company arranged for photographs to be taken of an apartment unit, without the tenant’s permission. The purpose was to get examples of the state of repairs of the interior of the apartments to assist in figuring out the building’s value. However, the pictures included some of the apartment’s contents.
The Privacy Commissioner’s office found that while the purpose might have been to show the condition of the unit, it also revealed information about the tenant, including their standard of living, whether they could afford expensive media equipment, whether they loved music or art or cooking. This was found to be personal information and thus permission should have been requested.
What this means is that before a buyer or agent takes photographs of anything inside a seller’s home, even during an open house or home inspection, they should ask for permission.
In another case decided in 2008, a consumer asked their bank for a copy of the appraisal report the bank had done on their home. An appraisal contains information about other comparable property sales in your area that help the appraiser calculate the value of your property. The bank refused, claiming this was confidential commercial information and not personal information.
The Privacy Commissioner’s office decided that, while the consumer was entitled to the appraisal value of their own home, they were not entitled to the name or contact information of the appraiser, or anything related to comparable property sales, as this was the personal information of third parties.
The issue of privacy arises in the ongoing lawsuit between the Competition Bureau and the Toronto Real Estate Board, something I’ve written about in the past few months.
The Competition Commissioner wants Canadians to be able to go online and access the selling price of any home in Canada. The potential abuses are huge, starting with thieves who want to learn about potential victims and their lifestyle. Since buyers and sellers didn’t provide this permission, in my opinion, it violates privacy legislation.
It seems to me the Privacy Commissioner should be involved in these proceedings and I encourage all Canadians to complain to the Privacy Commissioner’s office in Ottawa and to federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis. To register a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner’s office, you can download a form from their website, www.priv.gc.ca, sign it and then send it in. You can email Paradis’ office at minister.industry@icigc.ca.

Feliz Día de la Independencia a Chile

También queremos felicitar nuestros compadres de Chile por su Día de la Independencia del 18 de septiembre.

Feliz Día de la Independencia a Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, y Nicaragua

Aunque un poco retrasado, nunca es tarde para felicitar nuestros compadres de Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, y Nicaragua por su Día de la Independencia del 15 de septiembre.

Nuevo annuncio de Guerrero Law

Utilizamos este anuncio en la material promocional del festival Toni Reyes este verano. 
Fue inspirado por la historia del logotipo. Checan pronto para leer sobre nuestro logotipo.

Photos from the Miss Chiquitita Pageant

Guerrero Law was pleased to donate to the wonderful Miss Chiquitita Pageant for girls ages 4-10 years old hosted by the Barrie Latin Community Centre on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at the Kozlov Centre in Barrie. All the girls did a wonderful job walking the cat walk in their casual wear, dazzling us with their singing and dancing skills and showing us their beautiful formal wear. It takes a lot of courage to get up in front of a crowd, let alone at such a young age!

Here are a few pictures taken by us from the day's events.

 

Artículo sobre Antonio Guerrero en la revista La Guía en Toronto

Antonio Guerrero de Guerrero Law se encuentra otra vez en una de las revistas de Toronto. Esta vez es La Guía que tiene una edición especial sobre México este mes para celebrar la Independencia de México y es ahí donde encontrarán la entrevista con Antonio.

Haz click en cada foto para hacerlo más grande.

Feliz Día de la Independencia México

Guerrero Law supporting the Miss Chiquitita 2011 Pageant

The Barrie Latin Community Centre is hosting its first ever Miss Chiquitita Pageant on Saturday, September 17, 2011, and Guerrero Law is proud to be a sponsor of this community event. 

The Barrie Latin Community Centre says:

"Join us in our first pageant to crown "Miss Chiquitita!" There will be two categories: Junior for girls ages 4-6 and Senior for girls ages 7-10. Girls will be competing in a fun setting in casual wear, formal wear, and talent categories. They will be judged by a panel consisting of entertainment and talent professionals, with lively music and of course fabulous prizes"

If you are from Barrie on are in the area, be sure to stop by the Kozlov Centre, Centre Court, 400 Bayfield Street.

Fun Summer Facts: Mosquitoes

 

We can't stand them, can we?! There is nothing endearing about them. They buzz around your head at night (especially when you're on holiday) they bite, then it itches. Did you know that it's the female that does all that to you? Did you also know that near the Arctic Circle there are few people, but millions and millions of mosquitoes. Never missing an opportunity to educate ourselves, we thought we'd share some information about our dear friend the mosquito.

Mosquitoes have been around since the Jurassic period. That makes them about 210 million years old. 

There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes.

Only female mosquitoes bite people. Both male and female feed mainly on fruit and plant nectar, but the female also needs the protein in blood to help her eggs develop. Once she's had her fill of blood, she'll rest a couple of days before laying her eggs.

Mosquitoes don't have teeth.  The females “bite” with a long, pointed mouthpart called a proboscis. 

Mosquitoes have 6 legs.

A mosquito can drink up to 3 times its weight in blood, but don't worry since it would take about 1.2 million bites to drain all the blood from your body.

The average mosquito lifespan is less than 2 months.

Males locate the females by the sound of their wings. Females can beat their wings up to 500 times per second, and the males pick out the higher frequency of those beats when seeking a mate.

Mosquitoes can't fly very far or very fast. They often stay within several hundred feet of where they were hatched. 

The top speed for a mosquito is about 1.5 miles/hour or approx. 2.4 km/hour.

The bumps from mosquito bites are caused by saliva. While one tube in the proboscis draws blood, a second pumps in saliva containing a mild painkiller and  an anti-coagulant. Most people have minor allergic reactions to the saliva, causing the area around the bite to swell and itch.  

Choose your wardrobe accordingly! Dark clothing attracts mosquitoes. Remember, they are drawn to heat and darker clothes retain more heat than light-colored clothing.

The 2 main mosquito predators are fish and dragonflies. 

Mosquitoes don't see very well, but they zoom in like a heat-seeking missile

As a result, they can't see you until they are 30 feet (10 meters) away. Even then, they have trouble distinguishing you from any object of similar size and shape: tree stump, 55-gallon drum, etc. When they are 10 feet (3 meters) away they use extremely sensitive thermal receptors on the tip of their antennae to locate blood near the surface of the skin.

Bug zappers are useless against mosquitoes. They are attracted to them, but are rarely killed by them. Studies have shown that less than 1 percent of the insects killed by zappers are mosquitoes or other biting insects. 

DEET is considered the most repellent of repellents.  Endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),  DEET doesn't mask the smell of the host or jam the insect's senses - mosquitoes simply don't like it because it smells bad to them. A product containing 10 percent DEET can protect you for up to 90 minutes. Two other repellents, picaridin and lemon-eucalyptus oil, have also proven effective and are now recommended by the CDC. 

Citronella candles and smoking coils repel mosquitoes, but you have to stay in the smoky plume to be protected!

Mosquitoes are attracted by CO (Carbon dioxide) in our breath. They can detect it from great distances. When the female mosquito gets close, she makes a final choice using skin temperature, odor and other chemical or visual factors. If two people are outside together, one will almost always get most of the bites. --> This is one time you don't want to be the better smelling person!
 

Source 1 

Source 2

Apoyando al Concurso de Español de las Escuelas Secundarias de Ontario

El 5 de mayo, 2011, un grupo increíble de profesores de español muy dedicados han organizado el Cuarto Concurso Annual de Español de las Escuelas Secundarias de Ontario. El concurso tuvo lugar en el Colegio de Glendon, parte de la Universidad de York.

Guerrero Law está orgulloso de anunciar que apoyó mucho al concurso con donativos en efectivo para los ganadores de primer, segundo y tercer lugar en la categoría de Hispanohablantes.

37 escuelas secundarias y 132 estudiantes han participado en un día lleno de actividades culturales y exámenes de Escucha, Oral, Gramática y de Escritura.

Por favor visite el sitio web del Concurso de Español de las Escuelas Secundarias de Ontario para aprender más.

Las ganadores de la categoría Hispanohablante fueron:

1. Alejandra Recio-Greenwell de Country Day School
2. Stephanie Anaya-Arellano de Loretto Abbey C.S.S.
3. Rocío Peña de York Mills C.I.

Guerrero Law espera a poder apoyar el concurso de 2012 y quiere desear buena suerte a los futuros concursantes!

Supporting the Ontario Secondary Schools Spanish Contest

On May 5th, 2011, an amazing group of dedicated Spanish teachers put on the 4th Annual Ontario Secondary Schools Spanish Contest. This year's contest took place at Glendon College, part of York University. 

Guerrero Law is proud to announce that it showed a great amount of support by donating 1st, 2nd and 3rd place cash prizes to the Native Spanish Speaker category.

37 Ontario high schools and 132 students participated in a day full of cultural activities and examinations in Listening, Speaking, Grammar and Writing.

Please visit the Ontario Secondary Schools Spanish Contest's website to find out all about it.

The winners of the Native Speaker category were:

1. Alejandra Recio-Greenwell from Country Day School
2. Stephanie Anaya-Arellano from Loretto Abbey C.S.S.
3. Rocío Peña from York Mills C.I.

Guerrero Law looks forward to supporting the 2012 event and wishes all its participants Good Luck!

 

Antonio Guerrero- Guerrero Law

Julio Muzlera- Royal LePage

Patricio Roman- CENTUM One Financial Group Inc.

Grabación del programa de Entre Amigos en su Casa- 25 de julio, 2011

Hoy, Antonio Guerrero tuvo la oportnidad otra vez de ser parte de una platica an AM1610 Voces Latinas, con los Agentes de Bienes Raíces Julio Muzlera y Wendy Gallegos y el Mortgage Broker Patricio Roman. 

Aquí se encuentrán las 4 partes del programa para que no pierden de lo que han hablado.

Parte 1

Parte 2

Parte 3

Parte 4

AM1610: Entre Amigos en su Casa

Antonio Guerrero de Guerrero Law será en la radio hablando con Julio Muzlera en el programa Entre Amigos en su Casa, lunes el 25 de julio a la una de la tarde.

Fun Summer Facts: The Frisbee

Frisbee is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company.

The Frisbie Baking Company (1871-1958) of Bridgeport, Connecticut, made pies that were sold to many New England colleges. Hungry college students soon discovered that the empty pie tins could be tossed and caught, providing endless hours of game and sport. Many colleges have claimed to be the home of 'he who was first to fling.' Yale College has even argued that in 1820, a Yale undergraduate named Elihu Frisbie grabbed a passing collection tray from the chapel and flung it out into the campus, thereby becoming the true inventor of the Frisbie and winning glory for Yale. That tale is unlikely to be true since the words 'Frisbie's Pies' was embossed in all the original pie tins and from the word 'Frisbie' was coined the common name for the toy.

In 1948, a Los Angeles building inspector named Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the Frisbie that could fly further and with better accuracy than a tin pie plate. Morrison's father was also an inventor, who invented the automotive sealed-beam headlight. Another interesting tidbit was that Morrison had just returned to America after World War II, where he had been a prisoner in the infamous Stalag 13. His partnership with Warren Franscioni, who was also a war veteran, ended before their product had achieved any real success.

Morrison (after his split with Franscioni) produced a plastic Frisbie called the Pluto Platter, to cash in on the growing popularity of UFOs with the American public. The Pluto Platter has become the basic design for all Frisbies. The outer third of the Frisbie disc is called the 'Morrison Slope', listed in the patent. Rich Knerr and A.K. 'Spud' Melin were the owners of a new toy company called 'Wham-O'. Knerr and Melin also marketed the Hula-Hoop, the Super Ball and the Water Wiggle. They pair first saw Morrison's Pluto Platter in late 1955. They liked what they saw and convinced Morrison to sell them the rights to his design. With a deal signed, Wham-O began production (1/13/1957) of more Pluto Platters. The next year, the original Frisbie Baking Company shut down and coincidentally Fred Morrison was awarded a patent (Design patent 183,626) for his flying disc. Morrison received over one million dollars in royalties for his invention.

Frisbee golf

The word 'Frisbee' is pronounced the same as the word 'Frisbie'. Rich Knerr (Wham-O) was in search of a catchy new name to help increase sales, after hearing about the original use of the terms 'Frisbie' and 'Frisbie-ing'. He borrowed from the two words to create the registered trademark Frisbee ®. Sales soared for the toy, due to Wham-O's clever marketing of Frisbee playing as a new sport. In 1964, the first professional model went on sale. Ed Headrick was the inventor at Wham-O who patented Wham-O's designs for the modern frisbee (U.S. patent 3,359,678). Ed Headrick's frisbee with its band of raised ridges called the Rings of Headrick had stablized flight as opposed to the wobbly flight of its predecessor the Pluto Platter.

In 1967, high school students in Maplewood, New Jersey, invented Ultimate Frisbee, a recognized sport that is a cross between football, soccer and basketball. Ten years later, a form of Frisbee golf was introduced, complete with professional playing courses and associations.

Random Frisbee facts:

In 1968, the U.S. Navy spent almost $400,000 to study Frisbees in wind tunnels, following their flights with computers and cameras, and building a special Frisbee-launching machine on top of a Utah cliff to test a prototype flare launcher.

Today the fifty year old Frisbee® is owned by Mattel Toy Manufacturers, only one of at least sixty manufacturers of flying discs. Wham-O sold over one hundred million units before the selling the toy to Mattel.

Ed Headrick, owner of the Disc Golf Association, Inc.® founded the game of Disc Golf in 1976. The sport is played by an estimated two million recreational players in the United States.

More than approximately 200 million Frisbees have been purchased in the last 50 years, more than baseballs, footballs, and basketballs combined.

In Lake Linden, Michigan you will find The International Frisbee Hall of Fame.

Wham-O went on to market the Hula-Hoop, the Super Ball, the Water Wiggle, and other toys, but Frisbee remained its most profitable product.   

Flying discs made before 1964 are considered antiques by collectors. 

The world group marathon record for Frisbee play is 1,198 hours – nearly 45 days! The record for continual play with two people is 126 hours. 

By 1970, Frisbee discs had become so popular on college campuses that some schools began offering flying disc courses to students. 

The first intercollegiate game of Ultimate was played in 1972 between Princeton and Rutgers. Rutgers won by the same two–goal margin as it did when it beat Princeton on the same field in the first college football game 103 years before.

The granddaddy of all FRISBEE sports is Guts, usually played with five players to a side. The name "Guts" came from an alleged pastime of Princeton students who tossed a six–inch circular saw blade instead of the plastic FRISBEE disc now used. 

There are more than 700 Disc Golf courses in the U.S. These courses are permanent installations, usually located in a public park, where players actually "drive" and "putt" with specially styled discs. 

The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is located in Sweden. There are 26 member countries. 

Source

Source

Other games related to the flying disc:

Crosbee Disc dog Disc golf Dodge disc Durango boot Double disc court

Flutterguts Freestyle Fricket (a.k.a. disc cricket, cups, Suzy sticks, crispy wickets) Friskee Goaltimate

Guts Hot box Kan-jam Polish horseshoes Schtick Ultimate

 Source

Ultimate frisbee

Ontario couples must attend information session before divorce- The Globe and Mail

From The Globe and Mail article by Mark Brownlee:

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Starting Monday, every Ontario couple hoping to end their marriage will have to attend an information session on alternatives to going to court before getting a divorce.
The new rules will help alleviate some of the pressure on Ontario's family court system and will save those hoping to get divorced time and money, said Chris Bentley, the province's attorney general.
 “Going to court and having a court battle in family proceedings can be enormously costly, take a lot of time and probably most significantly be very emotionally damaging to children and to the two individuals,” he said.
Couples will have to attend the information session before they can file a divorce case in court.

If they still insist on going to court after that, they will then be given the option to attend a mediation session organized by the attorney general's office to try settling their differences.
Couples will now be able to attend the mediation session at any family court across the province for free. They would have needed to pay it for themselves before the changes were introduced.
Despite the two-step process, some in the legal community think the initiative isn't as effective as it could be.
Judith Huddart, a family lawyer and president of the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation, said the sessions don't advise those considering divorce about their options early enough in the process.
“I know how frustrating it can be for people to be told that they have other options after they've already hired a lawyer and started forward in a litigation route,” she said.
While Ms. Huddart supports making the program mandatory at all courts, she said providing more information for couples when they are first thinking about divorce would be an even more effective way to get the cases out of provincial courtrooms.
The new program will only reach those who have begun the process of going to court, she said.
Ms. Huddart estimated just getting to a first court hearing will often cost around $5,000 in lawyer's fees.
The province has been trying to fix that pricey problem by making more information about alternatives to divorce proceedings available online, said Mr. Bentley.
He added that he doesn't expect the new program will save his office or the courts any money.
The program is directed specifically towards saving time and legal fees for couples hoping to get divorced, he said – although he hasn't been able to quantify those savings yet.
The attorney general's office will spend an extra $5.3-million a year making the program mandatory at all courts, bringing the total cost of the initiative to $8-million a year.
Those extra costs did not come from any additional funding from the provincial government, Mr. Bentley said. His office was able to redirect money from finding efficiencies in the other areas for which his office is responsible.

The Canadian Press

Zulima Wesso: Teaching children to embrace multiculturalism

We continue our series about Hispanics contributing positively to the Canadian community with Zulima Wesso, originally an architect from Colombia, who received one of the awards for Canada's Top 25 Immigrants 2011 for her efforts in raising awareness of the benefits of multiculturalism and multilingualism via an English-Spanish children publication, Kiddo Magazine, created for readers between 4 – 14 years of age.
From the article in canadianimmigrant.ca:

Zulima Wesso, one of 2011's Top 25 Canadian Immigrants.

Necessity is the mother of invention. This best describes the birth of Kiddo Magazine, founded by Zulima Wesso, an immigrant from Colombia. Through the bilingual (English and Spanish) publication, she has created a platform to interact with other mothers within the community, while informing the mainstream Canadian community about the rich Latin American culture. The magazine is even adapted as a teaching aid by parents, caregivers and teachers.
“After I became a mother of twin boys, I realized that raising children in a foreign country without your network of support was the biggest challenge I faced,” the architect by education says, noting that even overcoming her language barrier and adapting to the Canadian way of life were easier for her.
Helping new immigrants settle strengthens our own communities, she strongly believes. “The sooner they are integrated into our society, the sooner they will be part of its development. It is important that people quickly feel a sense of belonging to their new community to start producing and making it a better place for everybody.”
The St. Catherines, Ontario-based publisher also co-founded Luna Art Club, which promotes theatre, arts and crafts among children. “It is very important what we choose to leave behind for our future generations to follow. Our culture is our legacy and I am thrilled to be working on its preservation and dissemination,” Wesso says. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment and fills my heart with happiness. To me, this is success.”
Even though her architectural licence is still in the process of being accredited in Canada, she has overcome this limitation and has surpassed the expectations while working for an architectural firm.

From an article at Thinking Latino about Zulima Wesso:

“This award is a great opportunity to profile how the culture and languages we bring from our countries of origin can be a resource for Canada in strengthening the nation and its already wonderful quality of life,” said Wesso. “The purpose of initiatives such as Kiddo, is to build an ethno cultural heritage with the 100% Canadian content contributed by multicultural professionals.”


Kiddo Magazine, her creation, is a bilingual English-Spanish magazine that encourages reading through a variety of topics for the most discerning tastes. Their latest addition to the team was Captain Leaf. Leaf, Kiddo’s hero, is on a quest to save the planet using all kind of green initiatives and eco-friendly strategies.