SISO: Stiffing Immigrants, Stiffing Ottawa

Written by Paul Fromm

Sunday, 15 April 2012 04:28

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email newsletter was sent to you in graphical HTML format. If you're seeing this version, your email program prefers plain text emails. You can read the original version online: http://ymlp222.net/znP1qN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CRIME WATCH SISO: Stiffing Immigrants, Stiffing Ottawa Hamilton's Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO) figured here on many occasions as the poster child of profligate federal funding. The subsidies were jaw dropping: In a single 3-month period (April - June 2010), Ottawa would hand off just shy of $26-million. In Hotline 235, Sept. 2010, we outlined just what a fiscal sinkhole the place was: the agency had no monitoring programmes in place, no audits, no follow up, not the foggiest how well or even whether their programmes were working. In its defence, SISO's high-rollers had the immigrants-serving-immigrants feel-good rhetoric letter perfect. But one dark day, les bons temps stopped roulering. In September 2011, Ottawa revoked funding for several of SISO's sillier programmes. Two months later, executive director Morteza Jafarpour ("One of my dreams is that Hamilton become the humanitarian capital of Canada.") was charged with threatening to kill seven of his employees. Two months after that moral high water mark, SISO shut the doors and filed for bankruptcy. Now, at the end of a 15-month RCMP investigation, Jafarpour and Ahmed Salama have been charged with defrauding "the federal government of more than $4 million between 2008 and 2010. The RCMP issued Canada-wide warrants on the two men early Thursday. The warrants were still outstanding as of late Thursday. [Following SISO's bankruptcy], forensic examination of the agency's books shows a long running scheme that, according to police, included falsifying invoices, payroll and employee information. RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Michele Paradis characterized the fraud as 'a sophisticated series of schemes spanning several years.' She noted that the investigation is continuing. Jafarpour, the executive director of the defunct organization, and Salama, the chief financial officer, are charged with fraud, theft and conspiracy to commit fraud. They are alleged to have knowingly used forged documents, committed fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, and conspiracy to commit fraud over $5,000. While the charges relate to $4 million in missing funds, immigration officials acknowledge that the department, which is involved in a legal dispute with SISO, wants to recover 'significantly more' than that. [Well, no kidding, considering the quantity of gravy the agency sopped up over years]. Jafarpour, who was born in Tehran, joined SISO in 1998. In 2009, Jafarpour, who claims to have a Master's degree in Business Administration from Athabasca University ['Canada's leader in online and distance education'], received an annual salary and benefits package of about $205,000." (Ottawa Citizen, March 16, 2012) [This article appears in the April, 2012 issue of the CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE. Published monthly, the CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE is available by subscription for $30 per year. You can subscribe by sending a cheque or VISA number and expiry date to CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE, P.O. Box 332, Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3.] _____________________________ Unsubscribe / Change Profile: http://ymlp222.net/ugmjhqsqgsgbbqgmwygguewwmw Powered by YourMailingListProvider

 

SISO: Stiffing Immigrants, Stiffing Ottawa

Written by Paul Fromm

Sunday, 15 April 2012 04:24

** *CRIME WATCH* *SISO: Stiffing Immigrants, Stiffing Ottawa* ** *Hamilton's Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO*) figured here on many occasions as the poster child of profligate federal funding. The subsidies were jaw dropping: In a single 3-month period (April - June 2010), Ottawa would hand off just shy of $26-million. In *Hotline 235 *, Sept. 2010, we outlined just what a fiscal sinkhole the place was: the agency had no monitoring programmes in place, no audits, no follow up, not the foggiest how well or even whether their programmes were working. In its defence, *SISO'*s high-rollers had the immigrants-serving-immigrants feel-good rhetoric letter perfect. But one dark day, *les bons temps*stopped *roulering*. In September 2011, Ottawa revoked funding for several of SISO's sillier programmes. Two months later, executive director *Morteza Jafarpour* ("One of my dreams is that Hamilton become the humanitarian capital of Canada.") was charged with threatening to kill seven of his employees. Two months after that moral high water mark, *SISO* shut the doors and filed for bankruptcy. Now, at the end of a 15-month *RCMP* investigation, Jafarpour and *Ahmed Salama*have been charged with defrauding "the federal government of more than $4 million between 2008 and 2010. The *RCMP* issued Canada-wide warrants on the two men early Thursday. The warrants were still outstanding as of late Thursday. [Following *SISO'*s bankruptcy], forensic examination of the agency's books shows a long running scheme that, according to police, included falsifying invoices, payroll and employee information. *RCMP* spokeswoman *Sgt. Michele Paradis*characterized the fraud as 'a sophisticated series of schemes spanning several years.' She noted that the investigation is continuing. Jafarpour, the executive director of the defunct organization, and Salama, the chief financial officer, are charged with fraud, theft and conspiracy to commit fraud. They are alleged to have knowingly used forged documents, committed fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, and conspiracy to commit fraud over $5,000. While the charges relate to $4 million in missing funds, immigration officials acknowledge that the department, which is involved in a legal dispute with *SISO*, wants to recover '*significantly more*' than that. [Well, no kidding, considering the quantity of gravy the agency sopped up over years]. Jafarpour, who was born in Tehran, joined *SISO* in 1998. In 2009, Jafarpour, who claims to have a Master's degree in Business Administration from *Athabasca University* [*'Canada's leader in online and distance education'*], received an annual salary and benefits package of about $*205,000*." (*Ottawa Citizen*, March 16, 2012) [This article appears in the April, 2012 issue of the *CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE*. Published monthly, the *CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE*is available by subscription for $30 per year. You can subscribe by sending a cheque or VISA number and expiry date to *CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE*, P.O. Box 332, Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3.]

 

A Small Victory for Free Speech & Common Sense

Written by Paul Fromm

Saturday, 14 April 2012 04:20

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email newsletter was sent to you in graphical HTML format. If you're seeing this version, your email program prefers plain text emails. You can read the original version online: http://ymlp300.net/zrzgWo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A SMALL VICTORY FOR FREE SPEECH & COMMON SENSE Chalk up a small victory for freedom and common sense. There's gangbanger "tagging" or graffiti defacing walls and other public sites in Mississauga, a community of 700,000 just west of Toronto. What should the city fathers (and mothers) do? Don't target the gangs, mostly ethnic. No, target all youth and ban the sale of art supplies to anyone under 18 years of age? It doesn't take Nostrademus to predict that, uh, all a 17 year-old would-be vandal needs do is get a 19 year old gang member to buy a can of spray paint for him. Luckily, the ban-the-art-supplies proposal, favoured by some councillors and the Peel Police, was shot down by a majority on council recently. The Mississauga News (March 29 - April 4, 2012) reports: "City councillors are looking for ways to curb graffiti in Mississauga. One approach, to ban the sale of drawing and painting implements to those under age 18, as the City of London has done, was met with opposition at today's meeting of General Committee. Mayor Hazel McCallion, several councillors and staff all chimed in against the idea. In a report on the feasibility of a bylaw that would prohibit the sale of 'any can of spray paint, broad-tipped marker pen, paint pen, glass-cutting tool or glass etching tool or instrument' to anyone under the age of 18, staff recommended against taking such a step, citing concerns with enforcement. McCallion and many councillors expressed similar concern. 'I don't think a ban on these products will do anything and I doubt we have the human resources to enforce it,' said McCallion." Good as far as it goes, Madame Mayor, but the proposal, as well as being impractical, is demeaning and wrong. It reflects the stifling nanny state that treats all citizens as criminals or morons and seeks to legislate all sorts of beheviour. So, a tiny minority of youth -- mostly immigrant gangbangers-- desecrates others' property with their doodles and tags. Why punish the vast majority of people under 18 who may wish to buy a can of spray paint or magic marker? What does that teach? It teaches that the State considers everyone a criminal or an irresponsible child. Far better to treat everyone as a responsible person and punish only those who don't live up to that ideal. A similar example of the stifling nanny state is the ban in Ontario and B.C., among other jurisdictions, on the use of hand-held cellphones in cars. Yes, some drivers talk on cellphones and are distracted. Some drivers are so addled, they shouldn't even talk to a fellow passenger or listen to a radio. Why not treat all drivers as responsible adults, rather than morons? The basic rule of driver responsibility is that the driver must be in full control of his vehicle at all times. Some people can talk on a cellphone and drive responsibly. A minority cannot. Why not deal with results? Police should charge absent minded cellphone chatterers with "dangerous driving," instead of restricting and punishing everyone. Paul Fromm Director CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FREE EXPRESSION INC. _____________________________ Unsubscribe / Change Profile: http://ymlp300.net/ugmjhqsqgsgbbqgmwqgguewwmw Powered by YourMailingListProvider