Chaos gripped the Pearson International Airport—which is located near Brampton’s south border—as authorities implemented measures to tighten the airport’s security.

Many travelers were stuck after their flights were cancelled due to delays, while others remained determined and lined up for hours just to catch a flight out of town.

Causing the delays are the temporary restrictions placed on people bound for the United States. One of the new measures prohibits fliers from having carry-on bags; leading security officials to do hand-checks (which take a significant amount of time), travelers repacking their bags’ contents, and a second batch of staff doing double-checks at the gates. Furthermore, passengers have to submit themselves to thorough pat-downs at almost all of the airport’s corners.

All this has caused confusion and frustration between travelers and the airport staff of Pearson International.

The measures were put into effect after Transport Canada and the U.S. Transport Security Administration issued warnings in the wake of the foiled terrorist attack aboard a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.

A 23-year-old Nigerian was apprehended and claimed to be connected with the terrorist group Al Qaeda.

Airport security has now been heightened across Canada and the Unites States to prevent any similar incident from happening.

Here’s some great news to end the year with.

While housing figures were pretty weak in the months of October and November, things were buoyed by an increase in demand for low-rise housing in the City of Brampton and its neighboring areas.

According to figures released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or CMHC, housing starts fell to 2,514 units of November this year. The dip marked the first housing decrease since rates rose consistently for 3 straight months.

Analysts note that the situation would have been much worse if low-rise housing rates stayed the same throughout the year. Luckily enough, Brampton’s residents unknowingly helped the city pull through this sticky bind.

Compared to figures from 2008, this period’s housing starts were down by as much as 40 percent. It was only in the second half that things started to improve.

November’s decline in housing figures was largely a result of fewer apartment starts, although rates have steadily risen since May of this year.

However, single, semi, and row housing starts for November also rose to their highest level this year.

Thanks to this increase in demand for low-rise homes, construction projects in areas like Brampton and Vaughan also enjoyed a spike in activity.

Aluminum cans may be useless to some, but to Brampton resident James Young, they are his ticket to success.

The entrepreneur recently went on a campaign to collect 150 million of these normal, everyday, aluminum cans to help Habitat for Humanity build home for 10 less fortunate families in the City of Brampton.

How’s he doing, you might ask? So far, Young and his team of volunteers have amassed over 75,000 cans, and while that’s a far cry from the goal of 150 million, it’s a pretty darn good haul, considering that the campaign is only a year old.

Young comments that all it takes to make the goal is for more people and businesses to pitch in and donate cans. He advises those who want to help that the goal is not so much as making the mark of 150 million cans, as it is to help those living beneath the poverty line.

With the rate things are going, he expects the number of cans to double by the start of spring.

Aside from being busy with the campaign, James Young serves as the CEO and president of JEY and Associates Research Analysts. The business owner kicked off the campaign in December of 2008.

Drivers beware. Starting on the 1^st day of the New Year, the Peel Region and City of Brampton will start to impose stiffer penalties for traffic rule violators – specifically those who run the red light.

Fines imposed on drivers caught on the intersections with cameras installed will now be pegged at $325, that’s almost double the $180 fine dozens of drivers had to deal with this year.
The red light cameras of course, are not new and have been around in Brampton and the Peel Region since 2000. So if you’re new to the area, or just passing by, it would be best to stay smart on the road. The cameras are part of the region’s traffic safety initiative.

Some 24 red light cameras are scattered across the Peel Region’s intersections, with operators keeping watch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Ontario Court has decided to impose stiffer penalties for red light runners, due to the prevalence of drivers who take the ordinance for granted.

According to Joe Avsec, Peel’s supervisor of traffic signals and systems, while the region’s red light camera system is vital to catching and fining violators, the new and heavier fine is meant to show that running a red light comes with very serious consequences.

Christmas may be hitting the city next week, but Brampton’s garbage collection services won’t be taking a break.

In spite of the holiday downtime other government services in Brampton and the Peel Region will enjoy, garbage and recyclable items (blue boxes and green bins) will still be collected regularly on Christmas Week. Community Recycling Centres (CRC) however, will be closed on the 25th, 26th, 27th, and January first.

Here’s a list of other government offices in Brampton that will be going on Holiday break.

• Recreational Centers will be closed on the 24th 25th and 31st of December, as well as the 1st of January.

• The City’s Animal Shelter will be also be closed on December 25, 27, 28 and January 1. Emergency cases will still be entertained on these dates

• Bylaw enforcement offices will stay open until the noon of the 24th and 31st of December.

If you’re not sure if a government office is open or not on the Holidays, you can call 311 and contact the municipal information telephone line.

You can also log-on to the city’s official web site www.brampton.ca for additional details and information on the services available during these dates.

In recognition of his work on ending racial discrimination and promoting tolerance, Brampton teen Corey Sherwood was presented with a special award and scholarship from the province.

Sherwood was the proud recipient of the 2009 Lincoln Alexander Award, which was presented just recently at Brampton’s Queen’s Park. The award is given annually to 3 youths aged 16 to 25, as a way of honoring their efforts to reduce and eliminate racism and discrimination. The award is named after Lincoln Alexander, the Province of Ontario’s first black lieutenant governor. The awards ceremony has taken place each year since its beginnings in 1993.

Sherwood’s guidance counselor was the individual behind the young man’s nomination. To nominate a potential honoree, one must first submit a letter to the Provincial government.

Sherwood admits being surprised to be picked out of the many youths in Brampton. The 18-year-old graduate of St. Edmund Campion Secondary School was chosen for his exceptional contributions to Brampton’s community, as well as his tenacity in ending racial discrimination.

And Sherwood definitely knows what he’s fighting for. As a young black man growing up in the tough streets of Brampton, he’s experienced first hand what it feels like to be discriminated against just because of the color of his skin.

He hopes that many others try to follow his example.

Canadian funnyman and Brampton native Russell Peters recently had the chance to privately meet His Majesty Abdullah II, King of Jordan. The private audience was held at His Majesty’s Amman Palace, where Peters was doing a show with the Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival.

The King, who admits to being a big fan of Russell Peters, personally invited him to a private audience after being unable to attend his gigs due to other official business.

Peters comments to being amazed by the King’s character and easy-going attitude. Apparently, His Majesty knows his comedy and is a big supporter of the yearly Amman Festival in Jordan.

And it’s no surprise. King Abdullah II is probably one of the most modern monarchs in the world today. In fact, he once moonlighted as an extra for Star Trek: Voyager. The King also acknowledges himself to be a film buff, proof of which can be seen in his creation of the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Agaba.

Peters along with his brother returned later that evening for an evening with King Abdullah and his wife, Queen Rania of Jordan.

Peters is known for his regular stand-up shows in Canada. He first started touring the comedy circuit in Ontario, later becoming one of the most recognized faces in stand-up comedy today.

To celebrate the Spirit of Christmas, the annual Jordan Foundation toy drive once again takes place in Brampton, with the goal of gathering toys, cash donations, food items, and even household goods for the less fortunate. The fundraiser is wrapping up on Sunday, with organizers busy tending to the large number of donations.

Michelle Kopas is the kind soul behind the annual toy drive, which has been a regular thing for 9 years now. The annual toy drive is held each year in memory of her son Jordan, who was accidentally killed in a Barrie parking lot by a reversing automobile. Jordan was only 4-years-old during the incident.

Kopas notes that due to the economic crisis that has affected the region, a high number of families are in desperate need of financial help. For this year, the Jordan foundation aims to help four families from the Peel District School Board. Furthermore, a part of the donations will also be sent to TEAM, or Teenage Education and Motherhood, which is a program created to help teenage moms finish high school.

To donate and help the cause, please send your new or used toys, or any other items that would be of help to those in need to Dynamic Employment Solutions, which is located in Brampton.

Brampton’s Operation Red Nose officially went underway in Brampton, and the free rides the program offers are getting popular with the region’s residents.

The nation-wide program calls for volunteers to help those who are unable to drive themselves for reasons that range from drinking a bit too much, being ill or sick, or being disabled. Drivers give their clients a free ride by borrowing their cars to drive them home – all for free.

The program has been gaining a lot of momentum, and as of last weekend, the team of volunteer drivers has given some 36 clients free rides home, amounting to a total driving distance of 505 miles. The program has so far also received $602.50 in cash donations, all of which will be directed to youth charities in Brampton and its surrounding regions.

For those who want to be picked up, Operation Red Nose has designated a hotline, and although they have received a few prank calls, this hasn’t deterred them from doing their best to help the community in their own way.

To help the volunteers work better, program sponsors have provided food and other necessities – a crucial factor to enable the volunteers to keep up with their demanding tasks.

The program still has some two weekends to go, and organizers are still inviting sponsors to pitch in.

To encourage the growth of literacy in the community, Shoppers World Brampton has signed on to a partnership with the Brampton Library to promote their One Book One Brampton campaign to spread the gift or learning to those in need.

The shopping center is currently requesting for the public to share and donate a new book – books for kids, teens, and the older folks are now being accepted. The campaign’s goal is to provide books to needy schools in the Brampton region. The donations are also to be sent to Brampton Ontario Early Years Centers, as well as the Brampton Civic Hospital.

Customers can now donate their books at the customer service kiosk located inside Shoppers World Brampton. Those interested can also help out by buying books from CB Book Kiosk, with a percentage of every book and every other item sold being donated to the Brampton Library Children’s Literacy Initiatives. Special “I Helped to Spread the Words” donation cards will be given to those kind-hearted enough to help in the cause.

Not only that, every donation made increases your chance to win great prizes in the raffle to be held after the distribution of books.

So what’re you waiting for? Spread the gift of learning and reading and head to Shoppers World in Brampton.