I am officially tendering my registration, effective June 1, 2011. I regrettably must do so although I found working for you and the bank extremely fulfilling and pleasantly challenging. I was fortunate enough to meet with the bank's highest-profile clients and entrusted with the most important portfolios. I consider my experience here as the pinnacle of my career, and I appreciate the opportunities and professional courtesy that were extended to me during my tenure.

However, I have decided to open a new chapter in my life. I am looking forward to spending more time with my children and spouse. As you are aware, my eldest daughter requires constant care and medical attention. Although I am resigning from my position with the bank, I am not giving up my professional life. I intend to pursue a home-based business so that I can still support my household finances. With the support of my family, I hope to have a smooth transition.

Thank you and the bank's administrators for all your support. I appreciate the guidance I received from my supervisory team, and I will do my best to ensure a smooth transition. As set forth in my contract, I am returning all bank property.

Sincerely,
Kevin

A. Good topics of conversation are: work, studies, the weather (a good opener), one‘s house, vacations, sports (especially hockey, American football, baseball, water sports and, increasingly, soccer/football) and other leisure activities. Generally, Canadians are not comfortable talking about salaries or personal finances and tend to steer away from discussing emotions. Asking questions about marriage or children can be interpreted as too personal by some.

B. Appropriate topics of discussion will depend a lot on the crowd. Most Canadians know something about local or national politics, but many do not concern themselves with such issues. In any case, you will hear Canadians complain about politics and politicians, but they are also very sensitive to how they are perceived by outsiders, so it is best to refrain from criticizing. Many Canadians have travelled abroad and have differing degrees of exposure to the ways of other countries. The more they have travelled, the more curious they are likely to be about the perceptions of foreigners; I would not recommend making this a main topic of conversation, however.

C. Canadians are often very proud of their natural surroundings, Canadian weather and their heartiness with respect to enduring the weather. Canadian musicians, writers, film producers and actors (comedians especially) are also a great source of pride. Men in particular are proud of Canadian beer and hockey, although women are increasingly a part of this sub-culture. Virtually all Canadians are eager to distinguish themselves from Americans.

D. The best way to impress most Canadians is to show what you have noticed is different from the United States, as there is a great deal of sensitivity and concern about being lumped in with our powerful neighbour. Most Canadians see themselves as humbler, funnier, more tolerant and/or less aggressive than Americans. I would not recommend overly criticizing the US, however. Canada depends on its neighbour and has strong cultural and historical ties. Many Canadians have relatives who live in the US.

E. Not in any of the paragraphs.

The 2018 labour shortage survey of 1,200 companies in the small and medium sector, by the BDC Bank, shows that a mere 18% said they would use immigrants for labour shortages, compared to 57% who disagreed with that approach. Hiring less qualified persons, or even younger staff and retirees, were suggested as more likely strategies that would be used to overcome labour shortages. ―It's not that they don't want to, it's just that it's not on their radar and not traditionally in the network of places they would look at (and that is true), especially for smaller companies," says Pierre Cléroux, vice-president, research and chief economist at BDC. Mr. Cléroux says 40% of companies in the SME (small and medium enterprise) sector are facing labour shortages and the BDC report suggests hiring immigrants as one of the solutions.

But Ms Sandy, an award winning professional in her field, says that a cohesive effort to acknowledge the real reasons behind the problems faced by newcomers is paramount. ―I can prepare the immigrants for success, but if the broader community isn't interested, and there's still racism and Islam phobia, which aren't openly discussed, it doesn't matter how much money is pumped into the programmesǁ. The government needs to do more by way of awareness campaigns that openly talk of the pervasiveness of racism and the way it impacts immigrants, the value they bring to the economy and the cost to the economy when immigrants are deskilled.

Being underemployed or unemployed results in wage losses that run into billions of dollars, says a 2016 study by The Conference Board of Canada, a research and policy think tank. Kareem El- Assal, senior research associate of immigration at the Board, says that 844,000 Canadians face a host of employment barriers.

―Regardless of inflation, the size of growth is exponential and it just goes to show that we really need employers and regulatory bodies to tackle the challenge,ǁ says Mr El-Assal. In Canada, it‘s not uncommon for skilled immigrants to get tired, disillusioned and not have the finances or inclination to retrain and re-certify themselves. And, if they do have the time and money, they are still not sure of getting a job in their chosen field of expertise.