While some would argue that Canada has gone to great lengths to unite families in the past, those day are gone, it seems. 

The federal government is making it harder for Canadian families to bring their parents and grandparents from abroad. Those seeking to bring older family members to settle in Canada will need to have higher incomes and agree to financially support their extended families for much longer.

The new rules will increase the minimum income requirement for sponsoring a parent or grandparent by 30%, double the sponsorship undertaking period from ten to twenty years, and reduce the maximum age of a dependent to 18. 

They'll also have to agree to cover any welfare or health-care costs not covered by medicare for parents or grandparents for 20 years, instead of the current 10-year committment.

To retirees, the offers can sound like the answer to every money worry: convert tomorrow’s pension cheques into today’s hard cash through so-called pension advances -- a cash-strapped retiree's answer to a pay day loan. 

But programs like these are having devastating financial consequences for a growing number of older Americans, threatening their retirement savings and actually plunging them further into debt, the New York Times reports.

The advances, federal and state authorities say, are not advances at all, but actually carefully disguised loans that require borrowers to sign over all or part of their monthly pension cheques.

And while not yet widespread in Canada, critics worry that the practice might soon migrate across the border.

One of the best ways to ensure your day-to-day work life is something to look forward to and that your career remains on an upward trajectory is to stay on your boss' good side.

A big part of maintaining the boss-employee relationship is to never allow a manager to think you dislike your work, are incapable of doing it, or—worse—consider it beneath you, warns Karen Burns, author of  The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use.

As a result, expressions like “That’s not my job” or “It’s not my problem” should never pass your lips, she suggests.

But “no” is always an option, she says, even if it might jeopardize the relationship you share with your boss. It's essential to position yourself in the best way possible if and when you have to say no at work.

Sometimes, requests are either too wierd or simply inappropriate for even the keenest of workers to put up with. Many workers have been asked to do some pretty crazy – and at times potentially dangerous – things for those that call the shots.  

Following the lead of several U.S. cities, the City of Toronto recently passed a controversial 'access without fear' motion that would provide undocumented migrants access to municipal services such as food banks and homeless shelters.

The move sparked howls of protest from groups like The Centre for Immigration Policy Reform, who argue that by failing to uphold the law, Canada´s largest city has sent a message that the law doesn´t matter.

Dissenting councillor Minnan-Wong doesn't agree with the decision either, suggesting that illegals don't deserve access to government services.

Statistics suggest that more second marriages fail than first marriages.

Despite this, many divorced or widowed men and women do remarry, complicating their financial affairs and creating a fluid network of step-relatives, all with their own sets of financial expectations.

As couples get older and their lives more complicated, more of those entering new relationships seem to be choosing to postpone or forgo such formal arrangements for fear of these financial consequences.

And second-time-around Canadians are much more inclined to talk about marriage contracts or prenuptial agreements than they once were.

Are you one of them? Do you know someone who is?  

A 2012 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling may have more companies rethinking how they manage employee overtime.

The court decided that two major unpaid overtime lawsuits against CIBC and Scotiabank can proceed as class actions, alleging that bank employees were expected to work late regularly, but overtime policies made it difficult for staffers to get paid for their extra work.

The lawsuits could prove problematic for many employers — particularly small businesses, which often rely on workers to put in extra hours to get the job done, warns employment lawyer Laura Williams.

For details about these cases, go to www.unpaidovertime.ca.

It's no secret that senior citizens are often the targets of fraud and financial crimes.

Among the reasons: Some older people have built substantial assets (including their own home/cottage and large savings accounts), they're easy to find at home, and they can often be swayed by fears of losing their financial independence.

Estimates from MetLife's Mature Market Institute suggest that this group loses approximately $2.6 billion per year due to financial abuse -- fraud, as well as theft by family members and acquaintances.

But it seems that seniors aren't the only group getting fleeced.

With a generally low level of investment knowledge, Canadians of all ages remain popular targets for fraudsters, according to the The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) which just released the third edition of its survey of investment knowledge, investor behaviour and incidence of investment fraud. 

Looks like another disciple of tax fraudster Russ Porisky is off to jail.

An Ontario couple who dodged the tax man by following his teachings pleaded guilty last week to dodging close to $1-million dollars in personal taxes and to helping others evade millions more.

Porisky's Paradigm Education Group, which teaches followers that taxes are unconstitutional and that taxing a human being’s labour is a confiscation of property has led more than one dupe into the arms of the Canada Revenue Agency. 

Porisky told his followers that his research of the law showed the average Canadian didn't have to pay taxes because each working Canadian is being taxed as an "artificial person," a category created by government. So, by declaring oneself a "natural person," no taxes need to be paid.

That argument led to convictions for fraud and tax evasion earlier this year.

Convicted criminals will soon be expected to pay twice as much into victim services funds, if Bill C-37 makes its way through the House of Commons.

The money raised is used to fund government services, community organizations and, on occasion, to provide compensation to injured parties.

Not that the $$ are any great bonanza.

Victim surcharges would jump to $100 for a summary conviction and $200 for an indictable offence. In cases where a fine is imposed, the offender would instead have to pay a surcharge amounting to 30 per cent of the fine, up from 15 per cent, The Globe and Mail reports.