Canada

Studies Say: An Indian name is a resumé burden

A selection of intriguing and baffling findings by Canada’s academics

British Columbia: No, Anjali, you weren’t imagining it: Canadians with “English-sounding” names are far more likely to land a job than those with Indian, Chinese or Greek names. Allisons and Michaels are 35 per cent more likely to get a callback for a job interview than a Yao or Vassiliki, according to Simon Fraser University researchers. The study ranked Montreal as the most discriminatory city in the country; Vancouverites, it found, are least likely to discriminate by name.

Alberta: It may not be rocket science, but University of Alberta researchers found that placing warning signs in deer country significantly reduces deer-on-car collisions. Accidents plummeted fully 44 per cent after the signs, normally “located arbitrarily,” were installed along 28 high-risk Edmonton roads.

Ontario: If you really want to save money, keep your eye on the prize. University of Toronto researchers found that having a single financial target—the iPhone 4S or a Caribbean cruise—makes for far more disciplined, efficient savers compared to those who are simply socking money away for the sake of it.

Quebec: Now here’s food for thought: no one is less supportive of immigration than immigrants themselves. The startling new study, published by the Montreal-based Institute for Research on Public Policy, found that almost 60 per cent of those born in Canada favour immigration, while the figure drops below 55 per cent among recent immigrants.

Newfoundland and Labrador: Seaweed, it seems, does the heart good. Though Western culinary traditions shun the marine algae as unworthy of the dinner table, seaweed contains antioxidants and lipids that lower the risk of heart disease, according to researchers at Memorial University. It’s time, they say, to work algae into daily staples like breads and soups—no small task.

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