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Hilary Weston, an Irish-Canadian fashion mogul and former lieutenant-governor of Ontario who devoted time to issues tied to women, volunteerism and youth, has died at 83. In a statement Sunday, her family said the philanthropist and writer was shaped by an “enduring generosity and a deep commitment to helping others.”“Our mother lived with unwavering devotion to her family and a belief in the power and importance of community and service,” said Galen Weston Jr., who is her son and chairman and former president of Loblaw Companies Ltd.“Brilliant, brave, companionate, and beautiful, she brought a touch of magic to everything she did — in her decades of public service, philanthropy and her remarkable business career. Her greatest joy was the life she created for her family and friends — fille...

Some premiers say they want to have more local control over the immigration system — but experts say what the system really needs is a national conversation on immigration reform that shores up public support. “Most of the existing policies have been formulated on the fly without any evidence or serious impact evaluations of what the various classes of immigrants are, how they’re performing economically and otherwise,” said Michael Trebilcock, a retired academic and co-author of two books on immigration policy.“So it’s basically research-free.”As the premiers and territorial leaders were wrapping up their three-day meeting in Huntsville, Ont., late last month, they called for an increase to economic immigration levels to fill local labour gaps and said they would use their constitutional p...