As you all know, in March 2006 the Government of Goa appointed Hon. Eduardo Faleiro as Commissioner for NRI Affairs in Goa, with cabinet rank. Following this appointment, the International Goan Organization of Ontario, Canada (IGO) took the initiative to invite Goans living in the Toronto area to attend workshops to identify and discuss critical issues and problems in Goa, faced by Non Resident Goans (NRGs). Approximately 70 people attended workshops in September - November 2006. The output of these meetings was presented by the IGO delegate, Mrs. Cellie Gonsalves at the Global Goans Convention on January 4, 2007. The detailed report titled “Best of Both Worlds” was reviewed with Hon. Eduardo Faleiro and the Chief Minister of Goa, Hon. Pratapsingh Rane by Mrs. Zulema de Souza, President of IGO and Mrs. Cellie Gonsalves.

The IGO held a meeting on April 29th, 2007 to brief participants on Mrs. Gonsalves’s presentation at the Global Goans Convention and the actions taken to date on the seven major issues identified in the workshops, namely: Land & Property Disputes; Property Management; Buying, Selling, Leasing Real Estate, Estate & Taxation; Investing in India; Discrimination against Canadian citizens of Goan origin born in Pakistan; and Canadian Liaison officer, Welcome House and Information Centre.

A copy of the presentation is attached. Please distribute this widely to those who may be interested. We welcome your feedback; please contact Mr. Al Mathias at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Al.

April Meeting Presentation