Asian Star - March 28, 2015

www.theasianstar.com Vol 14 Issue 8 Saturday, March 28, 2015

All the news you need and more...

Metro Vancouverites priced out of their own homes by 2030: Vancity report

Check Inside for Details

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illennials dreaming of homeownership in Metro Vancouver are going to have to downsize their expectations, according to a new report by Vancity credit union.

The report, Downsizing the Canadian Dream: Homeownership for Realities for Millennials and Beyond, shows that if current affordability trends continue, average property in Vancouver will require more than 100 per cent of household income by 2030.

Moreover, average property in the Metro Vancouver region will be unaffordable, requiring unsustainable debt-loads to maintain. By that time, average per cent of income required to maintain a mortgage in various communities will become

unsustainable: -- Vancouver will rise from 76 to 108 per cent -- Metro Vancouver will rise from 49 to 66 per cent -- Only Langley will remain affordable at 27 per cent As wages continue to fail to keep pace with rising costs, ever larger portions of earned income will need to be devoted to housing costs, limiting disposable income for other expenses such as food and clothing.

As a result, more families will have to revise their long term expectations toward what has typically been termed a starter home: the condominium.

Read Story on Page 6 ...

Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee

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EW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been conferred with India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee at his residence on 6 Krishna Menon Marg in New Delhi.

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In-depth product knowledge and honesty is Sukhinder S. Gill’s success formula

Punjab wants Canada to apologise for Komagata Maru tragedy

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handigarh: On the last day of the Budget session today, the Punjab Assembly passed two key resolutions related to the Komagata Maru incident and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. The Assembly unanimously passed a resolution recommending the Centre to seek apology from the Canadian Government for the Komagata Maru tragedy in which 19 Punjabis were killed at Budge Budge ghat of Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1914. It also recommended the state government to approach the Centre

for implementation of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report, which suggested 50 per cent profit over and above the input cost to farmers. The official resolution on Komagata Maru was mooted after the Canadian and Indian branches of Mohan Singh Foundation, Gadar Memorial Foundation, Punjabi Sahitya Academy and Folklore Research Academy, and Aalmi Virasat Foundation approached Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal and former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

Read Story on Page 6 ...

“Over the years Gill has built an enviable reputation for himself. “I have not made a single cold call till today.

Individuals and families come to me purely by word of mouth,” said Gill.”

By: Shruti Prakash Joshi Read Story on Page 9

Tel: 604-591-5423

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Canadian airlines told to have 2 people in the cockpit after co-pilot crashes German plane

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anadian airlines have been ordered to maintain two crew in the cockpit at all times, effective immediately, federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced today.

“Currently, there is not the requirement to have two members in the [cockpit],” Raitt told reporters. “After this order, there will be a requirement to have two members.”

“It could be a flight attendant. It could be a customer service person,” she said. “But they have to be members of the cabin crew.”

The move followed revelations that a Germanwings co-pilot apparently caused the crash of Flight 4U9525 after preventing the pilot from returning to the cockpit.

Air Canada and WestJet both said they were changing their policy to ensure that there are always two people in the cockpit on their flights. Air Transat, which also agreed to the two-person rule, admitted it didn’t have a specific policy in place until now.

‘Rule of 2’ Many U.S. airlines already have a “rule of two” requiring that if one pilot leaves the cockpit another crew member, such as a flight attendant, must be in the cockpit as a replacement. But this is not an FAA requirement.

Lufthansa, owner of the downed Germanwings plane, does not have such a rule, nor is it required to follow such a practice.

Dominic Fouda, a spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency, told CBC News that it does not require two people in the cockpit at all times.

Security protocols As soon as it was learned that one of the pilots appeared to have been deliberately locked out of the cockpit of Germanwings Flight 4U9525 before it crashed, attention quickly

turned to the security protocols relating to the cockpit door that separates the flight deck from the rest of the plane. Those protocols have steadily evolved over the years, but it was one big event almost 15 years ago that changed everything – the Sept. 11 attacks.

Within weeks, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had mandated new standards to strengthen cockpit doors to protect pilots from intrusion and small arms fire, even grenades. Most airlines, including Germanwings, reinforced their cockpit doors.

Lockdown mode But the Airbus video says the person on the inside of the cockpit has the ability to specifically deny the emergency access request by pressing an override switch that causes the door to go into lockdown mode for five minutes. Lufthansa’s CEO acknowledged that may be what the co-pilot did in this case.

“There is another code you can actually operate which will also lead to a bell ringing, and if nobody actually reacts, the door will open electrically and automatically, and this can be impeded by those in the cockpit by actually pressing a lever which says ‘lock’ and the doors will be closed for five minutes,” Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr told a news conference. “It seems to be true that the colleague who remained in the cockpit, the co-pilot, denied him access back into the cockpit in order to start the fatal descent in the French Alps,” he said.

“The most plausible, realistic interpretation as far as we are concerned is that the co-pilot … refused to open the door of the cabin to the captain, and pressed the button which caused the aircraft to lose altitude,” French prosecutor Brice Robin said

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Municipal auditor fired with no severance

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he B.C. government has fired its Auditor General for Local Government, after accountant Basia Ruta “lost all confidence” of her supervisors to complete audits that compare local government spending practices. “The auditor general for local government’s obstruction of an intended review of her office has created an intolerable situation that compounds the unstable work environment and lack of performance from that office,” said Community Minister Coralee Oakes, who took the action on the recommendation of the government-appointed audit council. Former deputy minister Chris Trumpy was due to start his own review of the new office Monday. It is the first attempt in Canada to do “performance audits” by comparing groups of municipalities, but the performance of Ruta’s office has become the pressing issue. Oakes said Ruta will not be offered severance pay, because the government

has determined she has been fired for cause.

The work environment in the Surrey office of the AGLG had deteriorated, and Ruta’s decision to refuse Trumpy’s involvement led to the decision, she said. Ruta issued a statement through her lawyer Monday, saying she will go to court to challenge the decision to fire her. Hired to execute an idea proposed by Premier Christy Clark in her 2012 bid for the B.C. Liberal Party leadership, Ruta set herself a target of 18 audits in the first year. Clashes with the staff at her Surrey office and the audit council began to emerge last year.

NDP local government critic Selina Robinson said the two-year-old office has lost credibility over spending $5.2 million over two years to produce only one audit. Two more reports were issued last week. The function should be included in the existing B.C. Auditor General office, which is an independent office of the legislature, Robinson said.

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B.C. to regulate teacher professional development

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he B.C. government is giving itself new authority to regulate ongoing teacher training, possibly requiring completion of new programs for teachers to maintain certification.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender said there are currently no detailed requirements for certified teachers to stay current with new education techniques. Those requirements are to be worked out with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, which was notified only hours before changes to the School Act were introduced in the legislature Thursday.

“There is no legislated requirement for professional development, nor is there a definition of what the route to that might be and what some of those tools are,” Fassbender told reporters Thursday. “That is why it is important that we work with the teaching profession to define that moving forward, and that’s what this bill allows us to do.”

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There is no change to the five professional development days per school year that are currently part of the BCTF contract, or any requirement in the legislation that new training be delivered during those days.

B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker said education ministry officials have assured him there will be two years of consultation before changes to professional development are imposed. Any changes “need to be properly funded and respect teachers’ professional autonomy,” he said. Iker was more concerned about another change that gives the ministry authority to impose shared services arrangements on school districts. He called the move “a diversion from underfunding,” after the government demanded $29 million in administrative savings from districts, many of whom say they can’t find any more savings.

Fassbender said school districts will have time to develop shared service plans themselves before anything is imposed by Victoria.

NDP education critic Rob Fleming said Fassbender and the B.C. Liberals have a “centralizing impulse” toward school districts, shifting authority to the education ministry that doesn’t have the capacity to make all those decisions. The government forced all school districts into a new administration computer system that didn’t work, costing $120 million, so it doesn’t have the track record to lecture school districts on efficiency, Fleming said.

2 Surrey men shot in targeted attack

wo men have been shot, in what Surrey RCMP are calling a targeted incident. Police received several calls reporting gunshots near 88 Avenue and 124 Street in Surrey, B.C., just before 9 p.m. PT, Thursday.

Shortly after that, police received calls about two vehicles driving erratically in the area. According to Surrey RCMP, one vehicle was described as a white Ford Escape and the other vehicle was described as a dark

coloured SUV. Police said the Ford Escape showed up at the hospital, and two men, in their mid-twenties, sought treatment for their non-life-threatening injuries.

Surrey RCMP said the two men are known to police, and neither has been forthcoming with information. Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or to call Crime Stoppers.

Two more MLAs proposed for next B.C. election

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Richmond-New Westminster and Surrey-Cloverdale to get extra seats

he Electoral Boundaries Commission announced today that it proposes adding two new ridings in Surrey and Richmond to keep up with population growth.

Tom Melnick, chair of the commission, said Thursday that the commission is proposing increasing the number of MLAs to 87 from the current 85.

The commission is proposing adding a new riding in the Cloverdale area of Surrey and creating a new riding of Richmond-Queenborough, which include the part of New Westminster.

The commission delivered its preliminary report Thursday to the speaker of the legislature and will invite public input and submissions by MLAs before submitting its final report on Sept. 25, 2015 Boundary shifts in fast-growing Surrey would produce two new constituency names, with Surrey South inserted between the existing Surrey-Cloverdale and Surrey-White Rock seats. The other new seat is Richmond-Queensborough, taking in an area of New Westminster to balance the population of the existing constituencies in the region.

Melnick said efforts were made to keep “communities of interest” together, while equalizing the populations of constituencies as much as possible. Even at that, the popula-

tion of some urban constituencies is as much as 60 per cent higher than rural seats, where travel by the elected representative is much more time consuming.

The commission, which is required to review boundaries after every election, is prevented from combining seats in the Cariboo-Thompson, Columbia-Kootenay and North regions.

Other major changes involve shifts in Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack boundaries, and including Hope in the Fraser-Nicola constituency that extends up to Merritt.

Princeton is proposed to be added to Boundary-Similkameen. Boundaries are shifted on Vancouver Island to rename seats Courteny-Comox and Mid Island-Pacific Rim. The proposals and maps can be found at the commission’s website, www.bc-ebc.ca.

Public input on the proposed changes is being accepted until midnight, May 26

B.C. wine soon to be sold at grocery stores

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he B.C. government has introduced legislation that will re-write the Liquor Control and Licensing Act to regulate the sale of VQA wines in grocery stores.

The Vinter Quality Alliance is a designation that guarantees the quality and origin of Canadian wines. The government has already released promotional material that appears

to show the Save On Foods in Surrey as the first grocery store that will stock B.C. wine.

The pictures show hundreds of bottles of wine on five different shelves.

All the store needs now is a final inspection, according to the legislation, which will allow wine to be sold in select grocery stores as early as April 1.

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Moody’s affirms B.C.’s AAA rating - improves outlook to “stable”

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oody’s Investors Service has reaffirmed British Columbia’s AAA credit rating and upgraded the Province’s outlook to stable, with the agency saying it reflects the strong fiscal position of the province, Premier Christy Clark announced today. “British Columbia is a leader in controlling spending, attracting investment, and diversifying markets for our goods. Moody’s upgrading B.C.’s credit rating outlook to AAA stable - the highest possible - is further validation of the hard work British Columbians have done to build a growing, diverse economy,” said Premier Christy Clark.

The agency highlights B.C.’s forecast of continued balanced budgets and says stabilizing the Province’s debt burden is achievable.

Moody’s said, “The stable outlook on the

Province of British Columbia’s ratings reflects our opinion that the province has presented a credible plan of consistent balanced budgets with little risk that the debt burden will exceed current forecasts.”

“British Columbians can be justifiably proud that, as a result of hard work and discipline, international agencies continue to assign their very highest marks and recognize our province’s credit worthiness and good fiscal management,” Finance Minister Michael de Jong said.

The agency explains the AAA rating demonstrates B.C.’s high debt affordability, strong fiscal management and fiscal flexibility. British Columbia’s proven track record of fiscal prudence and meeting fiscal targets over the past 10 years.

Good samaritan intervenes to stop brutal sex assault in Vancouver

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woman was brutally sexually assaulted in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood​on Thursday afternoon, and police now have a 25-year-old man in custody.

According to Vancouver police, the man barged into the woman’s house in the 800 block of Union Street just after noon, tied her up and sexually assaulted her. They allege he was armed with a weapon.

Another man heard the woman’s screams and intervened, getting into a fight with the alleged assailant. Several other people rushed to the aid of the woman, the struggle spilled out onto the street, and they held the assailant until police arrived.

Dog walker Amber Ritchie witnessed the assault.

“It looked like something out of a horror movie,” she said.

“She [the victim] was covered in blood. I’m pretty traumatized. I’m sure it will haunt me for a while. It was a real, brutal, nasty, rape scene.”

Police say the woman was rushed to hospital and suffered “significant” but not life-threatening injuries.

While police discourage witnesses from intervening, they described the man who

rushed to the woman’s aid as a “hero” and a Good Samaritan.

Plans are now in the works for a prayer walk for the woman as well as recognition for those who helped her.

“I’m really proud of them for doing that,” said Pete Fry, who lives in the neighbourhood.

“As a small token we just started a little coffee fund because we’re all Union Market locals and thought at least we can honour them in some way but I think ultimately we’re all pushing towards doing something more meaningful for the victim.”

According to Cost. Brian Montague, the alleged attacker did not know the woman.

“It appears random,” he said. “It is a stranger attack, and there’s nothing to suggest this is targeted at all.”

Montague said the assailant was armed with a weapon when he entered the woman’s house.

“Minding your own business, not doing anything wrong, and a stranger enters your home, you can’t do anything as a victim to prevent that,” he said.

“Thankfully, there were people nearby. She did the right thing, she fought and screamed, drew the attention of somebody else.”

Police are recommending several charges against the man in custody, who they say has a criminal record outside of B.C. There is a warrant out for his arrest from London, Ont,. for failing to comply with a probation order.

Police said he recently moved to Vancouver and that they have had previous contact with him.

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Vancouver Art Gallery never intended to meet city’s deadline

ith just a month to go before a city deadline to raise $150 million in government funding for a new home, the Vancouver Art Gallery acknowledged it has never formally applied for the funding and never intended to meet the deadline.

The city’s demands, established two years ago, were a prerequisite to the VAG gaining access to most of a valuable downtown block of land it wants for a $350-million gallery.

Instead, the VAG pushed ahead by hiring one of the world’s leading architecture firms, Swiss-based Herzog & de Meuron, to create a conceptual design for a new gallery in advance of a fundraising campaign.

That concept will be unveiled in late May. In an effort to create more buzz, the gallery

is unveiling an exhibit Thursday touting the architectural excellence of the firm.

But the project faces an almost-insurmountable challenge as both the federal and provincial governments have repeatedly said they will not contribute any more money. The federal government reiterated that position as recently as Wednesday, with Industry Minister James Moore saying the VAG isn’t listening.

“We have been very clear and consistent; we do not believe that a new Vancouver Art Gallery is a priority for British Columbia taxpayers,” he said.

The obstacles, including the inability to meet the terms of the land deal, appear not to faze either VAG director Kathleen Bartels or the city.

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Provincial gov’t begins review of BC Transit

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he provincial government will begin a review of BC Transit as part of the Province’s ongoing commitment to review all major Crown corporations.

Government wants to ensure Crowns are making every effort to keep controllable costs to a minimum, and the review process provides an external perspective that helps identify opportunities for improvement. The current review - to be conducted by the Ministry of Finance - will examine and make recommendations on all aspects of BC Transit’s operations, planning, forecasting, and financial performance including: * Human resources, partner agreements, and procurement; * Fiscal forecasting and service-level planning, including ridership, scheduling and capacity; and * Revenue, debt, cost mitigation, capital assets and other financial performance aspects.

The review will also take into account BC

Transit’s current service plan and funding levels and may make recommendations to help BC Transit achieve cost savings and ensure BC Transit’s operations reflect the greatest cost benefit and efficiency for taxpayers. The review is expected to conclude in early 2016. The B.C. Government created the Crown Corporation in 1979 as the Urban Transit Authority (UTA), whose role was to work in partnership with local governments in the development and management of local transit systems. The organization was renamed BC Transit in 1982.

Since the creation of the UTA, the public transit system managed by BC Transit has grown from 13 to 81 transit systems delivered with 58 local funding partners. BC Transit has a forecast operating budget of $103.9 million in 2015-16, and a forecast capital budget of $73.5 million. Since 2001, transit service across B.C. has increased by more than 40%, and the Province has provided more than $1 billion in operating and capital funding to BC Transit.

Alberta increases taxes and fees to deal with financial shortfall

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DMONTON — Albertans will pay more to get married, go camping, have a drink, go for a drive or do pretty much anything else as the province fights to get out from under the collapse in oil prices.

The 2015-16 budget tabled Thursday increases taxes and fees virtually across the board and runs the largest deficit in Alberta’s history at $5 billion.

The government is retooling its tax take so the wealthy will pay more. It’s also bringing in a health-care levy, boosting the gasoline tax by four cents a litre and increasing sin taxes on cigarettes and booze.

“This has been one of the hardest budgets

to develop in many years and has required tough decisions,” Finance Minister Robin Campbell told reporters.

“We’re going to get off of oil.”

Premier Jim Prentice has billed the document as necessary to make up for billions in lost oil revenue and to insulate the province’s day-to-day spending from roller-coaster swings in energy prices.

The premier has also said he needs a mandate to implement the budget and is expected to call an election soon.

The budget details $1.5 billion in hikes and new levies and outlines a new tax model.

Albertans will no longer be charged a 10 per cent flat tax. Everyone will still pay that much on the first $100,000 of taxable income, but there will be two tax brackets for anyone earning more than that.

There will be a new refundable tax credit and improvements to rules to aid lower-income working families.

Fuel taxes will go up to a total of 13 cents a litre Friday — still the lowest in Canada.

Traffic fines will rise by an average of 35 per cent. Other increases will hit registration fees, court and land-title searches, marriage certificates and camping costs.

Alcohol taxes are going up by 16 cents for a bottle of wine and 90 cents for a 12-pack of beers. Tax on a carton of cigarettes will jump to $45 a carton from $40. A levy will be added to provincial income tax starting July 1 to help offset the cost of health care. It will be paid on an escalating basis, starting with individuals earning $50,000 or more in taxable income, with a cap at $1,000 a year.

The province says the average Alberta family — with two children and two working parents making a combined $120,000 a year — will pay an estimated $288 more in taxes this year and $480 in 2016.

Corporate income taxes will remain at 10 per cent, the lowest in Canada. Campbell said it’s important to keep those rates low to prevent further damage to Alberta’s fragile economy. There will be no change to oil royalties.

Alberta still does not have a provincial sales or payroll tax.

Some government departments will see budgets cut, while others will hold the line.

There will be slight increases for education and social services.

Opposition parties criticized the budget as a sop to corporations at the expense of working families. “Middle-income families are being told they need to pay more and get less. Much, much less,” said NDP Leader Rachel Notley “That’s happening so that this premier can continue to protect the interests of his boardroom and backroom buddies.”

Wildrose Leader Heather Forsyth said the new fees are unnecessary and unfair.

“Gas tax, health tax, birth tax, marriage tax, death tax. It just goes on and on,” said Forsyth. “It’s going to affect everybody, but I think it’s going to affect the people that it shouldn’t and doesn’t need to affect, and that’s middle and lower-income families.”

Liberal Leader David Swann said the budget is “a small movement towards getting off the oil and gas roller-coaster, (but) we think everybody should share in the burden.

“That includes the large corporations.”

Government revenue is projected to be $43.4 billion and expenses are pegged at $48.4 billion. The deficit will be covered off mainly by the $6.5-billion contingency fund.

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Anti-abortion graphic postcards upset some Surrey residents

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n anti-abortion group handing out postcards with graphic images of aborted fetuses has upset some Newton residents who found them in their mail.

Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, the advocacy group behind the postcards, is defending them and its right to distribute them in residential neighbourhoods.

However, Hailey Zerr said the graphic photos dredged up unhappy memories for her, and she’s glad her husband threw the postcard out before she saw it.

“Unfortunately, we did suffer a miscarriage and an image like that would have been absolutely heartbreaking for me to see,” Zerr says.

“I’m still dealing with it emotionally and I don’t need to be reminded of the child I lost.”

Anti-abortion postcard The group behind these postcards says it’s distributing them because it opposes Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s prochoice stance.

Cameron Cote, a spokesman for the group distributing the postcards, admits the photos are shocking, but says they are a necessary part of its nation-wide campaign to get the anti-abortion message out.

“I am profoundly disturbed by the images. I hate looking at them and I hate the reality that they show, but that reality calls for action,” he said.

“It forces me to do something so those images become a record of the past.”

Cote said his group is distributing the 25,000 postcards in Surrey, because it opposes Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s pro-choice stance and want to keep Trudeau out of office.

Another resident Robyn Nakagawa also says she was disgusted when she saw it in her mail. “This was obviously meant for shock value. I’m upset because my very young children could have seen it,” she says.

Transit sex assaults result in arrest of 2 men

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etro Vancouver Transit Police have arrested two men for two unrelated sexual assaults in the same month on public transportation in Vancouver.

On March 2nd, a passenger on the number 33 bus travelling from the 29th Avenue SkyTrain station to UBC noticed a woman whose leg and thigh were being groped, Transit Police spokeswoman Ann Drennan said in a statement Thursday.

The assailant left the bus as police were being called.

The witness reported she had been sexually assaulted in the same manner three to four weeks earlier on the same bus, and two weeks later, the witness called police to report the man was back on her bus.

Police stopped the bus in the 2200 block of

West 16 Avenue and arrested a 57-year-old man with no previous record.

Police said that because the victim is a Japanese ESL ([English as a second language] student who will not be returning to Canada, no charges related to the incident would be laid. However, a charge of sexual assault related to the March 2 incident where the Japanese victim was a witness, is currently pending.

In the second incident, a woman travelling on SkyTrain at the Marine Drive Station said she felt her buttocks being groped from behind and turned and yelled at the perpetrator.

The victim reported the incident and provided a description. Transit Police immediately recognized him as a repeat sexual offender.

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B.C. oil and gas has low impact on health

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ealth risks associated with oil-andgas activity in northeastern British Columbia are low, according to a newly released report from the provincial Health Ministry.

Health Minister Terry Lake said Thursday the report concludes that existing regulations protect public health. But it also makes 14 recommendations, including improvements to emergency planning zones, groundwater testing and air quality objectives.

“Protecting the health and safety of British Columbians is one of our government’s top priorities, and that’s why we undertook this comprehensive study,” Lake told reporters on a conference call.

“After careful review and analysis, the study found that the risk to human health

from the emissions from oil-and-gas activities in the northeast remains low.”

Intrinsik Environmental Sciences Inc. conducted the research, which represents the final phase of an evaluation of human-health risks related to the oil-and-gas industry.

The first phase released in 2012 detailed the concerns of residents who believed their health problems — including asthma, bronchitis, sinus issues and cancer — were linked to industry activities like hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

The report released Thursday was meant to assess whether these concerns were scientifically valid. It covered air emissions from gas-processing plants and production facilities, as well as related industries, transportation, and community sources.

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VISHWA members accompanied by NDP MP Jasbir Sandhu and NDP MLA Bruce Ralston volunteered to improve the Robson ravine at Surrey’s Robson Park on March 21. They cleaned the park and planted native BC plants in the park. Pictured are some of the volunteers helping beautify Robson Park. Pictured above NDP MP Jasbir Sandhu and Swami Dr. Satya Prakash at Robson Park.

$5 million of drugs and weapons seized

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he province’s anti-gang unit has busted a massive drug operation based out of Chilliwack but operating in Northern B.C. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU) held a press conference Wednesday to show off millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs found at residences on Brett Avenue, McIntosh Drive, Nowell Street and in local storage lockers. Seven suspects in total were arrested and police seized cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal methamphet-

amine and marijuana. But by far the most valuable seizure was 43,000 Fentanyl pills with an estimated street value between $3.44 million and $4.3 million ($80 to $100 per pill in northern B.C.).

The total street value of all of the drugs together is estimated to be $5,155,000.

Also seized were three semi-automatic rifles, two sub-machine guns, two semi-automatic handguns, one revolver, one prohibited magazine and six boxes of various calibres of ammunition.

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All faiths are simply paths leading us to God

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amloops, B.C. - The Sikh Community is serving free food to all irrespective of caste, creed or color in all Gurdwaras (Sikh Temples) all over the world in view of their

marvelous tradition of Langar (free kitchen).

It may be deemed as a wonderful example of promoting the message of interfaith harmony and equality for the entire human race.

Prominent Hindi poet, Scholar and interfaith activist Mr. Acharya Dwevedi from Surrey said this at the Sikh Temple Kamloops where he was specially invited by the Gurdwara Managing Committee along with Gian Singh Kotli to address the Sunday special congregation on 15 March, 2015. Speaking about the universal aspects of oneness of God and oneness of human race and respecting all religions as contained in Sikh Scripture, Acharya Dwevedi urged the Sikh community to make more concerted efforts to spread this wonderful humanitarian message of peace and harmony all over the world.

Speaking about the universal aspects of Sikhism seeking well being of the entire human race, Gian Singh Kotli recited his well meaning poem on Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, who sacrificed his four sons and numerous followers to safeguard righteousness and the rights of the

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Surrey college downsized

he post-secondary college run by the Surrey School District has been significantly downsized, reduced to just three courses from the dozens it once offered.

Surrey Community College, located near 140 Street and 92 Avenue, has been in operation since 2003.

When it first opened, the college was touted as a post-secondary institution that would compete with other independent colleges. At one time, it offered as many as 35 different career-oriented courses in numerous fields, including graphic design, dental receptionist, horticulture and photography.

There are now just three courses remaining: Education Assistant (EA), Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Support Worker and Hairdressing.

“We’re really trying to realign our work… back to the K to 12 students,” explained Daniel To, Surrey College principal.

He said while the mandate of the college when it opened a dozen years ago was to offer more post-secondary opportunities in Surrey, there are now myriad institutions doing the same and enrolment in many Surrey College programs slowly dwindled as a result.

The focus now, said To, is to get back to the core work of educating students in kindergarten through Grade 12.

The three remaining programs may be post-secondary, he said, but directly benefit children and teens in Surrey public schools.

people from the oppression and tyranny of the then ruling tyrants.

Expressing his views about the universal aspects Sikhism, Gian Singh Kotli reiterated that the Sikh message of “Treat the entire human race as one.

God is one having different Names. All men have the same human form. All faiths are simply paths leading us to God. The same Divine Light blazes in all. Only those who love God obtain Him. God bless me that I may never refrain from doing good deeds,” may provide very effective soothing touch to the entire suffering human race in this strife torn world.

Gurdwara President Kulwinder Singh and General Secretary Ishwar Singh honored Acharya Dwevedi and Gian Singh Kotli for their valuable interfaith services.

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Canadian accused of raping disabled girl deported home from U.S.

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B.C. man accused of sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy then fleeing the country decades ago is back on Canadian soil.

Mounties allege Raymond Douglas MacLeod attacked the underage victim while living in Prince George in 1974, when he was 32 years old.

He was initially acquitted in the assault but disappeared after Crown prosecutors won an appeal for a new trial.

“I think it’s safe to say he was trying to elude police and elude capture,” RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass said.

U.S. authorities accompany Raymond MacLeod as he’s deported back to Canada to charges for a decades-old sex assault. After

a years-long search effort involving Mounties, Interpol, and U.S. police, authorities finally tracked MacLeod to a trailer park in California, where he was allegedly using the social security number of a dead American man.

The suspect had somehow managed to fly under the radar despite being convicted of a series of crimes south of the border.

MacLeod, now 72, was arrested in October 2013, sparking a long extradition battle. He was finally sent back to Canada on Tuesday night and appeared in court Wednesday.

Speaking outside the courthouse, MacLeod’s lawyer denied allegations his client had been on the run. “The important point is that he was acquitted.

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18 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

Canadian jailed for smuggling horns, ivory

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US judge jailed a Canadian antiques dealer for two-and-a-half years on Wednesday for smuggling rhinoceros horns, coral and elephant ivory.

Xiao Ju Guan, also known as Tony Guan, was arrested in March 2014 after buying two endangered black rhinoceros horns from undercover special agents in New York for $45,000.

The 39-year-old from British Columbia, who also claimed to have an antiques business in Hong Kong, subsequently pleaded guilty to smuggling from the United States into Canada.

Federal judge Laura Swain sentenced him to 30 months for what she called “a very serious offense” and conduct that had fueled

“demand for the slaughter of rare and already endangered species.” Poaching has risen sharply across Africa in recent years, driven by rising demand in Asia for ivory -- which finds its way into jewelry and ornaments -- and rhino horn, which is coveted as a traditional medicine. More than 3,000 rhinos have been poached in South Africa alone since 2008 -- up more than 7,000 percent on the previous 17 years -- and 1,215 were poached in South Africa last year, the most on record, US prosecutors said in court papers. “Although Guan may not have personally slaughtered a rhino or an elephant, he nevertheless shares direct culpability for the illegal trade,” they wrote.

F

Gregor Robertson fails to end homelessness in Vancouver City

ederal and provincial governments have failed to do their part to help end homelessness in Canadian cities, which is a major reason why the city of Vancouver can’t keep its pledge to end street homelessness, according to a UBC political scientist.

When he was elected seven years ago, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson made a pledge to end street homelessness by 2015.

After the city’s annual homeless count ended on Tuesday, Robertson said he’s proud to have set the ambitious goal and disappointed not to have met it.

“No one ever said it would be easy, but I know Vancouverites want and expect us to set important goals and take action,” said Robertson.

Carey Doberstein, an assistant professor of political science at UBC Okanagan, says ending homelessness is a laudable goal and significant improvements have been achieved throughout the region.

“I study many cities across the country and the city of Vancouver is actually the best among them for using the policy levees they have available to them,” says Doberstein.

These improvements include new supportive housing units and services created by negotiating zoning and selling municipal

land.

Doberstein says the city should not be admonished for failing to reach its goal. Instead, residents should call on federal and provincial governments to step up.

“They control the most important areas of the policy that ultimately contribute to homelessness,” says Doberstein.

These areas include affordable housing, mental health services, the correctional system, social assistance rates, and the child and family welfare system.

“We’ve seen cuts or under-investment in these areas for the last couple of decades,” says Doberstein.

According to Doberstein, senior governments are better positioned to contribute to these areas because of the larger tax base they can pull from.

Mother sues B.C. ministry of children after her baby dies in foster care

A

mother who says she was forced to hand her daughter over into government care is suing the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development after her 21-month-old baby Isabella died while in foster care. The child was found dead in March 2013, and while a coroner’s report did not determine a cause of death, it did find that Isabella had fractures in her left arm and bruises on her arms, legs and face.

Now, her mother Sara Jane Wiens, is demanding answers and has filed a suit two years later.

Wiens says the ministry took her daughter away when she was two months old as they ruled she was unfit.

(She has a learning disability).

“They’re telling me I can’t parent and that I’m dangerous and that I will potentially harm my child and ... then they take her

from me, put her in a home and she ends up dead,” she said.

But when Wiens raised concerns about her daughter’s well-being during supervised visits, she says she was ignored.

“I saw bruises and constant diaper rash, and I brought these things up but they disregarded them,” Wiens said.

Then, in March 16 2013, police and family services showed up at her door early morning, and told her Isabella had died while in care.

“I ran outside my back door and I screamed bloody murder and I broke down,” Wiens said.

When she died a part of me died.”

Wiens said she wants the ministry to acknowledge their system did not work for Isabella, and wants an apology.

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 19

LOCAL

20 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

Patrick Brazeau’s lawyer attacks credibility of alleged sex assault victim

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he defence in suspended senator Patrick Brazeau’s assault and sexual assault case attacked the credibility of the main witness today in a Gatineau, Que., courtroom.

A publication ban prevents the identification of the alleged victim, who testified yesterday that Brazeau struck her, grabbed her by the throat, pushed her down a flight of stairs and smashed her head against a wall. She also alleges Brazeau pulled down her pants and touched her inappropriately.

Brazeau’s attorney, Gerard Larocque, went after the complainant on a number of different fronts on Tuesday. He began with her arrival from Mexico in Montreal in 2008 with her two children. Although she is Colombian, she used fake Mexican passports to get on the plane to Canada. Upon arriving at Canadian customs, she presented the officer with both the Mexican and Colombian passports and claimed refugee status. All of the passports were returned to her in 2013 when she received permanent resident status.Larocque confronted her about the money she brought with her to Canada. She said she

Woman fighting citizenship oath niqab ban favours gender segregation too

T

couldn’t remember if it was American currency or not, but said it was hidden in her coat.

Upon further questioning, she offered that it was probably American and that there was probably about $3,000.

Broken necklace The defence asked her about a necklace that she was wearing on Feb. 7, 2013, the day of the alleged assault. She told the court that the necklace had belonged to Brazeau’s mother and that he had given it to her.

She said that after he pushed her down the stairs, he had asked for it back. She tore it from her neck and threw it to the ground and told him that if he wanted it back, he could get it himself.

Larocque asked her why she had never spoken of this part of the altercation before, even though she made written and verbal statements to the police. She responded that those statements were general descriptions and that the trial was her first opportunity to go into detail about what had happened. The defence attorney also suggested that she tore the necklace off her neck in the bedroom before the violence began. She said that was false.

he devout Muslim woman fighting to wear a niqab while taking the citizenship oath told a government lawyer last year she is in favour of separating men and women in some circumstances in her native Pakistan.

But in an interview Tuesday, Zunera Ishaq said she does not advocate such segregation in Canada. “I’m not seeking any such separation,”

Christian leaders say faith under attack in Canada by governments, regulators

A

group of Canadian Christian leaders is raising the alarm about what they say are attacks on their faith, citing barriers to a Christian university setting up a law school and doctors opposed to ending pregnancies being forced to refer patients elsewhere.

The group, including Charles McVety, president of the Institute for Canadian Values, pointed to a number of recent events they said equate to an attack on the Christian faith and impinge on Christians’ ability to practice their faith.

The events include: A refusal by three provincial bar associations to accredit any potential law school graduate of Trinity Western University, which prohibits sexual intimacy outside heterosexual marriage among its students.

A letter from Bank of Montreal to the Law Society of Upper Canada, which governs Ontario lawyers, arguing against accrediting Trinity Western’s proposed law school.

A commitment by the general counsel of 72 companies to promote diversity and inclusion.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario requiring that doctors with religious objections to birth control or abortion refer those patients to another physician.

she said. “I do respect Canadian society as it is.”

Her comments may add fuel to a national debate between the Conservative government, which says it is trying to uphold Canadian values with the niqab ban, and opposition critics, who say the government is disrespecting religious freedoms.

Ms. Ishaq, of Mississauga, Ont., shared her views on gender segregation during the discovery last April after she filed her legal challenge. A transcript was among the exhibits recently filed by the government in its appeal

“Unfortunately, Christians in this country find themselves under attack,” McVety said at a news conference on Parliament Hill.

“This is a violation, and we are calling on the Canadian government to stop this type of violation across this country.”

British Columbia last December revoked approval for Trinity Western’s proposed law school, which was planned to launch in 2016.

Law societies in B.C., Ontario and Nova Scotia have voted to deny accreditation to future graduates. But the Nova Scotia Supreme Court overturned the provincial law society’s decision, which the Nova Scotia Barristers Society said yesterday it would appeal.

Trinity Western is also fighting the rejection of the Law Society of British Columbia and has said it will fight the rejection in Ontario too.

‘We cannot be silent’ Law societies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut have decided to accept Trinity Western’s graduates. Lawyer André Schutten, who has intervened in a number of freedom of religion court cases, said regulations and laws “continue to be passed that restrict or curtail the religious freedom of Canadians.”

of last month’s Federal Court ruling overturning the ban on wearing the niqab in citizenship ceremonies.

During cross-examination, Negar Hashemi, the government’s lawyer, asked Ms. Ishaq why she preferred to live in Canada, rather than Pakistan, “a country with Islamic laws that includes your religious views.”

The woman replied she considered Pakistan a Muslim country, but not an Islamic one, because it was “not obeying the laws in, like, whatever Islam has told us to do.”

LOCAL

2 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

South Asian woman hit in crosswalk awarded $405,000 by court

A

Surrey woman who was struck down by a car while walking in a crosswalk in Whalley in 2009 has been awarded $405,000 in damages.

Justice Geoffrey Gaul made the order Friday, March 20, in B.C. Supreme Court in Victoria.

The victim, Neenu Gulati, 57, immigrated to Canada from India in 1995. She is married, and has two children.

The court heard that resulting from the collision she suffered from various injuries including a broken arm, soft-tissue injuries to her neck, left arm and hand, lower back and legs, a concussion, hearing loss, memory loss, headaches, dizziness, depression and post traumatic stress.

Gulati testified she became a “different person” after the collision, withdrawing from family, and experienced problems with sleeping. The court heard she became irritable “and had significant mood swings,” leading to tension in the home.

“The evidence from her family members and friends confirm this fact,” Gaul found.

He also found Gulati to be a “responsive and thoughtful witness.”

The collision happened on Nov. 30, 2009, when Gulati was 53. Henry Wallace Chan was driving.

She had been working at JP Morgan Chase Bank at Central City Mall, earning $41,000 annually. She had finished her workshift at 8 p.m. and had to cross a four-lane access road in order to reach the parkade.

She testified she stopped at the crosswalk, looked both ways, and was about halfway across the road when Chan’s car hit her. She landed on its hood then fell onto the road. There were witnesses.

Chan admitted he was principally responsible for the collision but maintained Gulati was up to 20 per cent at fault for failing to see his car, which he argued “was a visible and foreseeable risk” to her. Gulati told the court she was half way into the crosswalk when she first saw Chan’s car, roughly four or five car lengths away. Gaul found Chan 100 per cent liable for the collision.

Transit Police need help identifying South Asian man found dead at Scott Road SkyTrain PUNJABI STAR_Ad 3 19/03/15 12:47 PM Page 1

New immigrants to Metro Vancouver’s Tri-Cities battle language barriers, isolation

I

mmigrants who settle in the Tri-Cities, one of the top destinations in the province, face significant challenges in terms of English language ability, navigating the health care system and social isolation, new research finds.

The region, which includes Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra, receives about 2,100 new immigrants each year, according to the 2011 Census. Forty per cent of Tri-Cities residents are immigrants. Language training was the biggest need identified, with almost two-thirds of those surveyed by Reichert & Associates on behalf of the Tri-Cities Local Immigrant Partnership group saying they needed help.

The research will be used by the group to inform a strategic plan for immigration to the Tri-Cities, due in March 2016.

Sandra Wilking said her organization, S.U.C.C.E.S.S., along with others that provide English classes to newcomers, is having to put people on six- to 12-month waiting lists. This is because there are not enough instructors to meet demand, but also because of the arrangement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which funds classes for permanent residents, Wilking said. The

amount of money B.C. receives from C.I.C. is proportional to the number of immigrants the province receives, and that number has been on the decline in recent years, even though the Tri-Cities is experiencing a surge. Not being able to effectively communicate in English affects an immigrant’s ability to find a job, conduct daily business, make friends and participate in his or her community.

Health care was another area of concern identified in the research, with just under half of respondents (49 per cent) reporting problems understanding or accessing the system. “For example, you’ve got to go to the GP to get to the specialist. In some countries that is not true; you can go straight to the physician that you know,” Wilking explained. “Or if you go to a hospital or an ER, what happens there.”

Thirty-eight per cent of immigrants surveyed also reported problems finding a job or with underemployment. Other challenges identified in the research, which consisted of interviews, surveys and focus groups involving immigrants living in the Tri-Cities, are similar to those identified by people who grew up in Canada.

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ransit Police are hoping the public can help identify a man found dead at Scott Road SkyTrain on Saturday, March 21.

The man, believed to be roughly 30 to 40 years old, was last seen alive at 7:24 a.m. that day on the platform of the station.

The man is described as possibly South Asian, with a slender build and short brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blue/ grey jacket with blue jeans and black/silver Nike running shoes.

Police say he had a unique tattoo on his upper back.

Anyone with information is asked to call 604-515-8300 or text 87 77 77.

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LOCAL

T

he officer then tells Nuttall he must leave his marble gun, a paintball gun modified to shoot marbles, at home and not bring it to any of their subsequent meetings.

Earlier, the trial heard that just hours before their planned attack on the Victoria legislature, terror suspect John Nuttall tries to calm his panicky co-accused and wife, Amanda Korody. The Surrey couple are caught on surveillance video in a Sidney motel late on the evening of June 30, 2013, just prior to their alleged plot to deto-

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 3

Surrey terror suspect worried for life nate bombs at the Parliament buildings.

They’ve been discussing their plans, with Nuttall saying that he’s proud without bragging about what they are about to do. “I need help,” says Korody. “What do you mean?” says Nuttall. “What? What is it?” “I’m just really panicky,” Korody tells Nuttall. “I’m having heart palpitations. Anxiety, stress, I’m feeling stressed out.” “It’s OK,” says Nuttall. “All

that matters, the only thing that exists is you, me, and Allah.” Nuttall tells Korody that they’re going to punish disbelievers. “ We’r e going to deliver them such a mighty blow, the whole world will be reeling in shock. This could have an impact on our brothers in Palestine,

and our brothers in Afghanistan.” Korody asks him how the undercover cops posing as helpers as they carry out their Islamic jihad are going to be able to keep an eye on their security. Nuttall tells her that no one is going to stop her and that her only concern should be walking from their van to the bushes and placing a bomb in the bush.

Narinderjit’s appeal denied

by BC court of appeal

T

he sentence for a Vancouver man who murdered his ex-girlfriend has been upheld by the B.C. Court of Appeal.

Ninderjit Singh pleaded guilty to the January 1999 second-degree murder of 18-year old Poonam Randhawa. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Butler imposed the mandatory life sentence with no parole eligibility for 16 years.

Singh appealed the parole eligibility period, arguing that it was too long, but a three-judge panel of B.C.’s highest court has rejected his arguments.

“I would dismiss this appeal; it is without merit,” said Chief Justice Robert Bauman in reasons for judgment released Friday.

“No error in principle has been demonstrated in the careful reasons of the sentencing judge. In the circumstances, for the reasons of Mr. Justice Butler, the sentence is wholly fit.”

Bauman’s ruling was agreed to by Justices Peter Lowry and Richard Goepel.

A jilted boyfriend, Singh stalked the girl and physically assaulted her shortly before the 1999 murder. He shot her once in the head before fleeing to California, where he took up a new life.

Police eventually launched an undercover operation and he was arrested in August 2011, after being on the lam for 12 years.

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OPINION

4 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

Reasons for voting against a sales tax increase

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The self styled-guardians of TransLink and regional transportation, the so-called Mayors Council and the ‘Yes Side” in the transportation referendum were fighting a losing battle from the start.

or some reason, Mayors like Vancouver’s Gregor Roberston and Surrey’s Linda Hepner think that taxpayers would trust them with their money. Well, they don’t.

Municipalities are the least democratic and the latest accountable of the three levels of government. Mayors should not mistake electability with respectability. They only get elected time and again because they have built well funded political organizations in their cities, which bulldozes away any opposition such as independent candidates.

And who funds these political organizations - why big corporations and unions that do

business with the city hall - kind of like you scratch my back and I will fund your political campaign.

In short, taxpayers don’t trust municipal politicians with their money -and they trust TransLink even less.

So here is a group of untrusted politicians seeking a 0.5 percent increase in sales to fun a totally disrespected organizationTranslink.

It was a non flyer form the start.

As a result, all polls are showing that the Mayors Council, despite heavy funding from various Councils, will suffer a devastating loss.

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This should be a lesson for both provincial and civic politicians not to govern by referendum.

Politicians should govern if they are elected and not pass the buck on to taxpayers by calling for a referendum. Elected politicians should decide if there should be a tax increase and then be ready to defend their decision in the next election.

Last but not least, it seems municipal politicians are becoming addicted to increasing gas taxes or sales taxes. Not long ago the same Mayors Council persuade the provincial government to increase the tax on gas by 2 cents a litre to fund a railway link in Tri Cities.

Now they want an increase in sales tax to fund Translink. Metro Vancouver residents are already overtaxed and can not bear the burden of yet another tax increase.

There are other issues as well. No one knows how revenues and spending associated with the mayors’ plan would be overseen.

If annual tax revenues exceed the $250 million to be raised, would surplus funds be returned to taxpayers? Importantly, would the new tax remain once road pricing and more tolls are introduced?

As well, the Mayors Council has been pretending that the increase in sales tax I the final step to a fully funded TransLink. But the Mayors Council Plan actually calls for the tax increase to fund one third of the funding with the provincial and federal governments to kick in one third each too.

But both the provincial and federal governments are quite on the issue and have not said anything. there are no guarantees that they will agree to come up with their proposed share of the money. In other words, it is still up in the air. These are good reasons to vote NO in the referendum.

www.theasianstar.com # 202 - 7028, 120th Street, Surrey, BC V3W 3M8 Ph: 604-591-5423 Fax: 604-591-8615 E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com Editor: Umendra Singh Associate Editor: Shruti Prakash Joshi Marketing and Sales: Ravinder S. Cheema..604-715-3847 Shamir Doshi..............604-649-7827 Harminder Kaur..........778-708-0481 Amritpal S. Grewal.....778-251-0306 Dal Sanghera.............604-591-5423 Parminder Dhillon.......604-591-5423 Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed Contributing writers: Akash Sablok Kamila Singh Jay Bains Photographer: Chandra Bodalia

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 5

6 i Saturday, March 28, 2015 Story from Page 1...

I

LOCAL

Metro Vancouverites priced out of their own homes by 2030

n the past 10 years, Vancouver condo prices have only increased 43 per cent, relative to the 126 per cent increase in the general market. This increasing gap threatens to strand families in their starter home, unable to accumulate the capital to take the leap to a detached unit.

Currently, the communities where home values are still affordable to the average resident are Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam and Langley. Yet, if trends are not reversed by a combination of public policy and changes in financial practices, even these communities will be unsustainable by 2030.

The report provides several recommendations to assist Millennials who want to stay in the communities they love including: -- encouraging individuals to consider non-traditional housing options, -- encouraging financial institutions to invest in affordable housing development, and -- calling on governments to create zoning

and tax incentives for affordable housing.

Vancity offers financial advice, workshops and products such as the Down Payment Mortgage Helper to assist residents in addressing the challenges of living in Metro Vancouver. The credit union also offers seminars to help residents determine whether buying is possible or whether renting is a better option and learning tools such as its First-time home buyer’s hub to help them understand their home ownership options and make smart choices.

In addition to helping prospective homebuyers, Vancity invests in a continuum of stable and affordable housing including: emergency and homeless shelters, transition housing, not-for-profit or subsidized housing, cooperative housing, rental housing, and life leases.

Vancity is committed to redefining wealth and building healthy communities for its members. An important part of building a healthy community is understanding key concerns like affordability.

Story from Page 1...

Punjab wants Canada to apologise for Komagata Maru

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uring deliberation, members of the House said while Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had sought a public apology in Surrey in 2008, they wanted an apology to be sought in Canadian Parliament. Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia appealed to the Treasury as well as Opposition members not to politicise the martyrdom of the 19 Punjabis but raise a united voice so that Canada was forced to apologise, which would be a befitting tribute to them. Nakodar MLA Gurpartap Wadala demanded a memorial to the martyrs, while Bhattal, ministers Tota Singh and Sohan Singh Thandal, and MLA Tarlochan Singh Soondh also supported the resolution. On the Swaminathan Commission report, MLAs across all parties debated how agriculture was becoming unviable in Punjab. The prices of crops such as basmati,

Story from Page 1...

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cotton and guar had fallen by over 25 per cent this year and the cyclical fall in prices of farm produce was weaning farmers from agriculture. The debate was initiated by Sardoolgarh MLA Ajit Inder Singh Mofar and saw heated debate between the Opposition and Treasury Benches, with both claiming the other party was responsible for non-implementation of the Swaminathan report recommendations. Akali-BJP leaders maintained that the report was tabled in 2006 when the UPA government was in power and they failed to implement it, while the Congress demanded to know the BJP’s stand on the issue. Jalandhar MLA Manoranjan Kalia accused the UPA of signing Trade Facilitation Agreements in 2013, which would prevent the government from increasing the price of agriculture produce by more than 10 per cent of the input costs.

Bharat Ratna to Vajpayee

ice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the ceremony. Several top cabinet ministers were also present at the function.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and finance minister Arun Jaitley also expressed their happiness at Vajpayee being conferred the Bharat Ratna. Vajpayee was the first non-Congress leader to serve India for a full five year term from 1999 to 2004.

Vajpayee is the seventh prime minister to receive the award after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Gulzarilal Nanda.

Earlier on Friday, speaking to reporters, the home minister said Vajpayee is not only just an Indian statesman but an international icon who is respected and loved by everyone.

“Atalji’s name evokes a sense of respect and

reverence in every heart,” he said, adding that it is a matter of immense happiness for the whole country that Vajpayee is being bestowed with the Bharat Ratna.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: “Happy that Atal Ji is being conferred Bharat Ratna today. A truly great statesman who richly deserves honour. I wish him well...”

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted his congratulations: “Heartiest congratulations to our revered mentor & beloved Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji for being conferred with ‘Bharat Ratna’ today.”

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: “My heartfelt congratulations to Vajpayee Sahib & his family on the day he receives the Bharat Ratna.

LOCAL

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 7

B.C. treaty process in limbo after province pulls chief commissioner

National Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay (middle) visited the Ross Street Gurdwara last week to meet the members of the board and community leaders.

Surrey drug bust sees 13 people charged

Jenny Kwan wins federal NDP nomination

hirteen people have been charged with 66 drug-related and firearms offences following a 21-month long investigation into drug dealing in Surrey.

RCMP say the first phase of the investigation began in June 2013, when police executed four search warrants and seized large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and oxycodone.

Police also seized two automatic submachine guns with five loaded high capacity magazines, a box of ammunition and more than $600,000 in cash.

The majority of the investigation concluded last year, but police say it took seven more months before the Crown was able to approve charges.

.C. MLA Jenny Kwan has defeated fellow provincial NDP MLA Mable Elmore to win the nomination for the federal NDP seat in Vancouver East.

The riding was held by Libby Davies, who has been the Member of Parliament in Vancouver East since 1997. Davies announced in December she will not run again. “We are going to keep Vancouver East orange!,” said Kwan as she thanked her supporters after results were announced at the Vancouver Technical School auditorium on East Broadway shortly after 5 p.m.

PT Sunday. Kwan said if she is elected she will fight for the rights of the vulnerable in society. “I want to see a national childcare program, I want to see a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous

T

The B.C. government’s abrupt decision to rescind its approval of a new B.C. treaty commissioner has opened a significant rift with the federal government and aboriginal groups it says it wants to do business with. But the politics and the personalities involved in the reversal have obscured the government’s intention: To back away from the treaty negotiation process it sees as a costly endeavour that has produced precious few results over the past two decades.

Six months ago, the province sought approval from the federal government and First Nations to appoint George Abbott, a former cabinet minister, to head the commission.

Last week, with no warning to its other partners at the table, the province pulled its

support for Mr. Abbott, leading to speculation about old wounds from the BC Liberals leadership contest that pitted him against B.C. Premier Christy Clark.

On Wednesday, however, Ms. Clark said she will not appoint anyone to the position of chief commissioner because she doesn’t think the treaty process is working.

“We made a principled policy decision,” Ms. Clark told reporters.

“The decision is not to continue with the status quo … In terms of next steps – whether or not the treaty commission will change or whether it will continue to exist – is going to be something we decide together with First Nations.”

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LOCAL

8 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

S

India knocked out by Aussies

YDNEY/NEW DELHI: A pall of gloom descended on the Indian dressing room after the team’s campaign in the World Cup came to an agonising end on Thursday, and the pain of losing the semifinals engulfed the entire cricket-crazy nation that was left grief-stricken.

Disappointment was writ large on the faces of players and their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after they succumbed to pressure against the clinical Australians, who decimated the defending champions by 95 runs to romp into the finals and break a million While Dhoni and his men managed to put up a brave face at the post-match presentation ceremony, many broke down at the Sydney Cricket Ground and miles away.

Angst was also one of emotions on display in a country that lives by the cliche ‘cricket is religion and cricketers are God’.

A man reportedly broke his television set in Ranchi, the hometown of Dhoni, while a few of them were learnt to have burnt the posters of their favourite icons.

While a family in the capital has gone into mourning cancelling a planned weekend celebration, in Mumbai and Kolkata, supporters of the Men in Blue were seen consoling each other with a hug after the defeat.

Heavy security was deployed at MS Dhoni’s house after Indian team lost the World Cup semifinal against Australia.

The Indians in Australia and back in India had planned their Sunday keeping the grand

finale in mind, only to see their hopes being dashed by this loss.

“I had planned a leave on Sunday hoping to watch the match in the comforts of my home.

I begged my boss to grant me leave... now I am feeling shattered, so badly I wanted them to win,” said Trisha, a young journalist.

Shiny, a software professional, also had her plans chalked out in advance.

“After such a great run, losing in this manner was something we could never imagine. It is definitely a very sad moment for all of us,” she said, flanked by her team members.

Similar was the reaction of Debolina and Shoumik, a doctor couple.

It was not only the youngsters but the elderly ones were also affected by the reverse.

The build-up to the mega event had raised more apprehension than hope amid rumours of all not being well in the dressing room, but the team’s stunning turnaround after the winless Test and ODI campaign Down Under raised hopes of a second successive world title.

“I don’t know whether I will live to see India win an ODI World Cup title again, the most prized achievement in cricket,” said 79-yearold Gulshan Lal Khanna, a retired professor.

In an engrossing semifinal clash, four-time champions Australia rode on Steve Smith’s classy 105 to post an imposing 328/7 before bundling out India for 233 in 46.5 overs to set up a summit clash with trans-Tasmanian rivals and co-hosts New Zealand in Melbourne on Sunday.

After a dream run which saw them win seven matches on the trot, India’s quest for a second successive World Cup title was finally thwarted by the formidable Australians, who outplayed Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s bravehearts in every department at the fully-packed SCG.

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Road from Europe to US? Russia proposes it Highway would cross a narrow stretch of the Bering Sea that separates Asia and North America

R

ussian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin has proposed a plan for a massive trans-Siberian highway that would link his country’s eastern border with the U.S. state of Alaska, crossing a narrow stretch of the Bering Sea that separates Asia and North America.

The scheme was unveiled at a meeting of the Moscow-based Russian Academy of Science.

Dubbed the Trans-Eurasian Belt Development (TEPR), the project calls for a major roadway to be constructed alongside the existing Trans-Siberian Railway, along with a new train network and oil and gas pipelines.

“This is an inter-state, inter-civilization, project,” the Siberian Times quoted Yakunin.

“The project should be turned into a world ‘future zone,’ and it must be based on leading, not catching, technologies.”

“Are we there yet?”

The road would run across the entirety of Russia, linking with existing road systems in Western Europe and Asia.

The distance between Russia’s western and eastern borders is roughly 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles).

Yakunin said the road would connect Russia with North America via Russia’s far eastern Chukotka region, across the Bering Strait and into Alaska’s Seward Peninsula.

The road would likely enter Alaska some distance north of the town of Nome, where the famed Iditarod sled dog race ends.

How would drivers span the ocean gap between Siberia and Alaska? Ferry? Tunnel?

Bridges?

The report didn’t offer specifics on the route across the sea.

The shortest distance between mainland Russia and mainland Alaska is approximately 88 kilometers (55 miles), according to the Alaska Public Lands Information Centers.

A theoretical drive from London to Alaska

via Moscow might cover about 12,978 kilometers (8,064 miles).

Relatively isolated even by Alaska standards, no road connects Nome with the rest of the state’s road system.

About 836 road-less kilometers (520 miles) across desolate terrain separates Nome from the closest major city and road network in Fairbanks, the unofficial northern terminus of the Alaska Highway.

From Fairbanks, Canada and the 48 contiguous U.S. states can be reached by road.

Assuming a road to Nome were ever built (the idea has been studied by the state of Alaska), a fantasy road trip from London to New York might cover a grueling but presumably photo-op-laden 20,777 kilometers (12,910 miles).

Facebook posts from forlorn Siberian rest stops might alone make the trip worthwhile, though the journey would also easily establish irritating new records for “Are we there yet?” gripes from the kids.

LOCAL

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 9

In-depth product knowledge and honesty is Sukhinder S. Gill’s success formula By- Shruti Prakash Joshi

W

hen a Master of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Education decides to become an Insurance agent, one can’t help but wonder what could have brought about this dramatic change in Sukhinder Singh Gill’s life?

“I chose to be an insurance agent because it gives me an intense sense of satisfaction knowing that I can make some people financially secure during the toughest juncture of their lives,” said Gill in an interview with the Asian Star.

Gill has been selling insurance for the last 16 years and is one of the more experienced insurance agents in Lower Mainland.

I belong to a very well educated family, both my parents being educationists. From early on they instilled the value of education in me and my siblings and I now understand how important it is to be educated,” said Gill.

Gill moved to Canada in 1996 soon after getting married. “I had just started my teaching career but got married and landed in Canada,” said Gill.

His experience here was similar to what most new immigrants go though. “The credential recognition process was lengthy and complicated and SFU’s teaching program had a three year wait. Frustrated with

one because I firmly believe that those who are out to make a quick buck fall out of circulation very soon,” said Gill adding that seventy percent of Canadians are under-insured mainly because clients don’t receive the right profession-

this, I started working in a mill,” explained Gill.

To support his family he also drove a taxi for a few years before deciding to once again educate himself - this time in the field of insurance. “I started working part time with a group education savings plan and soon realized that I really liked working in this field,” explained Gill.

Being studious and industrious by nature, Gill had aced all insurance related exams by 2003 and launched his career as a full fledged insurance agent.

Over the years Gill has built an enviable reputation for himself. “I have not made a single cold call till today.

Individuals and families come to me purely by word of mouth,” said Gill.

Gill is a Certified Health Insurance Specialist and an Elders Planning Counselor and therefore when he gives advice on what kind and which insurance must one buy, he is speaking from an educated and fully informed point of view.

Gill sells all kinds of insurance including home, auto, business, life, disability, critical illness etc.

He also deals in investments and has successfully handled RRSPs, RESPs and TFSAs and even travel insurance.

Gill doesn’t believe that the insurance sector is saturated. “There is definitely business for every-

ahead. Many a times I have sold them insurance at the peril of making less commission, but if a particular insurance fulfills the needs of my clients, I am happy to do so,” said Gill.

Gill has been recipient of the Highest Premium amount award in Life insurance for the year 2014 at the MGA offices at Global Pacific financial services. He has also been a top representative at his branch for RESP for the last five years.

In depth product knowledge and total honesty is what makes Gill successful. “I would attribute my success to the values my parents instilled in me. They taught me to do my work in an honest manner and I have simply followed that Gill works with Success is not Global Pacific Financial Services path. how much money I make but how located at much satisfaction 10430, 144 Street, I derive from helping others,” said Surrey BC, V3T 4V5.

Gill.

And when Gill is not out in the field You can reach him at selling insurance and 604-724-4700 advising clients, he likes al advice. to spend time with his wife, And this is perhaps Akwinder and two boys, Dilawar why Gill continues to work and Jujhar. “I also love lending a helping with more than 900 families. “I never lie to hand. So in my spare time I help others by my clients. My primary duty as their agent filling up forms or even offering rides to is to keep the best interests of my clients those who need them,” said Gill.

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OPINION

10 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

B.C. families pay for Premier Clark’s failed pet project

W

By John Horgan, Leader, BC New Democrats

it on?

Well, this week we saw the latest example of B.C. Liberal mismanagement: millions of your dollars wasted and no end in sight. I’m talking about the premier’s pet project, the Auditor General for Local Government.

When Christy Clark first launched this office, she promised that it would be a cost-effective way of ensuring that local governments were spending your money properly. She handed the office an annual budget of $2.6 million dollars and promised it would deliver 18 audits in the first year.

In the two years since the office was Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with formed, the Auditor General for Local GovVishnu Prakash, India’s High Commissioner Designate to Canada, ernment has completed just three audits – two of them released just this week after after announcing that Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, New Democrats raised the alarm that only will visit Canada in April one audit had been completed in two years H1_FFH_Asian Star_A_JrPg:Layout 1 09/03/15 11:19 AM Page 1 at a cost of $5.2 million.

As the months – and years – TELUS STORES ticked by, did the premier ever wonAbbotsford der why her signature project had Highstreet Shopping Centre gotten so little work done?

Sevenoaks Shopping Centre We know now that the Auditor 2140 Sumas Way 32915 South Fraser Way General for Local Government was Aldergrove in total chaos. Leaked documents 26310 Fraser Hwy. released by the New Democrats Burnaby Brentwood Town Centre showed that there was turmoil withCrystal Mall in the office from the beginning. The Lougheed Town Centre ™ review showed disorganization, lack Metropolis at Metrotown 3855 Henning Dr. of direction and poor management.

4501 North Rd. At one point, the government had Coquitlam to send in human resources profesCoquitlam Centre Westwood Mall sionals to act as peacekeepers.

1071 Austin Ave. When we first raised these Delta concerns, the minister in charge, Scottsdale Centre 1517 56th St. Coralee Oakes brushed them off, 4841 Delta St. saying the Auditor General for Local 4912 62nd St. Government office was working as it Langley Willowbrook Mall was intended.

8700 200th St. As the controversy became too 19638 Fraser Hwy. much for the government to ignore, 20159 88th Ave. 20202 66th Ave. her mood changed to “disappointMaple Ridge ed” and finally, after three weeks of Haney Place Mall denials and deflection, she fired the 22661 Lougheed Hwy. Mission auditor.

Mission Smartcentre Unfortunately, the problem re32670 Lougheed Hwy. mains.

The auditor for local governNew Westminster Royal City Centre ment may have been fired, but she’s North Vancouver headed to court to dispute her disCapilano Mall missal. So, on top of the $5.2 million Lynn Valley Centre 1295 Marine Dr. dollars Clark has already spent on 1801 Lonsdale Ave. this office, and the additional monPitt Meadows ey spent to review its poor perfor19800 Lougheed Hwy. Port Coquitlam mance, you will also be paying for 2020 Oxford Connector government lawyers to battle it out Richmond in court, and likely a costly settleLansdowne Centre Richmond Centre ment with the former auditor.

11686 Steveston Hwy. It didn’t need to be this way.

Surrey When the premier first started pushCentral City Shopping Centre Cloverdale Crossing ing her AGLG, the BC NDP pointed Guildford Town Centre out the province already employs a Semiahmoo Shopping Centre well-respected Auditor General. But 3189 King George Blvd.

7380 King George Blvd. the premier didn’t listen, and seemed 13734 104th Ave. dead set on a shiny new office.

Vancouver Now, after two years, and more Oakridge Centre Pacific Centre than $5 million of your dollars 220 East 1st Ave. spent, it’s clear that Premier Clark’s Get a FREE 40 Samsung Smart TV * 551 Robson St. pet project has been an enormous, 808 Davie St. 991 Denman St. expensive failure. And your bill is when you sign up for Optik TV & Internet for 3 years.

1095 West Pender St. just getting bigger.

1143 Robson St. British Columbians want ac1855 Burrard St. 2338 Cambie St. countability in their local govern2372 West 4th Ave. ments. We want it in our provincial 2706 Granville St. Call 310-MYTV (6988), go to telus.com/freetv government too. Premier Clark 2748 Rupert St. or visit your TELUS Store.

3121 West Broadway must take responsibility for wasting West Vancouver your money. With all this mismanPark Royal South agement, it’s no wonder why British Offer available until June 30, 2015, to residential customers who have not subscribed to TELUS TV or Internet in the past 90 days. Minimum system requirements apply. Final eligibility for the services will be determined by a TELUS representative. TELUS reserves the right to modify channel lineups and packaging, and regular pricing without notice. Cannot be combined with other offers. The Essentials is required for all Optik TV subscriptions. Offer not available with TELUS Internet 6. HDTV-input-equipped television required to watch HD. *A retail value of $689, based on Columbians feel they’re paying more the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, plus a 2 year extended warranty, provincial government eco fees and shipping. TELUS reserves the right to substitute an equivalent or better product without notice. A cancellation fee applies for early termination of the service agreement and will be the value of the promotional gift received in return for your term commitment, multiplied by the number of months remaining in the term (with a partial month counting as a full month), divided by the total number of months in the term, plus applicable taxes. TELUS, the TELUS logo, and getting less. hether I’m on the Island or in the Interior, the Coast or the Kootenays, everywhere I go, people tell me their family needs a break.

Families are being hit hard with MSP premiums that have doubled since the Liberals took office. They went up again this year - faster than the rate of inflation. Hydro rates are skyrocketing - and will go up by 28 per cent in the next three years. ICBC premiums continue to rise. Transit fares, ferry fares, tolls, the list goes on. A stay in your favourite provincial park is going to cost you more. A beer or a glass of wine at your neighbourhood restaurant is going to cost you more.

So if Premier Christy Clark wants you to send more and more of your hard-earned paycheque to Victoria, what is she spending

Aamir, Shahrukh, Salman look more khantastic on Optik TV. Only Optik TV lets you watch them on ATN in HD.

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NATIONAL

C-51 must include more oversight, anti-radicalization efforts, NDP says

A

s the House public safety committee prepares to wrap up witness testimony on the government’s proposed anti-terror bill on Thursday, the New Democrats are getting set to propose amendments that would boost oversight powers and do more to combat radicalization.

The motion, which stands in the name of NDP house leader Peter Julian and could be debated in the House as early as Thursday, would allow the committee to consider amendments in two specific areas: to “ensure that the government works with Canadian communities to counter radicalization” and “enhance oversight of Canadian security and intelligence agencies.”

The legislation goes to clause-by-clause review next week. Without such authorization, any amendments that go beyond the current scope of the bill would likely be deemed out of order during the review.

Liberal spokeswoman Kate Purchase says her party backs the bid to broaden the parameters, but without Conservative support, it will likely be defeated.

It’s still not clear whether the government is open to changing the bill — or, for that matter, what amendments will be put forward by opposition members next week.

Liberal public safety critic Wayne Easter and rights and freedoms critic Irwin Cotler will present their party’s proposed changes on Thursday.

MacKay open to amendments?

Speaking with reporters on Monday, Justice Minister Peter MacKay suggested that, rather than create a new oversight regime, “we could look at examining ways in which we can make the oversight bodies more effective, and be able to follow the information.”

Stephen Harper says ISIS unlikely to sue over legality of Syria mission

P

rime Minister Stephen Harper defends his plan to send Canadian pilots to fight ISIS from the air space over Syria, despite attacks by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair over the mission’s legality.

Harper laid out his proposal to extend the current combat mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL, until March 31, 2016, during a speech to the House Tuesday.

Perhaps more controversially, however, Harper also wants to give the Canadian Armed Forces authorization to mount airstrikes in Syria.

Both the New Democrats and the Liberals have indicated they will vote against the motion, in part because they believe Canada should focus its efforts on humanitarian and diplomatic measures. They have also raised concerns about whether Canada has the right under international law to strike targets in Syria since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has not given his consent to the strikes. Assad is four years into a bloody civil war that has seen him crush any opposition to his rule.

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 21

ISIS mission has support of Canadians, polls suggest

C

anadians remain broadly supportive of the country’s military mission against ISIS, polls suggest, as the Conservative government proposes to extend and expand Canada’s involvement in northern Iraq and now, Syria.

Three recent polls suggest that support for the mission itself is high. According to an Ipsos Reid survey for Global News, 74 per cent of Canadians agreed with the deployment of fighter jets in Iraq for use in airstrikes against ISIS, while 26 per cent disagreed.

A majority of respondents, or 54 per cent, told the Angus Reid Institute in a recent poll that they supported the mission as a whole.

While that is a much lower number than the findings of Ipsos Reid, this poll allowed respondents to answer that they were not sure how they felt. Opposition to the mission stood at a similar level as in the Ipsos Reid poll, at 28 per cent. Splitting the difference between

the two was a poll by EKOS Research for iPolitics, which found support for the mission at 60 per cent. Opposition was slightly higher, at 33 per cent. But while these polls suggest that a majority of Canadians support the mission, opinion is more mixed on whether the military deployment should be extended. According to the Ipsos Reid poll, support for an extension was still wide, but at 66 per cent was lower than support for the mission itself.

The Angus Reid Institute survey suggested that support for extension to be about as great as for the mission, at 56 per cent, but opposition was significantly higher. Fully 44 per cent were opposed to its extension. EKOS reported a similarly smaller margin, at 54 per cent supporting an extension and 38 per cent opposing it. Interestingly, in its questioning both the Angus Reid Institute and EKOS assumed that the extension would last just six months, rather than the yearlong extension

the government is proposing. Whether or not that would increase Canadians’ opposition is difficult to say.

It is also impossible to determine whether Canadians will prove supportive of expanding the mission from Iraq into Syria. None of these polls specifically put that question to Canadians.

Support for mission holds firm Support for the mission has not shifted since its launch last fall, despite the resilience of ISIS, the fire exchanged by Canadian advisers with ISIS fighters on the ground on multiple occasions, and the death of a Canadian soldier in a friendly-fire incident.

The most recent poll by Ipsos Reid suggested no significant change in support since a poll conducted in February, before the death of Sgt. Andrew Doiron, and actually recorded an increase in support since it first polled on the topic in October.

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This is a full time permanent position. $18.50/hr. 40hrs/week.

Must have at least 3-5yrs experience in south indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Dosas.

Duties include Prepare & cook meals.kitchen management. Plan menus & quality. Orders food supplies.

Mail your resume to selvamm164@gmail.com or apply by person at DosaCorner Vancouver. 110-8248 Fraser Street.

Vancouver. B.C.. V5X 3X6 Ph: 604-324-3672.

-----------------------------------Seamstress required Seamstress (Tailor) needed Foam & Décor is looking for Full Time or Part Time Seamstress ( tailor) for drapery in Surrey.

Salary will be provided @ 12 per hour. Please call 604-594-1882

Must have at least 2-3 yrs experience in South Indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Indian spicing.

Duties: Prepare & Cook meals; Supervise Kitchen helpers; Plan menus; Ensure quality & determine food proportions; Monitor & order food supplies; Set up & oversee buffets; Manage kitchen operation.

Mail resume or apply by person Mayuri indian cuisine , Unit 102A,12677 80th Ave., Surrey BC V3W 3A6 Fax: 604-572-3281 -------------------------------English Classes for Adults Register for classes September 2-8 For more information,Visit: www. victoryesl.com Call: 604.755.7976 E-mail: victoryesl1@gmail.com

Mayuri Indian foods inc is looking to hire an Ethnic Food Cook in Surrey BC. F/T & Perm.$17/hr.

Cook Require Curry junction Restaurant in White Rock need cook immediately, This is a full time permanent position for a experienced person,

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Depending on experience salary will be upto $21 per hr. with other benefits. Call:604-729-6741 or 604-385-1558 ---------------------------Transworld Security located at 2nd Floor, 5050, Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4H2 is looking for a Static Guard, Static Guard Supervisor, Mobile Supervisor and Field Manager. These are permanent full-time positions.

Static Guard pay rate is $13.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to patrol industrial and commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows and gates.

Answer alarms and investigate disturbances. Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors and guests.

Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency. Circulate among visitors, patrons and employees to preserve order and protect property.

Static Guard Supervisor pay rate is $14.00 per hour plus vacation pay.

You would be required to oversee and supervise Static Guards. You will need to ensure the duties of the Static Guards you supervise are being completed and the client’s needs are being met.

Field Manager pay rate is $18.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to report to the Director of Operations and you are responsible for supporting, mentoring and supervising

the security officers in the field.

You will be required to manage the company’s field operations and resources after business hours.

Mobile Supervisor pay rate is $18.00 per hour. You would be required to provide ongoing leadership, direction and training.

You need to ensure all standing orders and scheduled daily activities are carried out for each shift.

You will be required to discipline staff when necessary and ensure proper documentation is passed onto head office.

You will have to investigate alarm responses and respond in a timely manner. You will need to communicate any concerns/ issues with Site Supervisor/ Coordinator.

The above opportunities suit candidates willing to travel all over the lower mainland and from Squamish to Hope. We also have opportunities in Edmonton, Alberta.

Minimum qualification for these positions are completion of secondary school and BST Justice Training of BC. Past experience is preferred but we are willing to train candidates who show eagerness to learn.

For more information please visit our website at www.transworldsecurity.ca.

Please email you resume to hr@ transworldsecurity.ca.

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COMMUNITY The Indo-Africa Charitable Society (IACS) is holding its 4th Annual Mothers Day Fundraising Gala Event on Friday, May 8th, 2015 at 6:30 pm. The Fundraising Gala allows us to continue our Medical Mission efforts in India and Uganda as well as support our local community by serving lunches to Homeless lunches twice a month in Vancouver East End. IACS primary objective is to relieve poverty in developing nations by means of promoting, providing and supporting public health, safe drinking water and advancement of education. For last 8 years we have hosted significant number of medical camps in India and in Uganda, and have made arrangements for provision safe & clean water in number of village schools in India. Our medical camps are largely staffed by volunteer Medical professionals a well as non-medical volunteers from Canada, UK and USA and host countries.

Apart from our work overseas we also provide, food and other assistance to homeless and less privileged in Greater Vancouver.

For last 3 years we have been serving homeless once month. This year we have increased service to twice a month.

This year during the month of January at our annual medical camp in India we extended our services beyond primary care.

We treated 1,302 patients, and met surgical needs of 108 patients. Also we screened 469 school children and and provided needed treatment to 194 school students.

Additionally we provided water filtration units, coolers to schools and uniforms\ shoes to school students who were coming to our dental clinic with clothes that barely covered them.

At Uganda Medical Camp (August 2014) we served close to 7,000 patients and met

surgical needs of large number of patients in partnership with our host hospital.

In order to continue to support these initiatives for 2015, we are looking for corporate sponsorship for this Fundraising Gala event to raise awareness about our program delivery and to raise funds for ever increasing demand of our services,and specially for upcoming Uganda Medical Camp Scheduled for August 2015.

-----------------------------Public Service Announcement Multilingual videos available for new immigrants to learn about tuberculosis The BC Centre for Disease Control and the BC Lung Association have created videos in six languages aimed at helping recent immigrants and travellers better understand the difference between tuberculosis disease and inactive (latent) tuberculosis, and how to prevent the disease.

The video, ‘TB Germ – A Cunning World Traveller’, is available in English, Mandarin, Tagalog, Korean, Punjabi and Vietnamese, and explains what the TB germ is, how it spreads, prevention of disease, and treatment options. The release of all six videos is in time for World Tuberculosis Day on March 24.

Tuberculosis (TB) germs spread through the air from person to person when someone with TB disease in the lungs sends germs into the air by coughing, sneezing or speaking. The TB germs usually attack the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal, even though it is preventable and curable.

TB continues to be a health problem worldwide, with 1.3 million TB-related deaths occurring globally in 2012. In Canada, TB is often considered a forgotten

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 23

disease, and many Canadians are surprised to hear that TB disease still exists in Canada. There has been a steady decline in the disease incidence in Canada since the 1940s but this reduction has slowed over the last several years. For most British Columbians, the risk of developing tuberculosis is very low, yet approximately 300 new cases of tuberculosis disease occur in BC each year and many more have latent tuberculosis. Since the 1990s, most of these new cases occur in immigrants who were exposed to tuberculosis disease in their birth countries.

The goal of the new, multilingual videos is to provide immigrants with a clear understanding about the risks of tuberculosis, and the steps that can be taken to protect individuals and families.

Immigrant organizations, general practitioners, nurses and others who are in contact with new immigrants or travellers are encouraged to share these videos in the appropriate language.

The videos and more information on tuberculosis can be found here: http://www. bccdc.ca/dis-cond/a-z/_t/Tuberculosis/ TBVideos/default.htm The BC Centre for Disease Control, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, provides provincial and national leadership in public health through surveillance, detection, treatment, prevention and consultation services. The Centre provides both direct diagnostic and treatment services for people with diseases of public health importance and analytical and policy support to all levels of government and health authorities.

------------------------------Free Community Workshops & Activities April 6-12 English & Multilingual Canadian Citizenship Preparation * April 6 & 9, 9:30am-12:30pm Brentwood Community Resource Centre, 2055 Rosser Ave, Burnaby 604 292 3908 Successful Communication Skills * April 7, 10am-12pm ü MOSAIC Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway ‘ 604 438 8214 ext 120 Canadian Citizenship Preparation * April 8 & 9, 10am-1pm Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St, Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level - 604 254 9626 Beginners’ Computer Class Learn about basic computer skills (using your gadget to save data and to create files), the internet (searching for information online, how to use Google maps and how to chat using Gmail), and sending/ receiving emails.

* April 9-June 25, Thursdays, 9:30-11am MOSAIC Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway - 604 438 8214 ext 112 Basic Job Search Skills for Newcomers April 9: Résumés and cover letters April 23: Interview preparation April 30: Job search strategies and networking * 1:30-3:30pm Bob Prittie Metrotown Burnaby Public Library, 6100 Willingdon Ave ‘ 604 438 8214 ext 112 Drop-In English Conversation Circle for Work Permit Holders Learn conversation skills useful for the Canadian workplace, such as small talk, networking, listening and assertiveness skills * April 11-July 11, Saturdays, 1-3pm Brentwood Community Resource Centre, 2055 Rosser Ave, Burnaby ‘ 604 292 3907 MOSAIC is a multilingual non-profit organization dedicated to addressing issues that affect immigrants and refugees in the course of their settlement and integration into Canadian society.

-------------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Bingo On The House March 29th 2015 from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members and non members to come and play Bingo for the sake of fun and make some new friends, on March 29th 2015 from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall 8321 - 140th street Surrey B.C. Please bring only two dollars with you to play 2 games, do not worry if you do not know how to play, members will explain you the game just for the sake of fun. Tea & light snacks will be served after the game is over. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator at 604 - 507 9945 for further details.

----------------------------------------------Free Family Community Event at the Robson Park, Surrey on Saturday 21, March 2015 The City of Surrey in partnership with the VISHWA non profit organization has sponsored a free community event from 11 am to 2 pm at the Robson Park, Surrey on Saturday 21 March, 2015.

This is part of Surrey Beautification and educational project. Interested local community members and children will participate in planting native shrubs and flowering plants of BC in allocated planting beds at the park. Necessary tools and plants will be provided by the City of Surrey ​volunteers ​for plantation. VISHWA volunteers are offering short guided ​nature ​

Hair Stylists Required 2 Hair Stylists reqd. Sal:$13.00/hr, 40hr/wk, +1yr exp. or certification reqd., FT/PT Duties: Suggest hair style compatible with client’s physical features. Determine style from client’s instructions. Cut, trim, taper, curl, wave, perm & style hair. Apply bleach, tints, dyes or rinses to color, frost or streak hair. Analyze hair & scalp condition to advise & provide basic or beauty care treatment. Clean & style wigs & hair pieces. Lang: English.

Location: #11- 8430 128th Street Surrey, BC V3W 4G3.

Contact: Sandeep from Basra Hair & Beauty Salon at basra_salon@yahoo. ca or fax at (604)365-8861

24 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

BUSINESS / FINANCE

Canada’s auto trade deficit could widen

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anada last had a positive balance in automotive trade in 2006 and the outlook for reversing our trade deficit on vehicles and parts looks grim, according to a new study by the Automotive Policy Research Centre. That’s because Canada is losing out to Mexico on new automotive investment and has been building its deficit on vehicles and auto parts with the rest of the world, according to report author John Holmes.

In 2014, Canada’s trade deficit on automobiles and parts was $10.3 billion, according to the report titled Whatever Happened to Canada’s Automotive Trade Surplus?

“There’s two real drivers that have led to Canada from running a positive trade balance to being in a negative position,” Holmes, a faculty member at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., told CBC News.

“One driver is the loss of assembly capacity since 2000. That means fewer cars since 2000 are exported to the U.S.” “The other big driver is the significant increase in the imports of cars and parts from Mexico, parts from Korea and China, and cars from the EU,” he added.

Until 2006, Canada’s trade surplus with the U.S. in autos offset the deficit on imports from elsewhere, but Canada slid into deficit in 2006 and the gap has been growing ever since.

U.S. is key market Holmes said free trade agreements with South Korea and the EU could lead to more imported cars and parts and deepen Canada’s trade deficit on autos.

Most of Canada’s auto trade (79.3 per cent) is across the U.S. border.

Electric car buyers get $5K rebate under B.C. government incentive

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eople who buy a clean energy vehicle — including some electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles — after April 1, 2015 will be eligible for a rebate of up to $6,000, the B.C. government announced Monday.

The incentive program will provide B.C. residents with up to $5,000 off the pre-tax sticker price for new battery electric, fuel-cell electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and up to $6,000 for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, said a release from the New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia.

The announcement expands on a rebate program that expired last year, and comes one week after Scrap-It, a non-profit society, offered British Columbians a $3,250 rebate to trade in old vehicles for electric cars.

“With transportation representing 37 per cent of total provincial greenhouse gas emissions, clean energy vehicles are essential to reducing emissions and maintaining healthy air quality,” B.C. Environment Minister Mary Polak said in a government release.

The government cited limited hydrogen

fuelling locations as the reason for offering a larger rebate for fuel cell vehicles.

Eligible electric and fuel cell vehicles Here are the vehicles eligible for the point-of-sale rebate, and the maximum amounts: Battery electric vehicle: $5,000 Hydrogen fuel cell vehi-

cle: $6,000 Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle/extended range electric vehicle with a minimum battery capacity greater than 15 kilowatt hours: $5,000 Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle/extended range electric vehicle with a minimum battery capacity of less than 15kWh but greater than 4kWh: $2,500 People who choose to lease one of the vehicles will also be eligible for a rebate, depending on the terms of the lease. The point-of-sale incentives will run until March 31, 2018, or until the $10.6 million the government is using from its Innovative Clean Energy Fund to pay for the program runs out.

Oil production growth means no quick price fix

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il prices were in recovery Wednesday after a three-week slide that took West Texas Intermediate crude to a six-year low last week. But a new report today warns that oil prices are unlikely to bounce back as quickly as they did in 2009, when they plunged to $33 US a barrel but recovered within three years.

That’s because both Canada and the U.S. continue to produce more oil in the face of a global glut in crude production.

WTI was trading up $1.46 at $48.97 a barrel on Wednesday. That’s down 7.6 per cent since the beginning of the year and less than half the $107 it hit last June. But the price bounce defies news from the U.S. Energy Information Administration today that crude inventories rose by 8.2 million barrels last week, setting an 80-year high.

Shale oil production The nine-month slide in oil prices has been caused by a worldwide oversupply of oil, while demand remains soft. U.S. fracking technology has opened a new source of oil and shale oil producers have responded

to the current slump by finding cheaper ways to get their oil out of the ground. That’s one reason why oil won’t return to triple digits in the near term, according to a the Conference Board of Canada. The other reason is an increase in oilsands oil.

The Conference Board predicts oil may creep back towards $60 by the end of this year, but is unlikely to surpass $80 by 2019.

‘This is a new oil market.’- Mike Shaw, Conference Board of Canada “With the technological genie of horizontal drilling and multistage fracturing forever out of the bottle, the U.S. industry will be able to respond quickly and increase production if prices reach $80 a barrel again, putting a hard cap on prices,” the Conference Board said. The Conference Board estimates Canadian producers may get about $55 a barrel for their oil this year, reducing their annual revenues by $43 billion.

“This is a new oil market,” Conference Board economist Mike Shaw said. Canada’s oil industry will experience pre-tax losses of $3 billion and cut 8,000 jobs by the end of this year, he predicts.

25 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

T

BUSINESS / FINANCE

Three New Dragons for Season Ten

oday we’re thrilled to announce three new Dragons for Season 10 — Manjit Minhas, Michele Romanow, and Joe Mimran! Get your first glimpse at all three Dragons in the video above!

Fashion and retail icon Joe Mimran, e-commerce powerhouse Michele Romanow, and alcohol and spirits success story Manjit Minhas will join returning Dragons Jim Treliving and Michael Wekerle for new episodes in Fall 2015.

What will these Dragons bring to the Den? Watch our first interviews with them below and find out!

Manjit Minhas She trained as a petroleum engineer but the barrels she’s built her fortune on are full of beer. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, 34-yearold Manjit Minhas is the co-founder and co-owner of Minhas Breweries and Distillery. In 1999, Manjit was 19 years-old when she and her brother launched their first beer in Alberta. Manjit sold her car to help fund that venture. Now, they’ve built that business into a group of companies that had excess of $155-million in revenue last year. Find out more about Manjit!

Michele Romanow This year Michele Romanow was a Dragon in Next Gen Den. Next year she’ll be moving to Drag-

ons’ Den. You can watch her now in nine and counting episodes of Next Gen Den! Michele Romanow is an engineer by trade, but a serial entrepreneur by nature. She is 29 years old, but don’t let her age fool you this Dragon is an e-commerce powerhouse who already has four businesses under her belt.

Find out more about Michele!

Joe Mimran Long known as an arbiter of taste and design, Joe Mimran brings his finely honed skills to the den to weigh in on Canada’s best business ideas. Mimran is among Canada’s leading fashion pioneers.

Throughout his storied career he has founded and built brands that helped define the industry landscape, including Joe Fresh, Club Monaco, Alfred Sung, Caban and—with his wife, Kimberley Newport-Mimran—Pink Tartan.

Find out more about Joe! A Goodbye Along with the addition of these two new Dragons, we say goodbye to Vikram Vij, who will be leaving the show to focus on his growing restaurant business and frozen food line Vij’s at Home. In his time in the Den, Vij made deals with several new businesses.

He’s now looking forward to introducing a new a Vancouver-based flagship restaurant and expanding his frozen food sales further into eastern Canada.

H.J. Heinz buying Kraft in deal to create food giant

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.J. Heinz Co. is buying Kraft Foods Group Inc. in a deal to make one of the largest food services companies in the world.

The deal was engineered by Heinz’s owner, the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital, and billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. 3G Capital is the company behind the takeover of Tim Hortons by Burger King last year.

The combined company would have revenues of $28 billion US a year, enough to make it the fifth-largest food company in the world.

Publicly traded Kraft has a market cap of $36 billion. When it was taken private in 2013 by 3G and Berkshire, Heinz was valued at $23 billion, which suggests the total value of the

combined company could be as much as $60 billion. Heinz shareholders will be majority owners of the merged company and Kraft shareholders will receive stock in the combined company and a special cash dividend of approximately $10 billion US, or $16.50 per share. The owners of Kraft and Heinz are proposing to merge in a deal that would create a food-industry colossus.

Kraft shares closed on Tuesday at $61.33 and rose by about 25 per cent to $77.02 in pre-market trading after the deal was announced.

Current Heinz shareholders will own 51 per cent of the combined company, with Kraft shareholders owning 49 per cent.

Target Canada closing 80 stores by Easter weekend

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he end is near for Target Canada stores. The company is shutting 18 more locations on April 4. That means 96 stores will have shut their doors and just 37 others will remain open to the public by Easter Sunday.

The U.S.-based company is expected to shut down all its 133 Canadian operations by mid-May, putting about 17,600 employees out of work.

Target closed 16 stores last week and will shut down a total of 80 more by April 4.

Liquidators believe they can quickly offload remaining merchandise if they can get permission to sell it at a deep discount.

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 25

26 i Saturday, March 21, 28, 2015

PUNJAB

CBI files closure report in 1984 riots case

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ew Delhi: For the third time in a row, the CBI has filed a closure report in a case against senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riots in a Delhi court, which issued notice to the victim.

The CBI said it conducted further probe in the case, as directed by a sessions court, and filed a closure report in the matter. In April 2013, the CBI was directed by a sessions court to further investigate the case as it set aside its earlier closure report.

The latest closure report was filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, who marked it to Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler. ACMM Laler issued notice for March 27 to the victim and complainant, Lakhvinder Kaur, whose husband Badal Singh was killed during the 1984 riots.

The court said “perusal of record revealed that the cancellation report was also filed earlier as regards accused Jagdish Tytler”.

The filing of the closure report by the investigating agency was protested by the victim’s counsel, who asked why was this done “secretly”.

Senior advocate and AAP leader HS Phoolka, representing the riot victims, expressed displeasure over the CBI’s move of filing the closure report. Before filing the closure report on December 24, 2014, the CBI did not inform the victim in one of the cases in which Tytler was a suspect, he said.

Phoolka said the investigating agency even did not inform the victim about the next date of hearing on March 27 when the court would hear the case on the closure report.

He said the court had directed the CBI on January 28 to issue a notice to the victim

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House okays night shift for women

utting an end to discrimination against women, the Assembly today unanimously passed a Bill allowing women to work during night in shops and commercial establishments. The move will provide more employment opportunities to women, especially in the field of Information Technology. Barring health and police, women employees were not allowed to work during night hours, limiting their employment opportunities.

The state amended the rules earlier in 2009 to allow women in factories to work at night. With the expansion of various units under the Information Technology that operate round the clock, there was a strong demand for opening night shifts for women also. Bhagat Chunni Lal, Labour Minister tabled the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 today. Justifying the need for

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Lakhwinder Kaur informing her about the hearing date on March 27 in Karkardooma court, but till date, she had not received any notice. She got the information from other sources.

Phoolka said though it was in the knowledge of senior SAD leaders, they also avoided to inform Lakhwinder Kaur.

Akali Dal, Delhi, president Manjit Singh (GK) said, “We have always been informed

by Phoolka. But this time, he did not inform us. We have been fighting for the riot victims and we will continue to do so. Tomorrow, the Akali Dal will hold a protest in front of the CBI office in connection with the case.”

The Congress said the law was taking its course. “There is a legal process in this country and that process has gone on for years. We respect the legal process and the same should be allowed to function independently,” party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Sikh bodies slam CBI The SGPC and other Sikh organisations on Wednesday slammed the CBI for giving a clean chit to senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar (in pic) said, “The CBI move is unfortunate and disappointing for the entire Sikh community.” Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said it was a glaring example to prove beyond doubt that Sikhs were naive who waited so long for justice from the law-enforcement agency. DSGMC ex-chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal should resign and come out of the NDA government so that pressure could be built on the government to “identify the real culprits”.

the amendment, the minister said barring few establishments, there was ban on the employment of women during night shift in shops and commercial establishments. He further said that during the last few years, there had been improvement in transport and security system and many commercial establishments remained open during night, including call centres. “If women workers are not allowed to work during night, it will be discrimination against them and employers also face difficulty in managing shifts. To ensure women empowerment and provide them with more employment opportunities, the amendment was necessary,” he said.

The House passed the bill unanimously.

Labour Commissioner HS Nanda said the amendment would give a major boost to employment opportunities for women.

Jat doctors approach Supreme Court

at doctors who had applied for MD admissions earlier under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota on Thursday approach the Supreme Court (SC) seeking clarification on the applicability of its verdict against Jat sub-quota.

They said they have been ranked under the OBC quota and stand a good chance of getting admission. But now, they face the prospect of being told that they aren’t entitled to the quota. They also sought an urgent hearing of their plea.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice HL Dattu said the hearing would be subject to the availability of one of the judges who struck down the Jat quota.

The judge was unwell, the Chief Justice said.

The SC is also likely to be approached by other Jat students affected by the court striking down the Jat sub-quota.

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 27

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28 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

NRI

FBI puts Indian cyber-fugitive on most wanted list

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ASHINGTON: Declaring Shivraj Singh Dabi, an Indian national, a cyber-fugitive, the FBI has put him on its most wanted list with posters in English, Punjabi and Hindi seeking information about him.

Wanted by the FBI notice put out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation accuses Dabi, 42, of “Unlawful Flight to Avoid Confinement - Computer Crimes” and says he may have fled to India.

Dabi, it says goes by aliases of “Shivra Dabi, Shivrha Dabi, Shivrha S. Dabi, Shivrha Singh Dabi.”

According to FBI he is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 140 to 160 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.

In 2007, FBI says “Dabi fled from Sacramento County, California, after he was found guilty of charges related to accessing the computers of his previous employer and deleting and purposely damaging the computer data on those computers, a felony.”

On July 21, 2008, a federal arrest warrant was issued by the US District Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento, California, after Dabi was charged with unlawful flight to avoid confinement.

Dabi should be considered an international flight risk, FBI said asking people with any information concerning him to contact the local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Indian-American siblings awarded $9 million settlement in assault case

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EW YORK: An Indian-American brother-sister duo has been awarded record $9 million in damages for severe injuries sustained when they were attacked by metal bats during a brawl with two men in a night club here in 2005.

Anuj Sapra and Arti Sapra won the judgment in the Manhattan Supreme Court for the incident at the city club when the two men misbehaved with them and later beat them up with baseball bats.

The siblings’ Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said that the case “represents the serious fallout of New York clubs regularly serving under-age children excessive amounts of liquor, and such drunken state coupled with immature judgment, becoming a violent trigger for serious injury, or worse, near-death.”

The court ruled against firm Ten’s Cabaret, which owned the club, and awarded compensatory and punitive damages of over USD 8 million for Anuj Sapra and over USD 640,000 for his sister.

Batra said the Sapras were harassed and assaulted by Mohammad Abdul-Shakoor and Mohammad Asif who were “under-age” but were still “illegally” served liquor by the club.

Batra said while it took time, justice has been served to the Sapras after “traversing many a legal hurdle to get to this point.” In the January 2005 incident, Shakoor and Asif misbehaved with Arti Sapra and when her brother intervened he was attacked by them. Outside the club, Anuj and Arti were chased down by Shakoor and Asif who attacked Anuj with the metal baseball bat, striking him repeatedly in the head and face. Arti, seeking to help her brother, was also attacked with the metal bat on her arm.

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 29

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Two-year-old girl sets national archery record

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two-year-old Indian girl has set a new national record in archery, according to the India Book of Records.

Dolly Shivani Cherukuri from Vijaywada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh - who turns three next week became the youngest Indian to score more than 200 points at a trial event on Tuesday, reports the Press Trust of India.

She fired 36 arrows at a target 5m away, then again at a target 7m away, making a total of 388 points.

Her achievement was witnessed by senior sports personalities and India Book of Records officials. “We are all very proud of her. We are very impressed,” Archery Association of India official Gunjan Abrol said..

Dolly was conceived through surrogacy after the death of her brother, international archer and coach Cherukuri Lenin, in a road accident in 2010 reports said.

Her father, Cherukuri Satyanarayana, said she had been trained since birth to be a champion. “When we came to know that the baby was on her way we decided to mould her as an archer,” news agency AFP quoted Satyanarayana, who runs an archery academy in Vijaywada, as saying.

“The preparations started when she was in the womb itself,” he added.

Satyanarayana said they had arrows specially made for the toddler out of carbon when she was first learning the sport to ensure they were light enough for her to carry.

Supreme court strikes down ‘Facebook’ arrest law

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ndia’s Supreme Court has struck down a controversial law which allowed police to arrest people for comments on social networks and other internet sites.

The court ruled that the controversial Section 66A of the Information Technology Act was unconstitutional.

In recent years, several people have been arrested for their comments on Facebook or Twitter, sparking outrage.

The government had defended the law, saying it was meant to deter people from uploading offensive material.

Tuesday’s order was delivered by a twojudge bench of the Supreme Court on petitions filed by civil rights groups and a law student who argued that Section 66A violated people’s fundamental right to freedom of

speech and expression.

“Section 66A is unconstitutional and we have no hesitation in striking it down,” news agency AFP quoted Justice RF Nariman as saying in court.

“The public’s right to know is directly affected by section 66A,” he added.

Section 66A was sweeping in its powers - it could send a person to jail for three years for sending an email or other electronic message that “causes annoyance or inconvenience”.

The law was first challenged by a law student after two young women were arrested in November 2012 in Mumbai for comments on Facebook following the death of politician Bal Thackeray.

Shaheen Dhada was held for criticising Mumbai’s shutdown after Thackeray’s death.

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Manmohan Singh appeals summons to Court

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ormer Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday went to the Supreme Court, challenging the trial court summons to him in the coal scam case. In his appeal, Singh has questioned the trial court’s logic behind naming him as an accused in the case despite the fact that coal blocks had been allocated through decisions taken at various levels going by a drill laid down for the process.

Singh has also pleaded that there was no evidence to suggest that there was any quid pro quo in the allocations.CBI Special Judge Bharat Parashar, holding trial in the case, issued summons to Singh and five others on March 11, asking them to appear in the court on April 8.

In its judgment, the trial court had held that there was prima facie evidence to suggest that Singh was part of an alleged criminal conspiracy and corrupt practice in the joint allocation of Talabira coal blocks (II and III) in Odisha to

Hindalco, an Aditya Birla group company, in 2005. At the time of allocation, Singh was the Prime Minister as well as Coal Minister.

“It is submitted that a careful reading of the impugned order shows that the learned Judge has sat in appeal, as it were, over each recommendation and point of view expressed at different levels, and substituted his own view for the views of the functionaries at various levels and come to the conclusion that the decision to allot a part of the coal reserves of T-II and T-III mines to Hindalco was flawed,” Singh said in his appeal.

Besides Singh, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and then Coal Secretary PC Parakh have also moved the SC, challenging the trial court summons to them.

All three would plead with the Supreme Court for an early hearing of their appeals and a stay on the summons so that they would not have to appear in the trial court on April 8.

CID arrests suspect in Bengal nun gang-rape

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OLKATA: CID on Thursday made the first breakthrough in the Ranaghat nun gang rape case arresting a possible suspect from Mumbai. The suspect, Mohammad Selim, is being flown back to Kolkata for detailed interrogation at the CID’s Bhawani Bhawan headquarters. It is believed another person has been detained with Selim, whose identity isn’t yet known. Selim is believed to be among the seven-eight suspects who had been part of the three-and-a-half hour operation in Ranaghat’s Jesus and Mary Convent on the wee hours of March 14.

The breakthrough, CID hopes, will help it track down the others. The breakthrough reportedly came after some dogged Call Detail Analysis after the school principal Sister Shanti told the CID officers that the miscreants had used a cell-phone and were

seen speaking over it. The Mamata Banerjee government had immediately after the incident entrusted probe to the state CID. However, with the breakthrough seemingly elusive and the incident’s political fallouts too tough to handle, the chief minister had handed over the probe to CBI. CBI is yet to formally take over probe, though, it has been in touch with the CID officers, a pre-requisite formality for any such handover. In the last 12 days, CID had been in a statewide hunt for possible suspects detaining as many as 15 people. Four of the assailants had been captured in the convent’s CCTV footage, later made public.

Of late, however, CID has been relentlessly questioning the lone security guard of the convent who has on-duty that fateful night.

There appeared to be some obvious inconsistencies in his statement.

‘Modi mango’, a new variety of king of fruits

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elebrated mango grower Haji Kalimullah has come out with a new “Modi mango” variety and wishes that it will reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi so that he can taste this royal fruit named after him.

“I had kept the first fruits of the Modi mango variety solely for the Prime Minister but I do not have a medium to send them to him,” Kalimullah, a Padma Shri awardee famous for growing scores of mango varieties and naming them after celebrities, told PTI. “It is my wish that I can offer him the king of fruits myself and I am confident that he will love it,” Kalimullah said, adding that it would be an honour if the Prime Minister finds the taste of the fruit to his liking.

It has a good taste and is also beautiful to look at, he said, adding the fruit skin bears lines of crimson giving it a very rare and appealing hue.

“All those who have tasted it, be it officials or the connoisseur of the fruit, have found it very delicious and delectable,” Kalimullah who has orchards in the mango belt of Malihabad on the outskirts of the state capital Lucknow said.

The noted mango grower, who has become an institution in his own right having a particular tree bearing fruits of 300 different va-

reities, said he has prepared five saplings of ‘Modi mango’ and wants to present them to the Prime Minister for planting in his home state Gujarat.

“I want that the variety grows in Gujarat,” he said, adding that it is a cross between Kolkata’s Husne-Aara and Lucknow’s Dussehri. Kalimullah, a Class VII drop out who has earned recognition far and wide for his innovations, said he finds it surprising that dignitaries coming to Lucknow find time to visit his orchards.

“Foreign delegates coming to the SGPGI here for some conference came over to me recently and were delighted to see the different varieties,” he said.

On what inspired him to name a variety after the Prime Minister, he said Modi’s gesture of inviting heads of SAARC member nations to his oath taking ceremony endeared the PM to him.

Kalimullah, who had earlier named his mango varieties after Aishwaryia Rai and Sachin Tendulkar, christens different varieties after people who have excelled in their areas of work so that they are always remembered.

It is not just Kalimullah who has named his varieties but also dignitaries visiting him who have put in their contribution in finding names for him.

FIJI

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Cop convicted of raping two women while on duty

police officer was found guilty by the High Court in Suva for raping two suspects at a grave yard, while in uniform, as he escorted them for an interview on an allegation of theft.

Judge Salesi Temo overturned the assessors’ not guilty opinion in the case against Tarajiani Bavesi citing his analysis of the case based on the evidence and his assessment of the credibility of the witnesses.

The 39-year-old father of two was convicted of four counts of rape, committed on two young women who were 20 (PW1) and 19 years old (PW2) when the offences were committed on May 13, 2013.

In his judgment last Friday, Justice Temo said the two complainants (PW1 and PW2) were being investigated by Bavesi, a police officer of seven years, for allegedly stealing a mobile phone. He said the officer went to the complainant’s house on the day and requested them to go to the Nakasi Police Station. The court was told they were on their way to the station, taking a short cut through the Nasinu Cemetery, when the accused stopped to interrogate PW1, while he sent PW2 and another

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to take the lead to the station.

The court was told the accused then proceeded to have sexual intercourse with her.

“On this issue, I prefer to accept PW1’s evidence because she was a credible witness to me. I reject the accused’s denial on this issue because he was not a credible witness,” Justice Temo said.

“For a start, it is not proper for a police officer to attempt to have sexual intercourse with a person he’s investigating in the course of his duty. The accused’s behaviour in this case falls below the standard required of a police officer.” The court was told the same was being done to PW2 as she was being escorted back to her home through the cemetery.

“On the whole, I accept the evidence of PW1 and PW2 on the four counts of rape against the accused because I find their evidence credible. “I reject the accused’s assertion that the two complainants consented to sexual intercourse with him at the material time. “I find, as a matter of fact, that the accused forced himself on them, and abused his authority as a policeman.”

Former Education secretary seeks justice from PM

na bid to seek justice, ousted Education Ministry acting permanent secretary Basundra Kumar approached Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama as he walked out of the Parliament session on Thursday.

Kumar sought an audience with the PM on her alleged controversial exit from the ministry which is still under investigation. According to the former acting permanent secretary,

her matter was taking too long and she needed answers. Acting Education permanent secretary Kelera Taloga confirmed yesterday that the matter was still being investigated.

Kumar was suspended after returning from leave for alleged professional misconduct while liaising with a school department head over her daughter’s performance in school.

Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 31

99-year lease offer to entice cane farmers

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ugar cane farmers leasing State land have been guaranteed a 99-year renewal on expiry if proper documents are submitted with their applications.

In an effort to encourage an active sugar cane community in Tavua, a group of Ministry of Lands officials met farmers for land lease consultations.

Acting senior lands officer West Vikash Rao said the 99-year renewal was aimed at encouraging farmers to renew their leases.

“We want the farmers to come to us with their grievances about land leases on State land so that we can sort them out because at the end of the day, we want them to continue cultivating their land,” Mr Rao said.

“And the guarantee for that is once they apply for a renewal of their leases and submit

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the proper documents that we require and it has been approved by the Director of Lands, then they will be given a 99-year lease.”

He said the consultations that began in Tavua yesterday would be the start of other discussions with farmers from other districts in the Western Division.

“The purpose of this consultation is to hear the grievances of each farmer and to find out what kind of problems they might be facing in terms of renewing their leases or obtaining an agriculture lease. Some of the concerns that we’ve heard so far is about their leases not being renewed, there is a delay in the process of their renewal.”

He said it was also important for farmers to know the processes involved in lease renewal application.

Take pride in your homes -PM

reat your homes with pride and look after them well.

This was the message from Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to the 44 families who received the keys to their new homes at the Lagilagi Housing project in Jittu Estate, Suva yesterday.

Bainimarama said it was only proper for the new residents to look after their homes well because it would give them many years of shelter.

“To the new homeowners, I say treat your new residence with pride and look after them well and they will give you many years of shelter, comfort and happiness,” he said.

“The prospects for our national economy have never looked better with our growth of four per cent but we must leave no one behind as we build a new Fiji and that, of course, includes meeting our constitutional

obligations to provide every Fijian with adequate housing and sanitation.

“Fiji’s homeless deserve roofs over their heads and my Government is determined to work in partnership with those who share our vision. The Constitution compels us to meet this objective and we will.”

Bainimarama said they made great strides in recent years.

“We made housing a national priority when we endorsed the national housing policy and its implementation and action plan four years ago. This was based on the promise that people are capable of addressing their own housing needs given the right policy settings.

“Since then, my Government has introduced a number of innovative ideas for affordable homes.

“To the new owners, look after your houses well for your own benefit.”

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32 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

Over 100 Christians arrested for lynching 2 who bombed Churches

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AHORE: Over 100 Christians have been arrested for allegedly being part of a mob that lynched two men after Taliban suicide attacks on two churches here in Pakistan’s biggest Christian colony that killed 17 people.

Confirming the arrests, a senior investigation officer said that more than 100 Christian protesters were arrested. They are currently being investigated by the police to determine their role in the protests.

“We first established identity of the suspects through TV footages, still cameras and other relevant sources before laying hand on them,” he said.

The usual Sunday mass was underway on March 15 at the Christ Church and Catholic Church of Youhanabad Christian Colony

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that houses over 100,000 Christians, when two suicide bombers reached there and tried to break in.

When the guards stopped them from entering the churches they blew themselves up at the gates.

After the blasts the police had taken two suspects into custody from the site and shifted them to a vehicle when a group of charged youngsters got hold of them.

The enraged mob started thrashing the two suspects and after beating them severely, the mob tied them with a rope and set them on fire.

Their charred remains were later found at the site. Later, the suspects identity was established as both worked in different shops in Yauhanabad and had no criminal record.

Air strikes kill 30 militants allied with Pakistani Taliban

SLAMABAD: Pakistani jet fighters killed 30 militants allied to the Pakistani Taliban in a missile attack in the mountainous northwestern Khyber region on Wednesday, including the group’s spokesman, intelligence officials said. The air force has been pounding positions in the Tirah Valley for days and the military says it has killed scores. At least seven soldiers have also been killed. The 30 killed in Wednesday’s attack in the Sipah district were from the Lashkar-e-Islam, which announced an alliance with the Taliban earlier this month, the intelligence officials said. The casualties included group spokesman Salahuddin Ayubi, the officials said.

Members of the group said they could neither confirm nor deny the intelligence officials’ version of events and said they were checking.

A US drone strike killed 11 Pakistani Taliban militants in Kunar in northeastern Afghanistan, intelligence officials said on Wednesday, hours after a strike killed at least nine militants in the same area. They said six or seven senior Taliban commanders had been killed, a claim the Taliban denied. “I am sitting here in Kunar along with several other people but our fighters and commanders haven’t been killed in a drone strike,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the Taliban faction, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar, told.

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US drone strike kills nine Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan

ERA ISMAIL KHAN: A US drone strike killed at least nine Pakistani militants in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province early Tuesday, intelligence officials said, part of an intensifying drone campaign against Pakistani militants in Afghanistan.

Tuesday’s drone strike was near the site of fierce fighting on the Pakistani side of the border in recent days. Fighter jets have been pounding positions in the Tirah Valley in the Khyber region, and the military says it has killed scores of militants. At least seven soldiers have also been killed.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed Tuesday’s strike in the Nazyan area of Nangarhar near Pakistan’s Khyber Agency. They said the nine militants belonged to the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam,

which announced an alliance with the Taliban earlier this month.

No one tracks drone strikes in Afghanistan - many of them take place in remote regions and are not reported - but Taliban commanders say that fighters there are being increasingly targeted since late last year.

The strikes come amid warming relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, traditionally hostile neighbours who each accuse the other of harbouring insurgents to act as proxy forces. Relations improved after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was elected last year. Pakistan says it is supporting potential peace talks between the Afghan government and Afghan Taliban. Diplomats hope Pakistan can pressure Afghan Taliban with bases in Pakistan to negotiate.

Musharraf’s party to contest local Pak elections

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ARACHI: Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is facing criminal proceedings, announced on Sunday that his party All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) would contest local government elections.

The 71-year-old returned to Pakistan in March 2013 after four years of self-imposed exile to run in general elections, vowing to “save” the country from Taliban violence and economic ruin.

But Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and resigned in 2008, was barred from standing and put under house arrest over numerous criminal charges -- including treason. APML were mauled — winning only one seat — as Nawaz Sharif ’s Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)

swept to power, but on Sunday Musharraf launched an audacious bid to see his party re-emerge as a force.

“We will go in local body polls with the slogan of ‘Pakistan first’ and win,” he told AMPL’s central executive committee.

Elections to elect local government representatives are expected to take place in three provinces later this year.

Musharraf, the first former army chief to be charged with treason, also predicted early general elections and directed his party to prepare for a national campaign.

Musharraf is facing several major criminal cases linked to his time in power, including the 2007 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide attack but proceedings have repeatedly stalled

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Electric cars could boost CO2 emissions In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, it’s greener to fill up with gas, researcher says

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Nissan Leaf electric car is seen at a charging station. In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, electric cars generate more carbon over their life cycle than gas-powered cars, says University of Toronto researcher Chris Kennedy.

Trying to go green by replacing your gas guzzler with an electric car? In some provinces, that may actually be worse for the environment, a University of Toronto researcher says.

In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, electric cars generate more carbon over their lifetimes than gas-powered cars, said Chris Kennedy, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto.

That’s because those provinces generate much of their electricity by burning coal, so consuming more electricity – by charging your electric car battery, for instance – significantly boosts carbon emissions.

“So… literally, if you’re living in Alberta, Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia, an electric car does not make you green?” asked Anna Maria Tremonti, host of The Current. “You’re better off filling up at the pump?”

“You’re better off filling up at the pump,” Kennedy agreed. “Or if you really want to go for something greener, you should be buying a conventional hybrid car.”

However, in the rest of Canada, driving an electric car is the greener choice, he found.

He figured that out by looking at the carbon emissions generated by gas and electric cars over their entire life cycle, taking into account the source of electricity used to charge their batteries and how the gas used to fuel a conventional car is produced in different parts of the world.

The carbon emissions from electricity generation are measured in tonnes of CO2 emitted per gigawatt hour of electricity produced.

That ranges from: Close to 0 for hydroelectric, nuclear and renewable energy.

500 to 600 for natural gas power plants.

1,000 for coal-fired power plants.

For a given country or province, if average emissions were under 600 tonnes of CO2 per gigawatt hour, then switching from conventional to electric cars, buses and trucks will lead to a reduction in carbon emissions, Kennedy reported in a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change earlier this month.

In some Canadian provinces, that reduction in emissions can be quite dramatic – B.C., Quebec, Manitoba, and Newfoundland all produce less than 20 tonnes of CO2 per gigawatt hour of electricity, so driving an electric car can reduce emissions to close to zero. Ultimately, however, the study’s goal isn’t to help consumers make decisions about what car to buy, Kennedy said.

The take-home message is actually for governments in some Canadian provinces and other countries: That they need to get their average emissions below the 600-tonne threshold so they can benefit from technology like electric cars.

“Electrification,” he said, “is the most pivotal strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.”

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Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 33

Canadian Green Car of the Year

by AJAC goes to 2015 Kia Soul EV

he Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, defines a green car as “a vehicle which, for its size and purpose, provides the Canadian consumer with environmentally-friendly returns favourable amongst other vehicles in its class.” Each year, Automotive journalists from across Canada test the year’s newest cars, with the ultimate goal to name a Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. This year, however, a selection of the 70 voted on an additional award, the Canadian Green Car of the Year Award.

Basically, it means that just because a car—a hybrid, for example—has several “green” qualities, it doesn’t mean that it’s a lock for the award. It has to be practical, too, and maybe even fun to drive.

So, it appears the 2015 Kia Soul EV ticked all the right boxes; it’s full-electric, it looks cool, it comes well-equipped and it doesn’t even lose any cargo space in order to fit its battery bank. Plus, you get access to its 210 lb.-ft. of torque right away, because you don’t

have to wait for the revs to build to get that power. “(The green car award) is important because it endorses the versatility of a product from a young brand in Canada,” said Maria Soklis, Vice President and Chief Operating

Officer at Kia Canada.

Of the Seven eligible vehicles, four were finalists; Kia beat out the Honda Fit, Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry Hybrid for top honours.

Next year, AJAC plans on expanding the award even further, adding a Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year award to the Green Car prize.

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he first in a new generation, all new 2015 Discovery is known to be most versatile compact SUV. New Discovery Sport’s sleek, aerodynamic silhouette, with legendary Land Rover capability and a flexible interior, add up to a great looking vehicle that does so much more. The standard powertrain configuration is a 2.0-liter, 240-horsepower/250-pound-foot turbocharged engine that Range Rover Evoque fans will no doubt find familiar, paired to full-time all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission.

This seven-passenger vehicle will be available in early 2015 starting at around $41,490, making it a fresh alternative to luxury SUVs that include the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz M-Class and the Volvo XC90

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34 i Saturday, March 28, 2015

Huge queue to view Lee Kuan Yew lying in state

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huge queue formed in central Singapore on Thursday as thousands waited to pay tribute to late statesman Lee Kuan Yew lying in state in parliament.

As of 15:00 local time (07:00 BST), the waiting time was eight hours.

Officials are discouraging people from joining the queue but said the viewing will now be open 24 hours.

Lee, who died on Monday aged 91, was Singapore’s prime minister for 31 years and is seen as its founding father. His funeral is on Sunday.

Singapore is observing a week of mourning for his death. The viewing will end on Saturday night and his body will be moved the next day to a cultural centre for the funeral.

Officials said in a statement they were taken aback by the “overwhelming response� from the public. The viewing was meant to end at 20:00 local time but has since been extended twice.

The city’s underground train network, the MRT, will also run 24 hours on Wednesday.

Many organisations and businesses are giving employees time off to pay their respects.

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ABUL, Afghanistan: Hundreds marched on Monday in the Afghan capital, demanding justice for a woman beaten to death last week by a Kabul mob over false allegations she had burned a Quran — a vicious killing that shocked many Afghans and renewed calls for authorities to ensure women’s rights to equality and protection from violence.

The killing has also drawn condemnation from Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, now in Washington on his first state visit to the United States since taking office in September, who denounced it as a “heinous attack� and ordered an investigation.

On Thursday, a mob of men beat a 27-year-old religious scholar named Farkhunda to death, threw her body off a roof, ran over it with a car, set it on fire and at the end, threw it into the Kabul River near one of the Afghan capital’s most renowned mosques, the Shah Doshamshera.

The attack was captured by cellphone cameras and has been widely distributed on social media.

Farkhunda, who like many Afghans had just one name, was buried amid a huge public outcry on Sunday, her coffin carried by women’s activists who defied the tradition of men-only pallbearers and funerals.

Protesters who gathered near the Shah Doshamshera mosque on Monday demanded the government prosecute all those responsible for the death.

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Saturday, March 28, 2015 i 35

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36 i Saturday, March 28, 2015