Asian Star - March 14, 2015

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Vol 14 Issue6 Saturday, March 14, 2015

Five young South Asians wanted in 4 recent shootings in Surrey

The unlimited Canada-wide Smart combo.... Check Page 35 for details

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ounties in Surrey are hoping the public can provide them with more information on five men who are connected to four recent shootings in Surrey.

Chief Superintendent Bill Fordy says officers are working hard to solve these shootings, which they believe involve low-level drug dealers.

Police are looking for five men who are known to them: • Pardip BRAR (Delta, age 20) • Indervir JOHAL (Surrey, age 21) • Amrit KULAR (Surrey, age 20) • Pardeep SINGH (Surrey, age 20) • Sameh MOHAMMED (Surrey, age 20) Contd. on Page 7...

Pakistani plotted to blow up Toronto buildings

Indian bride walks out of wedding because groom can’t add 15+6

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Pakistani man arrested Monday on allegations he plotted to blow up several Toronto buildings, including the U.S. Consulate, has been detained by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Jahanzeb Malik, 33, appeared via video link before the federal Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) Wednesday morning.

CBSA officials want to deport him to Pakistan, alleging he was plotting an attack on the U.S. Consulate and buildings in Toronto’s Financial District. He does not face any criminal charges.

The Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) began investigating Malik in September 2014, according to a CBSA statement.

Interest in him grew substantially after he returned to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in April 2013. The CBSA said Malik has repeatedly travelled to and from Pakistan.

Contd. on Page 6...

Politicians unwilling to bar foreign investors from local real restate

Story on Page 7...

- Umendra Singh

or the first time. Canadian media has started writing and talking about how money from China (both legal and illegal) is influencing the real estate market in the Metro Vancouver and Greater Toronto areas.

In fact, the real estate market is so bad that Vancouver is listed as the second least affordable city in the world - just after Hong Kong. A former Canadian ambassador to China kicked off things a couple of weeks ago by writing in a newspaper column that Chine money was influencing the Vancouver real estate market.

Then a couple of other newspaper reports suggested how millionaires in Hong Kong and China sspend millions to buy residential real estate in Canada, specially Vancouver and Toronto, are this is considered a safe investment.

A follow up story this past revealed a Chinese multi millionaire spending $51 million to buy a mansion in Vancouver.

Contd. on Page 4...

Tel: 604-591-5423

LOCAL

B.C.’s minimum wage to rise by 20 cents and will go on rising...

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.C.’s minimum wage will jump by 20 cents to $10.45 in September and future raises will be tied to increases in the Consumer Price Index, Jobs Minister Shirley Bond announced.

Government will announce future increases in March to take effect on Sept. 15 each year. Bond said the liquor server wage will increase by the same amount from $9 an hour to $9.20.

Farm worker piece rates, monthly rates for resident caretakers and the daily rate for livein home support workers and live-in camp leaders will go up proportionately.

Bond says the modest hike is just one among a suite of initiatives aimed at raising the standard of living for lower income earners. But she also says small business owners can’t handle a more drastic jump.

Minimum wages across the country range from $10.20 in Alberta and Saskatchewan to the Northwest Territories’s planned increase to $12.50, which is set for June.

The B.C. government plans raise its minimum wage this fall. Here’s how the province’s hourly minimum wage stacks up with the rest of Canada:

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British Columbia: Currently $10.25 for most workers and $9 for those serving alcohol; increasing to $10.45 and $9.20, respectively, in September.

Alberta: $10.20 or $9.20 for workers who serve alcohol Saskatchewan: $10.20 Manitoba: $10.70 Ontario: $11; $10.30 for students under 18 and $9.55 for workers serving alcohol Quebec: $10.35 or $8.90 for workers who receive tips; increasing to $10.55 and $9.05, respectively, in May New Brunswick: $10.30 Nova Scotia: $10.40 an hour for most workers and $9.90 for “inexperienced” workers; increasing to $10.60 and $10.10, respectively, in April Prince Edward Island: $10.35, increasing to $10.50 in July Newfoundland and Labrador: $10.25, increasing to $10.50 in October Yukon: $10.72, increasing to $10.86 in April Northwest Territories: $10, increasing to $12.50 in June Nunavut: $11

National Post appeals defamation ruling

he National Post is appealing a defamation ruling that ordered it to pay $50,000 to a B.C. politician and environmentalist. Andrew Weaver sued the newspaper, its publisher and several writers over four columns that were published in late 2009 and early 2010.

At the time, Weaver was a University of Victoria professor who had participated in a UN panel on climate change, though now he is a Green party member of B.C.’s legislature.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge concluded the newspaper’s columns were defamatory and that they implied Weaver was deceitful and dishonest. The Post has filed a notice with the B.C. Court of Appeal, though it does not outline the legal arguments the newspaper intends to make.

During the previous case, the newspaper argued the articles were about Weaver’s public actions and words, not his character, and said they amounted to fair comment.

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New Democrats introduce measures to make government more open and accountable

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ew Democrats have introduced legislation that would make government more open and accountable as part of a wide-ranging package of reforms introduced this spring. “The B.C. Liberal government is mired in scandals where the truth is never uncovered because records were never kept, or they have been hidden from the public,” said New Democrat spokesperson for citizen services Doug Routley. “One of the worst examples of this was seen in the Liberal health firings scandal when an internal review found it impossible to discover who was responsible and why it happened.

“The report said everyone blamed everyone else and no one seemed to have kept records of the decision that caused several people to lose their jobs, and one take their

own life.” Routley said, “It is unbelievable that these sorts of records aren’t produced, or aren’t kept. Governments should not be allowed to avoid accountability on serious matters by simply saying there are no records.”

Legislation introduced by Routley on Thursday would ensure government keeps records and makes them available to the public. The legislation also would make the disclosure of executive calendars routine, and would widen the scope of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act to subsidiaries and corporations of public bodies. The bill would also ensure that the public interest truly is paramount, and would make fees associated with FOI requests more reasonable in order to expand general public access to information.

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Mani Deol-Fallon seeking Conservative Party nomination in Surrey Centre

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ani Deol-Fallon, local community leader and business woman has announced that she would be seeking the nom-

ination to run as the Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party of Canada in the riding of Surrey Centre.

As a resident of Surrey for over 30 years, Mani Deol-Fallon has a deep understanding of the important issues and priorities of Surrey residents. With strong ties throughout the community, she has an extensive background in business administration, franchise operations, sales and marketing, as well as experience in Government working in the office

of the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister for Multiculturalism. Having served as the Conservative Party of Canada’s Regional Organizer in British Columbia, Mani also has an appreciation for the grassroots efforts of Canadians and the thousands of volunteers who contribute to Canada’s political system.

“I passionately believe in the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. His government has grown the Canadian economy despite tough global economic times, shown strength on the international stage, and a deep commitment to the prosperity of British Columbia. With a focus on keeping our community safe and keeping taxes low for families, I look forward to working hard to win the nomination so that I can join the Prime Minister’s team in the next election and ensure Surrey Centre has a strong voice in Ottawa,” said Mani Deol-Fallon.

“I am now raising my family in the same neighbourhood I grew up in,” continued Ms. Deol-Fallon, “and am proud to call one of Canada’s most diverse ridings home. I want to ensure Surrey Centre not only remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family, but has even greater opportunities for the next generation of Surrey residents.”

Mani Deol-Fallon ran for the Conservative Party in the 2011 election, narrowly losing in a tight three-way race in the riding of Newton-North Delta. With her broad private and public experience, as well as firsthand knowledge of what is necessary to be a strong candidate during an election, Mani Deol-Fallon brings a wealth of experience to the nomination race. With a focus on small government, low taxes, and tough criminal justice laws, Mani Deol-Fallon will be a strong voice for all residents of Surrey.

British Columbia Chapter of International Centre for Academic Integrity (ICAI) celebrated the festival of Holi at Fraserview Hall on March 6, 2015.

Present amongst others were BC Minister Amrik Virk, businessmen Daljit Thind, Paul Arora and many others.

Cocaine smuggler loses appeal of 18-year sentence

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Richmond man who bribed a border guard to smuggle more than 200 kilograms of cocaine into Canada has lost his appeal of an 18-year jail term.

In 2012, Shminder Singh Johal was convicted of four offences including conspiracy to import cocaine and bribery of a border guard in connection with the sophisticated scheme to smuggle drugs across the border.

Court heard that Johal, the owner of companies which imported used car parts from the United States, frequently crossed the border at the Pacific Highway border crossing and befriended Baljinder Singh Kandola, a border guard.

In the massive cocaine smuggling operation that ensued, Johal was the “overseer,” Kandola the “facilitator” and Herman Riar, a third man, the transporter of the drugs.

The operation was under police surveillance for four months before the three men were arrested on October 25, 2007, as Johal and Riar entered Canada through Kandola’s booth at the border.

Police found 208 kilograms of cocaine and three firearms in the trunk of Riar’s vehicle, the cocaine worth an estimated $5 million to $6 million if sold by the kilogram. In Johal’s home, police found $225,000 in cash.

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Leaked report shows Auditor General for Local Government office in chaos

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damning internal government review shows while the B.C. Liberals’ Auditor General for Local Government wasted more than $5 million, the office has struggled to set priorities and address deteriorating staff morale.

“Based on this report, I doubt the office of the Auditor General for local Government itself could pass a value for money audit, “said New Democrat leader John Horgan.

“The premier’s pet project has already gone off the rails, and cost taxpayers far more than it has saved them.” Premier Christy Clark promised British Columbians that the agency would help local governments improve their internal operations practices and save taxpayers money. Unlike the independent provincial auditor general, the AGLG reports to a government-appointed council and is directly accountable to the minister.

According to a leaked report entitled Auditor General Local Government 2015 Work Environment Review, produced by the Director of Strategic Human Resources in the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development in January, the office is in com-

plete chaos.

“Reading through this report, it is clear there is almost no support for the auditor’s leadership,” said New Democrat spokesperson on local government Selina Robinson.

“It’s clear that the B.C. Liberals had no idea what they were getting into in creating this office. After 2 years of effort and $5.2 million in costs, the office is still wrestling with issues that should have been addressed in the first month of operation”.

“Minister Oakes needs to take responsibility for this fiasco,” said Robinson.

On March 3, New Democrats challenged Oakes to answer why the office had spent $5.2 million dollars and only produced the first half of a single audit.

The leaked report’s observations include: • A lack of clear direction on objectives and priorities is causing wasted work and effort; • Management has not determined what skills and professional qualifications staff require; • 78% of staff were dissatisfied with the organization and 78% of staff had a negative view of executive management.

Racist remarks by Canadian MP enrage ethnic communities

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he “racist” comments of a New Brunswick Conservative MP have outraged community members and political figures in B.C., who say the remarks have set Canada back in the ongoing fight against racism in a multicultural society.

According to political website iPolitics, John Williamson told delegates at a conference in Ottawa on Saturday that it makes no sense to pay “whities” to stay home while companies bring in “brown people” as temporary foreign workers.

The statement was in response to a question about the shortage of workers in meat packing and processing, iPolitics reported.

Williamson has since sent out three tweets in which he apologized “unreservedly” for his “offensive and inappropriate language regarding the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.” But former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh said the online apology is “meaningless.”

“It doesn’t acknowledge the fact that his comments were racist,” Dosanjh said. “People in positions of leadership have to know that it is absolutely wrong to say what he said.”

And while Dosanjh acknowledges that Canada has “come a long way” in the fight against racism, “comments like these actually take us back,” he said.

Charan Gill, CEO of Surrey’s Progressive

Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society, agreed and said he expects “something better than just a Twitter (apology).”

“We thought racism has disappeared, but it is still there,” said Gill. “Such offensive comments stand to completely undermine years of hard work by those championing the cause of multiculturalism in Canada. If he continues that kind of thinking … he’s not really fit for the job he’s doing.” Dosanjh said the Conservatives must “set an example” and boot Williamson out of the federal caucus.

However, the prime minister has yet to speak on Williamson’s remarks, and “that tells you a lot,” said Jinny Sims, New Democrat MP for Newton-North Delta.

“An elected parliamentarian … makes such an outrageous statement and neither the prime minister or the party have … made any comment at all.”

Sims noted Williamson is an “experienced MP” who formerly served as Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s director of communications. “The silence from the Conservative party is deafening,” Sims said. While, in a statement, the government would only say Williamson “acknowledged his comments were inappropriate and apologized,” a spokesman at Williamson’s Ottawa office said “there’s nothing further to add” and referred to the MP’s Twitter apology.

Insurance specialist Rajdeep Sekhon receiving Western Canada Top Producer Award from Monty Bual, Branch Manager Children’s Education Funds Inc.

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Canada household debt ratio hits new record of 163.3%

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Canada-India Business Council recently facilitated a seminar by Export Development Canada titled “Doing Business in India.” The seminar was organized at SFU Downtown Vancouver on March 10, 2015. All prominent government representatives, and business people attended the seminar including Indian Consul General in Vancouver, Mr. Ravi Shankar Aisola.

uts to the Bank of Canada overnight lending rate appear to be the driver behind consumers ratcheting up their debt, which Statistics Canada said Thursday reached record levels in the four quarter of 2014.

Household debt to disposable income was 163.3% at the end of the last quarter but the increase comes as household net worth increased 7.5%. Doug Porter, chief economist with Bank of Montreal, predicts the debt to income number will push higher in the coming months albeit not as much in Alberta where low oil prices continue to threaten the economy.

“It’s partly fuelled by the Bank of Canada’s rate cut and party fuelled by the strength in the Toronto and Vancouver housing market,” said Mr. Porter. New data from the Teranet-National Bank House Price Index, also

released Thursday, show prices continue to increase in those two cities, with Vancouver existing home prices up 5.7% in February from a year ago and Toronto up 7.3% during the same period. But most of the 11 markets across the country surveyed in the index have slowed or declined in value with the national index up only 4.4% from a year ago.

Mr. Porter noted that with interest rates still very low — below 3% for long-term mortgages fixed for five years — the current debt is mostly manageable.

“The concern is where do we go from here.

Longer term, where is the room for the consumer to lead the way?” said Mr. Porter. “It’s not a clear and present danger.”

He also emphasized in a note to clients that consumer debt is still not at the high reached in the United States because the way we calculate the ratio is different in Canada. Using the American formula, Canada’s household debt is 153% of disposable income compared to the 165% the U.S. reached at its peak.

The net worth part of the Statistics Canada release also shows that many Canadians who are not in debt continue to grow wealthier with the federal agency noting that household net worth on a per capital basis was $233,000 in the fourth quarter.

“Those who are not in debt are doing quite well and, if anything, household assets are at at an all-time high,” said Mr. Porter.

Marc Pinsonneault, an economist with National Bank of Canada, said while house prices have pulled back in most parts of the country, sales continue to climb and that has helped push up debt levels.

“The debt to income ratio was not increasing in the last few quarters has increased more than revenues,” said Mr. Pinsonneault.

Diana Petramala, an economist with Toronto-Dominion Bank, expects that debt will continue to rise until housing activity starts to slow.

Niqab rooted in ‘anti-women’ culture: PM

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tephen Harper doubled down this week on his aversion to face-covering veils worn by some Muslim women, calling them the product of a culture that is “anti-women.”

The prime minister ratcheted up the rhetoric against the niqab even as Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau accused him and his ministers of stoking prejudice against Muslims. Among other things, Trudeau pointed to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander calling the hijab — a head scarf worn by some Muslim women — a perversion of Canadian values, and New Brunswick MP John Williamson, a former Harper communications director, referring last weekend to “whities” and “brown people.” Harper ignored those examples and returned instead to his assertion last month that it’s “offensive” for someone to wear a face-covering niqab while taking the oath of Canadian citizenship. “The leader of the Liberal party continues to bring up his position on the niqab,” Harper told the House of Commons, although Trudeau had not actually mentioned it.

He said Trudeau doesn’t seem to understand “why almost all Canadians oppose the wearing of face coverings during citizenship ceremonies.”

LOCAL

Local couple made video to inspire others to join jihad

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pair of B.C. accused terrorists recorded a video calling on Muslims to rise up and join a holy war for Islam — no matter the cost — days before their alleged Canada Day plan to detonate pressure-cooker bombs at the provincial legislature, their trial heard Monday.

A B.C. Supreme Court jury watched a video that shows John Nuttall and his wife Amanda Korody outlining their motivation.

Nuttall, whose face is concealed behind a white-and-black head scarf, says Canada has declared war on Islam by killing Muslims and refusing to recognize Palestine’s right to exist.

“Fight them — don’t ever stop fighting them,” he says in a video recorded June 29, 2013.

“We are people who embrace death the way you embrace life.”

Nuttall and Korody are seated next to each

Homeless man killed in Surrey hit-and-run

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search is on for a driver who mowed down a man pushing a grocery cart in Surrey’s Bridgeview neighborhood and fled the scene.

Surrey RCMP are asking for the public’s help regarding the fatal hit and run, which happened at about 3:30 a.m. Thursday in the 11400-block Bridgeview Drive.

The victim was taken to hospital with critical injuries and did not survive.

“Based on the evidence located at the scene and the injuries sustained by the victim, officers believe that the deceased male was struck from behind by an unknown vehicle, possibly a semi-truck,” RCMP spokesman Sgt. Dale Carr said in a release.

The victim was pushing a grocery cart north on Bridgeview before he was hit.

Police and the B.C. Coroners Service are still trying to identify the victim, described as a man in his 30s or 40s.

Investigators are also gathering evidence, including video surveillance, to make a positive identification of the suspect vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers.

other on a mottled, motel-room bed cover. A black flag decorated with white, Arabic writing hangs in the background on a non-descript, tile wall behind them. The flag is held up by two diagonal strips of duct tape.

Korody, dressed in a black shawl, calls on Muslims to fight what she describes as the “Godless heathens.”

“If you have a stone, throw it; if you have a bomb, drop it,” she says.

“If all you can do is give them the finger, then give it to them.”

The final version of the video shown to the jury opens with the camera panning slowly over three pressure-cooker bombs, two detonation timers and Nuttall’s laptop sitting open to an extremist online magazine he credits as being his inspiration.

Undercover RCMP officers posing as accomplices recorded the video for the pair inside a motel room near Vancouver, which served as a staging area.

The plan, the trial heard, was for an edited version of the video to be released after the alleged bombing.

Undercover operation Two undercover police officers were in the motel room at the time of the recording: one playing the role of an Arab businessman, who had been the couple’s main contact during the months-long RCMP investigation, and another posing as a filmmaker brought in to create the video.

In a separate video played for the jury Monday, shot from above using a concealed camera, Nuttall appears dissatisfied with his initial performance and requests a second take.

In the second filming, Nuttall quotes Osama bin Laden, but soon afterwards chastises himself after realizing he has misquoted the dead al-Qaeda leader.

“I just made an ass of myself,” he said, asking the Arab businessman to remind the filmmaker to delete the misquote.

Nuttall also clarified with the businessman that the video was not intended for a martyr mission, which had been initially discussed.

While both he and Korody said previously they would be willing to die for the cause, Nuttall says he now plans to travel to Pakistan to fight for an Islamic regime following the alleged Victoria attack.

Nuttall emphasized in the video that no one had forced him to orchestrate the bombing.

“I wasn’t recruited by anybody to do this — I’m doing this of my own free will,” he says.

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Seniors advocate dislikes idea of reducing B.C. age for mandatory drivers’ tests

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lderly drivers in B.C. are bracing for mandatory tests for drivers starting at age 75. As it stands now, anyone who turns 80 has to take a test to continue driving on B.C. roadways. But if the province follows Alberta, mandatory tests could start five years earlier. “From 80 to 75 is bureaucratic nonsense,” said Art Kube, past president of the Council of Senior Citizens Organizations of B.C. Kube, 80, who lives in Surrey, said when seniors are involved in an accident they are often unfairly required to take a driving test to see if they are competent behind the wheel

of a car. “Accidents happen,” he said. “We don’t put that same stress on younger drivers if an accident takes place.”

Among the problems seniors have is with the computer end of the test, Kube noted. He said many are unfamiliar with that type of testing.

“People my age didn’t use computers and they feel unsure with the computer tests,” he said. Kube also feels cognitive tests are a poor reading of how a senior drives.

In B.C., the superintendent of motor vehicles requires 80-year-old drivers to agree to a driver medical examination report.

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Richmond’s Chinese-only signs stir up language controversy

bout 100 people turned up a public meeting in Richmond Thursday night to voice their opinions on Chinese-only business signs. The City of Richmond is looking

for solutions to keep the peace between English and Chinese speaking residents who have varying views on the issue, which has sparked debate in recent years.

Some people at the forum said they felt they were being excluded and suggested the city should consider a bylaw mandating signs be at least 50 percent English. However last fall city staff looked into whether creating a

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bylaw to require English-only signs would be enforceable and they found that could violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Municipalities have the right to regulate signs that pertain to rezoning and development permit applications, but that regulation cannot be used to control business licences, or sign permits, they found.

In the past three years, only 50 of 1,180 permits issued were for signs that were only in a language other than English, according to the staff.

Others at the forum wanted to see a more educational approach to the issue, which they said is symptomatic of a lack of integration and communication between communities. Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie was at the forum and said the city is trying to find cultural harmony, but it will take some research.

City staff are also hosting an online forum to get more comments and are looking into how other cities handle the issue. Their report to council is expected in the next couple of months.

$50M Lotto Max ticket claimed after a year

t could be an extreme case of delayed gratification for whoever has won $50 million. A winning $50-million Lotto Max ticket has been presented to lottery officials, just days before the one-year deadline to claim the prize was set to expire.

The ticket’s numbers were called on March 14, 2014, meaning the winner had until this weekend to claim the prize.

Speculation about the winning ticket has been fuelled over the past year, with a daily newspaper in Vancouver marking the looming deadline this week with a front-page story. The B.C. Lottery Corp. says it’s confirmed the ticket is genuine and that officials will now proceed with a verification process to determine the rightful ticketholder.

Temporary foreign worker program changes to impact Alberta most, report says

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lberta will be significantly affected by are likely to have a hard time finding reOttawa’s overhaul of the Temporary placements for the temporary foreign workForeign Worker Program (TFWP), accord- ers, she says. ing to a Calgary-based think-tank.

In Saskatchewan, an increased difficulty As of July, employers can have no more filling jobs could have a negative impact on than 20 per cent of their workforce as low- economic expansion and investment in that wage temporary foreign workers. The num- province, the report says.

“With the lowest unemployment rate in ber must drop to 10 per cent starting in July 2016. In the West — especially Alberta, the country, Saskatchewan will find it espewhere temporary foreign workers made up cially challenging to manage the limits on low-wage temporary foreign workers,” 1.74 per cent of the workforce at the end Bandali said. of 2013 — the impact of the new poliIn British Columbia, where cy could be dramatic, says a Canada businesses also rely heavily on West Foundation report entitled temporary foreign workers, a Work Interrupted.

“The impact of the changes higher unemployment rate could be severe,” says the report, might reduce the impact, which was prepared by senior she says. policy analyst Farahnaz Ban“Nonetheless, it is possible that not all undali. employed people are “Ironically, this policy willing to take any change will hit the provinces with low unemavailable job,” she said. ployment hardest and Bandali says the will only slightly affect revamped TFWP’s provinces with higher chief aim — preunemployment rates where there are more venting employers potential workers to fill from hiring foreign Farahnaz Bandali jobs vacated by foreign workers over Canadians — would be better workers.” Two-thirds of reduction of low-wage foreign worker en- served if it reduced the number of foreign trants will come from Alberta and British workers where unemployment is high and Columbia, according to the report. provided flexibility in areas where there are The downturn in the oil and gas sector fewer available workers. could soften the impact for Alberta by free“If all things remain equal, the limits on ing up potential workers, but it’s too soon to low-wage temporary foreign workers will predict how much, Bandali says. generally leave western Canadian employers And with the second lowest unemploy- with no alternatives for labour in the short ment rate in the country, Alberta employers term,” she said.

LOCAL

Refugees pay more income tax than millionaire investor immigrants

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efugees who have come to Canada over the past 30 years have paid more income tax in this country than immigrant investors admitted under the now defunct immigrant investor program, critics say.

Ian Young, a South China Morning Post journalist based in Vancouver, crunched the numbers with data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Only a small proportion of the immigrant investors who have come to Canada under the program since 1980 end up staying here, Young said, again relying on numbers from the federal government.

“After five years, only 39 per cent of investor immigrants declared any income. Not only that, those who did, their average incomes were very low,” he said in an interview with CBC Radio’s The Current on Friday.

They may have been millionaires, but they were earning very little money here in Canada. Immigrant investors declared about $18,000 to $25,000 of income annually, he said. “Why? Either because they were living off existing wealth, or they weren’t declaring their [global] incomes,” Young said.

By contrast, refugees to Canada start out earning about $17,500 a year, and by the end of their first 10 years, 66 per cent of them are declaring an earned income.

Their annual earnings eventually reach a level closer to economic immigrants to Canada, in the $30,000 range, he said.

Canada’s immigrant investor program operated from 1980 until it was closed by the Harper government last year, bringing more than 180,000 people to Canada. Many in the early years were Hong Kong Chinese, but the more recent immigrants have been mainland Chinese.

There have been solid citizens who arrive via the program, but some just return to their home country, passport in hand, Young argues. Young considers the program a failure, not least because there is little evidence of business formation in Canada from the influx of newcomers.

“If an immigrant investor already had a very successful business back in China, why would they shut that down and try to start afresh in Canada?” he said.

He argues the program amounted to a cash-for-passport deal, without benefiting the Canadian economy.

Not much integration Sharry Aiken, who teaches refugee law at Queen’s University, considers the program a failure for other reasons.

“The program failed in terms of fostering permanent attachment to Canada, social cohesion, labour market integration, more broadly,” she said.

In addition to the high rates of return migration, those from the investor immigrant program who stayed remain in ethnic enclaves and failed to get language skills, studies show, she said. “Refugees that are actually employed, their incomes were on a par with economic immigrants, very much contradicting this notion that refugees are coming and acting as a drain for taxpayers and a drain on the Canadian economy,” she said.

The new immigrant investor venture capital pilot program beginning this year could suffer from the same failure to integrate participants, she said.

The bar is set higher, as immigrant investors must have $10 million net worth and invest at least $2 million in a venture capital fund, with little guarantee of return. That’s discouraged new applicants to the pilot, Young said, though the federal government hasn’t released how many applications it has received.

What happened to all the money?

Chris Ho, an immigration lawyer in Richmond, B.C., is also critical of the immigrant investor program, saying there’s been no public accounting of what happened to the millions those investors brought to Canada.

In the early days, immigrant investors were asked to sink $400,000 into a Canadian venture, but later the figure was raised to $800,000.

Ho said it’s “ridiculous” to say those immigrants are not an asset to Canada because they don’t pay much income tax here.

“Typically they would buy a house. They would spend a lot of money in fixing a house, buying a car, spending a lot of money consuming goods, stuff like that. All kinds of things that help the economy,” Ho said.

“Look at the property taxes they pay every year on a house worth $1 million or $2 million.”

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BC Gov’t to audit Vancouver school board’s projected $15-million budget deficit

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.C.’s education minister appointed a “special adviser” Thursday to audit the Vancouver school board for savings, after the board told government it was projecting a $15-million budget deficit this coming year.

Peter Fassbender said the adviser, auditing firm Ernst & Young, will take an “objective hard look” at the board’s budget, administrative costs and planning in an attempt to find savings.

“It is a new board, there’s a new board chair and I want to do everything I can, and the government does, to be supportive in helping them to move forward,” he said.

The announcement came one week after the Vancouver school board signed its own contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers, to have the private accounting firm comb its

budget for additional savings, said Christopher Richardson, chairman of board.

“We notified the ministry of this fact earlier this month,” Richardson said.

“We’re not sure what another third-party adviser is going to do to help the situation, but we will certainly cooperate,” he said Thursday afternoon.

The audit is the latest move in a long-running battle between the Vancouver school board and the provincial government, which has sparked other audits and special advisers in the past.

Fassbender said he made the move after the board wrote a letter to the province on Feb. 17 warning of a funding shortfall of $15 million to $18 million in its $500-million annual budget.

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Calgary imam wanted in U.S. on sex assault charges

prominent voice in Calgary’s Somali community is wanted in the United States on sexual assault charges.

Imam Abdi Hersy denies the allegations that he sexually assaulted two women while working as a respiratory therapist in the United States in 2006, but says he has not been able to clear his name because of immigration issues.

“In Canada, and in U.S.A., I am to be treated as being innocent until proven guilty,” Hersy said in a statement. “Since being in Canada, he has become a pillar of his community, working with the

[Calgary Police Service] and [Chief] Rick Hanson, to deal with criminalization and radicalization within his community,” said lawyer Raj Sharma, who represents Hersy.

The 46-year-old Somali national, who runs the Abu Bakr Mussallah place of worship in southeast Calgary, was charged with criminal sexual conduct after he spent time working at a hospital in the Twin Cities suburb of Woodbury, Minn.

He has refugee protection status in Canada, but the federal government has tried to strip him of it after learning

of the active warrant for his arrest south of the border.

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration declined comment on the case, citing privacy laws, but in a written statement it said all refugee claimants go through security screening, including fingerprint and criminal background checks.

Two female patients allege Hersy fondled them while they were recovering from medical procedures.

“I remember that they were very devastated,” said Det. Jeffrey Zerwas, who investigated the case for the Woodbury police.

He said the first woman came forward in July 2006. “She struggled with it for a while, and the more she thought about it, she felt she had to say something ‘cause she didn’t want this to happen to anybody else.”

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The second woman who came forward said Hersy fondled her under her gown, telling her it was part of a medical procedure, and said he “wanted to have sex with her,” according to documents obtained from the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice.

After doing its own investigation, the board pulled Hersy’s licence.

“To permanently revoke a licence is a very significant action. It does not happen often and it speaks to the nature of these allegations,” said Ruth Martinez, the medical board’s executive director.

Hersy lost his job at the Woodbury hospital where he was working. Not long after, he crossed the border into Canada. Det. Zerwas said he tried to track Hersy down.

“He knew I was looking for him after the second incident.

Canadian jihadist, sought by police, now believed to be in Syria

Canadian on the RCMP’s list of “high risk travellers” is being sought by police after he apparently left the country — even though he had no valid passport, was on probation and under a court order not to travel abroad.

Mohammed El Shaer, a 27-year-old from Windsor, Ont., disappeared last month shortly after completing a prison sentence for passport fraud.

According to a Canadian extremist fighter, he has since arrived in Syria.

“What I can confirm for you is that we believe he did leave Canada and that he has travelled overseas and that he does not have a valid Canadian passport,” Insp. Lise Crouch, officer in charge of the Ontario Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, said Tuesday. Insp. Crouch said she could not confirm the man was in Syria, but last week his friend Ahmad Waseem, who is also from Windsor and wanted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, posted El-Shaer’s photo on Twitter with the caption, “Canadian Muslims guess which ‘high risk traveller’ made it into Sham?”

Al-Sham is the name armed jihadist groups call Syria and the surrounding region.

“So what’s ur excuse,” Mr. Waseem wrote, adding the hashtags #Hijra and #IS (Hijra is Arabic for migration while IS can refer to the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham.)

Mr. El Shaer did not respond to emails

seeking his comment. His family in Windsor could not be reached.

His former lawyer said he did not know the man had disappeared. “We’ve had no contact with him since this case was resolved,” Patrick Ducharme said.

A Palestinian-Canadian “marketing executive,” El Shaer had been on the RCMP’s radar since he left Canada on Nov. 3, 2013, with Mr. Waseem, a jihadist fighter who had been recovering in Windsor from a combat wound received in Syria.

On social media, Mr. Waseem has called Osama bin Laden a “hero,” given advice on how to join the fight in Syria and supported the enslavement of non-Muslims.

“I enjoy seeing dead Americans,” he wrote after ISIS released a videotape of the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley.

He flew with Mr. El Shaer to Reykjavik, Iceland, then to Paris and Turkey. Mr. Waseem returned to Syria, but on Dec. 12, Mr. El Shaer told Canadian officials his passport had been damaged and, after giving false information, received an emergency travel document.

Turkish authorities briefly detained him for being in the country illegally, but on Jan. 1 he flew to Calgary and told Canada Border Services Agency officers he was on the U.S. no-fly list. On June 23, he was arrested in Windsor for passport-related fraud and released on bail.

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Outrage boils over as government plans to sell groundwater for $2.25 per million litres

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ore than 82,000 people have signed a petition against the government’s plans to sell B.C.’s water for $2.25 per million litres. “It is outrageous,” says the online petition from SumOfUs.org, that corporations can buy water “for next to nothing.”

B.C.’s Water Sustainability Act (WSA), which comes into effect next January and replaces the province’s century-old water legislation, has been heralded as a major step forward. But politicians and experts are raising doubts over whether the newly announced water fees may be too low to cover the cost of the program, asking if the act simply won’t be implemented properly, or if taxpayers could end up picking up the bill. Last month, the government unveiled the new water pricing structure, which will include, for the first time in B.C.’s history, groundwater being regulated and subject to fees and rentals.

Critics said that, while it’s a step in the right direction, the prices are still not close to cap-

Obama criticizes Canadian oil - yet again

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turing the resource’s value.

Under the new regime, most residential water users won’t see a big difference. Households with wells are exempt from fees, and homes supplied by municipal water systems may pay $1 or $2 more per year, according to the ministry.

But water rates for industrial users, which are a fraction of what some provinces charge, are “like a giveaway” to corporations, critics say.

NDP environment critic Spencer Chandra Herbert said the new legislation is “promising,” but questioned whether it would actually live up to its promise, or just remain “nice words on paper.” “I don’t think the water’s being properly valued in order to properly protect it,” he said, adding effective water management involves “boots on the ground” to enforce the act, and “policy people” to make decisions. “A lot of business groups, community groups, farmers — they want to see better protection for their water.

I’m just worried we’re not going to get it.”

.S. President Barack Obama has some less-than-laudatory words for Canada’s oil industry in a new example of his increasingly critical take on the oilsands. He was asked about the Keystone XL pipeline during a town-hall session Friday — and he launched into an explanation of why so many environmentalists oppose it.

“The way that you get oil out in Canada is an extraordinarily dirty way of extracting oil,” Obama said during the event at a South Carolina college.

“Obviously,” he added, “there are always risks in piping a lot of oil through Nebraska farmland and

New research on ‘super seniors’ to probe whether cancer protection genes exist

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an certain genes protect people from cancer? One of the country’s top research organizations is hoping to find out.

The Canadian Cancer Society has commissioned geneticists in British Columbia to assess the genes of some of the country’s healthiest people.

The research subjects have all reached at least the age of 85 without developing cancer, heart disease, major lung ailments, stroke, diabetes or dementia.

Lead researcher Angela Brooks-Wilson says the study will try to determine whether these people, dubbed “super seniors,” have any genetic characteristics that have protected them from cancer over the years.

The study is expected to take at least two years to complete.

The society is funding the project through a $200,000 grant that was entirely crowdsourced during a one-week campaign last November.

Brooks-Wilson said the project marks an exciting new phase of research that has been underway for more than a decade.

It’s taken nearly 17 years to gather data on

other parts of the country.”

Obama has recently taken to dismissing the Keystone XL pipeline, playing down its benefit for the American economy. But his remarks Friday at Benedict College were notable in that they were aimed at the industry itself. It came during a question-and-answer session where a student saluted him for vetoing a bill to build the pipeline: “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” said the ques-

500 super seniors, who Brooks-Wilson describes as an extremely rare breed. Previous research suggests that these people contain many of the gene sequences that lead to cancer in other demographic groups, but the society-funded research will focus on the genetic factors that have kept them healthy for decades.

“We’re hypothesizing that they have something that overrides the other genetics, the negative factors, that may be a sort of genetic override switch,” Brooks-Wilson said in a telephone interview from Vancouver.

She said the next two years will be spent analyzing the genetic data to see if such an override switch even exists.

If it does, more research would be required to determine exactly what it consists of and how it works.

If the analysis proves fruitful, Brooks-Wilson said it could have exciting repercussions for future cancer treatments.

“If we could figure out factors like that, our goal would be then to find ways to mimic them, pharmacologically potentially,” she said.

tioner. “You are what we hoped for.”

Obama replied that his decision to veto the bill wasn’t the last word on the matter. He said he hasn’t made a final decision. But then he proceeded to launch into a statement on climate change.

He spoke about what he called a catastrophic threat, with possible wildfires, rising sea levels, crop losses, drought, hunger, war, and the spread of insect-born diseases like malaria into the U.S.

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

LOCAL

Federal Liberal Party Fundraiser in Surrey a huge success

A fundraiser for the Federal Liberal Party of Canada organized by senior organizer, Dr. Gulzar Cheema was a huge success in Surrey last week. Apart from the leader Justin Trudeau, almost all Liberal party candidates from Metro Vancouver and community leaders sympathetic to the Liberal cause were present at the fundraiser. Trudeau urged all those who were present to come together as one force to defeat the Conservatives and the NDP in the coming federal Elections. The expensive tickets at $250 each didn’t seem to deter people as the entire room was packed with Liberal supporters. Trudeau profusely thanked Dr. Cheema for organizing such a successful fundraiser.

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LOCAL

Human trafficker accused of helping teens join ISIS claims he worked for CSIS

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n accused spy detained in Turkey for allegedly helping three British girls join ISIS claims he worked for a Canadian intelligence agency, according to a Turkish intelligence report.

Mohammad Al Rashed, a Syrian who purportedly went by the alias Dr. Mehmet Reşit, allegedly helped the girls cross from Turkey into Syria shortly after they flew from London to Istanbul on Feb. 17.

According to the intelligence report, Rashed accompanied the three teens - two aged 15 and one 16 - on a bus to Gaziantep, a town near the Turkey-Syria border often used as a staging point by those looking to join ISIS. Rashed allegedly left the girls with “individuals involved in human trafficking” with the understanding they would be taken to Syria.

In a witness statement included in the report, Rashed claims he worked for Canadian intelligence and travelled occasionally to the Canadian Embassy in Jordan to share information he had gathered.

He claims he relayed information about his trip with the three British teens to Canadian intelligence on Feb. 21, and told Turkish authorities his ultimate goal was to obtain Canadian citizenship.

Rashed was detained on Feb. 28.

According to the intelligence report, plane and bus tickets in the girls’ names were found in his possession, as well as video of the girls meeting the human traffickers and setting off for the Syrian border.

Similarly, photos of passports and images of passport stamps for at least 20 other people were found in his possession.

The report also says Turkish authorities have screen shots of text messages Rashed sent to Canadian intelligence officials.

Rashed purportedly entered Turkey 33 times using his Syrian passport and received multiple money wire transfers from people in England “with Arab names.”

According to the report, there is no evidence that Canadian intelligence officials sent Rashed money at any point.

Canadian news outlets have learned that Rashed is not an employee of CSIS. Earlier Friday, the Turkish foreign minister said Rashed is a Syrian national working for a country in the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS, but did not elaborate further.

“The person who helped the three British girls into Syria is a Syrian national working for another country within the coalition.

The situation is so complicated,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.

Rashed appeared in a Turkish court on March 4 and remains in custody.

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Surrey’s Barinder Rasode among nominees for YWCA women awards Former Surrey councillor and mayoral candidate Barinder Rasode is one of five local women nominated among 71 nominees up for recognition in the 32nd annual YWCA Women of Dictinction Awards.

In the non-profit or public service category Rasode is named among the 11 other finalists for her role as a “Community Engagement Leader.”

Other Surrey nominees include Laurie Shultz, president and CEO of ACL, Vancouver’s fourth largest Vancouver-headquartered software company, in the category of Business & The Professions; and Lisa Tuningley, president of T-RAIL Products Inc., in the Entrepreneurship category.

Two Delta women were nominated for awards as well. Cynthia Johansen, registrar and CEO of the College of Registered Nurses of BC, will challenge Rasode in the Non-Profit or Public Service category, while Diana Kaarina, director and owner of Broadway Edge Performing Arts Studio Inc., is up for an Arts, Culture

& Design award.

The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards honours individuals and organizations whose outstanding activities and achievements contribute to the well-being and future of their communities.

Since 1984, the YWCA has paid tribute to more than 290 award recipients and 1,690 nominees.

In addition to the 10 nomination categories, the individual nominees are eligible for the Connecting the Community Award. The nominees will select a YWCA program area in which they are interested and use social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook to promote votes.

From April 22 to May 15, the public can cast votes and the nominee with the most votes will receive the Connecting the Community Award.

Scotiabank will donate $10,000 to the YWCA program area of her choice.

Award recipients will be announced on May 26 during the Awards dinner at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

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EDITORIAL

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Story from Page 1...

Politicians unwilling to bar foreign investors from local real restate

This was followed by a report that Richmond City Council is considering fining owners of homes which are locked up. Most wealthy owners buy residential real estate as an investment - not as a home to live in. So houses bought by foreign owners are usually locked up and empty - until they are sold at a profit by foreigners.

This week a report from Australia said an Australian government agency that looks at application by foreigners wanting to buy residential property, rejected an application by a Chinese billionaire to purchase a $31 million commercial property. The agency cited Australia’s long standing rule thst only citizens and permanent residents can purchase real estate in Australia. Only in rare occasion, such as when a foreigner is in the process of becoming an Australian, is a foreigner given the right to purchase real estate in Australia.

This begs the question: When are British Co-

lumbian and Canadian politicians going to do something about wealthy foreigners buying real estate in BC and in Canada??

Not one politician has said anything so far.

They are all too scared of being accused of discrimination.

But this has nothing to do with discrimination and everything to do with affordability. Majority of permanent residents and citizens in Metro Vancouver cant afford to buy homes and some cant afford to even rent here. Why? The price of real estate is going sky high because of foreign investment. For example, how can a local family earning net of $100,000 a year compete against a business tycoon sitting in Hong Kong worth millions or billions of dollars. To that tycoon it is a choice of investing a couple of millions dollars in houses in Metro Vancouver which he will sell within a year for a 30 percent profit or putting that money in a company’s stock.

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The Vancouver real estate option is much safer for him. But that business tycoon will contribute nothing to this community and will not pay any taxes here.

On the other hand, that local family earning $100,00 a year will live in the house if they can afford to buy it; they will work, live and play here and grow their family here. They will pay taxes here and greatly contribute to the society here.

And yet no politician is willing to help hundreds of thousands of local families like this buy a house in Metro Vancouver. The politicinas cand o this by banning foreigner ownership of real estate, special residential real estate so that locals can afford to buy homes here.

Former Ottawa imam promoted violent jihad

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former Ottawa imam appeared in a video “promoting violent jihad” in Libya, according to a “Secret” Canadian intelligence report obtained under the Access to Information Act. Abdu Albasset Egwilla “urged an audience of Libyan Islamist fighters to take part in jihad,” said the declassified report by the government’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre.

“Jihad today is simple and easily accessible, and does not require moving as in the past, as it was for Afghanistan and Iraq,” Egwilla said in the video, which was posted on YouTube last August.

The Libyan–Canadian’s comments came as armed Islamist groups were fighting for control of the country in the aftermath of the killing of longtime dictator Col. Muammar Gaddafi.

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

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

LOCAL

Justin Trudeau meets with South Asian Media

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ustin Trudeau met with South Asian media last week in Surrey. He answered a host of questions ranging from Liberal Party’s immigration policy to his take on the anti-terrorism bill and why he doesn’t believe that his current popularity is simply because of the stellar work his father Pierre Trudeau had done previously. “In the last few years I have proven again and again to

my critics that I am here to stay. I have been overwhelmingly elected by the people again and again which proves that they believe in me and what I stand for,” said Trudeau. With an extremely pleasant demeanor and without being stressed out about time constraints Trudeau along with Liberal party candidates Sukh Dhaliwal, Harjit Sajjan and Jatinder Sidhu patiently answered questions.

Story from Page 1...

Pakistani plotted to blow up Toronto buildings

Malik came to Canada on a student visa in 2004 and became a permanent resident five years later after a marriage that has now ended.

Authorities alleged they possess evidence that links Malik directly to violent extremism and its promotion. They also alleged he was planning a violent terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate building in Toronto using a remote-controlled bomb.

According to a statement issued by the IRB Wednesday afternoon, Malik was befriended by an undercover RCMP officer. He is allegedly a self-proclaimed supporter of the Islamic State and al-Qaida and attempted to radicalize the officer by showing him videos of beheadings.

The CBSA said Malik told the officer he had attended weapons, combat and landmine training in Libya, and sought to build an explosive device for use in Toronto.

“The CBSA alleges that Mr. Malik attempted to recruit an undercover officer to help him make an explosive device to be detonated remotely,” spokesman Anna Pape said in a statement.

He also allegedly told the officer he intended to make a video about the attack to encourage others to do the same.

Malik claimed to have been a personal friend of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born spokesman for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, who was killed in a CIA drone strike in 2011, according to the allegations.

None of the accusations have been proven in court. The CBSA wrapped up its probe this month.

The IRB ordered Malik’s continued detention at a Lindsay, Ont. jail during the hearing Wednesday, considering him a security and flight risk.

Malik’s lawyer, Anser Farooq, argued such serious allegations should be tried in a criminal court, not under immigration law.

“If you really want to know whether somebody’s innocent or guilty of an offence, then put them in a criminal court, where they can get a lawyer who’s going to go out and put everybody to the test,” Farooq said.

Court records confirm Malik has faced assault and fraud charges in the past. Those charges have been resolved, according to a court clerk at Old City Hall.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney lauded the work of Canadian security agencies that arrested Malik. This latest case demonstrates that terrorist threats against Canada are real, he said.

LOCAL Story from Page 1... Five young South Asians wanted in 4 recent shootings in Surrey They are also looking for three vehicles associated with these men: a grey Volkswagen Passat or Jetta, a black Acura TL and a white SUV. These vehicles have been seen in the vicinity of the shootings.

In the past few days there have been six shootings in the Surrey and Langley area.

Police are confirming the two most recent shootings, in Surrey (shots fired at a home in the area of 94 Avenue and 126 Street) and Langley, do not appear to be related to the four shootings on March 10.

The first shooting happened on March 10 at 4 a.m. and involved a 20-year-old male being dropped off at a local hospital after suffering gunshot injuries. Surrey RCMP spoke to the victim and investigators continued to gather information about the incident.

At the time, police were unable to find out how the man was shot. The victim was treated and later released from hospital.

Later the same day at 5:50 p.m. police found a vehicle that had been involved in a shooting. Thinking the vehicle may have been involved in the earlier shooting, police seized the vehicle.

A little more than an hour later Surrey RCMP was notified by the BC Ambulance Service that they were heading to a shooting with a male victim near 128th Street and 76 Avenue. The victim, a 20-year-old Surrey man, was taken to a local hospital for treatment and later released.Later that night at 11 p.m., Surrey RCMP had several reports of gunshots being heard near the area of 128th Street and 76 Avenue. When police arrived on the scene they were told by witnesses that four dark-coloured vehicles were seen leaving the area following the gunshots.

Surrey RCMP Supt. Bill Fordy says these incidents are a “great concern.” He says they are actively investigating these files, but the victims have been mostly uncooperative.

“At this point we believe that all six of these shootings were targeted, four of which are related,” he says. “The four related shootings involve people who are involved in low-level drug activity. Low-level drug crime. From the intelligence that has been gathered so far, there is nothing to indicate that these shootings are related to organized crime.”

“However, these people are clearly violent and have shown a complete disregard for public safety.”

“For those involved in these shootings or people who know them – I ask you to think about the safety of your family, friends and the general public. The manner that you have chosen to resolve this dispute is careless and unacceptable.”

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“For the citizens of Surrey, I offer you my commitment that we are working extremely hard on all of these events – not only to solve the cases that have occurred but to safeguard against any further incidents.”

The spree of violence has left some residents terrified, with one woman saying she won’t take her kids for a walk in her Newton neighbourhood.

“Why do these men have to shoot each other in family neighbourhoods? It’s very scary. It doesn’t make sense. They need to work it out in another way without guns,” said Sukhvir Dhesi, a mother of four children under the age of nine.

Dhesi lives near 80th Avenue and 132nd Street, close to where shots were fired Wednesday afternoon.

“We just hope the police can help. This used to be a very safe community. But now what are we going to do? I don’t even want to take my kids for a walk because they are shooting at any time of the day. I’m nervous to let them play in the front yard.”

Baljit Bilen, who lives next door to Dhesi and has been there for 10 years, said he has never witnessed any problems or shady dealings in the area — until about four or five months ago, when he thinks there was some drug dealing going on at a house down the street.

While he said he was concerned about the shootings, he didn’t think his family would move.

“There is a (Sikh) temple across the street, and so normally everything is safe, everybody is really nice,” Bilen said.

In Newton on Thursday, some residents wouldn’t open their doors, while others didn’t want to be identified. Most cited their fear over the disturbing number of shootings.

At a news conference Thursday, Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy said the incidents are of “great concern” to police and he wanted to assure the public that they are actively investigating all of the files.

“I offer you my commitment that we’re doing everything we can to solve these shootings and bring a stop to the violence that is playing out on our streets,” Fordy said.

He told reporters that four of the six shootings — three that took place on Tuesday and one on Wednesday afternoon — are linked and related to low-level drug activity, although he said none of the players are believed to be involved in organized crime.

The first shooting came early Tuesday. Police were called to Surrey Memorial Hospital, where a 20-year-old man was being treated for gunshot wounds.

Indian bride walks out of wedding because groom says 15+6 = 17

EW DELHI - An Indian bride walked out of her wedding ceremony after the groom failed to solve a simple math problem, police said Friday.

The bride tested the groom on his math skills and when he got the sum wrong, she walked out.

The question she asked: How much is 15 plus six?

His reply: 17.

The incident took place late Wednesday in Rasoolabad village near the industrial town of Kanpur in northern Uttar Pradesh state, local police officer Rakesh Kumar said Friday.

The groom’s family tried persuading the bride to return, but she refused. She said the groom had misled them about his education.

“The groom’s family kept us in the dark about his poor education,” said Mohar Singh,

the bride’s father. “Even a first grader can answer this.”

Local police mediated between the families and both sides returned all the gifts and jewelry that had been exchanged before the wedding, Kumar said.

Last month, another bride in Uttar Pradesh married a wedding guest after the original groom had a seizure and collapsed at the wedding venue.

The groom’s family had not revealed that the groom was epileptic. While the groom was rushed to a hospital in Rampur town, the bride asked one of the wedding guests to step in and married him.

Most marriages in India are arranged by the families of the bride and groom. Except for brief meetings, the couple rarely gets to know each other before the nuptials.

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Calgary imam declares ‘fatwa’ on ISIS

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Calgary imam has led 38 imams to sign a formal edict against Canadian recruitment by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.

Imam Syed Soharwardy, founder of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, will publish the fatwa Wednesday morning, targeting “the radicalization and the recruitment for IS/ISIL in Canada,” according to a news release.

The news release only mentions ISIS and not other violent groups Canadians have joined abroad, like al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. Groups of imams have issued fatwas against ISIS in the past year in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the U.K. Soharwardy also took aim at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s rhetoric regarding the

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Islamic faith. “Harper is not treating Muslims with equal eyes, with equal respect,” he said. Soharwardy founded the group Muslims Against Terrorism and has publicly implored Muslim clerics and families to have tough discussions with wayward young people. He claims some other Canadian imams fear they’ll face violence if they oppose ISIS too loudly. At a Senate committee last December, Soharwardy called on the federal government to launch an inquiry into the recruitment of Muslim radicals. The imam has also designed a checklist to weed out new converts who aspire to join terrorist groups, after imams nationwide observed a spike of new Muslims since last October’s terrorist attacks.

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

LOCAL

20 minutes FREE consultation* see store for details

South Asian Business Association of BC (SABA) organized an extremely successful Economic Outlook Forum 2015 last week in Surrey. Guest speaker was Elvis Picardo, Vice President (research), Global Securities Corporation who spoke about oil prices and how they were affecting Canadian Interest rates and the Canadian Dollar. A large number of businessmen attended the seminar.

LOCAL

Ontario police union leaders defrauded members

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hree senior members of the union representing Ontario Provincial Police officers, a high-profile Toronto lawyer and two business associates engaged in a massive deception to conceal ownership in a travel agency catering to first responders, according to allegations made in court documents unsealed Friday.

Connections between the Ontario Provincial Police Association, its lawyer and others form a major part of a large RCMP fraud and theft investigation alleging both grand misappropriation — such as unusual condo investments in the Caribbean — as well as mundane office expenses and vacation time swindles.

So far, police have not made any arrests or laid any charges and nothing has been proven in court.

The affidavit to obtain a search warrant names Jim Christie, the union president, Martin Bain, vice-president, and Karl Walsh, chief administrative officer. All three are sworn police officers with the OPP, with Mr. Christie at the rank of Detective Sergeant and the other two Constables. Mr. Walsh was also a failed Liberal candidate in Barrie during the 2011 provincial election.

The affidavit also names Andrew McKay, a Toronto lawyer who often represents police associations and officers accused of wrongdoing, and two business partners in a travel agency, Klara Kozak and Noel Francis Chantiam.

The police investigation began last year when the OPP received complaints from four members of the OPP Association alleging fraudulent activity by some senior members, the affidavit says. The OPP referred the complaint to the RCMP. “I have reasonable grounds to believe that the subjects of investigation, namely, Walsh, Christie, Bain, McKay, Kozak and Chantiam, have acted together to commit criminal offences of fraud and theft against the OPPA,” RCMP Sgt. Gordon Aristotle, an officer with an investigative background in financial crimes, wrote in an affidavit filed in court.

“I believe that the subjects of investigation have organized various schemes, some which include companies for which they hold hidden beneficial ownership, that have been setup in order to obtain exclusive rights for services required by the OPPA. These services pertain to but are not limited to the travel and investment needs of the OPPA. In addition, some of the services offered by these companies are being promoted to the OPP membership throughout the province.”

Last year, all employees of the Ontario Provincial Police Association were, without explanation, instructed to exclusively use a new travel service provider.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

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LOCAL

Saturday, March 14, 2015

SFU announces 2015 Honorary Degree Recipients

• Nini Baird, chair of the Knowledge Netilm maker Deepa Mehta and chefs Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij, are work Corporation Board, the TELUS Fund among a host of others to receive honorary and the TELUS Vancouver Community degrees in 2015 from Simon Board, and a member of the Order of Canada, who was recogFraser University.

During convocation ceremonies June 9-12, SFU will confer honorary degrees on: • Deepa Mehta, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, director and producer whose work in film has attracted significant recognition, including the Governor General’s award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, the nized in 2013 as one of Canada’s Order of Ontario and the Order 100 most powerful women. of Canada.

• Lorna Crozier, an award-winning poet, • Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij, the team behind three award-winning Metro essayist and professor emeritus who has auVancouver restaurants, including the world thored 18 poetry books and two children’s renowned Vij’s Restaurant. They have co-au- books, and is a member of the Royal Society thored two acclaimed cookbooks and are of Canada and an officer of the Order of Canactive in sustainable agriculture and business ada.

H1_FFH_Asian Star_A_JrPg:Layout 1 09/03/15 11:19• AM 1 mentorship JudyPage Graves, Vancouver’s first Advocate

for the Homeless, is a humanitarian who has devoted her life to bringing a safe home, nutritious food and clean water to those in need.

• Maggie Ip, an award-winning teacher and volunteer who is the founding chair and now patron of S.U.C.C.E.S.S., one of Canada’s largest multilingual and multicultural social service organizations.

• Ken Lum, an artist, educator and SFU alumnus who is renowned worldwide for his conceptual and representational art, including the iconic Monument for East Vancouver that overlooks False Creek Flats.

• Jennifer Allen Simons, an award-winning educator, thought leader and nuclear disarmament specialist, and the founder and president of The Simons Foundation, which aims to advance positive change through education on peace, disarmament, international law and human security.

At the October convocation ceremonies,

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Oct. 8-9, the recipients will be: • Harry Gray, a prize-winning chemist who is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and founding director of the Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology.

• Sut Jhally, an award-winning professor of communication at the University of Massachusetts, executive director of the Media Education Foundation, and a prolific filmmaker and author.

• Bill Nye, scientist, educator and television performer “Bill Nye, the Science Guy,” is CEO of The Planetary Society, and was recognized in 2010 with the Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association.

• Nancy Turner, an acclaimed ethnobotanist and ethnoecologist who has collaborated with First Nations peoples for more than 40 years to document, retain and promote their traditional knowledge of plants and habitats.

As Canada’s engaged university, SFU is defined by its dynamic integration of innovative education, cutting-edge research and far-reaching community engageTELUS STORES ment. SFU was founded almost 50 years ago with a mission to be Abbotsford Highstreet Shopping Centre a different kind of university—to Sevenoaks Shopping Centre bring an interdisciplinary approach 2140 Sumas Way to learning, embrace bold initia32915 South Fraser Way Aldergrove tives, and engage with communi26310 Fraser Hwy. ties near and far. Today, SFU is a Burnaby leader amongst Canada’s compreBrentwood Town Centre Crystal Mall hensive research universities and is Lougheed Town Centre ranked one of the top universities Metropolis at Metrotown in the world under 50 years of age.

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Naresh Bhardwaj leaves cabinet amid bribery allegations

I

ncumbent Edmonton-Ellerslie MLA Naresh Bhardwaj and Associate Minister in the Alberta cabinet, has left cabinet while the Conservative party investigates allegations of attempts to undermine another candidate’s nomination campaign, said Alberta Premier Jim Prentice.

“Obviously, as leader of the party, I want to make sure that those allegations are investigated and we are looking into them,” Prentice told reporters Friday.

“I have not received a report in terms of where they stand or what they have found.”

Prentice said he spoke with Bhardwaj, the associate minister for persons with disabilities, earlier today.

“He vehemently disagrees with the allegations that have been made,” he said. “I only know what I read about those allegations.

“My understanding is that he has retained legal counsel and he is going to take steps to clear his name from those allegations. And in the meantime, he has indicated that he will step aside from being an associate minister in the government.”

NATIONAL

Pamela Wallin allegedly fabricated meetings

S

en. Pamela Wallin allegedly fabricated meetings, charged taxpayers for flights and travel related to her work on corporate boards, and misrepresented many of her trips to Toronto even when confronted by external auditors, the RCMP allege in newly released court documents.

In all, the RCMP allege Wallin defrauded taxpayers of almost $27,500 for 25 trips made between 2009 and 2012. Investigators allege Wallin should have charged expenses to two private companies because the trips were part of her work as a director on the boards of Porter Airlines and wealth management firm Gluskin Sheff & Associates.

Instead, the RCMP allege Wallin charged them to the Senate, writing them off as “Senate business,” without providing any further explanation.

Wallin, the RCMP allege, committed fraud and breach of trust.

Wallin has not been charged with any crime, nor have any of the allegations against her been tested in court.

“Senator Wallin used public funds to travel to Toronto in order to pursue these private and business interests,” RCMP Cpl. Rudy Exantus wrote in a court document, known as an information to obtain, dated Jan. 29. The Ottawa courthouse released the document Monday.

“Senator Wallin, when confronted by an external audit, misrepresented the nature of these trips to Toronto, and at times, fabricating meetings which the RCMP was able to determine (through interviews) to have never taken place. In doing so, I believe that Senator Wallin breached the standard of responsibility and conduct demanded of her and by the nature of her office.”

The RCMP now have more details on 13 events investigators allege were part of her private business interests on the board of Gluskin Sheff & Associates, but came up empty when they went looking for details on 11 events associated with her work at Porter. The details are in two documents filed in court Monday.

An employee at Porter Airlines told investigators in an affidavit on March 2 that the company was “not in possession of any of the items sought.”

The details are a small sample of what the RCMP describe as 150 suspicious expense claims that Wallin submitted to the Senate, which investigators continue to pore through as part of a probe that has lasted more than a year and a half and appears more technical than Sen. Mike Duffy, who faces 31 criminal charges.

The investigation into Wallin’s questionable travel has seen investigators sort 246 travel expense claims Wallin filed with the Senate and then check those against dozens of versions of her Senate calendar between 2009 and 2013, including annual and monthly backups; sifting through 101 changes to the calendar made that disappeared, and then reappeared, near the end of Wallin’s Senate audit; reconciling printed versions of her handwritten personal calendar with the electronic Senate calendar; and interviews with dozens of people in the Senate and those Wallin met with in each of the expenses under scrutiny.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

i 21

Pro-democracy leader Martin Lee’s committee invitation angers China

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hina is pressuring a committee of Parliament to rescind its invitation to the leader of Hong Kong’s democracy movement to appear before it and give testimony.

Martin Lee was invited to give MPs on the House of Commons foreign affairs committee a briefing Tuesday on the democracy movement in Hong Kong.

The Chinese ambassador to Canada, however, has issued a letter to the committee telling it to butt out of China’s domestic affairs, issuing a thinly veiled warning to not rock the boat on Sino-Canada relations.

Lee, the veteran pro-democracy activist, was one of several people arrested in December after more than two months of demonstrations against restrictions that Beijing government is imposing on Hong Kong’s first election in 2017. The protests paralyzed Hong Kong and gave rise to a new opposition movement that is seen by Chinese President Xi Jin-

ping as a threat to his country’s stability.

The Chinese government regularly sends toughly worded messages to democratic countries that entertain political figures that it does not approve of, such as the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

China ‘resolutely opposes’ interference in Hong Kong affairs: letter A letter from Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaojui said his government “learned” about plans for Lee to testify about political reform in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

“We hereby express our deep concern and strong opposition,” the envoy’s letter says.

“Hong Kong’s political development falls entirely within China’s domestic affairs. The Chinese side resolutely opposes any foreign governments, institutions and individuals to interfere in Hong Kong affairs,” he adds.

“In consideration of the sensitive and complicated situation in Hong Kong, we hope that the Canadian side will not hold such a hearing, not intervene in Hong Kong’s internal affairs in any form, so as not to send wrong signals to the outside world and cause any disturbance to China-Canada relations.”

Luo refused to comment Monday when asked about his letter. The NDP’s foreign affairs critic, Paul Dewar, said this is the first time he can remember a foreign government trying to dictate who can testify before the Commons foreign affairs committee. Dewar has been a member since 2007.

Dewar said Lee contacted the committee and offered to testify and its members unanimously agreed to hear him.

But Dewar said China should not see that as provocative or unfriendly.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Saturday, March 14, 2015

C L A S S I F I E D S JOBS

JOBS

Dosa Corner Restaurant Ltd in Vancouver Looking to hire an authentic south indian chef .

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.

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

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

-----------------------------------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

-------------------------------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

JOBS

JOBS

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

------------------------------------Retail Sales Supervisor (6211); Saim’s Communication Inc.,Surrey, British Columbia, (6211); Salary: $17:50/Hourly; Positions Available: 2; Type: FullTime; Minimum Education: High School; ,Description : Assign sales workers to duties and prepare work schedules, Authorize payments by cheque and the return ofmerchandise , Sell merchandise to customers, Resolve problems

To PLACE YOUR AD IN THE ASIAN STAR CLASSIFIEDS Section Please

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COMMUNITY South Asian Seniors - Filing Income Tax Returns Free From March 9th 2015 to April 20th 2015.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey informs South Asian Seniors that during the Tax filing period we can help you to file your Income Tax Returns for the year 2014 free of cost, through the community volunteer Program of Canada Revenue Agency, from March 9th 2015 to April 20 th 2015. If you are living in Surrey / Delta. The eligibility Criteria are as follows 1.Single indiviual with annual income limit up to $ 30,000. 2. Couples with annual income up to $ 40,000. 3.

Adult with one child annual income up to $ 35,000, add the income limit by $ 2,500 for each dependent child. Interest income not over $ 1,000.00 and this income will be included as total eligibility.

With no investment income, no rental income and no partnership income, sin# card and photo identity will be required to prove the documents. If you are eligible then please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further information.

--------------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Management of Pain ( Joints & Body ) for Seniors.

March 1st 2015 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members as well as non members to attend a powerful pre-

sentation - Management of Pain ( Joints & Body ) for Seniors by Amit Kumar, BOT,MA,C/NDT, Director, Consultant Occupational Life Skills Therapy, on March 1st 2015 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th Street Surrey BC. There will be questions and Answers Session also, Amit Kumar will answer all your health related questions, tea and snacks will be served after the presentation. Please call Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further information. Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking Seniors.

-----------------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Group Birthday of 14 Seniors born in January & February Celebrations on February 28th 2015 [ Saturday ] from 11..30 am to 2.30 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Senior members to celebrate group birthday of 14 Senior members born in January & February, to be held on February 28th 2015 ( Saturday ) from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey( B.C). It will start with serving snacks, tea, pop, and there will be live entertainment of hilarious jokes and Hindi songs sung by our talented members. Cake cutting ceremony will take place and slice of cake will be served to all the participants and specially prepared pure vegetarian lunch & dessert will be served. Registration required for non members. Please

contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 -9945 for registration. Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi Speaking Seniors.

----------------------------------------------PICS Society Launches Volunteer Income Tax Clinic: Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society is proud to announce that they will be establishing PICS Income Tax Clinic this year from the last week of February 2015 to April 2015 in partnership with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Clinic Program of Canada Revenue Agency. This program will engage PICS volunteers who have been trained by Canada Revenue Agency to help community members who have low incomes to electronically file their income tax returns. To be eligible to avail this free service: •Your income must be as follows: oSingle Person: $30,000 or less oSingle parent with child: $35,000or less oEach additional child: $ 2,500 oCouples: $40,000 or less oInvestment income under: $ 1,000 •You have a simple tax return (no self-employment, no bankruptcy, no forms for deceased, no capital gains/losses and no rental income).

•You must attend in person.

Income Tax Clinics will be located at the following locations: PICS Head Office #205—12725—80 Ave Surrey, BC V3W 3A6

Saturday, March 14, 2015

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PICS White Rock Office #206—1461 Johnston Rd White Rock, BC V4B 3Z4 PICS Vancouver Office #200—8153 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5X 3L2 For more details, please contact: Deshpal Grewal (deshpal.grewal@ pics.bc.ca) or Manjinder Thandi (manjinder.thandi@pics.bc.ca) Telephone—604-596-7722 --------------------------------------------Famous Mural about the Punjab Region Comes to Surrey Orijit Sen: from Punjab, with Love −August 2, 2015 An awe-inspiring mural from renowned Indian graphic artist and designer Orijit Sen is making its home at the Surrey Art Gallery for 6 months.

From Punjab, with Love is a digital reproduction of Sen’s famous 75 metre long fibreglass and acrylic mural at the Moshe Safdie designed Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum in Anandpur Sahib India.

The Surrey Art Gallery is presenting a nearly 10 metre long digital print that represents this astonishing tableau of Sikh and Punjabi history done in a highly detailed miniature style.

Surrey Art Gallery is located at 1375088 Avenue, Surrey, BC, Canada. 604501-5566 | www.surrey.ca/artgallery HOURS: Tues-Thur 9am-9pm | Fri 9am-5pm | Sat 10am-5pm | Sun 125pm | Closed Mondays and holidays.

Surrey Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of BC

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

BUSINESS / FINANCE

Interest rate fears hang over markets

ears of a U.S. interest rate hike hung over the markets a day after steep stock selloffs, with the Canadian dollar pushed down by a strong greenback.

The Canadian dollar continued its fall against the U.S. dollar,closing at 78.42 US cents, near its lowest level this year.

“The loonie is down for a whole host of trends and the biggest trend is a strong U.S. dollar against all major currencies,” said Camilla Sutton, chief foreign exchange strategist at Scotiabank. “The real takeaways are the [U.S. Federal Reserve is] likely to tighten rates and other central banks aren’t. We have oil prices that are moving to new lows and we have sentiment favouring a higher U.S. dollar and all of it has come together and weighs heavily on the Canadian dollar,” she said.

She predicted the loonie would fall to 75 cents US. The euro was at its lowest point since April 2003, closing at $1.06 US. The euro is down 12 per cent this year against the U.S. dollar and many traders expect it will fall to parity with the greenback.

And there were further dire warnings over the stock market, with Deutsche Bank AG analyst David Bianco predicting the S&P index could fall by as much as nine per cent if the U.S. Federal Reserve raises interest rates in June. The S&P, a broad index covering 500 stocks representative of the U.S. economy, has been trading at or near record levels since mid-February on strong corporate earnings and optimistic economic predictions for the U.S.

Why Finance Minister Joe Oliver isn’t intervening in Canadian Real Estate

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TTAWA — In March of 2013, then Finance Minister Jim Flaherty did something few politicians would dare: scolding Canada’s banks for racing “to the bottom” on mortgage rates at a time when the housing market was already frothing.

“My expectation is that banks will engage in prudent lending — not the type of ‘race to the bottom’ practices that led to a mortgage crisis in the United States,” he said, and blamed the Bank of Montreal specifically.

While the move appeared to have the desired effect (at least temporarily), what hasn’t stopped is the relentless pressure from some of the world’s big institutional critics for Ottawa to do yet more to tighten home mortgage rules. Yet the current finance minister, Joe Oliver, appears far less ruffled than his late predecessor, almost to the point of seeming indifferent. On Tuesday, the IMF issued yet another report urging the federal government to tighten its reins on the financial system and spread more of the mortgage-lending risks among the private sector, citing new concerns over high house prices and huge consumer debt.

This renewed hectoring comes despite numerous moves taken by the Conservatives over the past few years to do just that — a

fact that Mr. Flaherty was never shy of pointing out to his critics. Mr. Oliver, who became finance minister last year, has said little in response to these outside suggestions, maintaining the oversight of the market as it was when his predecessor left. But the latest IMF report — and new cuts in prime lending rates, this time led by the Royal Bank of Canada following a cut in the Bank of Canada’s rate in January, the first in four-and-a-half years — has thrown the issue into the lap of the current finance minister. Mr. Oliver’s reaction on Tuesday was similar in tone and brevity to previous calls for further intervention. “We will take further action if appropriate,” he said.. “However, we do not see the need for a major change at this time.” But he added: “Our long-term objective is to gradually reduce the government’s involvement in the residential mortgages.”

The contrast in styles is unmistakable.

Mr. Flaherty, who died shortly after leaving office, was a lawyer who honed his political style as a cabinet minister in the Ontario government. Mr. Oliver, who was the federal resources minister before moving to finance, comes from an investment banking and regulatory background. “[Mr.] Flaherty spoke to bank CEOs all the time,” a former political staffer said.

Royal Canadian Mint launches contest to design coins

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s your Canada defined by Mounties, maple leaves and hockey pucks? Or are toques, guitars and eating donuts your personal symbols of our country? Calling all Canadians with an artistic flare and a sense of national pride: The Royal Canadian Mint’s My Canada, My Inspiration contest is seeking five designs for our toonie, loonie, quarter, dime and nickel coins to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.Our dollar coin—which we all know as the loonie—has always been a canvas for Canadian artists saluting our heritage and character. Wildlife artist, Robert-Ralph Carmichael, created the first loonie design in 1986 when paper dollars were phased out. Since then the coin has featured images of Terry Fox, the National War Memorial, the Peacekeeping Monument and the Parliament Buildings. As well, the Mint produced a ‘lucky loonie’ for the 2010 Van-

couver Olympics. The Royal Canadian Mint has a history of celebrating Canadian art on our coins. Famed painter Alex Colville designed the wildlife images for our centennial coins in 1967. The Mint has also been actively promoting the culture of our nation and the artwork of young Canadians through various projects and contests.

My Canada, My Inspiration My Canada, My Inspiration is a celebration of Canada’s culture, heroes and natural beauty. The contest will choose winning designs from the themes of Our Wonders, Our Character, Our Achievements and Our Passions. One theme, Our Future, is specifically open to children under 12.

The Mint is particularly looking for fresh images and ideas from young designers and artists to give us unique and interesting visions of Canada.

BUSINESS / FINANCE

Richmond plans crackdown on vacant homes

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fficials in Richmond could soon have the power to fine owners of vacant or abandoned buildings in the event of a fire or emergency, and even knock down buildings

that are a deemed by the city to be a public safety risk.

According to the city, there are about 30 such homes being watched by civic officials.

Mayor Malcolm Brodie said often the homes fall into disrepair when the owners, who might be investors or developers, wait for the right time to sell or redevelop.

“Most often they’ll cut off the services — no heat, no electricity, no running water, that kind of thing, and so the house just sits,” said Brodie.

The vacant homes then become safety risks, because of squatting, vandalism or other factors, and if police or fire crews are called out to deal with an incident, it can cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.

Brodie said that’s why the city wants to beef up bylaws by expanding the definition of a vacant property and giving city staff the power to charge owners of vacant properties if firefighters, police or city workers have to deal with an emergency, and to demolish the building if it’s deemed a public safety risk.

Brodie said dealing with abandoned homes is not just about saving money.

“The safety issues, the unsightly issues are, to my mind, far more important,” he said.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could get some more people into those homes, get them to be used for a useful purpose, even if it’s just for six months or a year? That’s still more than you had before, and it gets someone off the street and into some kind of an establishment.”

Fire Chief John McGowan said despite the proposed changes, the number of vacant homes in Richmond has actually gone down in recent years.

“In 2013, we had about 130 properties.

Since then, it’s dropped down to about 30, which is a tremendous decrease,” said McGowan.

Yuan exchange hub to give Canada an edge

Competition Bureau seeks customer rebates

ith Canada’s own Chinese currency trading hub scheduled for launch next month, Canadian companies should get ready to take advantage of the direct exchange system, a banker involved in setting up the system says. William Zhu, who works for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, warned Tuesday the Asian country is speeding up the process of liberalizing its financial system — which means Canadians may only have three or four years to fully benefit from the competitive edge the hub will provide. “(There’s) quite a limited time window for us to implement it because China is liberalizing capital accounts,” Zhu, president of the bank’s Canadian subsidiary, told House of Commons finance committee. “After the (full) liberalization of capital accounting, you have no competitive advantage as a renminbi offshore centre in North America.”

The offshore, virtual hub will become the first renminbi — or yuan — trading centre in the Americas.

Save on exchange costs It will allow faster, more-secure conversion into China’s currency and will help Canadian companies save on exchange costs. Currently, Canadian exporters are forced to use the U.S. dollar to do business in China. The deal to establish a trading centre in Canada was announced last fall during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to China. Zhu, whose bank was appointed Canada’s renminbi carrying bank in November, told the hearing a launch ceremony for the trading centre’s clearing function is scheduled for March 23.

Canadian retailers who sell goods produced in China are currently forced to add between five and eight per cent to their prices to cover currency-transaction costs, BMO Capital Markets’ head of foreign exchange products told the committee.

“Taken together over the course of a year, this adds billions of dollars to the prices of imported goods,” C.J. Gavsie said.

The hub’s success, however, still faces challenges.

Extra fees add 35% to final price of an advertised rental, consumer watchdog alleges

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anada’s Competition Bureau says it is looking into what it calls “deceptive marketing practices” at car rental companies Avis and Budget. The bureau says they advertise prices for vehicle rentals that are much lower than the actual final price once all the other fees are included.

The bureau says it is seeking $30 million in administrative penalties from Avis, Budget, and their parent company, Avis Budget Group Inc., for the alleged false or misleading advertising. “The bureau’s investigation found that Avis and Budget advertise prices for vehicle rentals and other associated products that are not attainable due to additional fees imposed during the rental process,” the bureau said in a release. “Furthermore, these fees are characterized as taxes, surcharges and fees that governments and agencies require Avis and Budget to collect from consumers. In fact, Avis and Budget impose these charges to recoup part of their own cost of doing business.

As a result, consumers end up paying higher prices or receiving lower discounts than advertised.” Those fees increase the ultimate cost of the rental by as much as 35 per cent, and the companies have taken in $35 million from such surcharges in the past six years, the consumer watchdog says.Consumer rebates are possible if the bureau’s application with the Competition Tribunal proves successful.

Anti-spam implications The bureau also says this case will be the first time it is challenging companies using new weapons at its disposal, as recent changes to the Competition Act include anti-spam legislation enacted last summer — and both Avis and Budget “used electronic messages to disseminate the alleged false or misleading representations,” the bureau says. In a statement to CBC News, Avis said “it has always adhered to core values of commitment, responsibility and integrity, and our marketing and advertising efforts are therefore intended to at all times demonstrate transparency and honesty, including the manner in which we present rates and services.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

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PUNJAB

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Free-for-all brawl at MC chief’s election in Faridkot

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meeting convened to conduct elections to various posts in the local municipal committee had to be postponed indefinitely amid ruckus created by two rival Akali factions hereon Thursday.

The elected councillors came under attack from the supporters of one of the Akali groups who wanted their man elected as the president.

The supporters broke the barricades put up around the building where the meeting was held, barged into the hall, overturned tables, threw chairs at their opponents and broke the furniture. The police presence did not prove any deterrent for the supporters.

In the 25-member House, the SAD had won eight seats while four each went to the BJP and the Congress. The rest nine were won by Independents.

The elections to the posts of president and vice-president had to be postponed two days ago as well. Then too the councillors had re-

mained divided over the choice of candidates.

Faridkot MLA Deep Malhotra claimed having the support of 15 members, three each of the SAD and BJP and the nine Independents, to get his aide elected as the president. But the proposal was opposed by the rival Akali faction.

Malhotra’s rivals accused him of kidnapping the BJP members to elicit their support for his candidate. The MLA denied the charge. “The proceedings were disrupted after some leaders in Faridkot saw that their candidate could not win,” said the MLA. While Malhotra accused the police of not acting against those who disrupted the meeting, SSP Charanjit Singh claimed the situation was controlled without the use of any force.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Tayyab and VK Sayal, presiding officer-cum-SDM, Faridkot, said the meeting had to be postponed due to the unruly scenes.

BJP decides to delay its ‘divorce’ from SAD

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head of the Budget session tomorrow, the state BJP has decided to give some breathing space to its alliance partner, the SAD. Also, it wants to put up a united show in the Assembly. While the BJP has opted for a wait and watch policy on the issue of Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia’s alleged links with drugs smugglers, Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi is adamant on not attending the session. He is demanding action against those responsible for the murderous attack on his brother Rajesh Joshi during campaigning for the civic elections in

Tarn Taran. Joshi said he would not attend the House session. “The main accused have been bailed out. The police have prepared a weak case against them. The Chief Minister had assured our party leader that justice would be done. The CM must keep his word,” Joshi said. The BJP state president, Kamal Sharma, said the party would wait for the Enforcement Directorate’s final report on the drug issue and act accordingly. Sharma called a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party here tomorrow to discuss the party strategy on issues likely to come up in the Assembly.

Punjab set to lose 400 MBBS seats

Three men arrested for gang rape in Ludhiana

olleges in the region are set to lose 400 MBBS seats this year. The Medical Council of India (MCI) has recommended to the Central Government not to renew permission to four medical colleges in Punjab and Chandigarh for admitting new MBBS students during the forthcoming academic session (2015-16).

Citing deficiencies at Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital, Gurdaspur, and the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Jalandhar, the MCI has recommended against renewing the permission for taking admissions for 150 MBBS seats each in these colleges. On the basis of assessors’ report, the MCI, during a meeting on January 13, 2015, observed that both these colleges did not meet the requirements as per the minimum standard regulation.

The MCI has also recommended to the Central Government not to allow increased intake of 50 MBBS students each at Government Medical College, Patiala, and Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh. The MCI said both these government colleges also did not fulfil various requirements for allowing them extra intake of students.

There is, however, a little cheer for minority students. The MCI has approved the increased intake of 50 students at Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, for this year. The intake capacity of this college has now gone up from 100 to 150 MBBS students.

While the Chandigarh medical college was planning to increase its intake from 50 to 100 students, the Patiala College was to increase its intake from 150 to 200 MBBS students.

he Ludhiana police today arrested the third accused, Monu, for the gang rape of a hotel employee in the wee hours of Sunday, even as the victim left the city along with her relatives.

The sordid incident had occurred on the intervening night of March 7 and 8 when the victim was returning home from her friend’s place in Rajguru Nagar. At 1.30 am, she was abducted by Badal, Sunny and Monu and was raped in a car. She was later dumped at the intersection of Rajguru Nagar.

Badal was arrested on March 9. Yesterday, the residents of the area beat up Sunny, when he tried to escape during the police raid at his house in Ambedkar Nagar.

Monu, who was nabbed from Pehalwana da Akhara on Dhandra Road, was beaten black and blue by the residents before being handed over to the police. He had been on the run and was hiding in Gill village and its surroundings, said the police.

Monu (21), who works as an electrician, is not facing any criminal case. He was involved in petty theft.

His parents, who are from Safidon in Jind, had moved to the city nearly two decades ago and were doing odd jobs to eke out a living. Monu has reportedly confessed to the police that Badal was the first one to rape the victim, followed by Sunny and him. Sunny, who was arrested yesterday, was presented in court and sent to judicial remand. He is facing six criminal cases.

Meanwhile, the victim —who works as a house-keeping staff in a local five-star hotel on Ferozepur road —identified the accused before leaving the city.

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, March 14, 2015

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It’s all-out war within AAP

he ongoing crisis within the Aam Aadmi Party deepened today with a party former MLA accusing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of attempting horse trading to form the government in the national capital last year.

Soon after the controversy broke, senior leader from Maharashtra Anjali Damani quit AAP saying she had joined the party for “principles and not for horse trading�.

A section of Delhi MLAs (Kejriwal loyalists) further sought the ouster of father-son duo Prashant and Shanti Bhushan besides Yogendra Yadav for their “anti-party� stance.

Yadav and Bhushan, in a joint letter to party volunteers, claimed that after the Lok Sabha debacle in 2014, Arvind proposed that the party should seek the support of the Congress to form government in Delhi, but they opposed the move leading to a rift.

Earlier in the day, Rajesh Garg, a former MLA from Rohini, claimed Kejriwal encouraged horse trading and told party leaders to poach six Congress legislators to secure a majority in the Delhi Assembly last year.

An audio tape of purported conversation between Kejriwal and the former legislator surfaced in which the AAP leader was heard talking about splitting the Congress before the dissolution of the Assembly. Garg denied releasing the clip, but said: “It (audio) is completely authentic. I gave this recording to Kumar Vishwas (AAP leader) and I am surprised how this CD reached the media.�

AAP leaders, however, refuted the contents of the clip, saying it was “doctored�. “We will see all facts. The party will look into it,� said Delhi minister Gopal Rai.

E-mail: hbagill@gmail.com

Bangladesh PM escapes bomb blast

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HAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina last weekend had a narrow escape when several bombs exploded in a busy commercial area here minutes after her convoy passed through it.

Several crude bombs exploded in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar only 10 minutes after Hasina’s convoy passed the area. Hasina was on her way to address a rally organised by the ruling Awami League in the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan, to mark the anniversary of the historic public address by the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971.

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One police official received minor injuries in the blasts. “But the official, ASI Mahbub, is fine and is still on duty,� bdnews24 online quoted a police official as saying.

The blasts occurred amid an ongoing transport blockade and a shutdown across Bangladesh, enforced by the Opposition BNP and its allies.

Bomb blasts and arson attacks have become frequent in Bangladesh during the blockade that started on January 5 and shutdowns that the 20-Party alliance led

by BNP has been enforcing since the beginning of February.

INDIA

Manmohan Singh summoned in coal scandal

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court in India has summoned former PM Manmohan Singh over a corruption scandal involving coal mining licences.

Singh and five others have been accused of criminal conspiracy and ordered to appear in court on 8 April.

In 2012, federal auditors said India had lost $33bn because coalfield rights were sold off cheaply.

Singh, whose government ran India for a decade until last year, said that he was “open for legal scrutiny” and that the “truth will prevail”.

“I will be able to establish my total innocence. Of course I am upset, but this is part of life,” Singh told reporters.

Last September, India’s Supreme Court cancelled almost all the more than 200 coal mining licences awarded by the government since 1993, saying they were illegal.

The cancellation has implications for most of India’s main political parties which governed the country between 1993 and 2010, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is currently in power.

Singh’s Congress party was in charge when most licences were allocated.

Known as one of India’s cleanest politicians, the former prime minister has not been charged with any crime but is being investigated for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and corruption-related offences.

Wednesday’s court summons relates to the allocation of a coal mining licence to Hindalco Industries in Orissa in 2005, at a time when he was prime minister and also held the coal ministry portfolio.

Singh was questioned about the licence by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in January. Also summoned are Hindalco Industries Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary PC Parakh.

The summons came after a special court rejected the CBI’s finding that there was no prosecutable evidence against Mr Singh or the other accused.

Hindalco declined to comment on Wednesday’s court order. A spokesman for Mr Singh’s Congress party said “we conducted ourselves with utmost probity and transparency, and the legal process will vindicate us”.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

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Sonia leads solidarity march windmobile.ca

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he chief of India’s main opposition Congress party Sonia Gandhi has led a march to show solidarity with the former PM Manmohan Singh.

The march comes a day after a court summoned Singh over a corruption scandal involving coal mining licences.

An upset Singh said on Wednesday that he was “open for legal scrutiny” and that the “truth will prevail”.

Ms Gandhi said the party was “fully behind r Singh” and that she had no doubt that he would be vindicated.

Singh and five others have been accused of criminal conspiracy and ordered to appear in court on 8 April.

In 2012, federal auditors said India had lost $33bn because coalfield rights were sold off cheaply.

On Thursday morning, Ms Gandhi led a march of some 100 senior party members from the Congress party office to Singh’s residence in the capital, Delhi.

“Mr Singh is known in India and throughout the world as being a person of integrity and probity. We are here to offer our unstinted support and solidarity,” she told reporters.

“The Congress party is fully behind him. We shall fight this legally with all the means at our command and we are sure he will be vindicated.”

Offers are valid as of February 2015 and are subject to change or cancellation without notice. All unlimited plan features in Canada are from anywhere on our network, otherwise long distance and roaming rates apply. $39 promotional plan cannot be combined with the Bring/Buy Your Own Phone offer. For eligible devices, the $39 plan may be activated in conjunction with WINDtab. All services subject to WIND’s Terms of Service, Fair Usage Policy and Internet Traffic Management Policy and are for personal use by an individual. Applicable taxes extra. Additional terms and conditions apply. Learn more at WINDmobile.ca. © 2015 Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a trademark of Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. and/or its related entities, used with permission. Screen images simulated. WIND, WIND MOBILE and TRUE MOBILE FREEDOM are trademarks of Wind Telecommunicazioni S.p.A and are used under license in Canada by WIND Mobile Corp. © 2015 WIND Mobile.

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

NRI / USA

Bengaluru techie waylaid, killed in Sydney

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ENGALURU: A 41-year-old Bengaluru woman was stabbed to death in Sydney, Australia even as she was talking to her husband here on phone on Saturday night. “Please don’t hurt me. Take whatever you want. But please spare me,” Prabha Arun Kumar, IT consultant with Mindtree, was heard telling her attacker over phone.

Arun Kumar helplessly listened as his wife pleaded with her killer.

Seconds earlier, Prabha told Arun that there was a ‘huge person around her’. “Then he couldn’t talk to her but could only hear her screams: ‘please don’t hurt me, take whatever you want, please don’t hurt me’. She then told my uncle in Kannada that she has been stabbed and the call got disconnected,” Prabha’s nephew told the TOI. The woman was walking through Parramatta Park, hardly 300 meters away from her Westmead home, when the killer accosted her.

“Police are investigating after a woman was fatally injured in Westmead overnight. About 9.30pm (Saturday 7 March 2015), emergency

services were called to a public walkway near Amos Street, following reports that a woman had been attacked. Police from Parramatta Local Area Command located a woman — believed to be aged in her early 40s - suffering a serious wound. She was treated at the scene

by NSW Ambulance Paramedics before being taken to Westmead Hospital, where she later died,” read an official statement from New South Wales police department. The statement also added that State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad is assisting Parramatta detectives.

Prabha had gone to Sydney on project with Mindtree three years ago and was due to return to home on April this year. Around 9.30pm Sydney time (4pm IST), Prabha called her husband, as usual, said nephew Thrijesh Jayachandra. Prabha, a BE (Computer Science) graduate from Sullia, Dakshina Kannad a district, worked as a senior technical analyst, sources said. She married G Arun Kumar, who owns a software firm in the city, 11 years ago.

Indians biggest buyers of Dubai real estate

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UBAI: Indians were the largest investors in the promising Dubai real estate market in terms of the number of buyers and transactions made in 2014 followed by Emiratis, Saudis and Kuwaitis, according to a new report. The report by Omega Real Estate, a real-estate company owned by ‘The H Holding Enterprise’ said the Dubai real estate market looks promising and stable, driven by renewed confidence among investors. At the The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) level, Emira-

tis topped the list, followed by Saudis and Kuwaitis. At the pan-Arab level, Jordanians, Egyptians and Lebanese were the major buyers, the report said.

Basing its assumption on a recent report of Dubai Land Department (DLD), Omega confirmed that property prices in Dubai have continued their recovery, albeit at a slower pace. “This was a remarkably successful year for Dubai property market.

Investments were more diverse than ever with new areas coming on the radar.

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Indian-origin man jailed in UK

ONDON: A 38-year-old drunk Indian-origin man, who pestered a schoolgirl on a New Delhi-London flight, has been jailed for four months and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the next seven years by a court here.

Manjit Singh Sidhu, from the city of Leicester, pawed the 14-year-old and told her he wanted to have sex with her, while she was flying home with classmates and schoolteachers from an educational trip on April 18 last year. The man also engaged the teen in conversation about Bangkok’s infamous red-light district, prostitutes, transsexuals and drugs during the Jet Airways flight from New Delhi to Heathrow, Leicester Mercury reported. “The man turned his head around and asked me where I had been and said he

was interested in travelling, and made references to Bangkok’s red-light district, prostitutes, transsexuals, drugs and sex,” the girl, who was sitting behind the man on the plane, said in her statement.

She said she did not want to continue the conversation and put on headphones to watch a film. But she was interrupted later by Sidhu, who came stumbling down the aisle and perched himself on the armrest next to her. “He tried to stroke my head and brushed my hair away and stroked my face and neck with his hand three or four times,” she said.

“I felt insecure and unable to say anything.”

Prosecutor Rory Keane told Isleworth Crown Court: “He was persistent in drinking on the plane and the cabin crew attempted to prevent him having any more.

Hindu prayer opens Idaho state senate session

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EW YORK: For the first time the offensive in any way.” He added: “It refers to opening prayer for the Idaho state ‘deity supreme’.” senate was said on Tuesday by a Hindu cleric amid protests by some senators who claimed the United States was a Christian nation and denounced Hinduism, local media reported.

Universal Society of Hinduism President Rajan Zed, who said the prayer in Sanskrit and English, made a call for the legislators to “act selflessly without any thought of personal profit” because “self- Rajan Zed ish action imprisons the world”.

He was invited by Senate President ProSenator Steve Vick, who walked out of the Tem Brent Hill to be a guest chaplain and de- Senate chamber before Zed’s invocation said liver the invocation which is usually made by that Hindu prayers should not be allowed bea Christian chaplain at the start of the day’s cause the US was “built on the Judeo-Christian not only religion but work ethic, and legislative session in Boise.

According to The Idaho Statesman, when I don’t want to see that undermined”, the protests were made before the session, Hill Statesman reported. Hindus “have a caste said: “I reviewed the prayer. It did not seem system,” he added. “They worship cows.”

FIJI

Opposition leader rejects PM’s Fiji flag invite

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ly the Fijian flag, hoist it in your homes, display it in your compounds or wherever possible and tell the world, Fiji does not need a new national flag.

That is the message to the nation from Opposition Leader Ro Teimumu Kepa as she rejected Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s invitation to have two Opposition members sit on the flag committee to oversee the design of the new national identity. In an interview yesterday, Ro Teimumu said there was no need for Opposition nominees and no need for a separate flag committee chaired by assistant Youth and Sports Minister Iliesa Delana.

“Right now, we have a petition on the flag referred by the Parliament to the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human

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Rights. The committee will soon go through the petition and call on for submissions from the people,” she said.

Ro Teimumu questioned the use of establishing a new flag committee when a democratic parliamentary select committee would have gone through the flag petition and heard the views of the Fijian people.

“The change of a national flag is an important matter and everyone have their opinion and their voices need to be heard. “The changes should be made according to the will of the people and not only by a few people.”

She said having Opposition nominees and a committee was a waste of money as the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights would go through it.

Mass brawl erupts in Suva

teps have been taken by the Fiji Police Force to investigate the trading hours of a hotel along Waimanu Rd in Suva if they are in breach.

This was after the police force received a report of an early morning brawl outside the hotel yesterday.

Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said straight after the police received a report , Acting Chief Operations officer Assistant Commissioner of Police Biu Matavou went down to the Central Police Station to look into the issue.

Naisoro said according to Matavou the fight was allegedly started by a group of boys who were coming down to the town area along Waimanu Rd area where some drunken people were coming out of the hotel.

She said she did not have the actual number of the people involved because Matavou was saying something different from what was reported. “The steps he has taken was to investigate the trading and operating licences of the hotel and bar just to see if there is breach,” Naisoro said.

“This is something that has happened before; there were concerns raised on this particular stretch of road and nightclub.”

She said police had been told to beef up patrol around the area because when the issue was raised earlier, police officers had been given the directive by the Police Commissioner to beef up patrol.

Meanwhile, there have been no arrests made or charges laid pending continuing investigations.

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Tropical Cyclone Pam threatens Fiji

evere Tropical Cyclone Pam is intensifying and is expected to develop into a category 5 system in the next 18 hours.

Fiji Meteorological Service principal scientific officer Misaele Funaki said a heavy rain warning was in force for the whole of the country.

“Pam was located about 1000 kilometres northwest of Nadi at 8am,” he said.

“It is expected to lie about 850km west northwest of Nadi at 8am tomorrow and 800km west of Nadi on Saturday.”

Funaki said heavy rainfall could cause flooding in low-lying areas.

A strong wind warning has also been issued for the whole of Fiji.

People should expect average wind speeds of 45 to 55 kilometres per hour with gusts up to 80km/h.

The national weather office has described associated rainbands it will bring as a “monster” system because it will affect the whole country.

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Fiji Meteorological Service acting director Aminiasi Tuidraki said Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam had dumped about 495mm of rain on the Santa Cruz Islands over a 24-hour period and this was indicative of how much rain Fiji could expect.

“Even though severe Tropical Cyclone Pam is more than 1000km to the northwest of us, we are already feeling the effects,” Tuidraki said.

“Some parts of the northern Lau Group and Vanua Levu have already registered about 100mm of rain in the past 24 hours and that’s an indication of what this system can deliver, and this is why we have issued a heavy rain warning for the whole country.

“People need to take into consideration that in 2012, it only took continuous rain for six hours to cause widespread flooding and people really need to be prepared and take the necessary steps so they are not caught offguard.”

Gov’t talks a ‘sham’, claims union

he Fiji Trades Union Congress has labelled recent talks organised by the Government for a proposed review of the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree as a “sham”.

FTUC general secretary Felix Anthony questioned why trade unions and the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation were not invited to the consultations which were hosted by the Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and Employment Minister Jioje Konrote earlier this week.

“This is just a show, prior to Government meeting with the International Labour Organisation’s governing body in Geneva,” he said. “The ILO and its governing body has already made very clear that a number of decrees have to be repealed and this includes the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree and Administration of Justice Decree, among others. The A-G knows this because the recommendation from the ILO and its governing body are with Government.”

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PAKISTAN

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Pakistan tried to strike a deal with Osama

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ASHINGTON: President Obama on Wednesday nominated career diplomat David Hale as the US ambassador to Pakistan amid continuous misgivings about the country’s commitment to fight terrorism, fueled by new disclosures that Islamabad tried to strike a deal with al Qaida and Osama bin Laden even as Washington was trying to hunt him down.

Revelations in the Long War Journal, based on files recovered by US forces from Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbotabad, which were presented as evidence in a terrorism trial in New York, show the Pakistani intelligence establishment reaching out in 2010 to al Qaida through its jihadist proxies to cut a deal in which terrorists will spare Pakistan of attacks in exchange for immunity in Waziristan and other areas they are present in. One of Pakistani intelligence’s emissaries was Fazlur Rehman

Khalil, the longtime leader of Harakat ul Mujahedin (HUM, who was used to send al Qaida a letter. ‘’We received a messenger from them bringing us a letter from the Intelligence leaders including Shuja’ Shah, and others,’’ a bin Laden aide writes to the “Sheikh” as he calls bin Laden. ‘’They said they wanted to talk to us, to al Qaida. We gave them the same message, nothing more.’’

Shuja Shah is believed to refer to Ahmed Shuja Pasha, a former ISI chief who was received in Washington around the same time in the belief that he and the Pakistani intelligence establishment were fighting al Qaida.

Despite copious accounts of Pakistani perfidy and terrorism sponsorship that US officials often talk about in private, successive US administrations routinely issue certifications about Pakistan’s fight against terrorism for public consumption.

Hindu shrines in Pakistan to get facelift

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MRITSAR: For the first time after Partition, Pakistan government has given much needed attention to Hindu religious places after Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) began cleaning the Amrit Kund at Katasraj temples dating back to 6th century, besides construction of 50-room sarai at the sacred Hindu pilgrimage centre.

ETPB has also assured to give its full cooperation to the proposal of earmarking 25 to 50 acres of land at Nankana Sahib and at Kartarpur as ‘sacred forest’. ETPB chairman Siddqiq-ul-Farooq informed that ETPB had begun cleaning of the Amrit Kund to make its water potable so that Hindu pilgrims could take back the Amrit from Katasraj.

Farooq said a foundation stone had been laid for the construction of 50 rooms sarai at

Katasrj where hundreds of Hindu pilgrims visits every year.

Situated about 6 kilometers from Choa Saiden Shah in Chakwal district of Pakistan Katasraj Temple clusters, largely dedicated to Lord Shiva, have been existing there since ages. The myth is that Pandavas had spent substantial time of their exile at this place.

ETPB chairman said they were doing service at shrines without any discrimination.

“My slogan is ‘faith and dominions are personal but humanity is common and universal.’” ETPB member Ayesha Hamid informed that besides other amenities required for pilgrims, ETPB would also construct a meditation chamber. “The whole area is being renovated as goodwill gesture from Pakistan to the Hindu community of India” said Ayesha.

Religious parties offer blood money

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SLAMABAD: Pakistani religious parties representing the Barelvi school of thought have offered blood money to the family of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer to pardon his killer Mumtaz Qadri.

Qadri, a former police commando, shot Taseer dead with his official gun in Islamabad in 2011 for criticising Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law.

The blood money was offered after Islamabad high court on Monday rejected his appeal against conviction by a lower court and upheld his death penalty.

Yesterday, leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and the Pakistan Sunni

Alliance offered the blood money.

“We are ready to pay much more Khoonbaha (blood money) to the family of Salman Taseer (for Qadri’s release),” said Shabbir Abu Talib of the JUP. He cited the case of CIA contractor Raymond Davis who was freed after paying blood money to families of two men he killed in Lahore in 2011.

According to Islamic jurisprudence, a killer can be pardoned by the legal heirs of the victim with or without taking blood money.

Qadri is considered a hero by some extremist groups for killing the governor who had branded the blasphemy law as a ‘black law’

Gov’t lifts ban on hanging for all death-row convicts

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SLAMABAD: Pakistan has lifted its moratorium on the death penalty in all capital cases, officials said on Tuesday, after restarting executions for terrorism offences in the wake of a Taliban school massacre.

The interior ministry has directed provincial governments to proceed with hangings for prisoners who have exhausted all avenues of appeal and clemency, a senior official said.

Another government official confirmed the news. Pakistan has hanged 24 convicts since resuming executions in December after Taliban militants gunned down more than 150 people at a school in the restive northwest.

The partial lifting of the moratorium only applied to those convicted of terrorism offences, but officials said it has now been extended.

“The interior ministry has directed the provincial home departments to expedite the executions of all condemned prisoners whose mercy petitions have been rejected by

the president,” the interior ministry official said. He said there are around 1,000 condemned prisoners around the country whose appeals and clemency petitions have failed.

The home secretary of southwestern Baluchistan province, Akbar Hussain Durrani, confirmed that the government had issued instructions to resume executions. “We have received a letter from federal government asking to expedite all death penalty cases for executions whose mercy petitions have been rejected,” Durrani said.

Until December’s resumption, Pakistan had not witnessed a civilian hanging since 2008. Only one person — a soldier convicted by a court martial — was executed in that time in November 2012. Rights group Amnesty International estimates that Pakistan has more than 8,000 prisoners on death row, most of whom have exhausted the appeals process.

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General Motors announces $5B stock buyback plan

eneral Motors announced a $5 billion US stock buyback as part of a plan to return more cash to investors. In return, an activist shareholder decided to drop a poten-

er plans to maintain a cash balance of $20 billion and aims to keep its investment-grade credit rating.

The share repurchase will begin immedi-

Saturday, March 14, 2015

i 33

2015 MERCEDES MAYBACH S600

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tially divisive bid for a seat on the company’s board.

The moves, announced Monday, are part of a deal with Harry Wilson, a former member of the government task force that restructured GM coming out of its 2009 bankruptcy.

Wilson, who represents four hedge funds which own about two per cent of the company, had previously accused GM of hoarding cash to the detriment of shareholders and had sought an $8 billion buyback and a board seat.

But on Monday he said he was impressed at how quickly GM’s management responded, adding that the company agreed to just about everything the funds wanted.

“We basically said thank you,” Wilson said.

GM builds balance to outlast another crisis GM had $25.2 billion in cash at the end of last year, part of what it called a “fortress balance sheet” designed to withstand another financial crisis. Going forward the automak-

ately and finish before the end of 2016. Investors liked the announcement. GM shares rose 97 cents, or 2.7 per cent, to $37.51 in midday trading Monday.

Talks with Wilson’s group had been going on for about two weeks, GM CEO Mary Barra said Monday. She said other major shareholders agreed with the buyback.

She indicated that the buyback might have come without Wilson’s prodding. “We were on a path to do this anyway,” Barra said Monday.

Boost for dividend GM recently announced plans to boost its quarterly dividend by 20 per cent to 36 cents.

Combined, the dividend increase and the buyback will cost GM $10 billion by the end of 2016.

Chief Financial Officer Chuck Stevens said a $20 billion cash reserve is enough for GM to withstand any potential economic downturn, as well as the costs of an ignition switch recall.

he history of prestige vehicles made by Daimler extends back to the earliest days of the motor car. They have now commenced a new chapter with the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. As an addition to the portfolio of S-Class saloons, the Maybach S-Class sets new standards in the luxury segment. It has twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 under the hood producing 523 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque.New S-Class already defines the height of automotive engineering in a host of technical disciplines such as safety, efficiency, climate control and noise characteristics. The Mercedes-Maybach S600 is to

b e available in the spring of 2015. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but expect it to start somewhere around the $230,000 mark. That’s hugely expensive, but compared to the previous entrants in the series, it’s actually something of a bargain.

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he value and quality of the confidence-inspiring SuperLow model is unparalleled in its class. With a true Harley rumble, steel parts, premium paint and flawless chrome, this model reveals its authentic American motorcycle roots in every inch of detail. Born from the legendary Ironhead engines, the Evolution engine broke new ground in displacement innovation while maintaining the hunger for power, durability and proven reliability that Harley was built on. The 4.5-gallon teardrop fuel tank offers

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It’s tough, iconic and it leaves a good amount of room to show off more V-Twin. $ 10,189

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ON MOST NEW 2015 FORD VEHICLES

SEARCH OUR INVENTORY AT BCFORD.CA AND VISIT YOUR BC FORD STORE. Vehicle(s) may be shown with optional equipment. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Limited time offers. Offers only valid at participating dealers. Retail offers may be cancelled or changed at any time without notice. See your Ford Dealer for complete details or call the Ford Customer Relationship Centre at 1-800-565-3673. For factory orders, a customer may either take advantage of eligible raincheckable Ford retail customer promotional incentives/offers available at the time of vehicle factory order or time of vehicle delivery, but not both or combinations thereof. Retail offers not combinable with any CPA/GPC or Daily Rental incentives, the Commercial Upfit Program or the Commercial Fleet Incentive Program (CFIP).‡‡Until April 30, 2015, receive $500/$750/ $1,000/ $1,250/ $1,500/ $2,000/$2,250/ $2,500/ $2,750/ $3,500/ $4,500/ $6,000/ $7,000/ $9,500/ $11,000/ $11,250/ $12,250 in Manufacturer Rebate (Delivery Allowances) with the purchase or lease of a new 2015 Fusion Models (excluding HEV/PHEV)/2015 Explorer/ 2014 Focus S (Automatic), 2015 Taurus (excluding

Available in most new SE), Expedition, Transit Connect/2015 C-MAX/ 2014 Focus Sedan (Excluding S), Focus BEV, Focus ST/ 2015 E-Series Cutaway, Transit Van/Wagon, Transit Cutaway/Chassis Cab, F-350 to F-550 Chassis Cabs / 2014 Focus Hatch (excluding S, ST, BEV)/ 2014 Focus (S Manual)/ 2014 Edge, F-150 Regular Cab XL 4X2 (Value Leader)/ 2015 F-150 Regular Cab (Excluding XL 4x2)/ 2015 F-150 Super Cab and Super Crew/ 2014 Flex/ 2015 F-250 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Gas Engine/ 2015 F-250 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Diesel Engine/ 2014 F-150 Ford vehicles with 6-month SuperCrew/ 2014 Regular Cab (excluding XL 4X2)/ 2014 F-150 SuperCab -- all stripped chassis, cutaway body, F-150 Raptor and Medium Truck models excluded. Manufacturer Rebate is not combinable with CPA, GPC, CFIP, Daily Rental Allowance and A/X/Z/D/F-Plan programs. Delivery allowances are not combinable with any fleet consumer incentives. †Until March 31, 2015, receive 0% APR purchase financing on new 2015 Edge models for up to 36 months, and 2015 Flex, Escape, Mustang (excluding Shelby GT350 and 50th Anniversary Edition), pre-paid subscription

and 2014 Edge models for up to 60 months, and 2015 Focus, Fiesta, Fusion, and Taurus models and 2014 Focus BEV models for up to 72 months, and 2014 Focus (Excluding BEV) models for up to 84 months, to qualified retail customers, on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest interest rate. Example: $25,000 purchase financed at 0% APR for 36/60/72/84 months, monthly payment is $694.44/$416.66/$347.22/$297.62, cost of borrowing is $0 or APR of 0% and total to be repaid is $25,000.

Down payment on purchase financing offers may be required based on approved credit from Ford Credit.**Until April 30, 2015, lease a new 2015 Focus SE 4DR Automatic /2015 Escape SE FWD with 2.5L engine/2015 F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4x4 3.5L with 300A Engine and get as low as 0%/0%/0% lease annual percentage rate (APR) financing for up to 48/48/24 months on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest APR payment. Lease a vehicle with a value of $22,114/$27,939/$43,749 at 0%/0%/0% APR for up to 48/48/24 months with $1,195/$1,195/$2,275 down or equivalent trade in, monthly payment is $214/$280/$349(Comparison payments are for reference purposes only and are calculated as follows: the monthly payment is annualized (multiplied by 12) and then divided by the comparison period (26 weeks for bi-weekly). For example ($214 X 12) / 26 bi-weekly periods = $99.)/($280 X 12) / 26 bi-weekly periods = $129.)/($349 X 12) / 26 bi-weekly periods = $161.) total lease obligation is $11,467/$14,635/$10,651 and optional buyout is $9,067/$11,734/$23,624. Offer includes $0/$0/$4,500 in manufacturer rebates, $800/$750/$1,500 Ford Credit Lease Cash, and $1,665/$1,750/$1,800 freight and air tax but exclude variable charges of license, fuel fill charge, insurance, dealer PDI (if applicable), registration, PPSA, administration fees and charges, any environmental charges or fees, and all applicable taxes. Taxes payable on full amount of lease financing price after Ford Credit Lease Cash and manufacturer rebate deducted . Additional payments required for PPSA, registration, security deposit, NSF fees (where applicable), excess wear and tear, and late fees. Some conditions and mileage restrictions of 64,000km/64,000km/40,000km for 48/48/24 months apply. Excess kilometrage charges are 12¢per km for Fiesta, Focus, C-Max, Fusion and Escape; 16¢per km for E-Series, Mustang, Taurus, Taurus-X, Edge, Flex, Explorer, F-Series, MKS, MKX, MKZ, MKT and Transit Connect; 20¢per km for Expedition and Navigator, plus applicable taxes. Excess kilometrage charges subject to change, see your local dealer for details. All prices are based on Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price.*Until April 30,2015, purchase a new 2015 Focus SE 4DR Automatic/2015 Escape SE FWD with 2.5L engine /2015 Escape Titanium/2015 F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4x4 3.5L with 300A Engine/2015 F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4x4 3.5L with chrome package for $21,344/$27,139/$33,749/$35,754/$41,699 after manufacturer rebates of $0/$0/$0/$4,500/$4,500 is deducted. Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price after total manufacturer rebate has been deducted. Offers include $1,665/$1,750/$1,750/$1,800/$1,800 freight and air tax but exclude variable charges of license, fuel fill charge, insurance, dealer PDI (if applicable), registration, PPSA, administration fees and charges, any environmental charges or fees, and all applicable taxes. Manufacturer Rebates are not combinable with any fleet consumer incentives.^When properly equipped. Max. towing of 12,200 lbs with 3.5L EcoBoost V6 4x2 Max. payloads of 3,300 lbs/3,270 lbs with 5.0L Ti-VCT V8/3.5L V6 EcoBoost 4x2 engines. Class is Full-Size Pickups under 8,500 lbs GVWR vs. 2014 competitors.‡F-Series is the best-selling pickup truck in Canada for 49 years in a row based on Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association statistical sales report up to 2014 year end.^^Class is Full-Size Pickups under 8,500 lbs. GVWR. ▲ Offer only valid from March 3, 2015 to April 30, 2015 (the “Offer Period”) to resident Canadians with an eligible Costco membership on or before February 28, 2015. Receive $1,000 towards the purchase or lease of a new 2015 Ford (excluding Fiesta, Focus, C-MAX, GT350, GT500, F-150 Raptor, 50th Anniversary Edition Mustang, and Medium Truck) model (each an “Eligible Vehicle”). Eligible Vehicles of 2014 model year may qualify for the offer depending on available inventory– see dealer for details. Limit one (1) offer per each Eligible Vehicle purchase or lease, up to a maximum of two (2) separate Eligible Vehicle sales per Costco Membership Number. Offer is transferable to persons domiciled with an eligible Costco member. Applicable taxes calculated before CAD$1,000 offer is deducted. ®: Registered trademark of Price Costco International, Inc. used under license. ©2015 Sirius Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, the SiriusXM logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of SiriusXM Radio Inc. and are used under licence.©2015 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

PRODUCTION:

Saturday, March 14, 2015

i 35

Everything’s awesome including the price #ourlittlesecret

The Samsung Galaxy S4 offers awesome features

› 5” Adapt Screen with full HD Display

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Subject to change without notice. *With new activation on a 2-year Tab24 agreement on a Smart plan. A device savings recovery fee applies in accordance with your service agreement. If, for any reason, you downgrade to a lower tier plan category during your term, then you will be charged a one-time price plan downgrade fee as set out in your service agreement. TM Fido and related names & logos are trademarks used under licence. © 2015 Fido Solutions

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Saturday, March 14, 2015