Asian Star - December 10, 2016

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December 10, 2016

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Vol 15 - Issue 45

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Metro Vancouver residents still waiting for snowstorm Metro Vancouver residents heaved a being sigh of relief Friday morning after the much anticipated “winter snow storm” failed to materialize either on Thursday evening or Friday morning. But the residents did feel a biting cold temperature in the region.

However, no snow either Thursday night and only a little bit of snow fluttering son Friday

morning - causing no problems.

Environment Canada had

Metro Vancouver smashes record for new housing starts The pace of construction of new housing in Metro Vancouver in 2016 has already smashed a record, with even more starts expected before the end of the year.

Metro Vancouver builders began construction of 2,651 housing units in November, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported on

India to print plastic currency

Thursday, bringing the 2016 total to 25,760. That is projected to hit 27,495 by the end of the year.

And 2016 will be the first year in the past five in which housing starts have kept up with the growth in new households — families moving here or being set up here by young people.

Continued on Page 7...

India is now a “key” defence partner of USA The US Congress has cleared the decks for India to become a “major defence partner”, with the Senate passing the 2017 National Defence

earlier

issued a snowfall warning for Metro Vancouver, with 10 to 20 centimetres of snow expected, and as much as 25 cm at higher elevations. By Friday, Environment Canada had changed its prediction to between five and 10 centimetres for the Lower Mainland and between 10 and 15 centimetres for southern Vancouver Island.

Continued on Page 7...

Authorisation Act (NDAA) – the US$ 618 billion American defence budget for 2017 – by 92 to 7 votes.

NDAA 2017, which asks the defence secretary and the secretary of state to take steps necessary to recognise India as America’s major defence partner in a bid to strengthen bilateral security cooperation, was passed earlier by the US House of Representatives by 37534 votes and now heads to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign it into law.

Continued on Page 6...

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The government on Friday informed Parliament that a decision has been taken to print plastic currency notes and procurement of material has started.

“It has been decided to print banknotes based on plastic or polymer substrate. The process of procurement has been initiated,” minister of state for finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply in Lok Sabha to a query whether RBI proposes to print plastic currency notes in place of paper ones.

The Reserve Bank for long has been planning to launch plastic currency note after field trials.

Continued on Page 6...

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EDITORIAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Vancouver to burden taxpayers with tax increase to fight drug crises

By Umendra Singh

It would be extremely unfair for Vancouver City Council to increase property taxes in its fight against drug-overdoze.

The proposed tax, added at the last minute to 2017 budget recommendations that already include a property-tax increase of 3.4 per cent, would generate an additional $3.5-million to go toward resources such as a new community policing centre, additional front-line staff and a new medic unit for the Downtown Eastside fire hall. It adds to a proposed tax increase that was already more than what the city’s own research indicates residents are willing to pay.

The money will include up to $1.8-million for a Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services medic unit, staffed 24 hours a day; up to $130,000 for mental-health support for frontline workers; and approximately $250,000 to fund a street-cleaning program in which people with barriers to employment collect discarded needles.

For a median single-family home assessed at $1.4-million, a 3.4-per-cent property-tax increase – which was being proposed before

Wednesday’s addition – would mean $72 more over 2016.

Council will vote on the budget next Tuesday.

Councillor Melissa De Genova questioned why the recommendation is to increase the property tax by 0.5 per cent rather than looking within the budget.

“We have buzz words: ‘Innovation funds,’ ‘economic commissions,’” she said. “If we are in such a crisis and we’re not asking the province to step up … why aren’t we looking within our budget instead of putting that burden on the taxpayer?”

The city is proposing residents pay more to cope with the fentanyl crisis at a time when a sizable tax increase could be difficult to sell.

The city’s own research shows that only a small minority of residents would be willing to pay an extra three per cent in property taxes, while others are bracing for larger increases due to rapidly increasing property values.

Councilor De Genova is right. Why should the Vancouver taxpayers be responsible for paying for these resources?

It should be drug abusers and drug dealers

who should be forced to pay for these resources. Vancouver City Council should put up a more effective anti-drug campaign and it should join the provincial government in going after the assets of the drug dealers to pay for these resources.

Vancouver property owners, who are neither drug dealers nor drug abusers, are being forced to pay for something they are not responsible.

NEWS

Rona Ambrose calls on Trudeau to ‘park’ electoral reform The interim leader of the Conservative Party has two simple words for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to electoral reform: park it.

"He's made an absolute mess of this file. It's so chaotic, disorganized, and now we have a situation with this website. It's been mocked.

It's a joke," Rona Ambrose told.

"I actually think they need to park this. They need to park it and set this issue aside and start to focus on other issues like job creation and the fact that we have high unemployment."

The website she was referring to is the mydemocracy.ca survey set up by the government to ask Canadians about their values, preferences and priorities for a political system.

Since launching Monday, the survey has been criticized for potentially invading people's privacy and its methodology.

"I've seen Cosmopolitan quizzes that were better designed than MyDemocracy's attempt at segmentation," public opinion poll firm Insight West's Mario Canseco tweeted.

Previously the Conservative Party had demanded a referendum before the government made any changes to the voting system, something the majority report from the all-party committee studying electoral reform echoed.

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 Parminder Dhillon..........778-859-9234 Layout: Avee J Waseer Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed Contributing writers: Jag Dhatt, Akash Sablok, Kamila Singh, Jay Bains Photographer: Chandra Bodalia Publication Mail Agreement No 428336012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept.

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India is now a “key” defence partner of USA Continued from Page 3...

“I applaud the inclusion of forward-leaning provisions designed to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation with India, including expanded military-to-military engagement, increased defence trade, and greater cooperation on technological development,” Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, said in a statement after the Senate passed the bill yesterday.

“As the world’s largest democracy and one with which US strategic interests increasingly align, India is an important partner in promoting economic growth and global security,” said Warner, who will serve as Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the 115th Congress. Titled ‘Enhancing defense and security cooperation with India,’ Section 1292 of the NDAA asks the defence secretary and the secretary of state to take steps necessary to recognise India.

It also asks the administration to designate an individual within the executive branch who has experience in defense acquisition and technology to reinforce and ensure,

through interagency policy coordination, the success of the Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship; security cooperation, and co-production and co-development opportunities.

The act calls for approval and facilitation of transfer of advanced technology, consistent with US conventional arms transfer policy, to support combined military planning with India’s military for missions such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter piracy, freedom of navigation, and maritime domain awareness missions, and to promote weapons systems interoperability.

Calling to strengthen the effectiveness of the US-India Defense Trade and Technology Initiative and the durability of the Department of Defense’s ‘India Rapid Reaction Cell’, NDAA 2017 also seeks collaboration with India to develop mechanisms to verify the security of defense articles, defense services and related technology such as appropriate cyber security and end use monitoring arrangements consistent with US’ export control laws and policy.

India to print plastic currency

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Replying to another question, Meghwal said it was informed by RBI in December 2015 that they have received some banknotes of Rs 1,000 without having security thread which were printed at Currency Note Press (CNP), Nashik, on paper supplied by Security Paper Mill (SPM), Hoshangabad.

An enquiry has been initiated by Security Printing and Minting Corporation (SPMCIL) and the units involved (SPM and CNP).

“Major penalty chargesheet has been

issued to the personnel concerned.

Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated as per departmental rules,” the minister said. Meghwal further said action has been taken to strengthen quality procedure and online inspection system in manufacturing process and special training has been given to the persons concerned to avoid such types of mistakes in future.

“Additional inspections have been introduced to ensure defect-free production,” he said.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Metro Vancouver residents still waiting for snowstorm Continued from Page 3...

“We’re expecting a little less than originally anticipated because last night’s snow didn’t materialize until this morning,” Matt MacDonald, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said on Friday.

Lower-lying areas were expected to likely begin mixing with rain on Friday afternoon, he added.

“Temperatures are right around freezing, which makes it difficult to forecast,” MacDonald said.

Vancouver Island has so far received the brunt of the weather, with 12 centimetres of snow on the Malahat highway and the Cowichan Valley, and coastal communities experiencing between five and 10 centimetres.

“The snow is expected to become mixed with rain Friday afternoon or evening over low-lying coastal communities,” the warning said. “For communities at higher elevations or inland, precipitation will remain in the form of snow through Friday night.”

The warning added that strong winds combined with the snow will cause reduced visibility, especially in the Fraser Valley.

Metro Vancouver smashes record for new housing starts Continued from Page 3...

While CHMC expects home construction will ease in 2017, it still expects a busy year, as continuing growth in households spurs relatively high levels of new construction, despite a slowing of the real estate market.

“Sometimes we have starts that are higher than household formations, then next year it will reverse,” said Robyn Adamache, CMHC’s principal market analyst for the region. “It’s kind of volatile that way, but I think it’s safe to say we are certainly not overbuilding.”

Figures for formation of households haven’t been reported for 2016. But Adamache said CMHC estimates that, in the past five years, there were 158,100 new families in Metro, but only 152,000 new homes built, a shortfall of 5,000 (This figure doesn’t count new homes built to replace ones that were demolished).

CMHC forecasts that Metro Vancouver housing starts will ease to between 21,500 and 23,500 in 2017 and to between 20,000 and 22,000 in 2018. Adamache said the strength of B.C.’s job market supports housing starts remaining at relatively high levels.

In the first half of 2016, housing starts were partly driven by a lack of supply in Metro Vancouver’s frenzied resale housing market, Adamache said.

LOCAL

7

LOCAL

8

Saturday, December 10, 2016

No more Tims for man who says mouse found in cup A man who says he pulled a dead mouse from a cup of Tim Hortons coffee is asking for an apology from the restaurant chain.

Jim Elliott says he bought two take-out coffees two weeks ago from the outlet in Stewiacke, N.S., and later placed one of the unopened cups in his refrigerator so he could drink it later.

Elliott says he reheated the cup in his

microwave the next afternoon, and when he opened the plastic flap to take a sip, he felt something touch his lips.

Jim Elliott claims he found a dead mouse in his coffee from Tim Hortons.

He says he thought a tea bag had been mistakenly added to his order, but when he pulled the lid off and stuck a fork in the brew, the body of a small, soaked mouse appeared.

Elliott says he almost threw up, and immediately took the coffee back to the franchise, where he says the assistant manager told him the manager wouldn’t be in until after the weekend.

Reached today, the manager referred all inquiries to Tim Hortons head office in Toronto, which has yet to respond to an emailed request for comment.

Property-tax increase proposed to fight drug crisis Vancouver is mulling a 0.5-per-cent property-tax increase to help fund its fight against the drug-overdose crisis in the city.

The proposed tax, added at the last minute to 2017 budget recommendations that already include a property-tax increase of 3.4 per cent, would generate an additional $3.5-million to go toward resources such as a new community policing centre, additional front-line staff and a new medic unit for the Downtown Eastside fire hall. It adds to a proposed tax increase that was already more than what the city’s own research indicates residents are willing to pay.

Councillor Geoff Meggs had asked staff last week to explore additional budget options

given the unpredictability of the overdose crisis that has killed more than 622 British Columbians so far this year, including at least 124 in Vancouver.

“A lot of us felt that the problems we had seen start to emerge over the spring, and get much worse over the summer, were continuing to accelerate,” Mr. Meggs said in an interview. “We lock in the budget for 12 months – we have very little flexibility to go back and get extra money – and the contingency reserve is quite small.”

Mayor Gregor Robertson’s recent ridealong with firefighters in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside also helped convince council that more resources are needed on the front lines, Mr. Meggs said.

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Dave Sidoo thanks his dad for his achievements in life

Former UBC and CFL football player Dave Sidoo has been honored with the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame’s W.A.C. Bennett Award.

Sidoo was honoured for his contributions to the sporting communities of B.C. and Canada.

“UBC gave me everything,” he said. “It’s where I met my wife. It’s where I met my best friends, and they’re still my best friends. I came up from nothing and had to work for everything. I owe this school so much.”

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The Vancouver Police Department has appointed Simi Heer as its new director of public affairs.

Heer joined the VPD Monday, after spending more than a decade at BC Hydro.

The VPD said in a release that at Hydro Heer led communications for a variety of issues, ranging from power outages and electricity-rate increases, to promoting conservation programs and highlighting billion-dollar capital projects. One of her career highlights was dealing with the aftermath of the 2015 windstorm — the worst storm in the company’s history.

In 2008, Heer also won an IABC Gold Quill merit award as the editor of B.C. Hydro’s employee magazine.

LOCAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Liberals not willing to touch $1B tax break that mainly benefits rich households The Liberals will not be changing a federal tax break that, according to a recent study, costs Canadians almost $1 billion annually and benefits almost exclusively the richest households.

The tax measure in question is pension income splitting, which allows for a higherearning spouse to shift up to half of their pension income to their spouse. Although the lower-earning person will pay taxes on the transferred funds, the maneuver helps decrease a family’s overall tax burden. “That’s real money,� said the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ David Macdonald, the report’s author. “You could make a serious investment in reducing senior poverty.�

But the Justin Trudeau government isn’t going to touch the tax break, despite its recent, fierce opposition to a similar tax measure — the income splitting introduced by the previous Conservative government. “As a party and a government, we’ve been very clear that income splitting for seniors is not something we’re re-opening,� Daniel Lauzon, communications director for the finance minister, wrote in an email.

Following the 2016 budget, Finance Canada began reviewing the federal tax system as a whole, and specifically tax expenditures. The department is taking advice from a number of academics in an effort to ensure the tax system if fair and efficient, according to the department.

The Liberals were staunchly opposed to the previous government’s income splitting policy, which Trudeau campaigned on cancelling; the 2015 budget eliminated that tax credit. The Liberal platform, however, defended pension splitting for seniors. “Pension income splitting helps thousands of seniors manage their retirement, Canadians should be concerned about this,â€? said Conservative employment, workforce and labour critic GĂŠrard Deltell.

Estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Officer pegged the Conservative tax break at $2.2 billion per year with a potential benefit to about 15 per cent of – or roughly two million – Canadian homes, virtually none of which were low income. The costs of the “tax break for the wealthyâ€? weren’t worth the payoffs, Trudeau said. “The cancellation of family income splitting ‌ was driven by specific studies,â€? Macdonald said. “Had this data been available at the time pension income splitting was introduced, it would have been interesting to see if it changed the narrative.â€?

According to the left-leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, pension income splitting is the most regressive federal tax expenditure – or, as they call it, tax loophole – on the books. It costs $975 million annually and the benefits are concentrated among the very top earners.

9

BC joins SK in opposing parts of national climate plan The push to sign a national climate strategy hit a snag Friday, as British Columbia started to show signs of unease with increasing its provincial carbon tax, and joined forces with Saskatchewan to stymie parts of the agreement, federal and provincial sources have told.

Relations between the Prime Minister’s Office and B.C. Premier Christy Clark have become increasingly tense in the last 48 hours, sources said.

At issue is B.C.’s concern that provinces with a cap-and-trade system, namely Ontario and Quebec, will not be able to reach the price the plan calls for: $50 a tonne by 2022.

There is fear that B.C. will be disadvantaged because its price will be set and will not fluctuate, and are thus demanding a system

of “equivalency.�

A cap-and-trade program is far more complicated than a carbon tax because it relies on a market-based system of carbon credits to ensure big polluters lower their emissions, and there is no guarantee that a province will be able to fetch a certain price for a credit.

B.C. will not sign the deal unless there is a neutral party in place to determine that all provincial systems are equally cutting emissions, sources said.

During the lunch break, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister signaled that some provinces would force the prime minister to talk health care funding this afternoon before they commit to signing a climate deal.

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LOCAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Suspect caught in three west side Vancouver bank robberies Vancouver police are warning of a spike in bank robberies in the city, and on Thursday asked for the public’s help tracking down their latest suspect — whom they believe robbed two different Scotiabank branches in the city’s west side using nothing but a written note.

Mere hours after calling for tips, however, the very man police sought was caught — outside yet another bank robbery, this time at a Bank of Montreal in the same neighbourhood.

Their suspect, according to Vancouver Police Department spokesman Const. Jason Doucette, is 38-year-old Jason Michael Dagenais. He has a “lengthy” criminal record, including previous robberies.

“There’s been a recent increase in the number of bank robberies in the city of Vancouver,” Doucette told reporters attending a police station briefing Thursday. “Our investigators are looking at Mr. Dagenais for

other potential bank robberies.”

Both robberies for which the man is sought occurred last November. The first one, on the morning of Nov. 10, saw a man enter Scotiabank at 2804 Granville St. near 12th Avenue and hand a teller a “hold-up note,” according to a police statement.

Just four days later, the man is believed to have used the same technique to hold up another of the bank’s branches 2798 West Broadway Ave. near McDonald Street. In fact, Doucette added, since last November there wave been a “number of other” bank robberies, and the suspect remains at large.

“We have a very high success rate in catching bank robbers,” Doucette said. “If you rob a bank, you’re going to get caught.”

This VPD spokesman would know: before joining the force’s public affairs team, he was recognized with two commendation awards — both for his role in nabbing bank robbers.

Worst may be over for Alberta’s economy, modest growth predicted The Conference Board of Canada says it expects Alberta to emerge from one of the worst recessions to ever hit the province next year.

However, the independent research organization is forecasting only modest economic recovery in 2017.

The board says Alberta should see real gross domestic product growth of about 2.2 per cent. Part of that growth will be fuelled by rebuilding in the wake of the Fort

McMurray wildfires last May. Marie-Christine Bernard, an associate director with the board, says recent stability in oil prices is forecast to set the pace for a recovery over the next few years.

She says the recent election in the United States also offers hope for getting more Canadian crude to markets.

“It appears that the worst may be over for Alberta, but the road to recovery won’t be easy,” Bernard said Thursday in a release.

Handle the holidays securely with a digital helping hand The holiday season can be a busy time for everyone. Add in the task of creating a new home and this time can be especially demanding for newcomers to Canada.

Settling in comes with a long to-do listand innovative mobile apps and online services available in the market can make the journey a little easier.

To save time at the checkout and go through the shopping list faster, mobile payment apps like RBC Wallet1 let you handle everyday payments by credit or debit through your mobile phone.

Want to see how you’re tracking on your spending? RBC Mobile lets you check your account balance while you’re on the go and easily pay your bills and transfer funds. You can transfer money for free to your friends on the other side of the country via text messages or email. Want to share holiday joy with loved ones back home? You can send money internationally through RBC Online Banking using RBC International Money Transfer anytime for one flat fee.

“Convenience and accessibility are important in running our daily lives, and especially during the holiday season. RBC provides digital tools to make this busy time of year a bit easier, whether it’s sending money electronically or making a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up a last-minute item,” says Ivy Chiu , Senior Director of Multicultural Markets, RBC. Security is just as important as convenience, she adds. Ivy advises newcomers to make sure they follow these five mobile security tips: - Avoid storing sensitive information like passwords on your mobile device - Password-protect your mobile device and lock it when it is not in use - Be aware of your surroundings, and don’t type sensitive information if others around you can see - Monitor your accounts regularly and report suspicious activity immediately - Avoid using public wi-fi for sensitive online entries

Help police identify two robbery suspects Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.solvecrime. ca.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Metro Vancouver homelessness needs regional approach, says Maple Ridge mayor Metro Vancouver is hoping a new regional task force on homelessness will help cities better grapple with the issue.

Many cities in the region have their own task forces on homelessness, but now those efforts are coming together for the first time.

“The task force is actually made up of mayors and senior staff, and so this is an

action-oriented task force,” Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Read, who co-chairs the task force, told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

“Cold temperatures and people sleeping outside, that’s one issue. The overall, ongoing increase in homelessness across Metro Vancouver is something that needs to be looked at … the mayors can work together, put their heads together and come up with some potential strategies.”

The task force will focus on providing

recommendations to the provincial government, Read says, because homelessness is a provincial issue.

She says it’s “sad” that communities have, up until now, been dealing with the issue “in silos” and looking for solutions on their own.

“It’s time that local governments in Metro Vancouver came together as a group and started asking for things with that group strength behind them,” she said.

Read says her own community of Maple Ridge has few options when it comes to handling homelessness. She says there are 70 people in two emergency shelters, but one of those shelters, the Salvation Army, has been embroiled in controversy.

Finding a site for permanent, supportive housing has also proved difficult because of strong community opposition.

“We’re turning away around 10 people a night, and that doesn’t even count the people who are couch surfing,” she said.

The first meeting of the task force will take place Friday morning, and Read says emergency cold weather shelters will be the top priority.

Homeless people concerned about new Surrey Outreach Unit A group of homeless people who live along Whalley’s notorious 135A Street strip isn’t impressed that a new team of 12 police officers and four bylaw officers will be dedicated to the area on a full-time basis.

Mayor Linda Hepner and Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Dwayne McDonald announced the creation of the Surrey Outreach Team earlier this week.

“It’s going to provide 24/7 visible presence of police, bylaws and social services to help those in need, increase the public safety and the protection of property of area businesses and residents and target those who are preying on the vulnerable in the area,” Hepner said.

Wanda Stopa, who has helped organize community rallies in the past, said the city should have done a better job of consulting residents in the area about the team.

“Why wasn’t anybody informing me about this so that somebody could come from the strip and go to this meeting and say that’s not going to do, that’s not going to help?” Stopa said. “This is stupid. I don’t want to have to do another rally just to make a point but I will.

This isn’t right.”

Stopa, who lives in a tent on the strip with

her partner and two dogs, says someone like her should be involved in decisions the city makes about her neighbourhood.

“If you want to talk about people on 135A Street, then you should have somebody from 135A Street involved in this stuff,” she said.

Whalley’s homeless are skeptical about what the team can accomplish but the business community believes the squad can make a difference.

“We applaud the city’s new designated unit,” said Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association CEO Elizabeth Model.

“There will be a significant police presence, they’ll get to know more of the people who are living on the streets and some of their issues.”

Opioid crisis prompts opening of ‘overdose prevention sites’ Two new “overdose prevention sites” on East Hastings Street in Vancouver are already up and running, with more slated to open in Surrey and Victoria in the next weeks.

The surprise announcement was made by B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake Thursday morning.

“This is a crisis we are dealing with,” Lake said, referring to the spike in fentanyl and opioid overdoses and the over 620 illicit drug

deaths in the province so far this year.

The locations of the sites have been identified as overdose hotspots and will offer services similar to the long established safe injection site Insite, but with one main difference.

“The actual injection of the drugs will not be supervised,” said Lake. “People consuming drugs are able to do it inside, particularly in this weather, and trained personnel will monitor and respond if an overdose occurs.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

Fake job, fake education, fake residency:

15 clients of fraudulent immigration scheme deported Fifteen former clients of an imprisoned B.C. immigration consultant have now been deported to China. And the failed appeals by two women who fought to remain in Canada provide a rare glimpse into the illegal tactics used to carry out what has been labelled as the biggest immigration scam in B.C. history.

Immigration Appeal Division transcripts obtained detail lies and deceptions, including one immigrant pretending to attend university in B.C. while actually obtaining an education outside the country.

Another fraudulently claimed to work for a fictitious B.C.-based company while in fact living in China.

The two unrelated women have been stripped of their permanent residency status for lying about their eligibility and will be unable to return to Canada for five years — unless they receive permission from immigration officials to come back sooner.

They were clients of Xun “Sunny” Wang and his now defunct companies New Can Consultants and Wellong International Investments.

The Canada Border Services Agency had previously reported Wang had 1,200 clients.

It now says that number has “increased to over 1,600 as a result of further investigation.”

In updated figures supplied, the CBSA alleges 318 of Wang’s former customers obtained permanent residency under false pretences. And more than 200 others may have lied in order to become Canadian citizens. The CBSA says another 547 ex-clients remain under investigation, while 226 have “lost status through other processes”, including voluntarily giving up their permanent residency or Canadian citizenship.

That brings the total number of people deported or facing possible deportation to more than 1,300.

So far, 44 removal orders have been issued, but some have pending appeals.

Fifteen have been forced to return to China. The case of Min Zhang, 53, shows one way the con operated.

In a decision handed down by the Immigration Appeal Division in Vancouver last month, adjudicator Craig Costantino deconstructed Zhang’s claims.

Zhang gained permanent residency in Canada under the investor class designation in December 2007.

Her husband and her daughter immigrated with her and settled in Burnaby.

Zhang, however, left Canada just six days later and spent almost two years back in China before returning to Canada in 2009, only to leave again, allegedly to care for an ailing grandmother.

Permanent residents are required to spend at least two years out of five living in Canada. In turn, they’re entitled to most Canadian social benefits and health care.

Zhang grew concerned that living in China would breach her Canadian residency obligation, so she went to Wang’s office.

South Asian man from Brampton convicted of sexual assault has ed to Pa isan A Brampton man convicted of sexual assault and possibly facing years in prison has managed to slip out of the country before being sentenced.

Moazzam Tariq, 29, flew to Pakistan from Montreal on Nov.18, a Toronto court heard on Thursday, two weeks before his scheduled sentencing hearing.

In October, Tariq was found guilty of sexually assaulting a Toronto woman who was too drunk to consent to sex. However, Tariq avoided custody that day and walked freely out of Toronto’s Old City Hall courthouse.

He was to remain under his bail conditions until his sentencing on Dec. 1. But Tariq was

a no-show for the hearing and a Canadawide warrant was issued for his arrest. Police were investigating the possibility that Tariq had travelled to Vancouver.

On Thursday, a crown prosecutor informed the court that Tariq has fled to Pakistan.

Tariq surrendered a passport to police after his conviction but the Crown said he used a second Pakistani passport to fly to Pakistan from Montreal on Nov. 18.

Tariq was born in Pakistan and is a permanent resident of Canada.

After his arrest in 2015, Tariq was freed on $10,000 bail posted by his father.

a e anada great again yers ith anti- uslim anti-gay imagery alarm c ill ni ersity community Flyers posted around McGill University featuring anti-Muslim and anti-homosexual imagery, along with a call to “make Canada great again,” are raising concern among students and faculty.

The posters, playing on Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, feature a maple leaf in the background and crossed-out symbols that represent Islam, communism and homosexuality.

The posters include the web addresses of white supremacy sites and are signed, “brought to you by your local deplorables,” a reference to a comment Hillary Clinton made about Trump supporters during the

campaign.

Michelle Li, a fourth-year student and a member of the Queer McGill student group, said her first reaction when she saw a poster was that “somebody is making a very, very distasteful attempt at humour.”

“I think it’s just confirming what we all sort of know in the back of our heads, which is that there are people who don’t agree that I want to live my life like this,” she told.

Andrew Potter, head of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, who tweeted a photo of one of the posters, told Daybreak he believes they are part of a larger shift in the political conversation.

LOCAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Call centre workers speak out about abuse by public Kaoutar Belaaziz says she has been told by customers that her name doesn’t sound white, and that they want to speak to someone who is white.

“I’ve been asked if I am in Canada — if I am Canadian,” said Belaaziz, who has worked at a Montreal call centre for nearly seven years. “You almost feel like a second-class citizen.”

That’s just one example of discrimination that call-centre employees like Belaaziz say they experience, thanks to the anonymity that the phone provides.

In addition, there is sometimes endless swearing, racial slurs, threats of violence or even sexually explicit comments.

That’s why the union representing call centre workers is launching a campaign on Wednesday called Hang Up On Abuse, urging employers and governments to protect workers. Like others in the service or retail industry where the mantra is “the customer is always right,” the Telecommunications Workers Union, now part of United Steelworkers, wants call centre workers to be empowered to cut short calls with abusive or offensive callers.

“I have had a caller asking intelligent questions, but then he kept saying ‘Could you repeat your answers, there are lots of bubbles here,’ ” said Michelle Dey, who has worked at

a call centre for 25 years in Vancouver. “He was in a hot tub pleasuring himself.”

In that particular case, Dey said she put the caller on hold, while she went to talk to a helpful manager, and by the time, she got back on the call, he had hung up.

“I have had co-workers who have been asked what colour panties they are wearing, or the colour of their nail polish,” Dey said. “My co-worker who is black received a caller who said, ‘Thank God, I’m speaking to a white person.’”

These types of abusive or offensive calls are unpredictable. Sometimes there might be more than one in a day, and then none for several weeks, she said.

Neither woman disclosed the name of their employer, saying they were only speaking out to raise awareness of the issue.

Lee Riggs, president of the United Steelworkers National Local 1944, which represents about 10,000 call centre workers, said this campaign is not focusing on any specific company – but rather hoping to bring change altogether.

“This happens in all call centres. Employers need to recognize that this is abuse, and this abuse is harmful to the employees and it should be taken seriously,” he said.

“You need to take this as a serious health and safety issue.”

raser nstitute report highlights benefits o union membership, says BCFED A report released today by the Fraser Institute offers compelling reasons for workers to join unions to improve wages and benefits, says the BC Federation of Labour.

“Whether it is in the private or public sector, the report shows that workers who are union members have better pay and benefits than workers who aren’t union members,” says BCFED President Irene Lanzinger.

“So the study clearly highlights the benefits of union membership and sends a clear message for non-union workers. If you want to gain more respect and have more power to make working life pay better, then join a union.” she says.

“If you would like a paid leave day to deal with a sick child or an aging parent, then join a union because unions have negotiated these benefits,” Lanzinger says.

“If you are a woman worker and tired of being paid less for doing the same work as a male counterpart, then join a union because

we`ve negotiated pay equity to address wage discrimination against women.

“If you are one of BC`s half-million workers earning less than $15 an hour, then join a union to help lift you out of poverty.

“If you want a secure income for your retirement, then join a union to negotiate a pension plan.”

Normally, says Lanzinger, the Fraser Institute—the official think tank for the 1%— can be counted on to try and pull people down rather than lift everyone up. “But in this case we appreciate their help in getting the message out about the benefits of belonging to a union, so that better wages and benefits can happen here.”

In the year ahead, the BC labour movement will be more aggressive on the organizing front to help more workers join unions to help them win better pay and benefits. Information about how workers can join unions can be found at www.bcfed.ca/join.

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illion P o ertime bill proo o ‘exhausted and depressed’ members, retirees say The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has paid its members more than $1 billion of overtime since 2009, according to documents obtained.

Recent retirees from the force say the costs confirm anecdotes that many officers are stressed, overworked and depressed.

“The rank and file — especially the patrol guys and girls — are burnt out,” said Derek Snow, a recently retired RCMP member with 29 years of policing experience.

“You want to do a good job and you want to do extra,” Snow said, who lives in Shediac, N.B. “But there’s only so much anybody can take.”

Between April 2009 and June 2015, the RCMP paid $1.01 billion in overtime, according to documents obtained via access to information requests.

2009: $153,000,000 2010: $170,000,000 2011: $166,000,000 2012: $145,000,000 2013: $170,418,985 2014: $189,806,887 2015: $21,497,546 (Q1 only; April to June) TOTAL: $1,015,723,418 “There’s unlimited overtime,” Snow said.

“You notice a lot of the members would start working overtime. A lot of overtime.

“And then they’d get burnt out.”

He says the money spent on overtime should instead be used to hire more officers.

“You’re putting members’ health at risk because they’re always being called to supplement for shifts that are not staffed properly,” McKee said, who is based in Moncton.

“If you’ve got exhausted members trying to protect and serve, you’ve got an issue with them being alert and effective,” he said.

“And the public is at risk as well.”

“Over 90 per cent of regular members received EDP [extra duty pay] compensation during the fiscal year 2014/15,” said a report on RCMP worklife balance completed in May 2016.

“Relief units are not available to all small units in all divisions,” the report says.

“As a result, demands on members at these units increase significantly.”

The report also confirms a sentiment shared by many members — a presumed duty to work long hours when the need arises, such as when a shift is short-staffed because someone is absent.

While overtime is voluntary, “some members may feel obligated to work overtime” in order to provide support for colleagues on shift, the report says.

Snow recounts the time when he first realized the extent of his stress.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

ancou er eyes property tax hi e to fight o erdose crisis Vancouver city council is considering charging homeowners an extra 0.5 per cent in property tax to pay for more resources to combat the fentanyl overdose crisis.

According to a report from city staff, the tax would raise about $3.5 million next year for the city’s contingency fund, which is needed to give staff more flexibility to respond to the public health emergency.

While the report says it is unclear if the fentanyl crisis has peaked or if it will worsen, the skyrocketing number of overdoses has already increased workload and stress for first responders.

“It is unprecedented,” said Coun. Geoff Meggs. “It wasn’t something we discussed at all a year ago, and now we’re losing someone every day.”

The report proposes a new medical unit for the Downtown Eastside, a new community policing centre in Strathcona and additional shelter space.

“The estimated cost of adding, for example, a single medic truck with three firefighters

on it would be about $1.8 to $1.9 million — that would take almost half of the additional amount we’re proposing to put aside,” said Meggs.

The report also recommends additional training and mental health support for frontline workers, as well as more staff to help with overdose management at shelters and outreach centres.

NPA councillor George Affleck is critical of the tax, saying it’s too much to ask of homeowners — especially in light of other tax increases outlined in next year’s proposed budget for services like water and sewage.

“Now we’ve had a last minute addition of point 0.5 per cent tax increase,” he said. “So now the tax payers of the city will be seeing an increase in the [range] of 5.1 per cent.”

Affleck says the provincial and federal government should fund the fight against fentanyl overdoses, instead of putting the burden on the city’s homeowners.

Kwantlen instructor highlights dangers of domestic abuse If you’re being hurt by someone you love at home, will you tell someone?

The number of people who report domestic violence could be as low as seven per cent, according to Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) nursing instructor Dr. Balbir Gurm.

Gurm, along with the BC Coroners Service Death Review Panel, released a report last week looking into 100 intimate partner-involved deaths in the province between 2010 and 2015.

The panel, comprised of representatives from health, education, policing, justice, corrections, public safety and advocacy groups, found that 13,000 people seek help to stop domestic abuse each year in B.C.; 18,000 women and children access transition and safe houses to escape

violence; and 232 women are admitted to hospital for severe injuries.

With most victims being female (78 per cent) between the ages of 20 and 59, almost two-thirds of cases had a previous history of violence, although fewer that one-third had reported that violence to police. Eighty per cent of victims were killed in their own homes.

“One of the elements of intimate partner violence that was revealed in our research is that very few victims of intimate partner violence disclose it, and those who do, are met with family, friends, and even field professionals who don’t understand the risks associated with (that type of) violence, or don’t know what to say and do to help the victim,” said Gurm.

Parents ound dead by children a ter apparent drug overdose A couple found dead by their four children in a southwest Calgary home apparently died of a drug overdose — in what a veteran police officer describes as one of the most tragic incidents he has ever witnessed.

Their bodies were found on Sunday, police say. The couple had four children, ranging in age from four to 14.

The man and woman, both in their 30s, died of an apparent drug overdose, said Staff Sgt. Mark Hatchette.

“We have a couple of victims who by all indications were drug users ... there’s no indication of any foul play,” he said.

“Which would suggest, potentially, they were using drugs that they didn’t know what the drugs contained.”

Hatchette said evidence suggests the pair were users but not traffickers.

“It’s a really sad case, you have four children who woke up one morning and discovered they no longer have parents,” said Peter Choate, an assistant professor of social work at Mount Royal University. ‘’These parents didn’t intend to abandon their children so let’s be clear that this was a tragic circumstance with people trying to cope with something

in their lives that they were having trouble managing otherwise.”

Choate said there should be more support for people who use drugs in order for them to cope with their problems.

Police said the children are safe, but would not say where they are.

The type of drug involved will not be known for months until toxicology reports are

available, officials said.

The deaths came just a day before the province announced that carfentanil — a toxic opioid that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl — is now linked to 15 deaths in Alberta.

Fourteen of the deaths occurred between September and the end of November.

West Vancouver doctor asks patients for money to help him retire comfortably A West Vancouver doctor who wrote a letter asking patients for regular payments to support him during retirement is facing scrutiny from the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The two-page goodbye letter from general practitioner Dr. Myron MacDonald announces that he will be retiring this month after 48 years in practice, time that he describes as “a pleasure, not a chore.” He ends the letter

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with a plea for help, explaining that he didn’t make much money during his career and has limited savings and no pension.

“This is because I ran a lowvolume practice and spent time with each of you. Ironically most of my patients followed my advice and got better, which further reduced my income.

Doesn’t that take the cake!” the letter reads. “I fully understand that most of you do not have an extra $1,000 lying around, but any amount will be of help to me. Going forward, perhaps $20-$30 a month on your credit card would work for you.”

MacDonald also mentions that he asked his patients five years ago to pay a $200 annual fee to cover uninsured services like bone-density exams and advice by phone, but the practice has still become a financial burden. He billed just under $164,000 last year and similar amounts in the previous two years, according to the provincial Medical Services Commission.

Enclosed with the letter is a form where patients can authorize their credit cards to give monthly, quarterly, yearly or onetime contributions to help the doctor make ends meet. Patients contacted the College of Physicians and Surgeons about the letter last week, and the college took “immediate definitive action,” according to spokeswoman Susan Prins.

“Any physician who requests money from patients to support him/her in retirement would be contravening a foundational principle contained in the Canadian Medical Association Code of Ethics, which every physician is required to abide by: Do not exploit patients for personal advantage,” Prins wrote in an email.

She said she expects the college to resolve the matter within the next few days. There will be no formal investigation or discipline if MacDonald takes steps to make things right.

LOCAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

ancou er firefighters say o erdose calls draining resources The union representing Vancouver firefighters says more resources are needed downtown to keep up with the increased number of calls stemming from the fentanyl overdose crisis.

Last month firefighters responded to a record 1255 incidents in the Downtown Eastside, according to Robert Weeks, the president of IAFF Local 18, the union representing Vancouver Firefighters.

That’s double what it was during the same period last year, he notes.

“To give you some perspective, that puts us at the busiest fire hall in Canada by a long shot,” said Weeks.

That number includes responding to fires and medical incidents, but the increase is mostly due to the spike in overdoses, he said.

to bear the brunt o ood price in ation in

“The firefighters in that fire hall — the men and women — are really over-taxed. They’re not able to complete even their basic tasks.”

As the crisis shows no sign of slowing down, firefighters are calling on the city to help out with more resources at the Main Street fire hall.

“We are on the frontline of this public health emergency and need additional firefighters on the street to help save lives.”

Weeks also has concerns that all of the overdose calls are leaving other parts of the city at risk, as resources are shifted to respond to medical calls.

“The recent decisions to take fire trucks from the Granville-Fairview and Sunrise communities to temporarily up staff the Downtown Eastside is putting the public at risk.”

“Parts of the city are being left without the fire-fighting coverage they are paying for,” he said. Weeks notes the city still has 1,500 fires a year on average, even though the number has been declining for nearly a decade.

“At the bare minimum we’re asking for another apparatus to be stationed out of that fire hall to help alleviate the call volume for the other two fire trucks.”

Pro ince in estigating damage rom Port ann Alex Fraser bridge ice bombs The provincial government says it does not have any concrete answers for why its contractors were not able to prevent snow and slush from damaging vehicles crossing both the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridge on Monday. So far, ICBC says it received 40 calls from drivers who say their cars were damaged by falling ice and snow while driving over the two bridges.

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“We are not happy at all that vehicles were damaged by falling snow and ice. Driver and traveller safety is our top priority,” said Transportation Minister Todd Stone. “We are committed to working with TI Corp. and our contractors to make sure the bridge remains safe to cross all the time.”

Stone said the Ministry of Transportation is still investigating.

The triple threat of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, a struggling Canadian dollar and a new OPEC production deal will make food more expensive in 2017, especially for B.C.’s lower income shoppers.

The average Canadian family is expected to pay about $420 more for food next year and British Columbians will see an even greater increase, according to Canada’s Food Price Report 2017.

“The economy is doing well and people have money to spend, so we are expecting the food inflation rate in B.C. to be higher than average,” said coauthor Sylvain Charlebois.

Lower-income shoppers who rely on grocery stores for their food basics will feel the increase most keenly, particularly for fresh vegetables and relatively inexpensive meats such as pork.

Affluent British Columbians are Canada’s most enthusiastic consumers of specialty, local and organic foods, which command premium prices but are relatively wellinsulated from market-driven volatility.

B.C. imports about 67 per cent of its fresh fruits and vegetables from the United States and that makes us vulnerable to the vagaries of global markets.

The prospect of a Trump presidency has the U.S. economy heating up, placing renewed pressure on an already low Canadian dollar and eroding Canadians’ ability to buy imported foods, said Charlebois.

Prices are predicted to increase for vegetables (four to six per cent), fruits and nuts (three to five per cent) and meat excluding poultry (four to six per cent), according to the report published annually

by Dalhousie University.

“When it comes to fruits, nut and vegetables, it all comes down to a weak dollar,” Charlebois said. “We expect to see prices start rising in the second quarter of 2017.”

Soaring commodity prices suggest that the

predicted increase in the price of meat will be led by pork.

“Hog futures are way up right now, so that is going to affect meat prices, generally,” he said.

While beef futures suggest short-term

price stability, red meat prices have already risen more than any food category since 2002, according to Statistics Canada figures.

Prices for supply-managed commodities such as dairy and eggs — which are produced almost entirely in Canada for the domestic market — will rise by less than two per cent.

Recent production cuts negotiated by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil-producing nations are likely to push the price of oil up considerably, which affects the price of food at every point on the value chain, said Charlebois.

The cost of producing fertilizer, running fuel-hungry farm equipment, food processing and transportation all rise with the price of fossil fuels, said Charlebois.

Canadian shoppers experienced mild food deflation late in 2016, according to Statistics Canada. But after the price of Californiagrown vegetables shot up last spring, they were destined to fall closer to normal by year’s end and that’s just what happened.

“When the $8 cauliflower crisis hit, grocers were stuck with a lot of produce no one would buy,” said Charlebois. “Not long after, you saw $1 cauliflower as they tried to unload it.”

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

South Asian neurosurgeon charged with murder of his wife The last time Mike Sullivan saw his friends Elana Fric-Shamji and Mohammed Shamji for dinner, the Toronto couple — both respected physicians — filled the room with laughter and finished each other’s sentences.

It was their typical loving, supportive persona, both in life and online.

Just last week, Shamji, a 40-year-old Toronto neurosurgeon, tweeted support for his wife’s work with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).

And in 2014, he posted about his 11 years of “married bliss” to 40-year-old Fric-Shamji, a family doctor in the city’s Scarborough neighbourhood and mother to the couple’s three children.

“She is the moon of my life,” he wrote, quoting the fantasy TV series Game of Thrones.

“And you are my Sun and Stars,” FricShamji tweeted back.

But the couple’s public persona is at odds with a tragedy that’s shaken Ontario’s medical community.

On Thursday, Fric-Shamji’s body was found in a suitcase near an underpass in Vaughan, Ont. She died from strangulation and blunt-force trauma.

Her husband is charged with first-degree murder in her death and remains in custody following a Saturday court appearance.

“A special person is murdered, three kids will never be the same, two families are devastated and a world-renowned [neurosurgeon] who did very specialized work in the area of neuropathic/chronic pain is also lost to thousands of future patients,” Sullivan said.

“How could this all happen?”

‘Looking forward to a new beginning’ Friends, colleagues and patients are now struggling to comprehend the circumstances surrounding Fric-Shamji’s death.

Colleagues say she was a vibrant, dedicated family physician at the Scarborough Hospital who juggled roles as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and a member of the health policy committee at the OMA. She was “adored by patients” and was an avid runner who tried to be the “perfect wife and mother,” Toronto physician Dr. Allyson Koffman said.

Fric-Shamji met her future husband during her medical school days at the University of Ottawa while he was there for a neurosurgery residency, said Sullivan, who has known Shamji since Grade 6 and called him “incredibly smart” and a “terrific guy.”

Shamji’s career as a neurosurgeon brought him accolades and television appearances.

lberta s Premier says pipeline ill boost Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline has significant economic benefits for B.C. Notley was in Vancouver Tuesday to convince British Columbians to support the controversial pipeline expansion project, which received federal approval last week.

She told the project strikes a strong balance between environmental and economic concerns. “We’re taking steps to be a responsible, sustainable energy producer. We should be able to sell that product and take the benefits of that to reinvest in the diversification and greening of the economy in Canada that

s

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we need,” she said. The pipeline would provide a $1 billion bump to B.C.’s GDP without increasing greenhouse gas emissions, she said, pointing out Alberta recently introduced legislation to cap emissions. Notley said oil and gas already account for 20 per cent of Canada’s exports and she said the biggest and most profitable market lies overseas, not south of the border where most of Canada’s oil exports currently end up. “In 2012, we had 44,000 people who lived in B.C., who paid taxes in B.C. who actually earned their incomes in Alberta, most of which we believe was in the oil and gas sector.”

uspicious fire at empty house in urrey raises questions An empty house in Surrey that was reportedly being prepared for demolition was heavily damaged by fire Monday morning.

The house, on the 10900-block 144th Street, had homeless people staying inside last week and was also full of old furniture and refuse, according to a witness.

Investigators were unable as of Monday afternoon to enter the house and search for a cause of the fire. One thing they were worried about was the house washing away into Bon Accord Creek after much of the backyard had been swept into the creek by Monday.

A call to the Surrey Fire Service was not returned on Monday, but snow reportedly hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze, which appeared out by Monday afternoon.

The fire follows a spate of suspicious emptyhouse fires in Vancouver this fall. At least 28 such fires at homes waiting to be demolished have happened.

That number is more than four times the number of suspicious empty-house fires that usually occur in a year, Vancouver fire chief John McKearney said two weeks ago.

He also speculated that some of the fires may have been set accidentally by squatters

or homeless people, or that perhaps some were set for insurance or to avoid new city rules that require careful deconstruction and recycling of materials at a house to be

demolished.

One man was arrested after being seen fleeing a burning empty home in Point Grey on Nov. 20. Jonathan Lewis Duroucher, 38, was charged the next day with arson causing property damage.

Police were looking into his background to see if he might be tied to other suspicious fires in Vancouver.

The man’s provincial court records showed Durocher has appeared in court at least two dozens times since 2014 in Vancouver, Richmond and North Vancouver.

BC chief apologizes, resigns from missing women portfolio after posting naked legs and emoji photo The B.C. regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations has resigned as head of the assembly’s missing and murdered women portfolio after posting a picture with sexual undertones on social media.

Shane Gottfriedson has told a special meeting of chiefs that the post — a picture of his bare legs with an emoji in his groin area — was not his finest moment.

Gottfriedson says he spoke to AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde

directly about the matter.

Bellegarde hugged Gottfriedson after he

apologized to the meeting.

Gottfriedson told APTN National News that he deleted the photo on Monday after a reporter asked him to comment on it.

“I think if you follow me on social media, I take a lot of pictures, I have taken a lot of pictures like that in the past and I think that is the first time I put the googly-eyes and the lips there,” Gottfriedson told APTN. “It was inappropriate. I apologize if it offended people. I was wrong…. it was a mistake and I apologize for that…. It’ll never happen again.”

Bernadette Marshall, vice-president of the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Organization told APTN that she was disgusted by the social media post. “(The photo) is sick. That is degrading to women. That is insulting,” she said.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) told APTN that it was “disturbed” by the photo.

The organization has yet to indicate who will replace Gottfriedson in the portfolio.

Hearings are expected to begin early next year to examine the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

18 i Saturday, March 26, 2016

DREAM CARPET

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LOCAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Safe injection sites picked for Surrey Fraser Health is moving to create two safe drug consumption sites in Surrey, in response to the growing overdose crisis.

And the city is giving the plan an early nod – with conditions.

Surrey Coun.

Bruce Hayne said the city would consider such sites as long as they were part of a suite of other support services, and provided they operate as a twoyear pilot program.

If approved, one safe consumption site would be located on “The Strip” in Whalley on 135A Street near 106 Avenue, and one would be situated at Quibble Creek Sobering Centre on 94A Avenue, across from Surrey Memorial Hospital near 138 Street.

“Surrey, along with the rest of the province, has experienced a tragic spike in overdose fatalities, and supervised consumption services could help reduce the number of people dying,” said B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake. “We have strong evidence from Insite (in Vancouver) that supervised consumption services reduce the transmission of disease, reduce fatal overdoses and help connect people to health care services. The province continues to push the federal government to reform the unnecessarily onerous application process, which creates significant barriers and delays in establishing these needed health services.”

Both Surrey sites would be adjacent to existing health care providers, with the Quibble Creek Sobering Centre having

medical treatment available and the 135A Street site being beside Health Solutions, an outpatient clinic for AIDS patients.

“We know that embedding supervised consumption with other health care services will help us better engage with at-risk populations and provide a more comprehensive approach to managing their health care needs,” said Fraser Health Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Victoria Lee. “By implementing supervised consumption services and increasing access to addictions treatment, we are going to be able to more meaningfully engage in harm reduction and treatment activities.”

Fraser Health will also expand access to opioid substitution treatments such as methadone in the coming months in Maple Ridge at Alouette Addictions Services, and at Abbotsford Community Services.

In addition to Surrey, Abbotsford and Maple Ridge have seen the highest spikes in the number of overdoses occurring. In October, overdoses claimed 63 lives across B.C., the highest monthly death toll since April.

The total deaths reported by the B.C. Coroners Service stands at 622 for the year up to the end of October, up markedly from the 397 deaths in the same 10 months of 2015.

The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl continues to be linked to approximately 60 per cent of the fatalities – 332 cases in all or three times as many as the same period last year.

Burnaby urologist charged with fraud after medicare overbillings Dr. Vu Ngoc Truong, a Burnaby urologist, has been charged with fraud over $5,000 related to allegations of overbilling.

Truong is the first doctor to face criminal prosecution since the B.C. Ministry of Health set up a special investigations unit in 2015 to look into overbilling.

Truong, who performs adult and pediatric surgery at Burnaby General, Royal Columbian and Eagle Ridge hospitals, graduated from the University of B.C. medical school in 2000 and completed his specialty training in 2005. Last year, he was one of a few dozen doctors ordered to repay the government after audits found evidence of improper billings. Truong’s $1 million repayment to the Medical Services Commission was related to overbillings between 2007 and 2012 and included an unspecified amount for audit costs and interest.

The Ministry of Health would not comment on the fraud charge since it is now before the courts. Truong, who will make his first court appearance next month, did not return calls for comment.

Fraser Health spokeswoman Tasleem Juma said the health authority will “follow the lead” of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. regarding Truong’s hospital privileges.

Truong appears to have a clean record with the College, as it has not posted any disciplinary actions against him. College spokeswoman Susan Prins would not confirm if the college had investigated any

doctors last year after the Medical Services Commission audit.

“If there are no concerns about the quality of care being provided to patients, the College leaves the financial investigation to the MSC until it has concluded its process, and if it makes a finding that rises to the level of unprofessional conduct, the College would undertake a further investigation,” Prins said.

“At this point, the College has not been made aware of this criminal matter involving Dr. Truong. However, if a registrant is charged with a criminal offence such as fraud, the College would take this very seriously and would certainly investigate,” she added.

Truong’s gross billings soared from just under $200,000 in 2007 to an average

of $700,000 annually in the years he was audited. In 2013 and 2014, he billed the Medical Services Plan $808,000, but the latest annual report shows billings of $741,000. According to documents filed in the Victoria court registry, Truong allegedly billed incorrectly for hospital visits, office procedures and other services.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

Climbing property assessments trigger warning letters to homeo ners Despite a cooling real estate market, many Vancouver-area property owners will see a “significant increase” in the assessed values of their homes, with increases of 30 to 50 per cent for many single family homes, says B.C. Assessment.

The valuations, which are used to determine 2017 property taxes, were taken July 1 — before the province announced its foreign buyers tax and sales began to slow.

In a preview of 2017 property assessments, BC Assessment said the 30 to 50 per cent increase over the previous July 1 will be typical for single-family homes in Vancouver, the North Shore, Squamish, Burnaby, the TriCities, Richmond, and Surrey.

Increases on residential strata properties,

such as condominiums, will be in the 15 to 30 per cent range, according to B.C. Assessment.

“That is the market value of those homes as of July 1 of 2016,” said Jason Grant, assessor for the Greater Vancouver region.

In Greater Victoria, homeowners are also being told to expect significant increases with single-family homes in Victoria, Saanich, Sidney and Oak Bay rising 10 to 40 per cent and strata residential increases of five to 25 per cent. In the Central Okanagan, increases of five to 20 per cent will be typical for singlefamily homes in Kelowna, West Kelowa, Westbank and Lake Country, with strata residential increases of five to 30 per cent.

Assessments will be available on the B.C. Assessment website for all properties on Jan. 3, 2017.

Homeowners will be wondering what such sharp increases, for the second year in a row, will do to their property taxes — but Grant notes what matters is how your property fares relative to others in your property class and local taxing jurisdiction.

So, a house in Vancouver would be compared to other residential-class properties, including condos, in the city, said Grant.

lberta premier ails to get pipeline project Alberta’s NDP premier has failed to persuade B.C.’s NDP leader to support Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Premier Rachel Notley and B.C. Opposition leader John Horgan met in Vancouver Monday evening for dinner to discuss the pipeline, which Notley has argued will bring much-needed jobs and economic development, but which Horgan has vowed to oppose because it represents an unacceptable environmental risk.

“She made the case that this was in the best interests of Alberta, and I made the case that I didn’t believe it was in the best interests of British Columbia,” said Horgan.

“We talked about the challenges she faces and I talked to her about the things I want to do in the coming months. We found we

P to bac oil

agreed on nine out of 10 subjects, but we didn’t agree on Kinder Morgan.”

Notley spent two days in B.C. promoting the Trans Mountain expansion, which was approved last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and will triple the flow of oil from Edmonton to Burnaby.

It will also result in seven times the oil tanker traffic off B.C.’s coast.

Horgan said the dinner was just a meeting of two old friends (Notley worked as a staffer for the B.C. NDP governments of the 1990s) that had been caught up in the publicity of Notley’s trip.

“I had no intention of being persuaded, she had no intention of persuading,” said Horgan.

“She made her case, I’d heard it before and understood it, and I told her my views, and she heard them before and understood it.”

19

audi rabia leads P decision to manage to manage global oil supply To understand why Saudi Arabia changed course and decided OPEC should go back to managing supply, look at two of the kingdom’s biggest policy challenges: the urgent need to plug holes in its budget and the plan to sell a stake in the state-owned oil monopoly.

Two years after the world’s biggest exporter backed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ switch to a pump-at-will strategy to defend market share, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister promised to bear the biggest burden in curbing global supply. The market response suggests it may have been the prudent thing to do. By promising to cut production by just 4.7 percent, the country gained an 18 percent jump in oil prices. The pain of prices below $50 had become too much for the Arab world’s largest economy. Saddled with budget deficits, the country cut spending and burned through more than a quarter of its foreign financial reserves in two years. The persistent price slump also threatened the centrepiece of the reforms sketched out by the country’s powerful deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman: privatizing what could become the world’s biggest publicly traded oil company, Saudi Arabian Oil Co. “Even $60 oil isn’t enough to solve all the

country’s fiscal issues,” Apostolos Bantis, a credit analyst at Commerzbank AG in Dubai, said in an interview. “It’s more a question of building confidence in the economy. If crude stabilizes at higher prices, that will give more certainty and provide a stronger basis for the Aramco IPO.” Brent crude has jumped to about $55 a barrel since OPEC’s Nov. 30 decision to cut about 1.2 million barrels a day from its collective output. Saudi officials will meet counterparts from Russia and other independent producers on Dec. 10 to arrange a reduction of 600,000 barrels a day in non-OPEC supply.

“For the Saudis, success would look like oil prices where they are now or a bit higher,” said Robin Mills, chief executive of Dubaibased consultant Qamar Energy. “The best outcome would be fighting shale to a draw and maintaining market share.” The kingdom’s cabinet said Monday that the OPEC accord will stabilize oil markets and lead to greater investment in the industry, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. When OPEC met in November 2014, Saudi Arabia refused to cut output in the face of oversupply, leading Brent crude to collapse from its peak that year of more than $115 a barrel.

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NATIONAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

nti-corruption group calls or more disclosure on owners of Canadian companies, trusts The federal government should require all companies and trusts in the country to

identify their beneficial owners, according to recommendations contained in a new report from the Canadian division of Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organization.

The government should then publish the collected information in a central registry that is accessible to the public in an open data format, TI Canada said in its report, which was released Friday.

The lack of ownership disclosure makes Canada’s real estate market attractive to those looking to invest the proceeds of crime, the group said.

Weak disclosure requirements in property ownership facilitate tax evasion, TI said, adding that it seems to be a growing problem in Canada that has gone largely unpunished.

The Canadian real estate sector is vulnerable to money laundering, critics say.

TI Canada issued the recommendations as it looked, in part, at the ownership of some of the top value luxury homes in the Greater Vancouver area, one of the hottest real estate markets in the country before recent government action took away some of its steam. An influx of foreign money and buyers was believed to be a contributing factor for the rapid ascent in residential home prices in the city.

TI Canada concluded that the use of shell companies to create a veil between beneficial owners and their properties is more common in Canada than might be expected.

In its report, TI Canada said Canadian land title offices do not hold information about beneficial owners of property, but only record the titleholder, which can be a shell company, a trust or a nominee.

“Beneficial owners of Canadian property can therefore remain anonymous. This anonymity is particularly prevalent in the luxury market,” the group said.

A beneficial owner is a person who enjoys the benefits of ownership even though land or property titles are in another name, according to Investopedia.com.

TI Canada said its research shows that 29 of the 100 most valuable residential properties in Greater Vancouver are owned by shell companies, four of which are registered in offshore jurisdictions.

ormer P ministers spent more than to coach their sta on finding ne obs a ter election loss A trio of former Conservative ministers authorized more than $100,000 in “personal coaching” contracts to help a handful of their political staff find new jobs after last fall’s election.

And while several Conservative aides were polishing their resumes at taxpayer expense, dozens of incoming Liberals spent more than $50,000 on media coaches and another $32,000 on other kinds of coaches.

But the bill for “coaching services” for politicians and their partisan aides paled in comparison to what was spent to coach nonpartisan civil servants.

Between Nov. 4, 2015 — the day the Trudeau government was sworn in — and Oct. 17 of this year, more than $4 million was spent on media, personal, and other “coaching services” for civil servants.

Most of that money was spent to groom bureaucrats for ever-higher promotions, to prep them for board interviews and, in some cases, to teach them to be better supervisors and improve their ability to deal with stress.

The combined spending on coaching services by the 30 Liberal ministers and the three Conservative ministers was $189,000.

The figures were disclosed in response to written questions, also tabled in the House of Commons, by Conservative MP Jamie Schmale. Schmale first asked how much had been spent by each every government department and minister’s office on makeup, makeup artists, hair stylists. Answer: A grand total of $76.84 was spent by Heritage Minister Melanie Joly on makeup in connection with her appearance in some promotional videos for her department. Health Canada spent $80 on a stylist for Minister Jane Philpott as she sat for her official portrait.

But that was it. There were no other charges for makeup or hair stylists in any other minister’s office, including by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

But Schmale also asked for the grand totals for “coaching services” and there, he uncovered spending authorized by former Conservative ministers Chris Alexander, Steven Blaney and Peter MacKay who approved contracts worth $74,314, $22,124 and $21,477 respectively to firms that helped their political aides find new jobs after the Tories lost last fall’s election.

More people apply to become Mounties under new rules There are early signs that changes to the RCMP’s application process are leading to a big bump in recruits.

The police force changed its application requirements six months ago with the aim of simplifying the process and making more people eligible to apply.

Now, recruits don’t have to be Canadian citizens, they can put off taking the physical fitness test until they’ve been accepted at the RCMP’s training division and university graduates no longer have to take the national police force’s entrance exam.

According to a memo sent to staff in British Columbia from Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens and obtained by CBC News, applications have increased 270 per cent since changes were introduced in May. “Since the recent changes, that have allowed the pre-posting of cadets at time

of application to Western divisions of their choice, applications have increased to 1,100 per month from 300,” Callens wrote.

One of the changes made in May was to allow applicants from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. to request to be posted back to their home province once they’d graduated from the training centre.

Callens said the RCMP’s training academy — called Depot Division — will ramp up to 40 troops next year, which is its full capacity.

This year the target was 34 troops of 32 cadets each.

“This will assist us in addressing the vacancy pattern,” Callens wrote.

While the Mounties eventually acknowledged receiving the requests, a spokesperson said, “It is too early at this stage to comment.”

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Canadians’ average debt load now up to $22,081, 3.6% rise since last year The average Canadian now owes $22,081 in consumer debt, a figure that doesn’t include any mortgages, debt monitoring firm Equifax says.

In a report released Wednesday, Equifax says the debt figure increased by 3.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the same period a year ago. All in all, consumer debt now stands at more than $1.7 trillion.

But while the average is rising, that figure belies an interesting paradox: Many people have little or no consumer debt, but those who do are borrowing more and more.

“The majority of consumers are actually decreasing their debt,” said Equifax’s senior director, Regina Malina, “but those who are still increasing it are adding larger amounts on average and by enough to increase the total levels.

“The fact is people who can afford to do so are buying more cars, spending more on housing and borrowing more,” she added.

So far at least, they’re managing to keep their heads above water. Equifax considers a loan to have gone delinquent when a borrower has not made a payment in more than three months. By that standard, the delinquency rate is still low — 1.14 per cent

in the third quarter. That’s up from 1.05 per cent at the same time last year, but still low in overall terms.

Much of the surge in delinquencies has come from oil-dependent provinces in Western Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, Equifax said.

The good news is it appears that on the whole, affected people in those provinces have at least stopped digging themselves into deeper holes.

“What we are seeing in Western Canada and Newfoundland would be of more concern if people in the two regions hit hard by the oil bust were also piling on a lot more debt and they are not, especially in Alberta and Saskatchewan,” Malina said.

“On average, Canadians across the country are managing their debt wisely, with the majority paying off their credit cards in full every month and few making only the minimum payments. We encourage them to continue to be budget-conscious heading into the holiday shopping period.”

While the overall debt figure is ticking up, two specific types of debt are growing rapidly. Auto loans and instalment loans are showing significant increases of 7.8 per cent and 7.7 per cent year over year, respectively.

Rona Ambrose asks for investigation into Liberal fundraisers OTTAWA—Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose is asking the federal lobbying and ethics watchdogs to take another look at so-called cash-for-access fundraisers featuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, some of his senior ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

In a letter to ethics commissioner Mary Dawson and lobbying commissioner Karen Shepherd, Ambrose says Trudeau has admitted using at least one of the fundraisers to drum up foreign investment in Canada.

And she says some of those who have attended several of the fundraisers have openly acknowledged using the events to lobby Trudeau or other senior Liberals on issues in which they have a financial stake.

Ambrose alleges the events show the Liberals have failed to keep a clear separation between their roles as government ministers and political fundraisers.

And she says there appears to have been several examples where the Conflict of Interest Act, the Lobbying Act and Lobbyist Code of Conduct seem to have been violated.

Dawson has already said the fundraisers are unsavoury, but she has no legal authority to rule on them.

Shepherd has confirmed she has launched an investigation into at least one fundraiser in which the chairman of generic drug giant Apotex, Barry Sherman, was involved in selling tickets to the event, which featured Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Sherman

subsequently withdrew his involvement from the event.

Ambrose details a series of questionable fundraisers, based on reporting by the Globe and Mail. Among them: An event last May attended by Trudeau and a number of wealthy Chinese Canadians and Chinese nationals, one of whom was the founder of the Wealth One Bank of Canada, which was awaiting final approval by the federal government to start business in Canada. Another donated $1 million the Pierre Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal law faculty.

When questioned about the event, Ambrose notes that Trudeau defended his participation by saying he’s “committed to engaging positively with the world to draw in investment.”

“The prime minister explicitly linked his attendance there to the government business of attracting investment to Canada,” she writes. “This is very concerning.”

Ambrose notes that the Conflict of Interest Act prohibits a public office holder from giving preferential treatment to anyone and from soliciting funds from any person or organization that would place him or her in a conflict of interest.

She also questions whether Trudeau put himself in a conflict of interest by encouraging donations to the foundation named for his late father.

Trudeau has said he has not had any involvement in the foundation for several years.

NATIONAL

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NATIONAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Young people facing drop in job quality and wages, tat an study finds OTTAWA—A new study from Statistics Canada says young people have seen their job quality decline over the last four decades,

even as the unemployment rate has remained virtually unchanged.

In a report released Monday, the national statistics office says fewer young Canadians, who are not full-time students, are working in full-time jobs today than in 1976, a result

driven mainly by the rise of part-time work rather than increases in unemployment rates or decreases in labour force participation.

The youth unemployment rate in both 1976 and 2015 was 2.3 times higher than the rate among those aged 25 and older.

Researchers say the declines in fulltime work for those aged 17 to 24 have been almost even across the country and mirror international trends of rising part-time and temporary jobs as a share of total employment since the mid-1980s.

Full-time workers aged 25 to 34 were also more likely to hold temporary jobs, but the study says they have been less affected than their younger counterparts.

The study says people under age 25 who were employed full-time have seen their wages fall behind the cost of living since the early 1980s.

Russia threatens retaliation over latest round of Canadian sanctions Canada has quietly imposed additional sanctions on Russian nationals over the annexation of Crimea and Moscow’s ongoing support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The new measures, including asset-freezing and a prohibition on business dealings, were passed by the Liberal cabinet on Nov. 28 and released, without much fanfare compared with the former Conservative government, on the Global Affairs Canada

website the same day.

There are 15 individuals named in the regulation, which was to be formally posted Thursday in the Canada Gazette, the government’s official publication of record.

Six of the people are members of Russia’s national assembly — known as the Duma — who were elected from Crimea in September in the first vote since the takeover.

NEED WORKERS, PAY ACCORDING TO EXPERIENCE

How $2.9 billion that shrank Canada’s monthly trade deficit You may have seen that Canada’s trade deficit shrank to $1.1 billion in October, down from a whopping $4.4 billion it hit the month before.

That’s a titanic shift. The October number is the lowest since January, while the preceding September number was a recordhigh. What gives? It’s all due to the delivery of a very large, very expensive chunk of equipment for a massive, offshore oil project.

Canada is a trading nation, so it imports and exports lots of stuff. In October, Canada imports totalled $44.7 billion, while exports were $43.6 billion. That gave Canada the $1.1 billion trade deficit reported for October.

Even if you measure your imports in the tens of billions of dollars, it’s not too often that just one of those imported goods comes with a price tag in the billions. On Sept. 2, the developers of the massive Hebron offshore oil project off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador took shipment of a $2.9 billion construction module for the project.

Receipt of that shipment caused the huge spike in the trade deficit for September.

Taking that one-time delivery out of the monthly import mix restores the import and export balance to something closer to the trend line.

Bloomberg’s Luke Kawa described the Hebron doohickey in a report in early

November. It’s a 30,000-tonne “utilities and process module” that will form the core of the Hebron platform. The module was built

by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea. Steel for the “UPM” was cut in Q4 2013 and the module was assembled

between 2014-2015.

The module was in June loaded in on a 224.8 metre long ship called the Blue Marlin.

It took two months for the Blue Marlin to make its way from South Korea to Bull Arm, Trinity Bay in Newfoundland. The ship had to head south around the horn of Africa because it was too large to pass through the Suez Canal.

The Hebron project is a venture between ExxonMobil Canada Properties (35.5 per cent stake), Chevron Canada Ltd. (29.6 per cent), Suncor Energy Inc. (21 per cent), Statoil Canada Ltd. (9 per cent), and Nalcor Energy – Oil and Gas Inc. (4.9 per cent).

First oil from the project is expected next year.

PUNJAB

Saturday, December 10, 2016

SAD and BJP leaders sing in one voice as polls looms Eying the Assembly elections, SAD and BJP leaders spoke in one voice over the riverwaters issue at the

mega rally here today. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today lashed out at the Gandhi family, blaming it for the 1984 “attack” on the Golden Temple, probably to woo back the traditional Sikh vote bank.

Asking PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh to stop day-dreaming, he claimed, “The coming elections will prove to be Congress’ Waterloo in Punjab. We are

SAD vows to guard riverwaters

23

Mann to be suspended from Parliament

confident of forming the next government and ruling the state for another 15 years.”

Local Akali stalwart and Agriculture Minister Jathedar Tota Singh said Punjab’s underground water table was falling. “With 14 lakh tubewells, the farmers of Punjab are feeding the nation, making the maximum contribution to the central pool. We fear the state’s land may turn unproductive in years to come if more water is given to other states,” he said.

State BJP president and Union Minister Vijay Sampla said: “Punjab provides food to the whole nation. Protecting the state’s riverwaters is therefore in the interest of the country.” Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani (BJP) lashed out at the previous governments for giving away state’s waters to Rajasthan and Haryana. “Despite having given water to Rajasthan, Punjabis do not have the right to purchase land there. Had the Punjabis been allowed to do so, our hard-working farmers would have turned the barren land fertile,” he said.

The parliamentary panel probing the alleged security breach by AAP’s Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann today recommended his suspension for the remaining period of the current Lok Sabha session. Headed by BJP member Kirit Somaiya, the ninemember panel submitted its report to the Speaker, which was then placed before the House.

The AAP leader had posted on social media a video showing security details of Parliament. Dubbing his act as “inappropriate”, the panel said it “would like to impress upon Mann the utmost need for strict adherence to norms and standards of etiquette and due compliance to Rules of Procedure”.

It concluded that the conduct called for an “in-depth review and

examination of the damage caused, which entailed security implications”.

It left it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Security and the Union Home Ministry for making any suitable recommendations on safety.

The panel also rejected Mann’s apology on the grounds that it was “marked with contradictions” and, thus, could not be treated as “unconditional apology”.

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11th November: Arrival Lahore, Lunch, and Move to Hotel & shopping 12th November: Day visit Kartar Pur Sahib, Rorri Sahib Chakki Sahib 13th November: Day Visit to Dera Sahib and other Gurdwaras in Lahore 14th November: Move to Nanakana Sahib for Celebration stay overnight 15th November: Return to Serena Hotel Faisalabad and rest 16th November: Day trip to Panja Sahib 17th November: Day trip to Sacha Sauda and shopping 18th November: Return to India

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10th November: Arrival Lahore, Lunch, and Move to Hotel.

11th November: Day visit Darbar Sahib Kartar Pur 12th November: Day visit to Nankana Sahib to visit 7 Gurdwaras 13th November: Day Visit to Dera Sahib and other Gurdwaras in Lahore 14th November: Move to Nanakana Sahib for Celebration stay overnight 15th November: Return to Serena Hotel Faisalabad and rest 16th November: Day trip to Panja Sahib 17th November: Day trip to Sacha Sauda 18th November: Day visit Rorri Shaib, Chakki Sahib & Laloo the Khoi Lahore 19th November: Day Visit to Historic sightseeing and shopping 20th November: Return to India

Note: Programme can be change.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership today vowed to save Punjab’s natural resources from being “plundered”, even if it meant “sacrificing” their lives. At its “Paani bachao, Punjab bachao” rally here today, the SAD left nobody in doubt that the fight for Punjab’s riverwaters would be its main election plank, projecting the party as the saviour of Punjab’s interests.

The BJP Punjab unit stood solidly behind the SAD, together raising slogans of “Punjab bachao, Congress, AAP bhajao” and “Bole so nihal, Sat Sri Akal”.

Targeting the Congress, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said: “While Capt Amarinder Singh betrayed Punjab by welcoming the then PM Indira Gandhi when she came to Kapoori village to lay the foundation stone of the SYL canal, the SAD stood with the people of Punjab by launching a ‘sangharsh’ against the injustice meted out to Punjab.”

Buoyed by the large turnout, he went on to say, “We will not allow a drop of water to be taken away, even if we have to sacrifice our lives for it”. He said a petition signed by lakhs of Punjabis would be submitted to the President of India in this regard.

Asking the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to apologise to the Punjab youth for having “defamed” them as drug addicts, he accused Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal of humiliating Punjabis the world over.

He claimed that of the four lakh youths appearing for police recruitment, only 1.25 per cent had tested positive for drugs. Wooing the youth, Sukhbir promised 2.5 lakh jobs and 1,000 skill development centres in the next two-and-a-half years.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said Punjab’s rivers were its lifeline. “National and international laws stipulate that the waters belong to the state through which these flow.

We have full right over the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi waters,” he said, asking the people to raise their hand in favour of SAD’s “referendum” on the issue.

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24

INDIA

Saturday, December 10, 2016

‘Judges’ appointments is the function of the executive Amid tussle between the government and the Supreme Court over judicial appointments, a parliamentary committee said appointment of judges to the higher judiciary is essentially the function of executive. It asked the government to take appropriate steps to reverse the “distortions” in the original mandate of the Constitution.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Personnel said the “distortions” in the original mandate of the Constitution have arisen out of various Supreme Court orders that gave birth to the Collegium system.

The report comes a little over a year after the Supreme Court struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act that had sought to scrap the collegium system of judges appointing judges.

It also said that instead of five, a minimum of 11 judges of the Supreme Court should hear cases involving the validity of a Constitutional amendment.

It also recommended cases involving interpretation of Constitution should not be heard by a Bench of less than seven judges.

Over the course of hearing on three cases, the Supreme Court has evolved the principle of judicial independence to mean that no other branch of the state, including the legislature and the executive, would have a major say in the appointment of judges.

The court then created the Collegium system, which has been in use since the judgment in the Second Judges Case was delivered in 1993.

SAARC members keen on boosting trade with India SAARC countries are keen to strengthen trade with India by overcoming their internal challenges, said delegates at PITEX, organised

by PHDCCI, today. SAARC members were of the opinion that the South East Asia was a consumer market with India a major player in it.

The five-day trade expo attempts to bring biggest buyers and sellers from across the countries on a single platform for direct trade collaboration.

“Being at the confluence of trade routes connecting SAARC members, India is a natural trading partner for the South Asian countries.

Despite this, our trade is remarkably low with them,” said RS Sachdeva, co-chairman, Punjab committee, PHDCCI. According to the South Asia Monitor, India’s trade with the SAARC members was three per cent of the country’s total trade with the rest of the world. “Therefore, with a view to boost the intra-regional trade, we organised the Reverse Buyer Seller Meet (RBSM) supported by the Union Ministry of Commerce,” Sachdeva added.

Speaking on increasing cooperation, Asela Livera, deputy president of National Chamber of Sri Lanka, said, “There is a big potential for high quality and high-end products from Sri Lanka while we look for the ayurveda and its learning from our Indian counterparts.”

According to Hassib Rahimi, CEO, Kabul

Chamber of Commerce and Industry, “Afghanistan expects expertise and technology from India. Also, the recent change in the government policy has made Afghanistan

more centred towards the economy.” Kabul is looking to ink agreements with Indian companies in the field of agro-industries and food processing.

Similarly, Kesang Wangi, deputy secretary general, Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Bhutan’s import of edible products to heavy machinery from India in lieu of hydel power could open more trade avenues. With its ‘open door policy’ for promoting direct foreign investment, Bangladesh is looking forward to enhance collaboration, partnership and cooperation for trade and investment.

“We want to establish 100 special economic zones where investors can target both domestic and export markets,” said Mohd Abu Naser, director, Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Govt hands out sops for going cashless A month after demonetisation, the government unveiled a slew of incentives on Thursday to promote cashless payments for fuel, insurance, toll and rail travel. In a move aimed at stepping up use of digital gateways, service tax charged on digital transactions and merchant discount rates up to Rs 2,000 per transaction was scrapped.

Use of old notes was further curtailed - old Rs 500 notes will not be accepted at railway counters from Saturday .

The 11 steps announced by finance minister Arun Jaitley are seen as a bid to push a cashless economy and retain public support as ATM queues continue, with RBI releasing currency at a calibrated pace and limited cash reaching banks. The government has said its November 8 decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes is a major step to fight black money and fake currency .Since then, the government has offered a tax penalty to those who declare unaccounted cash and has said promotion of digital payments will reduce the need to replace all the cash that has been scrapped.

State-run fuel companies will offer a discount of 0.75% to consumers when they buy petrol and diesel using debit or credit cards and other digital methods.

This means that if you spend Rs 4,000 to buy petrol and diesel in a month, you can save Rs 30 and reduce the outgo to Rs 3,970 by swiping your debit and credit cards or use any other digital payment system.

“The incentive scheme has the potential of shifting at least 30% more customers to digital means which will further reduce the cash requirement of nearly Rs 2 lakh crore per year at petrol pumps,” Jaitley told a news conference.

Jaitley said nearly 4.5 crore customers who buy petrol or diesel at petrol pumps per day can avail the incentive. It is estimated

that petrol and diesel worth Rs 1,800 crore is sold per day of which nearly 20% is paid for through digital means. In November, this increased to 40% and cash trans action of Rs 360 crore a day shifted to cashless

methods.

Public sector insurance companies will provide up to 10% discount on the premium in general insurance policies and 8% in new life policies of Life Insurance Corporation sold through their portals.

For those who buy online tickets for rail travel there will be a free accident insurance cover of up to Rs 10 lakh. This facility will not be available to those who buy tickets at ticket counters and is currently limited to a few trains. Jaitley said nearly 14 lakh railway passengers buy tickets everyday of which 58% of tickets are bought online through digital means. It is expected that another 20% of passengers may shift to digital payment methods. “Hence, nearly 11 lakh passengers per day will be covered under the accidental insurance scheme,” he said.

Those buying monthly and season tickets through digital methods for travel in suburban railway networks will get a discount of 0.5% from January 1.

Nearly 80 lakh passengers use seasonal or monthly tickets on suburban railways, largely buying in cash, spending about Rs 2,000 crore per year.

INDIA

Saturday, December 10, 2016

India now ‘Major Defence Partner’ of US India’s diplomatic dexterity of having separate-yet-equal military relations with the US and Russia showed up again today.

New Delhi engaged with Washington on the outcomes of getting ‘Major Defence Partner’

status, besides increased military-to-military exercises and counter-terrorism.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his US counterpart Ashton Carter in New Delhi along with delegations of both the countries. The meeting comes just weeks after Parrikar had met his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu in New Delhi and proposed India-Russia joint ventures in producing spares for military equipment and to make military contact the guiding force in the ties.

Parrikar-Carter meeting today was the seventh in the past yearand-a-half. Parrikar said at the meeting: “It is not an exaggeration that our defence engagements are a major driver in our bilateral relations.” He also pointed out how discussions had concluded to have a major defence partnership.

Carter, who is on his way out with the end of President Barack

25

How Modi kept demonetisation a closely guarded secret

Obama’s term, told the delegates: “Today, our defence partnership takes a major step as we designate India as Major Defence Partner (MDP).” A joint statement issued later tonight said: “Today, we finalised India’s designation as a “Major Defence Partner” of the United States.

The designation as a “MDP is a status unique to India and institutionalises the progress made to facilitate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level on a par with that of the United States’ closest allies and partners.

“It permits us to do things with India that have never been possible before. And it creates a presumption of approval for transactions with India,” Carter was quoted by the official US website as having said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi handpicked a trusted bureaucrat, little known outside India’s financial circles, to spearhead a radical move to abolish 86 per cent of the country’s cash overnight and take aim at the huge shadow economy.

Hasmukh Adhia, the bureaucrat, and five others privy to the plan were sworn to utmost secrecy, say sources with knowledge of the matter. They were supported by a young team of researchers working in two rooms at Modi’s New Delhi residence, as he plotted his boldest reform since coming to power in 2014.

When announced, the abolition of highvalue bank notes of Rs 500 and 1,000 ($7.50 and $15) came as a bolt from the blue.

The secrecy was aimed at outflanking those who might profit from prior knowledge, by pouring cash into gold, property and other

assets and hide illicit wealth.

Previously unreported details of Modi’s handling of the so-called “demonetization” open a window onto the hands-on role he played in implementing a key policy, and how he was willing to act quickly even when the risks were high.

While some advocates say the scrapping of the bank notes will bring more money into the banking system and raise tax revenues, millions of Indians are furious at having to queue for hours outside banks to exchange or deposit their old money.

Labourers have also been unpaid and produce has rotted in markets as cash stopped changing hands.

Not enough replacement notes were printed in preparation for the upheaval, and it could take months for things to return to normal.

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India today scrapped altogether the 10 per cent import duty on wheat, a move that has raised doubts about the Agriculture Ministry’s production estimates and evoked sharp reactions from farm bodies and Opposition parties. A zero per cent duty on imports, they claim, was not only “counterproductive” to the interests of farmers, but also reeked of “ulterior motives of catering to the interests of international traders”.

The notification, tabled by the Finance Ministry in Parliament, said the cut was to be effective immediately and with no end date.

Significantly, the decision has come after reports of local wheat prices hitting a record high last month amid apprehensions of production in the past two years falling well below the peak of 2014 and stocks almost lowest in the past few years.

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2016-11-28 3:18 PM

INDIA

Saturday, December 10, 2016

On the first of every month, Malook Singh — an ex-serviceman — would leave his home at Cheema Kalan to get Rs 7,000 pension.

Much before the dawn broke when he left home on December 5, nobody back home had a clue that it would be the last journey of the family’s breadwinner.

Malook Singh, 65, passed away while

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standing in the queue at the State Bank of India at Chabal in Tarn Taran. He became another victim of demonetisation in the state. But before that for several days he was sent back without money by the bank. The November 8 demonetisation, which will complete a month on Thursday, has taken life of least 10 people in the state.

“What will I do now,” asks his daily wager son Gurdial Singh. It was Malook Singh’s pension that helped them run their home, he added.

The most common victims of the demonetisation are the elderly. An 82-year-old retired Subedar from the BSF, Satpal Bali, lost his life on November 30 after he was denied pension by the bank due to non-availability of cash at the SBI branch in Maqsudan, Jalandhar.

Triple talaq illegal, rules Allahabad HC In a significant judgment, the Allahabad High Court has called the practice of divorcing a Muslim woman by ‘triple talaq’ in a single sitting as “cruel, unconstitutional and amounting to violation of victim’s rights”.

A single-Judge Bench of Justice Suneet Kumar observed: “Triple talaq is unconstitutional; it violates the rights of Muslim women. No Personal Law Board is above the Constitution.”

Coming down heavily on the practice, the court has held that this form of “instant divorce” is “most demeaning”, which “impedes and drags India”’ from becoming a nation.

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“The question which disturbs the court is — should Muslim wives suffer this tyranny for all times? Should their personal law

remain so cruel towards these unfortunate wives? Whether the personal law can be amended suitably to alleviate their sufferings? The judicial conscience is disturbed at this monstrosity.”

In its order dated November 5, the court observed that “divorce is permissible in Islam only in case of extreme emergency when all efforts for effecting a reconciliation have failed.

“The view that the Muslim husband enjoys an arbitrary, unilateral power to inflict instant divorce does not accord with Islamic injunctions...

The Quran expressly forbids a man to seek pretexts for divorcing his wife, so long as she remains faithful and obedient to him.”

The court made the observations while dismissing the petition of 23-year-old Hina, whose 53-yearold husband had married her “after effecting triple talaq to his wife”.

The couple from Bulandshahr district had sought directions to the police and Hina’s mother that they stopped harassing them.

Dharmendra remembers his ‘Izzat’ co-star Jayalalithaa

Veteran actor Dharmendra on Tuesday said he was “deeply shocked” by the death of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who acted with him in the Hindi movie ‘Izzat’.

“I am deeply shocked. She was my co-star. We worked together in ‘Izzat’ in 1968,” the 81-year-old Dharmendra told TV9 a Marathi channel.

“At that time, we stayed for nearly one-and-a-half months in KuluManali for the shooting. She was there with her mother who prepared food for us,” an emotional Dharmendra said.

Later, whenever he visited Chennai, he would speak with her on telephone, but had not met her for years, the actor said. “When I learnt she was very ill, I fervently prayed for her recovery,” he said. Jayalalithaa made her debut in Bollywood with the musical blockbuster ‘Izzat’, playing the role of a tribal girl Jhumki, who is in love with a high-caste character played by Dharmendra.

1246459

11 dead in 28 days as currency ban takes toll

Date: 01.Dec 2016 18:18:26

26

NRI

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Indian origin UK MP calls on India to end demonetisation stress for NRIs Virendra Sharma, one of Britain’s senior-most Indianorigin MP, has called on the Indian government to end the uncertainty surrounding demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes for NRIs and PIOs. The 69-year-old Labour party MP has received several calls and letters on the issue from his constituents in the heavily Indian-origin area of Ealing, Southall, in southwest London.

“Still a month after the announcement of the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes millions of NRIs are living with uncertainty. The stress and strain of not knowing whether families will lose money,” Sharma said.

“Thousands of families have a small amount of currency at home, to save exchanging money at the airport. These are the people that are accidentally being punished. Having a few thousands rupees does not make you a money launderer, and still they are suffering,” he added.

The India-born MP wants the Indian Government to authorise Indian banks with operations in the UK to open accounts for deposits of Indian Rupees.

“This money should then be held and made available for withdrawal only in India. This would protect the economy, but still offer freedom to many thousands of Indian citizens and NRIs not based in India,” he said.

The demonetisation move has rattled many British-Indians, who make up 2.5 per cent of the population of England and Wales according to a 2011 UK government census. Britain’s longest-serving Indianorigin lawmaker Keith Vaz has already appealed to the Narendra Modi government to extend the deadline for foreign nationals by at least six months.

He has also written to Bank of England Governor Mark Carney requesting him to allow British Indians to exchange their banknotes in the UK.

Indian-American sued by US govt for Medicare fraud An Indian-American owner of a diagnostic firm has been sued by the US government on charges of knowingly submitting false claims to a state-run insurance company for thousands of testing services he did not render.

Vijay Patel, 59, of New Jersey who owns and operates a Mobile Diagnostic Testing, pleaded guilty in 2014 to a criminal information charging him with health care fraud related to this conduct.

The civil complaint filed on Tuesday alleged Patel violated the False Claims Act, the Department of Justice said.

According to court documents, from August 2011 through December 2012, Patel and the cardiologist defrauded Medicare-national social insurance program, administered by the US federal government-by submitting claims for diagnostic testing services that the doctor had performed from December 2010 to September 2012.

This enabled him to evade Medicare’s prepayment review.

Patel submitted the cardiologist’s claims through his company and his brother’s company Biosound Medical Services Inc (Biosound), as if Mobile Diagnostic and Biosound had performed the services instead of the doctor.

27

NRIs have advantage in India’s luxury property market after demonetisation NRIs have an advantage in luxury property market in India post-demonetisation as real estate developers in major cities of the country have ‘significantly’ dropped property rates, according to Singapore-based business analysts.

“Given the recent demonetisation move, property rates have significantly dropped across various cities in India,” said Abhijit Ghosh, India Desk leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Singapore, an international financial consultancy.

“Specifically, the luxury condominium range of property apartments has been badly hit given that one of the objectives of the current demonetisation move is to discourage all significant cash transactions,” said Gaurav Tijoriwalla, Manager, PwC

Singapore.

There has always been a trend for NRIs to invest in Indian luxury condominium apartments in the metropolitan cities of India,

particularly such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.

Industry observers said Chennaibased developers are cutting prices by up to Rs 20 lakh on slow-moving

projects.

“Experts believe that we can soon expect a 10-25 per cent discount in the luxury segment of residential condominiums and also in the upmarket areas such as Nungambakkam, RA Puram and MRC Nagar in Chennai,” Ghosh said.

They have also forecasted Delhi property prices to offer 25-30 per cent discounts and Bangalore to offer 3040 per cent discounts.

NRI sources expect luxury property prices to drop by 25-30 per cent.

Property transactions have plunged significantly in the last month after the announcement of demonetisation programme on November 8.

Bangalore property registrations have dropped to about 200 per day, compared to approximately 1,800 properties before the move was taken, the experts said.

28

FIJI

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Man gets 17 years for raping elderly woman A 21-year-old Fiji youth who was convicted by the High Court in Suva for the rape of a 74-year-old woman was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment.

While sentencing Meni Raitekiteki this morning, Justice Vinsent Perera told him that the crime he committed was “monstrous and dreadful”.

Raitekiteki, who was also convicted of one count of aggravated robbery and one count of giving false information to a public servant, committed the offences in Nasinu on August 18 last year.

He entered the victim’s house while she was alone watching television and stole assorted jewellery, liquor and cash with a total value of more than $5000.

He then told the victim to lie on a pillow on the floor before he raped her while her hands were bound with a belt.

Raitekiteki will serve 14 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

Human rights report shocking: Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry says Fiji’s human rights record is “shocking”.

Responding to the Amnesty International report on torture in Fiji, Mr Chaudhry said despite Fiji ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Torture, the country’s interventions were not in line with the convention. “Fiji ratified the convention with reservations and its legislation is not in line with the intent of the convention against torture,” Mr Chaudhry said.

He claimed the problem of citizens being beaten had been happening for a long time.

“These abuses, particularly those committed between 2007 and 2014 and they have taken absolute immunity in the Constitution against these crimes. It is a shocking situation and Fiji’s human rights record is shocking.”

Mr Chaudhry claimed the Government was not serious about respecting the human rights of its citizens.

“There are numerous instances where these rights have been abused and the Government has stayed mum. So we really can’t expect much in terms of restoring all the human rights.”

Mother and 2 month baby kept in cell A 28-year old woman sentenced to three months in jail last week was kept at the police station for three days with her twomonth-old baby girl.

The woman’s family has blamed authorities for being ignorant to the fact that the baby was housed in a cell at Labasa Police Station without proper facilities to cater for her needs.

Ritesh Kumar, the husband of Ashika Nand, who was sentenced to jail, claimed the police denied him visitations to his wife and daughter last Tuesday.

Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said they were working on the case with the Judiciary, Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, and the Fiji Corrections Service.

“The welfare of the child is paramount to us while in our care and is being looked after well,” Ms Naisoro said.

Ms Nand was sentenced for hurting and

dumping one of her children in the bush at Tabia, outside Labasa Town last year.

Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Minister Mereseini Vuniwaqa confirmed they were aware of the case and they had taken the baby to the ministry’s Lomani Au Home in Savusavu.

Mr Kumar, who now lives with his two older daughters, is not happy that his baby was kept at the police cell without proper facilities to cater for a baby’s needs.

“Now that they have taken my baby to Lomani Au Home. Who will breastfeed her?” he asked.

“She still needs her mother with her and it’s really sad that her lawyers didn’t inform the court that we have a two-month-old baby.

“My wife was taken to Vaturekuka after her sentencing, but was brought back to the police station because of the baby and they stayed in the cell for three days,” he said.

American deported from Fiji over land dispute

By Mick Beddoes American Citizen and Fiji resident permit holder, Karen Seaton, who lived on her property in Koro, was deported from Fiji last week. Reasons for deportation are unclear.

Fiji First government Immigration officials broke into Miss Seaton’s room last Friday night, removed her mobile phones, denied her embassy consultation and deported her.

‘Am sitting in the airport, the immigration broke into my hotel room this morning and forcefully removed my phone, refused embassy consult and deported me, as far as L.A., will board in an hour,” Seaton said in an email last Friday morning.

I had just met Karen via email a few weeks ago, when she brought to me issues for which she had been seeking redress from Government without even a single response.

I recommended she make a submission to the Justice Law and Order & Human Rights Committee which was hearing submissions on the ‘Code of Conduct Bill. She agreed, so traveled from Koro for the presentation on Friday at 12 noon. It was my opinion that the decision of government officials choosing not to respond to her multiple email pleas and submissions about her plight was inappropriate conduct by a government

official and therefore testimony of Karen’s own life experience and the conduct of officials when dealing with her issues was relevant to formulating a Code of Conduct Bill to avoid such conduct occurring in the future. Essentially Karen Seaton and the many thousands of foreign property holders in Fiji are protesting the unjust nature of the retrospective Land Sales Act, which effectively removed the value of freehold. Not all foreign landowners are wealthy, many have saved up for decades and bought their plots in Fiji to retire to and build a small but comfortable retirement home. To be suddenly saddled with the need to raise $250,000 and build a home in 24 months or be fined 10% of the value of the land you bought and $100,000 if you don’t complete the building on time, would hurt even a wealthy property owner.

The Law was enacted on December 15th 2014 and the 2 year period to build will end on December 31st 2016, so if the thousands of owners have not built their $250,000 homes by then, and many have not, then the penalty of 10% of the price they paid for the property will be applicable and payable at 6 monthly intervals until the home is built And anyone who contravenes this section shall be liable for a fine of $100,000.

Remove excessive authoritarian immigration powers: NFP President

The NFP President, Roko Tupou Draunidalo has called for the removal of the excessive powers given to the Minister responsible for the Immigration Department, which infringes on basic civil and political rights.

These include ending the willful deportation of individuals without any recourse to redress and the removal of the “black-list” which prevents former and current Fiji Citizens from returning to Fiji, the land of their birth.

Ms Draunidalo said the arbitrary and humiliating deportation of Koro Island resident and investor Karen Seaton for allegedly uttering a swear word to a public official, but which is not confirmed by any independent witness, reeks of a typical authoritarian and dictatorial methodology.

“The Immigration Director then confirms that it is the acting Prime Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum who signed off on the deportation order,” said Ms Draunidalo.

“This is the same minister who as Minister for Economy glowingly tells the whole world that Fiji is great for business, or as Attorney-

General - that Fiji fully conforms to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.”

“The deportation of Karen Seaton and prior to that the deportation in September of two consultants from MWH Global, the lead contractor for the Fiji Roads Authority – is deeply worrying and troublesome.”

“The acting Prime Minister and Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is fully responsible for these and must inform the people of Fiji as to why he feels the need to be authoritarian in declaring individuals persona non grata, without much of a thought.”

“He must also come out and explain why he is adamant that Professor Brij Lal and his wife Dr Padma Lal, should not return to their country and homeland, Fiji.”

The NFP President reaffirmed that the NFP will fight for the removal of the blacklist and the limiting of the powers on immigration given to any minister or public official and be guided by recognised international benchmarks and our commitments rather than anyone’s own personal version of what the standards are.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, December 10, 2016

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US conditions on $400 million aid In a significant move, the US Congress has said that $400 million in aid to Pakistan cannot be released unless the defence secretary certifies that Islamabad is “taking demonstrable” steps against the Haqqani

network, which is accused of targeting American interests.

Passed by the Senate by 92 to 7 votes on Thursday, the 2017 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) in facts imposes four conditions on Pakistan to be eligible

for $400 million of the $900 million of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF).

Passed by the US House of Representatives (by 375 to 34 votes) last week, NDAA 2017 now heads to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign it into law.

As per NDAA-2017, the defence secretary needs to certify to the Congress that Pakistan continues to conduct military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani network in Pakistan and that Pakistan has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to prevent the group from using its territory.

The defence secretary also needs to certify that Pakistan actively coordinates with Afghanistan to restrict the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border; and finally that Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting Haqqani network senior leaders and mid-level operatives.

Pakistan accuses India of ‘negativity’ at Heart of Asia conference

Pakistan on Thursday blamed India for spoiling the Heart of Asia platform by negating the aim and objective for which the conference was held in Amritsar last week and said that it wanted meaningful, sustainable and result-oriented dialogue with New Delhi on all issues, including the problem of Kashmir.

“The conference was called for promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan but India’s ‘negativity’ at the multilateral event exposed its claims of commitment to prospects of peace in Afghanistan,” said Nafees Zakaria, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had

said at the conference on December 4 that inaction against terrorism in the region would encourage terrorists and their facilitators.

While addressing a press briefing, Zakaria criticized India’s behaviour as “poor” with the Pakistani delegation during the ministerial conference. “It ruined the atmosphere and proved that India is attempting to divert attention away from Indian ‘atrocities’ in Kashmir,” he said.

The spokesperson said that Islamabad wants meaningful, sustainable and resultoriented dialogue with New Delhi on all issues, including the problem of Kashmir.

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, December 10, 2016

PM Najib destroying Malaysia: Mahathir Malaysian ruling party icon Mahathir Mohamad has accused current Prime Minister Najib Razak of “destroying” the country by clinging to power despite being in a corruption scandal.

Mahathir Mohamad vowed to campaign vigorously in favour of the opposition in coming elections.

The 91-year-old former Prime Minister excoriated Najib over the allegations swirling around the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.

The man who strove to subdue Malaysia’s opposition parties during his tenure (19812003) said he could now work with them to topple Najib, including the party of his jailed former deputy Anwar Ibrahim.

“He (Najib) is destroying this country...

he is bringing in racism... very, very serious crime has been committed,” Mahathir said on Tuesday at his office at Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur.

In July a lawsuit by the US Justice Department detailed how an unnamed “Malaysian Official No. 1” who was later identified as Najib, and his family members and close associates diverted billion from 1MDB, a company which was founded by Najib.

Under mounting pressure over the allegations, the Prime Minister last year abruptly shut down Malaysian investigations, fired the attorney general and purged ruling party critics including his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin.

Afghanistan’s efforts to welcome women in military Captain Safia Ferozi, who was a refugee since childhood, is now flying a transport aircraft for Afghanistan air force. She is country’s second female pilot. This is a sign of the efforts being made by Afghanistan government to bring more women into the armed forces.

The 26-year-old Ferozi is married to another pilot, who works in the same unit supporting army ground forces. They are part of a small Afghan air force that is trying to take a greater role in fighting against the Taliban insurgency.

“When I wear military uniform, I really, really feel proud of myself as a woman,” Ferozi said while preparing for a flight at the air force base in the capital, Kabul. She flies

a C-208, a turboprop plane which is used for transport of the armed forces.

Nearly 16 years since the collapse of the militant Taliban regime after the US-led invasion in 2001, Afghan women have been taking steps to increase their presence in the society, parliament, government and the military.

Although they continue to face resistance in a deeply conservative society where women are largely expected to stay at home and where the violence against women remains a widespread problem.

Farozi’s family fled from their home in Kabul in the 1990s, during the civil war among Afghanistan’s warlords.

Delhi, Dhaka to talk on terrorism, intel-info sharing Anti-terror cooperation, sharing of intelligence inputs and how to jointly check cross-border smuggling will dominate the discussions between home secretaries of India and Bangladesh which begin on Monday.

Home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Mozammel Haque Khan and their teams will engage in intense discussions for two days to strengthen the anti-terrorism mechanism and sharing of information about terrorists.

Growing activities of terror group Islamic State in the subcontinent, increased presence of jihadi groups in Bangladesh and some Indian states and how to jointly tackle them will be discussed threadbare, sources said.

Both sides are expected to flag the menace of smuggling of cattle, narcotics and arms through the porous India-Bangladesh border and is expected to find out ways to check them. Bangladesh may press for Indian cooperation in nabbing its most wanted criminals, especially those who were involved in war crimes and assassination of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Both sides are expected to exchange notes about developments and investigations following the July 1 terror attack at a cafe in Dhaka. Bangladesh has been on the edge ever since the terror attack.

Bangladesh upholds death sentences over 2004 attack Bangladesh’s Supreme Court upheld death sentences on Wednesday for three members of an outlawed Islamist militant group in connection with a grenade attack on the British ambassador in 2004.

The Islamists, including the head of the Harkat-ul Jihad Islami group, were sentenced to death in 2008 for the attack in which three people were killed and about 50, including then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury, were wounded.

A panel of four judges headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha upheld the death sentences for the three, including the group’s leader, Mufti Abdul Hannan, Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ahmed told reporters.

The court also upheld life imprisonment for two others for the May 21, 2004, attack, he said. Defence lawyer Mohammad Ali told reporters he would file petitions seeking a review of the court’s judgement.

The attack came after Friday prayers at a Muslim shrine in the northeastern district of Sylhet. The Bangladesh-born British envoy was wounded in the leg. The militant group was blamed for several other attacks, including a bomb blast later in 2004 on a rally by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was then the leader of the opposition.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

SUPERSTORE

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FRUITICANA

Saturday, December 10, 2016

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

Saturday - December 10, 2016

Why Did Salman’s Exes Aishwarya And Katrina Hug Each Other?

Is Himesh Getting Ready To Marry His Lover Sonia?

Manish Malhotra’s 50th birthday ball was surely a star studded one. And when too many stars gather under one roof, it makes for juicy headlines.

Fans and friends of Himesh Reshammiya are in a state of shock. “She married him and stayed with him for 22 years, and even looked after his parents so well. And this is what she gets!” a fan of Himesh Reshammiya told, “If I had an affair with anyone, I would have yet never left my wife.”

But Himesh has left her, in fact, abandoned her since a very long time (there was hardly a word exchanged between the two since many years).

And yesterday, he did something very ugly and

Salman Khan’s exes Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Katrina Kaif were both at the party and our source was keeping a close watch on them as they mingled in

separate circles.

Aishwarya was hanging out with Madhuri Dixit and hubby Abhishek Bachchan was busy clicking pictures of the two ladies. Then Katrina Kaif walked in. Katrina had spotted Abhishek and so she came forward and hugged Jr. Bachchan.

It was only then that she realised that Aishwarya too was standing just there.

Everyone expected that the two ladies will be awkward around each other, but they greeted each other warmly with Katrina hugging Aishwarya.

Katrina Kaif chit chatted with Mrs. Bachchan for a good 15 minutes.

Aishwarya quizzed her about her upcoming projects while Katrina was overheard asking about Aaradhya.

Who Stands To Win In The Shah Rukh-Hrithik BIG FIGHT? The swords are out. Yet another jhadap at the box-office. Does it augur well for SRK and Hrithik?

“To predict the winner in the RaeesKaabil war is as difficult as predicting if Virat Kohli will win the toss in the Mumbai Test starting tomorrow or will Alistair Cook beat him in the flip of the coin?” says trade analyst, Amod Mehra.

“But I can tell you that the egos in the industry are bigger than the products. But hasn’t it always been like this ever since?”

Earlier, a film released in 500 screens and today it releases in 4,000 screens. So by Sunday, everyone who wanted to see it has mostly seen it. So why not release it over a holiday weekend where the public coming into the halls will definitely be more than on a normal weekend?”

It would be pertinent to know what the exhibitors feel. Ravi of PVR Juhu tells SpotboyE.com, “Two big movies releasing on the same day is not good even for us, the business gets divided. The buzz for Raees is increasing.

The Kaabil trailer is very appealing. I will divide the shows equally, but the shorter film may get a show extra.

painful to her when he filed for divorce.

This move by Himesh has given rise to a pertinent question, and the music industry is buzzing about it. Is Himesh planning a second marriage?

TV actress Sonia Kapoor has been a regular at the musician’s flat in Sky Heights, Lokhandwala.

Ditto about her presence at his studio.

She sits with him when he drafts a fair cut of the song. She is beside him when he sings. She travels with him for his outdoor performances.

Urvashi Rautela FORCES Arjun Rampal into a LOO! Urvashi Rautela has been gatecrashing parties and clicking selfies with celebs.

And her latest ‘feat’ was her forced entry into Manish Malhotra’s 50th birthday bash, where Manish and KJo got together to decipher that who on earth had invited her when neither of them had.

So, what’s new you may ask. And we wish to tell you something funny before you retire for the night. It’s always good to have a grin on your face before you doze off.

It so happened that Ms Rautela went to another party, sometime ago- whether she was

invited or not is not the question- but she made someone really uncomfortable, someone who likes to be usually alone and didn’t want to make an exception for Ms Rautela at least.

Arjun Rampal is the guy, whom Rautela caught hold of, though not literally.

“Let me take a selfie with you, please, please,” she told Rampal. A flustered Rampal obliged, but suddenly realised after a few paces that Rautela was still following him. Upon turning around, he was told, “Lemme take one more. I couldn’t get a good one.”

21 HITLIST

2

mid-day

have you heard?

Bollywood

Friday, December 9, 2016 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

GO GREEN

Twinkle Khanna is setting up an organic vegetable and fruit garden in her Saturday, Juhu sea-front December home. This is10, part2016 of the star wife’s endeavour to go green along with an environment friendly organisation

Kat chopped Jason’s role?

On top Down Under

Bigg Boss contestant Jason Shah has alleged that Katrina Kaif got his role chopped in Abhishek Kapoor’s Fitoor which released early this year. The UK import revealed to house mates that the actress re-shot several scenes after she lost weight, so his portions canned earlier, had to be snipped. Kat certainly did not want any excess baggage around her.

Sonakshi Sinha is holidaying in Australia. The star’s bestie-cum-stylist, Sakshi Mehra, is based in Sydney.

Sona is catching up with her as well as savouring the local sights. In February this year too, the actress had taken off to Australia for a holiday, where she indulged in scuba diving and snorkelling. Ever since Sakshi tied the knot and moved Down Under, Sona doesn’t think twice before packing her bags.

Reaping the benefits Mohenjo Daro actress Pooja Hegde’s next is Telugu film Duvvada Jagannadham opposite South superstar, Allu Arjun. Ever since the announcement, Pooja has seen an astronomic rise in social media followers. The actress found herself crossing the one-million mark within days thanks to Allu, who is a social media star already.

Travel tales Mr X (2015) and Issaq (2015) actress Amyra Dastur, who will next be seen in Jackie Chan-starrer Kung Fu Yoga, is flying in and out of Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. She’s shooting for Telugu film Raja Gaddu as well as Tamil film Oodi Oodi Uzhaikanum simultaneously. She flies into Mumbai whenever there is a day off. Far from complaining, she is enjoying shuttling across three destinations.

The colours of life Farhan Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor have been jointly endorsing a paint brand.

The two will be sharing a platform for the brand’s event this weekend to highlight ‘life in a new light’, as the invite reads. Considering the industry gossip about the two, they need to throw light on many things, no?

150 pairs of sunglasses for Hrithik’s nemesis Talk about being stickler for perfection and you’ve probably got Sanjay Gupta. His eye for detail means twice more the work for the stylist on his upcoming film, Kaabil. For a scene, Ronit Roy, Hrithik’s nemesis in the film, was supposed to wear a pair of sunglasses. Sanjay made stylist Naahid Shah bring 150 variants to choose one.

Dec

09

efi re

*ing: Ranveer Singh Vaani Kapoor

Dec

09

30 Minutes

*ing: Hiten Paintal, Hrishitaa Bhatt

The Ajay Devgn-Emraan Hashmi-Esha Gupta starrer Baadshaho will hit theatres on September 1, 2017. Ajay took to Instagram to say, “Every saint has a past... Every sinner has a future. @baadshaho. 1st September.” Devgn seems to have turned philosophical while announcing the release date of Milan Luthria’s film.

Real to reel While conducting research on his new charity initiative that offers affordable housing projects, actorturned-philanthropist Vivek Oberoi visited remote areas of Maharashtra.

He came across several interesting case studies of how people fulfilled their dreams. Deeply moved by their inspiring stories, Vivek has now decided to create a Marathi web series. You can’t take entertainment out of an actor.

New Released Bollywood Films Dec

The date is set

16

Wajah Tum Ho *ing: Sharman Joshi Sana Khan

23

Dec Dangal

*ing: Aamir Khan Sakshi Tanwar

Jan

06

Begum Jaan

*ing: Vidya Balan, Gauhar, Naseeruddin Shah

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Bollywood

After Manu Punjabi, Jason Shah makes a sudden EXIT from BB10 We don’t know what is wrong with Bigg Boss 10 this year. The evictions and exits are getting more shocking by the day. The TRPs of the show are below than what was expected though the drama levels are not bad per se (if someone could excuse the extremely disgusting behavior of some of the contestants). We heard that Om Swami made an exit a few days back as he had to answer the summons of the Delhi High Court in a theft case. Post that, Manu Punjabi left the house as his mother passed away. It was an extremely unfortunate happening.

Now, it is Brit model Jason Shah who is out of the house. Yes, the hottie who is famous for his nude photo-shoots has made a quick exit from the show. Well, there is nothing to worry about it. It seems Jason is not keeping

Sidharth Malhotra to come on Koffee With Karan but with whom?

Sidharth Malhotra just confirmed that he’ll be on Koffee With Karan as soon as he’s back from Bangkok. The actor took to his Twitter account to confirm news of the same.

Basically, it’s courtesy a fan who asked him if he’d be coming for the show. To this Mr Malhotra replied, “Yes as soon as iam back in the country.” We wonder who he’ll come with on the show though. As we all know, the actor is shooting for Raj and DK’s action film in Bangkok along with Jacqueline Fernandez.

He has been shuttling for the film’s shooting as well as endorsements, parties and other such commitments.

It’ll be a lot of fun to see Sid on the show but the question remains, who will he be accompanying? As far as we remember, the first time the actor appeared on the show was with his Student Of The Year co-stars , Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. This season, however, both Alia and Varun have already come on the show. While the fifth season was commenced by Alia and her Dear Zindagi co-star Shah Rukh Khan, Dhawan was accompanied by Arjun Kapoor, his chaddi buddy. This makes us wonder who will be Sid coming on the show with. Apart from him, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha have been confirmed for the show. However, there is uncertainty over who they’ll be coming with.

too well inside the house for two days. The stomach bug has reportedly hit him and he is suffering from a lot of pain and infection.

The interesting part is that Jason seems to be quite particular. The makers have a set of doctors ready to look into the health of the contestants but Jason did not want drugs administered by those medical personnel.

Addressing his concerns, they took him to a nearby hospital. He has gone for a quick medical check and should be back quite soon on the show.

Well, we hope that Jason gets well soon.

It is not surprising that Jason contracted an infection. After all, the behaviour of some of the contestants inside the house is anything but hygienic. We are sure that a day’s trip to the hospital will boost Jason’s morale and we will not be surprised if he stays out for a couple of days or so. The model has not been seen involved in any controversy so far.

However, with VJ Bani cuddling up to him, tongues might start wagging. This break will also give Jason a chance to reflect on his game.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

Bollywood Aries

HOROSCOPE

March 21 - April 20

Libra Sept. 24 - Oct 22

You need to hang on to your principles, but much still revolves around money. You feel that you should not be in the business of making other people happy, but of securing your own interests. It is about time that you put yourself first, so don’t feel guilty.

You may celebrate Jupiter’s presence in intriguing parts of your chart by buying yourself a treat or two. Your pleasure may be slightly marred by a hint of provocation in the financial department. All the signs suggest that a cash crisis will pass with a partner’s support. That’s the week’s good news!

Taurus

Scorpio

April 21 - May 20

Oct 23 - Nov 22

You must be prepared for frank and open debate! You may wish that everything were sweetness and light, but it’s far better to face up to causes of disagreement. There’s little to be gained from papering over the cracks. In the long-term, life is running your way, so you can afford to relax.

Planet is piling upon planet, star upon star, and you may be experiencing a welcome rise in energy. However, there are too many choices. If you really can’t decide what you should be doing, it is perfectly acceptable to surrender to circumstances and let fate take its course.

Gemini

Sagitarius

May 20 - June 21

Nov 23 - Dec 22

You are famous for your good ideas but, also, in many people’s opinion, for the ease with which you change your mind. However, it’s now important to be consistent and realise that your plans must be capable of practical implementation.

Your fantasy life appears to be extremely powerful at present. There’s nothing wrong with this, just as long as you don’t imagine that what you believe to be true really is true. As the days pass, fact and fiction begin to follow completely separate paths.

Cancer

Capricorn

June 22 - July 23

Dec 23 - Jan 20

Passions are mounting. This obviously means that romantic dalliances could develop a momentum of their own. It also indicates that all your creative powers should be at a peak. Cancerian artists will be exploring new avenues or expertise.

The results could benefit your business life.

Leo

Ok Jaanu first look: No lip-lock for Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur Finally the first look poster of Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor starrer Ok Jaanu is out and it’s cute. The poster features the superhit jodi of Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor against the backdrop of Mumbai. The look and feel of the poster is quite refreshing and youthful.

The poster also has a caption that says “Figure out kar lenge…13th Jan. 2017” If the poster has the faces of Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, it’s the names of those backing it, that catch your attention. With the likes of Mani Ratnam, Karan Johar, Gulzar, AR Rahman and Shaad Ali, the film is bound to grab attention of avid cinema lovers. It also marks the return of Mani Ratnam, though only as a producer, after seven years to the Bollywood, his last one being Abhishek Bachchan’s Raavan, which didn’ t do well at the box office.

Ok Jaanu is the official remake of Ok Kadhal Kanmani which is perhaps the best romantic film we have seen in

Deepika Padukone’s Padmavati just got more beautiful with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on board!

Fans who have been dying to watch Aishwarya Rai Bachchan recreate magic once

Your stars mean business, and friends and acquaintances are set to take life extremely seriously and an otherwise lighthearted situation can become extremely intense. What happens in the end is very much up to you, and your emotional wisdom and experience will be thoroughly tested.

Aquarius

June 24 - August 23

Jan 21 - Feb 19

Power struggles are inevitable, most likely at home or within your family.

Never imagine that you are completely faultless, for, even inadvertently, you have contributed to current, awkward emotional situations. An older, or more experienced, partner, will come to your aid.

Virgo

Discussions and decisions which take place over the current period will be dominated by the Moon, and that means you’ll be making rational choices on the basis of your instincts and feelings. And that’s no easy feat! Your judgment may be good, but think before you speak!

Pisces

August 24 - Sept 24

Feb 20 - March 20

It’s difficult to focus on details at the moment and you should be setting off on a fact-finding expedition at work. You’ll do well in serious discussions and meetings, but don’t be thrown by people who are out to shock you. Family matters could benefit from some of your sensitive and intuitive skills.

It’s time to catch up with a few basic lifelessons. It looks very much as if you may have been taking other people for granted, or otherwise under-valuing their gifts and qualities. You would do well to reconsider your habits and preconceptions.

recent times. Blending the sensibilities of the youth of today with a cute love story was the USP of this film.

again with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, jump in joy. Yes, buzz is that the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil actress will make a special appearance in Padmavati that has Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone playing Alauddin Khilji, Rawal Ratan Singh and Rani Padmini respectively.

One will remember that how Sanjay kept on stating that Aishwarya will always be his muse during the promotions of his last magnum opus Bajirao Mastani. The film won a number of awards, including seven National

Awards including one as Best Director for Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Post that, Ash had gone to his place to congratulate him and spent some time chatting away with Sanjay. She also kissed him before the paparazzi and everyone went gaga over their reunion. It seems Bhansali has written a cameo for Ash including a song sequence in Padmavati. A source told the tabloid, “Bhansali spoke to Ash and they both are really keen to make it work. The song will be filmed during a 15-20 day schedule, which includes rehearsals at a suburban studio. Ash also has a few dialogues.” The film already has Deepika and Aditi Rao Hydari. With the former Miss World on board, there will be no shortage of moments that will make our hearts skip.

In 2015, all eyes were on the jugalbandi of Deepika and Priyanka Chopra for Pingaa in Bajirao Mastani. However, Aishwarya will be the sole centre of attraction. She will not share the frame with anyone. “This will completely different from anything seen before,” the source told the publication.

Now, this is one piece of news that will excite fans like anything. Aishwarya has always created magic with Bhansali. It was he who brought out the performer in her with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999. That was 17 years ago.

She was his perfect Paro in Devdas and charmed us with her stoic character in Guzaarish in 2010. These two are totally magical together.

BOLLYWOOD PERSONALITIES’ BIRTHDAYS

ANJANA SUKHANI DECEMBER 10

DILIP KUMAR DECEMBER 11

RAJNIKANT DECEMBER 12

SAMEERA REDDY DECEMBER 14

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Eshwar Shakti

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

Movie Review

Befikre Let me start this review with a forewarning.

The trailers have already hinted at this, but if you are ignorant enough to venture into a theatre screening Befikre and expected something on the lines of DDLJ and Rab Me Bana Di Jodi, you are bound to get shocked.

Director Aditya Chopra has just changed lanes and he is cruising into the fast lane with this romcom starring one of the best actors in B-town, Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor, who finally gets her second Hindi movie after Shuddh Desi Romance.

What’s it about Befikre gets into the drive with a breakup actually, of Dharam (Ranveer Singh) and Shyra (Vaani Kapoor). An year ago, Dharam, a stand-up comedian from Delhi with an overworked libido, lands in Paris to work in his friend’s club (interestingly called Delhi Belly).

While trying to hookup with random girls at a club, he meets Shyra, who in her words is a French girl born to Indian parents. Needless to say they hook up after a song, thus starts

Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor’s sizzling performances make for a fun date movie a series of French kissing, makeout sessions and dares, on which their relationship is built.

However, within a year, their patience runs out with their relationship and they break up.

Now on their separate ways, they find it easy to move on but still end up being good friends. But like a dialogue in a Yash Raj film itself, can a boy and girl stay friends especially considering their torrid past?

That’s what Befikre is all about.

Though many old school romance purists who have grown up watching DDLJ may not appreciate what Adi does here, I for one, am quite okay with him changing his tracks and make a romcom with modern sensibilities. Befikre could be Aditya Chopra’s breeziest movie ever.

The film is replete with light moments, mostly in the first half, and has a tone of a typical Hollywood romcom. Even though the pace slackens in the second half, his tight direction holds things together. The dialogues are witty and chuckleworthy at most times,

especially those written for Ranveer. And the casting of the leads is impeccable. We have seen Ranveer last in a historical movie, and his upcoming film is a period movie as well. So it’s great to see him play his age in a modern

day romance. We have started seeing from his debut Band Baaja Baaraat, but no one can nail the Delhi boy act as brilliantly as he does. He is screamingly hilarious in the scenes where he compares Paris’ monuments to Delhi’s, or when he mimics the actor after whom he is names or in the karaoke bar scene. But his one longing gaze after Shyra tells him that she is accepting a marriage proposal knocked it out of the park for me. And yes, the ladies also get to see butt in a flash (Speaking of which, the Censors have been quite liberal with Befikre, considering it got away with a U/A despite the numerous kissing, nude and stripping scenes). Vaani Kapoor struggles to match up with Ranveer Singh’s infectious energy in the initial portions, but as the movie progresses, her performance gains more confidence. She scored more in the dramatic portions, and my god, her French and dancing are FAB! Watch

out for her moves and her sexual chemistry with Ranveer in the dance-off scene. The songs by Vishal-Shekhar are breezy, and I loved the way how Je T’aime was picturised.

The cinematography perfectly captures the essence on romance of Paris, while the background score matches the tone.

While I appreciate that Aditya Chopra wanted to make a hatke movie, I believe at some point he didn’t how to give Dharam and Shyra’s friendship a proper conclusion. So thus the movie falls into the usual trap of clichés in the second half, filled with secondary lovers who are disposable at the right, a healthy BFF and getting in touch with your ‘Indian’ values at the right moment.

After a breezy first half that’s so different from the usual Hindi movies, we expected Aditya Chopra to take a path less travelled in the second half.

Instead, these positions are a potpourri of ideas taken from movies like Love Aaj Kal, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, and even their own brand movie, Band Baaja Baaraat. The dare portions are seemingly inspired from the the French movie, Love Me If You Dare, Ranveer stand-up acts that are inserted in the narrative are so Seinfeld. Even the climax resembles to that of Dustin Hoffman classic, The Graduate, with a dash of Housefull. The director should have kept a tight rein on the tone in the second half. If narrative has been slicker and more original, the movie would have deserved more brownie points.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Foodie

7

Broccoli Pulao Preparation time – 10 minutes Cooking time – 20 minutes Serves – A family of 2 adults and 2 kids Ingredients Broccoli – 1 crown Basmati rice – 2 cups Oil – 2tbsp Ghee – 2 tbsp Bay Leaf – 1 / Salt – to taste Water – 3 cups Coconut milk/Yogurt – ½ cup Lemon juice – 1 tsp To Coarsely Grind

Whole spices – 1 tsp fennel seeds, 5-6 peppercorns, 1” piece of cinnamon & 1 clove Ginger – 1” piece Garlic – 5 cloves Mint Leaves – handful Cilantro – handful Green Chilies – 4 Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp Method Wash and soak the basmati rice while you get the things ready.

Separate the broccoli into small florets. Peel the skin of the stem and chop it into small strips too. Wash it and keep this aside.

Grind all the ingredients under ‘To coarsely grind’.

Heal oil and ghee in a heavy bottomed pan .

Add the bay leaf. Add the ground paste and fry for a minute.

Add the drained rice and fry for another minute.

Add the coconut milk, lemon juice, salt and water. Bring it to boil.

Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 10- 15 minutes till the rice is almost done.

Open the lid and mix in the broccoli florets.

Reduce the heat to minimum and cover again.

Let this steam for the next 5-7 minutes before switching off. Keep it covered for another 5 minutes before opening the lid. This time is just sufficient to cook the broccoli while retaining it crunch, color and nutrients. Gently fluff with the fork and serve.

Serving Suggestion This tastes great with some raita and some pickle or chips.

It also goes very well with paneer butter masala, butter chicken, curd chicken, malai kofta or channa masala.

Variations Try adding other vegetables like green peas, capsicum, carrot, fenugreek leaves (methi) or cauliflower.

You can skip mint leaves if you do not like its taste.

Those who love cashews or almonds can grind it along with the other ingredients. It tastes awesome.

You can skip the coconut milk or yogurt and use just water

to cook the rice. However, coconut milk adds a creamy and nutty taste that according to me makes the dish tastier.

Adding yogurt gives a tangy touch.

8

Around Town

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Brighten this holiday Season BC Style!

Christmas is the most celebrated festival in Western world. In Vancouver alone, there are millions of lights around the parks and residential area. Santa parades, Santa breakfast, tree lightening all of these wonderful events add a cherry on the cake for the Holiday Season and people not only from Canada but around the world visit here because of the delightful fusion of natural and man-made beauty.

Out of all these events, Canyon lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge is the initiative most awaited throughout the year.

The bridge itself is a masterpiece and then the natural sight seen add the flavor to it, on the top of that the snowfall this year has doubled the enjoyment of the site. With more than one million lights throughout the area, and snow filled trees its seems like

a dreamland. The place is famous for the world largest existing Christmas Tree which has been decorated with amazing charms and colorful lights. “ It is one of the most enlightening experience as we don’t have trails and canyons in Illinois”, said Suzzaine, one of the tourists who came from USA especially for this occasion.

The 450-foot suspension bridge, along with many trees and canyon area surrounding it, light up with thousands of twinkling and colorful lights.The Cliffwalk attraction offers a dazzling look into the dark canyon below.

Due to current weather conditions we thought there will not be as many people visiting. However, to our surprise even toddlers came in to enjoy the beautiful

scenes and of course the most famous Hot Chocolate at the bridge.

Giving details about the initiative, Communication Manager Stacy Combs told that the event provides various attractions for all age groups and children enjoy crafts that are specially catered to their needs.

This is the eleventh year for the Canyon lights at Capilano Bridge and every year they bring something out of the box for the visitors.New this year is ‘Fireflies’, an interactive lighting display in the rainforest.

Using giant flashlights, guests can magically awaken waves of tiny lights that glimmer and twinkle like fireflies. Apart from this, scavenger hunts and gingerbread cookie activities are loved by people, also children can make their own Christmas cards and donate there.

As of my personal experience, it seemed like going to Shimla during Christmas season, but it appeared Shimla covered with stars.

Also the Christmas season is a big time to give back to the community or get involved with some donations, for which you can plan the trip to Capilano Suspension Bridge and participate in helping BC Professional Firefighters as Partial proceeds from the tickets for Canyon Lights are donated to the BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn Fund for fire education in schools. To date, the Capilano Suspension Bridge has raised around $200,000 for this wonderful initiative.

The Canyon Lights are going on till Jan 8th. What more can be delightful than BC’s beauty this Christmas!

Saturday, December 10, 2016

9

Special Feature

YouTube’s 2016 Rewind Perfectly Summarizes All The Stars And Gigs That Broke The Internet This Year The much awaited video of the year is finally here and trust us, it won’t disappoint you at all because it packs everything that you need to see, even those events that you accidently missed. The YouTube 2016 Rewind features

or TVF (The Viral Fever); they’re all there. Oh and that mannequin challenge, did you forget that?

The moment the video starts and ‘The Rock’ appears on screen, you are sure to know that one hell of a joy ride is awaiting you. We mean just look at the swag Superwoman brings with her, no wonder she is ruling the internet. If you look at her opening the floodgates, your eyes will probably roll back in amazement.

She dressed as

Beyoncé from the ‘Lemonade’ track ‘Hold Up’ and boy she nailed it completely.

You know what surprised us though; it was Rohan Joshi’s appearance alongside Kosaka Daimaou. For once the PPAP guy could not hold the entire screen space to himself as Rohan managed to grab people’s attention (at least for the Indian audience who knows him). This excitement on his face does not need any explanation.

Many popular Indian YouTube channels like Being Indian, other AIB members including Tanmay Bhatt, and TVF also made small appearances with ‘carpool karaoke’.

Having said that, the video is super

awesome, but we have one complaint though.

Why wasn’t Taher Shah included in the video, we bet he won’t be feeling ‘angelic’ anymore.

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The Trailer Of ‘Spiderman:

OR

Homecoming’ Is Out And It Also Has Iron Man In It Ever since Toby Maguire abandoned the Spider-Man series, the series somehow lost its connection with the audience.

The following reboots were simply sad. There have been five Spider-Man movies ever since 2002. The coming year, 2017 will see another Spider-Man release, titled ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’.

Tom Holland appeared as SpiderMan in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and the hype has been up ever since.

Tom Holland, a rather lesser known name when compared to Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield, is a former dancer and small time television artist. This is his biggest break in Hollywood thus far. Since he’s British, most of his screen presence has been on the British television. The trailer for the new movie debuted at Jimmy Kimmel live last night and looks pretty interesting.

Robert Downey Jr. can also been seen in a number of shots. Looks like Tony Stark has made a few improvements to Spidey’s new suit as well.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

Classifieds JOBS

JOBS

Crown Farms Ltd. located at Abbotsford BC is looking for 1 f/t permanent Farm Supervisor to join us as soon as possible .

Number of Positions: 1 Job type: full time, permanent Education :Requirement: Completion of high school or equivalent Experience :Requirement: 2 years related experience Language : English Work location: 31792- Harris Road Abbotsford BC , Canada.

Wage Rate: $ 15.00/ hour . 40 hrs. week . 4 % Vacation pay .

Job Duties: - Co-ordinate and supervise the work of general farm workers and harvesting labourers - Supervise and oversee growing and other crop-related operations - Develop work schedules and establish procedures - Ensure farm safety and bio-security procedures are followed - Maintain quality control and production records.

Work Conditions: Outside, Physically demanding . Job involves walking , standing and bending frequently.

Security : Criminal record check required .

Contact Person : Sukhwinder Sidhu Ph: 778-908-7091 Interested applicants please email resume at crownfarms@ outlook.com . Only shortlisted applicants will be called for interview . No walk in please .

--------------- Nov 19-2016

qualified Pakistani style Baker/Sweet maker (Mithai). Responsibilities will include Sweet making for retail and banquets, training of employees, labour & food cost control and supervision. Must have at least three years experience as a Pakistani Baker. Knowledge of Urdu an asset. ourly salary $15.50/hr. Contact Pasha 604 593 7323 or send resume at anwarpasha786@hotmail.

--------------- Oct- 22-2016

Baker / Sweet Maker wanted Nirala Sweets and Restaurant in Surrey BC needs fully

Cook for Pakistani cuisine wanted Nirala Sweets and Restaurant in Surrey BC needs experienced chef for Halal Northern Pakistani style dishes. Must be expert in making kababs and tandoori dishes. Must be able to handle halal meats. Responsibilities will include menu design and planning, cooking for individual customers and banquets, training of employees, labour & food cost control and supervision of kitchen staff. Must have at least 3 years experience as a Pakistani cook. Knowledge of Urdu and asset.

Hourly wage $17.00 per hour.

40 hours per week. Contact Pasha at 604 593 7323 or send resume at anwarpasha786@hotmail. com --------------- Oct- 22-2016 Required Driver 1) able to drive a truck 2)able to navigate his way around 3)have a clean driving record 4)and be able to merchandise

South Indian food cook wanted

Required South Indian food cook immediately Please contact:

604-312-9297

JOBS product 5)be able to speak multiple languages 6)minimum of 3 years Driving Experience Salesperson 1) minimum of 3 years of sales experience 2) knowledge of food industry 3)speaks multiple languages 4)being able to merchandise Call 604-594-9800 Fax:604-594-9852 Email: guruluckysnacks@ yahoo.com -------------- Oct 8 2016 “A-1 Doors & Mouldings Ltd., located at 12625 80th Avenue, Surrey, B.C., V3W 3A6, has immediate vacancies for Two Stock Helpers.

Job Title: Stock Helpers No. of Positions: 2 Job Location: 12625 80th Avenue, Surrey, B.C., V3W 3A6 Term of employment: Fulltime, permanent position, 30-40 hours per week.

Compensation: $16.50/hour.

Overtime at the rate of 24.75 after 40 hours per week Benefits: WCB Coverage with 4% vacation pay Job duties: • Receiving and unloading stock • Matching PO’s with packing slips and report discrepancies to supervisor • Organize stock in the showroom • Perform other warehouse task like packing, unpacking, counting, sorting, labelling order-picking and scanning.

• Check inventory levels and report to the supervisor • Rotate stock and ensure enough space for new shipment • Keep area safe, clean and organized Requirements: • Some Secondary School • Ability to carry-out physical work • Comfortable working in a fast paced, physically demanding environment.

Core Capabilities: • Organized • Ability to pay attention to

JOBS detail • Ability to work co-operatively in a team environment • Ability to learn quickly and work efficiently How to apply: To apply please submit your resume to resume@a1doors.ca We thank all those who apply however only those applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted” -------------- Sept 17 2016 BLACK CAT SECURITY LTD., 7085141A Street, Surrey, Bc Requires One Full Time Permanent Office Manager. Duties: Oversee And Co-Ordinate Office Administrative Procedures; Establish Work Priorities, Delegate Work To Office Support Staff And Ensure Deadlines Are Met And Procedures Are Followed; Co-Ordinate And Plan For Office Services; Assist In Preparation Of Operating Budget And Maintain Inventory And Budgetary Controls; Assemble Data And Prepare Periodic And Special Reports, Manuals And Correspondence., Education: Completion Of High School.

Experience: 2-3 Years.

Wages 22.00/Hr. Knowledge Of English Required.

Hindi And Punjabi An Asset.

Emailblackcatsecurityltd@hotmail.com Or Fax @ 778 565 7165.

-------------- July 16 2016 One FlatFee Real Estate Inc. 10912888 80 Ave, Surrey, BC V3W 3A8 requires an indeterminate full-time Database Analyst.

Responsibilities: -Collect and document user requirements -Design, construct, modify, Integrate, implement and test data models and database management -Operate database management systems to analyze data and perform data mining analysis -Conduct research and provide advice to other professionals regarding data management -Operate database management systems to analyze data and perform data mining - Lead, coordinate or supervise

MATRIMONIAL other employees Requirements - Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science - 2 to 3 years of experience in a similar role Language: English Wages: $29/hr Please send your resume @ info@ oneflatfee.ca or Fax: 604-248-5253 -------------- July 09 2016 All Star Railing & Awning Ltd., #20 12318 84 Avenue, Surrey, BC requires a full-time permanent Welder Helper. Will be required to read and interpret work orders, operate metal cleaning equipment, assist welders, transport raw material and finished products manually or by using devices, clean work areas and equipment and perform other related duties to assist the welders. Should have high school education with some experience. Knowledge of English is required. Punjabi/Hindi will be an asset. Wage: $20/hr. Apply by mail, email: 4242kamal@gmail.com -------------- July 09 2016 Western Door Manufacturing Ltd located at #109-8250, 124th St, Surrey, BC V3W 3X9, has an immediate vacancy for Carpenter.

We design and manufacture high end solid wood exteriors doors, solid wood interior doors and custom doors. Job specification: Full time position with wages of $25/hour. 35 to 40 hours per week.

Job requirement: High School with 2-3 years of experience. Trade certificate will be considered as an asset.

Job duties includes read & interpret drawings & sketches to determine specifications; estimate height, width, length and other proportions; measure, cut, shape & assemble wood materials using woodworking machines, power tools and hand tools; Build exterior doors, interior doors, customs doors with jams; moulding, make transom arch shape; specially skilled in fancy wood design, traditional murals crafting on doors; Install hardware such as hinges, handles, catches; Repair doors and replace panels of doors.

If interested send resumes at westerndoors@outlook.com -------------- May 21 2016

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Free Interactive Workshops Syrian Youth at PICS

for

PICS is offering Syrian newcomer youth free informative get-togethers and workshops to provide them with an indepth insight into the Canadian culture.

The program called SyrianKidsGO is funded by Coast Capital Savings and will be offered at PICS Head Office. The program will launch on Wednesday December 28 @ 11:00 AM and Thursday December 29 and will be offered for eight weeks each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon. The youth will learn about social norms, expectations, potential hazards and dangers of stereotyping. Guest speakers from the RCMP, social workers, youth counselors and Canadian youth will provide more insight into the Canadian culture. An open forum with diverse dialogue will also be held. Register now, seats are limited!

What – Interactive workshops with Syrian youth Where - PICS Head Office, #205-1272580th Avenue, Surrey When – Dec.28 AM & 29 launch (11:00 AM); Then for 8 weeks each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon Contact for registration and more info: Tamam Hasan 604 596-7722 ext.133 or Eva Touzard, 604-596-7722 ext 138 Register now!

-----------------------------------------Sai Baba/s Birthday All devotees are cordially invited at Hindu Cultural Society and Community Centre

(3885 Albert St., Burnaby) to participate on Baba/s Birthday and in Sai Japa.

Bhajan/Kirtan on Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 5.p.m.

Program: 5.15 to 6.15 Bhajan/Kirtan, 6.30 to 7.15 Sai Japa , 7.30 p.m. Priti Bhojan Rajubhai Parekh 604-327- 8259 Vijaybhai Dayal 604-986-5958 Kantibhai Patel 604-522-7989 Temple 604-299-5922 -----------------------------------------South Asian Seniors are planning to visit Australia & New Zealand through 13 days cruise and 2 days extra tour of Sydney (Australia) total 16 days including travel time. The cruise itinerary starts from Sydney (Australia) on November 17th 2017, one day visit at each of these ports, Melbourne (Australia), Burnie (TasmaniaAustralia), Wellington (New Zealand), Napier (New Zealand), Tauranga (New Zealand), Auckland (New Zealand), Bay of Islands (New Zealand) and back to Sydney (Australia). Every port the ship Norwegian Jewel will stop, all seniors will go for city tour by bus. All arrangements will be made for your air travel from Vancouver to Sydney (Australia) and return from Sydney to Vancouver, Cruise bookings, all port city excursions, city visits of Sydney (Australia), hotel stay in Sydney, food ( Pure Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian as per your choice) during Sydney City visits, also local bus pick up from Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple Surrey to Vancouver airport & back

Community News to Temple on return from Vancouver airport. The total tour will be of 16/ 17 days including travel time from 14th November 2017 to 2nd December 2017. The travel insurance with Medical Coverage, Cancellation, Interruption and Baggage loss is a must, which you can arrange yourself or get the one we arrange for the whole group Insurance at a reasonable price to cover Basic Medical Coverage, Cancellation, Interruption, & Baggage Loss etc. The maximum cost for the whole trip to cover everything including return air tickets will be approximately $ 4,500.00 US Dollars per person. All staterooms are Double occupancy, so you should select your partner to share the stateroom with you on the ship. If you are interested to join South Asian group of Seniors, you should be in good health to walk independently, can afford the Luxury in life for 16/ 17 days, then only call. The entire amount $ 4,500.00 US Dollars or Equal ant Canadian Dollars as per present Bank rates will be spent on you only and will be taken from you in 4 installments with intervals. You will have to pay me $ 750.00 US Dollars per person for Cruise deposit to confirm your stateroom, and

11

if you don’t have your travel insurance as mentioned above then you have to pay me $ 205.00 US Dollars per person for group travel Insurance in addition to cruise deposit.

Please remember the Travel insurance once purchased can not be cancelled or transferred to somebody else. The final payment for the cruise is due by 20th June 2017 and you will be able to pay through your credit card directly to Cruise Web. For the other payments for Air Travel, Port City Excursions and hotel stay & food expenses etc. you will be informed time to time. The prices I have negotiated for the cruise are the rock bottom prices which can not be held for long and we are getting two amenities free, Gratuity for 13 days Cruise is Free and Cocktail Drinks are free for 13 days of Cruise for Ocean view cabins and above.

Inside cabins will have only one Amenity Free of your choice. I have only room for two more couples or 4 friends to share two cabins on the ship, So don’t miss the chance of enjoying the Luxury in life for 16/ 17 days to visit Australia & New Zealand and call Surendra Handa Organizer/ Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945.

FOR LEASE Two retail units 3000sqft #130/140 - 304785 Cardinal Ave Abbotsford

(604) 725-6734 / (604) 595-1445

18 HITLIST

12

mid-day

Wednesday, December 7, 2016 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

have you heard?

For more Updates, Visit our Website

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Love, actually

Hitlist

Why Sonam missed the gong Alia Bhatt walked away with the Best Actress trophy at Sunday night’s Screen Awards, which kickstarted the Bollywood awards season. Quite a few eyebrows were raised since Sonam Kapoor was an equally, if not more, deserving contender for the honour.

A bitchy starlet from Lokhandwala tells us Alia was always the favourite with the eight-member jury, half of who owe loyalty to the actress’ mentor, Karan Johar. The four panelists, we are told, were Urmila Matondkar (one of KJo’s besties), Subhash Ghai (who’s remaking Ram Lakhan with the director’s banner, Dharma Productions), Karan Malhotra (who helmed Johar’s Agneepath) and Raveena Tandon (wife of KJo’s childhood buddy, Anil Thadani, who is the distributor for Dharma projects). Now, that’s something worth pondering over.

Also, Deepika Padukone winning the Style Icon award came as a surprise to many, especially since she walked into the event in an unsightly black gown. Wonder why Sonam was ignored even in this category.

GOING REGIONAL

Saturday, December 10, 2016 Choreographer-turned-filmmaker Ganesh Acharya’s next is a Marathi film, Bhikari, starring Swapnil Joshi, Shivaji Satam and Manoj Joshi. The film is a remake of the Tamil film, Pichaikkaran, which released in March this year

Whopper deal Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan charged a bomb to co-host an awards night over the weekend. Tongues have been wagging about who was paid more. Buzz doing the rounds is that the two mutually decided to charge the same amount (rumoured to be R3 crore each) to avoid one-upmanship. The organisers were only too happy to pander to their whims and fancies. The event which will be televised later this month is sure to take TRPs to another level.

TELLY TATTLE

Piggy bank tales Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon were stuck to each other at a film gala recently. The two entered and exited together. It was evident from their body language that they are a couple. The two are throwing caution to the wind. High time. we say.

EXCLUSIVE

A MOVIE ON THE CARDS? On his way to shoot his next film, Munna Michael, Nawazuddin Siddiqui dropped by at Jackky Bhagnani's office for a script reading session with Prachi Desai

Money matters Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover apparently have scores of acting and endorsement offers coming their way, but things have not really worked out due to moolah matters. It is said the fit and fab couple is asking for an astronomical amount for joint appearances. Any takers?

The Kat fixation continues Salman Khan is not yet over Katrina Kaif. He is known to embarrass her time and again with his tongue-in-cheek humour. Remember what he had said at sister Arpita Khan’s wedding? “I gave you a chance to become Katrina Khan but you chose to become Katrina Kapoor.” he is at his cheeky self again.

Sallu who features in this Sunday’s Koffee with Karan with brothers, Arbaaz and Sohail, feels Kat rates from the No 1 to 4 position among the best actresses today. While Karan tried to explain that the question wasn’t for him, Sohail interrupted by saying, “He was dying to say that.”

The cast of the Arjun Bijlani-Dhrashti Dhamistarrer Pardes Mein Hain Mera Dil has found a novel way to tackle Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move. Each one is trying to help the other, especially the less privileged ones. A piggy bank has been kept on the set into which the cast of the show has been putting cash and coins to ensure there is enough money to pay chaiwallas and helpers around. They have also been lending money from that piggy bank to crew members who don’t have a bank account and are facing the brunt of being broke. Now, that's sweet.

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Saturday, A p ri l 2, 2016

i 5

Saturday, ri l 2, 2016 Saturday, A p ri l A 2,p 2016 i 5 i 5

Vol. 6 No. 31 Saturday - April 2, 2016 - Tel: - Tel: 604-591-5423 E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com 604-591-5423 - -E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com Tel: 604-591-5423 E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com Vol. 6 No. 31 - Saturday - April 2, 2016 - Tel: 604-591-5423 - E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Vol.- 6Saturday No. 31 - -December Saturday - April 2, 2016 Vol. 7 No. 45 10, 2016

Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building boom

Vancouver’s skyline tofret risecourt amid an office-tower building boom ‘Danger Report’: Real estate pros orth ancou er homeo nersboom fight his building will Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building next two years due to competition. it Suisse is optimistic tower tower is optimistic his building will he $240-million $240-million Credit CreditSuisse/ Suisse/ Mr.Mr. Shokri others expectnext two years due to competition. it Suisse he Shokri andand others say say theythey expect The landlords who will likely suffer The landlords who will likely suffer next two years due to competition. start to fill as the completion date gets closer. start to fill as the completion dateand gets closer. it Suisse tower is optimistic his building will could break onmany secret sales data lose SwissRealtower tower thelock heart many of the new towers to start signing SwissReal ininthe heart of of of the new towers to start signing tenant he $240-million Credit Suisse/ Mr. Shokri and others say tenant they expectincrease in property assessment — a result oflandlords the current are ownas aasresult of the current boom are ownThe who boom will likely suffer

T T

Franz Gehriger, the of CEO ofgets SwissReal Franzstart Gehriger, CEO SwissReal to fill as the the completion date closer. downtown will as they getget closer to completion. downtown Vancouver Vancouver will bethe be leases leases as many they closer to completion.

Thattenant of the new towers to startThat signing There’s little doubtSwissReal Canada’stower real in estate heart DiMichele in a of statement in July.

Even by Lower Mainland standards, a 361 Community Plan made in 2011. ers of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said.

Asare ers of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said.

As as a result of the current boom ownGroup who bought the original historic Group who bought the original historic Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal completed in less a ayear, sosofar,far, will is is partly because in Vancouver, completed lessthan than year,but but partly because companies in downtown Vancouver be industry leases ascompanies they getargue closer toVancouver, completion.

That industry feelsinunder siege these days.

But critics this case haswell, per cent increase in thein assessed value of stock-exchange aAs Last year, basedinon other sales in the new developments the well, new developments in the suburbs, building 2002 parters of older buildings, Mr.suburbs, Shokri said. stock-exchange building 2002 before partGroup who bought theinbefore original historic only one tenant has signed upupthan totomove in.in.butwhich do do want to be in new, energy-efficient only one tenant has signed move which want to be in new, energy-efficient completed in less a year, so far, is partly because companies in Vancouver, Just check out the recent Danger Report nothing to do with privacy concerns.which house in one year is remarkable. neighbourhood, assessors decided that have already experienced higher nering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said which have already experienced higher well, new developments in the suburbs, The has committed forfor a a10th buildings, to operate on short timelines. nering with Credit Suisseinto2002 develop said stock-exchange building beforeit,partThetenant tenantonly has committed of move buildings, tend to operate onTREB’s timelines. tenant has signed upof to in. tend which do want to isbe inshort new, energy-efficient commissioned byone the Canadian Real10th Estate Instead, they believe this last gaspvacancy But such a staggering jump — and the makes the single-family home attractive to rates in recent years, may have the main group interested in leasing Vancouvacancy rates in already recent years, may have which have experienced higher the 370,000 square feet – –leaving a state offorof a 10th AsAs well, he hesaid, prices in in the newnew the main group interested in leasing Vancounering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said the 370,000 square feet leaving a state well, said, prices the The tenant has committed of buildings, tend to operate on short timelines.

Association (CREA), which analyzes at trying to protect its 45,000 member agentstrouble tripling of property taxes that comes with developers — to the tune of $4,457,000. asvacancy they compete with each other. ver office space these days is the technology ratescompete in recent have trouble as they withyears, eachmay other. emptiness that is unusual for an office sky- buildings will likely 4 i Saturday, y 25 come , 2015 down in the mainspace group interested inisleasing Vancouvertheoffice these days the technology the is370,000 square feetoffice – leaving ofthe As J ulwell, he prices in inwant emptinessgame that unusual for an buildings will likely down the new “negative changers emerging in skyreal a state from digital era consumers — wasn’t the grounds for a successful appeal narrow property isn’t well 4 i Saturday, J ul ywhere 25 come , said, 2015 InitVancouver, co-developer of the Credsector. The Thoselong, companies make their deciscraper in this city. Even so, a huge shift in trouble as they compete with each other.

In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Credver office space these days is the technology sector.

Those companies make their deciemptiness thatso, is unusual for aninoffice sky-power buildings willaccess likely scraper city. Even a huge shift estate. ” in this more easy information. of the North Vancouver property’s 2016 designed for development on its own, 4 iand Saturday, J ul yto 25 come , 2015 down in the business tenancy is expected as the region In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred- sector. Those companies make their deciscraperisinexpected this city. as Even a huge shift in Already in Nova Scotia, assessment. but would be “ideal for assembly” with business tenancy theso,region experiences something it has not seen behomebuyers can access price The homeowners argued the modest twonearby properties, which the municipality business tenancy is expected as the region experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much history for properties online. bedroom, 744 square-foot house, in their would likely allow, the assessor said in its experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rath“It’s about who controls family since the 1980s, was reasonably valued submissions to the board. fore: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than for specific committed tenants. the flow of information, and at about $1.2-million.

“The property is, in fact, within the ‘heart’ which is committed speculative construction rather“This thanis kind forofofspecific tenants. uncharted territory for VanTREB wants it to be them and But B.C. Assessment said recent changes of the designated Town Centre,” the board’s er ofthan for specific committed couver, ” said Mehdi Shokri, aterritory principal with “This is kind uncharted for Van- tenants.

Realtors, ” says Pasalis. to the district’s Official Community Plan decision states.

“Thisteam isShokri, kindatofAvison uncharted territory the capital markets Young. couver, ” said Mehdi a principal with for VanToronto broker Fraser Beach changed everything — and even though In their appeal, the owners argue that the couver, said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with “But I don’t markets see a ”big disaster occurring. ” the capital team at Avison Young. agrees, calling the privacy the 19,500 square-foot property hasn’t been current use and current zoning support a The ICredit Suisse is onlyteam the at most Avison “But don’tthe seecapital a tower bigmarkets disaster occurring. ” Young. argument “a smokescreen, a red rezoned and redeveloped, it could be. value in the million-dollar range. visible and furthest of aasecond I along don’t see big disaster The Credit“But Suisse tower is only thewave mostoccurring.” herring that the real estate board In a recent decision, the Property Assessing the property based on the of new office towers planned fortower VancouThe Credit only the most visible and furthest alongSuisse of a secondiswave keeps dragging in. ” Assessment Appeal Board agreed, and the Official Community Plan speculates on the ver and somevisible key suburbs.

A first cluster and planned furthest along of a second wave of new office towers for VancouSince 2011 Beach has been property’s nearly $4.5-million valuation “future value of the property without taking of towers – some twooffice million square feet –for Vancouof new towers planned ver built and downtown some key in suburbs.

Athree first cluster supplying anyone who signed stands. into account any risks at all,” the owners was the past years. ver andtwo some key suburbs.

A first cluster ofAnother towers – 11 some square feet up with daily online reports “This happens constantly office million developments are – of towers – some two million square feet – featuring the final selling prices throughout Metro was built downtown in theofpast three years. proposed within blocks Credit Suwasinclude built downtown in the past three years.

Top threats their Vancouver,” said Paul Another 11 tower officeatpeople developments are of Toronto homes. isse’s Exchange Howe selling and West Another 11 officeconsumers developments But are he shut it down in September after Sullivan, a senior partner homes without agent, Pender streets, evenan while the office-va-Suproposed within blocks of Credit blocks oftheir Credit Supressuring agents to reduce cancy inproposed the regionwithin to inch isse’s rate Exchange tower atcontinues Howe and West receiving a cease-and-desist letter from at Burgess Cawley Sullivan, isse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West commission, and the prospect of making a real estate appraisal and up as a result of the firstwhile wave the of building.

Pender streets, even office-va- TREB’s legal counsel.

Pender streets, even while the office-vainside information — such as past selling Beach argues that since Toronto agents property tax firm that did not But commercial brokerscontinues say the city is cancy rate in the region to inch cancy in the regiontowers. continues tocan inch prices of homes — rate widely available. currently supply clients with past sales work on this case. not about to be populated by ghost up as a result of the first wave of building. as a result of thetheir first wave of building.

“It kind ofupshows you what fear is, prices, the information is already out there.

“If the value of the land But commercialcommercial brokers say the city is and open data But is really behind brokers a lot of say this,”the city“Ifis [45,000] people have access to increases, due to [plans for] not about be about populated by ghost towers. says brokertonot John Pasalis Realosophy information which they can give to anybody density, then that’s what your to bewith populated by ghost towers.

Realty in Toronto. they care to, it’s not private. There is no new assessment looks like.”

“They’re worried the agent is going to get privacy issue.”

The property in question, cut out.”

That’s not how realty consultant Ross Kay at 440 Mountain Highway, has one small submitted. But that’s not how it works, the Pasalis argues that worry is what’s driving sees it. He claims a real estate agent handing house with a basement built in 1949 — and appeal board ruled. the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) over a few sold listings to a client is not the is currently zoned for just one single-family “Much of the appellants’ disagreement with in its long and bitter battle with Canada’s same as making the information widely dwelling. the assessment flows from their assertion that Competition Bureau to keep certain sales accessible online.

The appellants’ parents bought it in the property should be assessed based on its data under lock and key.

“What that means is that every single 1985, according to the appeal documents, current use. This is not correct,” the decision In April, the Competition Tribunal ruled personal detail in a home’s listing would be back when the price was just $123,000. It is states. Rather, properties are judged based on that TREB was stifling competition by available to any major corporation or bank currently an investment property. their “highest and best use.” limiting access to information — including a to download” and to mine for data, says Kay In 2015, the value was assessed at $967,100.

Case law has established what that means, home’s final selling price. Currently, Toronto who lives in Burlington, Ont. But the large chunk of land also sits next said Sullivan, where the “highest and best real estate agents — and most agents across Critics point out that anyone can go to the to a nursery, near other shops, and right use” is determined in part by what’s physically the country — control and provide this land registry office and find out what a home in the middle of a neighbourhood slated possible and financially feasible on a site, with information to clients at their discretion. sold for. But Kay argues that at least that for transformation into Lynn Creek Town a greater than 50 per cent likelihood of being The tribunal’s decision would enable access won’t include sensitive information Centre, under changes to the district’s Official approved. brokers to make past sales prices and other like revealing photos of the home included data, like how long a home has sat on the in the sold listing. market, widely available on Toronto real “You won’t have access to photographs estate websites. of the little girl’s bedroom, you won’t have TREB, however, appealed the tribunal’s access to what kind of TVs that family ruling. Federal Court of Appeal hearings purchases.” in Toronto wrapped up on Tuesday, with The Canadian Real Estate Association also no word yet on when the court will reach a claims privacy is a legitimate argument. decision.

In its submission to the Federal Court of One of the board’s main arguments is Appeal, CREA sided with TREB’s position. that openly posting a home’s final selling It also repeated its argument that if the price compromises the privacy of sellers and tribunal’s ruling stands, it should be limited buyers. to the Toronto area.

The ruling “opens the door to misuse “Competitive and regulatory conditions and abuse of their sensitive personal vary across the jurisdictions of boards,” financial information,” said TREB CEO John stated CREA in a court document.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

Real Estate

Asian Investors Shift to Seattle As a New Vancouver Tax Takes Effect The 15% levy on foreign property purchases was meant to cool rising costs.

More and more Chinese and other Asian investors appear to be moving their money to markets in Seattle and Toronto, after a new tax on foreign property investment was announced in Vancouver—which in the past has been a prime destination for overseas buyers.

The 15% levy was enacted in August in an effort to temper the province’s rising property rates; the price for detached homes in Vancouver has reportedly doubled over the past decade due to a surge in investment, Bloomberg reports.

Much of that is from buyers from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, who are eager to move their money westward as the yuan weakens and property prices soar at home.

Vancouver’s tax scheme may have them

looking elsewhere for a better deal.

“The key point for Chinese investors is still, ‘Let’s move that money out of China, you never know what will happen to it,’” Bloomberg cited Gordon Houlden, a China expert at the University of Alberta, as saying.

“So they’ll go to Seattle or Toronto.”

Several brokers in Seattle and Toronto told the news agency that they were seeing a surge of foreign interest in high-end properties, many valued over $1 million. According to Bloomberg, about 12% of the homes sold in city this year netted seven figures, and the price for a singlefamily home rose by almost 15%, while sales in the metropolitan area have reportedly risen 50% over the past five years.

A similar trend appears to be taking shape in Toronto, where home prices jumped by about 23% to an average $586,530 and sales are up nearly 17%, Bloomberg reports.

While not all real estate professionals attribute the shift to the tax, all of those cited by Bloomberg agreed that buyers from Asia are on the rise and are looking for new frontiers.

“Chinese money isn’t going to sit and wait,” Vancouver-based professor David Ley told the agency. “Investors are going to find another city.”

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ortgage rates may finally be bottoming out in T Canada, new report says Vol. 6 No. 31

-

Saturday - April 2, 2016

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

The average price of a home across the country continued to climb in 2016 but any savings Canadians are getting from mortgage rates are getting smaller, according to a new survey.

Mortgage Professionals Canada, the national mortgage broker channel association, said in a report out Thursday the average homeowner mortgage interest rate was 3.02 per cent this year, down from 3.07 per cent a year ago. For homeowners renewing their mortgage in 2016, the average interest rate was 2.7 per cent.

Among borrowers who renewed this year, 64 per cent have seen a drop in their interest rate but the average decline is about 40 basis points. Broken down, among about 950,000 borrowers who will have renewed or refinanced mortgages during 2016, 625,000 to 800,000 will have reductions in their interest rates, 100,000 will have no change, and about 225,000 to 250,000 will see an increases — most of those increases less than a percentage point.

“Mortgage rate discounting remains widespread in Canada,” the group said in its release. “So far this year, the average actual rate for a five-year fixed-rate mortgages was 2.72 per cent, 1.94 percentage points lower than posted rates for the term which has averaged 4.66 per cent.”

The posted rate for the five-year term has been key following government changes announced in October to stress test the market. Consumers with government backed loans must now be able afford a loan based on the qualifying rate set by the Bank of Canada, now 4.64 per cent, which is based on the posted rate for a five-year fixed rate loan.

“It is too soon to measure the impacts of this policy change,” said Will Dunning, chief economist of Mortgage Professionals Canada and author of the report. “The survey finds that among potential homebuyers who expect to be subject to that test, their ability

he $240-million Credit Suisse/ SwissReal tower in the heart of downtown Vancouver will be completed in less than a year, but so far, only one tenant has signed up to move in.

The tenant has committed for a 10th of the 370,000 square feet – leaving a state of emptiness that is unusual for an office skyscraper in this city. Even so, a huge shift in business tenancy is expected as the region experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than for specific committed tenants.

“This is kind of uncharted territory for Vancouver,” said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with the capital markets team at Avison Young.

“But I don’t see a big disaster occurring.”

The Credit Suisse tower is only the most visible and furthest along of a second wave of new office towers planned for Vancouver and some key suburbs. A first cluster of towers – some two million square feet – was built downtown in the past three years.

Another 11 office developments are proposed within blocks of Credit Suisse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West Pender streets, even while the office-vacancy rate in the region continues to inch up as a result of the first wave of building.

But commercial brokers say the city is not about to be populated by ghost towers.

Mr. Shokri and others say they expect many of the new towers to start signing tenant leases as they get closer to completion. That is partly because companies in Vancouver, which do want to be in new, energy-efficient buildings, tend to operate on short timelines.

As well, he said, prices in the new buildings will likely 4 i Saturday, J ul y 25 come , 2015 down in the

next two years due to competition.

The landlords who will likely suffer as a result of the current boom are owners of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said. As well, new developments in the suburbs, which have already experienced higher vacancy rates in recent years, may have trouble as they compete with each other.

In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred-

to buy a home will be impaired. As a result, they also expect that there will be negative impacts in the overall housing market and in the broader economy.”

The survey found that many first-time buyers are now looking to rent part of their to generate income so they can afford to buy a home. The study found 34 per cent of

recent first-time buyers think it is important to generate income from their properties and 13 per cent went ahead with renovations on their homes to create a rental unit. Another 20 per cent of first-time buyers either rent or plan to rent part of their homes.

Among the 18-34 year-old segment of the population, 50 per cent do not own a home and 43 per cent said they can’t afford the down payment which is a minimum of five per cent for government-backed mortgages for the first $500,000 of a home price and 10 per cent on the portion between $500,000 and $1 million. The head of Canada and Mortgage and Housing Corp. mused last month, during a speech in London, England, about increasing the size of down payments.

The second reason why young people are not buying was lack of financial stability with 29 per cent citing it as a factor. Another 26 per cent are waiting for prices to decrease.

The survey was conducted by Bond Brand Loyalty from October 21 to November 3 with a sample size of 2,000 Canadians.

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Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building

The federal housing agency says the number of new home construction projects dipped slightly last month.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in all areas of the country fell to 183,989 units in November, down four per cent from 192,297 units in October.

In urban areas of Ontario, the seasonally adjusted rate of starts declined to 55,232 units, down 32 per cent from the previous month.

That’s in contrast to urban areas of B.C., which saw an increase of 73 per cent to 44,019

units.

RBC economist Josh Nye says he anticipates the decline in home construction will continue next year, with starts falling by about 10 per

cent as recent mortgage rule tightening by Ottawa causes existing home sales to fall.

it Suisse tow start to fill a Franz G Group wh stock-excha nering with the main gr ver office sp sector. Tho

31

Saturday, A p ri l 2, 2016

i 5

Saturday, December 10, 2016

-

Real Estate

15

US home price gains lift household wealth to $90.2 trillion

Saturday - April 2, 2016

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

couver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building boom

edit Suisse/ he heart of er will be , but so far, to move in. or a 10th of ng a state of n office skyhuge shift in s the region not seen beboom much uction rathted tenants. tory for Vanrincipal with vison Young. r occurring.” nly the most second wave for Vancoufirst cluster square feet – three years. pments are Credit Sue and West he office-vanues to inch of building. y the city is host towers.

Mr. Shokri and others say they expect many of the new towers to start signing tenant leases as they get closer to completion. That is partly because companies in Vancouver, which do want to be in new, energy-efficient buildings, tend to operate on short timelines.

As well, he said, prices in the new buildings will likely 4 i Saturday, J ul y 25 come , 2015 down in the

next two years due to competition.

The landlords who will likely suffer as a result of the current boom are owners of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said. As well, new developments in the suburbs, which have already experienced higher vacancy rates in recent years, may have trouble as they compete with each other.

In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred-

it Suisse tower is optimistic his building will start to fill as the completion date gets closer.

Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal Group who bought the original historic stock-exchange building in 2002 before partnering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said the main group interested in leasing Vancouver office space these days is the technology sector. Those companies make their deci-

A healthy increase in home values and higher stock prices drove up U.S. household wealth in the July-September quarter, though the gains are largely concentrated among wealthier Americans.

The Federal Reserve said Thursday that real estate values increased $554 billion in the third quarter, while Americans’ stock and mutual fund portfolios rose $494 billion. Total

household wealth, which includes checking and savings accounts and subtracts mortgages and other debt, increased 1.8 per cent to $90.2 trillion.

The rise suggests that Americans’ finances are improving, with more families building equity in their homes. Greater wealth can encourage more spending and boost economic growth. Stock prices have soared to new record levels since the election, which means household net worth is likely higher now.

Still, national wealth isn’t widely shared, which limits the benefits of any increase.

The wealthiest 1 per cent held 42 per cent of the nation’s wealth in 2012, the latest data

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

available, according to research published earlier this year by economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman of the University of California-Berkeley.

The rise in the wealth gap mirrors the widening of income inequality in the past several decades. The top 0.1 per cent of Americans, which consists of about 160,000 taxpayers worth more than $20 million, owned 22 per cent of national wealth in 2012, up from just 7 per cent in 1978, Saez’s research found.

According to a paper released earlier this week by Saez, Zucman and Thomas Piketty, the richest 1 per cent of Americans derive more than half their income from capital assets such as homes, stocks and bonds, as well as their share of pension savings.

The bottom 90 per cent of Americans earn less than 20 per cent of their income from capital, most of that in the form of pension fund savings.

U.S. household wealth fell sharply in the Great Recession as home prices and financial markets plummeted, wiping out more than $11 trillion in asset values. Net worth fell to $56 trillion in 2008. Since then, stock prices have reached record levels, a boon to richer households. The 10 per cent wealthiest households own 80 per cent of stocks.

But home prices began rising in 2012 and by some measures have fully recovered from their collapse in the housing bust.

0 BY: ASIAN STAR ADVT.

SOLD at $4,95,00

17,160 SQ. FT (PRIME INDUSTRIAL LOT) $ 985,000

Saturda

16

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Garry Grewal

Vol. 6 No. 31

DIAMOND AWARD

Sutton Group - West Coast Realty #106 7565 132 St., Surrey. BC.

COMMERCIAL MEDALLION CLUB MEMBER

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- Highest Dollar Volume Award FOR SALE

FOR LEASE

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FOR LEASE PREMIUM OFFICE ACE SP HOTEL WITH 32 ROOMS FOR SALE FOR ALE S

14.827 CRES A HOME OR ALE FS Spectacular! Estate home on 14.827 Acres of high yield blueberry farm. Luxury unfolds with the stunning front foyer, dual staircases, and elevated catwalk. The regal great room is situated next to a gourmet chef kitchen w/ separate wok kitchen & walk in pantry. A media room, yoga/ exercise room, 8 bedrooms & multiple entertaining rooms round out this spectacular home. Gaze out upon south views of Mt. Baker or the north views of the North Shore Mountains from outdoor patios situated both upstairs and down. This is true luxury at its best! The farm features healthy mature blueberry varieties Duke, Elliott, and Reca ensuring steady crops throughout the season. Fully automated irrigation. Too much to list! Book a showing today! Asking $4,999,900

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8318 cottS oad R ering is medical off and other ofessionals pr an opportunity o t purchase emium pr of�ice space ey, in Sur BC. o Set beed t y allcomplet b f 2016, this state if eel the and ete art concr st building will er off ae etail mixtur of and r Asking $250,000 A very rare opportunity to own a beautiful Parisian feel Salon/Café in of�ice space o ofessionals t pr lookingor f a Historic Abbotsford. Well established, with a loyal client following this home or ftheir business. Space beautiful establishment ers offy all brunch,da ea.

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CUSTOM TEELS &ABRICATION F BUSINESS OR ALEFS Asking

Established steel abrication and business. aluminum eat Gr f opportunity our to $350,000 custom business with services that include: aluminum welding and repair, custom and stock trailers, mobile welding service, crane fabrication, fabrication of residential gates, security bars and much more! Mon– Fri operation closed on weekends. Please contact me for more details on this hard to come by opportunity! Asking $149,000

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Established Indian Sweets and Restaurant business located in high traf�ic area of Scott Rd, Surrey.

Perfect Wide ariety egetarian v v menu eets. with xpanded Can sw tobe egetarian add e dishes non to v Asking $1,250,000 with menu. Catering services provided regular clientele. Seating for 50. Complete turn key restaurant Cuisine great business opportunity! Asking $129,000

COLLECTION / CREDIT COMPANY FOR SALE- ONE IN A MILLION OPPORTUNITY!

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Fantastic opportunity to run your own Pizza & Indian Cuisine business! Excellent food, rated 4.5/5 by customers open 7 days$229,000 a Asking week, very busy location take out with availability for seating if desired. Tons of tourists year round, central to major sites in Hope and integral area near grocery stores, city hall, local police station, motels and cinema. Well established, great sales and a complete turn key operation that will not last long! Asking $199,000

BUSINESS FOR SALE

CONVENIENCE TORE S &

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Asking $549,000

Don't miss this chance to run your own buy Convenience store/Mini mart! This well established business is well or-ganized, excellent set up, with all your essential sundries for sale as well as lottery AND the licensing to sell Pizza at this location! Busy area near parks, schools, residences it is the perfect small business! Ample of opportunity to add your ideas to an already turn key operation!

Don't miss this great small business prospect!

Asking $99,000 Asking $149,000

SIGNAGE & PRINTING BUSINESS FOR SALE

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ACREAGE FOR SALE IN REGINA - SASKATCHEWAN

Great opportunity to get into a Franchised and easy to operate Candy business! This established franchise is located in Ocean Park Shopping Center near major anchor Safeway. This rapidly growing franchise currently has 22 locations within BC and Alberta. With unique product Imported from the US and UK this franchise is completely turn –key and full training provided. This easy to run business is perfect for a couple and for those wanting to try their hand at being an entrepreneur.

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AUTO BODY SHOP FOR SALE

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Don't miss this rare opportunity to own your own busy Lighthouse Indian Cuisine Franchise! Prime location in Brickyard Station Plaza this fantastic business has Take out and dine in, beautiful décor, quality kitchen, Full Liquor license and full Indian Cuisine Complete AskingMenu. $279,900 turn key operation enables you to be your own boss with this established franchise. Contact me today for further info. Asking $389,000

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Magni�icent luxury estate situate don 8.5 acres with over 8100 sq. ft of living space. Home includes 6 bdrms, 8 washrooms, a separate guest house and fruit stand. 5 acres has blueberry plants as well. This stunning home possesses every luxury possible with high ceilings, crown molding, stainless steel appliances,Granite counter tops, open �loor plan, large gym room, grand patio, sundecks, built in vacuum, top of the line security system, separate wok kitchen and much more! This gorgeous home is situated in the middle of serene farmland yet only two minutes away from Aldergrove Town centre and with quick access to Hwy #1. The second house is rented as well as fruit stall.Rare opportunity to advantage of this stunning home! Call today for a personal viewing.

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next two years due to competition.

The landlords who will likely suffer as a result of the current boom are owners of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said. As well, new developments in the suburbs, which have already experienced higher vacancy rates in recent years, may have trouble as they compete with each other.

In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred-

FOR 4020SALE 272 T, /S LEASE LANGLEY

BUSINESS OR ALE S F

Showers, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Special occasions and even Private Wedding ceremonies. Wait...there's more! This beautiful treasure of a business offers gorgeous select apparel, furnishings, jewelry, linens, gifts, vintage treasures and home décor. A beautiful, breathtaking turnkey operation this is a chance to own a niche business created and established with love and a business owners delight don't miss this opportunity!

Please oach do staff, not ealtor contact orappry f info required. Asking $75,000

E-mail: ads@the

MASTER AWARD

2006-2007 2004-2005 2011, 2012 2008-2009 2006-2007 2004-2005 2013-2014

Sutton Group - West Realty PH:604-572-3005 FAX:Coast 778-574-4174 #106 7565 132 St., Surrey. BC. PH:604-572-3005 FAX: 778-574-4174

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

he $240-million Credit Suisse/ Mr. Shokri and others say they expect SwissReal tower in the heart of many of the new towers to start signing tenant downtown Vancouver will be leases as they get closer to completion. That completed in less than a year, but so far, is partly because companies in Vancouver, only one tenant has signed up to move in. which do want to be in new, energy-efficient The tenant has committed for a 10th of buildings, tend to operate on short timelines. the 370,000 square feet – leaving a state of As well, he said, prices in the new emptiness that is unusual for an office sky- buildings will likely 4 i Saturday, J ul y 25 come , 2015 down in the scraper in this city. Even so, a huge shift in business tenancy is expected as the region experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than for specific committed tenants.

“This is kind of uncharted territory for Vancouver,” said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with the capital markets team at Avison Young.

“But I don’t see a big disaster occurring.”

The Credit Suisse tower is only the most visible and furthest along of a MASTER second wave PLATINUM of new office towers planned for VancouAWARD AWARD ver and some key suburbs. A first cluster of towers – some two million square feet – was built downtown in the past three years.

Another 11 office developments are proposed within blocks of Credit Suisse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West Pender streets, even while the office-vacancy rate in the region continues to inch up as a result of the first wave of building.

But commercial brokers say the city is not about to be populated by ghost towers.

DIAMOND AWARD

WINNER OF FVREB’s - Highest Dollar Volume AwardTOP -ACHIEVEMENT Commercial TopAWARDS Sales Award

Saturday - April 2, 2016

PREC PREC

T

WINNER OF FVREB’s TOP ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

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Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building

Asking $349,000

$550,000

02/12