Asian Star - January 7, 2017

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www.theasianstar.com AsianStar logo Saturday, April 25, 2015 6:42:48 PM

Vol 15 - Issue 49

Indian politicians blame New Year’s mass groping on women’s ‘Western’ clothes In an article headlined “Bengaluru’s Night of Shame,” the Bangalore Mirror reported on a New Year’s Eve party in the southern Indian city that had devolved

as hooligans in the garb of revellers started pawing, molesting and passing lewd remarks on women on the streets, forcing some of them to literally take off their stilettos and run for help,” the newspaper reported.

Accompanying the story were pictures of some women looking distressed, of others fleeing the chaos and, later, of baton-wielding police officers facing off against crowds of angry men.

Although the paper Indian men battle police during New Year’s party where women were assaulted recorded eyewitness into an unruly mob in which female accounts, it said Bangalore police had partygoers were allegedly molested en not received any harassment reports that masse. night.

Continued on Page 7...

“All hell broke loose close to midnight

Saturday, January 07, 2016

Weather forecasters wrong again Just days after being blanketed in snow and slush, residents of B.C.’s Lower Mainland were warned to expect another significant snowfall this weekend.

Environment Canada says there’s a chance of snow starting Friday and carrying on through the weekend. But snow did not arrived on friday morning as forcasted.

Meteorologist Matt MacDonald said the snow is likely to last three or four days.

MacDonald said the forecasted flurries can be blamed on the combination of a cold arctic air mass and moisture in the air heading inland off the Pacific Ocean.

Continued on Page 10...

Pressure to review homeowner grants after soaring assessments

South Asian man charged after India-bound plane forced to return to Toronto A South Asian man from Fort McMurray, Alberta was charged last Wednesday after a flight attendant was injured aboard an Air Canada flight en route to India, forcing the plane to return

to Toronto. The airline said the Boeing 787-8 was carrying 232 passengers when it took off from Toronto for Delhi on Tuesday evening.

The plane had to turn around about two-and-a-half hours into the flight due to an “incident involving a disruptive passenger,” a spokesman said.

“A flight attendant sustained injuries requiring medical treatment,” said Peter Fitzpatrick. “Police met the aircraft after it landed about 2:20 a.m.

Wednesday.”

Continued on Page 6...

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LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Vancouver Mayor taken to task over Vancouver’s poor response to snowfall

Critics of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson are calling for a formal inquiry into the city’s response to a bout of winter weather that has left residents frustrated by streets and sidewalks blanketed by ice – as the region prepares for yet another snowfall.

Many residents have expressed frustration that a number of side streets100 and sidewalks have yet to be plowed, sanded or salted after several dumps of snow and weeks 95 of freezing temperatures. Earlier this week, the city promised more staff would be75deployed and offered free salt at some Vancouver fire halls, which was quickly snapped up.

“The mayor and the city should have taken this more seriously,” said Councillor George 25 Affleck, a member of the opposition NonPartisan Association, or NPA. “We need to 5 have someone from the outside to come in and take a look at why can’t we get a handle 0 on this.”

Mr. Affleck said he and fellow NPA Councillor Melissa De Genova put forward a motion calling for a review.

Ms. De Genova said the city needs to be prepared for extreme weather, however unusual, in the same way it prepares for earthquakes.

“The city hired an entire team dedicated to get prepared for earthquakes and local emergencies,” she said. “I know this weather doesn’t happen in Vancouver every year, then how about the earthquake? No, we still prepare for it.”

Councillor Raymond Louie of the mayor’s Vision Vancouver party says the NPA is “playing politics.”

“They are doing this rather than going out to help people,” said Mr. Louie, who added city staff are working around the clock to address the situation. The city was hit with the first of several snowfalls in mid-December, when staff struggled to deal with the volume of calls from residents.

According to data released by the city, Vancouver’s 311 service received 1,712 calls related to snow removal last month, compared with just 68 during the same period in 2013, the last year that the area had a long period of snowfall. During the busiest days, fewer than half of calls were answered within the city’s own targets and 100 as many as 20 per cent of callers simply hung up while they waited.

95 The city issued a news release Thursday saying it was prepared for snow 75 expected on Friday and is stocked with salt.

Outside Vancouver, every municipality is scrambling to stay ahead of what engineers and public-works managers say has been one 25 of the the most difficult winters in memory.

Some have promised changes as a result of 5 complaints or the unusually bad conditions.

In Delta, Mayor Lois Jackson said she has made a commitment that all 0local roads will be sanded and salted by Friday.

3

Vancouver Police called to deal with fight over free sidewalk salt Police were called in Tuesday night when tempers became heated at Vancouver fire halls where free salt was being distributed to help citizens keep sidewalks safe during an unusually cold winter. “We had to get Vancouver police to respond and intervene, partly because of the sheer volume of people,” said Capt. Jonathan Gormick of Vancouver Fire and Rescue, who said residents cleared some fire halls of salt soon after it arrived.

Crowds got out of control at three halls, he said. “Unfortunately, (the police) had to intervene in a couple of incidents where people were starting to get physical and heated with each other.”

The city offered residents two buckets of salt at 10 fire halls on Wednesday, but that

was scaled back to one small bucket after all the salt was gone within an hour and more had to be delivered.

One man showed up at a fire hall with a pickup truck and tried to load it with garbage bins he had filled with salt, but firefighters strongly discouraged him from returning, Gormick said.

One online ad listed salt collected from a fire hall for sale for $50, and Gormick said the price went up to $80 according to someone he spoke with. He called the whole affair “saltapocalypse.” Staff at fire halls were keeping an eye on the little inventory that remained after a second delivery Wednesday, to ensure people “used their conscience” and didn’t go overboard with the handout, Gormick said.

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Opinion

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Don’t just rebuild houses, build ‘em better

By Doug Firby Publisher- Troy Media If you were to build a home today - one you would want to stay in for decades - then it’s fair to predict you would want more than marble countertops. In the age of climate change and soaring energy prices, homeowners have to worry about better fire and flood resistance, the greatest possible efficiency and even the ability to generate power.

These priorities, however, are at odds with the pressure Fort McMurray is under to get some structures up and running. It needs to replace 2,400 structures destroyed in the May 2016 fire, and it can’t take a decade to do it.

Building houses to minimum codes standards, however, is at best a wasted opportunity. Canada needs to upgrade its entire housing stock; it makes little sense to keep adding structures that may be adequate today but will certainly be useless in the nottoo-distant future.

Fortunately, people are thinking about seizing the moment. An advisory committee is mounting a campaign called Build Back Better. The Green Building Technologies

Centre committee, based in Calgary’s Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, has convinced the Government of Alberta and the local municipality of Wood Buffalo to raise awareness of resilient home construction alternatives to the standard fare.

The committee, writes Chair Andree Iffrig, aims to avoid some of the mistakes that occurred during the reconstruction of Slave Lake after it was largely razed in a 2011 fire.

Iffrig says shoddy and hastily erected homes in that city resulted in structures that in some cases were never finished or which failed to meet standards.

The idea of building to the best possible standard makes sense on the face of it, but two pressures make it easier said than done: The first is the urgency issue; the other is the question of cost. Building better inevitably costs more than taking the path of least resistance. Insurance companies, in fairness slammed by huge payouts, are not likely to pay for “unnecessary” upgrades.

Some construction changes, however, cost little or nothing more. A fire-resistant roof made of steel, for example, is simple way to

add a little protection to a home, as is cementbased HardiPlant siding. Fire resistance is top of mind for me as I sit in a home with walls of OSB (a wood-and-glue product) and vinyl siding - making it a matchbox just waiting to ignite. If my own house were built today, these are not the materials I would choose.

The same applies to flood-proofing homes.

Parts of the country that have experienced recent flooding may question why vital electrical and heating equipment is situated in the basement where it will be destroyed by water. They should be moved to upper portions of the structure. In New Orleans, some reconstructed homes were placed on stilts, so any flood waters that might invade do minimal harm. Is that such a crazy idea?

Even smarter, of course, would be prohibiting the reconstruction of homes in flood plains. But, as we saw in both Calgary, after the 2013 deluge, and in Fort McMurray, politics often overrides common sense.

Homes get built - and rebuilt - in places they should never be.

Finally, while energy efficient standards have improved dramatically in the past couple of decades, new homes should be built with at least the potential to become net-zero i.e., the ability to generate as much heat and power as they use. That means state-of-theart windows, ultra-high insulation, ventilation, reverse electrical meters and the bones of a building that can be easily upgraded in future.

It’s a lot to ask homeowners to take on the cost of these upgrades themselves. People who have lost their homes often have also found themselves out of work and under financial stress. Many are in not position to shell out even more cash.

Governments need to consider whether they can help by providing either loans or grants for such upgrades. With carbon taxes appearing across the country, here is a reinvestment from all that new revenue that might actually pay dividends down the road.

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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LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

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Pressure to review homeowner grants after soaring assessments Continued from Page 1...

Vancouver, Squamish, Burnaby, Tri-Cities, Richmond, Surrey and the North Shore were among the areas with the highest increases.

The agency had already braced homeowners across the region for significant increases, and sent letters to some properties that it expected would see the biggest spike.

“The real estate market in the Lower Mainland and other parts of the province has been going up for some time, but certainly the numbers we’re seeing here are pretty significant,” said Assessor Jason Grant.

According to one example, a five-bedroom renovated near Commercial Drive saw its assessed value rise from $1.09-million to $1.46-million from 2015 to 2016.

But BC Assessment says increased values don’t necessarily translate to a property tax increase. Grant said taxes are affected by the assessment changes compared to the average change in your community.

“Cities do not collect a windfall in property taxes when assessments go up,” he said.

“They adjust their tax rates downwards to only collect the funds they require for their operating budgets.”

The new property values are calculated based on an assessment made in July 2016, a date many consider the peak of the B.C. real estate frenzy – and just before the 15 per cent tax on foreign homebuyers was announced.

Given the substantial hikes, B.C.’s Ministry of Finance said it would review which homeowners would qualify for its homeowner grant program – and whether it needs to increase the threshold.

Under current regulations, homes assessed under $1.2-million are eligible for a $570 grant to ease the owner’s tax burden, provided they live in the residence.

That threshold was actually increased by $100,000 last year because of record-high real estate prices last year. At the time, the province said the threshold covered 91 per cent of homes in the province.

The ministry said homeowners concerned about the $570 grant can also consider whether they qualify for other property tax deferment programs, which allows homeowners to use the equity in their property to defer some or all of their annual property taxes.

Homeowners will receive their notices by mail in the coming days.

South Asian man charged after India-bound plane forced to return to Toronto

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Continued from Page 1...

Peel Regional Police said a man had allegedly assaulted the flight attendant around 12:42 a.m. when the flight was over the Atlantic Ocean, just off the East Coast.

They say the 47-year-old was “belligerent” at the time, but was arrested without incident when the plane landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Jaskaran Sidhu was charged with assault causing bodily harm, endangering the safety

of an aircraft and two counts of mischief.

The aircraft’s diversion back to Toronto marked the second delay for passengers on the flight.

Sidhu appeared in a Brampton, Ont., court on Wednesday and was released on bail.

Poor weather had prompted Air Canada to postpone the flight earlier on Tuesday, shortly after it made it to the runway. A rescheduled flight was scheduled to leave Toronto for Delhi at noon Wednesday.

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Saturday, January 07, 2017

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Indian politicians blame New Year’s mass groping on women’s ‘Western’ clothes

Continued from Page 1...

Still, the incident ignited outrage on social media – first among those who said they were “aghast” at what had reportedly taken place, under the hashtag #MassMolestation.

In the wake of those reports, even more furor erupted after some politicians spoke out about the Bangalore party, suggesting that the fault of any harassment lay with the women and in what they chose to wear.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara blamed the incident on women’s wearing “Western” clothing, Al Jazeera reported.

“They try to copy Westerners not only in mindset, but even the dressing,” Parameshwara said, according to the news site. “Some girls are harassed, these kind of things do happen.”

The sentiment prompted a rebuke by Indian Home Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who called Parameshwara’s comments “irresponsible” on Twitter.

“We can’t allow the shameful act of #MassMolestation [to] go unpunished,” Rijiju said in a follow-up tweet. “Bangaluru is a vibrant city & women safety is must in a civilised society.”

Abu Azmi, the head of the Maharashtra state branch of the Samajwadi Party, went a step further than Parameshwara, implying that women’s clothing choices could invite sexual assault in the same way other reactions occur in nature.

“In this modern era, the more naked a woman is, the more fashionable people say she is,” Azmi told ANI News. “If my sister or daughter goes out to celebrate New Year’s Eve and her brother or husband isn’t with her, then that’s not fine.”

“If there’s petrol and a fire comes along, then the fire will light,” he told the news station. “If sugar has fallen, then ants will surely come.

People will get angry with me for this, but it’s fine because it is true.”

People did, in fact, become angry with Azmi over his remarks.

Indian comedian Sonam Mahajan tweeted a picture of Azmi’s daughter-in-law, Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia, wearing a sports bra and cutoff shorts.

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Wishing you all a truly blessed and Spiritually fulfilling Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s 350th Gurpurab

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LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Record breaking power usage as cold snap continues

An 11 year B.C. record for power usage was broken Tuesday evening.

With temperatures remaining low there has been unprecedented demand for power by BC Hydro customers according to Ted Olynyk, the company’s Vancouver Island community relations manager. Olynyk says that between 5 and 6 p.m. power usage peaked at 10,126 megawatts. “That’s quite a lot of electricity,� he said. “Certainly on Vancouver Island, we are very temperature sensitive. We have more space heaters than other parts of the province because natural gas came so late to us.�

Olynyk says people can take steps to keep their houses warm by using weather stripping, reversing the ceiling fans and hanging heavier curtains. The cold weather has kept Victoria hardware stores busy. Frank Hazel owns two Castle Building Centres. He says weather

stripping and space heaters are in demand. “It’s the drafts, the cold you can tolerate, but when you get the wind in there, it’s a game changer,� Hazel said. “We can take the three of four below, but you mix that with a 15 mile wind and the wind-chill factor, it just does suck the warmth out of the home.� With snow in the forecast for the weekend, Ted Olynyk also wants people to be prepared for power outages.

When the power goes out, he reminds customers to turn off all unnecessary electrical equipment. “Because what happens when the power is restored, then we have this issue called cold-low pick-up. The system has to go back and meet the previous demand and then it trips out.� Once the power returns, Olynyk says people need to wait 20 minutes for the system to stabilize before turning everything back on.

9

Longtime NDP MLA Sue Hammell to step down One of the longest-serving MLAs in British Columbia is retiring this year.

Sue Hammell, who has represented the NDP in Surrey-Green Timbers for 22 of the last 26 years, announced Wednesday she will not run in this year’s provincial election on May 9. “I am excited and energized heading into the new year, and was looking forward to joining B.C.’s next Premier, John Horgan, in government, however my husband’s recent serious illness means I must devote more time to my family,� she said in a statement.

Hammell was first elected in 1991 in the north Surrey riding, and was re-elected in 1996, 2005, 2009 and 2013, only losing in the 2001 election where the NDP was reduced to two seats.

When the NDP was in power from 1991 to

2001, Hammell served as a minister in various portfolios including housing and women’s equality.

A nomination contest to replace Hammell

as the NDP’s candidate has not yet been scheduled. Neither the B.C. Liberals nor the Green Party have selected a candidate in the riding.

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LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Democracy Watch asks BC Supreme Court to hear Premier Christy Clark’s conflict case British Columbia’s Supreme Court was asked Thursday to hear a case that seeks to set aside two rulings made by the conflict of interest commissioner involving Premier Christy Clark.

Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher says his group will be in court in Vancouver to argue that its petitions to overturn the rulings should go ahead.

Conflict Commissioner Paul Fraser has applied to have the case dismissed, arguing his rulings are protected by legislative privilege and are not subject to review by the courts.

Conacher says the Conflict of Interest Act doesn’t include any clauses that would prevent a judicial review.

The Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner declined to comment on the case.

The rulings made last May and August cleared Clark of conflict allegations connected to her attendance at B.C. Liberal

Party fundraising events because she did not receive a personal benefit.

In another ruling on similar allegations in August, he said he considered the matter closed.

Conacher says he wants the court to hear his group’s entire argument on the case, which also alleges that the commissioner was in a conflict of interest because Fraser’s son works as a deputy minister for the provincial government.

Conacher said Fraser stepped aside from a conflict of interest investigation involving Clark in 2012 and he should have done so when new allegations arose.

Fraser has said he recused himself from the 2012 investigation because his son had once shared office space with Clark’s former husband, Mark Marrissen, The 2012 conflict complaint involved allegations about B.C. Rail and Marrissen was then working for a bank that had been managing the sale of the former Crown-owned railway.

After the petition was filed

by Democracy Watch in October, Fraser said David Eby, a New Democrat member of the legislature who filed the original conflict complaint against Clark, had publicly stated his confidence in him conducting the review.

The latest allegations are focused on Clark’s appearances at party fundraisers, where tickets can be sold for as much as $20,000.

Province, BCTF agree on $50M for new teachers The province says it has reached an agreement with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation to spend $50 million on “priority” hiring of new teachers and support staff.

It says the funding is for the 2016-17 school year and equates to compensation for 1,100 teachers. The actual number of positions is to be determined by districts, local unions, and the hiring process.

The hiring is the result of a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision the BCTF won on the right to negotiate class size and composition in November.

The dispute goes back to 2002, when the province used legislation to strip teachers of the right to bargain class size and composition. The court decision required the province to restore staffing, such as teachers and librarians, to 2002 levels.

The BCTF estimates it will cost $300 million each school year for that restoration, and in today’s announcement, the province called the $50 million for 2016-17 the “first step” in complying with the court decision.

“This new funding will help to kick-start the changes we all know are required following the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision,” Education Minister Mike Bernier said in a statement.

At a press conference, BCTF president Glen Hansman also stressed the agreement is not the final decision, adding significantly more funding is needed from the government.

“It’s important for parents and the public to understand how our restored contract language will make a difference for kids,” Hansman said.

Weather forecasters wrong again Continued from Page 1...

More precise estimates are not yet available and the forecast could change before Friday, so MacDonald advises residents of the area to keep an eye on the forecast in the coming days.

“There’s definitely a potential for more snowfall warnings this weekend,” he said.

MacDonald said the Lower Mainland hasn’t seen this much snow since the winter of 20072008. “It’s an exceptional start to winter here.

We’ve seen several days with snow in the Valley and in Metro Vancouver and it’s hung around. We’ve only seen a few spurts of rain

here and there,” he said. The weather has been so unusual that the City of Vancouver has put construction projects on hold so hundreds of additional staff can be deployed to address wintry conditions. With some stores sold out of salt required to clear sidewalks, 10 of Vancouver’s fire halls will be giving out bags to those who can’t find it anywhere else.

The arctic air mass expected to bring more snow to the area is also responsible for temperatures that are already between five and 10 degrees colder than the seasonal norm, MacDonald explained.

Saturday, January 07, 2017

RCMP tab for BC royal visit tops $2 million The RCMP says it spent about $2 million on policing costs during last year’s eight-day visit to British Columbia and Yukon by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two young children.

The total bill was released following a federal Access to Information request for RCMP costs during the visit that began Sept. 24. But the total could still change if additional expenditures are added later this year, the documents say.

The records show the largest expenses were connected to pay, overtime and travel costs, which totalled about $1.9 million.

RCMP pay and overtime was pegged at $1.37 million. But the amounts for regular pay and overtime pay are not separated. The

documents also do not provide the number of RCMP officers assigned to the tour.

The documents also report almost $73,000 in pay and overtime for other police costs.

Municipal police departments in the Victoria and Vancouver areas were involved in the royal visit.

India is better than Canada at buying new fighter jets India and Bulgaria have launched competitions to buy new fighter jets, but unlike Canada they expect the process to take just a couple of years.

The speedy purchase of much-needed jets for those countries has raised questions about why it will take the Canadian government

more than 10 years to replace the military’s aging fleet of CF-18s.

India announced Tuesday it expects to choose a supplier for 200 planes and sign a deal by 2020, with a request for bids going out in 2018. In December, Bulgaria announced it was seeking bids for up to eight jets, with more to follow. The winning bid for that program will be selected in 2018.

By contrast, the Liberal government expects it will take until the end of the 2020s — or perhaps even until 2032 — before it can acquire replacements for its CF-18s.

“There is no reason why any competition

should take that long,” said Conservative Party defence critic James Bezan. “Most of the work is already done and the capabilities of various planes are already known,” he added, referring to the efforts by the Canadian military over the last seven years to examine potential replacement candidates.

In the meantime, the Liberals will first buy 18 Super Hornet jets that will be used to fill what they say is a fighter-jet capability gap. The government does not know when those planes will be purchased or ready for the flight line. The Liberals will meanwhile launch a competition to find a permanent replacement for the CF-18s. A choice is expected in the late 2020s, but Sajjan has said the CF-18s could be still flying in 2032.

Privately, however, military officers say there is no need to take more than a decade to determine what aircraft is best for Canada and purchase it.

Alan Williams, the former head of procurement for the Department of National Defence, has questioned why the Canadian government would first purchase Super Hornets for an “interim” role. He noted that Canadian procurement officials already have a significant amount of information on various fighter jets and a competition to acquire a permanent replacement for the CF-18s could probably be run over a one-year period.

No end yet for Vancouver’s uncollected recycling saga After weeks of uncollected recycling and more snow in the forecast, Multi Material B.C. is pleading with frustrated Vancouver residents to be patient.

Allen Langdon is the managing director at Multi Material B.C., the non-profit that runs Vancouver’s recycling service.

“We’re going to be working with our contractor and other resources to try and get

at other areas of the city that haven’t been accessible for a number of weeks,” he promised.

Some of the hardest hit areas of the city include East Vancouver and neighbourhoods at higher elevations. Langdon said it’s because recycling trucks are finding it difficult to navigate the icy alleyways.

Multi Material B.C. services communities

like Langley and Coquitlam, but he said Vancouver has been the most difficult to get to because of the subpar road conditions.

“We’re really dependent on the city ... We’re servicing people mostly through alleyways which are the lowest priority when it comes to sanding and salting,” he said. “In some of these alleyways, you have ice that’s maybe six inches thick now.”

While Langdon said crews are looking into different options for getting into areas inaccessible to regular recycling trucks, nothing has been finalized so far.

The backlog of recycling also means crews have struggled to pick up recycling efficiently.

“A truck used to be able to complete a route before being able to go back to the facility to dump,” Langdon said. “[Now] they’re probably making it through a quarter of the route.”

Despite this, he encouraged residents to put out all their recycling and use extra containers if necessary.

“There’s no limit on how much recycling we’re going to take,” he said. “We’re going to take it all away and we’ll hopefully get to everyone as soon as we can.”

LOCAL

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LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Vancouver real estate sales fall but prices only inch downwards The number of homes sold in Greater Vancouver in December fell dramatically from last year’s highs, according to the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board, but prices are only inching down.

According to the latest numbers released by the board this morning, the number of homes sold in Greater Vancouver dropped more than 22 per cent in December compared to the previous month, and nearly 40 per cent when compared to last year.

The declining sales figures match trends reported in recent months.

But board president Dan Morrison says while market sales have been slowing since they peaked last March, prices have not dropped significantly.

“There is no question, in the last six months, prices have come off two or three per cent,” he said, “But compared to a year ago, prices are still higher.”

In fact, the benchmark price of all residential homes dropped only 2.2 per cent over the last six months and prices are still nearly 18 per cent higher compared to December 2015, according to today’s numbers.

The news comes as homeowners receive notices showing the BC Assessment values for most homes in the region rose sharply between July 2015 and July 2016.

“Increases of 30 to 50 per cent will be typical for single-family homes in Vancouver, North Shore, Squamish, Burnaby, Tri-Cities, Richmond and Surrey,” said a notice issued by the provincial body last month. “Typical strata residential increases will be in the 15 to 30 per cent range.”

That roughly matches the price increase of 38 per cent for the benchmark price of detached

homes in Greater Vancouver calculated by the real estate board, for the same period.

Likewise, the real estate board calculated the benchmark price for apartments rose by 27 per cent from July to July, while townhomes rose 29 per cent, which matches the upper range from B.C. Assessment.

Morrison notes the real estate market in Metro Vancouver is still adapting to the introduction of several measures introduced after the timeframe of those assessments, including the 15 per cent foreign buyers tax — and it remains difficult to forecast where the market is heading.

“The long-term effect of these actions won’t be fully understood for some time,” he said.

“Best guess is another two to three months to work things out.”

Morrison also notes one of the key factors stopping prices from falling is that not many people are putting their homes up for sale.

“The supply of homes for sale couldn’t keep up with the demand for much of 2016,” said Morrison. “The inventory is not there.”

The latest figures show the number of homes on the market continued to fall in Greater Vancouver, dropping 24 per cent to 6,345 from November 2016.

For new listings the drop is even more dramatic: a 58 per cent decline since November 2016.

“Vancouver is not a factory town. People are buying for the long term. Nobody is forced to sell,” he notes.

While detached homes have shown the largest drop since November at 1.8 per cent, apartments fell only 0.3 per cent, while attached homes fell 0.8 per cent, the figures show.

Suspected illegal basement cosmetic surgery clinic raided in Delta A suspected illegal surgery clinic in Delta, where cosmetic procedures are alleged to have been performed by a fake doctor, has been raided by the College of Physicians and Surgeons, escorted by Delta Police. ​The raid happened Dec 20, after a B.C. Supreme Court judge authorized the search of the private home a woman shares with her husband and children in a quiet neighbourhood in North Delta.

“The B.C. Supreme Court issued a search and seizure order under Section 29 of the Health Profession Act arising out of an investigation the college conducted into a possible case of the unlicensed practice of medicine at a location in Delta,” said Susan Prins, the college’s director of communications and public affairs.

Section 29 pertains to search and seizure under court order. It applies to registered physicians and “a person who is not a registrant (who) has contravened this Act, the regulations or the bylaws.

“I can confirm that the unauthorized practice involved cosmetic facial procedures,” said Prins.

Two Delta police vehicles blocked the driveway where two other vehicles were parked, and eight investigators entered the two-storey home.

Investigators were seen removing more than a dozen bankers boxes of evidence from the home and at least one large Mac computer.

Investigators appeared to focus on the

basement of the home, where a business licence and cosmetic posters could be seen through the window, along with certificates that appear to suggest the operator has medical credentials.

However the suspected fake doctor is not a registrant of the College of Physicians and Surgeons and is not a licensed physician listed on any publicly available, worldwide database. She is believed to have training in esthetics and permanent makeup application.

A poster written only in Chinese characters on the wall of the basement wall shows before and after photos of women and advertises a procedure to “combat

aging” by improving skin firmness, lightening skin colour and increasing skin permeability.

None of the investigators would answer any questions about the search, which took three hours.

They could be seen talking to a woman and a man inside.

The residents of the home would not answer the door or respond to two separate written requests for an interview.

LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

AltaGas to build BC’s first propane export terminal A Calgary energy company says it plans to build the first propane export terminal on Canada’s West Coast, after receiving approval from federal regulators earlier last year.

AltaGas announced Tuesday it plans to start construction on the roughly $475-million Ridley Export Terminal near Prince Rupert, B.C., with the goal of exporting propane by early 2019.

The site for the terminal is brownfield land leased from the Prince Rupert Port Authority on Ridley Island.

According to the company, AltaGas began the formal environmental review process in early 2016, which included the submission of an environmental evaluation document to federal regulators.

The company also says it has worked closely with First Nations throughout the process and will continue to do so as it moves forward.

The project, which is expected to create 200 to 250 construction jobs and about 40 to 50 permanent jobs once operational, also has the support of B.C. Premier Christy Clark, according to CEO David Harris.

The terminal is designed to ship 1.2 million tonnes of propane per year that will come by rail from Western Canada, with the company supplying about half of the product itself and outsourcing the rest.

Last October AltaGas also announced plans to produce propane and other natural gas liquids at the North Pine facility it committed to build last October, which — along with a set of pipelines — is currently under construction about 40 kilometres northwest of Fort St. John, B.C. The company says it already has an agreement to sell at least half of the propane exports from the Ridley terminal to Japanbased Astomos Energy Corp., and is in discussions with several buyers on further capacity commitments.

“Propane exports off of Canada’s West Coast pulls together our vision of offering Canadian producers a complete energy value chain,” said Harris. “Together with our northeast B.C. infrastructure, once the Ridley Export Terminal is built and operating, we will give producers new access to premium Asian markets for their propane.”

Death of 2-year-old in house fire blamed on space heaters Space heaters caused an East Vancouver house fire that killed a two-year-old girl and sent several others to hospital yesterday afternoon, according to Vancouver Fire Chief

John McKearney. ​“Two space heaters were placed very close to the bed of the infant,” said McKearney. “The house did not have working smoke alarms.”

The twin sister of the deceased girl, an older brother and their mother escaped the house.

McKearney says the mother suffered serious facial burns and smoke inhalation trying to save the little girl.

“The fire accelerated rapidly,” said

McKearney, noting that the explosions heard during the blaze were likely caused by aerosol cans.

“Our deepest sympathy goes out to this young family,” he said.

A second family that lived in the house was not at home when the fire started.

The two-alarm fire at East 15th Avenue and Nootka Street started on the home’s main floor Thursday afternoon.

A small memorial with flowers and notes stands outside the burned home.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue has cautioned that during the current cold snap people should buy only ULC or CSA rated space heaters and not leave them unattended when in use.

Investigators have not confirmed the type of space heater responsible.

McKearney says it’s the responsibility of the property owner to make sure smoke detectors are working and that fire officials will be “following up.”

13

Dentist stops practising after more lawsuits A Surrey, B.C., dentist has stopped practising after four more patients filed lawsuits on the heels of a Go Public investigation.

Dr. Steven Krieger, who worked at the Clover Care Dental Clinic, has “voluntarily withdrawn” registration as a dentist, according to the B.C. College of Dental Surgeons.

No one from the college would agree to an interview, but in an email said Krieger will not perform dentistry pending a public hearing before a discipline committee on allegations against him. No date has been set for that hearing.

Krieger now faces a dozen lawsuits from former patients, alleging he caused harm and unnecessary pain. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

One of the latest complainants is Tami Conlin, 37, who says she’s been in pain since an appointment with Krieger last May. “When I read the Go Public article [online], I was like, ‘Oh my God, what the hell? I need to read this article again and call the lawyer [mentioned],” says Conlin.

She says that during a routine checkup Krieger told her she needed four fillings, even though she had no symptoms.

A week after the fillings, Conlin was still “in agony,” so Krieger performed a root canal, but that didn’t alleviate her pain.

Conlin was referred to a specialist, who couldn’t detect any infection, so she’s now waiting to see a neurologist to be checked for

nerve damage. She has used up her dental coverage, so a tooth that needs a crown is still exposed.

“My tooth is basically dead,” says Conlin.

“And because of him [Krieger], I have all this pain. I wish he’d quit six months ago.”

Krieger did not respond to requests for an interview about his decision to stop practising.

In statements of defence filed in several lawsuits, Krieger “denies each and every allegation,” and says he treated patients with “reasonable care, skill and diligence.”

Krieger’s office said he was expected back at work “in the new year.”

The B.C. College of Dental Surgeons has removed Krieger’s name from its database, but has not made public the allegations against him.

Previously, the website said Krieger was restricted from doing root canals, but did not explain why.

The college says it is “actively considering whether registrants who have temporarily withdrawn from practice (or are on temporary leave of absence) should remain in the Registrant Lookup with a note to that effect.”

“There’s an utter lack of information for the public,” says personal injury attorney Dianna Robertson, who is representing seven of the 12 people who have filed suits against Krieger.

“How can people seek information about any concerns they have or any restrictions on his practice?” she says.

14

LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Should Metro Vancouver buses use snow tires?

Countless buses have become stuck and stranded across Metro Vancouver during this winter’s snowpocalypse leaving many asking if buses should be using snow tires.

The idea is not a new one: In April 2013, Vancouver engineers recommended winter tires in a report to city council – but the option

was shut down because of costs.

“Staff have had discussions with Coast Mountain Bus Company, who have indicated this is not a financially feasible option,” the report read.

Three years later, many people are raising the question again. The region’s most recent snowfall came on New Year’s Eve, and trapped buses left many partygoers without transportation.

Ten buses were stuck near UBC, forcing many to miss out on downtown Vancouver’s festivities.

“We had a plan to go to Canada Place to see the fireworks, but that didn’t go through because the buses weren’t working,” said Ammar, a UBC student.

December’s snowfall also wreaked havoc on the roads, leaving some bus drivers saying

enough is enough.

“I got to this point and I started slipping and I said ‘That’s it’,” one driver said at the time, deciding to stay put and wait for help.

There have been too many stranded bus incidents to count over the last month, leaving many wondering why the city hasn’t swapped out all-weather tires for winter tires.

Union leader Steve Sutherland, president of Unifor Local 111, doesn’t think snow tires are the full solution.

“I think the bigger solution would be road maintenance, I think that’s what the bigger issue is,” he said, noting that the union would be doing some research on snow tires.

“When the snow sits and the roads aren’t clear, I don’t think the snow tire is going to get you up the Simon Fraser University hill.

I don’t think that’s the whole answer, but it’s something to look into and investigate.”

Major Canadian cities that regularly have winter weather – unlike Vancouver’s more sporadic approach - have all looked into putting snow tires on buses. Yet these municipalities, which include Toronto, Halifax, and Calgary, have all rejected the idea.

And in typically temperate Vancouver, TransLink currently has too.

“When it comes to performance, local weather, and cost, we think we have the best overall solution for us for now,” the agency said in a statement.

Chilly British Columbians set new BC Hydro record for power consumption With the Lower Mainland in the icy grips of a lengthy cold snap, BC Hydro says the province has set an all-time record for power demand.

BC Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald says the record-breaking hour was between 5 and 6 p.m. on Tuesday when BC Hydro customers

consumed 10,126 megawatts of electricity. The temperature at the Vancouver International Airport weather station at that time hovered between minus-1 C and minus-4 C. BC Hydro’s previous power record occurred on Nov. 29, 2009, when demand reached 10,113 megawatts.

Coquitlam resident says there are too many empty homes in her neighbourhood A Coquitlam, B.C. resident who believes there are at least 22 empty homes in her neighbourhood and says she’d like to take her information to city councillors.

Christine Boehringer has no official data or statistical analysis, and hasn’t contacted the homeowners, but says she draws her conclusions based on regular walks and bike rides.

“If I go by [the house] once a week and nothing has changed — there’s still no garbage out, the window blinds are still down, the lawn hasn’t been cut, nothing about the house has changed over a period of time — to me, that illustrates that it’s an empty home,” she told.

Boehringer recently started a website to track single-family houses that locals believe are unoccupied.

The resident said she wants to eventually take the unofficial data to municipal governments, with hopes of seeing levies similar to Vancouver’s vacancy tax “applied across B.C.” Currently, the city of Coquitlam doesn’t have any plans for a vacancy tax.

Even if it did, City Councillor Craig Hodge said it would be wary of using data from Boehringer’s site.

“I don’t know that having residents doing street-by-street polling is the way I’d want to gather my information,” he said.

“In this case, my initial response would be to ask if this is a statistically valid representative before I use this information to make any policy decision.”

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has said his city’s tax will partly rely on random audits and complaints from neighbours to

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catch those trying to skirt around the one per cent levy.​ “I don’t think that you can just go down the street and say, ‘I haven’t seen anybody go in and out this door and the blinds are down,’ then say that the house is vacant,” he said.

“There are tell-tale signs that maybe a house isn’t being kept up as much as others

in the neighbourhood, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the house isn’t being lived in.”

The other issue, Hodge said, is how neighbourhood reporting would affect relationships.

“I don’t think it’s part of the way I want to build a community ... I think it causes friction,” the councillor said.

“It raises a lot of other philosophical questions about private ownership and people’s rights to use their homes for what they want,” he added.

“This is not the ‘final’ information source that is going to draw taxation. This is an additional, complementary information source,” she said. “We’re not asking people to go to extreme measures to figure out if a home is empty or not ... I’m hoping people will take a reasonable effort to protect people’s privacy.”

Hodge said the city will watch how ​ Vancouver implements its empty home tax in coming months.

In July 2016, the province cleared the way for Vancouver to implement its levy by amending the city’s unique charter after council requested the change.

At the time, Finance Minister Mike De Jong said the province would consider similar requests from other municipalities.

31kg of suspected meth seized at BC border

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Canadian border authorities say they successfully stopped someone coming through the B.C. border with 31 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine.

Almost 70 pounds of the drug was stuffed into a black suitcase and found during a secondary inspection of a vehicle crossing into Canada at the Aldergrove entry on Dec. 11, according to CBSA. The driver was arrested and turned over to the Langley RCMP, along with the narcotics.

LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

City of Nanaimo files lawsuit against its own mayor Things appear to be going from bad to worse at Nanaimo city hall, which has now filed a lawsuit against its own mayor, Bill McKay. The case revolves around former mayoral assistant Marilyn Smith, who has worked for many Nanaimo mayors over the past 25 years.

After she was reassigned last April, Smith went on medical leave and filed constructive dismissal and human rights claims against the city, before settling for an undisclosed amount.

According to the city’s statement of claim filed on Dec. 28, the mayor allegedly shared a confidential email from the city’s chief administrative officer with Smith.

The city says the email contained confidential and personal information about Smith and related “human resource issues.”

It also says the mayor and councillors were specifically requested to refrain from communicating with the Smith “due to anticipated litigation.”

But the lawsuit alleges after the mayor shared the email with Smith, she used it to support her claim against the city.

The city is looking for losses or damages,

including the payment given Smith and any legal fees associated with fighting her claim.

McKay told he only learned of the lawsuit recently.

“I have not yet been served on the matter you refer to. I am not aware of the details of the action, so I cannot comment,” he said in statement.

But he was a bit more forthcoming about events at city hall on Tuesday.

“It didn’t surprise me. It seems to be the mood of the day,” he said.

The lawsuit is the latest development in a series of ongoing disputes between the mayor and several councillors that have dominated the city’s civic affairs in recent months.

In November, the city asked the RCMP to investigate the same issue along with several others.

In October, Councillor Gord Fuller told the mayor to “bite me” during a heated exchange at a meeting.

In March, seven city councillors signed a letter asking McKay to resign over allegations of bullying behaviour, but the mayor refused to step down.

South Asian widow urges others to get life insurance after husband’s sudden death Seema Minhas-Randhawa and her daughter were not looking forward to their first New Year’s Eve without husband and stepfather Harpreet. “He was all about celebrating. He was all about being together on the occasion, hugging and kissing,” Minhas-Randhawa told from her home in Chestermere just east of Calgary. “He was more of a family man than anything. He would prefer being home.”

Harpreet Randhawa died suddenly Dec.13, one day after two important birthdays — Minhas-Randhawa turned 30 and her daughter Anjali turned seven.

Minhas-Randhawa cannot work consistently because of health issues — three slipped discs, major back surgery and multiple hospital visits. So Harpreet, her partner of three years, was the sole income earner.

15

Should fentanyl dealers be charged with manslaughter when a customer dies?

The threat of a manslaughter charge may do little to deter fentanyl traffickers, B.C. legal experts say.

Republicans in New Hampshire, which is facing an overdose crisis like that in B.C., are currently proposing a requirement for a manslaughter charge for fentanyl dealers when a user dies. In October, Edmonton police laid a manslaughter charge against a 25-year-old man in connection with the overdose death of another man early last year.

“If you can prove that they knew they were trafficking a controlled substance — in this case, it was fentanyl — and a reasonable person at the time would know that the controlled substance is likely to cause bodily harm and you can show that controlled substance caused the death, those satisfied the elements of manslaughter,” acting Staff Sgt. Dave Monson of the Edmonton police homicide section said in October.

But Rob Gordon, a professor at the Department of Criminology at Simon Fraser

University, said a push for manslaughter charges in B.C. fentanyl-trafficking cases would be “purely a symbolic measure” and likely fail to deter fentanyl dealers.

“That’s because of the improbability of a prosecution proceeding in the context of manslaughter,” he said. “It’s not that easy to successfully prosecute and under the circumstances you’d have to determine whether the street-level dealer actually knew or had reckless disregard for the probability that the drugs that he or she was peddling contained fentanyl or another contaminant.”

Gordon said such a strategy would appeal to the families and friends of victims who are outraged at the dealers who sold the fentanyl.

“But, unfortunately, it’s just not something that would be successful, in my view,” he said.

Isabel Grant, a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of B.C., said a number of legal barriers may arise for Crown prosecutors when trying to prove culpability in such cases.

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits off west coast of Vancouver Island An earthquake of 5.1 magnitude was recorded below the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of northern Vancouver Island at 7:49 a.m. PT according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

No tsunami warning has been issued.

The earthquake took place at the shallow depth of 10 kilometres and no shaking has been reported.

Seismologist Johanna Wagstaffe the source of the quake was the oceanic plate

of the Juan de Fuca subduction zone where earthquakes are common.

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LOCAL

Saturday, January 07, 2017

One billion litres of water have spewed from $3 million Vancouver lot after contractor error 15 months ago More than one billion litres of water have spurted from a $3 million residential lot on the west side of Vancouver since inexperienced drillers breached an aquifer under the site then fled the country 15 months ago.

Qualified crews took over the site a few days after the breach and after months of planning and preparation (and pauses for government approvals), they could be just a few steps away from sealing the hole.

Completion of the project will come as relief to nearby residents, whose neighbourhood is now dotted with more than 150 sensors to monitor ground

movement amid an ongoing fear that a sinkhole could develop around the breach and under homes.

But the closure process is complicated and carries its own set of hazards and concerns, as Thierry Carriou, an engineer and expert hydrologist at B.C. Groundwater Consulting Services, explained in a recent interview.

“It’s complex if you want to do it right.

Lots of people have tried to close off flowing wells by bringing up a cement truck and dumping the cement in … Your chance of success on that is probably less than five per cent,” said Carriou, who has been contracted to fix the problem.

Rather than taking the cement truck approach, Carriou mapped out a seven-step closure process. Crews are still on step two, after having previously drilled relief wells that, when they’re pumping water, can lower the water table by some 10 metres at the drill site. That allowed workers to start digging.

Carriou likened the ground to a stack of pancakes, each with a different density and

thickness. At 7084 Beechwood Street, the first pancake is soft and goes down about four metres. Under that is a dense pancake of glacial till that, so long as it is undisturbed, confines the pressurized aquifer.

After digging a wide hole right to the bottom of the first pancake, crews started to build a massive, concrete well head that, when finished, will be 2.4 metres in diameter, more than four metres deep and surrounded by impermeable clay. This step should be finished early in the new year and will seal the upper pancake.

Then, if the company passes another round of government approval, Carriou will try to seal the lower pancake as well. What that entails is mounting another drill atop the new well head then boring into the ground all over again to replace the well casing that the initial drillers erroneously pulled up after they struck the aquifer. Then it will be time to bring in cement. With that comes another layer of risk.

“Cementing can be hazardous and it can cause issues outside of the well,” Carriou said.

Ideally, the hole will take concrete without pressure. But if the concrete has to be forced in, it raises the risk that the ground will start to fracture.

For a sense of how delicate the job is, even pumping water up from the aquifer causes the ground to shift up and down.

There’s another worry, and that’s that some of the concrete sent down the new casing will flow through the aquifer and into the relief wells.

But if everything goes smoothly, crews will be able to gradually displace the groundwater with concrete, lifting the casing as they go, and leave behind a fully-sealed borehole that needs no further attention.

“Because we’re in a residential neighbourhood, we want to make sure that once we’re done, the neighbourhood and the city don’t have to worry about this anymore,”Carriou said.

As of late summer, the city had spent $2.7 million dealing with the breached aquifer.

Staff plan to use legal mechanisms to recoup the costs from the property owner.

ISIL defector who claimed to have refused to commit violence faces murder, war crimes charges An Islamic State defector who claimed in news interviews to have refused to commit violence for the group has been charged by German authorities with murder and war crimes for his role in a mass execution in Syria in 2015.

Harry Sarfo, a 28-year-old German citizen, appeared in front-page articles and television broadcasts last year in which he offered a sanitized version of his involvement with the Islamic State and condemned the group’s tactics.

But his account began to unravel after The Washington Post obtained and published a video that showed Sarfo helping to move prisoners into position for a public execution in the ancient city of Palmyra, and apparently firing his own weapon as the men fell in a barrage of machine-gun fire.

Sarfo’s case highlighted the challenge facing European security services as they evaluate hundreds of returning fighters, many of whom have sought to obscure their ties to the Islamic State and involvement in violence.

The German federal prosecutors office in Karlsruhe issued a statement announcing the new charges against Sarfo, who appeared before a federal judge in Germany on Tuesday.

“The accused, who was armed with a

pistol, personally took one of the detainees to the execution spot and prevented the others from escaping,” the statement from German officials said, according to a report

by Reuters.

Sarfo, who is of Ghanaian descent, had been serving a three-year sentence at a prison in Bremen after being convicted on lesser charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and violating German weapons laws.

But German authorities opened a new investigation after the release of the video, which was captured by Islamic State propaganda teams and provided to The Post by an individual with ties to the group.

Sarfo had repeatedly denounced the Islamic State in interviews from prison that were approved by German authorities.

He told German investigators that he had “said no to the killings” in Palmyra and made more categorical claims to news organizations.

19-year-old BC inventor makes 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 list A 19-year-old Canadian inventor has been honoured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for creating a flashlight powered by the heat of the human hand and a mug that can charge a phone battery via hot coffee.

Ann Makosinski, a second-year student at the University of British Columbia, has already received numerous accolades for her work, including being named in Time’s 30 Under 30 list in 2013 and winning first place in her age group at the 2013 Google Science Fair.

But on a personal level, she says making Forbes’ list was special.

“It’s been a little goal of mine for a while, so it was great to finally get there,” Makosinski told.

Makosinski said she knew she was nominated, but didn’t learn the news until she woke up to congratulatory text messages from friends. Other honourees in the “Energy” category include a 14-year-old who created a piezoelectric “leaf ” device that harvests energy from sun, wind and rain and a 23-yearold who worked as an electrical engineer on the first airplane to circle the world with solar energy.

Makosinski is best known for two inventions. The Hollow Flashlight, a device that converts body heat into electricity to power an LED lightbulb, was developed after she learned of a friend living in the Philippines who fell behind in school because she didn’t have light to study at night.

She later developed the e-Drink, a mug that uses thermoelectric generators to harness excess heat from coffee to power a phone or music device. The invention landed her a guest appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she showed off her creation.

Saturday, January 07, 2017

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Saturday, January 07, 2017

PICS Offers Free Business Entrepreneurship Support and Training Program Are you a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person with refugee status?

Are you in need of assistance to overcome employment barriers and are you ready to start your own business? If yes, then PICS is your ‘go to’ resource in the Lower Mainland that can help you bring your business idea to life! From pre-launch to growth and expansion, PICS supports entrepreneurs during planning and preparation, launch, and initial operations of business by providing training, coaching, financial consulting, mentoring and connections to business resources. You will learn how to develop a business plan, a marketing plan, arrange start-

up funding and how to manage your cash.

Eligible participants could receive financial support, if approved by the funder.

Join PICS for an Information Session at • PICS Head Office - Unit 205, 12725 80th Avenue, Surrey - on the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM • PICS Vancouver Office - Unit 200, 8153 Main St., Vancouver - on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM Seating is limited; to attend the session you must pre-register at katarina.low@pics. bc.ca / deshpal.grewal@pics.bc.ca or contact Katarina Low 604-596-7722, Ext 150 / Deshpal Grewal at 604-596-7722, Ext 126.

Police should act on fentanyl dealer’s texts, families say In the early hours of March 7, 2016, Brandon Jansen typed one last text message before he died.

“Jus(t) met him,” reads a message he sent at 2:12 a.m. to a fellow patient at the Sunshine Coast Treatment Centre in Powell River, B.C., where he was seeking treatment for an opioid addiction.

Half an hour later, Jansen slipped into the abyss of fentanyl overdose, his breath slowing until all the life had drained from his 20-yearold body.

A coroners inquest beginning Jan. 16 will shed light on the events leading up to Jansen’s final and fatal hit. But his mother, Michelle, lives in angst not knowing whether the dealer that sold it to him is behind bars.

Information contained within Brandon’s cellphone provides a detailed history of his drug purchases, she said. Text message screenshots she sent to Postmedia show the date and time of the transaction that preceded his death.

Michelle Jansen said other messages identify the people who sold her son drugs.

But 10 months later, Mounties still won’t update her on their investigation into her son’s death, even after she made dozens of calls, she said. “Nobody will talk to me. The investigating officer won’t return my calls,” she said. “The police should be communicating with me, considering I am his mother … they full well know who brought the drugs and nothing’s being done about it.”

What British Columbians will pay more for in 2017 British Columbians can expect to pay more for electricity, public transit and car insurance in the new year.

ICBC, BC Hydro and Translink are all bumping their rates in 2017, and Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums will rise for more than half a million West Coasters as well.

Premier Christy Clark says she’s considering rejigging the way B.C.ers are taxed, including changing MSP and property taxes, but nothing concrete is in the works yet.

Here are some of the services British Columbians will, or could, be shelling out more for in 2017.

MSP Ap p r o x i m a t e l y 530,000 families in B.C. will see an MSP increase next year, according to NDP leader John Horgan.

For example, the new rates will see couples with an annual household income of more than $45,000 paying an extra $14 a month, or $168 a year.

BC Hydro BC Hydro’s rates are slated to rise by 3.5 per cent on Apr. 1, 2017, keeping in line with the corporation’s 10-year pricing plan.

The increase means the average monthly residential bill will go up by about $3.74.

ICBC ​Rates for basic insurance with ICBC are

going by 4.9 per cent in the new year.

On Monday, B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the ministry has directed the B.C. Utilities Commission to green light the proposed hike.

Translink ​Translink will be increasing fares for the first time in four years in July 2017. Prices will rise by $0.10 for single-use tickets and $2 for

monthly passes.

BC Ferries BC Ferries’ fares are expected to rise by 1.9 per cent, keeping in line with its annual pricing caps set out in 2015.

Property taxes (Vancouver) Vancouver city council approved a 3.9 per cent property tax increase for 2017, including a 0.5 per cent increase to help fight the fentanyl crisis.

Empty homes tax (Vancouver) Vancouver homes that aren’t principal residences or aren’t rented out for at least half the year will be subject to an empty homes tax next year.

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2017 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards open call for nominations In search of inspiring immigrants, and new youth category, to help celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Nominations close on Feb.27th Nominations are now open for the ninth annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. The 2017 awards will be extra special this year as winners will be announced in time to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, a momentous occasion in the history of a nation built by immigrants.

The program is proudly supported by founding and title sponsor RBC Royal Bank. This national award asks Canadians to nominate and then vote directly for individuals who have made a difference since their arrival in Canada, whether in business, academia, the arts or community service.

Since 2009, 200 outstanding immigrants have been chosen for this coveted award for their inspiring contributions to Canada. Their achievements have been celebrated and their stories shared with Canadians across the country.

A nominee can be anyone who has immigrated to Canada and has since contributed to the success and uplifting of this country and/or its people. Achievements can be either professional or personal. Nominees must hold landed immigrant (Permanent Resident) or citizen status in Canada, and must reside in Canada.

“We say that Canada is a nation built by immigrants, and what better way to celebrate the country’s 150th birthday than to honour today’s immigrants who are making their mark in moving Canada forward,” says Margaret Jetelina, editor of Canadian Immigrant magazine. “This year we ask all our readers about who they believe deserves to join this amazing group of individuals in a

very special year.”

This will also be the third year that sponsor RBC selects one of the winners for its special RBC Entrepreneur Award. This year, we are also introducing the new Youth Award, which will recognize the achievements of immigrant youth (between ages 15 and 30) who are making a difference in their adopted country through achievement and/or service, and show great potential in further building this nation. Similar to our RBC Entrepreneur Award, the Youth Award will be an additional honour given to one of the RBC Top 25 winners. No special application process required.

“Immigrants bring new perspectives and ingenuity into our communities across the country. These awards celebrate our neighbours, our friends, our colleagues, and what they do to make this country shine on the local and global stage,” said Ivy Chiu, Senior Director, Multicultural Markets, RBC. “I’m also thrilled to introduce the Youth Award, which will recognize our outstanding young newcomers.”

Some of the past winners include two former Governor Generals of Canada Adrienne Clarkson and Michaëlle Jean, national broadcaster Ian Hanomansing, celebrity entrepreneur Robert Herjavec and star chef Vikram Vij, and the late architect Bing Thom, to name a few.

Nominations can be made by visiting canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 until February 27, 2017, 11:59 pm EST. A distinguished panel of judges will review all nominees and present a list of 75 finalists who will be profiled online in March, after which all Canadians can vote for their favourite nominees.

The 25 winners will be announced in June 2017, and will be recognized in the July print edition of Canadian Immigrant magazine and online on canadianimmigrant.ca, in time to celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday.

Winners will also receive a commemorative plaque and $500 towards a charity of their choice provided by RBC.

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KCU donates $105,000 to the community In keeping with its mission and commitment to care about the good and welfare of the community and support education, culture and religious activities, Khalsa Credit Union (KCU) returns 10% of its net income to various causes each year. For 2016, the total contribution is $200,000.

The cold weather being experienced in the Lower Mainland has resulted in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee of KCU deciding to provide funding for the homeless and less fortunate as follows: $14,500 to three shelters, Abbotsford Community Services and Surrey Memorial Hospital in the Lower Mainland for grocery hampers, blankets, bedding, pants, shirts, Jackets, and socks. $90,000 to Sikh schools in support of Sikh education in line with our mission statement.

“During 2016 KCU celebrated its 30th anniversary with a variety of initiatives including scholarships, bursaries, sponsorships, and Community Service Awards”, said Board Chair Harinder Singh Sohi. “At a time when individual giving

is down we are pleased to step up our donations on a corporate level and give back to the many communities we serve”.

Chief Executive Officer Dalbir Singh Mehta added, “The management and employees of KCU regularly volunteer their time to help others and we are very grateful to work for an organization that embodies the spirit of people helping people”.

KCU is a full-service credit union with assets exceeding $412 million, nearly 15,000 members and five branches located in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey (2) and Abbotsford with a sixth branch scheduled to open at 128th Street and 80th Avenue in Surrey in early 2017.

KCU is also very active in providing commercial mortgages and has a centralized department that specializes in taking excellent care of the business borrowing needs of members. KCU thanks our members and our communities for their continued support and wishes everyone a Happy New Year.

For more information contact: Dalbir Singh Mehta 604-507-2300 Wayne McKay 778-789-0760

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Canada’s top CEOs earn 193 times average worker’s salary The compensation of Canada’s highestpaid CEOs jumped seven per cent between 2014 and 2015, to a record high average of $9.5 million, according to a new study.

In a report published Tuesday, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left-leaning think-tank focused on economic and social policy, analyzed salary information from 249 TSX-listed companies and identified the top 100 earners.

The 100 richest CEOs in Canada took in an average of $9.5 million in 2015, a figure that includes salaries, bonuses, share grants and stock options, the report said.

That’s well ahead of the $49,510 the group says the typical full-year, full-time worker earned in 2015.

Based on 2015 earnings, Canada’s 100 top CEOs will earn by 11:47 a.m. today what the average Canadian will make in a whole year.

“Nobody’s worth that much money. I mean, this is absurd,” said Hugh

Mackenzie, a research associate at the thinktank and author of the report.

“Thirty years ago they managed to scrape by on 40 times what the average person is paid, and now, it’s 193 times.”

Between 2008 and 2015, the country’s 100 top-paid CEOs saw their compensation climb about 30 per cent, while the average wage for Canadians increased by just 17.5 per cent.

The highest-paid CEOs, according to the study, in order were: Valeant Pharmaceutical’s Michael Pearson: $182.9 million in total compensation.

Donald Walker of Magna International: $26.5 million.

Hunter Harrison of Canadian Pacific Railway: $19.9 million.

Other notable names include BlackBerry’s John Chen. He was the highestearning CEO in 2014, but dropped to 91st in 2015, earning $3.8 million.

Eric La Flèche of Metro Inc. was the lowest-paid CEO on the list of 100, earning $3.6 million in 2015.

Canada posts 1st monthly trade surplus since Sept. 2014 Canada has posted its first monthly trade surplus since Sept. 2014, moving from a $1.0 billion deficit in October to an unexpected $526 million surplus in November, Statistics Canada said Friday. According to a Reuters survey, analysts had been expecting a November trade deficit of $1.6 billion.

Exports were up 4.3 per cent, on the strength of increased shipments of metal and non-metallic mineral products, as well as record exports to countries other than the United States.

Within the metal and non-metallic minerals sector, exports of unwrought precious metals and precious metal alloys led the gain, up 24.3 per cent to $1.9 billion on larger shipments to Hong Kong and Switzerland.

Statistics Canada said exports volumes rose 3.5 per cent and prices were up 0.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, imports were up 0.7 per cent, mainly on higher imports of energy products.

Exports to the United States, Canada’s top trading partner, also rose in November, climbing 2.5 per cent to $33.7 billion, while imports from the United States were down 0.7 per cent to $29.5 billion. That meant Canada’s trade surplus with the United States widened from $3.2 billion in October to $4.2 billion in November, the largest surplus since June 2015.

TD Bank economist Dina Ignjatovic said in a commentary that the growth in export volumes in November was a welcome development for the Canadian economy after

two months of softness. “Volumes are now sitting at the highest level seen since February, and could provide some support to economic growth in the fourth quarter which is now tracking near two per cent,” Ignjatovic said.

“Looking to 2017, conditions remain supportive for exports to take the growth baton, as the Canadian dollar will continue to hover in the mid-70 US cent range and growth in the U.S. is set to accelerate,” she said, but added that protectionist measures that could arise under incoming U.S. president Donald Trump may limit any growth in the sector.

Canada adds 54,000 jobs in December Canada added more than 50,000 jobs in December, bringing the total for 2016 to 214,000. The total for last month was 54,000, according to Statistics Canada. The economy actually added 81,000 full-time jobs during the month, but that was slightly offset by a loss of 27,000 part-time positions.

The results were a positive surprise to

economists, who had been expecting a slight loss of jobs during the month.

Because more people were looking for work, too, the unemployment rate ticked up to 6.9 per cent. But that’s not necessarily bad news, economist Derek Holt at Scotiabank said. “Faster entry into the job market in search of employment while still getting a robust employment gain is a win-win for the

economy,” Holt said.

“Recall that a criticism of last year’s job gains had been that they were all part-time in nature. Not any longer!”

The year 2016 was the best for job creation in Canada since 2012, the data agency said.

“The provincial gains were nicely spread out, with eight of the 10 posting jobs increases in December,” economist Doug Porter at the Bank of Montreal added after the release of the data.

Newfoundland and Labrador lost 1,600 jobs and Saskatchewan lost 1,100.

On the positive side, these provinces added jobs: Quebec: 20,000.

B.C.:17,000.

Ontario: 9,100.

Alberta: 6,900.

“Quebec and B.C. were notably strong, but Ontario and, yes, even Alberta chipped in with decent gains as well,” Porter said.

But economist Trevor Tombe noted that while strong, most provincial gains were within the margin of error.

Saturday, January 07, 2017

New Chinese money rules threaten tide of foreign buyers in Canada Strict new government scrutiny on Chinese people who want to convert their money into other currencies threatens to

slow the rush of foreign property buying that has stoked sky-high home prices in Canada and around the world.

For months, China has sought to dam the flood of money pouring out of its borders, which has rapidly diminished its stockpile of foreign reserves.

It has raised new barriers to companies buying abroad and moving money out of the country. Now, authorities in China are taking new steps to bar individuals from

putting their cash into overseas markets to buy homes and other investments, a change with important implications for cities such as Vancouver and Toronto where Chinese buyers had contributed to frenzied property trading.

Under the new regime, the number of buyers will “drop sharply,” said Andy Xie, a China economist formerly with Morgan Stanley. Those selling homes to Chinese buyers should brace for their “business to shrink dramatically,” he warned.

The Vancouver region’s real estate market has already been cooling off for months, after sales volume and prices peaked last spring. In February, the B.C. government slapped a tax on the portion of a property sale above $2-million and then implemented a 15-per-cent tax on foreign home buyers in Metro Vancouver in August. In the seven weeks leading up to the tax’s implementation in the Vancouver area, foreign purchasers (including those from China) accounted for 13.2 per cent of the region’s total.

‘Endless internal battles’ prompt New Brunswick NDP leader to resign New Brunswick’s NDP leader has resigned citing “endless internal battles” within the party. Dominic Cardy, who has led the New Brunswick party since 2011, issued a statement Sunday saying he cannot lead a party where a “tiny minority of wellconnected members refuse” to accept the democratic will of its membership. Cardy said his “progressive” platform has been thwarted by party members at both the provincial and federal levels, saying the NDP is “one-stop shop ... whether you like it or not.”

He said the federal New Democrats stance that Syria is “not our fight” goes against the party’s “proud history of internationalism”

and is antithetical to his beliefs.

Cardy said forces in the New Brunswick NDP, in collusion with province’s largest public sector union, have organized “not to win elections, but to fight endless internal battles.”

He said the same “infighting” and “destructive forces” that resulted in the party’s electoral shut-out from the legislature will lead to another loss in the next provincial election. Cardy announced that his intention to step down after New Democrats didn’t win any seats in the 2014 provincial election but stayed on following the party’s council unanimous rejection of his resignation.

New rules for investment fees provide clarity, but won’t fix all complaints As a former RCMP officer, Norm Massie spent years dealing with shady characters.

Which is why the ex-Mountie was surprised to discover some shady dealings in his own investment portfolio.

They came to light when he decided to leave his investment adviser a few years ago, and move his money to another company. The decision meant he had to sell his mutual funds and transfer them to other investments — a move that triggered a hefty fee known as a deferred sales charge from the original fund company.

“They had taken $44,000 out of my account,” Massie says, “that nobody told me about for over two years.”

While his new investment firm, Edward Jones, was able to assist him in getting those

funds reimbursed, not all investors are so lucky.

But new rules coming into effect on Jan. 1, 2017 aim to change all that, by forcing investment firms and advisers to give their clients much more information about what’s in their portfolios.

And most important of all, they have to be much more open about the fees attached to those investments and services.

“Like everybody else, I trusted my adviser,” Massie says, which is why some experts hope the new rules — officially known as the Client Relationship Model Phase 2 or CRM2 — will help make his tale of woe a thing of the past.

The new rules will force investment firms to lay out exactly what they are buying on behalf of their clients.

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Fewer First Nations disclosed financial data after Trudeau suspended key accountability measure While most First Nations continue to comply with Stephen Harper’s controversial financial transparency law, a National Post analysis has found the compliance rate sharply dropped after Justin Trudeau’s government dropped a key enforcement mechanism.

As a result of the Trudeau government’s rule change, some bureaucrats are worried they won’t be able to properly account for and administer the billions of dollars transferred each year to the country’s First Nations.

Moreover, the Post has learned that the drop in the compliance rate to 85 per cent this year from 92 per cent in Harper’s last year may be the fault of the federal government itself which, in some instances at least, may have failed to live up to its obligations under the First Nations Financial Transparency Act (FNFTA).

At the end of 2015, the Liberal government suspended a provision that allowed Ottawa to withhold federal funds for any band that failed to publish audited financial statements and a statement listing how much its chief and band councillors were paid.

Nonetheless, most bands provided those documents to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), as required under the controversial FNFTA, created by the Harper government in 2013. But INAC says that, as of Dec. 21, 2016, nearly 90 bands have not provided the required financial disclosure statements for the fiscal year ending March 30, 2016.

A complete set of annual audited financial statements from First Nations is used by INAC and other federal departments “to ensure that the funds provided are fully accounted for by the First Nation, ensure that funding is spent on approved activities, (and to) analyze

financial health,” according to a briefing note prepared last year for Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and obtained.

When Bennett lifted the enforcement provision in late 2015, a nervous Health Canada official wrote to an INAC finance official saying, “I’m still concerned as (we) depend on receiving some … audited financial statements from INAC.” The INAC finance official, in reply, conceded that it would “indirectly affect” Health Canada’s supply of accurate and timely financial information about First Nations.

The National Post has also learned that even though INAC is no longer publicly listing First Nations that are not compliant with the FNFTA, there was an internal push from senior bureaucrats within INAC in the wake of Bennett’s announcement to maintain an internal list of FNFTA non-compliant bands for circulation to departmental officials in charge of various funding programs.

INAC officials did not respond to a written request provided early Tuesday morning for the list of FNFTA non-compliant bands.

By comparison, for the previous fiscal year, when the enforcement provision was in effect, 534 bands filed their papers for a 92 cent compliance rate. And in fiscal 2014, the compliance rate was 90 per cent.

It is unclear, though, who is at fault for the increased rate of non-compliance.

The FNFTA puts an obligation on both a First Nation and on the federal government to make financial information available.

Under the legislation, the First Nation has 120 days from the end of its fiscal year to get its audited statements to INAC, which is required to publish those documents on its website as soon as they are received.

Most new jobs in Canadian labour market in 2016 were part-time

Need Workers, Pay ACCORDING TO Experience

The Canadian labour market may have topped expectations and steadily added jobs in 2016, but the vast majority were part-time positions and the “meagre” growth in fulltime work was concentrated in industries susceptible to a slowdown, TD Economics says in a new report.

This broad-based move towards part-time work suggests that the Canadian economy is “not out of the woods” and needs ongoing support from both fiscal and monetary authorities, wrote TD economists Beata Caranci and James Marple in the report released Wednesday.

“The sharp rise in part-time work over the past year suggests that the labour market is not as healthy as the headline numbers suggest,” the economists said. “The energy sector was a primary source of weakness in full-time employment demand, but can’t take the rap for the rest of the country. The meagre fulltime growth elsewhere was concentrated in a handful of industries that are now vulnerable to a downturn.”

The report, entitled Canada’s Part-Time Conundrum, examined the 2016 jobs data to the end of November (December data is due to be released by Statistics Canada on Jan. 6).

Canada’s latest employment survey showed that the unemployment rate dropped to 6.8 per cent in November after the labour market added 19,400 part-time jobs and lost 8,700 full-time positions, raising questions about the quality of work in Canada.

It is clear that depressed activity in oil producing provinces such as Alberta

and Saskatchewan weighed heavily on employment numbers in Canada, but even outside of energy-producing provinces fulltime jobs were up a “measly” 0.5 per cent year on year, TD says.

A bright spot for full-time work was the real estate sector, with employment in construction and finance making up 75 per cent of the new full-time jobs in non-energy producing provinces, the report adds. TD sees this as a “cautionary tale,” however.

The surge in part-time work could also stem from recent changes to Employment Insurance that allow people to continue receiving benefits while returning to the workforce, TD points out. The effect of Canada’s aging baby boomers switching to part-time positions could also be a factor, but the decline in labour force participation for older groups tends to offset this, it adds.

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, January 07, 2017

China bans Tibetans from Dalai Lama event, seizes passports

A lawmaker from Bangla desh’s ruling party has been shot dead by masked men in northern Bangladesh, police said Sunday.

Manzurul Islam Liton, a national legislator from PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, was shot at his home in Gaibandha district on Saturday evening, said local police chief Atiar Rahman.

Family members told police that four masked men arrived on motorcycles, entered the house and shot Liton at close range before running away , Rahman said.

He was declared dead by doctors at a local hospital. Liton had been vocal against religious extremism in Bangla desh. Obaidul Quader, an Awami League general secretary , told reporters that the attack on Liton was “a planned murder”.

China a ‘trusted partner’ of Bangladesh: PM Sheikh Hasina Describing China as a “trusted partner” of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said President Xi Jinping’s visit this week would elevate the bilateral ties to newer heights as the country seeks enhanced cooperation in trade and investment.

Hasina’s comments came ahead of Xi’s visit to Bangladesh on Friday, the first by a Chinese head of state in 30 years.

Bangladesh is hoping to get an estimated $40 billion from China as credit during Xi’s visit, media reports here have said.

“I believe that President Xi’s visit will also be more important for South Asia,” Hasina told China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

“China has become our largest trading partner and we consider China as a trusted partner in realising our dreams too. China is the leading generator of many our megaprojects in terms of finance, capitalisation and technology,” she said. Noting that Bangladesh-China relations are now framed within a comprehensive partnership of cooperation, she said, “We are planning to elevate the relationship to a newer height with the much-awaited visit of President Xi.”

China justifies its stand on Masood Azhar China on Thursday dismissed as “untrue” allegations of double standards by India by blocking its bid to list JeM leader Masood Azhar as global terrorist by the UN, claiming that it had adopted a “just, objective and professional” attitude in deciding the matter.

“With regard to the listing matter of the security council 1267 committee the so called double standards adopted by China on this relevant issue is not true.

We take action based on solid evidence that is the standard upheld by us,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media briefing here.

Responding to remarks made by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar on Azhar’s issue during the press conference in New Delhi yesterday Geng said, “We have taken a responsible and constructive part in relevant discussion in a professional and objective way”.

“Relevant members differed on this issue.

The purpose of China to put forward technical hold on that issue is to create enough time for the committee and relevant parties to consult with each other on the relevant issue,” he said.

Akbar on Wednesday had said, “We really do expect China to hear the voice of the world, not just voice of India on terrorism.”

Referring to Pakistan’s support to terror, India also hoped that as a “responsible and a mature” nation, China will understand the “double standards” and “simply self-defeating and suicidal” approach of Islamabad to terrorism.

China was the only country among the 15-member 1267 counter terrorism committee of the UN Security Council which has objected to India’s application to list Azhar who is accused of masterminding the Pathankot terror attack. China had put two technical holds on India’s move.

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instructed the family members of pilgrims to inform them to return to Tibet by January 3 before the Dalai Lama begins his teachings.

Sources quoted a Tibetan pilgrim who chose to remain anonymous as saying that the authorities had taken signatures from their family members to make sure that the pilgrims have been informed and that they must return to Tibet. “Distance cannot dampen the sacred ties between a lama and a disciple. You can all pray from the far-flung areas in Tibet and I assure you that you will receive the Kalachakra empowerment,” said the Dalai Lama who arrived in Bodhgaya on December 28.

Note: Programme can be change.

Beijing has blocked thousands of Tibetans from attending a Buddhist event in Bodh Gaya which is being attended by Dalai Lama, according to reports from Nepal and China.

China’s state-run Global Times reported earlier this week that the “renewed” travel restrictions were imposed to battle terrorism and separatism.

However, according to the Tibetan government-inexile, such travel restrictions have never been imposed by China at least in the recent past.

Chinese government has reportedly begun confiscating passports from Tibetans in Tibet since November 2016.

Nepali media reported that “China has reportedly issued a temporary travel restriction on its citizens visiting Nepal and asked its travel agencies and airlines to cancel all travel plans and bookings made until January 10 with immediate effect”.

Chinese authorities are also said to have

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Saturday, January 07, 2017

Akhilesh affidavits signed by 220 MLAs Apparently giving up on a reconciliation with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today swung into election mode, instructing a senior minister to begin working on the Samajwadi Party manifesto.

At a marathon meeting with MLAs and ministers at his 5, KD Marg residence, he reportedly got affidavits signed by 220 MLAs, pledging support to him. He will now place these affidavits before the Election Commission and lay stake to the party symbol (cycle) for the Assembly elections. Sitting Qaumi Ekta Dal MLA Sibtaqullah Ansari, brother of don-turnedpolitician Mukhtar Ansari, who was earlier with the Mulayam faction, too has declared his allegiance with Akhilesh.

It was the merger of the Dal with the Samajwadi Party on Mulayam’s initiative ,

reportedly without the consent of the then state president Akhilesh, that had first brought out the family feud in the open.

Exuding confidence, ministers Ravidas Mehrotra and Shankhlal Manjhi told mediapersons here that they would fight the elections under the stewardship of Akhilesh, symbol or no symbol.

The EC has directed both factions to provide evidence to support their claim on the party and its symbol by January 9.

Mulayam and brother Shivpal , who flew to Delhi today to meet EC officials, remained huddled with Amar Singh, Jaya Prada and legal experts to work out a strategy.

While Akhilesh is depending on the numbers, Mulayam is working on a strategy to prove that the party’s national convention in Lucknow on January 1 was unconstitutional.

Congress national convention on January 11 On the eve of elections in five states, the Congress is all set to hold its national convention on January 11 to target the BJP government at the Centre for its “anti-people policies, including demonetisation”.

Nearly 6,500 party leaders from across the country are being invited for the conclave to mark a major show of opposition strength against the PM, whom Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been personally taking on.

Invitees include members of the extended Congress Working Committee, state and district Congress presidents, Congress Legislature Party leaders, AICC members, sitting and former MPs and MLAs, all MLCs and heads of Congress’ national and state-level frontal organisations of the Congress.

Although the official circular about the convention issued by Congress general secretary (organisation) Janardan Dwivedi says the event is being held against the BJP government’s “anti-people” policies, sources in the party don’t rule out the possibilities of the conclave witnessing demands for Rahul to take over as the party president.

“These demands are very likely to be made though the elevation itself may come at its own time. The ball is now really in Rahul’s court,” said a senior party leader, citing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s gradual but visible withdrawal from active political work.

A source said Sonia was now in the “exit mode” and might well hang her boots any time now given her health concerns. She is learnt to have asked party leaders to connect with

Rahul on important party work and has left the task of ticket distribution in poll-bound states to her son.

Sonia’s withdrawal is in line with recent events in the Congress which mark the

preparation of ground for Rahul’s elevation.

She first absented herself from the CWC meeting in November, getting Rahul to chair it. The CWC cleared the last hurdle in the way of Rahul’s elevation when AK Antony moved a proposal asking him to lead and the CWC endorsed it. On December 28, Sonia again stayed away allowing Rahul to lead the Congress Foundation Day celebrations.

During the winter session of Parliament too, she remained in the shadows as her son led party’s parliamentary strategy appearing alongside top Opposition leaders, including TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

It remains to be seen what role Sonia plays on January 11. As a party leader puts it: “The throne is ready but the prince has to arrive.”

Bill on H-1B visa back in US Congress A Bill backing key changes in the H-1B programme that allows skilled workers from countries like India to fill high-tech jobs in the US has been re-introduced in the US Congress by two lawmakers who claim it will help crack down on the work visa abuse.

The “Protect and Grow American Jobs Act” makes important changes to the eligibility

requirements for H1-B visa exemptions was re-introduced yesterday by Republican Darrell Issa and Scott Peters – both from California.

The Bill among other things increases the minimum salary of H-1B visa to $100,000 per annum and eliminates the Masters Degree exemption.

Rattled China says Pak will get ICBM too China today fumed at India’s testing of Agni IV, its long-range ballistic missile, which can travel 4,000 km. India carried out the test on Monday, which closely follows successful testing of Agni V that has a range of more than 5,000 km and can reach China and Europe.

An op-ed carried in today’s state-run Global Times (GT) commented harshly on India’s nuclear ambitions and made it clear China would stand by its old friend Pakistan and help it increase its arsenal of long-range missiles if India continues to make more inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).

“If the UN Security Council has no objection over this, let it be. The range of Pakistan’s nuclear missiles will also see an increase. If the world can adapt to these, China should too,” said the op-ed in a commentary that also went on to warn

India to not get delusional about it status on the world stage. “India should realise that owning several missiles does not mean it is a nuclear power,” was the clear-cut message to India today.

China often uses its state-media to convey messages to various nations. The message for India today is a mix of warning and caution with GT pointing out that as of now, India’s GDP accounts for about 20 per cent of China’s; and that China’s overall military industrial capacity is much better than that of India.

Saturday, January 07, 2017

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Wishing you all a truly blessed and Spiritually fulfilling Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s 350th Gurpurab

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INDIA

Saturday, January 07, 2017

No signs of Akhilesh-Mulayam patch-up yet Hopes of a timely patch-up between the Mulayam and Akhilesh factions of the Samajwadi Party seem to be receding even as the Election Commission declared polling dates today.

Both factions have presented their cases before the EC claiming the symbol, which is more likely to be temporarily frozen while the EC decides on the issue.

In the seven-phase UP elections, nominations to the first phase of 73 constituencies of 15 districts of western UP would begin on January 17.

However, even the SP candidates who figure in both Mulayam and Akhilesh’s lists are also uncertain about their future and don’t know whether they should hang around in Lucknow or return to their respective constituencies.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior leader expressed anguish at the state of

affairs. He was especially critical of the person who is calling the shots in the Akhilesh faction and has ruled out any chances of a dialogue or even an alliance with the Congress.

“Is it possible that a seasoned politician like him doesn’t understand the implication of getting into a legal tangle on the eve of elections? A true well wisher of the party would want it to remain united. He is clearly advising Akhilesh otherwise,” he said.

Suggesting a deep conspiracy, he pointed out that the same person under pressure from the BJP did not let the SP become part of the Bihar Mahagatbandhan. “Now evidently, the same person is out to wreck the SP just when it had a fair chance to get a second term,” the senior SP leader said.

Meanwhile, senior minister Mohd Azam Khan once again tried to bring about a rapprochement in the beleaguered party. On Tuesday, he had declared that he was ready to bow before anyone to keep the party united. On Wednesday, he went to meet Mulayam at his residence along with Shivpal and former ministers Narad Rai and Om Prakash Singh.

He said his attempt was to keep the father and son united so that they continue to meet and sort out differences. According to him, Mulayam was in a receptive and constructive mood and wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Reportedly, it is not the list of candidates that is causing the differences. It is just both factions refusing to budge from their respective positions of letting Amar Singh and Ram Gopal continue in the party.

Nearly 200 children freed from south India brick kiln in one of biggest rescues Police rescued nearly 200 children, most of them under the age of 14, who had been found working in a brick kiln in Telangana in one of the biggest operations in the region, officials said on Wednesday.

The children were rescued from a brick kiln in Yadadiri district, 40 km (25 miles) from state capital Hyderabad, as part of ‘Operation Smile’, a national campaign to tackle child labour and missing children.

The rescued children had moved from the eastern state of Odisha and were living and working with adults presumed to be their parents in the brick kiln, police said.

“We are not sure if the parents are genuine and there is a possibility that some of the children were trafficked,” Mahesh Bhagwat, a police commissioner, said.

“The rescue teams spotted girls as young as seven and eight carrying bricks on their head.

Some of the children were as young as four.”

In 2015, the International Labour Organization (ILO) put the number of Indian child workers aged between five and 17 at 5.7

million, out of 168 million globally.

More than half work in agriculture and over a quarter work in the manufacturing sector, the ILO said.

Punjab Assembly elections on February 4 The Election Commission on Wednesday announced elections to state assemblies in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur. Elections in Punjab for the 117 Assembly seats will be conducted in a single phase on February 4.

UP will go to polls in seven phases starting February 15. Uttarakhand will go to polls on February 15, Goa on February 4 and Manipur in two phases on March 4 and March 8.

Counting will be held for all these states on March 11. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced the polls and said that the model code of conduct came into

force with immediate effect.

Central police forces will be deployed in these states. Final electoral rolls of Punjab will be published on January 5, and in UP on January 12. The polls will see a total of 16 crore electorate and 1.85 lakh polling stations in these states. Identification of voters at poll booths will be mandatory.

Zaidi said a voter guide would be distributed to each family about identification documents which could be used at polling booths.

The limit of expenses per candidate is Rs 28 lakh in Punjab, UP and Uttarakhand. It is Rs 20 lakh in Manipur and Goa.

PUNJAB

Saturday, January 07, 2017

AAP first to declare all 117 nominees SAD’s 3 seats left, Congress’ 40, BJP yet to announce any candidate The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has become the first party to declare its candidates on all 117 seats for the Assembly elections. The party was the first to start the ticket distribution

process with its first list coming out in the month of September last year.

Its alliance partner Lok Insaf Party led by Bains Brothers is contesting on five of the 117 seats. AAP state convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich announced that Sarabjot Singh

Badals’ back to basics platform to ensure they’re back

Facing anti-incumbency, charges of cartelisation of businesses and drug taint on senior leaders, and inability to bring to book those responsible for the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had almost been written off from Punjab’s political scene in 2015. But that was a year ago.

Now, the party is back in the reckoning with Parkash Singh Badal, the psychological and emotional face of the SAD, and Sukhbir Singh Badal, the chief strategist, using all within their means to bounce back.

The aura created around Sukhbir, too, seems to have played its role in helping the party. Perceived as a micro-strategist, he managed to turn the tables on his rivals in the 2012 Assembly elections and secured a second term riding on the support from the “azad Congress” — a term coined for 37 rebel Congress candidates. The principal rival parties are aware of his political acumen at funding and fuelling dissent among rebels.

A year ago, the party’s prospects looked grim. Akali leaders were humiliated at public functions (in Punjab and abroad), especially by young voters who are desperately looking for experimentation in politics. The poor law and order situation in the state — be it the brutal assault on a Dalit youth in Abohar, the gang wars in the state or the frequent accidents involving buses owned either by the Badals or their associates — resulted into frustration with the governance of the SADled regime. Till April last year, it appeared that the party was on its way out. Many had even written its epitaphs… mainly in the social media. The rising popularity of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), referred to as a “rogue party”, played a role in this.

Dhanjal would contest from Amritsar East, Manish Agarwal from Amritsar North and Rajinder Kumar would be the party candidate from Amritsar Central.

The Akali Dal has declared nominees from all but three in its quota of 94 seats. Its alliance partner BJP will put up candidates on the remaining 23 seats. The BJP has not announced a single candidate so far.

TMC releases first list of 5 nominees - After failing to forge an alliance with AAP, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday released its first list of candidates. State party president Jagmeet Singh Brar said the candidates included former minister Dr Harbans Lal (Fatehgarh Sahib), Begum Parveen Nusrat (Malerkotla), former MLA Vijay Sathi (Moga), Prof Manpreet Kaur Brar Rajeana (Baghapurana) and Giriraj Rajora (Balluana).

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Avtar Henry loses citizenship and right to contest Having fought Assembly poll six times since 1986, former Congress minister Avtar Henry has been rendered ineligible to contest this time as poll authorities today cancelled his re-issued vote in his “dual citizenship” controversy.

The orders were issued by the returning officer of JalandharNorth constituency, Barjinder Singh. Objections had been filed by three voters from Henry’s constituency seeking cancellation of his re-issued vote.

The Congress leader’s vote and Indian passport were annulled on November 30, 2012, on the orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The directions came after Henry’s son from his first wife, Gurjeet Sanghera, alleged that his father held a British passport since 1969.

It was alleged that the ex-minister’s Indian citizenship had ceased too, and that he never acquired it again.

On November 11, 2014, Henry got his

passport re-issued with two-year validity on compassionate grounds following orders from a local court. The passport was reissued yet again on July 20 this year, on the basis of which Henry got his vote re-issued on November 3. The order was passed by assistant returning officer Paramjit Singh Sahota.

While cancelling the vote today, Barjinder Singh cited the fact that the 2012 orders by the Ministry of Home (foreign division) still stood, and that Henry had so far not been able to acquire Indian citizenship again.

Blaming Regional Passport Officer Harmanbir Gill for the confusion, the returning officer alleged that the passport issued to Henry mentioned his citizenship as Indian. He has termed the passport office’s replies on Henry’s “Indian” status as “unsatisfactory”.

28

FIJI

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Family homeless after landslide A Mother and her daughter are counting their lucky stars after they jumped out of their three- bedroom corrugated iron and timber home seconds before it was taken down by a landslide at Naveiwakau settlement in Valelevu, Nasinu yesterday afternoon.

Manju Lata, 43, her daughter Maanvi Chand, 16, and their relative, Doreen Singh, were in their house when their neighbour, Ana Cagi, called out to them to leave as the house was slowly losing its grip on the ground. Ms Lata was too distraught to talk when asked for an interview by this

newspaper yesterday afternoon.

Maanvi described what happened as one of the worst experiences she had ever gone through.

She said after the incident, she did not know how she felt because she was hurt and was still trying to overcome her fear of what happened and of how lucky she was to have come out alive.

“My mother and cousin were watching TV in the living room when they saw the soil slowly moving down, they called out to me. I tried to open my bedroom door but it was locked and couldn’t open,” Maanvi said.

Earthquake aftershocks scare residents THE Mineral Resources Department recorded 13 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 on the Richter scale until yesterday after Wednesday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred south of Fiji, The permanent secretary for the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, Malakai Finau, said with seismic events of such nature being recorded people should not panic, but be alert.

“There are quite a lot of aftershocks actually. By this (yesterday) morning, I counted about 13, magnitude of about 5.0 aftershocks,” he said.

Mr Finau said the aftershocks were normal after an earthquake such as Wednesday’s.

He said there was a possibility that the plates surrounding the locality of Wednesday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake could have vastly shifted.

“It is possible given the magnitude and the

number of aftershocks that’s happening.”

Mr Finau said he noticed the aftershocks were occurring at almost the similar depth of Wednesday’s quake, confirming the aftershocks were related to the major earthquake.

“Recently we have had about similar 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Solomons, so that seems to be normal as aftershocks,” he said.

“For me, it’s a relief because the earthquakes occur as a result of a buildup of pressure and these aftershocks, they release that sort of pressure and sort of prevents the occurrence of big events. “Usually, big events occur suddenly without any pre-shocks or foreshocks.

“On the positive side of the aftershock is that it continues to reduce the pressure buildup in that particular location but you never know pressure can be building up in another area.”

Court orders Australian man to buy pizzas for police A 48-year-old Australian citizen who pleaded guilty to verbally abusing police officers at the Lomolomo Police Station on New Year’s Eve was ordered to buy 10 family sized pizzas and soft drinks for officers at the Lautoka Police Station yesterday.

The order was made by Magistrate Mosese Naivalu after the Melbourne resident pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing a police officer and one count of drunk and disorderly conduct.

Mr Naivalu said the accused swore at police officers and made harsh comments against police officers in the country.

He also stated that the accused had

challenged the officers to a fight.

During mitigation, the 48-year-old’s defence lawyer, Aman Singh, said his client was remorseful and regretted his actions.

Singh said his client was under the influence of alcohol and was willing to pay any fine imposed by the court.

Mr Naivalu said the Melbourne resident needed to learn a lesson for being abusive to police officers.

Mr Naivalu ordered that the accused pay $50 for his first count and purchase the family sized meals from the Lautoka Hotel.

The accused spent about $300 for the meal and soft drinks.

Suva private hospital under new ownership SUVA Private Hospital will be known from tomorrow as MIOT Pacific Hospital after it came under the ownership of Oceania Hospitals Pte Limited.

Oceania Hospitals Pte Limited is 30 per cent owned by MIOT International while BSP Life continue to own 70 per cent effective January 1, 2017. Making the announcement today, BSP Life managing director Malakai Naiyaga said the new investment was valued at $14million, which includes the upgrade of equipment, construction and services.

“The Fijian Government has continued to encourage investment in the healthcare sector and we are pleased that we could that

we could take the lead in this initiative,” he said.

Specialised medicals services are expected

out of this new venture with more changes to develop over a span of six months.

It was also made clear that no loss of existing employment at SPH will eventuate out of the partnership. The official launch will be held on January 18.

Wife claims men beaten by police A SUVA woman claims her husband and his friend were beaten by officers at the Sigatoka Police Station during the weekend over claims they had stolen a motor vehicle from a rental car company and made illegal modifications to it.

The woman said she could only speak to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity after claiming officers at the station also threatened to beat her up if she reported the matter to the media.

“My husband and his friend presented themselves at the Sigatoka Police Station last week on Friday at 2pm after they received information they were wanted by police,” she claimed.

“When they went there, police locked them up and began interrogating them and then began torturing them by punching them and using a crowbar to hit them on their legs.

“When they asked for medical treatment, they were told to wait. When they asked for pain medication, they were told to go to the shop and buy it.

“When I asked to see my husband on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the officers swore at me and told me they could give me a good New Year’s present if I stayed with them.

“They have been in police custody from Friday until today (yesterday) and I was only allowed to go and see them today (yesterday) when I brought my lawyer.”

PAKISTAN

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Kashmir ‘integral part’ of Pak claims Sharif Claiming that Kashmir was an “integral part” of Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today needled India yet again by praising slain Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani as a “vibrant and charismatic leader”.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day international parliamentary seminar on Kashmir here, Sharif also praised the spirit and determination of the Kashmiri people for their struggle for the right to self-determination.

“Our hearts beat and sink with our Kashmiri brethren,” Radio Pakistan quoted Sharif as saying.

The world needs to tell India that “enough is enough” with regard to its policy towards Kashmir, he said, while asserting that Kashmir is an “integral part” of Pakistan.

He claimed the “martyrdom of vibrant

and charismatic Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani has given a new turn to the Kashmiri movement”.

He regretted the “Indian aggression” against Kashmiri people in the wake of protests triggered by the killing of Wani by security forces on July 8.

Sharif said supporting the Kashmiri struggle for their right to selfdetermination is faith of every Pakistani.

He said Pakistan will continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their indigenous struggle and continue to shake the conscience of the international community for their rights.

Referring to the four points he presented before the UN, Sharif once again urged the world community to make all out efforts for the realisation of the promise it made to the Kashmiri people 70 years ago.

29

Pakistan shocked by case of alleged torture of 10-year-old girl by top judge and his wife Pakistan’s Supreme Court asked the police on Wednesday to look into allegations that a 10-year-old girl working as a maid was tortured by her employers, an influential judge and his wife, police and a court official said.

The case has shocked many in Pakistan after disturbing photographs of the girl, purporting to show her badly beaten and bruised, circulated on social media.

The uproar initially prompted the Islamabad High Court to order a probe but the case took a new turn on Tuesday, when the girl’s parents announced they have “forgiven” the judge and his wife, apparently after reaching a financial settlement with the two.

Human right activist have expressed frustration over the developments, suggesting the girl’s employers may have pressured her family. In the Islamic tradition, forgiving an offender in return for financial compensation is common practice among the impoverished classes.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Wednesday ordered police to investigate all relevant details and report back. The girl’s name is publicly known in Pakistan. The Associated Press does not identify children who may be victims of abuse.

Children in Pakistan often work as servants in homes of wealthier people and in shops, and are frequently subjected to violence.

UK MPs want to know “Why aid Pakistan when it has nukes program?”

Several British Parliamentarians and opposition party members have slammed their government for cash handouts to people in Pakistan, which is “a country that has its own nuclear weapons and space programmes”, Belfast Telegraph reported.

These comments come after the Daily Mail newspaper yesterday reported that £300 million of British taxpayers’ money is being handed out to Pakistanis on pre-loaded cash cards as part of a scheme critics say is rife with corruption. That’s not all. The UK is planning to increase foreign aid to Pakistan by a further

£105 million, when the latter spent as much as £4 billion to buy eight new submarines.

All this while there is a crisis in social care in Britain itself.

“Surely common sense tells us that giving cash handouts in a country that has its own nuclear weapons and space programmes is simply wrong. Our own UK taxpayers are facing more and more cuts on a daily basis whilst we are providing benefits to the citizens of Pakistan,” the UK Independent Party’s (UKIP) Lisa Duffy was quoted as saying by the Belfast Telegraph.

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After Daddy Took Her Back From Boyfriend Farhan’s House Just days after she was forcibly brought back home from Farhan Akhtar’s pad by Papa Shakti, Shraddha Kapoor is in the news for wrong reasons again.

It looks like drama never leaves Shraddha Kapoor’s side these days.

Daddy Shakti Kapoor nuked her plans of moving in with Farhan Akhtar and dragged her back to their family home after a showdown.

Despite their denials, the Kapoors’ Juhu home has not been a very peaceful abode since that event. And now, another incident has amped up the drama.

The incident took place yesterday while Shraddha was on her way back from

Filmistan Studios in Goregaon where she was promoting her upcoming film OK Jaanu with her co-star, ex-boyfriend Aditya Roy Kapur.

A few fans of the actress had spotted her and decided to follow her as he drove back to her Juhu home. They were hoping to get a selfie with her once she stepped out of the vehicle. Not very fair we understand but what followed was a nightmare for the residents of the building who witnessed it.

The fans entered the compound at around 9 in the night, closely behind Shraddha. The actress stepped out, saw the fans and told them that she was tired after a long day---- but will definitely come back in a few minutes to click selfies.

With that she walked in and this is where the nightmare actually began.

One of the watchmen, employed by the building, came charging at the fans with a big lathi.

Sonakshi Sinha & Bunty Sajdeh Celebrated New Year’s Eve In DUBAI! Sonakshi Sinha and Bunty Sajdeh have been very secretive about their relationship. None of them have ever

spoken about their bond officially.

They have celebrated most of the important calendar dates together, New Year’s Eve being the recent one. So, there was a strong buzz that Sonakshi and Bunty celebrated New Year’s Eve together at a foreign location but no one knew about their secret destination.

Emotions Run High, Bollywood Remembers Om Puri- The Man And The Actor Om Puri’s body was taken from his Versova home, where Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan among others had gathered to pay him their last respects, to the Oshiwara crematorium where the acting powerhouse ended his mortal journey.

His family including second wife Nandita led the mourners, which included Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar and Randeep Hooda among other.

Shakti Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey, Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik were among the first ones who arrived at the crematorium.

Neelima Azmi, Nagesh Kukunoor too joined the crowd soon. Farhan walked in with Ritesh Sidhwani and the next to arrive was Sonu Sood.

Soon enough, Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan walked in together. Both had taken to Twitter earlier to express their

grief at the passing of Om Puri.

Anil Kapoor was among the last ones to enter the crematorium and he was seen talking to the family members of the deceased actor.

Om Puri’s death had sent shockwaves through the industry. He had died this morning after a cardiac arrest. He was 66. He is survived by son Ishaan, who lives with his mother Nandita.

The Padma Shri awardee, studied at the Film and Television Institute of India and at the National School of Drama, where Naseeruddin Shah was his classmate. Om Puri made his film debut in 1976 with the Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal.

Over the next four decades, Puri established himself as a formidable force with films like Ardh Satya, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Aakrosh, Mirch Masala and many others. More recently, he was seen in a slew of commercial hits including Dabangg and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Deepika Padukone Celebrates Her Birthday In Mexico Amidst xXx Priyanka Chopra & Deepika Padukone left together for the USA recently! While PeeCee landed in New York to shoot for her TV series Quan2co, Deepika headed to Los Angeles for the promotion of her upcoming Hollywood debut, the Vin Diesel-starrer, xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Our sexy lady then headed to the Mexico City with the other two leading ladies- Nina Dobrev and Ruby Rose and director DJ Caruso. After all-day media interactions and right before the premiere of the film, the xXx family came together with a large cake and balloons to celebrate Deepika’s 31st birthday.

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Saturday, January 07, 2017

Bollywood

My wife decides her life

Shahid in a leaked picture from Rangoon; (left) with wife Mira

pretty chilled out about what’s written. My wife decides what she wants to do, where she wants to go, how she wants to go and who is allowed in the house. It is natural. In fact, that’s how it should be,” he adds.

Shahid moves on to talk about Rangoon, his third collaboration with Vishal Bhardwaj after Kaminey (2009) people cross the line, we do and Haider (2014). Right get displeased. But the line it- after Kaminey released, the self is wide. We can’t be touchy filmmaker had remarked that HE MAY have been slammed and say, bhai mere baare mein Shahid would be a better for propagating arranged mar- koi baat nahin karega,” Shahid actor if he cared less about his looks. Today, as Rangoon’s riage and cracking jokes about says coolly.

The Udta Punjab star de- trailer is unveiled, the actor his 14-year age difference with wife Mira on Karan Johar’s fends his wife saying she has says he still fusses over looks.

“In my last 10 films, I have chat show, but Shahid Kapoor a mind of her own and cannot be undermined. “Mira seems not looked the same in any is far from being ruffled.

“A mainstream star having an arranged marriage is unique. It is not everyday that a Hindi film hero goes and marries someone no one even knows of. I am an actor. Most parts of my life are up for discussion, by default. It won’t stop whether I like it or not. If Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor lashes out at the antiarranged-marriage army for trolling, and calling him regressive on the web

‘A mainstream star having an arranged marriage is unique... We can’t be touchy and say, bhai mere bare mein koi baat nahin karega’

Friendship bigger than business Hrithik on his relationship with SRK while the titans clash in theatres on R-Day weekend IN THE first mega clash of 2017, Sanjay Gupta’s Hrithik Roshan-starrer Kaabil will battle it out with Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees on January 25. In a bid to profit from the Republic Day weekend, producer Rakesh Roshan had first zeroed in on the date while SRK’s announcement came a week later.

While papa Roshan wasn’t very pleased with the latter’s decision, son Hrithik on the other hand, remains unfazed.

Reacting to the impending clash for the first time, the star tells hitlist, “Business and friendship should be at their own places. Raees and Kaabil can clash, but my friendship with SRK shouldn’t be af-

Jan

06

Begum Jaan

*ing: Vidya Balan, Gauhar, Naseeruddin Shah

Jan

13

OK Jaanu

*ing: Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor

two movies,” he proudly claims. Did they agree to disagree? “Perspectives change.

For Haider, I shaved off my hair just for a four-hour shoot (laughs). Actors used to think of themselves differently. But he (Bhardwaj), more than anybody else, has the right to change the way I look. He is the man who has taught me how to reinvent myself. Now, the thrill to look different is becoming my worst habit,” he sheepishly admits.

Shahid says Bhardwaj was the reason, more than Rangoon’s “enticing” script, for him to hop on board: “This one is diametrically different from the last two films we did.

This is an ensemble, much like Haider. Kangana (Ranaut) and Saif (Ali Khan) are playing fundamental characters. With Vishal sir’s stories, there aren’t ranks and hierarchies. He wants three great actors to participate in the milieu he has envisioned and rediscover our potential as artistes.”

‘Hrithik in all my films’

That is filmmaker daddy Rakesh Roshan’s lifelong resolution, not just New Year’s

of working with him is that if I tell him to be on set at 6 am, he will be there.”

Ask him whether the SEVENTEEN years ago, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan personal relationship ever launched his son, Hrithik takes precedence over professionalism, and he says, “Of Roshan, with Kaho Naa... course, it does. SupPyaar Hai, and the film, pose in a running inarguably, turned film, if anything him into a star happens to the overnight. Since actor, as a prothen, the direcducer it affects tor has only you. But as a famade films with ther, you have all his son in the sympathies.

A lead and insists father’s emotion that’s how it will is different from a always be. producer’s.”

“It is impossible for As a father, Rakesh is proud me to visualise a film wihout Hrithik, because I always keep of Hrithik’s achievements so him in mind and write my sto- far. “I can’t think of any other ries. I also feel people will actor who has shown so much laugh that I have a superstar at versatility. I don’t think he has home and I am working with ever been afraid of taking on somebody else. The best part challenges.”

fected. The films will eventually be judged by the audience and I hope both will be loved.”

Refusing to comment on SRK’s decision to pick the same release date, Hrithik says, “I don’t believe in talking about what should have happened. What can we do if the clash is happening? I can do best for my film and Ritesh (Sidhwani, Raees producer) and SRK will do their best for Raees.”

Kaabil’s success is important for the actor since his last outing, Mohenjo Daro, did not find favour with the audience. Hrithik confesses his sons, Hridhaan and Hrehaan, weren’t impressed by the film either. “But they are excited about Kaabil and want it do well. That’s heartening,” he adds.

New Released Bollywood Films Jan

13

Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai

Jan

13

Haraamkhor

*ing: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shweta Tripathi

Jan

13

Rambhajjan Zindabaad *ing: Om Puri

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Bollywood

All Is Not Well Between Tiger And Sajid Nadiawala, Thanks To Disha It is never a good idea to mix your professional and personal lives, but Tiger Shroff does not seem to be familiar with that adage.

Tiger tried his best to convince Nadiadwala that his girlfriend Disha Patani will be a perfect fit for Baaghi 2.

Even though the filmmaker refused Tiger then, the young actor did not learn his lesson.

Recently when the conversation turned to the casting of Heropanti 2, Tiger once again decided to push for Disha.

The moment Tiger recommended Disha’s name, Nadiadwala turned down the recommendation politely. But he still did not get the point.

Later, Tiger cornered the film’s director Sabbir Khan and once again pitched Disha’s name for the role.When the news got to

Shahid Kapoor Lashes Out At Journos Clicking Misha, Says They Lack Common Sense

Ever since Shahid Kapoor and wife Mira Rajput were blessed with Misha in August last year, paparazzi has been keen to get a glimpse of their little one. But papa Shahid has ensured that his daughter is covered up every time the family is in the public eye.

And why not? After all, the flashing cameras are harmful for infants.

However, in the name of ‘duty’ the media can sometimes cross the line and looks like Shahid was subjected to just that. For, he tweeted about journos flashing cameras 2 feet away from Misha without realising how harmful it can be. He wrote, “Unfortunate how some journos don’t realise how bad 20 cameras flashing 2 feet away are for an infants eyes. No common sense in their dna (sic).”

Shahid gave his fans the perfect New Year gift by sharing the First picture of Misha on Instagram. Though Shahid didn’t show the face of his daughter, one can see Misha’s legs and she can be seen wearing pink shoes in the photograph. “Mi-shoe,” Shahid wrote alongside the image with a heart emoji.

On the professional front, Shahid is currently shooting for filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati alongside Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. He will also be seen in Rangoon, which has been directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and also stars Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan. While the former tells the tale of Padmavati and the two men in her life, Alauddin Khilji and King Rawal Ratan Singh, the latter is a film set during World War II.

Nadiadwala, he was annoyed and how!

He decided to call up Tiger and made it clear to him that Disha Patani is not their choice and warned him that he should stop recommending her name at every meeting.

Heropanti, which released in 2014, marked the debut of Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon. The film was a box-office success and established Tiger as a star in the making.

He was launched under Nadiadwala’s banner and Tiger has continued to collaborate with him over the past two years.

The films which followed after Heropanti were a mixed bag with Tiger’s last release Flying Jatt, failing to make an impact at the box-office.

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Saturday, January 07, 2017

Bollywood Horoscope Aries

Libra

March 21 - April 20

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

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.

Shah Rukh Returns To Small Screen As A Talk Show Host?

Shah Rukh Khan has graced plenty of talk shows in his three-decade-long showbiz career. And now, buzz is, the superstar is ready to transition to the other side and become the host with the most.

Yes, Shah Rukh Khan is in talks to host a talk show for Star Plus.

As of now the show is in the initial stages and according to rumours, SRK is working with the channel’s team and giving his creative inputs for the programme.

Said a source, “SRK is already involved in the scripting process. He has given his inputs from the very beginning of the product. It could be a talk show but the name is yet to be decided. The show is an international format which will be adapted for India.” The source further added that the scripting process began almost a month ago and the plan is to launch the show in June 2017.

Shah Rukh Khan took over the hosting duties from Amitabh Bachchan on the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2007. A year later SRK hosted Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? In 2011, he appeared on Imagine TV’s Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout, the Indian version of Wipeout.An official announcement has not yet been made by the superstar or the channel but if all goes as per plan, the talk show will be a treat for sure.

Beautiful Kashmir Now In Mumbai! Thanks To Salman Khan After wrapping up schedules in Ladakh and Manali, the team of Tubelight comprising Salman Khan, Chinese actress Zhu Zhu and Kabir Khan has now moved base to Mumbai to complete the shoot of the film.

Our well-placed sources tell us that final schedule of the project began in Film City on November 22, 2016 and as of today half of the last schedule has been completed. Last month, Kabir shot for a song with Salman and Zhu Zhu, post which the team took a break for Christmas and New Year. Now that the holiday season is over, we hear the remaining portion of the film will be shot from January 8February 8.

Says the source, “Salman couldn’t shuttle between Mumbai and Manali because he is committed to Bigg Boss as well. Hence, the makers decided to

shoot the final schedule in Mumbai.”

Wondering which sequence will be shot

in the city? Well, Zhu Zhu’s character will visit Salman in Jammu and Kashmir at his home.

No wonder, the makers have (convincingly) constructed the set of a Kashmiri abode.

Tubelight tells the story of an Indian man falling in love with a Chinese girl during the 1962 IndoChinese war. Written

by Neelesh Misra, the film is being produced

by Salman Khan, Kabir Khan and Sunil Lulla.

The much-awaited film is expected to hit theatres in June 2017.

Bollywood personalities’ birthdays

Sagarika Ghatge january 6

Farah Khan january 9

Kalki Koechlin january 9

Hrithik Roshan january 10

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Eshwar Shakti

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Interview

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Vaani Kapoor: Kisses In Befikre Are NOT Lewd, There’s Only Love & Warmth In Them She has been in the news ever since the trailer of Befikre went online. The film has been a topic of discussion ever since it hit theatres.

Has life changed for you after Befikre?

I don’t go out much, so I wouldn’t know exactly if the outside world has changed for me or not. But mostly so far, it seems more or less the same.

I am just happy that most people who have seen the film have loved my character (of Shyra) and my work.

Has Befikre brought in its share of directors and ad-filmmakers at your doorstep?

People are coming forward, but I think it’s a bit too soon for me to analyse it correctly. I would like to take some time before coming to a conclusion on this.

Considering that you hadn’t had a film since 3 years (Shuddh Desi Romance released in Jan ‘13), how were you feeling when Befikre was about to hit theatres?

I was very nervous and shaky. I take a lot

of responsibility of whatever I am attached to. Frankly, I am never too confident about anything in life.

How easy or difficult it was for you to play the bold, outgoing Shyra?

Being the newest member in the film and the fact that I am not a star, I always felt that I was the biggest risk factor of Befikre.

Adi (Aditya Chopra) always says that I am an old soul and very conventional. Shyra is so much out there, so much in charge of almost everything in her life, she is literally living her life, and those 42 boyfriends of hers!

I started watching a lot many French films.

I flew down to Paris much before the camera rolled on the film so that I could observe and understand the people there- their body language, vibes, and almost everything else about them. I couldn’t look like a girl from Delhi which I am, when I was playing a girl who stays in France and thinks that she is not an Indian. So, I had to work a lot on how to get Shyra’s body language absolutely right. This in turn even involved losing lots

of weight, which I did. I gave it my all and I don’t know if it has been enough or not.

But I would give more credit, in fact full marks, to Adi, who helped me in transforming from an Indian girl to a French one (pauses).

But... (trails off).

But what?

It was a long journey. You know that Hindi

film heroines have adayein, plus being from a North Indian family I have seen a lot of Hindi films in my school and college days... so to shed all that and start thinking and moving like a French girl was never easy. Bahut kaam kiya, yahan tak ki main kaise baithungi, kaise uthungi aur kaise chalungi.

Was there a point when you told Adi that you want do a few scenes in a slightly Indian way?

No, I did not. I trust Adi blindly. I have immense faith in him. I knew he would shoot aesthetically.

Plus, I come from a family which sits and sees Hollywood films together. We don’t stop looking at each other or change channels if and when there’s a bold scene.

And we had an all-French crew, which made it a lot easier for us.

Such depiction of love as we have in Befikre is very normal for them, and nobody made us feel uncomfortable.

Adi had taken a conscious decision of hiring people whose wavelength would be in accordance with the script of the film.

Above all, I was working with Adi. I look up to Adi and have tremendous faith in him. I never felt that I am going to be exploited in any way. Plus I have a lot of confidence in him. If I had felt uneasy about any scene, it wouldn’t have been shot.

What are your views on marriage?

Are you also against marriage like Shyra was?

Shyra was not anti-marriage. She was just dating someone. In fact, she gave a lot of importance to marriage.

For her, marriage was a huge deal.

That’s why she has this long chat with Dharam (Ranveer Singh) if she is marriage-material. For me too, marriage is a big thing. I would never marry in haste- just because sab log shaadi karte hain, time ho gaya hai, and all that. And I would give it all of me to make my marriage work.

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Foodie

7

Potato Fry Potato fry is a very very versatile recipe and there are n number of recipes for the same. You could just add salt and fry the potatoes. Some others like to add salt and chilly powder.

Some more daring cooks try too add chicken masala, mutton masala, channa masala etc and make it more interesting. You can also add other ingredients like onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, carom seed (ajwain) etc.

Ingredients Potatoes- 2-3 (You can use any type of potato - red, russet, yukon gold, baby potatoes, purple potatoes etc.)

Chilly Powder - 1-3 tsp (to suit your taste) Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - to taste Oil - 2-3 tblsp

(For a more elaborate chatpatta fry) Onion - 1/4 (sliced) - You can also use 3-4 whole pearl onions instead Garlic Powder - 1/4 tsp (or 1 clove garlic crushed) Crushed Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp Fennel Powder - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp Crushed Peppercorns - 1/4 tsp Curry Leaves - 1 spring (Chopped) Cashew nuts - 1-2 tblsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Method: For the simple and quick potato fry Wash the potatoes and peel them. You can even leave the skin on.

Cut the potatoes into uniform sized cubes.

You can cut it into small cubes, long stripes or medium sized chunks.

Mix the chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt with the potato pieces.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the potato pieces and fry till the potatoes are cooked through.

For the chatpatta spicy potato fry Wash the potatoes and peel them or leave the skin on.

Cut the potatoes into uniform sized pieces of your desired shape.

Partially boil the potatoes in the microwave or stovetop. This step is optional but it speeds up the frying process.

Take the potato pieces in a bowl and mix the spices with it. ( If you do not have one or two of the above mentioned spices, just skip it.

Potato fry will still taste good. You can also add 2-3 tsp of any brand chicken masala powder instead of all the above spices.)

Heat oil in a non stick pan or kadai. Splutter

the mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Add the onions and cashew nuts and fry for a minute.

Add the spice rubbed potato pices. Keep the heat on medium

high and start frying.

Stir fry till all the pieces are completely cooked and the potatoes become little crispy.

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Review by Jag

Saturday, January 07, 2017

2017 Honda CR-V First Drive Victoria, BC: There’s something to be said when a manufacturer wears the crown in FOUR different segments, and Honda isn’t shy to share this information. The company’s winning titles include: • #1 Compact Car – Civic • #1 Midsize Car – Accord • # 1 Subcompact SUV – HR-V • #1 Premium Minivan – Honda Odyssey Only the compact SUV segment title has evaded the manufacturer, with the Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape ahead by narrow margins. However, Honda wasn’t about to step away from this fight, so they sharpened their pencils and went to work. And for 2017, they just may have another title. We were invited to beautiful Oak Bay on Vancouver Island to be one of the first to drive the all-new, yes, we mean ALL-NEW, Honda CR-V and boy, were we in for a treat.

One of the first questions everyone asks is, “How did the RAV4 and Ford Escape beat Honda’s charm and engineering in the segment?” Well, if you’ve owned the CR-V (and we have), you probably already know; even Honda brass are the first to admit it was a combination of conservative styling, lack lustre performance, and a plain cabin. So, has the 2017 CR-V upped its game? In one word –

Although the word won’t make Webster’s dictionary just yet, it’s pretty darn accurate.

This Honda model’s interior has typically been bland, but the moment I stepped inside the new CR-V, I was floored. I murmured something like, “This looks and feels like a premium vehicle – it doesn’t feel like a CR-V.” There’s a 3D aspect to the new interior and it works.

The surface materials and decorative parts express dynamism and comfort. Our Touring test model came complete with faux wood inserts, leather stitching, and a great contrast of materials – soft, hard and lustrous. Honda vehicles have always had ample storage and this new CR-V only improves on something good.

The center console has a nifty movable storage tray that can hold your cell phone or wallet. Under the storage is a massive bin that you can stuff your gloves, scarf, and even a handbag!

All in all, the new interior is a huge upgrade and I, again, applaud the design team.

Keeping with the inside, even though the outgoing models’ interior was quite roomy, the 2017 CR-V adds an additional 53mm

– Upgrade Complete

Monitor Alert and Driver Attention Monitor and you’ve got a grocery-getter and take-thekids-to-practice hauler that’s going to keep its occupants safe.

In keeping with the other new and refreshed Honda models, the new CR-V shares some pretty neat technology. All trims get a 7” touchscreen that is responsive but wait… what’s that on left of the screen? It can’t be! A volume control knob! Woo hoo! I know I may be making a big deal out of this small detail, but trust me, I was beginning to hate the finger slide volume control. Thanks Honda for listening to us and bringing back the knob. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported in the CR-V, but if you want the navigation system, you have

to get the Touring trim. Some buyers may not like dishing out the extra cash for extras that come with the Touring trim, but I can attest that add-ons are a tremendous value. Said Hayato Mori, Senior Manager of Product Planning and Business Development, “We believe that buyers of the Honda CR-V will get much more car for

YOU BET…well, it’s two words, but you get the of rear legroom, thanks point. to the wheelbase being Upgraded Looks stretched by 40mm.

In all honesty, I was never a fan of most of the It might not seem like previous generations’ styling. As a guy, it just much, but trust me, didn’t do it for me and took away any macho two extra inches of rear factor I had when driving our own 2005 model. legroom are a big deal, My wife, however, never seemed to mind. One especially in the compact look at the new CR-V sends a clear message that classes.

Honda’s design team did some amazing work Upgraded Safety & that is on par or better than RAV4, Mazda CX- Technology In today’s modern, fast5, or Hyundai Tucson. The bland moving world, you either keep up exterior has been replaced with with the latest in technology and a toned and aggressive look that trends or get lost in the crowd, goes head-to-head with anything period. I’m surprised that some else in this category. New for manufacturers are still making 2017 are the stronger fender things like Bluetooth optional. flares that accentuate the larger, But not to fret with the 2017 CRwider body. Standard 17” wheels V, as it’s poised to stay ahead. nicely fill the fenders; the wheels, Let’s start with the safety however, could have been nicer. basics – ABS, lots of airbags, All around, Honda has added etc…they’re all there. But now, LED lighting and this includes Honda Sensing is standard on the signature LED daytime Jag Dhatt all AWD variations. This will running lights, and LED brake, Jag Dhatt is an automotive, motorcycle and lifestyle include the Collision Mitigation tail and turn signals. If you opt journalist. He is an AJAC System (CMS), Adaptive Cruise for the Touring model, you’ll get member and regular Control (ACC) with Low-Speed LED headlamps as well. Other contributor writer to many Follow (LSF), Road Departure improvements, that you probably print and online media Mitigation (RDM) and the Lane won’t notice but are important outlets. for fuel economy, include the Keeping (LKAS) Assist System, all of which work quite well. We standard active grille shutters and did find that we had to turn off the LKAS on a flatter underbody for better aerodynamics.

Honda is using the word “beautility” windy roads because it was too sensitive and to describe the interior of the 2017 CR-V. kept going off. Now, throw in the Cross Traffic

the value with many of the optional features now becoming standard on the various trims.”

And I agree with Mr. Mori completely.

For example, even on the base LX trim, you still get 17” alloy wheels, proximity key entry with push button start, remote engine start, walk-away door locks, front wiper de-icer, automatic climate control, heated front seats, multi-angle rear-view camera, and active noise cancellation. As mentioned before, some of these were options in previous generations. And yes, Bluetooth connectivity is also standard.

Upgraded Utility Even though the 2017 CR-V looks and feels premium, it still has to be practical. No, Honda hasn’t brought back the picnic table that was rarely used, but now, there’s other cool stuff.

First of all, a height adjustable power tailgate is standard on the EX-L and Touring trims. We tried the new tailgate and it’s pretty handy for people of various heights. If you’re carrying groceries, you can even activate the tailgate with a swipe of your foot under the centre of the rear bumper. Second, the cargo bay is now more

versatile thanks to flat fold rear seats and two floor modes: full flat mode and max capacity mode. By configuring the floor to max capacity mode, 4 large hard suitcases can easily fit under the tonneau cover. The CR-V now has bragging rights to Best-in-Class space efficiency.

Upgraded Driving and Performance It’s no secret that Vancouver Island boasts some of the best scenic driving routes in British Columbia and it’s here that we road tested the 2017 CR-V. From beautiful Oak Bay to Jordan River and then back through downtown Victoria, there was a great mix of highway, city, and twisty roads.

One of the most significant improvements of the driving experience had nothing to do with the drive, but rather how quiet the cabin was. Our test vehicle was equipped with snow tires, which generally are known to be loud. But thanks to the standard Active Noise Cancellation, floating rear sub-frame, a flatter windshield, liquid sealing, and sound-insulating materials, the new CR-V is one of the quietest vehicles in this segment. We easily carried on a conversation or enjoyed music without impeding road, vehicle, or engine noise.

Speaking of the engine, it’s smaller than the outgoing one; don’t frown just yet though. For Canada, the CR-V gets a tweaked version of the 1.5-liter turbocharged DOHC four cylinder motor that powers the Civic. Unlike the Civic, the CR-V gets 190HP and 179 lb-ft of torque through a CVT. This is more than both the RAV4 and the Escape. For our drive, the engine proved to be capable in most conditions. I will admit that are low rpm’s there is some turbo lag, but nothing to be overly concerned about.

Honda claims that this new CR-V also has class-leading fuel economy and we concur. After our drive route, we averaged about 7.4 L/100 km.

Ride quality has also been upgraded thanks to a new chassis that has some key features.

In order to accommodate the larger footprint for a better ride, Honda has included fluidfilled suspension bushings, Macpherson strut front suspension, multi-link rear suspension a more powerful braking system and of course, the larger wheels. All this new technology makes the new CR-V quite agile and, wait for it…somewhat fun to drive. The Real Time automatic AWD drive system is quite good; no, we didn’t have the chance to test it completely, but it would be on par with Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system.

When needed, 40% of maximum torque can be pushed to the rear wheels.

During our drive throughout the Southern parts of Vancouver Island, I was thoroughly impressed with the new CR-V. Seating position and height for me were good – it’s now a vehicle capable of long trips with the family. This is not an enthusiast’s vehicle, but it does everything you need it to and then some.

Final Thoughts Honda has always built vehicles that offer great engineering, value, and reliability; the new 2017 CR-V is no different. This built-inCanada for Canadians is sure to make a hit, more-so now that many extra features are now standard. Pricing ranges from $29, 490 for the LX to $38, 090 for the top-end Touring.

Saturday, January 07, 2017

9

Special Feature

New Year Celebrations at Hindu Temple , Burnaby

Aamir BEATS Salman, Dangal CROSSES Rs 300 Cr In Just 13 Days!

Aamir Khan surely knows how to compete not only with his contemporaries but also with himself. With Dangal, he has done exactly that. Just yesterday, SpotboyE Salaams Awards awarded Dangal with the Best Film Salaam of 2016 and now its latest record-breaking achievement has further proved that our choice was just right.

This Aamir Khan-starrer has become the highest grossing film of 2016 surpassing the lifetime collection of Salman’s Sultan which made Rs 300.45 crore at the domestic box-office. It has also become the first ever Bollywood film to achieve the Rs 300 cr mark in 13 days. Dangal is now the fourth entrant to the club after PK, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan.

We guess Salman already predicted this when he saw Dangal.

You may recall Salman took to Instagram soon after he saw Dangal and wrote, My Family saw #Dangal today evening and thought it was a much better film than #Sultan.

Love u personally Aamir but hate u professionally!”(I Hate You Professionally Aamir, Says Salman Khan After His Family Watches Dangal). Looks like Salman knew that people would lap up Dangal more than his wrestling drama, Sultan. You had a hunch Salman, right? Not just this, Aamir has broken his record as well. A whopping Rs 304.38 cr is what Aamir’s magnum opus has made at the box-office in 2 weeks. Rajkumar Hirani’s PK crossed this mark in 17 days, but Dangal took just 13 days, thereby setting a new record!

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Saturday, January 07, 2017

Classifieds JOBS

JOBS Mechanic

Nanny Required We need a nanny or a student to take care of our old mother immediately at our Richmond home.

Salary will be based on experience. Resident will be provided If required.

Please call :604-2703875 ------------- Dec 31-2016 Vacancy for Diesel Mechanic A trucking company, Planet Pride Logistics, located at 11411 Shell Road, Richmond BC V7A3W7 has immediate vacancies for Diesel

Job Title: Diesel Mechanic Number of positions:1 Term of employment: Full time, Permanent Position with 40 hours per week Job location: 11411 Shell Road, Richmond BC V7A 3W7 Hours of work: 40 hours per week Shifts: Weekdays, Weekends, Evenings Salary: $30 per hour for 40 hours per week, overtime after 40 hours at the rate of 1.5 times Benefits: Two weeks of paid vacation Requirement: Completion of High

Bus Driver required urgently Gobind Sarvar School, located at 8820 – 168 Street, Surrey, B.C. is looking for a school bus driver living in Abbotsford area.

If you are licensed to drive a school bus, please email your resume and driver’s abstract to: info@gobindsarvar.ca or call Jaspreet at 604-930-2122 for further details.

South Indian food cook wanted

Required South Indian food cook immediately Please contact:

604-312-9297

JOBS school with minimum of 2 years of experience as Diesel mechanic Duties: • Determine truck condition by conducting inspections and diagnose tests to detect faults and malfunctioning.

• Keep truck available for use by completing preventive maintenance schedules such as changing oil, checking batteries, lubricating machinery, installing components and part upgrades.

• Diagnose faults by using computerized and other testing equipment to determine the extent of repair • Correct equipment deficiencies by removing, repairing, adjusting, overhauling, assembling, disassembling, and replacing major assemblies, subassemblies, component parts or system, such as power and drive train, electrical, air conditioning, fuel, emission, brake, steering, hydraulics; making adjustments and alignments including bearing loads, gear tooth contact, valve mechanism, governors, oil systems, control linkages, clutches and traction units.

• Verifies vehicle performance by conducting test drives; adjusting controls and systems.

JOBS How to Apply: Please send your resume at planetpride.logistics@ gmail.com or fax at 778297-4402 Only those who meet our basic expectations will be contacted for an interview.

We thank you for your interest in our company!

------------- Dec 24-2016 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: 31792Harris 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 croprelated operations - Develop work schedules and establish procedures - Ensure farm safety and bio-security procedures are followed - Maintain quality control and production records.

MATRIMONIAL 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 Baker / Sweet Maker wanted Nirala Sweets and Restaurant in Surrey BC needs fully 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.com --------------- Oct- 22-2016

Saturday, January 07, 2017 Dear Devotees and Well Wishers of Sri Ganesh Temple,

Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further details.

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

Please be advised that due to prevailing weather conditions, the temple administration has decided to alter the start time of Thiruvempavai to 7 am instead of 5 am, every day.

Free Interactive Workshops for Syrian Youth at PICS 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

The Abishekam for tomorrow has also been moved to 6 am instead of 4:30 am.

On behalf of Sri Ganesh Temple Society of BC, Shankar Velupillai, Secretary -----------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Digestive System Organs, Disorders & Treatment, Dr. Saroj Kumar on 18th December 2016 (Sunday) - 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults / Senior members and also non members to attend a Power presentation on Digestive System Organs, Disorders & Treatment by Dr. Saroj Kumar a Family Physician at Viva Care Clinic Delta, on December 18th 2016 (Sunday) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC. All questions about Digestive Disorders will be answered by Dr. Saroj Kumar after the presentation.

Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking seniors. Tea and light snacks will be served after the presentation is over. Please be there to attend this important presentation and contact Surendra Handa Coordinator

Contact for registration and more info: Tamam Hasan 604 596-7722 ext.133 or Eva Touzard, 604-596-7722 ext 138 Register now!

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

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

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

Community News 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 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

11

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 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.

12

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Saturday, January 07, 2017

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At Real Canadian SuperstoreÂŽ we have qualified and well trained Pharmacist -not only to fill your prescriptions, but to help those medications work best for you.

That is why when you come to us, we can discuss potential side effects of prescriptions, avoiding Interactions with other medications, over-the-counter products and the food you eat.

350 SE Marine Drive, Vancouver T: (604) 322-3727 Fax: 604-322-3744 Store Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30AM-8:00PM Sat 9AM - 5PM & Sun 12PM - 5PM

250 SE Marine Drive 14650 - 104 Avenue Contact for more assistance: Vancouver Surrey Remo Mastropieri 604-322-3702 604-587-8518 Store Manager

8195 - 120 Street Delta 604-592-5218 7550 King George Boulevard Surrey 604-599-3721

Saturday, April 2, 2016

i 5

Saturday, 2, 2016 Saturday, April April 2, 2016 i 5i 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

31 -- January Saturday Vol. 7 No.Vol. 49 6- No. Saturday 7, 2016- April 2, 2016

Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building boom

Vancouver’s skyline riseover amid anChip office-tower building home boomnow worth Toronto house sells for more thanto$1M Wilson’s Vancouver Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building boom next two years due to competition. it Suisse is optimistic his building tower tower is optimistic his building will 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 date gets closer. it Suisse tower is optimistic his building will asking amid record year home sales over $75 million SwissRealtower tower the heart many offor the new towers to start signing SwissReal ininthe heart of of many of the new towers to start signing tenant he $240-million Credit Suisse/ Mr. Shokri and others say tenant they expect 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 leases as they getget to completion. downtown Vancouver Vancouver will bethe be heart leases as they closer to completion.

Thattenant tower ofcloser the new towers startThat signing A house in TorontoSwissReal recently sold forinmore and of that’smany because there are soto few listings are already available online via E-Value, so The winner for of Vancouver’s most expensive ers of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said.

Asare owners of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said.

As as a result the current boom Group who bought the original historic Group who bought the original historic Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal completed ininless than a ayear, but sosofar,far, will is is partly companies in Vancouver, completed less year, but partly because companies downtown Vancouver be because leases they get completion.well, That than $1 million overthan asking, as the average available in the as market. ” closerintoVancouver, homeowners can get a preview of how much home in 2017 is likely Chip Wilson’s Kitsilano new developments in the suburbs, well, ers new developments suburbs, building in 2002 partof older buildings, in Mr. the Shokri said.stock-exchange As stock-exchange building 2002 before partGroup who bought theinbefore original historic only tenant has upupthan totomove in.in.butwhich want to be in energy-efficient onlyone onehomes tenant hassigned signed move do to because benew, in new, energy-efficient completed intheless aToronto year, sowhich far,dolatest iswant partly companies in Vancouver, price for sold in Greater The statistics from the Toronto Realwhich their properties increased in price. mansion – already once again. have experienced higher nering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said which have already experienced higher well, new developments in the suburbs, The tenant has committed forfor a 10th of to buildings, tend to operate on short timelines. nering with Credit Suisseinto2002 develop said stock-exchange building beforeit,partThelast tenant hasskyrocketed committed 10th of move buildings, tend to operate oninhome short timelines. only one tenant has up in. Board which do want to be new, energy-efficient Area month by signed 20aper cent Estate show annual sales invacancy The agency warned last month that most Therates Lululemon at 3085 inhave recent years,pad may havePoint the main group interested in leasing Vancouvacancy rates infounder’s recent years, may have which already 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. over the previous December. the GTA hit record numbers last year, withtrouble GreyasRd.they hascompete been assessed at $75,821,000, assessments around each other. ver office daysMetro is the Vancouver technology would vacancy ratescompete in with recent years, may have trouble as they with each other. emptiness that is unusual for an office sky- buildings will likely come i Saturday, 25, 2015down in the mainthese group interested in leasing Vancouverthespace office space days30 isand the50 technology the is370,000 square feet –Talwood leaving of Saturday, As July well, he said, pricesthrough in the new emptiness that unusual for at an sky- a 4state buildings will likely come down in The split-level home, located 19office 113,133 residential property show increases ofthese between per cent, whopping the $12co-developer million more (18Credper cent) 4 i July 25, 2015sales Ina Vancouver, of the sector.

Those companies make their deciscraper in this city. Even so, a huge shift in trouble as they compete with each other. sector.

In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Credver office space these days is the technology Those companies make their deciemptiness thatso, is unusual forDon aninoffice buildings come down scraper in Lawrence this city. Even aEast huge shift Dr. in the Avenue and theskyMLS system in will 2016likely — an25, 11.8 per centin the but some residents have commented their than its 2016 assessment.

4 i Saturday, July 2015 business tenancy is expected as the region In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred- sector. Those companies make their deciscraper this city.Jay Even so,region a Ltd huge shift in over 2015.

Mills Roadtenancy area, sold by Realty increase It was valued at $57.6 million in 2015 business isinexpected as the experiences something it Ecko has not seen beBrokerage on Nov. 10 for $2,658,000 after TREB commissioned Ipsos to conduct an and $54 million in 2014. business tenancy is expected as the region experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much being listed at a price of $1,488,800. online survey of 3,518 realtors from Oct. 5 At 15,694 square feet, the home sits experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rathThe open-concept property offers to Oct. 21, and reported the average price of on a waterfront lot on the exclusive fore: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than for specific committed tenants. “privacy galore” and “truly feels like being a rathhome sold in the GTA rose to $730,472 last “Golden Mile,” which houses many of which is committed speculative construction er“This thanis kind forofofspecific tenants. uncharted territory for Vanin the to the listing, and tenants. month, up 20 per cent from December 2015. the city’s most luxurious multi-million er”ofaccording than for specific committed couver, ”country, said Mehdi Shokri, aterritory principal with “This is kind uncharted for Vanhas three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a “If you look at the demand for ownership dollar homes.

“Thisteam isShokri, kindatofAvison uncharted territory the capital markets Young. couver, ” said Mehdi a principal with for Vangarage, a pool and sits on half an acre of land housing If Wilson’s assessment is the same as couver, said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with in the GTA over the last year, I “But I don’t markets see a ”big disaster occurring. ” the capital team at Avison Young. adjacent to trails and parkland. mean obviously we saw very low borrowing his property’s taxable value, that means The ICredit Suisse is onlyteam the at most the capital markets Avison “But don’tthe seereal a tower big disaster occurring. ” Young.

Ecko Jay, estate broker who sold cost but that was coupled with a relatively he would be paying $239,594 a year in visible and furthest of aasecond I along don’t see big disaster ” The Credit“But Suisse tower is only thewave mostoccurring. the property, told Global News the house strong regional economy, ” said Jason Mercer, property taxes based on 2016 rates. of new office towers planned fortower VancouThe Credit Suisse iswave only the most visible and furthest along of week a second was on the market for one and had director of market analysis for TREB. His wasn’t the only one of Vancouver’s ver and somevisible key suburbs.

A first cluster and planned furthest along of a second wave of new office towers for Vancou15 offers before it was sold.

He added it “We saw low unemployment, we saw priciest homes to shoot up in value. of towers – some twooffice million square feet –for Vancouof new towers planned ver built and downtown some keypriced suburbs.

Athree first clustera income growth over the rate of inflation so was intentionally lower to create B.C.’s second most expensive home was in the past years. ver andtwo some key suburbs.

A first cluster ofAnother towers – 11 some square feet bidding war. office million developments are – a lot of households, we’re certainly confident in 2016, 4707 Belmont Ave. on Vancouver’s values increased by over 60 per cent. of towers – some two million square feet – in their ability to purchase and pay West Side, increased from $57,058,000 to Many were also concerned the increases was built downtown in theofpast three years. proposed within blocks Credit Suwas built downtown in the past three years. for a home in the long-term, but $69,208,000, up 21 per cent. would disqualify them from the B.C. Another 11 tower officeat developments isse’s Exchange Howe and Westare Another 11 office developments are what they are up against in a lot The data comes from B.C. Assessment’s Homeowner Grant which lowers the amount Pender streets, evenblocks while the office-va-Suproposed within of Credit proposed within blocks of Credit Suof cases is a real short supply of 2016 assessment notices that property of property taxes due for homes worth under cancy in the tower region atcontinues to inch isse’s rate Exchange Howe and West isse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West listings. ” owners will receive this month. The values $1.2 million. up as a result of the firstwhile wave the of building.

Pender streets, even office-vaPender streets, even while the office-vaMercer said that while there But commercial brokerscontinues say the city is cancy rate in the region to inch cancy rate in the regiontowers. continues to inch were more than 113,000 deals done not about to be populated by ghost up as a result of the first wave of building. up as a result of the first wave of building. through the MLS system, a second But commercial brokers say the city is But commercial brokers say the city is consecutive record year, there is a not about tonot be about populated ghost towers. to be by populated by ghost towers. “constrained supply” of homes for sale that is driving up competition Residents of a single-room occupancy hotel stuck owing $50 and no food in the fridge.” and price growth. in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside fear they “The landlord is using fixed-term leases “It just gets back to the fact that will be evicted if they can’t come up with to either evict people or raise their rents, while we’ve seen sellers’ market an additional $210 per room, per month in for some, by more that $200 a month,” said conditions over the last two or rent.

At least one tenant at the hotel at 313 housing activist Jean Swanson.

Toronto-based real estate lawyer Bob three years, they only grew stronger this Alexander St. said she has already been told Swanson said some tenants didn’t fully Aaron said significantly undervaluing year,” he said, adding he expects to see to move out. understand their leases. “In this building, real estate listings is a common tactic real home purchases continue to grow under the “I just got evicted and now I have to have all many tenants signed fixed-term leases estate agents use in Toronto to drive up current market conditions this year. without understanding what they competition.

“And if we don’t see any sort of change on meant because they wanted to stay “It’s just a gimmick to get attention and the supply side we should continue to see on good terms with the landlord, ” to stimulate a bidding war. It can backfire, upward pressure on home prices.” she said. particularly if nobody shows any interest or Aaron said that given the relatively short Many of the residents of the they get offers around that price and not the supply of houses, the risk in underselling a building are on welfare, which increased price,” he said. home such as the 19 Talwood Dr. property is pays them $610 a month and “So it’s dangerous and this time it worked smaller to the listing agent. they can’t afford $660 in rent, said Swanson, who is with the Carnegie Community Action Project, an advocacy agency for the poor.

“In this building, the landlord my stuff out and they locked the door on me,” was particularly devious because he gave said Aurora Dunkley-Johnson, 23, who has a tenants a note saying that they could get a rent small room on the third floor of the building. subsidy from Carnegie Outreach so tenants The tenants’ fixed term leases expired Jan. 1 felt it might be okay,” she said. and they must move out unless each signs a “Carnegie Outreach isn’t giving out new lease at the higher rental rates. subsidies to everybody, Swanson said. “It has “I paid the $610 and I owe $50,” Desbiens — to a few but not to everyone.” said. “It’s especially tough to find a new place Wendy Pederson of DTES SRO to live.”

Collaborative, an advocacy group for tenants “In Christmas nobody moves. In New Year’s in single-room-occupancy hotels, said tenants nobody moves. I was stuck to pay it. And, I’m are routinely intimidated when signing leases.

Downtown Eastside hotel tenants fight eviction after New Year’s rent increase

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14

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Real Estate

Assessment values for BC condos and townhomes rise in double-digit percentages Last month, B.C. Assessment warned owners of “typical” condos and townhomes that their latest assessed property values would increase in the range of 15 to 30 per cent. But for some, the rise captured at mid-2016, is even higher, mirroring trends of between 30 to 50 per cent in the detached home market.

A few outliers posted blistering surges of almost 60 per cent.

Single-family home prices in Metro Vancouver had already been rising in doubledigit percentages when, last January, there were the first signs of upward momentum in the condo market. Before this, condo prices had been flat or declining for years.

Now, B.C. Assessment is giving single examples of what it considers typical properties with much higher increases, even though these July 2016 snapshots are likely in flux as the market has since softened.

These include a Lynn Valley townhouse, built in 1979, that posted a 38 per cent gain.

It cited a townhouse in the Citadel area of Port Coquitlam, built in 1994, with a 34 per cent rise. In Port Moody’s Newport, a unit in a highrise, built in 2005, posted a 25 per cent rise and a downtown New Westminster townhome, built in 1993, went up by 36 per cent.

“This has been the talk of the town and

I’ve been inundated with calls from residents concerned about the impact on property taxes and eligibility for the homeowners grant,” said Port Coquitlam councillor Brad West.

“The assessments highlight how detached the real estate market has become from the reality of most regular peoples’ lives. It’s clear to me that there must be a better way of assessing property values than a once-a-year calculation made at the very peak of the real estate market madness that occurred last year. It has produced a skewed valuation that looks good on paper, but is not real. It is an absolute necessity that the government raise the threshold on the homeowners grant.”

Mayor Richard Walton of the District of North Vancouver emphasized that while many assessments are up “dramatically in the 30 per cent range…the critical factor (for homeowners trying to figure out how an increase will impact their tax bill) is how each property increase compares with the average tax increase for the community.”

He added: “As such, I have no report from our tax department what the average increase is. I know that my home was assessed 33% higher and I am not at all pleased. Even at the peak last summer, it was not worth that much and I will be appealing.”

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Studio apartment to heritage home: What $1,800 per T Canada month can rent across Vol. 6 No. 31

-

Saturday - April 2, 2016

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

Recently released data from rental listings site PadMapper found that Vancouver renters are shelling out about $1,800 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.

While Vancouver was still the most expensive of the cities PadMapper examined, the data released in mid-December showed rent prices cooled slightly last month. The median one-bedroom listing price was 1.1 per cent higher in October than November.

Vancouver: Fully furnished studio downtown, $1,750 Coming in just below budget, a Vancouverite could rent this studio apartment in the city’s trendy West End neighbourhood for $1,750.

Victoria: Two-bedroom recent reno, $1,840 British Columbia’s capital is the third most expensive rental market, but the monthly budget rents a lot more space than in Vancouver.

Edmonton: Three-bedroom bungalow for $1,795 Just one province over, the $1,800 budget can rent an entire home in Edmonton.

Regina: Four-bedroom in new development, $1,800 Considered by PadMapper to be the country’s eight most expensive market, the average price of a one-bedroom in Vancouver rents four bedrooms in the Saskatchewan capital.

If you don’t mind the possibility of construction nearby, $1,800 rents a 1,600-square-foot, four-bedroom, twobathroom home.

Winnipeg: ‘Luxury historic condo,’ $1,800 Right on budget, renters can live in this two-bedroom, top floor condo in the heart of Winnipeg’s Exchange District.

Toronto: Two-bedroom in new downtown building, $1,755 Coming up under budget, renters could live in a two-bedroom, 758-square-foot brand new condo in the heart of Toronto’s downtown core.

Quebec City: Three-bedroom in Old Quebec, $1,830

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 come 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015down 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-

Going $30 over budget per month rents a three-bedroom apartment in the Old Capital, just minutes from downtown Quebec.

Fredericton: ‘Huge older home,’ $1,800 It was a struggle to find anything available for rent in October for about $1,800 in the New Brunswick capital, with many detached homes available for $1,500. But this “huge older home” is right on budget.

Halifax: Three-bedroom apartment, $1,800 Right on budget, $,1800 rents a three-

bedroom apartment located within walking distance from Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s Universities.

Charlottetown: Bungalow with cable, snow removal included, $1,600 Those looking to rent for at least a year could pay $200 less than the cross-Canada budget to stay in this three-bedroom bungalow in Charlottetown’s Sherwood neighbourhood.

St. John’s: Four-bedroom heritage home downtown, $1,850 Going just $50 over budget per month can rent a “beautiful, spacious renovated heritage home” located in St. John’s Georgetown area, its listing says.

Iqaluit: Furnished one-bedroom with utilities, $2,250 month Yellowknife: Three-bedroom with laundry, parking, $1,845 Coming up $45 over budget, renters in Yellowknife can find themselves in this threebedroom, one-bathroom apartment.

Whitehorse: Four-bedroom semi-detached house, $1,800 Few details are provided in the listing, but this four-bedroom townhouse was available for rent starting Jan. 1 in Yellowknife’s Porter Creek neighbourhood.

Richmond considering how to legalize, regulate, Airbnb rentals

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Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building

The City of Richmond, B.C., is considering how to legalize short-term rentals.

A staff report tabled Tuesday recommends regulating the operations because it says that would be more practical than banning them outright.

“We’re faced with choices. We can either ignore the problem, attempt to prohibit it, which would be really difficult or we could do what we did with secondary suites,” Mayor Malcolm Brodie told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

“We said we would allow them under certain circumstances. We’ll control, we’ll regulate and monitor the situation to make sure there’s some semblance of order.”

The staff report proposes short-term rental operators acquire a business license, be a primary resident of the home, not have more than six renters and comply with fire and building regulations.

Brodie says there are over 1,500 short-term rental listings in Richmond across websites

like Airbnb, VRBO and others.

The city has not issued any fines for the currently illegal short-term rentals, but it received about 100 complaints in 2016 from citizens about noise, traffic, land-use violations, health and safety of these properties.

Brodie says one goal of regulating the properties is to crack down on some of those impacts, especially in situations where an entire home is being run essentially like a small hotel. “There could be more traffic, more people coming into the neighbourhood, more strangers in the neighbourhood, heavier use of utilities.

“People who’ve bought in a single-family area … are not buying into a commercial area where you have these short-term rentals and people coming and going.”

Brodie says going forward, he wants the province to help by applying the Hotel Tax to earnings from short-term rentals.

The proposed regulations will now go out for stakeholder consultation.

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31

Saturday, April 2, 2016

i 5

Saturday, January 07, 2017 -

Saturday - April 2, 2016

Real Estate

15

Province’s attempt to tackle housing affordability still a work in progress

- 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 come 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015down 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-

The B.C. government has made it its mission for nearly a year to make homeownership an affordable reality in Metro Vancouver.

But if you take a look at this year’s B.C. housing assessment numbers, it’s clear that goal is still a long way from reality.

In the last year, some homeowners have made more on their homes than they have earned working for more than five years at a full-time job.

Consider the areas that have long been viewed as more affordable in Metro Vancouver.

In North Delta, the average assessed home price has gone up $277,200 in the last year, from $573,400 to $850,600.

In South Langley, the average home is now valued at $885,000, a $231,000 increased from 2015.

And in East Abbotsford, homes have gone up an average of $204,000 to $639,000.

These areas all also happen to be B.C. Liberal ridings. Younger people who grew up in those neighbourhoods now have a much more difficult time being able to afford the home they grew up in.

“The problem with the real estate market is, because the government left it for so long, there is no good outcome,” said NDP housing critic David Eby. “If prices correct to where they were two years ago, there are going to be a bunch of families under water. If prices stay where they

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

are, there are a bunch of families shut out of the real estate market. If prices continue to go up, it gets even worse.”

There are no neighbourhoods worse for affordability than Vancouver’s West Side or West Vancouver. It is also not realistic to think that every British Columbian should expect to live in one of those neighbourhoods.

But UBC Sauder School of Business professor Tom Davidoff says it is still worth examining Clark’s promise of affordability against the increase in those areas that have seen average prices up more than 40 per cent.

“My wife and I did a little study and we found on the west side of Vancouver 1 per cent of homes are affordable for anyone under the top one per cent of incomes,” said Davidoff.

“People forming families, working on a salary in Vancouver, saving what they can, it’s just not going to work to buy.”

The B.C. assessment evaluations are based on what a home was worth on July 1, 2016. Since then, Premier Christy Clark’s government has introduced its most significant affordability policy change, a 15 per cent tax on foreign home buyers.

That tax has had a major impact on home sales in Metro Vancouver. The number of transactions involving foreign buyers plunged from 2,034 deals in the seven-week period before the tax, to just 60 in the four weeks starting Aug. 2.

0 By: Asian Star ADVT.

SOLD at $4,95,00

17,160 Sq. ft (Prime Industrial Lot) $ 985,000

Saturda

16

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Garry Grewal

Vol. 6 No. 31

T

DIAMOND AWARD

Sutton Group - West Coast Realty #106 7565 132 St., Surrey. BC.

COMMERCIAL MEDALLION CLUB MEMBER

WINNER OF FVREB’s - Highest Dollar Volume AwardTOP -ACHIEVEMENT Commercial TopAWARDS Sales Award COMMERCIAL MEDALLION CLUB MEMBER

- Highest Dollar Volume Award FOR SALE

FOR LEASE

- Commercial Top Sales Award

FOR SALE

FOR LEASE PREMIUM OFFICE ACE SP HOTEL WITH 32 ROOMS FOR SALE FOR ALE S Picturesque location in the heart of beautiful British

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.NThe regal LIS EW& walk great room is situated next to a gourmet chef kitchen w/ separate wok kitchen TIN G pantry. Ainmedia room, yoga/ exercise 8 bedrooms & multiple entertaining Beautiful 800 sq.ft 1 bedroom in apartment a highly desirable area androom, beautifully rooms round out this spectacular home. Gaze out upon south views of Mt. Baker or the maintained complex! Great floornorth plan with and doorShore off living room overlooking viewspatio of the North Mountains from outdoor patios situated both upstairs and down. true luxury its best!

The farm features healthy mature blueberry stunning courtyard, ponds and waterfall.

LargeThis openis kitchen with at great storage.

Radiant in varieties Duke, Elliott, and Reca ensuring steady crops throughout the season. Fully floor h/w heating and gas fireplace are included in the maintenance fee.

In-suite automated irrigation. Too much to list! Book a laundry, showing today! Asking $4,999,900

1 BED AND 2 BED CONDO

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Askingt $2,599,000 Historic Abbotsford. Well established, with a loyal client following this home or ftheir business. Space Spacious 2 bedroom and 2 bath condo with over 1300 sq. ft.establishment of living space overlooking view ofdathe insideea. beautiful ers withoffa ybeautifulall brunch, Lunch long erm and t Afternoon T In addition, this beautiful cafémoulding offers so courtyard and pond! Well maintained property with laminate floors, crown andmuch neutralmore! paint. Reservations This open floor for is ed. PIZZA limitoday Callor et f mor BUSINESS FOR SALE details.

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opportunity our to 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 Assetby SaleDBA "Pharmasave"Asking well established franchise operating since June 2012. Increasing annual script come opportunity! $149,000

own y The Green Moustache Family next level??run Look no further and join to with their latest franchise location on W. 4th in Vancouver. Already an established name with two locations in Whistler and one in Squamish this turn key operation will enable you to develop your passion into a profitable career. With excellent support from the founders, this BC based company is looking for individuals who believe in health and are community driven and are wanting to utilize that to let their Entrepreneurial juices flow! Contact for more details on the Green Moustache or FS Franchise and joiningDream the Green Moustache familyPizza on W.4th!ale Asking $99,000

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FOR 4020SALE 272 T, /S LEASE LANGLEY OFFICE FOR LEASE IN PAYAL BUSINESS CENTRE

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Office for lease: Located in the heart of Surrey in Payal Business Centre , this office is professionally designed. 5 offices, reception area, separate lunch room and full washroom. 1200 Sq ft. $2000 per month + GST

PITA PIT FRANCHISE

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 Well established Pita Pit stunning home possesses every luxury possible with high ceilings, crown molding, stainless steel Franchise in rapid growing 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! gorgeous home is situated in the Brentwood area ofThis Burnaby! middle of serene farmland yet only two minutes away from Aldergrove Town centre and with quick access are oppor tunit y toto advantage of this stunning to Hwy #1. The second house is rented as well as fruitRstall.Rare opportunity home! Call today for a personal viewing. purchase a well established

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franchise surrounded by highrises, residences, new

space both the beoffice and inmissed! or warehouse. e Contact mor f NEW LEASING OPPORTUNITY details.

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The Mann Corporate Centre is comprised of 23,000 square feet of 'A' Class office/retail space MORE 1000O 12,000 . T AIL S.F & Fully carpeted office space lots windows over three floors.

A brand new facility with a custom open floor plan for your preference. The FORflexibility ALEandSallows ASE & allowing plenty of light, security alarm Mann Corporate centre has been AVAILABLE designed to provide maximum for many types of professional users who are seeking a high quality facility with great exposure. and 2 bathrooms. Contact for more info.

count of approx 12,000/annum. Approx 2400 sq ft of ground floor space leased space w/5 year, 5yr, 5 yr lease + 1 st right refusal to tenant option to purchase the building. Open six days/week (6) doctor offices, High end Kroll software, and Oscar CRM software in use. Lease area of 2,400 sq.ft. Customized tenancy improvements.

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office space in Surey, BC. Set to be completed by fall 2016, this state if the art steel and concrete building will offer a mixture of retail and office space to professionals looking for a long term home for their business. Space is limited. Call today for more details.

UNIT ORF SALE

NEW COMMERCIAL KITCHEN AND RESTAURANT FOR SALE LISTING

ATTENTION FOREIGN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS!!!

2 BABY ULTRASOUND FRANCHISES FOR SALE! UNITS OR ALE F S (15299 VE)

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retailers. Fully turn key operation with extra large patio, good lease, low franchise fees and beer licence. Current absentee owner this business is a great opportunity to be your owny!boss and take itboss to theynext level! Asking $229,900 shop our sale f own be toda N which

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850 sq.ft home to use as a rental property. Asking $349,000

OFFICE SPACE FOR SALE Approx. 3100 SF of office space available for sale in the busiest plaza in Surrey. Close to Banquet Halls, retailshops & offices. Asking $749,000

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QUIZNOS FRANCHISE FOR SALE

Excellent opportunity to own your own franchise! Well established and recognized

Established Indian Sweets and Restaurant business located in high Quiznos Subs in Port Coquitlam will enable you to achieve your entrepreneurial traffic area of Scott Rd, Surrey. Wide variety vegetarian menu with dreams! Busy plaza with Earls, Safeway, Scotiabank, McDonalds, Bosley Pet Valu and much more! Residences and commercial businesses all around sweets. Can be expanded to add non vegetarian dishes to the menu. makes this an ideal location. Owners have run it for several years Catering services provided regular clientele. Seating for 50. Complete and are now ready to retire. Contact me for more details regarding turn key restaurant great business opportunity! Asking $129,000 this business opportunity. Asking $119,000

ITALIAN RESTAURANT FOR SALE

A treasure gem of Italian cuisine tucked away in Hope! Open for lunch and dinner this quaint restaurant serves traditional Italian classics in a fantastic atmosphere and ambiance. Perfect casual dining for locals as well as tourist traffic. Turn key operation ready for you to implement your dreams as a restaurant owner! Asking $219,000

INVESTOR OPPORTUNITY

Investment Opportunity in Hope. 7200 Sq. ft large Lot Fully renovated home close to the Downtown core. 2 bed, 2 bath 850 sq.ft home to use as a rental property. Asking $349,000

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Station, restaurant and Public Transit. This space has 2 offices inside and lunch room as well as washroom. Perfect for Accountants, Notary, Immigration Great opportunity to get into a Franchised and or other consulting or Lawyer. The space can also be Located in a busy commercial plaza in the ED easy to operate Candy business! This established DUCuses as well. 1260 Sq. ft. converted heart of Surrey. Lots of traf�ic and close to franchise is located in Ocean Park Shopping Centerfor various REretail

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Asking $79,000 8077 KING GEORGE BLVD. Great unit available for lease facing King Asking location. centr busy $289,900 Surr your own business today! Asking $99,000 128thBlvd.. Greatst Highexposure. xcomple eat tr tovestment gr in . $550,000 George visualaf�ic and retail Close shopping, Gas opportunity

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Unique and established opportunity to make your entrepreneurial dream come true! This beautiful Café in the heart of White Rock is a small business owners dream! Tastefully decoratedInexcellent breakfast and lunch menu and rarely 2 den Mughal plaza Gar available, license oxas well! Outdoor appr .Already 4875 leased tons of to found…Liquor seating back and front ofsqft premises, together. Asking $1.25 million parking and many, many more high rises coming in the area currently make this a business owners dream come true. Turn key business ready and waiting for you!

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PLAZA

1200 sq ft perfect for fast food, of�ice or retail Looking for the perfect franchise well look no more! Established and award space. Easy access to highway, close to all amenities on Busy King George Hwy. Great winning Vera's Burgers in busy Meadow Town Center with major anchors like Opportunity contact me today. Superstore, Cineplex Odeon, and many major Financial Institutions and major

CUISINELocated in the heart of Surrey 17358 104A VE designed.

A 5 offices, in Payal Business Centre, this office is professionally

Don't miss this rare opportunity to own your own busy Lighthouse Indian Cuisine Franchise! Prime location in Brickyard Station Plaza the Lower Mainland. Ideal opportunity to run your own turn key business this fantastic business has Take out and dine in, beautiful décor, quality kitchen, Full market.

Liquor Contact license and full Indian Complete in a niche for more details.Cuisine 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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The perfect second floor office space for lease WithinTUNITY busy Triton Centre.OPPOR Busy and GREAT FRANCHISE growing area makes this an ideal location for your office. Contact listing realtor Great ranchise F opportunity ed! yjust Bus list LD for more details. 1985 Sq.ft.

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TOWING COMPANY FORINDIAN SALE LIGHTHOUSE Established and reputable towing company that serves clients throughout

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SURREY VERAS BURGER FRANCHISE FOR SALE

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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 opportunity run your own signage andlocation! printing business!

Thisarea established key operation offers all theGreat licensing totosell Pizza at this Busy nearturn parks, varieties ofresidences banners and signs, window small graphics &business! lettering LED Channel schools, it vehicle is thewraps, perfect Ample& 3Dofletters and awning opportunity to add yourEstablished ideas to already turn operation! canopies and window graphics. for an five years, low lease, builtkey up clientele make this a great business Don't miss this great small prospect! opportunity!

Contact me for more business details. Asking $99,000 Asking $149,000

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Highlights include: State of the art facility with modern finishes, Underground secured parking provided. Free on site surface parking, more than 3 parking stalls per 1000 Sq ft. 24/7 13737 96 ve,Central location entre A with City security with HD recording privilege. easy access to allCmajor routes.

FOB access and intercom.$465,000, Please contact listing realtor for details on remaining space,$335,000 square footage and pricing details. #705 #706

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Cuisine in y. unning Langle R successfull y or Teachers and f others with Educational backgrounds that Attention learning centers, Early Childhood Education related businesses, the veLast ears Your dream y�ixcellent with yedail sales. enjoy working with children! to own your business has arrived. Reputable and 23 years Established Credit Company for sale. Retail and Commercial collections, Close t Franchise Da has over Inn, esternworldwide!

The This&unique Best W Two adjoining of�ices in a establishedo Bricksys 4Kidz 320 franchises business Westward Inn o also eyhound the close Gr across om fr SMH. ht Can or be Judgments, Tenancy Order Collection, loans and outstanding invoices.Take can be run from home or elsewhere. The exclusive Franchise territory for Maple Ridge, Pitt t Fantastic opportunity to run your own Pizza & Indian Cuisine station, taxi op st bus standthat enable and man Wellleased establishedogether Vera's busy Fraser t Burger orfFranchise otal located a onspace t Highway of in Meadows and Mission is for sale. Fantastic recession proofybusiness children business!

Excellent by customers open 7 days$229,000 a advantage of this food, uniquerated niche4.5/5 business opportunity.

Asking apartments near y. Legocellent bbricks. TeachEx location of S.T.E.M. & ey (science,ation. turn oper Thisk is Cloverdale. Well an week, very busy location take out with availability for seating if 1600 sqft ate. or turn key operation separ from 3-13+ learn and build with the fundamentals maintained. establishment full ready for you desired. Tons of tourists year round, central to major sites in Hope opportunity o not be Asking t offersmissed! $139,900 technology, engineering & mathematics).

This unique business in School Workshops, to be your own boss! Contact listing realtor for more details. Price : $339,000 and integral area near grocery stores, city hall, local police station, After School Enrichment Classes, Week long Summer camps, Birthday Parties, pre School motels and and cinema.

WellLighthouse established, great sales and a complete Well known established Franchise on King George & 80th in Surrey. Take out Hair alon S Realtor for Business for sale turn key operation that will not last long! Asking $199,000 Classes and Kidz Night out programs.

Please contact listing more info on this establishment and Party Orders are also handled. The website for all franchise locations is www.lighthouse.menu and they are on Facebook 8077 opportunity. Asking $79,000 Located raser on , Hwy verdale F Cloea, ell ar w established business, y o eas t KING GEORGE BLVD. The perfect retail as well. This business has been established in 2009 and has been run by the same owner since this time. As it is a take out and delivery. unique corner unit in busy plaza move in ready. Approx Establishment there is not a liquor license at this location. Asking $549,000 maintain, higher monthl y evenue. Asking r $69,900

COLLECTION / CREDIT COMPANY FOR SALE- ONE IN A MILLION OPPORTUNITY!

great business opportunity! Asking $129,000

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developments, commercial businesses and more. This PAYAL BUSINESS location does school hot lunches and a large amount of ordering as well! Do not approach staff please CENTRE - 82 catering Ave St contact listing realtor& for more128 details. Asking $209,000

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CUSTOM TEELS &ABRICATION F BUSINESSOR ALEFS

For sale Prime 1489 Sq ft office space for sale in busy retail/office complex in Surrey.

Ideal for a variety of office types. Visible from 152 and centrally located. Asking Established steel abrication and business. aluminum eat Gr f $350,000 custom

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-

2010

ATTENTION TRUCKERS!

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E-mail: ads@the

MASTER AWARD

2011, 2012 2008-2009 2013-2014

Attention Truckers! Permitted use for Transportation Industry and more. IL zoned Be your own boss! Established Pizza business for sale. Excellent location in land available. Two side by side lots that are ACREAGE OR F ALE S andIN RE ASKATCHEWAN S South Surrey with tons of opportunity to expand grow.GINA Only $69,000.00! to be sold together. House is since Contact for more info on this opportunity. Asking Only $69,000 ATGRE INVES TMENT ORTUNITY! OPP f listing an r demolished. Commercial Land only. Please 4 es, acr el Hot velopment and de GREEN MOUSTACHE FRANCHISE FOR site SALE UNIT FOR LEASE AT 83 AVE & 130 ST contact for more vailablea in the egina, City of details. Asking R $649,000 Are you passionate about healthy lifestyle? Are you ready to take Corner unit in an excellent location. Ample each. not Saskatchewan.

Prime location, your passion and belief in healthy organic foods and juices to the

Showers, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Special occasions and even Private

plan includes a large living room with gas f/p whichceremonies. open up ton the spacious eating area. This Extra large kitchentreasure with lots of of a Wedding Wait...there's more! beautiful cabinets and counter space. Large laundry room, inoffers floor radiant heat,select extra shelving closets, 2 parking stallslinens, and storage business gorgeous apparel,infurnishings, jewelry, gifts, vintage treasures and home décor.

A beautiful, breathtaking turnkey locker. Great location with easy access to shopping, transit & Highway 91 & 99. Please call listing realtor for more info. operation this is a chance to own a niche business created and Asking $329,900 established with love and a business owners delight don't miss this

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

PREC PREC

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

Saturday - April 2, 2016

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 come 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015down 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 TOP ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

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Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building

BEAUTIFUL TURN KEY A SPALON / OR FSALES

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 Established auto body shop for sale be your own boss today! wanting to try their hand at being an entrepreneur.

Asking Well$79,900 established and well equipped Auto Care Center which offers complete car &

public transportation, restaurants, of�ice and retail shops. Established recently the spa and salon offers modern décor up to date equipment/furnishings. Excellent turn key operation. Asking $60,000 RED

AUTO BODY SHOP FOR SALE

truck inspection, service and repair. The perfect opportunity to run your own business with a well recognized and established automotive center. Contact realtor for more details. Asking $109,000

UCED 29/07

Office for sale! Great Investment #1 1016 Sq Ft Excellent exposure, top floor office space within the busy Khalsa Business Center complex. Full area designated for classroom space and additional office space. Take advantage of tons of visual exposure from 128th st. High traffic complex great investment opportunity. $325,000 #2. 1920 sq ft of second floor office space. Includes 10 private offices, boardroom, reception area, kitchenette.

Excellent exposure, top floor office space within the busy Khalsa Business Center complex. Take advantage of tons of visual exposure from 128th st. High traffic complex great investment opportunity. $550,000

06/01