Asian Star - January 28, 2017 by The Asian Star Newspaper

100 95 75

25 5 0

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

Vol 15 - Issue 52

Saturday, January 28, 2017

NDP supporters to protest at Surrey Green Timbers nomination meeting

Wife killer accused of 2 murders in 12 years A trial began Wednesday for a Vancouver man accused of shooting and killing an acquaintance in broad daylight in Burnaby, and then 12 years later, killing his own wife. Jaswant Singh Gill is charged with first degree murder in relation to the 1994 death of Thomas Eldon Akerman and the 2006 killing of Gurpreet Gill. Continued on Page 9...

Liberal organizer jailed 4-years for sponsorship fraud

By Umendra Singh NDP supporters will protest at the Surrey-Green Timbers NDP nomination on Sunday. The protest is against what the protestors say is a “bogus” nomination process designed to acclaim Rachna Singh as the NDP candidate in Surrey-Green Timbers and exclude everyone else. The protest follows phone calls, letters and meetings with party leaders, including Opposition Leader, John Horgan, by heavy weight South Asian supporters of NDP over the past two weeks. They asked the party hierarchy to call a new and fair nomination meeting in Surrey Green Timbers. Alternatively, they have threatened to withdraw their financial support from party candidates in Surrey, Delta and Langley areas. The nomination meeting is scheduled

for Sunday afternoon at the Bear Creek Hall. The protestors say that not only was Rachna Singh, a CUPE employee and wife of broadcaster Gurpreet Singh, given an unfair advantage in the nomination process but she is not a strong nor a popular candidate. They are upset because they feel every party supporter and member was not given fair opportunity to seek nomination. “BC NDP should hold a free and fair nomination process in Surrey Green Timbers or stop claiming it is a party committed to fairness and equality. The current method ensured that only one person’s name would be on the nomination ballot and it is undemocratic and u fair,” one of the protest organizers told The Asian Star. Continued on Page 7...

South Asian man shot dead at Surrey Mcdonalds

An 83-year-old former Liberal organizer convicted of fraud related to the federal sponsorship scandal has been given a four-year prison term. Just hours after being handed a fouryear prison term Wednesday, Jacques Corriveau was freed pending an appeal of the guilty verdict. Corriveau’s sentence was handed down in a Montreal courtroom. Continued on Page 9...

The Integrated Homicide Investigation team was called to the scene of a fatal shooting last Monday night. Shortly before 9:15 p.m., Surrey RCMP received reports of gunshots in the 12900 block of 96 Avenue. When officers arrived, they found Karanpartap Waraich, 22, with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle that had crashed into the sign of a McDonald’s restaurant. He could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say the shooting was a targeted incident. “There are many more investigative avenues that IHIT needs to concentrate on, and we are looking to

speak with any witnesses who may not have already come forward to police,” said

Tel:604-591-5423

SAVE $3,000 + 180 HOURS IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT DIPLOMA PROGRAM

DECEMBER 12, 2016 STARTING IN JANUARY DENTAL ASSISTANT CERTIFICATE DENTAL RECEPTIONIST CERTIFICATE

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW

(604) 625 - 1150 Now in Abbotsford Other Programs Include:      

Home Inspection Bookkeeping Certificate Human Resources International Trade Sales and Marketing Financial

Upcoming Programs:  Healthcare  Childcare  Technology

Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound in a news release. “Thankfully, there were no other victims, as a result of this brazen shooting.” Anyone with information is asked to contact IHIT.

abb.ashtoncollege.ca

info@abb.ashtoncollege.ca 110- 30475 Cardinal Ave

INTELLIGENT

STANDARD RATE FINANCE CASH ON 2016 TITAN XD DIESEL SL

DL#40078

7945134

Applewood

SALES EVENT

OR GET GREAT

NO CHARGE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE THE NEW 2017 NISSAN ROGUE

LEASE* FROM $255 MONTHLY WITH $1,495 DOWN ®

WEEKLY ON 2017 ROGUE S FWD

Platinum model showns

3,000 UP TO

ON 2016 MICRA SR AT/SV AT

2016 NISSAN TITAN XD

14,000

GET UP TO

WHEN FINANCING AT STANDARD RATES WITH NCF ~

LEASE OFFERS

59 0.99% THAT'S LIKE PAYING ONLY

3,000

2016 NISSAN MICRA ®

2016 Platinum Reserve model showns

WWW.APPLEWOODNISSAN.CA

604-357-3574

ON SELECT MODELS

ON OTHER SELECT MODELS

NO CHARGE ALL-WHEEL ON OTHER SELECT MODELS

DRIVE

APR FOR 60 MONTHS

AVAILABLE ON 2017 MODELS • INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL • FORWARD EMERGENCY BRAKING • HEATED STEERING WHEEL

2016 NISSAN MURANO SL model showns

STANDARD RATE FINANCE CASH~ ®

UP TO

WHEN FINANCING AT STANDARD RATES WITH NCF

ON 2016 MURANO (EXCLUDING S FWD)

GET STANDARD RATE FINANCE CASH ON REMAINING 2016s ~

WHEN FINANCING AT STANDARD RATES WITH NCF

SR AT model showns SL model showns

2016 NISSAN VERSA NOTE ®

4,000 UP TO

ON 2016 VERSA NOTE S MT/SR/SL

LEASE* FROM $384 MONTHLY WITH $1,250 DOWN

THE ALL-NEW 2017 NISSAN TITAN

WEEKLY

89 3.79%

THAT'S LIKE PAYING ONLY

APR FOR 24 MONTHS ON 2017 TITAN CREW CAB S

2017 PRO-4X model showns

INCLUDES $6,500 LEASE CASH WHEN LEASING WITH NCF

VISIT CHOOSENISSAN.CA OR YOUR LOCAL RETAILER • OFFER ENDS JANUARY 31ST

15257 FRASER HIGHWAY, SURREY, BC

Offers available from January 4 – January 31, 2017. **$2,200 No Charge All-Wheel Drive upgrade is available on new 2017 Rogue (excluding S FWD and SV special edition FWD) models purchased or financed with NCF at standard rates and delivered between Jan 4-31, 2017. Offer consists of a discount that can only be used at the time of initial purchase/finance and applied towards: (i) the purchase of an All-Wheel Drive system from an authorized Nissan dealer; and/or (ii) the purchase price of the vehicle. ~Standard rate finance cash of $3,000/$3,000/$4,000/$14,000 applicable, on approved credit, when financing a new 2016 Murano (excluding S FWD)/2016 Micra SR AT or SV AT/2016 Versa Note S MT or SR or SL/2016 Titan XD Diesel SL through Nissan Canada Finance Inc. (“NCF”) at standard rates. Incentives will be deducted from the negotiated selling price before taxes. Incentives cannot be combined with lease rates, subvented lease/finance rates, Loyalty/Conquest cash or with any other offers. Payments cannot be made on a weekly basis, for advertising purposes only. *Representative monthly lease offer based on a new 2017 Rogue S FWD/2017 Titan Crew Cab S. 0.99%/3.79% lease APR for 60/24 months equals monthly payments of $255/$384 with $1,495/$1,250 down payment, and $0 security deposit. Lease based on a maximum of 20,000 km/year with excess charged at $0.10/km. Total lease obligation is $16,817/$10,466. Lease Cash of $500/$6,500 is included in the advertised offer. sModels shown $37,893/$46,343/$18,588/$21,348/$58,895/$76,695 Selling price for a new 2017 Rogue SL (PL00)/2016 Murano Platinum (AA10)/2016 Micra SR AT (AE00)/2016 Versa Note SL (AE00)/2017 Titan PRO-4X (AA00)/2016 Titan XD Platinum Reserve (AA00). All Pricing includes Freight and PDE charges ($1,795/$1,795/$1,600/$1,600/$1,795/$1,795) air-conditioning levy ($100), applicable fees, manufacturer’s rebate and dealer participation where applicable. License, registration, insurance and applicable taxes are extra. Offers are available on approved credit through Nissan Canada Finance for a limited time, may change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers except stackable trading dollars. Vehicles and accessories are for illustration purposes only. See your participating Nissan retailer for complete details. Certain conditions apply. ©2017 Nissan Canada Inc.

2 Saturday, January 28, 2017

TWO GREAT LOCATIONS SURREY & RICHMOND

CONQUER ALL C NDITIONS

It’s all Good at Applewood

local

Saturday, January 28, 2017

India to send expedition to see if Mount Everest is shrinking Amid speculation Nepal’s deadly 2015 earthquake might have caused Mount Everest to shrink, India is dispatching an expedition to the summit to confirm whether the world’s highest mountain is indeed still 8,848 metres. “We are remeasuring it,” India’s surveyor general, Swarna Subba Rao, told Indian media

outside a geospatial forum this week. He added, “there is a doubt in the scientific community that it is shrinking.” India and Nepal both note Everest’s official height as 8,848 metres, a figure first obtained by Indian surveyors in 1955 — two years after the mountain was first summited by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. However, satellite data collected after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015 showed the mountain was 2.8 centimetres smaller. UNAVCO, a nonprofit geoscience research consortium, suggested the cause was a relief of strain in the Earth’s crust. The force of the shaking is also believed to have shifted the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu several metres to the south. The quake killed 9,000 people and extensively damaged the city. A 1975 Chinese expedition found that the mountain was 8,848.13 metres. A second Chinese expedition in 2005 placed a beacon at the peak that calculated the height at 8,844.43 metres. In 1999, a U.S. team dubbed EverestMillennium anchored a GPS unit to the mountain’s peak, which found the height to be 8,850 metres — three metres taller than the India-measured height. The discrepancies are partly due to surveyors measuring the buildup of ice and snow, rather than the mountain’s true “rock height.” Mount Everest may also be going up or down with the movement of the Earth. The

Amandeep Singh nominated as NDP candidate in new riding, admits alcholoism past

“My family fell part, my home life fell apart, Voters in Richmond’s new provincial tectonic forces that created the Himalayas are riding face contrasting candidates for the May all my friends disappeared, my finances fell constantly causing the landscape to shift. Surveying expeditions to Everest aren’t election: a polished former TV broadcaster apart,” said the 48-year-old. “I wasn’t concerned cheap — and they can be extremely risky. versus a lawyer who lost everything to about those things, I was concerned about the The average Everest climber faces a one in 60 alcoholism and now wants to share his story high and getting drunk again, that’s all that of recovery. The B.C. Liberal candidate in concerned me because I was in the depths of a chance of dying on the mountain. Nevertheless, surveyors insist it is important Richmond-Queensborough is Jas Johal, the disease. You can’t get yourself out of that, you to maintain precise readings on the former broadcaster. He has been campaigning need help to get out of that.” Singh was sanctioned by the Law Society mountain’s height in order to keep since November. Wednesday, the B.C. NDP announced Amandeep of B.C.in 2009 and 2010 tabs on the region’s shifting geology. for breaches of accounting “What attracts people’s attention is Singh as its candidate. They are, as public rules at his then law firm not only the height of the peak, but also Singh Abrahams, including changes in its height and geological figures go, almost polar borrowing $20,000 from a changes in the area, which will have a opposites. client when the firm ran out Johal established a great impact on the global biosphere, of money. atmosphere and lithosphere,” Zhang high-profile presence on “It was a period of my Yanping, director of China’s 2005 television at Global B.C. life where addiction took before quitting in 2014 expedition, said at the time. over every aspect of my life, The upcoming Indian survey, to run communications including my business,” he for the lobby group which will comprise five members representing liquefied said. “I wasn’t around and setting out as early as March, will didn’t pay attention to my firm.” natural gas companies. He’s an experienced use a combination of both high and low-tech He paid a $10,000 fine and $8,000 in costs, public speaker, honed over 20 years in the methods to get a reading. First, a team of climbers will place a GPS spotlight, and is running in an area where the had medical monitoring and remains barred B.C. Liberals have traditionally enjoyed strong from being a signing authority on any trust tracker at the summit. account until April 30, 2018. Second, surveyors will use the old- support. Singh’s law firm partner, Mishal Singh had a successful immigration and fashioned method of triangulation. Scientists will use instruments to sight the peak from a criminal law career in the early 2000s before, Abrahams, admitted to the Law Society of misappropriating $135,000 in client money. known distance, and then calculate its height he said, alcoholism destroyed his life in 2008. based on the angle of their observation. It was a 19th century triangulation, in fact, that first established Mount Everest as the world’s highest peak at 29,002 feet (8,839.2 metres). Reportedly, legend has it that the actual reading came in at exactly 29,000 feet, but surveyors tacked (AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL APPROVED AND FUNDED BY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, B.C.) on an extra two feet reasoning that nobody would believe them otherwise.While Mount Everest is indisputably the world’s highest point above sea level, purists still like to note that the mountain loses its “world’s tallest” title when its height is measured outwards GOBIND SARVAR SCHOOL is serving the community since September 2016 in a brand from the centre of the Earth. new building. Grade 8 will also be added in September 2017.

BC pledges $217M for 5,200 new student seats in Surrey The B.C. government said Thursday it would commit $217-million to new education projects in Surrey, with a goal of creating 5,200 new student seats. The expenditure will be rolled out over the next three years, led by a new Surrey School District executive board. Surrey School District board chairperson Shawn Wilson said the board is “working hard” with the education ministry to address the challenges of the population growth the region has seen in recent years. The province says the school district has seen a 20 per cent increase in student enrollment since 2001. The first priority for the newly-created board will be identifying new schools and school expansions as quickly as possible so the proposals can be put forward for provincial approval. The new executive board will be comprised of school board and ministry staff as well as members of Partnerships BC and a city liaison. The new funding is on top of the $100M announced last year to build a new secondary and elementary school in Surrey, and expand three elementary schools. A release from the province says the new funding and project team will help reduce the number of portables in the city.

GOBIND SARVAR SCHOOL

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR SESSION 2017-18

GOBIND SARVAR SCHOOL is centrally located for all communities of Lower Mainland and FraserValley including Langley and Abbotsford. Bus service is provided in all these areas. GOBIND SARVAR SCHOOL provides high standards of academic education with affordable tuition fees (only $90 per month).All teachers are B.C. Certified. GOBIND SARVAR SCHOOL has dedicated group of young volunteers teaching Punjabi, Kirtan, Gatka and Sikh History to more than 600 students during afternoon and weekend classes. GOBIND SARVAR SCHOOL takes pride in offering a great sports program to our young generation. GOBIND SARVAR SCHOOL is accepting registrations for grades KG to 8. Register your child as soon as possible for session 2017-18 as seats are limited.

Please contact the school office for further details or visit our website.

8820 - 168 STREET SURREY BC V4N 6G7 Ph: 604-930-2122

email: info@gobindsarvar.ca, website: www.gobindsarvar.ca

OPINION

Saturday, January 28, 2017

‘Alternative Facts’: The Needless Lies of the Trump Administration One of the many things that is remarkable about the Trump administration is its devotion, even in its first days, to a particular variety of pointless falsehood. Mendacity among politicians and the spokespeople hired to spin for them runs across eras and aisles, though it is true that some are more honest than others, and Donald Trump was a historically dishonest presidential candidate. But the Trump administration has displayed a commitment to needlessly lying that is confounding to even the most cynical observers of American politics. No incident better summarizes this than a bizarre briefing by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Saturday. Speaking in the Brady Briefing Room, Spicer laid into the assembled reporters. “Yesterday, at a time when our nation and the world was watching the peaceful transition of power and, as the president said, the transition and the balance of power from Washington to the citizens of the United States, some members of the media were engaged in deliberately false reporting,” he charged. He then went on at length, attacking reporters, particularly one from The New York Times, for tweeting photographs comparing the size of the crowd at Friday’s inauguration unfavorably with Barack Obama’s first inauguration. (That image was retweeted from the National Park Service’s account, prompting a brief Twitter freeze at the Interior Department.) “Inaccurate numbers involving crowd size were also tweeted,” Spicer continued, because the NPS did

not count. (My colleague Robinson Meyer explained how crowd counts at events like the inauguration come about.) He incorrectly characterized ridership statistics provided by WMATA, D.C.’s transit authority. Then came the big whopper: “This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration—period— both in person and around the globe.” Spicer’s statement required dismissing all available evidence: ridership count, eyewitness testimony, independent crowd-counts, and Nielsen television ratings. Spicer cut his teeth at the Republican National Committee as the combative voice of a body often at odds with the media, but even by those standards, his furious insistence on assertions at odds with the evidence were peculiar. They are, however, emerging as a hallmark of the administration. For days ahead of the inauguration, Trump aides insisted that the president-elect was writing his own inaugural address, without the aid of speechwriters. They went so far as to stage a photograph that purported to show him writing the speech—though the image showed Trump wielding a Sharpie, and some internet sleuths speculated that the desk he was using is typically used as a reception desk at his Mar-a-Lago estate. On Friday, however, The Wall Street Journal reported, “Much of the speech was written by Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon, two of Mr. Trump’s top advisers, a White House official said.” Why mislead the public about who wrote the speech? After all,

the news that Miller would be assisting in writing the address had emerged days ago, and there’s certainly no shame in a president employing speechwriters, nor has the practice dimmed positive reception for past presidential addresses. Ahead of the inauguration, Trump threw a concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial. “This started out tonight being a small little concert, and then we had the idea maybe we’ll do it in front of the Lincoln Memorial,” Trump said in brief remarks. “I don’t know if it’s ever been done before. But if it has, very seldom.” That claim was also ridiculous, whether it was intentionally misleading or simply badly misinformed. There was a huge, widely covered concert at the memorial to kick off Obama’s inauguration festivities eight years ago. These are only three examples of Trump and his aides offering statements that are not only provably false, but easily checked. (There are plenty more where they came from, like Trump’s claim that Russian hacking was not brought up before the election.) There was a brief skirmish within the journalism world around the new year, when Wall Street Journal editor Gerry Baker professed wariness about how some of Trump’s statements had been labeled. “I’d be careful about using the word ‘lie.’ ‘Lie’ implies much more than just saying something that’s false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead,” he said. Baker took some heat for that statement in some more progressive parts of the press, but his distinction is real and important. But how is anyone to view Spicer’s statement as stemming from anything other than a deliberate intent to mislead? The facts are clear, and given that Spicer did not take questions, his main purpose on Saturday must have been to spread falsehoods about crowd size. Top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway appeared on Meet the Press Sunday morning, where Chuck Todd grilled her on the incident. “The presidency is about choices. I’m curious why President Trump chose yesterday to send out his press secretary to essentially litigate a provable falsehood when it comes to a small and petty thing like inaugural crowd size,” Todd asked. Conway first tried to deflect, saying, “I don’t think presidents are judged by crowd sizes, they’re judged by accomplishments.” Fair enough, Todd said—so why lie? “You’re saying it’s a falsehood, and Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts,” Conway responded. Todd was flabbergasted by the Orwellian turn of phrase: “Alternative facts are not facts. They’re falsehoods.”

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.

# 202 - 7028, 120th Street, Surrey, BC V3W 3M8 All advertising in The Asian Star is subject to the publishers’ approval and the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publishers against claims arising from publication of any advertisement submitted by the advertiser.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

SURREY

BEAUTY CENTER Special Sonic Facials

Three arrested in prince George shooting RCMP in Prince George say three mem have been arrested in a deadly shooting that killed two. In a release, Cpl. Craig Douglass confirms the three were picked up in the hours after two men died and a third was injured in what he says was a targeted attack early Wednesday morning on the outskirts of Prince George. Douglass says a search continues for further suspects. Thirty-three-year-old Joshua West and 27-year-old Aaron Moore were due to appear in provincial court in Prince George on Friday morning, charged with two counts of firstdegree murder and one count of attempted murder. The third man, who has not yet been named, was arrested late Thursday afternoon

at a trailer park near the scene of the slayings on the city’s northwest edge. Investigators have not commented on a motive for the shootings, but Solicitor General Mike Morris,

whose riding includes Prince George, called the attacks a tragic outcome that accompanies gang life.

South Asian journalist passes away South Asian print and radio journalist Sukhminder Singh Cheema, has passed away. Cheema leaves behind his wife, Gurdeep Kaur Cheema, son Sahibjot Singh Cheema and daughter Manhargeet Kaur Cheema. He was reportedly sick recently.

Pedestrian killed in Coquitlam hit-and-run accident

25% OFF

A 51-year-old man is dead following a pedestrian hit-and-run accident in Coquitlam Thursday night. Coquitlam RCMP say the man was struck by a vehicle in the 800 block of Austin Avenue just before 8 p.m. The man reportedly suffered major head trauma. Police say despite the best efforts of the B.C. Ambulance Service, the victim could not be saved. The driver, who police say may not have realized what happened, failed to stop at

the scene. “Collisions at night can be very confusing” Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in a direct message meant for the driver. “Right now we only have the perspective of witnesses. Until we hear from you, the driver, we won’t know your side and thus we won’t have the complete picture of what happened.” Anyone with information is asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP Coordinated Collision Investigation Team at 604-945-1550 and ask for Cpl. Quentin Frewing.

LOOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT EXERCISE

Timings: 9 am - 6 pm (7 Days a Week) #252 - 8138 128th Street, Surrey

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

NDP supporters to protest at Surrey Green Timbers nomination meeting Continued from Page 1... BC NDP’s Surrey Green Timbers riding association sent out a notice to its members in early December, 2016, announcing January 29, 2017, as the nomination date with the deadline for prospective candidates to file their nomination papers with the party by December 30, 2016. This notice was only sent to current members of the NDP Surrey Green Timbers and Rachna lives in Delta and is no a member of the Surrey Green Timbers NDP and should not have received this notice. NDP’s deputy director, Glen Sanford, however, said she filed her nomination papers with the party before the deadline. The question is how? Hammell announced her intent to retire to on January 3 and the news was published on January 4. Hammell told The Asian Star that she does not “recall” if she had “tipped off ” Rachna about her plans to retire before the December 30 deadline for filing nominations. Rachna Singh had earlier told The Asian Star that Sue Hammell started talking to her in mid December about her plans to retire. She said therefore she sent a letter of intent to NDP before Christmas (December 25) to say she would be interested in seeking nomination if Sue Hammell indeed retired. Rachna said Hammell’s announcement came on January 4 and she submitted her nomination papers to the party on January 5. When reminded that her January 5 filing would have missed the deadline of December 30, Rachna said: “But I sent my letter of intent before Christmas.” When reminded that a “letter of intent” is not actually filing of nomination papers, Rachna referred The Asian Star to the party headquarters for comments. BC NDP director, Raj Sahota, has not returned The Asian Star’s call but a party source said that the party leaders will maintain that the nomination process was a fair one. The party will maintain that despite what Rachna told The Asian Star, she had in fact filed her nomination papers before the December 30,2016, deadline and she was the only person to do so. No proof or documentary evidence has been provided to support this claim. Critics say even if Rachna filed her nomination before December 30 deadline, it proves their claim that she was given an unfair advantage with Rachna getting insider information that Sue Hammell was retiring and she should file her nomination – well before anyone else had the opportunity to do so. They are also sharply critical of Rachna’s ability to win the Surrey Green Timbers due to what they say is her lack of name recognition or community work within the South Asian community and Surrey Green Timbers.

We have a team of professional and experienced lawyers to assist you.

AweI.sI.bI.sI. Aqy prsnl ieMjrI klym swfy kol mwihr Aqy qzrbykwr vkIlW dI tIm quhwfI shwieqw leI hwzr hY[ AsIN pMjwbI, ihMdI Aqy aurdU ivc g`l krdy hW

PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS 205 - 7134 King George Boulevard Surrey, BC V3W 5A3

T 604 449 7500 TF 1 888 449 7573

F E

604 449 7501 info@randhawalaw.ca

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Grad Ceremony of BEST participants

Twenty participants graduated from PICS popular BEST program last week. It was a fantastic ceremony where these budding entrepreneurs gave their elevator speech and talked about their business ideas. A Mexican restaurant, a healing centre, an audiology business, a business selling disposable gloves are among the many businesses which will be starting in Metro Vancouver soon, thanks to the BEST Program and our budding participants. Certificates were given out by PICS CEO Charan Gill and MLA Harry Bains. Congratulations Grads!

Unit to Fight with MS An enthusiastic, passionate, young and full of life Bobby Gill never thought things could take a drastic change in a way that at the blooming age he will get bed ridden which is just opposite to his personality. However, even after going through the complications Bobby’s positive attitude and pleasing nature is an inspiration for all. In year 2000 while at his work, Bobby experienced a series of collapses ad that was the time he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis commonly called MS. initially he didn’t tell his family about the issue, but as the situation started getting complicated and collapses frequent, his family got to know about it all. Bobby tried everything in medical world that is suggested for the condition.

Sabse Badhiya Sale. The lowest price on our $45 plan with 6GB of data, plus a $0 ZTE phone. Never-before, and likely never-again, this incredible savings offer makes the $45 plan more affordable than ever, if you act now.

PER MONTH

45 $

FOR 10 MONTHS

6GB data* • Unlimited Canada/U.S. talk • Unlimited global text

OFFER ENDS SOON!

$0 ZTE Grand X4

freedommobile.ca Learn more at freedommobile.ca. The Smartphone 45 LTE plan is available for a limited time and is subject to change or cancellation without notice. *Bonus 3GB of data per month will only be applied to the plan until January 31, 2018. The $100 service credit offer and $99 MyTab Bonus offer on the ZTE Grand X 4 are available until January 31, 2017 and are subject to change or cancellation without notice. To be eligible for the $100 service credit, you must activate a new Pay Before or Pay After line on an “Eligible Plan” (Smartphone 45 LTE, Everywhere 45, or Everywhere 55 plan). A $10 monthly credit will be applied to your account for up to 10 months to a maximum of $100. The credits will start to be applied to your account as a top-up before tax on your 2nd top-up date (for Pay Before customers) or as a bill adjustment before tax on your 2nd bill (for Pay After customers). To be eligible for the $99 MyTab Bonus offer, you must activate a new service or upgrade your phone to a ZTE Grand X 4 on MyTab and sign up an Eligible Plan. MyTab terms and conditions apply. In addition, a downgrade fee of up to $99 will be charged if you switch to any plan other than an Eligible Plan within 24 months of activation or upgrade. The amount of the downgrade fee will be prorated based on the number of months left in the 24 month term. These offers may not be combined with any other in-market offer, with some exceptions. Additional terms and conditions apply. ZTE and ZTE Grand X 4 are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZTE Corporation. Screen image simulated. The Freedom Mobile name and logos and other words, titles, phrases, marks, logos, icons, graphics are trademarks of, or are used under license by, Freedom Mobile Inc.

On the recommendation of their alternate therapist, Bobby was taken to China for treatment too but things didn’t work well. Instead, everything started moving the other way around. In 2005, his condition got worsened

as his limbs lost the strength and his speech started to wobble, which became a matter of huge concern for his parents. To take care of his child, Bobby’s mother had to leave the job and be with him but she was not too sure as what could be done to help Bobby recover properly. In 2007, he was taken to India for Vascular Treatment, a therapy known to be highly successful for MS. The therapy did work as Bobby’s speech was retained after two treatments but due to the severity of disease, his limbs couldn’t recover. Talking about MS, the problem rates highest in Canada compared to whole world and South Asian community is hugely affected by it and it is very important to generate awareness around it. Bobby Gill is a fighter, who struggles everyday and defeats this condition every day. At present he lives with his parents and his mother takes care of him.His coworkers still contact him for different situations for consultations. Even after all the hard times, his faith in God has still been the same. He prays everyday just like other routine chores. Considering Bobby’s health condition and their age, Bobby’s parents have placed an elevator in the house to help him commuting from floor to floor that has costed them around $33000, out of which they are in need for the support of community to pay back the amount of $19000. There are many in the community looking for MS support, and together we can help fight this problem. For donation inquiries, Contact: 604.576.2222

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Liberal organizer jailed 4-years for sponsorship fraud Continued from Page 1... He will also have 10 years to pay a fine of $1.4 million. Corriveauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home in St-Bruno-deMontarville, evaluated at $985,000, will be sold and some of the money will go to the federal government. A bank account with more than $850,000 will be seized and Corriveau will also face a $1.4-million fine. He would not necessarily be obliged to pay the fine until after his sentence expires. A jury found Corriveau guilty of three charges: fraud against the government, forgery and laundering proceeds of crime. He was handcuffed and placed in the prisonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s box after the sentence was read out. His lawyer, Gerald Souliere, said he would seek his clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immediate release pending an appeal of the sentence. He is already appealing the conviction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mr. Corriveau never thought he would end his days in prison, that he would go to prison,â&#x20AC;? Souliere told reporters after the sentencing.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, other than to say heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stunned, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing else I can say.â&#x20AC;? Prosecutors suggested Corriveau serve between three and five years behind bars, while the defence was seeking a sentence in the community, citing his age and the lengthy delay in his case getting to trial. Corriveau, who worked on ex-prime minister Jean ChrĂŠtienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Liberal leadership campaigns and was close to him, was accused of pocketing roughly $7 million in kickbacks tied to sponsorship contracts given to Liberalfriendly companies. The offences occurred between 1997 and 2003 and were related to what became known as the sponsorship scandal, which eventually helped bring down the Liberal government in 2006. The judge who headed the commission into the sponsorship scandal described Corriveau in his report about 10 years ago as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;central figureâ&#x20AC;? in the kickback scheme. Corriveau was charged in December 2013 following an 11-year investigation.

RCMP in Surrey look for suspects after the latest targeted shooting RCMP in Surrey are investigating what they say is another targeted shooting, although no one has been injured in the latest attack. Staff Sgt. Murray Hedderson says in a news release that the shooting occurred at about 9 p.m. Thursday night in a residential neighbourhood of central Surrey. He says witnesses reported seeing someone in a white pickup truck firing numerous shots at a white Mercedes sedan. The pickup fled, but officers were able to

find the Mercedes and confirm it had several bullet holes, although the person inside was unhurt. There have been a number of shootings in Surrey and across the Lower Mainland since the start of 2017. The latest include the death of 22-year-old Karanpartap Waraich in Surrey on Jan. 23, when his vehicle was hit by a volley of shots in a targeted attack, and two men injured in a targeted shooting in Abbotsford the next day.

Wife killer accused of 2 murders in 12 years Continued from Page 1... He was arrested in 2013 following an undercover investigation by Vancouver Police and the Burnaby RCMP. Gill â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who has been in custody since his arrest â&#x20AC;&#x201D; appeared in court Wednesday, with a shaved head, wearing red prison sweats. He is standing trial for both killings in front of a jury. Crown Counsel Ann Seymour began opening statements Wednesday in which she explained police began to pursue Gill as a suspect in his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murder in 2012. At the time, she told the court, he was not a suspect in Akermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death. Seymour said the Crown would show Gill confessed to both killings during an undercover or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mr. Bigâ&#x20AC;? operation. She said it would present evidence Gill

told undercover officers he killed Akerman because of â&#x20AC;&#x153;greedâ&#x20AC;? and because Akerman was â&#x20AC;&#x153;treating him like a slave.â&#x20AC;? Seymour told the jury Gill had arranged to sell Akerman several kilograms of cocaine that day, and Akerman was carrying a significant amount of money when he was shot to death. Akerman was found inside a Ford Bronco in the parking lot of the Bonsor Recreation Centre on December 23, 1994. When police arrived, the passenger door was open and Akerman was shot several times in the head and upper body. A stack of money two to three inches thick was found next to his body. The Crown alleges Gill confessed to undercover officers he killed his wife, Gurpreet Gill, whom he met in India in 1999. She eventually moved to Canada. They married, and she became a permanent resident.

DMJ Painting Ltd.

Just one call for your all painting needs * Old & New Homes * Town Houses Appartments * Commercial & Residential * Interior & Exterior * Any kind of Paint Job

* * * * *

Stucco Paint Spray Painting Pressure Washing Sky Paint for Ceiling Fence Painting * Rolling Painting

Â Â? Â? Â

Over

10 Years of Experience

Free estimates - Fast and quality work

Mandeep

604-767-4954

Jagdeep

604-338-7147

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

2 men charged with murder after double-homicide in Prince George Two men are facing murder charges after threatening injuries.

yesterday’s double homicide in Prince George, RCMP have announced. “We now have two people in custody for murder, and we are searching for others,” RCMP Supt. Warren Brown announced in an exclusive interview. The two men have each been charged with two counts of firstdegree murder and one count of attempted murder. Their names have yet to be released but they are scheduled to appear in court later today. The pair was arrested following a significant investigation yesterday that began after Mounties responded to a report of shots fired at around 2:40 a.m. at North Nechako Road near Foothills Boulevard. When police arrived, they found a vehicle with three adult men inside. Two of the people were dead and another was taken to hospital with what appeared to be serious but non-life-

While police have said the shooting was targeted, Brown said it’s too early to speculate what led to the attack, but reiterated it is tied to people connected with drugs and gangs. Brown also said that overall Prince George

remains a safe city and police are doing everything they can to keep it that way. “We need to send a message out to those involved in this lifestyle that if they’re going to continue and behave in this fashion and compromise the safety of others in our community that it’s not acceptable.”

Gursimar Bedi handed jail time in Maple Batalia slaying

India’s 68th Republic Day celectraed at the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver last Thursday.

The man found guilty of being an accessory in the murder of SFU student Maple Batalia has been handed jail time. On Friday, Gursimar Bedi was sentenced to 22 months behind bars, but will serve 18 months after time already served. Bedi was originally charged with manslaughter but found guilty of the lesser charge of accessory after the fact for his role in the aspiring actress and model’s death. A friend of Batalia’s ex-boyfriend, Gurjinder “Gary” Dhailawl, Bedi rented the Dodge Charger that was used as a getaway vehicle

after the 19-year-old was killed. Dhaliwal pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in jail without parole. He admitted killing Batalia in the parking lot of the Surrey SFU campus after seeing her study with a male classmate in September 2011. Batalia was shot three times in the back and slashed in the head with a knife after Dhaliwal became enraged, according to an agreed statement of fact submitted to the court. Crown lawyers said he was a “jealous ex-boyfriend” who became distraught and violent after being broken up with.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

South Asian sisters detained in Nigeria fail to show up for court hearing Two Canadian sisters who were detained in Nigeria for allegedly extorting a local billionaire and cyberbullying hundreds of others reportedly failed to show up for their

court hearing, a local news outlet is reporting. On Wednesday, news website Politics Nigeria reported that Kiran and Jyoti Matharoo, who have been accused of allegedly trying to blackmail billionaire Femi Otedola, did not appear at hearing on their case. The sisters are currently facing extortion, cyber-bullying and blackmail charges, Politics Nigeria reported. According to the news website, the sisters’ alleged Nigerian accomplice, Babatunde Oyebode, who is also known as Baudex, did appear in court with legal counsel. When asked, Oyebode reportedly told the judge that he had no knowledge of the sisters’

whereabouts. Justice E.A Ojo issued a bench warrant for the Matharoos and placed an order for their sureties to show cause, Politics Nigeria reported. He also filed for the case to be transferred to the Lagos’ federal high court. The sisters’ absence has reportedly fuelled rumours that they “fled” Nigeria last week. The Matharoos have been accused of trying to blackmail Otedola with claims they had evidence of him cheating on his wife. In a video shared online by Politics Nigeria in late December, the sisters issued an apology to Otedola and his family. In their video apology, the sisters said they created an online “platform” where people could send in stories. But they said their “intention” was not to hurt or extort anyone. The consular services were being provided to the “Canadian citizens who have been detained in Lagos, Nigeria.” The statement at the time did not provide any more details, such as detained individuals’ identities, citing privacy concerns. The Matharoo sisters are known for their lavish lifestyle, which they depict in photos on Instagram, where their followers number in the thousands.

Democracy Watch loses conflict argument involving Christy Clark in BC court An advocacy group has lost its legal bid to have two rulings by B.C.’s conflict of interest commissioner involving Premier Christy Clark set aside.

Democracy Watch released a copy Wednesday of the B.C. Supreme Court decision dismissing its petition for an order that would review and set aside the conflict commissioner’s decisions on the provincial Liberal party’s fundraising activities.

The case stemmed from two decisions released last year by the province’s conflict commissioner, Paul Fraser, who applied to have the case dismissed, arguing his rulings are protected by legislative privilege and are not subject to review by the courts. Justice Kenneth Affleck said in his written ruling that as an officer of the legislature, the commissioner makes recommendations to the house, which then chooses whether to exercise any discipline over its members. “It is for the legislature to consider the conduct of its officers, when they are performing their assigned role, not the courts,” the ruling says. The conflict commissioner’s rulings cleared Clark of conflict allegations connected to her attendance at party fundraising events. Fraser ruled last May that the premier’s appearances did not constitute a conflict of interest because she did not receive a personal benefit. In another ruling on similar allegations in August, he said he considered the matter closed.

Over half a million more tourists visited BC in 2016 International tourists continue to flock to British Columbia with over half a million more arriving in the province in 2016 compared to 2015. The numbers released by the B.C. government on Wednesday show in the first 11 months of 2016 (January to November), 5,143,414 international visitors arrived in B.C., which is a 12.2 per cent increase over the same time frame in 2015. That translates into an increase of 546,632 visitors over 2015. Comparing the numbers for November 2016 over the same month in 2015, the top three countries where tourists are coming from may come with a bit of a surprise.

The number of tourists coming to B.C. from Australia went up nearly 60 per cent, making for the biggest increase in tourist numbers. The other top three destinations included Mexico, with visits from that country going up nearly 35 per cent and France with a nearly 20 per cent increase. The number of visitors from the United States grew by 12 per cent, and the number of tourists from China grew by four per cent. However, year-to-date figures for 2016 show an increase of 18.5 per cent (46,170 more visitors than in 2015) in visitors from China who came to the province during the first 11 months of 2016.

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Critics take aim at BC Liberals’ rosy job picture With just over three months to go before a provincial election, Premier Christy Clark is boasting that B.C. leads the nation in job growth. Clark said Monday that B.C. jumped from ninth place in job creation to first place since 2011, bragging that B.C. created more than 190,000 jobs. And with an unemployment rate of 5.8 per cent, the province has the lowest jobless rate in Canada. These are strong job figures for a party seeking a fifth term in office, but critics say the Liberals can’t take all the credit for B.C.’s economic growth. Canada’s low dollar helped fuel the expansion of the film, tech and tourism sector. And they warned that there are dark clouds on the economic horizon, because the B.C. economy isn’t as buoyant as the Liberals boast. The big concern, they say, if that job growth is mainly confined to the Lower Mainland and driven by the real estate sector. Shane Simpson, the New Democrat’s critic for jobs, labour and economic development, said B.C. must diversify its economy. “I just think that dependency on a sector is always a challenge,” Simpson said. “Just take a look at oil in Alberta. “When the price of oil collapsed, the Alberta economy went into a tailspin.” Critics also raised alarms about the kind of jobs created in recent years. Irene Lanzinger, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, said nearly half of the

70,000 jobs created last year were part time, low-paying positions. “We have not seen good, permanent full time family-sustaining jobs created by the [province’s] job plan,” Lanzinger said. Statistics back up those claims. Bryan Yu, an economist with Central 1 Credit Union, said the the services sector has seen the biggest jump in job creation in the last decade. Simpson said B.C.’s job picture is like a tale of two economies. “In Metro Vancouver, the south of Vancouver Island, the economies are quite strong. There is a fair amount of job creation. That’s where all the jobs are,” Simpson said.. “In the rest of the province, we’ve lost jobs in the last year. There’s been a net loss of jobs.” However, other observers note that it’s natural for governments to take credit for good economic numbers, especially during an election year. And political scientist Hamish Telford said the Opposition NDP has not announced a job creation plan of its own. “They have to be getting out there and touting an alternative economic plan, a climate change plan, a housing plan,” said Telford, a professor at the University of the Fraser Valley. Simpson said the the NDP will unveil a job creation plan after the government delivers its budget next month. He said the NDP have plans to implement policies that will create higher quality jobs, including a daycare plan and a plan to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Medical journal withdraws recommendation of morning sickness pill Canadian family doctors have been told to reconsider Diclectin as the go-to drug treatment for morning sickness after new research raised concerns about whether the medication is any better than a commonly available vitamin. In a strongly worded commentary, the Canadian Family Physician medical journal said it no longer recommends the popular medication as the first-line treatment, citing the work of a Toronto doctor whose research has exposed flaws in the evidence supporting Diclectin’s efficacy. The commentary is a renouncement of the journal’s previous publication of clinical guidelines advocating the drug’s use, which the journal says were developed by Sick Kids’ embattled Motherisk program, which had financial ties to the drug company that makes Diclectin. The medical journal said it ended its longstanding relationship with Motherisk in part because of concerns about its independence from the drug company — yet another black eye for the onceprestigious program engulfed in scandal for faulty hair testing for drugs and alcohol in its now-shuttered lab. “Evidence is not static; re-evaluation of accepted truths should not be seen as a weakness as new information comes forward,” the authors, who include the

journal’s scientific editor and the chair of the editorial advisory board, wrote in the January edition. The authors said the past guidelines’ recommendation of Diclectin as the goto drug treatment “is not supported by the current best evidence.” The commentary also said Toronto doctor Nav Persaud’s recent “systematic re-evaluation of the evidence” revealed that the combination of doxylamine and vitamin B6 is “not superior in efficacy” to vitamin B6 alone. The commentary is part mea culpa as the authors said the journal did not subject Motherisk articles to “a full double-blind peer-review process. This was based on assumptions about the quality of the work and the integrity of the organization.” Going forward, the authors said the journal will only work with institutions or organizations that “do not have any ties to industry or other entities that would create, or even appear to create, information or guidelines that have a purpose other than clear and science-based benefit to patients.” The journal is published monthly by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, though it has full editorial independence. The journal’s target audience is family physicians nationwide and has a print circulation of about 32,000.

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017 Grade 12 students from Christian Secondary School on Richmond’s Highway to Heaven (aka #5 Road) visited India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas on Tuesday, January 24 to learn about Sikhism . They were very impressed with the welcome and thanked the Gurdwara Management Committee for the guided tour, a brief talk on Sikhism and a delicious vegetarian meal.Here they are with Balwant Sanghera who was their guide and resource person for the visit.

Three accused Sun Sea human smugglers found not guilty, mistrial for fourth man A B.C. Supreme Court jury has acquitted three of four men accused of bringing hundreds of Tamil migrants into Canada illegally, more than six years after a dilapidated

cargo ship packed with asylum seekers arrived off the shores of British Columbia. Justice William Ehrcke declared a mistrial for the fourth man after the jury told the court Wednesday it couldn’t reach a verdict in the case of Kunarobinson Christhurajah. Lesly Emmanuel, Nadarajah Mahendran and Thampeernayagam Rajaratnam were all found not guilty of human smuggling after their lawyers argued they had acted on humanitarian grounds or had been misidentified. “It’s great,” Emmanuel said outside court, grinning. “It’s beyond words.” Speaking outside court, Mahendran’s lawyer, Mark Nohra, said he wasn’t surprised by the verdict given the many problems that plagued the RCMP’s investigation into his client, which he highlighted for the jury during the trial.

“I felt that there were so many problems with how things were done that the jury would see that,” Nohra said. “And I think they did see that.” He described the trial as emotional and “a tough haul,” recounting how several jurors broke down crying during the proceedings. Christhurajah’s lawyer could not be reached and the Crown declined comment. A court date was set for next Wednesday to discuss Christhurajah’s case. The jury began its deliberations last Thursday, but on Wednesday told the judge they were collectively exhausted and struggling with the case. “The jury has made a great deal of progress over the last week. However, consensus continues to elude us on some key points,” they told the judge in a note. “You will be unsurprised to discover that these are the most difficult and emotional points to discuss.” Ehrcke told jury members to go back and determine if they could reach any verdicts, and if they couldn’t he would declare a mistrial. They returned minutes later with the three not guilty verdicts. The MV Sun Sea travelled from Thailand to Canada in the summer of 2010 carrying 492 Sri Lankan Tamils who intended to claim refugee status.

Nearly half of Canadians will be immigrants, children of immigrants by 2036 Despite increasing anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. and in Europe, Canada’s multiculturalism is alive and well and even expected to grow in the coming years, according to a new study by Statistics Canada. Based on the findings of two population projection reports, the government agency projects that nearly one in two Canadians (or between 44.2 and 49.9 per cent) could be an immigrant or the child of an immigrant by 2036. In contrast, the combined population of immigrants and second-generation immigrants represented 38.2 per cent of the Canadian population in 2011. For a historical comparison, Statistics Canada said that, by 2036, the proportion of immigrants could be twice as high as it was in 1871, when the first Canadian census was conducted. The study points to sustained immigration, a rising number of deaths, and low fertility rates since the early 1990s, as factors contributing to the growing proportion of immigrants in Canada. Concentration in cities: Statistics Canada said that Canada’s largest cities will continue to be the primary destinations for newcomers. In line with its 2011 estimate, the agency expects slightly more than 90 per cent of immigrants will live in metropolitan areas by 2036, with Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver remaining the cities with the highest proportions. The proportion of immigrants in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec (excluding

Montreal) and in non-metropolitan areas is projected to remain below the Canadian average in 2036. Immigrant origins: With respect to where all of the newcomers

will be coming from, StatsCan projects that, in 2036, nearly 60 per cent of immigrants would be Asian-born, that would be up from 44 per cent in 2011. In comparison, the 1871 census recorded that 16.1 per cent of the immigrant population were most likely from Britain, the United States and Germany. Working population: - More than one third of Canada’s working age population, aged 15 to 64, would belong to a visible minority group in 2036 - South Asian would still be the group with the most people in 2036, like it was in 2011 Religions: - Number of Canadians who follow a nonChristian religion could double by 2036 - Muslim, Hindu and Sikh faiths would experience the highest growth in followers.

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

BC government defends response time on fentanyl crisis B.C. health officials are defending delays in acting on some recommendations to curb the fentanyl overdose crisis.

Health Minister Terry Lake and Provincial Health Officer Perry Kendall said they have moved as quickly as possible to provide the most coordinated response — even if it took several months, during which the number of overdose deaths rose to record levels. Lake announced free coverage for treatment drugs Suboxone and methadone last week for anyone with an income of less than $42,000. While the move was praised, it came more than six months after free coverage and easier access for Suboxone was recommended at a June, 2016, meeting of 80 front-line service providers, government, police, advocates and health professionals. “You can’t do it overnight,” said Lake, who attended the June meeting. “You have to look at your budgets and see if there’s room to do these things. This is going to potentially cost $6 million. “And we have to make sure we have physicians that are trained, because if we’re going to broaden out and increase the availability of treatment, we have to make sure there are prescribers in place.” Suboxone is a key drug to help people addicted to opioids, like heroin, manage their withdrawal symptoms. But removing barriers

has been slow since B.C. declared the fentanyl crisis a public health emergency in April, 2016. 914 people died of drug overdoses in B.C. last year, an increase of almost 80 per cent compared to 2015. It took almost three months for the College of B.C. Physicians and Surgeons to remove restrictions on doctors prescribing Suboxone, and it wasn’t until November that a mass push to train physicians on addictions occurred at the B.C. Centre for Substance Use. Kendall said expanding Suboxone coverage was timed for January to help people who’d exhausted their existing drug coverage. “You can’t just wave a magic wand and stuff happens,” said Kendall. “There’s regulatory processes, there are budgetary processes, so you do what you can to start with and move on aggressively as you can and work on the things that take more time to come into place.” The same June meeting that recommended Suboxone also came up with other suggestions for action. Some were quickly put in place — like a public awareness campaign, mobile medical units and expanded availability for overdose antidote Naloxone. Other progress remains debatable. A push to speed up drug testing in coroner cases instead faces a backlog at the provincial lab. Government increased the number of addictions beds, but critics have said the treatment system needs an overhaul. Ottawa has faced criticism too. It’s also taken longer than expected to test for carfentanil — even more powerful and deadly than fentanyl — due to federal approvals. Federal delays in expanding supervised-injection sites led grassroots groups to create pop-up facilities in Surrey, Vancouver and Nanaimo.

Vancouver City proposes improvements to Union-Adanac bike route The City of Vancouver is planning to make some changes to one of its busiest bike routes — including closing a block of Vernon Drive to motorists. The proposed changes are between Gore Avenue and Kamloops Street on the UnionAdanac bike route. The bike route is a key artery into downtown Vancouver from Boundary Road and Burnaby’s Francis-Union bikeway. Lon LaClaire, the director of transportation with the City of Vancouver, told the 3.3 kilometre route is used by almost 5,000 cyclists daily. “It’s very much a commuter route. It has a strong peak just like vehicle traffic does, inbound in the morning and outbound in the afternoon,” he said. “[Cyclists] come in a big bunch in those two rush hour periods.” Because of that sudden volume increase of cyclists and vehicular traffic, LaClaire explained, pedestrians find it difficult to cross the bikeway. In addition parts of the route are “awkward and dangerous” for cyclists and motorists, he said. LaClaire said the city wants

to improve visibility for pedestrians and calm traffic in the corridor. “The pedestrian improvements include things like curb extensions, marked crosswalks, and things like that, more visibility, and making it easier to cross,” he said. “The cycling improvements are generally at

the arterials and these involve more significant vehicle and traffic restrictions.” One major proposed change is closing Vernon Drive near Venables Street to motorists. “We’ve been meeting with the directly-affected businesses down there and trying to come up with a change in the road network that will still work for them,” he said.

Drug-using rooms springing up in governmentfunded housing in Vancouver Drug-using rooms are springing up in government-funded housing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in response to the growing number of deaths from street drugs laced with fentanyl. The trend came to light Tuesday during a news conference where B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake announced the opening of 38 new addiction treatment beds for women — where drugs will not be allowed — run by the Atira Women’s Resources Society. “Are we skirting federal law? You could make that argument,” Lake told reporters after

C.S.T. Consultants Inc.

BC Helps Parents Boost their Education Savings!

the announcement, “but we weren’t prepared to wait for changes to save lives … These, we hope, will be temporary measures until we get approval for supervised (drug) consumption sites in all areas of the province.” Atira chief executive officer Janice Abbott said the “sharedusing rooms” opened after 11 overdose deaths among residents of Atira-related projects in the last three months, more than over the last 10 years combined. The organization runs 16 supported-housing facilities for women fleeing violence, and also supports some coed housing.

Mounties investigating fatal crash involving transport truck

Start saving for your child’s future education in a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) and receive up to $8,400 in government grants.1 Open a CST RESP now and you’ll start receiving the Canada Education Savings grant (CESG). The CESG can add up to $7,200 to your child’s RESP. When your child turns six, they can receive an additional $1,200 from the B.C. Government.

Open a CST RESP today! Surjit S. Madhopuri Branch Manager C.S.T. Consultants Inc. Branch 888 (604) 377- 4171 / (604) 594 - 7200 surjit.madhopuri@cstresp.com http://www.cstresp.com/6117 1 The Canada Education Savings Grant matches 20% of the first $2,500 you contribute to your child’s RESP each year up to a lifetime maximum of $7,200. BC Training and Education Savings Grant (BCTESG) is a one-time $1,200 grant available to BC resident children born on or after January 1st, 2007. Children are eligible for the BCTESG on their sixth birthday. You have until the day before your child’s ninth birthday to apply for the BCTESG. Conditions apply. The CST Plan is only sold by Prospectus. You can get copies of the prospectus from www.cst.org or by calling 1.877.333.RESP(7377).

A person has died after a transport truck and a car collided in Surrey on Tuesday afternoon. Mounties said the crash occurred at approximately 4 p.m., at the intersection of Highway 10 (56th Avenue) and 168th Street. An occupant of the car died at the scene, but police have not provided any information on his or her identity. Highway 10 was closed between 152nd Street and Highway 15, and 168th Street was closed between Colebrook Road and 57A Avenue as police investigated the cause of the crash. Anyone who witnessed the collision, or stopped at the scene shortly after it occurred, is asked to call the RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-2228477 (TIPS). Police said no further details will be issued until Wednesday morning.

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Ellen gives Vancouver women $15K surprise to help pay student loan A single mom and her daughter took their first vacation ever last week thanks to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who also surprised the pair with a generous cash gift. Vancouver residents Helen Uyi-Osagie and her daughter, Emerald, were surprised with the gift during an episode of the show that aired Tuesday. The pair made their first appearance on “Ellen” last week, when they accepted a video call from a person they thought was a producer from the show. They were shocked to see Ellen herself on the screen – so surprised that Helen fell out of her chair at one point. Ellen explained to her audience that Helen had moved to Vancouver from Nigeria 18 years ago to provide a better life for her daughter, and had never been able to afford a vacation. Helen went back to school six years ago to get the qualifications needed for her job, and her daughter is working toward becoming a teacher. The talk show host and comedian told

Re-open Riverview as addiction treatment centre, Coquitlam mayor urges

the women to pack their bags, and that they were leaving on their first-ever vacation in just a few hours. Helen and Emerald were flown to Los Angeles, where they were each treated to a $500 shopping spree. They went to the beach,

visited the set of the show “Friends,” saw Ellen’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and took in the sights of a city they’d always wanted to visit. They also met Ellen in person, and attended a taping of the show. Part way through the episode, they were called on-stage to share their story.

Ban corporate, union money from Vancouver elections A new citizens’ report says it’s time to ban unions and corporations from donating to Vancouver municipal election campaigns, but it remains uncertain if the recommendation will find the support it needs to become law. The recommendation is one of several included in a report from an independent task force on electoral reform appointed to find ways to raise voter engagement and participation rates in Vancouver elections. The chair of the Independent Election Task Force — Shoni Field — notes in the 2014 election, corporations and unions donated between 70 and 80 per cent of the cash raised by the two largest parties, Vision Vancouver and the Non-Partisan Association. “It does raise questions for voters when they

see large donations of money coming in,” said Field Tuesday after the report was released. “We are not saying in those instances anything wrong occurred. We are saying it does reduce citizen engagement and trust in the electoral process.” But the report notes the rules around campaign financing are controlled by the provincial government, and since 2005 it has turned down repeated requests from the city to reform the Vancouver Charter and ban union and corporate donations. Coun. Andrea Reimer says while the proposal is one she has supported for years, without real provincial action it remains impossible for the city to bring in effective reforms on its own.

The mayor of Coquitlam is calling on the B.C. government to repurpose part of Riverview Hospital for the treatment of people struggling in the grips of drug addiction. The City of Coquitlam recommended using the Riverview lands as a mental health campus back in 2015, but Mayor Richard Stewart said the situation has become considerably more pressing amid the province’s overdose epidemic, which claimed 914 lives last year. “It is now urgent that we find an immediate term solution that helps addicts recover from their addiction, rather than place them at risk as they are now,” Stewart said. “I believe government could well do this, and do it quickly.” Asked about the possibility of repurposing the property, the Ministry of Health released a list of its current efforts to support people with mental health issues, including a $10 million

funding boost to open 60 more beds for 90day addictions treatment. That’s in addition to more than 300 new substance use beds that have opened since 2013, according to the province. “We appreciate [Stewart’s] suggestion and want to assure him and British Columbians that we are investing in the continuum of mental health and substance use supports,” a spokesperson told in an email. But experts believe problems will persist until the government starts focusing more on early intervention. Dr. Michael Krausz, a psychiatrist with the University of British Columbia, said children who are at risk of becoming addicted need to be targeted long before they start using drugs. “Our mental health system is based on crisis intervention. It’s not working proactively,” he said.

OBITUARY Our mother, grandmother and family matriarch Savitri Prasad (née Rambisessar) passed away peacefully on January 21, 2017 at a fabulous 94 years old. She was blessed with a full and healthy life. Born in Fiji, in her 50s Savitri courageously immigrated to Canada, mastered English, and gracefully blended cultures. She created family wherever she was, and has many heart adopted sons, daughters, and grandchildren whom she dearly loved. Everyone called her Mom. Savitri enjoyed life – from her travels across the globe, to her many pleasant walks in False Creek - her humour, affection and great cuisine were a constant in the lives of those who knew and loved her. She will be truly missed by her immediate and extended family and friends. Survived by her devoted children Anita, Suresh and Munna, daughters-in-law Suzanne and Peggy, granddaughters Sonia and Donella, great-grandson Colton, sisters Chandra and Kamla, and many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins. Savitri was predeceased by her daughter Amla, husband Ram and several siblings. As Savitri wished, her funeral will be held at Hamilton Mortuary (5390 Fraser St., Vancouver) on Saturday January 28th at 10 am. In lieu of flowers please donate to BC Children’s Hospital, BC Cancer Agency, or your local Food Bank.

WALIA LAW GROUP WLG

Barristers, Solicitors & Notary Public

CAR ACCIDENTS • ICBC injury claims • Alberta injury claims

CIVIL & COMMERCIAL LITIGATION

• Builder's Liens • Collections • Contract Disputes

REAL ESTATE

• Purchase, Sale & Lease of Property • Purchase, Sale & Lease of a Business • Refinancing of Mortgages & Loans

WILLS & ESTATES

• Power of Attorney • Probate • Representation Agreements

IMMIGRATION

• Appeals • Detention Reviews • Federal Court Matters • Refugee Claims • Spousal Applications & Sponsorships • Visas

FAMILY

• Divorce • Separation Agreements • Child Custody & Support

CRIMINAL

• Assault • Bail Hearings • Drinking & Driving • Drug Offences • Fraud • Robbery & Theft

UNIT 103B - 13753 72ND AVE., SURREY

604.593.7773

AMAN WALIA

aman@wlglawyers.ca

RYAN WALIA

ryan@wlglawyers.ca

FREE CONSULTATION www.wlglawyers.ca

MANJIT WALIA GURPREET BILLING

manjit@wlglawyers.ca

gurpreet@wlglawyers.ca

111-55 WESTWINDS CRES, NE CALGARY

403.590.7779

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Critics say Premier Christy Clark needs to do more than ditch her Liberal party stipend Premier Christy Clark will still be in a conflict of interest even though she’s rejected her party’s annual stipend, suggests a group that’s been critical of political fundraising in British Columbia. Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch says Clark will still get the party’s money because she’s requested her stipend be replaced with a system where she will be reimbursed by the Liberal party for her expenses. But Conacher says the money will still be coming from donors who have paid to attend Liberal events and rub shoulders with the premier. “It does nothing to stop the unethical, undemocratic influence of big money in B.C. politics,” Conacher said Saturday from Ottawa. He said it could end up that Clark still gets $50,000 — the equivalent of her stipend. Clark announced her decision to discontinue the payment when she attended

an unrelated announcement on Friday. She denied the move was related to a recent New York Times article that was critical of party fundraising in B.C. and also rejected the suggestion the timing was connected to the upcoming provincial election in May. Rather, Clark said the stipend had become a “distraction” and that she would ask other party leaders in the province to accept a system where they would be reimbursed for party fundraising expenses. Liberals confirmed last spring that Clark is paid up to $50,000 per year for party work on top of her $195,000 salary. NDP Opposition Leader John Horgan

BC ranked highest with 188 medically assisted deaths recorded, of which 77 were on Vancouver Island Seventy-seven people on Vancouver Island died with medical assistance in 2016, more than any other region in B.C. — and most other provinces. Some speculate the high number might be the result of demographics and a long history

of advocacy for the right to assisted death. For each assisted death performed, between five and 10 patients are deemed ineligible, Island Health said. A Times Colonist survey of provincial

coroners, health ministries and health authories found that British Columbia ranked among the highest of medical assistance in dying, with 188 assisted deaths recorded. That was one more than Ontario, where the chief coroner recorded 187 deaths. Prince Edward Island, with a population of 148,600, recorded the lowest number of assisted deaths at zero. Within B.C., the most deaths were recorded in the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s jurisdiction, followed by Vancouver Coastal Health at 58, Fraser Health at 24, Interior Health at 23 and Northern Health at six. Dr. David Robertson, Island Health’s executive lead on medical assistance in dying, said there seems to be a strong base of supporters for assisted dying, including physicians willing to deliver the procedure. “They have made the service, medical assistance in dying, probably more available than it might be in other parts of the country,” he said.

said Clark may only see the stipend as a distraction, but the public sees it as a conflict. “After six years of taking money for fundraising, to say just before the election that we’re not going to do it anymore, I think it speaks to an issue that’s going to be dogging the issue up to election day,” Horgan said. Democracy Watch, as well as an opposition member of the legislature, filed conflict-of-interest complaints over the stipend and fundraisers, where tickets are sold for thousands of dollars. Conacher, who is the group’s co-founder, said other provinces have adopted systems to remove big money from

politics, which include donor limits and public funding. Other parties in B.C., he said, have called for bans on corporate and union donations, as well as individual donation limits. “It’s only the Liberals that are blocking real, meaningful change and instead are doing these small baby steps trying to appease voters,” Conacher said. Clark said Friday that neither public nor private funding systems for parties are perfect, but that favouring private donations was preferable. “I believe most taxpayers would say if they want to give to a political party, they don’t want to be forced to do it. They want to choose to do it, and they want to be able to choose which party to whom they would donate,” Clark said. The B.C. Liberal Party also announced it will begin posting its political donations in real time.

Vancouver council deciding how to spend opioid tax dollars Councillors in Vancouver are mulling how to spend about $3.5 million in tax money earmarked for addressing the ongoing illicit drug overdose crisis that claimed 215 people in the city last year. A 0.5 per cent property tax increase was approved in December and council is considering using some of the cash for a new community police centre on the edge of the Downtown Eastside, and more support for a mobile medical clinic at Firehall No. 2. That firehall responded to nearly 3,000 overdose calls last year, triple the number in 2015. But legal advocacy group, Pivot Legal Society, says in a news release that more policing in the Downtown Eastside isn’t the answer because criminalization and harassment of drug users by police contributes to the overdose problem. Mayor Gregor Robertson says that the

volunteer-driven police centre would support community safety and enhance quality of life.

Robertson says in a statement that he spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week about the urgency of the opioid crisis and the need for leadership to ensure resources and best practices are used after 914 illicit overdose deaths in B.C. last year.

Shots fired in incident on Abbotsford road, 3 hospitalized Three men have been hospitalized in an apparent shooting and car crash in

Abbotsford on Tuesday night. At around 6 p.m., Abbotsford police received a call alerting them to possible shots fired in the area of Countess Ave. and South Fraser Way. Shortly after, police received numerous calls of a car crash involving two vehicles at Peardonville Road and Clearbrook Road. Two men soon arrived at a local hospital with gunshot wounds. Investigators believe these victims were shot and then involved in the car crash. A good samaritan stopped by the crash site to assist the victims and transported the two males to hospital to receive medical attention. Both men remain in hospital. B.C. Ambulance Service and Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service tended to the occupants of the other vehicle in the crash. The occupants received minor injuries and one remains in hospital for observation. The Abbotsford police Major Crime Unit continues to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call the Abbotsford police at 604-8595225, text them at 222973 (abbypd) or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477

Saturday, January 28, 2017

18 i Saturday, March 26, 2016

DREAM carpet

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

South Asian employers accused of withholding pay, stealing tips Once a wheeler-dealer in Dubai’s glittering skyscrapers, now accused of bilking teenagers out of wages in a rural saloon, Sunanda Kikla has taken an ignominious tumble. In the spring of 2016, Kikla and her husband Nitai Goswami moved to Greenwood, B.C., where he purchased three prominent businesses, which she then ran. With its historic Old West downtown, Greenwood is a charming community of 800 people located about 150 km southeast

of Kelowna. It bills itself as Canada’s Smallest City -- a moniker referring to its incorporation during the copper rush of 1897. But Greenwood’s new residents face a barrage of accusations from locals, plus a host of legal problems, according to documents obtained. Those problems include defunct businesses, a foreclosure, and complaints with the Employment Standards Branch. The financial story of Sunanda Kikla starts years ago in Dubai, where in the late 1990s, she was a top insurance broker for an affiliate of Zurich International Life. By 2009, Kikla was living in the Lower Mainland, where she started the Fraser Valley

Community College, a private educational institution. The college soon faced complaints from students who alleged a “rip-off,” and from employees who were not paid. In October of 2015, the College was shut down by government regulators, who Kikla then sued, representing herself in court. Her lawsuit was dismissed, and the judge declared Kikla a vexatious litigant, barring her from filing further lawsuits in B.C. without permission of the court. Defeated in court, and with the college defunct, Kikla and Goswami moved to Greenwood, B.C., where they purchased three local businesses: the Greenwood Motel, the Pacific Grill, and the Windsor Hotel — known locally as “the Saloon.” When the family arrived in Greenwood, the local business community was optimistic. But things quickly went sour. In the summer of 2016, Jordan Stevens, 20, was waiting for cardiac surgery to repair a defective heart valve. Finding work hasn’t always been easy for Stevens, who also has a speech impediment and a learning disability. But he completed his FoodSafe designation, and was happy to get a job as a cook at the Windsor Hotel. He earned minimum wage, but got plenty of shifts, working at least 40 hours a week. He claims he was only paid a fraction of what he was owed. “We had an agreement that I would get 25 per cent of the tips every day,” said Stevens in a telephone interview from his home in Greenwood. “But every night, before the end of the shift, all the money in the tip jar just disappeared.”

Grande Prairie ‘tax protesters’ fined nearly half million dollars for tax evasion A Grande Prairie couple who say they believe taxes are a form of slavery have been fined nearly half a million dollars for tax evasion. Robert Dale Steinkey, 60, has been sentenced to a fine of $322,000, plus a conditional jail sentence of 22 months. His wife, Terry Lynn Steinkey, 63, was sentenced to a fine of more than $164,000 and a conditional jail sentence of 18 months. On Dec. 7, 2015 both husband and wife pleaded guilty in Alberta provincial court to evading federal incomes taxes of $486,000 for the 2007 and 2008 tax years — an amount equal to the fines. In addition to the court imposed fines, the pair will have to repay the full amount of taxes owed to the Canada Revenue Agency. Evidence showed the couple were introduced to the Paradigm Education Group, and adopted the group’s beliefs that as “natural persons” they were not subject

to incomes taxes. The tax protester group, based in Chilliwack, B.C., was founded by Russell Porisky, who says he believes taxes were a form of slavery. According to the CRA, Paradigm sold books, DVDs, CDs and also had people pay for seminars that “educated” them on how to avoid paying income taxes. Porisky, of Chilliwack, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail and fined $259,482 in August last year. To date, 31 people have been convicted of criminal tax evasion offences related to their participation with Paradigm. All Canadians should beware of tax protesters who try to convince people they don’t have to pay taxes, the CRA said in a news release. “These individuals, also known as tax protesters, not only fail to report their own earnings but also conspire, counsel, and promote these tax schemes,” reads a statement from the CRA.

Trudeau defends balancing environment and economy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched an impassioned defence for balancing the environment and economy at a raucous town hall in the heart of oil country Tuesday. A man wearing a shirt with “I Love Oil Sands” written on it and a hat emblazoned with U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan took Trudeau to task for earlier oilsands comments. At a town hall in Ontario earlier this month, Trudeau was criticized for saying the oilsands would need to be phased out eventually. At the close of a Calgary cabinet retreat earlier

Tuesday, he said he misspoke. The questioner at Tuesday night’s gathering accused the prime minister of making inconsistent statements depending on whether he was in eastern or western Canada. “You’re in Alberta right now, sir. You’re not in Ottawa,” the man shouted. “Yet when you come to Calgary, you tell people you’re sorry. “You are either a liar or you’re confused. And I’m beginning to think it’s both.” The man asked Trudeau whether he would take back the remark, prompting cheers from some in the crowd of more than 1,700.

Yummy.. Spicy.. South Indian Cuisine at Payal Business Center, Surrey...

Maitri Bhavan

Authentic South Indian Cuisine

100

Now Open

Under New Management of

100

We do catering for all occasions Book your party today !

CHEF SELVAM

Experienced chef in South Indian Cuisine

South Indian food cook wanted - Please call: 604-312-9297 335 - 8140 - 128 St., (Payal Business Centre) Surrey, BC V3W 1R1 Ph: 778-565-5337 MAITRI BHAVAN_Half Page_NEW REVISED

100

LOCAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Admiral’s removal wasn’t due to national security concerns, defence minister says Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has ruled out national security concerns following the sudden suspension last week of the military’s second-highest-ranking officer. Government and military officials have been tight-lipped since Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was abruptly stripped of his responsibilities on Jan. 16, less than six months after becoming vice chief of defence staff. The information vacuum has prompted an outcry from opposition critics, who say Canadians deserve to know if there was ever a potential risk to national security given media reports of an RCMP investigation. While refusing to say why defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance suspended Norman, Sajjan said the case had nothing to do with security. “This is not an issue of national security. But this is a decision that Gen. Vance needed

to make and a decision that I wholeheartedly support in this matter,” he said Monday during a two-day Liberal cabinet retreat in Calgary.

“This has nothing to do with national security.”

Canada should ratify TPP trade deal and send ‘strong message’ to Trump, says Japan’s envoy Japan’s ambassador to Canada says the TPP still isn’t dead, and wants other countries in the partnership to ratify the deal in spite of the United States’ decision to withdraw from the multilateral trade deal. “Our position hasn’t changed yet,” Kenjiro Monji told. “There are some concerns over protectionism in the world… If we stop here then the momentum to pursue free trade will be stopped.” Despite intense lobbying from Japan and others, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday morning officially removing the United States from the TransPacific Partnership, citing concerns that multilateral deals were harming American industries. After seven years of negotiations the new president’s move appears to be a final blow for the controversial trade and regulatory deal, which never entered into force but was signed by the U.S., Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and six other countries. As Daniel Schwanen, vice president of research at the C.D. Howe Institute, puts it: “it’s not the death of multilateral agreements, but they’re not going to be in fashion for a while.”

The move came as Justin Trudeau and his cabinet met in Calgary this week, which featured a visit from Stephen Schwarzman, in charge of Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum. Schwarzman told Canadians Monday not to be “enormously worried” about changes to trade policy under Trump, although the administration has promised to take protectionist measures and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Mexico was signalling Monday it would seek bilateral deals in the absence of the TPP. Its president, Enrique Pena Nieto, gave a speech that reportedly included a promise to “immediately” seek bilateral deals with TPP partners to “diversify” his country’s trade portfolio. Australia’s trade minister went so far as to suggest the TPP countries could ask China to join the deal instead. But Japan isn’t ready to move on that just yet. Tokyo notified TPP countries last Friday they had completed the full ratification process in their own legislature. Getting other countries to ratify the deal, Monji said, would send a strong signal to Trump that the TPP retains strategic and

economic value. “We intend to talk to the United States through various occasions, tenaciously, and with patience, about the value of the strategic and economic value of TPP agreement,” he said. “What we hope is countries other than United States will also pursue the ratification of the TPP so that other countries also will give a strong message to the United States.” The Trudeau government never declared a final position on whether or not it would ratify the deal. However, Alex Lawrence, a spokesman for Trade Minister

E-mail: khushpal@sovereignlaw.ca E-mail: kam@sovereignlaw.ca

100

• ICBC & PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS: All serious and minor injury claims • REAL ESTATE: Residential and Commercial Conveyancing, Mortgages, Refinances, Leases • FAMILY LAW: • ESTATES: Divorces Wills

100 5

95 0

François-Philippe Champagne, said Monday the TPP “cannot enter into force without the United States.” Because most of the TPP was negotiated around specific U.S. asks, TPP countries would likely want to change many of the deal’s parameters if they decided to go ahead without America. Meanwhile, Schwanen said there is “no way” the U.S. would re-sign the existing document — calling into question whether ratification would just be a waste of time.

Team of Your Trusted Lawyers

Now defence companies are feverishly trying to find out whether Norman’s suspension has anything to do with the competition, including whether any competitors received an unfair advantage. The government had gone to great lengths to insulate the warship project from criticism and court challenges through extensive industry consultations, the hiring of an independent fairness monitor and limiting what companies can say in public. The initiatives were a direct response to the growing trend in recent years of military procurement projects being subjected to legal action, independent audits and the court of public opinion. Any delay in the project could cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, if not more, and leave the navy struggling to do its job with a smaller fleet until replacement vessels can be built.

While security experts and allies will be reassured, Sajjan’s comments will do nothing to dispel the clouds that have gathered over the government’s $35-billion shipbuilding plan. Norman was deeply involved in the strategy during the three years he served as commander of the Royal Canadian Navy before becoming the vice chief of defence staff in August. That included charting a new course for the largest part of the shipbuilding strategy, replacing the navy’s destroyers and frigates, which had been buffeted with numerous delays and cost overruns. The government officially launched a competition to choose a design in October, with the winner to be selected this coming summer and construction to begin in Halifax in the early 2020s.

Khushpal Taunk

Kelly Macauley

Nav Randhawa

# 209 - 8556 - 120th, Street Surrey, BC, V3W 3N5

Ph: 604-596-8811

Fax: 604-596-8813

www.sovereignlaw.ca

Sovereign Law_Khushpal Taunk_LATEST AD

• CRIMINAL: Assault, Theft and all other summary conviction offences • CIVIL LITIGATION: Supreme Court and Provincial Court matters • IMMIGRATION: Immigration Appeals, Sponsorship Applications

25 100 5 95 0 75

NATIONAL

Saturday, January 28, 2017

BC receives 6th consecutive “A” Grade for reducing Red Tape During Red Tape Awareness Week™, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) issued its annual red tape report card, grading the provinces and territories on their commitment to red tape accountability. The report card looks at political leadership, public

measurement, and constraints on regulations. CFIB has been asking governments to take the first step to being accountable by getting on the red tape scale. “For governments that want a better grade, red tape reform has a simple formula: measure, report, repeat,” said Laura Jones, Executive Vicepresident and Chief Strategic Officer at CFIB.

“Without knowing the size of the problem, it’s impossible to tackle it – like trying to lose weight without first weighing yourself.” Leading the way on red tape reduction are British Columbia and Quebec. Both provinces have shown strong leadership in dealing with red tape, have established a comprehensive measure of the regulatory burden, and has reduced or restricted the growth of unnecessary regulations. “Kudos to British Columbia for showing leadership and continuing to hone in on the unnecessary regulations restraining small businesses,” proclaimed Jones. “Along with Quebec, they are showing the rest of the country how it’s done. Now we encourage them, and all the provinces and territories, to take up our challenge and legislate a one-for-one law.” Government red tape is a hidden tax that affects Canada’s small businesses much more than larger firms. According to CFIB’s latest research, the annual cost of all regulations on businesses in Canada is estimated at $37 billion per year, with one-third of that ($11 billion) considered to be red tape.

Annual interest on Canada’s debt equals $7,000 for a family of four It’s easy to think that government debt doesn’t matter. A prime example is the surprising lack of widespread media coverage of the federal government’s recent long-term projections of its finances over the next 40 years. The analysis found that under existing policies and a set of assumptions, Ottawa can expect to run deficits every year from now until 2051, racking up at least $900 billion in new debt. If changes in government policies lead to higher spending, then the government would accumulate even more debt. While there are many reasons to worry about these findings, we mustn’t overlook the tangible and immediate costs that government debt currently imposes on individual Canadians and their families. After all, they are significant. For context, first consider the more than half-a-trillion dollars increase in government debt since 2007/08, when government debt in Canada started to climb. The federal government alone has added $211 billion in new debt. Throw in the $315 billion in new debt collectively added by the provinces and Canada’s federal-provincial debt now totals $1.4 trillion. Based on the latest budget plans of the federal and provincial governments, debt is set to soar even higher in the future. But all of this government debt comes at an immediate cost in the form of interest payments. Governments must make interest payments on their debt similar to families who pay interest on credit card spending. Critically, interest payments on government debt are not discretionary. They must be paid. And they eat away at government revenues, leaving less money for other public priorities such as health

care, education or even tax relief. In 2016/17, interest payments on the federal debt will total $25 billion, which is more than what Ottawa plans to spend on transfers to Canadian families in the form of children benefits ($22 billion). It’s also equivalent to the federal government’s planned budgetary deficit ($25 billion). Put differently, in the absence of federal interest payments, Ottawa could wipe out its deficit this year, despite its marked increase in program spending. But Canadians, of course, are not only responsible for servicing federal debt; they also have to service provincial and local government debt, too. When we add up all the interest payments of the various governments across the country (federal, provincial and local), the total in 2015/16 is $63 billion - approximately equal to the $64 billion Canada spent on public primary and secondary education in 2013/14, the latest year of available data. Perhaps most telling of all, if we were to distribute the total annual cost of servicing Canada’s government debt equally, each Canadian’s share would be $1,752. That’s more than $7,000 for a family of four. Clearly, there’s a cost to government debt. And these substantial interest payments exist despite historically low interest rates. If interest rates were to rise, the cost of government borrowing will go up as well, putting upward pressure on debt interest payments. Interest payments are an important reason why Canadians should not be lulled into thinking that government debt does not matter. If governments continue to rack up debt, the cost of servicing the debt will also rise, other things equal.

Most Canadians happy with current voting system, but open to electoral reform A report on the federal government’s online electoral reform survey says two-thirds of Canadians who responded are happy with how the current voting system works. The report, quietly released online today by Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould, also suggests Canadians are willing to entertain changes to the system — provided they don’t complicate the voting process. And while just over half of respondents say they are opposed to mandatory voting, they do support the idea of being able to cast a ballot online, just so long as the system is

demonstrably secure. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to make the 2015 election the last held under the current first-past-the-post electoral system, although he has since shown signs of backing away from that commitment. The government encouraged Canadians to take part in the MyDemocracy.ca survey, an online and phone survey about changing the electoral system that took place between early December and Jan. 15. The report says more than 380,000 people responded, 96 per cent of whom live in Canada.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Ambrose sharpens attacks on PM Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose is sharpening her attack on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the parties prepare to head back to Parliament next week. Monday will be the first day back in the House since Dec. 15, and both the NDP and Conservatives are holding caucus meetings this week ahead of the return. The Liberal cabinet met in Calgary earlier this week. In her speech to caucus, Ambrose described the Conservatives as a party that works for Canadians and said it’s the only party that fights for taxpayers. In contrast, she said the Liberals are raising taxes and don’t have a plan to deal with the challenges of a potential renegotiation of NAFTA under U.S. President Donald Trump. Ambrose also raised a number of controversies the Liberals have encountered

since taking office in the fall of 2015, including a recent ethics probe over Trudeau’s holiday on a private island owned by the Aga Khan. “Justin Trudeau thinks that these ethics rules don’t apply to him. He thinks the rules are for others -- not wealthy, well-connected people like him,” Ambrose said. “Working Canadians can’t take much more. It’s time for Justin Trudeau to change his priorities. The fun is over,” she said. Ambrose called on Trudeau to share his plan to protect free trade with the U.S. and Mexico, and painted his first year in office as one of travel and selfies. “It’s time for the prime minister to show some leadership on the economy.... Frankly, [Trudeau] is never around. He skipped question period 58 per cent of the time, favouring photo ops over responding to his job and questions about his government.”

Coast Capital welcomes the provincial government’s decision to extend the credit union tax deduction Coast Capital Savings applauds the Province of British Columbia’s decision to delay tax increases to credit unions. The deferral will enable the province to consider the impact of the tax increase within the context of its

ongoing review of the two main pieces of legislation governing the credit union sector. “We think this was the right thing to do,” said Coast Capital Savings President and CEO, Don Coulter. “Credit union laws, regulations and tax policy are best examined holistically in the context of what is good for our members, and the contribution B.C.’s 42 credit unions make to the B.C. economy and the communities we serve.” The original decision to increase credit union taxes was the result of a federal and then provincial directive to remove a small business tax credit that credit unions have received for decades. This credit recognized that, in the financial services sector, even the largest credit unions are extremely small players

compared with major bank competitors. The province originally indicated it would phase out the credit at a rate of 20 per cent per year, starting in 2016. A competitive tax environment allows credit unions to reinvest in the local and provincial economy by creating quality jobs across the province and making more local lending decisions to help small businesses and individuals. For Coast Capital, the decision to halt that phase out while further review takes place is projected to result in approximately $1 million in tax savings in 2017. “Unlike a bank, those savings do not go to shareholders. Our members are our owners, and any increase in net income goes back into services for them, enables us to lend more to families or small businesses trying to get started, or is invested into community causes that support better futures for B.C. youth,” Coulter said. “We’re pleased the province has recognized the value we provide to our 532,000 members and has heard our requests to reconsider this tax decision. We look forward to working with them as the legislative review progresses.”

Justin Trudeau welcomes Keystone approval Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline as an early good sign in dealing with Donald Trump’s administration but cautioned that much discussion lies ahead with the new president on the Canada-U.S. relationship. Speaking at the end of a two-day retreat where cabinet ministers sought to get a handle on Trump’s potential impact on cross-border relations, Trudeau said the president’s approval of the new pipeline will mean “good jobs” and economic growth. Trudeau said the issue of the Keystone XL project had come up in the two telephone conversations he’s had so far with Trump. “We spoke about the project and I underlined

I was in favour of this project,” Trudeau said. The project to move Alberta oil to U.S. Gulf coast refineries had been held up under Barack Obama’s administration, angering then Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who called it a “complete no-brainer” and said its approval was “inevitable.” It took a change of president but on Tuesday Trump signed an executive order to get the project moving again, subject to some conditions. The prime minister voiced his support for the plan, saying that moving oil by pipeline is safer and better for the environment than shipping it by rail. “This is what Canadians expect of us,” he said.

NATIONAL

NRI

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Vijay Mallya alleges witch-hunt, says Kingfisher Airlines ‘was not my private toy’ Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya has hit out at Sebi for barring him from securities market+ with regard to alleged fund diversion from United Spirits and has termed the charges against him “baseless”. Vijay Mallya, in a series of tweets, called the allegations of fund diversion concerning now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines a “joke” and said he is getting used to “witch-hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever”. “CBI alleges diversion of funds OUT of Kingfisher Air. Sebi alleges diversion of funds from USL INTO Kingfisher Air. What joke is this?,” Mallya tweeted. He further said: “Allegations of fund diversion out of USL are baseless. USL accounts were approved by top auditors, an eminent Board of Directors n (sic) shareholders.” On Wednesday, Sebi had barred Mallya and six others from the securities market in a case related to alleged fund diversions from United Spirits, a company which the tycoon promoted before selling to Diageo. He had

resigned as director and Chairman of USL in March 2016. “For 30 years I built the World’s largest Spirits Company n (sic) India’s largest Brewing Company. Also launched the finest Airline. This is what I get,” Mallya tweeted. CBI alleges diversion of funds OUT of Kingfisher Air.SEBI alleges diversion of funds from USL INTO Kingfisher Air.What joke is this? “I am kind of getting used to these witch-hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever. Shows what Govt Machinery can do,” said Mallya in one of his tweets. Claiming Kingfisher Airlines “was a great public utility service connecting India like never before” he said, “It was not my private toy.” Mallya, who is now staying in London, also scoffed at suggestions that he had fled the country in the wake of the investigations against him saying his departure was “nothing sudden. I have been a non-resident since 1988”.

Trump appoints NRI attorney to key White House post US President Donald Trump has appointed prominent Indian-American attorney Uttam Dhillon to a key White House position to assist him on ethics and compliance matters. Dhillon, who served as chief oversight counsel for the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, has been appointed as special assistant to the President. In this position, he would be part of the legal team to serve under White House Counsel Donald F McGahn with respect to compliance and ethics matters. Prior to joining Financial Services, Dhillon served as chief of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement. He previously worked as an associate

deputy attorney general for the Department of Justice, Chief Counsel for the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, Policy Director for the US House of Representatives Policy Committee, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles. Dhillon graduated from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley in 1987. Other members of the team are Stefan C Passantino who has been commissioned to serve as deputy assistant to the President and deputy counsel to the President along with Scott Gast and James D Schultz who have been commissioned to serve as special assistants to the President and associate counsel to the President.

Indian-American lawmakers join women’s march Need Workers, Pay ACCORDING TO Experience

All the five Indian-Americans elected to the US Congress have joined the Women’s March to protest against new US President Donald Trump’s alleged anti-women policies. Kamala Harris,, the first IndianAmerican Senator, was among the several Democratic Senators to address a massive crowd in Washington. “We all know the truth: If you are a woman trying to raise a family, you know that a good-paying job is a women’s issue,” she said. “We know that it is right for this nation to prioritise women’s issues,” she added. In her home State of California, protest marches were held in several cities including Los Angeles. “They can take the House, Senate, and White House, but they cannot take away our power. What an extraordinary day,” she said. “Let’s make today a beginning. Let’s buckle in, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride,” Harris said adding that the Womens March

really made her believe in the possibilities of the country, with people of all backgrounds united for justice.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said this is what a movement looks like. “Can’t see the end of the crowds from stage,” she said. “I am so proud to be an immigrant woman, in solidarity with all women and men today,” she added.

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Taliban launch nearly 19,000 attacks in 10 months

UN funded Sex line for Afgan youth “I cannot do it without Viagra,” the anonymous Afghan caller whispered into the phone, wary of being overheard by his family. The voice on the other end of the line was soothing, professional and reassuring: “Dear brother, don’t be embarrassed. Your problem is not uncommon. We’ll help you find a solution without potency pills.” In Afghanistan’s conservative, highly gender-segregated society discussing sexual problems publicly is not just culturally frowned upon but can easily be misconstrued as a sign of perversion. But the country’s youth have found a non-judgmental friend in a government helpline that offers advice on taboo subjects from ways to perk up virility to erectile dysfunction and even homosexuality. “If you seek advice from friends or family members about treating impotence, you will be labelled immoral, shameless or unmanly,” the caller, a young man in his 20s, told AFP after receiving expert advice. “This helpline is a blessing,” he added. Set up in 2012 with the help of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the youth helpline is run by 10 call centre consultants in Kabul men and women trained by a professional sexologist who field hundreds of calls a day from distressed Afghans. The consultants also offer advice to the lovelorn and field queries on dark subjects such as depression and forced marriage, but about 70 percent of the calls are about sexual dysfunction, said the centre’s director Abdullah Shahed. “Young men call to talk about issues ranging from masturbation to premature ejaculation,” Shahed said. “And young women call to discuss contraception, broken hymens and the fear of facing their wedding night.” Afghanistan’s growing youth population - the 9/11 generation, as it is known - is often torn between modernity and tradition, between their sexual cravings and their desire to be religious puritans. More than 60 percent of the population is under 25, a staggering number in a country where sex education is non-existent in schools and sex counsellors are culturally dismissed as a Western concept. Marriage is often the only outlet for pentup sexual desires, as dating or any social comingling of the sexes is frowned upon. But many young people cannot afford the steep bride price, a sort of reverse dowry that men pay to the girl’s family.

World’s longest moving line of bicycles sets Guinness record An incredible 1,186 cyclists have set the Guinness World Record for the longest line of moving bicycles after travelling together in a single file line down a highway in Bangladesh. The large-scale event was organised by BDCyclists, a non-profit social community that aims to promote healthy living as well as reduce congestion and pollution in the area by encouraging locals to cycle to work. “We are general people like students, a service holder, a business person having a common goal of staying healthy in this stressful life and ride for recreation, commute, health, and sheer fun which is a community initiative,” said a spokesperson for the organisation. Participants were required to ride continuously for a minimum of 3.2 kilometres, ensuring that no significant gaps opened up in the enormous chain.

About 1,200 people started the challenge, but a few were disqualified for breaking the formation. Nevertheless, 1,186 cyclists was more than enough to break the previous record

of 984 that was achieved in 2015 during the Sarajevo Grand Prix in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

PAKISTAN YATRA NOVEMBER 2016 Nankana Saheb Panja Saheb

Dera Saheb

1099

899

$ PP

Based on double occupancy. Airfare & Visa fee are not included.

10 NIGHTS.

7 NIGHTS.

LIMITED SEATS. AVAILABLE ON FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.

10th November: Arrival Lahore, Lunch, and Move to Hotel. 11th November: Day visit Darbar Sahib Kartar Pur 12th November: Day visit to Nankana Sahib to visit 7 Gurdwaras 13th November: Day Visit to Dera Sahib and other Gurdwaras in Lahore 14th November: Move to Nanakana Sahib for Celebration stay overnight 15th November: Return to Serena Hotel Faisalabad and rest 16th November: Day trip to Panja Sahib 17th November: Day trip to Sacha Sauda 18th November: Day visit Rorri Shaib, Chakki Sahib & Laloo the Khoi Lahore 19th November: Day Visit to Historic sightseeing and shopping 20th November: Return to India

LIMITED SEATS. AVAILABLE ON FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.

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

• 5 STAR HOTEL WITH MAX. TWO GUESTS IN ONE ROOM • FULL BOARD TOUR (BREAKFAST AND DINNER INCLUDED) • VEG & NON-VEG MEALS WILL BE SERVED SEPARATELY. • 24 HOURS MEDICAL FACILITY • MOBILE MEDICAL UNIT WITH A QUALIFIED DOCTOR • GUIDED TOUR TO ALL THE GURUDWARAS • FULLY A/C COACHES FOR LAND TRAVEL IN PAKISTAN • BOTTLED WATER WILL BE PROVIDED ALL THE TIME.

BOOK YOUR TRIP NOW WITH... TRAVEL KING

GILLTRAVEL INTERNATIONAL

#101-9360, SCOTT RD, SURREY

(CORNER OF 93A AVE. & 120TH ST)

Based on double occupancy. Airfare & Visa fee are not included.

SINCE 1982

By comparison the Afghan National Security Forces carried out roughly 700 counter-insurgency operations during the

same period. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said today he didn’t have a comparative figure from the previous year, “but this year it was much worse for the number of attacks by the Taliban.” While fighting traditionally eases during the winter months, observers say the attacks this year have continued at a steady pace. Waziri told reporters at a briefing in the capital, Kabul, that 2,021 Taliban militants were arrested in the past 10 months and 365 Taliban commanders were killed. There was no way to independently confirm Waziri’s figures.

Note: Programme can be change.

An Afghan Defense Ministry official has said the Taliban have launched nearly 19,000 attacks throughout the country in the last 10 months.

604.589.9000

WWW.TRAVSQUARE.COM

•

WWW.GILLTRAVELS.COM

india

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Mafia Don joins Bahujan Samaj Party, to contest from Mau Sadar After trying its luck with the Samajwadi Party, the Quami Ekta Dal formally merged with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday, and its founder - mafia-turnedpolitician Mukhtar Ansari - was given a ticket by party chief Mayawati. Ansari is the current MLA from the constituency of Mau Sadar, and Mayawati said that’s where the BSP will field him in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. He has been a member of the BSP before The BSP supremo announced the merger at a hurriedly-called press

conference at her residence. She said it’s yet to be established in court that Ansari is a criminal. Ansari, who’s currently lodged in jail, has been an accused in the (BJP MLA) Krishnanand Rai murder case. But Mayawati said Mukhtar was a victim of political vendetta and a conspiracy hatched by the Samajwadi Party (SP). Mukhtar Ansari’s son Abbas Ansari and brother Sigbatullah Ansari were also declared BSP candidates from Ghosi and Mohammadabad Gohna Assembly constituencies, respectively

India displays its military might, cultural heritage on Republic Day India’s military might and rich cultural diversity were in full display during the dazzling 68th Republic Day celebrations in the national capital which had Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the chief guest. Light rains and overcast skies failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who witnessed the nearly one-and-half hour-long parade that marched down the majestic Rajpath, India’s ceremonial boulevard, amid unprecedented security cover. A major highlight of the parade was 149-member marching contingent from the UAE comprising personnel from Presidential Guards, the Air Force, the Navy and Army. They were led by a band comprising 35 musicians from that country. Al Nahyan, also Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, was seated next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wore a pink-colour turban. The two leaders were seen sharing some light moments. For the first time, a contingent of the National Security Guard (NSG), popularly known as the Black Cat Commandos, was part of the march past.

The parade also saw the fly-past of three LCA Tejas Aircraft flying at a height of 300 metres in ‘Vic’ formation and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) developed by DRDO. The Army’s missile firing capability T-90

‘Bhishma’ tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System, Weapon Locating Raddar ‘Swathi’ and Akash Weapons System and Dhanush Gun System were among the main draw in the mechanised columns. Alongside the Crown Prince, the ceremonial parade was watched by Vice President Hamid Ansari, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the country’s top political and military brass, besides the diplomatic community.

India, UAE condemn use of religion to justify state-sponsored terrorism India and UAE would work together to counter radicalisation and misuse of religion by groups and countries for inciting hatred and perpetrating acts of terrorism. A joint statement issued at the end of the visit by the UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan declared “strong condemnation of and resolute opposition to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whomever, and declared that there could be no justification for terrorism anywhere.” While the statement did not mention, it was clearly aimed at Pakistan. It said, “The two sides condemn efforts, including by states, to use religion to justify, sustain and sponsor terrorism against other countries.” They further deplored efforts by countries to

give religious and sectarian colour to political issues and pointed out the responsibility of all States to control the activities of the so-called ‘non-State actors’. India has stepped up diplomatic pressure against terrorism. But UAE, confronting the twin dangers of Pakistan-supported terror groups in close proximity as well as the looming dangers of Daesh/ISIS, looks at this with growing alarm. The most recent reminder was the killing of 5 UAE diplomats in Kandahar - the Taliban asserted it was not their doing. The UAE is reluctant to openly condemn the Taliban who they had supported in Afghanistan in the 1990s, alongwith Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. A security team from the UAE has just returned from Afghanistan after investigating the attack in Kandahar.

Havildar Hangpan Dada awarded Ashok Chakra President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday posthumously conferred the Ashok Chakra on Havildar Hangpan Dada of the Rashtiya Rifles, who laid down his life after single-handedly killing three terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir last year. The highest peacetime gallantry award for valour and courageous action was accepted by Dada’s widow Chasen Lowang, who struggled to hold back tears while receiving the honour. In a firefight in Naugam sector on May 26, when his section was pinned down by heavy and accurate fire, the soldier closed in towards terrorists hiding behind rocks and boulders, saving the lives of his comrades. With scant regard for his life, he displayed exemplary courage and presence of mind and killed two terrorists at close quarters. In the exchange, he was grievously injured.

Undeterred, he went after the remaining terrorists. “In the process, he came face to face with the third terrorist whom he killed

in hand-to-hand combat before making the supreme sacrifice. His action led to elimination of the fourth terrorist,” the citation said.

SUPERSTORE

Saturday, January 28, 2017

EVERY SAT & SUN 10AM-6PM

ALL

CHECKOUT LANES

OPEN GUARANTEED† unless we are unable due to unforeseen technical difficulties

†

We Match Prices So You Can Just Shop

25,000

5 lb BAG red grapefruit product of USA

20127505001

That’s $25 in rewards.

no name® fully cooked ham 800 g

5 20858029

Guaranteed Lowest Prices

baked in-store

Every week, we actively check our major competitors’ flyers and match the price on hundreds of items.

French bread 450 g

Always

.95

Dofino Harvarti assorted varieties, 200 g

20788014

when you spend $250† in-store.

20573932

† When you spend $250 or more in store before applicable taxes and after all other coupons, discounts or PC® Points redemptions are deducted, in a single transaction at any participating store location [excludes purchases of tobacco, alcohol products, prescriptions, gift cards, phone cards, lottery tickets, all third party operations (post office, gas bars, dry cleaners, etc.) and any other products which are provincially regulated], you will earn the points indicated. Product availability may vary by store. We are not obligated to award points based on errors or misprints.

Friday, Jan. 27th to Thursday, Feb. 2nd, 2017.

.97

Heinz bean or pasta

LIMIT 4

AFTER LIMIT

398 mL 20177278001

1.57

Look for the Ad Match message in store for the items we’ve actively matched. Plus, we’ll match any major competitor’s flyer item if you show us! *we match prices & Guaranteed Lowest Prices Applies only to our major supermarket competitors’ flyer items. Major supermarket competitors are determined solely by us based on a number of factors which can vary by store location. We will match the competitor’s advertised price only during the effective date of the competitor’s flyer advertisement. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES (note that our major supermarket competitors may not). Due to the fact that product is ordered prior to the time of our Ad Match checks, quantities may be limited. We match identical items (defined as same brand, size, and attributes) and in the case of fresh produce, meat, seafood and bakery, we match a comparable item (as determined solely by us). We will not match competitors’ “multi-buys” (eg. 2 for $4), “spend x get x”, “Free”, “clearance”, discounts obtained through loyalty programs, or offers related to our third party operations (post office, gas bars, dry cleaners etc.). We reserve the right to cancel or change the terms of this program at any time.

McCain premium potatoes

Lay’s potato chips 240-255 g

selected varieties, frozen, 397-800 g

20964359

20799359

LIMIT 2

AFTER LIMIT

2.77

LIMIT 4

AFTER LIMIT

3.67

Kellogg’s jumbo cereal selected varieties, 700 g - 1.3 kg 20591235

LIMIT 6

AFTER LIMIT

8.98

Happy Chinese New Year

Rooster brand scented jasmine rice 18.1 kg 20157222

LIMIT 8

Bok Choy or Suey Choy/ Nappa

29.98

20095057001 / 20015025001

AFTER LIMIT

product of USA or Mexico

.68

/lb

1.50 /kg

Tilapia whole, dressed, frozen 20189341

/lb

4.14 /kg

PC® cast iron wok with lid 20980382

LIMIT 4

AFTER LIMIT

29.99

Prices effective Friday, January 27 to Wednesday, February 1, 2017 or while stock lasts. Quantities and/or selection of items may be limited and may not be available in all stores. No rainchecks. No substitutions on clearance items or where quantities are advertised as limited. Advertised pricing and product selection (flavour, colour, patterns, style) may vary by store location. We reserve the right to limit quantities to reasonable family requirements. We are not obligated to sell items based on errors or misprints in typography or photography. Coupons must be presented and redeemed at time of purchase. Applicable taxes, deposits, or environmental surcharges are extra. No sales to retail outlets. Some items may have “plus deposit and environmental charge” where applicable. ®/™ The trademarks, service marks and logos displayed in this flyer are trademarks of Loblaws Inc. and others. All rights reserved. © 2017 Loblaws Inc. * we match prices! Applies only to our major supermarket competitors’ flyer items. Major supermarket competitors are determined solely by us based on a number of factors which can vary by store location. We will match the competitor’s advertised price only during the effective date of the competitor’s flyer advertisement. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES (note that our major supermarket competitors may not). Due to the fact that product is ordered prior to the time of our Ad Match checks, quantities may be limited. We match identical items (defined as same brand, size, and attributes) and in the case of fresh produce, meat, seafood and bakery, we match a comparable item (as determined solely by us). We will not match competitors’ “multi-buys” (eg. 2 for $4), “spend x get x”, “Free”, “clearance”, discounts obtained through loyalty programs, or offers related to our third party operations (post office, gas bars, dry cleaners etc.). We reserve the right to cancel or change the terms of this program at any time. Customer Relations: 1-866-999-9890.

superstore.ca

Typesetter: QL Run Date: Fri, Jan. 27, Drive 2017 Kamloops / Kelowna / Langley / Surrey /Abbotsford Mission / Campbell River / Duncan 250 SE Marine 14650 - 104 Avenue 8195 - /120 Street 7550 King/ George Boulevard Cranbrook / Vernon / Penticton / Delta / Richmond / Vancouver/ Coquitlam / North Shore / Vancouver Surrey/ Nanaimo Delta Surrey Maple Ridge / Chilliwack File Name: SS.Wk05.0127.LowerMainland.Groc 604-322-3702 604-587-8518 604-592-5218 604-599-3721 Size:

Tab — 10.25” X 13.6”

ADVERTISMENT

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Special Savings Rate

TFSA 2.00%

RRSP/TFSA Term Deposits 1 Year Term Deposit 1.75% 2 Year Term Deposit 1.85% 3 Year Term Deposit 2.00% 5 Year Term Deposit 2.10% RRSP Loan Rates 1 Year - Prime + 0.50% 2 Year - Prime + 1.00% RRSP Deadline is Wednesday, March 1, 2017 KCU, THE NAME YOU CAN BANK ON

INDIA

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Opinion poll predicts hung Houses in UP, Punjab, Goa; BJP win in U’khand An opinion poll has predicted hung assemblies in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa, while giving a clear majority to BJP in Uttarakhand. The poll conducted by THE WEEK-Hansa

Research has predicted that the BJP would emerge as the largest single party in Uttar Pradesh and Goa, and the Congress in Punjab. “In Punjab, the opinion poll predicts the Congress emerging as the largest single party with 49 to 51 seats in an assembly of 117 seats, and AAP finishing second with 33 to 35 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance scores only 28 to 30 seats, and others 3 to 5 seats.” “In Uttar Pradesh where 403 seats are at stake, the poll predicts 192 to 196 seats for the BJP with the SP-Congress alliance coming a close second with 178-182, the BSP a poor third with 20 to 24 seats, and others 5 to 9.

Uddhav Thackeray rules out alliance between Shiv Sena and BJP for Mumbai civic polls

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said his party won’t contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls in alliance with the BJP, ANI reported. Thackeray explained that he isn’t worried about the BMC elections, and that he’s sure the Sena will win “all” the elections. As many as 25 years of the Sena’s history were wasted because of alliances, he claimed. While the Sena has “mawlas” (sainik) in its ranks, the BJP has “gundas,” Thackeray said. He claimed that the BJP had hired the “gundas” since it doesn’t have the capacity to fight the Sena’s sainiks. BJP MP Kirit Somaiya responded within minutes, saying there will be no compromise+ on his party’s side if “someone” is sad about its wish to make the BMC corruption-free. Earlier today, prospects of a saffron alliance for the BMC polls between the BJP and the Sena appeared to have vanished. A senior BJP leader said it was too late to salvage the talks. “Although the Sena would be ready to leave 90-95 seats for us, the dispute would then continue over the wards they wish to contest,” he said. On Tuesday, Thackeray refrained from talking about his party’s infructuous seatsharing talks with the BJP, and simply said, “Let’s be peaceful and watch the game.” He said he would speak about “political issues” on January 26, and it appears he has kept his promise. The BMC polls will be held on February 21, and results will be announced on the 23rd.

Of these four states, a clear majority has been predicted only in Uttarakhand, with BJP likely to clinch 37 to 39 seats in the 70-member House, while the ruling Congress is expected to get 27 to 29 seats. The BSP is likely to bag 1 to 3 seats, the poll said, adding other smaller parties also will net 1 to 3 seats. In Goa, out of the total 40 seats, the ruling BJP is likely to garner 17 to 19 seats, followed by the Congress 11 to 13, the poll predicted, while giving new challenger AAP only 2 to 4 seats. The alliance led by Maharashtra Gomantak Party is expected to get 3 to 5 seats. Independents are likely to win a maximum of 2 seats, and others 1 to 3 seats, it said. The opinion poll was held a week ago, immediately after the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance was firmed up, according to a release.

Netra, Tejas, Trishul: Indian Air Force’s show of strength at the Republic Day parade

Light rains and overcast skies failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who witnessed the nearly oneand-half hour-long Republic Day parade, which culminated with a magnificent display of the Indian Air Force’s might. The flypast at the parade began with Mi-17 V5 helicopters that flew bearing the Indian flag and showered flower petals on the dignitaries and spectators along the Rajpath. Advanced Light Helicopters Rudra and Dhruv, Mi-35 attack helicopters, C-130J and C-17 transport aircraft and fighter jets Sukhoi, Jaguars and MiG 29s enthralled spectators with a series of high-velocity maneuvers and formations. India’s indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas came flying in at a height of 300 metres in ‘Vic’ formation in maiden appearance at the Republic Day

parade. The ‘Netra’ (or the ‘Eye in the Sky’) an Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft developed by the DRDO, was one of the major attractions. The ‘Hercules’ formation comprising

three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft also drew loud cheers. It was followed by the ‘Globe Formation’ comprising one C-17 Globemaster+ flanked by two Su-30 MKIs.

FIJI

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Israeli PM cancels Fiji trip

Father jailed for 12 years for raping step daughter A 34-year-old father has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for raping his step daughter on two separate occasions in Lautoka in 2015. Lautoka High Court Judge Justice, Aruna Aluthge says that the girl had looked up to him for love, affection and support as a stepfather but he had breached that trust. Justice Aluthge said that there is a 25 age gap between

the stepfather and the offence inflicted violence and fear on her. The court heard that the stepfather sent the victim’s mother to the shop and approached the girl and raped her and he repeated the same a few weeks after the first incident. The man is eligible to apply for parole after serving nine years in jail.

Trial date set for mother who tried to murder her 4 year old son The Suva High Court has set the trial date for the 25-year-old mother who allegedly attempted to murder her four-year-old-son last year. Shahista Devi appeared before Judge Justice Achala Wengappuli today and the trial is set to start from June 14th.

Devi is charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal intimidation. It is alleged that Devi tried to murder her son and threatened to kill her mother in law. The alleged incident happened in February last year.

FLP’s poll stance As the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) prepares for the 2018 General Election, it believes there is no room to target voters based on ethnicity and for voting along racial lines, says party leader Mahendra Chaudhry. Mr Chaudhry said it was time to abandon such an approach. “That’s not the approach which should be taken to build the Fiji of the future. We can’t be looking back. We can’t be living in the past where we had the racial polarisation and voting was largely on ethnicity,” he said. “We don’t support that kind of concept, that we will be targeting voters of a particular race on a particular agenda confined to that particular race,” he said. Mr Chaudhry said if FLP was to enter into a coalition, there would be no room for these policies. “If we come into a coalition, then we must have a common manifesto. It’s not a question of three parties of a coalition going and fighting elections with three different manifestos. “We have to have one manifesto, you have to sort out your differences and produce a manifesto that is acceptable to all and will

appeal to the people.” Mr Chaudhry is engaged in talks with Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) leader Sitiveni Rabuka and Fiji United Freedom Party leader Jagath Karunaratne on forging a coalition to contest the next general election. Mr Chaudhry said setting aside differences between long-time political opponents was crucial in ensuring progress. “Views change, people change and that is good if change is for the better,” said Mr Chaudhry. “If we can see eye to eye 20 to 25 years later and we can sit at the same table and talk the same language, that’s progress,” he said, referring to himself and Mr Rabuka. “And I think we should take advantage of that and I’m glad that’s happening. It’s something which may not have been seen as being possible maybe five to 10 years ago. It’s possible today because of change in circumstance.” Mr Chaudhry acknowledged that while voting along racial lines may not disappear overnight, it was still the responsibility of leaders and chiefs to achieve this.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be visiting Fiji because of “logistical reasons”. Dorit Herscovici, the spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Canberra, said senior Israeli officials had been in close contact with their counterparts in Fiji “and the latter have been updated on this development”. “It is only for logistical reasons that the visit of PM Netanyahu to Fiji will unfortunately not take place,” she said. Responding to queries on whether the late February trip had been cancelled because of perceptions about Fiji’s

Child dies from hot spring bath burns A Family is grieving for their four-year-old boy who died after he sustained burns while swimming in a hot spring pool at Waiqele outside Labasa Town last week. When approached for a comment yesterday, the parents of the deceased refused to speak as they were still trying to come to terms with the death. However, close family members who did not wish to be named said the boy had visited the hot spring with family members for a picnic on Sunday last week. The boy headed straight into the pool when the family arrived at the spot. Despite warnings from elder family members who were busy offloading belongings from their vehicle, the boy kept advancing to the deeper part of the pool where heat was concentrated. According to relatives, when they heard him shouting and splashing in the hot water, his father

Fiji’s biggest marijuana drug trial is currently underway at the High Court in Suva. Waisea Kaloulia and Kaminieli Naqeleca are currently on trial before Justice Salesi Temo. The two are charged for one count of unlawful cultivation of illicit drugs namely marijuana weighing 160 kilograms. The two were alleged to have unlawfully cultivated

100

Above Rates Include: Senior, Mortgage Discount, Sewer Backup, Claims free, Newer Homes, Home Protection Discount upto 6 mega family home policy.

Know your coverages before a loss...

Discounts available for: • Newer Homes • Mature Persons (50 years old) • Seniors • Claim Free • Stability • Alarms • Mortgage Free Homes

Burnaby

HEAD OFFICE

4683 Kingsway (across Metrotown Centre)

604-430-5533

Cascade Insurance Agenices Tuesday, January 24, 2017 3:16:15 PM

Optimum Award Winning Brokers Announcing New Low Rates for New Homes & Mature Policy Holders Pro Rate Fleet, Contractors, Business, Liability & Cargo Insurance Available

4 Locations to serve you Surrey

102 - 7577 King George Hwy., (Near Canadian Tire & Vancity)

604-590-2333

100

See us for all your Insurance needs

Langley

5-20202 66 Ave., (Near Wallmart)

604-532-3009

Abbotsford

128 - 31935 S. Fraser Way (in Clearbrook Plaza)

604-855-8828

dived into the pool to save his son, but it was too late. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed that the incident happened last weekend, adding that the boy had to be hospitalised this week after he sustained 80 per cent burns to his body. Ms Naisoro said while trying to save his son, the father had also sustained burns. “Unfortunately the little boy passed away on Tuesday this week,” she said. “His body is at the Labasa Hospital for post-mortem examination while police investigation continues.” Ms Naisoro said in a separate incident the body of a 40-year-old man was awaiting postmortem examination at Taveuni hospital after he allegedly drowned at the Tavoro waterfalls on Sunday afternoon last week. She said the national drowning death toll stood at six compared with seven last year.

Biggest drug trial underway in High court

100

commitment to Israel, Ms Herscovici said Israel and Fiji continued to enjoy good and close relations. She stated her comments were made on behalf of ambassador Shmuel Ben-Shmuel. “Both countries are tirelessly working to strengthen and deepen the strong bonds between our nations and our people and we will continue to do so into the future.” Last year, Mr Netanyahu announced an upcoming trip to Fiji, which he explained would be part of an ongoing bid to bolster Israel’s standing in international forums such as the United Nations.

more than 400 marijuana plants from a farm at Nabulini village in Wainibuka in January 2015. While giving evidence today Investigating Officer for the case, Sergeant Marika Bavou said the two accused persons had freely admitted in their caution interviews that the drugs belonged to them. The trial continues before Justice Temo this afternoon.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Pakistani female lawmaker harassed in parliament A Pakistani female lawmaker threatened to self-immolate after she was harassed by male colleagues in parliament, telling AFP that the widely-publicised incident shows how laws to protect women are not being enforced. Nusrat Sahar Abbasi, an MP in Sindh province, spoke of her fury after provincial

minister Imdad Pitafi invited her to his private chambers on the floor of the assembly on Friday in comments seen as sexual harassment in conservative Pakistan. She said she protested strongly but the deputy speaker of the assembly, also a woman, refused to take any action. A frustrated Abbasi was then pictured on Saturday holding a small bottle said to be of petrol and threatening to self-immolate if

action was not taken. Federal party chiefs were forced to intervene as the incident exploded on social media, with Pitafi finally caving to the pressure and apologising in the assembly while offering Abbasi a chador, or veil, as a mark of his respect. Abbasi told AFP Tuesday that the incident was now “over”, but that it poses a question on the implementation of laws protecting women from such sexual harassment. “Their implementation is still a dream,” Abbasi said. “Even us, the parliamentarians are not safe from gender biases and harassment,” she said. Pakistani women have spent decades fighting for their rights in a deeply conservative country where so-called honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace. Pakistan has passed several laws to increase protections available to women in recent years, some at the provincial level, but critics have warned that without proper enforcement they will have little impact. Last year a bill passed in Punjab province redefined “violence” to include “any offense committed against a women”, prompting an Islamic religious body to protest that men should be allowed to “lightly beat” their wives.

Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com Local News . World . Entertainment . Auto . Sports

No proof of Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s involvement in Mumbai attacks: Former ISI chief Zaheerul Islam Pakistan’s former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Zaheerul Islam today claimed that there is no proof of Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that led to the killings of over 150 people, a pak daily reported. “When you provide weapon to ideology, it cannot be turned on and off at will,” Islam was quoted as saying by the Nation newspaper. Former ISI chief Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) is ‘more lethal’ compared to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “LeJ is a more lethal outfit than TTP because it has taken the fight into the cities,” Islam said in his first interview postretirement. “And as far as Kashmir issue is concerned, a third party intervention is needed to bring

Pakistan and India on a same page,” he added. While cautioning Pakistan about the geostrategic implication of China-Pakistan

Economic Corridor(CPEC), he said, “There is no free lunch in this world. We have to be very careful in our minds that they are going to earn far more from us.”

Pakistan jittery about Donald Trump’s Islamic radicalism comment President Donald Trump’s inaugural speech promised “America first” policy, but offered no specifics about America’s place in the world. The billionaire businessman and reality television star - the first president who had never held political office or high military rank - promised to stir a “new national pride” and protect America from the “ravages” of countries he says have stolen US jobs. “This American carnage stops right here,” Trump declared. In a warning to the world, he said, “From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America first.” A group of retired government officials

gathered after morning prayers for a walk in a sprawling park in the heart of the federal capital of Islamabad and the topic of their conversation was President Trump’s inaugural speech. They expressed concern that Trump would target the Islamic world, particularly Pakistan, because of his campaign rhetoric about Muslims as well as his inaugural speech in which he promised to eradicate Islamic terrorism worldwide. Pakistan has often been accused of harboring militant insurgents and declared terrorist groups that have targeted neighboring India, against whom Pakistan has fought three wars, as well as Afghanistan. Pakistan denies the charges.

SAVE UP TO

$1,500

ON YOUR TRADE! NEW 2016 CHEVROLET TRAX

Auto Trans,10 Airbags, Tire Pressure Monitor System, Power Group, Hill Start Assist. #6TX5997

MSRP DUECK/GM DISCOUNT FINANCE DISCOINT

$22,945 $750 $2,000

NEW 2016 GMC SIERRA DOUBLE CAB 4x4 Demo, 5.8 V8, Rear Locking Differential, Rear Vision Camera, Cruise Control, PWR Group. #6CK8098

MSRP DUECK/GM DISCOUNT CASH PURCHASE DISC.

Dueck FINANCE Price

$49,795 $4,919 $5,100

KODIAK EDITION

Dueck CASH Price

$20,195 DL:8430

$39,776

Taxes and $549 documentation fee excluded. Offer ends Jan 31st, 2017.

SELECTION

VALUE

TRUST

604.324.7222 400 S.E. MARINE DR.

CALL AMIN

S H O P 2 4 / 7 O N L I N E @ D U E C KG M . CO M

PUNJAB

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Election Commission to probe AAP’s forged letter row Election Commission and Punjab Police have initiated a probe into a complaint by AAP against a forged letter, which carries the signatures of its spokesperson Sanjay Singh

and asks Arvind Kejriwal to reduce his rallies in the state. AAP has told the EC that the letter was forged to “jeopardise free and fair elections” in Punjab. “Through media circulation, a letter written by Sanjay Singh, our Punjab prabhari, and addressed to our national convener has come to our notice which has been found to be a forged,” the complaint says

“Appending photocopy of letter, we request you to refer the matter to the DGP Punjab to get the matter investigated and a case registered under provisions of IPC,” it adds. Sources in Punjab EC said cops were probing the complaint. Earlier in the day, a war of words broke out between the Congress and AAP over the letter. Allegedly written by Sanjay Singh, the letter ‘suggests’ Kejriwal to bring down his public appearances at rallies in Punjab in wake of unfavourable findings in an internal AAP survey. Sanjay posted a picture of his passport signature on Twitter to point out that his signatures did not match. He said in the Tweet that the “dirty tricks department” of Congress campaign strategist Prashant Kishor was behind it. Kishor’s team retorted by pointing out that the passport picture posted by Singh itself was fake as it showed one-year validity. The letter read, “As you know, the internal survey on the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab has not been in our favour... In view of this, my suggestion is that your rallies should be slowly declared and local leaders be brought to the forefront.”

NRIs stage protest against AAP over hiding foreign donations As many as 50 NRIs, who arrived in Amritsar on Tuesday, staged protest against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanding that it should come clean on matter of funds received. Chicago-based doctor Munish Raizada, who led the group of NRIs discontented with AAP, told TOI that they were upset with the party for hiding its donations received from the Indian Diaspora since June 2016. Interestingly, in October 2013, Dr Raizada, a neo-natal specialist, had taken a sabbatical to work as a volunteer with AAP in Delhi. He coordinated with potential NRI donors at that time. He was part of the team that gathered from different parts of the world to campaign for AAP during the Delhi assembly elections. “A political party can never fight corruption

if it can’t keep its own money clean,” Raizada, while advising that the group of NRIs, who had arrived to support AAP in Punjab, to rethink over their decision. He and other NRIs staged a silent protest holding up banners with slogans like: “We are ashamed that AAP has fielded maximum (16) tainted candidates”, and “No list, no donation”. The group is calling their protest, “Chanda Band Satyagraph (No Donation Campaign)”. Raizada, who has been suspended from AAP, regretted that those who had come to change politics had become “a part of the same dirty game”. He said that on November 26, 2016, the foundation day of AAP, he had written an open letter to the party to make NRIs donations public on its web portal.

Sidhu files nomination, says not in race for CM post Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu filed his nomination from Amritsar East assembly constituency on Wednesday. The former Amritsar MP, who switched over to the Congress from BJP, also tried to dowplay talks of his being in contention for the CM’s post if the his new party came to power by saying that he was a soldier of the captain (Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh) and wanted to see him lead the state. On his way to filing nomination papers at the DC office in Amritsar, Sidhu went to the house of Congress veteran leader Raghunandan Lal Bhatia to seek his blessings. Now a popular TV personality, Sidhu had contested his first Lok Sabha elections in 2004 as a BJP nominee and trounced Bhatia by 1,09,532 votes. He described the six-time MP Bhatia as his ‘Bhishma Pitamah’. Reacting to the visit, Bhatia said, “He came and told me that he had joined Congress and wanted my blessings. I am happy.”

To underline that he was not in the race for the CM’s seat, Sidhu delivered one of his signature one-liners: “Chah gayee, chinta gayee (I have foresaken wants and worries);

manwa be parwah (I feel carefree). Jisko kuch na chahyee, so hi shehanshah.” He followed it up by saying that he was not contesting the elections for any post, but for Punjab. “I want to restore the pride of Punjab, for which I have to fight by being a part of its system,” he said.

Badal clan women brave the chill for Akali patriarch The women from the Badal clan, who had campaigned for Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal when she was fielded against her estranged brother-in-law Manpreet

Singh Badal (Congress) from Bathinda parliamentary constituency in 2014, are again back in action and this time for SAD patriarch-cum-CM Parkash Singh Badal, who is facing the ‘toughest’ electoral battle in his

political career and at his home turf Lambi. These VIPs, which included wives of CM’s cousins Major Bhupinder Singh and Paramjit Singh ‘Lali’ Badal, mothers of SAD chief Sukhbir Badal’s cousins Bubby Badal and Bobby Badal, on Wednesday went door-todoor in three villages seeking votes. They recounted the pro-poor schemes of Badalled government. Jaggu Singh, a resident of Lambi Assembly segment, said, “We had never seen these women in the past as they prefer to live in metro towns. It is just because of the two strong rivals Capt Amarinder Singh and Jarnail Singh that they are now seeking votes in this bone-chilling cold.” Notably, the CM, too, these days prefers to come back to his Badal village residence every evening from other constituencies, holding meetings to get reports about the campaign from local party leaders.

JAY SANTOSHI MATHA ASTROLOGY PANDIT: OM PRAKASH

MASTER OF DARK ARTS & FAITH HEALER SPECIALISED IN PARAPHSYCHOLOGY Priest is Superior in Astrological Science, Advanced Astrology, AstroSpiritual Retreat, Spiritual Remedies, Palmistry, etc. Can solve problems like Love, Financial, Family, Health, Enemy, Court Cases, Business, Personal Problems and any other Problems

Can remove Spiritual Possession and Spiritual Disturbance • If you have any desire, I will make it happen

604.761.2118 11863 Gilmour Crest, Delta, BC

Saturday, January 28, 2017

G&F Financial

DID YOU KNOW?

Canadians with a financial advisor and plan have as much as four times more investment growth than those who don’t?* Build the life and retirement you want – contact us today to create or review your Smart Money Plan™

This is the year, Financial confidence Investment and saving specials on now!

604-419-8888 gffg.com *Investment Funds Institute of Canada, 2016

FRUITICANA

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Saturday, January 28, 2017 Saturday - January 28, 2017

Her Clothes Were Ready, The Date Was Set When Majid Majidi set the shoot of his Indian saga, Beyond The Clouds, for January 23, he expected Kangana Ranaut to join him after 3 days. Yes, today the Queen star was supposed to shoot for the film! When the two sat down for their first meeting, Majidi was almost immediately convinced that she was the perfect fit for the role. Earlier, Deepika Padukone had reportedly had a looktest held in the Dhobi Ghat of Mumbai, which saw her sporting dark make-up and tattered clothes. After a quick narration, Kangana was onboard and the preparations

began. Kangana started her workshops and her clothes were readied.But until then, Majidi had not shared the script with her. The Tanu Weds Manu star knew only about her track. Just a few days ago, Kangana was sent a bound script. Reading it, she realised that the film has two protagonists who have two parallel stories running in the narrative. Kangs (as she is fondly called) felt that the film- which will be an Indian release and not just for festival circuit- is not the right fit for her presently when she is at the top of her game in Bollywood where she has her pick of heroine-centric projects. And with that Kangana made up her mind that she needs to let this pass.

Kareena Lets Her Hair Down, Hrithik Smiles From Ear To Ear! Mid-week holidays are always welcomed! It’s not just the case with us, but with the B-Town stars as well. Kareena Kapoor caught up with buddy Manish Malhotra last night at his residence. Sophie Choudhry was also present to wine and dine with them. While we have pictures of the trio stepping out of Manish’s building, the ace fashion designer took to Instagram to post few selfies with his buddies. And while Kareena took time off from motherhood to chill with Manish and Sophie, Hrithik stepped out of his house to visit a single screen theatre, Chandan, near his house, just to see how maddening is the rush outside the ticket window for his film, Kaabil.

Harshvardhan Apologises To Diljit Dosanjh After Row Over Best Debutant Award Harshvardhan Kapoor grabbed headlines for the wrong reasons when he questioned the legitimacy of Diljit Dosanjh’s Filmfare win in the Best Debutant (Male) category, by saying in an interview that he already had many Punjabi films under his belt and was thus not a deserving winner. Harshvardhan, who’s currently working on Vikramaditya Motwane’s Bhavesh Joshi, had told a leading daily, “Although I picked up two debutant awards earlier, I was really looking forward to winning the black lady. But I guess every awards

event has its own parameters. I’ll be honest, though. I think a debutant award is meant for someone working on his first film. It shouldn’t go to an actor who has worked in several films in another industry or language.” “I wasn’t affected by what Harshvardhan said. In fact, I am a huge fan of Anil Kapoor sir. I have no issues with him [Harshvardhan]. Being Anil Kapoor’s son makes him a star son and not a star, right? He will also become a big star some day. I have no hard feelings towards him,” Diljit said.

Which Star Kid Is Dating Brazilian Kingfisher Model Gabriela Bertante? Gabriela Bertante is one of the hottest imports from Brazil in Bollywood. She grabbed eyeballs as a Kingfisher Calendar girl in 2011 and made her debut opposite singers Mika and Shaan in Balwinder Singh...Famous Ho Gaya in 2014. She has since moved to the Southern film industry and become a really popular item girl, making appearances in superhit films like Baahubali and Billa 2. But Gabriela has her roots firmly in Mumbai and Bollywood. The reason- she is dating Bollywood veteran Danny Denzongpa’s son Rinzing Denzongpa. The two are often spotted in Juhu where Rinzing’s star father owns a sprawling bungalow.

The two have been together for more than two years and were introduced by Rinzing’s pal Tiger Shroff. The model is often spotted with Tiger and Rinzing who have been buddies since their childhood years. Rinzing is currently prepping for his Bollywood debut and according to reports he is set to be launched by Sajid Nadiadwala who also helmed the debut of Tiger Shroff. While Rinzing is a fitness enthusiast and is regularly spotted at a gym in Juhu, Gabriela too works hard to maintain her enviable physique. The two bond over their healthy lifestyle, added our source.

20 HITLIST

mid-day Thursday, January 26, 2017 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

have you heard? Bollywood

Anurag Kashyap is rewriting Aanand L Rai’s Manmarziyan. The ﬁlm, which BACK ON Saturday, January 28, 2017 was being directed by Sameer Sharma, was shelved after a stint of TRACK shooting with Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in February 2016

Sunny, Rimi’s political trail

Ashley Judd in India

Sunny Deol and Rimi Sen met Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary, Kailash Vijayvargiya, yesterday. The politician took to Twitter to share a snapshot with the actors, which fuelled speculation that they would join the party. Sunny later tweeted, “Not standing for any elections. For now, busy with my son Karan Deol’s launch film, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas.” Papa Deol continues to hunt for a Delhi girl to feature opposite Karan. Meanwhile, Rimi, best remembered for Dhoom (2004), who resurfaced in Bigg Boss (2015), has joined the party and is keen to contest from Punjab in the upcoming assembly polls.

Hollywood actress Ashley Judd arrived in Kolkata a few days ago to partake in the Second World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls in Delhi. The event will be held from January 29 to 31. Speaking to a local daily, she said, “I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.... I learnt from another survivor that the perpetrator is shameless and tries to put that shame on me. I turned it around and understood that it was the perpetrator’s shame, not mine. That day, I became powerful.”

Wishes for the ex Dev Patel’s exgirlfriend, Freida Pinto, took to Instagram to wish him for his Oscar nomination. She wrote, “So proud of you. A fine example of what hard work, focus, humility and talent rewards one with.” Dev was barely 18 when he met Freida while filming Slumdog Millionaire (2008). They ended their relationship in 2014, but have been cordial with each other. The actor says he “grew up” with her.

Flying without wings

Love was literally in the air, when we spotted The Viral Fever (TVF)’s executive creative editor, Biswapati Sarkar, and his wife, patent attorney Kalpana Garg, on a Mumbaibound flight from Bhubaneswar, on Tuesday. Sarkar, better known as Arnub with a U, tied the knot with Garg on January 17 in his hometown, Rourkela (Odisha). The duo held hands throughout the flight and were caught admiring each other’s wedding bands. The Barely Speaking With Arnub host’s colleagues from TVF, including casting director Nidhi Bisht, were also on the same flight.

Jan

Coffee With D *ing: Sunil Grover, Zakir Hussain

Jan Kaabil

*ing: Hrithik Roshan, Yami Gautam

Following her turn in the 2016 actiondramas, Akira and Force 2, Sonakshi Sinha has been termed as the action girl of Bollywood. It comes as no surprise then that she was the ﬁrst to be approached for a novel virtual reality immersive gaming experience, ahead of the release of the Milla Jovovich-starrer, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Flagged off in Japan, the VR gaming experience is on a world tour, and arrives in Mumbai this weekend. It will enable Sona to simulate a zombie attack, wearing virtual glasses and a vest that provides vibration and audio feedback, while she uses a gun to shoot on-screen. Sona just can’t wait to kick some butt in the virtual world too.

Smoke-free Kay Kay Menon is a heavy smoker, but the actor did not light a single cigarette on the set while shooting for The Ghazi Attack, out of respect for Sikh culture. In general, Sikhs refrain from smoking. Kay Kay plays a Sikh captain in the film and had to wear a turban all day.

Don’t ask about Zak At a recent event for her upcoming film, Irada, Sagarika Ghatge was asked about rumoured beau, cricketer Zaheer Khan. But she feigned ignorance and quickly moved on to the next question. Zak and Sagarika attended Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech’s wedding together. They have also been spotted together on other occasion, so why be coy?

Ready for the zombies

Slide, jump and roll Vidyut Jammwal has recreated the window sliding action sequence from his 2013 action film Commando, for its sequel. The actor, who’s acclaimed for his daredevilry, executes the stunts himself. He has raised the bar with his adrenaline pumping acts again.

New Released Bollywood Films Jan Raees

*ing: Shah Rukh Khan Mahira Khan

Feb

Alif

*ing: Neelima Azeem, Hussain Bhavna

Feb

Jolly LLB 2

*ing: Akshay Kumar, Huma Qureshi

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Bollywood

Salman Khan PLEADS innocent, leaves the Jodhpur court after recording statement The five accused in the 1998 black buck poaching case, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam have arrived at the Jodhpur court to record their statements.

Sonam Kapoor Announces Her Love For Anand Ahuja With Flowers

Sonam Kapoor is fiercely protective of her personal life and has remained link-up free in the decade that she has spent in Bollywood. So, it came as no surprise when no one came to know about her blossoming romance with Delhi-based entrepreneur Anand Ahuja. But of late, Sonam seems keen to flaunt her love and it is showing on her social media pages. Now the actress has told the world that Anand indeed had the key to her heart. Sonam recently sent white orchids to her man and then the two engaged in some flirty banter on Instagram, with Sonam’s 8 million followers witnessing the romantic exchange. Sonam told Anand, owner of the contemporary fashion brand, Bhane and Veg-NonVeg, a multi-brand sneaker boutique, that the flowers represented, “love perfection thoughtfulness and beauty”. It looks like Sonam and Anand are ready to take their relationship to the next level and obviously they have their parents blessings. When Anil Kapoor, brought in his 60th birthday with family and friends in London, Sonam Kapoor had taken to Snapchat to give fans a glimpse of the celebrations. The businessman has been seen attending family gatherings and weddings with the Kapoor family a number of times before. Love you, Sonam. We like it when when Bollywood gets candid.

Salman, who recently got acquitted in the Arms Act case, which was in connection with the black buck poaching case has reached the court along with the ensemble cast of actors to record their statements. Few days back, Khan had reached Jodhpur to appear for the Arms Act case. After gaining acquittal, he along with the cast of Hum Saath Saath Hai, who were accused of poaching, were asked to record his statement. But over security reasons, the Tubelight actor denied doing the same without the other suspects in the

case. On Thursday evening, i.e. on Republic Day, Saif, Tabu, Sonali and Neelam arrived at the city. In 1998, the actors were charged under the Wildlife Protection Act for illegally poaching the endangered species and playing an aid to the poacher. In connection with the case, Salman was charged with Arms Act for possession and use of illegal and unlicensed arms. It has been almost 19 years since the incident happened and now all the proceedings have rapidly moved with a view to close the case.

Here are the proceedings that will take place for the accused five in the Black Buck poaching case, before a judgement is passed – #An examining session will be held where each of the accused will be told what the statements the witnesses have given against them, as far as their role is in the crime. #Each one of the stars will be told what the witnesses have quoted and what their role has been in the case. Post this the defence lawyers will take a call and produce their witnesses at the time of crime.

Saturday, January 28, 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.

Priyanka Chopra channels Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees dialogue in this latest Quantico teaser Priyanka Chopra’s latest Quantico teaser has a Raees touch to it! Surprised much? The actress recently shared a teaser video of her show where they announced that the episodes will air on Star World after the brief break. In the video, PeeCee was the one making the announcement while the others were waiting to blurt out what they learnt in Hindi. So as soon the diva was done sharing the news, the entire cast stated in unison, “Hum Aar Rahe Hai”! Shah Rukh Khan‘s Raees that recently released has this famous dialogue “Aa Raha Hun Main” which left us with bated breaths for almost two years before the film actually released! Isn’t that super cool? Well, that’s just a small element we noticed in this video shared by the actress. The bigger picture is that Quantico will now air on TV once again! After a short break, they’re going to resume

playing the show on Indian television again. Also, let’s not forget the efforts of Priyanka’s co-stars’ trying to get their Hindi right!

While Saif heads to Jodhpur for the hearing of blackbuck poaching case; Kareena catches up with friends For all that we know, Saif Ali Khan along with Salman Khan, Sonali Bendre and Tabu are in Jodhpur right now for the final hearing of their long impending 1992 blackbuck poaching case. Pictures of Saif, Salman, Tabu and Sonali arriving at the Jodhpur court have just come in where as per reports, an examining session will be held and each of the accused will be told what are the statements the witnesses have given against them, as far as their role in the crime is concerned. Following which, the defence lawyers will then take a call and produce their witnesses at the time of crime and eventually will go on to pass the final verdict. Indeed, today is very big day for all the 4 actors. But while Saif is away to record his statement. Kareena seems to be all chill as she caught up with her friends last night for an intimate dinner. Yes. Here are a couple of pictures from the gathering. Manish Malhotra hosted for this casual dinner at his residence last night for his

favourites Kareena and Sophie Choudhary and boy, look at Bebo looking cute as a button in that flowery sweat-shirt paired up

with those comfy trousers. Not to mention, her red converse too is such a cutesy add-on to that feel-good ensemble. Isn’t it like one of those ‘slumber party’ looks that you would love to borrow? The last we saw Kareena was during Karan Johar’s terrace party that was held a couple of days back. Remember the one where she slayed it by wearing a dangerously sexy backless gown?

Bollywood personalities’ birthdays

shruti haasan january 28

preity zinta january 31

jackie shroff February 1

abhishek bachchan February 5

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Eshwar Shakti

Movie Review

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Raees: Here’s A Watchable Premium Brand Of Fact & Fiction Cry, the state’s so dry. Bootlegging is as inevitable as those billion bottles if not more, of hooch stuck with spurious labels. So here’s an underworld fable, located in Gujarat of the 1970s-‘80s, which is quite able, detailing how a crime lord and the lawforce can keep turning the tables. Okay, so the Rahul Dholakia-directed Raees carries that mandatory disclaimer about any resemblance to real events and persons being entirely coincidental. Yet parallels to the true-life story of Abdul Latif who once monopolised the illegal liquor dhanda in Gujarat, and was charged with involvement in the 1993 bomb blasts, cannot be swept under the carpet of any multiplex. Perplexed? The key point for the viewer is does that gambit work? Does the adaptation snap and crackle? Auspiciously to a substantial degree, it does.Lamentably, towards the second-half the proceedings turn darker than an eclipse, the tempo flails like a lobster out of water and the entertainment quotient goes for a full

toss, never mind the overall technical gloss. Curiously, Dholakia who maintains a sharp eye for realism in terms of period and atmospheric detail (especially the use of authentic locations and set décor) lapses into strange sanitisation at points. Laughably, although booze is guzzled galore, no one ever lights up a cigarette and tobacco in any form. No bidi jalaiyle here. Did someone want the film to be a non-puffing zone way back in the smoking hot times? Moreover, the corrupt-as-corrupt-can-be chief minister flanked by venal politicians come off as cartoon caricatures. Can’t he helped maybe. That’s part of extolling the liquor badshah, almost mythicising him as a do-gooder, mentally conflicted Robin Brood of sorts. After all, Dholakia bhai has to do the politically right thing with a superstar actor as the pivot of the project.

Hang on. Still, there’s sufficient biryani for thought here. One of the most poignant scenes shows the wannabe don Raees Alam (Shah Rukh Khan) deprived of celebrating the festive Eid day since a deal has gone awry. Also an interlude, depicting his tearful, emotional breakdown is masterfully conceived and acted in the still darkness of

the night. Fantastic. The ascent of Raees to illfame is engagingly narrated, as the motheradoring boy grows up to carve a fiefdom of his own, supported by his buddy (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) at every U-turn of the plot. Shortly before the intermission, intercuts between a Sunny Leone cabaret and a noweapons barred showdown, has a retro-style wallop. Above all, the interface between Raees and the stalking, police officer Majmudar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) add the muchrequired dollop of levity and tongue-in-chic humour to the narrative. Unarguably, without the prey and the hunter matching their wits about each other’s disparate ‘duniyas’, over cups of kadak chai, the film would have lacked sugar and spice. Nice.

As for the romantic ingredient, Raees’ chhed chhad and nikaah with the mohalla girl Mohsina (Mahirah Khan, disappointingly lifeless), these are more telegrammed than explicated. If the woman ever rises to the occasion, it’s when Zarina takes the lead to set up a langar for communal riot victims, or campaign for her miyan’s bid at becoming an elected politician. The character could have been given more space and strength perhaps, but then that would have meant extending the footage beyond 142 minutes. What stays with you, at the end of the show, is the equal-tolife portrayal of the sometimesstubborn-sometimes-frazzled don. Glad to report that Shah Rukh Khan is back in excellent form. Eschewing glamorous trappings and dispensing with mannerisms of any kind, here’s a performance which affirms that he is capable of springing bravura surprises. Quite clearly Nawazuddin Siddiqui is uber terrific, smooth as a shot of a premium single malt besides being adept at belting out punch-lines with a Buster Keaton-like poker face. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub’s part is underwritten, reducing him to a flunkey. Yet the gifted actor never attempts to be intrusive, performing his reaction shots with restraint. Throughout Dholakia’s direction and K. U. Mohanan’s cinematography concentrate on catching the characters in a world which has its autocratic shibboleths and regulations. The mileu of Gujarat through a moment of flying kites and a Scotch-soaked celebration by a smiling Hasmukh bhai, are particularly well rendered.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Foodie

Tricolour Sabudana Kichadi Ingredients Sabudana (sago) - 1 ½ cups Potatoes - 2 medium size (boiled and chopped) Roasted peanut powder - 6 tsp Green chili - 1 (chopped) Red chili powder - 1 tsp Ghee - 3 tbsp Oil - 3 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp A pinch of green food color Asafoetida (hing) powder - ¼ tsp Few curry leaves Salt, sugar - as required Lemon juice - 1 ½ tbsp Chopped coriander leaves - handful Method Divide and soak each half cup of sabudana in three vessels overnight. In one vessel add the green color and remaining both keep white.

Next day, you can see the pearls nicely soaked in water. GREEN LAYER In a kadai, add 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp ghee. When it becomes hot, add little cumin seeds, hing powder, curry leaves, chopped green chili. Then add the 1/3 chopped potatoes and sauté for another two minutes. Add green sabudana, mix well. Add 2 tsp roasted peanut powder, salt and sugar as required and mix well . Add lime juice, mix well and add chopped coriander leaves. Remove from gas and keep aside. WHITE LAYER In a kadai, add 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp ghee. When it becomes hot, add little cumin seeds, hing powder, curry leaves. Then add the 1/3 chopped potatoes and sauté for another two minutes. Add one part of white sabudana and mix well. Add salt and sugar, 2 tsp roasted peanut powder and lime juice mix well. Remove from gas and keep aside. ORANGE LAYER In a kadai, add 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp ghee. When it becomes hot, add little cumin seeds, hing powder, curry leaves.. Then add the 1/3 chopped potatoes and sauté for another two minutes. Add second part of white sabudana and

mix well, add salt and sugar, 2 tsp roasted peanut powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, lime juice. Remove from gas and keep aside.

NOW IN A PLATE ARRANGE THE LAYERS: FIRST GREEN, FOLLOWED BY WHITE AND ORANGE TO FORM A TIRANGA.

20 HITLIST

mid-day

Wednesday, January 25, 2017 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

have you heard? Bollywood

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

Sleeping beauty Ileana D’Cruz’s beau, Australian photographer Andrew Kneebone can’t get enough of papping her. The actress in turn keeps posting the images on social media. Her latest post sees a dare-to-bare snap of herself taking a nap in a bathtub.

FESTIVE DATE

Shubhashish Bhutani’s Mukti Bhawan, which has been critically-acclaimed Saturday, 2017 in the festival January circuit, will 28, release on April 14. The Adil Hussain-starrer is about a father’s desire to visit Varanasi for salvation

When Esha went missing Esha Gupta was conspicuous by her absence at the trailer launch of her upcoming action thriller, Commando 2. The actress, who is currently in Jodhpur shooting for Milan Luthria’s Baadshaho, was scheduled to fly to Mumbai for the event, but had to change her plans at the eleventh hour. He co-star Ajay Devgn had to rush to Mumbai since his mother Veena was unwell. Milan requested Esha to stay back and shoot her portions instead. “I’ve been shooting for Baadshaho in Jodhpur, and with the lastminute change in schedule, couldn’t make it to Mumbai on time,” says Esha.

Darshan finally preps to fly solo After playing Priyanka Chopra’s husband in Mary Kom (2014), an antagonist in Anushka Sharma’s NH 10 (2015) and a lawyer in Sarbjit (2016), Darshan Kumaar has now landed the lead role in Amit Singh’s Mirza Juuliet. The love story

also features Pia Bajpai, who was seen opposite Randeep Hooda in the actionthriller Laal Rang (2016). Shot in Benares, the film is directed by Rajesh Ram Singh. Singh says, “We were looking for an unconventional hero and Darshan was perfect for the role.”

Bapu’s favourite revisited

At it yet again The fallout between Amitabh Bachchan and Amar Singh has always grabbed headlines. Now, the controversial politician has dropped another bombshell about the Bachchans. While talking about the current rift in the Samajwadi Party, Singh reportedly said, “People blame me for every possible rift in the country. People have said [several things] about me and the Bachchans.

But even before I met Amitabh Bachchan, he and Jaya Bachchan were living separately. He lives in Janak while she lives in Pratiksha. Also, there were speculation about a problem between Aishwarya and Jaya. I am not responsible for it.” Singh often reveals personal details about Big B, but the veteran star prefers to pay no heed to him and his utterances.

FIRST LOOK

Indo-Canadian singer Shashaa Tirupati, who recently crooned the rehashed version of AR Rahman’s Humma Humma in OK Jaanu, has recorded a cover of the bhajan, Vaishnav Jana Toh, which was known to be Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite. This is the youngster’s way of paying a tribute to the Father of the Nation on Republic Day. “We have maintained the simplicity and purity of the original song,” says the singer. Now, let’s wait to see how it’s received.

TELLY TATTLE

All about the weddings Eight years on, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai will showcase its 16th wedding on the show. Producer Rajan Shahi has planned an elaborate affair and even made groom-tobe Kartik (played by Mohsin Khan) dress up in female attire to check out the preparations in bride Naira’s (Shivangi Joshi) household. Also, the big, fat wedding

ceremonies will stretch to at least 20 episodes. Indians are su**ers for weddings, this proves.

Here’s a glimpse of Fan (2016) actress Waluscha De Sousa in the Trippy track from Himesh Reshammiya’s album, Aap Se Mausiiquii. Waluscha is seen shaking a leg in the music video of the party number. She worked out hard to acquire the lean look. Salman Khan had tweeted about the album and songs earlier.

Be on top of celebrity gossip with www.mid-day.com

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com Local News . World . Entertainment . Auto . Sports

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Employment

Are Your Overseas Credentials Limiting Your Employment Opportunities?

Get certified for success in your chosen profession

ou made your decision. You said your good-byes. Now you’re here in Canada, full of optimism and searching for work. Chances are you arrived with a postsecondary degree, experience in your field and good references. But if you’re like many newcomers to Canada, you may initially find it difficult landing a job in your chosen profession. Even the most qualified new immigrants can experience challenges convincing potential employers to hire them. This happens when an individual’s academic or professional credentials — no matter how impressive to employers back home — are unfamiliar to Canadian firms, or require validation to be recognized by a Canadian professional body. Fortunately, your overseas credentials don’t have to hold you back. Immigrants to Canada can enroll in a continuing education program at a school like the University of Toronto to obtain validation for their foreign credentials. Once they’re able to prove that their credentials have Canadian equivalency, they can approach the professional association governing their field and get certified. To support this process, the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies (the “School”) works collaboratively with professional associations, ensuring that its courses are relevant to the needs of industry, employers and the demands of a global economy. All

told, the School — which is an integral part of U of T, the number one ranked university in Canada — offers more than 80 specialized certificate programs, including project management, accounting and engineering. Academic credential assessments The School is committed to helping newcomers gain traction more quickly in Canada. Through its Comparative Education Service (CES), it can provide you with a formal credentials assessment report on how your academic credentials from abroad compare to those offered by Canadian institutions. This report can be used when applying for employment or professional certification, pursuing further education, dealing with immigration matters, or, simply, for general information. As a bonus for individuals who take advantage of its service, CES offers a one-time $200 tuition discount towards any course available at the School. 600 non-degree continuing education courses Not having the appropriate professional certification upon arrival in Canada is a major problem among new immigrants, but another big issue is career inertia. For a variety of reasons, including a lack of basic industry knowledge specific to Canada and unfamiliarity with Canadian customs, immigrants may find it difficult to move up in their careers. The School is well positioned to help these workers as well. Through more than 600 non-degree courses,

delivered by instructors who are recognized leaders in their fields, it offers a wide range of educational experiences designed specifically for adult learners. No matter what work skills you’re looking to enhance, you can find a suitable program and get started. In no time, you’ll be able to transfer your new learning to the workplace, impressing your boss and opening the door to new opportunities. Flexible study For some newcomers, the question isn’t whether they need to upgrade their credentials, it’s how and when they can do so. To ensure its courses fit into busy lives, the School offers classes both “in person” in evenings and on weekends and online via computer. In addition, students can choose a hybrid course model, which combines face-to-face learning with an online component. Currently, one in five courses are offered online, and the School has tripled its hybrid course offerings since 2014. The University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies is conveniently located at three campuses: U of T Mississauga, U of T Scarborough and downtown St. George. Learners can mix locations — as well as inclass, online and hybrid formats — to create a flexible learning plan that works best for them. Visit learn.utoronto.ca to learn more about how to further your career and advance your lifelong learning.

Saturday, January 28, 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 28, 2017 South Asian Seniors - Bingo On The House January 15th 2017 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm. Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members and non members also to come and play Bingo for the sake of fun during and make some new friends, on January 15th 2017( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall 8321 - 140th street Surrey B.C. Please bring only two dollars with you to play 2 games, do not worry if you do not know how to play, members will explain you the game just for the sake of fun. Tea & light snacks will be served after the game is over. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator at 604 - 507 - 9945 for further details. Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking Seniors. -----------------------------------------Free Self Employment Program offered by PICS Are you unemployed or working less than 20 hours per week? Are you thinking of launching your own business? Join PICS for an information session on PICS’ Self Employment Program at one of PICS Offices: Suite 205, 12725 80th Ave, Surrey – Every 2nd Wednesday of the month OR 8153 Main St (near Marine Dr), Vancouver – Every 3rd Wednesday of

the month All info sessions are from 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM This program offers • Business Start-Up Training • Business Plan Writing • Business Advisor Support • Networking Events • Support During Business Launch Period Seating is limited. To attend a session, please pre-register at Katarina.Low@ pics.bc.ca or 604-596-7722 Ext 150 -----------------------------------------Dear Devotees and Well Wishers of Sri Ganesh Temple, 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. 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 are planning to visit Australia & New Zealand through 13 days cruise and 2 days extra tour of Sydney (Australia) total 16 days including travel time. The cruise itinerary starts from Sydney (Australia) on November 17th 2017, one day visit at each of these ports, Melbourne (Australia), Burnie (Tasmania- Australia), Wellington (New Zealand), Napier (New Zealand),

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

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

Community News 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 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.

17 mid-day

12Tuesday 24.01.2017

PULKIT LOSES COOL Saturday, January 28, 2017 AFTER DIVORCE »P19

Movie

Jackie Chan, and Sonu Sood during the film’s press conference at Juhu. PICS/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI, DATTA KUMBHAR, YOGEN SHAH

Jackie Chan at Mumbai airport MOHAR BASU mohar.basu@mid-day.com I DOUBT Jackie has time to breathe today,” lamented someone from Chan’s entourage, while the press waited for the Hong Kong superstar with bated breath. Jackie Chan was in India for a meager few hours to promote his upcoming film, Kung Fu Yoga, which features Bollywood stars including Sonu Sood, Amyra Dastur and Disha Patani. This is the second time in this year that an international personality has swept tinsel town off its feet. But Vin Diesel, who arrived in the country to promote his Hollywood outing featuring Deepika Padukone, certainly had more time on hand to spare. For Jackie, crunching the multiple outings in eight hours must have been quite a feat, right? “If that man can break into Hollywood, he can manage anything,” said an elderly scribe, almost addressing our concern.

At Kapil Sharma’s show When Chan arrived at the Mumbai airport yesterday at around 10 am, his co-star and the film’s distributor, Sonu Sood was present to receive him. The actor was driven to Film City, where chat show host Kapil Sharma welcomed him and the team. Chan arrived on a bicycle with Sonu, and even sat atop a ghodi while on the show. Kapil made Chan mimick Shah Rukh Khan’s signature style, and the former even narrated Khan and Amitabh Bachchan’s dialogues to woo the audience. Kapil also auctioned the cycle that Chan entered on, and which bore his signature. Audience member, Sheikh Fazil, purchased it for a

‘Directors, please offer me one [Bollywood film]. I want to dance’ Jackie Chan

FROM BEIJING TO BOLLYWOOD

Over an 8-hour long maiden trip to Mumbai, Jackie Chan cycled, danced and sat atop a ghodi to promote his Indo-Chinese film whooping R10 lakh. The action hero further added that he doesn’t enjoy partaking in romantic films, and also told Kapil to aim for the Oscars.

Prepping for the press conference After battling the wave of shutterbugs stationed outside his hotel at 4.30 pm, Chan, who was escorted to his room by his security, prepped for the press conference. Dressed in a Nilesh Mitesh outfit, he arrived at the red carpet outside the hotel's lobby, where professional dancers, prepped by Farah Khan, performed to the title track of the film. Actress Shilpa Shetty (inset) introduced the actor, and exclaimed, “I am a crazy fan of Jackie Chan. He truly is legendary and the world's greatest action star.” Chan crooned to his film’s track, Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, and his broken Hindi had the audience in splits. Bubbling with energy, he enacted an underwater scene that he shot with

With Salman Khan

Disha and cribbed, “She almost made me drown but everyone was busy saving her. They feel he is Jackie Chan, he is strong. But I am just a normal human being.” Talking about his role, he elaborated, “If you watched The Myth (2005), you know the space of this film. It could be called a continuation.” When asked if he’d like to be a part of a Bollywood project, Chan, who is well acquainted with Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, quipped, “Directors, please offer me one. I want to dance even though I don’t know how to move my neck like Indians.”

Chan with Sonu Sood on Kapil Sharma’s show

The after party At the after party, B-Townies including Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Kangana Ranaut, among others, arrived to catch a glimpse of the superstar. Chan left the media scratching their heads by adding, "There is a big surprise for Salman on its way." He was reportedly scheduled to leave for Beijing at 11 pm. With inputs from Letty Mariam Abraham

The film’s team at the press conference in Juhu

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com Local News . World . Entertainment . Auto . Sports

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

No. 31 - - January Saturday Vol. 7 No.Vol. 52 -6 Saturday 28, 2017- April 2, 2016

Vancouver’s torise rise amid office-tower building boomcity for to amid anan office-tower building boom ‘The realVancouver’s estateVancouver’s market skyline isskyline so hot right now’: New York is the world’s most expensive skyline to expect rise amid anyears office-tower building boom next two 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 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. RioCan CEO plots 2017 Toronto projects as high-end rental accommodation start to fill as the completion date gets closer. it Suisse tower is optimistic his building will SwissRealtower tower theheart heart many of the new towers to start signing SwissReal ininthe 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 of the current boom are ownas aasresult of the current boom are ownThe landlords who will likely suffer Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal start to fill as the completion date gets closer. downtown Vancouver will leases as they getget to completion. downtown SwissReal Vancouver will be heart leases as many they closer to completion. Thattenant tower inbethe of ofcloser the new towers to startThat signing isabuildings, thebuildings, most location in schools, embassies social focal historic points. ers of older Shokri said. Asare ownhome spikes ersYork ofasolder Mr. Shokri said. As result of Mr. theexpensive current boom Group who bought the or original historic Group who bought the original Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal completed a ayear, sodemand is is partly in Vancouver, completedininless lessthan than year,butbut sofar,far, will partly because companies intoVancouver, downtown Vancouver be because leases ascompanies they get closer completion. That

T T

Americas andbuildings, theinworld for high-end frombuilding these reports is also used in ECA’s well,the new developments the well, new developments in the suburbs, in 2002 parters of older Mr.suburbs, Shokri said.stock-exchange As Data stock-exchange building 2002 before partGroup who bought theinbefore original historic only tenant upupthan totomove in.in.butwhich want to be in energy-efficient Theone head of has Canada’s real estate Corp., 3.1new, squareinfeet of rental only one tenant hassigned signed move which do want to because be inmillion new, energy-efficient completed in largest less a year, so far,doto isbecome partly companies Vancouver, accommodation. This was one of the Accommodation Tool for setting, managing which have already experienced higher nering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said which have already experienced higher well, new developments in the suburbs, The has committed for a a10th buildings, to operate short timelines. nering with Credit Suisseinto2002 develop said stock-exchange building beforeit,partinvestment trust iscommitted adding more projects mixed-use space. Alsoon construction Thetenant tenant hasone for 10th of move buildings, tend to operate oninshort timelines. only tenant has signed upof to in. tend which do want tounder be new, energy-efficient findings ofrates the latest Accommodation Survey and group reviewing accommodation allowances vacancy rates inhave recent years,years, may may have the main interested in leasing Vancouvacancy in already recent have which experienced higher the square a state offorof a 10th Asthe he he said, prices the new the main group interested in leasing Vancounering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said to his redevelopment pipeline amid in city are two towers of atinleast stories the370,000 370,000 square feet– –leaving leaving a state As well, said, in the new The feet tenant has committed ofwell, buildings, tend toprices operate on36 short timelines. published by compete ECA International, the world’s for mobile staff. days is the technology trouble asvacancy they each other. ver office ratescompete in with recent years, may have trouble as they with each other. emptiness that is heat unusual for an officehousing sky- buildings will likely come down inEglinton the i the Saturday, 25, 2015 unprecedented in square Toronto’s atbuildings intersection of Yonge and thespace mainthese group interested Vancouoffice space these daysinisleasing the technology the is370,000 feetoffice – leaving of Saturday, As July well, said, prices in the new emptiness that unusual for an sky- a 4state will likely come in provider of knowledge, Americas highlights: 4 i Julyhe 25, 2015down Inleading Vancouver, the co-developer of theinformation Cred- sector.ver 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 Credmarket. streets in midtown, and two buildings ver office space these days is the technology Those companies make their deciemptiness thatso, is unusual for aninoffice sky- buildings will likely come scraper in this city. Even a huge shift and software for the management and Across the Americas, the rental price 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015down in the business tenancy is the expected as the region In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred- sector. Those companies make their deciEd Sonshine, 70-year-old chief comprising about 420 units in the same scraperisinexpected this city.not Even a huge shift in assignment of employees around the world. for a high-end three-bedroom property business tenancy as theso,region experiences something it has REIT, seen executive officer of RioCan is inbe-the neighborhood, replacing a parking lot and ECA International has been conducting averages US$3,221 per month this year. This business tenancy is expected as the region experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower boomsites much planning stages for building several large this shopping center. research into accommodation for more is considerably higher than the US$2,330 experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rath-an year that may push the company beyond RioCan also is seeking approval to build than 20 years to help companies provide the average in Europe. fore: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than goal for specific committed tenants. original of building 10,000 residential on 54 acres in the suburbs. Shoppers World, right housing options as part of the overall The largest rent increases in the Americas which is committed speculative construction rather“This than forofofnext specific tenants. uncharted territory Vanunits inis kind the decade. The for Torontoa site in Brampton located near a large compensation package for mobile employees. were observed in Los Angeles, with rental er ofthan specific committed couver, ”company said Mehdi Shokri, aterritory principal with “This is kind uncharted for Vanbased has a for portfolio of about 300 tenants. planned transit area, is currently a “broken The survey compares rental accommodation prices increasing by around 9% here. This “This is kind of uncharted territory the capital markets team at Avison Young. couver,” said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with for Vandown, old mall commonly leased by expatriate staff in over led to LA rising six places in the regional couver, said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with “But I don’t markets see a ”big disaster occurring. ” the capital team at Avison Young. built in the early 230 locations worldwide. rankings in the past year, the highest climber The ICredit Suisse is onlyteam the at most Avison ’70s that we’ve been “But don’tthe seecapital a tower bigmarkets disaster occurring. ” Young. Rents for an unfurnished three-bedroom in the Americas. visible and furthest of aasecond I along don’t see big disaster trying to figure out apartment across popular expatriate areas in The Credit“But Suisse tower is only thewave mostoccurring.” The opposite trend was observed in ranked of new office towers planned fortower VancouThe Credit only the most what to do with,” New York average US$10,502 per month. In cities in Brazil and Canada. Average rental visible and furthest alongSuisse of a secondiswave ver and somevisible key suburbs. A first cluster and planned furthest along of a second wave Sonshine said. new office towers for Vancouthe past year, average rental costs here have costs fell in all ranked Brazilian cities with ofoftowers – some twooffice million square feet –for Vancouof new towers planned RioCan is risen by around 4% per month. ver and some key suburbs. A first cluster Rio de Janeiro falling out of the regional top was built downtown in the past three years. ver andtwo some key suburbs. A first cluster working with the ofAnother towers – 11 some square feet “New York continues to top the regional ten by nine places to 13th position, and more office million developments are – city to develop a rankings and has moved up from second substantially, Sao Paulo, falling 11 places to of towers in – some twothree million square feet – was built downtown theofpast proposed within blocks Credit years. Sumaster plan, he last year to top this year’s global rankings. 22nd in the Americas. All ranked locations was built downtown in the past three years. Another 11 tower officeat developments isse’s Exchange Howe and Westare said, which will The rental market continues to be very active fell in Canada this year, with Vancouver 17th Another 11 office developments are Pender streets, evenblocks while the office-va-Suproposed within of Credit include 300,000 and rental prices have been climbing since and Toronto 29th. Calgary fell 14 places to blocks of Credit Sucancy inproposed the tower regionwithin to inch isse’s rate Exchange atcontinues Howe and West square feet of retail the lows of 2009. This has been fuelled by a 34th position - the largest fall in the regional isse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West up as a result of the firstwhile wave of building. Pender streets, even the office-va— less than half the strong employment market and an influx of rankings this survey. Penderbrokers streets, say eventhewhile the But commercial city is office-vacancy rate in the region continues to inch current amount — business in key service sectors,” said Michael rate in the ghost region continues to inch Rest of world – a global perspective not to cancy be of populated up about as a result the first by wave of towers. building. and about 1,500 up as a result of the first wave of building. Witkowski, Vice President - Americas, ECA Moscow continues to sit in second place But commercial brokers say the city is residential units, International. “Rents are expected to remain in the European rankings. However, in But commercial brokers say the city is the majority rental. high and continue to dwarf income growth 2012, Moscow was the most expensive not about tonot be about populated by ghost towers. to be populated by ghost towers. Those would be on in the coming year. Although a surge in location in the region for high-end rental top of the 10,000 supply of rental accommodation in popular accommodation. Since then, rental prices units originally expatriate neighbourhoods in Manhattan, have fallen meaning that London is now the forecast. These combined with renters being unwilling, or most expensive. malls across the country, and is seeking to projects would typically cost at least $150 unable, to pay ever higher sums, could see the Cities across Switzerland, France and redevelop stores and add housing to at least million. rental prices peak,” said Witkowski. Germany have remained relatively stationary 50 of them. Sonshine is betting on increased demand To assist companies in formulating their in the European rankings. Zurich and Geneva “The real estate market is so hot right for rental properties as buyers are priced accommodation policy and deciding what are both unmoved in the past year, holding now, there’s no way it’s going to stay like out of the housing market in Toronto, with level of housing allowance to provide to second and third positions respectively in this forever,” Sonshine said at Bloomberg’s about half of the company’s development international employees, ECA International the regional rankings. Paris continues to sit Toronto office Thursday. “But you can’t do projects in Canada’s largest city, and malls publishes annual Accommodation Reports. in sixth position in the regional rankings and too many projects or you just won’t have the are facing pressure from online sales. These reports contain information on the has done so for the past five years. Munich cash, and you don’t want your leverage to go Average detached home prices surged 20 types of accommodation and geographical has not moved this year, staying in 25th place, up. We just got our credit rating upgraded per cent to $1.25 million in 2016 from the areas usually favoured by international although it has risen by three places since we don’t want it to go right down again.” prior year, and sales hit a record, according assignees – typically areas near to international 2012. The company’s funds from operations are to the local real estate board. Aside from a “guardrail” and RioCan will stay about 40 Toronto, the developer also is targeting per cent leveraged, Sonshine said. Vancouver and Ottawa, building a rental Sonshine has been adding apartments to tower across the street from CSIS, Canada’s his company’s retail locations, most anchored spy agency. by big-box stores such as Loblaws and WalSonshine also said that President Donald Mart, as demand for housing skyrockets Trump may be a good thing for Canada’s in the Canada’s largest cities. The REIT is real estate market, given the conversations focused on building rental apartments and he’s had with some brokers working with aims to partner with developers on any U.S. investors of commercial properties and condominiums. land. RioCan, with a market value of about $8.3 “They’re a little bit afraid of what’s going to billion, has returned 19 percent in the past happen in the United States — not in terms 12 months including reinvested units. of the value of their investment, but whether RioCan is currently redeveloping a $1.4 they’ll be allowed to come visit,” he said. billion, 7.6-acre site in Toronto’s west end “In some funny ways, a Trump presidency with Allied Properties REIT and Diamond might be not bad.

Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

Latest Real Estate Stories

Saturda

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Real Estate

Lawsuit filed over construction ‘deficiencies,’ delays at Trump Tower

The developer of the Trump International Hotel & Tower in downtown Vancouver has launched a lawsuit blaming a contractor for a slew of construction issues that allegedly delayed the opening. The tower was originally scheduled to be completed last summer but the opening date was pushed back to November, then to January. Rooms appear to be available for booking on the hotel’s website starting Wednesday. Reasons for the delays haven’t been detailed publicly, but a lawsuit filed by Holborn Developments last week outlines numerous issues it claims held up construction. Among them are alleged failures by contractor Urban One Construction Management to meet “trade contract requirements” or correct “deficiencies, or incomplete or unsatisfactory items, regarding

the work performed.” Holborn’s lawsuit also accuses Urban One of “failing to ensure that the mechanical and electrical work” was done properly or even that appliances provided for the tower “were in good and working condition.” According to the claim, the work contracted to Urban One was not ultimately finished on time, resulting in delays to the Trumpbranded project’s completion. CTV News reached out to Urban One Tuesday, and the company’s president responded with a statement denying all of Holburn’s claims. “There is no substance or merit behind the allegations identified in the lawsuit... and we intend to vigoroursly defend against these claims,” Allan Beron said in an email. None of the allegations in the suit have been proven in court.

Jolly Arts -Custom painted wall murals for home, ofﬁce or commercial establishments. -Interior and decorative wall painting along with decorating design ideas.

Custom Designs Kids Room - Living Spaces - Ofﬁces - Wallpaper Install

Tejpal Singh Mann

778-885-2197 By Appointment

www.facebook.com/tejpalsingh.mann

For Traditional & Modern Hand Paintings

TSM Gallery 9353 - 120 St. Delta

778.395.5354

Wealthy locals, American billionaire among T Trump Vancouver condo owners Vol. 6 No. 31

Saturday - April 2, 2016

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

E-mail: ads@the

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

No residential tower in recent memory has been scrutinized as much as the new Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver. To see who bought what were reported as the highest price-per-square-foot for condos in Canada at the time they were sold, Postmedia News did a search of records at B.C. Assessment, B.C. Online and the Land Title and Survey Authority. The records reveal how much some of the well-heeled buyers paid to snap up units, and that almost 20 per cent of them bought more than one. For example, American tech billionaire and philanthropist John Tu paid $7.6 million for units on the 55th, 52nd and 43rd floors, apparently spending more than any of the tower’s other buyers. His condos are now listed for rent at $10,500, $9,500 and $6,000 a month. Tu co-founded Kingston Technology, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., which makes computer memory chips. Forbes pegged him as being No. 90 out of 400 American billionaires with an estimated net worth of $5.9 billion in 2016. He declined to comment on the purchases. Joo Kim Tiah oversaw the tower’s construction as chief executive officer of Vancouver-based Holborn Group, which has been backed by the Kuala Lumpur-based company of his father, one of Malaysia’s wealthiest businessmen. New U.S. President Donald Trump doesn’t have a stake in the project, but its branding comes from him and is licensed by his company. The controversial association has been a public relations landmine for the building with public outcry leading the mayor of Vancouver to ask Tiah to drop the Trump name. A steel framer, who climbed to the top of the building to unfurl a large Mexican flag, called out the then-presidential candidate’s bigoted comments about immigrant workers. In the weeks leading up to the U.S. presidential inauguration, Tiah was interviewed about the project by U.S. media for what he might say about how Trump deals with international partners and controls the business empire the new president says will be run by his sons and executives while he occupies the White House. “It had nothing to do with the name,” said Vancouver businessman Gary Averbach of his Trump tower purchase. He is moving into one of the more luxurious units (technically, it’s the equivalent of two in size) on one of the highest floors this weekend. “It was the building itself. When I saw the original plans, Trump hadn’t declared his candidacy. I loved (the idea) of looking at my beautiful city. The view is unbelievable; 320 degrees.” Assessed at $8,947,000, Averbach’s suite is one of the most valuable of any in the tower, below the penthouses. Averbach, who is the CEO of Belmont Properties, which manages 27 rental buildings in B.C., had already been living downtown at the Wall Centre for more than two years. “I made the purchase

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-

because I knew that even if I didn’t like it, I had a salable product.” Aside from the notoriety of its namesake, the tower is located in an area attracting attention for its record-breaking, pre-sale condo prices even as the general market has been slumping. Holborn Properties announced in May 2016 that the tower’s units were sold out at $1,615 a square foot. This was topped in September, after the introduction of the additional property tax for foreign buyers, when the nearby Cardero development sold out at $1,800 a square foot. Both sit where Coal Harbour meets the West End in a

desirable, but tight space. “Developers will always build the best product for a certain site. We’re not going to build the Trump Tower — I won’t want to offend anyone — in Cloverdale. It ain’t going to happen,” said Tiah. “As for the market in Cloverdale, you build what the market will swallow there. Every developer (assesses) this.” At least 41 other purchasers bought more than one condo, representing more than 19 per cent of the tower. Tiah said it’s no surprise the building sold so well and many purchasers bought more than one unit. “I think a lot of people … have thought of real estate as a great investment for the last few years. For everybody. Not just this project. People who have the foresight got in early and have done pretty well. In every project, you always have a few people who buy more than one unit. It’s an investment. It’s pretty common. I should say it’s actually more common to have more people buy more than one unit the more entry-level (as opposed to luxury) the project is.” Derrick Cheung, a local realtor, bought his three units “pre-sale, referred by a friend … Why buy luxury property? For upscale living.” He is doing that in one of the units and renting out the other two. Vancouver psychiatrist Raymond Liang also bought three units, two through numbered companies linked to him and his office address, and one in his own name. He has resold one at a 33 per cent profit and another at a 43 per cent profit. Liang was subject to a rare fine by Canada Revenue Agency in recent years for tax evasion after flipping condos and not reporting $365,000 in income. Liang declined to speak to Postmedia about his Trump tower purchases.

it Suisse tow start to fill a Franz G Group wh stock-excha nering with the main gr ver office sp sector. Tho

Saturday, April 2, 2016

i 5

Saturday, January 28, 2017 -

Real Estate

Spillover from Toronto’s hot housing market is now driving up prices as far away as Niagara Region

Saturday - April 2, 2016

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

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

edit Suisse/ he heart of er will be , but so far, to move in. or a 10th of ng a state of n office skyhuge shift in s the region not seen beboom much uction rathted tenants. tory for Vanrincipal with vison Young. r occurring.” nly the most second wave for Vancoufirst cluster square feet – three years. pments are Credit Sue and West he office-vanues to inch of building. y the city is host towers.

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-

Canada’s largest city just keeps getting bigger — at least in terms of what constitutes “Toronto” real estate. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said Tuesday it is seeing a so-called spillover effect as far away as the St. Catharines-Niagara region after already witnessing the impact in places like Guelph, Hamilton and Barrie.

this purchasing behaviour is driving up house prices in these markets,” said Jean Sébastien Michel, principal, market analysis with CMHC. The Canadian Real Estate Association said in January the average price of a home sold in Niagara reached $317,861, up 16.1 per cent from a year ago. The Crown corporation maintains the impact on price has been greatest in Hamilton, where it says there is strong evidence of overvaluation. “The growth in house prices persistently outpaced economic and demographic fundamentals,” according to the report. The Realtors Association of HamiltonBurlington says its market is entering 2017 with low inventory. The average resale home across the market was $515,001 in December, up 13.7 per cent from a year ago. CMHC says the price gains in neighbouring municipalities trace back to what is happening in the Greater Toronto Area where the average price of a home climbed 18 per cent in the third quarter of 2016. Since the recession, the average GTA house price has been increasing at a disproportionately faster rate than any other Ontario area. Since the first quarter of 2016, CMHC says GTA prices are up about 30 per cent more than they should be compared to the rest of the province. Hamilton, Barrie, Guelph and Kitchener price growth has been linked to the GTA. St. Catharines-Niagara have only had a strong price growth relationship to the GTA since the 2008-2009 period.

0 By: Asian Star ADVT.

SOLD at $4,95,00

17,160 Sq. ft (Prime Industrial Lot) $ 985,000

change 5 years fixed rate to 3.29% (30 days quick close, Hi ratio only

“Our evidence indicates that increasing single-family home prices in the GTA are motivating buyers to purchase more affordable homes in nearby centres. In turn,

Yr)

xed

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005 3 Year Fixed

2.69%

less than 20% down)

5 years fixed @ 2.64% 2 years fixed @ 2.24% 3 years fixed @ 2.49%

ought

Fixed Rate

5 years @ 2.59% 2 years @ 2.04%

Variable Rate 5 Year @ 2.00% (Prime-0.70)

• First, 2nd & 3rd Mortgages • Borrow against Partial share • Refinance up to 95% value, Consolidate Debts & keep existing low rate 1st mortgage. • Construction Mortgage in 1st or 2nd position • Renewals • Private Mortgages

Saturda

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Garry Grewal

Vol. 6 No. 31

DIAMOND AWARD

Sutton Group - West Coast Realty

CLUB MEMBERAWARDS WINNERCOMMERCIAL OF FVREB’sMEDALLION TOP ACHIEVEMENT - Highest Dollar Volume Award - Commercial Top Sales Award

PLATINUM AWARD

COMMERCIAL MEDALLION CLUB MEMBER

FOR SALE

- Highest Dollar Volume Award

FOR LEASE

- Commercial Top Sales Award

FOR SALE

14.827 CRES A HOME OR ALE FS 1 BED AND 2 BED CONDO

Spectacular! Estate home on 14.827 Acres of high yield blueberry farm. Luxury NEW regal unfolds with the stunning front foyer, dual staircases, and elevated catwalk. LIS The TIN& walk great room is situated next to a gourmet chef kitchen w/ separate wok kitchen G Beautiful 800 sq.ft 1 bedroom apartment in media a highly desirable and room, beautifully in pantry. A room, yoga/ area exercise 8 bedrooms & multiple entertaining round outand thisdoor spectacular out upon south views of Mt. Baker or the maintained complex! Great floor rooms plan with patio off livinghome. roomGaze overlooking north views of the North Shore Mountains from outdoor patios situated both upstairs stunning courtyard, ponds and waterfall. LargeThis openiskitchen with great Radiant in and down. true luxury at itsstorage. best! The farm features healthy mature blueberry Duke, and Reca fee. ensuring crops throughout the season. Fully floor h/w heating and gas fireplacevarieties are included in Elliott, the maintenance In-suitesteady laundry, automated irrigation. Too much to list! Book a showing today! Asking $4,999,900

FOR LEASE PREMIUM OFFICE ACE SP HOTEL WITH 32 ROOMS FOR SALE FOR ALE S Picturesque location in the heart of beautiful British

MILLION

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

2011, 2012 2006-2007 2011, 2012

E-mail: ads@the

PREC PREC

it Suisse tow start to fill a Franz G Group wh stock-excha nering with the main gr ver office sp sector. Tho

MASTER AWARD

2010

2013-2014 FOR SALE

FOR 4020SALE 272 T, S/ LEASE LANGLEY OFFICE FOR LEASE IN PAYAL BUSINESS CENTRE

N LIS EW TIN G

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

8318 oadof R eringconsists is ofmedical off and Columbia;cott this Streasure a business 32 rooms other ofessionals pr opportunity o t with the potential to expand up toan50 rooms. Its also includes purchase emium pr of�ice space ey, in Sur a 110 seat pub, fully licensed resaturant and a Liquor store BC. o Set beed t y allcomplet b f 2016, this his and hers closet. PLUS 2 underground secured parking stalls with loads of visitor parking. with lot size close to 45,000ifsqft. PNP or run yourart Storage locker on main floor for added convenience. Close to shopping, schools, restaurants state eelIdeal for BC the and ete concr st own business and and easy access to Hwy 99, 91 and Hwy 10. Asking $250,000 building willachieve er your offentrepreneurial ae etaildreams! mixtur of and r A very rare opportunity to own a beautiful Parisian feel Salon/Café in Contact for morespace details. Askingt $2,599,000 of�ice o ofessionals pr lookingor f a Historic Abbotsford. Wellspace established, with overlooking a loyal client this Spacious 2 bedroom and 2 bath condo with over 1300 sq. ft.establishment of living with a beautiful viewfollowing of the inside home or ftheir business. Space beautiful ers offy all brunch,da ea. Lunch long erm and t Afternoon T courtyard and pond! Well maintained property with laminate floors, crown moulding and neutral paint. This open floor In addition, this beautiful café offers so much more! Reservations for is ed. limit oday Callor et f &mor details. LADIES APPAREL BOUTIQUE FOR SALE

ONE IN

2006-2007 2004-2005 2008-2009 2004-2005 2013-2014 2008-2009

#106 Group 7565 132 St.,Coast Surrey. BC. Sutton - West Realty PH:604-572-3005 FAX: 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

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

BUSINESS OR ALE S F

ATTENTION TRUCKERS!

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 5 acres Pita has blueberry plants as well. This Wellstand. established 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 R are oppor tunit y to to Hwy #1. The second house is rented as well as fruit stall.Rare opportunity to advantage of this stunning purchase a well established home! Call today for a personal viewing.

Attention Truckers! Permitted use for Transportation Industry and more. IL zoned The perfect turn key operation for those with a flair for fashion and wanting to run their own business! Located in the uptownOR DistrictFofALE New West busyGINA commercialRE area.Take advantage ACREAGE S in theIN ASKATCHEWAN - of 3 businesses S in land available. Two side by side lots that are one: 1. One year established Ladies Apparel & accessories Boutique 2. Complete professional alteration to be sold together. House is since franchise surrounded by highrises, residences, new established with love and a business owners delight don't miss this ATGRE INVES TMENT ORTUNITY! OPP in the same premises but segregated from the boutique. 3. Full website with two demolished. Commercial Land only. Please developments, commercial businesses and more. This opportunity! Please oach do staff, not ealtor contact orappry f business listing an with full workshop r location does school hot lunches and a large amount of info required. es, and acr el Hot velopment and PRIME OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASEAsking $75,000 INDIAN RESTAURANT FOR SALE online stores, social media presence and first page SEO4for alterations five star reviews. Owner selling duede contact for more details. Asking $649,000 catering ordering as well! Do not approach staff please site vailable a to the in next level withthe egina, of R this turn key business your ideas! City Prime office space on street level available for lease. Excellent location prime area Indian cuisine to health issues this is the perfect opportunity to take contact listing realtor for more details. Asking $209,000 each. not Saskatchewan. Prime location, Price is excluding inventory. Please contact for more details on this unique business. Asking $109,900 Perfect for a variety of usessteel including daycare, and take Lowf lease high traffic Established custom abrication and dine in business. aluminum eatout.Gr opportunity our area to own run y to be missed! or e Contact mor f martial arts Church use. with welding business withorservices that Central include:location aluminum custom and stock trailers, NEW LEASING OPPORTUNITY Contractand forrepair, more details. Asking $109,000 details. GROCERY STORE FOR SALE IN DOWNTOWN AREA mobile welding service, crane fabrication, fabrication of residential gates, security bars and much The Mann Corporate Centre is comprised of 23,000 square feet of 'A' Class office/retail space great exposure to Scott Rd. Contact for more details. more! Mon– Fri operation closed on weekends. Please contact me for more details on this hard to MORE 1000 Oa custom open floor 12,000 . forTyour preference. AIL S.F The & RET ACEOFFICE SP Ideal business opportunity well established Grocery and convenience store in busy downtown over three floors. A brand new facility with plan come by opportunity! Asking $149,000 FOR flexibility ALEandSallowsASE & LE designed to provide maximum for area. Excellent sales and profit. Full service store including UPS, cigarettes, world wide money Mann Corporate centre has beenAVAILABLE PRIME OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE many types of professional users who are seeking a high quality facility with great exposure. For sale Prime 1489 Sq ft office space for sale in busy retail/office complex in Surrey. transfers withDream Western union, slushies, Pizza or alehot dogs, FS fruits, vegetables, halal meats, atm, general Highlights include: State of the art facility with modern finishes, Underground secured Ideal for a variety office types. Visible from business 152 and centrally Established IndianofSweets and Restaurant locatedlocated. in high Asking traf�ic area of Scott Rd, Surrey. Perfect opportunity o andour own t excellent y lease bossterms surrounded by tons of parking provided. Free on site surface parking, more than 3 parking stalls per 1000 Sq ft. 24/7 groceries,vcleaning supplies more.be Low rent, Wide ariety egetarian v v menu eets. with xpanded Can sw tobe egetarian add e dishes non to the $350,000 with ell this and established w Pizza & turn key Indian 13737 96 ve, Central location entre A with City HD recording privilege. easy access to allCmajor routes. menu. Catering services provided regular clientele. Seating for 50. Complete turn key restaurant residential buildings commercial businesses. Perfect opportunity grab this security with Cuisine in y. unning Langle R successfull y or f FOB access and intercom. Please contact listing realtor for details on remaining space, square footage and pricing details. great business opportunity! Asking $129,000 #705 $465,000, #706 $335,000 PHARMASAVE FRANCHISE money making business it is gone! Contact details. Asking $189,900 the veLast ears before y�ixcellent with yedailfor more sales. Special occasions and even Private plan includes a large living room with gasShowers, f/p which Birthdays, open up ton Anniversaries, the spacious eating area. Extra large kitchen with lots of Wedding ceremonies. Wait...there's more! This beautiful treasure of a cabinets and counter space. Large laundrybusiness room, inoffers floor radiant heat,select extra shelving closets, 2 parking stallslinens, and storage gorgeous apparel,infurnishings, jewelry, gifts, locker. Great location with easy access tovintage shopping,treasures transit & Highway 91 & 99. PleaseA call listing realtor for more info. and home décor. beautiful, breathtaking turnkey operation this is a chance to own a niche business created and Asking $329,900

PAYAL BUSINESS CENTRE - 82 Ave & 128 St

CUSTOM TEELS &ABRICATION F BUSINESSOR ALEFS BUSINESS OR F SALE

PIZZA

INDIAN

Asset Sale- DBA "Pharmasave" well established franchise operating since June 2012. Increasing annual script 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 Fantastic opportunity to run your own Pizza & Indian Cuisine Kroll software, and Oscarfood, CRM software use. Lease area of 2,400 sq.ft. Customized improvements. business! Excellent rated in4.5/5 by customers open 7 daystenancy a Business is runbusy professionally by atake Healthout Carewith Groupavailability Company- enormous expansionifpotential! Owner will week, very location for seating desired. Tons of tourists central to major sites in Hope provide training. Contact me foryear moreround, details. Asking $899,000

BUSINESS OR F SALE

N LIS EW TIN G

CUISINE

and integral area near grocery stores, city hall, local police station, motels and cinema. Well established, great sales and a complete turn key operation that will not last long! Asking $199,000

UNITS OR F SALE &

BUSINESS PIZZA & CURRY RESTAURANT FOR SALE

Close o ys t Da Inn, estern The & Best W Westward Inn o also eyhound the closeGr t station, taxi op st bus y stand and man Establishednear & turny. keycellent restaurant Prime apartments bPizza &ExCurry location & ey for sale. ation. turn oper location Thisk and is opportunity o not be Asking t missed! $139,900 complete turn key operation. Full kitchen in place and complete take out and

COLLECTION / CREDIT COMPANY FOR SALE- ONE IN A MILLION OPPORTUNITY! delivery service.Reasonable parking for space. Onlinesale ordering, Hair lease alonand S ample Business 23 years Established Credit Company for sale. Retail and Commercial collections, Located on media , Hwy verdale F Cloea,all ell arin place w for established business, y your o full website, raser social presence you! Make maintain, higher monthl y evenue. Asking r $69,900 CONVENIENCE & MINI MAR T entrepreneurial Judgments, Tenancy Order Collection, loansTORE andSoutstanding invoices.Take dreams come true. Contact for more details. Asking $109,000 Don't miss this to run yourbusiness own buyopportunity. ConvenienceAsking store/Mini advantage of chance this unique niche $229,000

mart! This well established business is well or-ganized, excellent set up, with all your essential sundries for sale as well as lottery AND the licensing to sell Pizza at this location! Busy area near parks, schools, residences it is the perfect small business! Ample of Well known and established Lighthouse Franchise on King George & 80th in Surrey. Take out opportunity to add your ideas to an already turn key operation! establishment andgreat Partysmall Orders are also handled. The website for all franchise locations is www.lighthouse.menu and they are on Facebook Don't miss this business prospect! Asking $149,000

BUSINESS FOR SALE

LIGHTHOUSE

INDIAN

CUISINE

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. Establishment there is not a liquor license at this location. Asking $549,000

SIGNAGE & PRINTING BUSINESS FOR SALE

8321

CAFÉ FOR SALE

cellent 128 Ex locationSt

Asking in

businesses

uses. Asking

ATTENTION FOREIGN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS!!! 2 BABY ULTRASOUNDUNITS FRANCHISES FOR SALE! OR ALE F S

$349,000

(15299 VE)

$209,000 busy space theClose

space ariousat

Well established .Babyvestment UltrasoundinFranchise, 3D/4D ultrasound (not diagnostic), Private clinic for pregnant moms.ey Excellent opportunity o etail twefront r stor units in al Plaza Full turn key operation this easy to run niche market business e,is perfectStor for oindividuals or couples with is sale. Gr$899,000 Currently ocery leased to this or a Asking units f tw Medical/Health industry backgrounds. Beautifully set up office, low lease rate, excellent hours and easy to run with low overhead expenses. Professionals and New Immigrants with a healthcare background this is a perfect opportunity! Burnaby and Abbotsford locations available. Asking $125,000 each location

INVESTOR Of�ic NEWNG I LIST

Don't miss this rare opportunity to own your own busy Lighthouse Indian Cuisine Franchise! Prime location in Brickyard Station Plaza this fantastic business has Take out and dine in, beautiful décor, quality kitchen, Full Liquor license and full Indian Cuisine 95Menu. AveComplete & 152 940 sqft. is available for franchise. Contact me today for further turnSt., key operation enablesof�ice you to bespace your own boss with this established lease 2nd �loor including 3 small of�ices, meeting room info. on Asking $389,000 and reception. Also available 9400 sqft. space for lease. LOTS OF EXPOSURE.

UNIT FOR SALE

In Mughal Garden plaza 2 units available, approx 4875 sqft.Already leased to long term tenants, to be sold together. Asking $1.25 million

Contact for more info on this opportunity. Asking Only $69,000

17358

104A VE

RES TAURANT OR F ALE S

SURREY VERAS BURGER FRANCHISE FOR SALE

building

to be your own boss! Contact listing realtor for more details. Price : $339,000

J.J AINI S

PLAZA

VERAS BURGER FRANCHISE

8077 eas t KING GEORGE BLVD. The perfect retail

corner unit in busy plaza move in ready. Approx 1200 sq ft perfect for fast food, of�ice or retail Looking close for the perfect franchise well look no more! Established and award space. Easy access to highway, to all winning Vera's in busy Meadow Town Center with major anchors like amenities on Busy King George Hwy.Burgers Great Opportunity contact me today. Superstore, Cineplex Odeon, and many major Financial Institutions and major

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 own boss and take it to the next level! Asking $229,900

AUTO

BOD Y SHOPOR FSALE

Established auto y or bod shop our sale f own y! be boss y toda L NE IST W Well established ell anduto equipped e w Car A Center which IN G offers complete car &epair. truck inspection, service The ect perf opportunity our to own run businessy with a well ecognized r and established ve . automoti center Contact realtor or ef mor Askingdetails. $139,000

AUTO /TRANSMISSION/CAR REPAIR IN LOWER MAINLAND

Over 37 year well established Auto repair / Transmission Repair / car repair in

NEW G IN LIST

OFFICE ACE SP Large OR shop, ASE F3 Bays, LEample storage space available. the Lower Mainland.

8927

St Currently . 1100 of�ice or sqftand models vailable space lease inf a transmissions, services all makes of re manufactured automatic and standard, clutches, This is a confidential listing ar on eet 152nsd ey. in str differentials. Surr

152 .,Approx.

Guildford

and NDA will be VErequired. Please T&contact for more details. 120 Asking $229,000 S

Units vailable a space vailable a

ony

oad Scott d at vebus R A . 93r & ox. Appr St t o120 750 . 1700 , main second �loor �loor . eady o and Rve t mobasement in!

PAYAL BUSINESS CENTRE - 82 Ave & 128 St Approx.

11925

VE 95

. 4500 of�ice sqft vailable. ec. space Rea, conference oom. ery r V y nicel

D SOLUNIT FOR LEASE

SOL

ara small of�ice, oom andlunch designed and �inished.

growing area makes this an ideal location for your office. Contact listing realtor NEWNG I LIST

Station, restaurant and Public Transit. This space has 2 offices inside and lunch room as well as washroom. Perfect for Accountants, Notary, Great opportunity to get into a Franchised and or other consulting or Lawyer. The space can also be Immigration Located in a busy commercial plaza in the NE ED easy to operate CandyL business! This established IST W DUCuses as well. 1260 Sq. ft. converted INGPark Shopping heart of Surrey. Lots of traf�ic and close to franchise is located in Ocean Centerfor various REretail

NEW FRANCHISE

OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE

J.J SAINI PLAZA

BEAUTIFUL TURN KEY A SPALON / OR FSALES

Investment Opportunity in Hope. 7200 Sq. ft large Lot Fully near major anchor Safeway. This rapidly growing franchise currently has 22 locations within BC and Located in the heart in Payal Business Centre, this office is professionally designed. 5 offices, renovated home closeof Surrey to the Alberta. With unique product Imported from the US and UK this franchise is completely turn –key Downtown core.area, 2 separate bed, 2lunch bath reception room and full washroom. 1200 Sq ft Gross lease +gst. This easy to run and $20.00/sq full trainingftprovided. business is perfect for a couple and for those 850 sq.ft home to use as a rental Established auto body shop for sale be your own boss today! wanting to try their hand at being an entrepreneur. Asking $79,900 property. Asking $349,000 Well established and well equipped Auto Care Center which offers complete car &

OFFICE SPACE FOR SALE 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

and

sqft

UNIT OR FASE LE ON T 72 & 132 Available for lease. Opp JR Furniture. Good mix of warehouse and of�ice space. Centrally can be run from home or elsewhere. The exclusive Franchise territory for Maple Ridge, Pitt plaza Banquet in Halls, Surr DONAIR BUSINESS located in light industrial zoning. APARTMENT Meadows and Mission is for sale. Fantastic recession proof business that enable children Of�ice for eat vestment sale! In Gr from 3-13+ learn and build withALE Lego bricks. FOR S Teach the fundamentals of S.T.E.M. (science, FOR ALE S #1 1016 Sq cellent xposure, Ft e 12,000 op S.F. ExRETAIL t �loor of�ice y space Khalsa within the MORE 1000 TO & OFFICE SPACE technology, engineering & mathematics). This unique business offers in School Workshops, Amazing opportunity to be your own boss! ,6960ey Surr 120 St Cent er x. comple ull ea F ar eddesignat or oom f classr space and addition Established After Schoolving EnrichmentliClasses, Week long Summer camps, Birthday Parties, preDonair School food outlet in prime busy Business AVAILABLE FOR SALE & LEASE Perfect space with of�ice space. ake vantage T ad ons of ofxposure t om visual fr . 128th e af�ic High st tr area in Langley. Already steady clientele from Classes and the Kidz Night1000 out programs. Realtor for128 more info2 on this cornerPlease of listing ft and 84. CD zoning allows v over sq contact gr in opportunity . $325,000.00 the ous numer businesses ounding, surr tons complexof eat vestment unique opportunity. Asking $79,000 bedroom with den 2traf�ic and lots of opportunity to expand the #2. 1920 sq ft of second vate �loor of�ices, droom,of�iceboar space. bath corned unit in business further. Low lease, and great area reception ea,ar chenette. kit cellent Ex xposure, e op t �loor of�ice y space wit Harleen dens. Gar make this the perfect turn key operation to own Khalsa Business er Cent x. comple ake vantage T ad ons of of xposure t visual fr e om 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 The perfect second floor office space for lease Within busy Triton Centre. Busy and 128th af�ic xcomple eat tr tovestment gr inGas opportunity . $550,000 George Blvd.. Greatstvisual and High retail exposure. Close shopping,

forORTUNITY more details. 1985 Sq.ft. OPP

Approx. 3100 SF of office space available for sale in the busiest plaza in Surrey. Close to Banquet Halls, retailshops & offices. Asking $749,000

BUSINESS FOR SALE

Two adjoining of�ices in a new across om fr SMH. ht Can or be boug Wellleased established Vera's busy Fraser ogether t Burger orfFranchise otal located a onspace t Highway of in an Cloverdale. Well maintained. establishment full turn key operation ready for you 1600 sqft ate. or separ

a busiest to

CENTRE oom/of�ice showr r Center

2590 sqft . etail R ande CUISINE space for LIGHTHOUSE sale INDIAN Asking $649,000

N LIS EW TIN G

LEARNING CENTRE FOR SALE

ACE VAILABLE SP A

., Surrey. -

ITALIAN

units long

Unique and established opportunity to make your entrepreneurial dream come true! This beautiful Café in the heart of White OFFICE Rock is a small business owners ACE SP OR ALE F S dream! Tastefully decorated 3100 excellent breakfast and lunch fmenu ofandsalerarely Approx. vailableSFor of�ice in ey. found…Liquor license as well! Outdoor seating back and front of premises, retailshops & Asking tons ofof�ices. $749,000 parking and many, many more high rises coming in the area currently make this a business owners dream come true.UNIT Turn keyORbusiness you! BUSINESS ALE Fready T and S waiting AA forKHALS Confidentiality agreement to be signed beforeopportunity! viewing the Take vantage ad will eat of have vestment in this gr business. ound Ideal etail/�loor Gr high $149,900 ceilings eys in busy Surr Khalsa Business Asking

OPPOR

Large loading door at the back of the unit. 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 Fully carpeted office space lots windows support from the founders, this BC based company is looking for individuals who allowing plenty of light, security alarm believe in health and are community driven and are wanting to utilize that to let Entrepreneurial juices Contact cuisine for more details on the Green Moustache Atheir treasure gem offlow! Italian tucked away and 2 bathrooms. Contact for NEmore W info. term in tenants, to be sold Franchise and joining the Green Moustache family on W.4th! Asking $99,000 Hope! Open for lunch and dinner this quaint LISTING restaurant serves traditional Italian classics in a fantastic atmosphere and ambiance. Perfect casual dining for locals as well as tourist traf�ic. Attention centers,ready Early Childhood related businesses, Teachers and others with Educational backgrounds that Turn keylearning operation for youEducation to implement plaza. enjoy dreams working with Your dream to own your business has arrived. Reputable and your as children! a restaurant owner! Asking $219,000 established Bricks 4Kidz Franchise has over 320 franchises worldwide! This unique business

TOWING COMPANYOR FORFSALES UNIT ALE

Established and reputable towing company that serves clients throughout In den Mughal plaza Gar 2 theavailable, Lower Mainland. to run your ownsqft turn key business to oxIdeal opportunity appr .Already 4875 leased AskingAsking $279,900 $1.25 million in a niche market. Contacttogether. for more details.

FRANCHISE TUNITY

PIZZA BUSINESS FORDSALE SOL LD

GREEN MOUSTACHE FRANCHISE FOR UNIT AT 83tAVE & 130 ST Fully �inished y sideata sideSALE b orunits str otalFORaLEASE f Are you passionate healthy lifestyle? you ready to takesqft of ox.about appr 5540 . Arevailable A or f sale. o unit in anClose t Ample Corner excellent location. your passion and belief in healthy organic foods and juices to the Port K and joinIndustrial y Eas o access t and in the warehouse. next level??ells Look no further The Greenea. Moustache ar Family space bothboth office with their latest franchise locationaci�ic on 1 W. 4th in Vancouver. Already an established ossing. Highway hway Hig and Ptruck cr

N LIS EW TIN G

Don't miss this rare opportunity to own your own busy Lighthouse Indian Cuisine Franchise! Prime location in Brickyard Station Plaza this fantastic business has Take out and dine in, beautiful décor, quality Great opportunity to run your own signage and printing business! This established turn key operation offers all kitchen, Full Liquor license and full Indian Cuisine Menu. Complete varieties banners and signs, vehicle wraps, lettering LED Channel & 3D letters and awning turn keyof operation enables you window to be graphics your &own boss with this canopies and window graphics. Establishedme for five years,for low lease, built upinfo. clientele make this a great business established franchise. Contact today further Asking opportunity! Contact me for more details. Asking $99,000 $389,000

RETAIL

GREAT

Great ranchise F opportunity ed! yjust Bus list Coquitlam Cent er Mall or location oss Chop N Be your own boss! Established Pizza business for sale. Excellent location fin South Surrey withont tons to expand andlong! grow. Only $69,000.00! Franchise! W of opportunity last Asking $158,800

LE ASE

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

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 R $60,000

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

EDUCED29/07

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

27/01