The Asian Star May23 2015 by The Asian Star Newspaper

www.theasianstar.com Vol 14

Issue 17 Saturday, May 23, 2015

All the news you need and more...

Paani Puri

Almost 34 million vehicles recalled

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Bollywood section

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Hindus seek right to scatter cremated remains in all Canadian rivers

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anadian Hindus are urging all Canadian provinces and territories to allow them to scatter cremated remains of their loved ones in all Canadian rivers. The call comes after an announcement by Ontario’s Bronte Creek Park Oakville allowing scattering of cremated remains of loved ones in the rivers and land of that park. Now Hindus are urging parks of all ten provinces and three territories of Canada to do the same. “Families and individuals who wish to scatter cremated remains of a loved one can do so in Bronte Creek Provincial Park on both land and in Continued on page 7

SkyTrain service shut down by ‘bird’s nest fire’

he Expo Line on SkyTrain was shut down for Friday (for the second time in a week), creating havoc for morning commute and shutting the system down for most of the day. The shut down was due to a fire on the guideway late Thursday night, according to Translink. TransLink spokeswoman Anne Drennan said a fourfoot-long section of cables near the Main Street S k y Train station had burned out after a bird’s nest caught fire. “Maintenance workers were using a rotary grinder to smooth the track down for safety, and to keep the noise levels down. And a spark

Continued on page 7

Mayor Linda Hepner talks of innovation in crime-ridden Surrey

room.” She referred urrey Mayor to Surrey First’s Linda Hep$21-million crimener attemptfighting platform in ed to shift the public’s last November’s civic focus from crime to election, where she innovation in her anpromised 147 new nual state of the city police officers over address last Wednestwo years. She noted day. She told the the federal governcrowd at the SheraMayor Linda Hepner at her annual state of ment this week apton Guildford Hotel the city address. Photo: Chandra Bodalia proved 100 new ofthat her dreams for the sprawling municipality centre on one ficers. She said the city is hunting for a word: innovation. However, she wants to director of public safety strategies, a new deal with the nightmare of crime first “by person at city hall whose job it will be to dealing head on with the issue of public integrate the work and programs of posafety,” which she called the “elephant in the lice, fire, bylaws and other city departContinued on page 6

Indian mother looking for a ‘suitable boy’ for her gay son

ay rights activist Harrish Iyer has received half a dozen proposals after his mother placed a matrimonial advertisement in an Indian newspaper. The advert, believed to be India’s first gay matrimonial ad, was placed by his mother, Padma Iyer, Harrish Iyer’s mother placed a matrimonial in Mumbai’s Mid-Day newsadvert for her gay son (left). paper on Tuesday. Mr Iyer, a prominent LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, meet. I am looking forward to meet Transgender) activist, told the BBC that them. I am hoping to find a partner his mother, like “any other in the world”, now,” he said. The ad was published in was worried about his wedding prospects Mid-Day newspaper In India arranged and decided to place a newspaper advert. marriages are preferred over love “She is going through the proposals, she Continued on page 6 will draw a shortlist and tell me who to

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2 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Sunny Leone proud of her Punjabi language heritage

he might have changed tracks in terms of her primary profession, but you can’t help but have her former image, that of an adult film star, in mind. In person, however, this girl is a true-blue Punjabi. Sunny Leone, the Indian-origin Canadian actress, is in love with aloo ke paranthe and is deeply frustrated by her colleagues’ lax attitude towards punctuality. The diva, who was born in Ontario, traces her roots to Chandigarh, where she was on Sunday for a private business event. “My father was from Chandigarh and mother from Nahan, Himachal Pradesh. It’s the way this city smells that you feel at home. I don’t know how to explain it; it’s this peculiar, homely whiff in the air.”

Punjab also reminds her of better times, says she. “Though I didn’t visit Punjab very often, I have childhood memories of everyone getting together, staying up till late and talking endlessly. Those are the memories I associate with this city [Chandigarh]. The last couple of times I visited Punjab were either for my mother’s last rites or my father’s.” The language, however, is something she hasn’t been able to get a hang of. “My parents spoke to us in Punjabi during childhood; we even used to watch Hindi movies. I understand Punjabi, but I can’t

speak it as much as I would like to. My parents should have tried a little harder.” Throwing more light on her ‘Punjabiyat’, she adds, “I just love aloo ke paranthe. But, I can’t eat them very often, because then I’d also need butter, curd and aam ka achaar — things you are not supposed to eat being in the entertainment indus-

try.” What’s her key to fitness, then? “I try and work-out as much as possible. If can’t work-

Hindu group demands Sunny Leone be deported from India

he Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) on Friday demanded the deportation of former porn star Sunny Leone and barring her future entry into India for displaying what it terms vulgarity on her website and insulting the dignity of women. The HJS lodged a first information report (FIR) with Sunil Shi-

varkar, head of Ramnagar police station in Dombivali in Thane, said HJS spokesman Uday Dhuri. “The FIR was registered by our local representative Anjali Palan and others. Besides, we have already registered over a dozen similar complaints in various districts of Maharashtra and in Goa in the past one week but police have not taken

any action so far,” Dhuri told IANS. Accusing Sunny Leone – who now works in Bollywood movies – of promoting vulgarity through nude and provocative pictures posted on her website (www.sunnyleone.com), he said this was corrupting the Indian youth, spoiling the young and insulting the dignity of Indian women.

out, due to the crazy schedule, I try to eat healthy. When I’m on set for 12 hours straight, I do some exercises through the day.” Sunny is all excited for upcoming movie, Kaizad Gustad’s Jackpot, featuring Naseeruddin Shah and Sachiin Joshi. The movie is set in the world of casino boats and gambling. “I play the role of Maya. It was fun shooting in Goa for the movie, because, we were always either waiting for rain or creating it. We had to time our shots according to the weather, which was fun,” shares she. Sunny, who would also be seen in Ragini MMS 2 and Tina and Lolo, is upset about a few things: “I’m very particular about time. I’m mostly on time, and end up waiting around for the others. In India, being on time is somehow equated to being cool. It’s a twisted concept.” And the directors on her wish list? “No one in particular. The director doesn’t matter till the time I love the script, team and the crew. I have to love the production company and their approach. I can’t put in words the amount of stress I take when production doesn’t happen on time.”

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Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 3

NDP jumps into 3-way race with Conservatives, Liberals

Two recent polls suggest the political landscape is shifting dramatically

veryone likes a winner, or so it seems for the federal NDP as recent polls show the party pulling statistically even with the Liberals and Conservatives in the wake of the provincial New Democrats’ victory in Alberta on May 5. But is this to be a lasting shift in the race, or a blip that will soon be forgotten? Two national polls taken after the Alberta provincial vote have shown significant growth for the NDP. A poll by EKOS Research for iPolitics put the Conservatives in a narrow lead with 30 per cent support, followed by the New Democrats at 29 per cent and the Liberals at 27 per cent. That represented a five-point gain for the NDP compared to the EKOS poll conducted in the week prior to the Alberta election. It was also notable that it came from EKOS,

a firm which had the NDP below 20 per cent in six consecutive polls between January and early March, a time when most other surveys pegged the NDP in the low-20s. The New Democrats jumped even more dramatically in the most recent survey by Forum Research for the Toronto Star, which put the party at 30 per cent, up seven points from a midApril poll and just one point behind the Conservatives and Liberals. Again, it was noteworthy to see this sort of result from Forum, as the pollster’s previous recent high for the NDP was just 23 per cent. In fact, Forum has not had the NDP so high

in national voting intentions since October, 2012. For EKOS, that stretches back further, to July, 2012. A Nanos Research poll released by CTV over the weekend put a bit of a damper on the NDP’s excitement, suggesting the Conservatives held 33 per cent support to 31 per cent for the Liberals and just 25 per cent for the NDP. But the Nanos survey was conducted in the four weeks ending May 14, meaning most of the poll was conduct-

ed before election day in Alberta. It may not be indicative of current trends, particularly if the NDP has experienced the significant surge that EKOS and Forum recorded in the past two weeks. Interestingly, however, the polls have not registered a similar improvement in Mulcair’s personal approval ratings. In fact, both EKOS and Forum have the NDP leader down very slightly. If the NDP’s up, who is down? While both EKOS and Forum agree something is happening with the NDP, if not the NDP’s leader, they were in less agreement on which party has suffered as a result. EKOS had the Liberals down sharply from the previous week,

Former Toronto man pleads guilty in death of Surrey hockey mom Julie Paskall The man accused of second-degree murder in the beating death of Surrey hockey mom Julie Paskall (pictured) has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Yosef Gopaul, originally from Toronto, admitted to manslaughter in the death of the woman who went to a Surrey arena to pick up her 16-year-old son, who’d been refereeing a minor hockey game. Paskall died in hospital two days later, on Dec. 31, 2013. Angry residents demanded solutions to the high crime rate as her death became the 25th homicide that year. Even before Paskall was killed, the mayor had launched a task force to come up with solutions the growing crime problem. Gopaul, who moved to Sur-

rey from Toronto just eight weeks before Paskall’s death, was arrested and charged in May last year. After a preliminary hearing in January, Gopaul was ordered to stand trial for Paskall’s murder that took place in the neighbourhood of Newton. On the second anniversary of her death, the Newton Community Association said little had changed to address residents fears about crime since the murder. Earlier this week, the federal government announced funding for 100 more RCMP officers in Surrey, and $3.5 million over five years for an anti-gang program. Police have said Gopaul has a criminal record but not in British Columbia.

Three charged with fatal stabbing of 19-year-old

hree teenagers have been charged in connection with the fatal stabbing in Whistler on Sunday of 19 year-old Luka Gordic (pictured). The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced that three 17-year-old suspects are facing manslaughter charges after what police described as “an altercation between two groups spending the long weekend in Whistler.”IHIT media officer Sgt. Stephanie Ashton said an 18 year-old man is also facing charges. “This was a situation where a group of young people who knew each other had a dispute which turned deadly,” Ashton said. “There are some witnesses who have yet to speak with investigators about the death of Luka Gordic. We ask that those people come forward now and tell us what they know.” She said the accused all appeared in North Vancouver Provincial Court on Tuesday. Gordic was stabbed about 12:30 a.m. Sunday near Main Street in Whistler. Gordic was taken to the local clinic with life-threatening injuries and later died. Gordic’s older brother Milos described the teen as his best friend and said the family is devastated by the homicide. “This has been beyond devastating,’’ Milos told the Canadian Press on Monday. “People are going to think this is a gang-on-gang thing but it’s not like that . . . He was an innocent little man.’’ He said Luka, who turned 19 earlier this month, graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary

School a year ago and was studying to become a plumber at Pacific Vocational College. He was the youngest of four kids and lived at home with his parents, two older brothers, one sister and the family dog. “Something’s got to be done,’’ said Milos, describing his family as furious. “You’ve got innocent kids getting stabbed,’’ he said. “It shouldn’t happen to anyone.’’ As for those responsible for the stabbing,

Milos said he expects them to be punishe d by the law. “They hurt a lot of people, those guys,’’ he said. ``I hope they know what they did.’’ There was a second stabbing Sunday night in Whistler .

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4 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

EDITORIAL

Despicable behavior by Ontario judges to keep bank robber in Canada

ourts in Canada, especially courts at the higher level, do not appear to understand the role of the court system. The Courts are supposed to pass judgment based

on laws created by parliament – not create new laws. But it appears un-elected Canadian judges feel they have a god-given right to sweep aside laws passed by elected MPs of

Canada and instead impose their own laws – kind of like a judicial dictatorship. The Supreme Court is already locked in a well publicized “war” with the federal government, pushing aside new government initiatives and laws. But now the Ontario Court of Appeal seems to have got into the act too. The Ontario Court of Appeal slashed a jail term handed to a Syrian-born bank robber so he could avoid deportation to his homeland. Because of the “collateral immigration consequences,” the appeal court reduced Amjad Nassri’s sentence by more than one third — from nine months to less than six months — for a bank heist that ended when he crashed into a truck during his getaway. “It is self-evident that depriving the appellant of the right to appeal deportation to one of the most dangerous places on Earth would be grossly disproportionate to this offence,” wrote Justice Robert Sharpe on behalf of a panel of three judges. But the Court’s decision is being criticized for circumventing the Harper government’s crackdown on foreign criminals remaining in Canada. Just weeks before Nassri was sentenced, the government’s new legislation speeding removal of foreigners sentenced to more than six months was enacted. “It is somewhat troubling that the court seems to be trying to fit the sentence to fall shy of the six months bar, which was intended by Parliament to expedite the removal of non-citizen criminals,” said Sergio Karas, an immigration lawyer who is a former chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s immigration section. Nassri was 21 in 2010 when he drove three men to a Toronto CIBC. As he kept his father’s Corolla running outside, his cohorts — armed with knives and their faces covered by bandanas — burst inside. Mohamed Noori stayed at the front door keeping watch. Abdirahman Diriye and an unidentified accomplice vaulted over the cashier’s counter where one held a large knife to the back of a teller’s neck. Continued from page 6

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Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 5

LOCAL

6 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Continued from Page 1... a medical imaging par tments. She estimates the centre to be located position will be at Surrey Memorifilled in three to six months. Hepner said the al Hospital and a first for Western Canada. other big elephant in the room is the transit Hepner said the city will now broaden that plebiscite, noting 45 per cent of the plan is success into the fields of clean tech, agri-infor projects in Surrey. She said Surrey’s Light novation and social innovation. She said Rail Transit will create 24,000 construction Newton has quickly become a “hotbed” of jobs. But innovation is what clean-tech innovation, being Hepner hammered on, touthome to Foresight Cleantech ing the success of Surrey’s Accelerator Centre, Simon Innovation Boulevard in the Fraser University’s Fuel Cell city centre. “In fact, the first Research Lab and more. AcInnovation Boulevard-grown cording to Hepner, Surrey is technology has already been well positioned to lead in the commercialized. Conquer sector. Mobile’s surgery simulation She’s dubbed a new initiaprogram moved from idea to product in less tive “EcoNewton” that will pull together all than one year — virtually unheard of,” she the clean-tech work in Newton’s industrial said. She noted that the day before her ad- area to become an “international hub.” As dress, Innovation Boulevard received $3.6 well, she said, the city plans to introduce a million in funding for the ImageTech Lab, Nexus-style development and building permit

Mayor Linda Hepner

Minister for Defense Jason Kenny (middle) with his South Asian supporters in Vancovuer last week. Photo: Chandar Bodalia Continued from Page 1...

‘Suitable boy’ for gay son

matches and prominent newspapers daily carry thousands of ads for those looking for brides or grooms. But Mr Iyer’s mother’s attempt to place an ad to find a “groom” for her gay son raked up a controversy in a country where homosexuality is still a crime. In 2009, the Delhi high court in a landmark ruling decriminalised homosexual acts, but in December 2013, the Supreme Court reversed the order. It was seen as a massive blow to LGBT activists in the country. The campaign for gay rights continues to face stiff opposition from religious groups who claim that homosexuality

is “against Indian culture”. Many religious and political groups have opposed decriminalisation of gay sex in India Mr Iyer says before Mid-Day agreed to carry the ad, his mother had approached three prominent newspapers - they all turned it down saying publishing it could invite legal trouble. He says he is aware of the legal issues and what the law of the land says about samesex marriages. “It was an innocent attempt by a mother to find a partner for her son. She did what any other would have done. I do not understand the controversy over this advert.”

From page 4

Despicable behavior by Ontario judges

Diriye, Noori and Nassri were arrested. The other two, who were younger than Nassri, pled guilty. Diriye was sentenced to two years less a day and Noori to 13.5 months. Nassri went to trial, claiming he didn’t know his friends were planning to rob the bank. The judge didn’t buy it and found him guilty of robbery and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The Crown asked for a 13 month sentence; Nassri’s lawyer asked for eight. The trial judge said eight months would “not accurately reflect the seriousness of this offence,” and sentenced him to nine months. After sentencing, Nassri and his lawyer realized the gravity of his situation. One month before, the government’s Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act came into force limiting immigration appeal rights of permanent residents found inadmissible for “serious criminality.” The threshold dropped

from a sentence of two years to a sentence of six months. He appealed. In its “wisdom” , the Ontario Appeal Court has given Nassri less than six months for robbing a bank – even though his two colleagues received much higher jail terms after pleading guilty. The Court did this in order to circumvent the federal government law of removing foreign criminals from this country as quickly as possible. Circumventing federal government laws, properly enacted by elected MPs, is not the role of Courts. If Nassri and others like him do not want to get deported, they should not be robbing banks. And judges should be more concerned about protecting Canadian public – not protecting foreign criminals by circumventing laws to keep them in Canada.

LOCAL

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 7

Continued from Page 1...

Hindus seek right to scatter cremated remains in all Canadian rivers

water,â&#x20AC;? a sign in Bronte Creek Provincial Park, a unit of Ontario Parks, says Rajan Zed, a Hindu leader in North America, thanked and commended the Ontario Parks for having a feel for the religious sentiments of area Hindu community and respecting their traditions. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said it was a step in the positive direction and urged authorities in all the ten provinces and three territories to allow Hindus

and others to scatter the ashes of loved ones in their rivers, carving designated scattering areas. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. Bronte Creek Provincial Park contains Bronte Creek Ravine and a 1.8 acre outdoor pool and is open every day except for Christmas Day.

SkyTrain service shut down by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nest fireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Continued from Page 1...

spark flew off...and wafted under the guideway and flew into a birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nest,â&#x20AC;? said Drennan at Main Street Station early Friday morning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The nest caught on fire and it flared in

just the right way so this four-foot length of multiple cables just burned out.â&#x20AC;? She expected the Skytrain to be back in service before Friday evening commute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those cables have to be replaced by cutting out the burnt part and splicing in a whole new portion. So you can imagine how meticulous and detailed this work is,â&#x20AC;? said Drennan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really time consuming work.â&#x20AC;? She says all buses, SeaBus and SkyTrain routes was free of charge for the rest of Friday. TransLink will also compensate transit pass holders for the delays. TransLink will announce that compensation as soon as the details are worked out, said Drennan. Meanwhile, a bus bridge has been set up to take passengers to Waterfront station, but travellers are advised to find alternative routes if possible. At the peak of morning rush hour, the shuttle bus from Main Street to Waterfront was crammed with weary commuters, standing shoulder to shoulder. Many were frowning and huffing as the bus stopped at each station. People pushed and shoved to get off the bus.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This sucks because there was another breakdown earlier this week,â&#x20AC;? said Melanie Hoken, who was trying to get out to Surrey by bus from downtown Vancouver for her government job. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just hugely inconvenient, you have a job and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re expected to be there.â&#x20AC;? By 7:30 a.m, crowds of people poured out of Waterfront station and queued for several busses waiting to take them to another SkyTrain station. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so confused,â&#x20AC;? complained one passenger as she crammed into a bus lineup. The shuttle buses are leaving every five minutes, and SkyTrain staff are guiding commuters. The lineups for the buses are moving quickly. A fire on a SkyTrain guideway near Main Street Station late Thursday night meant Expo Line service was suspended throughout Vancouver. The fire was reportedly caused by a birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nest that caught fire during some work on the SkyTrain line and caused a communications failure for all trains between Waterfront and Edmonds station, according to a TransLink press release. The cause of the fire has not yet been released. Passengers first reported that their trains had suddenly stopped shortly after 11 p.m. TransLink later said it had set up a bus shuttle to transfer passengers to the Millennium Line.

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8 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Victoria realtor faces suspension for helping mentally ill woman buy leaky condo

ictoria realtor Jim Parsons is appealing a Real Estate Council of B.C. decision to cancel his licence for five years. Parsons, a veteran Victoria Realtor who helped a mentally ill client buy a leaky condo listed by his son, is facing a fiveyear licence cancellation by the Real Estate Council of B.C. The Realtor claims a tent will be the only property he can afford if he loses his appeal of one of the longest suspensions ever ordered by the real estate council: five years for conduct unbecoming. The 69-yearold allegedly let a mentally ill client waive a property inspection to buy a leaky condo. The condo was listed by Parsons’s son. It’s not as bad as it sounds, he says. “I’m not arguing about the fact that she had a history of mental illness,” he says. “I’m just saying that I didn’t know about it.” ‘Extremely low standard’ But the real estate council found otherwise, choosing to accept the client’s version of events in a decision posted last month. “The committee found that Mr. Parsons’ conduct was of an extremely low standard. His callous disregard for his client’s interest, his dishonesty, and his failure to meet even the most basic requirements of a licensee were independently deserving of a severe penalty,” the decision reads. “He failed to meet even the most basic of duties owed to his client, and ultimately caused significant financial harm to his client who was in a vulnerable position.” The council wants Parsons’s licence cancelled for at least five years. The penalty has been stayed, pending the outcome of his appeal to B.C.’s Financial Services Tribunal. The woman — who is not named in the decision — filed her complaint

in 2013, more than six years after she first met Parsons through a newspaper advertisement. She was going through a marital breakup and looking for a home for herself and her teenage daughter. The decision centres around two purchase offers the woman made with Parsons. Suicidal client The woman, a high school teacher, was admitted as an inpatient at a psychiatric facility for contemplating suicide days after putting an offer on the first property. The deal ultimately fell through, but the council found Parsons must have learned his client was mentally ill at that time, because his daughter picked up a deposit cheque from her at the hospital. A month later, the woman waived a property inspection to buy another condo in a deal that closed in three days. She testified she didn’t realize the listing Realtor was Parsons’s son; Parsons himself was the original Realtor on the property, but gave the listing to his son, who had just received his real estate licence. The woman paid $180,000 for the condo, but was slapped with a remediation bill for $59,597.86 within months. According to the decision, she didn’t receive documents that might have indicated she was buying a leaky condo before removing the subjects on her offer. The council found Parsons had read the reports, but didn’t share their contents with his client. “From these documents it was clear that the … property may be a ‘leaky condo,’” the decision reads. “Had [she] had the benefit of any of the … documents beforehand or if Mr. Parsons had discussed the contents of the documents with her, the committee accepted that she would not have removed her subjects.”

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Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Vancouver South Conservative MP, Wai Yeung, pictured above at the residence of Vancouver resident Major Sidhu on May 19 – at an event to support Yeung’s re-election bid. Photo: Chandra Bodalia

Khalsa Diwan Society’s sports festival

Khalsa Diwan Society of Vancouver held Babbars’ 50th Sports festival at Memorial Park in Vancouver on May 16 and 17. Pictured above are scenes from the kabbadi tournament and trophy presentation. Photo: Chandra Bodalia

Improving tax system may keep foreign investors from Vancouver’s housing market, says immigration lawyer Inspired by the legendary FBI ploy to nab a notorious gangster, a B.C. immigration lawyer suggests the Canadian tax system be used to discourage the world’s super-rich from driving Vancouver property prices into the stratosphere. Richard Kurland, who appears regularly before MPs pitching his ideas, said Canada doesn’t need to copy Australian measures that have targeted foreign, especially Chinese, investors. That would create an expensive new bureaucracy and could run afoul of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canada’s international trade obligations, he said. Instead, Canada should follow the approach taken by the FBI when it figured out it could nail Al Capone in 1931 on tax evasion charges. That resulted in an 11-year sentence for a man who had escaped prosecution for far more ghastly crimes. Kurland, whose idea was greeted enthusiastically by three Canadian immigration policy analysts but skeptically by two tax experts, is calling for everyone — Canadian citizens, permanent residents and foreign nationals — to provide Canada Revenue Agency-confirmed evidence they are Canadian residents for income tax purposes at the time of housing transactions. This will primarily affect those selling a property, since anyone who wants to avoid a 25-per-cent withholding tax on their capital gain must provide a declaration that they are a Canadian resident selling their primary residence. But it will also allow federal authorities to better track buyers as well. Kurland said it’s well-known in the industry that some foreigners and even permanent residents who live full-time outside Canada make a bogus claim of residency. Often, the only proof the seller offers to real estate lawyers to support that declaration is their permanent resident card, which has a less-onerous residency requirement than

Canada’s Income Tax Act. And sometimes, according to Kurland, properties are sold with no evidence of residency submitted. Bringing the value of “honesty” to the system would also bring order to an “anything goes” industry in which temporary foreign workers, foreign students, long-term visitors, refugee claimants and even people without status have bought and sold property in Canada. The new system would likely result in greater tax compliance, could cool speculative fervour in the market, and provide government auditors with vital information to track the flow and impact of foreign investment — including funds obtained through corruption and fraud — into Canadian real estate. “The information will help prevent the parking of illicit gains, hot money, and undeclared income into Canadian real estate,” he said. Kurland said the CRA could configure its website to conveniently produce a residency certificate in PDF form for anyone who has filed, say, two consecutive income tax returns. The system would have numerous benefits, including giving the federal government information on property transactions, he said. “The information would help fight tax crime domestically, since residential property can be traced.” It could also discourage uber-rich foreign nationals and the “astronauts” — permanent residents and Canadian citizens who make their money overseas but keep a spouse and children in Canada — from throwing piles of money at Vancouver property listings, since the requirement to provide a CRA residency certificate would necessitate the filing of Canadian tax returns. “In telling the CRA he’s a tax resident here in Canada, he now by law must report and file an income tax return that discloses his global property holdings and global income, and is required to pay Continued on next page

LOCAL

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 9

Son suspect in Richmond mother’s murder

head or close cropped hair. Anyone with information about Lescano’s whereabouts is asked to call IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or foot-six, 141 pounds with black hair, brown omicide police are searching for a him that you call police immediately, do not email ihittipline@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. eyes and a slim build. He may have a shaved him. ” Lescano is described is fiveman suspected of killing hisH1_FFH_Asian mother approach Star_A_JrPg:Layout 1 09/03/15 11:19 AM Page 1 in Richmond, B.C., on

Tuesday. Redelma Belisario, 62, was found dead by family members just after 3:30 p.m. in a home in the 11000-block of Woodhead Road, according to Sgt. Stephanie Ashton of the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. Ashton said an autopsy is needed to confirm the cause of death but said it appears to be a case of foul play. She said police are searching for the victim’s 38-year-old son Darwin Lescano, who has not been found and is believed to be a suspect. “It is the priority of IHIT to locate Mr. Lescano,” Ashton said in a media release. “We are asking that anyone who knows where Mr. Lescano may be or if you see

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From previous page tax on his global income here in Canada,” Kurland said. “You think that’s going to happen? No way!” Kurland said this change, combined with a recent federal reform he pushed for that toughens residency requirements needed to obtain citizenship, wouldn’t suddenly make Vancouver real estate affordable for ordinary people. But it could take some speculative air out of the bubble. “It would create the conditions for a soft landing,” he said. “‘Honest tax reporting’ becomes a mandatory core Canadian value that people wanting to become Canadian will need to respect.” The idea got thumbs-up reviews from three prominent immigration policy analysts — B.C. economist and former MP Herb Grubel, McMaster University economist Arthur Sweetman, and Rob Vineberg, a former senior federal immigration official now with the Canada West Foundation think-tank.

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LOCAL

Christy Clark announces LNG agreement with Petronas

.C. Premier Christy Clark has announced an agreement in principle with Pacific NorthWest LNG, owned in majority by Malaysia’s Petronas, for a liquefied natural gas development on the province’s northwest coast. Clark said the LNG framework will result in stable, longterm revenue for B.C. and $36 billion in investment, including a proposal for an LNG facility near Prince Rupert. “Today reflects the beginning of the company’s final decision path toward an investment decision,” Clark said Wednesday morning. The memorandum of understanding outlines steps leading to a project development agreement with the company, according to the government. It includes a long-term royalty agreement with the company that guarantees decades without tax or royalty increases, Clark told re-

porters. There are still a number of hurdles. The province is working on First Nations approvals and waiting for a Canadian Environmental Assessment to be completed, said Clark. Also, Pacific NorthWest LNG needs to commit to financing for the deal. Clark won the 2013 provincial election in part on the promise of fostering an LNG industry that would create tens of thousands of jobs and wipe out B.C.’s debt, but the government’s plan has fallen behind schedule. Petronas is behind one of the liquefied natural gas facilities proposed for B.C’s northwest coast. It has government backing but has run into difficulties securing First Nations support. Pacific NorthWest LNG, a majority of which is owned by Petronas, has proposed to build a pipeline and terminal on Lelu Island just south of Prince Rupert, B.C.

2 more young South Asian men charged in guns seizure - may be linked to Surrey shootings, say police

olice have seized firearms and drugs from two young men — Chandanjot Singh Gill, 18, and Munroop Singh Hayer, 21 — believed to be associated with the recent spate of shootings in Delta and Surrey, B.C. Gill is now facing several firearms-related charges as well as one charge of trafficking in a controlled substance. He has been remanded in custody until his next scheduled court appearance on May 29. Hayer has been charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. He has been released and is expected to appear in court on June 3. The pair were arrested after police executed a search warrant at a home located on the 7300 block of 123 Street in Surrey on March 12.

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 11

LNG royalty agreement casts doubt on BC election promises: Critics

as royalty scheme should ‘outrage British Columbians’: Green party Province to sound out motorcycle noise complaints in B.C. B.C. government wins appeal in teachers ruling Premier Christy Clark spent the 2013 election campaign touring the province promising a “Debt Free B.C.” off the back of a trillion-dollar Liquefied Natural Gas industry. Through balanced budgets, controlled spending and – mostly – LNG revenues, the province could eliminate an estimated $62.7 billion in debt, create 100,000 jobs and bring an end to the Provincial Sales Tax, Clark vowed. On Wednesday, B.C. entered into its first long-term royalty agreement with a proponent, Pacific NorthWest LNG, estimating that the province stands to gain $7.7 billion in royalties over 23 years should the Petronas-led venture go ahead with its project.

Coupled with a tentative project development agreement that compensates Pacific NorthWest LNG from future LNG-related royalty and tax legislation, Clark said the agreements are a huge step toward establishing the industry in B.C. “These agreements set the stage for a potential $36 billion investment in northern B.C. that will be a key driver of jobs for people in every corner of our province, and really set the stage of a new era of economic activity and a new industry in B.C.,” Clark said. Pacific NorthWest LNG, potentially the biggest capital investment in B.C. history, still needs to make a final investment decision, get through a federal environmental assessment and sign agreements with First Nations before becoming a reality. Clark said the agreements give the project certainty around costs and regulations to make a final decision, and insulates taxpayers

from volatile gas prices by effectively setting a “smooth” royalty rate over the 23-year agreement. However, critics say the deal leans too heavily in favour of Pacific NorthWest LNG and that the estimated royalties come up way short of election promises.

Inside they found and seized a “bulk” of marijuana, four rifles, and one handgun, according to the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. The guns are being forensically examined to determine if there may be any links to any other crimes, say police. There have been about two dozen gang-related shootings in Delta and Surrey since March. Police have said rivaling groups of low-level drug dealers are engaged in a turf war. Surrey RCMP set up a special tip line on April 20 and have been encouraging anyone with information about the violence to call 604-915-6566. As of Wednesday, police say the tip line has received 148 calls, 15 of which have been “of high value” to ongoing investigations.

Colombian ‘activist’ won bid for permanent residence after 12-year delay may have been due to his membership in a communist group,

funded by a terrorist organization

orstar News Service Human rights advocate Luis Alberto Mata, centre, with wife Diana and son Jacobo, was delighted to learn Friday that his 12-year struggle to attain per-

manent residence in Canada is finally coming to an end. Immigration guide for detecting marriage fraud called ‘racist and offensive’ Deaf teen deemed ‘medically inadmissible’ to join mother in Canada Stephen Harper decries permanent underclass of temporary foreign workers After a 12-year delay, an accepted refugee from Colombia has won a bittersweet battle against Ottawa to gain permanent resident status. Luis Alberto Mata, who was granted asylum in Canada in 2003, was notified Friday by the federal justice department that he will receive his permanent resident visa by the end of the month. “I’m really

happy and grateful that the Department of Justice did something that I’d deserved for many years,” said the Toronto man, who has lived in limbo as a “protected person” because immi-

gration officials would not render a decision on his permanent residence application

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12 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Millionaire allegedly killed for his money

court battle has erupted over the estate of wealthy businessman Gang Yuan, whose dismembered body was found last month at an exclusive West Vancouver address. Yuan’s brother, Qiang Yuan, has obtained a B.C. Supreme Court order giving him the go-ahead on behalf of Yuan’s estate to sue Li Zhao, the man charged with second-degree murder in Yuan’s death. In an unusual press conference, the family’s lawyer claimed Yuan was supporting Zhao and his wife, who was allegedly seen driving the victim’s Bentley within days of his death. “So the question arises, why would someone kill his benefactor?” said Chris Johnson, who represents the victim’s brother and speculated about the motivation for the murder. “With the known facts, there is really only one conclusion: Mr. Zhao did this for financial reasons. He thought that he could get a free house. Not just any house, but a very valuable house in West Vancouver.” Violent confrontation Zhao was arrested after the discovery of Yuan’s dismembered body in the British Properties on May 2. Police were called to the house following reports of a violent confrontation. Johnson

said police advised the family that Yuan’s body was cut into more than 100 pieces. In addition to second-degree murder, Zhao is also charged with interfering with a dead body. He has a bail hearing next week. Yuan came to Canada in 2007 and made his money through investments in Saskatchewan real estate and agriculture; Yuan’s cousin, Xiao Mei Li, is married to Zhao. A lawyer for the family of homicide victim Gang Yuan claims Yi Ming Zhao, daughter of his alleged killer, appeared in the show Ultra Rich Asian Girls with Yuan’s Rolls-Royce. “Because they were struggling, Mr. Yuan took them in,” Johnson said. “He gave them employment and ultimately came to support them and their daughter, Yi Ming Zhao.” According to an affidavit filed by Yuan’s brother, Qiang Yuan, the businessman was the real owner of the home where his body was found, but the property was placed in the names of Zhao and Li. Qiang Yuan claims his brother supported the couple and paid for all expenses related to the house. Ultra Rich Asian Girls Johnson said the accused killer’s daughter

also starred in a television show called Ultra Rich Asian Girls, in which she pretended to own his Rolls-Royce and another of his

Gang Yuan’s dismembered body was found at a West Vancouver home.

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houses. Yuan’s brother filed a petition to stop Zhao or Li from accessing assets the family claims belonged to Yuan. His affidavit notes that Zhao plans to post bail.

ten to the federal government, again, as part of an ongoing battle between the city and Canada Post over super mailboxes. Terry Whitehead, Tom Jackson, Scott Duvall and Doug Conley — who represent the Mountain and upper Stoney Creek — have complained to Transport Minister Lisa Raitt over the corporation allegedly cutting through a gas line while installing a mailbox. It’s the latest move in a series the city has taken — including going to court — to try to stop the corporation from installing community mailboxes without a city permit. Canada Post is installing 1,000 on the Mountain as part of a city-wide plan to phase out door-to-door urban mail delivery. The city has passed a bylaw saying it has to help Canada Post site mailbox locations on municipal property. When Canada Post kept installing anyway, without paying $200 per mailbox, the city went to court to stop it. Canada Post countered with its own motion. Both will be

heard on the week of May 25. In the letter, the four councillors said the corporation hit a gas line while installing a mailbox. “On Friday, May 1, a resident of the City of Hamilton had their gas line severed by a subcontractor working for Canada Post, leaving the resident without hot water for the weekend, and as of Tuesday, he still has no gas service,” the letter says. Whitehead has been issuing stop-work orders to contractors at mailbox sites. On Wednesday, he said, he took video of a Ministry of Labour official at a mailbox site. City council recently wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper asking him to stop Canada Post’s plan in general. But at a council meeting Wednesday, Jackson said the city has moved “from a pro-

hibiting position to a regulating position. “I think our case, fingers crossed, will be a fairly good one going into court.” The fight has been on the Mountain so far, he told other councillors, but “after this, (your area) will probably be next.”

LOCAL 24 years jail for woman who pushed Hindu man in front of train, mistaking him for a Muslim

woman who admitted to shoving a Hindu man off a New York City subway platform to his death in an attack motivated by religious animus has been sentenced to 24 years in prison. Erika Menendez was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to manslaughter for killing Sunando Sen in December 2012 in Queens. According to the complaint, the 33-year-old Queens woman was seen talking to herself and pacing back and forth on a No. 7 train platform. As the train entered the station, the complaint says Menendez approached Sen from behind and shoved him onto the tracks. Sen was struck by the train and died of multiple blunt force trauma. Menendez told police she did it because she has hated Muslims and Hindus since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown called the killing “every subway commuter’s worst nightmare.”

Oil and gas job losses could hit 185,000, industry study finds

p to 185,000 Canadian jobs could be lost in 2015 as the oil and gas industry curbs capital and operational spending by an anticipated $31 billion in reaction to lower oil prices, a new study says. More than two-thirds of the potential losses in direct and indirect jobs would happen in Alberta, while B.C. could lose 20,000 and Ontario 14,000, says the report released Monday by the Petroleum Labour Market Information (PetroLMI) Division of Enform. However, the actual extent of job losses will depend on how effectively employers can manage their labour costs, PetroLMI director Carol Howes said in an interview. Job losses in the current downturn started with contractors and temporary staff and moved on to “core workers,” Howes said. Some companies, leery of cutting too deeply, are finding “creative ways” to maintain their workforces, she said. “They

Immigration officers told to pay close attention to Chinese/non-Chinese marriages

hinese nationals who marry non-Chinese Canadians may be among those likely to be flagged by Citizenship and Immigration Canada as being involved in bogus marriages, documents released under Access to Information reveal. The documents, dated April 2007, form part of a training manual for immigration officers who assess permanent residence applications for foreign spouses or partners who are already in Canada. Access to information records suggest the criteria were still in place as recently as October 2013. No one from Citizenship and Immigration Canada was able to comment Friday on whether the criteria remains in effect. Canadians who apply to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner must submit several documents, including a marriage certificate, a questionnaire, proof of divorce if either partner was previously married and evidence the applicant lives with the sponsor. Couples may also submit wedding invitations or photos. Chinese nationals, often university students, marrying non-Chinese; Photos that don’t include parents or family members, but rather small groups of six to 10 friends; An “uneducated” sponsor, with a low-paying job or on welfare; In wedding photos, the couple doesn’t kiss on the lips; Couples who don’t honeymoon, even for a weekend, “usually because of university and/or no money” There are usually no “diamond” rings; A small number of professionally taken wedding photos; Photos of the couple wearing the same clothes in various locations; Photos of activ-

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 13

ities together are often taken in the Niagara Falls area, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto.

Other factors immigration officers were advised to look at:

Previous relationships of the sponsor and the applicant and the length of time between a divorce and a new relationship Whether Chinese surnames are unusual or common ones such as Wang, Huang, Li or Chen; How much the sponsored spouse has to gain from permanent residence and whether they have taken previous steps to obtain it — a failed refugee claim, for example; The length of time the couple has known one another, and whether they met, cohabited and married within six months Whether there is an age gap of 10 years or more between the partners; Whether there are significant differences in the education levels or ethnic backgrounds of the partners.Vancouver immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens said he was surprised by some of the instructions. Meurrens obtained the document from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which had previously released it under Access to Information. “Why Chinese people are singled out I have no idea, and then that they’re training officers to be suspicious of people of lower income and lower education when they get married, I thought that was pretty offensive.” Meurrens added that he has not seen evidence in his immigration practice that C.I.C. officers are applying any extra scrutiny to those specific groups of people.

are very conscious and aware of the fact that it’s really important to balance the shorter-term factors we’re dealing with versus the long-term need to hold on to skills and talent.” Some employers are trying job sharing, shorter work weeks and unpaid vacations. Other efforts include moving workers into other positions until they are needed again in their regular roles, using training programs to upgrade workers’ skills, and holding the line on executive salaries. The projection of job losses is based on an anticipated $31-billion reduction in spending this year compared to the $125 billion the industry spent in 2014 on exploration, development and production activities. Spending last year supported more than 720,000 direct and indirect jobs, so a $31-billion cut in 2015 could potentially see 25 per cent of industry jobs disappear, PetroLMI said. Oil and gas engineering construction firms are most vulnerable, with up to 75,000 potential job losses, while

another 26,000 jobs could be lost in support services. The report says the current downturn will likely have a greater impact on the oil and gas industry than did the 2008-09 global recession. “The outlook for 2016 and beyond is still uncertain, and there are no indications that the industry will recover as quickly in 2016 as it did in 2010,” the study says. “The employment implications of this downturn will depend greatly on what happens to commodity prices over the next few months, but also on the behaviour of oil and gas companies and those that support and supply the industry.” Howes said that when the industry does recover, skills shortages will be at least as much of a concern as they were in 2010. PetroLMI, formerly known as the Petroleum Human Resources Council, is a resource for labour market information and trends in the Canadian petroleum industry.

LOCAL

Bank robber’s jail term slashed by court to avoid deportation to Syria

Vancouver man sentenced to 3 years for drugging Surrey man, stealing his valuables and SUV

Vancouver man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for administering a stupefying drug on a Surrey man, ransacking his home and stealing the man’s SUV. Brendan Roshinsky, 26, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to spiking a vodka drink with the drug Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid, which rendered the man unconscious. Roshinsky also pleaded guilty to stealing the man’s valuables, including jewellery, electronics, clothing and a coin collection valued at more than $5,000, as well as the victim’s SUV. “I am greatly disturbed by the predatory aspect of Mr. Roshinsky’s conduct, that being his having sought out his victim through a hook-up website,” B.C. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Saunders said in his written sentencing decision released Wednesday. The judge noted that it was effectively a sixyear sentence before deducting the 27 months of credit for time served in pre-sentence cus-

tody. The judge said he took into account the fact that Roshinsky, when he committed his latest crimes were on Nov. 8, 2012, was on parole for a five-year sentence imposed in 2009 for a home invasion robbery, forcible confinement and theft of a laptop computer and video game console. During that robbery, Roshinsky had kicked in the door of a bathroom where a female occupant was hiding and he threatened her with a hammer. His latest crimes stemmed from his posing as a man named “Tom” offering sex for money on a gay Internet dating website. Roshinsky agreed to meet the victim at a King George SkyTrain station in Surrey. The victim drove Roshinsky to his home. Roshinsky offered to make the man a drink, which he claimed was a “secret special family drink,” mixing vodka, mango juice and GHB. The victim later woke up on the floor, finding and his home ransacked. His stolen SUV was found the next day in Vancouver’s West End.

Courts continue to act as if they can dictate the law to parliament

he Ontario Court of Appeal slashed Harper government’s crackdown on foreign a jail term handed a Syrian-born criminals remaining in Canada. Just weeks bank robber so he could avoid de- before Nassri was sentenced, the governportation to his homeland, where he could ment’s new legislation speeding removal of foreigners sentenced to more be conscripted into the civil than six months was enacted. war. Because of the “collateral immigration consequences,” the It is self-evident that “It is somewhat troubling that appeal court reduced Amjad depriving the appellant the court seems to be trying Nassri’s sentence by more than of the right to appeal de- to fit the sentence to fall shy of one third — from nine months portation to one of the the six months bar, which was to less than six months — for most dangerous places intended by Parliament to exa bank heist that ended when on Earth would be gross- pedite the removal of non-cithe crashed into a truck during ly disproportionate to izen criminals,” said Sergio Karas, an immigration lawhis getaway. “It is self-evident this offence’ yer who is a former chair of that depriving the appellant the Ontario Bar Association’s of the right to appeal deportation to one of the most dangerous places on Earth would immigration section. Amjad Nassri was 21 be grossly disproportionate to this offence,” in 2010 when he drove three men to a Towrote Justice Robert Sharpe on behalf of a ronto CIBC. As he kept his father’s Corolla panel of three judges. The decision, howev- running outside, his cohorts — armed with er, is being criticized for circumventing the knives and their faces covered by bandanas — burst inside. Mohamed Noori stayed at the front door keeping watch. Abdirahman Diriye and an unidentified accomplice vaulted over the cashier’s counter where one held a large knife to the back of a teller’s neck. Within a minute they were running toward Nassri’s car. When everyone was inside, he peeled away. He did not get far. Almost immediately he drove through a stop sign and into an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer. While his cohorts ran off, he remained and offered to pay the truck driver to ignore the crash, court heard. Diriye, Noori and Nassri were arrested. The other two, who were younger than Nassri, pled guilty. Diriye was sentenced to two years less a day and Noori to 13.5 months. Nassri went to trial, claiming he didn’t know his friends were planning to rob the bank. The judge didn’t buy it and found him guilty of robbery and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The Crown asked for a 13 month sentence; Nassri’s lawyer asked for eight.

“

14 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

The trial judge said eight months would “not accurately reflect the seriousness of this offence,” and sentenced him to nine months. After sentencing, Nassri and his lawyer realized the gravity of his situation. One month before, the government’s Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act came into force limiting immigration appeal rights of permanent residents found inadmissible for “serious criminality.” The threshold dropped from a sentence of two years to a sentence of six months. Nassri’s lawyer was unaware of the change. Nassri came to Canada in 2005 with his parents and became a permanent resident here. He had no criminal record at the time of the robbery. By the time he was sentenced in 2013, he was taking business courses at college and running a small business, court heard. The judge found he was well on his way to rehabilitation. During the appeal, the Ontario Court of Appeal heard evidence from an immigration lawyer that Nassri’s attempts at an immigration appeal would be “futile.” Court also heard of “dangerous and grievous conditions” in Syria: “The fresh evidence strongly suggests that [Nassri] would be subject to mandatory military service upon returning to Syria, leading to his involvement in the civil war,” Sharpe wrote. The court said the 2013 Supreme Court decision R. v. Pham allows courts to lower sentences in light of collateral consequences. That decision said

the sentencing objective of rehabilitation made other consequences relevant. Karas said Nassri still had ways to avoid removal to Syria without a cut-rate sentence: “Even though the legal remedies are now more limited, they are by no means non-existent,” he said.

LOCAL

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 15

Federal gov’t promises Surrey 100 new Mounties - after NDP pressure

he federal government has pledged 100 new Mounties to Surrey in the middle of a spasm of gun violence and added $3.5 million to extract those vulnerable to becoming gang members in the drug-fuelled turf war. National Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay unveiled the double-barreled strategy aimed at restoring safety to Surrey after months of targeted shootings that have injured many and killed one man. The response comes as Surrey’s leaders and British Columbia’s provincial government wave white flags for help from the federal government. Regional police have made only minor headway stopping the ongoing gunfire that has targeted adversaries in cars, residences and streets. “I think you’ll start to see results right away,” Findlay told reporters Tuesday at the announcement at the Surrey School District head office. She couldn’t say when the new officers will be in place, noting that process

ICBC warns drivers to look for cyclists during Bike to Work Week

.C. drivers still distracted as cell phone ban turns five North Vancouver Mounties take 50 impaired drivers off the roads Even more cyclists than usual will be hitting the streets next week, prompting ICBC to issue a statement warning drivers to keep their eyes peeled for people travelling on two wheels. Crashes involving cyclists peak in the summer months of June to September with an average of five cyclists injured per day in B.C., according to ICBC statistics released Tuesday to remind drivers about Bike to Work Week from May 25 to 31. Over a typical B.C. summer, 670 cyclists are injured and six killed based on the data collected from 2009 to 2013. The vast majority of injuries (450) happen in the Lower Mainland. Throughout the year, there are an average of 520 crashes involving cyclists in Vancouver alone. (That’s slightly less than the average of 560 crashes involving pedestrians.) While drivers blame crashes on careless cycling behaviour, ICBC statistics indicate that cyclists have the right-of-way in 93 per cent of crashes with motor vehicles in cases where it can be determined. Failure to yield the right-of-way and distracted driving cause most crashes with cyclists, according to ICBC. “Really, the important piece is how they can share the road safely,” ICBC road safety manager Aileen Shibata said, pointing drivers and cyclists to icbc.com for safety tips. “Any injury or death is preventable,” she added. Drivers are encouraged to make eye contact with cyclists, shoulder check before turning right, check for cyclists before opening doors, yield to cyclists while crossing bike lanes and actively watch for cyclists. Cyclists are encouraged to choose routes with bike lanes and less traffic, scan ahead for hazards such as potholes, shoulder check before turning, hand signal before turning, ride one metre away from parked vehicles, stay off the sidewalks, don’t ride in crosswalks and use bike lights.

is still being worked out. The commitment directly answers a formal request for more officers made by the city and B.C.’s attorney general. Police believe a group of South Asians is battling a group of Somalians to control the area’s low-level drug trade. Five people have been arrested so far in about 30 shootings since early March, half which police have tied to the dispute. About 40 cars have fled from crime scenes. Numerous witnesses have refused to co-operate. The bolstered force is expected to make an imminent difference, said Surrey’s Acting Mayor Barbara Steele. But she noted the city’s needs continue to grow along with its population, which includes the vulnerable children of refugees. “Those are kids who are at risk to get into the wrong groups. So we’re always going to need it,” she said.

“The RCMP right now is actually doing a sterling job. … It’s just that the problem is huge.” In their bid to end the violence, police took the unusual step of identifying victims — all men — in several of the shootings. That has led to 130 tips, 13 which have proven fruitful in recent weeks, Steele said. Sometimes, younger brothers of people involved have been identified. The Surrey School District has launched a new program aimed at intercepting those believed to be at risk of enlisting in the gangs, said manager of the Safe Schools program, Rob Rai. He’s hoping the new $3.5 million will wipe out entirely a waiting list of 20 students, between ages 11 and 19, who need direct intervention, as well as ensure no one else goes without support for

the next five years. “When the kids come into the program, hopefully there’s been some sort of shift in their thinking, saying, ‘Wow, that was scary out there, getting shot at is not nearly as fun or as exciting as I thought it would be,’” Rai said. Each of the students is vetted by the RCMP before entering the program, including checking for any prior criminal record, parole conditions and weapons offences. They are segregated from mainstream classes and given lessons in a separate building by specialized staff, often one-on-one, he said. When possible, teens who have dropped out of school are sought out and guided to finish their high school diplomas, he said. “You can imagine those kids who say, ‘Hey, I got shot at, that’s a badge of honour. I’m going to continue doing that?’ They’re not ready for schooling and not necessarily ready for our programs either.” NDP MPs from Surrey Jinny Sims (pictured) and Jasbir Sandhu have been asking for more Fed support to battle gangs.

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10 Montreal youths arrested on suspicion of wanting to join jihad

whether those are the same arrests. A CMP arrested 10 Montreal youth they believe were trying to leave lawyer for one of the people arrested told Radio-Canada his client is a “victim” who the country to join jihadists in was approached online and promised “a Turkey and Syria. The force confirmed its better life.” Some of those arrested have Integrated National Security Enforcement ties to the six Quebecers who are thought Team made a series of arrests at Pierre to have left for Turkey, en route to Syria, Elliott Trudeau International Airport in January. Public Safety Minister Steven last weekend. No charges have been laid Blaney said he cannot comment on speand the investigation is continuing. The cific operational matters, but commended passports of those arrested have been conthe RCMP and the Integrated National fiscated. RCMP said investigators have Security Enforcement Team for their met with the friends and families of the “continued vigilance. ” “The international people trying to leave Canada. Earlier on Tuesday, Radio-Canada reported there had jihadist movement had declared war on Canada. We will not sit on the sidelines been a number of arrests of young people but instead join our allies to degrade and suspected of trying to travel overseas to defeat ISIS,” he said in a statement. join jihadists. RCMP have not confirmed

LOCAL

Former Surrey High School student guilty in Google executive’s death in LA

California prostitute charged with killing a Google executive with an overdose of heroin aboard his yacht pleaded guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter and administering drugs. A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge sentenced defendant Alix Tichelman (pictured) to six years in prison, bringing a sudden and unexpected conclusion to a tawdry case that garnered national attention. Tichelman injected Forrest Timothy Hayes with heroin in November 2013 then left without seeking help when he passed out on the yacht, authorities say. Hayes had hired Tichelman several times before, and they were doing drugs and having sex the night he died, authorities said.

Tichelman had been preparing to move out of California when she was arrested, according to authorities. She has wealthy parents and dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada, attending Southridge School in Surrey for a time. Defence attorney Larry Biggam said Tichelman, 28, was relieved to have the court proceedings behind her, and she is expected to serve three years. She will be credited the year already served in jail. “It was an accidental overdose between two consenting adults,” Biggam said. The high-end call girl was arrested eight months after Hayes’ death. Santa Cruz police said a surveillance video at the Santa Cruz harbor showed the woman gather her belongings, casually step over Hayes’ body, finish a glass of wine and lower a blind before leaving the yacht the night before the body was discovered. The video also showed Tichelman panicking and attempting to revive Hayes as he slipped into unconsciousness before leaving the yacht, Santa Cruz Deputy District Attorney Rafael Vazquez said. “There was an obvious reaction that showed she didn’t intend to kill,” Vazquez said. The hearing Tuesday was scheduled to set additional proceedings, and Tichelman’s plea surprised Vazquez. No charges in Georgia incident Vazquez began by submitting a revised complaint specifying that Tichleman’s manslaughter charge was to be involuntary rather than the more severe voluntary. Then Tichelman’s attorney told the court his client intended to plead guilty to all counts. Vazquez said the charges were filed over the objections of Hayes’ family, who feared a public trial would further embarrass a wife and children traumatized by exposure of the Google executive’s double life. Hayes was the father of five, and two of his children are in elementary school. “They just wanted this to go away,” the prosecutor said. “But we had a duty to pursue the case.” Vazquez said none of Hayes’ family attended the hearing Tuesday, but an attorney representing them did. Christine McGuire, a Santa Cruz lawyer representing the family, didn’t return a phone call after the hearing. After Tichelman was charged in California, police in Milton, Ga., took another look at the 2013 overdose death of Tichelman’s former boyfriend Dean Riopelle, 53, the owner of a popular Atlanta music venue. Authorities said a panicked Tichelman had called police, saying her boyfriend had overdosed on something and wouldn’t respond. Police in Milton did not immediately return a call Tuesday seeking a possible update on the situation. Tichelman has not been charged in that death. An autopsy report listed Riopelle’s death as an accidental overdose of heroin, oxycodone and alcohol.

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 17

South Asian man guilty of manslaughter in deadly 2012 Surrey home invasion

Surrey man has been found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of another man during a 2012 home invasion. Russell Atma Bidesi, 24, was on trial for the death of Kacey Rogers (pictured) . Bidesi was charged with second-degree murder, on May 19 a B.C. Supreme Court judge found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. At the opening of Bidesi’s trial last October, the Crown alleged Rogers’ killing resulted from a planned robbery gone wrong. Prosecutors claimed Bidesi and two other men, Fabien Lyde and Joshua Martinez, went to Rogers’ duplex on Grosvenor Road in Whalley, where they intended to commit a home invasion and robbery. When they arrived, Crown contended, Bidesi fired several shotgun rounds into the front door. When Rogers, 31, looked out a

Vancouver student wins $75,000 at world high school science fair

Vancouver student has taken home the top prize of US$75,000 at the world’s largest high school science fair. Seventeen-year-old Raymond Wang invented a new air circulation system to prevent germs from spreading in airplane cabins. Wang was awarded the Gordon E. Moore Award, named in honour of the Intel co-founder, at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair on Friday. Another Vancouver student, Nicole Ticea, won the Intel Foundation Young Scientist award and received a prize of US$50,000. The 16-year-old developed an inexpensive, easy-to-use testing device to combat the high rate of undiagnosed HIV in low-income communities. Eleven Canadian students won prizes at the fair, which featured 1,700 young scientists from more than 75 countries, regions and territories.

Arrests and charges laid over recent spate of Surrey shootings: police

Metro Vancouver’s gang task force has arrested and charged two men believed to be connected to a series of shootings in Surrey. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit searched a home in Surrey and seized marijuana, four rifles and a handgun. Eighteen-year-old Chandanjot Singh Gill faces several firearms charges and one count of trafficking, while 21-yearold Munroop Hayer has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. Both men are from Surrey. Police say the arrests come a month after a dedicated tip line was launched, which has already received almost 150 calls. Dozens of shootings in Surrey and Delta since March have left one person dead and others injured. The federal government announced on Tuesday that Surrey would be getting 100 more RCMP officers and $3.5 million towards a gang-reduction program.

window to investigate the noise, he was shot in the head and killed. The court heard the assailants continued to enter the home, where they confronted Rogers’ girlfriend, took some cash and fled. Lyde earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced in 2014 to six years prison. Martinez also pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a firearm and four other firearms charges. He was sentenced to seven years jail. Both were given credit for time spent in pretrial custody. Bidesi’s next court date on the Rogers case is scheduled for May 28. He’ll be sentenced at a later date. Bidesi is also charged with second degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of Bradley McPherson at a party Christmas Eve in Surrey. That trial was to begin in February, but was adjourned to an unspecified later date.

17 months jail for fraudster

man who defrauded banks and credit unions around B.C. of more than $30,000 has been sentenced to 17 months in jail. A man who defrauded banks and credit unions around B.C. of more than $30,000 has been sentenced to 17 months in jail. Jesse James Ireland pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver to six criminal counts, five of them fraud over $5,000. Court heard that Ireland had a long history of similar offences and in November 2014 pleaded guilty to 32 criminal counts in Calgary. He was sentenced to 44 months for the Alberta crimes. Most of Ireland’s crimes involved him using forged identification to open bank accounts. He would in many cases deposit bogus cheques and withdraw money until the cheques bounced. The B.C. offences occurred over a six-toeight-month period in a number of communities including Courtenay, Campbell River, Victoria, Nanaimo, Osoyoos, Penticton, Chilliwack and Williams Lake.

Although he’s only 29 years old, his prior criminal record includes convictions in Vancouver and Toronto. Ireland grew up in Kamloops, graduated from high school and spent two years in university, but then started getting into trouble. In imposing sentence on him, Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen noted that the B.C. crimes had been committed at around the same time as the Alberta offences and an attempt had been made to have them heard at the same time. The judge said the guilty pleas had saved considerable time and expense for the courts and accepted a joint submission from the Crown and the defence that the 17-month jail term be served concurrently with his Calgary sentence. He urged Ireland to follow through on his stated intention to return to university and take advantage of the support of his family. “If this continues to happen, you’re going to be serving much more time,” warned the judge. “I understand that,” said Ireland. “I’ve embarrassed my family.”

18 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Vancouver housing prices will drive out high-demand occupations: Vancity report

he rising cost of home ownership in Metro Vancouver could see a migration of highly mobile millennials away from the region, a report released by Vancity credit union suggests. The report argues that the continued rise in the area’s housing market is not being mitigated by salaries, leaving a growing affordability gap for the majority of professions. Identifying owning their own home as a goal for up to 93 per cent of millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000), Vancity predicts a mass migration away from Metro Vancouver, and a subsequent labour crisis for the area. $78K salary now required Currently, on average, a family household income needs to be $123,000 (in a dual-income household, a salary of $78,088 each) to maintain the average Metro Vancouver mortgage, far higher than many professionals in much-needed occupations make. And, with house prices projected to rise 4.87 per cent year-on-year, and salaries growing between 0.6 and 3.2 per cent year-on-year, the majority of those working in what Vancity regards as ‘in-demand’ jobs, will be priced out of the housing market, with even the best-paying jobs unable to keep up. Letting go of the dream? “By 2025, 85 of 88 in-demand jobs will be unable to afford to live in Metro Vancouver,” the report predicts. “Only those individuals working as senior business

managers, senior construction managers and engineering managers will be able to maintain affordable housing.” That effectively leaves those in other “in-demand’ and essential professions — health workers, emergency service workers, educators and even lawyers — unable to afford the average mortgage. report also found that between 2001 and 2014, Metro Vancouver housing costs increased 63 per cent, while salaries only rose 36.2 per cent. Andy Broderick, Vancity’s vice-president of community investment, said: “More and more, people are wanting to live in the communities where they work. If these communities are not affordable, workers will look elsewhere.” Vancity is a financial co-operative with $18.6 billion in assets serving its 509,000 member-owners through 59 branches in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria and Squamish. Earlier this week, Vancouver real estate consultant, Bob Rennie said it was time for young Vancouverites to let go of their dream of owning a single-family detached home in the city.

Precarious jobs holding back young workers, OECD finds

ew studies from the OECD and the United Way of Toronto are exposing how precarious work is hurting economies and blocking opportunity for an entire generation of young people. Much of the burden of insecure jobs is falling on youth and they are at greater risk of spending their lives in poverty than the elderly across most developed economies, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Among temporary workers, close to half are under age 30 and almost 40 per cent of young workers in the OECD are in non-standard work, such as contract or temporary work, or involuntary part-time employment. Opportunity to move out of low-wage, insecure employment as workers get older is becoming increasingly limited, the OECD found. Fewer than half of people on temporary contracts were able to transition to full-time work within a three-year period, it found. For those in low-wage, part-time positions, precarious work can be a trap. Their earnings remain low and their poverty limits their housing options, ability to form relationships and ability to start a family, according to the The Precarity Penalty, a report from the Poverty and Employment Precarity in Southern Ontario research group. Inequality increased in Canada The OECD found Canada’s inequality has increased in the period between the mid1980s and 2013, though the gap between rich and poor isn’t as wide here as in the U.S. or Mexico, or in developing countries such as Brazil or Russia. OECD director of labour and social issues Stefano Scarpetta said in most developed countries inequality is rising. “Canada to some extent is an exception because you’re one of the few countries in which inequality has stabilized even during the world recession and the recovery period,

but overall in most OECD countries overall inequality is on the rise again,” he said in an interview on CBC News Network’s The Exchange with Amanda Lang. Canada’s inequality measure is close to the OECD average, with the richest 10 per cent of the population earning 9.6 times the income of the poorest 10 per cent. The widening gap between haves and have-nots in much of the developed world not only raises concerns about the fraying social fabric — it’s also dramatically holding back economic growth, the OECD concludes. In part, this is because low-income people have less to spend, but there is also a longer-term impact the study found. Low-income families are unable to take advantage of educational opportunities for their children, nor can they better their situation by investing in new skills for a breadwinner, the OECD found. Scarpetta argues that inequality ends up being bad for everyone. “In this report, we find evidence that a high degree of inequality is actually very bad for social cohesion,” he said. “You need effective taxation and benefits to redistribute part of the income inequality, but you also have to work more to help people improve on their opportunities.” Personal toll of insecure jobs The Precarity Report, which studied insecure employment in the Greater Toronto Area, goes further, arguing that insecure work leads to poorer physical and mental health and high levels of stress for low-income families. Uncertainty over their work schedules can affect family life and low incomes can limit opportunities for their children to take part in sports, arts activities or school trips, said the report. That affects the quality of life not just for individual families, but also for their communities. “Precarious employment can be a trap — many people have a hard time moving into better opportunities,” the report concluded.

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he country has a looming housing problem that is going to require action from all levels of government, according to a new report from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The study says the long, steady decline in federal subsidies for social housing has left provinces, territories and municipalities struggling against market forces that are making it increasingly difficult for low- and modestincome renters. “With 850,000 lower-rent units lost in the last decade, our rental sector is ill prepared for any downturn in the hous-

ing market,” Brad Woodside, the president of the FCM, says in the introduction to the study. “One in five renters pays more than 50 per cent of their income on housing.” The report notes that existing social housing stock was created under a partnership involving all orders of government, but as Ottawa unilaterally opts out of renewal agreements, cash-strapped provinces and cities are unable to properly maintain the properties. Housing price increases that have far outstripped earnings and the switch to higher priced condominium rentals have

also made it more difficult for many people to get a foothold. Growing gap While a third of households in Canada rent, just 11 per cent of housing starts since 1996 have been built as rental units. “The time has come for a course correction within Canada’s housing system,” says the study written by Steve Pomeroy, a research associate at Carleton University’s Centre for Urban Research and Education. While the federal government still spends $1.7 billion annually on housing, federal

funding as a share of the country’s economy as measured by GDP has fallen 40 per cent since 1989. Insecure housing brings with it costs that rebound throughout the labour market and the economy, says the study. The study proposes federal tax credits be used to stimulate the construction of new affordable rental units; that Ottawa commit to maintain and make permanent its current level of funding; and that a national strategy on homelessness and affordable housing be made permanent.

Social housing to have separate entrance to Vancouver high-rise

new building in Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood is getting some attention because of its segregated entrances for condo residents and those living in social housing units. The West End Neighbours community group says the market-priced condo units and social housing units for the 19-storey high-rise

for 1171 Jervis Street will also be branded differently at the entrances and have separate amenities. The development permit was approved Monday by city staff. The development application shows the entrance for the 28 units

designated as social housing will be on Davie Street, while residents of the 63 market units will enter on Jervis Street. The building has become a flash point in the neigh-

bourhood because a public hearing was not required for the project under city regulations implemented in 2013, according to the group. It won’t be the first multi-use building in Vancouver to have separate entrances, but the proposal comes at a time where cities like New York and Seattle consider banning what some have called ‘poor doors.’

2 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

High prices and low salaries make Lower Mainland a less viable option?

he rising cost of home ownership in Metro Vancouver could

see a migration of highly mobile millennials away from the region, a report released by Vancity credit union suggests. ■Let go of single family home dream, says condo king The report argues that the continued rise in the area’s housing market is not being mitigated by salaries, leaving a growing affordability gap for the majority of professions. Identifying owning their own home as a goal for up to 93 per cent of millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000), Vancity predicts a mass migration away from Metro Vancouver, and a subsequent labour crisis for the area. $78K salary now required Currently, on average, a family household income needs to be $123,000 (in a dual-income household, a salary of $78,088 each) to maintain the average Metro Vancouver mortgage, far higher than many professionals in much-needed occupations make. And, with house prices projected

to rise 4.87 per cent year-on-year, and salaries growing between 0.6 and 3.2 per cent year-on-year, the majority of those working in what Vancity regards as ‘indemand’ jobs, will be priced out of the housing market, with even the best-paying jobs unable to keep up. Letting go of the dream? By 2025, 85 of 88 in-demand jobs will be unable to afford to live in Metro Vancouver,” the report predicts. “Only those individuals working as senior business managers, senior construction managers and engineering managers will be able to maintain affordable housing.” That effectively leaves those in other “in-demand’ and essential professions — health workers, emergency service workers, educators and even lawyers — unable to afford the average mortgage. Earlier this week, Vancouver real estate consultant, Bob Rennie said it was time for young Vancouverites to let go of their dream of owning a single-family detached home in the city.

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Shah Rukh Khan undergoes knee surgery

Khan is expected to get discharged by Friday and has been asked to rest for four days before commencing his shooting schedule.

Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan underwent a knee surgery, Thursday, at Breach Candy hospital. The actor is expected to get discharged by Friday and has been asked to rest

for four days before commencing his shooting schedule. Arthroscopy and joint replacement surgeon Dr Sanjay Desai conducted the surgery at the city-based hospital. In a state-

ment, he said, “Mr Khan has been suffering from repeated pain and swelling of left knee over the last several months. Today’s surgery confirms chondral wear of Patella, which is due to repeated

injuries over the last few years. Based on today’s arthroscopic evaluation future management will be planned. He has recovered well and is likely to be discharged tomorrow.”

8 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 19

LOCAL

20 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Tom Mulcair’s NDP will strengthen the mining industry

DP leader Tom Mulcair outlined his plan to support Canada’s mining industry in a speech to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). “Unlike the Conservatives who have put mining on the back burner, the NDP understands that this industry drives prosperity in Canada,” said Mulcair. “Canada’s New Democratic government will work with industry, aboriginal communities and the education sector to ensure mining and mineral processing create economic opportunities for a prosperous Canada.” An Innovation Tax Credit, reducing the small business tax rate and extending the accelerated capital cost allowance for machinery are all

part of the NDP plan. These measures will support the small businesses and contractors that are the backbones of mining communities and help mining companies hurt by the Conservatives’ cuts to support for capital intensive R&D. Tom Mulcair also pledged that an NDP Government would create a respectful “Nation-to-Nation” relationship with Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. “Everything our Government does will respect Treaty Rights, Inherent Rights and Canada’s International obligations. This will ensure that all proposed investments will enjoy greater certainty. Sustainable development principles will be a reality under an NDP Government”.

Terrorism-related peace bond for Seyed Amir Hossein Raisolsadat extended

eyed Amir Hossein Raisolsadat leaving provincial court in Charlottetown . A young man from P.E.I., whom police suspect of planning terrorism-related activities, has agreed to a continuation of restrictions set out in a court-ordered peace bond. Twenty-year-old Seyed Amir Hossein Raisolsadat of Stratford has

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rest was a “tragic misunderstanding.”

Refugee board members’ rulings varied widely in 2014, data suggests

uccess in gaining refugee protection the case in both the old, or “legacy,” system in Canada still seems to depend on and the new system, which is supposed to be the luck of the draw, according to more fair. As examples, Rehaag pointed to a new analysis of Immigration and Refu- some judges least likely to grant refugee stagee Board data. The analysis, done by Sean tus: In the legacy system, Edward Robinson Rehaag at Osgoode Hall Law School, found (2 claims granted out of 65 total decisions, or wide variations among decisions by adjudi- 3.1 per cent) and David McBean (1 out of 21 cators at the IRB last year, continuing a trend decisions, or 4.8 per cent). In the new system, Teresa Maziarz (15 of over recent years and despite changes in the refugee system. Rehaag analysed 2014 de- 53 decisions, 28.3 per cent) and Brenda Lloyd cisions made on refugee claims under both (25 of 64 decisions, 39 per cent). He also pointed to others on the other the previous adjudication system and a new system that applies to claims filed after Dec. end of the scale, who granted refugee status 15, 2012. His findings show that several ad- in most of the cases they heard: In the legacy system, Barry Barnes judicators are far more (59 of 77 decisions, 76.6 likely to grant refugee per cent) and Kevin protection, and others Fainbloom (53 of 75 deare far less likely, even cisions, 70.7 per cent). when the data is conIn the new system Nina trolled for variables Stanwick (35 of 38 decisuch as country of orsions, 92.1 per cent) and igin. Rehaag adds that “It’s a concern in any process where Rabin Tiwari (104 of 117 while some variation is we generally expect outcomes to turn decisions, 88.9 per cent). normal, it doesn’t explain the wide discrep- on facts and law. But in the refugee In a written response, a spokesperson for the IRB law context, the stakes ancies he found. noted there are many facare extremely high.” “This raises obvious tors that can cause varifairness concerns given the stakes involved in refugee determi- ations in acceptance rates. “Each refugee nations,” Rehaag said in an interview with protection claim is unique and is determined CBC News, adding the “vast disparities” are by members on its individual merit,” Melissa consistent over the past several years that he Anderson wrote. Factors include credibilihas analyzed such data. “It’s a concern in any ty, time in a 3rd country Anderson cited as process where we generally expect outcomes factors the region or city in which claimants to turn on facts and law. But in the refugee lived, their ethnicity or nationality, their gender, whether they spent time in a third counlaw context, the stakes are extremely high.” Rehaag noted that for some claimants try without making a refugee claim before those stakes could include torture or death if coming to Canada, and the evidence they or they are returned to their countries of origin. their lawyer presents to the refugee protecAnd he noted there is not much oversight of tion division. She also noted that the credthe system to prevent errors once they occur. ibility of the claimant can be a key factor in The data show many decisions by adjudi- the decision. Still, immigration lawyers who cators fall far below the average rate of accep- regularly appear before the board say those tance that would be expected based on coun- factors don’t explain the extreme discrepantry of origin, and others far above. And that’s cies among some decision-makers.

NATIONAL

Tom Mulcair lays out vision for a federal NDP government in Montreal rally

uoyed by the New Democratic Party’s historic victory in Alberta, federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said Friday that Canadians are ready to vote in a majority NDP government in this fall’s election. “It’s not just in Quebec that the people want change,” Mulcair told a cheering crowd of more than 1,500 party supporters in Montreal, many wearing orange T-shirts. Noting the NDP’s breakthrough on Tuesday in traditionally Conservative Alberta, Mulcair added: “When Canadians have a thirst for true change, they turn to the NDP.” Under the leadership of the late Jack Layton, the NDP won Official Opposition status in the House of Commons in 2011. Quebecers played a crucial role in the NDP’s “orange wave” victory, electing 59 MPs in the province, 57 of whom were rookies. “In 2011, everyone said we stood no chance in Quebec,” Mulcair told supporters who gathered in the Palais des congrès. “They said we wouldn’t be able to pierce through in Alberta. (But) the NDP has just formed the government” in Alberta. “And now they’re saying we still can’t win at the federal level. Let’s wait to see on

Oct. 19!” The NDP billed the rally at the convention centre in Old Montreal as the biggest in the party’s history in Quebec. Speaking before a backdrop of NDP members, Mulcair assailed the record of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper on job creation and health. He noted that there are 250,000 more unemployed Canadians today than before the economic crisis of 2008. He also claimed that the Harper government slashed $36 billion in health spending over 10 years. Mulcair made a number of pre-election promises, most notably setting a national minimum hourly wage of $15, echoing the pledge made by Alberta premier-elect Rachel Notley. At present, the provinces and territories set the minimum wage, which ranges from $10.20 an hour in Alberta and Saskatchewan to $11 in Ontario and Nunavut. (Quebec’s minimum wage is $10.55.)

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 21

NDP vows to revive door-to-door Canada Post delivery if it forms government this fall Canada Post’s plan to end home mail delivery would become a dead letter if the NDP were to win the federal election this fall. The post office is in the second year of a controversial fiveyear plan to phase out doorto-door delivery for more than 5 million households. Alexa n d r e Boulerice, the NDP’s post office critic, says a New Democrat government would terminate the phase-out plan and restore service to those households that have already lost their home mail delivery. The announcement follows a decision earlier this week by some Montreal-area mayors to join a court challenge

against the phase-out of home delivery. The mayors argue the move is unconstitutional and are hoping to turn it into a federal election issue. The court challenge is spearheaded by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers but several groups representing seniors and disabled Canadians have joined it. Canada Post, meanwhile, is also at legal loggerheads with the city of Hamilton over what the post office argues is its right as a Crown Corporation to install community mailboxes on municipal property. Assailed by complaints about privacy, safety, traffic congestion and litter, the city passed a bylaw requiring Canada Post to obtain the city’s permission, and a $200 permit, to install each community mail box. The post office has gone to court in a bid to have the bylaw invalidated. Hundreds of other municipalities have also complained about the transition to community boxes, which have served suburban areas for decades. Canada Post argues that the move is necessary for the Crown Corporation to remain financially sustainable as the volume of mail declines. It is also cutting up to 8,000 jobs.

Senators to be banned from taking pricey flights

he Canadian Senate plans to announce next week major changes to its travel policy that will put an end to senators taking pricey flights. Shortly after media reports about high spending senators taking expensive flights, a Senate media spokeswoman said changes will be in place by June. Currently, even though the upper chamber has been besieged with ongoing expense scandals, there are no rules preventing senators from buying the priciest airline flights possible at taxpayers’ expense. Starting at the end of the Senate session in June, senators will no longer be able to fly business class on short-haul flights between Ottawa and home base. The change will be in line with rules for members of Parliament, including cabinet ministers, which disallow flying business class on flights of less than two hours. The new rules will also require all Senators to meet with finance officials once a year to ensure they’re booking the most cost-effective forms of travel. That could include enforcing the use of flight passes — tickets purchased in bulk at a disnt. “These are just changes in line with modernizing some of the Senate policies and making them more efficient and cost-effective,” Senate spokeswoman Nancy Durning said. She added that the reforms have

been in the works for a while and that there might be more to come. “The auditor general might make recommendations in his report to make more changes to [the Senate travel policy]” she said. The AG will soon release a report following a massive audit of all aspects of Senate spending, including travel. MPs can only fly business class on long-haul flights between home base and Ottawa if they buy flight passes. The rule came into effect on April 1, 2013, and it was forecast the policy change would save taxpayers millions of dollars. Although the Senators’ travel policy will now be more in line with MPs’ rules, they will still get to keep one extra perk for their spouses. Only senators can claim the expense of meals and incidentals such as bottled water, snacks, and dry cleaning for their partners when travelling. Spokeswoman, Durning, says that perk will remain. According to her most recent expense report for the first three months of this year, Conservative Senator Betty Unger

flew five times between Edmonton and Ottawa, costing taxpayers a total of $12,246. Her most expensive round-trip ticket was $5,692.

The current price for Air Canada business class flight passes for the same trips. According to the airline’s website, the price for five flight credits is $6,242.

CLASSIFIEDS

22 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

C JOBS Dosa Corner Restaurant Ltd in Vancouver Looking to hire an authentic south indian chef . This is a full time permanent position. $18.50/hr. 40hrs/week. Must have at least 3-5yrs experience in south indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Dosas. Duties include Prepare & cook meals.kitchen management. Plan menus & quality. Orders food supplies. Mail your resume to selvamm164@gmail.com or apply by person at DosaCorner Vancouver. 110-8248 Fraser Street. Vancouver. B.C.. V5X 3X6 Ph: 604-324-3672. -----------------------------------Seamstress required Seamstress (Tailor) needed Foam & Décor is looking for Full Time or Part Time Seamstress ( tailor) for drapery in Surrey. Salary will be provided @ 12 per hour. Please call 604-594-1882 Mayuri Indian foods inc is looking to hire an Ethnic Food Cook in Surrey BC. F/T & Perm.$17/hr. Must have at least 2-3 yrs experience in South Indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Indian spicing. Duties: Prepare & Cook meals; Supervise Kitchen helpers; Plan menus; Ensure quality & determine food proportions; Monitor & order food supplies; Set up & oversee buffets; Manage kitchen operation.

JOBS Mail resume or apply by person Mayuri indian cuisine , Unit 102A,12677 80th Ave., Surrey BC V3W 3A6 Fax: 604-572-3281 -------------------------------English Classes for Adults Register for classes September 2-8 For more information,Visit: www. victoryesl.com Call: 604.755.7976 E-mail: victoryesl1@gmail.com Cook Require Curry junction Restaurant in White Rock need cook immediately, This is a full time permanent position for a experienced person, Depending on experience salary will be upto $21 per hr. with other benefits. Call:604-729-6741 or 604-385-1558 ---------------------------Transworld Security located at 2nd Floor, 5050, Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4H2 is looking for a Static Guard, Static Guard Supervisor, Mobile Supervisor and Field Manager. These are permanent full-time positions. Static Guard pay rate is $13.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to patrol industrial and commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows and gates. Answer alarms and investigate disturbances. Monitor and

JOBS authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors and guests. Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency. Circulate among visitors, patrons and employees to preserve order and protect property. Static Guard Supervisor pay rate is $14.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to oversee and supervise Static Guards. You will need to ensure the duties of the Static Guards you supervise are being completed and the client’s needs are being met. Field Manager pay rate is $18.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to report to the Director of Operations and you are responsible for supporting, mentoring and supervising the security officers in the field. You will be required to manage the company’s field operations and resources after business hours. Mobile Supervisor pay rate is $18.00 per hour. You would be required to provide ongoing leadership, direction and training. You need to ensure all standing orders and scheduled daily activities are carried out for each shift. You will be required to discipline staff when necessary and ensure proper documentation is passed onto head office. You will have to investigate alarm responses and respond in a timely manner. You will need to communicate any concerns/issues with

JOBS

Site Supervisor/ Coordinator. The above opportunities suit candidates willing to travel all over the lower mainland and from Squamish to Hope. We also have opportunities in Edmonton, Alberta. Minimum qualification for these positions are completion of secondary school and BST Justice Training of BC. Past experience is preferred but we are willing to train candidates who show eagerness to learn. For more information please visit our website at www.transworldsecurity.ca. Please email you resume to hr@ transworldsecurity.ca. ------------------------------------Retail Sales Supervisor (6211); Saim’s Communication Inc.,Surrey, British Columbia, (6211); Salary: $17:50/Hourly; Positions Available: 2; Type: FullTime; Minimum Education: High School; ,Description : Assign sales workers to duties and prepare work schedules, Authorize payments by cheque and the return ofmerchandise , Sell merchandise to customers, Resolve problems that arise, such as customercomplaints and supply shortages, • Maintain specified inventory and ordermerchandise, Prepare reports regarding sales volumes, merchandising and personnel matters, Hire and train or arrange for the training of new

S Matrimonial Seeking a suitable match for Ravidasia Sikh Boy, 30 / 5’10”, Living in Canada, B.Tech. Please send your biodata and pics at aman.shine@gmail. com or contact +1 306 461 3131. sales staff, Ensure proper tagging, packing and displaying of products, Travel upto four different sites daily and/or weekly as required, Resolve disputes related to customers and employees, Get daily reports from employees and submit report to head office, Meeting with management and employees when required, Responsible to manage repair department for products. Language Requirement:English is a must. Speaking other languages

such as urdu or punjabi would be an asset.Apply by email: saimscomm@yahoo.ca ----------------------------Administrative Assistant (1241)Saim’s

To PLACE YOUR AD IN THE ASIAN STAR CLASSIFIEDS Section Please

Call: 604-591-5423

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

Location: #11- 8430 128th Street Surrey, BC V3W 4G3. Contact: Sandeep from Basra Hair & Beauty Salon at basra_ salon@yahoo.ca or fax at (604)365-8861

COMMUNITY Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members as well as non members to attend the Presentation - Stigma of Mental Health Among Asian Men in Canada by Jatinder Dhanju and Nimesh Patel from Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre Vancouver, on May 24th 2015 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC. There will be questions and answers session after the presentation, and there will be registration also for the research program. Tea and light snacks will be served in the end. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further details. --------------------------------------------Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members and non members to come and play Bingo for the sake of fun and make some new friends, on May 17th 2015 from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall 8321 - 140th street Surrey B.C. Please bring only two dollars with you to play 2 games, do not worry if you do not know how to play, members will explain you the game just for the sake of fun. Tea & light snacks will be served after the game is over. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator at 604 507 - 9945 for further details. -----------------------------------------------Free Community Workshops & Activities May 18–31 English & Multilingual ¹ May 25 & 26, 1–4pm MOSAIC Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway 604 254 9626 ext 120 Canadian Citizenship Preparation ¹ May 25 & 26, 5:30–8:30pm Tommy Douglas Burnaby Public Library, 7311 Kingsway 604 254 9626 ext 104 Internet Security Workshop May 27, 11am–1pm MOSAIC North Burnaby Learning Centre, 103–4181 Hastings St 604 254 9626 ext 114 May 28, 10am–12pm MOSAIC Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway 604 438 8214 ext 123 ----------------------------------------------Vancouver- Starting 1st May 2015, PICS Vancouver Settlement Services office will be offering services in Tagalog Language to serve the Filipino community in Vancouver. The volunteer based services will be provided twice a week and will apply to every client who wishes to make use of these services. The services offered will focus on a full range of support services including orientation, training, guidance, mentoring, volunteering and service bridging among others. For more information contact Sukhwinder Gosal (Vancouver Settlement office) at 778-371-8552. ------------------------------------------------VISHWA YOGASHRAM All are Welcome All Day Free Community Event Sunday, April 19, 2015 9386 - 120 ST. Surrey BC

Schedule 5 am to 7 am : Shubh Mangal Inauguration 7 am to 8 am : Yoga Asanas 10 am to 12 pm: Swadhyaya / Reflection on Yoga in modern life by Dr Preeti Misra 2 pm to 4 pm: Gyan Yoga & Meditation led by Swamiji Dr Satya Prakash based on Gita, Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Yogavashishtha and Yogoupanishad followed by Thoughts of Guest Speakers MP/MLA & Others 4 pm to 6 pm : Yoga Dance, Yoga Games, Yoga Vegetarian/Ayurvedic Health secrets 6 pm to 8 pm: Bhakti Yoga with Music 8 am to 9 am : Yogic Breakfast 12 pm to 2 pm: Yogic Lunch 8 pm to 9 pm: Yogic Dinner For Information Please Call : Paul Kaloti: 604-725-3134 Ravi Khosla: 604-301-0360 Dr. Preeti Misra 778-996-1807 For VISHWA’s Recent Events and Activities Watch: https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=tChfWd40Jb8 https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=88tIeTosEjs Regards, Dr Preeti Misra Co-ordinator, VISHWA 778-996-1807 www.swamisatyaprakash.org --------------------------------------------Tickets on sale now for the Surrey International Children’s Festival For immediate release: April 14, 2015 Surrey, BC – Tickets for the 11th annual Surrey International Children’s Festival go on sale today at 12 noon at the Surrey Arts Centre box office. This year’s festival is being held May 21 – 23 with seven ticketed headline performances over three days. Tickets are $10 each. A Saturday “All Access Pass” is also available for $12, which allows full access to all performances (subject to show availability) and all arts activities on site. Entrance to the festival is free, as are

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 23 many community performances and art activities. The Surrey International Children’s Festival exposes children to the arts in a fun and interactive way. This year’s line-up ranges from preschool performances for children as young as 6 months to intermediate shows for older children, aged 9 and up. International and national performances include Music with Marnie and The Secret Life of Walter Manny from BC and Manitoba circus performers The Street Circus. Festival goers will also have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a traditional puppet theatre performance from Vietnam’s Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre. This unique type of storytelling performance features ancient music, dance, and song – all on water. Purchase tickets online at www.surrey.ca/childrensfestival or by calling the Box Office at 604-501-5566. Check the website for full festival programming information.

24 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Business / Finance

Impact of low oil and dollar has yet to be tallied completely, Poloz says

he recent rise in oil prices and the exchange rate are adding to uncertainty about the direction of the country’s economy, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz said this week. In prepared remarks of a speech Poloz was to deliver in Charlottetown, he said the central bank will have to carefully monitor how companies and households react to such shifts and other financial developments over the coming months. “Of course, I must underscore how uncertain the outlook is,” said Poloz’s speech for the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce. Bounce back coming? Poloz has said his fingers are crossed that the economy — still hurting from the late-2014 oil slump — will bounce back in the second quarter after he predicted zero growth for the

first three months of this year. The plunge in crude prices prompted the bank to lower its trend-setting interest rate in January to 0.75 per cent from one per cent as a way to help cushion the economic blow for the oil-exporting country. The surprise change to the overnight rate blindsided markets. Poloz warned Tuesday that there’s still a risk lower oil prices could have a greater impact on the economy than expected. “While it was clear that the oil-price shock represented a setback, it has been no simple task to figure out how far off course it is taking us, or for how long,” he said. “Recent events make it clear that we live in an uncertain world.” Reasons for optimism But Poloz also pointed to the emerging positives he has seen in recent batches of economic data.

Fossil fuels get global $5.3 trillion ‘subsidy’: IMF report

he IMF estimates that governments are providing a $5.3 trillion US “subsidy” to the fossil fuel sector in 2015 by failing to account for its harmful effects on the environment and human health. Described as a “post-tax” subsidy, the figure doesn’t take into account the pre-tax incentives used to encourage exploration and production, and is still much larger than ever before calculated. Only about one quarter of the damage the IMF estimates is from climate change – the rest is from poor air quality and pollution of land and water from fossil fuels. “The fiscal implications are mammoth: At $5.3 trillion, energy subsidies exceed the estimated public health spending for the entire globe,” IMF economists Benedict Clements and Vitor Gaspar wrote in a blog post accompanying the report. The authors suggest getting rid of this subsidy will put money into government coffers for more important efforts, such as education and health. More than half the damage occurs in China, where human health is being affected by pollution from coal and other

fossil fuels. The IMF estimates China’s “posttax” subsidy at $2.3 trillion US. However, both advanced and developing economies are affected. Some of the biggest offenders: U.S. ($699 billion). Russia. European Union. Japan. No specific figure is mentioned for Canada. Coal receives the biggest “post-tax” subsidy, followed by petroleum and, at a fraction of the impact, natural gas and electricity derived from fossil fuels. The paper suggests that the world has an unprecedented chance with today’s low oil prices to reset the costs of fossil fuels to a level more in line with the damage they are doing. It hints at carbon taxes as an efficient means of pricing in the full cost of fossil fuels. “Environmental damages from energy subsidies are large, and energy subsidy reform through efficient energy pricing is urgently needed. While there may be more efficient instruments than environmental taxes for addressing some of the externalities, energy taxes remain the most effective and practical tool until such other instruments become widely available

Malaysian government invests in Burnaby fusion energy company

alaysia’s state-owned energy company may be dragging its feet when it comes to investing in B.C.’s liquefied natural gas industry, but the country is bankrolling another type of energy being developed in the province. The Malaysian government’s strategic investment fund was the largest investor in the latest $27-million round of funding for Burnaby-based General Fusion, the largest fusion energy program in Canada, the company announced Tuesday. “I know that the Malaysian government does care a lot about sustainability… that theme is certainly in our discussions with them,” General Fusion CEO Nathan Gilliland said. “It’s a vote of confidence for fusion energy, a vote of confidence for us, and I think a vote of confidence for Vancouver to be a clean energy hub in Canada,” he said.

The cash influx brings the total investment in General Fusion up to $100 million. The company is trying to figure out how to make fusion energy – this involves heating atoms to extremely high temperatures, creating energy when they collide and fuse – a practical alternative that can be used commercially for electricity. “Fusion energy is very difficult. The world’s been after it for a few decades,” Gilliland said. “This is a validation that we’re making progress, and the fusion industry is coming into its own.” U.S. government labs have proven that fusion can be done, but no one has figured out how to do it economically. General Fusion plans to hire additional staff (the company has 60 employees thus far) to work on the problem. Still, there’s no clear timeline of when fusion energy might be available to the masses, Gilliland said. “That’s the billion-dollar question,” he said.

Business / Finance

CPP gained record 18.7% last year, now worth $264B

anada’s national pension plan post-

ed its best annual return in its history last year and is now worth more than $260 billion. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which manages the assets not needed to pay benefits for 18 million Canadian workers and retirees, saw the fund’s assets swell to $264.6 billion at the end of its fiscal year in March. That’s up $45.5 billion from $219.1 billion at the same time last year. Within that, almost $5 billion came from contributions — workers and employers putting money into the fund, which outstripped the amount coming out. The fund expects it will have more money coming in from contributions than it has to pay out in benefits until 2022, when a demographic bubble of retirees is expected to reverse that. But the majority of the increase came from investment returns. “The CPP fund generated exceptional returns this year, achieving both the highest oneyear return and annual investment income since our inception,” CPP’s president and CEO Mark Wiseman said. Annualized over the past 10 years, CPP has now managed to crank out an average gain of eight per cent per year. That’s better than the performance of a passive collection of assets that the pension plan uses for its benchmark. After factoring inflation, that’s a 10-year average annual return of 6.2 per cent. Since 1999,

about a year after legislation aimed at overhauling the CPP was enacted, roughly 57 per cent or $151 billion of the fund’s net worth has come from investment returns, not contributions from plan members. The CPPIB said in a release Thursday that virtually all asset classes saw gains, including stocks, bonds, private assets and real estate holdings. And the fund saw strong gains both on what it owns in Canada, and elsewhere in the world, with developed and developing market holdings performing well. The weaker loonie was a big part of that, as a cheaper currency boosts the value of things the fund owns outside of Canada. “The benefit of the fund’s diversification across currencies also played a role in its returns, as the Canadian dollar fell against certain currencies, including the U.S. dollar,” the board said. The Office of the Chief Actuary recently deemed the CPP “actuarially sound” for the next 75 years, which means it is deemed to be financially sustainable for that long at its current rate of contributions. Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist at CIBC, says with the large bulk of baby boomers

soon to retire, good returns are crucial. “With interest rates so low, they have no choice but to increase their risk profile so we see a situation in which they go to infrastructure, private companies,” Tal said.

Stephen Poloz may have to drop rates to zero, former Bank of Canada adviser warns

he Bank of Canada may cut interest rates to zero in the next six to 18 months as a rising Canadian dollar threatens the recovery, according to Fidelity Investments’ David Wolf. Rebounding oil prices have spurred Canada’s currency to the biggest rally among Group of 10 nations versus the U.S. dollar in the last three months. North of the world’s largest economy sits Canada, a wealthy, peaceful nation that is often overlooked in discussions of the global economy and financial markets. It’s a country that policymakers and investors ignore at their peril. Contrary to popular belief, Canada is far more than its relationship with the U.S. In many ways, the nation runs counter to many global trends – what Canada enjoys in abundance, much of the world lacks. Continued appreciation will endanger the non-commodity export revival central bank Governor Stephen Poloz is

counting on to lead the economic recovery, and will probably prompt him to join global peers in cutting the benchmark interest rate to zero, from 0.75 per cent now, Wolf said Thursday at the Bloomberg Economic Series Canada conference in Toronto. “I wouldn’t be surprised if rates here end up where they are everywhere else in the developed world, which is basically at zero,” said Wolf, a portfolio manager in Toronto who previously worked as an adviser to former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney. “I’m not really thinking recession here but I’m sure thinking sluggish growth.” The Bank of Canada next meets on May 27 to decide on interest rates. Wolf ’s prediction goes against the consensus calls of both economists and the market. Economists see Poloz’s next move as raising rates, and have moved up their forecasts to the middle of next year from the end, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

Canada threatens to impose tariffs on US imports

awmakers in Ottawa are threatening to impose punitive measures against the U.S. after winning a contentious trade dispute at the World Trade Organization over U.S. meat labelling laws that Canada says have cost the industry as much as $1 billion in lost sales each year. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Trade Minister Ed Fast addressed reporters on Tuesday a day after a WTO panel ruled in Canada’s favour over a dispute with the U.S. about country-of-origin labeling on meat products dating back to 2008. The WTO panel deemed the U.S. law discriminatory and protectionist for the fourth and final time. “The United States has used and exhausted all possible means to avoid their international obligations, damaging our highly integrated North American supply chain, hurting producers and processors on both sides of the border,” the government of Canada said in a release. Under WTO rules, Canada and Mexico — another country that had opposed the mea-

sures — are allowed to move swiftly to impose punishments, which could likely take the form of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. food products like wine, chocolate, cereal, furniture, mattresses, fruit and juice. “In light of the final ruling, and due to the fact that the United States has continued to discriminate against Canadian livestock products, Canada will be seeking authority from the WTO to use retaliatory measures on U.S. agricultural and non-agricultural products,” a statement from the two ministries said. Some U.S. lawmakers are taking that possibility seriously, and are already taking steps to introduce a bill that would repeal the law currently on the books ahead of any retaliatory sanctions. The measure was blamed for a drastic decline in meat exports from other North American countries. Ottawa reckons the labeling requirements have cost Canadian meat producers about $1 billion annually since being implemented in 2008. The impact on Mexico has been about the same.

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 25

PUNJAB

26 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Political bigwigs corner over 40 % bus permits in Punjab

he number of private buses plying on Punjab roads is much more than the valid route permits issued in the state. About 50 transporters, mostly from political heavyweight families or their associates, have been issued up to 40 per cent of the 2,885 route permits. Around 900 other transporters share the remaining around 60 per cent permits. Official documents about route permits reveal that the companies associated directly with top Akali leaders have a clear monopoly on important routes, especially in Bathinda, Patiala, Muktsar and their surrounding areas. In these areas, these companies hold around 100-150 permits, which is more than 50 per

cent of the route permits allotted in a given district. Other transporters are running their business with one or two route permits only. A number of Congress leaders, apart from neutral private transporters, who remain on the right side of the government of any political party, enjoy monopoly in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts. The state government has been shying away from making this data public as it shows the monopoly of a few private transporters. The state told the High Court on May 16 that 3,543 private buses ply in the state. Documents in the possession of The Tribune show that 2,885 route permits have been issued in the state.

Deputy CM Sukhbir’s largesse to ‘blue-eyed bureaucrat’

he Badal government has adjusted one of its blue- eyed bureaucrats by appointing him as Principal Sec-

retary to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Retired IAS officer Paramjit Singh Aujla relinquished office on November 30, 2014. The Deputy CM, who already has a large number of officers in his staff, showed his preference for the former officer and has engaged Aujla on a sumptuous contract for the course of his term in office. His salary has been fixed at Rs 1.7 lakh per month and he would enjoy all the perks and privileges of serving IAS officers like government accommodation, travelling facility besides other noticeable facilities. Chief Secretary Savesh Kaushal issued the re-employment orders to Aujla on April 24, 2015. Interestingly, Aujla’s appointment has been made as per the terms and conditions of the appointment of Lt-Gen BS Dhaliwal (retd) who is

holding the charge of Technical Adviser to CM Parkash Singh Badal. As per precedent, a re-employed officer can be posted to the position held by him at the time of retirement with last drawn salary minus the monthly pension. But this is not applicable in the appointment orders. It is pertinent to mention that the Aujla has been working for Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal in the same capacity. However, he occupies a non-cadre post in the rank of secretary. Sources in the Punjab Accountant General’s office said that the norms for retired armed forced personnel could not be followed in the case of retired IAS officers. In this case, deducting the pension from the salary has not been mentioned. This was objectionable from the audit viewpoint, the sources added.

Drug trade has Badal govt’s patronage: AAP

he Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) ‘Beiman Bhajao-Punjab Bachao — Lok Chetna March’, which reached here last night, resumed its journey from Sangrur in the morning today towards Barnala district. First, it reached Badbar village and then Dhanaula, Barnala and Sangherra in Barnala district. After that, the march passed through Sherpur, Dhuri, Malerkotla, Amargarh and Bagrian villages in Sangrur district before entering Patiala district this evening. At all the places, volunteers of AAP gave a rousing reception to the march. Sanjay Singh, AAP’s Punjab observer; Sucha Singh Chhotepur, state convener of the party; Jasbir Singh Jassi Sekhon, district convener of the party; and Abjinder Sangha, personal assistant to

Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann; were part of the march. Talking to reporters Sanjay Singh, the party’s Punjab observer, held the Badal government responsible for all miseries being faced by people in the state. He alleged that even drug trade had the patronage of the Badal government due to which no action was being taken against the powerful politicians whose names had figured in the drug-smuggling scam. Sanjay Singh said there was a rampant corruption in the state as people had to pay money even for making ration cards and death certificates. He said Punjab was nowadays under various mafias like transport, sand, liquor and drugs that had been running the state.

Fuel, power to get costlier in Punjab

uel, electricity and registration of property is set to be costlier in Punjab with the state government deciding to levy cess on consumers to mobilise additional revenue of Rs 1,500 crore annually. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting today chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in the absence of CM Parkash Singh Badal, who was reportedly unwell. According to the announcement, cess will be levied at Re 1 per litre each on petrol and diesel, infrastructure development (ID) fee at Rs 5 for every Rs 100 of the value of electricity consumed (raising tariff by 35 paisa per unit) and ID fee at Re 1 for every Rs 100 of the value of purchase of immovable property within Punjab. The money thus collected will not be routed to the state’s consolidated fund, but will be collected as a dedicated fund for infrastructure development. While 60 per cent of this fund will be used to devel-

op infrastructure in urban areas, rest of the amount will be used for rural areas. After the cess is levied, Punjab will have the highest rate of petrol in the country, toppling Karnataka. The price (Rs 74.73 per litre now) will go up by Rs 1.30 per litre, while that of diesel (Rs 52.56 per litre currently) will increase by Rs 1.13 per litre. The fuel rates will be revised after the state government issues a formal notification, which is expected in a day or two. Punjab will also have the highest tax on the fuel with 12.385 per cent VAT (including surcharge) on diesel and 30.83 per cent on petrol. The state will earn Rs 17.50 per litre as VAT on petrol and Rs 5.75 per litre on diesel. However, the decision has not gone down well with the petroleum dealers. Punjab will also have the highest tax on the fuel with 12.385 per cent VAT (including surcharge) on diesel and 30.83 per cent on petrol. The state will earn Rs 17.50 per litre as VAT on petrol and Rs 5.75 per litre on diesel.

25% old age pensioners found fake in Muktsar Over 25 per cent people, who availed the benefit of old age pension scheme in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home district Muktsar, have been found fake and

their names have been deleted from the list of beneficiaries. Of the total 52,782 old age pensioners in the district, 13,410 have been deleted and 39,372 have been found genuine following re-verification of pensioners s The information procured from a senior officer in the district administration revealed that the maximum number of fake beneficiaries was detected in the Gidderbaha block, where 5,849 people were found availing the benefit illegally. It was followed by 2,867 fake beneficiaries in the Lambi block, 2,466 in Malout block and 2,228 in the Muktsar block. Sources say the reason behind such a large number of fake beneficiaries was the result of political pressure. The number of deleted beneficiaries included those not fulfilling the age criteria, absent or dead. The verification process of pensioners had started in December last year. The task of verification and re-verification of beneficiaries had been given to the Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) who had further assigned it to the tehsildars and other officials. The total number of genuine beneficiaries after the re-verification process is 39,372 in Muktsar district. It included 17,178 in Malout and Lambi blocks, 14,113 in the Muktsar block and 8,081 in the Gidderbaha block. Genuine beneficiaries are awaiting pension since September last. Naresh Kumar, District Social Security Officer, Muktsar, said, “The re-verification process has completed and above 13,000 pensioners are found ineligible. Their names have been deleted from the list of beneficiaries now.” “Further, the department will release the pension amount of four months - September to December - within a week,” added Kumar.

INDIA

Modi prefers Mongolia to Maharashtra, claims Shiv Sena

hiv Sena has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending $1 billion credit line to Mongolia when the country’s farmers were in the middle of a crisis. “We can say Mongolia is more fortunate than farmers of Maharashtra because it has received aid from the Indian Government.....Our PM has shown the world that India’s economy is strong by giving away such a huge amount to Mongolia,” the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece “Saamna”. The mouthpiece, which has Shiv Sena chief

Uddhav Thackeray as its editor, wondered why Modi could not show the same eagerness to help the distressed farmers of Maharashtra who were under heavy debt. “US $ 1 billion is not a small amount. The PM has now taken upon himself to develop this small nation. But it will hurt the souls of the farmers who were forced to commit suicide,” Saamna said.

Wife burns man and six of his kin to death

pset with her husband leaving her, a woman allegedly torched him to death along with six members of his family, including his sister’s three children, at a village in Madurai district on Wednesday. Police said the woman, Pandeeswari, 25, along with her mother and brother, doused the sleeping members of the family with kerosene, threw a burning torch, locked up the house and fled. The woman, her 50-year-old mother and 27-yearold brother have been arrested. Police said Pandeeswari got married to Kannan, 27, of Kumarapuram near Sedapatti in Madurai district about three years ago. But, the couple had been living separately for the last one year due to differences. They said the woman had been threatening to kill his family if he did not come back to live with her.

Delhi Gov’t deadlock

mid the escalating LG-CM feud, the Centre backed Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung making it clear that it was not mandatory for him to consult Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on matters like appointment of bureaucrats. In a gazette notification issued today, the Union Home Ministry said the LG will have jurisdiction over matters connected with services, public order, police and land and he may consult with the Chief Minister whenever he thinks necessary in issues of services using his own “discretion”. It is well established that where there is no legislative power, there is no executive power since executive power is co-extensive within legislative power, it said. “Public order, police, land and services fall outside purview of legislative assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and consequently the Government of NCT of Delhi will have no executive power” on such matters, accordingly to the notification.

Nine killed in UP train crash

t least nine people have been killed and 18 others injured when a tractor pulling a wagon loaded with people was hit by a train in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said. The accident happened at an unmanned level crossing near the town of Bijnor. The wagon was carrying people returning from a ceremony at a Hindu temple. There are nearly 15,000 unmanned crossings on Indian railways and hundreds of people are killed on these crossings every year. Safety standards on India’s massive state-run railway network, which operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries some 23 million passengers every day, has been an ongoing concern amid a spate of accidents.

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 27

Rahul may take Congress reins this year: Jairam Ramesh

ahul Gandhi is expected to be- Ramesh said. “We need regional leadership come the Congress president this because we are not only fighting national year and bring back India’s grand elections, we are also fighting state elections. old party to its past power and glory by pro- “He (Rahul) does not believe in the culture of nominations; he moting regional faces, believes in people according to senior party emerging as leaders; leader Jairam Ramesh. “I he does not believe expect that it would be in in para-trooping,” he 2015. We are expecting said. Ramesh disthat he will take over (as missed reports of the Congress president) and old guard feeling insewe are expecting that he cure about their future would take over in 2015”, with Rahul taking over Ramesh told PTI in an the reins of the party interview here today. from Sonia Gandhi Rahul is committed Congress leader and also downplayed to creating a new cadre Jairam Ramesh of leadership in states, he said. “He recog- the discordant notes on his leadership qualnises that we need state-level leadership. We ities. “There is no old guard. There is no need to create the Congress party that exist- young guard. There is only one guard. There ed in the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, where is only Congress guard,” he said. “Every we had a Kamaraj, Pratap Singh Kairon, Y B organisation must undergo a process of reChavan, B C Roy, G B Pant, among others,” newal every 20 years...every 25 years and the

28 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

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6 i Saturday - April 4, 2015

Jindal moves closer to announcing US presidential bid

etting his sights on the White House, Indian-American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has formed an exploratory committee to look into the possibility of mounting a credible challenge as a Republican nominee for the 2016 US presidential bid. If Jindal, 43, announces going ahead with his plans, he would be the first ever Indian-American politician to run for a US presidential election. In doing so, he would join the already crowded Republican presidential aspirants. Forming an exploratory committee is considered to be the first serious step toward a presidential bid. The Republican Governor, however, said he would make a final decision on a White House bid after his state’s legislative session ends in mid-June. “My parents came to this country over 40 years ago with nothing but the belief that America is the land of freedom and opportunity. They were right,” Jindal said on his website announcing the formation of the Bobby Jindal Exploratory Committee. “We must fight to make sure the next generation is not the first generation to inherit fewer opportunities than their parents. Will

you join me?” Jindal asked on the home page of the website with the headline ‘Ready’. Jindal said that if he runs, his candidacy would be based on the idea the American people “are ready to try a dramatically different direction.” “If I run, my candidacy will be based on the idea that the American people are ready to try a dramatically different direction. Not a course correction, but a dramatically different path,” he said in a statement. Jindal, a former congressman who started his career in public service as Louisiana’s health secretary, also tried to strike a difference between himself and other Republican leaders by describing policy plans he has released on health care, defence, energy and education.

6 Indian-Americans receive prestigious award in US

ix Indian-Americans and a British-Indian were among nearly 100 individuals who were presented prestigious 2015 Ellis Island Medals of Honor in the US for their contributions to America. Indian-American winners include Meera Gandhi, founder of The Giving Back Foundation, Rajdeep K Dhami, Chad P Gehani, Rahul M Jindal, S Mona Sinha, chairperson of the Asian Women’s Leadership University (AWLU) Project, and K V Kumar. Baroness Sandip Verma, member of the House of Lords, and a former junior minister at the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the UK, also received the award presented recently in New York. Gandhi’s

The Giving Back Foundation is geared towards alleviating illness, poverty and suffering while also addressing education issues which affect women and children around the world. Gehani, former president of the New York State Dental Association, lives in Queens, New York.In November 2006 Gehani was honored by the New York State Dental Foundation with the Foundation of Excellence in Community Service Award. Jindal who is currently a Staff Transplant Surgeon at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and professor of Surgery and Global Health at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

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SOUTH ASIA

Inspired by ‘sewa’, an Englishman making shelters in Nepal

nspired by Sikh’s sewa (voluntary service) that transformed his flood affected village overnight in 2014, Jim Winksworth, an Englishman, is now helping victims of earthquake in Nepal by building shelters for them along with group of Sikh’s of UK based NGO Khalsa Aid. Jim told TOI from Nepal on Wednesday that his village Burrowbridg, a sleepy, quintessentially English, village in Somerset, had no contact with the Sikh community and had no knowledge of ‘sewa’ until February 2014 when chief executive officer of Khalsa Aid, Ravi Singh called him to offer help in reconstructing his flood devastated village. “The whole village was in shock and was trying to deal with the floods, and I didn’t pay much attention to this guy who called and offered to help. I told him we needed all hands he could spare. Imagine my shock when the next morning the whole village appeared magically inhabited by these tall bearded guys with their turbans looking

for me. And within minutes they had taken over, from organization to physical labour to paying for the valuable sand we needed”, he said. The voluntary service resulted in a bond between Jim, a pub owner and an agriculturist, and Ravi. Jim said for last 2 weeks, he has been in the earthquake affected Nepal on behalf of Khalsa Aid, using his experience to build shelters for the Nepalese people. Ravi Singh, who is currently in UK told that Jim had been working tirelessly to make sure that the shelters were in place before the monsoons arrive in full swing. He had also been instructing the local people and other volunteers so that they learn valuable skills and the job gets done in time, he added. Jim Winksworth extending a helping hand to rebuild earthquake-hit Nepal.

Bangladesh vows to bring human traffickers to justice

angladesh on Tuesday vowed to bring human traffickers to justice as boats carrying hundreds of its nationals alongside Rohingyas from Myanmar continued to bounce between South East Asian countries as they turned them away. “We will take immediate action against those who have trafficked people illegally. We are trying to identify and track them down,” state minister for home affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said. He said a lack of security around the 250 kilometres border region in northeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts adjacent to Myanmar and open to Bay of Bengal was largely responsible for the massive human

trafficking. Kamal said paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were ordered to set up border outposts to prevent trafficking. “We have decided to set up BOP (border outposts) there to bring down the problem of human trafficking... We could not set up BOP there previously because these areas are remote but I hope the problem of trafficking will be controlled after setting them up,” the minister said. According to Kamal, the government is also working to secure the northeastern Cox’s Bazar frontier with Myanmar by issuing separate identity cards to fishermen in the Bay of Bengal to stop human trafficking.

Malaysia orders search and rescue for boats with Asian migrants

alaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has said his country will conduct search and rescue missions for Rohingya migrant boats in the Andaman Sea. Humanitarian aid would also

be delivered by land and sea, he said. His announcement comes after weeks of authorities rejecting migrant boats and towing them out of Malaysian waters. Malaysia and Indonesia’s foreign ministers are in Myanmar for talks on the migrant crisis. About 7,000 people are believed to be stranded at sea. The migrants are comprised of Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar, as well as Bangladeshis, who are thought to be economic migrants. Malaysia and Indonesia have said they will temporarily shelter those that land on their territory, but need the international community’s help with resettling them. ‘Ping-pong’ Mr Najib said on his Twitter account that it was “basic human compassion” to provide aid to the hungry and sick. He added that search and rescue by the country’s naval and maritime authorities was needed to “prevent loss of life”. Malaysia was among several in the region that had previously refused to take in the migrants and been towing the boats to other countries’ waters, in what observers condemned as a deadly “ping-pong” match.

2 war criminals to spend life in jail

angladesh sentenced two men, including an 84-year-old, to prison for the rest of their natural lives for committing war crimes and siding with the enemy during the country’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. Chairman of the three-judge International Crimes Tribunal-2 of Bangladesh, Justice Obaidul Hassan delivered the verdict saying, the panel found Mahidur Rahman, and Afsar Hossain Chutu, 65, guilty of “killing, abduction and torture” as the duo appeared in the dock. “They be convicted and condemned to the sentences of imprisonment for life till death under section 20(2) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973,” pronounced Hassan after their trial which began in January this year, three months after the two were arrested from their home in northwestern Chapai Nawabganj.

FIJI

Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands

6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued and no major damage was expected. The quake hit at a depth of 19km, about 184km from the town of Lata and 487km from the capital Honiara. It was followed a smaller 4.9-magnitude aftershock. “Based on all available data there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. The Solomons are part of the “Ring of Fire,” a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific that is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. “This is one of the most active seismic regions in the world - in the last

Qarase makes $882k claim

he Government has paid former prime minister Laisenia Qarase’s pension but is yet to address his further claim of $882,000. Yesterday, the Attorney-General and Finance Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said the Government had paid Mr Qarase’s pension arrears from December 2006 to December 18 of 2014 totalling $583,263.64. He said the Government was currently paying a fortnightly payment of $2443.78 to Qarase. This explanation followed a query from the Opposition Leader,

Ro Teimumu Kepa, on why Qarase had not received the balance of his pension entitlements.

three years we have had 30 plus earthquakes of over 6.0 magnitude,” Geoscience Australia duty seismologist Marco Maldoni told the AFP news agency. “No damage is expected from this quake. The main damage from these sorts of under water events doesn’t usually come from the e ar t h qu a ke itself, but the tsunami - most seismic energy is released into the water.” Earlier this month, neighbouring Papua New Guinea was rattled by a 7.1 quake but a tsunami threat passed and there were no reports of major damage.

Good News!

Saturday, May 23, 2015 i 31

Fiji is 7s World Series Champions

iji needed to summon up all their composure and concentration to get past defending champions South Africa 19-7 on Sunday morning at Twickenham to seal the HSBC 7s World Series title for the first time since 2006. With the added pressure of an all-to-play-for Cup quarter-final at the London Marriott 7s, Ben Ryan’s boys maintained the resilience that they have demonstrated all season and closed the door on Neil Powell’s side. In the opening exchanges, Fiji couldn’t really get their hands

on the ball and spent the opening four and a half minutes pinned in their own half, defending for their lives. Amenoni Rasilasila started the move that led to the opening score from Savenaca Rawaca, who has been a stalwart of strength this season. Moments later, Rasilasila displayed his best goosestep, a la Serevi, to break the South African line and pass out wide to skipper Osea Kolinisau for a try under the posts, and the teams went into half-time with Fiji leading 12-0.

USA wins London 7s

SA created history by defeating Australia 45-22 to win their first HSBC Sevens World Series tournament. The Americans dominated play in the London 7s final and led the Australians 26-10 at

Good News!

half time. Australia tried to get back into the game in the second half but were no match for the determined USA side. USA coach Mike Friday thanked his players for the historic win, saying it was a team effort.

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Speaker requests MP to submit evidence

PPOSITION MP Semesa Karavaki claimed in Parliament on Thursday that he had evidence of the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum allegedly interfering in matters of FICAC. In a point of order, Karavaki said Sayed-Khaiyum was allegedly involved in advising FICACs Deputy Commissioner. Speaker Dr Jiko Luveni requested the MP to submit his evidence to her chambers and any debate on the issue will come at later date.

Child sexual abuse

bout 50 per cent of child abuse cases reported last year were sexual in nature. This was revealed by the National Substance Abuse Advisory Council (NSAAC). The council has a record of 328 cases of child abuse compared with 200 in 2013. Of the 328 cases recorded, sexual abuse topped the list with about 170 cases. There were 157 child neglect cases, 96 cases of physical abuse and five cases of emotional abuse. Ministry of Social Welfare and Women permanent secretary Dr Josefa Koroivueta said child abuse and violence against women and children were ongoing issues.

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32 i Saturday, May 23, 2015

Forces kill four insurgents in Karachi raid

aramilitary forces on Saturday killed at least four members of a Baluch insurgent group in the port city of Karachi, officials said. The incident happened in the impoverished neighbourhood of old Golimar where paramilitary Rangers had launched a targeted operation against the proscribed Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) on an intelligence tip-off. “The criminals opened indiscriminate fire on the Rangers, prompting the force to fire back which killed four notorious BLA terrorists,” Rangers spokesman Major Sibtain Rizvi told AFP. He said six insurgents were also arrested during the operation, adding they were all involved in anti-state activities and targeted killings. The BLA mainly operates in resource-rich Baluchistan, the largest of Pakistan’s four provinces, but its roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth. Rebels began their fifth insurgency against the state in 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting. The incident came days after massacre of 44 minority Shia Ismaili Muslims in Karachi Wednesday in the first attack officially claimed by the Islamic State group in the country. Wednesday’s attack was the second-deadliest in Pakistan this year after 62 Shia Muslims were killed in a suicide bombing in late January. Karachi, a city of 20 million people, is wracked by violence and targeted shootings are a near-daily occurrence, either for robbery or for religious, political or ethnic reasons.

US anti-terror aid helps Pak wage war against India instead of fighting terror

he American military assistance to Pakistan, a latest list of which was recently put out by the independent Congressional Research Service (CRS), better situates its military to wage a war against India and not to fight terrorists, a noted US expert on South Asia has said. “This assistance better situates Pakistan to wage war against India while doing nothing to shape Pakistan’s will or capabilities to target terrorists and insurgents,” Christine Fair, author of several well-researched books on Pakistan and its military wrote in a recent article, days after the CRS in a report listed out the military hardware including fighter jets that the US has given to Pakistan. “The items that Washington has conveyed to Pakistan have little utility in fighting insurgents and terrorists; rather, they enable Pakistan to better fight India, a democratic American partner that has long endured Pakistani predations,” Fair said. A new American policy towards Pakistan, rooted in sober realism, is long

overdue, she argued in her recent piece in National Interest. Since 9/11, the United States has lavished Pakistan with nearly $8 billion in security assistance, $11 billion in economic assistance, and $13 billion in the lucrative programme known as Coalition Support Funds (CSF), she said referring to the CRS report. Since then, Pakistan has availed of significant US weapons systems and armaments, including: a used Perry-class missile frigate; 18 new and 14 used nuclear-capable F-16s; an array of munitions (i.e 500 air-to-air missiles, 1,450 2,000-pound bombs); 1,600 kits that allow Pakistan to convert gravity bombs into laser-guided smarter bombs, 2,007 anti-armor missiles, 100 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 500 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, seven naval guns, 374 armored personnel carriers, and much more, she said. A transfer of 15 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles is also under way. “This list suggests that Pakistan’s insurgents have developed air, naval and ground-force capabilities,” Fair said.

US drone kills six ‘militants’

t least six ‘militants’, including foreigners, were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s remote northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, a security official said today. The attack was carried out in Shawal Valley in the North Waziristan tribal region yesterday. A security official said that the drone fired two missiles at a ‘hideout’. “Six militants were killed and two injured in the attack,” he said.

The death toll is feared to rise as those injured in drone attacks seldom survive. Most of those killed were foreigners, according to a report in the Dawn. Shawal is a mountainous and thickly forested region along the border with Afghanistan. The rebels are believed to be still hiding in the area after fleeing from other areas of North Waziristan where operation ‘Zarb-eAzb’ against militants is in progress.

Anti-terror court summons 7 witnesses in 26/11 case

Pakistani anti-terrorism court holding the trial of the seven Mumbai attack accused, including mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, on Wednesday summoned seven witnesses for the next hearing after the case record was finally submitted to it. The Islamabad High Court finally sent back the record of the Mumbai attack case to the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), also in Islamabad, after over four months when it was told that the case had moved “an inch” since the record was lying with the IHC. The Mumbai case record was transferred to the IHC in the first week of January when the federal government challenged the bail to Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi. Virtually no proceedings of the case had been held since the trial court granted bail to him on December 14, 2014. “The ATC Islamabad which held the hearing at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi today summoned seven official and private witnesses for the next hearing on May 27 to record their statements. The trial court summoned the witnesses only after the case record was today retrieved from the IHC and presented before the ATC,” a senior court official said after the hearing. The official expressed the hope that after retrieving the case record from the IHC, the trial court hearings would not be marred by any another issue. During today’s hearing, the Inspector General Police, Islamabad also submitted a reply to the court regarding the alleged security threats to Lakhvi.

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Takata airbag recall involves millions of vehicles in Canada

nlike U.S. regulators that have ability to order recalls, Canada relies on voluntary action Several million vehicles in Canada could be affected by a widening recall of Takata airbags, but finding an exact number is next to impossible, partly because of complex regulations and a lack of clarity from the regulator that’s supposed to cover such issues in Canada. That’s not the case in the U.S. On Tuesday, the recall of airbags from Japanese car part manufacturer Takata was widened to include almost 34 million vehicles across the U.S. because the components can burst when inflating, possibly covering vehicle occupants with dangerous shrapnel. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is aware of more than 100 injuries and six deaths in relation to the faulty components. It’s believed the issue is related to humidity, but even that remains unclear. The story first came to light last year before expanding multiple times, as a results of the NHTSA working with Takata and the automakers for action. As of Tuesday, the recall covers almost one out of every seven cars in America, and includes vehicles from 11 companies that sell cars in the U.S. The NHTSA has fined Takata $14,000 a day since February for refusing to co-operate with its investigation in the U.S. But the picture in Canada is nowhere near as clear. That’s partly because unlike U.S. regulators that have the ability to mandate recalls, Transport Canada relies on voluntary actions from automakers.

“In Canada, vehicle manufacturers are responsible for carrying out notice of defect [recall] campaigns and must notify Transport Canada when they become aware of safety defects,” a spokesman with the agency told CBC News in an emailed statement. The agency also says it hasn’t changed its recall database as a results of Tuesday’s action in the U.S. “To date, we have not received notice of any recall expansions,” the spokesman said. “Transport Canada has received no complaints related to this issue from Canadians, and is not aware of any incidents having taken place in Canada.” A spokesperson from Transport Minister Lisa Raitt’s office echoes that sentiment, adding that the agency continues to “monitor the issue.” “Transport Canada requested that manufacturers using these airbags provide information on any cases of abnormal deployment in Canada,” the minister’s office said. “All manufacturers complied fully with the request.” But that doesn’t mean no vehicles in Canada have been recalled in relation to the possibly faulty parts. They just aren’t easily accessible on Transport Canada’s database, which is searchable by company (not component maker) and doesn’t necessarily list what specific component was a factor. in any given recall. A recall notice on the database from December says that Toyota Canada has recalled 14,570 RAV4 SUVs for faulty airbags. But the notice has no mention they are Takata components. A subsequent news release from Toyota Canada, however, confirms that the recall is in fact related to Takata components.

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