The Asian Star March 12 2016 by The Asian Star Newspaper

www.theasianstar.com Vol 15 Issue 6

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Tel: 604-591-5423

LOCAL

2 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Man still serving sentence allowed to travel to India despite pleas from victim’s family

is sentence isn’t over, but he is allowed to go to India to deal with a personal matter. Ravinder Binning is able to leave the country because of humanitarian reasons, but his victims’ family is not happy about the situation. Varinder Badh’s parents were killed in a 2008 crash caused by Binning. She believes he is going home do deal with an ill parent. “This is the same person who ran past my sister’s crying pleas when my parents were dying. He felt nothing then.” His lack of remorse is one reason she believes he might stay overseas. “The actions that he took of killing my parents, it will be a forgotten memory. He can start fresh, right there in India.”

She says there are more cases out there like her families and the government needs to step in to stop it from happening again. She calls its a terrible travesty of justice. “There’s a reason for the sentence, it’s for some kind of retribution to the persons who lost their lives or persons who were injured.” She says something needs to be done to stop this from happening again. “I think the current government needs to look at the current laws we have and tighten them up or clean them up if you will.” Family of Surrey couple killed in crash worried as offender is released Killer hit-andrun driver sentenced Man pleads guilty in deadly Surrey hit-and-run Ravinder Binning

Vancouver home building project pierces aquifer and threatens homes

project gone awry is causing millions of litres of groundwater to spill from an aquifer in South Vancouver and is threatening several homes in the area. The spill started in September, when provincial and city documents show businessman Feng Lin Liu was building a new home at 7084 Beechwood Ave. The project included drilling for a geothermal heating and cooling system. “The drilling hit a pressurized aquifer, creating the uncontrolled, flowing well that was left uncapped,” said the city in a written statement. “The water is currently being managed by pumping it into the city’s combined sewer system on a temporary basis.” The city says the company hired to do the drilling, Geoenergia, was unlicensed and didn’t comply with

More coverage. Better call quality. Faster data.

provincial regulations. The company appears to have disappeared from B.C. — an online search shows it is now based in Italy. The City of Vancouver has issued evacuation alerts to residents of about a dozen homes in the area, warning they may have to leave due to potential flooding if a sinkhole develops. The city says groundwater is the province’s jurisdiction, but it’s keeping an eye on work done by the new contractor hired by the owner, at his own cost, to manage the damaged aquifer. Geological engineer Roger Beckie says the contractors should have known the aquifer was there. “The aquifers in British Columbia have been mapped by the provincial government, and my expectation would be that most contractors would know about them,” Beckie said, adding the contractor may not have anticipated the high pressure of the aquifer. Resolving the issue will take more time than simply pouring concrete to fill the hole. “It’s the rate at which the water is coming out that prevents them from plugging it,” he said.

Girl dies after being raped, set on fire by alleged 20-year-old stalker in India

15-year-old Indian girl who was raped and set on fire this week died Wednesday in the New Delhi hosIf you’re a WIND customer in the Greater Vancouver area you should have already noticed better pital where she was being treated network coverage, faster data speeds and improved call quality. We’ve added new equipment, additional for severe burns, police said. Powireless spectrum and expanded our coverage in Richmond, Surrey, South Surrey, Langley, Aldergrove, lice have arrested a 20-year-old Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby, Vancouver, North Vancouver and man and charged him with raping New Westminster, with more to come in the future. and burning the girl Monday in a village outside New Delhi, one of several recently reported cases of rapes of women or children in India. Following the attack, the girl was taken to the hospital with burns over 95 per cent of her body. She succumbed early Wednesday, said Uttar Pradesh state police constable Yadram Singh. The girl’s family said the man had been stalking her for several months. Her father had filed a police complaint and police issued a warning to him last year. The man was charged Tuesday with several offences, including rape and attempted murder. Since the girl has died, the attempted murder charge will be changed to murder, Singh said. The man’s family denied the accusation of rape and said the two were having a consensual relationship. They did not comment on the girl’s burns.Police said an investigation is continuing into the incident. The recent reports of rapes of women or children in India highlight the persistence of such violence despite a public outcry three years ago that led to stronger laws against sexual assault following the fatal gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus.

We’ve upgraded our Greater Vancouver network.

www.theasianstar.com

Vol 15

Issue 6

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Tel: 604-591-5423

Google driverless car sideswipes bus

Spring forward Sunday, March 13th

Page

Shiva Ayyadurai claims he invented e-mail

he obituaries all cited Raymond Tomlinson, who died over the weekend, as the “inventor” of email, but out in the cold in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Shiva Ayyadurai bristled. A few eulogies were a little more nuanced, noting specifically that the New York-born Tomlinson is widely recognized for selecting the @ symbol to connect a username with the destination address email, making it a central part of the communications process. Even G-mail was guarded, tweeting, “Thank you, Ray Tomlinson, for inventing email and putting the @ sign on the map. #RIP.” But that was of little comfort to the Mumbai-born Ayyadurai, who emigrated to the US with his family when he was only seven, and has been fighting an epic battle to be recognized as the primary inventor of Continued on page 7

Trudeau invites Obama to visit Canada after Washington ‘love-fest’

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US. President Barack Obam at a press conference during Trudeau’s recent visit to USA. rime Minister Justin Trudeau and tions ranging from Donald Trump’s ascenU.S. President Barack Obama dancy in the Republican Party, to streamemerged from the White House lining trade and movement across the to tell reporters that Obama has been in- border, to the still-unresolved softwood Continued on page 21 vited to address Canada’s Parliament later this year. The two leaders held a joint press Falling tree kills conference, where they addressed ques-

Hacker’s typo stopped $1 billion bank heist

woman in her bed in windstorm

Hackers requested money to be moved to an NGO but misspelled ‘foundation’ as ‘fandation’

spelling mistake in an online bank transfer instruction helped prevent a nearly $1 billion US heist last month involving the Bangladesh central bank and the New York Fed, banking officials said. Unknown hackers still managed to get away with about $80 million, one of the largest known bank thefts in history. The hackers breached Bangladesh Bank’s systems last month and stole its credentials for payment transfers, two senior Bangladesh Bank officials said. They then bombarded the Federal Reserve Bank of New York with nearly three dozen requests to move money from the Ban-

gladesh bank’s account there to entities in the Philippines and Sri Lanka, the officials said. Four requests to transfer a total of about $81 million to the Philippines went through, but a fifth, for $20 million, to a Sri Lankan non-profit organisation got held up because the hackers misspelled the name of the NGO. The full name of the non-profit could not be learned. But one of the officials said the hackers misspelled “foundation” in the NGO’s name as “fandation”, prompting a routing bank, Deutsche Bank, to seek clarification from the Bangladesh central bank, which stopped the transacContinued on page 6

Tree cuts house in half, killing Port Moody woman her in her bed.

woman was killed by a falling tree in Port Moodyon Thursday morning when it fell on her house as she lay in her bed. A woman was killed in her bed when a tree smashed through the roof of her Continued on page 6

4 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

EDITORIAL

BC politicians are not doing anything to prevent real estate prices from spiraling up to prevent foreigners speculating in residenbecause they don’t know what to do

ederal and provincial politicians are not only ignoring the plight of middle class families in Metro Vancouver but failing in their fiduciary duties by ignoring the incredible rise in price of homes. This is increase is price can no longer be called a fair market There is no such thing as “affordable housing” in Metro Vancouver anymore. And politicians are just too scared to do anything to stop the rise in price or perhaps they just don’t know what to do. Premier Christy Clark has made half hearted noises about not wanting to single out foreign buyers and the Finance Minister has mentioned something about the Real Estate Council of British Columbia setting up a group to investigate how many foreigners are buying real estate here and how many real

estate agents have been engaged in immoral, illegal or sleight of hand tactics. If the Real Estate Council of BC has not been able to top find anything up to now, it was obviously asleep at the switch. There has been talk of how agents buy a property but sell it quickly or flip it or consign to a colleague and make a profit before it is actually sold. The property owner does not benefit but the realtors do. Now there are reports floating around that many people who call themselves “real estate wholesalers” and who are not licensed realtors have been active in the market, arranging sales and purchases – without the use of a realtor. Why was the Real Estate Council

of British Columbia not aware of this illegal practice? Because it was asleep at the switch! And now the Liberal government is hoping that this same Council will find an answer to Metro Vancouver’s real estate price increase e so that the government doesn’t have to do something. The fact is that Real Estate Council of British Columbia w is inept otherwise we would not be in this situation in the first place. Locals are unable to buy homes in Vancouver foreign investors and speculators are using our homes as a commodity to buy and sell at an international level. Other countries, such as Australia, United States and Britain, have brought in legislation

Princess Margaret School’s Ignite 2016 volunteer awareness event a resounding success

ver 1,300 students at Princess Margaret Secondary School took part in a volunteer opportunities awareness event “Princess Margaret School’s Ignite 2016: Informed, Caring People Can

Change the World” on Tuesday. With the past two years of successful Ignite career day events, it was clear to the planning committee that it was time to change gears and broaden the horizons of students on how

they can make change happen. The administration and staff of the school, along with the Association of South Asian Professionals of British Columbia (ASAP), Surrey School District’s Safe School Department and the Canadian Red Cross provided the students with an opportunity to hear from over 26 presenters from various organizations in 19 breakout sessions for students from grades 10 to 12. This year’s keynote speakers were R.B. Herath, PhD and Founding President of Global Peace Alliance, Surrey for the senior students (grades 10-12) and Jovan Choongh from North Surrey Secondary for the junior students (grades 8-9). After listening to the keynote speakers, senior students attended three different breakout sessions of their choice, with each session being 30 minutes in length with organizations/non-profit speakers which students registered for beforehand. Local and international organizations took part as presenters, talking about the work they do in the community. A few organizations that participated in sharing how they make a difference in the community includContinued on page 6

tial real estate. Why can’t BC do the same?

Saturday, March 12, 2016

i 5

Local

6 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Falling tree kills woman in her bed in windstorm From page 1 home in Port Moody during a powerful wind was just howling up here.... And then it windstorm this morning. Mayor Mike Clay dropped off ... and then it came back up quite said the tree, which he estimated was about abruptly this morning,” said Clay. The fallen tree on the family’s property on one metre in diameter at the base, toppled onto the house in the hillside neighbourhood Alpine Place was one of the largest in the foreast of Vancouver around 6:30 a.m. PT during ested neighbourhood said Clay. “This is forested hillside. We get a couthe height of the storm. “Unfortunately that part of the house goes ple calls a year where the arborists check the right through the master bedroom,” he said. trees. If they do have a problem they get tak“From what I understand the woman was in en down,” he said. Jill Calder, right, was the bed.” Clay said he had not personally talked executive director of the New View Society to the family, but the city’s victims services for 16 years. She is pictured here with Susanteam had helped them move out of the house, na Walden, the organization’s communications and marketing coordinator. Calder had been which was no longer safe to inhabit. “We will obviously do whatever we can to the executive director of the New View Socihelp them,” he said. The windstorm struck ety, a Port Coquitlam-based community menthe South Coast of the province late Wednes- tal health organization for the last 16 years. “It is with extremely heavy hearts, the staff day night. It then picked up again on Thursday morning around 6 a.m., knocking down and board of directors of the New View Sotrees and cutting power to 110,000 BC Hydro ciety announce the sudden and shocking loss customers just as the morning commute was of their executive director, Jill Calder,” said the society in a statement. getting underway. “Jill will be remembered for being loyal, Many schools in the Fraser Valley were closed for the day and BC Ferries was forced dedicated, fair, caring and extremely humble. She will be dearly missed by everyone who had to cancel several early morning sailings. “I know when I went to bed last night the the privilege of knowing her.”

Hacker’s typo stopped $1 billion bank heist From page 1 tion.Deutsche Bank declined to comment. Kaspersky Lab said a multinational gang of At least $850 million in transfers prevented cyber criminals had stolen as much as $1 bilAt the same time the unusually high number lion from as many as 100 financial institutions of payment instructions and the transfer re- around the world in about two years. quests to private entities — as opposed to othIraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s son Qusay er banks — made the Fed suspicious, which took $1 billion from Iraq’s central bank on the also alerted the Bangladeshis, the officials orders of his father on the day before coalition said. The details of how the hacking came forces began bombing the country in 2003, to light and was stopped before it did more American and Iraqi officials have said. In 2007, damage have not been previously reported. guards at the Dar Es Salaam bank in Baghdad Bangladesh Bank has billions of dollars in a made off with $282 million. Portion of stolen current account with the Fed, which it uses money recovered Bangladesh Bank has said it for international settlements. The transactions has recovered part of the money that was stothat got stopped totalled between $850 mil- len, and is working with anti-money laundering lion and $870 million, one of the officials said. authorities in the Philippines to try to recover Last year, Russian computer security company the rest of the funds.

Princess Margaret School’s volunteer awareness event From page 4

Ignite presenters at the event. Photo: Chandra Bodalia

sharing how they make a difference in the community included: Surrey Blue Dot, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty International, World Partnership Walk, PICS, Surrey Crime Prevention Society, Kids Play, Eats on the Streets, SOAR Philanthropic Society and Surrey RCMP. Principal Neder Dhillon noted that “these types of learning opportunities open up different possibilities for our students. They highlight ways in which individuals can, and in fact do, get involved

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to make our world a better place.” “Our goal for this year’s IGNITE was to challenge students to look beyond what career path they may choose for themselves in the future, and consider how they can make a change and contribute to the local and global community” said Sandi Hogg, teacher at Princess Margaret and IGNITE Committee Member. “This type of enrichment education provides opportunity for youth and adults alike to learn and be inspired to take action while creating awareness.”

LOCAL From page 1

Saturday, March 12, 2016

i 7

Shiva Ayyadurai claims he invented e-mail

of email as we know it when he was only 14. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the low-caste, dark-skinned, Indian, who DID invent #email not Raytheon, who profits from war, death and lies,â&#x20AC;? he raged in one tweet a few hours Tomlinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, referring to the deceased manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employer, best-known as an armaments company. A few supportive tweets recognized his claims. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The truth will prevail. Have no doubt about that! Your insightful invention has changed the world. Credit will go where it is due,â&#x20AC;? one supporter tweeted. Another came from his own spouse, the actress - comedian Fran Drescher, who wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;EVERY1 honest knos Shiva Ayyadurai @va_shiva invented, has copyright &is a victim of racism.â&#x20AC;? Ayyadurai himself noted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today is MahaShivaratri. The night of truth, & justice over ignorance, fitting that Raytheonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lies about #email, and Tomlinson died today.â&#x20AC;? So what is the truth? The FACTS are that Shiva Ayyadurai does have the first US copy-

right for Email, or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Computer Program for Electronic Mail System,â&#x20AC;? in 1982. Numerous awards and honors recognize his work, from a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Westinghouse Science Talent Search Honors Award for creating EMAILâ&#x20AC;? in 1981 to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History accepted his code, papers and artifacts demonstrating HIS WORK on EMAIL. And while he may not have written the first email program or code, he is recognized in some quarters as the first to devise the form closest to todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s email - on commission from the Brookhaven National Laboratory. A sham he is not, as attested by number others honors that are undisputed. But missing from the scroll is the official recognition, from the government and the tech community at large, which says he only capitalized on the infrastructure provided by the military and other pioneers, including Tomlinson, to make some contributions in the advancement of electronic mail as we know it today.

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8 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Surrey Mounties confirm another shooting Surrey RCMP officers are on the scene of another shooting that happened about 6:30 p.m. near 62nd Avenue and 142nd Street There were several 911 calls reporting that shots had been heard in the area. Surrey RCMP S. Sgt. Murray Henderson said investigators found shell casings in the area. “Witnesses at scene advised the two vehicles drove off, and it appeared the occupants of one vehicle was shooting at the other,” he said in a news release. “Additional shell casing were located at the intersection of 142nd Street and 64th Avenue.” He said “patrols in the area subsequently located an abandoned white Ford pickup with bullet holes, which matched the description of one of the vehicles. The other vehicle was described as a smaller car.” Officers are conducting neighbourhood canvassing, and are speaking with witnesses to obtain further information, Hedderson said. “The investigation is still in its early stages, but it appears that this is a targeted incident.” Anyone who witnessed the shooting or saw the vehicles fleeing the area is asked to call 604-599-0502.

2016 Surrey Women in Business Winners Announced

n Tuesday, March 8, 2016, the Surrey Board of Trade hosted the 7th Annual Surrey Women in Business Awards Luncheon, with Presenting Sponsor Vancity Savings Credit Union. The event recognized the hard work of Surrey’s women-led or owned business and organizational leaders, with over 300 guests in attendance. “Women entrepreneurs and leaders are a dynamic and growing segment of the global ecosystem. Canada’s theme for International Women’s Day was that women’s empowerment leads to equality. This includes access to education, financial independence, living free from violence, participation in government processes. Surrey’s business women have developed a strategy, created a vision and marketed this vision culminating in their recognition at the Surrey Women in Business Awards program,” said Anita Huberman, CEO Surrey Board of Trade. Master of Ceremonies Steve Darling of Global BC led the afternoon’s program Keynote Speaker Christine Day, CEO of Luvo, spoke about her journey as a young CEO at Starbucks for 20 years, taking time to be with her family, becoming CEO of Lululemon and now CEO of the frozen food health company Luvo Inc.

GROUP PHOTO ENCLOSED: From left to right: Acting Surrey Mayor Vera LeFranc, Christine Day-Luvo Inc, Janice Comeau–LMS Reinforcing Steel Group, Sara Hodson–LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic, Anita Huberman-Surrey Board of Trade, Melanie Houlden–Surrey Libraries, MaryAnne Connor–NightShift Street Ministries Society, Amanjit Lidder–MNP LLP Her career choices were always about being involved in connecting with the consumer. Excitement was contagious throughout the room as winners were announced in five categories, including the new Social Trailblazer Award. The winners are: Entrepreneur: Sara Hodson – LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic

Professional: Amanjit Lidder – MNP LLP Not-for-Profit Leader: Melanie Houlden – Surrey Libraries Corporate/Leadership: Janice Comeau – LMS Reinforcing Steel Group Social Trailblazer: MaryAnne Connor – NightShift Street Ministries Society

Shakti Awards 2016

ISIS paperwork reveals names of 6 Canadians ISIS job applications of six foreign fighters from Canada has been released. The documents are said to have been leaked by a disgruntled ISIS defector. They were obtained by the Syrian website Zaman Al-Wasl. There are some familiar names among the six. Calgarian Farah Shirdon is among them. Based on the documents, it appears Shirdon entered Syria just a few weeks before ISIS recorded his threats against Canada and the United States. The RCMP announced last September that Shirdon, 22, was being charged in absentia under the Criminal Code related to his alleged support of ISIS. Four men from Edmonton, all relatives, are also contained in the documents. It shows they entered ISIS territory Nov. 12, 2013. The four from Edmonton are identified as Omar Abdirahman Aden, brothers Hamza and Hersey Kariye, and their cousin Mahad Hersi. Mahad’s father gave a interview a year ago shortly after he was informed that his son and nephews were killed fighting for ISIS. He said he’d brought

Winners of Shakti Awards 2016 at the ceremony which was held on March 5th in Vancouver. Photo: Chandra Bodali his son to Canada to escape the war in Somalia. He could not fathom why his son would join ISIS The document shows they were all smuggled into Syria by the same person,

Mohammed Hussein. Although the documents don’t date past 2014, German authorities and experts have said they are authentic. Michel Picard, Canada’s parliamentary

secretary for public safety said he is eager to hear directly from Canada’s security agencies about the authenticity of the documents.

LOCAL

Maple Ridge hotel eyed for homeless

he BC government is providing a shortterm fix to keep a Maple Ridge homeless shelter operating through the end of June, with plans to provide more permanent housing solutions in the works. The B.C. government announced Thursday that it is committing $270,000 to keep the 40-bed temporary shelter operational for three months beyond the March 31 date on which it was set to close. The province has also made an offer to purchase the Quality Inn a few blocks west on Lougheed Highway for $5.5 million, expecting to complete the sale in May. The hotel will be renovated and ultimately provide 61 units of supportive housing for individuals who

are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Read said sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pleased.â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have 30 to 40 people remaining in the temporary shelter and they need housing solutions. Those people have various mental health and addiction challenges, so a supportive housing model is what they need to remain housed and work towards (overcoming) some of the challenges theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re facing in their lives,â&#x20AC;? said Read. BC Housing will hold a public meeting later in the month, giving area residents a chance to learn more about the project or express concerns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a pretty balanced amount of public feedback coming in right now,â&#x20AC;? said Read.

Woman dies in hit-and-run in Burnaby

25-year-old woman is dead after the car she was driving was rammed at high speed in a late night hit-and-run at the intersection of Willingdon Ave and Deer Lake Parkway near the BCIT campus in Burnaby. Burnaby RCMP say a â&#x20AC;&#x153;fraudulently obtainedâ&#x20AC;? black Range Rover went through a A young woman who was driving this car is dead red light at high speed before hitafter a late night hit-and-run in Burnaby ting the red car being driven by the female victim. The Range Rover then jumped the curb, crashed through a metal sidewalk barrier, before coming to rest in bushes. A female driver and male passenger fled the scene and remain at large. Police say the driver and passenger of the suspect vehicle are still at large. The incident happened around 11:45 p.m. PT. Police believe the female driver of the Range Rover may This a PROOF edition The driver and passengerContract# of this black Range have is a head injury. of your ad in the forthcoming of the Indo-Canadian Business Pages â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;2014 ANYscene. QUESTION, CALL: 604.502.6100 Rover fled the READY FOR PRESS

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Saturday, March 12, 2016

Ex-boyfriend’s alleged ‘eyes and ears’ goes on trial for manslaughter in Maple Batalia killing

rown prosecutors say Gursimar Bedi acted as the “eyes and ears” for convicted killer Gurjinder Dhaliwal when Dhaliwal murdered his ex-girlfriend four years ago. Bedi’s trial began on Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. Bedi, 26, is charged with manslaughter with a firearm and being an accessory after the fact in conA sketch of Gursimar Bedi (left) and Gurjinder nection with the Sept. 28, 2011, kill‘Gary’ Dhaliwal in Supreme Court, New Westminster. ing of 19-year-old Maple Batalia. and defence and read out at Bedi’s trial, a few A jealous and enraged Dhaliwal shot Batalia three times as she left Simon Fraser days before Batalia’s murder Dhaliwal and Bedi University’s Surrey campus around 1 a.m. after went to a car-rental agency in Surrey and Bedi a night of studying with friends. He also used a rented a white, four-door 2011 Dodge Charger. The rental agreement stated he was supknife to slash the back and top of Batalia’s head. Dhaliwal pleaded guilty last week to posed to be the only driver, but the Crown second-degree murder and was sen- alleges Bedi allowed Dhaliwal to use the tenced on Monday to life in prison car during the time it was rented, inwith no chance of parole for 21 years. cluding on the night of Batalia’s murder. The Crown also alleges Bedi followed Batalia’s According to admissions agreed to by Crown

Maple Batalia’s family speaks of loss at ex-boyfriend’s sentencing

man who pleaded guilty to gunning down his ex-girlfriend on a British Columbia university campus will serve 21 years of a life sentence before he is eligible for parole. Twenty-four-yearold Gurjinder Dhaliwal read a statement in BC Supreme Court at his sentencing hearing, apologizing to Maple Batalia’s family and friends, and telling them he knows he did a terrible thing.He pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder in the death of the aspiring actress and model. Friends and family of the 19-year-old woman told the court

in victim impact statements that they still feel the pain of her loss every single day. Dhaliwal shot Batalia to death in the parking lot of Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus after seeing her with a male classmate in September 2011. An agreed statement of facts describes how Dhaliwal became enraged and shot Batalia three times in the back before slashing her head with a knife and fleeing in a rental vehicle. The sound of sobbing filled the packed New Westminster courtroom while Batalia’s mother spoke of how she wishes she had died in her daughter’s place.

movements at SFU Surrey on two nights and reported back to Dhaliwal. Dhaliwal wanted to know if Batalia was there with a male friend. The admissions note that a witness saw Bedi walking around inside the universi-

ty on the evening of Sept. 26, talking on his cellphone. She knew him and had a brief conversation with him, during which he said he was there to study and that he was talking to Dhaliwal on the phone.

LOCAL

12 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Federal Liberal’s immigration plan emphasises family re-unification

That hurts as B.C. businesses seek skilled workers in face of a shortage

he Liberal government received some sharp B.C. criticism after unveiling a 2016 immigration plan that increases the emphasis on family reunification and on refugees at the expense of skilled workers. For the first year in more than a century, Canada expects to bring in at least 300,000 permanent residents, up from just over 279,000 last year. That increase is being driven by the large number of refugees being accepted, 55,800 compared to 24,800 last year, and a jump in the number of family members — grandparents, parents, spouses and children — uniting with already landed immigrants. The “family class” number is to jump almost 18 per cent, from 68,000 to 80,000. Meanwhile, the number of “economic class” refugees — typically skilled workers and their families — will slide by more than 21,000, from 181,300 to 160,600.

Jobs Minister Shirley Bond, in a statement issued Wednesday, did not directly criticize the federal government. However, the statement indicated Victoria isn’t pleased that Ottawa didn’t increase B.C.’s allocation of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). “B.C. leads the country in economic growth and welcomes the contribution that immigrants make to our province,” she said. The province had made clear to Ottawa that B.C.’s current allocation of 5,500 annually needs to increase. “We recently redesigned our PNP intake process to best use our nominations so they are lined up with our specific labour market needs. B.C. has laid out a plan for three years that has a focus on the economic immigrants that we will need to meet the labor force demands in our growing economy.”

Malaysia’s Petronas threatening to abandon BC LNG project over new climate change rules

alaysia’s Petronas is frustrated that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s climate-change priorities are introducing new uncertainty for its proposed $36 billion Pacific NorthWest LNG project in northern British Columbia and has threatened to walk away if it doesn’t get federal approval by March 31, according to a source close to the project. The project, to be located on federal lands on Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, received a largely favourable assessment from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) last month, was greenlighted by the British Columbia government in November, 2014, and received conditional corporate support — or a final investment decision — from Malaysia’s state-owned company and its partners in June of last year. But the new federal Liberal government is toughening up environmental reviews of major energy projects to regain “public trust” and as it strives to meet international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It said in January they would be subject to additional assessment on “direct and upstream greenhouse gas emissions.” A spokeswoman for CEAA said she would look into how the new requirements will impact Pacific NorthWest LNG. After spending an estimated $12 billion to get the project to this stage, and having suffered multiple delays and setbacks, including aboriginal and environmental movement opposition, Petronas has conveyed to federal cabinet ministers it won’t accept additional hurdles. “They have given Trudeau to March 31 to either approve it as it stands now or they are going to leave,” the source told the Finan-

cial Post. “They started off with the Conservatives, and the (environmental) standards are very high. They said OK we will meet those standards and they did in all the engineering and design of the project. This last greenhouse gas thing that Trudeau came up with really threw them for a loop.” The big worry is that the cabinet, which has final say, will keep stalling instead of handing down a decision while the project continues to burn cash, the source said. Meanwhile, market conditions for LNG are deteriorating, proponents

want to cut their losses and are looking at other opportunities, the source said. Petronas and its partners (China’s Sinopec, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., India Oil Corp. and Petroleum Brunei) were widely seen as the most likely to move forward with LNG exports from Canada’s West Coast because they have customers and don’t have the same profit expectations as shareholder-owned companies. Not one of the two-dozen groups that proposed LNG export projects has gone ahead due to regulatory delays, rising competition from United States LNG exporters, plummeting prices, and aboriginal and environmental group opposition. The AltaGas-led group proposing the Douglas Channel LNG project stopped development last month and Royal Dutch Shell has delayed its final investment decision on its proposed terminal near Kitimat until the end of this year.

LOCAL

Temporary foreign worker from Mexico reaches settlement with South Asain farmer

Mexican in B.C. as a temporary foreign worker has reached an undisclosed settlement with a Langley blueberry farmer following mediation with the provincial Employment Standards Branch. Omar Figueroa Ramirez, 24, had sought nearly $20,000 in outstanding wages, overtime and vacation pay from his former employer, Randhir Singh Pandher of Pandher Farms. Terms of the settlement cannot be disclosed, nor can the settlement be construed as an admission of liability by Pandher. Ramirez said in an interview that he is reasonably satisfied with the outcome and now hopes to find new employment, either in the hotel industry, agriculture or as a construction labourer. He hopes to stay in Canada, become a permanent resident, and eventually obtain a post-secondary education. Ramirez, who rents a room in a Langley home, also said he hopes his experience, publicized in late January, can serve as an example in similar cases. Too often, he said, foreign workers

complain about their conditions only once they return to their homelands, when it’s too late to achieve anything. “I hope my experience will help other workers, from Mexico, Philippines, India, wherever,” he said. “When they come to Canada, they have to know they have rights.” According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, there were 19,946 seasonal Mexican farm workers in Canada in 2014, compared with 15,817 in 2010. In B.C. alone, the numbers increased to 4,521 from 2,986 in the same five-year period. Ramirez’s 24-month temporary foreign worker contract provided for pay of $10.50 an hour, a 40-hour work week, time-anda-half pay beyond that, 60 minutes in breaks per day, two days off a week, and two weeks’ vacation — but no sick days. His complaint alleged that while working at the farm from Aug., 17, 2014 to Oct. 28, 2015 he received “wages far below his entitled compensation” and no termination pay.

Dusk-to-dawn park closures in Surrey don’t violate Charter rights: Judge

provincial court judge has upheld a City of Surrey bylaw prohibiting people from being in public parks between dusk and dawn, after it was challenged on grounds it violated Charter rights. The case was called City of Surrey versus Christopher Lewis, with Lewis representing himself. Judge Peder Gulbransen heard Lewis had gone for a walk in A judge has rejected a Charter challenge of a City of Bakerview Park in South Surrey Surrey bylaw banning the use of public parks shortly after midnight on Nov. between dusk and dawn. 13, 2013. Someone called police to complain and an officer was dispatched. nificant exercise of his right to liberty, it is Knowing he was violating a city bylaw prohib- not obvious to me that this activity involves iting people from being in a park between dusk a fundamental notion of human dignity or a decision of fundamenand dawn, and expecting Violating the city tal personal importance.” an officer to show up, Lewis bylaw carries a fine The judge noted laws rewaited and told the officer he wouldn’t leave until he of $50 to $2,000 stricting activities, such as was given a violation ticket, opening liquor in public or three which he then challenged in or prohibiting dogs from months in prison. court on grounds it violatbeing unleashed, are “not ed his rights under Section unusual in urban society. 7 of the Canadian Char“Whether someone ter of Rights and Freedoms. should be prohibited from choosing to Section 7 says everyone “has a right to life, lib- walk in the park at night is just not an iserty and the security of the person and the right sue of fundamental personal importance.” not to be deprived thereof except in accordance Lewis argued the bylaw is too broad because with the principles of fundamental justice.” it lumps law-abiding citizens together with Gulbransen found that although Lewis “be- troublemakers who would party, light bonfires, lieves passionately” that enjoying a peaceful dump trash or deal drugs in parks at night. walk in a park at night “involves a very sig-

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Big changes could be coming to the Canada-U.S. border

rime Minister Trudeau will use his visit to Washington to announce support for a plan that could revolutionize the way travellers cross the border — affecting multiple modes of transportation, sources say. He intends to endorse a pre-clearance experiment that would allow people to clear customs at train stations, bus stations and off highways the same way they already can at several Canadian airports. Two industry sources and one national government confirmed that after fits and starts the initiative will move forward during the prime minister’s visit that begins Wednesday. A U.S. official speaking to a public event would not go as far as confirming specifics but suggested an elaborate agreement later this week will include a pre-clearance component. “They will be announcing a number of

developments,” Alan Bersin, assistant secretary for international affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland, told a forum hosted by the website Politico and the Canadian American Business Council. “There’s really been a radical transformation in the way Canadians and Americans view the border.” Asked what announcements could be forthcoming he referred to three areas, including long-expected plans to share data for land travellers the way it’s shared for air travel; swaps of exit data; and pre-clearance. He said governments are starting to move beyond the old dichotomy of trade versus security at the border — and are designing a more sophisticated system intended to achieve both. The basic idea is that travellers should be screened by customs officers far away from the border, to ease pressure on existing choke points and speed up travel.

LOCAL

14 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Man gets six-year-plus sentence for smuggling coke into Canada

Surrey man who was caught smuggling a large amount of cocaine over the border has been sentenced to prison time. Kyle Maurice Provo was convicted last summer of importing a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking, and sentenced on Monday in provincial court in Surrey to six years, three months in prison. He was credited with four-and-a-half months of time served in pre-trial custody. On Nov. 8, 2014, the U.S. Bor-

der Patrol alerted Surrey RCMP to two men who had illegally crossed the border into Canada on foot. The men, both of whom were wearing camouflage clothing and helmets, were quickly caught by Surrey RCMP, with help from the Langley RCMP. Police seized 29 kilograms of cocaine during the arrests. Victor Tyrone Peal, a resident of Bellingham, Wash., is charged with importing a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking, and is scheduled to begin a two-day jury trial in November.

Mission cops ask public help in child-porn case

ission RCMP have reInvestigators believe Cooke leased this photo of may have had contact with perSean Cooke, 36, who sons in the Lower Mainland is charged with two counts of area either online or in person, making child pornography and in violation of court-ordered one count of failing to comconditions not to use the Interply with a prohibition order. net and not to have contact with Mission RCMP have released the persons under the age of 16. photo of a man charged with making Cooke is believed to have child pornography, in an attempt to Sean Cooke, 36 used the usernames of “ryeidentify potential victims and witguy604,” “kermit1213,” nesses who may have had contact with him. “sean5654” and “kermit604” on Kik Police said Tuesday that Sean Cooke, and possibly other social media apps. 36, is charged with two counts of making Anyone with information is asked to conchild pornography and one count of fail- tact Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161. ing to comply with a prohibition order.

Two homeless person arrive from Saskatchewan after being put on bus by social services

wo homeless Saskatchewan men given one-way bus tickets this week arrived in BC and were received by outreach workers who will assist them as they settle in Vancouver. The two young First Nations men said they were denied provincial fund-

ing to stay overnight at the Lighthouse homeless shelter in North Battleford, Sask. — where the pair met and became friends — and were left with few options. “I had my own bed and everything. It was good, but welfare just wouldn’t let me stay there,” Neil-Curly told report-

ers in Vancouver. “I asked for a ticket and five minutes later, I had it printed off and was leaving that night.” According to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, the Saskatchewan Social Services Ministry paid about $500 for the two, oneway tickets from Saskatchewan to B.C.

Charles Neil-Curly, 23, and Jeremy Roy, 21, arrived by Greyhound just after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station.

Saskatchewan launches review after gov’t buys homeless men one-way tickets

oy and Curly boarded a Greyhound bus to Vancouver Tuesday night after being given one-way tickets by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Social Services. “I had my own bed and everything. It was good but (Social Services) just wouldn’t let me stay there, I guess. I asked for a ticket and five minutes later, I had it printed off and was leaving that night,” Curly told reporters in Vancouver. “When they asked if I had a place to go, I just said, ‘Yeah.’ You know, I was going to the next homeless shelter anyway.” Roy also spoke to media briefly before suddenly pausing and requiring medical attention. The men’s story has sparked outrage in both Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Kerry Jang, a Vancouver city councillor and homelessness advocate who was among those waiting at the Greyhound station when the men arrived, said he was “just tearful” when he heard the two men had been put on a bus to British Columbia. Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian PressBus station security try to block cameras from photographing the men Wednesday. “I just put myself in those guys’ shoes and I just said, ‘Oh my God.’ If I had mental health issues, no money, no nothing, no supports, put on the bus into the great abyss. Wow. That’s just inhumane.” People in Vancouver hearing the story reacted compassion, not anger, Jang said. He told Vancouver media he intends to ask the city’s mayor to speak directly with Saskatchewan’s premier about the issue. B.C. Premier Christy Clark said she hopes the men get the care they need. “We’re Canadian. We should be doing that,” she said. The Saskatchewan government said Wednesday it is reviewing whether rules were followed when Roy and Curly were given one-way bus tickets to British Columbia from North Battleford. Saskatchewan Party candidate Donna Harpauer, who was the minister of social services before the election was called, said in a statement that the ministry should only provide transportation to clients when a case plan is established by workers and clients. She said deputy minister Greg Miller is looking into whether this happened and “will be reminding front-line workers that clients should have a plan in place before they are given bus tickets for destinations away.”

LOCAL

Mother leaves parole hearing appalled by posh B.C. prison where daughter’s killer is living

The prison, on a peninsula about 25 km tennis court, theatre program and beautiful views of the mountains and west of Victoria, can house up to 180 inocean — it’s not exactly what Pamela mates and has previously made headlines Novak was expecting to see when she visited the because it offers Canada’s only inmate-run B.C. facility where her daughter’s killer lives. theatre company and at one time boastLast week, Novak travelled to Victoria to ed a six-hole golf course for prisoners. While Novak didn’t attend the first parole hearing notice a golf course on for Vuong Minh Vu, the man her visit, she spotted a who strangled her 18-yearball diamond, tennis old daughter Stephanie in courts, picnic tables her family’s Calgary home and fire pits, and said in 2007 after Stephanie endthe facility completely ed her relationship with Vu. caught her off guard. Novak left the March 4 hear“If it was a reing relieved that Vu wasn’t sort, I probably granted day parole, but Vuong Minh Vu couldn’t afford shocked by the scenic minito go there, ” she said. mum-security institution where Vu is servHaving to comprehend the beautiful setting ing a life sentence for second-degree murder. “He’s in an absolutely beautiful location her daughter’s killer is living in was one of the for a prison. It’s appalling,” Novak said. last things on Novak’s mind as she prepared “It’s outside Victoria on the island, right to attend the parole hearing, which took on the banks with beautiful views out to the place four days after the ninth anniversary of ocean . . . Inmates can wear their own clothes, Stephanie’s death and one week ahead of what they live in townhouses, they don’t live in a would have been Stephanie’s 28th birthday.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

MP vows to look into ‘summer camp-like conditions’ at BC prison

ederal Conservative public safety critic Erin O’Toole is concerned about the apparent “summer camplike conditions” at a minimum-security prison where nearly 100 offenders convicted of first- or second-degree murder live in B.C. O’Toole, MP for the riding of Durham in Ontario, said he’s troubled by the story of Calgary mom Pamela Novak, who travelled to William Head Institution in Victoria last week to attend the first parole hearing for the man who killed her daughter in 2007. Novak was shocked to see a tennis court, beautiful views of the mountains and ocean, and a baseball diamond at the minimum-security institution on a peninsula where Vuong Minh Vu is living in a townhouse and serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. “(Novak) has the right to be extremely upset. This isn’t a case where this is a minor criminal offence, this is the worst, a life taken,” O’Toole said. “To send someone, after a few years, into a very light and leisurely minimum security does not send the deter-

rent message that I think our criminal justice system expects.” O’Toole said by all accounts the conditions at William Head remind him of a summer camp. Offenders at the prison live in duplex-like “housing communities” equipped with laundry facilities and kitchens, and amenities include a gym, weight pit, inmate-run theatre group, baseball diamond and tennis court — though the warden said he’s never seen the tennis facilities used. There were 173 offenders in custody at William Head last month, according to the most recent data from Correctional Service Canada, including 29 inmates serving time for first-degree murder and 57 for second-degree murder. O’Toole said he’s troubled by how many offenders at the minimum-security prison are serving sentences for murder, and he plans to talk to his colleagues in Ottawa about the issue. He said the previous tough-on-crime Conservative government tried to rebalance a criminal justice system that had too much emphasis on rehabilitation by introducing measures.

cell, they order groceries for their townhouse and they cook their own meals. I was stunned. I don’t know how you put a murderer there.”

Rising value of exwife’s home doesn’t let man off hook for spousal support, judge rules

man has lost his bid to use Vancouver’s rising real estate values to his advantage in a divorce case. When Darren Stafford Lamont, 55, and Arlene Mae Johnson, 52, were divorced in 2008 after more than 20 years of marriage, she got their modest East Vancouver house. The 1,877-square-foot matrimonial home had an appraised value of $700,000 at the time of the divorce, but by last September that had risen to $1.18 million. Lamont, who has since the divorce moved to Sweden and remarried, argued in court that the increased value was a material change in circumstance that should allow him to have spousal support to his exwife either reduced or terminated. But in dismissing his application, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Frits Verhoeven noted that Lamont made similar arguments in court in 2011, to no avail. “More importantly, the increase in value of the house does not materially change the conditions, means, needs or other circumstances of either spouse,” said the judge in his ruling. “The increase in value of the house does not change the present day financial circumstances of the wife in the slightest. No argument is made that she could or should sell it. It is her residence and that of the two children of the parties.” The judge added that the home was the same home that the couple bought together in 2004 and the value was in the land, not the house. “In submissions, the husband argues that the wife could borrow against the equity in the house. How that would improve her financial circumstances is unexplained. She would then have

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LOCAL

16 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Vancouver buys Arbutus corridor from CP Rail for $55-million

ifteen years of bitter fighting over an unused rail corridor on Vancouver’s west side have ended with an announcement the city has agreed to buy the nine-kilometre line from CP Rail for $55-million to transform it into a greenway. “This is Vancouver’s chance to have a New Yorkstyle High Line,” a smiling Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson told a news conference on Monday, referring to the park created on an elevated rail line in the American city, which has become a phenomenal tourist attraction. But the transformation could extend beyond that, since the mayor said the future could also include a rapid-transit line, and development along parts that are broad enough. Many advocates for the corridor are celebrating the news and planning already for the beautiful new greenway they now expect, along with the return of community gardens that were ripped out in the past two years as the city and Canadian Pacific Railway tussled. The fight started in 2000, when the city designated the line for transporta-

tion only just as CP was about to stop using it and was considering selling bits off. “This is a monumental moment,” said Hans Finken, a co-chair of the Arbutus Greenway Improvement Society, who said he hoped for a public path that could accommodate cycling, walking and more, along with public art. “This will be an attraction equal to Stanley Park.” Community gardener Adam Vasilevich said it was good news that was “a long time coming.” However, Mr. Finken and Mr. Vasilevich are perplexed and uncertain about the city’s plans for rapid transit or development along the corridor. “It seems to me pedestrians and cyclists don’t mix with transit,” said Mr. Finken, while Mr. Vasilevich said he is not sure how that would work, but is not worrying about it for now because “it’s a long way off.” City manager Sadhu Johnston said cities such as Dublin and Cleveland have combined rail and bikeway/walkway corridors, but acknowledged that those were only for short distances.

Quesnel mill explosion could have been deadly

Safety officials say a fire and explosion at West Fraser’s WestPine MDF plant, Wednesday, could have been catastrophic. A fire and explosion Wednesday at a Quesnel mill could have been catastrophic and deadly, says Al Johnson, Vice President of Prevention Field Services for WorkSafeBC. Thirty workers inside West Fraser’s WestPine MDF plant were evacuated safely. It took crews almost five hours to put out the fire. “There was the potential here for being catastrophic,” said Johnson. “We’re very fortunate there were no injuries. There was a potential for

workers to be seriously injured or worse.” A critical incident response team was sent to Quesnel to offer emotional support. “[The explosion] will resonate with people and possibly bring back memories of explosions in mills that have

occurred in the past,” said Johnson. Four B.C. mill workers were killed and 43 others seriously injured in 2012 after sawmill explosions in Burns Lake and Prince George just three months apart. Investigators determined wood dust was to blame for the tragedies. Johnson says wood dust could also be a factor in the most recent incident in Quesnel. “It’s too early to say at this point, but obviously there’s indicators this explosion and fire occurred in the fibre bin area. It has four dust collection towers where there is wood dust present, so there may be an association,” said Johnson. “But we haven’t drawn any conclusions at this point.”

Richmond school closures coming in 2017 Richmond School District will be closing as many as five schools on June 30, 2017, with the names of the potential schools to be closed revealed next month — the move is being done as part of declining enrolment requirements ordered by the provincial government. District board chairwoman Debbie Tablotney said on Thursday that staff have prepared five dates in May for the public to review a preliminary list of the three to five schools that will be closed, with a vote by the board of trustees anticipated in October this year. She said, generally, schools that would be considered for closure are at least 25% under-capacity. The district would also examine whether the students at the school are from within or out of catchment. The age, need for repairs, and seismic stability of each school would also be considered. For example, seven schools in the district currently require “significant repairs,” and 21 schools are considered at high risk to earthquakes. One example of an underused school, Tablotney said, would be Sea Island Elementary, which serves kindergarten to Grade 3 students — and is technically an annex of Brighouse Elementary. Parents of students at the annex have written the board, saying that despite how the annex has operating costs 388% higher than the district average, there are six other schools that cost even more. The school has a capacity of 195 students, but only 30 currently attend. “That sounds bad — but it’s not a fair assessment of our capacity, when you consider that five rooms at the school are used by other organizations,” reads the letter, signed by approximately 40 nearby households.

LOCAL

BC boy’s family appeals to find bone marrow match for leukemia

BC family is urging dothe next day, but will eventualnors of mixed ethnicily need a bone marrow transplant ties to come forward in within the next three months. the hopes of finding a match for “We were told by the physicians their six-year-old son Joshua. that finding a match will be a little Lia Weekes and her family were more challenging because of Joshua’s holidaying in the Philippines mixed ethnicity,” Weekes told CBC. when Joshua seemed to have Weekes is of Filipino and Britcome down with a flu or stomish origins while her husband ach bug toward the end of their has an Icelandic and Caribbean trip. When they came back to background. While Joshua’s parCanada, Weekes took him to the ents haven’t been ruled out as podoctor, who quickly determined tential matches, Weekes says the Joshua’s family is Joshua’s situation was more physicians say Joshua’s chances urging donors of mixed concerning than a simple flu. are better with an external donor. ethnic backgrounds to He was rushed to B.C. ChilThat’s why the family has come forward, in the dren’s Hospital in an ambuput out a call on social media. hopes of finding a bone lance in the middle of the night. “So we basically want to apmarrow match for the Less than 24 hours afpeal to anyone who has any of six year old. ter landing at home, Joshua those combinations or any of was diagnosed with an agthose backgrounds to come gressive form of acute myeloid leukemia. forward as a donor and register.” ‘We’re fighting for our baby’ Weekes says any person of similar racial back“It’s a complete nightmare. Every- ground as Joshua is more likely to be a match. thing was normal and then everything changed,” Weekes told CBC, her voice cracking. “And now we’re fighting for our baby and he’s fighting for his life.” Joshua started his chemotherapy treatment

Alberta parents charged in death of toddler who died of meningitis

he parents of an Alberta toddler who died of meningitis should have taken their son to a doctor long before he stopped breathing, instead of relying on natural remedies such as ginger root, olive leaf extract and water with maple syrup, the Crown told a Lethbridge jury. David Stephan, 32, and his wife Collet, 35, have pleaded not guilty to failing to provide the necessities of life for 19-month-old Ezekiel, who died in March 2012. The couple was charged in February 2013 and their trial started Monday. “I’m not saying they killed him, abused him or ignored him — they loved him,” Crown prosecutor Clayton Giles said, according to Global News. “They didn’t take him to a doctor until it was too late — far too late.” RCMP said at the time that the boy had been ill for a couple of weeks but his parents only called for an ambulance on March 13 when he stopped breathing. Ezekiel was airlifted to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, but five days later doctors took him off life support machines. Doctors determined that the boy had a lung infection, which developed into viral meningitis. The court heard that a family friend who is a nurse had warned Collet Stephan that the boy likely had meningitis. The Crown played an audio tape of an interview the RCMP conducted with the couple while Ezekial was on life support, after hospital staff called police. At the time, Collet told police that her son had a runny nose and fever at the end of February 2012 and she assumed he had croup, the Lethbridge Herald reported.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

International Women’s Day 2016

n the eve of International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, people all over the world are making preparations for the holiday. In Ukraine, subway staff gave blooms to female commuters, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is hosting a special reception to mark while Russian International Women’s Day in New Delhi. tulip-growers hastily hara park in high heels. In Turkey, a feminist vested flowers for men to give to the women rally turned ugly when protesters were fired in their lives. Women’s rights advocates in at with rubber bullets. Check out these other countries rallied. In the Philippines, inspiring images of equality-loving men and male students and soldiers marched around women around the world.

18 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Deepika Urmila Matondkar marries

Urmila Matondkar with her newly wed husband Mohsin Akhtar Mir

Shahrukh Khan meets India’s first transgender music band

hat Shah Rukh Khan loves to surprise his fans -- with small gifts or sweet gestures -- is no secret. But this time around, it was King Khan’s turn to get surprised by some of his die-hard fans. It all happened when Y-Films’ (YRF’s youth films wing)6-Pack Band, India’s first transgender band, recently met up with the Dilwale actor. During their interaction, SRK requested the band members to teach him a dance step. And what did they do? They gave him a fitting tribute by singing the Fan

TYLE

Saturday - March 12, 2016

hile Dippy was spotted with Novak Djokovic outside a high end bar in Los Angeles, foreign media fails to recognize the leading Bollywood’s leading lady While India is going gaga over Deepika’s Hollywood stint, the foreign press failed to recognise the diva with World’s No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic. The actress has also reportedly hosted dinner for Djokovic and his wife Jelena when they visited India. The actress was also spotted during Wimbledon match in the past. Looks like, its Djokovic’s time to take Dippy out and make her feel home in the foreign land.

ollywood actress Urmila Matondkar got hitched to beau Mohsin Akhtar in a secret affair in Mumbai. The 42-yearold issued a formal statement to inform the media about her wedding and made sure not a single detail about the event was leaked before that. The hushhush wedding was a complete private affair with only close friends and family present at the do

Shahrukh Khan meeting with India’s first transgender music group. Anthem. Though surprised initially, Shah Rukh later coaxes them to match some steps with him.

Salman Khan

Media fails to recognise Deepika Padukone!

Salman celebrates Mahashivratri

nown for having a golden heart, Salman Khan is also someone who celebrates every festival with love and affection. The actor and his entire family had been celebrating festivals like Holi, Diwali, Ganesh Chatturthi, Eid and all the other celebrities with close friends and family. While the Khaandan invites the

who’s and who’s of the industry and the media to be a part of their celebration, but this time they have a kept a hush-hush Mahashivratri celebration on Monday. A source informs, “There was a big Mahashivratri celebration hosted at Salman’s sister Alvira and Atul’s farmhouse in Panvel.

Watch! Sonakshi Sinha creates Guinness World Record

onakshi Sinha has become a Guinness World Record titleholder as she, along with several other women, participated in an initiative to set a record for ‘most people painting their fingernails simultaneously’. The 28-year-old actress participated in the event on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Tuesday. She collaborated with Inglot, manufacturers in colour cosmetics, and its In-

dian franchise partner Major Brands. “I am extremely thrilled to have been a part of this unique initiative on Women’s Day. Achieving a Guinness World Records title is truly commendable and I would like to thank Inglot and Major brands for giving me the opportunity to create history along with thousands of other women,” the “Lootera” actress said in a statement.

Star & Style

2 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Horoscope Libra

Aries

Sept. 24 - Oct 22

March 21 - April 20 From one extreme to another, there’s no stopping you or it. Mars and Uranus in Aries strike it hot. Thursday continues the fullthrust fast-track. As the day advances, you’ll hit a great stride, even a lucky streak. Mercury into Pisces, starting Thursday night, and the launch of Saturn retrograde can unveil, reveal, or redirect your focus. By Monday, you’ll surpass many hurdles.

Speak up, make the first move; take a stab at it, try it a new way, aim for immediate results. One thing leads to another, rapidly so. Then again, someone else could beat you to it. Either way, Thursday/Friday keeps the fire stoked. Saturday/Sunday, there’s more questioning, struggle, force, or exertion. Monday is a breakthrough day. Tuesday onward, put creativity into an action.

Taurus

Scorpio

April 21 - May 20

Rate Card of Actresses for Events, Weddings and Performances

ut what is tougher is, living like a star -- especially when your work assignments are few and far in between. Big entourage, glamorous clothes, gorgeous makeup, fancy cars and foreign trips -- it’s not easy to maintain the trappings of stardom. And, being on social media doesn’t add to your dwindling bank balance. While our male actors are not that lucky, most actresses manage to sustain their lifestyle in this expensive city by making public appearances -- be it events, weddings or performances. Bipasha Basu

Oct 23 - Nov 22

A sudden insight or flash is well worth further exploration. When someone extends an invitation or suddenly opens it up, jump on it. Thursday/Friday, follow their lead, put it out there, go your own way, or aim for an escape. On Saturday, Saturn retrograde can redirect plans, objectives, or reasoning. Take a step back. As of Tuesday, Venus in Taurus increases gain and advantage.

Gemini

May 20 - June 21

No matter what Mars/Uranus throws at you, there’s something useful in it. Thursday keeps you blazing a trail. Helping you play up your advantage, Mercury in Pisces enhances your ability to read people and situations. Saturday/Sunday can hold you up or back. Pressure builds. Through Monday, there’s resistance to work through, yours or theirs. Tuesday through Thursday, you’ll manifest well.

Sagitarius

Ready, set, go. As of now, Mars, Uranus and Pluto hit the fast-forward on a new lifestyle, goal, personal involvement, or paycheque. On Saturday, Saturn retrograde can cause doubt, secondguessing, backtrack, or delay. If someone pulls the plug, it simply leaves room for an immediate plus or benefit. If they leave you hanging, that’s an answer too. Sunday/Monday cranks it up another notch.

Nov 23 - Dec 22

Hit it on Thursday—it’s your best opportunity day. Friday’s also good, but Mercury has already shifted gears and by Saturday, Saturn in Sagittarius will too. Both transits call for you to pull back a little more, to allow rather than force, to wait until you gain a clearer signal. Monday’s Mercury/ Saturn opens it up, and Uranus/Pluto makes it go pop.

Cancer

June 22 - July 23

Whether you’ve seen the action or taken it, Thursday keeps you on a hot roll. Mercury in Pisces starting Thursday evening and Venus in Taurus starting next Wednesday are lucrative creators in your corner, but there’s still more mountain to climb. Look to Saturday’s Saturn retrograde and Monday’s Uranus/ Pluto to toss a major rock or two aside. Next Wednesday/Thursday, it’s fluid and potent.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20

Your new-you/new-life chapter has been under way for some time now. There’s still major ground to break, tracks to lay, and rubber to burn. Sunday/Monday, the stars are geared up to do just that. Saturday’s Saturn retrograde may waylay you or cast a shadow of uncertainty, but you’ll quickly push past it. Full-thrust action holds Uranus/Pluto’s stamp of approval.

Leo

June 24 - August 23

Aquarius

Thursday continues to keep you and life on a hot roll. As of the evening, you’ll feel the energy shift as Mercury drifts into Pisces, but if it gets diffused, it won’t snuff it out. Saturday’s Saturn retrograde could temporarily derail, deplete, or sidetrack you. Sunday/ Monday, you’re on a rebuild, a rebound, or an added pressure curve. By next Tuesday/ Wednesday, you’ll gain an even better feel.

Virgo

Jan 21 - Feb 19 Thursday continues the fresh-spark high. Run with it. With a slight dip through Saturday/Sunday, excitement planet Uranus continues to fire it up on all cylinders through next week’s start. As of Saturday, when Saturn turns retrograde, it’s time to take what you already have and make it do more for you. Monday through Wednesday adds layers and more substance.

Pisces

August 24 - Sept 24

Feb 20 - March 20

Whether you’re provoked, hit by the unexpected, or hot on something exciting, Thursday’s Mars/Uranus brings out the feistier, edgier you. It’s exactly what’s called for now. Mercury in Pisces starting Friday night and Saturn retrograde starting Saturday will uncover whatever has escaped full view. It’s in the works through Sunday/Monday. By Tuesday, you’ll have gained more/better ground.

Mercury enters Pisces on Thursday evening, but it won’t get you fully up and running until it surpasses Saturn on Monday. Through next Friday, Mercury/Neptune and the Pisces solar eclipse put the best of you and the best of your potentials fully on tap. It’s date-withdestiny time. Even if there’s loss, there’s immediate gain. Embrace the now.

Bollywood personalities’ birthdays this week SHERYA GOSHAL 12 MARCH

AAMIR KHAN 14 MARCH

HONEY SINGH 15 MARCH

ABHAY DELO 15 MARCH

SHASHI KAPOOR 18 MARCH

Star & Style

New released Bollywood films March 11, 2016 Kapoor and Sons Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Fawad Khan, Rishi Kapoor

Zubaan Vicky Kaushal, Sarah Jane Dias, Raghav Chanana

Jai Gangaajal Priyanka Chopra, Anuj Aggarwal, Prakash Jha, Rahul Bhatt

Do Lafzon Ki Kahani Randeep Hooda, Kajal Aggarwal

Global Baba Abhimanyu Singh, Sandeepa Dhar, Ravi Kishan, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra (actor), Akhilendra Mishra

Sumona Chakravarti set to become Kajol and Rani Mukerji’s ‘bhabhi’?

Saturday, March 12, 2016

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My ex-husband Kaishav is an ass**le, says Deepshikha

bout an hour back, we brought you Kaishav Arora’s version on his divorce with Deepshikha. The actress is not taking it lying down. The separation – her second divorce after she parted ways with her first husband Jeet Upendra – has been extremely ugly., Deepshikha left no opportunity to reveal how much she hates him. Kaishav says: If you marry an older lady with kids, you are never loved enough. So, did he not know that I have two kids? Didn’t Kaishav marry me because I was rich and famous? Had I ever left my kids and gone to him? He’s talking nothing but nonsense. He also says: You are past your prime and seeking publicity. Can anybody tell me who is this Kaishav? Isn’t he still known as Deepshikha’s exhusband? What’s his identity? Bolo. Batao. I am a selfmade woman. I gave him the status of whatever he is today. Why did you part ways with him? He was cheating on me. I wanted him out. I don’t want to be with a man who doesn’t take the responsibility of his family.

Deepshikha

Salman Khan pleads innocence in Arms Act case

alman Khan appeared before a Jodhpur court a short while ago, to record his statement in the 17-year-old Arms Act case. Later, the actor’s lawyer told media that his client was falsely implicated. Salman got embroiled in the case while shooting for Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998. The case under Arms Act was registered after the weapons, allegedly used by the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor for hunting down two blackbucks, were found with expired licences. A separate case against poaching is still underway. The next hearing is on April 4.

amrat, who featured in Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’ (2010), happens to be the brother of actress Sharbani Mukherjee and cousin of Kajol and Rani Mukerji. Buzz is that Sumona and Samrat have been in a relationship for the last four years, but prefer to be tightlipped. They have been spotted together at

4 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Spinach and Feta Pasta

Recipe

Ingredients :

Recipe

riginal recipe makes 4 servings, 1 (8 ounce) packagepenne pasta, 2 tablespoonsolive oil, 1/2 cupchopped onion, 1 clovegarlic, minced, 3 cupschopped tomatoes, 1 cupsliced fresh mushrooms, 2 cupsspinach leaves, packed, salt and pepper to taste, 1 pinchred pepper flakes, 8 ouncesfeta cheese, crumbled

Method:

1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al

dente; drain. 2.Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese, and cook until heated through.

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Saturday, March 12, 2016

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Vancouver-area housing starts reach highest level in 25 years

ancouver-area housing starts jumped dramatically in February, reaching the highest monthly levels in more than two decades, according to Canada’s national housing agency. A report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said the seasonally-adjusted annual rate for housing starts in the Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area rose last month to 24,244 units, up from 20,825 in January. “The actual monthly number of housing starts in the Vancouver CMA was the highest recorded over the past 25 years,” said market analyst Richard Sam, in a statement. Actual starts in the Vancouver area were 3024 in February 2016, nearly three times the level a year ago. Multi-family units made up the bulk of the year-to-year increase. Sam cited the decline in the inventory of new homes in the region for the rise, as well as the brisk resale market for the strong numbers. As a result, developers have “ramped up housing starts of single-detached and multiple-family homes this month,” he said. Meanwhile, housing starts in the Abbotsford-Mission CMA rose to 1,406 units in February, up from 1,208 units in January, due

Condo owners group urges caution in reacting to vacant homes study

group representing condo owners is urging governments to respond with caution to a report that more than one in 10 Vancouver condos sits empty. The study commissioned by the a City of Vancouver appeared to dispel the idea that foreigners were snapping up homes and leaving them vacant, as only about one per cent of single-family homes and duplexes were vacant, a number that has remained steady since 2002. However, the study raised questions about the number of condos that were found vacant, at 9,750, and led to renewed calls for taxing vacant properties to aid in opening them up for purchase or rental. Condominium Homeowners Association of B.C. executive director Tony Gioventu said Wednesday it’s important to think carefully about doing away with, for example, the ability for condo strata organizations to retain rental restrictions. He said rental restrictions have helped provide “predictable and sustainable” communities with a lot of low-rise walk-ups in places such as East Vancouver, Kitsilano and the West End. Remove the rental restrictions and a flood of investors will come knocking, prices of Continued on page 6

to an increase in the construction of singledetached and apartment units, CMHC said. National starts on the rise Nationally, the CMHC report showed that the pace of housing starts picked up in February, boosted by a jump in multiple-unit homes such as condo4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015 miniums, apartments and townhouses.

CMHC says the seasonally adjusted annual rate for housing starts in February increased to 212,594 units, up from 165,071 in January. Economists had expected an annual pace of 180,000, according to Thomson Reuters. The increase came as multiple-unit urban starts increased by 46 per cent to 138,774

units, while single-detached urban starts increased by 6.1 per cent to 61,457 units. Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 12,363. Outside B.C., the pace of urban starts in February also rose in Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada while they decreased in the Prairies

6 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Foreign home buyers: How other countries limit money from abroad

t was revealed this week that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is trying to keep tabs on foreign money in Canada’s residential real estate market. The national housing agency has come under fire in recent years for a conspicuous lack of reliable data about the money coming from abroad and how it may be contributing to soaring home prices in cities like Vancouver and Toronto. Our neighbours to the south, for example, keep detailed records of who is buying what and for how much. Part of the problem has been defining exactly who qualifies as a foreign buyer, and figuring out what it all means in the bigger picture. Countries around the world have tried to make home ownership more affordable with an assortment of different approaches. Some seem to work, others ... not so much. The following is hardly an exhaustive list, but it provides a glimpse into the options Canada might consider down the road: Australia has tried to increase affordability in cities like Sydney and Melbourne by introducing steep fines for buyers, realtors and companies who break new rules on foreign real estate investment. (David Gray/Reuters) Foreign real estate ownership is a hot-button political issue Down Under and the Australian government has gone to great lengths to curb it. Generally, buyers from outside the country are limited to newly constructed houses and apartments, and the Foreign Investment Review Board — which yields broad power over money flowing into Australia — acts as gatekeeper. It costs $5,000 just for the right to make an offer on a place costing

up to $1 million, and $10,000 for each subsequent million-dollar leap in purchase price. Foreigners who buy vacant residential land have to build on it within two years. Australia has stepped up enforcement with a crackdown that began in earnest last year. Foreign investors shown to have broken the rules can face up to three years in jail or a fine of $127,500. Individual real estate agents who help a foreign buyer circumvent the system can be fined up to $42,500, while companies could be hit with a $212,500 fine. As of January, the government says it forced the sale of 27 homes bought illegally, including a $39-million Sydney mansion previously owned by a Chinese real estate firm. More than 1,300 property sales have been investigated, according to Reuters. Australia also forces foreign investors to register purchases with the federal government, part of an effort to gather and analyze an extensive data set on the issue. Canadian critics of foreign ownership sometimes hail Australia as a model for policies that can be applied here at home, but there’s much debate over that sentiment. London Britain housing real estate Several high-profile U.K. think-tanks have suggested giving the mayor of London more power over the city’s pricey real estate market. (Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)

Lawmakers in the U.K. responded to public anger over ballooning home prices, particularly in London, with a considerable capital gains tax. The move was intended to level the playing field between overseas real estate owners and residents of the U.K., who usually pay a capital gains tax of 18 or 28 per cent, depending on their income, on the sale of a residential property that is not their primary home. As of April 6, 2015, the taxman takes up to 28 per cent at the point of sale on foreign-owned residential property.

The capital gains tax for overseas owners was introduced shortly after the government took steps to cool sales of luxury homes by boosting the stamp duty — a progressive tax paid on most residential properties in the U.K. — for homes valued at more than 1 million pounds, or about $1.9 million. The municipalities surrounding London also have the option to levy their own taxes on home sales. The Swiss alpine resort town of Andermatt is among just a handful places in the country where foreign owner-

ship of real estate is not limited by strict rules. Here, even small flats can sell for millions. (Michael Buholzer/Reuters) The Swiss are serious about strict rules on foreign home buyers. Each year, the government assigns quotas to the country’s 26 cantons, limiting the number of residential properties that can be sold to foreigners. The cantons have far-reaching authority to impose further restrictions. For example, they can limit out-of-country buyers to real estate that is already foreign-owned or forbid foreigners from selling a property for a fixed period of time, sometimes up to a decade. And deep-pocketed foreigners looking to build a mountain fortress should think again, as special permits are needed to build a home larger than 1,000 square metres. The city of Nogales, Mexico, lies within the “restricted zone,” which may soon become obsolete as some politicians push for fewer restrictions on foreign ownership of real estate in coastal areas. (Eric Thayer/Reuters) Mexico has a fairly novel approach to limiting home ownership by foreigners in areas where much of its prime real estate is found. While foreigners can buy land and property throughout the interior of the country, a constitutional provision prevents them purchasing property in the “restricted zone.” This area is defined as the land 100 kilometres from Mexico’s borders, and 50 kilometres inland from its coasts. The Mexican government is currently considering an amendment that would end this limitation, but it has yet to pass the upper house. But fret not, beach bums. There’s a way to bypass the restrictions called the fideicomiso — an agreement in which a Mexican bank holds the property deed in trust for the buyer.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Condo owners group urges caution in reacting to vacant homes study of condos will increase and rents will go up as investors recoup costs, said Gioventu. Nizam Dossa, executive director of the Strata Property Agents of B.C., added that some condos are bought by parents for their children attending colleges or universities and are not used the full-year. Dossa said it was not a new trend. “We are not seeing the empty-empty units, butmoreoftheseasonalemptiness,”saidDossa. It’s unclear whether those properties would have been caught in the B.C. Hydro electricity data used by the city’s consultant, Ecotagius, to determine vacancy. A home was deemed non-occupied in

From previoius page

a given month if its electricity use showed little variability for 25 or more days. If a home was not occupied for each of four “non-heating” months — August, September and the following June and July — it was deemed empty for a given year. Phil Dougan, a director with the Canadian Condominium Institute’s Vancouver chapter, said the issue of vacant condos is worth examining. He said from his office in downtown Vancouver he can see empty apartments in Coal Harbour that do not have a stick of furniture in them. “It certainly is an inefficient use of an important commodity,” said Dougan.

Foreign home buyers

Hong Kong has tried, but largely failed, to rein in housing prices in the city. (Bobby Yip/ R e ut e r s ) While H o n g Kong is part of China, its housing market stands apart. In fact, it is consistently ranked the most expensive market in the world.

The median price of a Hong Kong home is about 19 times the median income of its citizens. The government has responded with a 15-per-cent surcharge on homes purchased by non-permanent residents. And in 2012, the city announced the establishment of areas with new dwellings that can only be sold to permanent residents of Hong Kong for the next 30 years.

i 7

Vancouver real estate: Empty homes report presented at council

report on empty homes in Vancouver is being presented at city council this morning. The city and policy analysts have long argued more data is needed to determine the cause of the region’s hot housing market — an argument the provincial government recently said it agrees with. The report on Vacant Housing Units Research is being presented at council by Matt Bourke, a housing planner with the city, and Bruce Townson, CEO of Ecotagious, a company that analyzes home energy use. The city’s chief housing officer, Mukhtar Latif, has previously said that BC Hydro usage data could be examined to determine which homes are sitting empty. However, he also warned there could be many reasons why homes are unoccupied. But while the city may be considering taxing empty homes, B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman says an automat-

ic tax for empty homes isn’t appropriate. He noted three houses on his street in Langley are empty all winter because their owners are “snowbirds” who go south for five or six months. “The argument on one side is they are still paying taxes without receiving the services and getting a homeowners grant,” said Coleman.

NDP housing critic David Eby says there are changes the province could implement now to help soften housing prices. “There are solutions out there that are being put forward by very smart people, and unfortunately there is still a debate happening about whether properties are being used as investments,” he said.

8 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

AUTO

investment. It recommends: Advertisement • A more comprehensive website that includes site selection tools and jurisdiction-specific economic data; • All steps of the investment attraction process should be examined to truncate the process; • Ontario should continue its efforts to certify specific sites and industrial parks — including those capable of accommodating vehicle assembly plants — as ready for immediate development. The report comes amid growing pressure on government to reverse a trend that has seen Canada lose out to lower-cost jurisdictions for new capacity investment. Since the 2008-09 recession, automakers have announced eight new assembly plants in Mexico with investments of almost US$10 billion that will create tens of thousands of jobs. Canada has not landed a single new assembly plant. Meanwhile, Canada’s share of North American production has fallen to 14.2 per cent from a high of 17.6 per cent.

Google Driverless Car Sideswipes Bus, Gets Caught On Video

ewly released video shows the moment a Google self-driving car learned the hard way not to tussle with a public bus. The collision happened on Valentine’s Day, when a Google vehicle struck the side of a public bus in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View. Footage recorded by cameras on the bus shows a Lexus SUV, which Google has outfitted with sensors and cameras that let it drive itself, edging into the path of the bus that was rolling by at about 15 mph.

It was the first time in several years of testing on public roads that a Google self-driving car prototype caused a crash. Google has blamed other drivers for past collisions during testing, but, in a first, accepted at least partial responsibility for this crash. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority released the video and postcrash photos this week to The Associated Press under a public records request. Though it was a low-speed collision, the impact crumpled the Lexus’ front left side, flattened the tire and tore off the radar Google installed to help the SUV perceive its surroundings. This Feb. 14, 2016, photo provided by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority shows damage to a self-driving Lexus SUV, operated by Google. (Via Associated Press) The Lexus had to be towed. Neither the Google employee in the driver’s seat -who must be there under California law to take the wheel in an emergency -- nor the 16 people on the bus were injured. The transit agency has concluded based on the footage that the bus driver was not responsible, spokeswoman Stacey Hendler Ross said. An independent claims adjustor has not yet determined liability, she said.

Canadian consumer watchdog sounds alarm on extended auto loans

Canada should not “rush” to copy Mexico’s auto investment agency, says study anadian governments should not “rush” to duplicate Mexico’s onestop shopping investment agency that has been credited for luring automotive jobs and plants into that country, a new study said Thursday. Instead federal and Ontario governments should set up a pilot project that borrows from the ProMexico model but reflects the “complexities” of the province’s auto sector, said the report by Automotive Policy Research Centre at Hamilton’s McMaster University. “There’s no question, ProMexico fulfills its mandate very well,” report co-author Greig Mordue said. “Before Canada or Ontario rush headlong into recreating the single-window Mexico template we need to reflect upon what we are ultimately trying to achieve because the dynamics in Canada are quite different from those being experienced in Mexico.” The report suggests that a pilot project be established in Ontario that focuses on attracting automotive

Saturday, March 12, 2016

anadians are increasingly buying too much car and paying for it with loans that extend for six, seven and eight years, according to a federal consumer watchdog. For many, that means high interest charges that increase the cost of the car and put consumers at risk of credit default, said Lucie Tedesco, commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. Canadians brought home 1.9 million new vehicles in 2015, a record sales number. Couple feel ‘robbed’ by 25% interest TD car loan Canadians taking on more auto debt over longer terms But those record sales, as well as the trend to larger SUVs and pickup trucks, have been financed with extended auto loans, the FCAC said in a research report issued Tuesday.

The traditional term for auto loans is about five years. But since 2010, consumers have increasingly opted for six, seven and eight-year loans. Buying more car or truck “The monthly payments on extended-term loans for more expensive vehicles are often roughly the same as those for economy-class vehicles financed over conventional terms,” FCAC said in its report. So consumers can buy more car or truck if they extend payments over a longer period. Long-term car loans constitute

approximately 60 per cent of the car loan portfolios of Canada’s largest financial institutions, FCAC found. And because autos depreciate in value so quickly, the outstanding balance on the loan outstrips the value of the vehicle, often for several years. This is called negative equity. When consumers have negative equity in the car and want to trade it in for something newer, they may face tighter credit terms and higher borrowing costs. FCAC said this is not sustainable, for either the consumers or the lenders. “Consumers put themselves in the position of having to roll the debt owing on the long-term loan into the loan for the purchase of the new vehicle, thereby potentially stepping onto an auto-debt treadmill,” Tedesco warns. She urged consumers to educate themselves about the full interest costs they would pay during the length of the loan and to consider their own overall debt costs each month.

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NATIONAL

B.C. auditor general slams government for under-reporting revenues

ritish Columbia’s auditor general says under-reported government revenues can potentially cloud the province’s true financial health. Carol Bellringer made the comments Tuesday after releasing a report on the government’s public financial statements for the 2014-15 budget, which included a surplus of almost $1.7 billion. Bellringer said B.C. should have reported an extra $191 million in revenues from the federal government to build infrastructure projects in last year’s budget. Her audit estimates B.C.’s practice of deferring revenues over a period of decades amounts to more than $4 billion. “Why should this matter?” Bellringer asks in her report. “For one, deferring the revenue means that government is not recording revenue in these good years. When that revenue is eventually recorded, maybe in years when financial results could otherwise be less favourable, it may cloud the true financial health of the province.”

Revenues spread over years She said the issue revolves around how the government records money it receives from the federal government or others to build capital projects, such as hospitals and roads. Bellringer said the government should record the money as revenue the year it is received, but B.C. spreads out the revenue reporting over the life of the project.

“For example, if a bridge is constructed over two years, and has a life of 50 years, the standards require the revenue to be recorded in the two years that the asset is built,” says her report. “Instead, government records the revenue over the 50year life of the bridge, a little bit each year.”

Prime Minister Trudeau calls US visit ‘tremendous success’

rime Minister Justin Trudeau has declared his trip to Washington a productive visit and “tremendous success.” He said during remarks at a luncheon hosted by an American policy think-tank that he came to Washington to “get things done” and he’s optimistic that what was accomplished will pay dividends into the future.Trudeau highlighted the agreements he and U.S. President Barack Obama made to tackle climate change, protect the Arctic and facilitate the movement of people and goods across the border. Outlining four things he believes are needed for successful progressive politics in Canada and in the U.S., Trudeau said “the fundamental truth that diversity is strength” must be embraced. Trudeau tells White House state dinner Canada and U.S. ‘closer than friends’ Analysis: Trudeau-Obama bromance’s real prize comes with the world watching 12 things Trudeau and Obama agreed on How to watch Justin Trudeau’s official visit to Washington

“The optimism and the generosity that we see in our communities on both sides of the border, that’s what we need to focus on,” Trudeau said. “You see, fear is easy. Friendship? Friendship takes work. But Canada and the United States have proven, time and time again, that finding common ground is worth the effort.” Trudeau was speaking at a lunch hosted by think tanks Canada 2020 and the Center for American Progress. “On our own, we make progress. But together, we make history,” he said. His final day in Washington began by honouring America’s war dead at historic Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., just across the Potomac River from Washington. Trudeau took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier. The white marble sarcophagus sits atop a hill with a view of the U.S. capital.

Liberals gave former MLA cushy deal: NDP

Judi Tyabji-Wilson

he BC NDP says even the provincial government’s staff knew the Liberals were in a conflict of interest — as shown by email conversations obtained via freedom of information records — when it awarded one of its former MLAs a grant for $127,000, on top of a salary of $67,000 to manage that grant, to train five people on sheepskinning and marketing. Judi Tyabji-Wilson, who announced late last year she’ll be writing a biography for the premier, was a Liberal MLA from 1991 to 1996. And according to the New Democrats, she received a grant in 2014 from the Ministry of Social Development for a sheepskin marketing initiative that ultimately went over budget by $53,000. According to documents obtained by the NDP, a provincial staff member said they had “serious concerns” about giving Tyabji-Wilson the money. “There is a direct conflict of interest with the president of the non-profit (Tyabji-Wilson) being hired as the supervisor on the project,” the document said. “Normally, it is not a good practice for a board member to be hired by the not-forprofit to undertake the project supervision. This one especially looks bad as the president was the one that submitted the application and has been the negotiator for the project.” The New Democrats, who made their remarks through the legislature on Thursday, said the project ended up being a failure, since it was only able to sell 27 sheepskins, and managed to process only 148 skins out of the original plan of 1,000. Michelle Stilwell, Liberal Minister of Social Development, said programs like these have given 900 people work experience, and responded to the criticism of Tyabji-Wilson’s many hats by referring to the challenge of “balance in life,” pointing to her Olympic track record — the minister has multiple Olympic medals — and her job as MLA and minister.

POLITICS

Liberal MPs stop Tory attempt to bring Bombardier executives before Commons committee

iberal MPs have voted down a Conservative attempt to bring executives from Bombardier before a House of Commons committee to talk about the company’s finances. The Conservatives moved a motion at the industry committee late Tuesday afternoon to hear from Bombardier and government officials about a federal bailout for the aerospace company. The move led to a heated debate between Liberals and Conservatives that ended with Conservative MP Alexander Nuttall saying it was “incredibly blinding” to not have Bombardier testify before the federal budget. The Quebec government has agreed to give Bombardier US$1 billion and the federal government has been asked to pony up an amount estimated to be the same as the provincial package. Conservative MP Maxime Bernier, who introduced the motion to invite Bombardier executives to testify on why they need federal dollars, said opposition MPs likely won’t get

any answers from Bombardier or the government about a possible bailout until after it is announced. The move was part of a larger push by the Official Opposition to pressure the government over Bombardier’s future, a possible federal bailout for the company and the government’s decision not to allow a runway extension at the Billy Bishop airport in Toronto. In 2013, Porter Airlines placed an order worth US$870 million for a dozen of Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft, on the condition that they would be allowed to fly into the Toronto island airport. In November, the government announced it wouldn’t reopen its agreement with the City of Toronto and Ports Toronto and extend the runway at Billy Bishop to allow jets to land. That followed a promise made during the federal election. A separate Conservative Opposition motion in the Commons called on the government to extend the runway at Billy Bishop to help Bombardier, rather than provide a corporate bailout.

Conservative leadership race kicks off with $50,000 entrance fee and $5M spending cap

he Conservative Party of Canada fired the starter’s pistol Tuesday on the race for its new leader, releasing contest rules that include a $5-million spending cap. It will cost candidates $100,000 to join the race, including a $50,000 registration fee and a $50,000 compliance deposit that is refundable assuming the candidate follows the rules and submits required financial documents. The announcement of the rules officially launches the party’s first leadership race since 2004, with the new leader being elected on May 27, 2017. Several current and former Conservative MPs have expressed interest in running or have refused to rule themselves out, including former Tory ministers Tony Clement, Jason Kenney, Peter MacKay, Lisa Raitt, Kellie Leitch, Michelle Rempel, Maxime Bernier and Michael Chong. Speculation persists that Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, whose government appears well on its way to being re-elected in next month’s provincial vote, is

also considering whether to enter the federal Conservative leadership race (although he has said he’s not interested). It’s expected a number of potential candidates might start ramping up their campaigns at the party’s policy convention, May 26-28 in Vancouver. Should Kenney decide to run (he’s also being courted to lead a unitethe-right movement in Alberta), he would become the instant front-runner for the federal leadership because of his popularity in the party and network of supporters built up across Canada during his years as Tory point man on ethnic outreach. MacKay, who recently joined global law firm Baker & McKenzie as a partner in Toronto, is seen as a top contender if he’s interested in the job. He spent nearly a decade as a senior lieutenant in the Conservative government. Elections Canada limits an individual’s donations to all leadership contestants at $1,525. A leadership contestant is allowed to give a total of $25,000 in contributions, loans and loan guarantees to his own campaign.

Saturday, March 12, 2016 i 21

Trudeau invites Obama to visit Canada after Washington ‘love-fest’ from page 1

wood lumber dispute. The morning’s events at the White House were part of a packed schedule leading up to a glamorous night ahead in Washington, when the two will don tuxes and enjoy a lavish dinner at the White House. The first official visit for a Canadian prime minister in 19 years comes as Trudeau is just months into his mandate, while Obama is winding his down. Obama’s final visit to Canada could coincide with the North American leaders summit (also called the Three Amigos) Canadians will host this summer. Thursday began with a joint statement

on climate change that includes a new science partnership on the Arctic, part of work under the United States’ chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Trudeau thanked Obama for his leadership to date on the climate change file. “The president and I share a common goal: We want a clean growth economy that continues to provide good jobs and great opportunities for all of our citizens,” Trudeau said. But the broad range of issues mentioned in the leaders’ remarks — from continental collaboration to fight the Zika virus to Obama’s praise for Canada’s efforts on Syrian refugees —

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CLASSIFIEDS

Saturday, March 12, 2016

JOBS

Need Janitorial Helpers

Employment Requirements: Completion of Secondary School with 2-3 years of experience or Completion of 3-4 years apprenticeship training program or Trade certification with several months of on-job training. If interested please send resume at mobilezonecommunicationinc@gmail.com” -----------------------------Jan 02_16

124Street, Surrey BC V3W 3X9, has an immediate vacancy of Carpenter. We design and manufacture high end solid wood exterior doors, solid wood interior doors and custom doors. Full time permanent job position with wages of $25per hour. 35 to 40 hours per week. Job Duties includes Read & interpret drawings & sketches to determine specifications; Estimate height, width, length, & other proportions; Measure, cut, shape, & assemble materials using woodworking machines, power tools and hand tools; Build exterior doors, interior doors, custom doors with jams; Install hardware such as hinges, handles, catches using hand tools and power tools; Repair doors & replace panels of doors. Job requirement: High school with 2-3 years of experience. Trade certificate will be considered as an asset. If interested send resumes by email at westerndoormanufacturing@gmail.com ------------- September 5, 2015

Surrey Janitorial Services urgently require helpers for Surrey and Abbotsford and Vancouver. Experience not a requirement but will be preferred. Please call 778-859-9234 ------------------- Feb 06 2016 Cell phone Technician “Mobile Zone Communication Inc., located at 123-9855 Austin Road, Burnaby, BC V3J1N4, has immediate 2 vacancies for Cell phone Technician for two different locations. One vacancy for 123-9855 Austin Road, Burnaby BC V3J 1N4 and one vacancy for Brentwood Town Centre 4567 Lougheed Hwy, Burnaby, BC V5C 3Z6. Full time, permanent positions with 35-40 hours per week, $31/hour. Job Duties include: Perform Inspection,Testing, Diagnose and Troubleshoot smart phone and other mobile devices; Disassemble the device to install, remove, repair or replace defective parts; Perform high quality repairs and refurbishment of phones/cell phones/tablets; Ensure all repair meets quality standards; Monitor parts inventory and inform management of status; Accurately document repairs and parts information on repair tracking document; Maintaining and using tools and equipment properly; Interact with customer as needed, providing exceptional customer service.

Vacancy for In-home Caregiver Balwinder Singh Singhmaar, resident of 15095 92Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 5V8 has a vacancy for Inhome Child caregiver for infant child and 9 years old son. Full Time, $11 / hour, 40 hrs/week. Applicant must have high school with minimum of one year of related experience within last three years or six months of full time training in caregiving. Job Duties includes Supervise and care for children, prepare formulas and change diaper of infant, feeding, bathing, dressing, prepare children for rest period, escort child to school, prepare and serve nutritious meal and snacks, accompany to and from activities & appointments, light housekeeping, laundry, maintain safe environment at home, keep record of day-to-day activities, health and progress of children. Send resumes by email at balwinderssinghmaar@gmail.com -------------- Oct 31 2015 Western door manufacturing Ltd. located at #109-8250

Jun13_155 Long Haul Truck Drivers Reqd. Sal:$23.00/hr, 40hr/wk, +1yr exp. & Class A 0r 1 license reqd., FT/PT Duties: Operate, drive straight or articulated trucks to transport goods & materials on local routes or over long distances.Plan trip logistics & obtain required documentation to transport goods.Perform pre-trip & post-trip inspection of vehicle systems.Record cargo information, hours of service, distance travelled & fuel consumption. May perform emergency roadside repairs. Lang: English. Work at various location in Canada & USA. Contact: Balwinder from Metro Transport ltd.12772 82nd Ave, Surrey, V3W 3G1 E-mail your resume at metro_transport@ yahoo.ca. ------------------------------Jun13_15

1 Optical Frame Fitter Reqd. Sal: $22.00/hr, 40hr/wk, +1yrs exp. or certification reqd., FT/PT Duties: Obtain specifications for eyeglasses or contact lenses from a prescription. Assist clients in

JOBS selecting eyeglasses. Grinding & polishing of lenses. Cut & edge lenses & fit lenses into frames. May supervise or manage activities of other opticians. Lang: English. Location: 12841 96 Avenue, Surrey, BC, V3V 6V9 Contact: Imran from Eye See 2020 Optical at opt_eyesee@yahoo.ca. ------------------------------Jun 06_15 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. 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

S Basement for Rent

One bed room basement suite is available for rent from 1st of January 2016. Rent $ 600 including utility & internet . Walking distance to Bell Centre, Elementary & High School and Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib. Call 778-628-4473 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 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

To PLACE YOUR AD IN THE ASIAN STAR CLASSIFIEDS Section Please

Call: 604-591-5423

COMMUNITY NEWS “Sanskriti Cultural Awareness Society of BC” invites you with your family and friends to a specially designed evening, full of laughter and humor to celebrate Holi a festival of joy, happiness and participation with legendary poets from India and North America coming to make everybody laugh and giggle. Program would be followed by dance and a lavish dinner. This is an family event. For queries contact: Janardan Pandey Prachand at 604-889-2204 , Sanjeev Sharma at 604 767 4366 Sanskriti Cultural Awareness Society of BC 15165 91Ave, Surrey BC V3R 1B6 PH: 604 767 4366 E:mail: humarisanskrit2@gmail.com www.humarisanskriti.ca

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Don’t give fraudsters an extra “tax” this season With March being Fraud Prevention Month and residents making final preparations to their tax returns, the Surrey RCMP is reminding residents to be extra vigilant when it comes to protecting their personal and financial information. As frauds involving the Canada Revenue Agency are on the rise not only in Surrey but across the country, tax season is prime time for fraudsters to prey on unsuspecting victims. Residents need to be vigilant if they receive fraudulent communications from these agencies and report it to authorities immediately if they suspect they are a victim. “This time of year serves as a good reminder for residents to check their mail regularly when sensitive financial and personal information may be arriving daily in your mailbox,” says Surrey RCMP Corporal Scotty Schumann. “If criminals are able to access this information they can fraudulently use it to gain access to bank accounts, apply for loans and credit cards, or engage in criminal activity that ultimately becomes associated to you.” Surrey RCMP has also noticed a trend in fraudulent telephone calls claiming to be from debt collectors for unpaid phone, cable, hydro, or other utility bills. Most of the reports involve complainants who have lost their wallets or purses within the last year and have not reported it to authorities. Scams like this are good reminders to cancel and replace all important cards once lost and to routinely check your credit report to ensure

Saturday, March 12, 2016 i 23

Washington students visit

Grade 12 students from Lynden Christian High School ,Lynden ,Washington State in the U.S. and their teacher John Van Hulzen visited Gurdwara Nanak Niwas and other places of worship on Richmond’s Highway to Heaven on Tuesday, March 8. They were very keen to learn about different faiths including Sikhism. Here, the students are with some members of the Gurdwara Management Committee -Mohan Singh Sandhu, Balwant Singh Sanghera, Sohan Singh Basi and Chian Singh Batth.

you are not a victim of identity theft. Another scam that residents should be aware of that is making the rounds locally is the “black” or “white” money scam. This sophisticated counterfeit scheme comes in multiple forms but usually involves currency that on initial appearance has no colour but can apparently be washed with a chemical that makes it a legitimate bank note. In most cases, the victims are usually conned into making an initial investment into this counterfeit money with the promise of large returns. “Surrey is a very diverse community that includes many residents who are new to Canada,” says Cpl. Schumann. “Unfortunately those who are unfamiliar with how our institutions and businesses operate can be more susceptible to these frauds. We ask that residents take this opportunity to discuss these recent fraud trends with family members who may not be aware.” For more information on fraud prevention please visit the Scams & Fraud page on our website. If your business or community group would like to host an info session on fraud prevention please contact the Surrey RCMP’s Economic Crime Unit at 604-5990502. If you are the victim of a fraud, please contact your local police and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or at 1-888-495-8501. ------------------------------------Train-the-Trainer workshop for Hepatitis and other communicable diseases at PICS, Surrey

Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS) is hosting Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Healthcare Providers to make them aware about Hepatitis C and other related communicable diseases in high risk Immigrant ethnic communities. PICS is part of the Sexually Transmitted Infections and Tuberculosis Co-infections project undertaken by Canadian Ethnocultural Council, Ottawa and will provide training in the Metro Vancouver region. In Canada, STIs and TB continue to be public health concerns, however; very little information is available on the prevalence of these diseases in the selected ethnic populations and therefore; appropriate training is a must. What - Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Healthcare Providers Where – PICS Surrey, #20512725-80th Avenue, Surrey When October 7th 2015 at 10 am – 11:30- Who can attend – healthcare providers, settlement workers and community leaders. For more information & registration, please call 604-5967722 ext. 107. Mosaic Networking Are you new to the country/ looking to meet new friends or seeking networking opportunities? You are invited! Refreshments will be served! Mosaic Church meets on Saturday evening 6:30 pm in Surrey/Abbotsford. Surrey: 12150-92 Avenue; Abbotsford: 2940 Clearbrook Road For more info call Dave at 604 897-4224 or

email dmclauren@gmail.com ----------------------------------------------PICS Entrepreneurship Program – New Session Begins January 27th, 2016 PICS is currently accepting applications for it’s PICS Entrepreneurship Program, a nine week training course which will teach you all the ropes of how to start a successful business. Classes include helping you develop a business plan and ways in which you can secure finance for your plan. The training is followed by sixteen weeks of mentorship and consultation as well. New session begins on January 27, 2016 in Vancouver. Participants will be recruited from the following groups: Youth (15 to 29 years), or Aboriginals, or Persons with Disabilities (self-identified disability that restricts regular employment). Potential participants may contact Deshpal Grewal at PICS at 604-596-7722 ext. 126 and register for the next information session scheduled for: •January 13, 2016 at 2:30 PM – PICS Head Office in Surrey (#205 – 12725 - 80th Ave, Surrey, BC) January 20, 2016 at 2:30 PM – PICS Vancouver Office (#200 – 8153 Main Street, Vancouver, BC) ------------------------------------------Local Church Announces Saturday Service to Accommodate Young Families David McLauren and Mosaic

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Business / Finance

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Canada Revenue offered amnesty to wealthy KPMG clients in offshore tax ‘sham’

he Canada Revenue Agency offered amnesty to multi-millionaire clients caught using what’s been called an offshore tax “sham” on the Isle of Man — a reprieve that was supposed to remain secret and out of the public eye. Canada Revenue officials demanded, and offered, secrecy in a no-penalty, no-prosecution deal to high net worth clients of accounting giant KPMG involved in a dodgy offshore tax scheme. The amnesty allows for “high net worth” clients of the accounting giant KPMG to be free from any future civil or criminal prosecution — as well as any penalties or fines — for their involvement in the controversial scheme.

The clients simply had to agree to pay their back taxes and modest interest on these offshore investments, which they had failed to report on their income tax returns. Documents show that the scheme had attracted at least $130 million. A copy of the confidential nine-page offer, signed on May 1, 2015 by CRA’s manager of offshore compliance, Stephanie Henderson. It promised KPMG clients that the CRA would not impose any penalties for taxes dodged in a scheme that lasted more than a decade. KPMG offshore ‘sham’ deceived tax authorities, CRA court documents allege The offer was made despite CRA uncovering the KPMG scheme, which had at least 26 wealthy clients each investing a minimum of $5 million using shell companies on the Isle of Man.

Bank of Canada holds key interest rate as it waits on Ottawa’s fiscal boost

he divergence of monetary policy in North America is widening. While Canada’s central bank is holding off adjusting its key interest rate as it awaits federal stimulus details, the United States has already set out on a path to higher lending levels. For now, governor Stephen Poloz and his policymakers are holding onto their template assessment of the state of the economy, last updated in January, insisting on Wednesday there is no urgency to adjust their trendsetting interest rate, now at 0.5 per cent. That’s a decision widely shared by analysts, and comes after two quarter-point cuts in official borrowing levels last year — in January and July — that were intended to buffer the fallout from the global oil-price collapse. Wednesday’s decision marks a slight — but telling — shift in Canada since the rate decision this January, when Poloz and his team

chose to go against broad market expectations of lower interest rates, and kept rates on hold. Instead, policymakers are taking a waitand-see approach on the new federal government’s plans for mu lt i-bi l lion-dol lar spending and a string of annual deficits proposed by the Liberals in their October election campaign. Ottawa will unveil its 2016-17 budget on March 22. Economic weakness in 2015 — highlighted by a first-half technical recession and ongoing pressure from oil prices — has lessened somewhat, with the year ending in an unexpected, though still mild, bounce back in December’s gross domestic product data. “Financial market volatility, reflecting heightened concerns about economic momentum, appears to be abating,” policymakers said Wednesday.

CMHC revs up hunt for flows of foreign money into Canada’s torrid housing market

anada’s housing agency, looking for new methods to track foreign ownership in the country’s soaring real estate markets, may tap money laundering police and classify international university students as foreign buyers, according to internal documents. Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp., the crown corporation that backstops mortgages and tracks new housing data, has been in contact with at least eight government agencies to find data on offshore buyers in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal as prices continue to soar, according to 486 pages of e-mails, briefing notes, and other documents Bloomberg News obtained through a freedom of information request. “At this time, no existing tool can provide a definitive measure of the level of foreign investment in Canada’s housing markets,” Karine LeBlanc, an agency spokeswoman, said in an e-mail Friday. “That said, CMHC regularly engages in discussions internally, as well as with industry experts, as part of its continued efforts to develop a program of work that would better capture data on foreign buyers.” The push for data comes amid concerns that foreign money is boosting prices, making housing unaffordable for locals and putting it at risk of a crash if the funds pull out quickly. Politicians have been under pressure from many quarters, in-

cluding Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and HSBC Holdings Plc to get a better handle on the numbers and consider measures to cool the inflow. CMHC President Evan Siddall said in November that data collection on foreign investment was one of his priorities. “Accurate and reliable” figures, not just anecdotes, would help the agency gauge risk and instability, he said at the time. Since then, prices have continued to accelerate, with the benchmark price of a detached home in Vancouver rising 27 per cent to $1.3 million in February from the same month a year ago. Toronto average prices have hit $1.21 million, and Montreal continues to draw oversees buyers. A core team of analysts at CMHC held several meetings to discuss how best to tackle the data gap. Researchers had initial meetings with agencies including the Canada Revenue Agency and Fintrac, CMHC confirmed. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada monitors money laundering and out-of-country transactions of at least $10,000. The documents show CMHC also planned or had meetings with the Bank of Canada, British Columbia’s housing and property assessment agencies, and the department of finance to start a data working group.

Business / Finance

One in eight Vancouver condos sits empty: report

ne in eight condos is unoccupied in the Vancouver, according to a new report on unoccupied homes in the city. Looking at 225,000 homes over a 12-year period, Vancouver start-up Ecotagious determined 4.8 per cent of homes in the city are unoccupied. The findings are based on anonymous power usage data from smart meters, provided by BC Hydro. When you look even closer at the individual categories, condos are the most likely to be vacant, with 12.5 per cent of them not lived in. This means there are around 10,000 vacant homes in the city. To put that in perspective, that’s about two to three years’ worth of construction. The report concludes these vacancy figures are consistent with other Canadian cities. It found the residential vacancy was at 4.9 per cent in 2002, almost identical to the numbers from 2014. In a statement, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson points out that although the data shows the percentage of empty homes has remained stagnant, it has gone up over the last 12 years. “It’s unacceptable that so many homes are left empty at a time so many of our residents are struggling to find appropriate housing. Housing needs to be first and foremost for people to live in, not to be treated as a commodity,” says Robertson. He says he wrote to the premier last sum-

mer, asking for the province to give them tools to discourage discourage homes from staying empty for long periods of time. “We are still looking forward to a response on this issue. I would hope that with the release of today’s information, that the BC government will work with us and other municipalities in Metro Vancouver to deal with this issue.” Robertson adds in the throne speech and budget last month, the BC government said that the way to deal with housing affordability is to increase supply. “Reducing the number of empty homes would be one way to do that.” Moving forward, the city plans to do this same study every two years. Premier Christy clark says a fix for the rental problem should be coming soon. “We have heard a range of different options, a range of different ideas a lot of which are good. [The] Ministry of Finance is right now and has been for the last little while, really drilling down to understand which of the solutions that have come forward are going to be the best ones,” she explains. “There should be more rental options for people. There’s two ways to do that. One is through zoning, the city has complete control of that. The other is through some tax changes and other regulatory changes the province can make so we need to be partners in it.” She says everyone is concerned about the rental problem.

CMHC intensifies efforts to scrutinize foreign cash behind torrid housing market

anada’s housing agency, looking for new methods to track foreign ownership in the country’s soaring real estate markets, may tap money laundering police and classify international university students as foreign buyers, according to internal documents. Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp., the Crown corporation that backstops mortgages and tracks new housing data, has been in contact with at least eight government agencies to find data on offshore buyers in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal as prices continue to soar, according to 486 pages of emails, briefing notes and other documents Bloomberg News obtained through a freedom of information request. “At this time, no existing tool can provide a definitive measure of the level of foreign investment in Canada’s housing markets,” Karine LeBlanc, an agency spokeswoman, said in an email Friday. “That said, CMHC regularly engages in discussions internally, as well as with industry experts, as part of its continued efforts to develop a program of work that would better capture data on foreign buyers.” The push for data comes amid concerns that foreign money is boosting prices, making housing unaffordable for locals and putting it at risk of a crash if the funds pull out quickly. Politicians have been under pressure from many quarters, including Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and HSBC Holdings Plc to get a better handle on the numbers and consider measures to cool the inflow. CMHC president Evan Siddall said in No-

vember that data collection on foreign investment was one of his priorities. “Accurate and reliable” figures, not just anecdotes, would help the agency gauge risk and instability, he said at the time. Since then, prices have continued to accelerate, with the benchmark price of a detached home in Vancouver rising 27 per cent to $1.3 million in February from the same month a year ago. Toronto average prices have hit $1.21 million, and Montreal continues to draw overseas buyers. A core team of analysts at CMHC held several meetings to discuss how best to tackle the data gap. Researchers had initial meetings with agencies including the Canada Revenue Agency and The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada or Fintrac, CMHC confirmed. Fintrac monitors money laundering and out-of-country transactions of at least $10,000. The documents show CMHC also planned or had meetings with the Bank of Canada, British Columbia’s housing and property assessment agencies and the Department of Finance to start a data working group. Throughout their internal meetings, the Ottawa-based agency laboured on the definition of a foreign investor. At one point, CMHC researchers considered delving into driver’s-licence data to determine whether a homebuyer was a foreigner, as visitors and temporary citizens can apply for a licence in Ontario.

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Saturday, March 12, 2016

PUNJAB

Union cabinet okays changes to SGPC Act

he Union Cabinet today approved an amendment to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Act that will disallow voting rights to Sehajdhari Sikhs, a long-pending demand steered by the Akali Dal. Sources said the amendment was cleared at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It would now have to be tabled in Parliament for passage. The issue is already under consideration

of the Supreme Court after the last SGPC elections were held without voting by the Sehajdharis. The apex court made an interim arrangement to conduct the affairs of the SGPC. The SAD has been pressuring for early resolution of the issue through an amendment to the 1925 Act since the previous NDA government headed by AB Vajpayee effected the change through an order.

Kejriwal denies AAP’s links to ultras

rvind Kejriwal asked his rivals in Punjab to prove allegations with regard to AAP’s links with terrorists. Talking to a group of journalists from the Indian Women Press Corps, Kejriwal dismissed as “mere allegations” the accusations about Khalistani terrorists being part of his election campaign in Punjab. “When they (rival parties) could not find anything against us, they are coming out with such baseless allegations. Let them name one person in the party who has done anything wrong in the past or has been connected to

Khalistan (movement) and we will take action against him,” he said. He also dismissed allegations that AAP was depending upon leaders from other parties to make inroads in the state. “I think (Sukhpal) Khaira is the only person to have joined AAP,” he said. Exuding confidence of forming the next government in Punjab, Kejriwal said: “We are more than confident of winning Punjab.

Punjab Gov’t to get rid of Satluj -Yamuna canal land

he Punjab Government will order de-acquisition of over 5,300 acres of land that was acquired for the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, consigning the project to history. The land will be returned to the original landowners. The government is likely to table a Bill in the As-

sembly tomorrow or on Monday in this regard. Land for the project was acquired in 1977 after a notification granting administrative approval to the SYL Canal. As per the revenue records, while the state government is the owner of the land, the possession is with the Department of Irrigation (SYL Project). Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal said the acquisition would be denotified and the land restored

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal addressing the meeting

to the original landowners. With this move, the SAD has killed two birds with one stone — it has not only stunt-

ed the Congress criticism on the issue, but also pre-empted any legal decision favouring the construction of the canal. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal claimed that while PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh had merely tried to undo the wrongs committed by the previous Congress CMs and successive Congress governments at the Centre, he (Badal) had done what none before him had dared.

Govt ‘sidesteps’ burning issues

laiming to be championing the river waters issue in the ongoing Budget Session, the SAD-BJP government sidestepped the burning issues of farmer suicides and drug addiction, besides the payment of pension and gratuity to retired employees. In the question hour today, the government did not give a reply to a question on how many farmers had committed suicide in the state since 2007. Congress MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian had asked an unstarred question, which went unanswered. Unlike starred questions, the unstarred ones are not read in the Assembly and written replies are circulated. He had sought information about suicides by farmers since 2007 and compensation paid to them. The government’s claims on combating the drug menace came under scrutiny when it admitted that no meeting of the Punjab State Board for De-addiction and Rehabilitation, which was constituted last year due to pressure on the government to act against the menace, had taken place till date.

25 Sikh stowaways found in truck in Belgium

t least 25 illegal Sikh immigrants, including children, were found hiding in a secret compartment of a Romanian truck by the police at an industrial zone in Belgium. On a tip-off about human trafficking, the police stopped a Romanian lorry last evening and found 25 Sikhs aged between 2 and 88 squashed together in a secret compartment. “Behind a whole load of onions in the hold, we discovered a self-made cage. The cage was no bigger than 4 sq metres, but contained 25 people of Sikh origin, all squashed together,” a local official said. “The people were freed from this hazardous condition and were taken care of by civil protection officers,” he was quoted as saying by Flandersnews.be. The traffickers were thought to be intending to set off from a carwash in Essen. Two Romanian drivers were detained as well as the manager of the car wash. They are suspected of trafficking people in exacerbating circumstances. —

Saturday, March 12, 2016 i 27

Real Canadian Superstore速 location is the convenient one-stop shopping solution for everyday needs and for special occasions. You'll find variety, value, and a wide range of South Asian specialities -- at great price! 350 SE Marine Drive, Vancouver T: (604) 322-3727

Fax: 604-322-3744 Store Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30AM-8:00PM Sat 9AM - 5PM & Sun 12PM - 5PM

Contact for more assistance:

Remo Mastropieri Store Manager

Saturday, March 12, 2016 628 ii Saturday - April 4, 2015

INDIA fOOD

1st batch of Indian women fighter pilots

he first batch of women fighter pilots, comprising three cadets, will be inducted into the Indian Air Force on June 18. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said three women trainee officers had volunteered to be inducted in the combat role. “We inducted women as pilots in 1991, but on only helicopter and transport (planes). I must thank Pictured are 3 Indian women fighter pilots the Defence Minister for having He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Women in approved the IAF’s proposal to induct women Armed Medical Corps’ organised to mark as fighter pilots. Very soon...on June 18, the International Women’s Day here, which was Air Force will get women fighter pilots. “As of also attended by Defence Minister Manohar now three women trainees have volunteered Parrikar. The Defence Ministry had cleared to join the fighter stream. They are under the the proposal of inducting women as fightsecond phase of their training. Once they er pilots in October last year. Parrikar also complete their training...they are on par with lauded Raha’s insistence to push forward the their male colleagues and the passing out proposal to induct women as fighter pilots in parade is scheduled on June 18,” Raha said. the Indian Air Force. —

HRD minister Smriti Irani’s convoy mows down doctor, killing him

tually hit the doctor’s car.” This came even as Sandli, the 12-year-old daughter of the dead doctor, reiterated on Tuesday that she “clearly saw a BJP flag” on the car that hit them. She added that “despite appealing for help with folded hands the minister did not come to our aid”. Sandli, who was also injured in the accident, said, “After hearing the sound of the hooter installed on one of the cars in the minister’s cavalcade, my father slowed down our bike and moved towards the side of the road. But a car in the convoy hit our vehicle from the behind. “After the hit, my father Dr Ramesh Nagar was still alive. My 8-yearold brother Deepak (cousin) was injured. Later, another vehicle in the cavalcade hit my father’s head and he died,” she claimed. “The vehicles that hit us twice had BJP flags on them.Ingredients ” • 250g boneless chicken • 2tbsp rapeseed oil • 1 medium red onion • 3 large tomatoes notice to the BJP leaders asking Supreme Court judge opted out had issued • ½ cup cashew nuts to a fresh appeal. them to file their response of hearing appeals pertaining to ndia confirmed that Foreign Secre- for the SAARC meetings and hence there • 100g tomato puree Among others named as respondents in the dropping of criminal conspiracy tary S Jaishankar will be travelling seems to be a possibility of a meeting on • 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (VHP) petition are Vishwa Hindu Parishad charge against BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli to Nepal next week to participate in the sidelines. • 100ml low fat cream leaders Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore and Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and Rajasthan the March 15-17 meeting of the Foreign “Foreign Secretary Jaishankar will travel • 1tsp garam masala Vishnu Hari DalmiGovernor Kalyan Ministers of South Asia in Kathmandu. to Kathmandu to attend the meeting of the • 1tsp red chilli powder ya. Singh in the Babri However, no bilaterals have been sched- SAARC Standing Committee and External • 1tbsp ginger- garlicThe paste petitionMasjid demolition uled with any country, including Pakistan, Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will partic• 2tbsp thick low fat yoghurt er, Haji Mehboob case. as of now. This statement comes amid ipate in the SAARC ministerial meeting,” • salt to taste Ahmed, was a litiJustice Gopala speculation that Kathmandu might see said Vikas Swarup, spokesman for the gant in the mandir/ Gowda, who was the next level of interaction between the Ministry of External Affairs. masjid title dispute heading the Bench Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also Procedure: that dates back to comprising Justice Since the Pathankot attacks early Janu-garlic bepaste travelling to the US to attend NucleMarinate the chicken withinthe ginger and the yoghurt for 20 the min. soak the cashew in warm water for 15 minutes.chop the onions and tomatoes. Heat 1 tbsp 6, 1992. December Arun Mishra, said aryoil this thesear dialogue between the two Security scheduled to year, a pan. the chicken pieces in thear hot oil for Summit 1 minute(NSS) on each side to afrom golden colour. remove the chicken pieces. in the same pan, add 1tbsp oil and the chopped The SC had said it Chief Justice TS countries seen downslide and 31 to April 1. Pakistan Nawaz onions.has saute tillaarapid translucent pink. Add March the tomatoes, red chili powder,PM garam masala powder and cook on medium flame till the tomatoes are tender (approx. 4-5 hear the apwould Thakur was being theminutes). scheduledremove Foreign-Secretary will with also be the NSStosumfrom flamelevel andtalks run in Sharif a blender theattending soaked cashews make a smooth paste. return to the pan and add the tomato puree. Bring to a boil addCBI and pealsand of the requested to send have in a state of suspension. mittilland seems to be a possibility thatfat cream and simmer for 2 minutes. Broil the fenugreek theremained chicken pieces. simmer for 4-5 minutes thethere chicken is cooked. Add the low leaves on a pan. crush the Ahmed on merit as well as on the question the case to some other Bench. Kathmandu will also thefrom two leaders might fenugreek leaves overhost the Pakistan curry andForremove fire. serve hot.meet in Washington of delay in challenging the Allahabad High In March 2015, a Bench comprising the eign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry DC on the sidelines of the NSS. then CJI HL Dattu and Justice AK Mishra Court verdict of May 20, 2010.

Kathmandu may host India-Pak FS meeting

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day after an FIR was filed with the UP police claiming a car in HRD minister Smriti Irani’s cavalcade hit a motorcyclist, killing him and injuring two of his kids, the Mathura police on Monday said the vehicle involved in the accident was not part of the BJP leader’s convoy. Rakesh Singh, superintendent of police, Mathura, said, “The car that hit the doctor’s bike was not a part of the HRD minister’s convoy. The family of Dr Ramesh Nagar (who died in the accident) was hit by another car. The girl (Nagar’s daughter) seems to be confused about the sequence of events.” Singh added, “A thorough investigation is going on. We have sent a team to arrest the accused who was in the Honda City car with registration number DL 3C BA 5315 that ac-

SC judge opts out of Babri Masjid case

INDIA

40 vehicles challaned for using VIP stickers

he traffic police on Thursday challaned 18 vehicles the owners of which were using VIP stickers or plates -- like chairman, sarpanch -- on the vehicles without authorisation. In the district, 40 vehicles were challaned. SSP Pritpal Singh Thind said he -- along with SP (Detective), Sangrur DSP

and traffic policemen – were positioned for an hour at Mahavir Chowk to check the practice of unauthorised plates on vehicles. He said no vehicle carrying such plates without authorisation would be allowed to move on the roads. He said it had also come to his notice that some people were writing ‘police’ or ‘army’ on their vehicles in a similar way.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar refuses to pay Rs 5 crore fine - would rather go to jail

rt of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has decided to say “no” to an environmental fine and “yes” to jail. No, he won’t pony up the Rs 5 crores fine imposed on him yesterday to pay for the environmental damage that has been and will be done to the venue of his World Culture Festival. Yes, he’s prepared to go to jail for not paying the fine. Incidentally, Art of Living has spent upwards of Rs 26 crores on its extravaganza. “We have not done anything wrong. We have been taintless and will remain so. We we will go to jail but not pay a penny,” said Ravi Shankar. Today PM Narendra Modi set aside any doubts about his participation, saying he plans to attend Sri Sri’s event. The Art of Living’s three-day World Culture Festival is to be held on the ecologically-sensitive banks of the Yamuna river and will start tomorrow. The national Green Tribunal (NGT) yesterday fined Sri Sri’s Foundation and several governmental bodies for negligencWorkers make arrangements for the three-day World Peace Festival organised by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in New Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI Photo) The NGT told Ravi Shankar’s foundation that it has until Friday to pay the fine. The tribunal noted that if the foundation didn’t

pay the fine by tomorrow, the law will take its course. Ravi Shankar also tweeted that his foundation is not “satisfied” with the NGT’s verdict would appeal it. He also urged political parties not to “politicise” the event. “Not a single tree was felled. Trees were only pruned and we levelled the floodplain,”

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar he said today. “This is like a Cultural Olympics. 37,000 artistes from all over the world would come together at one single platform. This is an event to bring people closer to each other. Event of this magnitude should be welcomed,” he told NDTV. He have lots of money, so why refuse to pay some of them for environment.Boss Notwithstanding the row over the environmental damage due to the three-day festival, the NGT yesterday gave its go ahead to the event, expressing its helplessness in banning it because it was a “fait accompli” for the Art of Living Foundation.

Ruckus over Mallya’s UK flight The Congress took on the government in Parliament on Friday for its failure to prevent liquor baron Vijay Mallya from leaving the country. It alleged government’s complicity in allowing Mallya to travel abroad. While Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi accused the government of “helping” the businessman, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley cited the escape of Ottavio Quattrocchi, wanted in Bofors case, during the Congress regime to counter the charge. The Ministry of External Affairs clarified they had not been asked to do anything in the Mallya case so far.

Saturday, March 12, 2016 i 29

Real Estate Bill gets RS nod

Bill seeking to regulate the real estate sector, bring in transparency and help protect consumer interests was passed by the Rajya Sabha today. Moving ‘The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015’ for consideration and passage, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said it aimed to protect the interests of buyers and bring more transparency in the sector. The Congress had extended its support to the Bill, which was passed by a voice vote in the House. It is touted as a major reform measure to regulate the vast real estate sector and bring order in it.

“The Bill is need of the hour,” Naidu said, responding to clarifications by members saying it can see further changes in the coming times. He also sought the support of AIADMK members, who had opposed the measure. He said the Bill would prohibit unaccounted money from being pumped into the sector and as of now 70 per cent of the money has to be deposited in bank accounts through cheques. “There will be no discrmination of any kind on the basis of religion, region, caste, creed or sex and gender and we will include that in the rules,” Naidu said, responding to members’ clarification, adding: “There has to be single-window clearance for all approvals.”

30 i

Saturday, March 12, 2016

INDIA

India to put 12 US satellites into space in 2016-17

ndia will launch 25 foreign satellites in 2016-17 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). While 12 of these belong to the US, the remaining 13 belong to six countries - Germany, Canada, Algeria, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Sharing these facts in response to a question in Rajya Sabha, minister of state Jitendra Singh on Thursday said, “The PSLV with its string of successful flights has emerged as one of the most reliable launch vehicles in the world. Till date, 57 foreign satellites from 21 countries have been succefully launched onboard PSLV, under the commercial arrange-

ment between Antrix Corporation Limited and foreign clients.” Under the agreement signed between foreign clients and Antrix, the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India will launch three satellites each of Algeria and Canada, four of Germany, one each of Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan and 12 of the United States in 2016-17. A very proud moment for India and our scientists! May God bless all! Subramanian Venkatraman In the last three years, from January 2013 till December 2015, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched 28 foreign satellites belonging to nine countries.

Government to unlock $37 billion oil and gas reserves

he government on Thursday announced big-bang policy measures to help explorers unlock hydrocarbon treasure worth $36.6 billion (Rs 2.33 lakh crore or more than 50% of the crude import bill estimated for 2015-16), retain and expand jobs amid low oil and gas prices as well as make it easier for them to do business. The decisions by the Cabinet’s panel on economic affairs are expected to kickstart investment in the country’s E&P (exploration and production) sector by cutting red tape and removing government discretion, and creating a fair marketplace with a transparent policy regime. The underpinnings of investment and employment

come with the overlay of raising government’s earnings. The exchequer is expected to get richer by Rs 2,890 crore in additional revenue from a uniform 10-year extension of 28 oilfield contracts up for renewal. The measures come within less than a fortnight of finance minister Arun Jaitley announcing the intent of some of them in the budget. “The Prime Minister felt that instead of working through the time available to us till the next budget, we should get going on the proposals right away,” Jaitley said. Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan described the new policies as “global models”. “I believe the world will follow us and investors will be back,” he said.

CBI altered Vijay Mallya’s lookout notice from ‘detain’ to just ‘inform’

he Central Bureau of I nv e s t i g a tion (CBI) lowered the lookout notice on loans defaulter Vijay Mallya from ‘detain’ to merely ‘inform’, CBI sources who didn’t wish to be named told the Press Trust of India (PTI). The CBI, which is facing heat over allowing Mallya to go abroad, had changed the nature of the notice last November, just a month after its original issuance. From seeking his detention while leaving the country, the agency changed the notice to asking the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to inform it about his departure and travel plans, the agency sources said. Mallya is facing a CBI probe for defaulting on repayment of a loans of Rs 900 crores taken from IDBI. In total, the former liquor baron owes several banks a total of as much as Rs 9000 crores. The sources explained that a lookout circular is decided upon by the issuing authority and unless that authority specifically asks the BoI to detain a person, or to stop him from boarding a plane, no action is taken. Pressure on Kingfisher baron Vijay Mallya dials up, trademarks seized The sources reiterated that as the CBI changed the lookout notice, BoI did not make any attempt to stop him from travelling abroad and every time he travelled, the agency was duly informed about it. The CBI sources further told that PTI that Mallya travelled abroad in October and returned in November, while he made two trips in the first and last week of December.

Rajasthan textbooks not ‘saffronised’ - Irani

he government was questioned Friday in the Rajya Sabha over alleged saffronisation of textbooks in Rajasthan. Denying the allegation, HRD Minister Smriti Irani took a dig at the Opposition saying there seemed to be “political compulsions to reiterate a falsification”. When asked if the names of historic Western intellectuals like Nicolaus Copernicus and Pythagoras had been removed from school textbooks, Irani said the reports were “factually incorrect”. “There were newspaper reports in February 2016 about new Rajasthan textbooks having dropped Western writers. However, the state government has denied this and stated that on the contrary, there are certain chapters where the western intellectuals find expressions in the new textbooks,” said Irani.

FIJI

Hindu groups organize to help Cyclone victims

By Munna Prasad midst the political hoopla it appears the Hindu community is organized to help the people in Ba, Tavua and Rakiraki and Dawasamu, since it was felt by the community that they were left to fend for themselves as stated by the former Army Officer who is the Minister of Agriculture and also the Minister for Disaster Management. The Hare Krishna (ISKCON) is serving 2,000 prepared meals to students and devastated areas in Tavua and meals to students attending Raviravi School, Sarava Primary, Arya Kanya Parthsala and Namasau Primary School for next three months. They have also donated food to the people of Dawasamu. The TISI Sangam President Sri Sadasivan Naiker has said that Sangam is donating the some of F$300,000 towards the welfare of the people of Fiji. The sum of F$25,000 out of F$300,000 will be donated to the Prime Ministers Disaster Relief Fund. They are also distributing 15,000 stationary packets to children in affected areas and who are attending Sangam Schools, lunches will be given to the students for 4 weeks and food rations to families who are taking refuge in the Sangam School in Batra, they will also supply electricity generators in all Sangam Schoolssincemostofthepowerlinesneedrepairs. The Sangam spokesperson has said that the Sangam Schools have sustained three million Fijian dollars worth of damages. The Lautoka Cane Growers Association have also have thrown their lot in to help their fellow Cane Growers in Ba, Tavua and Rakiraki in association with Sugar Cane Growers Association by supplying 800 food packets in severely affected areas. Devine Life Society is also providing free medical services in the West based on the model of their operation in Nasinu. The local Fijian Chinese Community has donated the sum of F$91.188.88 to the Prime Ministers Disaster Relief Fund; let’s hope number eight will be lucky for all in Fiji. The Office of Humanitarian Coordination and Humanitarian Affairs has revealed the extant of destruction and damage to homes. Houses destroyed or severely damaged are as follows - Rakiraki -2,600, Ba - 1,900, Cakaudrove - 300, Lomaiviti Group -850, Bua - 300, Northern Lau - 190 and Tailevu at 170. Twenty-Five schools have been damaged or partially destroyed. The heaviest hit areas, Ba and Rakiraki, have heavy concentration of Indian population. The Ba and Rakiraki, which are part of the sugar cane belt of Fiji, was hit by a serious draught last year. And now it has been hit by a hurricane. It is estimated that 700,000 tons of sugar cane has been lost in this cyclone The Australian and New Zealanders have not only helped with millions of dollars but also sent a large contingent of Army Engineers who have started

rebuilding the outer lying islands. Their medical team is also working around the clock from their warships and they are using their helicopters to deliver food rations and medical supplies, water purifying tablets and hygiene products to inaccessible places. Abdul Khan, Fiji Sugar Corporation’s Executive Chair has released the third sugar cane payment of F$5 per ton to the cane growers. Fiji National Party leader Professor Biman Prasad has taken a strong stance against the payment of $5 per ton as the third payment. His Party’s stance is that he is not being forth right, Dr. Prasad has stated that the farmers are entitled for the third payment before March 31, he further stated that it has been past practice agreed by the Growers Council and FSC. Dr. Prasad also stated that the amount should be of F$13.28, which the farmers are entitled and should be paid in full without any hold back which Mr. Khan has done arbitrarily thus ignoring past arrangement between the Growers Council and FSC to work out the amount of payment. The National Federation Party believes that Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) is unable to effectively serve its members, therefore they have brought forward the time line to March 18 which was supposed to end 60 days from the day of announcement. The NFP recommends that FNPF extend time line for receiving all applications to at least mid April, 2016 and also to spread its man power and resources and receiving applications, furthermore they suggest that they should immediately set up temporary offices in major shopping areas for applicants to receive such applications and upon completion be able to lodge them at the post office or send them on line to the FNPF. According to sources and National Federation Party members have reported a spate of robberies in Rakiraki and to lesser degree in other parts of Viti Levu. In their news media release they sate that in most devastated area of Rakiraki, the robbers and thieves are taking advantage of power black out in cyclone ravaged areas of Rakiraki and also in other parts of Viti Levu by stealing poultry, livestock, cattle and entering compounds as well as homes and destroyed properties of people are being burgled by criminal elements ignoring the plea of the victims. On Tuesday night a farmer lost 5 cattle in Vunikavikaloa .These incidents are on the Increase, the losses and plight of our people who are still psychologically traumatized after the devastation caused by the tropical cyclone according to NFP. The Media Release further stated that it is sickening to see these criminal acts being committed right under the noses of our law enforcement agencies of both the police and the military who have been deployed to help in distribution of rations and other relief work.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

i 31

Fiji wins USA Sevens in grand style and are favorites in Vancouver this weekend

The Fiji 7s rugby team has successfully defended the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series USA Sevens title after defeating Australia 21-15 in the Cup final. Australia led the bit rattled Fijian side 15-0 at half-time after three unconverted tries. But after a talk by coach Ben Ryan at the break, the Fiji side came back firing and Kitione Taliga scored under the posts. It was Taliga again who brought the Fiji fans on their feet at their work places, pubs and other places as he went under the posts for his second try. With the scores at 15-14 in Australia’s favour, the Australians tried to go for the winning try but the Fijian defence kept them at bay. Savenaca Rawaca’s converted try a few minutes before full time ensured Fiji a 21-14 win, giving some happiness to people who are recovering from the devastation caused by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston two weeks ago. Fiji will now play in Vancouver Sevens at the BC Place Stadium this weekend.

The victorious Fiji 7s team after the final of the USA 7s in Las Vegas last weekend. Vancouver and Las Vegas are the only two stops on the circuit with artificial turf, but the surface at B.C. Place Stadium, which was replaced before last summer’s Women’s World Cup, is worlds apart from the older turf at Sam Boyd Stadium. Canada, which currently stands 12th in the overall standings, has been drawn into Pool B with No. 4 Australia, No. 13 Wales and No. 15 Russia.

32 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

has pleaded non-guilty. Musharraf did not appear before the court on Tuesday and his counsel Faisal Chaudhry told the court that the ex-ruler was unwell and admitted to hospital. He said that Musharraf was on bail and that he is exempted from appearing in hearing. However, the court said that Chaudhry should have informed it before the date of hearing that Musharraf would not attend. State prosecutor Akram Sheikh pleaded that hearing should be held on daily basis but it was not immediately accepted by the court.

Abducted son of slain Pak Governor freed

he abducted son of slain former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was on Tuesday freed by security forces from Balochistan’s Kuchlak area, five years after he was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from Lahore. The security forces located Shahbaz Taseer in an area near Kuchlak, a statement released by the Inter-Services

Public Relations (ISPR) said. Shahbaz Taseer was kidnapped from Lahore on August 26, 2011, near his company’s head office in Gulberg area a few months after the assassination of his father Salman Taseer - who was then Punjab governor Shabaz Taseer son of Governor at the hands of his bodyPunjab was kidnapped in 2011 guard Mumtaz Qadri. after his father killed.

mid the current thaw in bilateral ties, former Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Tuesday said India remains the “most important strategic” partner of Maldives. “India was and remains the most strategically important partner of Maldives, whether it is our ties in education and army and navy training and the recent goodwill visit of ships to our country only prove that. And, we wish to continue our ties,” he said. Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya along with its support ships INS Mysore and INS Deepak recently were on a four-day visit to Maldives. The former Maldivian president said this in response to a question after delivering an

Bangladesh may abolish Islam as country’s official religion following attacks on minorities

angladesh may abolish Islam as country’s official religion following a number of attacks in the country against people of other faiths. Christians, Hindus and Muslim minority Shiites have recently faced attacks that are believed to have been carried out by Islamic extremists. The country’s Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments in favour of removing Islam as the official religion

i 33

India remains Maldives’ most important strategic ally - President

Court summons Musharraf in treason case

Pakistani court on Tuesday asked former military dictator Pervez Musharraf to appear before it on March 31 for the hearing of treason case against him after the ex-President did not turn up citing bad health. The three-member special court ordered Musharraf to attend the hearing on March 31 in person and respond to the charges against him in the treason case launched in 2013 for imposing emergency in 2007 when he was president. High treason is punishable with death if proved. Musharraf

Saturday, March 12, 2016

of Bangladesh, the Daily Mail reported. Islam has been the country’s official religion since 1988, but the battle to overturn this - which is being supported by many minority religious leaders - will argue that the decision to designate Islam the official religion was illegal. However it is unclear how much widespread the support the move would have in the country, where 90% of the population is Muslim.

address on “Islam: A Religion of Peace” at the Observer Research Foundation here. Gayoom also condemned acts of terrorism perpetrated globally in the name of Islam and said militant outfits like Islamic State (ISIS) are “not fighting a holy war” or upholding the rights of Muslims with their mindless violence born out of religious ignorance. “The nature of acts committed by ISIS only stem out of ignorance about Islam. Anyone who understands the basic tenets of this religion knows that it forbids violence and killing of any kind unless prescribed by law for crimes like murder ... “ISIS by its terror activities is neither fighting a holy war or upholding the rights of the Muslim community.

Bangladesh’s top court upholds Islamist leader’s death sentence for 1971 war crimes

angladesh’s highest court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of a top Islamist leader and business tycoon for war crimes, clearing the way for his execution within months. Chief Justice SK Sinha announced in the Supreme Court he had dismissed the appeal of Mir Quasem Ali, who was convicted of murder and abduction during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. Ali, a shipping and real estate tycoon, headed a media corporation aligned with Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami before his arrest in 2012. He was convicted of running a militia torture cell that carried out killings including that of a young independence fighter. “The court upheld his death sentence for

the abduction and murder of a young freedom fighter whose body was dumped in a river,” attorney general Mahbubey Alam said. The 63-year-old faces the gallows within months unless his case is reviewed by the same court or he is granted clemency by the Bangladeshi president. Three senior Jamaat officials and a leader of the main opposition party have been executed since December 2013 for war crimes, despite global criticism of their trials by a controversial war crimes tribunal. The executions and previous convictions against other Jamaat officials plunged the country into one of its worst crises in 2013. Tens of thousands of Islamist activists clashed with police in nationwide protests that left some 500 people dead.

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34 i Saturday, March 12, 2016

Foreign investment in Indian real estate spikes by 33%

otal private equity (PE) investments from foreign funds in Indian real estate increased 33%, from $1,676 million (approx. Rs 11,306 crore ) in 2014 to $ 2,220 million (Rs 14,974 crore) in 2015. In a recent report entitled “Opportunities for foreign investors in Indian Real Estate”, global real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield said Mumbai accounted for about 35% of the total foreign investments last year. This was due to high property prices and high investment potential. Mumbai was followed by Delhi NCR, which accounted for about 25% of the investments. “Structured debt deals__ investments that are primarily debt transactions organized in a manner that offers assured returns to the investor __ accounted for almost half (49% in value terms) of the total PE investments in 2015,” said the report. Real estate prices must be competitive and then only their projects will reach the buyers. Buyers can avoid buying property if the prices are unreasonable and hence there will be stiff competition to... Read MoreM.s. Venkatraghavan

While only 18% of total foreign PE investments were structured debt, about 94% of the domestic PE investments adopted the structured deal strategy for investments during 2015. “The three large cities; Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR continue to attract the highest investments in India and account for about 75% of these investments. However, with government initiatives to de-stress these cities, relaxed FDI norms and focus to improve infrastructure across the country, other cities in India are likely to witness rise in PE investments going forward. These initiatives have made India as one of the largest markets for real estate

NRIs contribute significantly to UK’s GDP, Indian envoy says

eople of Indian origin in universities than institutions Britain are “important” in other countries, but Indians because though only bewere willing to pay extra for the ing 1.8 per cent of its population, quality of education offered by they contribute 6 per cent to GDP, Oxbridge. What was preventIndia’s new high commissioner ing more students from India Navtej Sarna said on Tuesday. to come to such centres of exNavtej Sarna Addressing members of the cellence, said Sarna, was “visa House of Commons and House of difficulties are making the othLords at a welcome extended to him, he also er destinations more attractive”. Among these went on to highlight it was more expensive other destinations, he specifically mentioned to study at Britain’s Oxford and Cambridge Australia and New Zealand.

Indian-American investor occupies key IMF position

ndependent investor Sunil Sabharwal has become the first Indian-American to occupy a key administration post at the IMF, three weeks after he was confirmed by the Senate. Sabharwal, who was confirmed by the US Senate after a long waiting, assumed the position as Alternate Executive Director of the In-

ternational Monetary Fund on Wednesday. Given that the US commends more than 16.81 per cent of the total IMF voting share; this is one of the most powerful position in the International Monetary Fund. US President Barack Obama nominated him for the post in April 2014 and then re-nominated Sabharwal

in March 2015. Born to an Indian father and a Hungarian mother in New Delhi, his parents separated when he was 9 years old and he later moved to Budapest. Sabharwal served as board chairman of Ogone, a European e-commerce payment services firm, from 2011-13 and advised Warburg Pincus on its acquisition of easycash, a German network services company, subsequently becoming a board adviser there from 2006-2009. From 2003-2006, he was senior vice president, strategic investments, at First Data Corp/Western Union and from 1997-2003, held executive posts at GE Capital, including managing director. From 1992-96 Sabharwal worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, lastly as principal banker. He has a BS from Ohio State University and an MS from the London Business School.

Indian-American dean of UC Berkeley law on ‘indefinite leave’ over sexual harassment suit

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he Indian-American dean of the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, law school - the first ever PIO to head a law school in America - has been felled by a sexual harassment lawsuit.. Sujit Chowdhry (pictured) , a highly-regarded constitutional scholar, will be stepping down and taking an “indefinite leave of absence” after the university reportedly found some merit in the charges against him by his executive assistant, who said he made inappropriate advances at her over a period of months.. “A thorough investigation of this case found that Dean Choudhry’s behaviour in this situation violated policy and that he demonstrated a failure to understand the power dynamic and the effect of his actions on the plaintiff personally and in her employment,” University executive vice chancellor and provost Claude Steele said in a statement on Wednesday night, disclosing that Choudhry will be “stepping down to his faculty position and salary.”.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

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Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre, 8330 82nd Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB 780-465-4995 Bower Place Shopping Centre, 4900 Molly Banister Dr., Red Deer, AB 403-352-7776 Deerfoot Mall, 901 64th Ave., Calgary, AB 403-730-2122 Edmonton City Centre, 10205, 101 St, Edmonton, AB 780-429-1160 Pacific Place Mall, 999 36th St. NE, Calgary, AB 403-474-5994 Parkland Mall, 4747 67 St., Red Deer, AB 403-352-2320

Limited time offer. Subject to change without notice. *Phone price shown with activation of a Fido Pulse Smart plan on a 2-year Tab24 agreement. Early cancellation fees apply. Taxes extra. TMFido and related names & logos are trademarks used under licence. ÂŠ 2016 Fido Solutions

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