The Asian Star April 29 2023

Travel braces for the ‘busy’ summer ahead

Amit Kumar Sharma recently took charge to head the Americas region for VFS Global, the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions. VFS Global is the trusted partner of 67 client governments, operating a global network with more than 3,400 application centres in 145 countries. The company has processed over 253 million applications since its inception in 2001.

Continued on page 22

Burnaby council votes unanimously to include caste as a protected category

Mayor and council in Burnaby, B.C. have voted to add caste as a protected category in the city’s code of conduct. The motion, tabled by Councillor Sav Dhaliwal on Monday, was passed unanimously to include caste as a protected category in city policies. This follows two recent steps taken by Canadian jurisdictions to ban

Continued on page 2

India overtakes China to become world’s most populous country

The latest estimates and projections of global population from the United Nations, indicate that China will soon cede its longheld status as the world’s most populous

country. In April 2023, India’s population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people, matching and then surpassing the population of mainland China (figure 1).

Continued on page 6

Surrey parents, teachers concerned about ‘double-decker’ portables

Parents and teachers are voicing their frustrations about the prospect of “double decker” portables in Surrey, as B.C.’s biggest school district grapples with surging enrolment. Surrey is currently home to more than 360 portables, and the district says that number could climb over 400 next year. District officials say a lack of

Peel Regional Police issued a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of a man wanted in the targeted murder of a woman at a gas station in Mississauga. Police say 21-yearold Pawanpreet Kaur of Brampton was shot to death at a PetroCanada at Creditview and Britannia roads at around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022.

Continued on page 7

An Uber driver who was attacked while on the job met with B.C.’s provincial labour minister Wednesday to demand more protection for workers in the gig economy.

Aman Sood was attacked last Tuesday night in Abbotsford, B.C., and the incident was captured on dashcam. a video shows attack on Uber driver in Abbotsford’ Sood said the passenger became verbally abusive over his route choice and when Sood pulled

Continued on page 6

space to put the temporary classrooms means they may be forced to stack them on top of each other at some schools.

“Right now I feel like we’re living in a very reactive situation, where we’re adding portables, we’re adding additions to other schools after the fact, after we’ve realized the density is just too great for the capacity of the school,” said Fallon

Continued on page 6

India remove Mughal history from school curriculum

India’s school children risk learning very little about the period of history in which the Muslim Mughal dynasty ruled the country. A new set of textbooks, part of the “rationalized syllabus” by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)—an autonomous organization under the federal education ministry—omits chapters on Mughal rulers from Indian school textbooks. Effectively, students can study some of the history of Mughals in Class 7 (around age 12), a little in Class 8, none in Classes 9 to 11, and a shortened version in Class

Continued on page 18

South Asian Uber driver wants protection after being assaulted by the passenger

Amit Kumar Sharma

South Asian man wanted in shooting death of young woman

Canada sending up to 200 troops to help evacuat civilians

Canada will deploy roughly 200 troops to help coordinate the evacuation of civilians from war-torn Sudan, Defence Minister Anita Anand confirmed Wednesday.

Ahead of question period in the House of Commons, Anand told a hastily assembled group of reporters that two C-130J Hercules transports are in east Africa preparing for flights into Khartoum “as soon as conditions on the ground permit.”

Global Affairs Canada says that up to 1,800 Canadians are trapped between the warring parties in Sudan and roughly 700 of them have indicated they want out.

Defence sources tell CBC News that a company of infantry soldiers from Camp Petawawa, Ont. is expected to be deployed to provide force protection and help coordinate the evacuation. An element of the 1st Canadian Division headquarters has also been sent to

provide additional oversight and coordination.

Those troops will operate out of Jordan, said a senior federal official who spoke on background at a technical briefing in Ottawa.

Welland, Ont., man recounts ‘dangerous’ journey to Egypt as he flees fighting in Sudan

Anand also did not confirm the locations of the aircraft or where the troops are headed.

Military flight tracker Steffan Watkins has data that shows the transport planes were last reported in the east African country of Djibouti.

Federal officials, speaking on background Wednesday, confirmed the presence of the aircraft in Dijibouti and said they’re accompanied by a small contingent of Canada’s special operations force.

Federal officials also said the Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal and the supply vessel MV Asterix are in the region and have moved into position with allied warships

Toronto police recover more than 500 stolen vehicles as part of ongoing investigation

Toronto police have recovered more than 500 stolen vehicle and have charged dozens of people following a months-long investigation into auto theft in the city’s west.

The investigation, dubbed ‘Project Stallion’ began in November and was largely focused on the Etobicoke neighbourhoods located in 22 and 23 Division.

Police say that as a result of the investigation 556 stolen vehicles worth more than $27 million have been recovered to date.

Supt. Ron Taverner is shown alongside some of the stolen vehicles

recovered as part of ‘Project Stallion.’

A total of 119 people have also been taken into custody as a result and are facing a combined 314 charges.

Those suspects mostly reside in the GTA, though more than a dozen of them are from Quebec.

A number of the suspects are also young offenders.

“Toronto police do not take these crimes lightly and Project Stallion is proof of that. For the residents of 22 and 23 divisions I want top assure you that this project is ongoing and that this issue will continue to be addressed in the community,” Supt. Rob

From page 1

Burnaby council votes unanimously to include caste as a protected category

jurisdictions to ban castebased discrimination specifically.

Last month, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal penalized two people for using casteist slurs against a person belonging to a low caste $9,000. In March, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) also voted in favour of adding caste as a discriminatory category in its policies. TDSB has yet to write to the Ontario Human Rights Commission to create a framework for implementation.

“I thought things are better in Canada. It was naïve of me to believe so. I was made aware of people continuing to practice caste and was very disheartened to know,” councillor Sav Dhaliwal told New Canadian Media over the phone on Tuesday. “At Burnaby city council, we have included other categories of discrimination based on colour, last name, gender, faith and religion. Now caste will also be included.”

“As a minority, I understand what it means to be discriminated, as I have experienced it myself. To learn that we are discriminatory is not ok, so we had to take some measures to include caste as a protected category,” he added. Dhaliwal said he has been tracking recent developments like Seattle banning caste-based discrimination and the B.C. tribunal case.

“These recent developments, of course, spurred action on our part. We hope more city councils in Canada will adopt similar action to ban caste,” Dhaliwal said.

The caste system is a rigid South Asian social structuring system that has existed for thousands of years, and separates people into different social groups based on a hierarchy at birth. A person’s caste can be identified by their last name, family background, food habits, occupation, or racial profile.

Sajjan says he did not authorize distribution of Canadian travel documents by fake Senator’s office

Minister Harjit Sajjan says he wasn’t checking his e-mail during the 2021 fall of Afghanistan and it’s possible his inbox includes correspondence that a senator’s office was distributing Canadian government travel documents but he didn’t authorize the practice.

Mr. Sajjan told the House of Commons immigration committee Wednesday evening that he also wasn’t aware that his then chief of staff, George Young, had sent templates of the federal documents to Senator Marilou

McPhedran’s office, or that the senator then helped distribute them to hundreds of Afghans trying to escape the brutal Taliban regime.

“I wasn’t reading my e-mail,” the former defence minister and now International Development Minister told MPs. “I was not aware of Senator McPhedran disseminating facilitation letters.”

The government says the letters issued through her office are inauthentic.

Richmond landlord turns to court after being ordered to pay tenants $50,000 for eviction ‘mistake’

A Richmond landlord was ordered in February by the residential tenancy branch to pay his tenants a year’s worth of rent, or $49,200, after he ended their tenancy so his father could move into the house on Westminster Highway. Zhi Yong Xu said he’s fighting the arbitrator’s decision following a hearing that was over in a half-hour and didn’t give him a chance to speak. Xu hired a lawyer and has launched a judicial review in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver of the decision, asking the court to quash the decision because it “ignored relevant evidence and considerations” and is “patently unreasonable.” “The arbitrator failed to grapple with the real issue and instead rested his decision on a false simplification of the issue — the marking of the wrong box on the (eviction) notice — and awarded the tenants a windfall of nearly $50,000,” it said. In B.C.,

a landlord can legally evict tenants if they or a close family member — parents, children or a spouse — are moving in. The official eviction notice requires the landlord to fill out a circle next to one of three choices. “Instead of marking the circle ‘the father or mother of the landlord or the landlord’s spouse,’ the landlord’s agent mistakenly marked the circle ‘the landlord or the landlord’s spouse,’” the petition said. “At all material times, the landlord’s intention in ending the tenancy was to move his elderly father, Zheng Gang Xu, into the property,” it said. Xu had rented the unit to Janice Walmsley and Michael Penman on Nov. 1, 2019, on a two-year lease and month to month after that, for $4,100 a month. In July 2021, Xu served the tenants with a “two-month notice to end tenancy for landlord’s use of property” under the Residential Tenancy Act, effective Oct. 31, 2021.

Opposition MPs criticize former industry minister Navdeep Bains joining Rogers

NDP and Conservative MPs took the Liberal government to task in question period Monday over high wireless prices and the hiring of former industry minister Navdeep Bains by Rogers.

“The former industry minister told Canadians he was going to negotiate with Rogers. Canadians didn’t know he was just negotiating for a corner office in Rogers,” Conservative MP Ryan Williams said.

“Former Liberal cabinet ministers landing cushy jobs in big corporations is nothing new, but this is unreal. You just can’t make this stuff up,” said NDP industry critic Brian Masse. Bains was minister of innovation, science and industry in the current Liberal

government—where he was responsible for the telecom sector—until January 2021. Last week, Rogers, one of Canada’s big three wireless carriers, announced Bains would join the company as chief corporate affairs officer.

Navdeep Bains, former federal innovation, science and industry minister, speaks during a conference in Toronto, March 6, 2023.

‘Incredibly concerning’: Rogers’ hiring of former Liberal industry minister slammed by opposition

People use electronics outside a coffee shop in Toronto. The CRTC has in recent years been under criticism from consumer advocates for its handling of the wholesale internet regime.

COVID-19 outbreaks declared over at R

oyal Columbian, Burnaby hospitals

COVID-19 outbreaks at Burnaby and Royal Columbian hospitals are now over.

An outbreak at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster that started on April 9 ended on April 22.

At Burnaby Hospital, an outbreak that started on April 18 ended on April 25, Fraser Health has confirmed.

In both cases, Fraser Health declared the outbreaks after “evidence of transmission in a medicine unit,” according to a previous email from Fraser Health in response to questions from the New West Record/Burnaby NOW newsroom.

APPLIANCES

At Burnaby Hospital, four staff and 10 patients in the affected unit tested positive. At Royal Columbian, six patients in the unit tested positive. Those numbers remained unchanged as of the end of the outbreaks, Fraser Health confirmed on Wednesday (April 26).

The outbreaks came in the aftermath of a decision by the Ministry of Health to lift mask mandates in health-care facilities. On April 6, provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced an end to universal masking requirements in health-care settings.

604

OPINION

How BRICS nations are leading push to free Global South from West’s financial system India, China and South Africa, with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey among those believed to be interested in joining.

During his visit to China this month, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made no secret of his desire to see the BRICS group of nations provide an alternative development funding mechanism to rival the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The grouping includes Brazil, Russia,

Lula’s visit to China included a stop in Shanghai, where he attended a ceremony to mark the appointment of former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff – a

close ally of Lula and an economist –as the head of the New Development Bank (NDB). Speaking at the event, he said the NDB “frees emerging countries from submission to traditional financial institutions, which want to govern us”.

The warm welcome Lula received in Beijing, where he met President Xi Jinping, was a sign of the increasingly close relationship between the leading economic powerhouses of South America and Asia.

This could speed up moves within the BRICS countries to create a new global economic architecture that creates greater distance for the Global South from the influence of the IMF and the World Bank – the Bretton Woods institutions – and the US dollarbased international trading system.

Brazil and China reached more than 20 bilateral agreements during the course of Lula’s four-day visit. China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, with the level of trade between the two having increased tenfold since Lula’s first visit to China as president in 2004.

Two-way trade between the countries reached a record US$150 billion in 2022, and both sides are setting up a clearing house that will make trade settlements in their respective currencies rather than the US dollar.

Writing in the Indian Defence Review on April 11, Indian researcher Abhyuday Saraswat noted that the attempt by BRICS member countries to trade in currencies other than the US dollar has the potential to revolutionise the global economy. He argued that this movement was accelerated when the US and its allies removed Russia’s access to the Swift financial messaging system following its invasion of Ukraine, saying it “has alarmed many governments, not only Russia”.

on page 18

www.theasianstar.com

# 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2

Ph: 604-591-5423

Fax: 604-591-8615

E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com

Editor: Umendra Singh

Associate Editor: Chhavi Disawar

Marketing and Sales: Ravi Cheema......................604-715-3847

Shamir Doshi....................604-649-7827

Harminder Kaur...............778-708-0481

Parminder Dhillon..........604-902-2858

Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed

Design: Avee J Waseer

Contributing writers: Jag Dhatt, Akash Sablok, Kamila Singh, Jay Bains, Hardam S. Mann

Publication Mail Agreement No 428336012

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept. New address:

# 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2

All advertising in The Asian Star is subject to the publishers’ approval and the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publishers against claims arising from publication of any advertisement submitted by the advertiser.

Police release photo of suspect in arson at Surrey refugee charity

Surrey RCMP has released a photo of a man suspected in an arson that destroyed multiple cars and other property belonging to a refugee-focused charity.

The fire broke out in the 13400-block of Hilton Road, behind the New Hope Community Services Society, around 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning. While no one was hurt, the society’s carport, which serves as a community space, was destroyed. Security video from the scene shows a person with a three-wheel jogging stroller walking up

to an abandoned mattress and appearing to set it on fire before casually walking away as the flames spread. In a media release Wednesday, Mounties said they had yet to determine a motive in the arson and were still working to identify the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.

1 dead in crash that closed Highway 1 in Hope overnight

One person is dead after a collision involving three commercial vehicles on Highway 1 in Hope, B.C., Tuesday afternoon.

The crash occurred in the highway’s eastbound lanes around 4 p.m. near Hunter Creek, according to a news release from BC Highway Patrol. The driver of one of the vehicles was pronounced dead at the scene, police said,

adding that they would not be sharing any further details about the deceased, pending notification of the driver’s next of kin.

“While still in the early stages, initial investigation points to the commercial vehicle driven by the deceased rear-ending one of the other commercial vehicles that had been stopped in construction traffic at a high rate of speed,” BCHP said in its release.

Woman found guilty of assault after coughing on grocery store worker during pandemic

A woman assaulted a grocery store worker by deliberately coughing at her during a confrontation at a Vancouver Island Save-On-Foods in the early months of pandemic, a judge has ruled.

Kimberly Woolman was charged with causing a disturbance and assaulting two employees at a Save-OnFoods store in Campbell River on April 24, 2020, just a month after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic.

According to the reasons for judgment laid out by Judge Barbara

Flewelling, Woolman had asked store supervisor Jacqueline Poulton why an area near the cash registers was cordoned off. Poulton explained the cordon was to keep people six feet, or two metres, apart following public health orders. When Woolman said she doesn’t plan to obey social distancing rules, Poulton asked her to leave the store. Woolman refused and walked further into the store, yelling that “COVID was not f — ing real” and that they were stupid.

Amid heated debates about public safety in British Columbia, the latest statistics out of Surrey show that crime is actually down in the province’s secondbiggest city for the first part of the year.

The Surrey RCMP released its 2023 First Quarter Crime Statistics Report Wednesday, showing both violent crime and property crime were down over the same period in 2022.

The numbers come in the wake of several high-profile crimes in the city, including a fatal stabbing and an alleged terrorist knife attack both on transit buses.

However, according to the report, violent crime was down by 14 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2023, with decreases in districts across the city.

The report detailed decreases in

attempted murders (50 per cent), robbery (11 per cent), sex offences (10 per cent) and assaults (16 per cent).

There were five homicides in the first quarter, up 67 per cent from the three homicides in the first quarter of 2022. Cases of forcible confinement/ kidnapping/abduction were also up by 23 per cent, climbing from 13 cases in Q1 2022 to 16 cases in 2023.

Property crime was down 13 per cent citywide between Q1 2022 and Q1 2023, also with decreases in every policing district.

Break-ins were down by 24 per cent, stolen vehicles were down 26 per cent, vehicle break-ins were down 19 per cent, arsons were down 38 per cent and fraud was down 17 per cent.

RCMP stats show crime is down in Surrey

From page 1

Surrey parents, teachers concerned about

school,” said Fallon Vickers, an executive with the Surrey District Parent Advisory Committee and a parent of children at Surrey’s Edgewood Elementary.

Edgewood, which is only two years old, is already home to seven portables with another seven expected this summer.

Vickers said everyone from residents to city officials to the Ministry of Education is aware that the region continues to grow at a breakneck speed — but that planning for new schools always seems to be one step behind.

“The fact that the ministry has access to that information on hand and it’s not being addressed is a little bit mind-blowing,” she said.

“The fact this wasn’t considered from the beginning is extremely frustrating for everyone.”

Surrey Teachers’ Association president Jatinder Bir said she’s particularly concerned about the unintended consequence of double-decker portables.

“I’ve actually never seen two stacked portables. I wonder about the safety, earthquakes, access. We talk about universal design for learning — how are they accessible to all folks?” she said.

She said the district already faces accessibility issues with the existing portables, with teachers and students needing to

travel back to the main school to get water or use bathrooms. During extreme snow events, those problems compound, she said.

Currently, the money to buy and install portables comes out of the Surrey School District’s operating budget, which Bir said also comes at a cost for students and teachers.“The district is actually very, very tight on money,” she said.

“For every portable it’s my understanding that’s two classroom teachers out.”

From page 1

passenger attacked him.

Surrey School District board chair Laurie Larsen told Global News the district has already spent $4.8 million on buying and redeploying portables this year alone, and has spent more than $17.5 million over the last five years.

She said as many as 10,000 of the district’s 78,000 students will be in portables next September, a problem that will only grow with the district enrolling up to 2,200 new students per year.

South Asian Uber driver wants protection after being assaulted by passenger

India’s population is virtually certain to continue to grow for several decades. By contrast, China’s population reached its peak size recently and experienced a

India overtakes China to become world’s most populous country decline during 2022. Projections indicate that the size of the Chinese population will continue to fall and could drop below 1 billion before the end of the century.

The video shows the passenger leaning forward, yelling and then beginning to punch Sood in the head.

Sood gets out of the car, following the passenger, and more yelling can be heard coming from outside.

Sood said he has not been able to work since.

“Almost all the time I have a headache,” he told reporters Wednesday. He said he also has pains in his arm and his shoulder.

Sood and Sussanne Skidmore, the head of the B.C. Federation of Labour, is calling for the province to change

legislation to allow gig workers to access benefits if they are hurt while on the job.

“When I talked to Aman the other day, one of the things he said to me was, ‘I can’t stop that this thing happened to me but I can ensure that it doesn’t happen to other workers,’” Skidmore said.

In a statement, Uber Canada said,

From page 1

South Asian man wanted in shooting death of young Toronto woman

Investigators confirmed Kaur was working at the gas station at the time, and police say she was targeted.

On Monday, Peel’s Homicide Bureau identified the man responsible for the fatal shooting as 30-yearold Dharam Singh Dhaliwal, who is wanted for first-degree murder.

Police said Dhaliwal intentionally went missing in September 2022, but an investigation determined that this was part of a plan in the murder of Kaur.

Dharam is described as five feet eight inches tall and around 170 pounds. He has a tattoo on his left hand.

PolicesaidDhaliwal,whohastiestoOntario, New Brunswick, Winnipeg and Vancouver, should be considered armed and dangerous.

Uber driver wants protection

From page 6

“The behaviour in the video is disturbing and unacceptable. We’ve banned the rider’s account, been in touch with the driver, and stand ready to work with police on any investigation.”

Uber also confirmed it has been in contact with the Abbotsford police.

Police confirmed Wednesday that the incident is currently under investigation and is “very active” at this time.

They did confirm that no arrests have been made at this time and added incidents such as this one are very rare in the city.

Skidmore said they would like to see gig workers covered by the Workers Compensation Board in B.C. and the WorkSafe programs.

Uber Canada said since January 2022, it has been working with UFCW Canada, the country’s largest private sector union, to jointly advocate for a set of industry-wide standards that would preserve the flexibility drivers and delivery people value while introducing benefits and protections they need.

Family members charged with assisting wanted man

Peel police also announced that two family members were charged in the woman’s death.

Authorities said Pritpal Dhaliwal, a 25-year-old man, and 50-year-old Amarjit Dhaliwal, were arrested in Moncton, NB.

The two relatives were charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Investigators added that anyone found assisting or harbouring Dharam Dhaliwal will face charges.

“Your actions have already caused members of your own family to face criminal charges,” said Peel Regional Police Det.- Sgt. Davis Baxter, who urged Dharam Dhaliwal to turn himself in.

TELUS Health reach agreement to comply with Medicare Protection Act

TELUS has reached a settlement with the Medical Services Commission of B.C. over concerns of non-compliance with the Medicare Protection Act.

The telecom giant has agreed to make operational changes to its LifePlus program to ensure conformity.

In December, British Columbia’s Medical Services Commission filed an injunction in B.C. Supreme Court against TELUS Health alleging the company was breaking the Medicare Protection Act.

The legal action was brought forward over concerns patients had to pay to access LifePlus services currently advertised as providing access to support from a multidisciplinary care team and programs of prevention and early detection.

Story continues below advertisement

It is illegal under the Medical Protection Act to charge for primary care services.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold the Medicare Protection Act, which is in place to preserve our publicly administered health-care system in British Columbia,”

Health Minister Adrian Dix said Wednesday.

“To ensure compliance going forward, TELUS will no longer offer physician services to new clients through its LifePlus program.”

The TELUS Plus program will no longer be allowed to register new patients. Current patients, who paid for health-care services, can still have access to a family doctor.

The Medical Services Commission is an independent, government-appointed body. The commission oversees the administration of B.C.’s Medicare Protection Act.

Suspected impaired driver crashes into North Vancouver building

North Vancouver RCMP is recommending charges against a suspected impaired driver who crashed into a building and flipped the vehicle on Tuesday.

In a media release, Mounties said the crash happened in the 900 block of West 1st Street around 4:30 p.m.

According to police, the driver struck a building, then reversed, hit a parked vehicle, and flipped her own vehicle on its side.

“In the case of this incident, we are just so glad that none of the patrons inside the business were injured,” North Vancouver

RCMP Const. Manoosr Sahak said in the release.

“Sadly, each year in B.C., 64 people die in crashes involving impaired driving, according to ICBC road safety statistics.”

The driver of the vehicle was unharmed, but refused to provide a breathalyzer sample, police said.

The woman, who is in her 40s, is facing a potential charge for refusing to provide a breath sample along with a 90-day driving suspension

Quebec man gets 6-year sentence in Trail ambulance station shooting

A Quebec man has been sentenced to six years in prison and a lifetime gun ban after opening fire at Mounties and paramedics outside an ambulance station in Trail, B.C.

The BC Prosecution Service confirmed that Francis Paradis was sentenced on Tuesday.

A B.C. judge handed Paradis six years for discharging a firearm with intent, six years for discharging a restricted or prohibited firearm with intent, two years for possessing a firearm while prohibited and five years for unlawful possession of

a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm.

The sentences are to be served concurrently, meaning a total of six years behind bars.

The incident unfolded just before midnight on Oct. 25, 2022, when Paradis allegedly turned up at the Trail ambulance station draped in a blanket and behaving erratically.

At the time, RCMP said officers arrived and tried to de-escalate the situation, at which point the man fired several rounds from a handgun towards two Mounties and three nearby paramedics.

Kidnapping charges laid against 5 accused of snatching a man from Port Moody gym

Kidnapping charges have been approved against five people accused of snatching a man off the street in Port Moody last week and holding him against his will for days.

Police with multiple agencies, including the Vancouver Police Department, RCMP and Port Moody Police Department (PMPD) staged a dramatic operation in Mission and Maple Ridge on Friday, and successfully rescued the victim — a man in his 40s. On Saturday, Port Moody police said they had served multiple warrants across the Lower Mainland and had arrested five suspects in total. On Monday, the PMPD confirmed charges of kidnapping, forcible confinement and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence against Nathaniel Lecky, Michael Albrecht, Cameron Duffin,

Oliver Hanson and Delaney Donaghy.

The motive in the kidnapping and any potential connections between he suspects and the victim remain unclear.

Witnesses told Global News the victim was grabbed as he was coming out of Innovative Fitness on Murray Street in the busy “Brewers Row” neighbourhood of Port Moody on Wednesday morning. They described the victim’s feet hanging out of the open door of a van as he was punched by two people wearing masks. One witness said they tried to pull the victim from the van, to no avail. Another witness described trying to block the suspects’ vehicle with their own, resulting in the kidnappers driving over a grassy boulevard to escape.

Anti crime rallies scheduled across BC

The message is “enough is enough.”

Rallies are scheduled in cities across B.C. Thursday, pushing the province to do more to deal with social disorder and public safety.

Organizers are hoping crowds will gather over the noon hour at the Legislature in Victoria, as well as in Nanaimo, Penticton, and Prince George.

Additional rallies are set for Thursday evening at Holland Park in Surrey and in Dawson Creek.

“We are hoping for good outcome and we want to be heard collectively as a province versus us single handedly,” Dupinder Kaur Saran, who is one of the organizers for the Surrey rally, said Thursday morning.

She says while each city has its own concerns, the bottom line is many people, all over, just don’t feel safe in their communities. She says it’s time to put more pressure on governments to do something.

“When we talk about public safety, we see different concerns coming up in different areas. But, bottom line, it always goes back to we don’t feel safe in our communities. Whether it’s mental health needs, the policing side, the housing side, there’s many, many different layers here. I think, collectively as communities, we felt like we needed to address it all at once,” Saran added.

In a release from the Nanaimo Area

Bank of Canada rate-cut bets recede as core inflation proves sticky

Canadian inflation excluding food and energy costs is expected to remain above 3% until the fourth quarter of this year, the median forecast of seven economists recently surveyed by Reuters showed, which could dash hopes of an early Bank of Canada shift to cutting interest rates.

While Canadian inflation has cooled in recent months, much of the relief has come from lower energy prices, a volatile component that the BoC tends to exclude when making policy decisions.

The readings for core, or underlying, inflation, such as the widely-tracked Consumer Price Index excluding food and energy, are showing greater persistence than the headline rate after price pressures spread from goods into slowermoving items, such as wages and services.

“We suspect they (BoC) will only start trimming rates when they are convinced underlying inflation trends are set to move below 3%,” said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.

A lengthy period of high rates could force an increasing share of highlyindebted Canadians to reset their mortgages at levels that squeeze their finances. Canadians added record amounts of mortgage debt during the

COVID pandemic, while the mortgage cycle is relatively short - typically five years versus 30 years in the United States.

The BoC has made greater progress in slowing inflation than some major peers, including the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank.

It expects headline inflation to hit 3%, the top of its 1%-3% target range, by the middle of this year, down from 4.3% in March. The BoC’s ultimate destination for inflation is set at 2%.

Still, the rise in inflation expectations could be another reason for the Canadian central bank to be cautious about easing rates.

“Even if inflation expectations come back to 2%, they might not be anywhere near as anchored as they used to be,” said Stephen Brown, senior Canada economist at Capital Economics.

The BoC has played down the market’s pricing of interest rate cuts in 2023 and said it is prepared to tighten further if needed to restore price stability.

Investors appear to have taken note, betting on a continued period of steady rates followed by a possible easing in the fourth quarter of this year, rather than the shift to rate cuts in June that had been expected a few weeks ago. .

Hundreds of public servants took to Toronto Pearson Airport Thursday for a “priority picket line” they hope will speed up talks with the federal government and settle a large-scale labour disruption that started last week.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents more than 150,000 civil servants currently on strike, in a news release Thursday called the demonstration an “escalation” of their job action so far.

“We’re here because our lives have been disrupted by the federal government and it’s time for them to feel some disruptions themselves,” Craig Reynolds, the regional executive vice president for the Ontario branch of the union, told CBC.

The union says about 500 workers

The B.C. Financial Services Authority has issued its largest penalty to date against a Kamloops, B.C., woman who it says failed to comply with an order to stop unlicensed rental property management services.

The authority says Kathy Alaina Bakker provided unauthorized rental property management for 10 properties in the city between December 2019 and August 2022.

It says Bakker has been ordered to pay a $125,000 penalty and nearly $55,000 in investigation and hearing fees.

The agency says aggravating factors in its decision included that she continued to manage the properties after being notified of the investigation and “intentionally ignored’’ the order to stop.

‘Landlords and tenants at risk’: Investigator

were shuttled into the area with buses for the protest. But Reynolds says members would rather be at work.

“It’s a shame. We deserve better and we’ll be here, we’ll continue to escalate until we get a fair contract.”

Pearson Airport said the demonstration may cause delays in accessing the airport. This morning, it said it experienced “minor disruptions” in its departure curbside areas and advised all travellers to plan around the protest.

“We’re working together with Peel Regional Police to ensure traffic can continue moving, but advise travellers to give themselves extra time if flying from Pearson today,” a statement from the airport reads.

Bakker, who has 30 days to appeal the decision, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The authority called it a “landmark penalty’’ that comes after legislation was updated to increase maximum penalties for misconduct to $250,000.

Raheel Humayun, director of investigations for the authority, says in a statement that the fine sends “a clear message that failing to comply with an order and not co-operating with an investigation will not be tolerated.’’

“Unlicensed persons and their unlawful participation in providing real estate services put landlords and tenants at risk, particularly when it comes to protecting deposits or rent,’’ he said.

BC Financial Services Authority issues ‘landmark penalty’ against Kamloops woman

India Cultural Centre of Canada

Gurdwara Nanak

Niwas is a favourite place to visit for people all over. Our Highway to Heaven (aka #5 Road) in Richmond has now become world famous. This has made our place of worship even more attractive. Last Friday, April 21, Leader of the main Opposition Party and head of the Conservative Party of Canada, along with a number of other VIPs, arrived at Gurdwara Nanak Niwas Sahib to pay his obeisance. Mr. Poilievre was accompanied by Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and Edmonton MP Tim Oppal, Calgary MP and Finance Critic for the Conservative Party Jasraj Hallan, South Surrey-White Rock MP Keri Lynne Finlay, Tako Van Popta, MP for Aldergrove- Langley and a number of other prominent guests. Members of the Gurdwara management committee welcomed Mr. Poilievre and his party to the Gurdwara.

Immediately, after the welcome ceremony, Mr. Poilievre and guests went upstairs to the Darbar (Prayer) Hall to pay their respects. Thereafter, they were

Surrey Vaisakhi celebration welcomes thousands

escorted to the Langar Hall downstairs.

On behalf of the Gurdwara management committee

I (Balwant Singh

Sanghera) was honoured to welcome Mr. Poilievre and guests. I gave a brief talk about the history and accomplishments of the Gurdwara Nanak Niwas. It was also an honour for me to recognize our patron Asa Singh Johal and the Johal family’s outstanding contribution to this Gurdwara. We are all very thankful to late Mr. Asa Singh Johal and the Johal family for their ever-present support and dedication. After that, Mr. Poilievre was kind enough to share his thoughts with the attendees. The guests then enjoyed tea and delicious refreshments.

As a token of our appreciation for his visit, on behalf of the Gurdwara Management Committee, President Ubed Singh Sidhu, presented Mr. Poilievre with a set of books. One book was prepared by the Gurdwara Nanak Niwas in 2019 at the time of Guru Nanak Dev ji’s 550 th Parkash Purb (Birth

Majority of Canadians not in favour of Monarchy

King Charles is set to be crowned at his coronation on May 6, however, the interest amongCanadiansintheeventappearstobelow.

A recent poll from Angus Reid has found that half (52 per cent) of Canadians polled do not want their country to continue as a constitutional monarchy for generations to come.

In addition, 88 per cent said they would like to open the constitutional can of worms to sever the country’s royal roots.

When it comes to the way Canadians view Charles, only 28 per cent said they had a favourable view of him, while 48 per cent said they do not.

More than half of those polled, 60 per cent, oppose Charles as King and all that entails, including singing God Save the King at official ceremonies

and putting his face on the currency.

Overall, the poll found 52 per cent of Canadians believe Charles will be a worse monarch than his mother.

Meanwhile, Charles’ wife, Camilla, is set to be known as the Queen Consort, as the late Queen Elizabeth wished.

However, the palace wants to drop Consort and have her referred to as Queen Camilla on invitations to the coronation.

Out of those polled, 60 per cent, said Camilla should not be referred to as Queen at all.

Prince William and Princess Catherine, who are next in line to the throne, are viewed more favourably by Canadians but that is among the group that believes Canada should continue as a constitutional monarchy.

Anniversary). The other was a biography of our Gurdwara patron Asa Singh Johal. Before departing from the Gurdwara,

Mr. Poilievre expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Gurdwara management for a very warm welcome.

Pierre Poilievre visits Richmond Gurdwara

Balwant Singh Sanghera General Secretary, Gurdwara Nanak

Premier David Eby (middle) and Minister of Trade Jagrup Brar (right) at Surrey Vaisakhi parade last Saturday

Press release

Oppoition leader, Pierre Poilievre (middle) with Balwant Sanghera

Matrimonial

Jat Sikh parents seeking suitable alliance for their daughter 27 / 5.2”, degree in computer science and diploma in business management, fair complexion, working with the reputed environmental company in BC. Looking for well

Please email biodata along with picture at: jazzcheema725@gmail.com

Matrimonial

A Sarswat brahmin handsome Canadian citizen (27) living in Port- Coquitlam looking for a decent, beautiful girl belonging sarswat brahmin family. Boy is working as appliances technician.

Horoscope: 12- Dec-1995, 10:35am, 5ft9inch, POB: Ludhiana.

Contact: 604-999-7125

During an interview with maedia, Sanya Malhotra was asked about her role in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘‘Jawan’’ On hearing this, the actress appeared clueless and said, “I would love to work with Shah Rukh Khan someday”.

Community news

Game for Senior MembersLadder Toss Balls (Bolas) Game, New Game at Shanti Niketan hall on April 23rd 2023 (Sunday) from 2,00 pm to 3.30 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey informs South Asian Seniors that during the Tax filing period we can help you to file your Income Tax Returns for the year 2022 free of cost, through the community

volunteer program, from March 4th 2023 to April 30th 2023. Sin Card & photo ID will be required to prove your documents.

In Person Yoga Classes will continue for members only at Shanti Niketan hall every Monday and every Thursday by expert Yoga Instructor Mr. Ashwani Bansal from 10.00 am to 11.15 am

For more info call: 604 - 507 - 9945

“I would love to work with Shah Rukh Khan someday”

April 11, 1904 – January 18, 1947

A Singer par-excellence, and a Superstar

Kundan Lal Saigal, also known as, K. L. Saigal was born on April 11, 1904 and passed away on January 18, 1947.

Kundan Lal Saigal is considered to be one of the refined artist, an actor, a singer par-excellend and an actor who is considered to be the first superstar of Hindi cinema.

Saigal’s unique voice quality was a mixture of baritone and soft tenor was the benchmark for most of the singers who followed him.

In fact it remains the gold standard even today shining through very early and practically primitive recording technology.

K. L. Saigal was born in Jammu (northern hills of India) to a Punjabi family.

His father, a govt officer, his name was Amarchand Saigal, he was a tehsildar, his mother, Kesarbai Saigal, was respected housewife, who was very fond of music.

K. L. Saigal It was his travel as salesman that brought him to Lahore, where he met Meharchand Jain, a man with passion for music, both remained connected with music even when they moved to Kolkata and had many mehfil -e -mushairas.

During that time, Kundan Lal Saigal was an emerging singer and Meharchand always encouraged him to pursue his talent.

As such, Kundan Lal Saigal’s interest in music continued and become more intense with time.

That was the time when All-India exhibition took place in Lahore, which become the “first turning point” in Muhammad Rafi’s life at the age of 13 he introduced himself as refined singer.

It featured a musical programme where popular singers of that time Kundan Lal Saigal and Zohra Bai Ambale-wali.

Thousands of music lovers had turned up to listen to their favourites. Muhammed Rafi was also fan of K L Saigal and wanted to hear him sing, so he accompanied his elder brother to the event.” during an All-India exhibition held at the Minto Park Lahore, Saigal became a household name all over the country.”

Saigal’s association with New Theatres continued to bear fruit in the successful films Didi (Bengali), President (Hindi) in 1937, Desher Mati (Bengali), Dharti Mata (Hindi) in 1938, Saathi (Bengali), Street Singer (Hindi) in 1938, Dushman (1939), Jiban Maran (1939) and Zindagi in 1940, with Saigal in the lead. There are a number of songs of this era which form the rich heritage of film music in India. Also, in Street Singer, Saigal rendered the song “Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye” live in front of the camera, even though playback was becoming the preferred method of singing songs in films.

In December 1941, Saigal moved to Bombay to work with Ranjit Movietone. Here he acted and sang in a number of successful films. Bhakta Surdas (1942) and Tansen (1943) were hits during this period. The latter film is still remembered for Saigal’s performance of the song “Diya Jalao” in Raga Deepak; in the same movie, he also sang “Sapta Suran,” “Tin .. Gaa-o Saba Guni Jan” and “Room Jhoom Room Jhoom Chaal tihari”. In 1944, he returned to New Theatres to complete My Sister. This film contained the songs “Do Naina Matware” and “Ae Katib-e-Taqdeer Mujhe Itna Bata De”.

By this time, alcohol had become a predominant factor in Saigal’s life.

His dependence on alcohol had begun affecting his work and his health.

It was said that he could only record a

Samantha Ruth Prabhu celebrates her 36th birthday

Samantha Ruth Prabhu will be celebrated her 36th birthday on April 28 , and already, she has treated her fans to a stunning selfie on her Instagram Stories. The actress shared a happy picture in which she can be seen posing for the camera in a black ensemble with her hair tied into a messy bun as she poses for the camera. Sharing the post, she dropped a sweet message for herself and

her fans: “It’s going to be a good year,” followed by a heart emoticon. Earlier, Samantha Ruth Prabhu shared an album on her Instagram handle featuring some amazing pictures. From a major throwback to a picture of the actress with an oxygen mask, the album sums up her month. Sharing the post, she captioned it as “As I see it,” followed by a white heart emoticon.

song after being fortified with liquor. He survived ten years of drinking; however, his alcoholism was too advanced for even a single attempt at abstinence, and Saigal died in his ancestral city of Jullundur (now Jalandhar) on 18 January 1947, at the age of 42.

However, before his death, he was able to churn out three more hits under the baton of Naushad Ali for the film Shahjehan (1946).

“Mere Sapnon Ki Rani”, “Ae Dil-eBeqaraar Jhoom” and “Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya”. Parwana (1947) was his last film, released after his death, in which he sang under the baton of Khawaja Khurshid Anwar. The four songs which Saigal sang in Parwana are: “Toot gaye sab sapne mere”, “Mohabbat mein kabhi aisi bhi haalat”, “Jeene ka dhang sikhaae ja”, and “Kahin ulajh na jaana”. Saigal was survived by his wife Asha Rani (whom he married in 1935); three children, a son and two daughters: Madan Mohan, Nina (born 1937) and Bina (born 1941); and an adopted child, his late elder brother’s daughter, Durgesh Nandani, whom he adopted when he was still single.

In a career of fifteen years, Saigal acted in 36 feature films – 28 in Hindi, seven in Bengali, and one in Tamil. In addition, he acted in a short comedy Hindi film, Dulari Bibi (three reels), released in 1933. In 1955, B.N. Sircar released a documentary film based on the life of K.L. Saigal, Amar Saigal. In the film, G. Mungheri performed the title role of Saigal. The film contained 19 songs lifted from Saigal’s films. In all, Saigal rendered 185 songs which includes 142 film songs and 43 non-film songs. Of the film songs, there are 110 in Hindi, 30 in Bengali and two in Tamil. There are 37 non-film songs in Hindi, and two each in Bengali, Pashto, Punjabi and Persian. His non-film songs comprise bhajans, ghazals and hori. He has rendered the creations of poets such as Ghalib, Zauq, and Seemab.

Saigal’s distinctive singing was revered and idolised by the first generation of post-independence Hindi Film playback singers, including Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh have even gone on record in an interview that they consider Kundan Lal Saigal to be their musical Guru. Alcohol had become a predominant factor in Saigal’s life.

He had reached such a stage of alcohol dependency that he could only record a song after being fortified with liquor.

He survived ten years of drinking; however, his alcoholism was too advanced for even a single attempt at abstinence, and Saigal died in his ancestral city of Jalandhar on January 18, 1947, at the age of only 42.

A display advertisement of the performance of K. L. Saigal in Lahore 1937

Over 10,800 new homes approved by Vancouver City Council

Vancouver City Council approved over 10,800 new housing units in 2022, a record for the second year in a row, and the highest approvals in recent decades, far exceeding our 10 year average. Housing Vancouver’s 10-year strategy places an emphasis on creating more of the right kind of homes across a broad spectrum of incomes and housing needs. Homes approved this year include:

4,260 new purpose-built market rental units, including 629 new belowmarket rental units. The highest approvals in several decades and

more than double the annual target.

Over half (56%) of new housing approvals in 2022 were for purposebuilt rental or social housing.

Almost 1,350 units of social and supportive housing, exceeding the annual target by 11%.

4,400 new condominiums approved, demonstrating the market is rebounding.

“The City of Vancouver continues to lead the region in new housing approvals, particularly for new rental and social housing developments. These approvals

will ensure residents with a wide range of incomes will have homes, including moderate income families, seniors, and newcomers to our city,” said Theresa O’Donnell, Director of Planning and general manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability. “And while we’re pleased to exceed the targets, we must continue our work to ensure this much needed housing is being built. More housing supply is needed across the region to keep up with steadily increasing demand,

and the City is working hard to do our part.”

Building enough housing to meet demand is still a challenge for a number of reasons, including stubbornly high inflation, supply chain and labor shortages that have caused a number of projects to stall as financing becomes more difficult. Affordability compounds this supply shortage as many families are priced out of the market by rising mortgage rates and rent prices that continue to increase.

“Our city is starting to head in the right direction on housing,” said Mayor Ken Sim.

Housing report shows new construction stuck because of skyrocketing costs

Vancouver is hitting record numbers of approvals and completions of purpose-built rental apartments, social housing and supportive housing built, all at levels beyond what is being constructed in the rest of the region.

But the city, which accounts for 25 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s population, is far from meeting the 10-year target it set in 2017 for 72,000 more homes, say city staff in the latest annual report on housing.

Some rental projects, already approved,

have stalled in the past couple of years because of the rising costs of construction.

“Vancouver is a leader in the region in total construction and especially in rental,” said Edna Cho, a housing policy planner who presented the report to council members Wednesday. “Although we’ve enabled significant supply, we’re seeing lots of challenges.”

But staff say they now need to make some changes to ensure that homes that are getting city approvals, a process that takes a lot of time and money, actually get built.

“It hasn’t been this way in the past but, looking at this data, moving from approval to completion will be a focus,” said the city’s director of planning, Theresa O’Donnell.

That means allocating staff time for applications to projects that are the most likely to get started early, lobbying to get extra financing for social-housing buildings that have stalled because of financial problems, and making some adjustments to the city’s requirements from developers who have below-

market units in their rental buildings.

The city approved 11,000 units of housing last year, its highest level historically – about 3,000 more units than the yearly average of the past decade.

That included 1,330 social- and supportive-housing apartments, 4,260 private-market rentals, 4,400 condos, and 435 laneway houses.

But a third of all housing approved since 2017 hasn’t been constructed. Around 43,000 homes have been approved; only 28,000 have been built. Although Vancouver has approved thousands of rentals in the past several years, only 1,359 were built last year: private ones and 383 in social- or supportive-housing projects.

Among the approved but unbuilt homes are 2,500 to 3,000 social-housing apartments. Vancouver social housing complex residents face demoviction over redevelopment plan At least 1,100 of those are being held up because they don’t have

Condo prices will increase this year in Toronto areanew report suggests

A new report from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) suggests that condo prices could be set for a rebound later in 2023, despite a double digit decline over the last year.

The report, distributed on Thursday, says condo apartment selling prices were 11.4 per cent lower in the first quarter of 2023 than in the same period in 2022.

Sales, meanwhile, were down 42.9 per cent over the same time period as many prospective sellers and buyers remained on the sidelines amid an aggressive interest rate hiking campaign by the Bank of Canada.

However, strong population growth, combined with a crowded market and a larger number of first-time buyers, will result in “renewed growth” in condo sales for the rest of the year, TRREB says.

“Despite increased interest rates, mortgage payments on a condo are now closer to the cost of renting for a lot of potential buyers. In addition, homeownership has the added benefits of equity growth and asset appreciation over the long term,” said TRREB president Paul Baron in a press release.

The average selling price for Toronto condos in the first quarter of 2023 was $726,664, down from $809,879 during the same period in 2022. But that number is expected to increase as firsttime buyers enter the market this year.

The condo-specific forecast from TREBB comes amid some signs of a rebounding market overall.

In April, the average selling price of a home in the GTA hit $1,108,606 compared with $1,096,519 the month before. Prices

These are the best places to buy a home in Canada this year: report

A new report revealed the best places to buy a home in Canada this year to take a bit of the guesswork out of your potential move.

MoneySense, a personal finance magazine owned by Ratehub, partnered with real estate search platform Zoocasa to see which regions and neighbourhoods stand out in terms of offering the greatest value and growth potential.

After two years of soaring home prices, the Canadian real estate market finally began its free fall in Spring 2022.

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), in January 2022, the national composite benchmark price across all home types was $817,000, and by December, it had fallen by $100,000 to $717,000.

While inflation and high interest rates

A highrise apartment building on Vancouver Island has been evacuated for the second time since 2019 because of structural defects. The City of Langford revoked the occupancy permit for the 11 storey, 90 unit, RidgeView Place on Monday after an independent engineer found structural safety issues and recommended evacuation. The building was first known as Danbrook One when it was completed almost four years ago, but seismic, foundation and other concerns forced owner Centurion Apartment Properties to clear the building just days

caused a turbulent year for real estate and the wider economy, the report found that many markets still experienced growth.

So, if you want to take advantage of the cooling housing market, these are the best cities to buy a home in Canada right now, according to MoneySense.

The top three

1. Greater Moncton, New Brunswick The most populous region in New Brunswick topped MoneySense’s list for the second year in a row, with a value score of 4.8. Despite substantial growth in the

before Christmas in 2019.

An investigation determined the structural engineer was not qualified for that type of concrete construction and the building was repaired and renamed RidgeView Place before the suites were rented again last year.

A statement from the City of Langford says it would not have issued the 2022 occupancy permit if it had known that documents from the remediation engineer

average price, homes in the Moncton region continue to be affordable compared to the national average with a benchmark price of $320,817.

Consisting of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe, Greater Moncton boasts inexpensive real estate opportunities for first-time buyers, and its steady price growth presents an opportunity for sellers and investors.

2. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Idyllically situated in the heart of the Great Lakes, Sault Ste. Marie is full

could not be considered an assurance of compliance with the building code.

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. says there are continuing potential life-safety risks in RidgeView Place, and a notice from Centurion says rental contracts have been ended and it offers to work with residents to find other accommodations.

The statement from Centurion says it is too early

of Northern Ontario’s most charming rivers, lakes and outdoor spaces. Achieving a value score of 4.7, “The Soo” offers low prices and a welcoming community to prospective homeowners. Its population is just over 78,000. The benchmark price for homes here is just $292,208.

3. North Bay, Ontario

North Bay is one of the top three best places to buy real estate for the second year in a row, thanks to a value score of 4.2.

Located on Lake Nipissing in Northeastern Ontario, North Bay is just 125 kilometres from Sudbury. It also offers many of Canada’s best natural features, including many parks, trails and conservation areas. The benchmark price for homes here is $413,525.

to know when renters can return.

“The option of temporary shoring of the garage area is currently being reviewed with the engineers to provide residents safe access to come back and retrieve their belongings,” says the notice to residents.

Centurion has offered $1,000 to the leaseholder of each affected unit in what the statement says is a “gesture of compassionate assistance.”

Occupants of the suites will also be reimbursed for rent paid between April 24

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

Structural problems force second evacuation of BC highrise in less than four years

Rescued Indians share their ordeals in Sudan

“It was like we were on a deathbed,” recalled a relieved Sukhvinder Singh from Haryana as he arrived at the Delhi airport from Saudi Arabia after being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan.

In his mid-40s, the engineer was among the first batch of 360 Indian nationals who returned home on Wednesday night under India’s ‘Operation Kaveri’ evacuation mission.

Singh, a native of Faridabad in Haryana, recalled his ordeal in Sudan and said he was “still very scared”.

“We were living in one area, confined to one room. It was like we were on a deathbed,” he told PTI before making his way home.

India has evacuated at least 670 Indian nationals from Sudan and is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force.

Chhotu, a factory worker who hails from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was in a state of disbelief and exclaimed, “’Marke wapas aa gaya (have returned after almost dying)’.”

“Now, I will never return to Sudan. I will do anything in this country but won’t go back,” he told PTI shortly after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3.

External Affairs MinisterSJaishankar took to Twitter to share images of the evacuees after their arrival at the Delhi airport.

“India welcomes back its own. Operation Kaveri brings 360 Indian nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi,” he tweeted.

At the airport’s Terminal 3, as people deboarded the aircraft of Saudia -- a Saudi Arabian airline -- and slowly streamed on to the arrivals lounge area, smiles could be seen on the faces of many who went through tense moments over the past few days.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

India remove history

12, according to Indian Express, which inspected each textbook for chapters on and references of the Mughal era. Before the school syllabus overhaul, undergraduate courses in Delhi University’s BA History honors program had already axed and revamped chapters relating to Mughal history.

Supporters of the revamp argue the Mughals have been overrepresented in Indian history and this is all part of what they call “right-sizing.” But having reigned over the country from 1526 to 1761, the Mughal dynasty was one of India’s longestlasting rulers, and hence has an outsize footprint in the nation’s history. The wealthy and culturally-rich set of Muslim emperors have also left marks from centuries to come, from Delhi’s Red Fort to Agra’s Taj Mahal. That history is being rewritten and obscured. It’s hardly surprising that this is happening in a country that won’t let kids learn about Darwin’s theory of evolution until and unless they opt for Biology in grade 11 and 12, because it doesn’t belong to the religious orthodoxy and creation narrative.

Quotable: India’s teaching selective history

“This present regime and its ancestors have made it an ideological weapon or tool in their political project and intellectual and cultural project of turning this country into a Hindu dominant country and it is part of that agenda.”

—Historian Sucheta Mahajan to DW Gandhi—specifically, the history of his assassin, Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse. Also, references to Hindu nationalist movement Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were banned after Gandhi’s death. state where over 1,000 people—mostly Muslims—died, back when current prime minister Modi was the state’s chief minister

What’s in a name: India’s right-wing vs Mughal emperors

The Narendra Modi government’s attempt to push its Hindutva agenda—a movement seeking to establish Hinduism and Hindu culture as dominant in India— is coming at the cost of the country’s Mughal history. The stories of Muslim rulers are getting distorted and discarded.

UAE-based businessman tries to revive plans for new Indian airline

A Dubai-based businessman is trying to revive an airline for expats from the Southern-Indian state of Kerala. Afi Ahmed, Founder of Smart Travels, said he is exploring multiple ways to make the project Air Kerala a reality. Last month, the entrepreneur paid another local company a whopping Dh1 million for the domain name airkerala.com. “I was looking for a domain for my

Hot Sauce

B2C project,” he said, speaking to Khaleej Times. “I wanted to launch an aggregator website, and I was looking for a catchy name when I saw that airkerala.com was available for purchase.

I was shocked, because Air Kerala is a project that was announced by the Kerala government in 2005, and has been a hot topic among Keralites all over the world for almost two decades.”

Shelly Oberoi elected Mayor of Delhi

Aam Aadmi Party’s Shelly Oberoi was today re-elected Delhi mayor, after BJP candidate Shikha Rai withdrew her nomination. With this, Ms Oberoi got another term as mayor of Delhi. Ms Rai told the House that she took the step because the election to the standing committee has not been conducted.

Congratulating Shelly Oberoi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked her to work hard and meet the expectations of the people.

“Congratulations Shelly and Aley on again becoming Mayor and Dy Mayor, this time unopposed. Best wishes to both. People have huge expectations from us. Work hard to meet their expectations,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted. Congratulations Shelly and Aley on again becoming Mayor and Dy Mayor, this time unopposed. Best wishes to both. People have huge expectations from us. Work hard to meet their expectations —said, Arvind Kejriwal

Russia readies reactor vessel for 5th unit of TN nuclear plant

Atommash, part of the machinebuilding division of Rosatom, has shipped a massive reactor pressure vessel and four steam generators that will be delivered to a special berth by road. After being loaded on barges, the equipment will be transported through waterways to the sea port of Saint Petersburg and then the cargo will be delivered to India by sea for the fifth nuclear power unit at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.

“In spite of external restrictions, the domestic economy builds export capacity, supplies goods, services and raw materials throughout the world,” said Igor Kotov, General Director of Atommash.

The Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) involves the erection of six Russian power units with VVER-1000 reactors with a total installed capacity of 6,000 MW. Rosatom is currently building four more power units that are the second and the third stages of Kudankulam NPP. The units were part of a package promised to France, Russia and the US for helping India gain exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG). While French and American projects are yet to take off, the Russians have powered ahead with the first batch of six units and are in talks with another batch of six units.

Art Knapp Garden Spot

Bagged Soils & Fertilizers

Seeds and Bulbs

Outdoor Garden and Nursery

family is proud to bring our expertise and rich gardening heritage to your family.

While Quantities Last

Art Knapps carries lines from Belize, Mexico, Louisiana, Jamaica, and other parts of the globe. For the daring, we even carry the infamous Trinidad Scorpion, one of the hottest sauces in the world. Brand

include:

Dave’s Insanity line, Blair’s Death, Louisiana Gold, and House of Q.

Indian moped delivery drivers arrested as UK starts crackdown on illegal workers

Several Indians are among 60 moped drivers arrested for working illegally for major food delivery firms in UK as part of a week-long crackdown on illegal migration to the country, the UK government has said. The arrests, which also included Brazilians and Algerians, were made for offences including illegal working and possession of false documentation. It came as the UK Home Office released latest statistics on Tuesday which claim that Indians are now among the second-

largest cohort of migrants crossing the English Channel illegally on small boats, with 675 recorded between January and March this year. “Illegal working damages our communities, cheats honest workers out of employment and defrauds the public purse,” said UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

“As the Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak) has set out, we are committed to going further and faster to prevent the abuse of our laws and borders.

India to triple renewables auctions as 2030 green target looms

India will more than triple the capacity of auctions used to allocate renewable energy projects as the nation seeks more progress toward a 2030 clean power target.

A new federal government timeline outlines plans to strike agreements on installations of a total of 50 gigawatts of solar and wind projects during the year through March 2024. That compares with an average of 15 gigawatts auctioned annually in the last five fiscal years, according to BloombergNEF.

The nation is accelerating project installations to hit a goal to have 500 gigawatts of clean energy generation capacity in 2030,

which will also include hydro and nuclear plants. Surging demand for electricity has underscored the need for new investment, though projects in India face challenges like high interest rates and competition from developed markets offering green subsidies.

Delivering more renewables projects will also require sufficient land to locate the installations and long-term buyers for electricity generated, said Rohit Gadre, a BNEF analyst. Those factors are “critical to the success of the plan, failing which the tenders will likely end up being under-subscribed,” Gadre said.

Kejriwal’s official bungalow can’t be rebuilt from scratch

Amid the row over the Delhi govt spending ₹45 crore for the renovation and rebuilding of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house, Congress leader Ajay Maken said Kejriwal’s residence can only be renovated and not rebuilt from scratch as it is a British-era building. If it has been rebuilt, then it is illegal, the Congress leader said at a television debate after Aam Aadmi Party claimed that ₹45 crore was not for renovation and was for entirely rebuilding

the house as the 80-year-old building was in a dilapidated state and the roofs caved in thrice. “As a former urban development minister who had prepared the masterplan of Delhi, let me tell Raghav Chadha that it is totally illegal if the bungalow has been rebuilt,” Maken said. Raghav Chadha said the reconstruction was approved by the then BJP-ruled MCD and the PWD that reported to the L-G. “The reconstruction has been approved at every level,” Raghav said.

Will take revenge for backstabbing, Thackeray warns Shinde

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday warned that his party would take revenge on the backstabbing perpetrated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his group 11 months ago.

Speaking at the 55th anniversary celebrations of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS), Thackeray said that “everyone has their days but our days are not gone”. “They have stabbed us in the back. I will certainly pay them back. Whatever ‘prasad’ we give them, they will remember it for the rest of their lives,” said Thackeray amid a thunderous round of applause, flanked

by BKS General Secretary Raghunath Kuchik and other top union leaders.

Accusing Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of being ‘insensitive’ to the issues of labourers, Thackeray said that they are only bothered about the industrialists and not concerned for the workers or the farmers.

Hitting back at the ruling Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant who accused him of opposing mega-projects, Thackeray said that on the contrary, when he was the CM in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the state secured investments worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore, and its industrial policies attracted 25 big industries here.

Gujarat HC judge recuses from hearing Rahul’s appeal

A Gujarat High Court judge on Wednesday recused herself from hearing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s appeal challenging the order of the Surat sessions court that declined to stay his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark.

Gandhi’s lawyer P S Champaneri mentioned the case before the court of Justice Gita Gopi, seeking an urgent hearing. But after a brief hearing, the court said, “Not before me.” The development comes a day after Gandhi filed the appeal in ..

NOW ORDER ONLINE:

Australia to ramp up ties with India, Japan

Unveiling the Defense Strategic Review

in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government set out a blueprint for Australia’s strategic policy, defence planning and resources over the coming decades.

Australia on Monday said it will deepen its diplomatic and defence partnerships with key allies in the strategic IndoPacific, including India and Japan, in response to China’s growing assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea and

its threat to the global rules-based order.

Unveiling the Defense Strategic Review in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government set out a blueprint for Australia’s strategic policy, defence planning and resources over the coming decades. The public version of the final report did not label China a direct military threat to Australia, but said Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty over the disputed South China Sea “threatens the global rules-based order in

Anti-monarchy group calls on India to take

Britain’s largest anti-monarchist group which campaigns for an elected head of state said on Monday that India could play a leading role within the Commonwealth to highlight that the organisation is not inextricably linked with the UK’s royal family.

Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, referenced the latest opinion polls to show declining support for the monarchy ever since it lost its “star player” in Queen Elizabeth II. Ahead of the Coronation of her successor, King Charles III, on May 6, the group has been finalising plans to organise a series of #NotMyKing protests at Trafalgar Square and along the route of the 74-yearold monarch’s Coronation procession in

central London. “I think what India can do is remind us that the Commonwealth and the monarchy are not connected,” Smith said.

“India made the right choice a long time ago to get rid of the monarchy, to separate from the Crown and be a Republic, and that is a strong reminder that the Commonwealth is not linked to the Crown in that way,” he said. In August 1947, India made the decision to completely sever colonial ties as an elected Republic, unlike some former colonies who held on to the British monarch as their head of state.

Barbados is the most recent example of a former colony parting ways

UK investment minister begins India visit with focus on tech ties

UK’s Minister for Investment Lord Jo Johnson on Wednesday embarked on a visit to India to strengthen the bilateral investment partnership across technology and life sciences sectors and build momentum behind ongoing trade talks. After arriving in Bengaluru,

Johnson is set to visit Pune to meet investors and leading Indian businesses, including Infosys and Zensar, to drum up investor interest in the UK, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said. The visit coincides with Round 9 of ..

Priyanka Gandhi slams PM Modi

Indian National Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a joke made by him involving a suicide note, saying the PM and those laughing heartily at his joke ought to educate themselves better rather than “ridicule” mental health issues in an “insensitive” manner.

PM Modi, while speaking at a media channel conclave on Wednesday, narrated a joke about how a professor reading a suicide note by his daughter remarked how she had got a spelling wrong despite his efforts for so many years. The joke was made by the Prime Minister while remarking that the editor-in-chief of the channel had started speaking well in Hindi.

Tagging the video of PM Modi’s joke at the conclave, Priyanka Gandhi in a tweet said, “Depression and suicide, especially among the youth IS NOT a laughing matter. According to NCRB data, 1,64,033

Indians committed suicide in 2021. Of which a huge percentage were below the age of 30. This is a tragedy not a joke.”

“The Prime Minister and those laughing heartily at his joke ought to educate themselves better and create awareness rather than ridicule mental health issues in this insensitive, morbid manner,” the Congress general secretary said on Twitter and tagged PM Modi and ‘The Live Love Laugh Foundation’ that deals with mental health issues.

India sends strong message to China

India has sent a strong message to China during the first meeting of defence ministers of the two nations since the Galwan incident. Underscoring the need for peace and tranquility at the border, New Delhi said “violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations”.

A communique released after Union minister Rajnath Singh’s meet with Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu -- held on the sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) meeting -- read:

“The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed

that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders”.

“He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation,” the statement added.

The 18 rounds of talks between the military commanders of India and China

Bomb hoax at Delhi airport, one arrested

A 20-year-old man was arrested for claiming over the phone that a bomb had been planted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, police said on Thursday, adding that the call later turned out to be a hoax.

Police said the man, identified as Zakir, made the hoax bomb call on Monday.

According to the police, a call from an

unknown number was received at Delhi Police’s control room. The caller on the other side of the wire said a bomb was planted at the IGI before disconnecting the call.

“We immediately called back at the number but it was switched off,” police said.

“A search operation was launched immediately after at the Delhi Airport,

Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal dies at 95

The Centre govt declare two-day national mourning following demise of former Chief Minister & Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said, “Shri Parkash Singh Badal, former Chief Minister of

Punjab, passed away on 25th April, 2023. As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, the Government of India has decided that there will be state mourning for two days on 26th and 27th April, 2023 throughout India.”

Govt declares state holiday on April 27as people offer farewell respect to Parkash Singh Badal

People started queuing up at the SAD office here since early morning on Wednesday to pay their last respects to Parkash Singh Badal while the Punjab government declared a holiday on Thursday in honour of the five-time Punjab

chief minister who died on Tuesday aged 95. All government offices, departments, boards, corporations and educational institutions in the state will remain shut on Thursday, according to an official order.

Dosanjh schools trolls for misunderstanding his Coachella statement

Diljit Dosanjh became the first Punjabi singer to perform at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 in Indio, California. He performed twice there. However, his second gig made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

A section of social media users misunderstood Diljit’s statement that

he made during his performance.

“eh mere Punjabi bhain bhraawan layi, mere desh da jhanda laike khadi aa kudi, eh mere desh layi, negativity ton bacho, music saareyan da saanjha (This girl is carrying my country’s flag, this is for my country and everyone. Music belongs to all, don’t use it to spread hate),” he said at the festival in Punjabi.

Pakistan

Is Pakistan playing deception game on Ukraine war

Deception and diplomacy often go hand in hand in a globally competitive world. It is a key element of Chinese diplomatic arsenal in its pursuit of global superpower ambitions, but its client state Pakistan has honed it into an art and is using the ongoing Ukraine war for building bridges with the West for its economic survival while wooing Russia for discounted crude oil and military spares. The Pakistani role in war supplies to Ukraine is now evident as Islamabad watchers have found that Pak

ordnance stores have made their way to Kyiv.

The Russian aggression on Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, is relentless, causing not only death and destruction but also generating headwinds for the revival of the postpandemic global economy. Apart from the human catastrophe, the war has resulted in hyperinflation, high energy prices, disruption of global supply chains, and high rates of unemployment, resulting in shattering the economies of vulnerable economies in the global south.

7 passengers killed after two vehicles colided

TOBA TEK SINGH:

At least seven people were killed after a gas cylinder exploded in a van that collided with a truck near Pansera on Jhang Road. Twenty other people, including three women and a child, were injured.

Only two of the deceased could be identified immediately because of severe burn injuries.

Rescue workers took out the bodies from the vehicle and handed them over to the police who shifted them to the tehsil headquarters hospital.

The Gojra-Pansera road was closed for some time after the accident as rescue teams from Faisalabad and Gojra doused the fire. Of the injured, 11 were shifted to the Allied Hospital

and others to private health facilities in the area.

Local officials said the passenger van was going from Dharmapura stop in Gojra towards Pansera when it rammed into the truck going in the same direction.

The officials said it appeared that the truck driver might have dosed off.

After the accident, the cylinder in the van burst with a loud explosion and a fire broke out that engulfed six passengers sitting in the van and one person travelling on the truck.

The two victims identified were Muhammad Akram and Dastgir, residents of the 46GB area.

Pakistan army chief reaches China to boost defence relations

Army chief General Asim Munir arrived in China on four-day official visit aimed at boosting bilateral defence ties.

This is Gen Munir’s fourth overseas visit ever since he took command of the Pakistan Army in November last year. In January, he visited Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on his first official visit abroad since his appointment.

A month later, he visited the UK on a

Former airline CEO appears in court

Former Fiji Link CEO Shaenaz Voss, 63, appeared before Nausori Magistrate’s Court for charges related to the unlawful carriage of firearms aboard a domestic flight. She appeared before Magistrate Shageeth Somarante on a charge of failure to comply with the requirements of the operators airline program, contrary to Section 37 of the Civil Aviation (Security) Regulations 1994.

It is alleged that on October 8, 2018, at

Nausori Airport in the Central Division, as CEO she failed to comply with the requirements of the Fiji Link Operation Airline Security Programme on board domestic flight FJ 32. Ms Voss pleaded not guilty to the charge. State prosecutor Meli Vosawale asked the court for time to file information and disclosures in the matter.

New sugarcane prices announced

The Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) has announced a whopping $70.23 per tonne of cane payment as the forecast price for the 2023 season. This means Government will only need to fork out $14.77 from its coffers to pay sugarcane farmers the $85 per tonne of guaranteed price.

FSC said the $70.23 forecast price had been made in accordance with the requirements of the Sugar Industry Tribunal Master Award.

As per the Master Award, FSC is required to make a first cane payment of 2023 that should be 60 per cent of the forecast price.

“The first payment for the 2023 season cane deliveries will therefore be $42.12 per tonne of cane,” said FSC in a media notice.

The guaranteed minimum cane price of $85 per tonne came into effect in 2018.

In the March sitting of Parliament, Minister for Sugar Industry Charan Jeath Singh said cane farmers would get $85 per tonne this year.

My son suffered burns on his neck as “victim of bullying” - mother claims

The mother of an 18-yearold claims her son suffered second degree (1.5 per cent ) burns on his neck as a “victim of bullying”.

The neck of the 18-yearold teenager which his mother claims is the result of bullying. Picture: SUPPLIED

Josivini Bakewa of Raiwai, Suva, claims her son, Manoa Qalobula, was attacked by two students at an all-boys training centre.

Police spokesperson Wame Boutolu says a report is with the Navua Police Station and investigations are in progress.

highly important visit on Britain’s Ministry of Defence invitation. After his UK visit, Gen Munir again visited the UAE.

“COAS is on a four-day official visit to China for enhancing bilateral military relations,” the army’s media wing said. The visit comes amidst mounting pressure from the International Monetary Fund on Pakistan to arrange at least USD 6 billion to bridge the external payment financial gap

The company manages nonjudgmental and administrative tasks related to applications for visa, passport, and consular services for its client governments, enabling them to focus entirely on the critical assessment task.

1. Its been a relatively slow pace of leisure travel the last few summers. How do you foresee the summer travel rush 2023? How is VFS Global equipped to manage the additional rush?

A: As summer approaches, the travel industry is gearing up to match preCOVID levels of travel demand from 2019. The pandemic caused a significant drop in travel due to restrictions, lockdowns, and border closures. However, with ongoing vaccination efforts and travel restrictions easing, there is pent-up demand for travel, resulting in a surge in bookings for flights, hotels, and other services. As more universities resume in-person classes, we are already seeing an increase in student travel. Similarly, many businesses are resuming travel to attend meetings and events, while family reunions are also expected to boost travel demand. VFS Global is gearing up to handle these counts and is fully prepared to provide the best of services to our applicants. From ramping up the personnel to more space in our visa centers, and implementing various digital solutions, all of those steps have been taken to ensure a smooth experience for the applicants.

2. What are the tips to travel this season & how to avoid visa fraud.

A. With the opening of international borders and ease of travel restrictions we’ve seen an unprecedented surge in international travel. However, there

Travel braces for the ‘busy’ summer ahead

are reports of significant delays in the visa processing time, which may spoil the summer travel plans for many. Therefore, it is advisable to take a few precautions to ensure a smooth visa application process. To get your visa on time, applicants should apply in advance, avoid visa shopping or opt for destinations offering eVisa solutions. Visa applicants are advised to beware of fraudulent entities and impersonators who charge fees from customers for scheduling appointments or providing any other services using VFS Global’s name or independently. VFS Global does not charge any payment for scheduling appointments, except for the legitimate published fees as may be applicable for few countries.

3. How has VFS Global undergone a digital transformation?

A. During the pandemic, there was an urgent need to adapt and evolve in order to facilitate emergency travel. At VFS Global, we leveraged our technological

capabilities and provided customers with online and simplified services. We built capabilities and in some cases facilitated processes like passports, OCI Card or even applying for visas completely from home. Once the COVID restrictions were lifted, we introduced services such as Digital Document Check, which enables customers to get their application documents verified before visiting an application center, thereby making the experience less time-consuming. Our enhancements to the form-filling process also helps applicants upload and digitally complete the process from home. We are constantly listening to user feedback and enhancing our processes with the approval of the Embassy of India to make it simpler for the end customer.

4. Personalization has become a growing trend in the industry, how has VFS Global adapted to it?

A. Sensing the evolving need for personalised services, VFS Global is bringing more of the visa application process online and to the safety of our customers’ homes. It has recently

introduced the innovative Digital Document Check and Digital Application Submission services. We also offer Visa at Your Doorstep (VAYD) service and have seen a sudden spike in demand for this service. Change in customer behaviour towards showing greater willingness to pay a premium for exclusivity and at-home services has led to increase in VAYD applications globally by over 3 times in 2021 and over 5 times in 2022 when compared with 2020. Individuals or groups preferred a more all-encompassing service that is provided in isolation. Also, universities find this as a great service catering to groups constituting sometimes 20 or sometimes even 200 where it becomes a faster, economic, and convenient opportunity.

5. How has VFS Global made processes simpler or easier for its applicants?

A. VFS Global provides passport and visa services for multiple countries in addition to e-visa, biometric, document verification, digital application assistance, global entry program, and fee collection services on behalf of Consulates and Embassies. Our VAYD service is also gaining a lot of momentum. We carry the mobile kits to capture biometrics of individuals in their homes or companies and corporate campuses. We also go to universities where students are a huge market for us adding that it makes more sense for large groups to utilise this program instead of making multiple in-person appointments at VFS Global centers. In the US, we also facilitate Consular Camps with the support of local federations & associations to bring consular services closer to the Indian diaspora community.

NDP fighting for lower prescription drug prices for Canadians

On Thursday, NDP Health

Critic Don Davies will discuss the Liberal government’s role in making it harder for Canadians to afford their prescription medication ahead of the

Press release

parliamentary health committee where the Minister of Health is set to appear.

THURSDAY, APRIL 27 OTTAWA, ON

9:30 a.m. ET

NDP fighting for lower prescription drug prices for Canadians Media availability

135-B, West Block

For more information, please contact: NDP Media Centre: 613-222-2351 or media@ndp.ca

NDP MP Randall Garrison announces he will not seek re-election after a long political career

NDP MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, Randall Garrison, announced today that he will not seek re-election in the next federal election after over a decade in federal politics. As an MP Garrison successfully led initiatives to add transgender rights to the Canadian Human Rights Code and the hate crimes section of the Criminal Code, to ban conversion therapy, and to eliminate criminal records

for the personal possession of all drugs

“It has been a privilege to serve my constituents and to work with MPs from across the country to help make Canada a better place for us all,” said Garrison.

“As an out and proud member of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, I hope that I have demonstrated that diversity is one of our strengths as a nation and that more diverse parliaments make better laws.”

Locally, Garrison secured better protections for Southern Resident Killer Whales, got federal funding for the clean-up of Esquimalt harbour, and delivered support for the local shipbuilding industry, as well as providing strong advocacy for constituents in their dealings with the federal government.

“It has been, and continues to be, an honour to work with the diverse communities that make up the riding of

Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke including the six municipalities, three First Nations, and the large contingent of military families,” Garrison said. “I am especially proud to be part of an NDP caucus under the leadership of Jagmeet Singh that has secured important victories for ordinary working Canadians in this minority Parliament including dental care, an Indigenous led housing program, and a commitment to anti-scab legislation.

Amit Kumar Sharma

Vaisakhi celebrations take centre stage at Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib Gurdwara Surrey stage