www.theasianstar.com Vol 22 - Issue 13
A standard house costs almost twice as much in Canada as in USA A standard home in Canada costs almost twice as much as a standard home in the United States. The average home price in Canada reached a record $816,720 in February— or $638,144 USD—more than nine times the average household income, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (via Fortune). Home prices in the U.S. over the same period climbed 27 per cent, reaching a record average of US$375,300 ($480,168 CAD)—an increase of 15 per cent year-over-year, according to the National Association of Realtors. For comparison, the average cost for a home in Canada could fetch a two-bedroom in Odessa or Belleville, Ont., while the average price for home in the U.S. price can land two-bedroom homes in Spokane, Washington or Tampa, Florida.
Saturday, April 30, 2022
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Dangerous heat wave endangers millions in India and Pakistan An unusually intense spring heat wave is bringing blistering heat to large portions of Pakistan and India, with the potential for monthly records for April to fall this week in some areas. Why it matters: Millions in this heavily populated region lack access to air conditioning, and could suffer from heat-related illnesses, which can be deadly. In addition, the heat will make outdoor work untenable for portions of the day, slowing construction projects and impacting the economy. The big picture: A large-scale weather pattern conducive to extreme heat is affecting the Indian subcontinent, with some of the hottest temperatures forecast for parts of both India and Pakistan. Already this month, high temperatures have hit 122-year-old records, and the
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is warning of even more stifling heat to close out April and continuing into June. Normally, heat waves in this region peak in May and June before the arrival of monsoon rains, with some of the hottest temperatures anywhere, outside of the Middle East, being Continued on page 7
Continued on page 15
How a powerful dynasty bankrupted Sri Lanka in 30 months Ahead of the November 2019 election, Sri Lankan presidential challenger Gotabaya Rajapaksa proposed sweeping tax cuts so reckless the incumbent government thought it must be a campaign gimmick. The finance minister at the time, Mangala Samaraweera, called a briefing to assail the “dangerous” pledge to reduce the valueadded tax to 8% from 15% and scrap other levies. To him, it was simple math: Sri Lanka collected relatively less revenue than nearly any other country, and its Continued on page 7
A major change to how real estate purchases will work in British Columbia was quietly passed by the legislature this week, enabling new “cooling off ” periods for home buyers. But nobody — not even the government that wrote the law — is sure how it will actually work. When will it start? How many days will the cooling-off period be? Will you have to pay a financial penalty if you back out of a deal to buy a home? If so, how much? Will it apply in every community in the province or just Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria? There were no answers to those questions, and more, during two hours of debate by MLAs on the legislation this week. That’s mainly because the four-page bill that creates the new cooling-off periods has a gigantic blank space in the middle where the details should be. It’s effectively one large IOU note for
Continued on page 15
Caste doesn’t just exist in India or in Hinduism – it is pervasive across many religions in South Asia and the diaspora The California State University system, America’s largest public higher education system, recently added caste, a birthbased social hierarchy system, to its antidiscrimination policy, allowing students, staff and faculty across its 23 campuses to report caste bias and discrimination. CSU’s move has drawn a sharp response from some in the Indian diaspora: About 80 faculty members of Indian heritage, as well
BC ombudsperson ‘deeply concerned’ by Surrey’s 6-month ban on ethics investigations B.C.’s ombudsperson said he’s disappointed in several recent bylaw amendments approved by Surrey’s city council Monday night, including one that put a six-month ban on ethics investigations ahead of the municipal election. Jay Chalke issued a letter to city council before the vote, expressing “concern” and urging council to reconsider. “Surrey demonstrated commendable leadership
BC passes “cooling off” period for home buyers
by being the first municipality in British Columbia to appoint an ethics commissioner,” Chalke wrote.“However, council’s recent decision to so broadly restrict complaints in an election year subverts (the Surrey Ethics Commissioner Office)’s purpose and has weakened the credibility of the overall effort.” But despite Chalke’s plea, council voted 5-2 to adopt the amendments, meaning no new ethics
as the Hindu American Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, have opposed the decision, claiming that it is potentially stigmatizing for persons of Hindu or Indian heritage and also that it tarnishes India’s image. They have also threatened a lawsuit against CSU if this decision is not revoked. The caste system is often Continued on page 7
Nearly one-third of the Canadian population has had COVID-19, antibody data shows After more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a third of the Canadian population has likely been infected with the virus, according to research and experts. Seroprevalence analyses of blood samples across the country show that the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant has doubled the natural infection rate. By the end of February, infection-acquired seropositivity averaged 23.7 per cent nationally
— a two-fold jump from January’s rate — according to the latest report released earlier this month by the Canadian Blood Services and Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. The increase in infections was seen in all provinces, with Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia having the highest seroprevalence rates for the month of February. The report does not include Quebec.
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Man dead after police-involved shooting on Commercial Drive
Richmond fake taxi scam prompts warning from police Richmond Mounties are warning people about a scam that involves a fake taxi, driver, and passenger. RCMP have received seven reports since April 22, about a young man approaching people and asking them to help him pay for his cab. When a person agreed, the fake taxi driver said he does not accept cash due to COVID-19, nor credit cards, and the tap function on his debit machine isn’t working. After a person handed over their debit card and entered their pin, the fake taxi driver gave them a bogus debit card. Later, the victims noticed several charges on their debit cards they did not make, some of which involved hundreds of dollars. “This scam appears to be a new one for the City of Richmond, but already we have
had seven victims report the matter to police in the past few days,” Cpl. Ian Henderson wrote in a release. “Our Frontline and Economic Crime Unit investigators are working diligently to identify and locate the suspects. Meantime, we believe there is a need to warn the public of this fraudulent activity.” The fake taxi is described as a white Toyota Camry with a white taxi sign on top, while both suspects are described as men in their early 20s. Anyone with information on this case can contact Richmond RCMP at 604-2781212, quoting file number 2202-10686, or anonymously call Crimestoppers at 1-800222-8477 (TIPS).
A man died following an exchange of gunfire with Vancouver police officers on Wednesday night. Police said officers were called to an apartment building near Commercial Drive and East 5th Avenue just after 8:30 p.m. following reports of an assault. Police said there was an “interaction” that resulted in gunfire between the man and police. Neighbours told Global News they heard gunshots around 9:45 p.m. “They told us there was a guy downstairs with a gun shooting at police for the last 30
minutes,” a neighbour told Global News. “Then we had to leave.” The man, who was in his 40s, died as a result of that gunfire, police said. “We’re pretty scared at this point,” the neighbour added. “(We were) hiding in the middle of the apartment and we hear more gunfire, more police come in with tactical gear and larger, long assault rifles. We eventually get escorted out.” The suspect’s body was taken away by the coroner Thursday morning. One police officer was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Two BC men added to Canada’s most wanted list The Bolo Program (standing for Be On The Lookout) amplifies priority wanted notices that police services have already
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requested the public’s assistance on. In cooperation with Canadian police services and Crime Stoppers programs, BOLO launches amplification campaigns to reach wider audiences for these notices. This week, two BC men were added to Canada’s top 25 most wanted list. Gene Karl L a h r k a m p sits second on BOLO’s most wanted list and information leading to his arrest could lead to a $100,000 reward. In the early morning of Feb. 5, 2022, the body of a man was found near a villa in Rawai Beach, Thailand. The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was identified as 32-yearold Jimi Sandhu; an Indian citizen, and former Canadian resident. In Canada, Sandhu was known for his involvement with the “UN” Gang, one of the groups involved in a violent ongoing conflict in the Lower Mainland area of British Columbia. He was deported back to India in 2016 for “serious criminality”. The Royal Thai Police investigation determined that Sandu was targeted by two Canadian gunmen who flew back to Canada in the days following the murder. Thai authorities requested the assistance of the Canadian RCMP to locate and apprehend the two suspects. Once INTERPOL issued red notices for both individuals, it wasn’t long after until one of the gunmen was apprehended in Alberta in Feb. 2022, but Lahrkamp is still on the run. Lahrkamp is described as a caucasian man, standing at 6 ft. 4 in, with brown eyes and brown hair. His last known location was in Trail, BC, and investigators believe he may still be in the province travelling with a number of dogs. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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All-party committee calls on BC to replace RCMP with provincial police force An all-party committee of B.C. MLAs is calling on the province to get rid of the RCMP in the province and replace it with a provincial police force. The recommendation comes as the committee grapples with addressing concerns of racism connected to policing in the province. “The committee’s vision for policing and public safety includes: ensuring equitable access to police and public safety services with consistent oversight, governance, training, and policies,” the report reads. In the report, the committee emphasized that transitioning to a provincial police service is not a reflectionontheworkofindividualRCMPofficers. “It is a reflection of the challenges with governance and accountability with the current federal model,” the report states. The report also focuses on ensuring all policing is responsive to and informed by the community as well as building trust by shifting the culture and structure of police services. The province has not yet responded to the recommendations. As part of moving towards a provincial police force, the committee is calling for the amalgamation of police services on a regional basis where there are opportunities to address fragmentation. “The committee recommends that a new provincial police service take over services formerlycontractedtotheRCMP,”thereportreads. “As with the current model, municipalities would still have the opportunity to establish a municipal police service, contract with the provincial police service, or enter into an agreement with another municipality or Indigenous community that has a local police service to meet their policing needs.” Adopting the report’s recommendations
Extreme heat should be labelled a natural disaster, new report urges Governments should consider extreme heat a natural disaster as climate change raises the risk of soaring summer temperatures in much of Canada, a new report says. Irreversible Extreme Heat, penned by experts at the Intact Centre on Climate Change at the University of Waterloo, says “Canadian alarm bells should be ringing” about the risk of intense heat. “Extreme heat is kind of a disaster waiting to happen,” said lead author Joanna Eyquem, managing director of climateresilient infrastructure at the Intact Centre. “We have a lot of attention paid to flooding and, and fire obviously, which cause a lot of property damage. But I think that extreme heat is in a different category, and that the cost of extreme heat is people dying and people’s health. It’s something we don’t really have up there with our natural disasters.” The federal government’s website on natural disasters provides links to information on earthquakes, floods, wildfires, hail, icebergs, landslides, avalanches, tornadoes, tsunamis, storm surges, volcanic eruptions and winter storms. Heat is not listed, even though it has proven deadlier and more common in Canada than most of those other threats. The heat wave that hit British Columbia last summer killed nearly 600 people, 526 of them in a one-week span at the end of June. In Quebec in 2018, 89 people died due to extreme heat, most of them in poorer neighbourhoods in Montreal where air conditioning was uncommon and natural vegetation like trees to provide shade was limited. Ontario has been criticized for failing to properly track heat-related deaths, which are often recorded as a heart attack or due to other chronic conditions, many of which can become quickly fatal when heat hits.
would involve the legislature passing a new Community Safety and Policing Act to govern the provision of policing and public safety services. The goal would be to create a police force based on values of decolonization, antiracism, community, and accountability. This would include ensuring Indigenous peoples and nations, and municipal governments, are engaged in the drafting of the legislation. “Over the course of their consultation, it became clear to committee members that the Police Act is not meeting the needs of British Columbians, and that transformative change is required to modernize policing in B.C.,” the report reads. “By including “Community Safety” in the name, the committee emphasizes the goal of ensuring that all British Columbians feel safe in their communities and how positive and collaborative relationships between the community and the police increase public safety.”
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OPINION
By Deborah Jaremko
A wake-up call to the free world on energy security
U.S. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin wants to build a North American energy alliance with Canada and Alberta. The former governor of West Virginia and chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ended an April visit to the Alberta oil sands with a commitment to raise the profile of Canada’s resources in Washington, D.C.
“There shouldn’t be a barrier because we have a border. That border should be invisible when it comes to energy and the climate and the responsibilities we have as citizens on this Earth,” Manchin told reporters in Calgary. “This horrific war in Ukraine is a wakeup call for the free world. … The free world should be relying on the United States and
Canada to provide the products and the resources that they’re going to need, and to be able to help Mother Earth and climate.” North American energy producers are uniquely committed to reducing emissions, he said. “If you take the United States of America and you take Canada out of the fossil business, we’re the only ones that will spend the money that will make the effort to develop the new technologies that will clean up the climate, because the rest of the world will use the same products we’re using, just a lot dirtier,” he said. “You take us out and Mother Earth is going to be in trouble and the climate will go to heck in a handbasket. I believe that with all my heart.” Manchin has invited representatives from the Alberta government to present to the Senate energy committee about cooperation on continental energy security. Many Americans may not know how important Canada already is to them in terms of energy resources or how much they are reliant on Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries-plus (OPEC+) nations, he said. Manchin said he didn’t realize the volume of oil products from Russia being purchased by U.S. refiners until the invasion of Ukraine. More than 98 per cent of U.S. natural gas imports and more than 50 per cent of oil imports come from Canada, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But refiners still buy a lot of crude from OPEC+ nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia – 1.6 million barrels per day in 2021 compared to 4.3 million barrels per day from Canada. That includes about 670,000 barrels per day from Russia that’s now banned, leaving a hole for other suppliers to fill that’s contributing to soaring gasoline prices across the U.S. “We need this product. You all have a product that we have to have in order for us to meet the demand of our country, but your country too, and the world,” Manchin said. He said that the Keystone XL pipeline that would have connected Alberta oil with refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast should never have been abandoned.
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Saturday, April 30, 2022
Premier Horgan apologizes for using profanity during question period British Columbia Premier John Horgan says he apologizes for “intemperate comments” he made during a heated question period in the legislature. During a debate Monday with Opposition Liberals in the legislature over the province’s shortage of family doctors, the premier used the F-word. The question period ended shortly afterwards with Speaker Raj Chouhan calling for the members to refrain from making debates personal and saying, “Let’s behave like adults, please.” Liberal House Leader Todd Stone rose in the legislature shortly
afterwards requesting a point of privilege to discuss the matter further at another time. Horgan initially posted a statement on his Twitter account saying “If my mom was still around, she’d be on her way to the legislature with a bar of Irish Spring.” But the premier returned later to the legislature to make a full apology. “Earlier today at the end of question period, my passion for health care got the better of me and I made some intemperate comments that may well have offended members of this house or others,” Horgan said. “I apologize for that and withdraw those remarks unreservedly.”
BC drivers can forget ICBC licence plate decals ICBC is making a number of changes to the way it does business, and one of them that’ll affect BC drivers comes into play next week as licence plate decals go the way of the dodo. Beginning May 1, licence plate validation decals are being discontinued by ICBC. BC Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth suggested that the change will have a variety of benefits for drivers in the province. Some of the benefits highlighted by Farnworth during the announcement in February include drivers no longer needing to worry about thefts and cases of misuse, and added that it would “free up police resources.” Farnworth mentioned that many police services have access to licence plate scanners
that allow them to retrieve information about a vehicle’s insurance status through an Automatic Licence Plate Recognition Tool (ALPR). “Safety on our roads remains of critical importance,” he added. The big news during that press conference was the fact that ICBC would finally be allowing customers to renew their insurance policies online, something that BC drivers have been able to do since March. Along with the discontinuation of decals, ICBC is warning customers that the appearance of certain vehicle certificates like registration, licence, and owner’s certificate of insurance documents might look a little different due to using different types of paper and printers.
Body found after fire at Surrey homeless camp A body was found Monday morning in the remnants of an extinguished fire at a homeless camp in Surrey. RCMP received a report from Surrey Fire Service saying they found the body on the morning of April 25 at 7:30 am. The fire happened at a camp where homeless people live near the intersection of 120th Street and 88th Avenue, according to a statement from police, who attended and secured the scene for further investigation. “Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit is working closely with BC Coroners Service and Surrey Fire Service to advance the investigation,” says a statement from Surrey RCMP. “The deceased person
has not yet been identified.” Police didn’t say how the fire started or comment on the person’s cause of death. Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers if they want to stay anonymous. This is not the first time a Metro Vancouverite has been hurt or killed following a fire at a homeless camp. One person died in a fire in a shed at a Surrey homeless camp in 2019, and in 2017 a woman camping outside a Chilliwack church was severely burned after the candle she used to heat her tent lit it on fire. Although homeless individuals sometimes use candles or other heat sources to stay warm, firefighters say the practice poses a real fire hazard, and advocates have said it highlights the need for safe and permanent housing.
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Canada’s workforce ‘has never been older’, Statistics Canada says A record number of Canadians are set to retire, the country’s statistics agency has said, warning of a looming labour crisis linked to the ageing national workforce. Statistics Canada said on Wednesday that the working-age population – those aged 15 to 64 – “has never been older”, while over 1 in 5 workers in Canada (21.8 percent) were nearing the mandatory or proposed retirement age of 65. “This is an all-time high in the history of Canadian censuses and one of the factors behind the labour shortages facing some industries across the country,” the agency said. It cited the so-called baby boomer generation – people born between 1946 and 1965 – that is exiting the labour force as one of the factors accelerating population ageing. “There are challenges associated with an older workforce, including
knowledge transfer, retaining experienced employees, and workforce renewal,” it said. Canada’s ageing population has been a matter of concern for several years. In 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government said it would bring in more than 1.2 million new immigrants over three years to help fill gaps in the labour market and stimulate the country’s economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said at the time that Canada needed more workers “and immigration is the way to get there”. But Statistics Canada said on Wednesday that “immigration has a rejuvenating effect on the Canadian population, but this effect is not enough to stop the population aging process”. In late 2021, the agency said in a separate report that there were nearly one million unfilled positions across Canada, more than double the
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Caste doesn’t just exist in India or in Hinduism – it is From page 1 pervasive across many religions in South Asia and the Western media with Hindu religion and India alone. However, as social scientists specializing in South Asian Studies, we know that the caste system is neither exclusive to Hindu religion nor is it endemic to India. While the caste system originated in Hindu scriptures, it crystallized during British colonial rule and has stratified society in every South Asian religious community. In addition to India, it is present in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan. Get news that’s free, independent and based on evidence. Social, economic and political status in this pernicious system is tied to traditional occupations fixed by birth. Brahmins, for example, who are assigned priestly work, are at the top, and Dalits, relegated to the bottom, are forced into occupations that are considered abject in South Asia, such as cleaning streets and toilets, or working in the tanning industry. Caste-based rules of marriage maintain these boundaries firmly. Caste organizes social life not only among Hindus but also in Muslim, Christian, Sikh
and Buddhist communities in the region. It is an intergenerational system based on birth into a caste group. Caste identities stay even generations after someone converts out of Hinduism and into any of these faiths. Among South Asian Christians, AngloIndians are at the top of the hierarchy. This small community includes individuals of mixed descent from Indian and British parents. Those who converted to Christianity, even generations ago, from middle level Hindu castes come next, followed by those from Indigenous backgrounds. Those who converted to Christianity from Dalit castes are placed at the bottom. Muslims across the region are organized with the minority Ashraf communities at the top. The Ashraf community claims noble status as the “original” Muslims in South Asia, due to their descent from Central Asian, Iranian and Arab ethnic groups.
Dangerous heat wave endangers millions in India and Pakistan recorded. This heat wave is unusually intense for this early in the season, likely enhanced by below average rainfall during March. Research has also directly linked increasingly intense and long-lasting heat waves around the world with human-caused global warming. For example, scientists concluded the heat wave that struck the Pacific Northwest last year would not have occurred without the influence of human emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels. Between the lines: India’s daytime high temperatures hit their highest level on record for the month of March, and nationally, the month’s average temperatures ranked as the second-hottest March. During March, northwest and central parts of India including Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi experienced early and severe heat waves. During the ongoing heat event, the highest maximum temperature of 45.0°C (113°F) was reported at Wardha, in the state of Maharashtra, on April 25, and Barmer, in West Rajasthan, saw the highest temperature on April 26, with a high of 44.4°C (112°F). Threat level: According to the IMD, the ongoing heat wave will become even more stifling and dangerous in coming days as an area of high pressure, or heat dome, sits over the country.
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Police look at organized crime connections to Vancouver double-homicide On a Sunday morning in February, the serenity of Point Grey was disrupted. In the heart of Vancouver’s priciest oceanfront neighbourhood, rifle-bearing police surrounded the $7-million mansion of Wu Shumin, a politically connected 50-year-old businesswoman from China’s Fujian province. They were responding to a call from a neighbour who spotted a white BMW X5 SUV with a shattered window parked in the street beside Wu’s home. When the neighbour peered inside, he saw Wu and another woman lying still, covered in blood. To date, Vancouver police have only confirmed that Wu and the other victim, Sun Yingying, a 39-year-old former Chinese
soccer pro, had been the victims of a targeted shooting at 10:30 p.m. the previous night. Yet a Global News investigation has pieced together many of the details about the circles in which Wu and Sun travelled. Global News has also learned that the case has caught the interest of Canadian federal investigators. The Feb. 19 killings shocked Vancouver’s Chinese-Canadian community and spurred an extraordinary flood of police tips in the following week, sources say. And two months later, the hunger for facts about Sun and Wu — who owned a luxury gym in south Vancouver — remains undiminished as the community tries to understand who the women were, and what could possibly have motivated their executions.
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Edmonton police lay charges against three people in slaying of known BC gangster Edmonton police have charged three people in relation to the southwest Edmonton homicide of a man known for criminal activity in B.C. On April 12, police received a report of an injured man at a residence near Erasmus Wynd and Erasmus Crescent and arrived at the scene to find a man dead in a front-attached garage. Police later identified the man as 41-year-old Curtis Vidal, a homicide victim who died of multiple gunshot wounds according to an autopsy completed by the Edmonton medical examiner. Vidal, who was known for criminal activity in B.C., had been living in Alberta since completing an eight-year sentence for B.C. convictions related to a violent 2013 home invasion in the Fraser Valley. Based in Chilliwack, B.C., before his latest sentence, Vidal was close to Hells Angels associate Clayton Eheler and had been aligned earlier with the Red Scorpions and Independent Soldiers before shifts in those gangs. Vidal’s younger brother James Vidal, then 33, was shot to death in Chilliwack on March 10, 2019. No one has been charged in the
Reward offered for arrest of fugitive in Thailand murder of South Asian gangster A national program has offered a $100,000 reward for the capture of a B.C. man who is charged with killing former Vancouver gangster Jimi Sandhu in Thailand in February. Gene Karl Lahrkamp, 36, returned to Canada after Sandhu was gunned down outside his beachfront villa on the island of Phuket in the early hours of Feb. 5. Lahrkamp owns a house in Trail, where he had been living and breeding dogs before the murder of Sandhu, a high-level United Nations gangster who grew up in Abbotsford. Sandhu was deported from Canada in 2016 for serious criminality, but maintained his influence within his criminal organization both here and abroad. The home of accused hitman Gene Lahrkamp, at 2000 Lookout St. in Trail, was searched by police on Feb. 15. His whereabouts are unknown.
The home of accused hitman Gene Lahrkamp, at 2000 Lookout St. in Trail, was searched by police on Feb. 15. His whereabouts are unknown. Photo by Jennifer Small/Special to PNG /PNG The BOLO program — short for ‘be on the lookout’ — announced a top 25 list of fugitives and rewards at a Toronto news conference Tuesday. Lahrkamp was in the second spot behind an accused Toronto killer charged with shooting a stranger to death. The four-year-old organization plans an “amplification” campaign using social media and other tools to alert Canadians to the photos and names on the list. Lahrkamp’s co-accused Matthew Dupre, also 36, was arrested in Sylvan Lake, Alberta on Feb. 20 on a provisional arrest warrant issued by the Royal Thai Police. He has been remanded in custody to await an extradition hearing. Both men are ex-Canadian military.
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Dramatic footage of Gucci store robbery released by VPD An ongoing investigation has pushed the Vancouver Police Department to release video footage of a robbery of the Gucci store downtown last year. The incident occurred on December 9, 2021, at the Gucci store near Thurlow and Alberni streets. Two masked suspects entered the store and committed what VPD called a “violent robbery.” The video shows two masked suspects walking in with arms raised, aiming bear spray inside the store. First, a security guard is bear sprayed right in the face. Following that, two employees behind the counter quickly run to the back of the store. The two suspects follow the employees, continuing to spray towards them. One suspect begins to toss bags onto the floor as the other picks them up. They quickly flee the store and remove their masks. In the end, they escaped with over $20,000 worth of goods. Unfortunately for the two suspects, their faces were caught on surveillance cameras after fleeing
the store. A 33-year-old security guard was incapacitated in the attack and fled from an emergency exit to hide in a stairwell with the three other employees until the suspects left. Paramedics treated the victims shortly after. “Though the suspects wore masks during the robbery, they removed their disguises after fleeing the store and their faces were caught on a nearby security camera,” said VPD Constable Tania Visintin in a statement. “Although we obtained this video early in the investigation, for investigative reasons we’ve been unable to release it until now. But, we know someone out there will know who these men are.” Visintin added that the public has been helpful in solving several cases in recent months. “We’re once again asking for help to identify and apprehend some violent criminals. We need anyone who recognizes these men to call us right away and tell us what they know.” Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 604-717-2541.
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Lotto winner thought he’d won $75 until he re-checked his ticket I didn’t tell my wife for a few days to make sure it was correct!” A lucky lottery player in B.C. got the surprise of a lifetime when he realized that what he thought was a $75 winning ticket was actually a much bigger prize. Abbas Ebadypoor, from Surrey, matched 5/6+ numbers from the BC/49 draw on February 2 after he purchased a ticket from Superstore on King George Highway and validated it at the Guilford Mall. His winning numbers were a combination of birthdays and other meaningful dates — and it’s a lottery ticket he won’t forget buying for a long time. “I scanned it and thought we only won $75 but then noticed there were more zeroes — and it was actually $75,000,” he recalled.
Ebadypoor said that he didn’t tell his wife Soghra Zendehdel about their windfall “for a few days” as he wanted to make sure it was correct. Now, the retired bus driver says this huge win gives him a sense of “relaxation and calmness” for the two of them. “It’s great news for us and I’m very happy to not worry about my retirement. We are so excited and couldn’t even believe we won this money,” he added. His win follows a similar lottery-winning story over the provincial border in Alberta recently. Chad Perriot, from Grand Prairie, thought he had only won $100 in the March 29 Lotto Max draw but after checking his ticket a second time, he realized he had, in fact, won $100,000.
Class-action lawsuit approved against ICBC, BC government B.C.’s public insurer and the provincial government are now facing a class-action lawsuit that could see money returned to accident victims. Vancouver lawyer Scott Stanley is leading the case, which argues that ICBC has been illegally reimbursing the province for medical fees that should already be covered under the Medical Services Plan (MSP). The plaintiffs, Robert Rorison and Brayden Methot, allege that these transfers ended up coming out of the pockets of accident victims who needed their full benefits to aid in their recoveries. “They say those payments have wrongfully increased insurance costs for all buyers of compulsory vehicle insurance (the “Ratepayer Class”) while reducing the amount of other medical and rehabilitation benefits available to people who have suffered catastrophic
injuries in motor vehicle accidents (the “Accident Victim Class”),” the lawsuit states. However, the courts threw out the much larger part of the class action application, the ratepayer class. Lawyers argued that since the 1990s ICBC paid nearly a billion dollars to medical practitioners that should have come from MSP. In May 2021, when ICBC switched to a “nofault”insurancesystem,itpreventedlegalactions for injuries suffered in motor vehicle accidents. “This proceeding was commenced and relates to claims that arose before that change came into force,” the lawsuit states. “In these reasons, references to governing legislation, other than the Amendment Act, are to legislation as it existed prior to that change.” Stanley said it is unclear what will happen with the larger part of the class action application.
Cases in BC hospitals climb 85, cases in ICU up 9 over last week British Columbia is reporting an increase of 85 COVID-19 cases in hospital and nine in intensive care over the last week. According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, there were 570 cases in hospital and 47 cases in critical or intensive care as of Thursday. The figures represent a 17.5 per cent increase in hospitalizations and a 23.6 per cent increase in cases in ICU over the previous week. Thursday’s update also confirmed 2,276 new cases over the past week. However, just 26,872 PCR tests were conducted over that period, meaning the figure is likely a significant underrepresentation of the virus’ spread. British Columbia’s new weekly data reporting regime also provides information on hospital
admissions, though with a one-week delay. According to the BCCDC, 335 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 between April 17 and April 23. Of them, 150 were in the Fraser Health authority, 65 were in the Interior Health authority, 20 were in the Northern Health authority, 58 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health authority and 62 were in the Vancouver Island Health authority. The BCCDC says the hospital admissions figures are expected to rise as it collects more data — for example, the province-wide admissions total initially reported last week has since been revised up to 300 from 238.
Canadian passport renewal backlog makes its way to the House of Commons Have you had issues renewing your Canadian passport? With COVID-19 restrictions easing for fully vaccinated travellers and many delaying their plans over the past couple of years, it’s no surprise a number of Canadians are hoping to get away in 2022. But long lineups at Service Canada, as well as longer than normal mail-in delays, have left many people who are in need of a new passport in limbo. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Conservative MP Brad Vis demanded to know what is causing the ongoing backlog. “Why is passport Canada offering such poor service? And why don’t they get their ducks in a row and give Canadians the service they expect from a key government office?” he asked. Service Canada Minister and Liberal MP Karina Gould assured the agency was doing everything it could, highlighting recent staffing additions. “We have in fact hired an additional 500
passport officers to help process this, we have made Service Canadas available to ensure individuals who need to travel on a non-urgent basis can deposit their applications,” she said. Service Canada says staff are working overtime and weekends to get through as many travel documents as possible. However, despite additional staff, delays remain. “They’re not even operating at full capacity right now so you’re not even guaranteed to get an appointment, they’re not operating all the kiosks,” he said. In a statement to CityNews, the agency says it recognizes that increased demand for passports has led to delays. However, it notes safety protocols must still be followed to “ensure the health and safety of Canadians accessing in-person services.” “This includes following federallymandated occupancy limitations, which have implications for the number of staff that can work at one time in Service Canada Centres.
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Canada pushing G7 on new laws to seize and repurpose frozen Russian assets The federal government is working with G7 allies to craft new legislation that would allow for not just the freezing of sanctioned Russian assets, but seizing them on behalf of Ukrainian war victims. The recent federal budget declared Canada’s intention to pursue the seizureof-assets route, which has been the subject of a bill by an Independent senator that is on the verge of being passed in the Senate. The government’s budget implementation bill also lays out its intent to enact a law that would broaden Canada’s current sanctions regime to allow for the seizure and repurposing of assets. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Wednesday the bill seeks to create the “ability for the government to be able to sell the assets that were seized, and afterwards to use the profits and to compensate the victims of this war against Ukraine.” She said because many Russians have assets in Europe and the United States, Canada wants to persuade other allies in the G7 to consider similar legislation. Joly said the assets of Russian oligarchs in Canada are “substantial.” “We know that Russian oligarchs tend to be in other jurisdictions than Canada, and particularly in Europe,
because of the close proximity and because of their family links,” she said. More money can be found in Europe “or sometimes in the United States,” she added. “We’re looking at ways to further punish and seize things from people who have been sanctioned,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Wednesday. “But that is work that is ongoing along with our partners.” Sen. Ratna Omidvar has a bill with that goal that is currently at third reading in the Senate. It would allow for the seizure of assets of rich Russian oligarchs loyal to President Vladimir Putin so that the money could be used to rebuild war-ravaged Ukraine. Omidvar said Wednesday that she is pleased the Liberal government has included the “essence” of her proposed law, known as Bill S-17, in its budget implementation bill. “Parliamentarians need to act swiftly by passing these measures and applying it to the dire situation in Ukraine,” Omidvar said in a statement. On Wednesday, the House of Commons unanimously adopted a
Conservatives question if Trudeau used ‘loophole’ to avoid fraud charges Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still being dogged by questions about family vacations six years ago at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas. In question period Tuesday, interim Opposition leader Candice Bergen demanded to know if he used his authority as prime minister to grant himself permission to accept the gifts. A provision of the Criminal Code says government officials can’t accept gifts from someone who has dealings with the government unless they’re given written consent by the head of their branch of government, which in this case would be the prime minister. Internal RCMP documents show the force considered opening a fraud investigation after details of the trip came to light, but cite numerous reasons why it did not, including the fact that neither Parliament nor the ethics commissioner chose to refer the case to police. If Trudeau did grant himself written consent, therewouldbenocaseforfraudbythegovernment, the RCMP concluded, but the documents state that they did not know whether that happened.
When Bergen asked Tuesday whether Trudeau used that “loophole” to avoid being charged, he said no. “The RCMP looked into this matter and no political interference was around it. They came to their own conclusion; there was nothing to pursue,” Trudeau told the House. Bergen pressed on, asking if Trudeau would agree to do an interview with the RCMP about the $215,000 gift. He did not respond. The ethics commissioner determined in 2017 that Trudeau violated conflict of interest rules, and that he should have recognized going on the trip would be seen as a conflict. The commissioner’s report and the information used to compile it can’t be used as evidence in court if criminal charges did arise — another reason the RCMP chose not to pursue a case. Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau is still being dogged by questions about family vacations six years ago at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas. #AgaKhan #CDNPoli Trudeau is the first Canadian prime minister to breach conflict of interest rules while in office.
Conservatives open ‘statistically significant’ lead over Liberals: Nanos poll The Conservative Party of Canada has opened up a “statistically significant” lead over the governing Liberals, the latest polling from Nanos Research shows. As of April 22, support for the Conservatives increased 4.3 percentage points over four weeks to 35.6 per cent, overtaking the Liberals whose support dropped 2.2 percentage points to 30 per cent. The New Democrats also saw their support drop by two percentage points to 19.6 per cent. Support for the Green Party inched up 0.7 percentage points to 5.5 per cent, while dropping 0.5 and 0.2 percentage points respectively for the Bloc Quebecois (5.4 per cent) and People’s Party (3.4 per cent). “But the key takeaway here is that the Conservatives are opening up a lead that
is statistically significant. It’s outside of the margin of error,” pollster Nik Nanos said Wednesday on the Trend Line podcast. Nanos said he has not seen numbers like these for the Conservatives since Erin O’Toole was leader of the party. The Conservatives are currently in the process of choosing a new leader, with the deadline to submit the required $300,000 registration fee and 500 party member signatures set for this Friday. Nano said parties without leaders can become more popular than those with leaders, since there is no one at the helm for Canadians to be “repulsed by.” Meanwhile, the weaker poll numbers represent a “complete dead cat bounce” for the Liberals and NDP, Nanos said.
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B.C. First Nation has proposed settlement after 160-year battle with Canada A B.C. First Nation has reached a proposed $135-million settlement with the federal government, 160 years after settlers began taking over its village lands. Chief Willie Sellars of the Williams Lake First Nation said a legal battle that began nearly three decades ago ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada in 2018 before mediation began last year. “Words cannot really express the amount of joy and happiness that is beaming through our council and our community,” Sellars said Monday after announcing the agreementin-principle, which still must be ratified. Village lands within what is now Williams Lake were occupied by settlers contrary to the colonial government’s commitment to create a reserve, and so many of their ancestors were displaced, Sellars said. Members aged 18-and-over will have a chance to ratify the settlement in a referendum on June 29, and Sellars said three in-person and online information sessions will be held before that — on May 12, 26 and June 9. The First Nation said about 450 people will be eligible to vote, about half of its registered members, and ballots can be cast by mail or in-person. The $135-million deal is close to the maximum $150 million that could have been awarded, and Sellars urged all members of the First Nation to support
it for the sake of future generations and the legacy of those who lost their lands. “One of the discouraging things about how long this battle has lasted is that a lot of the elders that have testified throughout this whole process have passed on. They’re never going to see any benefit from this victory, and that was something that we kept in mind as we were negotiating.” Each member of the community will get a settlement, and those aged 60-and-up will be eligible for higher amounts, he said. Sellars said most of the money would go into a professionally managed community trust, with the interest providing annual payments to members, while the rest would fund programs to bring back cultural ceremony and infrastructure, including housing, a community centre and a wastewater treatment facility. “These are just some of the things that we need to do in the years to come, and every single one of those has multimillion-dollar price tags attached to it. It’s something to think about as we move down this discussion of reconciliation and what it’s going to mean for the health of our community.” Chris Wycotte, who has been a councillor with the First Nation for 19 years, said the legal fight began after he unearthed some documents in the provincial archives in Victoria in 1993.
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Star & Style
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Salman, Anil, and Fardeen start shooting No Entry sequel soon No Entry starred Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, and Fardeen Khan in lead roles. They will now reunite for a sequel to the film, which was written and directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Boney Kapoor. After several years of speculations, the sequel to the 2005 film No Entry with the lead original cast has finally been confirmed. The comedy film, written and directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Boney Kapoor, starred Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, and Fardeen
Khan in the lead roles. It also featured Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Esha Deol, and Celina Jaitly, apart from Sameera Reddy appearing in a guest role. The comedy movie, an official remake of the 2002 Tamil film Charlie Chaplin, was the highestgrossing film of 2005 Anees Bazmee has now confirmed that Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, and Fardeen Khan will be reuniting for a sequel to the hit entertainer. The filmmaker also said that Salman is very serious about the project and will start filming very soon. Anees told IndiaToday.in, “The shoot of the film is going to start very soon.
Arijit Singh Live in Concert in Vancouver on Friday , June 3 , 2022 The most enthralling voice of India , Arijit Singh is an Indian singer , musician & music composer who is not only the voice of the favourite Bollywood stars but also has been instrumental in giving many rich melodies to the Indian Cinema . His name & voice are found in almost all movies with every song topping the charts . Arijit Singh is the most streamed singer across every music streaming app in India & abroad including Spotify , Apple Music , Gaana , Hungama , Hungama , Saavan etc. from 2014 till date . Arijit Singh is the only Indian musician to win over 50 major music awards in the last five
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Saturday, April 30, 2022
Israeli Embassy in India unveils art mural honoring Jewish Indian actresses A new mural unveiled by the Israel Embassy in India in collaboration with Delhi Street Art. Photo: Twitter/Israel in India. Israel’s embassy in New Delhi, India, unveiled on Monday a street-art mural marking 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and paying tribute to three famous Indian-Jewish actresses. The Israel Embassy in India collaborated with the Delhi Street Art initiative to create the mural honoring Pramila (a stage name for actress Esther Victoria Abraham), Sulochana (Ruby Myers) and Nadira (Florence Ezekiel). These actresses, all of Iraqi-Jewish descent, “made a mark in the early years of Indian cinema,” a plaque near the mural reads. The artwork outside New Delhi’s Connaught Place was unveiled by Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon and
Meenakshi Lekhi, India’s minister of state for external affairs and culture. Pramila won the first Miss India pageant in 1947. The actress and model, who was born in Kolkata, starred in about 30 films as a stuntwoman. She also became the first female film producer in India after founding the Silver Films production company with her husband, and used her influence in the industry to push other women to take on acting roles, according to the Hindustan Times. Sulochana, one of the most successful silent film stars in India, started her career in 1925 in “Veer Bala,” the Indian publication noted. By the mid-1930s she was one of the highest-paid female actors in India, according to the Hindustan Times. In 1973, she was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, Indian cinema’s highest honor. Nadira was most famous for her film performances during the 1950s and 1960s.
‘Ajay Devgn blabbered as a BJP mouthpiece’ Two former Karnataka chief ministers have jumped into a debate after Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn responded to Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep, saying that Hindi is India’s national language, sparking a language row. The leaders offered a reality check to the actor. The Karnataka leaders slammed Ajay Devgn and pointed out that Hindi is not India’s national language. While former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly criticised Ajay Devgn’s tweet saying Hindi was never our national language, Janata Dal (Secular)’s HD Kumaraswamy backed Kannada actor Sudeep Sanjeev’s remark that Hindi is not the national language and directly attacked the Bollywood actor, calling him a BJP mouthpiece. “Ajay Devgn blabbered as a mouthpiece of BJP’s Hindi Nationalism of one nation, one tax, one language & one government,” Mr Kumaraswamy said in a tweet. Ajay Devgn, who is gearing up for the
release of his film ‘Runway 34’, publicly replied to Kiccha Sudeep’s opinion on Hindi not being the national language of India, on Wednesday. The, ‘Singham’ actor took to his Twitter and tagged Sudeep as he tweeted, “Brother, if Hindi is not our national language according to you, then why do you release films made in your mother tongue dubbed in Hindi? Hindi is our mother tongue, and our national language, and it will always be. Jana Gana Mana.” Sudeep had earlier made a comment at the film launch of ‘R: The Deadliest Gangster Ever’. When probed about a Kannada film becoming a pan-Indian hit, Sudeep told media, “You said that a pan India film was made in Kannada. I’d like to make a small correction. Hindi is no more a national language. They (Bollywood) are doing panIndia films today. They are struggling (to find success) by dubbing in Telugu and Tamil, but it’s not happening. Today, we are making films that are going everywhere.” Incidentally, Ajay was recently seen in a cameo appearance in superstar director
Shah Rukh Khan to make TV comeback, Kajol to join him as co-judge? Here’s what we know Dance reality shows have a massive fan following. Be it DID, Super Dancer, Nach Baliye or Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, all of these are loved. And, do you remember Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa? Yes, we are talking about the show where your favourite celebrities showcased their dance talent along with some of the best choreographers of the industry. The celebrity dance show had nine seasons. The 9th season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa aired in 2016. Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ganesh Hegde were the judges of that season. It was hosted by Maniesh Paul. Post the 9th season, fans eagerly waited for the 10th season but the show never returned. This left fans disappointed. Also read: Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Mannat’ has fresh nameplate that allegedly costs lakhs, designed by none other than Mrs. Khan It has been 6 years and now, the makers of the show have reportedly decided to come back with season 10. Yay!
As per reports, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is returning with season 10 and so is Bollywood’s iconic jodi. It is being reported that Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan have been approached to judge the celebrity dance reality show. Along with them, ace choreographer, Farah Khan will also be the judge. This will mark Shah Rukh Khan’s return to TV and we hope the reports are true. It is also being reported that the show will go on-air from July. A source close to IANS said, “The show will have a grand comeback. Makers have approached Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Farah Khan to take over as judges. The casting of the show is in process and the show might go on floor by July.” However, nothing has been confirmed yet. These reports are doing rounds on the internet and fans are expressing their excitement for the return of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Take a look at a few posts from social media:
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Real Estate
From page 1
A standard house costs almost twice as much in Canada as in USA
Since 2020, Canada’s home prices have risen 30 per cent, a boom that’s been “nothing short of stunning,” Robert Hogue was quoted in Fortune as saying. In Vancouver and Toronto, it would take the average household saving ten per cent of their income for 431 months and for 340 months, respectively, to put together a minimum down payment on a non-condo home, according to the National Bank of Canada. It’s a lack of supply, not investors, that has resulted in Canada’s housing crisis, writes Ginny Roth. Municipal politicians are exacerbating the situation by opposing
Saturday, April 30, 2022
densification, she says. Aging in place: How Baby Boomers are breaking Canada’s real estate market Even if both those cities are excluded, the average Canadian home costs 21 per cent more than last year, Fortune points out. Boosting supply was the centerpiece of the housing plan laid out in the Trudeau government’s spring budget. It said Canada has averaged around 200,000 new housing units annually in recent years and pledged to “double our current rate of new construction over the next decade.” This quick video has more information We wanted you to see this trending video
BC passes “cooling off” period for home buyers with no idea how it’ll work Premier John Horgan’s cabinet to, in the months ahead, set all the rules it wants, when it wants, how it wants by regulation. “It was really frustrating,” said BC Liberal finance critic Mike Bernier, who posed dozens of unanswered questions about the cooling-off period in the house. “Why do we have a blank piece of paper for legislation? It’s typical of the NDP government right now, to present a one-page thing on the floor and say we’ll figure it out in our minds later.” Finance Minister Selina Robinson said government is still waiting on recommendations by an independent financial agency on how a cooling-off period would work, and in which cities it should apply. But she also wanted to pass the bill now so the province could be in a position to act before the busy summer real estate season.
“What we’re doing is we’re taking action and we’re studying it simultaneously,” Robinson told the legislature. BC already has a seven-day cooling-off period on the purchase of presale condos, where a buyer can walk away without a penalty. This new cooling-off period will apply to all home purchases. Whether it will also be seven days, Robinson wouldn’t say. Cabinet will decide that later this year, she said. The actual mechanism of placing an offer wouldn’t change, under the new law. Buyers could still choose to make a conditional offer, with conditions on financing or home inspections, and then back out without a penalty if there are problems. But more than 70% of the real estate offers in BC these days are made without conditions, because of how competitive
Vancouver Empty Homes Tax jumps to 5% Those who have homes in Vancouver who aren’t occupied could see themselves paying significantly more after council increased the Empty Homes Tax from three per cent to five per cent. The motion was introduced by Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart as part of an ongoing effort to increase rentals in the city, which is seeing record-breaking low vacancy rates and sky-high rents. In the motion, the mayor wrote that there was a 15 per cent decrease in vacant properties over the previous year and in 2020, the tax put $20 million back in the city’s coffers. The motion passed Wednesday night, however, councillors agreed to consider looking at ways the tax is implemented. Councillor Colleen Hardwick says there
are people who aren’t speculators who are being affected by the tax, including residents who may have family matters which lead them to keep a second home empty. Staff were told to report back to council next year to find out how the program can be altered to improve fairness so that those with legitimate reasons are not penalized. However, other councillors questioned why a second property would merit an exemption. “I can appreciate that we currently are looking at exemptions for those with legitimate reasons for vacancy, but having a second property that kind of seems to defeat the purpose. I mean, whether the second property is here in British Columbia or a villa in Palm Springs or a dacha in Moscow,” Councillor Pete Fry said.
Housing prices drop up to 22 per cent in the Toronto area As the Bank of Canada raises interest rates and sends signals that more hikes are on the way, it appears the red hot real estate market in Canada’s largest city is finally cooling down. “We are starting to see significant drops in some communities of more than 20 per cent for single detached homes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)” said Michael Carney, the director of business development at HouseSigma. HouseSigma is a website that monitors property values and market trends and said its latest data on housing price sales from Feb. 1, 2022 to April 19, 2022 shows there is evidence
a pullback in real estate prices is underway. According to it’s latest figures of GTA home prices, detached homes sold in February were selling for a median price of 12.1 per cent less in April, a price drop from $1.65 million to $1.45 million. Semi-detached homes dropped 13.5 per cent in the same period from $1.33 million to $1.15 million and the biggest drop was in freehold townhouses which were selling for 22.6 per cent less a drop from $1.24 million to $960,000. Condominiums had the smallest decrease of 6.8 per cent, a drop from $740,000 to $690,000.
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Vancouver city council approves 39-storey ‘urban placemaker’ rental tower on Broadway Project will be integrated with South Granville subway station set to open in 2025. Vancouver city council voted 9-2 Tuesday to approve the construction of a 39-storey rental tower at the northeast corner of Broadway and Granville that will be integrated with a new subway station under construction on the property. When complete, the 407-foot tower will be one of the tallest buildings on the south side of False Creek and feature 223 rental homes, with 45 of them to be rented at below market rates. A city staff report described the development as “an urban placemaker.” “I think it’s actually quite a handsome building,” said Coun. Pete Fry during his remarks in support of the project, the first of its kind to be built over a station serving the new subway line under construction from the False Creek Flats to Arbutus Street. A large grocery store and office space will occupy the lower floors of the tower, which will be built by PCI Developments LP, the same developer with two 14-storey rental tower projects underway in the 3600-block of East Hastings Street.Council’s decision Tuesday came after hearing from 90 speakers over several nights of a public hearing, with those in support and opposed to the project evenly split, according to results tracked by city staff. Supporters focused on the need for more rental housing, particularly on transit lines, and more family-sized homes; a minimum of 35 per cent of all rental units will be two or more bedrooms. Those opposed cited scale and height of the project, with many noting the proposal shouldn’t be considered until the Broadway Plan goes before council next month. Council also received 409 letters against and 607 in support of the tower, including one
from BC Attorney General David Eby, who doubles as the province’s housing minister, and another from BC’s Environment Minister George Heyman. It is a rare move for cabinet ministers to send letters to city hall on a project.“The development of a mixed-use buildings such as this one, which bring density to areas surrounding rapid transit stations, are generally accepted as best practice in urban design, as well as optimal utilization of transit infrastructure,” Eby said.“Accordingly, the Province is actively supporting proposals of this kind, which align and support government’s affordable housing, climate change and transportation infrastructure goals.”‘Cart before the horse’ Coun. Colleen Hardwick unsuccessfully attempted to postpone debate on the project, suggesting council should first review the much-anticipated Broadway Plan, which will outline future development possibilities along the corridor. Hardwick said the project was “leapfrogging” the Broadway Plan and said approving it under an interim city policy would be “putting the cart before the horse.” Postponing debate would have restored trust in the city’s engagement process with residents, she said. “The public trust has been seriously eroded through this,” said Hardwick, who is TEAM for a Livable Vancouver’s mayoral candidate in the Oct. 15 election.“I’m concerned that we are pushing through profound changes during a pandemic, when we really should be pressing pause and going through this systematically.” Coun. Jean Swanson cited affordability in her reasons for not supporting the tower, saying it didn’t serve low-income renters.
Real Estate
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Studios for rent in BC, Ontario are most expensive per square foot in Canada Rent is expensive in Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver, and the tinier you go, the more you pay. Photographee. eu/Shutterstock Rent is expensive in Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver, and the tinier you go, the more you pay. According to the April National Rent Report from Rentals. ca, average rents across Canada have been pretty flat since November 2021 and winter is usually the slowest period for rental activity. “After a period of steady declines, Toronto has bounced back strongly as rental rates continue to steadily rise heading into March,” reads the report. “The average rental rate in Vancouver has risen sharply over the recent months, with rents in downtown Vancouver up by more than 30% annually.” So overall, they say that the Canadian rental market is going back to pre-pandemic levels with Vancouver and Toronto leading the charge. So overall, they say that the Canadian rental market is going back to pre-pandemic levels with Vancouver and Toronto leading the charge. Most expensive rentals in Canada
The most expensive rentals in the country (in terms of cost per square foot) are studios in BC and Ontario. This chart highlights the most expensive unit types in Canada. The price per square foot for studios in BC is $3.74, and in Ontario, it’s $3.72. In BC, one-bedroom units are the third most expensive kind of apartment, following the studios closely at $3.28 per square foot. Both BC and Ontario continue to be the most expensive provinces for asking monthly rental rates. In BC, the average is $2,200 per month and in Ontario, it’s $1,995. Between January 2019 and March 2022, the change in the average rent-persquare foot hasn’t changed a lot overall. Still, Vancouver continues to be the most expensive city for renters. The average rent for a one-bedroom unit is $2,280 – up 13.94% year-over-year. Toronto is the second most expensive city, where the average rent for a one-bedroom unit is $2,023 – up 10.97% year-over-year.
“With this project, we have 20 per cent affordable to people in the 50 to 80K range,” Swanson said. “Nothing for people below that, nothing for the median senior household income of 28K, nothing for people on disability, or [people] on social assistance, or a single minimum wage earner, or students working part time.”‘Towers are not unlivable’ Coun. Adriane Carr pushed back on Hardwick’s
framing of the vote that it was putting the cart before the horse, noting it was a councilapproved interim rezoning policy that allowed the project to come before council.“I don’t believe it’ll set a precedent for the Broadway Plan,” Carr said. “City staff just told us today that in fact the Broadway Plan is in draft form already. So it’s not the cart before the horse.”
#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005
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Saturday, April 30, 2022
Heat waves are scorching India and Pakistan this week, breaking records as the region enters the hottest time of the year. Some states in India have seen temperatures top 43 °C (110 °F), with northwest India likely to see even higher temperatures in the coming days, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Extreme heat can be deadly, especially for a region where many lack access to cooling. And climate change is making heat waves more frequent and severe, with periods of hot days stretching out longer in places like South Asia. This heat wave is particularly concerning for its timing and its spread, says Arpita Mondal, a climate researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Usually, peak temperatures in the region come in May and June, just before monsoon rains bring relief, she explains, but this year has been particularly hot, particularly early. March of this year was the hottest on record, with an average temperature of 33.1 °C (nearly 92 °F). for heat waves, researchers have “very high confidence” that climate change is making the problem worse, AghaKouchak says. Heat can have devastating impacts on human health—356,000 deaths globally in
Climate change is making South Asia’s brutal heat waves worse 2019 were linked to extreme heat. The risk is greatest for elderly people and children, but anyone without adequate access to cooling can be affected, especially if heat continues for days at a time without letting up at night. How hot is too hot for the human body? Climate change is bringing extreme heat and testing the limits of what people can tolerate. Forecasting and early warning systems can help people prepare for extreme heat. And the IMD has started focusing on forecasting heat waves in recent years, Mondal says. However, the realities of a developing country mean that many people will still come into harm’s way during heat waves in India. As of 2019, only about 7% of Indian households had an air conditioner. And staying inside when temperatures peak might not be an option for people who depend on income from daily work, Mondal says. Some local governments are trying to adapt to extreme heat. Ahmedabad, a city in western India, experienced an especially devastating heat wave in May 2010: the official death count reached 800 people, and up to 1,300 deaths have been attributed to it indirectly. In 2013,
the city launched a heat action plan, which included early warning systems for residents, training for health-care professionals, and adjustments to help cool buildings naturally. Since then, other local governments have followed suit and created plans of their own, but some hope to see more national action to help people adjust to heat, Mondal says. Cutting emissions will help prevent
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Tata’s Air India proposes to buy AirAsia India Tata Group-owned Air India has proposed to buy the entire equity share capital of low cost carrier AirAsia India, in which Tata has a majority stake, to merge into a single airline, according to an application with India’s competition commission. The autos-to-steel conglomerate bought staterun carrier Air India in a $2.4 billion equity-anddebt deal, regaining ownership of what used to be India’s flagship carrier after nearly 70 years. Tata Sons has an 83.67% stake in AirAsia India. “This was on expected lines as it makes no sense for the Tata Group to own stakes in separate airlines,” said Vinamra Longani,
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Saturday, April 30, 2022 Raj Thackeray hails Yogi Adityanath for removing loudspeakers from mosques sense prevails,” Raj Thackeray’s
In support for Yogi Adityanath, MNS chief Raj Thackeray expressed his gratitude to UP chief minister for the removal of the loudspeakers from religious places, ‘specially the masjids’. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray whose call to remove loudspeakers from mosques stirred the entire Hanuman Chalisa controversy in the state and elsewhere on Thursday congratulated and thanked Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for removing thousands of loudspeakers from UP religious places, ‘specially the masjids’. “Unfortunately in Maharashtra, we don’t have any yogis; what we have are ‘bhogis’ (hedonists). Here’s hoping and praying good
message read. In the last few days, the UP government has managed to remove over 11,000 loudspeakers in religious places while the volume of another 35,000 loudspeakers has been lowered to the permissible levels. One of the first to bring down its loudspeaker was Mathura’s Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi which decided not to broadcast its Mangalacharan Aarti through loudspeakers at Bhagwat Bhavan on the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi premises. In his address at a Gudi Padwa gathering early this month, Raj Thackeray said his party workers will play Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques if the state government does not remove loudspeakers from the mosques in the state.
Kerala rejects PM’s appeal to cut down fuel tax The CPI(M)-led Kerala government on Wednesday rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the six oppositionruled states to cut down tax on fuel Finance minister T N Balagopal criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue during a meet called to discuss Covid-19 situation in the country. (PTI) Finance minister T N Balagopal criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue during a meet called to discuss Covid-19 situation in the country. The CPI(M)-led Kerala government on Wednesday rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the six opposition-ruled states to cut down tax on fuel. Finance minister T N Balagopal
said the state has no plans slash sales tax on petrol and diesel. He said the state could not afford to reduce tax at this juncture as it never increased value added tax. “The PM’s statement creates enough misunderstanding and gives an impression that states are behind recurring price hike of petroleum products. States are not getting their due and even cess and surcharge, the Centre pockets them. GST backlog is also quite high,” he said, adding, Kerala has no plan to cut value added tax on petroleum products. “GST has already deprived states of taxing rights. Petrol and alcohol are two remaining items where the states have some power.
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China, Russia, India on US property rights blacklist The United States has put China, Russia and five other countries on its annual blacklist for lax enforcement of intellectual property rights that leaves American companies vulnerable to copyright and trademark piracy. All seven countries on this year’s list were on last year’s, too. The report identifies countries “that are falling short’’ and promised that the Biden administration “will continue to engage with these trading partners to level the playing field for our workers.” “China continues to be the largest origin economy for counterfeit and pirated goods,’’ according to the report. Also on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s “priority watch list’’ were Argentina, Chile, India, Indonesia and Venezuela. The U.S. suspended its review this year of Ukraine -- which made last year’s blacklist -- while
it attempts to fight off an invasion from Russia. The trade office also removed Saudi Arabia from its priority watch list, citing its crackdown on counterfeit and pirated goods, the creation of special intellectual property enforcement courts and other steps. To prepare the list, which was released Wednesday, the trade office reviewed the performance of more than 100 U.S. trading partners. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that the report identifies countries “that are falling short’’ and promised that the Biden administration “will continue to engage with these trading partners to level the playing field for our workers and businesses.’’ Russia, it said, continues to lack “sufficient staffing, expertise, and the political will to effectively combat (intellectual property) violations and criminal enterprises.’’
There are more Indian migrants than Chinese in Australia Indians moving to Australia were the largest overseas migrant cohort in the past decade and have supplanted China as the second-biggest diaspora living Down Under, government data show. From 2011 to 2021, Indian-born migrants rose by 373,000, followed by 208,000 from China and 118,000 from the Philippines, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed Tuesday. As a result, Indians now account for 2.8 per cent of the population, compared with China’s 2.3 per cent, while Britons lead with 3.8 per cent. Yet reflecting the distortions of the pandemic, the proportion of Australia’s population who are overseas-born actually edged down to 29.1 per cent in 2021 from 29.8 per cent a year earlier. That was due to the closing of the borders, meaning almost no new arrivals and few Australian departures in the period. Just under half of all Australians were
either born overseas or had a parent who was, according to the most recent data from 2016. Immigration played a central role in Australia avoiding recession for 28 years until Covid-19 finally sent the economy into reverse. China’sfallfromsecondtothirdplaceasasource of immigrants came as ties between Australia and its top trading partner were deteriorating. They went into free-fall in 2020 as Prime Minister Scott Morrison led calls for an independent probe into the origins of the coronavirus that first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Beijing, infuriated, responded with a volley of punitive trade actions that have hit commodities from coal to barley, lobsters and wine. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said last month that Australia would look to reduce its dependence on China in the face of “economic coercion” from Beijing.
India’s extreme heat wave is thwarting Modi’s plan to “feed the world” India has been experiencing relentless heat waves for the second month in a row. This has now begun to wilt the country’s agriculture sector, especially wheat production. A low yield, coupled with rising food inflation, would force the government to prioritise domestic consumption over exports, potentially tripping up prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent offer to help feed the world. After its hottest March in 122 years, India is now experiencing its hottest
April in over a century. Temperatures are soaring close to 40°C, enough for the India meteorological department to sound a yellow alert yesterday (April 27). The heat maps now look like seething cauldrons for the region covering India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In New Delhi, the maximum temperature hovered around 42°C yesterday. It recorded the highest number of heat-wave days in a month in the past decade. And it is only April yet. India’s peak summer season in May to June, before the monsoon rains hit its coasts, is yet to come.
Kamal Nath resigns as Congress Legislature Party leader in Madhya Pradesh Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath resigned as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday and his resignation has been accepted by party president Sonia Gandhi, sources said. Sources added the party chief has appointed Govind Singh as the new CLP leader. Singh
is the MLA from Lahar in Bhind district. Nath, who is the state party president, resigned as CLP leader in view the party’s “one person, one post” policy. Nath is a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and a former union minister.
Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar gets bail in murder case A Special CBI court here has granted bail to former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, in connection with the killing of a fatherson duo by a violent mob allegedly led by him during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. However, the former lawmaker will remain in jail as he was convicted in another riots case in 2018 and currently undergoing life imprisonment. In the 29-page order, Judge M.K. Nagapal said the bail application filed by Sajjan Kumar is allowed. He is admitted to bail in this case on furnishing of a personal bond in the sum of Rs 1,00,000 with two sureties of the like amount to the satisfaction of
this court, read the order dated April 27. On December 7, the same court had announced charges against Kumar in the case. He was charged with rioting, murder, and dacoity under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in connection with the double murder. As per the case, Jaswant Singh and his son Tarun Deep Singh, residents of Raj Nagar in west Delhi killed by an unruly mob consisting of several thousand persons allegedly led by Sajjan Kumar during the anti-Sikh riots that took place in Delhi and various other parts of the country following the murder of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.
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Punjab Punjab orders probe into Vidhan Sabha recruitment scam Can you imagine a cook at your home getting a salary of Rs 50,000 per month? Well, if you are the niece of the deputy speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, you can! And what is interesting is that you get to be employed at your uncle’s residence! Later, she was “adjusted” as a clerk in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. This is exactly what has allegedly happened in Punjab in the past five years. The abovecited curious case of Sumanpreet Kaur and her uncle, former deputy speaker Ajaib Singh
Bhatti, is not the only one. As the Punjab government ordered a probe into the recruitment of 154 people in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in the past five years of the Congress rule, the list of “under investigation” employees is a telling tale of the state of affairs. The issue had earlier been highlighted by the Aam Aadmi Party in the run-up to the assembly polls. Today, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, who has ordered the high-level probe in the matter, said
Heatwave set to get worse across NW India and parts of Punjab, Haryana As mercury levels shoot up, health experts warn of rise in heat-related ailments But what’s worse, there is no respite from the heat for the next five days. Meaning that we have to deal with another round of heatwave from today. With Chandigarh recording a maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and predicted to see a spike by two to three notches on Thursday, experts have warned that the extreme heat so early in this year is particularly
dangerous.The maximum tempreatures will be seen on Saturday and Sunday, which may go up to 46 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature may touch 46 degrees Celsius in parts of Punjab and Haryana, said Met department Director Manmohan Singh. He said Punjab and Haryana over the next five days could reach 44-45 degrees Celsius, approaching its record April temperature, while some parts of Punjab could reach up to 46 degrees.
BJP slams Kejriwal for ‘behaviour’ at Covid review meet The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday slammed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after he was caught on camera slouching on the chair during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Covid-19 review meeting. Kejriwal was purportedly seen putting both of his arms over his head and to the back of the chair, and sliding down the seating while Modi interacted via video conference. Taking to Twitter, the BJP
Delhi shared the video clip of the moment and wrote, “Mannerless CM of Delhi!” There has been no public response yet from either Kejriwal or the AAP on the saffron camp’s attack. Chief minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, Basavaraj Bommai of Karnataka, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh and Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh, among others, were also seen in the 19-second video clip shared by the BJP.
Pakistan Agencies probing Karachi University blast suspect presence of more female BLA suicide bombers investigators probing the suicide attack by a woman at the Karachi University that killed three Chinese teachers have not ruled out the presence of more female suicide bombers at sleeper cells of the outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army, even as police in Lahore have arrested a suspect from Punjab University in connection with the bombing. On Tuesday, an explosion triggered by a burqa-clad woman suicide bomber from the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) ripped through a van of the Confucius
Institute at the prestigious University of Karachi, leaving three Chinese teachers dead and one injured, in the latest targeted attack against Chinese citizens in Pakistan. Following the incident, the banned BLA took to social media to claim responsibility and announce that the bomber was a woman named Shaari Baloch who was highly educated mother of two young children, belonging to a well-established family and working as a school teacher in her native Turbat, Balochistan.
Military ends its experiment with hybrid democracy Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in no-confidence vote, ending months of political turmoil. For weeks, Khan had faced public discontent with his mismanagement of the economy and lost the support of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment. The political opposition seized the opportunity. In the end, Khan’s removal was made possible by Supreme
Court action: Days before, the court reversed a ruling by the National Assembly’s deputy speaker to dismiss the no-confidence vote. Khan is the first Pakistani prime minister to be removed by a no-confidence vote, but none has ever completed their full five-year term. Only three of the 23 prime ministers since Pakistan’s independence have lasted for four years,
Deadly border attacks test Pak gov’t relations with Taliban Tensions are high between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border attacks, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of doing little to stop attacks that have increased since the Taliban came to power last August. Pakistan says its security forces are being targeted from across the border in Afghanistan. Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP (Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), and ISIL (ISIS) affiliated fighters, who operate along the porous border between the two countries have carried out numerous attacks inside Pakistan since 2007. How is life for Afghan women under Taliban rule? In 2014, the group attacked a school in Peshawar, killing 150 people, mostly children,
in one of its deadliest attacks in the country. The Taliban warned Islamabad of “consequences” saying it would not tolerate “invasions” from its neighbours after nearly 50 people were killed on April 16 in alleged Pakistani air raids in the border provinces of Kunar and Khost. Pakistan has not confirmed if it was behind the air raids. The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan was celebrated by officials in Islamabad and it was hoped that the armed group would rein in TTP and ISIL fighters, but instead attacks have risen. More attacks have been recorded this year than in the same period last year.
FIJI US warns Solomon Islands against China military base as Australian MPs trade blame The US government has warned Solomon Islands it will “respond accordingly” if its security agreement with China leads to a Chinese military presence in the Pacific island nation. A visiting US delegation including IndoPacific security adviser Kurt Campbell delivered the message to the Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, directly, the White House said, as fallout
over the agreement continued to dominate the Australian federal election campaign. Details of the agreement have not been made public. But according to a draft version of the deal, it would allow armed Chinese police to be deployed at Solomon Islands’ request to maintain “social order”. It would also allow China to “make ship visits to, carry out logistical replenishment in, and have stopover and transition in Solomon
NZ-based kava exporter merges with Mana Kava to cater for the Australian market A New Zealand-based Kava export company BiloVinaka has merged with Mana Kava to form BiloVinaka Mana Kava to cater for the Australian market. BiloVinaka’s Business Development Manager Anish Deo says this concept not only allows international customers to enjoy high-quality, refreshing and relaxing kava
but it also supports the local kava farmers to distribute their products worldwide. Deo says they faced a few minor operational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic however Investment Fiji’s support and guidance allowed them to maintain access to key markets and helped them broaden their reach in the Australian market.
Fiji drops pre-arrival COVID-19 testing requirement Fully vaccinated visitors to Fiji will no longer be required to produce a pre-arrival negative COVID-19 test prior to entry effective Sunday. This was revealed in a statement by the Fijian government this morning, adding this move will reduce costs and lend greater convenience to those travelling to Fiji. The change applies to all visitors entering
Fiji by air or sea who were previously required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or rapid antigen test (RAT) prior to arrival. This step is in line with best practices for entry requirements among highly vaccinated societies, and follows countries such as Australia and Singapore, which have also removed COVID-19 testing as an entry prerequisite.
Bus fare increase likely Bus fare prices are likely to increase in order to allow operators to continue to operate sustainably. The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission is in the final stages of assessing the cost components of bus companies. Due to increased fuel prices, bus operators have made submissions for an increase in fares.
FCCC Chief Executive, Joel Abraham confirms operators are seeking a 60% increase in Stage One fares and 25% to 30% increase in the other stages. Abraham says they have a stringent bus fare review process that will determine if a change is needed and by how much.
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Press release
BC Liberals call on NDP to make good on promises to Ukrainian refugees
The BC Liberals are calling on John Horgan and the NDP to make good on their promise to provide Medical Services Plan (MSP) coverage to Ukrainian refugees upon arrival in British Columbia and stop charging them for entrance medical exams. “Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing violence and unrest in their country as a result of Vladimir Putin’s unjust invasion. While it was encouraging to hear the provincial government say that it will be providing MSP coverage for these refugees, we were shocked to learn that the medical exam required after their arrival is not covered under the plan. This exam can cost hundreds of dollars and is a significant barrier for people dependent on government and charitable supports,” said MLA Shirley Bond, BC Liberal Health Critic. On top of failing to cover the arrival exam costs, the NDP have failed to follow through on their promise that Ukrainian refugees would be covered by MSP upon arrival. According to a statement from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, they are requiring refugees
Urban mayors plead with NDP to do something about prolific offenders
to jump through additional bureaucratic hoops to get essential medical coverage backdated to their arrival date, and only upon request. “I have asked the Minister of Health about this numerous times and was assured that there would be first day MSP coverage for Ukrainian refugees. The recent comments from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs have created confusion and appear to be contradictory to that commitment,” continued Bond. “These families have gone through the trauma of being forced to flee their homes. The government needs to do the right thing and make this process as simple and stress free as possible.” A recent story showed that one woman was charged $400 for her medical exam, and because it wasn’t covered under MSP she was forced to pay for it with the financial donations friends had given her to spend on food, clothes and other essentials for her family.
BC Liberal Caucus 250-896-5337
The Official Opposition has obtained an explosive, previously unreleased letter, written by 13 urban mayors who are calling out NDP Attorney General David Eby’s harmful catch and release policies for repeat criminal offenders. “Last month, Minister Eby claimed that Opposition anecdotes shared in Question Period were ‘not backed up by the statistics’ — but the damning criminal offence data shared by the BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus in its April 5 letter proves otherwise,” said MLA Mike Morris, BC Liberal Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General. “These crimes are becoming increasingly violent and brazen — it’s time for the Attorney General to do something about prolific offenders and their impact on our communities. His lack of
action is undermining public confidence in the justice system and has brought it completely into disrepute.” The letter from the mayors shows that since 2017, there has been a 118 per cent increase in the amount of time it is taking the Province to review files it receives from police; a 75 per cent increase in the rate of no-charge assessments; and a 26 per cent decrease in the number of accused being approved to go to court. The data also provides a variety of examples from various communities where a single offender has generated hundreds of police files yet is routinely released with conditions and subsequently re-offends. These individuals are rarely, if ever, charged.
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