OPINION
by Bryan Schwartz
The provinces say they need more federal money for health. The federal government says it wants to be assured of improved outcomes first. In my view, adding money, even with various provinces and metrics, will not be sufficient. We will still have huge problems with inadequate staff, waiting lists, procedures that are simply
How to resolve the health-care deadlock in Canada
not offered, and lack of innovation, among other problems. The health-care system cannot be fixed within the rigidities imposed by federal policy that does not allow the provinces enough room to provide the best mix of public and private payment. Almost all other developed countries allow for a reasonable mix. We in Canada have to
find our own hybrid. Otherwise, we will continue the paradox: Compared to many other countries, on a per capita basis, we pay more and get less.
Let me propose a way forward for Canada. The idea is to seek an approach that can be widely agreed upon by people with different political views, beliefs, and practical experiences. It would invite decision-making based on evidence, not ideology.
First, the Canada Health Act must permit more room for experimentation and innovation by provincial governments. Federalism is a fundamental value of Canada. Provinces have primary authority over health-care delivery. In different provinces, new ideas can be formulated and tested. They may involve some options where patients pay for care directly or through private insurance. We can see what works and what does not.
Second, the flexibility permitted by Health Canada could be guided by the “mutual reinforcement” principle. More private-pay options will be allowed to the extent that a provincial government has reasonably determined that it will not harm the quality, timeliness, and accessibility of the publicly insured system. The standard is “a privatepay option can be permitted or facilitated by a provincial government if it does not damage, and preferably promotes, the publicly insured system.”
So, the current publicly insured system remains the starting point. The aim is to make it as good as it can be in terms of accessibility, quality, timeliness, efficiency, and outcomes, given all the other constraints on public spending. But the provinces would be permitted to explore whether some private-pay options would, in fact (not merely under ideological presumptions), improve the publicly insured system.
For example, in some circumstances, it might make sense to permit a physician to practice in both the mainstream (publicly funded) and their own private-pay clinic. If the two roles are properly co-ordinated, the physician might end up doing more procedures overall and reduce the demand on the mainstream system. The privatepay clinic might be a space where innovation takes place in response to provider creativity and patient preference and may eventually be incorporated into the mainstream system.
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A former North Vancouver city councillor and his adult daughter died in a house fire early Thursday.
Mayor Linda Buchanan confirmed former councillor Robert (Bob) Fearnley perished in the fire.
Global News has learned his daughter, Gayle, was the other victim.
“Bob was an active member of our community and dedicated many years to public service, having served on city council from 1996 to 2011,” Buchanan said.
“Flags across the City will fly at halfmast in recognition and remembrance.
“Onbehalfofcouncil,Iwanttoextendmydeepest condolences to the friends and families across
Federal govt fires 49 employees for claiming CERB while employed
A federal government department has fired 49 employees who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while they were employed.
Employment and Social Development Canada, which oversaw the distribution of the benefit—better known as CERB— conducted an internal investigation and found that some of its employees had claimed the benefit for themselves.
“Those individuals that did break the trust of the employer-employee relationship … have been terminated,” assistant deputy minister Mary Crescenzi told a House of Commons committee on Thursday. “To date, we have terminated 49 individuals.” Crescenzi and other senior officials from ESDC and the Canada Revenue Agency were testifying at the public accounts committee after an auditor general’s report on the billions of dollars in COVID-19 benefits the government doled out during the pandemic.
The report found that of the $211 billion paid to Canadians and companies, at least $4.6 billion in overpayments went
to those who were ineligible and another $27.4 billion merited further investigation.
CERB provided financial support to Canadians who had employment income of at least $5,000 in the 12 months prior to applying for it. Recipients were eligible to receive weekly $500 payments amounting to $2,000 over a four-week period.
Conservative MP Michael Kram also asked Bob Hamilton, the CRA commissioner, how many workers claimed CERB while employed.
Hamilton said he did not have exact numbers on hand, but said it was “not very many.”
“We treat public servants as general taxpayers and if you violate the rules you suffer the compliance efforts,” he said. Neither department referred any of the cases to law enforcement, the officials said.
“We have very strong internal investigation at the CRA, and we deal with it ourselves,” Hamilton said.
Crescenzi said the monies received by the 49 terminated employees have been classified as overpayments that must be repaid.
Charges finally laid in 2016 White Rock apartment fire
A 24-year-old Surrey man has been charged in connection to a massive White Rock apartment fire that happened back in 2016.
According to White Rock RCMP, James Adrian Dyer faces seven charges including arson. In May 2016 a huge blaze forced 100 people out of their homes and drained the city’s resources. The fire first started in a building that was under construction and spread through a condo complex.
The extent of the fire placed the whole city under a boil water advisory- a
precaution against bacteria that may have entered into the city’s water system.
Investigators were able to determine that the fire was deliberately set but arrests remained elusive for a few more years.
In 2019, the RCMP told CityNews they had invested “thousands of hours” investigating the cause of the fire.
“Our investigators have worked tirelessly to bring this investigation to the charge approval stage. It showcases the dedication and commitment our police
the North Shore who are grieving this tragic loss.” The fire broke out around 3 a.m. in the 4000 block of Delbrook Avenue.
Police said several people were able to escape from the home, but that two bodies were found inside once the flames were extinguished. The status of the people rescued from the home is not known at this time.
“I woke up to an explosion sound, more than two or three times,” neighbour Ramin Haghaghi said. “We are in the very early stages of this investigation,” Const. Mansoor Sahak of the North Vancouver RCMP said in a release. The cause of the fire remains unknown but the District of North Vancouver Fire Rescue Services said it appears the fire started on the south side of the home.
5 Saturday, February 11, 2023 LOCAL / NATIONAL
Former North Vancouver councillor, daughter killed in house fire
India
& Canada FMs discuss reset in ties with Indo-Pacific strategy
the United Nations.
The Canadian strategy document released contains sharp words on China’s “coercive” challenge to the international rules-based order and on human rights, and in contrast says India and Canada have a “shared tradition of democracy and pluralism, a common commitment to a rules-based international system and multilateralism, mutual interest in expanding our commercial relationship and extensive and growing people-to-people connections“.
Ms. Joly’s visit is particularly significant, as she is due to visit Delhi again next month again for the G-20 Foreign Minister’s
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meeting and the G-20 summit later this year, but chose to travel to India for a stand-along visit expected to pave the way for a continued reset in India-Canada ties after a freeze between 2020-2022 over a number of issues including attacks on Indian-origin people and establishments by Khalistani groups in Canada, Canadian comments over India’s farmer protests and India’s cancellation of diplomatic talks in response. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau in June last year, and is expected to welcome him for the G-20 summit in Delhi in September this year as well.
Former Premier John Horgan stepping down from provincial politics
“IspentalotoftimedoingthisandIbelieve there are other things in the world for me to do and I’m excited about that,” he said.
Details of his departure from the legislature remain to be worked out, but Horgan said he plans to leave by the end of the fiscal year.
Horgan told reporters he plans to support the New Democratic candidate who will run to replace him in LangfordJuan de Fuca, but added he is done with elected politics. Horgan said he came to appreciate being a normal person after stepping down from the premier’s office in
November, working around his Langford home and driving himself to events.
But Horgan did not rule out being involved in other political ways, as his speech included a passionate appeal to address climate change.
“We are in extraordinary times,” he told reporters. “The human condition is in peril and we all need to find ways to resolve these issues….there are an endless list of challenges and they don’t lend themselves to the rigorous cut and thrust in the legislature because citizens have to be engaged, not just legislators.”
BC lumber industry on edge after Biden ups the ante on Buy American policies
Mill closures threaten fabric of rural BC towns over anti-dumping duties it imposes on softwood lumber from north of the border.
“This is concerning and we are seeking to better understand what this means for Canadian producers,” Coady said of Biden’s announcement.
“Our focus remains on working on both sides of the border to maximize the opportunity Canada has in providing the sustainably produced, low-carbon lumber products we know American homebuilders, consumers and construction workers want and need.”
When Mayor Shane Brienen of Houston, BC, thinks about the impact of the impending closure of the town’s sawmill, he worries not only about the economic fallout. He thinks about the holes that the workers
and their spouses will leave in the community.
“Maybe in their spare time they were coaching or running your hiking club. Maybe the spouse is a school teacher or ambulance driver,’’ Brienen said.
A range of pressures on British Columbia forests are reverberating this spring through Houston and other rural and northern communities, where sawmill, pellet and pulp closures are affecting hundreds of workers. Mayors say there’s still a future in the industry, but they will need support to realize it.
Brienen, who works at Canfor’s Houston mill along with more than 300 others, said he considers the town better prepared than others because it has experience getting through the permanent closure of a mill owned by a different company in 2014.
CanforshutsdownoperationsinChetwynd and Houston, B.C., affecting 490 jobs
COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to fall in B.C., as the province reported 20 more deaths linked to the virus in a week.
According to the latest weekly report from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), as of Thursday, 188 people are in hospital with the virus, with 25 in critical care, two more than the week before.
That’s a 7.8 per cent drop in the number of hospitalizations compared to the 204 people in hospital a week ago.
As of Feb. 4, the province says there
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Austin in the legislature Monday outlines a political agenda for the coming months that includes a plan to support people amid rising costs now and in the long term.
have been 20 new deaths among people who tested positive for COVID-19 within the last month, bringing the total number of deaths in B.C. linked to the virus since the start of the pandemic to 5,139.
B.C. labs reported 278 cases of the virus for a total of 395,367 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
Unlike hospitalizations, case totals significantly underestimate the true spread of the disease as the BCCDC only counts PCR tests in its report, which are currently inaccessible to the majority of British Columbians.
NDP throne speech says B.C. govt will spend surplus as slowdown looms health care. A budget surplus of $5.7 billion was forecast late last year, but the speech describes this as a one-time event largely due to higher tax and natural resource revenues.
But the speech says a global economic slowdown is forecast and B.C. likely won’t be in a budget surplus situation for long. The speech says some people would argue that B.C. should respond to a looming downturn by cutting services and pulling back supports, but that is not the course the government will take at a time when people are still finding their way after the COVID-19 pandemic. The speech says the government will introduce new legislation this spring covering pay transparency, fighting organized crime and money laundering and outlawing malicious and exploitative nonconsensual sharing of intimate images.
Premier David Eby is not at the legislature today for what would be his first throne speech since replacing former premier John Horgan, and is instead in Ottawa with other premiers to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to negotiate increased funding for
“Some would say we should respond to a downturn by pulling back, reducing services or by making people pay out of pocket for health care,” says the speech. “There’s too much at stake right now to pull back on supports for people who are only now finding their footing after the pandemic.”
The speech says the government will announce a refreshed housing strategy that will include investments to increase homes and services near transit station areas across B.C.
“In the fall session, after working with local governments, homebuilders and communities, new laws will be introduced to turn that strategy into new affordable homes,” says the speech.
The speech says the government will continue to put people first in the budget it introduces later this month.
“It will make record new investments to improve public health care and deliver more housing for middle-class families,” says the speech. “It will introduce new measures to address the cost of living, especially for those most vulnerable.”
6 Saturday, February 11, 2023
From page 1
OVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall while ICU numbers remain relatively stable
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ESDC) as well as the federal government’s fledgling access to information system.
CRA head’s statement ‘not worth the effort’ to recover $15.5 billion in wage subsidy is worrysome requests that we make. It tells you where priorities are in some institutions.”
“Employment Insurance, where we have never or rarely seen an unemployment rate so low, yet it takes weeks and weeks for people who claim EI to get their review,” he cited as an example. “There are pockets of excellence, but there are also pockets of, I would say, nonchalance in the public service. They’re overwhelmed or something is not right,” he added.
Throughout the senate committee meeting Tuesday, Giroux, who was the CRA’s chief data officer and assistant commissioner before taking the job as PBO, lambasted his former agency for its views on COVID-19 benefit overpayment recoveries as well as its lack of cooperation with his office on various studies.
“The CRA doesn’t deem it worthy, appropriate or worth the effort to go after an alleged $15 billion in potential overpayments, which is a bit disconcerting when you hear that and the government is faced with a deficit,” Giroux said.
He was referring to testimony by CRA commissioner Bob Hamilton to MPs in late January that “it wouldn’t be worth the effort” to review and try to recover every dollar of $15.5 billion in Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) payments recently flagged by the auditor general.
In her winter report, auditor general Karen Hogan lambasted CRA for its “lack of rigour” in trying to identify and recoup all of a “minimum” $27.4 billion in suspected emergency aid benefits overpayments, including $15.5 billion for CEWS.
In late January, Hamilton told MPs on the House public accounts committee that the CRA contested how the auditor general had come to that CEWS number, which it considers to be inflated. So, if CRA was to “probe into all” those cases, it would require more effort than it was worth, he said.
That affirmation made MPs such as Conservative Kelly McCauley jump at the time, as it did Giroux.
He also took a swing at his former employer for its repeated lack of collaboration in providing him crucial data for studies he’s conducting. For example, he’s still waiting for disaggregated data on real estate investment trusts he requested in November.
“Every single time we have an interaction with them, we get incomplete information.” And then the data has to be vetted by CRA commissioner Hamilton himself, Giroux told senators.
“That’s from the institution that said to the House committee that it’s not costeffective to go after $15 billion of potential overspending of pandemic relief. But it is time-effective for them to review information
Giroux said a real “Christmas gift in advance” from Parliament would be legislative changes so that “CRA would stop hiding behind taxpayer confidentiality” as an excuse to stonewall him from receiving depersonalized data.
“When we asked for information about real estate income trusts, I don’t really want to know specific income trusts information,” he said. Giroux also expressed unexpected frustration at the government’s Departmental Results Report system, where organizations set objectives for themselves and then assess the following year if they met them or not.
“There is a system that is broken. The challenge function, those who challenge
7 Saturday, February 11, 2023 205 - 7134 - King George Boulevard, Surrey, BC V3W 5A3 T 604 449 7500 F 604 449 7501 TF 1 888 449 7573 E info@rmlawyers.ca For more Updates, Visit our Website www.theasianstar.com
Canadian mining company, Calibre Mining Corp. announced the discovery of a significant gold deposit in Ferry County, Washington.
According to Calibre, the 2-millionounce deposit was found in the Republic / Eureka mining district, part of Calibre’s “Golden Eagle Project”.
As of Tuesday, the New York Commodity Exchange lists the price of gold at approximately $1,885 per ounce. This puts the estimated value of the
deposit at approximately $3.7 billion.
“The first phase of this drill program confirms a robust mineral system with consistent gold grades over broad widths,” Darren Hall, president and Chief Executive Officer of Calibre, said. “The Golden Eagle Project is a key asset within our United States operating platform which includes the Pan mine and the Gold Rock and Illipah projects in Nevada. I look forward to results from the second phase of drilling as well as the commencement of a comprehensive metallurgical program to fully assess this strategic assets’ potential. Golden Eagle is a meaningful contributor to the Company’s overall mineral resource estimate with 2.0 million ounces in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource, adding positively to our organic growth strategy.”
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8 Saturday, February 11, 2023
LOCAL / NATIONAL
Estimated $3 billion gold deposit found in North Washington near BC border
Two BC cities have the longest average wait times for walk-in clinics in Canada
The average wait time for walk-in clinics in British Columbia is more than double the national average, according to online clinic tracker Medimap.
British Columbians had to wait an average of 79 minutes before they could see a doctor at a walk-in clinic in 2022.
That total is more than double the national average of 37 minutes last year.
In 2022, B.C.’s average wait time to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic rose 21 minutes compared to the 2021, and 37 minutes compared to 2020. “The drastic increase in average wait times at walk-in clinics
provides further evidence that healthcare systems across the country are struggling to provide adequate care,” said Medimap CEO Thomas Jankowski in a release Wednesday.
In two B.C. cities, the average wait time to meet withadoctoratawalk-inclinicwasovertwohours.
The longest wait time is in North Vancouver, where residents have to wait an average of 160 minutes, or two hours and 40 minutes, to speak with a doctor.
The second longest wait time is in Victoria, where patients have to wait 137 minutes, or two hours and 17 minutes, according to Medimap.
West Vancouver police search for suspect in series of cabin break-ins
West Vancouver police are searching for a man they say may be linked to more than a dozen cabin breakins on Cypress Mountain spanning several months.
Among the 16 reported break-ins, a local resident spotted the unidentified man inside a cabin on July 10, 2022, and took his picture, according to police.
On Nov. 28, 2022, police say the man was caught on CCTV cameras inside another cabin on Hollyburn Ridge.
“This is concerning for the community that enjoys the cabins at Hollyburn Ridge” Const. Nicole Braithwaite said. “We want to make sure that people feel safe going to and spending time at their cabins.”
Police say two of the break-ins have occured since the New Year. Residents have reported
missing items such as non-perishable food and other household items.
“This is just very concerning for the residents as this they’re unsure if this person might be living in the area. They (the suspect) might be squatting in one of the cabins that one of the owners might not be in or whether they’re just constantly coming and going from the area.”
The man is described as around 30 years old, 150 lbs with a slim build and brown hair. He was wearing a dark jacket and pants, a white trucker hat and heavy-duty winter snow boots. Anyone who recognizes the man or has any information that may lead to finding it is asked to contact the West Vancouver Police non-emergency number and reference file # 22-14159.
Burnaby man crashes into police, charged in connection with catalytic converter thefts
A Burnaby man was arrested after he fled from police and crashed into responding police vehicles on Sunday.
Coquitlam RCMP said officers were investigating a number of catalytic converter thefts in the Coquitlam and Port Moody city border area when they saw an ongoing theft. When police attempted to stop the ongoing theft, the suspect fled in a vehicle.
“Police attempted to stop the suspect near the Coquitlam and Port Moody city border,” Cpl. Alexa Hodgins said.
“The suspect (then) struck the responding police vehicles with his vehicle.”
A stolen catalytic converter was found inside the suspect’s vehicle, police said. Twenty-six-year-old Christopher Gagne is facing eight criminal charges including mischief to property, theft, dangerous operation of a vehicle, and flight from police. Gagne has since been released from custody pending his next court appearance.
Anyone with possible information regarding these incidents is asked to contact Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550
Police watchdog investigating Surrey Police Service member’s death at Langley shooting range
The death of a Surrey Police Service member from apparent suicide in Langley is under investigation. According to the RCMP, police were attempting to locate a man “reportedly in distress” on Wednesday afternoon at a business in the 9900-block of 201 Street.
In a prepared statement, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said the man — an off-duty Surrey Police Service member — “sustained a serious injury that appears to have been self-inflicted while police were in the building. The man was subsequently pronounced deceased.”
“The IIO has commenced an investigation, and initial investigative steps will seek to confirm what role, if any, police actions or inactions may have played in the death,” the statement read. The 9900-block of 201 Street is the location of The Range Langley, Canada’s largest indoor shooting range. SPS spokesperson Ian McDonald said the department was “working to support the officer’s family and friends, including his SPS work colleagues, during this difficult time.”
In a prepared statement, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said the incident was difficult and tragic.
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Notorious Kelowna criminal on the lam caught napping
A notorious Kelowna criminal who took off from a Surrey recovery home was rearrested Thursday while taking a nap.
Shortly before noon Thursday, two people were reported for being passed out in a vehicle in Peachland. The Mountie who attended the scene immediately recognized the man in the driver seat as 35-year-old John Michael Aronson.
“Aronson had been on the run for several days after cutting off his monitoring device while under court order to live at a halfway house in Surrey, B.C.,” RCMP said in a press release.
“Both Mr. Aronson, who is well known to police, and his female passenger have been arrested and are being held in Kelowna cells awaiting their court appearance.”
Aronson was most recently arrested on charges of robbery, using and possessing a gun unlawfully, committing a crime with a gun, using a gun without a licence and using a gun while prohibited from doing so.His criminal record, however, stretches on long before
those charges, with some of the incidents being very high-profile and high-risk.
He first gained a significant amount of attention in 2018 after he was shot during a high-profile arrest at Orchard Park Mall.
Police cornered him near the bank after trying multiple times to arrest him and he suffered a gunshot wound and a bite from a police dog, the court heard in the trial that followed.
He also spent 251 days in jail for the crime. The sentencing judge let him walk away from the courthouse time served, after a statement of contrition.
“Almost dying was an eye-opener for me,” Aronson said in court Sept. 23, 2019 as he was sentenced to time served for charges including flight from police and dangerous driving. He also had a weapons and driving ban imposed.
“I want to be there for my children. I’ve got a different focus on my life. I’m sorry (for) what I did. You won’t see me back here again.”
Sexual misconduct allegations surface involving former B.C. recovery worker
The New Westminster Police Department is investigating after sexual misconduct allegations have surfaced against a former contract employee at a drug and alcohol recovery centre.
Members of a private Facebook group have posted most of the allegations but one victim has agreed to share her story with Global News with anonymity.
For the purpose of the story, Global News
is referring to the alleged victim as Jane. Jane said a man assaulted her almost a decade ago.
“When I relapsed he reached out and said he was going to help me and like get me groceries he took me to a bar and got me drunk and it went downhill from there,” Jane said.
“I kind of had already known he was doing some of the stuff he was doing, and I think my judgment wasn’t there because I was using drugs.”
PM
The federal government offered premiers $46.2-billion in new health care funding over 10 years, a figure that is significantly less than what they had demanded, but which they appeared resigned to accepting after a meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Over the next decade, just under half of the new federal money will go toward the baseline funding that is sent to provinces and territories through the Canada Health Transfer, and $25-billion will go toward bilateral deals. Those individual deals with provincial and territorial governments will target federal cash to specific areas, such as primary care and mental health.
In total, including previously committed funding hikes, Ottawa says it will now increase its health care spending by $196.1-billion over the next 10 years. “This is significant amounts of money,” Trudeau said. He suggested that the offer is the final one his government will make, and that it fits within Ottawa’s fiscal framework. At their own news conference after the meeting, none of the country’s premiers said they would reject the proposal.
Trudeau’s offer won’t bring fundamental change that health care needs, leaders say
The federal government’s offer is a “ray of hope” for the country’s pandemic-battered health care system, but not enough to buy the
spending
fundamental change that many health leaders were seeking. That was the initial reaction of some physicians, nurses and hospital executives who are now turning their attention to the nitty-gritty of the bilateral health funding deals that the federal government has promised to negotiate with provinces and territories.
André Picard: “What we need from our leaders is some true leadership, for example a firm commitment that every Canadian will have ready access to a primary care provider.... All the public is getting out of the current approach – formulaic growth in spending – is more of the same old, same old. With health systems collapsing around us, that’s the last thing we need.”
Campbell Clark: “Of course, you do have to count all this money as substantial. It will ease the strain on provincial health budgets. But it won’t buy transformational change that will fix all that ails a health care system in crisis. In the context of the expectations that the Prime Minister himself set, this deal was middling. Meh.”
Shannon Proudfoot: “The health care debate often ends up centring on naked politics and the incomprehensible amounts of money at play, somehow making the whole issue seem both technocratic and vaguely greasy. But health care is as personal and highstakes as public policy can possibly get.”
10 Saturday, February 11, 2023
LOCAL / NATIONAL
Trudeau offers 10-year health care deal with $46-billion in new
City of North Vancouver announces $360,000 grant for displaced fire victims
The City of North Vancouver has announced it will provide up to $360,000 to support residents who remain without housing after two large fires in December.
On Dec. 13, a large fire at a 65-unit apartment building on East 12 Street broke out, displacing all residents who lived there. Then, on Dec. 19, a house fire on East 2 Street displaced 10 people.
Around half of the 152 residents, who lost their homes as a result of the fires have yet to find permanent housing replacements, city officials said.
Record-low vacancy rates and increased cost of living have created an “unprecedented need for continued support.” “Access to affordable housing is a right we all share,” said City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan.
“For years we have been in an affordability crisis that has left many without the housing options they need. This is particularly true for the more than 150 people that found
themselves without a home a week before the holidays. “A crisis of this magnitude has not been seen in our community in recent memory. That’s why we are supporting those impacted with this one-time grant.”
The grant money will go towards helping with rent costs for those displaced. The funds will pay for the difference between residents’ former rent and their new rent.
“This one-time initiative is designed to provide financial support to eligible residents by bridging the gap between current and anticipated new rental rates for up to one year,” city staff said in an email. North Vancouver resident Donny Olson, who was displaced by the Dec. 13 fire, said although he’s found stable housing and doesn’t need help from the city, he knows the money will help his former neighbours that are in need.
“(The announcement) is amazing. The support from people, charities, and now the city, has been … we’re just thankful,” Olson said.
“Seeing the support from the municipal government is good to see.
Prairie provinces stand to benefit the most from boost to immigration target: Desjardins
A new Desjardins report suggests Canada’s immigration target increase could spur economic growth, with the Prairies standing to benefit the most.
Principal economist Marc Desormeaux says his analysis finds Canada’s plan to increase immigration could boost gross domestic product per capita if newcomers continue to have the same success getting work that they’ve enjoyed recently.
“That’s significant because there have been questions in the past about whether immigration boosts just GDP or GDP per capita,” he said.
GDP per capita is a country’s gross domestic product divided by the population. Many consider it a better measure of a country’s living standards than the overall GDP figure.
In November, the federal government announced a new immigration plan that would see Canada welcome 500,000 immigrants per year by 2025.
Immigration minister Sean Fraser has argued that a boost to immigration is necessary to address labour shortages and Canada’s aging population.
The Desjardins analysis finds Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba would see the most GDP growth rate boost among provinces.
Desormeaux says that’s because those provinces have higher labour market participation rates and were the first to embrace provincial nominee programs, which allow provinces to select immigrants that match their economic needs.
The report attributes immigrants’ recent success at finding jobs to better integration of immigrants as well as Canada’s tight labour market.
As Canada stares down a potential recession, however, Desormeaux says “it’s an open question as to whether some of these strong labour market outcomes continue over the next year.”
The Bank of Canada’s aggressive interest rate hikes over the last year are expected to slow down the economy significantly in the coming months.
Economists anticipate that slowdown to increase unemployment.
Two former Canadian envoys to China urge Ottawa to launch foreign agent registry
Two of Canada’s former envoys to China say Ottawa is enabling foreign interference on Canadian soil by not launching a registry to track those acting on behalf of other countries.
“China is the primary threat when it comes to foreign interference in Canada,” former ambassador to China David Mulroney told the House of Commons procedure committee Tuesday.
“The longer we delay, the more difficult the task becomes.” He was speaking as part of the committee’s study into allegations that China’s Toronto consulate tried to influence the 2019 federal election.
Global News reported last November that senior officials had briefed Trudeau about a “vast campaign of foreign interference” allegedly waged by China’s consulate in Toronto.
The allegations, which The Canadian Press has not verified, involve the Chinese Communist Party flowing funds to a proBeijing network in Canada that included at least 11 Liberal and Conservative
candidates who ran in that election.
The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa insists that it does not interfere in Canadian politics, and instead accuses Canada of interfering in Beijing’s internal matters by claiming China undermines international trade and human rights.
Two months ago, the Liberals promised to eventually launch consultations on a foreign agent registry, which would require people to publicly report when they are doing paid work on behalf of another state, under threat of fines or jail time.
But Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino warned on Monday that such a database must be carefully considered, as it could stigmatize communities who have felt targeted by security agencies in the past.
“There is a historical context when it comes to some communities within this country and their relationship with (security) agencies and the law-enforcement community,” Mendicino told the House committee on Canada-China relations Monday.
Northern BC drug bust nets 23 arrests, seizure of guns, cash, vehicles & cigarettes
Contraband cigarettes, five vehicles, several firearms and thousands of dollars in cash were seized by police following a lengthy drug investigation in northern B.C. that also saw 23 people arrested. On Thursday, the province’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) announced details of the investigation, which took eight months and 13 search warrants in several Peace Region communities.
The search warrants were executed between Oct. 13 and Jan. 23, with CFSEU noting it worked with policing partners in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson. “The investigation led investigators to individuals
believed to be involved in a large-scale drug trafficking operation based in northern British Columbia,” said the CFSEU. Some items that were seized are listed below:
10 kg of cocaine3 kg of methamphetamine, 3 kg of psilocybin mushrooms, 17 kg of marijuana, A cocaine press, 3,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes (10 packs per carton), $165,000, 8 handguns, 16 long guns, 8 shotguns2 collapsible rifles, Ammunition, Tasers and brass knuckles, 2 sets of body armour, A 2016 Dodge Ram crew cab, A 2017 Jaguar F-Pace, A 2013 Chevy Cruze, A 2020 GMC AT4 pickup truck, A 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
The BC Junior Elite will be held at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club Feburary 10-12. Matches will continue from 9am-6pm daily at the VLTBC as well as the Vancouver Rackets Club
Age divisions of U15/ U17 and U19 will be contested in this national level ranking event. Players from across the country will contest to be age group Champions. The finals will be held between 9-1pm at the VLTBC www.coachramnayyar.com
11 Saturday, February 11, 2023 LOCAL / NATIONAL
2023 YONEX BC Junior Elite National Level Ranking Event
Kiara Adani & Sidharth Malhotra married in Rajasthan, shared their wedding album on social media. They posted three adorable pictures, one of which is of Sidharth kissing his bride. The caption the newlyweds picked is blockbuster – they borrowed from Shershaah, the 2021 film the co-starred in and where it all began. “Ab humari permanent booking ho gayi hai (now we are permanently booked),” read the caption, continuing, “We
Hush Hush and Pal Pal Dil
Sidharth & Kiara tie the knot
seek your blessings and love on our journey ahead.” The pictures show Kiara and Sidharth in pastel wedding outfits – she in a pale pink lehenga, he in a cream sherwani.
The wedding posts were promptly deluged with messages from celebrity friends. “Congratulations,” posted Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Kiara Advani’s
Madhu Kandhari
Ke Paas girl Madhu Kandhari feels that after pandemic artistes are getting better opportunities to work irrespective of their location. “Location is no more a constrain for any actor. They can be anywhere in the country, if they are suitable for a certain character, they can easily audition as well as give a screen test online and travel anywhere required. It’s a win-win situation for all as commuting too is much easy now. For actors it saves living cost in expensive
cities and for makers they get local artistes at less budget and also bring the real flavour in the story line,” says the actor last seen playing a kin of one the victims in the series Delhi Crime-2 and a Haryanvi girl in Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh.
Kandhari adds, “I agree that opportunities are better if you stay in Mumbai. Still, artistes from MP, Bihar, UP and Delhi are getting good work as they bring authenticity to the character of that place.”
Community news
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Yoga expert, instructor will help to observe & guide the seniors to do correct
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post. “Congratulations. This is so beautiful. Sorry we couldn’t be there,” wrote Upasana Kamineni Konidela, wife of Telugu star Ram Charan with whom Kiara is starring in a film.
Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra married at the Suryagarh resort near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan today. Kiara and Sidharth took their pheras with only very close family and friends in attendance, ANI reported. A wedding band from New Delhi arrived at the venue today and the groom made his entry on the traditional white horse. Pre-wedding festivities reportedly included a mehendi, sangeet and haldi.
Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra’s wedding was attended by Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput, Karan Johar, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal, and Juhi Chawla with husband Jay Mehta. Shahid and Kiara co-starred in the film Kabir Singh. Karan Johar is a mentor to both bride and groom,
Aishwarya’s birthday wish for husband Abhishek Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has come up with an adorable birthday note for her husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan. He turned 47 on Sunday, February 5. To make the day a special one, Aishwarya has shared a solo pic of the birthday boy on Instagram. Her short and cute caption read, “Birthday love… today and forever, Baby.” The actress has also added pink heart and heart face emojis to jazz it up. Replying to the post, singer Sophie Choudry wrote, “Happy happy birthday, Amitabh Bachchan.” Actress Saiyami Kher left a red heart in the comments section. Saiyami and Abhishek will share the screen space in R Balki’s Ghoomer.
Now, take a look at Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s love-filled post for her darling husband: Abhishek Bachchan’s niece Navya Naveli Nanda too didn’t miss the chance to make this day a memorable one for her darling uncle. Navya picked some throwback
moments featuring herself and Abhishek on Instagram Stories to mark the day. The text attached to the pics read, “Happy birthday to the best there is [red heart] I love you.” Read all about it here. Abhishek Bachchan also received a heartwarming birthday wish from his Bol Bachchan co-star Ajay Devgn.
The actor shared a still from the movie and wrote, “Never a dull moment with you around. Happy birthday, Abhishek Bachchan.” Abhishek Bachchan will be next seen in Ghoomer.
The film also stars Shabana Azmi, Angad Bedi, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Ivanka Das. The film is bankrolled by Hope Productions. Ghoomer was announced on Abhishek’s birthday last year. At that time, the actor shared a picture of the clapboard and wrote, “Can’t ask for a better birthday present! Birthdays are best spent working. Ghoomer….Now spinning!”
Bigg Boss16:
Finale: February 12, 2023
Priyanka Chahar Choudhary watching her journey on the show, while being surrounded by cheering fans, and getting emotional. The actor was also praised by Bigg Boss, who said he was biased towards her. Bigg Boss 16 grand finale will take place on Sunday, February 12. Bigg Boss 16’s grand finale is only days away. Ahead of Thursday’s episode, ColorsTV shared a promo on Instagram, where Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, one of the finalists on the show, was seen standing on a podium and watching her journey amid cheering fans. Bigg Boss himself praised the actor for her stint on the show, and admitted he was biased towards her. Fans also took to the comments section and said they were
convinced Priyanka will win Bigg Boss 16. In the promo, Priyanka could not stop laughing as fans clapped and cheered for her as she stood on stage. Bigg Boss’s voice was heard in the background. He said in the promo of the upcoming episode, “Jab jab Bigg Boss 16 ka naam liya jayega aap ki awaaz logon ke zehan mein zarur aayegi. Main bhi aaj danke ki chot par biased ho raha hoon kyunki Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, apki awaz hamare dilon tak zaroor pahuch chuki hai (whenever there is any talk of Bigg Boss 16, your name will definitely be taken. Today I am being biased towards you without any care as Priyanka, your voice has touched all our hearts).”
12 Saturday, February 11, 2023
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Salil Chowdhury
November 19, 1925 – September 5, 1995
Salil Chowdhury - Music director, composer, lyricist, poet & storyteller.
Salil Chowdhury was born on November 19, 1925 – September 5, 1995. He was an Indian music director, lyricist, composer, and storyteller.
To everyone, he is known as “SalilDa”. He has directed music mainly in Bengali, Hindi, and Malayalam films.
He is also know for modern Bengali music and composer of mass music. His musical talent is widely recognized in the Indian film industry. He music master and knew how to play various musical instruments like flute, piano, esraj etc.
He is widely admired and praised for his original poems.
Early life: Salil Chowdhury was born in a Hindu Kayastha family in Gazipur, Rajpur Sonarpur area of South, 24 Parganas district. His father Gyanendramoy Chowdhury was a doctor in Latabari tea garden in Assam. Salil Chowdhury took his primary music education from his father. He also received music training from his cousin Nikhil Chowdhury.
Basically, Nikhil Chowdhury’s band group ‘Milon Parishad’ has been involved in world music. Salil had the chance to see all instruments and play there. Salil spent most of his childhood in a tea garden in Assam. He is the second of eight siblings. He studied at his uncle’s house (old name Kodalia) in Subhashgram of South 24 Parganas district. Passed Matriculation and Higher Secondary (ISC) in first-class from “Harinavi School”. He then passed BA from Bangabasi College, Calcutta. From an early age, he listened to Western classical music in his father’s collection. His father was famous for his stage plays with tea garden porters and low-paid employees. Apart from maturing in his musical knowledge from Bangabasi College, his political ideas quickly grew. He was very talented. When Salil came to Calcutta for his undergraduate studies in 1944, he joined the Indian People’s Theater Association, a cultural party of the Communist Party of India (IPTA). During this time he began to write and compose folk songs. IPTA’s cultural troupe travels to various cities and villages,
bringing these songs closer to the common man. Songs like “Justice”, “Runner” and “Wonder World” then became very popular with the general public. Songs like “Gayer Bodhu” then created a new trend in
Kriti in search of a prince ‘Shehzada’ ?
Kriti Sanon is super busy with the promotions of her film ‘Shehzada ‘ which stars Kartik Aaryan in the lead role. Kriti shared behindthe-scenes glimpses from the sets of the movie. The video is from the shooting schedule of the peppy trackMunda Sona Hoon Main. It opens with Kriti Sanon complaining about the weather. Kriti, who is standing by the beach with her crew, says, “What is this weather? The Sun is going, coming. It’s running anytime.” We also get a glimpse
Bengali music, which he composed at the age of only 20. Almost every established artist of that time sang these songs in West Bengal. Among them Hemant Mukherjee, Shyamal Mitra, Manabendra Mukherjee, Pratima Bandyopadhyay are notable.
Film career: His first Bengali film “Parivartan” was released in 1949. The last of his 41 Bengali films was “Mahabharati” which was released in 1994. Salil Chowdhury made his Hindi film debut in 1953 as music director in Bimal Roy’s “Do Bigha Jamin”. The film based on Salil Chowdhury’s short story “Riksawala”
The film adds a new dimension to his career when that first won the Filmfare Best Picture Award and the International Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
After working in Bengali and Hindi films for 20 years, Salil entered Malayalam cinema in 1974 with Chimmin. Whether the film was a success or not, his Malayalam songs became very popular.
He directed music in more than 75 Hindi films, more than 40 Bengali films, about 26 Malayalam films, and several Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Oriya and Assamese films. Western influences on Salil’s music: Salil Chowdhury’s music has an equal mix of Western and Indian classical music. Notable among Salil Chowdhury’s direct adaptations to Western classical music are – based on Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in the film Shaya – “Itna Na Mujhe Tu Pyaar Bara”, based on Shapan’s work in another film – “Rato Ki Saye Ghane”.
Kareena reveals how she met her BFF Amrita
Ever since Kareena Kapoor Khan made her debut on Instagram, there has not been a single dull moment for her fans on social media.
The actress recently shared a picture of her bestie Amrita Arora on her Instagram Stories. Amrita is seen hiding her face in the photo. Kareena captioned it, ‘This is how I met my BFF in 2023’, followed by a slew of emojis. Dressed in a pale blue off-shoulder gown, Amrita is seen looking away from the camera and trying to hide her face with her hands.
Kareena and Amrita have been friends for a long time now. They are often seen partying
and hanging out together. They also often go on vacations together along with their sisters Karisma Kapoor and Malaika Arora. Next, she will be seen collaborating with director Hansal Mehta for an untitled next for the first time. Apart from this, the actress will also be seen making her digital debut with ‘The Devotion of the Suspect X’ co-starring Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma.
of Kartik taking a short nap in between the shots. For the caption, Kriti Sanon wrote, “The madness behind the hotness of Munda Sona song Shehzada 17th February.” The clip became an instant hit. Fans have flooded the comments section with fire and red heart emojis.
‘Munda Sona Hoon Main’ was released last month. It is sung by Diljit Dosanjh and Nikhita. The lyrics are by Kumaar and the music is by Pritam.
13 Saturday, February 11, 2023
One of the best music director of Indian cimema
Salil Chowdhury with singer Muhammad Rafi
BC is the most expensive place to buy real estate on a single income
Independent and hoping to buy a home?
Chances are slim of affording it in BC. A new Zoocasa report looked at which Canadian cities are the most affordable for single buyers. It also looked at which property types would be the best option.
Spoiler alert: Detached homes are virtually
Two educational companies want to build an office tower and hotel in the Aberdeen Village area. A low-rise commercial area along the Fraser River middle arm could be replaced with two towers comprising a hotel and an office building. Urban Solution
Architecture Ltd, on behalf of CIBT Education Group and Global Education City Holdings, recently applied to the City of Richmond
unaffordable for single buyers in Canada, except in one place.
“The only city where the average cost of a detached home was affordable for a single-
income buyer earning the median income was Saint John, where the average income of
Two towers proposed for Richmond riverfront
to rezone a section of the Aberdeen Village riverfront, adjacent to the Rod and Gun Club.
CIBT Education Group, whose assets are around $1.3 billion, is a major education and student housing investment company in Canada that mainly develops corporate offices, language colleges and student rental apartments.
Global Education City Holdings has
several off-campus student housing buildings in Vancouver and Burnaby.
The proposed development, on River Road just north of Cambie Road, includes an 11-storey hotel, an eight-storey office building and other small business opportunities. The developer is also proposing improvements to the street network, pedestrian and bicycle lanes, dike upgrades, and other contributions to public spaces and amenities.
$48,000 could afford the average detached home at $261,000,” said Zoocasa. Overall, apartments were the most affordable, followed by townhouses.
Here’s what Zoocasa found about buying on a single income in Canada’s cities:
Four business tenants currently rent monthly on the property being proposed for redevelopment and have been notified the site is slated for redevelopment. Meanwhile, the dike upgrade north of the development site will not conflict with the existing marina, where some people rely on parts of the dike for parking and other related uses.
Calgary’s new real estate listings fall to level not seen since late 90s
The Calgary Real Estate Board says January’s new listings fell to a level not
seen since the last 90s as home sales declined 40 per cent from the year before.
The Albertan board says new listings for the month amounted to 1,852, a 25 per cent drop from January 2022.
Meanwhile, home sales totalled 1,199 compared with 2,004 in the January prior.
The board attributed the slowdown to
higher lending rates that are causing many buyers to seek out lower-priced homes and preventing some from upgrading to other properties. The average price of a home in the region hit $508,189 in January, a less than one per cent drop from a year ago.
Gloomy conomic outlook, elevated mortgages to drag down 2023 housing market: BCREA
The British Columbia Real Estate Association says the chill across the province’s property sector will drag on through this year, but it calls for a strong rebound in 2024.
The association makes the prediction in its housing forecast for the first quarter of the year.
Association chief economist Brendon Ogmundson blames expected sluggish sales this year on a slowing economy and ongoing, elevated mortgage rates.
But he is looking forward to 2024 when
the association says a healthier economy, lower mortgage rates and “record high” immigration should fuel home sales again. The forecast predicts residential sales in B.C. will skid 7.1 per cent this year before surging nearly 24 per cent in 2024. It says even though home listings remain scant, prices have fallen because of what the association calls the “abrupt shift” in market conditions, and it says rates should stay “relatively flat” for most of this year.
More than 20% of homeowners in Ontario were investors: Statistics Canada
New Statistics Canada data shows investors made up almost one third of homeowners in some provinces in 2020.
The data agency says investors made up 31.5 per cent of Nova Scotia’s homeowners that year and 29 per cent of New Brunswick’s property holders.
Investors in British Columbia came in at 23.3 per cent followed by 20.4 per cent in Manitoba and 20.2 per cent in Ontario.
When grouped together, the data
agency’s calculations show under one in five homes in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia was considered an investment property in 2020. Houses used as an investment were mainly owned by individuals living in the same province as the property. However, condo apartments were used as an investment more often than houses, with Ontario alone seeing the highest rate of condo apartments used as investments at 41.9 per cent.
14 Saturday, February 11, 2023
Based on recent developments and trends, British Columbia’s housing market is expected to experience a “strong recovery” in 2024, according to the BC Real Estate Association’s (BCREA) forecast update released today.
But before that recovery happens, the pronounced slump that began in 2022 will continue well into 2023, with total home sales across the province expected to fall 7.1% this year to 75,150 units . Such home sales volumes would be higher than in 2018 and 2019.
The average home price will also fall by 7% to $925,500 in 2023 compared to 2022.
In 2022, home sales reached 80,898 units and the median home price was $996,694.
For 2024, BCREA currently expects total home sales to reach 93,025 units, up 23.8% year-on-year. Average house prices will also see a relatively modest increase of 3.1%.
“We expect home sales to remain slow in 2023 as the market continues to be constrained by high mortgage rates and absorbs the impact of a slowing economy,” the forecast said.
“However, historically the housing market has tended to lead the business cycle and the onset of a recession generally coincides with the start of a housing market recovery and a
Under the jurisdiction of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, which includes the City of Vancouver, total home sales will reach 28,000 units in 2023 and 35,000 units in 2024 – up from 29,261
The jurisdiction of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, including Surrey, will see comparatively more modest house price gains next year after spiking at the start of the pandemic. In 2024, average home prices are expected to rise just 1% to $965,000 after falling 13% to $955,000 in 2023 and rising 8.4% to $1.1 million in 2022.
But the volume of home sales in the Fraser Valley will be particularly strong in 2024, with the forecast calling for 17,000 units – up from 13,000 in 2023 and 14,599 in 2022.
“A slowing economy and still high mortgage rates are expected to keep housing activity below normal well into 2023,” BCREA chief economist Brendon Ogmundson said in a statement.
“However, we expect a strong recovery, fueled by an expected fall in mortgage rates and record high immigration, which will bring significant momentum into 2024.”
significant increase in activity over the following year as the economy recovers and the effects of falling mortgage rates materialize sets demand free.”
units in 2022. Average home prices will be Reach US$1.22 million in 2024, which is more than US$1.18 million in 2023 but less than US$1.272 million in 2022.
The federal government’s tightened immigration targets up to 2025 will give further impetus to the recovery of the housing market.
Investors made up 20 to 30% of homeowners in some provinces: Statistics Canada
New Statistics Canada data shows investors made up almost one third of homeowners in some provinces in 2020.
The data agency says investors made up 31.5 per cent of Nova Scotia’s homeowners that year and 29 per cent of New Brunswick’s property holders.
Investors in British Columbia came in
at 23.3 per cent followed by 20.4 per cent in Manitoba and 20.2 per cent in Ontario.
When grouped together, the data agency’s calculations show under one in five homes in British
Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia was considered an investment property in 2020.
Houses used as an investment were
mainly owned by individuals living in the same province as the property. However, condo apartments were used as an investment more often than houses, with Ontario alone seeing the highest rate of condo apartments used as investments at 41.9 per cent.
15 Saturday, February 11, 2023
Real Estate
#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005
“Strong recovery” expected for BC housing market in 2024
16 Saturday, February 11, 2023
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago, the West has tried to curtail Moscow’s ability to finance the war by restricting its lucrative energy exports.
Over that same time, Asia’s biggest democracy, India, has ramped up its imports of Russian oil by a whopping 33 times.
The future world order may turn on realignments like this. Much of the Global South – including key countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America – has declined to join the anti-Moscow sanctions regime, and has instead chosen to maintain active political and commercial relations with Russia. This is part of the reason the Russian economy has so far avoided the intended body blows, but it is also reshaping global trading patterns in ways that might outlast the conflict.
In particular, Russian efforts to evade the restrictions that come with using the U.S. dollar in international transactions may be accelerating the process of dethroning the dollar as the world’s established reserve currency, with vast implications for U.S. financial and political leadership down the road. India, a fast-growing, secular, English-speaking Asian democracy with an increasingly Westwardleaning popular culture, serves as a prime example as to why the West is not getting buy-in for sanctions – and how the world may realign.
“India is not happy with what Russia did,”
Why is democratic India helping Russia avoid Western sanctions?
says Nandan Unnikrishnan, an expert with the independent, Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation. “But in the longstanding relationship we have with Russia, they have repeatedly proven to be good partners for India. India does not want to lose a friend. As for the moral argument the Americans often cite, well, we don’t accept that. It hardly bears mentioning that we can think of zillions of examples of Western hypocrisy.” Protecting national interests
Early in the war, U.S. diplomats made strenuous efforts to convince Delhi to condemn Russian actions in Ukraine, or at least limit its long-standing political and trading relationship with Russia. While privately making clear its disagreement with Russia’s war – a view shared by much of India’s elite – Indian leaders refused to vote against Moscow in the United Nations or to join in any level of the sanctions campaign. Instead it accepted Russian offers of price discounts, which led to a vast increase in India’s imports of Russian oil. “Basically, India is protecting its national interests,” says Mr. Unnikrishnan. “It’s known that we have conveyed our private displeasure to the Russians, but we’re not joining any unilateral sanctions. It seems to me that the U.S. has accepted this and
the kind of pressure they were putting on India last March hasn’t figured in recent contacts.”
But the structure of Russia-India trade, which has languished since the collapse of the USSR, may be set to change due to Russia’s refusal to use the dollar in its transactions with India.
Moscow favors a “ruble-rupee” trade mechanism, which may be more complicated and costly than doing business in dollars, but it evades the U.S. financial controls that go with dollar transactions, and strengthens the bilateral relationship with India. With the huge increase in Russian oil imports to India,
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India’s economy 10% more energy efficient than G20 average: IEA
The IEA has analysed the impact of measures like those proposed by the LiFE initiative, such as buying an EV or taking public transport, as part of comprehensive energy transition strategies…reports Asian Lite News India’s economy is already 10 per cent more energy efficient than both the global and G20 average. India took less time to go from half to full electricity access than other major economies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Monday.
Just hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the threeday India Energy Week in Bengaluru to showcase India’s rising prowess as an energy transition powerhouse, the IEA said the adoption worldwide of the kinds of actions and measures targeted by LiFE
(Lifestyle for Environment), including behavioural changes and sustainable consumer choices, would reduce the annual global carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2 billion tonnes in 2030.
The LiFE initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021.
It aims to encourage the adoption of sustainable lifestyles in India and internationally to tackle the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change.
A new report, “LiFE Lessons From India”, by the IEA looks at how India’s G20 Presidency this year could strengthen the LiFE initiative internationally to help reduce emissions, energy bills, and inequalities in per capita energy consumption
PM Modi, Netanyahu discuss ways to boost defence ties
PM Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday discussed ways to strengthen India-Israel relations and deepen cooperation in defence and security.
“Spoke with PM @netanyahu and discussed ways to strengthen the multifaceted India-Israel friendship, deepen our focus on innovation partnership, and our ongoing cooperation in defence and security,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted on Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu tweeted, “Just spoke with Indian PM @narendramodi about ways to strengthen the close relationship between #Israel and #India. Together we’ll advance security & economic relations, with a focus on high-tech. Exciting times ahead!”
Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, recently said Prime Minister Modi’s ‘historic’ visit to Israel in 2017 broke the ice between the two nations and the famous picture of him with ex-Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the pictures that will stay as a symbol of how things are done.
“The famous picture of PM Modi with ex-Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the Olga beach is one that will stay as a symbol of how things are done,” Gilon said while explaining the bond between India-Israel.
Ambassador Gilon said the change in the bilateral relationship between the two countries came after a first-ever visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Israel followed by Netanyahu’s visit to India.
18 Saturday, February 11, 2023
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India bans 200-plus Chinese mobile apps in Boon for Paytm
India has issued orders to block a further 232 apps and websites, most of which were linked to China, in a sign that relations remain fraught between Asia’s two largest countries years after a deadly border skirmish.The federal Tech Ministry has given orders to remove 138 betting and gambling apps, and 94 credit services, a person familiar with the matter said. The order originated from the Interior Ministry, which oversees domestic affairs such as national security, the A (Feb 7): India has issued orders to block a further 232 apps and websites, most of which were linked to China, in a sign that relations remain fraught between Asia’s two largest countries years after a deadly border skirmish...for the latest news you need to know.
The federal Tech Ministry has given orders to remove 138 betting and gambling apps, and 94 credit services, a person familiar with the matter said.The order originated from the Interior Ministry, which oversees domestic affairs such as national security, the person said, asking not to be identified as the orders haven’t been made public. The blocked apps, which include several of Indian origin, were suspected of transferring data to
China, the person said.Indian digital payment leader Paytm soared its most on record on Tuesday (Feb 7) on the news, which was first reported by local media including the Economic Times.The lending apps to be banned included its rivals such as Naspers Ltdbacked PayU’s LazyPay, the newspaper reported, citing anonymous sources. Television images showed shocked people in Turkey standing in the snow in their pyjamas, watching rescuers dig through the debris of damaged homes.
Shares in Paytm parent One 97 Communications Ltd, which is backed by Ant Group Co, soared as much as 20% in early trade.On Monday, the Economic Times reported that the government had blocked scores of lending apps and other services linked to China.The news that emerged just days after Paytm reported narrower losses.“Due to unavoidable circumstances our website and app are currently unavailable via a few internet service providers.Please be assured that we are doing everything to resolve the issue,” PayU said in an emailed statement, referring to LazyPay and declining to elaborate.The earthquake was one of the most powerful to hit the region in at least a century, affecting southeastern parts of Turkey that are home to millions of refugees from Syria and other war-torn parts of the world.
‘PM Modi should get gold medal for helping Adani’ - Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that India’s foreign policy under the BJPled ruling dispensation has aligned with the interests of billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani. Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to foreign countries was followed by Adani “magically” bagging contracts there. Referring to Adani’s foray into defence sector, Gandhi alleged that Adani bagged 90 per cent of the defence deals between Israel and India by just a single visit by PM Modi.
Gandhi cited the example of Australia, saying PM Modi visited that country and with
“magic” USD 1 billion was given to Adani by the State Bank of India. He also listed the examples of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka visits of the prime minister to claim that following the trips Adani got contracts there.
“On Modi ji’s first trip to Bangladesh, a decision is taken to sell electricity to Bangladesh. Few days later, Bangladesh Power Development Board signs a 25-year contract with Mr Adani,” the Wayanad MP said. “Let’s move to Sri Lanka now.”
In June 2022, the chairman of Sri Lanka’s Ceylon electricity board informed a parliamentary hearing that President Rajapaksa told him that PM Modi “pressured” him to give the wind power contract to Adani, Gandhi alleged.
Indians among 91,000 laid off in US in January this year
Amidst massive layoffs in the American tech sector that have resulted in a large number of Indian professionals being jobless, two Indian-American organisations have launched an online petition urging President Joe Biden to extend the grace period of H-1B visas holders from two months to a year.
This means that once fired from a job, a foreign tech worker on H-1B visas would have one year to find a new job instead of the existing duration of 60 days, after which they have to leave the country. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. “On behalf of immigrants (from the world, mainly from India and China) as well as naturalised citizens like IndianAmericans, Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies and Global Technology Professionals Association (GITPRO) has submitted an appeal to the President of the United States, the Secretary of DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the director of USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) to extend the current grace period from 60 days to 1 year (minimum 6 months),” the online petition said.
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19 Saturday, February 11, 2023 INDIA
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India opens
its largest helicopter factory in new defence push
India unveiled on Monday (Feb 6) its largest helicopter factory, which can turn out at least 1,000 aircraft a year, as part of a defence self-reliance push to counter China’s growing assertiveness.
New Delhi also announced a double-digit increase in its annual defence budget last week with an eye on its geopolitical rival, with which it shares a disputed northern border. India is one of the largest arms importers in the world and, even with its recent push towards local defence production, still relies heavily on hardware from Moscow, its largest and oldest military supplier.
The new helicopter facility fulfils “our government’s pledge to gradually reduce India’s dependence on foreign countries for its defence needs”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the inauguration.
“I am happy that hundreds of different weapons and defence systems - from modern assault rifles to tanks, aircraft carriers, helicopters and transport aircraft - are now being made in India,” he said.
What was trumpeted as Asia’s largest helicopter factory would initially produce Indian-designed and developed Light Utility Helicopters and then expand to build other multirole helicopters.
The factory in southern Karnataka state was inaugurated only months after New Delhi unveiled its locally made attack helicopters, designed for use in high-altitude areas such as the Himalayas. India also introduced its first locally made aircraft carrier in September 2022, a significant step in its efforts to counter Beijing’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean region.
India successfully lands light combat aircraft, MiG-29K on carrier
A technology demonstrator of India’s single-engine light combat aircraft successfully landed on the country’s first locally built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Monday for the first time, as part of compatibility testing.
In a statement, the Indian Navy described the development as a historical milestone that “demonstrates India’s capability to design, develop, construct and operate indigenous aircraft carriers with indigenous fighter aircraft.”
The first landing of a Russian-made MiG-29K fighter jet on the carrier also took place Monday using its shorttakeoff-but-arrested-recovery mode.
The service said Indian naval
pilots performed the two landings.
The Navy plans to use its 12 MiG29K fighters on the INS Vikrant, and bolster its fleet by procuring 26 F/A-18E or Rafale M fighters.
The Aeronautical Development Agency, under the purview of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, developed three single-engine naval LCA prototypes. The state-run firm Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. produced the aircraft. The Navy describes naval LCA prototypes as technology demonstrators.
The successful landing and takeoff tests from aircraft carriers will help with the development and manufacture of twinengine, deck-based fighter jets, according to the Aeronautical Development Agency.
India rushes to long-term LNG deals to speed shift from coal
India is looking to sign many more long-term deals to buy liquefied natural gas to help power its economic growth.
Petronet LNG Ltd., India’s biggest gas importer, wants to secure 12 million tons a year of additional supply under longterm contracts, Managing Director Akshay Kumar Singh said Tuesday in Bengaluru at India Energy Week. That’s equivalent to about 60% of the nation’s deliveries last year, according to ship-tracking data.
New Delhi is trying to boost its LNG import capacity to increase the share of natural gas in its coal-heavy electricity mix to 15% by 2030 from about 6% now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday.
India will face competition from other importers eager to sign long-term deals
to reduce their exposure to the kind of volatility that saw spot prices soar to a record last year. The LNG market will remain tight until 2026, Satinder Pal Singh, chief executive officer of Adani Total Private Ltd., said at the conference.
Petronet is also aiming to extend an existing contract with Qatar, and will request as much as 1 million tons a year more from the Middle Eastern supplier. Petronet’s proposed Gopalpur LNG import terminal and an expansion at its existing Dahej plant are set to come online later this decade.
Meanwhile, Gail India Ltd. is in discussions with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Russia’s Novatek PJSC for long-term deals, Chairman Sandeep Kumar Gupta said at the conference.
Japan, India hold first joint air drill as China concerns
Japan and India held their first joint air drills in an area outside of Tokyo as both countries step up military exercises with other countries amid worries about China’s assertiveness.
About four F-2 and four F-15 fighters are expected to take part in the drills that started Monday and will run through around Jan. 26 at an airbase in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, Japan’s Defense Ministry said. While the two have trained together before in other countries, this is the first one-on-one training of its sort, it said.
The exercise comes as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida completed a trip this month to Italy, the UK, Canada and the US to bolster his country’s alliances to help deter China. Japan is also a member of the Quad grouping that includes India, Australia and the US and is seen as a check on Beijing’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan Looks Beyond US Alliance for Help to Deter China Military
The joint drills with India grew out of a
grow
security meeting in New Delhi in November 2019 but had been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kyodo News reported. Kyodo added India is the fifth country Japan has hosted in this type of bilateral exercise after the US, Australia, Britain and Germany, citing the Defense Ministry. India is fielding Russian-made fighters, Su-30Mki and US-made C-17 Globemaster heavy lift transport aircraft in the maiden exercise, air force spokesman Wing Commander Ashish Moghe said. The two sides will carry out air complex combat drills and exchange best practices reflecting their growing defense cooperation, he said.
Tensions between India and China have been simmering along a disputed border between the two since a June 2020 clash — the worst in more than 40 years. That fighting was centered around the Himalayan region of Ladakh, along their 3,488-kilometer (2,170-mile) frontier known as the Line of Actual Control.
US-India tech deal could speed up global supply chain realignment, hurting China
A new partnership between the US and India – targeting semiconductors, artificial intelligence and telecommunications, among other areas – could accelerate the realignment of global supply chains at the expense of China’s interests, according to analysts.
Details of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), published last Tuesday, also include planned cooperation in quantum computing and defence.
While China is not mentioned in the document, the agreement between Washington and New Delhi is seen as part of US efforts to limit the role of the world’s second-largest economy in global supply chains.
The Year of the Rabbit traditionally denotes longevity, peace and prosperity, but China saw its Lunar New Year celebration
marred by reports that the United States, Japan and the Netherlands have agreed to tighten the country’s access to certain chip manufacturing equipment and technologies, dealing a fresh blow to Beijing’s semiconductor development ambitions.
That was immediately followed by reports that the Biden administration has considered cutting off telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co from all of its US suppliers, years after the Shenzhen-based company was added by Washington to its trade blacklist and further restricted its access to advanced chips.
Those reflect some of the top 10 external risks for China in 2023 in a recent report by the Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS), a research institution at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University, which warned of continued pressure from Washington.
Chinese ‘surveillance’ balloons targeted India too, says report
China has operated a fleet of spy balloons targeting several countries, including India and Japan, a media report has said, days after the US military shot down a Chinese “surveillance” craft floating over sensitive installations in the country.
US officials have briefed its friends and allies, including India, on the finds of the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down by a fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday. On Monday, Deputy
Secretary of State Wendy Sherman briefed officials from about 40 embassies here about it.
“The surveillance balloon effort, which has operated for several years partly out of Hainan province off China’s south coast, has collected information on military assets in countries and areas of emerging strategic interest to China, including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines,” The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
20 Saturday, February 11, 2023 INDIA
Punjab
17-year-old arrested with 15 kg heroin & Rs 8.40 lakh cash
The Punjab Police Thursday apprehended a 17-year-old boy in Amritsar after recovering 15 kg heroin and Rs 8.40 lakh drug money from his possession, DGP Gaurav Yadav said.. Following reliable inputs, Counter Intelligence (CI) unit of Amritsar police arrested the juvenile at a checkpoint on Ram Tirath Road, DGP added.
The juvenile, along with an accomplice identified as Resham Singh of Khasa village in Amritsar, was on way to deliver the drug consignment after retrieving it from village Kakkar. Preliminary investigations revealed that the consignment of drugs was airdropped by Pakistan-based smugglers using a drone, Yadav said.
Punjab, Haryana experienced huge increase in heat wave incidents last year
With climate change and global warming sweeping the globe, the agrarian states of Punjab and Haryana witnessed a massive increase in the number of heat waves last year. This has a direct impact
A Pakistani drone was spotted close to the International Border in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, a BSF official said on Thursday. The unmanned aerial vehicle flew back to Pakistan after the Border Security Force troops fired at it.
on the health and psychology of people.
In 2022, Punjab and Haryana experienced 24 days of severe heat wave or heat waves as compared to only two such days in 2021, according to data shared with Parliament by the Ministry of Earth Sciences on February 9.
The drone was spotted near Adia border outpost in Gurdaspur at around 9:40 pm on Wednesday, said the official. The BSF troops fired 16 rounds at the Pakistani drone and also used an illumination bomb
Protesters snatched tear gas handgun & ammunition tried to kill policemen
Protesters allegedly snatched a teargas handgun, its ammunition and attempted to kill policemen amid raising of pro-Khalistan slogans during a violent clash with the Chandigarh Police, according to an FIR.
The Chandigarh Police lodged the FIR on Wednesday late night in connection with the clash in which around 30
policemen, including the Rapid Action Force personnel, were injured while several police vehicles were damaged. The incident took place on Wednesday at Sector 52-53 at the Chandigarh-Mohali border when protesters tried to force their way to reach Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s official residence here.
Pakistan
Pakistan may be surrendering its sovereignty to IMF, but here’s why it may have no choice
In an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-conditioned review of Pakistan’s anti-corruption framework, the government has agreed to introduce more amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance and the Federal Investigation Act, revealed an interim official report.
The task force has recommended
Former President Gen.
Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf laid to rest on Tuesday with full military honours at the military cemetery in Karachi. A funeral prayer was offered in Malir Cantonment for the late President, attended by high-ranking military officials, including Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, former army chiefs General
amendments to the NAO, 1999, and the FIA Act, 1974, according to the report.
The IMF slapped the condition last year after the government made changes in the NAO that equally benefited the politicians as well as the bureaucrats by saving their corruption of almost Rs 1100 billion.
Musharraf laid to rest
(retd.) Qamar Javed Bajwa and General (retd.) Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, and former ISI chiefs Gen (retd.) Shuja Pasha and Gen (retd.) Zaheerul Islam. The ceremony was also attended by a large number of serving and retired officers from the army, navy, and air force. Political leaders from many parties were also present at the funeral prayer.
Authorities stop 190 Hindus from Sindh travelling to India
Pakistani authorities stopped 190 Hindus living in Sindh from travelling to India after they failed to provide satisfactory response about the purpose of their visit to the neighbouring country, according to the media report.
Various Hindu families, including children and women, from interior Sindh, reached
at Wagah border, west Punjab on Tuesday for going to India on the visas for religious pilgrimage, according to media reports. However, immigration authorities did not clear them because they could not give a proper reason for the visit as to why they wanted to go to India.
Peshawar attack planned in Afghanistan
The plot to target a highly secure mosque in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province(KPK) was hatched in Afghanistan and funded by an intelligence agency, the country’s law enforcement officials probing the suicide attack said on Tuesday.
On January 30, a Taliban suicide bomber
blew himself up during the prayers in a Peshawar mosque, killing 101 persons and injuring more than 200 others.
The bomber disguised himself in a police uniform to sneak into the high-security zone and was riding a motorcycle with a helmet and mask on, a police official said.
Military chief concerned over new PM’s ‘sweeping changes’
Fiji’s military chief has complained over the “ambition and speed” of changes undertaken by the government of new Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, stirring anxiety in the Pacific nation where security forces have staged four coups in 35 years.
The statement from Major-General Jone Kalouniwai on Tuesday drew an immediate rebuke from Rabuka’s cabinet, with Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua summoning the military chief to communicate the government’s concerns.
Fiji Airways announces exclusive GSA partner in Canada
Fiji Airways has appointed Anjuna Canada Inc as its exclusive General Sales Agent in Canada for both Passenger and Cargo. A global airline services company, Anjuna Canada will expand and develop Fiji Airways’ brand to drive sales across all market segmentations. Jon Murray will be dedicated to the Fiji Airways account, responsible for implementing commercial strategies and working with the trade to expand the airline’s presence in Canada.
Said Claire Gray, Director and Co-Founder
of
Anjuna:
“Anjuna Canada is excited to have been appointed the GSA in Canada for the national carrier of Fiji. Canada and Fiji have shared cultural and economic ties for many years. We’re pleased to represent them for both Passenger and Cargo services.”
Fiji Airways launched direct 2x/weekly service to and from Vancouver, on Mondays and Fridays, on Nov. 25, 2022. The destination marked the airline’s 20th direct international service. Fiji Airways now offers services into Nadi, Fiji’s tourism hub, as well as onward
FRC S-Fiji Police joint operation results in arrest of trio suspected of importing meth
A joint-operation between Fiji Police and Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) on Tuesday resulted in the arrest of three individuals in Raiwaqa, Suva, suspected of importing the illicit drug methamphetamine.
In a statement, FRCS chief executive officer Mark Dixon said the joint operation was another example of how the FRCS and its law enforcement partners worked in collaboration to keep illicit and lethal drugs off the Fijian streets.
Suspended compol quizzed on abuse of office claims
Suspended police commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho was questioned for several hours by the Fiji Police Force Criminal Investigation Department yesterday.
Police chief of intelligence and investigations Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Sakeo Raikaci said he was quizzed over claims of abuse of office.
Mr Raikaci said the police task force involved in the investigation adhered to the law when they obtained the required paperwork and evidence.
When questioned about the matter outside the CID headquarters in Toorak, Suva, Mr Qiliho said he “cannot be making any statements”.
21 Saturday, February 11, 2023 FIJI
Pakistani drone spotted near Gurdaspur border
Pervez
By Vibhooti Vaishnav
I choose to love you in silence…
For in silence I find no rejection, I choose to love you in loneliness…
For in loneliness no one owns you but me, I choose to adore you from a distance…
For distance will shield me from pain, I choose to kiss you in the wind…
For the wind is gentler than my lips, I choose to hold you in my dreams…
For in my dreams, you have no end. Rumi
Love - the word has a lot of weight. What it really means in its true sense? Does it mean companionship? Does it mean concern, connection, compassion? Four letter word, LOVE, two syllables, used so casually, given less thought as to how profound the meaning of this word is. It is used in the vocabulary without considering what it involves. So what is it? Attraction?
Togetherness? Care? Tolerace? Acceptance?
To love, to be in love, to be loved and being love, the difference needs to be minutely understood. Love is tested under stress and pressure, under obligation, under duties, under social norms and under unmet expectations. An emotion as sweet as love can turn bitter, sour, tasteless, or manifest as anger, frustration, anxiety and even hateful, aggressive, abusive mental and physical torture all because of unmet expectations. Are we willing to
