The Asian Star February 18 2023

India’s investigation agency announces Rs15 lakh reward for info on Canada-based gangster

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday announced a cash reward of ₹15 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Canada-based gangster-turnedterrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias ‘Landa’,

who is wanted in connection with a terror case in Punjab, officials said. A resident of Tarn Taran, Punjab, Lakhbir Sandhu, believed to be residing in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, has been an absconder. “A cash

BC truckers must install electronic driving-time monitors by August 1st

Commercial truckers in B.C. have six months to install an electronic device in their vehicles that tracks a driver’s time behind the wheel. All provincially regulated commercial vehicle operators are required to have the electronic logging devices by Aug. 1. The devices are designed to reduce the chance of driving while tired and the risk of fatigue-related crashes. “Using technology to ensure that commercial drivers aren’t on the road longer than they should be on a given day will protect their safety and the safety of others on B.C. highways,” said Transportation Minister Rob Fleming in a statement Monday. “It will also support a more efficient trucking industry, which is critical to keeping supplies moving across the province.”

Continued on page 6

reward of ₹15 lakh is announced for any information leading to arrest of Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias ‘Landa’,” the official spokesperson of the agency said, adding the identity of the informer will be kept secret.

Asylum seekers using well-organized system for crossing irregularly into Canada

Moments after a Greyhound bus from New York City pulls into a gas station bus stop in Plattsburgh, N.Y., Friday at 5:25 a.m., several minivan taxis swarm the vehicle. About a

Continued on page 6

4 Indian-Americans to watch out for in 2024 US presidential election

Indian-origin Republican leader Nikki Haley has announced her bid for the US presidential elections in 2024. Haley is

a former South Carolina governor and ex-ambassador of the US to the United Nations. Soon after her announcement,

reports emerged that another Indian-origin Republican, Vivek Ramaswamy is planning to announce his 2024 presidential bid.

This economist blames supermarkets for astronomical food prices

Since the start of the pandemic, major supermarkets have faced significant public backlash over the ever-rising price of groceries. Recently, the sense of resentment

reached a fever pitch after Loblaws engaged in a Twitter spat defending itself against critics’ accusations of price gouging. The social media storm caught the attention of economist Jim

Continued

Stanford, who runs a think tank called the Centre for Future Work. Here, he explains who he thinks is really responsible for

Continued on page 6

Canada tells New York Mayor to stop busing migrants north

Canadian immigration officials have said they were ‘surprised’ that New York City Mayor Eric Adams has begun bussing migrants into their country.

Quebec immigration minister Christine Fréchette called on her nation to crackdown on an unofficial border crossing south of Montreal that migrants are entering into from New York after being transported there by Adams’ program, the BBC reports.

The controversial program sees National Guard soldiers at the Big Apple’s Port Authority bus terminal handing out free tickets to a shuttle bound for the northern border. Fréchette also urged Canadian officials to speed up talks in renegotiating the Safe Third Country Agreement, which requires migrants to make asylum claim in the first country they enter.

The Canadian immigration official told reporters on Monday that at the center of the issue was the need to ‘solve the problem of Roxham Road,’ referring to the unofficial border site between New York and Montreal.

Happy Family Day BC

Human remains found in Cloverdale area

Human remains have been found in a Cloverdale-area neighbourhood, with Surrey RCMP reporting that the forensics team has been called to the scene.

On Wednesday afternoon at around 12:40 p.m., police responded to a report of human remains found in an empty lot in a wooded area in the 19000 block of Fraser Highway.

“Police are working to identify the deceased individual and will be liaising with

coroner to find the possible cause of death. At this time it is too early to determine whether or not criminality is a factor,” Const. Sarbjit Sangha told Peace Arch News.

The Integrated Forensic Identification Services has been called to further the investigation, with the area closed off to residents.

Police are urging anyone with information regarding this incident to call the RCMP at 604-599-0502.

Surrey council-incommittee heard an update on Feb. 13 from Wendy Itagawa, the executive project director.

The $1.377 billion project for Pattullo Bridge replacement is set to be opened for traffic in 2024, with the existing bridge remaining in use until traffic is diverted to it.

Surrey council-incommittee heard an update on Feb. 13 from Wendy Itagawa, the executive project director.

The new toll-free bridge – with four lanes expandable to six – will be located upstream and northeast of the 86-yearold bridge which was opened in 1937.

“Of note, and in light of the snow we experienced in December, the cables on the new bridge will not cross over any of the travelling lanes, which will help mitigate the risk of snow and ice potentially falling on the travelling lanes,”

Itagawa told council. “In addition, there will be a snow and ice removal system, from day one, on the new bridge that’s similar to the system on Port Mann whereby it’s deployed remotely.”

This year will see realignment of Highway 17, Old Yale Road overpass construction, off-ramp construction, bridge deck girder installation, early work for bridge demolition, and 112 Avenue and King George Boulevard roadworks

Gas is more than 60 cents cheaper in Calgary compared to Metro Vancouver

The price of gas at the pump might be a drag but it could be worse — the price of gas in Vancouver compared to Calgary is currently 61 cents higher per litre. According to the latest daily pump price survey from Kent Group, regular gas in Calgary sits at $1.24 per litre on February 14, 2023, while Vancouver sits at $1.85 per litre.It’s usually always more expensive for fuel in YVR compared to YYC; however, the drastic difference in price is always a good reminder that things could be worse. The average across Canada is $1.521 per litre for regular and $1.767 per litre for premium. Here’s a quick look at the regular and premium fuel prices in other spots across Canada. Vancouver fuel prices Regular: $1.85 per litrePremium: $2.09 per litre Kelowna fuel pricesRegular: $1.62 per litre

Premium: $1.84 per litre

Edmonton fuel prices

Regular: $1.22 per litre

Premium: $1.46 per litre

Calgary fuel prices

Regular: $1.24 per litre

Premium: $1.46 per litre

Toronto fuel prices

Regular: $1.46 per litre

Premium: $1.73 per litre

Montreal fuel prices

Regular: $1.59 per litre

Premium: $1.83 per litre

Winnipeg fuel prices

Regular: $1.53 per litre

Premium: $1.76 per litre

B.C. Housing investigating whether affordable housing units may be renting on Airbnb

A B.C. NDP affordable housing program that was supposed to provide taxpayer-subsidized units with rent caps is undergoing a review to determine why some units are listed for hundreds more a month and whether some ended up on Airbnb. It’s led the official Opposition to brand the HousingHub program a “massive housing flub” and a clear example, they say, of B.C. Housing’s mismanagement of affordable housing programs. The B.C. Liberals listed six buildings across the province in Merritt, West Kelowna, North Vancouver,

Nanaimo, Maple Ridge and Victoria where — despite developers receiving low-interest loans from the province — the units are now renting for considerably higher than the promised rent cap. For example, Olympic Villas in Merritt — which in 2020 received $16.6 million in low-interest financing from the government in exchange for setting aside 45 of the 75 units for below-market rent — has multiple units listed on Airbnb and Expedia for up to $250 per night and units renting for up to $2,380 per month.

Criminal investigation launched into allegations VPD officers interfered after crash

He said any conduct concerns arising from the actions of municipal officers will be “reviewed carefully” by the OPCC and an investigation will be launched if allegations of misconduct arise. On Friday, VPD spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said the officer injured in the collision Tuesday has been released from hospital and is recovering at home.

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Cameron Loveless, director of oversight operations at the OPCC, said, in an email Friday, that he cannot disclose any details about the crash but confirmed that the agency was notified by the VPD and that they “are awaiting further information from the VPD before determining appropriate next steps under the Police Act.”

“We value the strong relationships we share with our colleagues at Burnaby RCMP and we trust they will complete a thorough investigation that looks into all of the factors that led to the collision,” said Visintin, in an email.

“We are also reviewing the facts to fully understand what occurred before, during, and after the incident.”

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OPINION

Bryan Passifiume

Governor General got a $40,000 pay raise during pandemic

Legislation dictates mandatory raises for the governor general, whose salary is determined by the government .

The salary for Canada’s Governor General got a $40,000 pay bump during the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of Canadian workers faced uncertainty,

Do you think the governor general deserves an extra $40,000?

unemployment and economic hardship.

Documents provided to the National Post by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) from the Privy Council Office show the base salary for Canada’s Governor General increased from $302,800 per

year in 2019 to $342,100 in 2022 — a 13-per-cent pay bump. Julie Payette, appointed in 2017, was the governor general until her resignation in January 2021, amid a scandal over her workplace behaviour. The position was vacant until July 2021, when Mary Simon was sworn in as the current Governor General.

The pay increases in 2021 and 2022 were higher than raises given prior to the pandemic. The annual increases are determined according to a formula based on average wages in the workforce.

Rideau Hall and the Privy Council Office both noted that the Governor General’s salary is determined by the government.

In 2018, the position paid $294,600. The salary increased 2.7 per cent to $302,800 in 2019, followed by a 2.4-per-cent increase in 2020, bringing the salary to $310,100.

That was followed by a 5.9 per cent raise in 2021 to $328,700, and another 4.7 per cent increase to bring their salary to $342,100 in 2022.

Remuneration for the viceregal is outlined in the Governor General’s Act, which sets the job’s base salary at $270,602 as of Jan. 1, 2013, subject to mandatory annual increases.

According to legislation, raises are set by multiplying the current base salary by either 107 per cent, or “the percentage that the industrial aggregate for the first adjustment year is of the industrial aggregate for the second adjustment year,” whichever is lesser. Maintained by Statistics Canada, the industrial aggregate index measures the average salary and earnings by the Canadian labour force.

According to the Privy Council Office, no salary was collected while the job sat vacant between Payette’s resignation and Simon’s swearing in.

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Interior Health and B.C.’s ambulance service say they are reviewing an incident where a Nakusp man died late last month on the doorstep of Arrow Lakes Hospital.

“Whenever an event like this occurs, the staff and administration will review to learn if there was anything that we could do to improve, and that is occurring in this situation,” says Lannon De Best, executive director of clinical operations for the KootenayBoundary district of Interior Health.

Concerns raised after man dies on BC hospital doorstep

People familiar with the incident told the Valley Voice the man began experiencing medical trouble on the morning of Sunday, January 29. The family called for an ambulance to come to their home on the outskirts of Nakusp. They were told it would be at least 90 minutes’ wait for emergency services to arrive.

Coquitlam woman wins $1M Valentine’s day on wedding anniversary

It’s the anniversary gift we all wish would come true. Khalida Noori is set to fulfill a dream of buying a house for her family after recently becoming B.C.’s newest millionaire on the 2023 date marking hers and husband’s wedding anniversary.

The Coquitlam resident earned the $1-million payday after scratching a $10 Jackpot Multiplier ticket she purchased in Burnaby. She said she remained in shock from calling her husband to the moment they claimed the big cheque at the BC Lottery Corporation’s (BCLC) office in Vancouver.

“I’m on top of the world,” Noori explained in a news release today (Feb. 14).

“My life is completely changed by this win.” Noori said she came home that afternoon before picking up her kids after purchasing a ticket at the Real Canadian Superstore in Metrotown.

“I chose one ticket and scratched it and was in disbelief when I saw I had won, I was shaking!”

According to BCLC, Noori’s ticket was validated when she used the Lotto! app.

It was also the top prize of the $10 Jackpot Multiplier game.

BCLC added, in 2022, more than $177 million in prizes were claimed through scratch-and-win tickets across the province.

Vancouver couple’s rent going up after having a baby

Victoria Walsh is facing an expense she didn’t expect after having her firstborn, a rent increase of 20 per cent.

“We’re paying $1895 so 20 per cent increase is $2274 so almost a $400 increase. It’s pretty crippling,” said Walsh

The Vancouver woman says her landlord recently notified her and her partner that the rent for their one-bedroom would be going up because of their baby. She says their tenancy agreement mentions a 20 per cent increase for an additional occupant but didn’t expect it to apply to her newborn.

“She shouldn’t be treated like a roommate and I feel it’s very unfair, 20 per cent is just not a reasonable increase. It’s way too much for a baby that sleeps in my bed.”

Robert Patterson, a lawyer and tenant advocate with the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, says he’s seen tenants challenge these kinds of fees, and decisions have gone either way.

“In my mind, the purpose of that fee is to help cover the additional costs the landlord might incur from additional occupants. So, another person in the unit doing the dishes, using all the same facilities, laundry facilities etc.,” he explained. “I think that logic breaks down a bit when we talk about infants and newborns.”

“I think it also makes sense of for legislators to reconsider exactly why this door has been left open to these kind of rent increases. And if nothing else, to at least consider limiting the amount that can be added on for additional occupants,” added Patterson.

According to several sources, after waiting an hour, the family made a second call to the ambulance service, only to be told the wait would still be 90 minutes. The man’s condition worsened, and they decided to take him to the hospital themselves with the help of a neighbour.

The man had a cardiac arrest en route, and they were administering CPR to him as they arrived at the emergency department of Arrow Lakes Hospital. But when they got there, they found the doors to the building locked. A staff person finally came and opened the door, but before they could get him treatment, the man had died.

Both Interior Health and BC Emergency Health Services said patient confidentiality prevented the disclosure of some details, but they offered their deepest condolences to the family for their loss. Official statements from both services said the system had worked normally.

“The closest available ambulance was immediately dispatched, and paramedics were en route to the patient when the call was cancelled by the caller indicating they were self-transporting to the hospital,” BC Emergency Health Services wrote in an email to the Valley Voice. “At no point in time did BCEHS Dispatch direct or instruct the caller to transport the patient directly to hospital.”

From page 1

Asylum seekers using well-organized system for crossing irregularly into Canada

dozen passengers descend from the bus — mostly single men, but also several couples and a family with three young daughters. They are greeted by four pushy taxi drivers. The drivers begin to shout: “Frontera!” — the Spanish word for border — “Roxham Road! 60 dollars! Come! Come!” As the passengers unload luggage from under the bus, the taxi drivers are relentless, beckoning them into their cars for the 30-minute drive to Roxham Road, the wooded route into Canada that has become an unofficial border crossing for tens of thousands of asylum seekers

ticketing process’’ for people who arrive in the city but want to go elsewhere.

In December, a total of 4,689 migrants entered the country through Quebec’s Roxham Road — more than all would-be refugees who arrived in Canada in 2021. Crossing the irregular border allows them to take advantage of a loophole in a deal between the United States and Canada.

The Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement requires that asylum seekers make a refugee claim in the first “safe’’ country they reach. In practice, it means that border officials in Canada turn back

BC truckers must install electronic driving-time monitors by August 1st

over the past several years. Most of the bus passengers approached by The Canadian Press refused to talk; some shielded their faces. Many weren’t dressed for winter: they wore T-shirts, thin jackets, sneakers. One couple, however, were prepared, wearing warm winter jackets, tuques, gloves and boots. One single man hopped into a cab. Asked where he was from, he said, “Haiti.” Anxiously waiting for the taxi to depart, the man said his bus ticket was “purchased by a friend.”

Last week, reports said officials from New York City were providing free bus tickets to migrants heading north to claim asylum in Canada. New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Fox 5 his administration helps in the “re-

would-be asylum seekers who show up at official checkpoints from the U.S. But they are not required to turn back asylum seekers who cross irregularly at places such as Roxham Road.

On average, about 100 migrants arrive daily at the Greyhound bus stop on their way to Roxham Road, according to Chad Provost, who runs his own shuttle service for migrants. On his business card is written “Roxham Road Border,” his WhatsApp number, and “24 hour service to and from the Canadian border. Asylum seekers and refugee safe transportation.”

Provost, standing at the bus station outside his minivan with three passengers inside, said he sometimes provides asylum seekers with free rides.

B.C. carriers are being given the six-month window to install the devices and to complete training of drivers and dispatchers. The president of the B.C. Trucking Association is a longtime supporter of the devices. Dave Earle says they should “improve safety for all road-users by increasing compliance with hours-of-service regulations” and are one of a variety of safety programs that “will transform the industry for the better.” The devices reduce paperwork in the trucking industry, help to

manage driver hours and reduce costs, says the Transportation Ministry. Federal regulations were introduced by TransportCanadain2021requiringthedevices for all interprovincial trucking. Enforcement of those rules began at the start of 2023. There are some federal and provincial exemptions to the logging device regulation, including for operators of lower-weight commercial vehicles and those who only travel within a 160-kilometre radius.

Continued on pg 9

Number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 rose slightly

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. rose slightly on Thursday, but remains near a 14-month low.

There were 193 testpositive patients in B.C. hospitals Thursday, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. That’s up from 188 last week,

which was the lowest level seen since December 2021. Until Thursday, the BCCDC’s weekly report on current hospitalizations had shown declines each week since the start of the year, pushing the count to lows not seen at any point in 2022.

This economist blames supermarkets for astronomical food prices

From page 1

From page 1 responsible for astronomical food prices and what it would take for our grocery bills to come down. Jim Stanford explains why corporate greed—not supply chain problems or inflation— is the reason for skyrocketing grocery bills.

How did this whole Loblaws Twitter controversy begin?

Last fall, the company announced a threemonth price freeze on their No Name–brand products. It was part PR stunt, part defensive communications. They knew they were in the crosshairs of public anger, and they wanted to seem like they were on the side of consumers— even though their profits were exploding, up $682.8 million since 2019. But the price freeze didn’t really mean anything, since supermarkets often fix their prices during the holiday season to give shoppers a break. Loblaws announced the end of the price freeze in late January.

What happened next?

They faced some blowback on social media, with people accusing them of price gouging. Their choice to respond to critics directly on Twitter sparked a lot of anger. I was surprised that Loblaws thought debating would be an

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effective strategy. It made them look both defensive and incompetent, which is a bad combination. In one response, Loblaws wrote, “We may be the face of food inflation but we are certainly not the cause. Food prices are higher in our stores simply because the manufacturers who make the products are charging more for them.” Thoughts?

It’s self-serving bullshit. Loblaws is saying it’s an innocent intermediary, claiming it has no choice but to pass along the higher costs. That narrative is absolutely false. I’m not a specialist in the grocery industry, but I’ve looked at the power of supermarkets in the marketplace as part of the broader problem of inflation. I’ve gathered data on grocery store prices, profit margins and changes in the quantity of grocery sales. Supermarket profits are up 120 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic, and their profit margins have widened too, from an average of 1.65 per cent prepandemic to 2.8 per cent now. Food manufacturing profits are up 47 per cent in that same time period. Both industries have lined their pockets, but supermarkets more so.

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4 Indian-Americans to watch out for in 2024 US presidential election

From page 1

The number of Indian-Americans getting appointed to high-profile positions has grown rapidly in recent years, the biggest example being Kamala Harris, the US vice president. Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley, 51, is the two-term Governor of South Carolina and the former US ambassador to the United Nations. The daughter of immigrant Punjabi Sikh parents, Haley grew up enduring racist taunts in a small South Carolina town and has long referenced that impact on her personal and political arc. She was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa and was an accountant when she launched her first bid for public office, defeating the longest-serving member of the South Carolina House in 2004. Three terms later and with little statewide recognition, Haley mounted a long-shot campaign for governor against a large field of experienced politicians. With her 2010 victory, Haley became South Carolina’s first female and minority governor - and the nation’s youngest at 38. She earned a speaking slot at the 2012 Republican National Convention and gave the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union in 2016. Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy is a 37-yearold Indian-American Republican and businessman, dubbed by the New Yorker magazine as the “CEO of Anti-Woke Inc”. The millionaire embarked on test runs and fact-finding missions in the US state of Iowa where he has been addressing multiple events, according to a media report. Ramaswamy insisted his trip to Iowa and other prep work he is doing for a potential run are serious, the Politico reported on Monday, adding that he said: “this is not a play for attention.” The son of Indian immigrants - his father a General Electric engineer and his mother a geriatric psychiatrist - Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati. He attended Harvard and Yale universities and is worth reportedly in excess of $500 million, enough to seed his campaign through the key early states.

Kamala Harris, 58, who belongs to the Democratic Party, is the first woman vice president of the United States and the highest-ranking female official in US history, as well as the first African American and first Asian American vice president. In a recent interview, she said if Joe Biden runs for the 2024 elections, she’ll join him in the race. “He intends to run, and if he does, I’ll be running with him. We are doing historic work,” she said. Harris had served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and as a United States senator representing

California from 2017 to 2021. Harris was born to two immigrant parents -- a Black father and an Indian mother. Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna is an Indian-American Congressman from California, belonging to the Democratic Party. Born in Philadelphia in 1976, Khanna is the youngest of the four IndianAmerican lawmakers in US House of Representatives. The other three being Dr Ami Bera, who is the senior-most member of the so called ‘’Samosa Caucus’’, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Pramila Jayapal. A Politico report said Khanna is keeping his options open for the 2024 presidential race if President Biden decides not to run. Khanna, however, denied that he would run for the White House.

B.C. residents were most likely to report tip creep, at 74 per cent, or tip-flation, at 73 per cent, about 10 per cent above national averages . A new Angus Reid poll shows Canadians and especially British Columbians have reached a tipping point when it comes to all the services out there asking for gratuities. About two thirds of Canadians said they are being asked to tip more, and more often, for services including bars, restaurant, barbers and delivery drivers. Though many go ahead and tip, they’re growing weary of what the non-profit polling institute dubs “tip-flation.” Back in 2016, a survey showed 43 per cent of Canadians left a tip below 15 per cent during their previous restaurant visit.

Now less than a quarter, 23 per cent, report doing the same.

During the poll conducted at the end of last month, 21 per cent said they left a tip of 20 per cent or more, more than double the rate from seven years ago.

Canadians also told the survey they are seeing “tip creep,” more and more places that are asking for a tip when you pull out your debit card to pay. The vast majority, 83 per cent, said too many locations and services are asking for tips now. Only 13 per cent believe service has improved as more tips are being requested.

British Columbia residents were the most likely to report tip creep, at 74 per cent, or tipflation, at 73 per cent. (That’s about 10 per cent above national averages.) By comparison, only 43 per cent in Atlantic Canada report being asked to tip more often and more generously.

As a result, more than half of Canadians (59 per cent) are keen on a pay model where a fee is included in the tab, meaning an end to tipping and higher base wages for service workers. Those who have worked in a service job were no more likely than those who have not to support a service-included model, at 58 and 59 per cent respectively.

Of those who want to do away with tips, 86 per cent say the current system lets employers underpay their workers. Even among those who want to retain tipping, over half (53 per cent) agree.

The poll was conducted from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 of a randomized sample of 1,610 adults who are members of Angus Reid’s forum.

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Canadians are sick of ‘tip-flation,’ and BC leads the pack: Poll

BC wins longstanding civil forfeiture case against Hells Angels

Years in the making, a civil lawsuit against the Hells Angels appears to have finally ended this week, with B.C.’s attorney general getting the green light to seize three clubhouses owned by the motorcycle club. On Wednesday, the province’s Court of Appeal published its decision regarding British Columbia (Director of Civil Forfeiture) versus Angel Acres Recreation and Festival Property Ltd.

The 332-paragraph decision, a heavy read signed by a panel of three judges, ultimately ruled that the Hells Angels’ clubhouses in Vancouver, Nanaimo and Kelowna “were likely to be used in a way that enhanced or facilitated the engagement by members of the relevant chapters in unlawful activity.”

As such, “the clubhouses therefore constituted ‘instruments of unlawful activity’

in accordance with the future use definition and were subject to forfeiture under the Act.”

The clubhouses are located at 3598 E. Georgia St. in Vancouver, 805 Victoria Rd. in Nanaimo and 837 Ellis St. in Kelowna.

The province’s Civil Forfeiture Office was established in 2006 to seize proceeds of crime. And not long after it was organized, the clubhouses underwent a series of police raids. The attempted seizures wound their way through the courts. And, in 2020, B.C. Supreme Court justice Barry Davies squashed the province’s seizure attempt, saying there was a lack of evidence that the clubhouses were used for criminal activity in the past. However, the province appealed that decision, stating Davies used an elevated standard of proof that wasn’t needed.

BC COVID-19 update shows first rise in hospitalizations of 2023

There were signs in last week’s report, however, that transmission of the coronavirus had begun to plateau or even resurge.

The hospitalization numbers on the graphs in this article show what the BCCDC calls the “hospital census”: The total number of people in hospital on a given day who are COVID-positive, regardless of whether the disease is the underlying reason for their hospitalization.

Health officials estimate that between 40 and 50 per cent of the hospitalizations reported each week are caused by the coronavirus, while the rest are so-called incidental cases, in which someone went to the hospital for a non-COVID-related treatment and tested positive after admission.

Since the BCCDC began reporting the “hospital census” in January 2022, the

number of people in hospital on a Thursday has been as high as 985 and as low as last week’s total of 188.

The number of people in B.C. hospitals with COVID-19 on Thursdays since the province switched to a “hospital census” model in January 2022 is shown. As of Thursday afternoon, this week’s wastewater surveillance data had not yet been released. The most recent data available, however, showed increasing concentrations of the virus that causes COVID-19 in several communities, mostly outside the Lower Mainland. SARS-CoV-2 levels were rising in Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Victoria and Nanaimo. The only treatment plant with coronavirus surveillance outside the Lower Mainland that did show an increase was in the Comox Valley.

RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki to retire next month

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki says it “was not an easy decision” to retire from the national police force next month. In a statement released by the force, Lucki said Wednesday she is proud of the steps taken during her time as commissioner to modernize the RCMP through increased accountability and measures to address systemic racism, ensure a safe and equitable workplace and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. “I leave knowing I did my best and take comfort that the RCMP is well placed to shine in its 150th year,” she said.

Lucki said she knows this work will continue after her last day on March 17. “This was not an easy decision as I love the RCMP and have loved being the 24th commissioner,” she said in her statement.

“I am so incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to lead this historic organization and witness first hand the tremendous work being done each and every day by all employees from coast to coast to coast and internationally.” There has been speculation about Lucki’s future as she approaches the end of a five-year term marked by numerous challenges and controversies.

Police officer found guilty in takedown of man arrested for jaywalking

A Vancouver police officer has been found guilty of assault with a weapon for tasering a young, Black man who had been stopped for jaywalking.

Const. Jarrod Sidhu was convicted in a provincial court on Monday. The charges stemmed from the arrest of Jamiel MooreWilliams, who was 22 at the time. The former UBC football player was stopped for crossing against a red light in the Granville entertainment district in February of 2018.

Moore-Williams testified he told police he was jaywalking to get away from a woman who was throwing rocks at him. While he asked officers to go after the rock thrower, it was Moore-Williams who was arrested. When Moore-Williams was on the ground,

deployed his conductive energy weapon on him three times in rapid succession. Judge Emmet Duncan said a video of the arrest was crucial in proving Moore-Williams was surrounded by other officers and not a threat when Sidhu tasered him repeatedly

“I do not accept that the CEW was a proportionate, necessary or reasonable tool to effect compliance. I do not believe Mr. Sidhu’s evidence on this point,” Duncan said when handing down the guilty verdict.

Donna Turko, the lawyer who is representing Moore-Williams in both a human rights complaint and a civil suit against the city and the police department, says the verdict will likely bring a measure of relief to her client.

Poilievre backs Alberta’s concerns over federal ‘just transition’ legislation

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he backs Alberta Premier Danielle Smith over her concerns about what she’s called Ottawa’s anti-oil and gas agenda.

Poilievre told reporters in Calgary today that he discussed health care, public safety and defending Canada’s oil sector when he met his Alberta counterpart in Ottawa recently. Smith has accused the federal Liberal government of imposing discriminatory policies and legislation on non-renewable resource development that she says is frustrating Alberta’s energy sector. In December, her United Conservative Party government passed a sovereignty act that grants

Alberta the power to direct its agencies to flout federal laws and initiatives deemed harmful to provincial interests. However, Smith has not committed to using the province’s act to rebut the federal “just transition” legislation.

Poilievre said Wednesday that the federal government’s agenda would make Canada dependent on foreign, polluting dictatorships and allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue to dominate the European energy market to fund his war against Ukraine. “I do share Alberta’s concern about (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau’s anti-energy and anti-resource agenda,” Poilievre said. “He has said he wants to phase out

Toronto Mayor John Tory formally resigns

Toronto Mayor John Tory is stepping down from the job on Friday.

Tory submitted his resignation letter to the city clerk on Wednesday evening, informing John D. Elvidge that he will leave the mayor’s office on Feb. 17 at 5 p.m.

In the letter, Tory said he will spend the next two days in meetings with city staff and Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who will take over some of the mayor’s responsibilities after he vacates the office, to ensure an orderly transition.

“I want to thank the people of Toronto for

trusting me as Mayor since 2014. I continue to be deeply sorry and apologize unreservedly to the people of Toronto and to all those hurt by my actions without exception,” Tory wrote.

“This has been the job of a lifetime, and while I have let many people, including myself, down in this instance, I have nonetheless been deeply honoured by the opportunity to serve the people of this wonderful city for more than eight years and I hope I achieved some good for the city I truly love.”

BC moves to fast-track its overdue old growth protection commitments

The B.C. government is launching new measures to protect more old growth by fast-tracking innovation and co-developing new local plans with First Nations to better care for B.C.’s forests.

“Our forests are foundational to B.C. In collaboration with First Nations and industry, we are accelerating our actions to protect our oldest and rarest forests,” said Premier David Eby. “At the same time, we will support innovation in the forestry sector so our forests can deliver good, familysupporting jobs for generations to come.”

At the centre of the eight-point plan is $25 million for new Forest Landscape Planning (FLP) tables that will drive improved oldgrowth management while incorporating local knowledge and community priorities.

Enabled by 2021 amendments to the Forest and Range Practices Act, forest landscape plans are a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to forest stewardship that will replace existing, industry-developed plans.

In response to requests from First Nations for more in-depth discussions about old growth, this funding will support eight new regional FLP tables with the participation of approximately 50 First Nations. These tables will prevent harvesting in oldgrowth forests important for ecosystem health, biodiversity, clean water, carbon storage and Indigenous values. They will also provide greater certainty about the areas where sustainable harvesting can occur to support jobs and investment.

BC auditor general issues report on COVID-19 vaccination

The auditor general of B.C. has found that while overall tracking of the province’s immunization rates and access to the COVID-19 vaccines was good, there were issues in reporting and record-keeping.

His report titled “B.C.’s COVID-19 Response: Monitoring Vaccination Coverage” was published late Thursday morning and concluded: “the Ministry (of Health) had the information it needed to monitor COVID-19 vaccination rates, with some exceptions for the high-risk priority groups selected for this audit.”

The analysis did not include scrutiny of financial or logistical issues in the vaccine

rollout, solely focussing on whether the provincial government had information on vaccination rates, which “was vital to making informed decisions on B.C.’s pandemic response and recovery.” Auditor general Michael Pickup found multiple data collection systems funneled into the provincial registry system in a timely way with regular reports for administrators, but that communities including UBC and Whistler that had “fluctuating populations” saw situations where ”vaccination coverage estimates were overstated” and that “decisionmakers were aware of the discrepancy.”

Vancouver City Council removes

single-use cup fee in a majority vote

Vancouver city council has decided it will be scrapping its single-use cup fee Wednesday.

A strong majority voted for the motion to remove the 25-cent fee, which came into effect in January of 2022.

Coun. Rebecca Bligh put forward the motion to remove the fee saying that it has done little to change consumer habits.

The fee will be abolished by June 1, 2023, according to the city.

Ian Tostenson, BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association’s president and CEO, told Global News that while minimizing the footprint on the environment and climate is important, the fee was not the “right

way to do it.” “It’s our responsibility from an environmental point of view, but this wasn’t the way to do it. To penalize your customer and to have to try and explain to them the 25-cent fee is really a tough one,” he said.

“The environment is our number one responsibility and there’s a lot of businesses that are doing this despite city hall and are really interested in their footprint.

“We believe it’s all about consumer education and consumer engagement.”

Also on Wednesday, Loblaw Companies announced it will be transitioning away from single-use plastic bags for all of B.C. beginning Thursday.

Sudbury, Ontario mayor proposes taking a $36K pay cut

Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre wants to turn back the clock to 2016 when it comes to his salary as mayor.

Former mayor Brian Bigger made headlines before last year’s municipal election when it emerged his base salary had increased from $143,000 in 2016 to $180,000 in 2020.

At the time, city staff attributed the increase to “taxation changes.”

“Salaries for members of council are reviewed periodically against a set of municipal comparators having similar populations and service offerings,” city communications manager Maggie Frampton said in 2021. “The last time this exercise was completed was in 2017

when taxation changes were applied to members of council in accordance with changes in provincial legislation.”

That taxation change refers to the elimination of allowing elected officials to have one-third of their salaries be tax-exempt.

However, during the October 2022 vote, several mayoral candidates – including Lefebvre -- promised to reduce the mayor’s base salary if they won the election.

A motion headed to city council Feb. 21 would do just that. The mayor is proposing his base salary be dropped from $179,429.67 to $143,000 to be effective Feb. 21.

Celebrating a Centenarian Birthday at PICS Assisted Living

Federal govt announces nearly $40-million in funding for AI projects

The Canadian government says it will invest nearly $40-million to support more than a dozen artificial intelligence projects in sectors ranging from manufacturing to retail and aeronautics.Back to video We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Back to video Data released by Environment and Climate Change Canada reveals Ottawa had 65 weather advisories and warnings in 2022 – more than any other of the country’s major population centres.

Innovation Minister François-Philippe

Champagne is expected to make the announcement on Monday in Montreal.The $39.Play Video The 250-megawatt Oneida Energy Storage in southern Ontario will draw and store electricity from the provincial grid — more than 80 per cent of which is emissions-free — when power demand is low and return the power to the system when the demand is high.3-million funding will be invested through Montreal-based SCALE AI, a technology supercluster funded by the federal and Quebec governments

Canadians could finally get cheaper internet options thanks to new CRTC policy directive

Canadians are one step closer to getting cheaper internet and cellphone options. A new Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) policy directive implemented by the federal government is now in force. Itmeanstheagencymustmakedecisions that prioritize improving competition in the country’s telecom industry.

“Access to affordable and reliable Internet and wireless services is critical in today’s society and economy,” said Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne in a statement on Monday.

“This is why our government is using every tool at our disposal to ensure that telecom services are

competitive, reliable and, above all, affordable.” Champagne says the government consulted Canadians, organizations, and businesses, and came up with the final policy direction that puts the following objectives at the top of the CRTC’s decision process:

“These objectives will ensure that affordable access to highquality, reliable and resilient telecommunications services is available in all regions of Canada, including rural and remote areas and Indigenous communities,” added the minister.

According to The Canadian Press, the directive cancels a 2006 policy that told the CRTC to rely on market

Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society celebrated the 100th birthday of senior resident Venketamma Panchaliya at PICS

Assisted Living on February 14, 2023. It’s not every day that our community gets to celebrate the birthday of a centenarian. PICS Society took the opportunity to make it a grand occasion for Venketamma who was joined by her family and peers for the birthday celebration. Venketamma has been a resident at PICS Assisted Living for the last 10 years where she has made some amazing memories and friends. She was excited to share her story with PICS Staff members and the Her Worship Mayor Brenda Locke who was also in attendance for the cake cutting ceremony. Her Worship Mayor Brenda Locke spoke to the seniors “To be able to celebrate a centurion’s birthday is phenomenal and I hope I get to

come and celebrate all of your birthdays. Reaching 100 years of age does not happen without having good care, I want to thank all the staff, caregivers and all the friends, living in a facility like this is really the cornerstone of having a full and longer life.”

PICS President and CEO Satbir Singh Cheema presented Venketamma with a gift for her birthday and addressed those in attendance “One thing we can proudly say is that this celebration is proof that our seniors are being provided excellent care by the staff and management team led by Inderjeet Hundal and Rajeev Mohindru. It is no wonder that this facility has been ranked number one in the region consistently by a survey undertaken by the health authorities. You may recall that last year we also had the privilege to celebrate not one but three centenarian birthdays. This could not have been accomplished without the state-of-the-art care which PICS Assisted Living provides.”

Sonakshi remembers her first foreign tour

Sonakshi Sinha loves to travel. Apart from her holidays, the actress makes the most of it when shooting outdoors. As she fondly shares her liking towards travelling, she also looks back at the first time she travelled abroad and it was with her parents, father, actor Shatrughan Sinha and mother Poonam. She says, “My first foreign trip was obviously with my parents. I am pretty sure they took me somewhere beautiful. I

don’t remember where we went exactly. However, I do have faint memories of going to New York, Chicago and Manila with them. I was too young to remember all this.” As she likes to travel with her bunch of friends, ask Sonakshi if ever she’s tried travelling alone? Has she ever took off on solo trips? She answers saying, “I have always dreamt of doing solo trips, but I haven’t had the guts to do it yet. It is on my bucket list for sure. I really do want to do one solo trip.

Community news

South Asian Adults & Seniors

- Maha Shiv Ratree Celebrations at Lakshmi Narayan Temple

On February 18th 2023 (Saturday) for Darshnam Temple opens at 5.00 am to 12.00 am midnight.

In Person Yoga Classes will continue for members only at Shanti Niketan hall

every Monday and every Thursday by expert Yoga Instructor Mr. Ashwani Bansal from 10.00 am to 11.15 am . Members already vaccinated at least Two doses against COVID - 19 should join for Bingo & yoga classes

For more info call: 604 - 507 - 9945

Kajol

knits while getting her makeup done

While getting her makeup done for the filming of her forthcoming web series The Good Wife, Bollywood star Kajol tweeted a video of herself crocheting. On Thursday, Kajol posted a video on Instagram of herself getting ready and using the opportunity to practise knitting. The

actor can be seen wearing maroon outfit and is diligently knitting without even looking at the needles. Sharing the video, Kajol captioned, “Hair, makeup, laughter and a hobby… Multitasking at its finest!” #IDoItAll #HavingAGoodDay #WomensClub.”

Kiara Advani & Sidharth sign three-film deal with Karan Johar?

If recent reports are to be believed then Sidharth & Kiara Advani signed a threefilm deal with Dharma Productions?

Although neither the actors nor the producers have spoken about it, rumour has it that the couple will be coming together in films that are in the musical rom-com space. Sidharth and Kiara have, by far, done only one film together, Shershaah, which was based on the life of military hero Vikram Batra.

Readers would be aware that Karan Johar has been a mentor of sorts for the couple, who have worked with the filmmaker since the early days of their Bollywood career. While Kiara gained fame with the Karan Johar anthology film Lust Stories, Sidharth Malhotra made his Bollywood debut with the filmmaker’s directorial Student Of The Year. Interestingly, during the promotions of Jugjugg Jeeyo, Karan also mentioned

Kiara as the ‘lucky mascot’ of Dharma. Sidharth is expected to feature in Yodha which is also produced

under the banner Dharma Productions. It is expected to be an action entertainer which stars Disha Patani and Raashii Khanna. Talking about Kiara, the actress will soon be seen in the multilingual Ram Charan starrer RC15. Besides that, she also has Kartik Aaryan starrer romance drama

Yami wishes to do biopic of Madhubala

She was spotted visiting salon. Yami recently wrapped up the shoot of her upcoming film.

She was greeted by the paparazzi as she stepped out of the salon. However, the actress lost her cool when she heard someone shouting while the photographers rushed to take pictures.

In the video that has surfaced online, Yami was seen wearing an oversized blue denim jacket and black trousers. But before posing for pictures, Yami asked the photographers who was shouting amongst them. ‘Shout kaun kar raha tha pehle yeh batao,’ Yami asked, to which the paparazzi responded saying, ‘Mam koi bahar ka tha.’ Yami again asked the same question for reassurance before finally obliging the paparazzi with photographs. Yami has a power-packed lineup with projects

like Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, OMG2 and Dhoom Dham among other unannounced projects. The actress has recently expressed her wish to do a biopic of the iconic and her favourite actress Madhubala.

Naushad

December 25, 1919 – May 5, 2006

Naushad Ali was born in Lucknow, a city famous for its art, culture & tradition. His father’s name was Wahid Ali Khan. Naushad Ali would visit annual fair of Deva Sharif in Barabanki, 25 km from Lucknow, where all the great qawwals and sufi musicians would perform. He studied classic Indian music under the guaidance of Ustad Yusuf Ali Khan, Ustad Ghurbat Ali Khan, Ustad Babban Saheb.

Naushad Ali was born on December 25, 1919. Naushad Ali is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Indian cinema. He is particularly known for popularising the use of classical music in films.

His first film as an independent music director was Prem Nagar in 1940.

Naushad Ali’s first musically successful film was Rattan (1944), followed by 35 silver jubilee hits, 12 golden jubilees and 3 diamond jubilee, it was a mega successes. Naushad Ali was honoured Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan award ain 1981 and 1992 respectively for his contribution to the music.

His world famouos film ‘Prem Nagar’ 1940 the film had a story for which he did a lots of research into the folk music. In film Nayi Duniya (1942) with director A.R. Kardar, he got first credit as “music director” and began to work rwith Kardar Productions.

He, however, had a flexibility that he could work outside Kardar Productions and this arrangement continued throughout his career.

His another hit was ‘Sharda’ (1942) wherein 13-year-old Suraiya debuted with the song “Panchhi Ja” for the playback for heroine Mehtab.

It was Rattan (1944) that took Naushad right to the top and enabled him to charge Rs 25,000 a film during those days.

Mother India (1957) for which he composed the classic music, and it was the first Indian film that got nominated for the Oscar.

He also composed tunes for film ‘Taj Mahal’ An Eternal Love Story (2005) at the age of 86. During the early 1940s, recordings were done in quiet parks and gardens after midnight because the studios did not have sound-proof recording rooms. In the gardens, there would be no echo and disturbances,

unlike the studios where the sound reverberated because of the tin roofs.

For films like ‘Uran Khatola’ and ‘Amar’, he recorded the voice of a particular artiste on a scale of 90, then recorded it on 70, then on 50 and so on. After the complete

Deepika flies economy class

Deepika Padukone was recently spotted inside a flight by a fan who then posted her video on their social media. In the small clip, the actor can be seen walking swiftly towards the front, as directed by one of the crew members. Deepika kept a low profile and walked swiftly without greeting any of the copassengers. But eagle-eyed fans were ready with their cellphone cameras, and recorded the actor as she made her way through the flight, followed by her bodyguard. In the video,

recording, it was played for the scene and the impact it created was terrific.

He was one of the first to introduce sound mixing and the separate recording of voice and music tracks in playback singing. He was the first to combine the flute and the clarinet, the sitar and mandolin. He also introduced the accordion to Hindi film music and was among the first to focus on background music to extend characters’ moods and dialogue through music. But perhaps his greatest contribution was to bring Indian classical music into the film medium. Many of his compositions were inspired by ragas and he even used distinguished classical artistes like Amir Khan and D.V. Paluskar in Baiju Bawra (1952) and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in Mughal-e-Azam (1960).

Baiju Bawra (1952) demonstrated Naushad’s grasp of classical music and his ability to bring it to the masses, for which he won the first Filmfare Best Music Director Award in 1954.

It was perhaps the best filmdom gift in the music world as composer Naushad Ali and legendary singer Mohammed Rafi were working together.

What a monumental blessing the duo were to the film music and how perfectly they complemented one another was laid out in 1983 by Jaidev over a cup of tea in his flat at Churchgate. The composer of exemplary music for “Hum Dono” and “Mujhe Jeene Do”, Jaidev opined

‘‘Naushad had gauged the extraordinary depth and range of Rafi’s voice much before others and after polishing it, wove intricate patterns beyond the threeoctave scale which “Naushad could compose because Rafi alone could deliver.”

Naushad Ali died on May 5, 2006 due to cardiac arrest at the age of 86.

He is survived by and three sons, Rehman Naushad, Raju Naushad & Iqbal Naushad & six daughters Zubeda, Fehmida, Farida, Sayeeda, Rashida, and Waheeda. Naushad Ali ranked as one of the most respected and successful music directors of Indian cinema.

Noted painter and Guru Dutt’s sister passes away

Late filmmaker Guru Dutt’s sister Lalitha Lajmi, noted painter, passed away at the age of 90. The news of her demise was shared by the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) on Monday. “Lalitha Lajmi was born to a poet father and a polylinguist writer mother in Kolkata in 1932. Coming from a family involved in the arts, Lajmi was very fond of classical dance and painting. She found her calling in painting.

An unparalleled watercolourist, through her works she narrates a layered history of the modem Indian woman in the decades that followed Independence. Often her vvorks reflect the hidden tensions that exist between men and women, captured in the different roles they play. Yet, her women are not meek individuals, but assertive and individualistic, with a strong autobiographical element.

Lalitha Ji was a regular at all our NGMA

which was posted by a fan club of Deepika Padukone on Twitter, she can be seen wearing a bright orange and blue jacket and matching cap along with oversized sunglasses. As she made her way through the cabin door, a fan also called her and said, “Hi Deepika!” but the actor didn’t seem to notice. Recently, she had shared a video on Instagram with her Pathaan co-star Shah Rukh Khan as they tried on different products from her 82E line of cosmetics.

One of the best classic music directors of Indian cinema

Muhammad Rafi singing Naushad’s tune

Vancouver developer’s insolvency threatens future of Cherry Blossom Festival

One of the city’s most beautiful annual events is scrambling to find new funding following the loss of its title sponsor.

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (VCBF) announced today that is searching for additional sponsors to make up for the loss of Coromandel Properties. Daily Hive reported last week that the major local real estate developer filed for insolvency in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Coromandel Properties was a presenting sponsor of the festival for five years. With the 17th annual VCBF scheduled for April 1 to 23, organizers hope that new supporters can ensure this year’s programming is not seriously affected. “Sponsors play a pivotal role in our ability

to put on a festival of this size and ensuring almost all our programming is free of

planned programs and events can go ahead.

charge and accessible to everyone,” said Festival Executive Director Michael Dove in a release. “We are now doing all we can to find new sponsors to ensure that all of our

“We believe it’s an excellent opportunity for businesses to get involved with such an impactful community event. We want to thank Coromandel Properties for supporting us for the past five years, and we look forward to working with our current and additional new sponsors as we prepare for our April 1 festival launch.” Dove encourages any company looking to become a sponsor

to contact him directly. VCBF added that supporters can become a sponsor of the festival as a whole or of individual signature events like The Big Picnic at David Lam Park and Sakura Days Japan Fair at VanDusen Botanical Garden. In a statement to Daily Hive Urbanized, Coromandel Properties, which primarily pursues condominium projects, says it is looking to reposition itself through the stream of the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).

Since being active with acquiring properties a decade ago, the developer has amassed a significant portfolio, with 16 active real estate projects — all located within Vancouver — now in possible risk. Many of these projects are located within the Cambie Street Corridor, including near Oakridge.

Canada needs to boost home building by 50 per cent to keep up with immigration, report says

As Canada prepares to ramp up immigration levels, a new report says the country will need to build 50 per cent more housing than what’s already being planned.

The report, published by economists from Desjardins on Monday, says in order to keep up with the federal

government’s immigration targets without causing substantial increases to home prices, 100,000 more homes need to be constructed annually in 2023 and 2024.

“Increasing the housing supply beyond the typical demand response would also take pressure off prices but requires extraordinary policy intervention and resolve,” the authors wrote. “Indeed, we estimate that housing starts would have to increase immediately by almost 50 per cent nationally relative to our baseline scenario and stay there through 2024 to offset the

price gains from the increase in federal immigration.” Last fall, Ottawa unveiled plans to increase the number of immigrants entering Canada, with a goal of 500,000 newcomers arriving per year by 2025.

The report notes that the federal government’s target of 100,000 new housing units over the next five years falls short of the 100,000 new homes needed annually. However, the Ontario government aims to get 1.5 million new homes built in the province over 10 years by 2031 with Bill 23, also known as the More Homes Built Faster Act.

In the worst case prices could plunge back to 2014 levels, says Oxford Economics . Spring isn’t that far away, according to the groundhogs, and with signs the Bank of Canada may be winding up its interest rate hikes, the horizon has been looking a bit more hopeful for our battered housing market.

But economists at Oxford Economics think we are only halfway through this correction, and prices — already down 14 per cent since the peak in February 2022 — will fall another 16 per cent by the middle of this year. It predicts that when home prices do hit bottom they will be down 30 per cent.

Declines will vary across the country, of course, with the cities that saw the steepest gains suffering the biggest declines. Prices in Hamilton, Ont., for example, are seen dropping 34 per cent and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, 33.6 per cent. Western cities should fare

better, with Calgary prices expected to fall 11.8 per cent and Regina, 10.7 per cent. As dire as that sounds it will still leave prices slightly above their pre-pandemic levels in February 2020, said Oxford. “The seasonal pick-up in resale activity this spring will be a key litmus test in a recessionary environment. If distressed homeowners boost listings faster than sales, months of inventory will shift further to a buyers’ market and prices will fall even lower,” said economists Tony Stillo, Michael Davenport and Cassidy Rheaume. Which brings us to Oxford’s other scenarios. If global supply chains mend faster than expected, easing inflation and boosting investor confidence, home prices may only fall 27 per cent peak to trough, said Oxford.

In their moderate downside scenario, the housing correction jolts household wealth and consumer confidence, creating a negative feedback loop that drives prices lower. In this case home prices could fall 34 per cent.

Canada’s home prices are only halfway to the bottom, warn these economists

Canada’s big banks face lower mortgage growth in 2023 as housing sector remains slow

Canada’s big banks face lower mortgage growth in 2023 as housing sector remains slow As hot inflation pushes up interest rates and continues to cool Canada’s housing market, analysts expect mortgage growth to dip further this year. lending rose 8 per cent in the year ended Oct.for Canadians.Back to video Yes, there are diehards who insist the CFL is the one and only and the Grey Cup is Canada’s pigskin party.is the latest addition to the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class. 31, 2022, breaking the trend of doubledigit growth in 2020 and 2021 when historically low rates spurred homebuyers and bolstered bank earnings.As hot inflation pushes up interest rates and continues to cool Canada’s housing market, analysts expect mortgage growth to dip further this year.Alberta, for example, has

Canada home sales had a dismal start to the year, at their lowest since 2009. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA) latest report, home sales recorded between December 2022 and January 2023 were at

just committed to steadily increasing its benchmark price of carbon for big emitters to $170 per tonne by 2030, matching the federal government — a smart move that

Canada home sales broke a 14-year record in January

a 14-year low, dipping back down to 3%.

The CREA says it essentially gave back all of the small gains the housing market made in December, “rejoining the mild downward trend observed since last summer.” “The big question on

everyone’s minds after last year was what will housing markets do in 2023?” said Jill Oudil, chair of the CREA, in a statement.

“We may have to wait another month or two to see what buyers are planning this year since new listings are currently trickling out

gives industry a clear planning horizon.“We expect mortgage loan growth to further decline to low- to mid-single digit yearover-year growth in 2023 reflecting lower home sales and home prices as a result of higher mortgage rates and weak housing affordability,” RBC Capital Market analyst Geoffrey Kwan said in a note to clients.12.Canadian real estate secured lending makes up the bulk of lending across the Big Six banks, comprising 44 per cent of total loan books on average in the fourth quarter, according to research from investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW).Other provinces should follow Alberta’s lead.Mortgage portfolios carry a heftier weighting at some banks, ranging as high as 53 per cent at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and as low

at near-record low levels, but that should change as the weather warms.” A rise in home sales in cities like Hamilton, Burlington, and Quebec City was more than offset by declines in greater Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal, reads the report.

Expectant couple told to sell their home after B.C. strata votes to make complex 55-plus

Razan Talebian and her husband were overjoyed when they found out last month they were expecting their first child together. They had finally found a place to live in Maple Ridge, B.C., with their cat and dog in a building that was originally only for people ages 35 and older.

But when the B.C. government amended the Strata Act to remove almost all rental restrictions last November, Talebian and her husband put in an offer right away.

“So we’re on the market

in September looking for a house. November is when the restrictions were lifted and we put in the offer and a day after and we were able to live in our house at the end of December,” she said.

Then some more good news came for the couple when Talebian found out she was pregnant in early January. Shortly after they received a notice that a special general meeting was being held to vote on whether owners wanted to change the complex to only ages 55 and over.

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

he Income Tax department on Tuesday surveyed four premises of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), including in Delhi and Mumbai, over its alleged noncompliance with Transfer Pricing Rules (TPR), which sparked a global furore.

Coming as it did weeks after the BBC aired a controversial documentary, India: The Modi Question on the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the Opposition saw it as intimidation and vindictive action, while the BJP attacked the broadcaster for what it called ‘venomous’ reporting. Sources claimed the BBC had illegally diverted profits out of India by flouting TPR provisions. TPR is applicable to multinationals operating in multiple global locations. Profits generated by offices of different countries come under the ambit of tax laws of the country of operations.

Tax survey on BBC sparks global furore

For its part, the BBC said it was fully cooperating with the tax authorities, adding it hoped the matter would be resolved as soon as possible. According to sources, the BBC had been non-compliant with the TPR for years despite several reminders from the tax department. The focus of the survey was to look into manipulation of prices for unauthorised benefits, including tax advantages.

The I-T department is empowered to conduct a survey on the premises of a business entity during business hours. It can search files, laptops, computers, hard drives or any other digital storage devices associated with the business entity, to collect information. However, raiding residences and other locations of its promoters or directors is out of scope for a survey.

UK govt ‘closely monitoring’ tax surveys at BBC offices in India

The UK government is “closely monitoring” the situation following the Indian income tax department’s “surveys” at the BBC offices in India on Tuesday, February 14, according to reports.

The news agency PTI said that while there has been no official statement from the UK government on the “survey”, sources said they are “closely monitoring” the situation. The Indian I-T department is conducting the survey operations at the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion.

Reacting to the Indian IT department’s action, the British public broadcaster said that it was “fully cooperating” with the authorities and hoped that the situation will be resolved “as soon as possible”.

In New Delhi, officials said the survey was being carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies, and alleged that the BBC had been served with notices in the past but was “defiant and non-compliant” and had significantly diverted its profits.

BBC staffers were asked to deposit their phones at a particular spot inside the premises and cooperate. Some computers were seized and mobile phones of some staff members were cloned, officials said.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said no one is above

the law and that the I-T department will share details about the survey after it is over. Transfer pricing refers to prices of transactions between associated enterprises which may take place under conditions differing from those taking place between independent enterprises.

$1899.99

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Delhi – Dausa section of Delhi - Mumbai Expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the ambitious, nearly 1,400 kilometres long Delhi-Mumbai expressway in Rajasthan’s Dausa today. The 246-kilometre Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot stretch of the expressway will cut down the travel time from Delhi to Jaipur from five hours to around three and a half hours. It is also expected to boost economic opportunities in the entire region.

“Studies show investment on infrastructure brings in further investments,” the PM said, addressing a public gathering in Dausa’s Dhanawar village, in eastern Rajasthan. He pressed the button of a remote to mark the inauguration.

“Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas is our mantra for nation, we are making ‘Samarth Bharat’ while following it,” the PM further said, adding that the expressway is “a magnificent picture of developing India”.

PM Modi said when the government invests in highway projects, ports, railways, optical fibre, and opens medical colleges, it gives strength to traders, small shopkeepers and industries.

The PM said those who travel to Delhi for work can now come

back home in the evening after finishing their task, adding that rural ‘haats’ are being developed around the expressway where the local artisans can sell their article. He said the expressway will benefit the Sariska National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Ranthambore National Park as well as cities such as Jaipur and Ajmer. Rajasthan is already known for its tourism sector and the attraction will increase further with the new infrastructure project, the Prime Minister said.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union MoS V K Singh, Union minister Gajendra Singh, and other leaders were present on the stage at the function.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal khattar addressed the programme through a video link.

While Mr Gehlot joined the programme from the Chief Minister’s residence in Jaipur, Mr Khattar addressed it from a function held in Nuh district.

The first leg of India’s longest expressway opened to the public right ahead of a hectic election year. The grand expressway promises to bring down travel time from the national capital to its financial hub, Mumbai, by half, to just 12 hours.

Celebrate Diversity

India outdrinks France as top whisky buyer by volume

ndia has replaced France as the world’s biggest buyer of Scotch whisky by volume, latest figures show.

Whisky makers exported 219 million bottles to India, up 60% on 2021, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said.

The US is still the largest buyer by value - it imported Scotch whisky worth £1.05bn ($1.27bn) in 2022. India was fifth on the list.

Scotch has long been a status symbol in India, but still has only a 2% share in the world’s largest whisky market.

Blended whisky, which is cheaper, has long been the preferred choice for millions

of Indian consumers. But demand for more expensive single malts has been growing too, driven by cultural shifts and a rise in Indians’ spending power.

While India’s share in global Scotch sales has surged - export volumes to the country rose more than 200% over the past decade - exporters see a lot of room to grow.

India charges 150% import tariff on each bottle of Scotch whiskymainly due to lobbying by domestic distillers - driving up prices and squeezing profit margins for producers.

Sonia Giridhar Gokani is new Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court

The Union government cleared the appointment of chief justices for four high courts. Judge Sonia Giridhar Gokani is set to become the first female chief justice of the Gujarat High court since its inception in 1960.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju announced the appointments of Justice Gokani to the Gujarat high court, Justice Sandeep Mehta to the chief justice of Gauhati high court, Justice Jaswant Singh as chief justice of Tripura, and Justice N Kotiswar Singh as chief of justice of the high court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Who Is Sonia Giridhar Gokani?

On February 9, a Supreme Court collegium comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, and Justice KM Joseph recommended Justice Sonia Giridhar Gokani’s name to the centre. Gokani was appointed as acting chief justice of the Gujarat high court. The apex court collegium said, “Besides being the senior most Judge, the appointment of Justice Gokani will bring a sense of inclusion and facilitate a representation for judges drawn from the services in the office of Chief Justice.”

Nokia X30 5G smartphone India launch this month

The Nokia X30 was released in India, and it quickly became the most expensive phone with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G SoC. According to

the company, the phone’s frame is made of 100% recycled aluminium, and the back cover is made of 65% recycled plastic.

One of India’s biggest and oldest conglomerates is returning to its roots with a multi-billion-dollar bet on the country’s growing middle class and its demand for air travel.

Air India was for many years under state ownership, a byword for underinvestment, crippling losses, and inefficiency.

Now back in the hands of its original private owners, it announced combined purchases of 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing on Tuesday, which together form one of the largest orders in aviation history.

The announcement comes a year after tea-to-software conglomerate Tata Group re-acquired the loss-making airline, founded by globetrotting Franco-Indian industrialist JRD Tata, who piloted its maiden flight in 1932. Reports say he described its post-Independence nationalisation as the saddest day of his life, frequently lamenting the loss. And it has haemorrhaged money in recent years, with successive Indian governments spending nearly $15 billion to prop it up from 2009 until Tata bought it back in a $2.4 billion deal a year ago.

India’s imports from Russia up 384 pc in April-Jan

India’s imports from Russia has jumped about five times to USD 37.31 billion during April-January this fiscal on account of increasing inbound shipments of crude oil from that country, according to the commerce ministry data.

In 2021-22, Russia was India’s 18th largest import partner, accounting for USD 9.86 billion of imports. Russia has become India’s fourth largest import source during the 10-month period of the current fiscal.

India’s appetite for Russian crude oil in January rose to unseen levels, continuing to remain above traditional middle eastern suppliers for the fourth month in a row, as refiners rushed to snap up plentiful cargoes available at a discount to other grades.

From a market share of less than 1

per cent in India’s import basket before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia’s share of India’s imports rose to 1.27 million barrels per day in January, taking a 28 per cent share, according to energy cargo tracker Vortexa. India, the world’s third-largest crude importer after China and the United States, has been snapping Russian oil that was available at a discount after some in the West shunned it as a means of punishing Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The ministry data showed that imports from China rose by about 9 per cent to USD 83.76 billion during April-January this fiscal. Similarly, the imports from UAE increased by 23.53 per cent to USD 44.3 billion.

NOW ORDER ONLINE:

Air India makes one of the largest aircraft order, global leaders say ‘historic’

HAL in talks with four countries to export Tejas fighter jets

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is in talks with at least four countries to sell its light-combat aircraft, the company’s top executive said on Tuesday, as New Delhi looks to triple defence exports over the next two years. India’s stateowned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is in talks with at least four countries to sell its light-combat aircraft, the company’s top executive said on Tuesday, as New Delhi looks to triple defence exports over the next two years. Malaysia has shortlisted the Tejas light fighter jet for an order of around 10 to 20 planes and Argentina, Egypt and Botswana have also expressed interest, HAL Chief

Managing Director C B Ananthkrishnan told reporters at a conference during Aero India, the country’s biggest aviation event. HAL is also in talks with the Philippines to sell its light-combat helicopters, he added.

“There is a lot of interest generated in the global aerospace market. Sooner or later we will have a breakthrough order,” he said.

India has been one of the world’s biggest importers of defence equipment for decades, but it has punched below its weight in the global arms export market. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday set out ambitions to more than triple the value of annual defence exports to $5 billion over the next two years and his government has been making diplomatic efforts to export the Tejas.

Adani hires Grant Thornton for some independent audits after Hindenburg fallout

Adani Group has appointed accountancy firm Grant Thornton for independent audits of some of its companies in a bid to discredit claims by short-seller Hindenburg Research that have battered its stocks and bonds, two people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The appointment marks the first major effort by Adani Group to defend itself in the wake of a January 24 report by Hindenburg that accused it of improper use of offshore tax havens and stock manipulation.

The conglomerate, led by billionaire Gautam Adani, has strongly denied the allegations but investors remain concerned.

Shares in the group’s seven listed subsidiaries have cumulatively lost about $120 billion in market value in the last

three weeks. Adani Group said last week it was considering independent evaluation of issues relating to legal compliance, related party transactions and internal controls following the Hindenburg report. The appointment of Grant Thornton is reported here for the first time. Grant Thornton has been hired to conduct independent audits of some Adani Group companies, said the sources, declining to be named as the appointment is confidential. One of the sources added that Grant Thornton would look at whether related-party transactions at the Adani Group complied with corporate governance standards.

Grant Thornton and Adani Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shiv Sena crisis has serious consequences for polity: Supreme Court

After a rebellion by Shinde and a bunch of legislators against then CM Uddhav Thackeray, the Uddhav faction, on June 25, 2022 were served a disqualification notice by the Deputy Speaker. A day later, Shinde and the others approached the top court.

Rival Shiv Sena factions in Maharashtra staking claim to power have posed a tough constitutional question which has serious consequences for the polity, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday as it weighed the options of referring its earlier 2016 decision (saying a speaker could not adjudicate on the disqualification of a member of the legislative assembly

when there is a notice seeking his own removal) to a larger bench of seven judges.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said: “If the 2016 decision in Nabam Rebia (decided by a five-judge bench) is accepted, the consequence is, as we have seen in Maharashtra, to allow free flow of human capital from one political party to the other. On the other hand, if the Speaker can still decide on the disqualification under the 10th Schedule (anti-defection law), consequence of that is that, essentially, where a leader has lost his or her flock, he can still hold them down to his group.”

Discovery of lithium in Jammu & Kashmir

Pakyong, 14 Feb: Since the discovery of a 5.9 million tonnes lithium resource in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi District, India’s reliance on the importation of EV batteries, laptops, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets will be greatly decreased. The reserve can assist in supplying lithium to India’s growing EV sector. According to Austrade, the trade, investment, and education development arm of the Australian government, major technological advancements since the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries in the 1990s have elevated lithium to the forefront. The revolution in smartphones, tablets, and other smart gadgets is being driven by this. What is the purpose of lithium?

The light, alkaline, and highly reactive metal lithium. It is mostly used in the production of greases, pharmaceuticals, air conditioners, ceramic and glassware, aluminum, and other things. It is an excellent choice for electric vehicle makers like Tesla because of its greatest energy storage capacity

per kilogram and exceptionally light weight. A

“white gold” of India

According to a report released on February 9 by the Indian Ministry of Mines, the Geological Survey of India, which also assesses India’s mineral resources, found 5.9 million tonnes of lithium resources – a first for the country – in the Salal-Haimana region of Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district. The Ministry of Mines gave the relevant state governments a report on this, 15 other resource-bearing geological reports, and 35 geological memoranda during the 62nd Central Geological Programming Board meeting that day. Lithium deposits in other countries vs those in India However, it is now insufficient to be compared to the top lithium deposits in the world. The lithium deposit in Jammu and Kashmir may contain a sizable amount of lithium. According to the Mint, Bolivia has 21 million tonnes of lithium, Argentina has 17 million tonnes, and Australia has 6.3 million tonnes.

India records 126 coronavirus infections, one fatality in a day

India reported 126 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, according to the data of the Union health ministry. Active caseload has declined to 1,835, the total number of covid cases has reached 4.47 crores so far. The death toll has touched 5,30,757 since the onset of covid pandemic, with one fatality reported from Karnataka. ccording to the ministry’s website,

2,206,319,397 crore doses of covid vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive, with at least 7,850 people receiving the injections in one day.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

Odisha BJP leader assaults woman police officer

Odisha’s Leader of Opposition Jaynarayan Mishra has stirred controversy by allegedly assaulting a woman police officer, after accusing her of taking bribes, during a BJP protest in Sambalpur.

The saffron camp MLA from Sambalpur, however, dismissed the charge and claimed that the Dhanupali Police Station Inspector incharge, Anita Pradhan, had pushed him. Both lodged police complaints in connection with the incident, which occurred on Wednesday during BJP’s protest outside the district collector’s office in Sambalpur, as part of the state-wide stir on the “worsening law and order situation”.

According to Pradhan, as BJP workers were trying to barge into the premises, she came face-to-face with Mishra, who asked who she was. “When I identified myself, he accused me

of taking bribes and called me a dacoit. When I asked why he was levelling such allegations, he pushed me in the face,” the woman officer said.

Mishra, however, dismissed the charge, saying that he went to the forefront upon hearing that the police were “torturing” women workers.

“But the IIC told me I was ranting a lot against the police and pushed me. But I didn’t push her. Since, allegations were levelled against the police, they hatched a conspiracy… I don’t even know her,” the leader of opposition stated. Sambalpur Superintendent of Police B Gangadhar said that he has sought a field report of the incident and the matter will be inquired.

The Odisha Police Service Association, Sambalpur chapter, has moved the DIG, Northern Range, seeking action against Mishra.

Split in unions a threat to farmer unity in Malwa

Farmer unions leading the protest against three Central farm laws are heading for a split one after the other.

Four unions, all considered Left leanings and having a major influence in the Malwa region, have split.

While the BKU (Rajewal), headed by Balbir Singh Rajewal, split last year and the splinter group formed the Quomi Kisan Union; the BKU

(Sidhupur), headed by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, had split and the BKU (Malwa) was formed.

The Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal), headed by Balbir Singh Rajewal, split last year following which the splinter group formed the Quomi Kisan Union The BKU (Sidhupur), headed by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, had also split and the BKU (Malwa) was formed

Moga man burns himself to death

Moga man burns himself to death over wife’s extra-marital relation. A 35-year old man has allegedly burnt himself to death at Himmatpura village in Nihalsinghwala sub-division of the Moga district, the police officials confirmed here, today.

The deceased has been identified

Two armed men looted around Rs 22 lakh from the Punjab National Bank branch at Rani Masi Bagh here on Thursday.

The incident took place at around noon.

According to the police, an armed man with a covered face entered the bank and pointed a pistol at the cashier. His

as Jagtar Singh who was married to Ramandeep Kaur for about 12 years. They were living cordially, but for the past couple of years the relations between them strained over her extra-marital relation with Baaj Singh, a resident of nearby Barnala district.

accomplice waited outside on a scooter. The accused fled within minutes of the incident.

The bank is located close to the offices of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, and ADCP, Traffic.

Altercation turns violent as 3 youths kill friend

An altercation turned violent as 3 youths kill their friend .

A village youth was murdered with sharp-edged weapons allegedly by his three friends at Buraj Hussan village near Phillaur on Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Raman Kumar.

Phillaur DSP Jagdish Raj said an

altercation between the deceased and the accused over a mobile phone turned violent. The DSP said the accused were identified as Gurpreet Singh Gopi, Lovepreet Singh Khatti and Davinder Singh, residents of the same village.

The DSP said Gopi refused to return Raman’s phone and the altercation turned into violence.

Pakistan

Fitch downgrades Pakistan’s rating; warns default a ‘real possibility’

“Falling reserves reflect large, albeit declining, current account deficits (CADs), external debt servicing and earlier FX intervention by the central bank, particularly in 4Q22, when an informal exchangerate cap appears to have been in place.

“We expect reserves to remain at low levels, though we do forecast a modest

recovery during the remainder of FY23, due to anticipated inflows and the recent removal of the exchange rate cap,” the agency said. Fitch said it expects Pakistan to successfully conclude the ninth review of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, and the downgrade is a reflection of the large risks to continued programme preformance and

Pakistan is on the brink as masses endure hyper inflation

The ongoing polycrisis exhibits the longstanding contradictions within the Pakistani governance system, wherein there is no consensus on who will run the country. Are the elected officials competent to manage the country, or will permanent interventions from miltablishment and the judiciary

continue to steer the country off the cliff?

Last week, as Pakistan’s foreign reserves fell below 3 billion dollars, the IMF delegation left the country without signing an agreement, and intense political bickering made headlines by the hour. Such moments have come and gone in Pakistan’s history, but what makes the present imbroglio distinguishable?

First Hindu female civil servant appointed Assistant Commissioner

Pakistan’s first Hindu female civil servant is now the assistant commissioner in northern city of HassanAbdal, the first in town’s history, the media reported.

Dr Sana Ramchand Gulwani, 27, joined Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) after passing the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam 2020. Sheassumedchargeastheassistantcommissioner and administrator of Hassanabdal city in the Attock district, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday asked President Arif Alvi to “institute an immediate inquiry” against retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa for violating “his oath of office repeatedly” as the army chief.

Gulwani cleared the examination in her first attempt and was, according to many activists from the Hindu community, the first Pakistani woman from the community to have passed the exam since the Partition, The Express Tribune newspaper said. She grew up in Sindh province’s Shikarpur city and became a doctor on her parents’ wish before enrolling in the Federal Public Service Commission, the report said.

Speaker refers Bainimarama’s comments to Parliament’s Privileges Committee

Opposition Leader Voreqe Bainimarama’s parliamentary future is in the balance after the Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, yesterday referred his comments against President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere to Parliament’s Privileges Committee.

In a speech on Monday, Mr Bainimarama told Parliament the President “would go down in history as the person who aided and abetted the most incompetent and divisive government”, which he said had “set out to destroy constitutional democracy”.

Govt may have changed, but the military is making it difficult to govern

We are starting to see what Fiji politics is likely to look like under the new government elected in December 2022.

One thing is clear: the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) is reluctant to disappear from the political scene and does not want to relinquish the advantages it gained under the post-2006 coup military-backed government that was defeated at the polls a month ago.

On Tuesday, Maj Gen Jone Kalouniwai, the RFMF commander, issued a statement critical of the “ambition” and “sweeping changes” initiated by the new government. In particular, Kalouniwai warned against undermining the 2013 constitution, which declares the military to be a “guardian” of Fijian democracy and gives “overall responsibility” to the military “to ensure at all times the security, defence and wellbeing of Fiji and all Fijians”.

Fiji suspends police commissioner, ends China policing agreement

Fiji’s new government has suspended the police commissioner and signalled the end of a controversial policing agreement with China.

Elections last year saw the Pacific island nation’s first change of government in 16 years when Sitiveni Rabuka became prime minister on December 24 after a coalition

of parties narrowly voted to install him as leader. His election victory ended the rule of former military chief Frank Bainimarama. According to a presidential statement on Friday, the Commissioner of Police BrigadierGeneral Sitiveni Qiliho had been suspended on the advice of the Constitutional Offices Commission, “pending investigation and

Ba Town areas flooded

A few areas in Ba Town are flooded due to the continuous heavy rain experienced from last night into this morning. The market area and bus stand are flooded together with a few shops in the main business district.

These areas are usually the first places to get flooded in Ba Town. Chair of the Ba Special Administration Anil Amin says a team is currently in the town area assessing the situation to decide whether the town area

In a letter dated Feb 14, Imran listed four ways in which the former army chief allegedly violated the Constitution, while also referring to Gen Bajwa’s alleged remarks — published on Feb 9 in a column by Javed Chaudhry — as purported evidence for his claim.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan writes to the President demanding ‘immediate inquiry’ against Gen. Bajwa

Two armed men loot Rs 22 lakh from National Bank

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