OPINION
A report into police-involved deaths across Canada said 704 people have been killed or died during police use-of-force encounters since 2000, with 141 of them in B.C.
The report, named Police-involved deaths on the Rise across Canada, said there had been a 66.5-per cent rise in deaths associated
with police use of force, comparing stats from 2011 to 2022 with the previous 10-year period.
In B.C., 2022 had the most police-involved deaths with 19 fatalities, according to the statistics. The second most was 10 in 2015.
The leading author, Alexander McClelland,
said the report is the first of its kind with the goal of bringing more transparency to the deaths.
“Due to ongoing systemic issues with a lack of access, transparency, and consistency in reporting data on police-involved deaths and killings across Canada, tracking this issue is an imperfect and challenging process,” said McClelland, an assistant professor at the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Carleton University.
“While our data is limited, our findings indicate a steep rise in deaths. Police killed 69 people in 2022, setting a grim record with the highest number of known police use of force deaths in one year.”
The gaps in data are acknowledged by the author, especially data that addresses what precipitated the interactions with police, whether the people who died carried or used weapons or engaged in behaviour that threatened the officers’ lives.
McClelland said the report is a step in the right direction, and he hopes the work done will encourage more research and statistics to shed light on the deaths. “Surprisingly, there is no government body that tracks the number of police-involved deaths using force across Canada,” he said.
“Other countries have systems that do this, like the U.K. and Australia.”
The report shows the RCMP, as well as Quebec and Ontario’s provincial police, are implicated in many of the cases. In B.C., there are a number of municipal police forces, including Vancouver and Abbotsford, that operate within the province along with the B.C. RCMP, which contributes to statistics.
A B.C. RCMP official said the more commonly-used term within the law enforcement community for these types of deaths is “in-custody deaths” (I-CDs), however, it does not include fatal officer-involved shootings.
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4 Saturday, February 25, 2023
National report details police-involved deaths in BC between 2000 and 2022
BC temperatures plunge with ‘considerable snowfall’ coming Saturday
Very cold Arctic air resided over all of western Canada again on Thursday.
Global BC meteorologist Mark Madryga said temperatures across B.C. were commonly 10 to 15 degrees below late February averages, and that some areas were close to breaking records.
Environment Canada issued weather alerts Thursday afternoon for most of the South Coast, warning of between 10 and 30 centimetres of snow on Saturday night.
“Due to the variability in the track of the low pressure system and the strength of the Arctic outflow winds, there is some uncertainty associated with the exact snowfall amounts. Current guidance suggests total snow accumulations of 10 to 20 cm with near 30 cm possible over upslope regions and higher terrain.”
A cold snap is tightening its grip on the South Coast, bringing sub-zero temperatures and wicked wind chill.
Seattle first US city to ban caste discrimination
Seattle is explicitly banning discrimination on the basis of caste, making it the first city in the US to take such a step.
Tuesday’s city council meeting. “But while simple, it is also profound and historic.”
Seattle Council Member Kshama Sawant talks to supporters after the passage of an ordinance that explicitly bans caste discrimination in the city.
Seattle Council Member Kshama Sawant talks to supporters after the passage of an ordinance that explicitly bans caste discrimination in the city.
“Periods of light snow will start on Saturday and intensify to heavy snow Saturday night. Heavy snow isexpectedtoeaseSundaymorningformostregions,” the national weather and climate agency said.
Snow has already arrived on parts of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, and Metro Vancouver could be the next.
The Seattle City Council approved an ordinance on Tuesday that amends the city’s municipal code to include caste as a protected class, alongside categories such as race, religion and gender identity. The law prohibits caste discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and other arenas, and allows caste-oppressed people in the city to lodge complaints of discrimination.
Environment Canada issued extreme cold warning for Calgary
An unseasonably warm January and February came to an abrupt end this week, bringing with it more than 20 centimetres of snow across the city since Monday. But relief is on the way as temperatures are expected to rise slightly Thursday and reach -1 C on Saturday as a chinook moves over the Rockies on the weekend.
The snowfall caused mass disruptions to travel across the city Tuesday as commuters headed back to work after the long weekend. Between midnight and 4 p.m. Tuesday, police were called to 142 crashes — eight involving injuries and 17 hit-andruns. Crashes on major highways blocked lanes and hampered drivers, including multiple collisions on 16th Avenue N.E.
Between midnight and 12 p.m. Wednesday, Calgary police responded to 75 collisions — four involving injury,
57 non-injury and 14 hit-and-runs.
City crews continue work on clearing Priority 1 routes and business routes downtown. According to its website, the city has brought in additional contractors to assist in the cleanup and will begin clearing city-maintained sidewalks, pathways, stairs, ramps and LRT stations as soon as the snow stops.
Brian Proctor, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said light snowfall is expected to continue in the Calgary area Wednesday and Thursday as the system of flurries moves southeast.
“What we’re left with, with this cold air coming out of the Northwest Territories, is a residual upslope flow for the Calgary area. Surface winds are pushing up into the higher terrain and causing intermittent snowfall.
Quebec asking Ottawa to move new asylum seekers crossing Roxham to other provinces: report
The Quebec government is asking Ottawa that all asylum seekers crossing into Canada – from this point forward – via Roxham Road in Lacolle, Que., be moved to other provinces.
In a letter to Primer Minister Justin Trudeau from Quebec Premier François Legault – obtained by Radio-Canada – the CAQ government says Quebec has gone “way over its capacity to welcome asylum seekers” and that Quebec has “given more than its share of efforts over the last years.”
Legault is also asking Trudeau to make the flow of migrants across the CanadaU.S. border a priority during a meeting next month with U.S. President Joe Biden.
The letter states Quebec is proud of its long tradition of welcoming refugees but the current situation can no longer persist. Legault is calling for an urgent need to transfer all those crossing irregularly through Roxham Road to other provinces immediately without assessing their profile.
China employed ‘strategy’ in 2021 elections for pro-Beijing govt in Canada: Report
disinformation campaigns, undeclared cash donations and the use of international Chinese students, studying in Canada, as campaign volunteers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to win over the faith of people.
“It is a very simple question: Should discrimination based on caste be allowed to continue in Seattle?”
Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who sponsored the ordinance, said during
Casteism is an insidious form of discrimination that typically operates within South Asian communities. The caste system is a social hierarchy that divides people into rigid categories at birth, with those on the lowest rungs of the ladder – many of whom self-identify as Dalits – on the receiving end of slurs, Canada’s intelligence agency has evidence that China employed a sophisticated strategy to seek the return of a minority Liberal government. The tactics, outlined in secret CSIS reports, included
5 Saturday, February 25, 2023 LOCAL / NATIONAL
Biden nominates IndianAmerican Ajay Banga to be World Bank president to lead the World Bank as it faces pressure from key shareholders to reform in order to better meet global challenges such as climate change and pandemics. The surprise pick came a week after the bank’s embattled current president David Malpass announced he will step down in June, nearly a year before his five-year term was set to end in April 2024. Some global development experts and world leaders had been calling for the bank’s next leader to be a woman — the institution has never had a woman serve as its permanent chief — as well as a climate advocate. And just a day before Biden’s announcement, the bank’s board of executive directors said it “would strongly encourage women candidates to be nominated.”
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City of Surrey property tax hike of up to 17.5% in 2023
decision to abolish Surrey Police Services (SPS) and retain the Surrey RCMP. The provincial government missed the City’s requested deadline of January 31 due to a desire for more information, and the target date for such a decision has since been moved to the end of March. The largest proposed budget line item associated with winding down the SPS is $82 million in severance. To date, SPS has grown to a workforce size of about 400 officers and civilian staff, which represents about over $200 million in costs, including sunk costs, based on the SPS’ account. According to the City’s calculation, maintaining the Surrey RCMP will cost an estimated $235 million less in combined total annual operating costs over five years compared to retaining and fulling transitioning to the SPS. Last month, SPS Chief Constable Lipinski disputed Mayor Locke’s preliminary estimated figures, suggesting at the time the major property tax increase that had been hinted is unnecessary. “As previously stated by SPS, a number of financial assumptions were used in the City’s Plan to Retain the RCMP as the Police of Jurisdiction in Surrey in order to
arrive at an inflated cost ($235 million) of the transition over the next five years,” asserted Chief Lipinski. “These assumptions included a ninemonth pause in the transition which has not been previously contemplated by any party, and an assertion that the transition would take another five years, which is also inconsistent with previous discussions with the three levels of government.
It is also unclear why a municipality would ask its residents to pay for costs that would be incurred over a five-year period, in just one year.”
Another 7% of the property tax hike would fund various general costs, including covering cost inflation impacts to all areas of City operations, as well as hiring an additional 25 police officers, 20 firefighters, and 10 bylaw officers in 2023. This is equivalent to about $161 more in property taxes for the average single-family home.
The third property tax hike is 1% for the Roads and Traffic Levy to help support ongoing operations, maintenance, and improvements of transportation infrastructure. This is an additional $23 in property taxes for the average single-family home.
All three components of the 17.5% property tax hike in 2023 have a combined real total value of about $403, which would bring the annual property tax for the average assessed singlefamily home in Surrey to $3,000 — placing Surrey in the middle for property taxes amongst Metro Vancouver’s municipal governments.
In a statement this afternoon, Mayor Locke blamed former Mayor Doug McCallum and the previous City Council for “how much this misguided experiment to change policing in Surrey is costing Surrey residents and businesses.”
Over the last four years, under McCallum and the previous City Council, the official annual property tax increase rate was held at 2.9%. But this does not include the impact of the decision to triple the flat-rate Capital Parcel Tax from $100 to $300 annually starting in 2021, which alone amounted to the equivalent of a 10% property tax hike.
“The money wasted by the policing transition, combined with the so-called 2.9% property tax rate for four years implemented by the previous Council, means we are now having
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The newspaper reported that Chinese diplomats worked through proxies to persuade Chinese-Canadians to vote against certain Conservative Party candidates. Chinese officials expressed a preference to see Trudeau’s Liberal Party win a minority government, according to the intelligence reports.
meddling report creates problem for Trudeau that alleged China funneled money to Canadian political candidates, Trudeau said he’s never been briefed on that.
Conservatives, who form the main opposition party, have long been convinced that China interfered in the 2021 election against some of their candidates by spreading misinformation through social media and ethnic media outlets.
That’s exactly what happened in the September 2021 election, which Trudeau called hoping to turn the success of the country’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign into a parliamentary majority. The Liberals won 160 seats, 10 short of majority rule.
Trudeau, speaking to reporters Friday afternoon in Ottawa, said he has acknowledged before that “China is trying to interfere in our democracy, in the processes in our country, including during our elections.”
“This is not a new phenomenon, and this is something that countries around the world have been grappling with for a long time, and Canada is no exception,” he said.
Canada had a non-partisan panel of civil servants that was regularly briefed by security services during the 2019 and 2021 elections and was tasked with ensuring foreign actors didn’t affect the outcome, the prime minister said.
“Canadians can have total confidence that the outcomes of the 2019 and the ’21 elections were determined by Canadians, and Canadians alone, at the voting booth,” he said.
Included in the classified reports is the revelation that China’s former consul-general in Vancouver boasted in 2021 about how she helped defeat two Conservative MPs, the Globe said.
Even if the government panel found no reason to be concerned at the time, the new information should be fully investigated, said Margaret McCuiagJohnston, a former civil servant who now works in international affairs and public policy at the University of Ottawa.
She said there are numerous ways to investigate the allegations, such as having tax authorities check for potential election financing fraud in the districts where interference is alleged to have taken place.
Trudeau should ensure this happens, McCuiag-Johnston said — not just to get to the bottom of it, but also “to demonstrate to Canadians that they’re acting, and to send a very clear message to China that they will not get away with this in the future.”
The Globe report said Chinese tactics can include undeclared cash donations to political campaigns, as well as reimbursing donors who make legal donations to preferred candidates, but it didn’t say if this happened in the 2021 campaign. In response to previous media reports
Conservative candidates were defeated in at least three districts with large ethnic Chinese populations in the suburbs of Vancouver and Toronto.
One of them, known as Richmond Centre, was especially shocking to the party, as it was deemed to be a safe seat.
“Normal voting patterns don’t explain what happened in these ridings,” Dan Robertson, who ran election strategy for the Conservatives, said in a text message to Bloomberg News.
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8 Saturday, February 25, 2023
South Asian senior pleads guilty to child luring
Sant Mangat, 72, handed 15-month conditional sentence, probation, conditions
A Surrey senior has been sentenced for child luring following a “proactive online investigation” by the Mounties’ Integrated Child Exploitation Unit (BC ICE).
According to a news release issued
Feb. 22, Sant Mangat, 72, was handed a 15-month conditional sentence order, 12 months probation and multiple conditions after pleading guilty last month to telecommunicating to lure a child under 16.
Police arrested Mangat on Dec.
Senior who shot and killed roommate over rent dispute loses sentence appeal
A Surrey senior has lost his appeal of a seven-year prison term for the shooting death of his roommate. According to B.C. Court of Appeal records, 77-year-old George Murray Bragg and his adult son were living with roommate Richard Wayne Duncan in a south Surrey home for seven months before the Sept. 5, 2019, shooting.
Duncan “displayed an unpredictable and hair-trigger temper” and frequently threatened and abused Bragg and his son, including punching holes in the walls and causing other property damage.
Court heard that “matters came to a head” over a rent dispute on the evening of Sept. 5, with Duncan threatening to “inflict substantial physical harm on both of the Braggs” at midnight.
Duncan walked past the two men’s bedrooms a number of times, letting them know he would be making good on his threat to harm them. Meanwhile, the elder Bragg retrieved his lawfully possessed eight-shot .22-calibre revolver and loaded it with magnum ammunition.
At around 7:30 p.m., Bragg and his son exchanged texts, with the elder Bragg stating, “Don’t worry, I will deal with the problem if it is required.”
Court heard that at midnight, Duncan emerged unarmed from his bedroom and announced from the hallway that he was going to carry out his threat.
Bragg then left his bedroom and walked down the hall, with the gun concealed.
“He told Mr. Duncan to stop. When Mr. Duncan did not do so, Mr. Bragg began shooting,” according to the court record.
Bragg fired eight times in around 30 seconds and killed Duncan.
Bragg was found not guilty of first-degree murder but found guilty of manslaughter, for which he received the seven-year sentence. Bragg was mostly free on bail in the time between the shooting and his May 2022 court case. Records show Bragg was a father of three, with numerous university degrees and a steady work record until retirement, at which point he fell upon hard financial times.
In his appeal, Bragg alleged the judge erred in assessing his moral culpability, establishing the sentencing range, and failed to give any weight to his expression of remorse. He sought a sentence of four to six years’ imprisonment.
“The judge committed no error in his determination of Mr. Bragg’s sentence,” the three-judge Appeal Court panel ruled. “He engaged in a careful fact-finding process, fully appreciated the nuances of the case, thoughtfully balanced a variety of competing factors, clearly explained his views regarding the seriousness of the offence and Mr. Bragg’s moral culpability, and imposed a proportionate and fit sentence.
Kitslino hit-and-run driver charged with criminal negligence causing death
A driver has been charged for allegedly killing a 24-year-old pedestrian in Kitsilano then fleeing the scene. The victim and a friend were crossing West 4th Avenue at Arbutus Street at about 11:30 p.m. on June 19, 2022, when he was struck and killed. Vancouver police say the driver didn’t stop or offer assistance. lexandre Romero-Arata, 26, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and public mischief.
“Hit-and-run investigations can be lengthy, challenging and complex,” said VPD Const. Tania Visintin in a news release Wednesday. “In this case, investigators from VPD’s collision investigation unit and major crime section spent months gathering pertinent evidence that led to the identity of the person we believe was driving the vehicle when this tragic incident happened.” Romero-Arata is in custody until his next court appearance.
Woman, 91, with walker injured while thwarting purse snatcher in Abbotsford
The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) is asking for the public’s help to identify a man who tried to steal the purse of a 91-year-old woman who was using a walker.
Sgt. Paul Walker, APD media relations officer, said the incident took place at about 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14 when the woman was walking through the parking lot of a church in the 2700 block of Clearbrook Road.
Walker said the victim fell to the ground while preventing the suspect
from stealing her purse. She required medical treatment for her injuries, which were not life-threatening. The suspect is described as a white man who was wearing a black jacket and black pants. Walker said investigators are working to identify the suspect from video in the area. They are asking that any witnesses or those with dashcam footage from the area between 2:45 and 3:45 p.m. contact the APD at 604-859-5225.
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Melanie Mark will resign as NDP MLA, saying B.C. Legislature felt like a “torture chamber”
Citing a colonial institution that felt like a “torture chamber,” Melanie Mark, British Columbia’s first First Nations woman to serve as a cabinet minister, said she will resign her Vancouver-Mount Pleasant seat in the B.C. legislature. During an emotional speech in the legislature Wednesday, Mark expressed frustration with institutions like the legislature that “fundamentally resist the urge to do things differently.” “This place felt like a torture chamber,” Mark said while wearing her grandfather’s tan beaded jacket and holding an eagle feather. “I will not miss the character assassination.”
In a press conference after the speech, Mark said she faced personal attacks from Opposition MLAs and members of the media amid the controversy over the Royal B.C. Museum when she was tourism minister. She said many of her
accomplishments went overlooked.
“I think the Opposition are absolutely awful,” she said. “Women in question period get it worse than men, that’s the bottom line. The nastiness from white men in here is awful. I’ve put up with enough abuse in my life.” Mark said she will officially resign at the end of March.
Mark’s speech in the house charted her rise to cabinet minister status from her difficult upbringing in the East Vancouver “projects,” the child of two parents who struggled with addiction and homelessness.
“There was a lot that I’m proud of, but this journey has been challenging and has come at a significant personal toll,” said the 47-year-old.
Mark, a product of the foster care system, said one of her proudest accomplishments was waiving tuition
Thousands of BC commercial vehicles failed roadside inspections last year, data shows
There’s a new call to increase oversight of B.C.’s trucking industry, and it comes from the industry itself. It comes amid new numbers, showing a shocking number of hazardous vehicles remain on the province’s roads.
Inspection of commercial vehicles on provincial roads falls to the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) branch, who typically look at trucks at weigh scales and inspection sites.
Data provided to Global News shows that CVSE pulled an estimated 27,800
vehicles over for a closer look in 2022. Of those vehicles, 12,200 were issued written warnings to fix issues and 6,300 had violations but were allowed to drive on to have repairs made. Another 7,500 were taken out of service for imminent hazards until repairs could be made.
And just 1,800 passed inspection.
This month, CVSE stepped up enforcement along Highway 5 north of Kamloops in response to recent incidents. They’ve since issued 159 tickets, 103 of them for speeding.
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Convicted fraudster from Punjab pleads guilty to smuggling Indian migrants into Canada
migrants into the United States through Canada.
In October, The Fifth Estate revealed that Singh had become a person of interest in the Manitoba RCMP investigation into the tragic freezing death of the Patel family on the Canada-U.S. border in January 2022.
On Jan. 19, 2022, the bodies of threeyear-old Dharmik Patel; his 11-yearold sister, Vihangi Patel; their mother, 37-year-old Vaishali Patel; and their father, 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; were found in a snow-covered field east of Emerson, about 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg.
Following Singh’s arrest last May in Washington state, The Fifth Estate reported that U.S. investigators had surveillance of Singh discussing possibly moving migrants through Manitoba. The wiretapped conversations took place in January 2022, around the same time the Patel family was being moved from the Greater Toronto Area to the remote border area south of Winnipeg.
According to a plea agreement filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, at Seattle, Singh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport and harbour certain aliens for profit and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Jagdish Patel, left; son Dharmik; wife Vaishali and daughter Vihangi are shown in this family photo released to the media at the time of their death in January 2022. (Vaishali Patel/Facebook)
Singh, a 49-year-old Indian citizen living illegally in the U.S., was previously convicted of bank fraud and forging documents.
“Singh played a key role in the noncitizens smuggling conspiracy,” the plea agreement says, noting that “prior to the
unlawful entry of the noncitizens into the United States, Singh would co-ordinate with members of the conspiracy who housed the noncitizens in British Columbia.”
To help migrants navigate their way over the Canadian border, Singh used the Life360 app, which allows users to share their physical location through their cellphone.
Once they made their way into the U.S., Singh would arrange pickups through the Uber ride share app. Migrants would often be dropped off at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport first, then another Uber would pick them up and drive them to motels or safe houses around the greater Seattle area. Migrants would be driven or flown to their final destinations around the U.S., according to the plea agreement.
‘Singh arranged more than 600 trips’ Singh charged up to $11,000 US per person for his services. His rideshare scheme involved hundreds of trips, using more than 100 different Uber drivers, and cost more than $80,000 US.
“All told from mid-2018 until May 2022, using at least 17 different Uber accounts — all with false identity information — Singh arranged more than 600 trips involving the transport of Indian nationals who had been unlawfully smuggled into the United States by Singh and his co-conspirators,” the agreement states.
Although the plea agreement refers to multiple unnamed co-conspirators, including individuals in Canada, so far Singh is the only person charged in the alleged smuggling network.
Singh’s lawyer, Chris Black, has yet to respond to inquiries from The Fifth Estate.
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Surrey budget proposes 9.5% property tax increase for policing transition costs million created by the transition process.”
The city says maintaining the Mounties will cost about $235 million less over the next five years than the Surrey Police Force, but “there remains a shortfall of $116.6 million” The City of Surrey has released its draft five-year budget, allocating more than half of the property tax increases for 2023 to cover the costs associated with the police transition. It says in a news release that the 2023 draft operating budget was created without a decision on policing in Surrey, but relies on the presumption it will retain the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction.
The city says maintaining the Mounties will cost about $235 million less over the next five years than the Surrey Police Force, but “there remains a shortfall of $116.6
To account for that, it says the budget proposes a 9.5 per cent general property tax increase.
This comes about three weeks after Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the director of police services wanted more information before deciding on the city’s plan to revert to the RCMP as its police force.
The new Surrey city council voted in December to send a plan to Farnworth requesting to keep the RCMP, while the Surrey Police Service asked him to reject that plan, saying halting the transition would mean firing 375 employees, dissolving two police unions and accepting “unrecoverable” costs of $107 million
Illegal dumping a multi-million-dollar problem
It’s not just an eyesore.
It’s a multi-million dollar problem.
On the sides of roadways, next to parks, and along waterways in the Lower Mainland, people are dumping garbage illegally. Every green space is full of mattresses and garbage at the end of every month,” said Surrey resident Barry Lutz, who CTV News spoke to at the Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Facility, where he was properly disposing of waste.
“The city’s not a garbage dump.”
Elected officials say communities are getting tired of being dumped on.
“It sure raises the question of civic pride and the loss thereof if we’re allowing our streets to be turned into dump sites,” said Langley Township Councillor Kim Richter.
“I don’t know if there’s one root cause to it or if there’s several,” she said.
In Abbotsford, cleanup costs have been climbing.
The city spent more than $600,000 last year, including to clean up dumping around homeless camps.
“Some people will just dump an old mattress or a chair at an encampment, thinking they are helping somebody,” said Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens. “Well, no, you’re actually making the problem worse. Vancouver spent more than $5 million in the last two years dealing with dumped
trash, a figure that includes the cost of investigations.
Illegal dumping jumped 50 per cent in Langley Township between 2021 and 2022, costing taxpayers $300,000.
In Surrey, $700,000 was spent on the same problem, but that’s actually down four per cent.
“Illegal dumping did increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, however the good news is we were able to bend the curve back down,” said Surrey’s solid waste manager Harry Janda.
Langley recently set up cameras at a troublesome location in Robertson Crescent.
“Since that camera has gone in, there’s been nothing dumped” said Richter. Surrey also has cameras, but catching culprits is still tough, and fines are few.
Over the past few years, Surrey has issued 30 tickets.
Abbotsford’s mayor said the use of cameras may not be effective in his community.
“In the rural areas, how do you do that because it’s so widespread?” said Siemens, who pointed out that some of the areas of greatest concern in Abbotsford are on provincial land.
Meanwhile, Janda said items getting dumped illegally most often are furniture, mattresses and appliances.
Surrey offers discounted disposal days that are proving successful.
Hereditary Chief refuses to leave job that her gave 30 years ago
The Chief of a tiny Fraser Valley First Nation is refusing to leave the job her father appointed her to 30 years ago, saying the band’s oral laws mean she is its legitimate leader.
But a group of opponents within the Kwantlen First Nation are escalating their four-year fight to fire Chief Marilyn Gabriel and bring in a new elected government. They have held two votes to oust her and add three new councillors in recent months.
And the leaders of this breakaway movement are asking nearby municipalities and First Nations to cease contact with the Chief until the dispute is resolved. There have been no elections within the band since Ms. Gabriel came to power in 1993, after the 25 years her father spent as hereditary
chief and, before him, the three decades her grandfather led the Kwantlen.
On Thursday, the hereditary council –Ms. Gabriel and the two councillors that she appointed in 1994 – filed an application for a judicial review in Federal Court that would declare the breakaway councillors to have no authority and to force its three members and two organizers to immediately stop representing themselves as leaders of the Kwantlen First Nation.
The leaders of the group pushing to overhaul the Kwantlen’s system of government say they welcome any input from the Federal Court after failing to get meaningful intervention from Ottawa in resolving this dispute over this unelected representation, which is also how more than a dozen nearby First Nations are run.
Ms. Gabriel and Councillor Tumia Knott declined inte
Canadian military found Chinese monitoring buoys in the Arctic
Defence Minister Anita Anand said Wednesday that the Canadian federal government is aware of buoys recovered from Arctic waters, and that this type of activity is not new.
Anand’s comments at a news conference in British Columbia followed confirmation from the Defence Department and Canadian Armed Forces earlier Wednesday that they are aware of recent efforts by China to conduct surveillance operations in Canadian airspace and waters.
Spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said in a statement that the armed forces have tracked and stopped attempts to surveil Canadian territory since
2022 under Operation LIMPID. “To ensure the integrity of operations, we are unable to provide further information at this time,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in an interview on CNN Wednesday morning that China is an increasingly disruptive power.
She said Canada will work with Norad to protect North American airspace and take a strong stance on Canada’s Arctic sovereignty as more reports of foreign interference emerge.
“When it comes to China, we will challenge China when we ought to, and we will co-operate with China when we need to,” she said.
Government working to end Roxham Road border access for irregular migrants, PM says
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is working on closing the irregular border crossing at Roxham Road by renegotiating the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States — but the American ambassador to Canada says changing the deal wouldn’t address the problem.
“The problem is we have 6,000 kilometres worth of undefended shared border with the United States … People will choose to cross elsewhere,” Trudeau
told a news conference Wednesday.
“The only way to effectively shut down not just Roxham Road but the entire border to these irregular crossings is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement.”
But in an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics Wednesday, Ambassador David L. Cohen said changes to the Safe Third Country Agreement would do “very little” to address irregular migration. Cohen added that the talks between the two governments are about irregular migration generally. He called Roxham Road a “symptom of that problem.”
11 Saturday, February 25, 2023 LOCAL / NATIONAL
Anushka, a culinary guide!
Anushka Sharma checked into Thailand earlier this week and the actress has curated pictures from her getaway for her Instafam. The actress began her extensive photo dump with a photo of a quintessential tropical drink - coconut water. “When in Thailand,” she captioned the
Community news
Bingo on the House on February 26th 2023 (Sunday) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall.
In Person Yoga classes for members only, on Every Monday & Every Thursday will continue by Mr. Ashwani Bansal expert Yoga Instructor from 10.00
picture. The actress delighted her Instafam with more pictures from her holiday. She shared pictures of eateries that she visited, the street food that she explored, the candy shop collective that had her “drooling” and the meals she had. Anushka Sharma shared a glimpse of the greens she had.
am to 11.15 am & will help to observe & guide the seniors to do correct yoga. Pure Vegetarian lunch will be served in the dining hall at 11.30 am to all the senior members who attend yoga class on Thursdays.
For more info call: 604 - 507 - 9945
From page 1
Akshay Kumar breaks record
During the promotions of Selfiee, Akshay Kumar broke Guinness World Record for clicking most selfies in three minutes. The actor took to his social media handles and shared a post, with a video of the event, where they broke the record. Akshay is now a Guinness World Record holder with 184 selfies in three minutes. Akshay captioned the video, “Everything I have achieved and where I am in life is due to the unconditional love of my fans. This is my special tribute to them.
After many years the veteran actors greet each other at Indian Idol
Almost five decades later, actor Dharmendra and beauty queen Mumtaz all set to make an appearance at singing show Indian Idol. The makers recently released a promo clip from the event, where the actress is seen grooving to her hit song Koi Shehri Babu from the 1973 film Loafer. “50 saal baad, TV par pehli baar aayi Mumtaz Ji ka iconic gaana ‘Koi Sehri Babu’ gaake Bidipta ne mausam musicana banadiya! Dekhiye inhe #IndianIdol13 ke #DharmendraMumtazClassics special episode mein! Sat-Sun raat 8 baje, sirf #SonyEntertainmentTelevision par #IndianIdol,” the caption read. A hearttouching song of yester years ‘Mein teray ishq mein” with Mumtaz was played as
Dharmendra met Mumtaz after he made an appearance for the show, donned one of his brightest smiles and was seen getting all nostalgic vibing to the song. ‘Koi Shehri Babu’ sung by Asha Bhosle was also one of the most loved tracks back in the day. The song continues to remain evergreen.
Bipasha wishes husband the best on his birthday
Karan Singh Grover is celebrating his birthday today (February 23), and on this special day, he has received an equally special wish from his wife Bipasha Basu. The actress has shared two posts on her Instagram handle along with adorable pictures with their daughter Devi. In the first post, Bipasha shared a picture in which Karan is giving a sweet kiss to his daughter while Bipasha, who is holding the little one in her arm, is looking away from the camera. The family of three can be seen twinning in white outfits. Bipasha Basu’s birthday note read, “Happy Birthday to my EVERYTHING. This day is the most special day every year for me. I must have done something right to get your love. Wish the best for you always. Thank you for being the best husband and now the best father.” Soon after she shared the post, Dia Mirza and Shamita Shetty commented, “Happy Birthday Karan,” while Aarti Singh and Rajiv Adatia dropped heart emoticons. It is Karan Singh Grover’s first birthday after welcoming daughter Devi in November last year. So, Bipasha dropped
an adorable picture of the father-daughter duo and captioned it as “First Birthday as Papa. Hottest Papa,” followed by a heart emoticon. Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh
Grover welcomed their daughter Devi on November 12, 2022. Since then, the couple has been offering many adorable glimpses of their daughter without revealing her face. Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover got married in 2016 after dating for a year.
Sanjay Dutt & Arshad Warsi to join new venture?
If some media report something to go by, then the forthcoming Nadiadwala-production film will have Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi leading from the front along with Akshay Kumar. The report further added that the film is expected to start rolling either during the last leg of Hera Pheri 3 or as soon as it hits the theatres. Meanwhile, the director of Welcome 3 is yet to be finalised. Coming back to Akshay, as mentioned above, he has, reportedly, started shooting for Hera Pheri 3. Meanwhile, the release of his film Selfiee is around the corner. The project, also headlined by Emraan Hashmi, is slated to release on February 24. It is an official Hindi remake of a Malyalam-language film, Driving Licence, which was released in 2019. The star cast also features Nushrratt Bharuccha and Diana Penty while Mrunal Thakur
has a cameo in the Raj Mehta directorial. After tons of rumours of Kartik Aaryan joining the star cast of Hera Pheri 3, Akshay Kumar publicly accepted that he backed out from the film. But recently, the OG Hera Pheri trio of Akshay, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal started shooting for the third instalment. While a section of fans is still rejoicing the news, there is another big news coming in for another Akshay Kumar-led franchise, Welcome. For the unversed, released in 2007, Welcome was one of the biggest laugh riots of that year. Besides him, the film also starred Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal, Mallika Sherawat and Katrina Kaif. Later, in 2015, Welcome Back, the sequel, saw Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Paresh Rawal reprise their roles, along with Shruti Haasan, John Abraham, Shiney Ahuja, Dimple Kapadia and Naseeruddin Shah joining the star cast.
12 Saturday, February 25, 2023
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Shankar - Jaikishan
One of the best music pair of Indian cinema
Shankar Singh Ram Singh
Raghuvanshi was born on October 15, 1922, passed away on April 26 1987, He was from Hyderabad. During his formative years, Shankar played tabla and learned the art of tabla formally from Baba Nasir Khan sahib. For many years, Shankar studied as disciple of legendary composer Khawaja Khurshid Anwar of Lahore, in whose orchestra he performed. Shankar started his career with theater group run by Satyanarayan and Hemawati, before shifting to Prithvi Theatre where he played tabla and performed some minor roles in plays. It was at Prithvi Theatre that he learnt to play and mastered several other instruments like Sitar, Accordion and Piano etc. B esides his work at Prithvi Theatre, he also started working as an assistant to the leading composer duo of Husnlal Bhagatram and nurtured the ambition of becoming an independent music director.
Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal was born on November 4, 1929 – passed away September 12, 1971, His father’s name was Dahyabhai Panchal. As child he lived in Bansda (Vansada), a town in Gujarat. Jaikishan was adept at playing the harmonium. Subsequently, he obtained his musical lessons from Sangeet Visharad Wadilalji and later from Prem Shankar Nayak.
After moving to Mumbai, he became a disciple of Vinayak Tambe.
Shankar-Jaikishan got their first breakthrough in film music it was Raj Kapoor’s ‘Barsaat’. Its music director Ram Ganguly was assisted by Shankar and Jaikishan.[citation needed] However, during the recording of a song for his new venture Barsaat, Raj Kapoor had some serious differences with Ram Ganguly and decided to assign its music to Shankar who insisted on taking Jaikishan as his partner. Thus came into existence the new pair of music directors ‘Shankar-Jaikishan’ who would become a permanent feature in Raj Kapoor films in near future.
Himself being a trained singer (he and Mukesh learned vocal music from the same Guru), Raj Kapoor thus took on board this new team of composers Shankar and Jaikishan with lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri (a former bus conductor). On the insistence of Shankar, they co-opted the upcoming singing talent Lata Mangeshkar, and repeated Mukesh as Raj Kapoor’s ghost voice for the songs of Barsaat.
The film also had the distinction of featuring two firsts in Hindi cinema — a title song (“Barsaat Mein Humse Mile”) and a cabaret (“Patli
Kamar Hai”), which were also the first two songs written by Shailendra.
Working with Muhammad Rafi: Rafi’ Sahib’s music partnership with Shankar&Jaikishan was among the most famous one and successful in Hindi film music. Rafi Sahib worked
Karisma Kapoor says she went out of her comfort zone to portray the character of a cop in the upcoming drama series Brown, which was the only Indian show at the Berlin Series Market Selects platform. Backed by Zee Studios, the noir show is based on the book City of Death by Abheek Barua and directed by Abhinay
Deo of Delhi Belly fame. Kapoor, who ruled the 90s and 2000s Hindi cinema with films like Raja Hindustani, Dil To Pagal Hai, Raja Babu,Coolie No 1 and Judwa, said she may have played a variety of roles in her career but Brown was completely different
Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. The makers released the latest track Show Me The Thumka. Be it the wedding set-up or the dhol beats, the song has ticked all the boxes. Ranbir and Shraddha’s electrifying chemistry is too hard to miss. Wait, there is more. Shraddha nailing the Badtameez Dil hook step and how. FYI: Badtameez Dil is from Ranbir’s film Yeh Jawaani Hai
with them from their first film, Barsaat (1949). Under Shankar–Jaikishan, Rafi Sahib produced some of his best songs for actors like Shammi Kapoor, Raj Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar.
Some of their early work include Barsaat, Awara, Badal, Poonam, Nagina, Aurat, Parbat, Kali Ghata, Aah, Patita, Shikast, Badshah, Mayurpankh, Naya Ghar, Seema, Shree 420, Basant Bahar, Halaku, Rajhath, New Delhi, Kathputli, Anari, Chori Chori, Daag, Begunah, Yahudi, Main Nashe Mein Hoon, Kanhaiya, Boot Polish, Choti Behan, Shararat, Love Marriage and Ujala.
Awards: During their film musi career, they won Filmfare Best Music Director Awards nine times. The last three awards were won in three successive years, thereby making S-J the first composers to score a hat trick of these awards.
Shankar-Jaikishan also came out tops in Binaca Geetmala, the legendary countdown radio program on Hindi film music, where their compositions were declared the most popular on six occasions (a record later equalled by Laxmikant Pyarelal). These songs were “Mera Joota Hai Japani” in 1955 (Shree 420), “Teri Pyari Pyari Surat Ko” in 1961 (Sasural), “Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par” in 1962 (Junglee), “Bol Radha Bol” in 1964 (Sangam), “Baharon Phool Barsaao” in 1966 (Suraj), and “Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana” in 1971 (Andaaz). In 1959, seven of the top ten songs for the year were composed by S-J, a sort of record that stands perhaps to this date, though the top honours for that year went to SD Burman.
Government recognitions 1968 – Shankar-Jaikishan was honoured with the Padmashri by the Government of India.[6]
2013 – A postage stamp, bearing their face, was released by India Post to honour them on 3 May 2013.
Deewani. Show Me The Thumka is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Shashwat Singh. The music composition is by Pritam. Amitabh Bhattacharya has written the lyrics. We also get a glimpse of Dimple Kapadia’s character in the song. It won’t be wrong to say that we just can’t take our eyes off Shraddha. She dazzles in the yellow saree. Ranbir looks dapper in a finely tailored kurta pyjama.
13 Saturday, February 25, 2023
Karisma Kapoor playing alcoholic cop in drama ‘Brown’?
‘Tuu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’
Lata Mangeshkar and Muhammad Rafi with Shankar-Jaikishan
BC Housing investigating whether affordable housing units are listed on Airbnb
The B.C. Liberals have branded the HousingHub program a “massive housing flub” and a mismanagement of affordable housing programs. A provincial 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 B.C. NDP’s 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
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 belowmarket rent — has multiple units listed on Airbnb and Expedia for up to $250 a night and units renting for up to $2,380 amonth.
where — despite developers receiving lowinterest loans from the province — the units are now renting for considerably higher than the promised rent cap.
That’s well above the $1,650 a month for a three-bedroom unit in that building guaranteed by David Eby, then the attorney
general and housing minister, in 2021.
“Affordability in these units is ensured for middle income households in Merritt for a decade at least,” Eby wrote in a 2021 letter to B.C. Liberal MLA Peter Milobar explaining the HousingHub program.
“When you see the Airbnbs and when you see the rents that are being charged, none of it lines up with the intent and the spirit of what the low-interest loan was supposed to be,” Milobar said Thursday.
While the Ministry of Housing has admitted some units are being rented at rates above the caps, it’s unclear whether any of the units listed on Airbnb are among the 45 set aside as affordable.
Eby, addressing the issue during question period this week, said the government subsidized 45 of 75 units through the
‘Move-over’ buyers driving demand in high interest rate, low inventory market: report
The Metro Vancouver housing market will continue to see increased interest rates, financial pressure from mortgage stress tests and low inventory this coming year, according
to a new report from Re/Max Canada.
Despite these factors, Re/Max Canada said the “move-over” buyer and influx of newcomers to the city is driving
some demand within the region.
Transition buyers who are hoping to gain more space and upgrade their real estate are taking advantage of favourable conditions for this kind of move, said Tim Hill, a real estate adviser at Re/Max. “The gaps between the townhome market and the detached market in many cities are really good. They’re better now than they were in the peaks of the market,” he said. “Right now the move is less costly to the consumer, even with the higher interest rate, than it was in the peaks of the market.”
Anticipated changes and tightening of restrictions to mortgage stress tests have encouraged 21 per cent of Canadian home buyers to make a move sooner
than originally planned this coming year, according to a Leger survey commissioned by Re/Max Canada as part of the report.
“People are now having to qualify at seven per cent, in some cases eight per cent for a stress test. And that really hurts affordability and brings down buying power too,” said Hill.
However, while Hill said that some variable rate mortgage holders are considering a move, he hasn’t personally seen buyers change course due to the stress test.
Nearly 60 per cent of Canadians have concerns regarding the homebuying process. The highestranking concern, at 34 per cent, is
Application received for multi-tower redevelopment of North Delta mall
The City of Delta has received an application to develop a four-building, 800-plus-home project on the current site of a shopping centre on Scott Road.
A rezoning and development application for the 2.4-hectare Delta Shoppers Mall (8037 to 8087 120th St.), located between the Real Canadian Superstore and Delta Rise, was received by council on Feb. 13. The proposed project includes a total of 877 residential units, 11,691
square metres of office space and 7,502 square metres of commercial space. A total of 643 market condo units, as well as office space and at-grade retail, is planned in two 32-storey towers atop five- and nine-storey podiums.
14 Saturday, February 25, 2023
Housing supply needs mean more condos, benefiting renters and investors alike
Resales often dominate conversations about housing markets, while transactions of newly built housing, especially condominiums, do not receive the same attention despite transactions of new or pre-built condominiums constituting a sizable chunk of residential transactions. For example, 21,782 new condominiums were sold in 2022 in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) alone, even though last year’s slowdown in housing demand hit sales, which were down 30 per cent from 2021, according to a report by Urbanation Inc., a market researcher specializing in condominium, rental and land markets. Nevertheless, the new condo market is maintaining a balance between supply and demand such that unsold inventory in the fourth quarter
last year was about 15,000 units, which is in line with the 15-year average.
The resale market, of course, influences
new
36 per cent to 19,105 units, a record eightyear low in transaction volume. Resale prices averaged around $847 per square foot (psf) in the fourth quarter. Even with the decline in sales, the 2022 price of $1,427 psf for new condos was higher than in 2021. The market slowdown was more pronounced in the fourth quarter when sales dropped by 68 per cent compared to the same time a year ago. While the 21,782 new condo sales in 2022 are in line with the long-term average, the bulk of those sales were realized in the first half of the year. Despite the decline in new condo prices in the latter part of the year, the gulf between resale and new condo prices widened to $580 psf. The gap was $332 in the fourth quarter of 2019 and $227 in the fourth quarter of 2017.
BC govt says rent increase over baby is “bizarre,” but stops short of helping
After her rent went up 20% following the birth of her child, a Vancouver mom’s struggle with her landlord got a muted response from the BC Housing Ministry.
New parent and renter Victoria Walsh has started a petition to call for change to what she calls a loophole that landlords are exploiting for profit on the backs of new parents.
According to Walsh, her landlord notified her that her rent would increase by 20% the following month due to an “additional occupant,” Walsh’s infant daughter.
“I created this petition after my own experience with a rent increase of this kind,” Walsh told Daily Hive Urbanized. “Since then, I’ve been struggling to navigate the legality of his claim and the dispute resolution process with the Residential Tenancy Branch.”
According to the Ministry, it’s
looking at legislation and regulations regarding additional occupants.
For now, in BC, tenancy agreements can include a term that states rent varies depending on the number of occupants in the rental unit.
“The Act does not identify any exceptions to this provision. As such, as long as there is a term in a tenancy agreement stating that rent increases when there are additional occupants, the rent increase is permitted,” the Ministry told Daily Hive Urbanized.
“It seems bizarre that having a child would be understood by anyone as being an event that would increase your rent or
cost you your home,” said the Ministry.
“In cases like this, where tenants and landlords are having a dispute and cannot come to an agreement on their own, they can apply for dispute resolution through the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB),” said the Ministry.
The Ministry encourages landlords and tenants to establish relationships built on transparency and trust.
Walsh could have some other options available.
“If a tenant feels their landlord does not calculate a rent increase for additional occupants correctly (e.g., they did not
calculate the 20% increase properly), they could apply to the RTB for dispute resolution on the basis that the landlord breached a term of the tenancy agreement,” said the Ministry. For renters in BC, it’s important to get everything in writing and thoroughly read your tenancy agreement. Sometimes, landlords make changes or adjustments to the standard tenancy agreement, so be sure to read it carefully and know what landlords can and cannot do before you sign. You might also like:
It costs over $43,000 a year to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver
Homeowners take strata company to court for charging too little on rent
You now need to make a FORTUNE in extra income to afford a home in Canada
15 Saturday, February 25, 2023
Real Estate
#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005
condo sales. But the market downturn hit the resale condo market more in 2022, with condo resales in the GTA dropping by
16 Saturday, February 25, 2023
Vivek Ramaswamy, Indian-American announces 2024 US Presidential bid
Vivek Ramaswamy is only 37, but he sent political pundits scrambling to view his resume after declaring his long-rumored candidacy on Fox News’ highest-rated news show hosted by Tucker Carlson. In a separate oped in Wall Street Journal, whose offering of a platform showed how seriously he is being taken, Ramaswamy declared that he is “launching not only a political campaign but a cultural movement to create a new American Dream—one that is not only
about money but about the unapologetic pursuit of excellence.” Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ramaswamy is a first-generation
Vivek G. Ramaswamy was born August 9, 1985 He is an American entrepreneur, author, and conservative political activist. After working as an investment partner, he founded the biopharmaceutical company Roivant Sciences in 2014. Since 2020, he has been writing and speaking out against stakeholder capitalism, big tech censorship, and critical race theory.He
How India keeps economy afloat amid global financial gloom
The Indian economy is expected to grow 6.9 % in the 2023 fiscal year, the World Bank has forecast. But despite economic growth, India still has one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world. India will be the fastest-growing economy among the seven largest emerging markets and developing economies, despite a challenging external environment, said the World Bank in its global economic prospects report.
A decade ago, India’s GDP was the 11th largest in the world. Today, India’s economy is the fifth largest, according to the International Monetary Fund, overtaking the British economy. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, corporate chiefs put the growth down to a combination of a stable political environment and significant government investments
left Roivant in 2021 and published Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam in August 2021. In 2022, he co-founded Strive Asset Management, an
investment firm opposed to environmental, social, and corporate governance, where he currently serves as the Executive Chairman,
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IMF or the International Monetary Fund’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Wednesday said that the Indian economy will alone contribute 15 per cent of the global growth this year, as the country continues to remain a relative “bright spot” in the world economy. In an interview with news agency PTI, the IMF MD said that India’s performance has been quite impressive. For this year, the IMF expects India to retain a high growth rate, 6.8 per cent for the year that ends in March.
“For FY 2023/24 (April 2023 to March 2024) we project 6.1 per cent, a bit of slow down like the rest of the world economy, but way above the global average. And in that way, India is providing about 15 per cent of global growth in 2023,” Georgieva said.
That is the fastest growth rate among major economies.
While digitisation pulled out the world’s fifth-largest economy from Covid-induced pandemic lows, prudent fiscal policy and significant financing for capital investments provided in the next year’s budget will help sustain the growth momentum.
India remains a bright spot
At a time when the IMF is projecting this year to be difficult with global growth slowing down from 3.4 per cent in 2022 to 2.9 per cent in 2023, India remains a bright spot, Georgieva said.
“Why is India a bright spot? Because one, the country has done really well to turn the digitalization that has been already moving quite well into a major driver of overcoming the impact of the pandemic and creating opportunities for growth and jobs,” the Managing Director noted. “Second, because India’s fiscal policy has been responsive to economic conditions. We have seen the new budget presented, and it signals the commitment to fiscal consolidation, while at the same time provides significant financing for capital investments.
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India remains a ‘bright spot’, to contribute 15% of global growth in 2023: IMF MD
Rajnath Singh talks Indo-Pacific security with British defence minister
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace. The ministers discussed a wide range of defence and security issues, including regional developments and the Indo-Pacific, a Ministry of Defence statement said.
They reviewed their ongoing defence cooperation and expressed satisfaction
at their bilateral military-to-military engagements. They also discussed ways to enhance defence industrial cooperation and identified a few potential areas of cooperation. Rajnath Singh suggested that UK companies should become part of India’s growth story and participate in codevelopment and co-production in India.
Tennis great leaves India event after minister runs late
Tennis legend Bjorn Borg had to walk away from a ceremony to honour him in India’s Bangalore (Bengaluru) city after a top politician turned up almost two hours late.
Borg was to be honoured on Tuesday by Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister of Karnataka state, of which Bangalore is the capital.
The programme was scheduled for 9.30am but Mr Bommai arrived at 11.15am.
By then, Borg had stepped away to watch his son Leo’s tennis match. An unnamed official from the organising committee told the Deccan Herald newspaper that the chief minister was delayed due to “some of his other commitments”.
It’s not uncommon for politicians and celebrities to turn up late - sometime by several hours - at events in India.
After Mr Bommai arrived at the
Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) stadium, he watched Leo’s match with Taiwanese tennis player Hsu Yuhsiou for about 20 minutes before leaving. The ceremony to honour Borg was cancelled later.
Former Indian tennis star Vijay Amritraj was also set to be honoured along with Borg. Sunil Yajaman, joint secretary of KSLTA, said that they decided to cancel the programme as Amritraj felt it would be “inappropriate” for him to be honoured alone.“Both of them will be felicitated at the chief minister’s office tomorrow or the day after,” he told BBC Hindi. Leo was playing in the Bengaluru Tennis Open being held at the KSLTA. The 19-year-old lost the match 6-2, 6-3. Borg later signed his photograph at the KSLTA’s Hall of Fame during a dinner hosted in his honour by Amritraj.
NIA arrests Khalistani terrorist Lucky Khokhar
National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested six people, including a close associate of Canada-based designated terrorist Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla, in connection with the gangsterterrorist case, an official said on Thursday.
The arrested Khalistani terrorist has been identified as Lucky Khokhar alias Denis.
Recently, raids were conducted at 76 locations across the nation which led to the arrests.
According to the central counterterrorism law enforcement agency, the arrested were identified as Lucky Khokhar, Lakhvir Singh, Harpreet, Dalip Bishnoi, Surinder alias Chiku Chaudhary and Hari Om alias Titu.
Khokhar, a resident of Bathinda in Punjab, was nabbed from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on Tuesday. He was in direct and frequent touch with Arsh Dalla
and had carried out recruitment for him. Khokhar received funds from him for carrying out terrorrelated activities, the official said.
“He had provided arms and ammunition to Arsh Dalla’s associates in Punjab on his directions, which were also used for carrying out the recent killing in Jagraon, Punjab, on directions of Dalla,” said the NIA.
The NIA had registered a suo-motu case on August 20, 2022 against seven people, including Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa, and Arshdeep Singh. One person, Deepak Ranga, was earlier arrested in the case by the NIA.
Khokhar was working for Dalla, who has been involved in smuggling arms, ammunition, explosives, IEDs across international and inter-state borders in India for several Khalistani terror outfits,
More than 800 houses under high tension power lines to be demolished in Bengaluru
About 8 km from Yelahanka airforce station, a fairly new residential layout in Kodigehalli stands right next to soaring electrical grids carrying highvoltage electricity across the city. Experts in Bengaluru say, such houses may come 20 percent cheaper and the land prices could be lower by about 30-40 percent. However, local corporations and state government bodies are planning to demolish more than 800 houses situated close to high tension power lines in urban Bengaluru.
B.S. Prahalad, Chief Engineer of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Roads and Infrastructure), told Moneycontrol, “We have started the process of relocating houses in Bengaluru situated under or very close to high tension power lines.” This follows at least three incidents in the last three months where several people, including children, were electrocuted due to high-tension power lines over residential buildings.
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NDRF officials on how Operation Dost came together
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cheered India’s disaster rescue workers who he said were among the first responders to reach Turkey, top officials of the National Defence Response Force (NDRF) on Tuesday narrated how different ministries came together to ensure that the NDRF team was able to fly out.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue and search team which came back from the earthquake-hit Turkey had a media interaction, in New Delhi on Tuesday (ANI)
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue and search team which came back from the earthquake-hit Turkey had a media interaction, in New Delhi on Tuesday (ANI).
Mumbai couple gets Rs 15.31 crore from anonymous donor for purchasing life-saving drug for their baby
A couple from Mumbai who recently shifted to Kerala has received ₹15.31 crore from an anonymous donor to purchase a life-saving drug for the treatment of their 16-month-old son.
Marine Engineer Sarang Menon and Adithi Nair’s son Nirvaan was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2, a rare disease for which a key one-time drug costs almost ₹17.3 crore.
India needs Rs 33,750 cr to set up Li-ion cell, battery mfg plants: CEEW
India needs investments worth up to $33,750 crore to achieve the government production-linked incentive (PLI) target of setting up 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) of lithiumion cell and battery manufacturing plants, according to the latest report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
Titled ‘How can India indigenous lithiumion battery manufacturing?’ the report says the country requires up to 903 GWh of energy storage to decarbonise its mobility and power sectors by 2030, and lithium-ion batteries will meet the majority of this demand.
“For a green future, minerals like lithium will be as important as oil and gas are today. It’s in India’s strategic interest to secure not just the mineral, but also set up the required
cell and battery manufacturing systems within the country. It will reduce our dependence on other countries in the long run, and power our grid and EV transition,” says Rishabh Jain, senior program lead, CEEW.
“This year’s Budget has shown India’s interest in addressing these challenges by eliminating duties on battery manufacturing equipment and providing viability gap funding for battery projects. To scale up domestic lithium-ion manufacturing, India should step up R&D investments, focus on battery cell component manufacturing and reducing material costs, and support recycling to reduce the need for new materials,” he adds.
20 Saturday, February 25, 2023 INDIA
CM Mann promises ease-of-doing business at Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit
The Punjab govt introduced selfcertification for industries to do away with the Inspector Raj and make work environment more cordial for industry. This was stated by Chief Secretary VK Janjua in his welcome address during the fifth Progressive Punjab Investors’
Summit 2023 at Mohali on Thursday. Investment Promotion Minister Anmol Gagan Mann said they would make Punjab a tourism destination for vacation. “We are investing heavily in developing infrastructure to attract tourists with special emphasis on adventure and water tourism,” she said.
Governor says he will decide the budget session to start on March 3
Punjab Governor Mr Banwarilal said that he will decide on allowing the Budget session of the Punjab government on March 3, only after he has sought legal advice on the “derogatory and patently unconstitutional tweets and letter” written by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in
response to his letter sent earlier this month. Continuing the saga of rift between the Governor and the Aam Aadmi Party government, the Governor wrote a letter to the Chief Minister today, saying he will take a decision on summoning of the Vidhan Sabha budget session, only after having received a legal
AAP MLA Amit Rattan sent
AAP MLA Amit Rattan was sent into 4-day police custody till February 27. He was presented in the court amid tight security.
Amit Rattan’s close aide Resham Garg who is also in police custody since February 16 was also presented in the court and his remand has been extended for one more day. Earlier, the
in police custody
Bathinda Vigilance Bureau had reportedly arrested Amit Rattan from near Karnal in Haryana today morning in a bribery case.
The complaint was lodged by the husband of the Ghudda village sarpanch.
The VB was under pressure as it was accused of shielding the MLA while arresting only his aide.
Pakistan
Top Pakistani, Afghan officials meet in Kabul amid strained relations, security concerns
Top officials from Afghanistan’s Taliban government met with Pakistan’s defense minister and spy chief in Kabul on Wednesday, days after the main border crossing was closed and as Islamabad faces a growing security threat.Reports of
authorities exchanging gunfire surfaced on Monday after Afghan authorities closed the crossing at Torkham a day earlier over Pakistan’s alleged refusal to facilitate trade transport and Afghan patients going to the neighboring country for treatment.
Gunfight erupted after Taliban shut Pak-Afghan border
Gunfire erupted between PakAfghan border forces after Taliban shut country’s busiest crossing with its eastern neighbour, officials said. Relations between the two countries have been testy since the Taliban took Kabul in August 2021, with Islamabad accusing its
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neighbour of harbouring armed groups that have carried out strikes on its soil.
There have been frequent flare-ups along the mostly mountainous border splitting the countries -- which no Afghan government has ever recognised -- including sporadic gunfights and crossing closures.
giving tax evasion subsidies to the rich: IMF tells Pakistan
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgeiva has advised Pakistan to stop giving tax evasion subsidies and plans to the rich if it wants to function as a country.
The statement was given after a question was raised on why the IMF is delaying its funding programme to Pakistan, despite the
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fact that the country is on the verge of an economic meltdown and was still suffering from last year’s catastrophic floods which had affected at least 33 million people.
“My heart goes out to the people of Pakistan. But the Pakistan government needs to collect higher taxes by withdrawing subsidies to the rich,” said Georgeiva.
Pakistan gets its first-ever Tim Horton location in Lahore
The iconic Canadian coffee chain finally opened its doors on February 11 in Lahore’s famous Defence Housing area, drawing customers willing to line up for donuts and double-doubles.
According to BNN Bloomberg, “soaring inflation and a stuttering economy
The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre has strongly condemned the FijiFirst Government for denying the late Professor Brij Lal’s basic decency and human rights and says conscience should dictate that former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and former Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum apologise publicly to the family and friends
Bainimarama & Khaiyum should apologise to Lal family - says Shamima of Professor Lal and to the people of Fiji.
Coordinator Shamima Ali says no Fiji citizen should go through this, where their basic human right to nationality and citizenship is denied. She says Bainimarama and SayedKhaiyum have shamed us all and should hang their heads in shame.
Australia announces $10m assistance for Fiji
Australian govt announce additional $10 million assistance rebuilding schools in Fiji Nothern Divisions devastated by Tropical
Cyclones in 2021. The announcement was made by Australian foreign minister amid meeting with newly elected prime minister Rabuka.
Fiji receives record visitors in January
Fiji recorded 67,502 visitor arrivals for the month of January.
This has been revealed by Tourism Fiji Chief Executive Brent Hill.
The CEO says that this figure represents 24 percent above the target for January. Hill says that this is 106 percent higher when compared to the January 2019 figures.
Jason R. Moore, 42, of Milton, Florida, has pled guilty to two counts of “Illicit Sexual Conduct in Foreign Places.” Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea today after Moore admitted his criminal
Australia still represents the largest tourism market for Fiji with a 134 percent increase, arrivals from New Zealand increased by 112 percent when compared to the same period in 2019, and the Canadian market has increased by 155 percent.
Other main tourist sources for Fiji include the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
American pleads guilty to ‘illicit sexual conduct’ commited with child activity in federal court in Pensacola. The federal indictment alleged that Moore engaged in “Illicit Sexual Conduct in Foreign Places” from March 2013 through February 2016. Specifically,
haven’t gotten in the way” for the company. The launch was the biggest-ever opening for Tim Hortons outside North America, according to a spokesperson for Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), which owns the chain.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan granted bail
Lahore: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan granted pre-arrest bail.
Imran Khan secured preventive bail by Lahore High Court till March 3 in case pertaining to protests outside office of the Election Commission. His second plea was disposed of by high court after Khan’s counsel withdrew the petition.
A massive crowd of his party workers and
supporters gathered outside the courtroom to protect Imran Khan as he arrived. The bench directed Imran Khan to approach the court concerned till March 3, adding that the order would cease to have its legal effect after the said date. The division bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi passed the orders while disposing of a petition filed by Imran Khan for protective bail.
21 Saturday, February 25, 2023 FIJI Punjab
South Asian Business Association of BC (SABA BC) elect new board of executives in annual general meeting on Feb. 18
South Asian Business Association of BC (SABA BC) has held their Annual General Meeting on February 18th where new executive for the upcoming year was
President), Mr. Maghar Singh Dhaliwal (Founding President and Past Treasurer) & Mr. Vishu Dhiri (Past Secretary) for their dedication and contributions to SABA over the last few years. Their hard
President - Mr. Anoop Sihra – Secretary
- Mr. Ravi Cheema - Treasurer
The new executive team brings a wealth of experience and expertise to their roles and SABA is confident that they will
the supporting the community through various initiatives some of which include the establishment of a $100,000 endowment for Kwantlen Polytechnic University that provides financial assistance to
elected. Upon completion of Mr. Jatinder Sandhar’s term as president of SABA for past 2 years, Mr. Kuldip Gill is elected as the next President of SABA. SABA would like to thank Mr. Jatinder Sandhar (Past President), Late Mr. Balwinder Chahal (Past Vice President), Mr. Kuldip Gill (Past Vice
work and commitment have helped SABA achieve many of their goals and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
SABA is excited to welcome their new executive team: Mr. Kuldip Gill – President - Mr. Lakhvinder Gill – 1st Vice President - Mrs. Puneet Sandhar – 2nd Vice
continue making a positive impact in our community. The transition is expected to be as smooth as possible and SABA remains committed to their mission of bringing together elite South Asian businesses and leaders within our community. Over the years, SABA has been instrumental in
deserving students enrolled at Kwantlen Business School as well as a $45000 donation to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. SABA would like to thank you for your ongoing support and looks forward to working with the community as they continue to pursue their goals.
iCON South Asian Health Forum - Take Charge of Your Health –Living Well Together with Diabetes
Thank you for your support in promoting 2023 South Asian Health Forum “Take Charge of Your Health’’.Health – Living Well Together with Diabetes”. We have prepared this document to provide youwith some resources to assist you in promoting. Online and in-person with exhibit hall,presentation theatre, and lunch provided Delivered in Panjabi, Hindi and EnglishPresented by: Expert Speakers In this session participants will learn about:
management tips on nutrition, Where and how to find help in the community – navigation of health services, treatments
Language: Panjabi, Hindi and or in-person with boxed lunch City Hall, 13450 - 104 Ave, Surrey, BC V3T 1V8
link will be emailed to registered participants Registration link: bit.ly/3HTPfeU
For more details: https:// iconproject.org/event/southasian-health-forum-living-welltogether-with-diabetes/
22 Saturday, February 25, 2023
Press release From page 1
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