The Asian Star February 26 2022 by The Asian Star Newspaper

www.theasianstar.com Vol 21 - Issue 4

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Continued on page 8

Canada to sanction 58 Russian individuals, entities and cut export permits amid Ukraine attack

Is inflation really this bad, or are greedy companies profiting off the pandemic?

Canada approves Medicago’s plant-based COVID-19 vaccine Health Canada authorized a new COVID-19 vaccine Thursday that it touted as the first greenlit shot to be developed by a Canadian company and the first to be made with plant-based technology. Known as Covifenz, the vaccine was developed by Medicago, a biotechnology company based in Quebec City that uses a plant host to make virus-

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You’ve been paying more for stuff for a year now. From used cars to rent to the price of groceries, inflation set record after record throughout 2021 and came to be widely acknowledged as the worst in 40 years. There are very real reasons behind why inflation is high, including unusually strong consumer demand at a time when businesses are navigating worker shortages and continuing supply-chain issues. But one nagging question hasn’t been answered

yet: Are you getting screwed by companies using inflation as an excuse to raise prices on you? Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Biden administration, consumer advocates, and even some economists think so. “The nation is dealing with inflation at its highest level in decades, much of it driven by corporate greed and anticompetitive behavior, and the federal government must use every tool available to prevent price gouging and reduce prices

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s second tranche of sanctions against Russia for their attack on Ukraine, which includes financial penalties against 58 individuals and entities and the halting of all export permits. Trudeau said he spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday morning,

Continued on page 7

Russia bombing Ukraine, while Putin chilling with Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan An extravagant ceremony awaited Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan as he stepped onto a red carpet on Moscow airstrip. Trumpet players from Russia’s Guard of Honor welcomed him with Pakistan’s national anthem on the evening of Feb. 23. “What a time I’ve come here. So much excitement,” Khan said to a diplomat as he was escorted off the airstrip. His words were caught on a video posted by his office on Twitter. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is welcomed with an official ceremony in Moscow, Russia on February 23, 2022. The arrival marks the beginning of a bizarrely

and that during a G7 meeting agreed that Russia’s actions will not go unpunished. “We condemn unequivocally this attack on Ukraine, this invasion of Ukraine, but also the violation of the UN Charter, the principles, the rule of law internationally, and we will respond forcefully to make sure that Russia fails,” he said.

timed two-day visit where Khan is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Russia’s armed forces are bombing Ukraine and Russia is becoming a pariah to the Western world. Just hours after Khan’s arrival, in the early morning of Feb. 24, explosions and gunfire were heard near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Russian forces reportedly fired missiles in several cities in Ukraine with military deployments to the country’s southern coast. Shortly before, in a televised address on Russian state TV, Putin announced the beginning of a Russian military operation in eastern Ukraine.

Chinese govt agency that works with Canadians involved in espionage, Federal Court affirms The outfit has worked with a top Canadian scientist, a member of the Ontario legislature and children in the Toronto area. Its name sounds more bureaucratic than menacing. But the Chinese government’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO) is involved in espionage that harms Canada’s interests, a Federal Court judge has affirmed in what appears to be a precedent-setting new ruling. Beijing critics say the judgement — upholding an immigration officer’s decision on the issue as “reasonable” represents a rare official rebuke of the office, now a bureau of a larger Communist Party department.Despite its apparently longstanding efforts to influence and monitor Chinese Canadians, the agency has rarely been publicly called-out by authorities here, says Charles Burton, a former diplomat in Beijing and senior fellow with the MacdonaldLaurier Institute. “I’m thrilled about the ruling,” he said.

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Saturday, February 26, 2022 Parliament backs Prime Minister Trudeau on emergency powers

Tamara Lich, convoy organizer, denied bail as judge notes ‘grave’ nature of charge Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” that blockaded the nation’s capital for three weeks, will remain behind bars after an Ottawa judge denied her bail. “These offences are grave,” said the presiding judge ruling on the bail application. Lich was arrested on Thursday evening as law enforcement in Ottawa began a major push that lasted through the weekend to clear out the convoy blockade following the invocation of the Emergencies Act. The judge referenced that comment during the bail hearing. “You have had plenty of opportunity to remove yourself and even others from this criminal activity but obstinately chose not to, and persistently counselled others not to either,” the judge said, adding that “this community has already

Canada’s Parliament has backed the government’s decision to impose emergency powers to deal with weeks-long protest blockades against Covid restrictions. The motion passed with 185 votes to 151 on Monday, with the support of the Liberals and the left-leaning NDP. Over the weekend, police cleared the final protest site in Ottawa on streets around Parliament Hill. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act early last week. Earlier on Monday, the Liberal prime minister defended the continued use of the temporary emergency measures, saying that the situation across the country “is still fragile” and they are needed to prevent new blockades. He said the powers would not be kept in place for “a single day longer than necessary”.

been impacted enough.” The Crown is also seeking a non-communication order that would bar Lich from any communications with three fellow convoy organizers and leaders: Chris Barber, Pat King and B.J. Dichter. Barber is charged with counselling to commit the offence of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobey court order, counselling to commit the offence of obstruct police. He was granted bail on Friday. King was arrested and charged, and is currently before the court seeking bail. No decision has yet been made in his case. He is charged with mischief, counselling to commit the offence of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobey court order, and counselling to commit the offence of obstruct

Members of the Conservative Party - the official opposition - and the Bloc Quebecois voted against the Emergencies Act motion. What powers will Emergencies Act give Trudeau? The never-before-used Emergencies Act, passed in 1988, gives the government added powers in times of national crisis. These expire after 30 days unless renewed. It has been used over the past week to impose bans on public assembly in some areas of Ottawa, and to prohibit travel to protest zones, including by foreign nationals, among other measures. It also gives authorities the ability to freeze bank accounts. On Saturday, the federal government said it had frozen at least 76 accounts linked to the protests, representing C$3.2m ($2.5m; £1.8m) under the emergency measures. The protest began in January as a truck convoy headed to Ottawa to oppose a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the US-Canada border,

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Douglas Elementary finally received its formal opening ceremony Feb. 17 – well over a year after it actually opened. Principal Sundeep Chohan welcomed an array of dignitaries to the event, held behind the school – but broadcast to students and parents inside – while explaining that COVID-19 restrictions had made it difficult to schedule a formal opening. The $26-million school at 17325 2 Ave., opened for classes on Dec. 1, 2020. It features 25 classrooms, a spacious gym, maker lab, multipurpose room, project spaces and a large all-weather field, as well as outdoor play areas and a basketball court. Among those attending to cut the ribbon were Semiahmoo First Nation Chief Harley Chappell, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, White Rock Mayor Darryl Walker, Surrey South MLA Stephanie Cadieux, Surrey Superintendent of Schools Jordan Tinney and Surrey Board of Education members including chair Laurie Larsen and White Rock and South Surrey representative Laurae McNally. Senior Indigenous support worker Paula James and Chappell both spoke on the significance of calling on Grade 7 student Mehar Gaba and Grade 5 student Nova Haley, among others, to witness the ceremony, which took place on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo, Kwantlen and Katzie First Nations.

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Saturday, February 26, 2022

BC’s Solicitor General blasts anti-vaxxers for targeting his home When the doorbell rang at Mike Farnworth’s home on Saturday, the veteran politician didn’t think twice about answering it. He’s been in provincial politics 22 years, and despite being BC’s current Minister of Public Safety, he’s never had cause to feel unsafe in his own home for doing his job. But when his partner opened the door to his Port Coquitlam house around 1 pm, that changed. “There’s this guy there and it was, ‘Are you Mike Farnsworth?’” Farnworth recalled, emphasizing how the man couldn’t even get his name right. “My partner was like, ‘Do I look like Mike Farnworth?’ “‘Does Mike live here?’” “My partner says, ‘No’ and closes the door.” But by then though they knew it was too late. “The guy looked like something out of Duck Dynasty,” Farnworth recalled in an interview with Daily Hive. An SUV with a giant Canadian flag was parked outside, and an RV idled just behind it. A woman with a bullhorn was shouting obscenities. Another woman came up to the front door, put some anti-vaccine mandate literature on it and then posed for a selfie, while Farnworth and his partner looked on inside. Their dog, a lab mix, was terrified by the noise and started whining and crying.

Chilliest February 23 in 65 years White Rock’s chilly overnight temperatures set a new record for February 23. According to Environment Canada data, the “White Rock area” had its coldest Feb. 23 in decades this week, dipping to -5.5 C – the lowest its been on that date since 1957, when the mercury dipped to -4.4 C. The record was reportedly among several toppled across the province. On the flip side, White Rock’s warmest Feb. 23 in recent history was in 1958, when the day was a balmy 15 C. In a weather statement issued Thursday morning (Feb. 24), Environment Canada advised that overnight temperatures were anticipated to hover around -5 C through Friday (Feb. 25) morning, after which, things are anticipated to get both warmer and wetter.

Gas prices set to soar this weekend Russia’s attack on Ukraine is putting even greater pressure on an already surging oil price environment and that will cost Canadians more at the pump. Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst at En-Pro International Inc. expects gas prices across the country will rise five cents per litre on Saturday. He says drivers who fill up occasionally have hours to avoid extra costs but there’s not much that can be done for those who fill up daily. The high demand for oil combined with a shortage of supply have been pushing oil prices, and consequently, gas prices up for weeks. The benchmark West Texas Intermediate price is sitting at US$96 per barrel after briefly trading above US$100 per barrel this morning. Brent Crude has fallen slightly to US$103 a barrel, after topping US$105 a barrel earlier _ the first time since 2014.

By the time the Mounties arrived, the crowd had moved from the sidewalk in front of the house to the sidewalk across the street, where they continued to wave Canadian flags, yell and hector the minister and his family. “For the next three and a half hours it was non stop verbal abuse being shouted through bullhorns and everything else,” said Farnworth. “Things like these are the end of times, things like you are injecting things like animal parts and injecting chips into people.” The protest is just the latest in an escalation of threats and violence against politicians due to COVID-19 public health restrictions. Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier rceived a death threat in Dawson Creek after encouraging residents to get vaccinated, and his constituency office is frequently targeted

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Saturday, February 26, 2022

OPINION How American cash for Canada protests could sway US politics

The Canadians who have disrupted travel and trade with the U.S. and occupied downtown Ottawa for nearly three weeks have been cheered and funded by American right-wing activists and conservative politicians who also oppose vaccine mandates and the country’s liberal leader.

Yet whatever impact the protests have on Canadian society and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, experts say the outside support is really aimed at energizing conservative politics in the U.S. Midterm elections are looming, and some Republicans think standing with the

protesters up north will galvanize fund-raising and voter turnout at home, these experts say. “The kind of narratives that the truckers and the trucker convoy are focusing on are going to be really important issues for the (U.S.) elections coming ahead,” said Samantha Bradshaw, a postdoctoral fellow at the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University. “And so using this protest as an opportunity to galvanize their own supporters and other groups, I think it’s very much an opportunity for them.” Police poured into downtown Ottawa on Thursday, and work crews erected fences around Parliament, in what protesters feared was a prelude to a crackdown. About 44 percent of the nearly $10 million in contributions to support the protesters originated from U.S. donors, according to an Associated Press analysis of leaked donor files. U.S. Republican elected officials, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have praised the protesters calling them “heroes” and “patriots.” Fox News host Sean Hannity told two protest organizers on his show on Wednesday that “you do have a lot of support from your friends in America. That I can tell you.” He added: “We have a movement in America that’s starting very soon.” Trudeau and other senior Canadian officials have been sharply critical of the financial support coming from other countries. “What this country is facing is a largely foreign-funded, targeted and coordinated attack on critical infrastructure and our democratic institutions,” Bill Blair, Canada’s minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, said earlier this week. Ian Reifowitz, professor of historical studies at the State University of New York, called the protests a “gift” for Republicans in the U.S., and he predicted they’ll use the populist appeal of the demonstrations to raise money ahead of the midterm elections in November.

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Saturday, February 26, 2022

Former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper issues scathing denunciation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine In a relatively rare move since leaving office, former prime minister Stephen Harper has issued a public statement about an international issue. “The Putin regime used recent years of well-intentioned Western outreach and dialogue to his full advantage,” Harper declared. “But the lessons of 1938 remain true today. “There can be no further compromises; no naive ‘resets’ or diplomatic niceties,” he continued. “Dictators must be dealt with like all bullies; with resolute unity and force.” Harper, who was prime minister from 2006 to 2015, also stated that Putin’s “territorial conquest” must never be recognized. “Putin and his gang must be treated like the full global pariahs they have chosen to become,” the former prime minister stated. “They must be sanctioned, excluded, and punished at every turn.

“Ukraine must be rearmed and re-supplied for self defence. And NATO allies, all countries who have in the past risen to defend freedom and human rights from darkness and dictatorship, must stand ready to honour their full treaty commitments.” Harper’s statement stands in sharp contrast to former U.S. president Donald Trump’s recent description of Putin as a “genius”. Another high-profile U.S. right winger, Fox News host Tucker Carlson, has also described Putin in gentle terms as he amassed a massive amount of firepower near Ukraine’s boundary, describing the situation as a “border dispute”. To Democrats, Carlson asserted, “anything less than hatred for Putin is treason”. Meanwhile, Alberta premier Jason Kenney has called for “a hard global embargo of all Russian oil & gas imports”.

South Asian truckers turned off by ‘freedom convoy’ and plan other career paths Bearing a load of produce bound for Sobeys, Nihal Singh pulled up to a border checkpoint in northern Montana late last month only to find the path blocked by big-riggers on the other side. Semi trucks and protesters barred the way in Coutts, Alta., as they demonstrated against vaccine mandates, holding up Singh for nearly two days, one of hundreds of drivers stopped by the blockade. After more than 24 hours, he and a group of other South Asian Canadian truckers approached authorities to find out when they could pass. “That’s when another guy, he came out of his truck and he was, like, being racist. He was saying, ‘Go back to your truck, go back to India,”’ recalled Singh, a 28-year-old driver from Edmonton. Disturbed, he and his co-driver set out for another crossing — an option unavailable to some, since oversize loads can only move through certain checkpoints — on a route that added more than 500 kilometres to their trip. The delay meant they missed their next load, costing them a week of work — nearly $6,000 between the two of them. Singh is now mulling an exit from the long-haul industry. Frustration and disgust at the recent blockades and encampment in Ottawa may be the final straw atop concerns ranging from wages to road safety, social isolation and exhausting working conditions. “I’ve been having really bad experiences

the last few months,” he said. If Singh and others are driven away, they’ll be leaving a field already desperately short of labour. The trucker job vacancy rate hit a historic high of nearly 23,000 in the third quarter of 2021, according to figures from Statistics Canada. Young drivers, women and retirement-age workers have left the sector in droves over the past two years, with some 55,000 job vacancies projected for 2023, says Trucking HR Canada. Demand for drivers soared during the pandemic as a spike in online shopping led to a corresponding climb in deliveries. Meanwhile, the number of workers entering the industry has been dropping for years due to a confluence of factors including stagnant wages, shifting labour patterns and prohibitive insurance policies that make it difficult for new drivers to earn a living. South Asian Canadians make up a major axle in the sector, comprising 16 per cent of truckers in 2021 compared with just two per cent 25 years earlier, according to Statistics Canada data. In cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, they account for more than half of drivers. They also belong to a community with a high vaccination rate, in contrast to the anger over vaccine mandates for border crossing expressed by a small slice of the industry.

Solidarity with Ukraine rally held in Vancouver everal dozen Ukrainian Canadians and their supporters staged a rally and car convoy in Vancouver Wednesday as the crisis with Russia continued to escalate. Ukraine declared a nationwide state of emergency Wednesday, amid signs of a potential pending Russian invasion. Eugene Lupynis, who sits on the board of Richmond’s Ivan Franko Ukrainian Centre, said B.C.’s estimated 200,000 residents of Ukrainian descent fear for their friends and family in Europe. “Speaking to community members, everybody is worried, everybody is watching the news, every media outlet that can be found we are watching, trying to get the latest,” he said. “The ultimate fear is the loss of life that’s going to take place should an invasion happen. Secondary is the loss of our homeland.” Russian President Vladimir Putin

recognized the independence of two breakaway regions of Ukraine on Monday and deployed forces earlier this week. On Wednesday, the Kremlin said rebels in eastern Ukraine asked Russia for military assistance to help fend off Ukrainian “aggression,” an announcement that immediately fuelled fears that Moscow was offering up a pretext for war, just as the West had warned. Canada has moved its embassy from Kyiv last week to Lviv in western Ukraine, and federal officials have urged Canadians in the country to leave as soon as possible. Click to play video: ‘Ukraine declares state of emergency as fears grow of Russia launching full-scale invasion’ 2:08 Ukraine declares state of emergency as fears grow of Russia launching full-scale invasion

Saturday, February 26, 2022

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Saturday, February 26, 2022 From page 1

Is inflation really this bad, or are greedy companies profiting off the pandemic?

for Americans,” the Massachusetts senator wrote in a letter this month, urging the Department of Justice to take action against companies violating antitrust laws to hike prices for consumers. Rising prices on food and household items, in particular, are starting to really worry consumers. The average net income margins, or profit margins, of about half of the 28 food and consumer goods manufacturers listed on the Fortune 500 have risen compared to the pre-pandemic levels, according to an analysis performed by Fortune. While those profit

margins are up, it’s difficult to say whether or not that’s directly tied to higher prices. So are these corporations really price gouging? Are they pandemic profiteers? Well, first off, it’s not a settled legal issue, given that there are currently no federal laws against it. And secondly, the stock market largely loves it, with many investors rewarding public companies for their so-called greed. But the stock market is not the economy, and just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean it’s good. What’s good for investors may be very bad for the American consumer.

TransLink CEO warns projects, expansions could be in jeopardy without funding fix The head of Metro Vancouver’s transit and transportation agency says ongoing COVID-19-related financial issues could mean trouble for service levels or planned expansions of the regional network. TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn provided an update on the agency’s finances at Thursday’s mayors’ council meeting, warning that decreased ridership due to the pandemic had created “structural impacts” on transit use. “Without a long-term funding solution, we may need to consider difficult solutions in the future, and this could result in a range of impacts, reduction of service levels, delaying or outright cancellation of capital projects, or stalling expansion of much-needed service we know this region needs,” Quinn said. Transit revenues for the month of January alone were about 17 per cent short of expenditures, worth about $7 million. In 2020, TransLink received $644 million in one-time pandemic aid through the Federal-Provincial Safe Restart Agreement.

Ottawa pledged another $750 million to cities across the country last week, but Quinn said it still wasn’t clear how much of that money would make its way to TransLink.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to drop in BC Hospitalizations have continued to decline, reaching the lowest level in six weeks. There are 612 people in hospital with COVID-19, 102 of whom are in intensive care. The number of people in hospital dropped by 41 since Wednesday (Feb. 23) and the number of people in ICU dropped by six. In the past 24 hours, nine British Columbians have died from COVID-19. Four of the deaths occurred in Fraser Health, two in Interior Health, two in Northern Health and one in Fraser Health. Not all people in hospital with COVID-19 are there because of complications with the virus.

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Saturday, February 26, 2022 Canada approves Medicago’s plant-based COVID-19 vaccine in adults From page 1 to make virus-like particles which help the body’s immune system make antibodies. Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada, said the vaccine’s active ingredients consist of particles that “mimic the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19.” That allows the body to recognize them and spark an immune response. “The virus-like particles are grown in plants that are similar to tobacco plants, which can produce large amounts of the virus particles in a short period of time,” Sharma said Thursday in a virtual press briefing. “Once these particles are injected into the body, they trigger the immune system to produce antibodies against the virus.” Sharma added that the virus-like particles mimic the natural structure of the virus without containing any of its genetic material — “which makes the person’s immune system able to

recognize the particles without causing infection.” Sharmasaidthatwhileothervaccines,including jabs that protect against HPV and hepatitis B, use virus-like particles, Medicago’s COVID-19 shot is the first to use plant-based technology. Clinical trials suggested the vaccine — a two-dose series administered on a 21-day interval — was 71 per cent effective in protecting against COVID-19 infection one week after the second dose. Sharma said the trials involved 30,000 participants and the vaccine was 100 per cent effective against severe disease in those studies. Medicago’s product is authorized for use in people aged 18 to 64, with Health Canada noting its effectiveness and safety in those under 18 and over 64 is still unknown. Sharma said Medicago is “currently gathering data on older individuals,” adding that the company’s clinical trials had limited participants

Saturday, February 26, 2022 Rapid tests available for 70+ on Friday at pharmacies across BC For the first time, the general population in British Columbia will have access to COVID-19 rapid tests to take home.Starting on Friday, the province will be using pharmacies across B.C. to distribute one box of five tests for anyone 70 years and over. This is the first time these tests have been available at pharmacies and not at testing sites and there are 865,000 rapid tests prepositioned to be sent for community distribution to pharmacies, the province said Wednesday. Once distribution has started and supply grows, the program will expand to younger ages and will be communicated through the media and the government’s COVID-19 website. In order to access one of the rapid test kits, individuals will present their BC Services Card at the pharmacy and be given their test kit free of charge. For now, the province is limiting access to one kit per person within a 28-day period. A kit can be picked up for a family member or another person by providing their name, date of birth and proof of identification with the BC Services Card. Tests are designed mainly for those with COVID-19 symptoms. The government

mentions those who are susceptible to severe illness and death from COVID-19 and those individuals who live or work in settings with others who are high-risk for severe illness are seen as a priority for tests. There are an additional 9.9 million tests expected to arrive in the next few weeks, on top of the approximately 10.4 million tests that have arrived or are in transit. A big chunk of the tests, 3.8 million more test kits for K-12 education and 2.1 million more test kits for the post-secondary education sector, are headed to schools across the province. Starting this week schools will start making the test kits available. Each student will be able to access five tests. School staff will have access to two tests. “It’s important to remember — and I know Dr. Henry will remind us — that testing continues to be something we do when we have symptoms,” Dix said last week. “That hasn’t changed. Increased test availability means that more members of the general population will be able to access tests to use to understand their own symptoms and illness, and to take action to limit transmission to their friends, family and work, including those at higher risk.”

Canada unlocks ‘Vast Majority’ of bank accounts frozen over support for trucker convoy Canada’s government is unlocking accounts linked to organizers of the trucker protest that snarled traffic in downtown Ottawa for three weeks and was cleared by police over the weekend. Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance Isabelle Jacques told the Canadian parliament’s Finance Committee on Tuesday that up to 206 bank accounts linked to convoy organizers, together worth $7.8 million, were initially frozen under emergency measures enacted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week. Trudeau invoked the 1988 Emergencies Act, which has never before been used and gives the government the authority to restrict movement and freeze financial accounts, including personal bank accounts. Jacques said that some of the bank accounts frozen under the emergency measures may be owned by more than one individual. “Information was shared by the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] with financial institutions and we were informed

yesterday by financial institutions that they were unfreezing the accounts,” Jacques told parliament members. “The vast majority of accounts are in the process of being unfrozen.” Jacques also confirmed that while she considered it “unlikely” to occur, Canadians who made small-dollar donations to the trucker convoy after the Emergencies Act was invoked could have their bank accounts frozen. A member of parliament from British Columbia claimed on Twitter on Monday that a constituent had her bank account frozen after donating $50 to the convoy. Shortly afterwards, the RCMP released a statement saying it provided authorities with a list of people “who were influencers in the illegal protest in Ottawa, and owners and/or drivers of vehicles who did not want to leave the area.” However, “at no time did we provide a list of donors to financial institutions.” Jacques said it was possible, though unlikely, that small-dollar donors to the convoy were caught up in the bank account freeze.

Saturday, February 26, 2022 BC Budget

BC has spent more than $1 billion so far in COVID-19 health care costs The COVID-19 pandemic has cost B.C.’s taxpayers more than $1 billion in health-care funding. For the first time, British Columbians are getting a broader look at how much managing the pandemic has cost taxpayers. The federal government has provided COVID-19 vaccines free of charge to the provinces. But British Columbia spent $550 million to rent out clinic space, hire staff and build infrastructure to administer more than 11 million vaccines. The price tag on vaccination is still an estimate and is expected to be higher when the fiscal year ends. “We have been really focused on having a robust health response,” BC Finance Minister Selina Robinson said during the budget on Tuesday. “I think my surprise is mostly back in March 2020 when we were faced with the pandemic and not knowing what to expect.” COVID-19 testing has cost an additional $100 million so far based on costs associated with lab time. The costs are significantly lower than vaccination because the province already owned the lab space where the testing is done and testing facilities were in some places coupled with vaccination clinics. Personal protective equipment for health care workers has cost between $100 and $120 million for the health-care system. The move to restrict staff to a single long-term care facility cost an

estimated $140 million. Screening procedures at long-term care facilities cost an estimated $160 million. The overtime costs for the system were about $300 million but are similar to typical years due to chronic understaffing and postponing surgeries. Story continues below advertisement The B.C. Hospital Employees’ union is in the midst of bargaining with the province around a new contract and questions the tallying of the financial toll of offsetting chronic understaffing. “The government needs to do everything in the budget to support recruiting and retaining health care workers. That is going to include significant compensation increases and we will deal with that at the bargaining table,” B.C. Hospital Employees’ Union spokesperson Mike Old said. “It is hard to imagine overtime costs have not gone up especially over the last few months during the Omicron wave.” Click to play video: ‘Omicron puts pressure on already strained health care workers’ 5:08 Omicron puts pressure on already strained health care workers Omicron puts pressure on already strained health care workers – Jan 14, 2022 The province has earmarked $875 million in contingencies for COVID-19 management. There are $

Surge in housing prices helps BC economy bounce back through tail-end of pandemic

Nearly two years after a global COVID-19 pandemicdevastatedBritishColumbia’seconomy, the financial bounce back is almost complete. The rosy economic picture, however, is expected to be short-lived due to an influx in pandemic-specific cash in the last year. The forecast deficit for 2021/22 is now $483 million, a dramatic decrease from the $9.7 billion-projected deficit in last year’s budget. The one-year rebound is short-lived, with the province forecasting a deficit of $5.46 billion in 2022/23 and $4.18 billion in 2023/24. “You can see the unusually high revenue for 2021/22. It doesn’t fully recover in the third year of the fiscal plan,” Finance Minister Selina Robinson said Tuesday.. Those high revenues are driven in part by the double-edged sword of housing. Buying a home has become increasingly unaffordable while the increase in property transfer tax continues to support the province’s

bottom line. Property transfer taxes accounted for $1.6 billion in revenues in 2019/20, $2.1 billion in 2020/21, and a staggering $3.25 billion in 2021/22. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) has also seen a significant financial rebound. A shift to a no-fault system, fewer claims than expected and a better than expected return on investments has led the public insurer to contribute an expected $1.9 billion to the government during this fiscal year. A one-time boost in federal transfers, due largely to COVID-19 and flood relief, has also led to higher than expected revenues in 2021/22. “There has been significant improvement,” Robinson said. “The large number of improvements are one-time in nature as our economy has significantly rebounded from the impact of the pandemic. Continued on page 14

From 911 calls to child care, here are things you need to know about BC’s budget Finance Minister Selina Robinson revealed British Columbia’s budget for new fiscal year on Tuesday. Budget 2022 vows to take bold action to fight climate change, reduce the cost of living, and grow and inclusive and sustainable economy, she said in the legislature. From new investments in the healthcare system to $20-a-day child care, here’s what you need to know about the province’s spending commitments for 2022. Long wait times — including some patients waiting more than four hours for an ambulance — has now led the government to promise additional resources to paramedics and other emergency responders.

This includes $148 million over the next three years to reduce call wait times and responses by hiring more dispatchers and paramedics. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to tens of thousands of surgeries being postponed in the province over the last two years. Those surgeries are slowly being re-booked now. Aiming to avoid sustained delays, the provincial budget earmarks $303 million in new base funding for a wait-list reduction strategy. In order to fulfill commitments in the province’s Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the government is creating a new Ministry of Land, Continued on page 14

Saturday, February 26, 2022

BC govt wants to take over house zoning and building permits responsibilties from town & city councils The B.C. minister responsible for housing is suggesting the province may step in and override municipalities to speed up the pace of new housing approval. Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing David Eby says the province prefers to cooperate with municipalities and “support them in their independent local government functions,” but that at the end of the day, “municipalities simply are not approving enough housing in a timely enough way.” “We do know there are municipalities with significant transit investments coming, we need to know that when that transit investment shows up that people are able to find homes that are affordable and are in the area of those transit stations,” Eby said. “And we haven’t consistently seen that, so I think that’s one of the opportunities that’s there for us, hopefully cooperatively and ultimately if necessary, by setting out requirements for things like transit funding.” Eby said the province is looking at taking away some of municipal governments’ permitting powers and is looking at possible legislation and regulatory changes in the legislature’s fall sitting. Too many housing development proposals become stalled at the permit approval stage as local councils deliberate over building heights, parking issues and the character of neighbourhoods, he said. Coquitlam city councillor Craig Hodge, who also sits on the Union of B.C. Municipalities executive raised concerns

the prospect of overriding municipalities could take valuable autonomy away from locally-elected governments representing residents’ wishes. “I think that we’re trying to overly simplify the problem, and I think that trying to suggest that there’s a one size fits all that’s going to work, I think is is wrong,” he said, noting a solution that works in Vancouver might not for a small community like Vanderhoof. “It is always a balancing act between planning for the future, but also making sure that you protect the the lifestyle and look after the residents that do live here today. And that is that the tough part of being a city councillor.” But Vancouver developer Jon Stovell said something needs to be done to stop organized groups of residents opposed to any new development in their neighbourhoods from scuttling badly-needed housing projects. “The power dynamic has shifted to people who are already housed, so you have people who are already housed opposing housing for people who aren’t housed. It’s a fundamentally flawed system,” he said. “One community group can turn the fortunes of a councillor, so they need senior government to give them some cover.” That said, moving authority into provincial hands may not be a panacea, he said, noting that wait times for approvals from the provincial Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Transportation were themselves getting longer and longer.

BC forecasts $5.5 billion deficit in coming year The B.C. government is projecting deficits over the next three years, despite an economy that has recovered from the start of the pandemic faster than expected. Finance Minister Selina Robinson announced a $5.5 billion deficit planned for the 2022/2023 fiscal year, along with a $4.2 billion deficit in 2023/2024 and a $3.2 billion deficit in 2024/2025. The current year’s deficit is now forecast to be $483 million, after it was projected at the start of the fiscal year to reach $9.7 billion. But Robinson cautioned that the bulk of the province’s economic recovery had already transpired. And she said continued spending on pandemic recovery — and new spending to respond to flooding and wildfire disasters — were part of the reason for continued deficit spending going forward. “When there are challenges that threaten us as a province, we must respond as a province,” she said. “Some argue that cuts and reduced role for government is the right way forward. But that’s not what most British Columbians expect. And that will not be our approach.” Where is the new spending? While there were no large new programs or spending items announced in this year’s budget, the province announced a number of new funding commitments in future years, including: $663 million over three years to prevent and respond to homelessness, including expanding supports to youth aging out of care to their 27th birthday. An increase of $100 million a year

in the province’s child-care plan, which the government says will get the average childcare fees to $20 a day by the end of the year. $289 million over five years to connect more rural, remote and Indigenous communities to high-speed internet. B.C. says new provincial spending aims to create proactive approach to homelessness, mental illness But the largest one-time spending items are reflective of some of the historical challenges B.C. is facing: $2 billion has been allocated in pandemic recovery contingencies for the next year, $400 million has been allocated for flooding recovery (including another $400 million in contingency costs), and around $170 million more per year is being budgeted for wildfire management, prevention projects, and the province’s climate preparedness and adaption strategy. “There is a long road ahead, as we all rebuild and repair the damage left by these difficult times,” said Robinson. Capital spending up In addition to continued annual deficits, the province is also forecasting a large increase in its total debt: from $91.6 billion this fiscal year to $125.8 billion in 2024/2025. Much of this is due to a record-high $27.4 billion in taxpayer supported capital spending in the next three years, including completing the Site C Dam, the Millennium Line SkyTrain extension in Vancouver to Arbutus Street, and the building or improvement of several highways, schools, or supportive housing programs. B.C. budget commits to Indigenous reconciliation through health-care spending, new programs

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Vancouver has Canada’s highest average rents, largest annual rate increase: report A one-bedroom home rents for an average of $2,163, and a two-bedroom for $3,003 In January of 2022, the average Vancouver rent was $2,550 -- an annual increase of 16.2 per cent The average price to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver topped $3,000 last month, with people in B.C. paying the highest rates in the entire country. The latest report from Rentals.ca showed an average rent of $2,181 in the province in January, up 9.6 per cent from same time last year. In Vancouver, the average was $2,550 — an annual jump of 16.2 per cent. A one-bedroom home rents for an average of $2,163, and a two-bedroom for $3,003. Paul Danison with Rentals.ca says rents typically see a bit of a spike in January because more people are looking to move at the beginning of a New Year, once the December holidays have passed. Still, he predicts rates will continue to rise. “It’s not at record levels but they’re really, really moving up quickly — and we foresee it continuing to do so for a while,” he says. “Pre-pandemic levels were definitely

higher than this. It might take a little while to get back to those levels. But I think we’re on the way there.” RELATED: Annual inflation rate rises to 5.1percentinJanuaryonbroadpriceincreases Danison says the explanation for the rising costs is simple. “ T h e pandemic has caused people to look around, r e c o n s i d e r, make life d e c i s i o n s ,” he explains. “So people are moving around and demand — as is typical — is outpacing supply. There are other issues too but they’re small compared to that overall issue. Immigration is coming back, students are back in school which increases demand, obviously. There’s just not enough places for people to rent.” While Vancouver has the highest rents of all the cities the report looked at, Burnaby and Victoria also made the top 20.

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Saturday, February 26, 2022

Sunny Leonne celebrates birthday of her twins Sunny Leone came up with the cutest weekend family moment with an adorable group photo while wishing her twin sons, Asher and Noah, on their 4th birthday. The two birthday boys can be seen posing with their father Daniel Weber and sister Nisha along with Sunny’s mother-in-law. It seems the Leone family enjoyed a fun-filled birthday celebration inviting Asher and Noah’s friends as well. Sharing the picture on her Instagram handle, Sunny revealed her life will be incomplete without Asher and Noah. She wrote, “Happy Birthday, my baby boys Asher and Noah! Life would be incomplete without you two! You are the light and laughter of my day! I love you so much!” The birthday boys looked adorable in

white printed shirts, while Nisha looked like an angel in a pinkish white frock. Sunny and her mother-in-law, too, twinned in white tops

Sushmita Sen sends love to Dharmendra Sushmita Sen got a compliment from veteran actor Dharmendra as she shared a selfie clicked inside her car. She covered her head with a scarf in the picture and wore large sunglasses. “The dancing lights, purple hues & reflecting mountains!!! A beautiful journey captured with a selfie,” she wrote. Commenting on her picture, Dharmendra wrote ‘great’, along with a thumbs-up emoji. Replying to a Twitter user who had retweeted it, he wrote, “Ambreen, it gives me great happiness to read something loving and affectionate. Jeetie raho (Live long).” Dharmendra also showered love on Sushmita. “Ek nek rooh…ek himmat var khatoon (A

pure soul, a courageous woman)…lots of love to her,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet. Sushmita replied, “A blessing saved & cherished forever, sir @aapkadharam. Lots of love & huge respect from a dancing heart!!! Aap jaisa dil sab ko naseeb ho (May everyone be as large-hearted as you)!!!”

Deepika Padukone reveals Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Lover’ is her current favourite Superstar Deepika Padukone on Thursday (September 16) hosted a question and session for fans where she disclosed that singer Diljit Dosanjh’s latest hit ‘Lover’ is her current favourite song, to which here`s what the singer replied. During the question and answer session on her Instagram handle, Deepika asked her fans to drop a word and she will tell them what it reminds her of. Fans poured a number of words, like eyes, ice cream, favourite movie and more. One of the many words asked was ‘music’.

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While many fans would guess her favourite songs from the English or Bollywood playlist, a few could guess that it was Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh’s romantic ballad ‘Lover’ from the latest hit album ‘Moonchild Era’. “My absolute favourite song at this point which came to my mind is Lover by Diljit Dosanjh,” the dimple queen revealed in her Instagram story. Diljit who himself had revealed in earlier interviews that the ‘Padmaavat’ actor is one of his favourite female actors, was quick to notice this .

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Bappi Lahiri: ‘disco king of Bollywood’ gave Indian film youthful injection The music of Bappi ‘Da’, who died last week, fueled global hits and was sampled by Dr Dre and MIA At the height of his fame in the 1980s, “the disco king of Bollywood”, Bappi Lahiri, who died this week, was composing nearly 15 soundtracks a year. Born in Kolkata in 1952 to a musical family (his parents were classically trained musicians and the playback singer Kishore Kumar was his uncle), Lahiri’s first soundtrack was for a 1973 movie called Nanha Shikari. But Lahiri, also lovingly called Bappi “Da” (Bengali for brother), is best known for his songwriting on the film Disco Dancer (1982).

The movie broke all records and led to an unprecedented boom in disco music in India and disco-themed Bollywood movies. His soundtrack helped the film become a worldwide success and to this day it remains the highest-grossing foreign movie in the Soviet Union. The score focused heavily on synthesizers, drum machines, string stabs and playful, sexy vocals. The film’s most famous song, Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja – featuring the little known Indo-Trinidadian singer Parvati Khan – can still be heard on radio and adverts and was sampled by the British-Sri Lankan rapper MIA on her 2007 album, Kala.

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Sanjeev Kumar One of the greatest actors of Indiam cinema Sanjeev Kumar was one of the greatest actors of Indiam cinema. He was born as Harihar Jethalal Jariwala on July 9, 1938 and died at the age of 47 on November 6, 1985. He won several awards including two National Film Awards for Best Actor for his performances in film Dastak (1970) and Koshish (1972). He acted in genres ranging from romance, dramas to thrillers, and He was voted one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema of all-times. Sanjeev Kumar started his acting career as stage actor in Bombay and later joining the Indian National Theatre. Even at the stage, he had penchant for playing older roles; at the age of 22, he played an old man in an adaptation of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. In the following year, in play Damru directed by AK Hangal, he played the

role of 60-year-old man with six children. He made his film debut with film Hum Hindustani in 1960. His first film as a protagonist was in Nishan (1965). In 1968, he acted with famous actors, such as Dilip Kumar, in Sangharsh. He also starred opposite Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana in the superhit film Sachaai (1969). He starred in the 1966 Gujarati film Kalapi, which was based on the poet Kalapi’s life, with him playing the titular role, Padmarani playing the role of his wife, Rama, and Aruna Irani as the love interest. The film was directed by Manhar Raskapur. Sanjeev Kumar remained single all his life. He proposed Hema Malini in 1973, but they just remained good friends. Suddenly his health started diteriorating, He passed away in 1985.

SRK and Deepika Padukone to resume shooting of ‘Pathan’ in Spain Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone will pick up where they left off and resume their ‘Pathan’ shoot on a romantic note. The stars, who were expected to shoot a romantic song sequence in Mallorca, Spain, last October, will finally begin work on the same in March. According to the latest reports, the stars will head to Mallorca and Cadiz with their film team to shoot a grand romantic song sequence. Director Siddharth Anand reportedly wants to capture the beauty of the island city famous for its beaches and limestone mountains. SRK, Deepika will also be joined by co-star John Abraham to shoot some high-octane action scenes and major confrontational sequences, states a report on Mid-day. The 17-day schedule was originally

slated to take place in October, however, production was delayed in the wake of the Aryan Khan drug case. Reports later stated that filming was postponed further after the third wave of the pandemic hit India.

A source previously told IANS that the director was keen to shoot in the coastal Spanish region as no other Bollywood film has ever shot song sequences there. “The intent is to create a song that is visually so grand that it is an instant hit. All necessary permissions

Kajal Aggarwal is in “Mommy Training” Kajal Aggarwal, who announced her pregnancy last month, on Thursday, shared a series of new pictures from her baby shower. In the photographs, Kajal can be seen dressed in a red silk saree. She accessorized her look along with gold jewellery. Sharing the post, Kajal wrote that she is on “Mommy training.” In one of the pics, Kajal can be seen showing off her baby bump. “Mommy training: Learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you never knew existed!,” wrote Kajal in her caption. Kajal Aggarwal and Gautam Kitchlu got married on October 30, 2020, in an intimate ceremony after dating for several years. Kajal made her debut with the film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... in 2004. Her first Telugu film

was released in 2007 tilted Lakshmi Kalyanam. Kajal Aggarwal shared a mushy post on her Instagram. The pictures were from Kajal Aggarwal’s baby shower. In the pic, Kajal can be seen all smiles along with her husband Gautam Kitchlu as they pose for the camera.”Godh bharai” Kajal captioned the post. Kajal Aggarwal’s sister Nisha is having a baby. But wait. Before you wish her, check Nisha Aggarwal’s social media post first. Nisha shared a photo with Kajal from her baby shower and announced that she is having another baby, who is in the womb she is touching. In the photo, Nisha is embracing Kajal Aggarwal’s baby bump. Sharing the photo, Nisha wrote, “Yes! it’s officially official.. I’m having another baby, right here in this womb I’m touching.

are being worked on for a smooth shooting experience in Spain,” the source added.

‘Pathan’ that is slated to release in 2022, also features Salman Khan in an extended cameo.

LOCAL / NATIONAL Surge in housing prices helps BC economy bounce back through tail-end of pandemic From page 10

“We have been resilient. The main risk continues to be the uncertainty of the pandemic and the lasting impacts on B.C., across Canada and around the world.” The average home sale price in the province increased by 18.7 per cent in 2021 over 2020, following an increase of 11.6 per cent from 2019 to 2020. British Columbia’s economy grew by an estimated five per cent in 2021 and is expected to expand by four per cent in 2022. “Over time, as this elevated response is no longer required our government will return to more balanced practice, but our decisions will still need to take into account the health, economic, business, environmental and social indicators that have guided this budget,” Robinson said. The revenue boost is allowing the government to re-invest in key priorities outlined in the 2020 B.C. election campaign. Due to a federal commitment, the province is allocated $284 million for child care. This will

allow the province to reduce the average infant and toddler fees to approximately $20 per day — a reduction of about 50 per cent of current costs. Preschool and before and after-school care costs are also expected to drop to less than $20 a day for the 2023-24 school year. To support the rising demand for child care, the province has committed to fund 40,000 new spaces over the next seven years and to create 130 more early childhood educator training seats in post-secondary institutions per year. “This is going to make a real difference. As we know providing child care services is not just a pillar of building a stronger society it also helps build a stronger, more resilient economy,” the finance minister said. Child care advocate Sharon Gregson characterized Budget 2022 as a ‘good news budget’ for families with children. Gregson’s expectation is the province will reach the goal of $10-a-day child care by March 31, 2026.

From 911 calls to child care, here are things you need to know about BC’s budget From page 10

Water and Resource Stewardship to align resource development policy with the law. This will include Indigenous-led initiatives and consultation between industry and Indigenous communities. A better start for children with diverse needs Last year, the province revealed plans to phase out the current model of service support for families in need of inclusive services for children and youth. To begin that transition, the province is

investing $172 million over the next three years to help establish family connections centres across the province. Budget 2022 also invests $114 million to begin the switch to a ‘needs-based system’ in two regions. These first steps will help direct the full shift, which is expected to take place by 2025. Funding for children in government care will now last until they turn 27 — an attempt to support their transition away from government care, Robinson said Tuesday.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Sentencing postponed for arsonist who set Surrey church ablaze last year Sentencing has been postponed for a woman who set a church ablaze in Surrey, B.C. last year. Kathleen Panek, 35, appeared by video in B.C. Provincial Court on Thursday, where a judge a decided she needed more time to review the evidence before making a sentencing decision. Panek has pleaded guilty to two counts of arson in relation to the July 19, 2021 burning of the St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey’s Whalley neighbourhood. The Crown is seeking consecutive sentences of two years for each count — four years altogether — minus time already served behind bars.

Panek’s defence lawyers are asking for a sentence between 18 months and two years, arguing their client has admitted guilt, apologized in court and shown remorse. Panek has been in custody since her arrest on Aug. 26, 2021. The church’s congregation of about 300 families has been displaced since the fire, which destroyed much of the building’s structure. Security footage shows Panek lighting the church’s front door decorations on fire four days before the massive blaze, according to a statement of facts read in court by Crown prosecutor Mike Fortino.

Ukrainian-Canadians living in BC worry about family back home Father Mykhailo Ozozrovych, the pastor of the Holy Eucharist Cathedral in New Westminster, was not worried about his family in Ukraine a few weeks ago when Russia was building up its forces in the region, because they lived far from the conflict zone. Then, a bomb hit the Ivano-Frankivsk airport Thursday morning, less than five kilometres from where Ozozrovych’s parents live. “I thought my city is so far from where Russia is and from the border, and now just a couple of weeks later I was wrong. The invasion did happen,” Ozozrovych said in an interview with Stephen Quinn on CBC’s The Early Edition. Ozozrovych is one of a number of Ukrainian-Canadians living in B.C. who are worried about relatives living in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion. At 29, he is one of the youngest pastors of a Ukrainian church in Canada. His father, who

is retired and living in Ukraine, is offering his services as a soldier in defence of his homeland. “That’s courage, that’s calmness. There are hundreds of thousands of those across Ukraine now reporting to their local military units.” Explosions were reported in several cities in Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a series of unprovoked attacks by land, sea and air late Wednesday night. A senior U.S. defence official described it as the largest conventional military attack in Europe since the Second World War. Members of the Ukrainian community rallied at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Feb. 24, 2022 to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Tamara Krawchenko, who is an assistant professor in the school of public administration at the University of Victoria, is also worried about her family in Ukraine.

Saturday, February 26, 2022 Thousands of Ukrainian refugees start arriving in neighbouring European countries Thousands of Ukrainians fleeing war with Russia started arriving in neighbouring central European countries on Thursday, and the region braced for many more — setting up reception points and sending troops toward the borders to provide assistance. An estimated 100,000 people have fled their homes and are uprooted after Russia’s invasion, the United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday. Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the figures were compiled from reports from

national authorities and its staff and partner agencies. The countries on the European Union’s eastern flank were all once part of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact and are now members of NATO. Among them, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania all share land borders with Ukraine. Earlier on Thursday, Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since the Second World War. It confirmed the West’s worst fears and prompted concern of a massive flood of refugees fleeing Ukraine, a nation of 44 million people.

From energy to food prices and even inflation, here’s how war in Ukraine could impact Canada’s economy It may be a world away and pale in comparison to the human toll, Russia’s decision to invade Ukrainian territory this week will have many direct and indirect impacts on Canada’s economy. The most obvious one is on the price of oil. Russia is an energy superpower, and the prospect of Russian exports of energy products like crude oil and natural gas being limited is weighing heavily on markets. The European oil benchmark, Brent crude, topped $105 a barrel on Thursday, it’s highest level since 2014. The predominant North

American oil blend, West Texas Intermediate, wasn’t far behind, changing hands just shy of $98 a barrel at one point on Thursday. Short of military intervention, threatening to limit Russian energy exports would be the most powerful weapon that NATO has at its disposal to convince Putin to end his incursion into Ukraine, but because Europe is just as dependent on Russia for oil and gas as Russia is on the revenue from selling it, experts think there’s little chance of that happening.

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Prime Minister Trudeau ending the Emergencies Act Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is revoking the use of the Emergencies Act, the powerful legislative tool that was deployed in response to protests and blockades that erupted in Ottawa and at border crossings over recent weeks. “The situation is no longer an emergency,” Trudeau told a news conference. “We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe.” The Governor General signed off on the revocation on Wednesday afternoon, which formally ended the state of emergency. MPs in the House of Commons voted to affirm use of the act on Monday. The Senate was in the midst of debating the act on Wednesday but withdrew the motion shortly after Trudeau made his announcement. The government’s decision to invoke the act on Monday, Feb. 14 became a source of considerable controversy and criticism. The act had never been used since

it was passed by Parliament in 1988. The introduction of the act gave authorities sweeping temporary powers, including the ability to freeze the bank accounts and credit cards of protesters. Attending any event deemed an unlawful assembly, such as the Ottawa convoy protest, also became illegal. Trudeau has described his decision to use the act as a last resort. “As the weeks went by, it became obvious that provincial and local authorities needed more tools in order to enforce the law and protect Canadians. And that’s exactly what the Emergencies Act provided,” he said. “Itwastheresponsibleandnecessarythingtodo.” Ottawa police said the act helped them end the convoy protest. The act made it possible for officers from outside of Ontario to participate in the operation.

Canada announces new sanctions on Russia amid Ukraine tensions Canada has announced new sanctions on Russia in response to the Kremlin’s deployment of forces into eastern Ukraine and its recognition of two separatist regions. At a news conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said that Canada is sending up to 460 additional Canadian Armed Forces members to Latvia and the surrounding region to bolster NATO in the face of Russian aggression. Trudeau said the first round of economic sanctions will ban Canadians from all financial dealings with the breakaway Ukrainian regions Putin recognized, Donetsk and Luhansk. The sanctions will also target members of the

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Russian parliament who voted for the decision to recognize the separatist regions, as well as ban Canadians from engaging in purchases of Russian sovereign debt, Trudeau said. “These sanctions are a major step and target those responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” said Trudeau, adding that the measures will remain in place until territorial integrity is restored. “Russia’s brazen provocations are a threat to security and peace in the world,” said the prime minister. “It is not too late for Russia to seek a diplomatic resolution and re-establish the pathway to peace,” he added.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

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Saturday, February 26, 2022

Singapore to set up more Global Innovation Alliance nodes in India cities beyond Bengaluru Singapore will set up more Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) nodes in Indian cities just like the one it had set up in Bengaluru two years in the past. The Alliance will assist start-ups develop their companies to GIA cities throughout the globe by connecting to mentor networks and related ecosystem gamers by benefiting from

Singaporean tech corporations in addition to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Referring to the GIA node in Bengaluru, Singaporean minister for transport and ministerin-charge of commerce relations, S Iswaran, mentioned more GIA nodes will probably be established in Indian cities for SMEs and start-

ups to scale up through the use of Singapore as a springboard for operations in Asia and the world. He was addressing the twenty eighth version of DST-CII India-Singapore Technology Summit on Wednesday. Launched in 2017, the GIA is a tech startup community, connecting Singapore with the tech ecosystem throughout

many cities throughout the globe. It goals to strengthen Singapore’s connections to main innovation hubs around the globe by means of creating an alternate of concepts and information to promote innovation. Besides Bengaluru, the cities that are at present in the GIA community embrace Beijing,

‘We will take all possible steps to bring back Indians from Ukraine’ - Foreign Secretary India on Thursday assured its citizens stranded in Ukraine that it will take all possible steps to bring them back safe and sound. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said at a media briefing that the Indian embassy in Ukraine is extending all possible assistance to the Indians

notwithstanding the complicated situation. He said a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by PM Narendra Modi, was underway on the Ukraine crisis. Shringla said Modi conveyed at the CCS meeting that the topmost priority of the government is the safety and security of

Indians and their evacuation from Ukraine. The foreign secretary said around 4,000 Indian nationals out of 20,000 have already left Ukraine in the past few days. “The situation on the ground is difficult and rapidly evolving,” he said. “I want to assure all Indian citizens including

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India PM Modi calls meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security Amid the ongoing Russian military operations in Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in New Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India Hardeep Singh Puri among others were present in the meeting. Meanwhile, according to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to speak to

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night. The tensions between the two nations escalated after Putin on Monday recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities escalating the ongoing tensions between the two countries. Ukraine gained independence in 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Putin on Thursday morning said special military operations are being launched “to protect” the people in the Donbas region. He also warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences”.

Stranded Indian students turn up outside embassy in Kyiv A large number of Indian students turned up outside the Indian Embassy in Ukraine’s Kyiv today, hours after Russian Special Forces started hostilities against the nation that once a republic of the Soviet Union. Though all could not be accommodated inside the Embassy premises, the officials have organised safe lodgings for them nearby and the students were moved there, sources said. Currently, no Indian national is stranded outside the Embassy. As fresh students arrive, they are being moved to the safe premises, an official said, adding that the embassy is continuing to assist Indian nationals, including students. Around 18,000 Indians -- many of them students -- are still in Kyiv and the government is exploring all options to bring

them home. The task was made uphill today as Ukraine closed its airspace amid the Russian military operations. This morning, an Air India flight to Ukraine had to turn back after receiving a NOTAM, or notice to airmen, which was sent to all flights heading for Ukraine. Later, high-level meetings were held at the Ministry of External Affairs to work out contingency plans and find alternate evacuation routes, said sources. This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” after weeks of escalated tension between Russia and its neighbor over its proximity to NATO. Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed into several northern regions.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

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PM Modi to address post budget seminar on self-reliance in defence sector Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will address a post budget seminar on the topic ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence - Call to Action’, the defence ministry said on Thursday. “Union Budget 2022-23...has given further impetus to Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in Defence,” the ministry’s statement noted. In this regard, the Ministry of Defence has organised a post budget webinar titled ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence - Call to Action’ on the announcementsmadeinthebudget,itmentioned. The objective of the webinar is to involve all the stakeholders in taking

forward the various initiatives of the government in the defence sector, it noted. “The webinar will be held on February 25 from 1030 hrs to 1415 hrs. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address,” it mentioned. The webinar will have panel discussions with eminent speakers and experts from the Ministry of Defence, defence industry, industry fora, startups, academia, defence corridors etc, the statement noted. “The valedictory session will be chaired by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh,” it mentioned.

Dissatisfied with India’s position: Ukrainian envoy Ukraine is “deeply dissatisfied” with India’s position on the crisis arising out of Russian military offensive, Ambassador Igor Polikha said on Thursday and sought New Delhi’s support in defusing the situation. The Ukrainian ambassador said India has special relationship with Russia and it can play a more proactive role in de-escalation of the situation. Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin said India has been playing a vital

role as a responsible global power and it takes an “independent and balanced” approach to world affairs. At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday night, India had called for “restraint on all sides”. It stressed that the immediate priority is “deescalation of tensions”, taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long term peace and stability in the region and beyond.

PM Modi speaks to President Putin, appeals for immediate cessation of violence Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, forcing residents to flee for their lives and leaving at least 40 Ukrainian soldiers and 10 civilians dead. Russian airstrikes hit military facilities across the country and ground forces moved in from the north, south and east, triggering condemnation from Western leaders and warnings of massive sanctions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Russian president Vladimir Putin, appealing for an

immediate end to the violence in Ukraine. The conversation came hours after Ukraine’s urgent appeal to India for intervention. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said PM Modi called for “concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue”. He reiterated his “long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia and the NATO group can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue,” the statement read.

BharatPe fires Ashneer Grover’s wife Madhuri Jain over ‘misappropriation of funds’ BharatPe has fired cofounder Madhuri Jain on charges of ‘misappropriation of funds’, two people aware of the matter told ET. Jain’s stock options have also been cancelled, the people said. Jain, wife of BharatPe cofounder Ashneer Grover, had overseen finances at the $2.8 billion company since October 2018. “It seems that the company has found certain financial irregularities in its books and has strong proof on funds being ‘used’ for personal purchases…This is also linked to the

ongoing audit and the final copy has not yet been tabled in front of the board,” said one of the people. BharatPe also confirmed that Jain’s employment had been terminated. “As per your query, we can confirm that the services of Madhuri Jain Grover have been terminated in accordance with the terms of her employment agreement,” a spokesperson for the fintech firm said. Jain was put on ‘mandatory leave’ on January 20.

‘Dollar exchange stopped; no way to return’ Indian students in Ukraine narrate their ordeal ndian students woke up to air raid sirens and a suddenly well-lit sky and soon all hell broke loose on the streets of Kyiv, the capital of war-hit Ukraine, as some of them narrated their ordeal on Thursday with frantic people rushing to petrol stations, banks and departmental stores in chock-a-block traffic. “Tough times don’t last but tough people do,” Ashna Pandita, a thirdyear medical student, told PTI from her hostel in Kyiv over phone. Tweeting a video of a student stranded in Ukraine, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “The safety of 20,000

Indians stranded in Ukraine is paramount.” Government must expedite their evacuation, he added. Students are not able to exchange their currency as Ukrainian stores have stopped trading dollars. The Indian mission in Kyiv was planning to relocate Indian nationals to the western border and has advised them to keep their passport and necessary documents with them all the time. “We woke up at 4 AM with a bang as we saw skies lit up followed by air sirens,” said Pandita who studies at Taras Shevchenko National Medical University along with her twin brother Ansh.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Punjab Former Chife Minister Parkash Singh Badal gets bail in dual constitution case against his party A court here on Thursday granted bail to former Punjab chief minister and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal in a dual constitution case that was filed against his party in 2009. The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Rupinder Singh granted bail to Badal (94) in the case wherein the complainant had accused

the SAD of submitting two different constitutions -- one with the Gurdwara Election Commission and the second with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to seek recognition as a political party. Hitesh Puri, lawyer for social activist and complainant Balwant Singh Khera, said that Badal had furnished his surety bonds/bail bonds in the local trial court of

Bikram Majithia sent to judicial custody in drugs case SAD leader Bikram Majithia was on Thursdaysentinjudicialcustodyinadrugscase. His bail application will come up for hearing on Friday. Earlier, Majithia appeared before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Sandeep Kumar Singla. He was accompanied by senior lawyers, advocate Cheema and HS Dhanoa. Majithia arrived at the court complex at 10.30 am.

He told the media he had come to the court to comply with the directions of the Supreme Court. A bench comprising Chief Justices NV Ramana and Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli had directed Majithia to surrender before the trial court after the Punjab Assembly polls on February 20. His interim bail had ended on Wednesday night. The court allowed the Special investigation Team to interrogate Majithia

Crop loss relief ‘deliberately’ delayed Farmers under the banner of BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) staged a protest and blocked MansaSirsa road at Jhunir village in Mansa district and sought compensation for cotton crop damaged due to pink bollworm attack last year. The protesting farmers raised slogans against the district administration alleging that the latter has “deliberately” stalled the compensation process. Ram Singh Bhaini Bagha, chief, BKU (Ekta

Ugrahan), said, “We protested on different occasions in the past, but the compensation has not been released by the administration so far. The administration is claiming to have completed all modalities to release the compensation, however, farmers who suffered substantial damage to their crop have not received even a single penny to date. The administration is deliberately stalling the process.”

Pakistan PM Imran Khan asks tv debate with PM Modi to resolve differences Prime Minister Imran Khan proposed a televised debate with India’s Prime Minister Modi to resolve differences between two countries. Pakistani Prime Minister on Tuesday proposed a televised debate with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve differences between the neighbours.

“I would love to debate with Narendra Modi on TV,” Prime Minister Imran Khan told Russian media. “India became a hostile country so trade with them became minimal,” Prime Minister Khan said, adding that his government’s policy was to have trade relations with all countries.

Pakistan allows first shipment of Indian wheat to Afghanistan Pakistan agreed on exceptional basis to allow overland transportation of humanitarian assistance of 50,000 metric tons of wheat and lifesaving medicines from India for Afghanistan via Attari-Wagah border. A statement issued by MOFA said that

the aid was supplied through the first batch of 41 Afghan trucks that entered into Pakistan via Torkham, as Pakistani authorities had refused to accept the Indian condition of using Indian trucks for transportation.

Former interior minister Rehman Malik dies after Covid-19 complications Former interior minister Rehman Malik dies at 70. He had been hospitalised after lungs complicatons. Minister Malik passed away in hospital after suffering from Covid-19 and lungs related complications. He was at 70. He is survived by his widow and two sons. According to his spokesperson Riaz Turi,

Rehman Malik’s lungs had been severely affected. Earlier this month, former PPP Senator Malik was put on ventilator after his health deteriorated because of Covid-19 related complications. Malik had tested positive for Coronavirus in January. Reacting to the incident, politicians and ministers expressed their sorrow and offered condolences to the bereaved family.

Australian bowlewr leaves PSL T-20 over payment row Australian bowler James Faulkner allegedly damaged a hotel chandelier before quitting Pakistan’s Twenty20 league at the weekend claiming he hadn’t been paid, claims that were refuted as “baseless” by the country’s cricket board. Faulkner, a member of Australia’s 2015 World Cup-winning team, had been playing for Quetta

Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Faulkner abruptly left the league and took to social media to claim that he’d been lied to by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and that his treatment had been a “disgrace”. “I apologise to Pakistan cricket fans. But unfortunately I’ve had to withdraw from the last 2 matches and leave.

FIJI Fijian goalkeeper heads to Australian A-League There is some hope for the future for the Fijian football fans, especially when it comes to the goalkeeping position: recently it was announced by Football Queensland that the Fijian goalkeeper Ryan Mudaliar moved from NPL’s side Brisbane Striker to the A-League club Western United. The young goalkeeper caught interest from a club

of the top-tier league in Australia and has now a big chance in rising career. Oceania Football Center already featured Ryan Mudaliar, presenting the young goalkeeper to the Fijian football fans. Despite his quality, the player is still to be contacted by the Fijian FA in order to represent the country internationally. Ryan Mudaliar – Brisbane Strikers Media

COVID sub-variant a threat to Fiji: Dr Fong A new sub-variant of COVID-19 has been identified as a threat to Fiji. BA.2 – a sub-variant of the Omicron strain has been found in five African countries, however, New Zealand has also recorded cases. Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong confirms their team detected one case in border quarantine

where it was managed and contained. “But with a specimen that we’ve sent across. Yes, the B2 variant we’ve actually detected in one of our cases that came positive at the border. And it to us it validates the current criteria that we have for deciding which countries are red-listed and which ones are a part of the TPC program, and which are non TPC.

Fiji gets to tell its own climate story in new books for children A disposable mask flies out of an overflowing bin that hasn’t been shut properly; in the course of one night it encounters a seagull, a whale and a school of sleeping fish who fervently attempt to chase it out of their homes – afraid it might kill them, just like so many other scary

things that humans carelessly throw away. Masky’s Night of Adventure is part of a new ten-book adventure series created by a group of Fiji-based authors covering critical ocean themes spanning sea-level rises and pollution to ocean acidification and deforestation.

Fiji reports 5 more leptospirosis deaths Health Secretary Dr James Fong said close to 200 cases of leptospirosis were admitted in hospitals in the western, central and northern parts of Fiji. “All these are related to outreach capabilities that we are trying not only to deploy resources but also to find out a lot more. We also watch all the outpatient activities. So now we noting an increase in the outpatient activity in the Ra subdivision.”

Fong said there’s an increasing trend of leptospirosis in the northern division with over 300 cases recorded around Fiji. Fijians are also being urged to get the Covid-19 booster shot. The call comes as the Government confirms its first case of the new sub-variant of the coronavirus - the BA.2 - at the border.

22 Press release

Saturday, February 26, 2022 BC Liberal statement on Pink Shirt Day

Kevin Falcon released the following statement for Pink Shirt Day: “Fifteen years ago, a single act of kindness created a global movement against bullying. Today, our BC Liberal team is proud to continue the tradition of wearing pink shirts and standing with British Columbians to bring awareness to inclusive anti-bullying efforts. “One in five children experience bullying. Whether it occurs in schools, workplaces, homes, or online, many people face the physical, emotional, and mental impacts of bullying, harassment, and intolerance. “We all have a role to play in ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for British Columbians. The past two years during the pandemic have come with additional challenges for us all, but especially for children and youth. “It is now more important than ever to provide students with the supports and resources they need to feel safe and

thrive. Through education and practicing kindness in our daily lives, we can strive for a world without bullying. “This year’s theme is ‘Lift Each Other Up’ and as we consider the mental and emotional recovery that will be required for so many in a post-pandemic world, it is going to take a collective effort to support our friends, neighbours, and loved ones. “With our province’s diversity, we support all British Columbians in embracing their cultures, identities, and true selves. Together, we can continue to teach, share, and celebrate our collective diversity for the betterment of all communities. “On Pink Shirt Day, and every day, our BC Liberal team remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that everyone who calls this province home can live, work, learn, and play without fear of bullying and intimidation.”

Press release

Budget 2022 nothing but recycled slogans and broken promises

In Budget 2022, the NDP has failed British Columbians and made no progress on key promises like affordability, proving once again that this government is incapable of turning its words into concrete actions. “Budget 2022 fails to properly address the issues British Columbians really care about — the ones that are on their minds every single day,” said Peter Milobar, BC Liberal Critic for Finance. “From the absence of measures to meaningfully address the rising cost of housing, gas and groceries, to the lack of progress on affordable childcare, and the continued underfunding of needed mental health and addictions supports, Budget 2022 completely misses the mark.

People are looking to the NDP government to solve these problems because they repeatedly promised they would. However, after five years in power and so little tangible progress towards their goals, it’s no wonder people are starting to see that the NDP can’t get anything done.” In the NDP’s sixth budget, they have failed to deliver on their promises to British Columbia: · Parents expecting $10-a-day child care will be disappointed by the lack of progress. ·The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions is getting an $8 million increase for public communications and engagement funding, not for new treatment beds or other measures to save lives.

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