The Asian Star February 5 2022 by The Asian Star Newspaper

Celebrating 20 Years of Community Service

www.theasianstar.com Vol 21 - Issue 1

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Freedom Convoy shunned by South Asian truck drivers The conspicuous absence of South Asian truck drivers in the so-called Freedom Convoy that is protesting border vaccine mandates in Ottawa, is reflective of the

truck drivers hail from, after Bollywood diva Kangana Ranaut derided Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for “hiding at a secret location” as the protesters choked the nation’s capital.

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Conservative MPs oust their leader Erin O’Toole A majority of Conservative MPs today voted to remove Erin O’Toole as party leader, paving the way for another leadership race only 18 months after the party finished the last one. The result wasn’t particularly close: 73 of the 118 MPs on hand — the party’s caucus chair, Scott Reid, did not cast a ballot —

voted to replace O’Toole with someone else. O’Toole, a four-term Ontario MP who has fought only one federal election campaign as the party’s leader, will be replaced by an interim leader later today after another caucus vote. New Brunswick MP John Williamson, who was a senior staffer in former prime minister Stephen Harper’s office, immediately put his Continued on page 7

Gujaratis in USA live the American dream that family found frozen to death wanted for themselves

community’s willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19, say industry experts. The protest has also hit the headlines in India, where almost a quarter of Canada’s 300,000

Trudeau, who has denounced the protests, has been in quarantine since last week after testing positive for COVID-19 alongside two Continued on page 7

Canadian soccer coach Herdman highlights role of immigrants in National team growth Canadian men’s national soccer coach John Herdman has earned plenty of praise for his growth of the program. In the four years since being named head coach, Canada has gone from an afterthought on the world stage to be on the verge of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In his post-match press conference following Canada’s 2-0 victory over the

United States on Sunday, Herdman touched on plenty of reasons behind Canada’s win: tactical changes, big saves, and the grit and intensity that his players played with. But with his final answer, Herdman reminded reporters of a lesser-discussed reason behind the team’s success on their path to the World Cup: immigration.

As a young man, Julio Punjani hitched his ambitions to a faraway country he knew little about. Like other Gujarati-speaking Indians, the most important thing he knew about the United States was the opportunities it held. Forty years later, he’s standing in a crisp black sweater in a gas station he runs just outside Minneapolis. His friend brags that Punjani doesn’t let the frigid cold prevent him from hauling and filling propane tanks himself. He’s made it in America. “[My] dream is that in life, you live healthy and happy,” Punjani said, from his gas station in Ham Lake, Minn. “I’m happy health-wise and happy with my life.” The allure of living in the U.S. still drives Gujarati people, originally from the westernmost state in India. It’s the motivation that tragically

led to the loss of the lives of an entire family on Manitoba’s southern border, more than 500 kilometres northwest of Minneapolis. There were 11 undocumented Indian migrants, fluent in Gujarati, who tried to sneak into Minnesota in bitter conditions last month; four of them — a family, with the youngest only three years old — died trying. Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, 37, and their children, Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, 11, and Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, 3, died of exposure to extreme weather conditions while trying to walk across the CanadaU.S. border near Emerson, Man., on Jan. 19. The court case against Steve Shand, who was charged with human smuggling in connection with the treacherous trek, will unfold in Minnesota.

Saturday, February 5, 2022 Surrey resident shocked after home & vehicles damaged in shooting

No one was harmed in an early morning shooting in Surrey, B.C. on Tuesday, but a home and several vehicles parked in the driveway were damaged. Surrey RCMP responded to multiple reports of shots fired in the 8600-block of Tulsy Crescent East just before 3 a.m., and found bullet holes in the windows. Homeowner Sukhi Garcha said he was “shocked” when the shots were fired, and if the shooter or shooters had taken aim from a different angle, one of them might have struck his grandmother. “The guys were in the driveway shooting the other cars. If he hit this window, she would have been dead,” Garcha described, motioning

to a window in the living room. “Very close. I’m glad he hit another window. It’s really hard. Shocked. I’m glad she’s okay.” Investigators believe Garcha and his family were not the intended target of the shooting, but one person or several people associated with its previous owners may have been. “We are thankful that no one was injured, however this is undoubtedly a very traumatic experience for the family whose residence was shot,” said Const. Sarbjit K. Sangha in a news release.

Five people facing charges after $1.6M drug bust with ties to Alberta and British Columbia Five people are facing charges in an investigation police say helped dismantle a western Canadian drug line. The 18-month investigation by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams and the RCMP started in Medicine Hat, Alta., and resulted in police seizing more than $1.6 million in fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. ALERT said the investigation, dubbed “Project Motor,” began after a series of large drug busts in southeast Alberta in early 2020. Officers were able to trace the drug supply and identify the criminal organization believed to be responsible. ALERT alleges the drug-trafficking network originated in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and fanned out across Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Saskatoon and

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Winnipeg. ALERT said the fentanyl alone translates to about 50,000 doses that would be sold on the street. Four people have been charged and a warrant has been issued for a fifth suspect. ALERT said the charges range from drug trafficking to conspiracy to traffic drugs to participating in a criminal organization. Matthew Edwards, 42, from Calgary, Kevin Hind, 27, from Calgary, Karnvir Sandhu, 25, from Calgary, and Atta Ul Waheed Sheikh, 34, from Fort St. John have been charged. ALERT said a warrant has been issued for 40-year-old Dillon Burgie, of Calgary. Police believe he may be somewhere in B.C. An 18-month investigation by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams and the RCMP that started in Medicine Hat, Alta., resulted in police seizing more than $1.6 million in fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. An 18-month investigation by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams and the RCMP that started in Medicine Hat, Alta., resulted in police seizing more than $1.6 million in fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.

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Trucker convoy GoFundMe suspended, ‘under review’ after raising over $10M GoFundMe said Wednesday it has paused and is reviewing the fundraiser for Canada’s trucker convoy that has raised over $10 million to date. A warning that the fundraiser is “under review” has been posted to its page and donation buttons and a list of previous donors have been removed. “This fundraiser is currently paused and under review to ensure it complies with our terms of service and applicable laws and regulations,” GoFundMe’s warning reads. “Our team is working 24/7 and doing all we can to protect both organizers and donors. Thank you for your patience.” The fundraiser, which lists Tamara Lich as an organizer and B.J. Dichter as a “team member,” has been stopped after raising $10,125,100. It was created to support the truckers that have travelled across Canada to Ottawa to participate in a protest against COVID-19 restrictions. That protest began Saturday Jan. 29 and remains ongoing in the nation’s capital, while other protests have sparked up in other cities across the country. In a Medium post, GoFundMe said that it requested more information from the fundraiser’s organizer regarding the use of the funds to “ensure the fundraiser is still compliant with our Terms of Service.” “When we do not receive required information, we may put a pause on donations as we did in this case,” the company said. Distribution of the money raised was previously suspended by GoFundMe as the website said it had to review the organizers’ plans for the funds. However, $1 million was released as the protest began in Ottawa after plans were shown the money would be used to cover the cost of fuel for participants peacefully protesting.GoFundMe’s terms of service say that funds cannot be used or raised with the implicit or explicit purpose of violating any law or if there is involvement of “User Content” that is in support of hate, violence, harassment, bullying or “intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin.” Funds also cannot be used for the legal defence of any of those infringements. As the trucker protests extend beyond the first weekend with no end in sight, allegations of unlawful behaviour have cropped up, including harassment of media, Ottawa businesses, as well as displays of hateful signs such as the Nazi and U.S. Confederate flags. Truckers have also blocked a key border crossing to the US at Coutts, Alta.

Saturday, February 5, 2022 Off-duty South Asian police officer killed at his Washington state home by another officer A deputy with the Clark County Sheriff ’s Office shot and killed an off-duty officer during a pursuit of a suspected armed robber. Law enforcement officials confirmed that a deputy shot and killed Vancouver police officer Donald Sahota, 52, late Saturday night. Vancouver police officer Donald Sahota. A local government official confirmed Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, that a Clark County Sheriff ’s Office deputy shot and killed the off duty Sahota, 52, late Saturday night during pursuit of a robbery suspect. Deputies were pursuing someone suspected of robbing a convenience store at gunpoint near Orchards, Washington, according to a press release from the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team. The suspect allegedly fled the scene in a stolen vehicle and headed toward Battle Ground, where police used spike strips to disable the vehicle. The suspect left the vehicle and continued fleeing on foot, the release said, until he arrived at Sahota’s home. Police say Sahota armed himself with a gun and went outside to detain the suspect, but the suspect stabbed him and got away. Responding officers arrived on the scene and, within seconds, the deputy fired his gun, hitting Sahota. Sahota received medical aid at the scene, but died, according to officials. The armed robbery suspect was taken into custody. Police did not immediately release the suspect’s name. Ed Baxter, who lives near the shooting’s location a few miles west of Battle Ground, said he was watching TV Saturday evening when he heard cop cars “flying down” the road. “I said, ‘What’s going on?’ [because] there’s nothing down there,” Baxter said. “It’s a dead end.”

Human remains found in Fraser Valley park investigated as ‘suspicious death’ Mounties in British Columbia are investigating a “suspicious death” after finding human remains in Cascade Falls Regional Park in the Fraser Valley. Mission RCMP discovered the remains around 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, and called in the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. The victim’s identity was not released. “It is very early in the investigation and we want to assure the community that there is no ongoing risk to the public,” said IHIT Detective Cpl. Sukhi Dhesi in a Wednesday news release. “We are still gathering information and are asking for any potential witnesses in the park to contact IHIT.” Cascade Falls Regional Park is near northeast of Mission. Anyone with information is asked to contact IHIT at 10877-551-4448 or email the team at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

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Baxter and another neighbor said they saw at least a dozen cop cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. Baxter said he knew Sahota, the off-duty officer who died, as a neighbor. Baxter said he helped him with yard work in the past. “I’m feeling a little emotional,” Baxter said. “I didn’t know him a lot, but every Christmas, we exchanged gifts.” Sahota had worked with the Vancouver Police Department since 2014 and had been a police officer with the Gresham and Port of Portland departments before that. According to VPD, Sahota had worked with the agency in the patrol and training units. He leaves behind a wife and two children. “I hope the community will join me as we hold Officer Sahota’s family and our law enforcement community in our thoughts and

Surrey council endorses plan to raise city’s child care spaces to national average Surrey city staff endorsed a Surrey Community Child Care Action Plan that aims over the next 10 years to bridge the gap between the number of childcare spaces in this city with the national average. Surrey currently has 11,301 child care spaces, making for 14.9 spaces per 100 children whereas the national average is 27.2 spaces per 100 children “It looks like we’re not doing as well as we’d like to be doing around child care spaces in Surrey,” Coun. Linda Annis said. “We’ve got a long ways to fill the gap. I think some 20,000 spaces are needed to bring us up to the national average.” Annis asked if the city could work with the school board toward using some schools for after preschool and after school care

and “have daycares there.” She was told at Monday night’s council meeting city staff will “engage in dialogue” with the school board “to look for opportunities to share both ways, whether that’s recreation centres or school systems.” According to a corporate report before council since July 2018 the provincial government has funded 1,941 new licensed spaces in Surrey and to date the City of Surrey has received $1,425,172 to develop 56 new licensed childcare spaces. The report states that Parks, Recreation & Culture staff are working to create 228 new spaces over the next two years, in partnership with Surrey’s non-profit organizations, contingent on securing funds from the provincial government.

OPINION

In a scene at odds with Canadians’ reputation for niceness and rule-following, thousands of protesters railing against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital over the weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill. Some urinated and parked on the National War Memorial. One danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A number carried signs and flags with swastikas.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Anti-vaccine protest in Canada spurs outrage

In the aftermath of Canada’s biggest pandemic protest to date, the demonstrators have found little sympathy in a country where more than 80% are vaccinated. Many people were outraged by some of the crude behavior. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Ottawa protesters a “fringe minority” and said they reflected the proliferation of “disinformation and misinformation online,

conspiracy theorists, about microchips, about God knows what else that go with the tinfoil hats.” Organizers, including one who has espoused white supremacist views, had raised millions for the cross-country “freedom truck convoy” against vaccine mandates. It attracted support from former U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk. Trudeau and his family were moved to an undisclosed location during the protest. (Two of his children tested positive for COVID-19, and a test Monday revealed he, too, was infected. He said he is fine and working remotely. ) A smaller but still significant number of protesters remained on the streets on Tuesday, saying they won’t leave until all vaccine mandates and other restrictions are gone. They are also calling for the removal of Trudeau’s government, though it is responsible for few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments. “It’s time for Canada and the rest of the world to find other ways to deal with this virus,” said protester Michelle Kloet, 47, of Canmore, Alberta. During the demonstration, the statue of Terry Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster and set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, was draped with an upside-down Canadian flag and a sign that read “Mandate freedom.” “My kids were shocked. Like all Canadian young people, they have grown up with Terry Fox as a hero,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. “This is not the Canada who we want to be. And I really proudly believe, and I know, this is not what Canada is.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was “extremely disturbed” to see people “desecrate our most sacred monuments and wave swastikas and other symbols of hate and intolerance.” The outburst was seen as so out of character for Canada that one U.S. scientist felt compelled to apologize for what he portrayed as America’s influence. “Canada gave us kindness, tolerance, poutine and hockey, and in turn we exported this awful fake health freedom movement linked to far right extremism that caused so much senseless loss of life in America and now might do the same there,” tweeted Dr. Peter Hotez. Courtesy, ROB GILLIES

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Premier Horgan says his focus is on majority of truckers who got vaccinated, not ongoing ‘Freedom Convoy’ As protests first prompted by a convoy of truckers enter their fourth day in parts of the country, B.C.’s premier says he’s focusing his attention on those following public health guidance, rather than those seeking an immediate end to vaccine mandates. Over the weekend, rallies in solidarity with those opposed to vaccine mandates were held in B.C., impacting some local businesses. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strongly condemned events in Ottawa, saying “Canadians were shocked and frankly, disgusted by the behavior displayed by some people protesting in our nation’s capital,” B.C.’s premier said he’s focusing his attention on health-care workers and those following pandemic guidance. “My focus is on the 90 per cent of truckers who got vaccinated and continue to go to work and help transport essential goods from coastto-coast-to-coast,” Premier John Horgan said in a statement. “My focus is on health-care workers and all essential workers who are tireless in their efforts on the front lines of this pandemic. We all want to be able to put COVID-19 behind us and I just want to thank everyone who has done their part to get us through these last two years.”

Shirley Bond, B.C.’s interim Opposition leader, said she believes “in the right to peaceful protest,” but said the BC Liberals “are consistent in (their) condemnation of any protest that engages in unlawful or violent behaviour.” Sonia Furstenau, the leader of the BC Green Party, spoke more strongly against the protests. “It has been a difficult weekend for people across the country,” she said in a statement. “Explicitly racist imagery has been paraded through our cities and white supremacy has been allowed to find a home within this movement. Like many Canadians, I am frightened by these events.” Just over a week ago, a convoy of truckers and their supporters began a cross-country trip in Metro Vancouver to protest vaccine mandates for workers crossing the border between Canada and the United States. The new rules came into effect on Jan. 15, requiring Canadian truckers to be fully vaccinated if they want to avoid a 14-day quarantine when they cross the border from the United States. A similar policy, which came into effect on Jan. 22, requires Canadians entering the United States to be fully vaccinated as well.

BC Liberal member asks court to delay leadership result over membership concern A member of the BC Liberal Party has filed a petition asking a judge to delay the results of Saturday’s leadership vote for 15 days. The petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court by Vikram Bajwa outlines concerns about the completeness of the party’s recent audit of new members who were signed up during the leadership contest. BC Liberal leadership race nears the finish line, but is the public watching? Bajwa’s petition asks the court to delay announcing the winner of the leadership vote for 15 days in order for the party to provide more details about the audit results and process. Seven candidates are vying to replace former Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson, who resigned shortly after the October 2020 election when the New Democrats won a majority government. The candidates are legislature members Michael Lee, Ellis Ross and Renee Merrifield; business leaders Gavin Dew, Val Litwin and Stan Sipos; and Kevin Falcon, a former cabinet minister. Bajwa’s petition seeks several orders by the court on top of the delay, including a declaration that the party’s membership audit is incomplete and to order the party to reveal its conclusions on whether any co-ordinated voter fraud took place in the leadership race. Liberal spokesman David Wasyluk said the

party will be in court Friday to respond to the petition. “The party believes that the Leadership Election Organizing Committee, the party, and the chief returning officer have taken reasonable steps to determine voter eligibility by reviewing and auditing party memberships,” he said in a statement. He said last week the process of confirming the membership information of 1,423 members was still underway, while 1,140 membership applications were found not to be in compliance with party membership rules and procedures. Colin Hansen, co-chairman of the leadership election committee, said last month the party gained more than 20,000 new members during the leadership campaign, increasing its membership total to about 43,000 members. Candidate Val Litwin said he sent a letter to the party last December outlining concerns after his campaign reviewed data that included people giving an address on their membership applications in areas where there are no homes. Representatives of the leadership campaigns for candidates Lee and Dew confirmed they sent a joint letter about membership concerns to the party last month. The letter said a preliminary analysis “suggests a significant portion of the membership should be flagged for audit in the range of 33 per cent to 50 per cent.”

Majority of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in BC among people admitted for other reasons Around 60 per cent of all COVID-19 hospital cases in B.C. are among people who entered hospital for other reasons, like surgery or to deliver a baby, the provincial health officer said Tuesday. For the first time, Dr. Bonnie Henry gave a breakdown on percentages of people being admitted to hospital “because” of COVID-19 compared to those admitted “with” COVID-19. “That’s important for us to know,” she said. “This issue of people who are admitted to hospital with other diagnoses and test positive really is related to what we are seeing in the last few weeks as Omicron has spread so much in the community. “We can see that about 60 per cent of admissions that were related to Omicron

were not because of the infection, but people who were admitted and tested and found to have a positive test.” Almost all people being admitted to hospital now are infected with the Omicron variant, which has displaced the harsher Delta variant over the past six weeks. “What we are seeing is people are being admitted to hospital for surgery, people being screened at labour and delivery, people being screened for mental health and substance use admissions, and some of them are testing positive, they are asymptomatic, and precautions are put in place to make sure that the period of time that they have a positive test that they aren’t able to transmit it to others,” Henry said. “We’re at the highest levels of people that we’ve had in hospital in this whole pandemic,” Henry said.

Saturday, February 5, 2022 BC to offer COVID-19 boosters for kids ages 12 to 17 Teens and pre-teens who have waited more than six months after their second COVID-19 vaccine are now eligible for a booster shot in British Columbia. Following guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), B.C. has updated it’s own guidance to expand the eligibility. Invites will start going out this week to anyone between 12 and 17 years old who received a second dose at least six months ago, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed Tuesday. “We do, of course, continue to strongly recommend that anybody who has an underlying condition that puts them at risk does get their booster dose,” the provincial

health officer said in a pandemic briefing. “We see it in the hospitalization data that it’s important for protection not only against infection, even from overcrowding, but also really important for longer term protection against severe illness.” Starting later this week, people ages 12 to 17 who are clinically extremely vulnerable and have immunocompromising conditions will be offered a third dose as part of their primary series, and a fourth booster dose six months after that. For other people in that age group, NACI has recommended that a booster dose be provided to those at high risk for a number of severe illness, including people with diabetes or a number of other conditions that elevate risk.

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Saturday, February 5, 2022 From page 1

Conservative MPs oust their leader Erin O’Toole

for that interim role, promising to ensure the party elects a permanent leader in a “fair and efficient contest.” O’Toole, who represents the riding of Durham in suburban Toronto, faced a barrage of criticism from his colleagues for shifting the party’s positions on carbon taxation, balanced budgets and “assaultstyle” firearms during the election campaign. Anti-O’Toole MPs were also frustrated that the Ontario Tory ran as a “true blue” Conservative in the party’s leadership race only to shift the party to the centre when in the top job. In the end, enough MPs decided it was grounds for his dismissal. O’Toole’s warning — that a vote against him and his more moderate vision of Canadian conservatism would put the party on the wrong path — failed to rally enough MPs to his side. In a statement after the vote, Matt Jeneroux, an Edmonton-area MP who backed the movement to fire O’Toole, said the party needs a leader who “clearly reflects our values.”

“We must rebuild trust amongst Canadians and show them that we are strong and stable leaders who are rooted in our values while also understanding that we can evolve, learn and modernize our party to reflect all,” he said. “This is an opportunity for the party.” Social conservative and anti-abortion activists celebrated O’Toole’s decisive defeat. O’Toole’s efforts to drag the party to the centre on social issues — the party suppressed debate on abortion during the last Conservative policy convention, for example — alienated some Conservative ground troops. “O’Toole has time and again betrayed the party’s socially conservative base with his support for abortion, LGBT ideology, oppressive lockdowns, and liberty-destroying passports for abortiontainted vaccines,” said Jeff Gunnarson, the president of the Campaign Life Coalition. “It’s about time this fake conservative was given the boot.”

Freedom Convoy shunned by South Asian truck drivers From page 1 of his three children. He has refused to meet with the protesters, calling the Freedom Convoy an “insult to truth” about COVID vaccines. “You hardly see any South Asian truckers in this Freedom Convoy protest because the community at large is very pro-vaccine… This is reflective of the high vaccination rates in the South Asian community,” Manan Gupta, the editor of Road Today, a magazine that focuses on issues facing South Asian truckers, told New Canadian Media. “The Freedom Convoy has also been hijacked by some right wing interests and really doesn’t reflect the key issues the trucking industry faces… The organizers and most of the people protesting have no direct links to trucking.” In the Peel Region of Ontario, where there is a large South Asian immigrant population and which is home to about 2,000 trucking companies, almost 90 per cent of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated, Gupta noted. “The vaccination rates in Surrey, which has a big South Asian population, is also very high,” said Gupta, adding that most long-haul truck drivers in Canada have been vaccinated. “I don’t know of any South Asian truckers who are interested in being part of this protest movement,” said Gupta, whose magazine has about 25,000 readers monthly. Statistics Canada has said that a higher proportion of the South Asian population (82.5 per cent) has “reported a willingness to receive the vaccine.” Similar high rates were reported for other visible minority communities.

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Saturday, February 5, 2022

‘I’m feeling pretty good’ says Premier Horgan at his first public appearance since medical treatment Premier Horgan has made his first public appearance since undergoing radiation treatment for throat cancer. John Horgan underwent 35 sessions of radiation after being diagnosed in November. “I’m feeling pretty good,” Horgan said, standing outside the B.C. legislature Tuesday. He was noticeably thinner, saying he had lost about 25 pounds. He also no longer has a beard. The 62-year-old premier thanked the people working at the cancer clinic and joked that the jacket he was wearing was snug on him this time last year. “I had a couple of jackets taken in, so I’m ready to go. My favourite jeans fit me

again, too.” “I want to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Tiger, hoping for strength and prosperity for not just British Columbians, but for all Canadians. We’ve been through a hell of a time over the past two years. I know everyone wants to put that behind us.” In October, Horgan announced the discovery of a lump on his neck. Following a biopsy, it revealed the growth in his throat was cancer. His cancer treatments are now over and he is expected to be in the legislature next week for the throne speech. The premier was also treated for bladder cancer in 2008 and lost his brother to cancer in 2018.

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BC Liberals begin voting for new leader Online and telephone voting is scheduled to start today for the next leader of the B.C. Liberal party. There are seven candidates running for the leadership, including legislature members Michael Lee, Ellis Ross and Renee Merrifield; business leaders Gavin Dew, Val Litwin and Stan Sipos; and Kevin Falcon, a former B.C. cabinet minister. Meanwhile, party member Vikram Bajwa has asked the B.C. Supreme Court in a petition to delay the scheduled release of the leadership results on Saturday for 15 days while the party provides details of a membership audit it conducted.

Party spokesman David Wasyluk says the party will be in court on Friday to respond to the petition, but it believes it has taken reasonable steps to determine that new members are eligible to vote. The party gained more than 20,000 members during the leadership process. Wasyluk says 1,140 of those were found not to be in compliance, while another 1,423 memberships were still being confirmed. The party is voting to replace Andrew Wilkinson, who resigned as leader following the party’s defeat in the 2020 provincial election. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2022.

BC can ‘very soon’ look at easing COVID-19 restrictions, Dr Henry says As B.C. announces a change in the number of visitors people in long-term care can have at this point in the pandemic, the province’s top doctor says she may soon announce a plan to begin easing COVID restrictions. “We can look very soon at starting to gradually ease restrictions in the weeks ahead,” Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday, adding it will not be a “flick of the switch.” “As we’ve done previously … it will be increasing the dimmer switch, gradually turning up the dial so that we can do this cautiously and not put people at risk as we’re getting close and closer to the end of this wave.” Meanwhile, all seniors and other people who are in long-term care facilities in B.C. can now have two visitors, regardless of whether there’s an outbreak or if there’s some COVID in that facility or the transmission rates in the community. Henry explains one person would have to be named as an “essential visitor” while

the other would be a “designated visitor.” “If you have two children, one of them can be your essential visitor — if they’re already designated — and you could have another person come in to be your visitor.” About a third of British Columbians in longterm care already have an essential visitor. This change means it’s the same rules for all residents. “Every single resident, at their choice, can designate somebody to be their visitor — and you can have a backup in case somebody is ill or can’t come in,” Henry explained. Residents can also have a back up, in case someone is ill or otherwise cannot visit. Other rules around visitation remain the same, including that visitors are vaccinated against COVID-19. B.C. hit a record 1,048 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, which was the first time in the pandemic that figure surpassed 1,000.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

US signals cut to softwood lumber tariffs for most Canadian producers In a preliminary determination released late on Monday, the agency said Canadian lumber shipments to the U.S. will continue to be subject to the 17.91 per cent, or company specific, duties until it releases its final determination expected in late November. But the preliminary assessment is an indication of the direction the duties will move. International Trade Minister Mary Ng said the preliminary results show that the U.S. intends to continue its “unjustified duties on imports of Canadian softwood lumber.” “U.S. duties on Canadian softwood hurt forestry sector businesses, workers and communities across Canada. They are a tax on American consumers and reduce the affordability of housing for

American homebuyers at a time when housing prices are already at record highs,” Ng said in a statement Monday. “Canada believes a negotiated solution to this long-standing trade issue is in the best interests of both our nations, and we will continue to work closely with our industry to defend Canadian interests.” Canada and its southern neighbour have been fighting over softwood lumber for years. U.S. lumber producers argue that Canada subsidizes lumber production and dumps softwood into the U.S. at below market value. Canada denies that its producers get subsidies, and that dumping into the U.S. market has occurred.

Inflation isn’t the main factor driving Canada’s sky-high housing costs, experts say As Canadian housing prices continue their dizzying climb to record highs, the federal Conservatives are defining the problem as a “housing inflation crisis.” That description dovetails neatly with the ongoing debate about Canada’s inflation rate, now at a 30-year high of 4.8 per cent. But some experts warn that pairing housing costs with inflation could obscure the actual causes of surging home prices. “These issues have predated our conversations about inflation, or even concerns about inflation,” said Murtaza Haider, a professor in real estate management at Ryerson University. “To assume as such, we would make the mistake of thinking that if we solve the inflation problem, we will solve the housing problem and that would be a big mistake.” The House of Commons is examining the effects of inflation on the Canadian economy through a special parliamentary committee that launched in January. The first meeting of that committee saw a thorough discussion of housing prices, but some who took part say the committee risks conflating two issues which are distinct in some ways. “I don’t think we can call this just an inflation problem,” said Sahar Raza, a manager at the National Right to Housing Network. Raza and Haider both appeared in January as expert witnesses before the parliamentary committee on inflation. Following his appearance, Haider said discussions about housing prices have “some but not much relevance to the ongoing discourse on inflation.”

Conservatives, meanwhile, point out that housing prices in Canada surged by 33 per cent from March 2020 to November 2021 — something the party blames on what it calls the federal government’s reckless spending during the pandemic. The price of the average Canadian home hit $713,500 in December 2021, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). “The inflation in house prices followed the government printing about $400 billion of new cash, dumping it into the financial system, much of which was lent out in mortgages,” Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre said. “More dollars chasing fewer goods means inflation, and in this case, housing inflation.” Poilievre said that what he calls Canada’s housing bubble is set to burst if no change is made to government policy. In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland did not describe rising housing costs as the result of inflation. Freeland herself has consistently avoided Poilievre’s attempts in the House of Commons to make her use that term. “Housing affordability remains a priority for the federal government and, as we have said previously, we will take further action in the upcoming budget,” wrote Adrienne Vaupshas, adding that the Bank of Canada is focused on “price stability and inflation.” But many housing experts point out that Canadian housing prices have been rising steadily for more than 20 years now, far predating the recent spike in inflation. CREA sales figures show a 318 per cent rise in home prices since 2000, suggesting today’s high housing prices have been decades in the making.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Protester rams Canadian Mounties attempting to break up border blockade Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also known as Mounties, attempted on Tuesday to clear out the anti-vaccine mandate blockade currently cutting off a busy international border crossing only for negotiations to break down into assaults on officers. Updated Thursday, February 3, 2022 11:05 a.m. EST - Wednesday saw protesters open up one lane of traffic in either direction. That success was short lived, as protesters set up another blockade fire kilometers north of Coutts, near the town of Milk River, according to Calgary Herald. Police are now asking all traffic to avoid the Coutts border crossing. Updated Wednesday, February 2, 2022 1:45 p.m. EST - Mounties are having a hard time locating tow truck services willing to help move protesters’ vehicles, according to Western Standard. Many tow truck operators told the paper they don’t want to get involved, worried about losing customers in smaller communities due to their involvement in the protest. While some trucks near the border took off when police approached, another blockage just north of Coutts, Alberta on Highway 4 saw sympathetic protesters crossing police barricades to join truckers, assaulting officers and even causing a car crash while trying to ram into the Mounties, Global News reports. “I’ve received reports in the last hour of people aligned with the protesters assaulting RCMP officers, including one instance trying to ram members of the RCMP, later leading to a collision with a civilian vehicle,” said Premier Jason Kenney in a news conference that began around 4:30 p.m. “This kind of conduct is totally unacceptable. Unacceptable is right! And downright illegal under a Canadian law called the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, which states those

who “willfully obstruct, interrupt or interfere with the construction, maintenance, use or operation of any essential infrastructure in a manner that renders the essential infrastructure dangerous, useless, inoperative or ineffective” are committing a crime. This seems like the sort of thing you’d want to clear up right away, but Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney has come out in support of the protests, from Global News: He said he sympathized with the “vast majority of lawful protestors,” adding it is “unfortunate to see a small number break the law, create a public safety hazard and enormous inconvenience for law-abiding Canadians.” “I understand the concerns and frustrations that (protesters) have. And for those opposed to the quarantine requirement for (truckers to cross the border), not only do I hear you, but I agree with you.” Maybe if Premier Kenney told protesters to go home, that he loves them and that they were all special this stand off would end. Meanwhile, mail delivery and school buses have stopped running in Coutts, Alberta, a tiny border town of 250 residents, as those vehicles couldn’t get through town. There are reports of residents not receiving home healthcare, according to Global News. The blockage has also stranded several Canadian truckers on the U.S. side of the border, putting their health and well-being at risk. One trucker told Global News “We don’t make enough money to survive in these kinds of situations.” While some are spending their own money and extra hours to go to alternative border crossings, the crossing in Coutts is the only one in Alberta that permits live animals to cross over into Canada. That means live animals are sitting at the border with no way to get them to meatpacking plants or feedlots.

BC real estate sales forecast to drop in 2022, prices to still rise: BCREA Real estate in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley has seen its share of record-breakers over the last few years, but now, a new forecast suggests sales are expected to decline. According to the B.C. Real Estate Association (BCREA), MLS residential sales are forecast to drop 17 per cent from last year’s record high. However, the forecast also estimates home prices to rise by 8.5 per cent in 2022, mostly in the first half of the year. BCREA chief economist Brendon Ogmundson says home sales in 2022 are expected to “moderate from the frenetic pace of 2021,” with declines forecast to continue into 2023, by an additional 12 per cent. Despite a potential decline in home sales, “sales activity will remain high by historical standards,” he adds. “We started the year at an all-time low in terms of listings. There’s just not a lot of product out there to buy. Demand is still pretty strong and that means a lot of upward pressure on prices,” Ogmundson said. “We are not at record levels. This isn’t like the start of last year, but sales are still pretty strong,” he said. It’s for this reason that the association sees strong sales persisting through the first few months of 2022. The severely limited supply will also likely continue to put pressure on home prices across the province. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver also notes low supply has affected home prices. “Our listing inventory on

MLS® is less than half of what would be optimal to begin the year. As a result, hopeful home buyers have limited choice in the market today. \ This trend is causing fierce competition for a scarce number of homes for sale, which, in turn, increases prices,” REBGV economist Keith Stewart said. What a Bank of Canada rate hike could mean for Vancouver’s housing market “With home prices reaching new highs in recent months, the need has never been greater for government to collaborate with the building community to expedite the creation of housing supply and provide more choice for those struggling to buy a home today,” added Stewart. The REBGV says the composite benchmark price for all residential properties in the Metro Vancouver region rose 18.5 per cent in January 2022 over the same time last year. It increased two per cent compared to December 2021. The BCREA forecast estimates sales activity will “normalize” in 2023 due to several factors, including the upcoming predicted interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada. “The combination of higher fixed rates, higher variable rates should start to soften demand in the market but probably not until second half of this year, probably 2023,” Ogmundson said.

Conservatives elect Candice Bergen as interim party leader Manitoba MP Candice Bergen has been elected as the interim leader of the Conservative party after the removal of Erin O’Toole. In a secret caucus vote late on Wednesday, Conservative MPs gave the nod to Bergen to replace O’Toole after months of infighting severely weakened his hold over the party. Bergen, who was deputy leader of the Conservatives under O’Toole, has represented the riding of Portage-Lisgar since 2008 and was Opposition House leader from 2016 to 2020. Nine candidates were in the running for the interim position on Wednesday night, MP Scott Reid, the chair of the national Conservative caucus, said in a statement. The selection of Bergen came hours after O’Toole was ousted from the leadership role, with 73 MPs voting to remove him and just 45 lining up in his support. The vote was called after 35 MPs signed a petition over the weekend to put his leadership to the test. In a recorded statement posted to social media Wednesday afternoon, O’Toole

said that he accepted the results. But he had some parting comments about the direction of the party he would no longer lead. “This country needs a Conservative party that is both an intellectual force and a governing force. Ideology without power is vanity. Seeking power with ideology is hubris,” O’Toole said. O’Toole is the first party leader to be removed under a process outlined in the Reform Act, legislation passed in 2015 that allows a caucus to give members the power to trigger a leadership review. Anger against his leadership had been simmering for months, sparked by September’s disappointing election results. The Conservatives lost ground in crucial regions of the country, compared to 2019’s election loss. Bergen will serve as the interim Conservative leader until a new permanent leader is chosen by the party members. This will be the third leadership race since former prime minister Stephen Harper stepped down after losing

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Star & Style

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Janhvi shares her selfie Janhvi shared a picture of herself from what looked like her closet on Instagram. She captioned the photo, “Ella Fitzgerald on loop kind of a day.” Janhvi referenced to American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, who was known as the Queen of Jazz. Janhvi was last seen in comedy, horror Roohi last year. She will be seen next in Karan Johar’s Dostana 2. The film will mark TV actor Laksh Lalwani’s Bollywood debut. She also has Sidharth Sengupta’s Good Luck Jerry and

Vicky Kaushal’s brother Sunny Kaushal starrer Mili. Janhvi was born on March 6, 1997 to Boney Kapoor actress Sridevi. She has one younger sister, Khushi, and two half siblings, actor Arjun Kapoor and Anshula Kapoor.[ She is the niece of Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor. She studied at Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai. Before making her film debut, she took an acting course from Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, California.

Salman finally congratulates Katrina

Salman Khan, as what can be described as finally, has congratulated Katrina Kaif on her wedding with Vicky Kaushal. The couple, who managed to keep their relationship a hush-hush affair, tied the knot at a strictly guarded wedding in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur on December 9. During the Bigg Boss 15 finale on Sunday, Salman Khan dropped a sudden congratulatory wish for Katrina. Looking into the camera, Salman said: “Katrina, shaadi mubarak ho (Congratulations on your wedding).” Salman’s wish arrived right after former Bigg

Boss 15 contestant Rakhi Sawant and Bigg Boss 14 winner Rubina Dilaik danced to the song Chikni Chameli. The song, from the 2012 movie Agneepath, originally features Katrina. It gained massive popularity for Katrina’s dance moves. On Bigg Boss 15 finale, Shehnaaz Gill also teased Salman about Katrina’s wedding. Shehnaaz, while talking about Katrina and Vicky’s recent marriage, told Salman: “Sir aap khush raho bass. Sorry, main zyada toh nahi bol rahi (You just be happy please. Sorry, did I say more than required)?”

Rakhi Sawant rocks Rakhi Sawant posed for paparazzi after Shamita Shetty’s birthday party n. She strutted down an empty street and struck different poses for them. At one point, one of the photographers complimented her by saying that she has outdone Nora Fatehi. “Aapke saamne toh Nora bhi fail hai aaj (You put even Nora to shame today),” he said. Rakhi’s instant reply was, “But I love Nora.”

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Later, as the paparazzi crowded around Rakhi to take pictures, she asked them to move back and even threatened to take legal action against them if anyone accidentally touched her. “Agar kisine mujhe chhua, 500 crore ka maanahani ka daawa karungi (If anyone touches me, I will file a ₹500 crore defamation case),” she said.

Star & Style

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor was born as Balbir Raj Kapoor to Prithviraj Kapoor in Calcutta, on March 18, 1938. He was youngest brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. Shashi got an opportunity to work as an assistant director in the film Post Box 999, the debut film of Sunil Dutt, and worked as an assistant director to Ravindra Dave in Guest House (1959), which was followed by movies such as Dulha Dulhan and Shriman Satyawadi, where Raj Kapoor was the lead hero. Shashi Kapoor made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film Dharmputra and went on to appear in 116 Hindi films, including 61 films as the

Amitabh Bachchan sells his parents’ house in Delhi solo lead hero and 55 multi starcast films, 21 films as supporting actor and special appearances in 7 films. He was very popular actor in Bollywood during the 60s, 70s and until the mid-80s. Since 1961, he started acting in English films, which include The Householder and ShakespeareWallah. He was one of first actors to go international fame. Actress Nanda, who was an established star at her time, citation needed signed 8 Hindi films with Shashi Kapoor, as she believed that he could deliver good performances. Their first two films as a pair were the critically acclaimed romantic film Char Diwari (1961) and Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath (1962).

Amitabh Bachchan has sold the house in Delhi that his parents Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bacchan once resided in. The house is named Sopaan and is registered under his mother Teji’s name. As per reports, Bachchan sold the house located in Gulmohar Park in South Delhi for Rs. 23 crores. As per reports, the house was purchased by Avni Bader, the CEO of Nezone group of companies who has known Amitabh for over three decades. \ Avni also resides close to the property. The property is said to be spread across 418.05 square meters and the deal was closed on December 7 last year. Speaking to a publication, Avni revealed

John Abraham’s Attack gets new date to hit theatres on April 1 John Abraham announced the new release date of his new film Attack today, February 3. The action-packed film, which also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Rakul Preet Singh, is set to release in theatres on April 1, 2022. Attack, is an action thriller inspired by true events. It has been directed by Lakshya Raj Anand and produced Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios, John Abraham and Ajay Kapoor. John Abhraham’s Attack Part 1, which

was earlier going to hit cinemas on Republic Day, will now release on April 1. Sharing the new poster on Instagram, John wrote, “Get ready to witness our country’s first super soldier and his strike to save the nation’s pride #Attack - Part 1 releasing in cinemas worldwide on 1st April, 2022 (sic).” Take a look at John Abraham’s post: The upcoming film Attack stars John Abraham in the lead role. The actor is

Gangubai Kathiawadi’s poster released Gangubai Kathiawadi’s new poster has been released by the makers. Alia Bhatt shared the poster on Instagram and also announced the trailer release date. In the new poster, Alia is seen as Gangubai, dressed in white and reclining on a cot. The trailer of Gangubai Kathiawadi will release on February 4. “Aa Rahi Hai Gangu. Trailer out on 4th February. #GangubaiKathiawadi in cinemas on 25th February 2022,” reads Alia Bhatt’s caption. The film has been directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Alia’s mother and actress Soni Razdan praised the poster and left an array of love-struck, clap, and red heart emojis in the comment section. Huma Qureshi commented, “Woo hoo,” followed by a red heart emoji. Aditi Rao Hydari also commented and left a love-struck and red heart emoji in the comment section. Alia Bhatt’s post has more than four lakh likes. The release date of Gangubai Kathiawadi was postponed few times because of COVID-19 restrictions. Now, the film will be theatrically released on February 25. Sharing the new release date, the makers of the film had written, “Witness her

reign in cinemas near you on 25th February 2022.” Gangubai Kathiawadi is adapted book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. It features Alia Bhatt in the role of Gangubai, one of the most powerful madams from Mumbai’s red-light area Kamathipura during the 1960s. The film showcases her journey as the head of a brothel and a political leader of Kamathipura. Alia Continues success and accolades. In 2016 Alia Bhatt took on the part of one Bihari migrant in Udta Punjab, a story about substance abuse. The intense role marked a departure from the mostly light-hearted parts she had played before in her career with the exception of Highway, and in preparation, she watched documentaries on drug abuse and learned to speak a Bihari dialect.

also co-producing the film along with Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios and Ajay Kapoor. The film is about a hostage

that since the structure is old they will be demolishing it and reconstructing it as per their requirements. After Amitabh had moved to Mumbai, his parents had also eventually moved with him to the city. Currently, Amitabh along with his wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and granddaughter Aaradhya Bachchan live in Mumbai’s Juhu area. They live together at the family home Jalsa. He has multiple properties in Mumbai including Janak, which he uses as his office, the bungalow Prateeksha and Vatsa. He also owns an ancestral home in Allahabad and a villa in Dubai. Amitabh will next be seen in next film Jhund is scheduled to hit the theatres on March 4.

crisis. It is written and directed by debutant Lakshya Raj Anand. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Rakul Preet Singh, Ratna Pathak Shah and Prakash Raj.

LOCAL / NATIONAL O’Toole calls for ‘balance’ as Conservative MPs plunge party into leadership race

Erin O’Toole told the Conservative caucus Monday night that there were two paths before them. On Wednesday, they chose one that didn’t include him in the lead. Conservative MPs voted decisively Feb. 2 to plunge the party into its third leadership contest since Stephen Harper stepped down in 2015. In the end, it wasn’t close – with 73 MPs voting to remove O’Toole, and just 45 lining up to support him. On Wednesday evening, the Conservatives elected Candice Bergen as the party’s new interim leader. In a recorded statement posted to social media Wednesday afternoon, O’toole said that he accepted the results of the vote that ousted him. But he had some parting comments about the direction of the party he’d no longer lead. “This country needs a Conservative party that is both an intellectual force and a governing force. Ideology without power is vanity. Seeking power with ideology is hubris,” O’Toole said. “Canadians deserve a government that delivers exemplary management with a foundation based upon values and our decency as a country. What Canadians deserve from a Conservative Party is balance, ideas and inspiration.” The sentiment will likely draw nods

from O’Toole’s supporters and like-minded partisans that feel the Conservative Party needs to re-invent itself to be more relevant to voters in 2022 – or whenever the next federal election comes. But it is also likely to reinforce the position of O’Toole’s detractors – that he and his team sacrificed the party’s core ideology in a failed pursuit of power. The anger at O’Toole and his advisors had been simmering barely beneath the surface since his perceived push towards to the political centre. After running as a “True Blue” Conservative – the main point of contrast with rival Peter MacKay, who O’Toole’s team suggest was a red Tory despite more than a decade of senior positions in Harper’s Conservative Party – O’Toole immediately began talking about expanding the Conservative tent. While the O’Toole of the leadership race talked about scrapping the Liberals’ price on carbon – known for a decade in Conservative circles as a “carbon tax” – O’Toole the leader talked about the need of pricing pollution. While the O’Toole of the leadership race talked about the Liberals’ runaway spending, O’Toole of the 2021 campaign promised a decade of deficit spending that rivaled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own plans.

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Saturday, February 5, 2022 City of Vancouver to reduce green bin collection to every 2 weeks as it deals with staffing shortage The City of Vancouver says green bins will be collected every two weeks temporarily as it deals with staffing shortages due to COVID-19. The city’s website says the collection will happen on garbage day, every two weeks, for the month of February. It anticipates green bin service will return to weekly pickup by the end of the month. The city apologized for the inconvenience and said it appreciates the public’s

patience as crews do their best to maintain services during these challenging times. Green bins are meant for organic waste including garden clippings, food scraps, food-soiled paper products, as well as used wooden chopsticks and skewers. Plastic containers and plastic cutlery, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable” are not allowed in green bins. The city says green bins need to be outside by 7 a.m. on the morning of collection day.

Alberta must begin moving toward endemic approach of managing COVID-19, Hinshaw says Alberta must prepare to adopt an endemic approach to managing COVID-19, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said Thursday. “What has been important throughout the COVID response is seeking balance between the harms of COVID and the harms of the measures needed to prevent an overwhelming surge of severe outcomes,” Hinshaw said at a news conference.“I believe that after the Omicron wave has subsided, the risk of our system becoming overwhelmed will be substantially reduced, and this will enable [us] to shift our response.”Experts define endemic as when a virus is present in a region at a stable level, without the rising and falling waves of infection seen so far throughout the coronavirus pandemic.Changing approaches will take time, Hinshaw said.“We need to continue monitoring severe impacts and any changes to the virus,” she said. “But

we cannot continue to use restrictions in the long term, once the risk of system overwhelm has passed.”Health leaders in provinces where the Omicron wave and hospital numbers are beginning to subside have been referring to an eventual endemic state as part of the path forward in managing COVID, Hinshaw said. “I agree with my colleagues, that this is the direction that we need to move when we see similar trends in our acute-care system in Alberta,” she said. “This is a shift in thinking that can be challenging, given that we have needed to use extraordinary tools at our disposal for the past several years to protect our health system and our communities.” Alberta reported 15 more deaths on Thursday bringing the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Alberta to 3,608. The number of patients in hospital with the illness fell for the first time in days, with 1,584 patients reported Thursday, down slightly from Wednesday.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 5, 2022 Conservatives hitch their wagons to the convoy protest without knowing where it’s going As the convoy rolled into Ottawa on Friday afternoon, Pierre Poilievre stood on a highway overpass to film a promotional video. Speaking directly to the camera, with trucks honking behind him, Poilievre proposed an expansive view of the convoy that went well beyond its nominal goal of protesting the vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. The protest, Poilievre said, “was not just for truckers, but for the 60 per cent of Canadians who say they worry they can’t afford food.” It was for “the 60-yearold small businessman who has spent his entire adult life building up an enterprise and watching it wiped out … the depressed 14-year-old who’s been locked out of school” and “the families that can’t take it anymore.”

In Poilievre’s telling, the convoy represents “the people who want to stand and speak for their freedoms” and “all those that our government and our media have insulted and left behind.” “Freedom, not fear,” Poilievre concluded. “Truckers, not Trudeau.” That video may soon mark the unofficial launching point of a new Conservative leadership race. But if Conservatives have hitched their wagon to this convoy, it remains to be seen where it will take them. By Monday morning, even Poilievre felt the need to state that his embrace of the movement did not extend to all of its members. Erin O’Toole, still officially the leader of the Conservative Party, did so on Saturday night.

Three senior women stand up to anti-vax truckers while police stand down A trucker sitting high up in his cab behind the wheel of a 10,000 pound vehicle was no match for four residents of Ottawa who have had enough of anti-vax protesters trashing their city and terrorizing their neighbors. A photo of four people standing in the middle of a downtown Ottawa street to block a big truck is making the rounds on social media. The CBC caught up with three of the people who stood up to the protester, who described themselves as “ladies of a certain age.” Marika Morris saw the picture of herself and her neighbors Lise Lebeau and Andrea Colbert circulating on social media, where she came forward with her story on Facebook. That is me and my neighbours blocking the path of a convoy truck that slowly ambled its way down our street, honking, blocking all traffic, while a line of cars behind it also honked. They have been circling around residential downtown

Ottawa streets all day, for the past three days. There are also some people yelling and now I hear a vuvuzela. Some of the trucks coming down the street sound like a locomotive, and it is very disruptive. We wanted to show them we do not support what they are doing. I’m the one who made a thumbs down sign everytime the truck honked. Some unknown person took this picture and posted it to Reddit. He or she said “Three older ladies just blocked a small convoy led by a dump truck. They were fantastic and are my new heroes” The people in the truck and a protester on foot recorded us on their cellphones, so I don’t know if that has been circulating. We also got yelled at by another bystander. Truck horns blared in the background as the three women said that the anti-vaccine mandate protesters clearly don’t care if their fellow Canadians who live in Ottawa feel safe or free:

Canada’s travel restrictions have been eased for passengers from India & Morocco Passengers travelling from India and Morocco will no longer face additional measures at the Canadian border following an update to Canada’s travel restrictions. In a statement on January 28, the federal government confirmed that it would be scrapping all modified pre-departure test requirements for travellers from both countries. It applies to those coming to Canada on direct or indirect flights and was effective as of Friday. Passengers from both countries will no longer be required to get a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test from a third country to gain entry into Canada. It means restrictions on travellers in India and Morocco are now aligned with everywhere else and pre-entry test requirements will be the same regardless of an individual’s departure country. The restrictions came into effect after the Public Health Agency of Canada recorded an

increase in positive test results from people arriving from Morocco and India last year. On January 28, officials also announced the end of temporary travel exemptions at the land border for B.C. residents. As of January 31, British Columbians will no longer be permitted to bypass COVID-19 measures to travel to the U.S. for essentials and supplies. Exemptions were previously granted following heavy flooding in the region in November. Announcing the changes, the Government of Canada said it was taking “a responsible, precautionary approach at the border to help protect Canadians from the global COVID-19 pandemic.” It promised to continue to “closely monitor and adjust measures at the border, as appropriate.” Canada’s travel rules became stricter earlier this year when a number of exemptions

Quebec scraps anti-vax tax, allows gyms to reopen Feb. 14 Quebec Premier François Legault says his government will not go ahead with a proposed tax on the unvaccinated, in order to protect “social cohesion” in the province. Legault made the announcement at a news conference Tuesday, where he also eased restrictions on gyms and sports activities. The tax, first announced in January by the premier, would have imposed a monetary penalty on Quebecers who are eligible but who refuse to get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Legault says while his government has a bill ready to go, he’s

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decided not to table it after seeing “growing discontent” in the population. “I understand that this divides Quebecers and right now we need to build bridges,” said Legault. “My role is to try to bring Quebecers together to stay united as a people.” Still, Legault denied that he was backing down due to demands by organizers of a protest planned for Thursday in Quebec City. He said he had already begun to have discussions “last week” about scrapping the tax. Interim public health director Dr. Luc Boileau confirmed during the news

Saturday, February 5, 2022

INDIA

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Doug Ford has a message for protesters in Ottawa & says there are 3 things He can’t tolerate Premier Doug Ford says there are a few things that he absolutely can’t tolerate when it comes to the “Freedom Convoy” protest in Ottawa. In a press conference on February 1, Ford was asked to comment on the convoy of Canadian truckers protesting vaccine mandates in the nation’s capital. “My message right from the beginning of this pandemic when it came to the truckers, I

appreciate everything they’ve done. I appreciate them bringing health supplies to hospitals, putting food on the grocery shelves, but there’s three things I can’t tolerate,” Ford said. The first of which concerns the reported desecration of some of Canada’s most revered historical monuments, like the Terry Fox statue. “[The] desecration of any war memorials or any memorials, zero tolerance for that,” Ford said.

The premier also denounced some of the flags displayed during the protest. “The flags they’re waving around is disgusting in my opinion,” he added. In a statement to Narcity earlier this week, Ford said he was deeply troubled by the symbols of hate seen on display during the protest — which included the Confederate and Nazi flags. “I was extremely disturbed [...] to see some

individualsdesecrateourmostsacredmonuments and wave swastikas and other symbols of hate and intolerance this weekend,” he said. The last thing Ford mentioned was how long the protest has been carrying on in the streets. “I hear you, I hear the protesters, the province hears the protesters, the country hears the protesters, now it’s time to let the people in Ottawa get back to their lives,” Ford said.

Right wing American tv host Carlson accuses the Canadian media of being a mouthpiece for Trudeau Tucker Carlson has accused the Canadian media of being a mouthpiece for Justin Trudeau and says they ‘trotted out some attack lines borrowed from CNN and NBC News’ to smear the truckers protesting the Prime Minister’s vaccine mandates. On Tucker Carlson Tonight on Monday,

the Fox News host criticized the Canadian leader for not meeting with the truckers. ‘”So I’ll meet with the people at a rally as long as I agree with their goals, as long as they agree with me, it’s totally fine, like Black Lives Matter,”’ Tucker said, imitating Trudeau. ‘You

get the sense even someone as dim as Justin Trudeau realizes this is not a winning argument. He needed his friends in state media to help.’ ‘So here’s Canada’s state broadcaster inventing a claim, out of nothing, that Vladimir Putin himself may be

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responsible for this trucker convoy.’ He then played a clip from CBC of host Nil Koksal saying there is concern Russian actors ‘could be continuing to fuel things, as this protest grows, perhaps even instigating it from the outset’, given Canada’s support for Ukraine.

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India India has fourth highest foreign exchange reserves in the world after China, Japan and Switzerland As of end-November 2021, India was the fourth largest foreign exchange reserves holder in the world after China, Japan, and Switzerland, the Economic Survey 2021-22 has noted. Despite all the disruptions caused by the global pandemic, India’s balance of payments remained in surplus throughout the last two years. This allowed the Reserve Bank of India to keep accumulating foreign exchange reserves, which stands at $634 billion on December 31, 202). This is equivalent to 13.2 months of imports and higher than the country’s external debt. A sizeable accretion in reserves led to an

improvement in external vulnerability indicators such as foreign exchange reserves to total external debt, short-term debt to foreign exchange reserves. India’s salient external sector sustainability indicators are strong and much improved as compared to what they were during the global financial crisis or taper episode of 2013. For instance, the import cover and foreign exchange reserves are more than double now. The combination of high foreign exchange reserves, sustained foreign direct investment, and rising export earnings will provide a good buffer against any liquidity tapering/ monetary policy normalisation in 2022-23.

Opposition, NDA allies criticise Govt as budget session starts The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government found itself at the receiving end of criticism from the Opposition as well as parties that usually support the ruling dispensation during a debate on the President’s speech in Parliament on Thursday **EDS: TV GRAB** New Delhi: DMK MPs shout slogans over NEET exam issue in the Lok Sabha during ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. (SANSAD TV/PTI Photo)(PTI02_03_2022_000160A) (PTI) **EDS: TV GRAB** New Delhi: DMK MPs shout slogans over NEET exam issue in the Lok Sabha during ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. (SANSAD TV/

PTI Photo)(PTI02_03_2022_000160A) (PTI) The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government found itself at the receiving end of criticism from the Opposition as well as parties that usually support the ruling dispensation during a debate on the President’s speech in Parliament on Thursday. The Biju Janata Dal, a party supportive of the NDA, slammed the Centre even as NDA’s ally, Janata Dal (United), reminded the government that as long as all states don’t grow, the government’s claims of development would not be successful. BJD and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) even reiterated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s point, made in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, that India is a union of states, in a bid to corner the government during in the Lower House. Continued on page 21

Saturday, February 5, 2022 TELUS is connecting more Canadians to our next-generation 5G network ahead of schedule, reaching 70% of the Canadian population as part of its significant $54 billion investment in infrastructure and operations through 2024. We have now proudly connected 744 urban and rural communities - 129 more than initially planned for the year - to TELUS’ fast and reliable 5G network, demonstrating its commitment to connecting Canadians and driving remarkable social outcomes in our communities. The increased connectivity, ultrafast speeds and responsiveness of this unprecedented technology offer a leap in capabilities over 4G networks. 5G is unleashing human productivity and contributing to improved health and educational outcomes, supporting environmental sustainability, fostering entrepreneurship, bridging the socio-economic divide, and driving economic growth, which is crucial to the country’s fiscal recovery from the pandemic. “The significant investments we are making in our world-leading network to rapidly expand our 5G footprint is enabling us to connect citizens across Canada to the people, resources and critical information they need as we continue to navigate the global pandemic,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO. “Now more than ever, TELUS is committed to keeping Canadians connected, productive and healthy. Indeed, the ongoing expansion of our next-generation 5G technology is bridging time and distance, allowing residents to live and work in any community without compromising productivity or economic opportunity. Importantly, as we look optimistically toward a period of economic and social recovery, our global leading network will continue to drive the innovation that

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updated in TELUS’ first quarter 2021 earnings’ release, dated May 7, 2021. About TELUS TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. We leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better. TELUS Health is Canada’s leader in digital health technology, improving access to health and wellness services and revolutionizing the flow of health information across the continuum of care. TELUS Agriculture provides innovative digital solutions throughout the agriculture value chain, supporting better food outcomes from improved agribusiness data insights and processes. TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that delivers next-generation AI and content management solutions for global brands across the technology and games, ecommerce and FinTech, communications and media, healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. TELUS and TELUS International operate in 25+ countries around the world. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

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INDIA

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Riled up by torchbearer, India skips China Olympics opening India will not attend Friday’s opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, after one of the torchbearers reportedly chosen by Chinese authorities riled up New Delhi’s anger. India’s foreign affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said it was “regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicize an event like the Olympics.” India will not attend Friday’s opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, after one of the torchbearers reportedly chosen by Chinese authorities riled up New Delhi’s anger. India’s foreign affairs spokesman

Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said it was “regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicize an event like the Olympics.” The move followed reports in China’s state-owned Global Times that a Chinese military commander, who was involved in deadly clashes with Indian border forces in 2020, had been chosen as one of many torchbearers charged with relaying the Olympics flame to Beijing. The 2020 fighting erupted along the disputed border with China in eastern Ladakh. Chinese troops killed 20 Indian soldiers, while China said it lost four soldiers.

India wants to become solar powerhouse without China’s help India is pressing ahead with plans to curb reliance on China, the dominant producer of solar power equipment, even as it seeks to add huge volumes of renewable energy. A pair of measures in Tuesday’s budget will help Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to extend his government’s made-in-India campaign to the clean power sector, in which about 80% of all solar hardware is imported from the n

With such ambitious targets in mind, one can’t continue to depend on imports and remain exposed to supply chain risks,” said Rupesh Sankhe, vice president at Elara Capital India Pvt. in Mumbai. Building out a local supply chain will limit risks tied to border skirmishes and other disputes with China and also help deliver local jobs, Sankhe said. Major local firms including Reliance Industries.

Opposition, NDA allies criticise Govt as budget session starts In both Houses, opposition parties attacked the Union government for failing to provide jobs and bring the economy on track. In Rajya Sabha, minority affairs minister

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi attacked the Congress for not being able to differentiate between personalities and the country. He said for the party, dynasty ruled over all else.

Jobless youngsters accuse govt of ‘playing with our lives’ Niranjan Kumar, the eldest son of a small farmer in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, was one of 12.5 million youngsters who applied for 35,000 jobs when the railways department started recruitment examinations more than a year ago. The mathematics graduate, 28, and his dormitory mates did not even make it to a recently released shortlist despite preparing for years, a collective setback that triggered protests by a swelling army of unemployed youth in Bihar and neighboring Uttar Pradesh last week. Infuriated by what they called a bungled recruitment process, tens of thousands of students, including Kumar and his friends, blocked rail traffic, while others vandalized trains and some even burned down coaches of a stationary train that had no passengers in it at the time. “The government is playing with our lives,” Kumar told Reuters, sitting cross-legged on a friend’s unmade bed in the congested

Kashi Lodge in Bihar’s capital Patna. “They only want to privatize everything, they don’t want to hire people themselves.” =India has long had an unemployment problem and prized government jobs always attract huge numbers of candidates. But the widespread anger that has erupted over the railways jobs poses a challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of crucial state elections in February and March, including in Uttar Pradesh. Modi came to power in 2014 promising development that would create millions of jobs for the surging ranks of young, educated Indians. But national unemployment peaked at 23.5% in 2020 and has stubbornly remained well above 7% since, according to data from Mumbai-based Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), much higher than the global average.

India’s economy battles widespread unemployment & inflation India is facing economic turmoil in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with many people out of work and prices rising. Economists say there is little sign of relief on the horizon. Last week, a railway job recruitment drive in India’s northern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh turned violent, as groups protesting mass unemployment blocked roads and railway lines. Protester Navin Kumar Jha, 28, told DW he was among 10 million applicants for roughly 36,000 total jobs being offered. “The authorities had to finally suspend the recruitment. We wanted to draw attention to joblessness that is worsening in the country,” Jha said. The large-scale unemployment riots serve as a stark indicator of India’s growing socioeconomic unrest. Neelam Kapoor, a

26-year-old homemaker from a middle-class household in Delhi, has struggled for two years to keep the lights on and pay rent. Her husband, Rajesh, a salesman, lost his job in a garment manufacturing firm last year during the height of the pandemic and has yet to find another job. “Our savings are depleted. Retail prices have skyrocketed. Everything has gone up from oil, cooking gas and services. It is a miracle how we manage every month,” Kapoor said. Jha and Kapoor are only two out of millions of people affected by India’s current economic woes brought on by acute unemployment and spiraling inflation. Rising cost of living, job losses and inflation have become full-blown crises, according to economists.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Punjab Punjab Congress MP demands law on ‘runaway NRI brides’ Punjab Congress MP Jasbir Singh Gill on Tuesday gave a notice in the Lok Sabha seeking a discussion on the alleged harassment of husbands by NRI brides. He said there were laws to address harassment by NRI husbands, but none even acknowledged, let alone covered, the “anguish caused by runaway NRI brides.”

Giving a notice for a short duration discussion on the matter, Gill said, “I am in the know of many cases where deserted husbands committed suicide and families of many in-laws of such brides were left in financial distress leading to disturbances.”

High Court stays Haryana govt’s 75 per cent reservation rule in private sector The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday stayed the Haryana government order of 75% reservation for state domicile in private sector. The Bench headed by Justice Ajay Tewari also admitted the matter. A bunch of petitions were filed against the government’s law providing

75 per cent reservation in the industries to the domiciles of the State The government earlier notified the “Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020”, which provided 75 per cent reservation for local youth in private sector jobs that offered monthly salary of less than Rs 30,000 from January 15, 2022.

To steer poll campaign, Congress volunteers in Punjab double as strategists The Congress has set up an in-house poll mechanism for the Assembly elections, overcoming thechallengeofhiringaprofessionalstrategist.In2017, the party had hired poll strategist Prashant Kishor. A 200-volunteer team, drawn from state units of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states have been positioned in all 117 segments for the real-time feedback. Active for the past over two months, volunteers

include elected representatives from block development committees (BDC) to secretaries and general secretaries in the state units. The elections have provided an opportunity to set up a robust in-house mechanism to run a digital campaign and it would be replicated in other states. Volunteers, who are also successful professionals, are sparing time to be part of the electoral experience. The in-house team is getting the feedback on the candidates,

Chandigarh among 8 airports identified for promoting aircraft maintenance activities Chandigarh is among eight airports in the country that have been identified by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for promoting maintenance, repair and overhaul activities for aircraft and aviation equipment. “The Airports Authority of India has come up with a business-friendly proposal for

MRO with zero airport royalty charges and significantly rationalised land rentals for eight AAI airports,” an action taken report on the ‘Status of Aviation Connectivity in the Country’ tabled in Parliament on Wednesday by the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture stated.

Pakistan IMF approves $1 billion loan for Pakistan The International Monetary Fund has approved the completion of the sixth review of its stalled USD 6 billion programme for Pakistan, paving the way for an immediate disbursement of about USD 1 billion loan tranche for the cash-strapped country. The IMF’s Executive Board held a meeting in Washington DC on Wednesday to consider Pakistan’s request for completion of the sixth review and release of a USD 1 billion tranche

under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The completion of this review allows for an immediate disbursement of 750 million in Special Drawing Rights (SDR) (about USD 1 billion) to Pakistan, bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 2,144 million (about USD 3 billion) or 106 per cent of the country’s quota, the Dawn newspaper reported on Thursday. Finance minister said “I am pleased to announce that the IMF Board has approved the 6th tranche of their programme for Pakistan,” he wrote.

15 militants and 4 soldiers killed in encounters in Balochistan A least 15 militants and four Pakistani soldiers were killed in two separate encounters in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, officials said on Thursday. Terrorists attacked security forces’ camps in Panjgur and Naushki areas of the southwestern province on Wednesday night, which were repulsed. However, gun battles started when the forces launched a search and clean operation in the two areas. Interior

Minister Sheikh Rashid, in a video message on Twitter, said that so far nine terrorists and four soldiers were killed in Naushki, while six terrorists died in Panjgur. “The terrorists were repulsed from both places and the Pakistan Army kept its tradition alive. A few — four to five people — are surrounded by them (the forces) in Panjgur, which the Pakistan Army will defeat,” he said.

Businessman from Hindu community shot dead in Sindh A businessman from Hindu comminity in Sindh has been shot dead over land dispute, in latest attack on minority community in the country, according to media reports. Satan Lal, the businessman, was shot dead in Ghotki district, Sindh, according to media reports. On Tuesday, large number of people blocked National Highway to protest the killing. Following the sit-in, police arrested ring leader Bachal Dahar and his accomplices accused of killing Lal. The local people had earlier staged a protest in front of Daharki

police station to press the law enforcement agency to apprehend the culprits, the report said. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) police Sukkur said the culprits involved in the incident had been arrested and that protesters had now cleared the highway. Dahar is a caste in Sindh. They are settled in different areas of the province including Ghotki. They are predominantly Muslims. “There was an inauguration of a cotton factory and flour mill on the land of Satan Lal where some people shot and killed him,” Lal’s friend Mukhi Anil Kumar, who was present at the scene.

FIJI Activist raises concerns about loss of nurses in Fiji A Fijian human rights activist is demanding answers from the authorities after reports that hundreds of nurses in the country are resigning. According to the media reports, more than 300 nurses are leaving their jobs citing poor employment conditions including suffering from stress, fatigue and lack of compensation. Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre coordinator Shamima Ali said those who were resigning are not speaking out because they fear of victimisation by the health ministry and the government. Vunisea Hospital in Kadavu.

The health minister Dr Ifireimi Waqainabete said Fiji’s health professionals have always been marketable and nurses were resigning due to lucrative opportunities abroad. But Ms Ali says the resignations are a “serious issue” and the minister and his permanent secretary should not downplay the impact it will have on the country’s outdated health infrastructure. She said that for every nurse that exits the system, further stress is put on existing staff who are forced to pick up the slack.

Oppostion leder slams Attorney General Opposition party leaders fired broadsides at Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum yesterday, rejecting his claim at a satellite project launch that rural dwellers could access the “right” information about Government and not the “lasulasu” circulated by social media and other forums. Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry claimed the current move to digitise the television network in Fiji and force people to acquire Walesi sets was simply a part

of Government’s electioneering effort to get its propaganda through as widely as possible ahead of the 2022 General Election. National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad and Unity Fiji leader Savenaca Narube claimed it was Government who was the major source of “lasulasu” and misinformation. They both referred to a recent Facebook post of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama visiting frontline workers as releasing information that was “obviously false”.

Fiji sees sustained decrease in Covid-19 cases: Secretary of Health Fiji has been through the worst phase of its third wave of the Coronavirus, health authorities say, amid soaring deaths and infections across the country. Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong said the medical data confirmed this. Dr Fong said Fiji was seeing a sustained decrease in the number of Covid-related admissions in hospitals. He said various employers could also vouch for this decreasing trend “as there is

less Covid-related absenteeism from work.” But he stressed the Covid-safe measures must continue in the immediate and medium-term to protect the most vulnerable in the communities. “We have seen relatively low rates of hospitalisation and death in this wave, due to our high rate of vaccination. And we did not have to create extra space in our treatment facilities of mortuaries.”

22 Press release

Saturday, February 5, 2022 2022- Gobind Sarvar School in Chardikala

The new year, 2022 brought continued challenges for the world. The impact of COVID-19, floods, and extreme cold weather conditions brought deaths due to sickness, loss of property, and livestock. Many families lost their homes, some trucking brothers got stuck on the highways for days. In these strenuous circumstances, embracing the spirit of Chardi Kala- spirit of optimism and joy, Gobind Sarvar School opened after winter break. The school celebrated the Gurpurab of Guru Gobind Singh ji; and through extended

assemblies, the students learnt about the life journey and lessons of the Guru. Grade 10 students sang Deh Shiva Bar Mohe Ehai, Grade 6/7 students sang Main hoon Param Purakh Ka Dasa and Grade 5 students sang Mittar Pyare Nu. The school also chose the Captains and Vice Captains of the schoolhouses – Sahibzadeh Ajit Singh, Sahibzadeh Jhujhar Singh, Sahibzadeh ;PSBXBS 4JOHI BOE 4BIJC[BEFI 'BUFI 4JOHI The new student leadership are chosen as Schoolhouses, Captains Vice-Captains.

Press release

BC Liberal statement on Lunar New Year

Interim Leader of the Official Opposition Shirley Bond and MLA Teresa Wat, BC Liberal Critic for Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Anti-Racism Initiatives released the following joint statement today for Lunar New Year: “Today marks the start of the Lunar New Year, and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. “The tiger symbolizes strength and that is very fitting for 2022 as British Columbians continue to demonstrate strength and resilience in our collective efforts to see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. “For many, the Lunar New Year is a time to undertake resolutions and look ahead to the challenges and opportunities the

coming months will bring. It is also a time to honour many cultures and recognize the tremendous contributions that Asian Canadians have made to this province. “While celebrations may look different due to the pandemic, we will continue to honour the rich culture of British Columbia’s Asian communities in the safest ways possible. “On behalf of the entire BC Liberal Caucus, we send our warmest wishes to everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year here in B.C. and all around the world. “We wish you and your family a year of good health, happiness, and success. Happy New Year! “Kung Hei Fat Choi! Xin Nian Kuai Le!”

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Saturday, February 5, 2022