The Asian Star March 11 2023

Judge orders arrest warrant for South Asian doctor who fled the country with history of spousal abuse

Dr. Sujay Ishwarlall of Duncan is wanted for contempt of court for conduct during divorce proceedings.

A B.C. judge has ordered a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of a doctor with a history of domestic violence who fled the country in the face of a growing bill for unpaid spousal and child support.

Anesthesiologist Dr. Sujay Ishwarlall, formerly of Duncan, has faced criminal charges in two countries for assaulting his ex-wife and was “physically, emotionally, and financially violent” toward her throughout their 15-year marriage, according to a recent B.C. Supreme Court judgment.

Ishwarlall cleared out his bank accounts and took off for his home country of South Africa sometime

Canadians say taxes are an overbearing rip-off

Nearly three-quarters of Canadians (74%) believe the average family is overtaxed by federal, provincial, and local governments, says a new report published by the Fraser Institute.

“There is a large discrepancy between what the average family actually pays in total taxes versus what Canadians believe the average family should be paying,” said Jake Fuss, associate director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute and author of Polling Canadians on Taxes for the Average Family.

The findings are based on a Leger poll in early 2023 that surveyed

Continued on page 7

last year, after the most recent set of charges was resolved through a peace bond and he was ordered to pay thousands of dollars a month to support his family, Justice Catherine Murray’s March 2 decision shows. His refusal to pay child or spousal support has left his family “financially destitute,” she wrote, granting a divorce to his former wife.

Murray’s judgment includes a long list of orders against Ishwarlall, including an order for an arrest warrant for contempt of court stemming from his repeated violation of court orders commanding him to disclose financial information. Murray wrote that he has “flagrantly disregarded” the court’s authority. She also granted a protection order restraining him

Continued on page 6

Opposition leader presses PM Trudeau on reports of money from China in Canadian elections

In the wake of new allegations of foreign interference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted he has no information about money from the Chinese government working its way into Canadian elections.

Global News reported Wednesday on two briefing notes it obtained through intelligence sources that indicated the government was warned in 2019 and 2022 that the Chinese government was funnelling money to Canadian election candidates. The warnings came through both CSIS and an independent committee of parliamentarians set up to review security matters.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the media report is a clear indication the prime minister has been untruthful.

“The prime minister knew that his own security committee said Beijing had directed funds to candidates in preceding elections and yet he continues to say exactly the opposite,” Poilievre said.

Heads of large grocery stores deny increasing food prices

The heads of Canada’s top three grocers insisted on Wednesday that they are not profiting off soaring food inflation and are doing everything they can to keep prices low for Canadians, pinning the blame on suppliers and the global market.

But many MPs on the House of Commons agriculture committee were not buying what the CEOs were selling, repeatedly asking the executives to square rising profits with grocery costs that are forcing families to make hard choices at the checkout aisle.

“How much profit is too much profit?” asked NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who has made food inflation and alleged “greedflation” by grocers a top issue for his party.

Continued on page 6

Canada’s summer forecast is out and it’s HOT

A sizzling hot summer is headed for most of Canada according to an extended weather forecast by the Farmers’ Almanac. June 21 Canada. It will be the start of a “warmer-thannormal” summer for most of the country. than normal conditions for most of the nation,” said the Farmers’ Almanac, warning of temperatures at times that will soar past 32°C, in some cases even approaching 37°C. Factor in the oppressive humidity and heat 40°C in some areas, according to the forecast. BC is set to see seasonal temperatures while Alberta and the other prairie provinces will see “broiling” temperatures.

More news on page 3

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PM Trudeau faces fury of Canadian MPs over alleged Chinese election meddling

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for a review of foreign interference in his country’s elections and will appoint an independent special investigator to probe alleged Chinese meddling in Canada’s polls.

PM Trudeau has come under pressure to act amid Canadian media reports, citing anonymous intelligence sources, that detail alleged schemes run by China to influence Canada’s elections in 2021 and 2019. The Globe and Mail newspaper reported last month that China preferred to see Trudeau’s Liberals reelected in the 2021 election and had worked to defeat Conservative politicians considered unfriendly to Beijing. Opposition parties have demanded a full public inquiry.

“Today, we’re taking even further action to protect our democratic institutions, to defend their integrity, and

to uphold and strengthen confidence in our democracy. We will always take foreign attempts at undermining our democracy very seriously,” Trudeau said in a statement on Monday.

The prime minister said that he had asked legislators in the parliament’s national security committee to launch an investigation to “assess the state of foreign interference” in the country’s federal electoral process.

Trudeau also said that he would appoint an “eminent Canadian” who will have powers to make recommendations on “protecting and enhancing” democracy in Canada, including holding a public inquiry or another formal independent review process.

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Veteran Liberal MP and former minister Marc Garneau is resigning his seat after nearly 15 years in politics. The senior Liberal MP and former Canadian foreign minister and transport minister, made the announcement to his party’s Quebec caucus this morning . The National Post first reported that Garneau, a senior Liberal MP who served as Canada’s foreign affairs minister and transport minister, made the announcement to his party’s Quebec caucus Wednesday morning, right before he shared the news with the

national caucus. He will also be addressing his departure in a speech to the House of Commons later in the day. “Out of respect, I wish to talk to my caucus first,” he told reporters as he was entering the meeting. His colleagues confirmed the news of his departure, and praised Garneau for his public service. Minister of Health JeanYves Duclos said the news of Garneau’s resignation came as a “great shock” and that his departure represents a “great loss” for all

Continued on page 7

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Premier David Eby signalled that the provincial government won’t directly support municipalities facing significant property tax hikes.

When asked on Friday (March 3) whether the provincial government would help offset such hikes, Eby said municipal governments are “accountable” to their communities, while acknowledging that they are facing rising costs like everybody else during a time of global inflation.

Population growth has put pressure on municipalities and regional districts across the province, Eby said, adding that the province supports municipalities year-over-year. “We have confidence in local government to address those issues at their level.”

The comments come just a few weeks after the B.C. NDP government announced the $1-billion Growing Communities Fund, a one-time grant program that will

tax hikes

be made available to communities – although many leaders are waiting for futher details.

“Our work with municipalities, with regional districts around this fund is to ensure that they have the resources to build out the things that make communities work — the fun things, the arenas, the pools, the trails, things like that – but also the essential infrastructure – the roads, the sidewalks, the street lights and other essential things,” he said.

Municipal governments across the province are preparing and finalizing their budgets with homeowners facing double-digit hikes in property taxes.

Vancouver passed a budget that raises revenues from property taxes by 10.7 per cent. Surrey leaders pondered a 17-plus per cent take hike, the same rate that the District of Lake Country in the Central Okanagan has already approved, but has since voted to limit it to no more than 12.5 per cent.

BC summer forecast is out and it’s going to be tinder dry

It’s hard to believe, but summer is right around the corner, and it’s going to be a thirsty one.

Last year was the third-hottest summer on record in Canada. Here in BC, we experienced a drought so severe that the Mojave desert was receiving more rainfall than Vancouver.

So, what’s ahead for Summer 2023?

Across Canada this summer, it’ll be warmer than normal, according to Farmers’ Almanac. In many regions, “the heat will seem unrelenting, persisting from late June through early September,” it said.

“Our official forecast calls for much warmer than normal conditions for most of the nation,” said the Farmers’ Almanac, warning of temperatures at times that will soar past 32°C, in some cases even approaching 37°C.

BC is set to see seasonal temperatures and dry conditions.

As for the rest of spring, the forecast is looking pretty wet and cold. But don’t worry, summer will be here shortly and soon enough we’ll be dreaming of cool days like these.

Investigation into Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown’s conduct underway

The Canadian Judicial Council is reviewing a complaint about the alleged conduct of Supreme Court of Canada Justice Russell Brown.

In a statement Tuesday, the council said the complaint against Brown, received Jan. 29, was referred to Christopher Hinkson, chief justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia and chairperson of the council’s judicial conduct committee. Under the Judges Act, the judicial council has a mandate to investigate complaints made against federally appointed judges. The council did not disclose the nature of the complaint

concerning Brown. The Supreme Court recently said the judge had been on a leave of absence since early February, but it did not disclose the reason.

On Tuesday, the court said it was now at liberty to say more, noting the council told Richard Wagner, the chief justice of Canada, of the complaint on Jan. 31.

The following day, after speaking with Brown, Wagner put him on leave from his duties at the Supreme Court effective immediately, while the council looks into the complaint.

Wagner notified Justice Minister David Lametti of this decision without delay, as required by the Judges Act, the Supreme Court said.

Premier David Eby signals no help for municipalities pondering large property

Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Review Agency will also investigate how the country’s intelligence services handled the threat of foreign interference during the elections and report its findings to Parliament.

PM Trudeau faces fury of Canadian MPs over alleged Chinese election meddling

“Together, these measures will give us a better understanding of what happened in the last two elections, how foreign governments tried to interfere, how security agencies in Canada responded

to the threat of interference and how the information flowed across government,” the prime minister said in a news briefing.

PM Trudeau and Canada’s top security officials have acknowledged China’s interference attempts but insist that election outcomes were not altered. They have not confirmed the details of the media reports.

PM Trudeau also raised “serious concerns” over the alleged Chinese election interference with China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Indonesia in November.

“We have long known, as an independent report confirmed again last week, that the Chinese government, and other regimes like Iran and Russia, have attempted to interfere not just in our democracy, but in our country in general, whether it’s our institutions, our businesses, our research facilities, or in the daily lives of our citizens,” Trudeau said

He added that “all political leaders agree that the election outcomes in 2019, and in 2021, were not impacted by foreign interference. But even if it didn’t change the results of our elections, any interference attempt, by any foreign actor, is troubling and serious”.

China denies all allegations of election interference, saying it has no interest in meddling with Canada’s internal affairs.

Canada’s opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had earlier on Monday criticised the idea of a Parliament committee being involved in the investigation. He said that would result only in officials presenting opposition legislators with “some information and then swear them to secrecy so they could never speak about it again. So effectively, that would be a trick to try and prevent anyone debating the subject.”

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Bank of Canada and Fed head for historic divergence, in a blow to loonie

As the Bank of Canada pauses its interest rate hikes, investors are betting that the sensitivity of Canada’s economy to higher borrowing costs will result in a historically large gap between the tightening campaigns of the BoC and the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Analysts have long argued that Canada’s economy is more sensitive to interest rate hikes than the U.S. economy, pointing to the higher debt loads of Canadians after they participated in a red-hot housing market in recent years and the shorter Canadian mortgage cycle.

But now some major economic data has given substance to that view and supports the market’s recent move to price in a wider gap between the end points for interest rate hikes in Canada and the United States, say analysts.

Canadian inflation slowed more than expected to 5.9% in January and gross domestic product was flat in the fourth quarter, held back by weakness in the interest rate-sensitive parts of the economy, including housing investment as well as business spending on machinery and equipment.

A lower expected peak for Canadian rates has pressured the Canadian dollar against its U.S. counterpart. The currency hit a four-month low on Wednesday at 1.3815, or 72.39 U.S. cents, after the BoC left its benchmark interest rate on hold at

4.50%, becoming the first major central bank to suspend its tightening campaign.

A weaker currency could drive up the cost of imported goods for Canadians, adding to inflation pressures.

“The Canadian economy is just far more sensitive to interest rates because of factors like the crazy amount of debtto-income that we’ve got, because of our overheated housing market,” said Jay Zhao-Murray, a market analyst at Monex Canada Inc. “The transmission channels of monetary policy are more effective in Canada than in the U.S.”

Contrasting with the BoC, Fed Chair Jerome Powell delivered a message this week of higher and potentially faster rate hikes.

Money markets expect the BoC’s policy rate to peak at about 4.75% this year, or roughly 90 basis points below the expected end point of the Fed. , Canadian rates have peaked below U.S. rates in the three major tightening cycles since the start of the millennium, with the gap ranging between 50 and 75 basis points.

“Poring over the national accounts, it’s increasingly clear that interestsensitive demand has wilted in Canada,” Warren Lovely and Taylor Schleich, strategists at National Bank of Canada, said in a note after the recent GDP data.

South Asian man arrested in connection with attack on missing Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri

York Police arrested a fifth person in connection with violent attack on Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri who investigators say was later abducted.

York Regional Police say Akash Rana, 25, of Delta, B.C., was involved in the December 20, 2021, frying pan assault on Hajtamiri in her Richmond Hill underground parking garage.

Hajtamiri suffered a head wound requiring roughly 40 stitches. Police said a citizen interrupted the parking garage assault, and the suspects fled the scene.

Rana faces charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. He remains in police custody with a court appearance in Newmarket scheduled for Thursday.

Four other men, including Hajtamiri’s former boyfriend, face charges including attempted murder and attempted

kidnapping in the Richmond Hill assault. Police are seeking the public’s help to identify additional individuals who may have had “involvement in the planning or assisting” in the violent assault of Hajtamiri.

They urge anyone with information to contact the investigations bureau at 1-866876-5423, ext.7241, OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Meanwhile, the investigation into Hajtamiri’s alleged abduction is ongoing. Investigators say she disappeared on January 12, 2022, after three men dragged her from a house in Wasaga Beach, where she had been hiding with family since the assault. Her whereabouts remain a mystery. The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.

Surrey firefighters save old Clayton Elementary School

Surrey firefighters put down a two-alarm fire at the old abandoned Clayton Elementary School in the 7500-block of 184 Street at about 2 p.m. on Thursday.

Almost 30 firefighters tackled the fire, containing it in about half an hour.

Battalion Chief Dave Wyatt said they’re not certain how it started but the fire went up in between the floors and went up the wall inside the building. No one was hurt.

“It looked like it had been smouldering for a long time but because of the old construction the wood is pretty thick,” he said. “It looked like it had been smouldering for hours.”

He said it was “very fortunate” the

Akash Rana was arrested by York Regional Police

whole heritage building wasn’t lost. “The building was unoccupied at the time, the alarms were activated and Surrey Schools were on site and called it in.”

his child and former wife.

“Given Dr. Ishwarlall’s history of violence, his apparent inability to control his anger and violent tendencies, along with his potential for serious violence, I find that … family violence is likely to occur,” Murray wrote.

In all, Ishwarlall has been ordered to pay more than $640,000 in penalties, expenses and unpaid child and spousal support, plus special costs. Murray added that “as Dr. Ishwarlall has demonstrated the lengths to which he will go to avoid paying child or spousal support, I am satisfied that [his ex-wife] must be awarded full ownership of all assets.”

Ishwarlall was ordered in May 2022 to begin paying child and spousal support but has paid nothing to his ex-wife and only three months of child support so far, Murray wrote.

Neither Ishwarlall nor his lawyer, Nathan Ganapathi, attended the trial, according to the judgment. CBC has reached out to Ganapathi for

Arrest warrant for South Asian doctor who fled

country with history of spousal abuse comment but has yet to receive a response.

Abuse ‘on an almost daily basis’

According to the judgment, Ishwarlall’s ex-wife kicked him out of the family home in June 2020 after their child threatened to run away if she didn’t end the marriage.

Ishwarlall had become “extremely violent” toward his family during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when they were often stuck at home together, Murray wrote.

“On an almost daily basis, he was physically and emotionally abusive,” the judgment says.

After she kicked him out, Ishwarlall continued to call his then-wife to threaten and insult her, according to the judgment.

He was charged with three counts of assault and two of uttering threats after an incident in November 2020 that saw him invading the family home, grabbing his estranged wife by the hair, threatening to “smash her in the face because she was disrespecting him” and spitting in her face, the decision says. Their

child was hiding behind a door throughout.

After the assault was over, the child came out crying from their hiding place, apologizing to their mother for “not being brave enough to protect her.”

On the date of Isherwarlall’s trial in August 2022, much to the surprise of his former wife, the matter was resolved through a 12-month peace bond, Murray wrote.

Ishwarlall had moved his family to Vancouver Island from Saskatchewan in 2015 after word of another spousal assault case began spreading through his community in Moose Jaw.

He’d pleaded guilty to an attack in a New Zealand hotel room during a family holiday in 2013.

According to Murray’s account of the

assault, Ishwarlall had become angry with his then-wife, headbutted her in the face and then dragged her around the room. When she tried to escape, he shut the door on her toe.

He received a discharge after his guilty plea, which meant there would be no conviction on his criminal record.

Ishwarlall attended some anger management counselling sessions after the New Zealand attack, but it “did not seem to have any impact” on his violent tendencies, Murray wrote.

“One thing did change after the New Zealand incident, however; Dr. Ishwarlall was careful to not leave telltale signs of his abusive conduct,” she said.

Heads of large grocery stores deny increasing food prices

“Is there no limit to how much profit you can make on the backs of Canadians that are struggling because they can’t afford their groceries?”

“Reasonable profitability is an important part of operating a successful business,” said Loblaw Companies CEO Galen Weston Jr., who stated several times during his testimony that his company makes $1 in profit for every $25 sold. Singh, who’s not a regular member of the committee, advertised his showdown with Weston in a slate of social-media posts ahead of the meeting.

Weston appeared alongside Metro Inc. CEO Eric La Fleche and Michael Medline, CEO of Empire Co., which operates chains including Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo.

All three companies and their executives have been increasingly under scrutiny for the prices of the food on their shelves.

While headline inflation has shown signs of cooling in recent months, prices for food purchased from the grocery store were again up 11.4 per cent in January, according to Statistics Canada.

An analysis from Dalhousie University’s AgriFood Analytics Lab published in November found all three top grocers beat their five-year averages for profit in the first half of 2022, with Loblaw beating its previous best results for

the period by $180 million. Asked about the Dalhousie report, Weston said he disagreed with its findings. All three CEOs said their profit margins haven’t changed and that more money is made from pharmacy and other non-food sales.

The executives also questioned why MPs have not invited large American retailers who do business in Canada to testify, arguing they make up a significant portion of the market. The committee later unanimously agreed to summon the heads of Walmart Canada and Costco Canada.

Some Conservative members focused their questioning on the impact they say Liberal government policies like the carbon tax have on the rising costs of farmers and other suppliers from whom the grocers source their products.

The CEOs refused to entertain suggestions that government policies were contributing to food inflation.

“Clearly their costs are up. What the exact root causes of those are, I’ll leave to others. I’ll leave to experts,” La Fleche said. Weston said many of the cost increases from vendors are “unjustified” and claimed Loblaw had stopped $500 million worth of such price hikes over the course of the current inflationary period.

the

From page 1

Canadians say taxes are an overbearing rip-off

surveyed 1,554 Canadians about their opinions on the tax burdens imposed on families. Here, 52% said the average family should pay 25% or less of their income to local, provincial, and the federal governments.

The average Canadian family paid 45.2% of its income in taxes in 2022. According to the poll, 80% of Canadians support the average family paying 40% or less of their income in total taxes to all levels of government. Only 6% polled believed the tax burden should represent more than 40% of the average family’s income.

Nearly half (44%) of Canadians surveyed believe they’re getting poor or very poor value from the services they receive from governments. Another 16% of Canadians believe they are getting good or great value and 28% believe they get satisfactory value.

“It’s clear that many Canadian families don’t believe they’re getting value from their taxes,” said Fuss.

“Tax relief should be a much higher policy priority given the overwhelming view that average Canadian families are overtaxed coupled with the weak support for the value Canadians receive in government-provided services.”

Canada’s largest province hasn’t helped, the Fraser Institute has found. Their study of annual per-person program spending by Ontario premiers from 1965 to 2021 found the highest single year of spending on record was under Premier Doug Ford in 2020. However, without COVID-19 spending, it was still less than spending under Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals.

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries.

To protect the institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research.

From page 2

Canadians. “He is a very righteous man. He stands for his convictions and he is a good friend. I’m really sad to see him go,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly.

Garneau was Canada’s first astronaut in space, taking part in three NASA shuttle missions, and was the head of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 until 2006 before jumping into federal politics. He lost his first attempt for the Liberals in 2006 but won in 2008 as the MP for the Montreal riding and Liberal fortress of Westmount-Ville-Marie.

Garneau is also known as having run against then fellow MP Justin Trudeau for the Liberal Party of Canada’s leadership in 2013. At the time, he criticized Trudeau for lacking substance and accusing him of being an untested inexperienced rookie. He ultimately withdrew his candidacy to support Trudeau, and said he would remain a “loyal soldier”. After the Liberals won in 2015, Garneau went on to serve as Minister of Transport, a position he held until early 2021 before being promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs until the federal election later that year. Garneau was shuffled out of Justin Trudeau’s senior cabinet after the federal election in 2021.

Garneau recently made headlines for butting heads with his own party over Bill C-13, an official languages bill that notably aims to protect linguistic minorities across the country, with a particular emphasis on French language.

Veteran Liberal MP Marc Garneau resigning

Tim Hortons customers furious after technical error incorrectly says they won $10,000

Some Tim Hortons customers who were told they had won $10,000 from the coffee chain’s popular Roll Up To Win contest are now being notified that the prize message was a glitch. The coffee and doughnut chain said Wednesday that for a few hours on Monday — the contest’s first day — a “small subset” of players were incorrectly notified that they’d won the company’s jackpot draw, a $10,000 daily prize meant to be awarded to one person per day. The company added that it has offered a $50 gift card as compensation to players who received the erroneous award notice and is in the process of contacting the false winners “to express our regret for the disappointment caused by this error.” Moncton paramedic Luc Masse was among those who thought they had won a big prize only to be informed of the technical issue. He has yet to be offered a $50 gift card as an apology and feels it’s not a fair offer. “A company like Tim Hortons is recognized as a nationwide brand that people love and cherish. Everybody waits every year for this, Roll up the Rim To Win… and then the first day this happens,” he said. “It kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth, so to speak. Glitch or not, it shows that I won and I’d like them to honour it.” Masse, who said he stops by Tims for a coffee most days he’s at work, believed he won a $10,000 American Express prepaid card on Monday, when he logged onto the app after reaching his paramedic base. Tim Hortons’ annual spring prize contest – once called Roll up the Rim To Win – went fully digital in 2021, swapping out printed messages under rolled up coffee rims for scanning a loyalty card or app. Customers now scan the Tim Hortons app on their smartphone at the time of purchase to earn a “roll” that could reveal a prize like “free doughnut,” or scan a loyalty card and later log into the contest’s website to see the rolls and prizes they’ve earned. After Masse’s winner notification

Continued on page 9

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appeared, the app froze, but not before he managed to take a screenshot he sent to his wife, saying ‘How’s your Monday morning going? Here’s mine.“ His colleagues were just as excited.

“I was like, ‘oh my God, I think I won’ and then I showed them the message and they were like, ‘holy, I think you did.”

Masse contacted the Tim Hortons location he had bought his coffee at that day, who directed him to customer service number, where someone told me “it was a technical glitch and there’s nothing you could do.” He’s disappointed with the

response and admits it might affect how often he visits. “Tim Horton is my coffee. It’s my go-to place for coffee, especially when I work, but honestly I haven’t been since Monday,” he said. “Will I go again? It’s a possibility. How long in between? I have no idea.”

The technical glitch

Masse experienced comes after Tim Hortons reached a proposed settlement last year in multiple class action lawsuits alleging the restaurant’s mobile app violated customer privacy. As a consolation, the restaurant offered a free coffee and doughnut to affected users.

North Vancouver RCMP seek good Samaritan who helped with one arrest

Mounties in North Vancouver would like to give credit where credit is due after a “good Samaritan” helped them catch a fraud suspect last week.

According to police, officers were called to a local car dealership on March 1st.

Four people were allegedly trying to purchase a vehicle fraudulently.

At the scene, officers arrested three of the suspects without much of an issue, but the final suspect managed to get away on foot.

One officer gave chase, but eventually lost the suspect.

That’s when police say a good

Samaritan stepped up to give the officer a ride to the suspect’s last known location, where an arrest was made.

“In this instance, this good Samaritan’s actions directly led to the arrest of a suspect who might’ve escaped otherwise,” said Cst. Mansoor Sahak.

“We’d like to extended our sincere appreciation for this person’s actions and are asking them to come forward.”

North Vancouver RCMP are asking that person to call (604)985-1311 and quote file #23-4003.

Guns seized, 5 men charged in major Lower Mainland firearms trafficking probe

British Columbia’s gang-focused Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit announced charges against five men Wednesday in what it called a major firearms trafficking investigation.

The unit said it also seized a cache of drugs and guns.

The CFSEU said it started working with the New Westminster Police Department on a probe into an alleged gun trafficker last fall, which later expanded to multiple suspects.

On Tuesday, the unit searched several businesses and homes in Langley, New Westminster, Burnaby, Coquitlam, North Vancouver and Maple Ridge.

Those search warrants netted six handguns, a rifle, multiple prohibited gun parts and magazines and body armour pieces, as well as suspected fentanyl and a kilogram of suspected cocaine.

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“Early results indicate that the firearms have been sourced both domestically and internationally,” the CFSEU said in a media release

The unit was working with U.S. law enforcement to try and trace the guns’ origins, it added.

Twenty-four-year-old Arman Anthony Giordano of Maple Ridge, 28-year-old Brandon Vuong Nguyen of Burnaby, 39-year-old Ali Sabha Taghan of Langley, 33-year-old Derek Melville Johnston of North Vancouver and 30-year-old Jerry Lino of Coquitlam were arrested on Tuesday, it said.

The men have been charged with various weapons charges and were due in court on Wednesday.

The investigation is ongoing, and more charges are possible, the CFSEU said.

Toronto police stole $6,000 in cash from drug dealer’s apartment, judge finds

A self-admitted cocaine dealer facing a “formidable” case has been cut loose by a judge who found Toronto police stole about $6,000 in cash seized from his Weston Road apartment.

“I am satisfied on a balance of probabilities that the money was taken by one or more police officers involved in the investigation,” Justice Andras Schreck wrote in a pretrial ruling released Wednesday. Because Andrew Rocha’s charter rights were violated, Schreck agreed to a defence request to stay his charges of drug trafficking and possessing the proceeds of crime, meaning he will not face further prosecution.

“The justice system worked as it

should — because the rest of the system in this case certainly didn’t,” defence lawyer Kim Schofield said on Wednesday.

Toronto police officers raided Rocha’s apartment on Feb. 6, 2019, seizing $19,390 and a half-kilogram of cocaine. Rocha later told Schofield some $6,000 was unaccounted for between the seizure at the apartment and the contraband’s arrival at the police station.

Schofield said the officers themselves exposed the theft by taking photos showing large stacks of cash at the apartment that shrank to smaller bundles after they were taken to the police station.

Bank of Canada leaves rates unchanged, sees inflation falling as forecast

The Bank of Canada on Wednesday left its key overnight interest rate on hold at 4.50%, as expected, becoming the first major central bank to suspend its monetary tightening campaign in the face of an anticipated easing of high inflation.

Over the past year, the Canadian central bank raised rates eight times in a row by a total of 425 basis points to tame inflation, which peaked at an annualized rate of 8.1% last year and slowed to 5.9% in January, still almost three times the Bank of Canada’s 2% target. When the BoC last met to set policy in January, it announced a 25-basis-point hike and said it wanted to leave rates unchanged for a while to let previous increases sink in, as long as prices slowed in line with its expectations. “Overall, the latest data remains in line with the Bank’s expectation that CPI inflation will come down to around 3% in the middle of the year,” it said in a statement.

The Canadian dollar weakened to a four-month low of 1.3794 per U.S. dollar, or 72.50 U.S. cents, after the announcement, down as much as 0.3% on the day. “It certainly sounds like the bank is on hold,” said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets. “We’re expecting them to stay on hold through the rest of this year.”

In its statement, the BoC reiterated that it was “prepared to increase

the policy rate further if needed to return inflation to the 2% target.”

The majority of the 32 economists surveyed by Reuters last week said the central bank would likely keep rates on hold through the end of this year.

Before the BoC’s policy announcement, money markets were fully pricing in another tightening by September. They trimmed their bets to a 90% chance for a September hike after the decision.

“The risks are still tilted toward the Bank of Canada not being done and perhaps having to come back off the sidelines depending upon data,” said Derek Holt, vice president of capital markets economics at Scotiabank.

While some economic data have been particularly strong since the last policy meeting, including a blockbuster January jobs report, gross domestic product stalled in the fourth quarter - coming in far weaker than the 1.3% annualized growth forecast by the BoC.

In its statement, the central bank acknowledged that fourth-quarter growth was below its expectations, and dropped language saying the economy was in “excess demand,” language that was used twice when it announced the January rate hike.

“Restrictive monetary policy continues to weigh on household spending,” the statement said. “With weak economic growth for the next couple of quarters, pressures in product and labor markets are expected to ease.”

Police transition is upto City of Surrey Council - Premier Eby

Premier David Eby is drawing a clear line when it comes to Surrey’s police transition, making it clear where the province’s responsibility ends and the city’s begins.

Premier Eby says ultimately, the B.C. government’s only responsibility is to ensure it’s safe the city needs to decide who’s going to provide the service.

“Will a police officer show up to that 9-1-1 call? If the answer is yes and it’s a safe plan, the solicitor general can sign off on it. The decision about whether to proceed with a Surrey police department or with RCMP is up to the local council,” he explained on Tuesday.

His comments come after Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke suggested looking at using a provincial fund to offset a potentially massive tax increase of 17.5 per cent.

The increase was proposed to help

cover costs related to stopping the transition that was set in motion by former Mayor Doug McCallum and sticking with the RCMP. However, Eby suggests the city’s proposal to use an infrastructure fund to offset costs may be a short-sighted decision.

“This is a one-time fund, so if you’re using this fund to fund operational processes in the city, maybe that’s okay for one year but what happens next year?” he said.

“Also, they know that the province is going to be coming to them and saying, ‘we need you to hit certain housing targets, we need you to build housing to support growing communities, the population growth that we’re seeing because we’re in a housing crisis, under the new legislation that we’ve passed’.”

Richmond lawyer guilty of professional misconduct in bookkeeper’s $7.5M theft won’t be disbarred

A Law Society of British Columbia tribunal review panel has ruled against disbarring Richmond lawyer Hong Guo, who was found guilty of professional misconduct related to the theft of $7.5 million in client funds by her bookkeeper.

Guo was originally suspended from practising law for a full year. The LSBC brought the review application to disbar her, arguing it was the only reasonable penalty for the totality of her misconduct.

In 2021, a law society tribunal found Guo had failed to supervise her employees, failed to comply with trust accounting rules and had left signed blank cheques with the bookkeeper, which enabled the

theft of money from client trust funds.

The tribunal found that on discovering the thefts, Guo misappropriated money from the trust funds of other clients in order to complete pending real estate transactions.

The clients impacted were eventually compensated by Guo personally and through $4 million paid out by an insurance policy.

The investigation into Guo’s misconduct began in 2018 while she was running to become mayor of Richmond.

At the time, she defended herself on Twitter, explaining that it was two former employees — one of them her accountant — who stole the money from her pooled trust account by forging her signature.

Surrey council sitting as the finance committee rejected the city’s proposed budget for 2023 after taking it on the chin from angry Surrey residents at a public hearing at city hall on Monday afternoon.

A revised budget will be before council for consideration on April 6, after the spring break, with city staff instructed to limit the property tax increase to no more than 12.5 per cent.

“It is very challenging times. We were left, frankly, with a fiscal mess,” Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said, forecasting budget pain “way worse in perpetuity.”

Locke said at the outset of the meeting that with help from a $89.9 million provincial government grant, a potential 9.5 per cent property tax increase specifically tied to the city’s policing transition would be lowered to 4.5 per cent. That would then lower a proposed 17.5 per cent tax increase for 2023 to 12.5 per cent.

Also factoring in a three per cent utility rates hike, a 20.5 per cent increase would become 15.5 per cent. The $89.9 million is Surrey’s slice of the $1 billion

The overdose death toll has surpassed 200 for yet another month in British Columbia.

The BC Coroners Service reports 211 people died in January, bringing the number of deaths to at least 11,195 since the publichealth emergency was declared in 2016.

A statement from the coroner’s office says the death rate in January was 47 people per 100,000, more than double the 20.5 death rate that prompted B.C.’s medical health officer to declare the emergency almost

Growing Communities Fund announced by Premier David Eby three weeks ago.

“The proposed budget will be updated with the new infrastructure funds from the province. In this case, revisiting the budget to factor in the new monies will result in a decrease from the property tax rate currently proposed,” Locke said.

“While we await for the final numbers from finance I am confident that policing surcharge will be decreased from the 9.5 to 4.5 per cent. That’s a five per cent cut from what was currently proposed. And just to be clear, this covers only the cost of unwinding two police forces to have only the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction in Surrey and does not cover the extra cost that will occur if we continue ahead with this costly transition.”

On Feb. 24 Locke told the NowLeader Surrey’s share of the provincial community infrastructure grant could “absolutely” be used to offset a portion of the property tax increase bearing down on Surrey taxpayers this year. During Eby’s presser on the grant on Feb. 10, he said the money is intended to help local municipalities “improve roads, build

No indication objects downed over Yukon, Lake Huron operated by foreign state: Anand

Canada’s top military officer says it would have been “preferable” for a Canadian fighter jet to shoot down a suspected balloon over Yukon last month -- but they were delayed by freezing rain.

“I gave direction that it’d be preferable for the Canadian CF18s to do the shoot down,” Gen. Wayne Eyre said Tuesday. “But I will say they were delayed in departing Cold Lake because of freezing rain.”

The comment came as members of the House of Commons defence committee pressed Eyre and Defence Minister Anita Anand for answers about the range of flying objects shot down over North America last month. Those include a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was downed off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4 after flying over Alaska, Western Canada and large parts of the northern United States.

They also include three objects shot down in quick succession between Feb. 10-12, including one downed by an American F-22 over Yukon on Feb. 11, which officials have

described as a suspected balloon.

There have been questions over why the object over Yukon was destroyed by a U.S. fighter jet, as Canadian officials have said there were CF18s scrambled and in the area after it entered Canadian airspace.

But Eyre told the committee that the Canadian aircraft were still minutes away when the F-22 fired its missile in accordance with his order that “whoever had the first, best shot” was to take it.

Anand also defended the use of an American fighter jet, saying the aircraft was operating at the time under the jurisdiction of Norad, the joint U.S.-Canada military command responsible for protecting North America.

“Aircraft under Norad were being scrambled,” she said. “And the decision to take down the suspected balloon was made by the prime minister using Norad assets after phone calls with President Biden and with the secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin.”

seven years ago.

Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says in the statement that toxic drugs are an ever-present danger to anyone who uses illicit drugs. She says recent announcements by the province about increasing treatment and recovery options are encouraging and necessary to address the tragic loss of life.

The service says the latest toll means that an average of 6.8 lives are lost every day, and 80 per cent of those who died were men.

International student’s killer seeking refugee status in New Zealand

A Vancouver MP says she’s outraged a man convicted in the death of an international student in B.C. two decades ago is trying to claim refugee status in New Zealand.

Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan has penned a letter to the federal government calling on it to engage with New Zealand immigration officials and ensure they’re fully aware of Ang Li’s criminal history.

Li was convicted by a Chinese court a decade ago in the death of 21-yearold Amanda Zhao, who had come to Canada to study English in 2002.

Zhao’s body was found stuffed in a suitcase near Stave Lake in Mission, B.C., after she disappeared. Li, her boyfriend, fled to China before he could be charged in the case. Chinese authorities refused to extradite him to Canada, but he stood trial in China and was convicted of first-degree murder in 2012. In 2014, his conviction was reduced to a crime similar to manslaughter and his sentence cut to seven years. The New Zealand Herald now reports that Li is

seeking refugee status after entering the country on a passport with a false name and birthdate, and even claimed that Zhao is “still alive and walking around somewhere.”

“This is an outrageous claim and it’s absolutely disgraceful. The truth of the matter is Amanda was murdered, her body was stuffed into a suitcase and dumped into the lake,” Kwan said Monday.

“This is hurtful. It shows he has zero remorse, zero regret with what has happened.” Kwan said there is no question that Zhao was killed, and that Canadian and Chinese officials had both confirmed her identity using DNA.

She said Zhao’s family had reached out to her and is pleading for Canada to set the record straight.

“They are outraged and saying he is lying. He is saying Amanda is alive, and that is simply untrue,” she said.

The Chinese court also ordered Li to pay Zaho’s family $250,000 in damages, money Kwan said was never paid.

Surrey Mayor says B.C. grant will lower 17.5% tax increase to 12.5% but Govt does not agree

Almost 7 lives lost from toxic drugs a day as B.C. overdose deaths surpass 200 for January

Community news

South Asian Adults & Seniors - Bingo on the House & In Person Yoga Classes at Shanti Niketan hall for members, Bingo on March 12th 2023, from 2.00 pm to 3.30pm at Shanti Niketan hall. In Person Yoga classes for members only, Every Monday & Every Thursday from 10.00 am to 11.15 am. Pure Vegetarian Lunch on Thursdays after the Yoga session.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey informs South Asian Seniors that during the Tax filing period we can help you to file your Income Tax Returns for the year 2022 free of cost, through the community volunteer program, from March 4th 2023 to April 30th 2023.

For more info call: 604 - 507 - 9945

Sonakshi Sinha to join ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’

Sonakshi Sinha, who returned from the Berlinale recently, is set to join the cast of the upcoming action entertainer ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’. The film’s unit recently finished the Mumbai leg of the film’s schedule and are currently filming in Scotland, the BTS picture of which was shared by the film’s producer Jackky Bhagnani on Thursday. The Scotland schedule will be followed by the Abu Dhabi schedule which will happen by the end of March. Speaking about her association in ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, Sonakshi said, “I’m excited to be a part of this amazing ensemble cast for ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’. It’s always a pleasure to work with Akshay, and I’m looking forward

to working with Tiger for the first time”. ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ stars two of India’s biggest action stars - Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in the lead roles.

Lauding the film’s director, she said, “Ali Abbas Zafar is a brilliant director, and I have no doubt that this film is going to be a blockbuster. I can’t wait for audiences to see what we have in store for them”.

Meanwhile, Sonakshi also has Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s webseries ‘Heeramandi’ and Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby Films ‘Dahaad’, which also marks the digital debut of the actress, in the pipeline.

Actor-director Satish Kaushik dies of heart attack at 66

Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik, known for his memorable comic roles in films such as “Jaane Bhi do Yaaro” and “Mr India”, passed away following a heart attack early Thursday morning. He was 66. According to friend and colleague Anupam Kher, Kaushik was at a friend’s home in Delhi when he complained of uneasiness. “He felt uneasy and he told his driver

to take him to the hospital and on the way he suffered a heart attack around 1 am,” Kher said. In a tweet earlier, Kher said he was shocked to hear about Kaushik’s sudden death.

“I know “death is the ultimate truth of this world!” But I never thought in my dreams that I would write this thing about my best friend #SatishKaushik while alive. Such a sudden full stop on a friendship of 45 years!! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH! Om Shanti!”

Kiara Advani

The young talent who gave some back-toback super hit movies Kiara Advani is nowadays noted among the top 10 Bollywood actresses. She was born on 31 July 1992 in Mumbai. She changed her name from Alia Advani to Kiara Advani suggested by Salman Khan before release of her debut film Fugly (in 2014).

Kiara has given some successful Bollywood films in recent times including Lust Stories, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Indoo Ki Jawani, Good Newwz, Kabir Singh, etc. She has outstanding acting skills along with an attractive figure and beautiful face. So definitely, she is a rising star of Indian Cinema who could be a preeminent actress of Bollywood in upcoming days.

Madan Mohan

June 25, 1924 – July 14, 1975

One of the best music directors of Indian cinema

Madan Mohan was born on June 25, 1924, in Middle East where his father Shri Rai Bahadur Chunilal Kohli was working as an Accountant. Madan Mohan spent his early life in Middle East

After 1932, his family returned to their ancestaral home in Chakwal, (Pakistan) then in Jhelum district. He was left in the care of his grandparents while his father went to Bombay to seek work. He attended school in Lahore. During his stay at Lahore, he learnt basics of classical music. Some time later, his family moved to Mumbai where he completed his Senior Cambridge from St. Mary’s School.

At the age of 11 years, he started performing in children’s programmes broadcast by All India Radio.

At 17, he attended the Colonel Brown Cambridge School in Dehradun, U.P. where he completed one year training.

Madan Mohan was an impressive music director of 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s. He is considered to be one of the best, most melodious and skilled music directors of Hindi cinema. He is particularly famous and remembered for his immortal composions for ghazals. His best music compositions are famous with Lata Mangeshkar & Muhammad Rafi. In 1943, He joined Army. He served there for fews years, then he left and returned to Mumbai to pursue his musical creations.

In 1946, he joined All India Radio, where he came in contact with various teachers such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, and Talat Mahmood. During these days he would also compose music for programmes to be broadcast on All India Radio.

In 1947, he ws transferred to All India Radio, Delhi where he worked for a short period of time.

Madan Mohan was very fond of music and singing as well, and so in 1947 he got his first chance to record two ghazals lyrics by Behzad Lucknawi, Aane Laga Hai Koi Nazar Jalwa Gar Mujhe and Is Raaz Ko Duniya Jaanti Hai. In 1948 he recorded two more ghazals penned by Deewan Sharar, Wo Aaye To Mahfil Mein

Ithlaate Huye Aaye and Duniya Mujhe

Kahti Hai Ke Main Tujhko Bhoolaa Doon

In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing

duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata Mangeshkar under composition of music

maestro Ghulam Haider for film Shaheed, though these songs were never released. Between 1946 and 1948, he assisted music composers S.D. Burman for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar for film Actress

In 1950 got a breakthough with film Aankhen, which marked the beginning

of a long lasting collaboration with Mohammed Rafi Sahib, his next film was Adaa which saw the beginning of a long lasting pair with Rafi & Lata both would go on to sing for many of his films.

Two of his composed songs for Sharabi

- “Sawan ke maheeney mein” and “Kabhi na Kabhi koi na koi toh aayega”, for Dev Anand are among the most well known renditions.

In addition, his other compositions like “Wo Chup Rahen To” from film Jahan Ara (1964) and “Maine Rang Li Aaj Chunariya” from Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1966) are two similar examples. Madan Mohan was also able to write songs for singers such as Talat Mahmood (Phir wahi Shaam, wahi gham, wahi tanhaayee hai, Main Teri Nazar Ka Suroor Hoon and Teri Aankh Ke Aansoo from Jahan Ara, and Meri Yaad Mein Tum Na from film Madhosh. Mohammed Rafi sung (Ek Haseen Shaam Ko from film Dulhan Ek Raat Ki, Kisi Ki Yaad Mein from film Jahan Ara, Main Nigahen Tere Chehere Se from Aap Ki Parchaiyian, Aap Ke Pehlun Mein Aakar Ro Diye from Mera Saaya, Ye Duniya Ye Mehfil Mere Kaam Ki Nahin from film Heer Ranjha, Tere Dar Pe Aayaa Hoon from film LailaMajnu, the all-time haunting Meri Awaaz Suno and Tumhare Zulf Ke Sayen from Naunihal, Teri Aankhon Ke Siva Duniya Mein from film Chiraag as well. Madan did not usually employ Kishore Kumar.

Nonetheless, their partnership created melodious songs as well; in this category such as Simti Si, Sharmai Si from film Parwana, Zaroorat Hai, Zaroorat Hai from Man-mauji, the title song from Ek Muthi Aasman, Mera Naam Abdul Rehman from film Bhai Bhai, and Aai Hasino, Naazanino from Chacha Zindabad Madan Mohan succesfully collaborated with lyricists Rajinder Krishan, Sahir Ludhianvi, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Kaifi Azmi, and Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Some of his most famous hit form films like ‘Dekh Kabira Roya, Chetan Anand’s Haqeeqat (1964).

Mera Saaya, Woh Kaun Thi, Adalat, Anpadh, Dulhan ek raat ki, Dastak, Hanste Zakhm, Heer Raanjha, Maharaja, Mausam, and many more.

Rajinder Singh Bedi’s Dastak won him National Film Award for Best Music in 1971. Lata Mangeshkar called Madan Mohan “Ghazal ka Shehzadaa’’.

At the age of 51, financial struggles took toll on his health and eventually his life, he began drinking heavily. In summer 1975 Madan Mohan died of liver cirrhosis. His funeral was attended by Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajendra Kumar and many.

Music director Madan Mohan (left), singer Muhammad Rafi and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi

Metro Vancouver new home listings amongst the lowest in recent history

Home sales in Metro Vancouver over the course of February 2023 remained well below historic norms, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). There were 1,808 units sold in February 2023, representing a 47.2% decrease from the 3,424 sales in February 2022 — just before the start of the market slowdown in March 2022, initiated by the Bank of Canada’s first of a series of interest rate hikes.

February 2023’s volumes are also a 77% drop from the 1,022 homes sold in January 2023, and 33% below the 10-year sales average for the month.

“It’s hard to sell what you don’t have, and with new listing activity remaining among the lowest in recent history, sales are struggling to hit typical levels for this point in the year,” said Andrew Lis, the REBGV director for economics and data analytics, in a statement.

A “record high” number of Canadians believe they’ll never have the finances to purchase a home, according to a

“On the plus side for prospective buyers, the below-average sales activity is allowing inventory to accumulate, which is keeping market conditions from straying too deeply into sellers’ market territory, particularly in the more affordably priced segments.” The month saw 3,467 properties newly listed for sale, which is a 36.6% decrease compared to the 5,471 homes listed in February 2022 and a 5.2% uptick from the 3,297 homes listed in January 2023.

The total number of homes currently listed for sale is 7,878 units — a 16.6% increase from the 6,742 units in February 2022, and a 5.2% increase from the 7,478 units in January 2023.

“While we continue to expect home price trends to show year-over-year declines for a few more months, current data and market activity suggest pricing is firming up. In fact, some leading indicators suggest we

may see modest price increases this spring, particularly if sales activity increases and mortgage rates hold steady,” continued Lis. REBGV’s jurisdiction covers Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Pitt Meadows, Sunshine Coast, Whistler, and all of the Tri-Cities and North Shore. In addition, other areas such as Surrey, Langley, Delta, and White Rock are part of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. The benchmark price for all homes in REBGV’s jurisdiction is currently $1.123 million, which is a 9.3% drop over February 2022 and a 1.1% increase from January 2023.

Within the city of Vancouver, the benchmark price for homes in the Vancouver Westside reached $1.247 million, representing a decrease of 8.9% compared to a year ago, while the benchmark price reached $1.116 million in the Vancouver Eastside, representing a year-over-year drop of 8.7%.

survey from Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) released Tuesday.

The survey, prepared by Oxford Economics for MPC, was taken by more than 2,000 people across Canada in December, 2022.

Results showed that 33 per cent of those polled who are not home owners said they believe buying real estate is out of reach — a “record high” compared to the group’s previous yearly surveys, said Cecely Roy, director of communications for MPC.

This outlook was inversely related with age, Roy said in a statement to the Star, with “most responses from

The price decreases were more significant for single-family houses and townhouses, compared to the milder drop for apartments.

February 2023 home sales statistics: REBGV Detached homes

Number of units sold: 514 (-49% over February 2022) Active listings: 3,052 Benchmark price: $1,813,100 (-12% over February 2022; +0.7% over January 2023)

Average days on market: 39

Apartment homes

Number of units sold: 928 (-49.9% over February 2022) Active listings: 3,601

Benchmark price: $723,200 (-3% over February 2022; +1.6% over January 2023)

Average days on market: 35

Townhomes Number of units sold: 366 (-34.6% over February 2022) Active listings: 1,215 Benchmark price: $1,038,500 (-6.3% over February 2022; +1.8% over January 2023) Average days on market: 29

finds

those in the 18-34 age group showing significantly lower overall optimism.”

The number of Canadians unable to afford a home has risen dramatically, according to the report, increasing eight per cent from just six months ago and 15 per cent year-over-year. Additionally, only 18 per cent of non-homeowners said they plan to purchase a home in the next five years — down six percentage points from the year before.

“The share of Canadians who think that they will never be able to buy a primary residence has increased significantly,

City will re-do public hearing for huge development in downtown Nanaimo

Nanaimo City Council has taken the unusual step of rescinding the third readings of two rezoning bylaws related to a major development application in downtown Nanaimo.

A re-zoning application for the former Howard Johnson Harbourside Hotel – where there are plans for two highrises, six other residential buildings, a hotel and a conference centre – needs to revert to the public hearing stage.

At a meeting Feb. 27, Dale Lindsay, general manager of development services, presented a report requested by council in an in-camera meeting Feb. 6, regarding public consultation for the re-zoning application for 444, 450 and 500 Comox Rd., 55 Mill St., and 1 Terminal Ave.

The re-zoning application requested changing those properties from medium density residential and gateway to a comprehensive development district zone, with an amendment to allow for mixeduse development and subdivision. The re-zoning bylaws passed first and second

readings Aug. 29, were put to a public hearing Sept. 29, and passed third reading Oct. 24.

But the public consultation process happened when the city was transitioning to the new Reimagine Nanaimo city plan, which includes truth and reconciliation policies that weren’t written into the old city plan. A section of the new city plan directs the municipality to work and consult with and seek partnerships with First Nations.

“As this, in our opinion, could be constituted as new information for council … the best practice is to rescind third reading and go back to a public hearing,” Lindsay said at the meeting. “That gives everyone an opportunity to review this report, receive it, and then consider it and come forward at a future public hearing and make recommendations.”

According to the report, the city had fulfilled the policy’s objectives, but the staff review and report of the truth and reconciliation consultation is considered new information. After the close of a public hearing, council should not receive new information, be it from the public, city staff or the applicant.

‘Record-high’ number of Canadians believe they’ll never own a home, new survey

You won’t believe how much income you now need to afford a home in Canada

While home prices and sales have gone down across Canada, buying a new home is still unattainable for many hopeful buyers, for a number of reasons.

Not only has the Bank of Canada’s ongoing interest rate hikes and steep stress test requirements made it harder for many would-be buyers to qualify for a mortgage, existing homeowners are grappling with increased debt servicing costs, as variablerate mortgage payments have soared.

But if that wasn’t enough to make the Canadian dream of purchasing a home a distant memory, data from online mortgage brokerage service Ratehub.ca has found that the required income now needed to purchase a property has increased in nine out of 10 major markets, compared to January 2022.

This comes amid reports of deep yearover-year declines in home prices, while large increases to both fixed and variable

Nine Ontario cities made the list!

As Canada’s cost of living continues to rise, more and more residents are feeling the financial squeeze.

For those finding it harder to make ends meet, the prospect of moving to a more affordable location may seem increasingly appealing. And whether seeking a lower cost of housing or more affordable daily expenses, many Canadians are exploring their options and considering a change of address.

If this sounds like you, a new report has detailed the most frugal places to live in Canada, where you’ll not only find more affordable housing options but also lower costs of living — which

mortgage rates have outweighed any price relief buyers may have otherwise enjoyed.

The report, which compiled January 2023 data from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), allowed Ratehub. ca to calculate the minimum annual income required to buy a home in Canada’s major cities, including changes to mortgage rates, stress test rates, and real estate prices.

According to the report, homebuyers will have to earn between $5,750 and $25,500 in extra income annually to buy a home in at least nine out of 10 major Canadian cities.

how-much-you-need-to-maketo-afford-a-home-in-canada

The data revealed the city that has seen affordability erode the most is Victoria, where

homebuyers need to earn an extra income of $25,500 yearly, even though home prices during the studied period have gone down by $11,800 in the city.

The only city to see affordability improve was the City of Hamilton, where buyers need an average of $4,350 less income to afford a home. This is due to a drop in average price of $202,900, the largest annual decline of all cities, by a considerable margin.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Vancouver was the major Canadian city in which residents needed the highest income, $212,800, to afford a home of average price ($1,111,400) in January 2023.

Most economical cities in Canada

will help your money go a lot further.

Yore Oyster, a personal finance and investment company, analyzed 30 Canadian cities with the lowest costs of living, which covers rent, utilities, food, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services, and affordable homes and scored them on the following criteria:

Median Household Income After Taxes

Total Monthly Living Cost (Family of 4)

Average Home Price (3-Bedroom)

Average 3-bedroom apartment monthly rent average-home-price-3bedroom-in-canada-1024x576

According to the findings, Edmonton, Alberta topped the list of the country’s most frugal cities, where the median household income after taxes is $93,748, the total monthly living cost for a family of four is $5,326, while the average monthly rent for a 3-bedroom is $1,550.

Of the 30 most frugal cities featured in the report, nine are located in Ontario, including Barrie, Kitchener, Kingston, Thunder Bay, Brampton, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Windsor, and London.

If you’re looking for the most affordable housing and living expenses in Ontario, you may want to consider relocating to

The City of Toronto followed close behind, with a necessary income of $207,000 required (an increase of $7,620), with homes costing an average of $1,078,900, which is down $178,600 from a year ago. Here is the income required in each of the 10 cities in order to be able to afford an average home in each market, according to Ratehub.ca’s most recent analysis.

Vancouver: $212,800- Toronto: $207,000 - Victoria: $169,250

Hamilton: $159,100

Ottawa: $122,440

Calgary: $105,680

Montreal: $103,560

Halifax: $102,260

Edmonton: $79,370

Winnipeg: $72,500

The main reason for the disparity between cities is a stronger stress test and higher interest rates.

Barrie, which placed 6th on the ranking.

According to the report’s findings, the total monthly living costs for a family of four is $4,753, while it costs around $2,400 to rent a three-bedroom apartment.

These are the most economical cities in Canada:

Maharashtra puts over 4,600 affordable homes near Mumbai on sale carpet area range for these homes is between 320 sq ft and 670 sq ft approximately.

The Maharashtra housing authority on March 8 put on sale 4,654 affordable homes near Mumbai. Of the total, 2,048 homes will be sold on a first-come, firstserved basis and the remaining on a lottery.

The homes to be sold via lottery are availableinThane,Palghar, Raigad,Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts near Mumbai.

The homes are available in several income groups including Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG) and Middle-Income Group (MIG). The price range for these units is between Rs 14 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, for which prospective homebuyers can apply between March 8 and April 10. The results of the lottery will be announced on May 10.

According to Maharashtra Housing and

Area Development Authority (MHADA) officials, the affordable homes have an area of between 230 sq ft and 670 sq ft, depending on the income category eligibility.

Maharashtra Budget: 1% stamp duty waiver for women homebuyers to continue Women’s day 2023: ‘Women can take on any role in the real estate sector today, from labour to leader...

Maharashtra realty regulator finds over 1,700 projects with accounts linked to multiple schemes

The 2,048 homes available on a firstcome, first-served basis are located in the Virar area of the Palghar district near Mumbai. These homes are available for lower- and middle-income groups in the price range of Rs 23 lakh to Rs. 49 lakh. The

US intelligence community fears increased India-Pakistan & India-China tension

The American intelligence community has told lawmakers that it apprehends increased tension between India and Pakistan and India and China with the possibility of a conflict between them.

It also noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to “perceived or real” provocations from Pakistan.

According to MHADA officials, these homes went unsold in the earlier

lotteries. “These flats were put on sale in previous lotteries but did not find any takers due to which we have kept their sale on a first-come, first-served basis.

Which Indian city has cleanest airport in Asia Pacific

Delhi airport has been adjudged as one of the best and cleanest airports in the Asia Pacific region by the international grouping ACI. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has bagged the Airport award for 2022 in the category of over 40 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA).

As per PTI reports, the IGI airport has been named the cleanest airport in the Asia Pacific region by the Airports Council International (ACI), a non-profit organisation of airport operators. Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) is a GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd consortium.

In an official statement, DIAL said, “The

airport customer experience measurement and benchmarking programme. This recognition is based on live research via surveys gathered at the airport — direct from the traveller — rating their satisfaction on the day of travel.” The Airports Authority of India (AAI), in a separate statement, said Tiruchirappalli International Airport has been rated the best in the Asia Pacific region in the category of under 2 million passengers ACI. The survey covered more than 30 performance indicators of a passenger’s airport experience which includes ease of finding your way, check-

Passenger urinates on seatmate amid New York-Delhi flight

According to Asian News International (ANI), “An Indian passenger allegedly urinated on a US co-passenger mid-flight on an American Airlines (flight AA-292) to New Delhi from New York, an official said on Sunday.

A 21-year-old Indian was identified as Arya Vohra, who is a student in USA. He urinated on a US citizen on March 4 while he was drunk.” I don’t know which is worse: This incident or the time a drunk American Airlines passenger threw up on his first class seatmates.

A drunk passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi allegedly urinated on a fellow passenger, said a report by PTI. A source at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport told PTI that the accused was taken into custody once the flight landed.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), IGI airport, said the accused was identified as Arya Vohra, a student at a US university. Legal action is being taken against Vohra, added the DCP.

The flight AA292, American Airlines took off from New York at 9:16 pm on Friday

and landed after 14 hours and 26 minutes at Delhi’s IGI airport at 10:12 pm on Saturday.

Arya Vohra allegedly urinated while he was asleep in a drunken state. “It somehow leaked and fell on a fellow passenger who complained to the crew,” a source at the airport told PTI. The student then apologised and the male victim was not keen on reporting the matter. However, the crew came to know about the incident and they informed the pilot, who then reported it to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the IGI airport. The ATC alerted the CISF personnel who handed over the accused passenger to the Delhi Police. American Airlines said it will not allow Arya Vohra to board their flights in the future. “Upon aircraft arrival, the Purser informed that the passenger was heavily intoxicated, and was not adhering to crew instructions on board. He was repeatedly arguing with the operating crew, was not willing to be seated and continuously endangering the safety of the crew and aircraft. After disturbing the safety of fellow passengers, finally urinated

India’s per capita income doubled since 2014-15

India’s per capita income has doubled to Rs 1,72,000 in nominal terms since the Narendra Modi-led NDA government came to power in 2014-15, according to the National Statistical Office (NSO).

As per the NSO, the annual per capita (net national income) at current prices is estimated at Rs 1,72,000 in 2022-23, up from Rs 86,647 in 2014-15, suggesting an increase of about 99 per cent.

The per capita income dipped during the Covid period, both in real and nominal

terms, the NSO data showed. However, it has picked up again in 202122 and 2022-23.

Former director of premier economic research institute NIPFP Pinaki Chakraborty said as per the World Development Indicator data base, average growth of India’s per-capita income in real term for the period from 2014 to 2019 was 5.6 per cent per annum.

India sets out to swarm skies with helicopters after jumbo jetliner deal

After signing an eye-popping deal for 470 Boeing and Airbus jets, India will also start building helicopters by the hundreds – some with a bit of help from its new military suitor France.

The announcement at the opening of India’s largest helicopter facility was as staggering as the 14 February promise by Air India to buy 470 aircraft worth 66 billion euros from Boeing and Airbus.

At the chopper plant, India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) said it would initially build locally designed light utility helicopters and then expand to make a variety of other rotorcraft.

The plant aims to top annual production of 1,000 units by 2043,

HAL said and added the venture would rake in billions of euros in 20 years.

HAL and the French military firm Safran struck a deal last month to build engines for a 13-ton medium role helicopter which will replace India’s ageing fleet of Mi-17 military helicopters by 2027.

HAL expects 400 units will be sold largely as a replacement for the ageing Mi-17, Codenamed “Hip” by NATO which have flown thousands of combat sorties for India.

Indian military sources say HAL plans to manufacture medium-weight Apache category combat helicopter. India in recent months held a string of war manoeuvres with Australia, Japan and the US following concerns over China’s move to amass troops along the contested Himalayan border.

India can become 3rd largest world economy by skilling youth, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said skilling the youth holds the key to India becoming the third-largest economy in the world from the fifth now.

Virtually addressing a “Rozgar Mela”, or employment fair, organised by the Gujarat government at the Mahatma Mandir convention centre in Gandhinagar, Mr. Modi said nearly 1.5 lakh youth were given government jobs in the State during the last five years.

The PM emphasised on the need to create a skilled workforce on a large scale to tap growing opportunities

in various sectors.

“For the new opportunities being created in the country, we need to create skilled manpower on a large scale. India can achieve the target of becoming the thirdlargest economy only by skilling its youth,” he said. India became the world’s fifth-largest economy last year.

Adani Group powering BJP’s electoral fortunes at expense of Indian power sector consumers, alleges Congress

Indian National Congress party raised questions over what it said were Adani Group’s “shenanigans” in the power sector, alleging that it was powering the BJP’s electoral fortunes at the expense of Indian consumers.

based short seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation.

The Gautam Adani-led group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.

Mr. Modi said nearly 18 lakh youths received jobs through employment exchanges during the last few years in his home State of Gujarat, ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Opposition party also asked whether any of the investigative agencies that are “quick to investigate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political opponents” will look into “opaque transactions” of the Adani Group.

Posing a set of three questions to Prime Minister Modi as part of the party’s “Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun” series, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Tuesday’s questions relate to the Adani Group’s “shenanigans in the power sector, RSS a “fundamentalist”,

The RSS is built on the lines of Muslim brotherhood, said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while speaking at London-based think tank Chatham House on late Monday evening. Stepping up his attack on the RSS, the Wayanad MP said, “The nature of the democratic contest in India has completely changed and the reason is that one organisation called RSS. It is a fundamentalist and fascist organisation that has basically captured pretty

much all of India’s institutions.” “It shocked me how successful they have been at capturing the different institutions of our country. The Press, Judiciary, Parliament, and Election Commission are all under threat and are controlled in one way or the other,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi said he does not believe in the ‘nobody can beat the BJP’ narrative.

The Congress is persisting with its attack on the government weeks after Adani Group stocks took a beating on the bourses after US-

Australian PM arrives in India with 25 business leaders

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was accorded a grand welcome on his arrival in India on Wednesday as he kicked off his four-day visit, the first by an Australian Prime Minister since 2017.

Chief Minister Gujarat, Mr Bhupendra Patel and Governor Acharya Devvrat received the Australian PM as a troupe of Garba dancers performed at the Ahmedabad airport.

“An incredible welcome to Ahmedabad, India. The beginning of an important trip for Australia-India relations,” Albanese tweeted after landing in Gujarat. People lined up outside too as Albanese’s motorcade left the airport, leaving the travelling Australian

media and other dignatries amazed.

The Australian PM is accompanied by 25 senior business leaders, CEOs of major Australian corporations, leaders of universities, leaders of IT companies, resources, and other companies. Albanese began his visit by paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the historic Sabarmati Ashram with CM Patel explaining him the significance of the place.

“A true privilege to pay homage to Gandhi’s legacy at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad,” he tweeted. Rathwa tribal folk dancers from Central Gujarat performed as the Australian PM joined the Holi celebrations event in Gandhinagar.

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“fascist” organisation, captured all of India’s institutions: Rahul Gandhi

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance rolls out iconic beverage brand ‘Campa Cola’

The company said RCPL’s roll-out of its cold beverage portfolio across India, starting with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, is aligned with the company’s overall vision of offering value and choice to Indian consumers through highquality products at affordable price points.

Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL), the fast-moving consumer goods arm and subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL), on Thursday announced the launch of the iconic brand, Campa, made for a new-age India.

The Campa portfolio will initially include Campa Cola, Campa Lemon and Campa Orange in the sparkling beverage category. The launch of this brand was in line with the company’s strategy to promote homegrown Indian brands that not only have a rich

heritage but also boasted a deep-rooted connect with Indian consumers, Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) said in a statement on Thursday. The company said RCPL’s roll-out of its cold beverage portfolio across India, starting with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, is aligned with the company’s overall vision of offering value and choice to Indian consumers through highquality products at affordable price points.

With this launch, RCPL said it further strengthened its versatile FMCG portfolio which comprises heritage brands from Sosyo Hajoori, confectionary range from Lotus Chocolates, Sri Lanka’s leading biscuit brand Maliban, as well as daily essentials under its own brands including Independence and Good Life, among others.

Islamic body opposes Kerala couple’s ‘remarriage’ to ensure rights of their daughters

The Council for Fatwa and Research, under Darul Huda Islamic University in Malappuram, has asked Muslims to resist advocate and actor C Shukkur and former MG University pro-Vice Chancellor (PVC) Dr Sheena Shukkur’s decision to register their marriage again under the Special Marriage Act, to ensure inheritance to their daughters. “According to the law of inheritance in Islam, if the deceased father has only daughters, then two-thirds of the property should be divided between the father’s sisters and brothers. Shukkur is forced to remarry because of his narrowminded thinking that his siblings should not get any part of his property,” the statement said.

Shukkur and Sheena, who married in 1994 under Islamic law, registered their marriage again on March 8, 2023 under the Special Marriage Act. This decision sparked a debate in Kerala over gender discrimination. As per The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, while a son can inherit all the property of his parents, if a couple has a daughter, she can only take half the share. If a couple has more than one daughter, they get two-thirds of the inheritance, and the rest of the property goes to the father’s siblings. Shukkur and Sheena have three daughters.

Central BJP visibly annoyed with state leaders

BJP candidate Dilip Saha got only 20,211 votes. There are 23 lakh voters in Sagardighi and 73 per cent of the voters had exercised their franchise.

Visibly annoyed with the performance of the BJP leaders in West Bengal, the central leadership has asked the state leaders to give a detailed report as to why the party candidate had lost his deposit in the Sagardighi by-election.

Congress candidate Bayron Biswas won the by-election by defeating Trinamul Congress

candidate Debashis Bandyopadhyay by over 22,000 votes. The byelection had become necessary after Subrata Saha, a Trinamul minister, died in December 2022.

BJP candidate Dilip Saha got only 20,211 votes. There are 23 lakh voters in Sagardighi and 73 per cent of the voters had exercised their franchise. A senior BJP leader said the party’s national president JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah took strong exception and asked the state leaders

PM Modi watches test match cricket with Australian counter part

Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on Thursday (March 9, 2023) enjoyed the first day of the fourth Test match between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Ahead of the start of the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the two leaders took a round of the massive sports arena on a golf car, which was applauded by the thousands of spectators who turned up at the world’s largest cricket

stadium. Modi and Albanese also handed over Test caps to their respective team captains Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith. They met players from both teams and stood alongside them when the national anthems of India and Australia were sung.

The two prime ministers also visited the ‘Hall of Fame museum at the Narendra Modi stadium.

Several crore Rs seized from Karnataka BJP MLA’s house

Officials in Karnataka recently raided the office of BJP MLA from Channagiri constituency, Madal Virupakshappa, and his son Prashanth Madal was caught redhanded accepting a Rs 40 lakh bribe.

Other than the bribe amount, the Lokayukta sleuths also seized Rs 2.2 crore from the MLA’s office and Rs 6.1 crore from his house. After he secured a bail in the case, the MLA was asked about the money seized from his house. And he has the most brazen explanation for it. “Our Channagiri taluk is the land of arecanut. Even the house of commoners will have Rs 4 to 5 crore. Such amounts are considered insignificant by us,” he said, looking straight into the cameras that surrounded him. As per the election affidavit filed by Madal Virupakshappa in 2018, the MLA’s annual income for 2016-17 was just Rs 5.4 lakh, while his wife had an annual income of Rs 64 lakh. The total assets

(movable and immovable) owned by him and his wife were worth Rs 5.73 crore. So if the MLA has several crores simply lying around in his house, why did he not declare this money in his affidavit? The Congress meanwhile has reacted to the comment and said, “According to Madal Virupakshappa, it is common for areca nut farmers to have crores of money in their houses. Dear MLA, when areca nut farmers of the state are suffering due to leaf spot disease and price reduction, it would be very beneficial if you tell them this method to grow crores of rupees like you.” Though he secured bail, Madal Virupakshappa is likely to appear before the Lokayukta officers on Wednesday in Bengaluru. Lokayukta officers have prepared a questionnaire for the BJP MLA, who is the prime accused in the case. He is supposed to appear before the officers within 48 hours after getting the order copy. The High Court granted him interim bail on Wednesday.

BJP MP screams at woman for not wearing bindia at Women’s Day event

S Muniswamy, a BJP MP from Karnataka’s Kolar district triggered a fresh controversy with his remarks during an event on women’s day on March 8.

On women’s day (March 8) , he scolded a woman in a shop about not putting a dot (Bindi) on her forehead.

“Wear a Bindi first. Your husband is alive,

isn’t he? You have no common sense,” Kolar BJP Lok Sabha MP shouted at a woman vendor. A video of the MP scolding the woman is also circulating on social media. While condemning it, the congress party said such incidents “reflect the culture” of the BJP.

Earlier, Kolar MP S Muniswamy inaugurated the exhibition and sales fair on Women’s day.

Former

CM Parkash Singh Badal & Son request anticipatory bail pleas in Kot kapura firing case

Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal filed anticipatory bail applications through their counsel Shiv Kartar Sekhon in the court of magistrate Ajaypal Singh on Thursday.

The bail applications were filed in the Kotkapura firing case, in which a chargesheet was submitted by the ADGP LK Yadav-led SIT in the same court on February 24. The next date of hearing for the bail applications is March 14.

11,200 tillers in Punjab to get ownership rights over land as President gives assent to Bill

More than 11,200 tillers in Punjab, who have been occupying over 4,000 acres of land for generations but had no title rights, will get the ownership after paying

due compensation as President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to a legislation in this effect, officials said on Thursday. The Punjab Bhondedar, Butemar, Dohlidar, Insar Miadi, Mukarraridar, Mundhimar,

Uproar in Punjab assembly over Moosewala case

There was uproar in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday as the treasury benches and opposition Congress benches had heated arguments over the withdrawal of security of Sidhu Moosewala leading to his murder.

Chakra

There were heated exchanges between minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal and Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Partap Bajwa.

Chakra awardee Jaswant Kaur who fought terrorists with bare hands dies at 93

She was 93. Jaswant Kaur along with her husband had fought terrorists with bare hands on April 9, 1988, when they were attacked at their residence in Shahabad.

Pakistan

Former Prime Minister Banimaramma charged with abuse of office

Former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho will be produced at the Suva Magistrates’ Court at a special court sitting this morning. Chief of Intelligence, Investigations and Prosecutions and Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Sakeo Raikaci says the two have been charged with one count of abuse of office each, following the sanctioning of charges by the Director of

Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde. Bainimarama and Qiliho are currently being held in custody at the Totogo Police Station after their interrogation at the CID headquarters. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions highlighted in a statement that the charges relate to a complaint laid with the police by the University of the South Pacific in July 2019 in relation to the activities of former staff members of the university.

Prasad labels Chaudhry’s claims as “jumping the gun”

Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad has labeled Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry’s claims as “jumping the gun”. The former Prime Minister had released a press statement expressing serious concerns at the warning from the Finance Minister that tax increases are “inevitable.”

Ninety-one percent of rape offenders over the past six years were known to the victims says Fiji Womens Crisis Center coordinator Shamima Ali.

He stated that it is quite disturbing as the increase in taxes, VAT and customs duty will affect middle-income families. In response, Professor Prasad says Chaudhry is making up stories and exaggerating more than he should.

91% rape perpetrators are known to the survivors seen 1031 rape survivors, 304 child rape survivors, 596 marital rape survivors. She says the age of the child rape survivors were between two to 17 years while marital rape survivors were between 18 and 72 years.

Ali highlighted this while revealing the statistics on the number of cases recorded by FWCC since 2016. She says in the six years they have

Ali adds that there were 1086 perpetrators and this trend hasn’t changed.

Counsel Sher Afzal Marwat, who appeared before the court, said 70-year-old Khan was unwell and “disabled” after being injured in attack on his rally in Punjab.

Ousted Prime Minister Khan again evades court hearing in Tochakhana case Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan on March 7, 2023 failed to appear before the court for fourth time in Toshakhana case even as the court refused to cancel the arrest warrant against him. The Former Premier’s

India slams Pakistani foriegn minister Bilawal for raking up Kashmir at UN debate

India tore into Pakistan after its foreign minister raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at a Security Council debate on women, peace and security, saying it is “unworthy” to even respond to such “malicious and false propaganda”.

Responding to Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, India’s Permanent

Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj termed his statement as “baseless and politically motivated”.

“Before I conclude, let me dismiss the frivolous, baseless and politically motivated remarks made by the delegate of Pakistan regarding the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.

Lahore Police register FIR gainst Imran Khan on charges of murder and terrorism

Another FIR (first information report) has been registered against former Prime Minister Imran Khan after clashes between his party workers and police near Lahore’s famous Mall Road and Canal Road.

This is 80th case against PTI leader, registered by his opponent political coalition parties.

The FIR has been filed by Deputy Superintendent of Police from Raiwind, who alleges that the PTI workers, including armed men, had violently clashed with the police.

Imran Khan faces standoff with army chief

According to some media reports, former Prime Minister Imran Khan had reached out to the Army Chief but he was rebuffed.

One of local tv programme anchor citing unnamed sources, said that army chief told while businessmen meeting him on Monday night that Imran Khan sent him message seeking a meeting with him, but he told PTI

chief that it was not his job as army chief to meet politicians, Geo reported.

The army chief asserted that the army “would neither interfere in politics nor would play any role in it”, the anchor quoted the sources as saying. Gen Munir maintained that he would not interfere in political matters and the political leadership itself should resolve its issues.

Imran Khan has never requested any meeting with army chief: PTI member

Imran Khan’s PTI party member Mr Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that former prime minister Imran Khan has never made any request to meet Army Chief, terming the “speculations in this regard as baseless”.

In a tweet, the former information minister also clarified that neither the PTI chief nor “any of his representatives likewise (sic) the President has never approached Chairman

PTI with any suggestion of the army chief for meeting Shehbaz Sharif”. The statement comes after senior journalist Kamran Khan tweeted earlier in the morning about Gen Munir telling the country’s business community that he had sent a message to ex-premier Imran through President Dr Arif Alvi for meeting the prime minister which the PTI chairman did not agree to.

awardee Jaswant Kaur, wife of the former CPI MLA from Shahabad Harnam Singh, died on Thursday morning in Shahabad in Kurukshetra district.

BC Liberals call for action to resolve Fraser Valley transit strike

VICTORIA (March 9, 2023) – As bus service in the Fraser Valley comes to a halt this morning, MLA Trevor Halford, BC Liberal Shadow Minister for Transit, is calling on the NDP government to take decisive action to bring an end to the strike.

“The Fraser Valley is a disaster zone today for commuters as bus services in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope, Mission and the Fraser Valley have come to a complete stop,” said Halford. “The strike is causing frustration and anger for those who rely on transit to get to school, to work, or to their medical appointments.”

BC Transit service will be halted until

the end of the day Saturday in Abbotsford, Agassiz-Harrison, Chilliwack, Hope, and Mission. The Fraser Valley Express, which runs between Lougheed SkyTrain station in Burnaby to Abbotsford and Chilliwack, will also cease to operate.

“Last year the NDP failed to help people during the Sea to Sky transit strike, the longest strike in B.C.’s history, and now it’s failing people in the Fraser Valley,” added Halford. “It’s unacceptable that this government sits idly by while people are stranded. The NDP government needs to get to work to ensure the strike is resolved and get buses back on the road.”

Press release

NDP refuse opportunity to reopen discussion on Bill 36

VICTORIA -In the face of growing concern and anxiety from health care professionals around the lack of clarity and scrutiny of Bill 36, the Health Professions and Occupations Act, the BC Liberals called on the NDP to refer the bill to the Legislature’s all-party Health Committee for further review. Unfortunately, the NDP said no, and refused to support this plan.

“Every day our BC Liberal Caucus hears from countless health care professionals who are deeply concerned and increasingly anxious about Bill 36,” said Todd Stone, Official Opposition House Leader. “This is why we called on the NDP to refer Bill 36 to the Select Standing Committee on Health and provide a real opportunity for MLAs to hear directly from health professionals and review the hundreds of pages that were left unexamined when government forced closure on the bill. It’s incredibly frustrating to see the NDP once again shut down the chance to give this bill the scrutiny it deserves, especially in light of the significant concerns of doctors, nurses, dentists, physiotherapists, and thousands of other health care professionals.”

The BC Liberal Caucus introduced a motion in the legislature to empower the Select Standing Committee on Health

to examine the Health Professions and Occupations Act and make recommendations with respect to the sections of the Act that did not have the chance to be debated last November. However, all NDP members present in the Legislature voted against this motion.

“The Official Opposition should have been given adequate time to ask questions about the bill, but the NDP closed the debate and — with the help of the Green Party — rammed through the legislation with over 400 clauses still left to examine,” said Shirley Bond, BC Liberal Shadow Minister for Health. “The changes made to the structure of health care regulatory colleges in Bill 36 are some of the most significant in our province’s history, and they should not come into force before they have had a genuine chance to be discussed in the Legislature. For the sake of worried health professionals, and the millions of British Columbians who depend on them for care, this NDP government must step up and finally allow a full and thorough discussion of Bill 36 and its impacts.”

The hundreds of clauses within Bill 36 left unscrutinised included changes to board appointments, regulatory oversight, and revisions to the disciplinary process.

Province introduces changes to Vital Statistics Act

Press release

VICTORIA - The Province has introduced amendments to the Vital Statistics Act.

The bill proposes to amend the Vital Statistics Act in two ways.

In January 2022, the Province made it possible for people 12 and older to change their gender markers on their birth certificates without a physician’s or psychologist’s confirmation. The first amendment will bring the legislation into alignment with the policy implemented last year.

The second proposed amendment will change the requirements in the act for information that must be included on a birth certificate, allowing individuals to request a birth certificate without a gender marker.

These changes build on previous actions to make it easier for people to have their government-issued identification match their gender identities.

The government is committed to

supporting the health and well-being of Two-Spirit, transgender, intersex, nonbinary and gender-diverse people and making B.C. a more inclusive province when it comes to gender identity.

Learn More:

To learn how to change your gender designation on your birth certificate, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/ life-events/birth-adoption/births/ birth-certificates/change-of-genderdesignation-on-birth-certificates

To learn how to change your gender designation on your other identification documents, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/ governments/government-id/bc-servicescard/your-card/change-personal-information

Contact: Ministry of Health Communications 250 952-1887 (media line)

Surrey school expansion will make room for more students

SURREY - Five hundred more students in Surrey can look forward to moving into modern, engaging classrooms after an addition to Kwantlen Park Secondary School was approved.

“We are working hard to address enrolment growth in Surrey’s schools by expanding capacity,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Our government is committed to supporting families and the next generation of learners by improving school facilities in fast- growing Surrey.”

The addition increases the school’s capacity to 1,700 students. A neighbourhood learning centre will be part of the expansion, which will add child care within the school to further support families.

“It’s exciting to see progress continuing to be made that benefits our growing community,” said Bruce Ralston, MLA for SurreyWhalley. “Our government’s investment will have a positive impact on families who choose to make Surrey their home.”

The Province has committed $40.9 million and the school district will contribute $4 million to the project. The expansion of the school will eliminate the need for 20 portables.

“Our board is very excited to receive funding for this 20-classroom addition at Ecole Kwantlen Park Secondary,” said Laurie Larsen, chair of the Surrey Board of Education. “The school has a capacity of 1,200 students, and this school year we have over 1,550 students enrolled.

Enrolment in our district is growing at such a rapid pace and investments like this are needed to meet the needs of our growing community.”

In just over five years, the Government

of B.C. has invested $520 million in school upgrades, land purchases, school expansions and new school construction in Surrey. These investments will result in the creation of more than 10,000 student seats by 2027. All these investments in schools help keep up with the growing demand for safe, modern classrooms in Surrey.

“This new addition to Kwantlen Park will finally create a familiar space for all of us to learn,” said Arabella Garcia, Grade 9 student at Kwantlen Park Secondary School. “In the course of time, these will be the memories that stick with us the most and when I graduate, I want future students to experience learning as a community instead of learning in isolation.”

Since September 2017, the Government of B.C. has announced $3.2 billion for new and improved schools as well as land purchases for future schools throughout the province. This includes adding almost 20,000 new student spaces and 33,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.

Budget 2023 includes $3.4 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.

Contact:

Ministry of Education and Child Care Media Relations

250 356-5963

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: news.gov.bc.ca/connect

Surrey school expansion will make room for more students

SURREY - Five hundred more students in Surrey can look forward to moving into modern, engaging classrooms after an addition to Kwantlen Park Secondary School was approved.

“We are working hard to address enrolment growth in Surrey’s schools by expanding capacity,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Our government is committed to supporting families and the next generation of learners by improving school facilities in fastgrowing Surrey.”

The addition increases the school’s capacity to 1,700 students. A neighbourhood learning centre will be part of the expansion, which will add child care within the school to further support families.

“It’s exciting to see progress continuing to be made that benefits our growing community,” said Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whalley. “Our government’s investment will have a positive impact on families who choose to make Surrey their home.”

The Province has committed $40.9 million and the school district will contribute $4 million to the project. The expansion of the school will eliminate the need for 20 portables.

“Our board is very excited to receive funding for this 20-classroom addition at Ecole Kwantlen Park Secondary,” said Laurie Larsen, chair of the Surrey Board of Education. “The school has a capacity of 1,200 students, and this school year we have over 1,550 students enrolled.

Enrolment in our district is growing at such a rapid pace and investments like this are needed to meet the needs of our growing

community.”

In just over five years, the Government of B.C. has invested $520 million in school upgrades, land purchases, school expansions and new school construction in Surrey. These investments will result in the creation of more than 10,000 student seats by 2027. All these investments in schools help keep up with the growing demand for safe, modern classrooms in Surrey.

“This new addition to Kwantlen Park will finally create a familiar space for all of us to learn,” said Arabella Garcia, Grade 9 student at Kwantlen Park Secondary School. “In the course of time, these will be the memories that stick with us the most and when I graduate, I want future students to experience learning as a community instead of learning in isolation.”

Since September 2017, the Government of B.C. has announced $3.2 billion for new and improved schools as well as land purchases for future schools throughout the province. This includes adding almost 20,000 new student spaces and 33,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.

Budget 2023 includes $3.4 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.

Contact:

Ministry of Education and Child Care Media Relations 250 356-5963

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: news.gov.bc.ca/connect

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