The Asian Star March 5 2022

International Women’s Day

www.theasianstar.com Vol 21 - Issue 5

South Asian man arrested after trying to get teen girl into his SUV in Brampton, Ontario Peel police have charged a 54-yearold South Asian man after allegedly attempting to get a teenage girl into his vehicle in Brampton earlier this month.

The incident happened on February 14, just after 7:30 a.m., in the Chinguacousy and Mayfield roads area. Police said a 15-year-old girl was walking to her school bus pick-up location when a man in an SUV approached her and allegedly asked her if she wanted to get into his vehicle for a ride. The man has been identified as Brampton resident Suresh Ratnani.

Police have charged him with criminal harassment and failing to comply with an undertaking.

Police believe there may be more victims and are appealing to them to contact investigators.

The vehicle involved was a 2013 navy blue Land Rover Freelander. “It is important to note that the location of this particular incident may or may not be the only area this has occurred in,” police said.

Anyone with information is being urged to call investigators at 905-4532121 ext. 2233 or Crime Stoppers

Saturday, March 5, 2022

Metro Vancouver gas price hit over $2 per ltr highest in North America and getting higher Metro Vancouver currently has the highest gas prices in North America and they’re still expected to rise higher.

Gas prices in the region rose $2.09 per ltr on Friday and expected to go higher. Dan McTeague with Canadians for Affordable Energy predicts they will continue to rise in coming days.

See more news on page 2

Tel:604-591-5423

South Asian community support pours in for the family of slain security guard The young South Asian woman who was killed while working as security guard at UBC’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna last weekend is being remembered as a “beloved daughter, sister, and friend” who came to Canada from India to pursue her dream of helping others by becoming a paramedic.

The victim has been identified as Harmandeep Kaur (pictured). An online fundraiser was launched to help her family travel to Kelowna

Sanctions to stay until Russia withdraws troops - says PM Trudeau Canada will maintain sanctions against Russia until the latter withdraws its troops from Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. “We will keep the sanctions in place right up until Russia recognizes and admits they made a huge mistake and withdraws its soldiers from Ukrainian soil,” Trudeau told the House of Commons during the day’s Question Period session.

Canada has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s approval of a military operation in Ukraine, including a ban on all engagements with the Russian central bank, a freeze on Russian sovereign fund assets and personal sanctions against top Russian officials.

and pay for the funeral.

In the first four hours, it raised more than $15,000.

Harmandeep Kaur moved to Vancouver in 2015, and received her permanent residency last month. She was looking forward to welcoming her parents for a visit in April.

“Despite the challenges she faced as she tried to make her way in a new country away from her family back home in India, Continued on page 7

Why is India not criticising Russia?

Thousands of Indian students found themselves in the midst of war as Russia invades Ukraine.

India has had to walk a diplomatic tightrope over Ukraine in the past few days as it tried to balance its ties with Moscow and the West.

Delhi’s first statement in the UN Security Council (UNSC) did not name any country directly but it said it regretted that calls from the international community to give diplomacy and dialogue a chance had not been heeded.

Continued on page 7

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Saturday, March 5, 2022 47 Canadians charged in global child sex abuse investigation

Bank of Canada raises interest rates a quarter of a per cent For the first time in nearly four years, Canada’s central bank has started raising interest rates to combat record-high inflation.

On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada announced that rates would increase to 0.5 per cent from 0.25 per cent. This is the first of several small increases the bank is expected to make throughout the year to combat inflation, which rose above five per cent in January.

Since the start of the pandemic, interest rates have been at record lows to encourage spending.

With the economy mostly recovered, the bank announced last year it would start raising rates to cool the economy down. The bank’s job is to keep inflation within one to three per cent, ideally at two per cent. It does this by either raising interest rates to cool inflation or cutting them to encourage

Forty-seven Canadians have been arrested and 12 children have been removed from abusive situations as part of a global investigation into online child sexual exploitation, the RCMP said Wednesday.

The Mounties said 186 charges have been laid in Canada so far during the investigation, dubbed Operation H. Arrests have been made in eight provinces over the past two years, they said, adding the investigation is still underway.

The RCMP say the probe began in New Zealand in the fall of 2019, after law enforcement officials there were alerted by an electronic service provider who had discovered a large number of subscribers sharing “some of the most graphic and violent child sexual abuse material online.” Some 90,000 accounts were identified as possessing or sharing child sexual abuse material, they said.

“Online child sexual exploitation is borderless and is among the most heinous crimes targeting

spending and borrowing. “Economic growth in Canada was very strong in the fourth quarter of last year at 6.7 per cent,” the central bank said in its decision. “This is stronger than the bank’s projection, and confirms its view that economic slack has been absorbed.”

The last time it raised interest rates was in October 2018. Last month, Canada lost 200,000 jobs because of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, but the economy appears to have recovered since, the bank said. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created new uncertainty and increased the price of commodities like oil, the bank warns.

“This will add to inflation around the world, and negative impacts on confidence and new supply disruptions could weigh on global growth,” it said.

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BC’s high gas costs driving consumer costs higher Metro Vancouver has the highest gas prices in North America and with prices forecast to remain at record-high levels, experts are warning residents can expect to start paying more for many things.

Kris Sims, with the Canadian Taxpayer Federation, said drivers pay about 72 or 73 cents a litre in taxes at the pump.

“So we can break that down,” she said. “The big one is the TransLink tax, in Metro Vancouver, that is 18.5 cents per litre. The provincial excise tax is 8.5 cents, the first carbon tax in B.C. is 10 cents a litre right now, the second carbon tax in B.C. is around 17 cents a litre.

“The federal sales tax, which is added after all of the taxes, is around 8.2 cents a litre — that goes up and down based on the pump price. And finally, the federal excise tax is 10 cents a litre.”

She said B.C. has the most expensive gas in price and taxes in North America.

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Operation H is a prime example of how global collaboration can help all of our countries to protect children,” RCMP Supt. Andre Boileau of the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre said in a news release.

New Zealand authorities said in a statement that the child abuse material “is some of the most egregious investigators have been exposed to. Many of the children featured in the images and videos were just infants who were exposed to obvious and intentional pain and suffering.”

The international investigation has led to the arrests of dozens of suspects in New Zealand, and the safeguarding of 146 children around the world, they and the European Union police agency Europol said Wednesday.

More than 800 cases have been opened internationally and more than 100 suspects identified across the EU, Europol said.

Toronto police, who were contacted as part of the probe, said they have arrested and charged six men with a total of 18 offences, including some related to possessing, accessing and distributing child sex abuse material.

Toronto police Insp. Justin Vander Heyden of the sex crimes unit said one of the accused has since been convicted and jailed, one has died, and the other four are still going through the justice system.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

Surrey motorist loses distracted driving conviction appeal Kanwar Pal Singh claimed Judicial Justice put burden of proving his innocence on him but higher court disagreed A Surrey motorist who claimed that a Judicial Justice put the burden on him to prove his innocence has lost an appeal of his Dec. 18, 2020 conviction for driving while using an electronic device.

“It is important to reaffirm that the appellant was not obliged to prove anything at his trial and was entitled to rely on the presumption of his innocence,” Justice Trevor Armstrong noted in his reasons for judgment, delivered Feb. 22 in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.

However, Armstrong found that the questions asked of the driver, Kanwar Pal Singh, “were not questions that

suggested or implied that he had a duty or an obligation to prove anything.”

“I am satisfied the Judicial Justice made no error of law in convicting the appellant.

This verdict was one that was reasonable on the evidence and made without any palpable or overriding error,” Armstrong concluded.

A police officer testified he pulled alongside him at the intersection of 144 Street and Highway 10 and saw him looking down at an “active screen” cellphone in a brown flip case. Singh argued it would have been impossible to do so.

“This trial involved a credibility contest between the appellant and the prosecuting officer,” Armstrong said.

Man found shot in car dies of self-inflicted wound: police Surrey RCMP said a man who was found bleeding in a car in an intersection Monday night has died in the hospital. Police said a man was found at 7:20 p.m. in a car at the intersection of 143 Street and 104 Avenue.

The 31-year-old was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.

“Surrey RCMP’s General Investigation Unit has assumed conduct of the investigation and initial indications are that it was a self-inflicted injury,” RCMP said in a release. “We would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this man,” says Surrey RCMP media relations officer, Const.

Sarbjit K. Sangha added. “Out of respect for his loved ones we will not be releasing any further information about this incident.”

Surrey RCMP Victim Services are engaged and available to support anyone who may have been in the area or has been impacted by this event. Should you require support contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.

Vancouver to host town hall on public safety amidst rash of unprovoked Three Vancouver city councillors are hosting a virtual town hall forum on public safety Thursday, as the city grapples with a rash of unprovoked stranger assaults.

Rebecca Bligh, Lisa Dominato and Sarah Kirby-Yung will be joined in the 4 p.m. discussion by Vancouver Deputy Police Chief Howard Chow, harm reduction and recovery advocate Guy Felicella, and Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association president and CEO Nolan Marshall. “I think we just first of all need to acknowledge the problem. The public is deeply concerned around public safety in the city right now,” Dominato said.

“The focus and priority of this forum is really to give space to our residents to hear their concerns and also to look at a constructive dialogue about what are some of the solutions we can come up with to respond to the rash of violence.”

According to the Vancouver Police Department, an average of four people are the victims of random, groundless attacks by unknown suspects in the city each day. The figures don’t include barfights, robberies, incidents of road rage or other assaults where the individuals are known to each other.

Last Saturday, one man allegedly attacked five women within 40 minutes while doing thousands of dollars in property damage. The previous weekend, Vancouver police said they responded to 60 separate assaults, 22 of which were random.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

OPINION

By Kris Sims, B.C. director Canadians Taxpayers Federation

Record-breaking Vancouver gas prices heading your way

The price at the gas pumps has hit a recordbreaking $1.82 per litre in Vancouver. That’s the most expensive gasoline in North America.

While some readers in Winnipeg and Calgary might chuckle at the karma

coming back to bite a city whose mayor personally blocked the building of pipelines, it’s important to remember that bad ideas spread and the Trudeau government worships Vancouver’s gas pump prices.

If we don’t hit the brakes on this nonsense

soon, the $1.82 pump price could soon be surfacing at a gas station near you.

Taxes are a big part of the problem.

Let’s look at what this cost means for everyday families.

While some West Coast folks can ride their bicycles to go shopping at urban boutiques in the dead of winter, millions of other Canadians don’t and can’t live like that.

Hardworking families in Metro Vancouver are struggling to afford to commute to work, drop their kids off at school, and do their weekend grocery shopping. For a city that already has housing costs higher than New York and Los Angeles, the hike in the cost of living is painful.

At these record-breaking pump prices, it now costs about $135 to fill up a family minivan and about $200 to fill up a light duty pickup truck. If a family in Langley – a suburb of Vancouver – fills up their minivan once a week and their pickup truck twice a month, these pump prices will cost them more than $11,000 per year.

While some of the price increase is caused by speculation connected to unrest overseas, Canadian governments are doing their best to make the pain at the pump much worse via high taxes.

In Vancouver, the tax bite on gasoline is about 72 cents per litre, including both carbon taxes.

Yes, B.C. has two carbon taxes and the rest of Canada will soon too.

The first carbon tax is $45 per tonne, costing about 10 cents per litre of gasoline. The second carbon tax is a fuel standard embedded into government regulations that costs about 17 cents per litre. That means the two carbon taxes cost about 27 cents per litre of gasoline.

That’s about $20 extra to fill a minivan.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

BC govt rules out carbon tax freeze or price cap amid record-breaking gas prices The B.C. government is vowing to take action against record-breaking gas prices, but says freezing carbon tax increases or capping gas prices aren’t on the table.

Premier John Horgan took questions on the soaring price at the pumps at a press conference Thursday.

Costs have spiked since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Russia — the world’s third-largest oil producer — now under economic sanctions from countries in the United Kingdom and European Union, Canada, the United States and more.

Gas prices in Metro Vancouver are currently the highest in North America.

The cost increases have prompted some municipal and provincial politicians to urge the federal government to pause scheduled increases to its carbon tax.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, has said he will “look into” a long-promised gas tax cut as the province’s New Democrats aim to introduce a bill that would regulate gas prices weekly.

New Brunswick already has legislation in place establishing a maximum price retailers

can charge for gas. Normally, the maximum prices are set every week and the new price takes effect on Thursday mornings at 12:01 a.m.

In B.C., Energy Minister Bruce Ralston said the province is not considering freezing a provincial carbon price increase set for April 1, because he doesn’t think it would lead to any savings at the pumps.

“The prices at the pumps are higher in Squamish, where they don’t pay the tax — are higher than they are in West Vancouver — because the gas retailers in Squamish are rushing in to scoop it for themselves,” Ralston said Wednesday.

In the past, the BC Liberals have pushed the province to establish a cap price to protect consumers, but Ralston said that’s off the table as well at the moment.

“For the government to step in to private market to set prices and fix prices is a major, major step. It could have unintended consequences. We don’t know what would happen if we did this,” he said.

“The gas companies could turn around and dry up supply and drive prices even higher. It is really something that could be considered but I am not considering that right now.”

2 BC men going to Ukraine to fight Russian invasion Oleh Hlyniailiuk has watched from afar as Russian troops invaded his native country of Ukraine, and everyday citizens took up arms to protect it.

Hlyniailiuk came to Vancouver in November for vacation, and will soon be returning to a country that’s much different than the one he left.

“I felt like someone put a knife in my heart,” Hlyniailiuk said, recalling when news broke of the Russian attack.

The 26-year-old has since been getting updates from his friends back home, some of whom are hiding in bunkers as others are fighting to defend their country. On Tuesday, Hlyniailiuk took the ferry to Victoria to go to MD Charlton, a distributor of tactical equipment, to stock up on medical supplies and protective gear to bring back to Ukraine.

“We cannot accept the occupation of Ukraine; it will mean the world will lose democracy,” he said.

He will be flying from Canada to Austria with 10 suitcases on Wednesday, before making the trek to the war zone.

He said he doesn’t plan on fighting, but will if he is needed.

“I am scared. I don’t want to fight with the weapons. But the scare is 10 per cent, the 90 per cent is the obligation and belief that we will win,” he explained.

When his church, Holy Eucharist Cathedral in New Westminster, learned

that he is leaving Canada to bring supplies to Ukraine, they fundraised quickly, collecting $15,000 in just 24 hours.

“I would put Oleh as men with magnanimous hearts and souls,” said Father Mykhailo Ozorovych. “We felt a responsibility to equip him properly, to do our best to make sure he is prepared as he can be and provided with safety gear.”

But those funds will be used for something else, as the president of MD Charlton said that they are donating the supplies to Hlyniailiuk.

“I really don’t see any funds exchanging hands today,” said Alec Rossa.

Rossa said he has strong ties to Ukraine, with 40 relatives in the country.

“Unfortunately, my youngest cousin, 18, who has no military experience, just got his uniform today,” he said.

Also joining the fight is Bryson Woolsey, a Powell River, B.C., man who recently quit his job as a cook.

The 33-year-old is answering the country’s calls for foreign volunteers, despite having zero ties to Ukraine.

“Whatever they need me to do, if that’s somewhere in the back, in logistics for support, or if it’s a frontline combat role, I’m happy to do that. And I’ve weighed those risks,” Woolsey said.

He was supposed to start schooling this month with a goal of becoming an addictions counsellor.

Two men charged after loaded firearm seized in Surrey Two men, including one wanted on a Canada wide warrant for human trafficking, have been charged after Surrey Mounties seized a loaded handgun last month.

Do Nintendo’s new Pokémon games allow a player to be a cannabis-themed cat?

Do Nintendo’s new Pokémon games allow a player to be a cannabis-themed cat?

On Feb. 25, shortly before 11:30 p.m., the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team conducted a traffic stop in the area of 13200-block of old Yale Road.

The driver and passenger attempted to escape on foot but didn’t make it far before they were arrested, according to RCMP. Investigators allege that as the driver attempted to run away from police, he dropped a loaded handgun.

Police seized the firearm and the passenger was arrested a short distance away with assistance from the Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

The alleged driver, 27-year old Loukman Abdullah of Montreal, has been charged with several firearms offences including possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm and willfully obstructing police.

Abdullah has been remanded in custody, according to RCMP. The alleged passenger, 33-year-old Mali Jean of Burnaby, was arrested and it was determined he was wanted on a Canada wide warrant for human trafficking.

He has been held in custody until his next appearance in court.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

Canada strips Russia, Belarus of trade status in latest sanctions salvo Canada is revoking Russia and Belarus’ official statuses as preferential trading partners, the first country to do so since war broke out in Ukraine last week.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Thursday the two countries will no longer enjoy the perks of being a “mostfavored-nation” under trade law. Low tariffs will be gone, she said, and a new 35 percent duty will be applied on Russian and Belarusian imports.

“We are working closely with our partners and allies to encourage them to take the same step,” Freeland said.

Her office confirmed the government can unilaterally revoke status benefits without having to go through Parliament.

Trade between Canada and Russia is relatively low with both exports and imports falling over the past decade. The value of Russian imports hovered around C$930 million in 2016, according to government data.

The United States Trade Representative may take similar action against Russia.

“USTR is considering a range of options, and working with members of Congress, to advance a resolute, effective, and united global response to Putin’s premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine,” a spokesperson told POLITICO. The announcement comes two days after Freeland called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine as “the last gasp of a failing kleptocracy.”

Freeland, who also serves as finance minister, had teased more sanctions would

be on the way after international penalties announced Monday plunged the ruble and spiked inflation. Those measures targeted Russia’s central bank, its finance ministry and sovereign wealth fund and have kept Moscow’s stock exchange closed since.

“This is a significant and direct impact which is already being felt by every single person in Russia,” the deputy prime minister said before turning her attention to oligarchs and members of Putin’s inner circle.

“These are people who have tried to have it both ways for a long time,” she said.

“There are people who have been hangers-on of Vladimir Putin, his sycophants, his enablers, as he has become more and more of a threat to the world.”

More sanctions are expected. Freeland said she’s working closely with G-7 partners on finding new avenues to put pressure on Putin. She said she texts her British peer, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, “several times a day.”

Canada has been ratcheting up its financial sanctions against Russia in recent days in an effort to starve Putin’s coffers. The Canadian Armed Forces have also stepped up contributions.

New shipments of protective equipment have been promised. Supplies of lethal weapons have also been flown to neighboring Poland to arm Ukraine’s front lines. National Defence Minister Anita Anand announced Thursday that more lethal aid is on its way to Ukraine.

The new package includes up to 4,500 M-72 rocket launchers and up to 7,500 hand grenades, all drawn from the Canadian military’s existing supply.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022 From page 1

Why is India not criticising Russia?

It, however, stopped short of criticising Russia. And before the UNSC voted on a draft UN resolution to condemn the invasion, Delhi faced calls from Russia, the US and Ukraine “to do the right thing”.

Ukraine and Russia even issued public appeals for Delhi to take a clear stand. India chose to abstain from the vote but a careful reading of its statement suggests that it did go a step further and indirectly asked Moscow to respect international law.

India talked about the importance of “the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states”, adding that “all member states need to honour these principles in finding a constructive way forward”.

But India’s decision to abstain raised questions, particularly in the West, over whether the world’s largest democracy should have taken a clearer stand.

Former Indian diplomat JN Misra says India “has bad and worse options to pick from”.

“One can’t tilt both ways at the same time.

India has not named any country, which shows it won’t go against Moscow. India had to be subtle

in picking a side and it has done that,” he adds.

There are several reasons for India’s quest to find a diplomatic balance over Ukraine.

The most important are India’s time-tested defence and diplomatic ties with Moscow.

Russia continues to be India’s largest arms supplier even though its share has dropped to 49% from 70% due to India’s decision to diversify its portfolio and boost domestic defence manufacturing.

Also, Russia is supplying equipment like the S-400 missile defence system which gives India crucial strategic deterrence against China and Pakistan, and that is the reason why it went ahead with the order despite threats of looming US sanctions.

Moreover, it’s hard for Delhi to overlook decades of history of diplomatic co-operation with Russia on several issues. Moscow has vetoed UNSC resolutions over disputed Kashmir in the past to help India keep it a bilateral issue.

In this context, India appears to be following its famed strategy of non-alignment and promoting dialogue to resolve issues.

South Asian community express support for the family of slain security guard From page 1

she always kept her positive attitude and determined spirit,” the GoFundMe says.

“Despite the distance, she was very close with her family — especially her mother.

And everyone that loved her, and continues to love her, experienced the generous support she would give to those around her, always ready to do anything that made the lives of her loved ones safer and happier.”

“Upon initial investigation, it has been determined a man working at the university assaulted a security guard,” Kelowna RCMP said in a statement.

The suspect was identified and apprehended under the Mental Health Act. He remains in hospital and could face murder charges. ccording to the GoFundMe, Kaur’s death was all the more tragic because she had hoped to someday attend the university she was working at.

“Since she was a child, Harmandeep was such a bright student and always excited to learn. She risked and lost her young life while patrolling the very grounds that she had hoped to one day walk as a student. There are no words to describe how much Harmandeep will be missed by her mother, father, and brother, as well as all of her extended family and friends,” the fundraising page continues.

“At this point, we want justice for Harmandeep and her senseless, unprovoked, and devastating death. Her life was taken far too soon.”

Among the donors are those who knew Kaur through her previous job at a Kelowna grocery store.

“I am in total shock that something so horrible could happen to such a wonderful person.

She lit up the room with her positive and playful nature and I immediately knew she would become a friend, not just a co-worker.

She had such a bright future ahead of her and was an inspiration to follow one’s dreams.

My heart goes out to her family and friends.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

Only 5 countries, including North Korea, vote against UN resolution condemning Russia Simon & Garfunkel once described a scenario in which “friends just can’t be found,” and one can easily imagine that, following Wednesday’s United Nations vote condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and company might find solace in listening to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” on repeat.

According to The New York Times, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Russian aggression, with 141 countries voting in favor, 34 abstaining, and only five voting against.

The result matched the international outpouring of support for Ukraine seen around the world in the past week. ProUkraine demonstrations sprang up in London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, Cape Town, and several other cities. During

President Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, many lawmakers waved small Ukrainian flags or wore Ukrainian flag pins.

The no votes on the resolution came from five authoritarian nations: Russia, North Korea, Eritrea, Syria, and Russia’s close ally Belarus.

The Cato Institute’s 2020 Human Freedom Index ranks Russia as the 115th freest country on earth. Belarus barely cracks the top 100 at 99th. Syria appears on the list as the 10th least free country in the world. North Korea and Eritrea, both oneparty dictatorships, are not ranked at all.

Among the nations that abstained from the vote were Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, and China. In early February, China and Russia released a joint statement that, among other things, condemned NATO expansion but did not directly mention Ukraine.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

RCMP say 47 Canadians arrested, 12 children rescued in global sex abuse operation Forty-seven Canadians have been arrested and 12 children have been removed from abusive situations as part of a global investigation into online child sexual exploitation, the RCMP said Wednesday.

The Mounties said 186 charges have been laid in Canada so far during the investigation, dubbed Operation H. Arrests have been made in eight provinces over the past two years, they said, adding the investigation is still underway.

The RCMP say the probe began in New Zealand in the fall of 2019, after law enforcement officials there were alerted by an electronic service provider who had discovered a large number of subscribers sharing “some of the most graphic and violent child sexual abuse material online.”

“Online child sexual exploitation is borderless and is among the most heinous crimes targeting our most vulnerable – our children. … Operation H is a prime example of how global collaboration

can help all of our countries to protect children,” RCMP Supt. Andre Boileau of the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre said in a news release.

New Zealand authorities said in a statement that the child abuse material “is some of the most egregious investigators have been exposed to. Many of the children featured in the images and videos were just infants who were exposed to obvious and intentional pain and suffering.”

The international investigation has led to the arrests of dozens of suspects in New Zealand, and the safeguarding of 146 children around the world, they and the European Union police agency Europol said Wednesday.

Click to play video: ‘Hundreds of charges laid in child sex abuse investigation’ More than 800 cases have been opened internationally and more than 100 suspects identified across the EU, Europol said.

“It finally happened”: Surrey designer plans dream house after $675k lotto win A fashion designer from Surrey is bursting with excitement after winning $675K from Set for Life — because now, he can make his dream house a reality. It’s an absolute thrill for Christian Buron, who never thought he’d have the money to create the home of his fantasies for him and his family. He bought his ticket from Food Folks on 176A Street after seeing a lottery poster while filling up, and he sure is glad he did. “It said, ‘Anyone can win, and you could be next,’” he recalled. “I thought that could be me one day, and it finally

happened. My dream was always to buy a house for me and my family.” After coming home from work, he scanned his ticket and saw he had won. When he told his wife, she was in shock. “My first thought was getting a house,” he says. “She thought I was joking at first and made me call BCLC right away.”

They’re still riding the high of being $675K richer and are planning to take the family for a nice dinner and outing as soon as they can. “I don’t think I slept for three days after finding out,” said Buron.

BC govt comes up empty-handed in first search for Russian-owned properties The British Columbia government has not been able to locate any properties owned by Russian oligarchs in the province.

Finance Minister Selina Robinson, however, says her department’s staff will continue to search for properties owned by people who are currently under sanctions by the federal government.

The province can use the Land Owner Transparency Act to do so — a first-ofits-kind database in Canada that serves as an accessible registry of beneficial interests in land in B.C., she explained.

Beyond that, she added, the province needs to rely on the federal government for other tools to track actual ownership.

“We are willing to act on whatever the federal government approves. If that means seizing properties we are ready to do that,” Robinson said Wednesday.

“We have some preliminary information but nothing indicates anything problematic.”

Ron Usher, the general counsel for the Society of Notaries Public of British

Columbia, said the land owner registry tool is important for the province but has limitations.

The biggest issue, he explained, is all properties purchased after the law came into effect are now in the database, but properties purchased before 2019 are not.

“There was to be a deadline last November to input all the historical data that was pushed back to this November, so there would be a number of properties not yet in the land owner transparency database,” he told Global News.

The province has been able to put some measures in place right away, such as pulling Russian liquor from government liquor stores. The government’s public sector pension fund, after pressure from members, also decided to divest its Russian assets.

The actions are intended as a condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and violent invasion of Ukraine last week. Russian troops have bombed Ukrainian cities, causing thousands of civilian casualties.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

Investigation into massive house explosion in Nanaimo turned over to RCMP The investigation into a massive explosion that destroyed a house in Nanaimo, B.C., Sunday evening is now being turned over to the RCMP. “At this time, in consultation with partnering agencies, the investigation has been turned over to the Nanaimo RCMP to determine if foul play was involved in the explosion,” Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said in a release.

RCMP said the explosion happened around 8:20 p.m. on Feb. 27 near the city’s downtown core and was felt by many residents nearby and across the city.

“The home which was reduced to rubble was located in the 300 block of Pine St.,” RCMP said in a release Monday.

When officers arrived they detected

a “strong odor (of) natural gas coming from the debris,” police said.

No one was found in the debris field, but a neighbouring home suffered extensive damage, police said, and two occupants of that home were taken to the Nanaimo hospital for treatment after being struck by shards of broken glass.

A few pedestrians in the area were also hit by debris but suffered only minor injuries.

The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined, RCMP said.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious on the property in the hours leading up to the explosion to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345, and quote file # 2022-6847.

Historically neutral countries turn on Putin after Ukraine invasion Switzerland on Monday adopted European Union sanctions against Russia over its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine — a historic move given the country’s history of maintaining neutrality toward armed or political conflicts between other states.

Why it matters: Swiss sanctions are the latest sign that traditionally neutral countries are turning on Moscow.

Sweden, a neutral EU member that is not in NATO, also announced Sunday it would send thousands of weapons and $50 million in funding directly to the Ukrainian military despite its historically neutral position in global conflicts.

Finland, another non-NATO and neutral EU member, said Monday it will deliver 2,500 assault rifles, 150,000 cartridges for the attack rifles, 1,500 single-shot anti-tank weapons and

70,000 combat ration packages to Ukraine.

Finland and Sweden also attended a virtual summit with NATO leaders after Russia’s invasion, which prompted a warning from Moscow that their admittance into the defensive treaty would trigger “serious militarypolitical consequences,” according to AP. Details: Geneva is a major financial center and commodities trading hub, and it’s believed that many Russian oligarchs and other Russian economic elite have money in Swiss banks, according to AP. The sanctions target President Vladimir Putin, several other government officials and Russian businesses. Switzerland also closed its airspace to all flights from Russia.

The big picture: Other nations have dropped traditions in response to Moscow’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Canadian banks can no longer do transactions with Russian Central Bank Effective Monday, all Canadian financial institutions are prohibited from engaging in any transaction with the Russian Central Bank, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced.

In lockstep with G7 partners including the United States, Canada has moved to stop any transactions with the Russian Federation’s main financial institution, in response to Russian President Vladmir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Sanctioning the Russian Central Bank is an unprecedented step, as it is “the first time a central bank of a G20 country has been sanctioned in this way,” according to the Finance Department.

This move, and the imposed asset freeze and halting of dealings with Russian sovereign wealth funds, are aimed at prohibiting Russia from tapping into any international currency reserves to further finance its attacks on Ukraine.

It follows a series of other financial sanctions and responsive measures from Canada and other allied countries in recent days, including the decision to block several Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging and payment system.

“Canada and its allies continue to take concerted action to ensure that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be a strategic failure. This has never been done before at this scale – today we are taking a historic step by directly censuring Russia’s central bank,” Freeland said in a statement.

13 more Covid-19 related deaths reported as hospitalizations decline Thirteen more COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in B.C., the province’s Ministry of Health announced Thursday.

The province has now seen 2,896 deaths since the pandemic began.

The number of test-positive COVID-19 patients in hospital dropped slightly on Thursday to 511, while the number of patients in intensive care units rose slightly to 79.

Total hospitalization numbers include both those who have severe cases of COVID-19 and those who are admitted to hospital for other reasons and test positive incidentally.

Eight of the 13 deaths reported Thursday happened in the two health authorities that serve the Lower Mainland: Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health. Each one saw four deaths in the latest update.

Three deaths happened in Interior Health and two in Northern Health.

Most of the deaths attributed to COVID-19

in B.C. since the pandemic began have been among people ages 70 and older, and many of them have been associated with outbreaks in long-term care and assisted-living facilities.

On Thursday, one new outbreak was declared at Parkwood Court in Victoria.

The outbreak at Rest Haven Lodge in Sidney has been declared over, leaving B.C. with 21 ongoing outbreaks in its health-care system.

The ministry does not report the vaccination status of people whose deaths are attributed to COVID-19 in B.C. on a daily basis. Monthly data is posted on the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, and shows that people who are not vaccinated are dying at a higher rate than those who are.

While vaccinated people dying from COVID-19 outnumber unvaccinated people dying from the disease, the unvaccinated are overrepresented in COVID-19 death counts relative to their share of the population.

Saturday, March 5, 2022

BC real estate sales forecast to drop in 2022, prices to still rise: BCREA Real estate in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley has seen its share of record-breakers over the last few years, but now, a new forecast suggests sales are expected to decline. According to the B.C. Real Estate Association (BCREA), MLS residential sales are forecast to drop 17 per cent from last year’s record high.

However, the forecast also estimates home prices to rise by 8.5 per cent in 2022, mostly in the first half of the year. BCREA chief economist Brendon Ogmundson says home sales in 2022 are expected to “moderate from the frenetic pace of 2021,” with declines forecast to continue into 2023, by an additional 12 per cent. Despite a potential decline in home sales, “sales activity will remain high by historical standards,” he adds. “We started the year at an all-time low in terms of listings. There’s just not a lot of product out there to buy. Demand is still pretty strong and that means a lot of upward pressure on prices,” Ogmundson said. “We are not at record levels. This isn’t like the start of last year, but sales are still pretty strong,” he said. It’s for this reason that the association sees strong sales persisting through the first few months of 2022. The severely limited supply will also likely continue to put pressure on home prices across the province. The Real Estate Board of Greater

Press release

Vancouver also notes low supply has affected home prices. “Our listing inventory on MLS® is less than half of what would be optimal to begin the year. As a result, hopeful home buyers have limited choice in the market today. \ This trend is causing fierce competition for a scarce number of homes for sale, which, in turn, increases prices,” REBGV economist Keith Stewart said.

What a Bank of Canada rate hike could mean for Vancouver’s housing market “With home prices reaching new highs in recent months, the need has never been greater for government to collaborate with the building community to expedite the creation of housing supply and provide more choice for those struggling to buy a home today,” added Stewart.

The REBGV says the composite benchmark price for all residential properties in the Metro Vancouver region rose 18.5 per cent in January 2022 over the same time last year. It increased two per cent compared to December 2021.

The BCREA forecast estimates sales activity will “normalize” in 2023 due to several factors, including the upcoming predicted interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada.

“The combination of higher fixed rates, higher variable rates should start to soften demand in the market but probably not until second half of this year, probably 2023,” Ogmundson said.

Donation of kidney dialysis machines

Like many other communities , the South Asian community is also a very generous community. Whenever a natural disaster strikes or there is a calamity or pandemic, our community and our places of worship are there to help. This has been very evident during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.

Like many other places of worship in Metro Vancouver, India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas on Richmond’s Highway to Heaven, has also been making a commendable contribution in this regard. In order to help our brothers and sisters in the Punjab due to the pandemic, Gurdwara Nanak Niwas began a fundraising campaign last year. With the help of some very generous donors, and the congregation, we were able to raise $100,000 .

In consultation with the experts /organizations like Dr. Obrai’s Sarbat Da Bhala Trust working in the field, we were told that in a number of hospitals they are in dire need of kidney dialysis machines.

Our Gurdwara Management Committee agreed with that recommendation. Consequently, it has purchased and installed three kidney dialysis machines at Guru Nanak Mission Hospital in Jalandhar and five machines in the Raja Sahib Majara/Rehpa hospital. In both cases , we have been working with the Guru Nanak Mission Hospital and Raja Sahib organization here in Canada and in India. All of

these machines have been bought through the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation, a non-profit Charity organization . Every dollar raised by us has been used to pay for these machines . There was no middleman or commission paid to anyone.

Gurdwara Nanak Niwas has just received letters of thanks from Balbir Singh Saini, President of Guru Nanak Mission Hospital Trust, Jalandhar and Bobby Dhinsa,Vice President of Shri Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib –Avdhoot Maharaj Memorial Charitable Hospital ,Rehpa, District SBS Nagar (Nawanshahar) profusely thanking

Gurdwara Nanak Niwas Management Committee, the Sangat and the donors for donation of these machines. They have stated that these machines will go a long way in treating poor and needy people at both of these facilities. All of them appreciate these efforts by us to help our needy brothers and sisters in the Punjab.

Initiatives like these go a long way in creating more pride in our community.

Gurdwara Nanak Niwas is pleased to engage in such activities of public welfare.

Balwant Sanghera, General Secretary India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, Richmond, BC

LOCAL / NATIONAL

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Vancouver penthouse listed Canada’s most expensive condo at $49 millions Listed at $49 million, the oceanfront penthouse is located in Coal Harbour, and billed by realtors as the “best of the best.”

This Vancouver penthouse with soaring ceilings and a price tag to match is now the most expensive condo listed in Canada.

Those behind the listing for the condo in a building called Three Harbour Green say it comes with custom millwork and comprises the top three floors of the tower it’s in.

It’s a whopping 13,000 square feet, and is the largest condo in Western Canada, realtors say, and believed to be the largest luxury oceanfront penthouse in the country.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom home at 277 Thurlow St. offers sweeping views of the North Shore mountains, ocean and city skyline, as well as landmarks including the Lions Gate Bridge and Stanley Park.

A news release about the sale describes it as “thoughtfully designed and influenced by the West Coast landscape and mountainscape by international and celebrity designer Karin Bohn from House of Bohn,” a

Vancouver-based interior design firm.

Elements of the design include tile flooring made of onyx and marble, solid oak hardwood, blown glass and a 10-foot-tall store fireplace.

The penthouse was built in 2012 and redesigned in 2016, and includes one balcony and two rooftop terraces. It comes with a private seven-car garage and three “high-security” storage rooms.

To most people who live in the country’s highest-priced housing market, the condo is way out of reach. Many struggle even to afford a one-bedroom condo in the city, and either move to the suburbs or enter Canada’s mostexpensive, least accessible rental market.

Affordable housing is such an issue in the

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Star & Style

Saturday, March 5, 2022

I’m not Shah Rukh Khan, don’t have that kind of money,’ Saif Ali Khan on alimony to ex-wife Amrita Singh Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh tied the knot in 1991. However, after almost 14 years of marriage and with two children, the duo had a messy divorce in 2004. Since then the two have maintained a dignified silence over it. Saif is now married to Kareena Kapoor Khan and has two kids with the actress – Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan.

We stumbled upon a throwback interview in which Saif spoke about his ex-wife and he was in a relationship with actress Rosa Catalano back then. This interview had created quite a storm on social media recently.

Talking to Telegraph in 2005, after his divorce, Saif spoke about giving Amrita Rs 5 crore alimony and had said, “I’m supposed to give Amrita Rs 5 crore, of which I’ve already

given her approximately Rs 2.5 crore. Also, I’m paying Rs 1 lakh per month until my son becomes 18. I’m not Shah Rukh Khan. I don’t have that kind of money. I’ve promised her I’ll pay up the rest of the money, and I will, even if I’ve to slog till I drop dead. Whatever I’ve earned from doing ads, stage shows and films is being given for my children.

I’ve no money. Our bungalow is for Amrita and the kids, and never mind the relatives who’ve joined her after my departure.”svg%3E He had also spoken about living with Rosa in a “pokey two-room apartment” but still, feeling that his self-worth has returned.”

He even shared how much he missed his kids, Ibrahim Ali Khan and Sara Ali Khan.

Chunky Panday Chunky Panday was born as Suyash Panday on 26 September 1962 in Bombay, having appeared in over a 100 movies in a career spanning 3 decades and still going strong, Chunky Panday has witnessed unparalleled highs and unimaginable lows from delivering six hits a the start of his career in bollywood to not having any films in his kitty in the mid90 to reinventing himself in nepali cinema and then beginning a successful second innings in bollywood as a popular supporting, character actor the actor has truly seen it all. Panday debuted his acting career with the 1987 multi-starer film Aag Hi

Aag opposite Neelam Kothari.

Film producer Pahlaj Nihalani gave Panday his first break in 1987 by signing him up for two films, his debut film and Paap Ki Duniya. His second successful film was Paap Ki Duniya with Sunny Deol and Neelam. Subsequently, Panday appeared in many multi-hero films from 1987 to 1993. In 1988, Panday was appreciated for his supporting role in N. Chandra’s film Tezaab featuring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. Panday played the character of Babban, Munna’s (Anil Kapoor) friend.

Sushmita Sen sends love to Dharmendra Sushmita Sen got a compliment from veteran actor Dharmendra as she shared a selfie clicked inside her car. She covered her head with a scarf in the picture and wore large sunglasses. “The dancing lights, purple hues & reflecting mountains!!! A beautiful journey captured with a selfie,” she wrote.

Commenting on her picture, Dharmendra wrote ‘great’, along with a thumbs-up emoji. Replying to a Twitter user who had retweeted it, he wrote, “Ambreen, it gives me great happiness to read something loving and affectionate. Jeetie raho (Live long).”

Dharmendra also showered love on Sushmita.

“Ek nek rooh…ek himmat var khatoon (A

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pure soul, a courageous woman)…lots of love to her,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet.

Sushmita replied, “A blessing saved & cherished forever, sir @aapkadharam. Lots of love & huge respect from a dancing heart!!! Aap jaisa dil sab ko naseeb ho (May everyone be as large-hearted as you)!!!”

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

International Women’s Day

By VIBHOOTI VAISHNAV

#Break the Bias Have you ever wondered why a little girl would play with her doll as if she herself was its mother, where as a boy would take it apart and then try to fix it differently?

It is DNA at play.

XX chromosomes of girl makes her want to nurture, care, share, sing, dance, pay attention to detail, remember things vividly, it would also attribute her special liking to read, write, paint, contemplate and a lot more. Vanity is in her personality.

Contrary to that, XY chromosomes at play for a boy makes him a bit rough, loud, mischievous, a bit rude with a very little attention to detail, and a short attention span, not interested in any of the dainty little pretty things that girls do.

This balance of feminine and masculine is what makes life possible, sustainable and thriving. Nature has not made them unequal, weak or strong, but complimentary to each other. Life is possible because of this duality.

If we can accept the biological differences and capabilities of male and female, we would not treat either of them differently.

But somehow human beings on entire planet sprouted as a patriarchal society. Women were at the back stage and insignificant in the grand scheme of empire building and exploring and trade and commerce, as men dominated. All the important responsibilities of society at grass root level of taking care of families, nurturing, maintaining healthy living, cleanliness were taken up by women. Unfortunately their fundamental work did not bring them glory. On the contrary there was no respect or appreciation of their silent contributions.

Even today we are not able to break this bias.

Women either sink or swim through the narratives rooted in cultural context, social pressure still defines her role in her life.

8th march is designated as International women’s day since many years to create awareness of the plight of women around the world.

Government of Canada has theme for this year’s international women’s day-“Women inspiring women”, thus empowering each other, supporting each other, and helping the growth and development of society where they can voice injustice, inequality, abuse, exploitation and demand and fight for their right to education, financial independence, chose their profession and successfully create a nonjudgmental sisterhood to break the bias.

United Nations along with a slogan “ gender equality today for sustainable tomorrow “ is also campaigning “# break the bias “ this year.

Break the bias of what women should do

and not do, should wear or not wear, and change the vocabulary around expectations, experiences, vocations, responsibilities.

We as society also need to break the bias of how to create opportunities for them, how to be inclusive, have pay parity, and empower them to not just be financially independent but give them freedom of choice and decision making, participating in major and impactful fields of politics, climate change, health, science and research and beyond.

When women are uplifted, by the way of education and confidence and competence, entire family is uplifted and consequently communities are uplifted. An educated girl becomes an educated mother who can then raise sensible children, who grow up to be responsible citizens. Thus women are the foundation of any society. If they are suppressed and not respected, the society will have aggressive or unmotivated depressed citizens and it will not progress.

We see this all around the world.

Having said all of this, political will and financial sectors and education institutions are proactive in being inclusive and encouraging women participation. But we need to break another bias. Patriarchy in the society is very reluctant to accept presence of women in their profession, at par, leave alone as a boss. They will accept her as a nurse, as a teacher, as doctor, as a receptionist but still have doubts in their skills as pilots, drivers, engineers, managers, police, military and many other fields. Men can only respect their mother, be protective of their sister, extremely caring and loving to their daughter. As a spouse, they would be protective and caring but also expect their spouse to be submissive and subservient. All other females of the world for them are objects to be gazed, judged, taken advantage of, made fun of. The male ego plays a role in accepting women more educated or successful than themselves. Unless we create a society where all women are respected for who they are, not just by men but also by other women, deconstructing the conditioned mind, empower, support, enable, acknowledge, encourage, equip each other to shackle the barriers, some of which are self inflicted, and fulfill their dreams, keep their head up in pride.

Let’s hope we don’t have to have movements like #me too anymore. Let’s march towards gender equality and join hands from families to communities to cities to nations to #break the bias, together , for sustainable tomorrow.

Happy women’s day.

Sanjeev Kumar One of the greatest actors of Indiam cinema Sanjeev Kumar was one of the greatest actors of Indiam cinema.

He was born as Harihar Jethalal Jariwala on July 9, 1938 and died at the age of 47 on November 6, 1985.

He won several awards including two National Film Awards for Best Actor for his performances in film Dastak (1970) and Koshish (1972).

He acted in genres ranging from romance, dramas to thrillers, and He was voted one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema of all-times. Sanjeev Kumar started his acting career as stage actor in Bombay and later joining the Indian National Theatre.

Even at the stage, he had penchant for playing older roles; at the age of 22, he played an old man in an adaptation of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. In the following year, in play Damru directed by AK Hangal, he played the role of 60-year-old man with six children. He made his film debut with film Hum Hindustani in 1960. His first film as a protagonist was in Nishan (1965). In 1968, he acted with famous actors, such as Dilip Kumar, in Sangharsh.

He also starred opposite Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana in the superhit film Sachaai (1969).

He starred in the 1966 Gujarati film Kalapi, which was based on the poet Kalapi’s life, with him playing the titular role, Padmarani playing the role of his wife, Rama, and Aruna Irani as the love interest. The film was directed by Manhar Raskapur. Sanjeev Kumar remained single all his life. He proposed Hema Malini in 1973, but they just remained good friends. Suddenly his health started diteriorating, He passed away in 1985.

Later an actress Sulakshana Pandit started liking him and proposed for marriage, but both of them remained unmarried.[10] Kumar refused to marry her, as a result of which Sulakshana vowed to never marry anyone.

Later Aruna Irani was paired opposite Sanjeev in another Gujarati film, Mare Javun Pele Par (1968).

In 1970, the movie Khilona, which was the remake of gujarati film mare javu pele paar 1968, brought Kumar national recognition. In 1972, he played in an IndoIranian film, Subah aur Shaam. This was when the director Gulzar first spotted him.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL Saskatchewan to prioritize Ukrainians in provincial immigration programs

Saskatchewan is moving to take in refugees from the war in Ukraine.

Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison announced Wednesday in a media release that he’d been in contact with federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser to discuss plans to take in “an unlimited number” of people fleeing the conflict.

The province will prioritize applications to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program from Ukraine and provide funds for supports and settlement services for families arriving here. The government media release also committed to ensuring programs are available to assist newcomers with language and other skills.

Harrison added that the provincial government plans to “be working closely” with employers looking

to

provide jobs for new arrivals.

With about 15 per cent of the province’s people having at least some Ukrainian heritage, Harrison said in the release that he anticipated “Ukrainians will find a welcoming environment in our communities, including many residents with the same culture and language, which will assist in ensuring long-term success with resettlement in Saskatchewan.”

About 300 people have come to Saskatchewan from Ukraine via the provincial nominee program in the last five years.

The news seems to be flying at us faster all the time. From COVID-19 updates to politics and crime and everything in between, it can be hard to keep up. With that in mind, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox to help make sure you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

Ontario man devastated after falling for $260,000 scam that drained his entire life savings An Ontario man says he has been left shattered after falling for a $260,000 cryptocurrency scam that drained him of his life savings. “I’m absolutely devastated about it,” the man, who only wanted to be identified as James, told CTV News Toronto. “I couldn’t eat for at least six days.

I’m still in the process of recovering … they pretty much flushed me out.” James said he was on a dating website and met a woman who said she could teach him how to make money investing in cryptocurrencies. He said he started with $1,000, but started putting in more money when it looked like his investments were going up quickly.

“I went to the bank and I got two

amounts of $50,000 and then another one was for $30,000,” James said.

In the end, he said he gave the scammers more than $260,000 and lost it all.

He said he’s been told by authorities that once the funds are sent to scammers they are almost impossible to trace and get back.

“I would highly suggest not to take any financial advice from people online that you’ve never actually shook hands with or met in person,” James said.

March is Fraud Prevention Month, and Toronto police issued a public safety alert this week after noticing an increase in cryptocurrency scam cases in the city.

Saturday, March 5, 2022

BC committed to making changes to COVID-19 restrictions by spring break, if possible There are no changes coming to current COVID-19 restrictions in B.C. at this time but health officials say the province is moving to a better place “rapidly.”

This comes as other provinces are considering lifting mask mandates or have already lifted the requirement.

B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that B.C. will be removing those protections when it is safe to do so.

“We will have continued uncertainty as we move through the summer, we hopefully will be in a good place for the next few months because of the immunity that we have, and where we are, to be able

to relieve some of the pressure of some of these measures that are in place,” she said.

“But we need to be prepared for immunity to wane again and for us to have new approaches and adapt depending on what we see come the fall.”

Henry said there are still many areas of the province that have significant transmission of COVID-19 in communities and while the number of people in hospitals is decreasing, 47 per cent of people in intensive care units are still not vaccinated.

Speaking about hospital admissions, spread and transmission, Henry said health officials are committed to monitoring those numbers

Almost all surgeries postponed in BC during pandemic have now been completed Nearly 100 per cent of surgeries postponed in British Columbia during the first, second and third waves of the pandemic have now been completed.

In a Tuesday briefing, Health Minister Adrian Dix said 99.8 per cent of surgeries postponed in the first wave, and 94.2 per cent of those postponed in the second and third waves, are done.

“I think it’s worth of pause by all of us to think of just how welcome this news is for patients across B.C., for the family and friends supportive of them, their care and wellbeing, and how much it says about everyone involved in delivering surgeries,” said Dix. Close to half of operations postponed in waves four and five have also been completed.

Provincial health authorities across the province have reported more than 6,400 surgeries were performed between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5.

It’s a significant dent into the 8,025 surgeries postponed due to the pandemic

and extreme weather events between Sept. 5, 2021 and the end of February.

Surgeries continue to be postponed in B.C. on a smaller scale than previous months, he added, as hospitalizations due to COVID-19 decrease, relieving pressure on the health-care system.

Last week, 99 scheduled “non-urgent” surgeries were delayed — two in Fraser Health, 92 in Interior Health, one in Vancouver Coastal Health, two in Northern Health, and two in the Provincial Health Services Authority.

In the Tuesday briefing, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said transmission of COVID-19 remains widespread in the province, and she encouraged anyone who is unvaccinated to book a first dose.

Forty-seven per cent of patients in B.C. intensive care units due to COVID-19 are not immunized, she said. There are more vaccinated people in hospitals with COVID-19 than unvaccinated people, she explained.

Saturday, March 5, 2022 Reason for so many Indian and Afrcian students were in the country?

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a mass exodus of civilians, including thousands of international students from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Ukraine was home to over 76,000 foreign students, according to government data from 2020. Nearly a quarter of the students were from Africa, with the largest numbers coming from Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt.

India easily accounts for the highest portion with over 20,000 students.

The students - studying medicine, engineering and business - are an important part of the country’s economy.

But, as Russia launches the biggest European invasion since the Second World War, thousands of them have fled, hundreds are still trapped, and many remain uncertain about the fate of their education.

What was the attraction of Ukraine?

Ukraine has long appealed to foreign students, which can be traced back to the Soviet era, when there was a lot of investment in higher education and a deliberate attempt to attract students from newly independent African

countries.

Now, Ukrainian universities are seen as a gateway to the European job market, offering affordable course prices, straightforward visa terms and the possibility of permanent residency. “Ukrainian degrees are widely recognised and offer a high standard of education,” said Patrick Esugunum, who works for an organisation that assists West African students wanting to study in Ukraine. “A lot of medical students, in particular, want to go there as they have a good standard for medical facilities,” he added.

Desmond Chinaza Muokwudo, a Nigerian student who had been based in the city of Dnipro, said he was attracted by the relaxed admission requirements and the cheap cost of living compared to other European cities.

He enrolled at the University of Customs and Finance less than three months ago. Many courses are offered in English, but the 30-yearold was undertaking a preliminary Ukrainian language course, before moving on to study international relations. “I was a welder back in Nigeria and I needed an education to accomplish things,” he told the BBC from a hostel in Poland after fleeing the conflict.

Canada to petition ICC to investigate alleged Russian war crimes Canada will petition the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate potential war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, the Canadian foreign minister has said.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva after taking part in a walkout of a virtual speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Melanie Joly said Canada on Tuesday would petition the ICC “against Russia for crimes against humanity and war crimes”.

‘And it was also important for us to show that we are steadfast in terms of our support to Ukraine,” Joly said. Canada has joined the United States and other international allies in imposing a slew of economic sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which has seen Russian forces ramp up their attacks on the second-largest Ukrainian city, Kharkiv, and press towards the capital, Kyiv.

The UN’s official court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced Tuesday it would hold hearings March 7-8 on Ukrainian allegations of genocide in the conflict.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

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Canada and six other countries pull back from Arctic Council in protest over Ukraine Seven countries that ring the Arctic have pulled out of the international body that oversees its use and development in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Canada, the United States, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland have announced they won’t participate in the work of the Arctic Council or attend any of its

meetings until further notice.

The Arctic Council is currently led by Russia. The council is the main international body that brings together all northern nations to discuss environment and development issues.

It also includes Indigenous groups as permanent participants.

TheorganizationwasfoundedinOttawain1996.

More than half of South Asian women in Canada planning to leave their job: study South Asian women have faced some of the biggest job challenges during the pandemic in Canada, and a new study looks more deeply at this group and offers insights into their experiences in the workplace.

More than half of South Asian women respondents to a survey by CulturaliQ and the Pink Attitude Evolution said they are planning to leave their jobs for other opportunities.

This share is higher than any other group of women in Canada, and 19 per cent more than the average of all women surveyed.

CulturaliQ is a Toronto-based cultural market research company. Founded in 2015, Pink Attitude Evolution is a Canadian non-profit organization that supports South Asian women across several industries.

Among South Asian women’s motivations for leaving their current role, 48 per cent identified unsatisfying work as a major reason, compared to 35 per cent of all women and 32 per cent of all men. The second mostcited reason for leaving their job was poor management, at 37 per cent.

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“For this to change, it’s not just the work of South Asian women or women. This is everybody’s work,” said Puneet Maan, who is in the midst of a job switch, starting a new position as a vice-president for Laurentian Bank next week. Maan said Wednesday that a big force in achieving her own career success was receiving workplace support and sponsorship. Sponsorship refers to a relationship between a protégé and someone of higher authority in the company who can help advocate for career opportunities. When she returned from maternity leave, Maan said she noticed that those she relied on for support had left the company. “I’ve had road bumps where I haven’t had sponsorship, I’ve had periods where I’ve had sponsorship, and those two times in my career felt very different,” she said.Conducted from September to December 2021, the survey included responses from 2,200 women and men of various backgrounds, of which 700 were South Asian women, 400 were white women, and 158 were South Asian men compared to 300 white men.

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INDIA

Saturday, March 5, 2022

Russia says its buses ready to evacuate Indian students, foreigners from Ukraine ready to depart to Kharkov and Sumy from the Nekhoteyevka and Sudzha checkpoints in the Belgorod Region since 6 AM today in order to Rescue Indian students and citizens of other foreign states,”Russian National Defence Control Center head ColonelGeneral Mikhail Mizintsev was quoted as saying by the state-owned TASS news agency.

Mizintsev said that places for temporary accommodation and rest have been set up at the checkpoints. The refugees will be provided with hot meals; mobile clinics have also been set up there with a stockpile of medicine, he said. “The evacuees will be then transported to the city of Belgorod for subsequent departure to their homeland by air, including via Russian military airplanes,” the General said.

According to The New York Only 5 countries, including North Korea, vote against U.N. resolution condemning Russia Times, the U.N. General Assembly India abstains from UNGA resolution deploring Russia’s aggression against Ukraine adopted a resolution condemning country in the world. North Korea and Eritrea, Russian aggression, with 141 countries voting in address on Tuesday, many lawmakers waved both one-party dictatorships, are not ranked at all. favor, 34 abstaining, and only five voting against. small Ukrainian flags or wore Ukrainian flag pins.

Among the nations that abstained from The no votes on the resolution came from The result matched the international outpouring the vote were Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, five authoritarian nations: Russia, North Korea, of support for Ukraine seen around the world and China. In early February, China and in the past week. Pro-Ukraine demonstrations Eritrea, Syria, and Russia’s close ally Belarus.

The Cato Institute’s 2020 Human Freedom Russia released a joint statement that, among sprang up in London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, other things, condemned NATO expansion Tokyo, Seoul, Cape Town, and several other Index ranks Russia as the 115th freest country on but did not directly mention Ukraine. cities. During President Biden’s State of the Union earth. Belarus barely cracks the top 100 at 99th.

India abstained from a UN General Assembly Syria appears on the list as the 10th least free

(UNGA) resolution on Wednesday that strongly deplored Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The resolution was adopted with 141 votes in favour, five against and 35 abstentions. The General Assembly broke into applause as the resolution was adopted.

The resolution reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders besides deploring “in the strongest terms” Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

One hundred and thirty buses are ready to evacuate stranded Indian students and other foreigners from war-torn Ukraine’s Kharkov and Sumy cities to Russia’s Belgorod Region, a top Russian military general said on Thursday.

The remarks by Russian National Defence Control Center head Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev comes a day after Prime

Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed the safe evacuation of Indians from the conflict areas in Ukraine.

Approximately 8,000 Indians, mainly students, are stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on Tuesday. “A total of 130 comfortable buses are

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India Top guns of BJP, rivals SP and Congress in battle of Varanasi as UP Assembly elections move into final phase Top guns of the ruling BJP and rival Samajwadi Party and allies and the Congress are in Varanasi as the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections move to the seventh and final phase on March 7. PM Modi, who will address rallies in Jaunpur and Chandauli coinciding with voting for Phase 6, will campaign for the BJP candidates in his constituency Varanasi till campaigning ends on March 5 for the seventh phase.

West Bengal CM and TMC president Mamata Banerjee also campaigned for the Samajwadi Party and allies in Modi’s

Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday along with Akhilesh Yadav and his allies.

On Wednesday, she was shown black flags by BJP supporters in the Chetganj locality and Godowliya as she made her way to Dashashwamedh Ghat from the airport. Speaking at the rally with Akhilesh by her side, Mamata said protests against her by “BJP supporters” on her arrival in Varanasi, indicated the BJP “ is going out of power”. “I have been attacked several times, shot at and beaten by sticks in past, but never bowed down..I am not coward, I am fighter,” she said at the rally.

India denies competing Russian, Ukrainian claims of hostage situation India on Thursday denied competing claims by Ukraine and Russia that the other side had held Indian students hostage in Kharkiv.

It all began on Wednesday night after a conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A Kremlin readout on the telephonic call said some students were taken hostage by the Ukrainian security forces who used them as human shields. The Ukrainians responded by “urgently calling” on India, Pakistan and China whose students have “become hostages” in Kharkiv and Sumy to demand that Russia open a humanitarian passage to other Ukrainian cities. The MEA has responded by saying it did not receive any report of a hostage situation regarding Indian students in Kharkiv. In fact,

New Delhi has requested the support of Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for taking students out from the city and neighbouring areas. “Our Embassy in Ukraine is in continuous touch with Indian nationals in Ukraine.

We note that with the cooperation of the Ukrainian authorities, many students have left Kharkiv yesterday,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

“We have not received any report of any hostage situation regarding any student. We have requested the support of the Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for taking out students from Kharkiv and neighbouring areas to the western part of the country,” he said.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

State Bank of India stops transactions related to Russian entities under sanctions State Bank of India, the nation’s largest lender, has stopped processing transactions of Russian entities that have been sanctioned by the West over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, sources said.

To effect this, the SBI has issued a circular as it fears that any transaction with entities or sectors under sanction will invite sanction on it as well, sources said.

No transactions involving entities, banks, ports or vessels appearing on a US, European Union or United Nations sanctions list would be processed irrespective of the currency of the transaction, they said.

Payments due to such entities had to be processed by other mechanism rather than through the banking channel, sources added.

The SBI operates a joint venture in Moscow called Commercial Indo Bank Llc, where Canara Bank is another partner with 40 per cent stake.

The bank has not responded to e-mail seeking comment on the matter.

Russia is one of biggest suppliers of defence products and equipment to India mostly under governmentto-government contract.

Bilateral trade between India and Russia stood at USD 9.4 billion so far this fiscal year, against USD 8.1 billion in 2020-21.

India’s main imports from Russia include fuels, mineral oils, pearls, precious or semiprecious stones, nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical machinery and equipment and fertilisers.

How Indians on the internet view India’s tacit support of Russia While many Western commentators have criticised the Indian government for not opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many Indians on the internet have expressed support for New Delhi’s position.

They have offered a variety of reasons for doing so, ranging from India’s current dependence on Russia for military equipment to memories of the Soviet Union helping India during the 1971 war of liberation in Bangladesh.

While New Delhi has not said anything explicitly to support either side, its conduct is seen to have favoured Russia. On Saturday, it abstained from voting on a United Nations

Security Council resolution condemning Russian aggression.

The next day it abstained again: this time on a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for an emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a result, Ukraine has been “dissatisfied” with India’s response. Russia, on the other hand, has praised India’s “independent and balanced” position.

Several considerations are shaping Delhi’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin: India’s strong reliance on Russia for military equipment, historical ties with USSR.

India’s Covid-19 numbers of casualties ‘suspect’ - Chidambaram Citing the academic journal Science, Congress leader P Chidambaram said the official number of deaths due to Covid-19 in the country is suspect.

The reputed journal estimates that the Covid toll in India between “1-6-2020 and 1-7-2021 was 3,200,000 - eight times the official death toll of 400,000,” Chidambaram said on Twitter.

“Of these deaths, 2,700,000 occurred in the months of April, May and June 2021,” he added.

The former Union minister said India has 638,365 villages.

“The Government’s figures suggest that the average number of deaths per village was less than one! Unbelievable!

“Add the number of deaths in towns and cities. The official number is suspect,” the Congress leader said.

The death toll has climbed to 5,14,388 with 142 more people succumbing to the disease, according to Health Ministry data on Thursday.

The Congress has been alleging much higher deaths in the country due to Covid and demanding that there be a fresh survey of deaths

17,000 Indians have left Ukraine, says MEA The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday that 17,000 Indians had left Ukraine since his government’s advisories were issued and that efforts were still ongoing to reach the more difficult-to-access eastern cities.

Indian students who fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine take shelter at a wedding venue in Corbeanca, Romania, March 1, 2022. Picture taken March 1, 2022. REUTERS The eastern part of Ukraine has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

The comments by MEA spokesperson

Arindam Bagchi came hours after the Indian embassy in Ukraine asked all Indians in Kharkiv to leave the city immediately for three safe zones.

Bagchi said that there has been a sharp increase in the number of Indians who have left Ukraine over the recent past.

“We now estimate that nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine’s borders since our advisories were issued. This of course includes some Indians who had not registered with the embassy earlier,” Bagchi said.

Zain Nadella, son of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, has died Zain Nadella, the son of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, has died, the company confirmed Tuesday. He was 25.

“Very sadly Satya’s son Zain Nadella has passed away,” the company said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY. “The Nadellas are taking time to grieve privately as a family.”

Zain Nadella was born with cerebral palsy, was legally blind and had spastic quadriplegia, according to a 2021 story from Seattle Children’s Hospital, where he received care.

“He is the joy of our family, whose

strength and warmth both inspire and motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries of what technology can do,” Satya Nadella wrote in a 2017 LinkedIn post.

Last year, Nadella’s family donated $15 million to the hospital “to advance precision medicine neurosciences and youth mental health care.”

“As parents, our lives have been shaped by the needs of our children, and it is our hope that in honoring Zain’s journey, we can improve and innovate care for future generations in every community,” said Anu Nadella, Satya Nadella’s wife, in a statement when the donation was announced.

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Saturday, March 5, 2022

Punjab Barnala student Chandan Jindal dies of stroke in Ukraine hospital Barnala student Chandan Jindal (22), who had been admitted to a hospital in Ukraine since February 2, died there this morning.

The family has written to senior authorities to bring back the body.

Chandan’s father Shishan Jindal, who went to Ukraine to take care of his ailing son, is also stuck there. “My cousin Chandan Jindal, who was pursuing MBBS at Vinnytsia National Memorial

Medical University in Ukraine, was admitted to a hospital there after suffering an ischemic stroke on February 2. He was operated upon on February 4. Today, we got information about his death,” said Neeraj Jindal, vicepresident of the BJP’s Punjab unit.

“His father is also stuck in Ukraine. We are in touch with senior authorities of Punjab and the Union Government to bring him back,”

In wartime, two Adampur youths lodged in Ukrainian jail since February 6 As Russia has been intensifying its attack on Ukraine, two families from Adampur are worried as their sons cannot return back home like others.

They are lodged in a Ukrainian jail since February 6 as both of them had overstayed after the expiry of their visa and were attempting to cross the Romanian border.

The two youth are Ramandeep and Rajat Sahota, both neighbours from Gazipur mohalla of Adampur here. Both had taken

admission in a college in Odessa town and were pursuing a six-month course in language. They had also got a nine-month temporary residence certificate, which had already expired. With no chance of getting any work in Ukraine, they were desperately trying for Schengen visa which they failed to get. In a desperate attempt, they tried to crossover, but were reportedly held by the Ukrainian police and are in custody since then.

NRIs worried as Russia-Ukraine conflict delaying flights While the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has worried the families of those stranded in Ukraine, it has also troubled the NRIs ready to return to Canada after spending their winter here.

The NRIs said flights, especially those connecting via Montreal and Toronto were getting delayed. They, however, said that flights going via Vancouver were comparatively less troublesome.

Kanwaljit Singh Sekhon of Wadala village, near Baba Bakala, who took the flight to

Canada via Vancouver on Wednesday morning, said he had to wait for six hours at the Delhi airport as the flight was late.” He said due to delay from Delhi, he would now have to spend eight hours extra at the Vancouver airport.

Sekhon had to go to Edmonton, but now there was no flight available from Vancouver to Edmonton. So, he had booked a ticket for Calgary, from where he would take another flight.

“Those travelling via Montreal and Toronto have to face delay of almost 25 to 26 hours,” said

Pakistan Pakistan stays quiet as UN debates Ukraine crisis Pakistan allowed its turn to pass as the UN General Assembly continued to debate a resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, according to a media report on Wednesday.

The 193-member UN General Assembly convened the rare and unprecedented emergency special session on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on Monday after the 15-nation Security Council voted on Sunday on a resolution to refer the crisis to the most representative body of the world organisation.

The statement noted that Russia launched an unprovoked action against Ukraine that posed

no threat to it. “This constitutes a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations and presents a serious risk to global peace and security,” it said.

According to a UN statement, some 100 countries are expected to address the General Assembly, which is scheduled to vote on a draft resolution on Ukraine, tentatively expected on Wednesday. As a UN member, Pakistan can participate in the UNGA debate, which entered its second day on Tuesday, but it has avoided doing so, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Indications are that Pakistan wants to avoid getting involved in the dispute which places it in an uncomfortable position. Pakistan is traditionally, US ally.

Gilgit-Baltistan’s ‘Final Annexation’ accelerated: analysis In the meantime, Gilgit-Baltistan Islamabad has Chief Minister (CM) Khalid Khurshid accelerated the process has circulated the draft of the “26th of imposing provisionalConstitutional Amendment Bill” provincial status on Gilgitamong members of the Gilgit Baltistan Baltistan.

According Legislative Assembly and his Cabinet, to media reports that asking them to submit their “feedback between February 7 and views as early as possible.”

-14 a number of meetings were held among Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected the stakeholders, in Islamabad. During these meetings, the draft of the “26th to grant Gilgit-Baltistan the provisionalConstitutional Amendment Bill” was discussed. provincial status on Pakistan Republic Day, observed each year on March 23.

Man accused of killing TV journalist shot dead - police Karachi Police on Tuesday claimed to have shot dead one of the suspects accused of killing senior journalist Athar Mateen in an altercation last month.

A road-blockade was set up in Shahdadkot, 470 km north of Karachi, by local police and officers from Karachi West, Sindh

Police said in a statement, adding that a suspect motorist was signalled to stop.

However, the man opened fire and was killed in a retaliatory shooting by the police.

Police said the deceased, Muhammad Anwar, from Khuzdar in Balochistan, was one of the main suspects in last month’s killing of the journalist.

FIJI Fiji’s Honorary Consul for Russian Federation resigns Fiji’s Honorary Consul for the Russian Federation, Div Damodar has resigned from his position and has added his voice to that of the global community and calls on the Russian Federation and Ukraine to de-escalate the situation and commence a peaceful dialogue process.

Damodar says recognising the events of

the past week between Russia and Ukraine, and the firm position taken by the Fijian Government, he cannot in good conscience, continue to serve in this position. He says consistent with his position, he has taken the decision to relinquish his role as Fiji’s Honorary Consul for the Russian Federation.

PM Bainimarama back in Fiji after heart surgery abroad Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama arrived into the country this morning from Melbourne, Australia where he underwent cardiovascular surgery.

Mr Bainimarama tweeted this morning about his arrival and thanked

everyone for their prayers.

“There’s no better feeling than coming home to the family I love and the people I’m privileged to lead,” Mr Bainimarama said in his tweet.

“Safe to say I know a thing or two about making a recovery — my mission here at home is to keep Fiji’s going strong.”

War on drugs continues in Fiji With the monetary value of marijuana uprooted on Kadavu Island surpassing the billion-dollar mark now, Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho says areas that were not registered marijuana growers have been flourishing with the weed.However, he is adamant that the battle to eradicate

marijuana on the island is not over yet.

Last week, Brig-Gen Qiliho, sent a team from the Fiji Police Force to Kadavu after 10 of his men were confronted in Gasele Village.

He said police would not condone these actions and would make sure that those involved were produced in court.

Lautoka Hospital to provide open heart surgeries Lautoka Hospital will be able to offer 24/7 open heart surgery by mid 2022.

Minister for Health, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says as just like the Ba Hospital, ASPEN Medical has the tender of the Lautoka Hospital as well under the Public-Private Partnership Programme.

Dr Waqainabete adds that when ASPEN Medical takes over operations at the Lautoka Hospital, it will provide open-heart surgeries for Fijians.

The Health Minister says this will greatly assist Fijians who are having to travel to Australia, New Zealand or India for such procedures.

22 Press release

Saturday, March 5, 2022

Budget 2022 investing in people

Dear Community Member, Over the last few years, people in SurreyPanorama and across B.C. have been challenged in ways we’ve never imagined. The investments our government has made in people – in health care, child care, internet for rural and remote communities, and housing – are important building blocks that have supported British Columbians through the pandemic.

This week we released Budget 2022 and through it, we are going to continue to make life better for people by investing in our province’s economic, environmental, and social strengths.

You can learn more here: BC Budget 2022.

Some of Budget 2022 highlights include: $2.1 billion to support the recovery of communities as we build back better from recent disasters, and to strengthen our defenses to make sure people and communities across B.C. are protected from future climate-related disasters more than $1 billion for CleanBC to make clean energy and transportation the more affordable option for people and businesses, support industry to decarbonize our economy, and provide funding

to help local governments reduce emissions 20 new complex care sites around the province to support people with the most complex needs connecting another 280 First Nations, rural and remote communities to high-speed internet investments in new skilled trades certifications and more training seats for much-needed workers in the care economy $3 billion over 3 years to build and replace schools so all students continue to have access to safe, high-quality schools in which to learn a record $27.4 billion investment in infrastructure, including building schools, hospitals, housing, transit, highways and bridges $22 million in core funding for 50 sexual assault service centres across the province Like I’ve said before, in B.C. people are our greatest strength. That’s why every aspect of our budget puts people first. As we begin to emerge from this pandemic, we will continue to prioritize affordability, healthcare, and economic recovery for everyone in B.C. Sincerely, Jinny Sims MLA, Surrey-Panorama

MLA Letnick appointed to Select Standing Committees on Public Accounts, and Children and Youth Press release

Norm Letnick, BC Liberal MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country, has been appointed to the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

“I’m honoured to have been appointed to these two important committees as B.C. continues to tackle the challenges of the pandemic,” said Letnick. “I look forward to the detailed examination of policies and issues affecting our province’s economy and

the opportunity to engage with the public.”

The Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts reviews and reports to the Legislative Assembly on the audit reports of the Auditor General of British Columbia, providing a public forum for the scrutiny of the economy, and the effectiveness and efficiency of government organizations. The Committee also reviews the follow-up action plans by audited government organizations implementing report recommendations.

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