The Asian Star October 9 2021

www.theasianstar.com Vol 20 - Issue 35 Punjab-born Shree Saini first IndoAmerican to represent America at Miss World contest Punjab-born Shree Saini will be the first Indo-American to represent America at Miss World contest. She was yesterday elected Miss World America 2021.

Her maternal grandparents Vijay Luxmi, a retired school teacher, and TR Sachdeva, a progressive farmer in Abohar, said “a dream has come true. We are proud of her”.

Shree Saini’s Miss World America 2021 Crowning Ceremony was held at Continued on page 8

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Tel:604-591-5423

Bubble-zone protest protection coming for BC hospitals and schools, Solicitor General Farnworth says BC will introduce bubble-zone legislation during the fall legislature session to protect hospitals and schools from aggressive protesters who oppose vaccine cards and mandates. B.C. Solicitor General and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, who has

called aggressive and violent anti-vaccine protesters “COVIDiots,” confirmed the news Monday. “I can confirm that it will be legislation and it will be introduced later this session.” Protests at hospitals Continued on page 6

BC reports 624 new cases, big jump in hospitalizations British Columbia health officials reported 624 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, along with four additional deaths and a continuously rising number of patients in hospital. The update brought B.C.’s seven-day average for new cases down to 667, and left

the province with 5,929 active cases. Of the new cases, 258 were in the Fraser Health region, 78 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 118 were in the Interior Health region, 91 were in the Northern Health region and 79 were in the Island Health region.

Continued on page 7

Navjot Singh Sidhu: India’s controversial cricketer-turned-politician In 1996, Navjot Singh Sidhu kicked up a storm by walking out of India’s cricket tour of England and flying home after a fight with his captain Mohammad Azharuddin.

A former cricket board official wrote in a recent memoir that Mr Sidhu, then one of India’s established players, was apparently hurt over some swear words used by his captain in “good humour”.

Two years later, Mr Sidhu allegedly hit a 65-year-old man in a dispute over parking in Patiala city in Punjab. The man later died in hospital. A court in 2006 found him guilty of manslaughter. He appealed and in 2018, the Supreme Court convicted him with a small fine for causing hurt, but acquitted him of manslaughter. A flamboyant and outspoken personality, Mr Sidhu, 57, has incessantly courted attention and controversy. Earlier this week, he caused a political kerfuffle in his latest avatar as the chief of the Congress party in Punjab, one of the three states where India’s main opposition party is in power.

Shonali Nagrani, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Shekhar Suman and Parizaad Kolah attend the Laughter challenge tv show on June 20, 2007 in Mumbai,Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Mr Sidhu (second from left) was a popular judge of comedy talent shows Continued on page 10

Celebrating 30th year in business

Basant Motors award $32,000 in scholarships

Basant Motors prize $32,000 in scholarships to eligible students. Pictured above Baldev Singh Bath, president Basant Motors with Surrey mayor Doug McCallum and scholarship winning recipients.

Continued on page 15

Aryan Khan and Ashish Mishra: Tale of two sons of wealthy fathers The first is Aryan Khan, the 23-year-old son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who was arrested on early Sunday morning for allegedly doing recreational drugs at a party. The second is Ashish Mishra, the son of India’s junior home minister, who is accused of ordering his

driver to plough his vehicle into a group of protesting farmers, resulting in deaths and injuries. Both Khan and Mishra have denied the allegations against them, and the two cases are not linked in any way. But the manner in which the two young men have been treated by law enforcement, and the huge media attention Continued on page 8

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Saturday, October 9, 2021

Gas prices are hitting records as global energy crisis arrives in Canada An acute energy crisis is making its presence felt in North America as consumers are finally starting to feel the pinch of much higher prices to fill up their cars and heat their homes.

The average retail price of gasoline in Canada hit $1.45 a litre on Wednesday, according to data compiled by retail analytics firm Kalibrate.

That’s a three-cent rise from Tuesday’s level and enough to beat the previous record of 143.6 cents, set this August. Prior to that, you had to go back several years to see higher gas prices.

The average pump price topped $1.40 a litre for the first time in 2008 and then $1.41 in 2014, research analyst Suzanne Gray said.

While there are many factors that determine the price of retail gasoline, the price of oil is the biggest one, and crude prices around the world have roared back in recent months as supply and demand is proving to be more volatile than usual while the global economy is trying to emerge from the depths of the pandemic.

As demand exceeds supply after months of lockdown, gas prices are rising in Canada.

Other countries are also seeing higher prices for fuel, but are more concerned about overall availability. 2:00 Like just about everything else, oil prices took a swan dive in the early days of the pandemic, as travel slowed to a crawl, factories closed up shop and the world economy effectively went into hibernation.

This slowdown went as far as causing the oil price to dip below zero for the first time on record in April of 2020. Oil traders literally couldn’t give away a barrel of oil for free and had to pay money to have people take it off their hands.

Oil rigs went into survival mode to make it through the pandemic. But as demand started to creep back, so, too, did prices. After dipping below zero barely a year ago, crude prices are now back to their highest level in seven years, and analysts say higher highs are coming.

Feds announce tough new vaccination mandates If you want to work for the federal government, you must get vaccinated. The same thing applies for all federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors and its travelers. Under the new policy, announced today by Prime Minister Trudeau and Deputy PM Freeland, federal public servants in the Core Public Administration (CPA), including members and reservists of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirement for employees to be vaccinated applies whether they are teleworking, working remotely, or on-site. Contracted personnel who require access to federal government worksites will also need to be vaccinated.

It will be a two-step process. Starting October 6, 2021, employees will be required to provide an attestation of their status through a secure online system, by October 29, 2021.

As early as November 15, public servants who refuse to disclose their status or who are not fully vaccinated will be placed on administrative leave without pay. Employees who are unable to be vaccinated based on a prohibited ground as defined under the Canadian Human Rights Act, such as a medical contraindication, may request accommodation.

The vaccine requirement includes workers and those providing services within the CPA including the RCMP, comprising more than 267 000 employees.

Employees have an obligation to provide true attestations. Making a false statement would constitute a breach of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Police identify victim in Surrey shooting 28-year-old Sharnbeer Singh Somal was shot dead indriveway on 122A Street, near 80 Avenue in Surrey, BC on October 5.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has identified the victim in Tuesday’s (Oct. 5) fatal shooting. Sharnbeen Singh Somal, who was known to police, was shot and killed in a driveway on 122A Street, near 80 Avenue, according to a release from IHIT Sgt. David Lee. He noted the shooting of 28-year-old Somal, a Surrey resident, is believed to be targeted and connected to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict. “This shooting happened in (a) residential area. It was a total disregard for the safety of others,” said Lee. “We urge anyone with information to come forward and help find those responsible.”

Just before 10 p.m., Surrey RCMP were called to the 122A Street near 80 Avenue for reports of shots fired in the area, according to a release from Staff Sgt. Duane Honeyman the night of the shooting. Honeyman said when officers arrived, Somal was found suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. IHIT was then called in to work with the Surrey RCMP Major Crime Section. Lee said that shortly after the shooting, a black Ford pickup truck was found on fire in the area of 129A Street and 72A Avenue, which IHIT investigators believe to be connected to the shooting. IHIT is still looking for witnesses and video footage, Lee noted, with areas around the shooting and truck fire “of particular importance.” Police are looking for dash-cam footage from vehicles in those area on Oct. 5 between 8 and 10:30 p.m.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448), or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

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OPINION

By Ken Coates Senior Fellow Macdonald-Laurier Institute

The parsing of the federal election results is underway, as Canadians seek insights into leadership, party fortunes, regional concerns, and the priorities of special interest groups.

This process often exposes major currents

Saturday, October 9, 2021

The cities are taking over Canadian politics in Canada’s political culture and provides the country with a glimpse into what lies ahead.

In my view, a major focus should be on the continued growth of the political power of Canadian cities. In fact, the rise of cities should cause us to think very differently about

Canadian federalism. The Liberal dominance of metropolitan ridings is near complete, leaving all the parties to battle over suburban constituencies, smaller cities, and rural areas.

The division of Canada along metropolitan and non-metropolitan lines presents formidable challenges to national parties, electors, and the country at large.

The electoral results are stunning: a Liberal sweep in Toronto and Ottawa, a near sweep in Montreal, and almost total dominance in Vancouver. Even Fortress Alberta buckled a little in 2021, with Liberals winning seats in Calgary and Edmonton. Pierre Trudeau used to count on Liberal domination of Francophone seats to keep him in office. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party lost its longstanding hold on French-speaking ridings, but he now has the largest cities in a headlock.

Mid-size cities are not as strongly Red. Halifax stayed loyal to the Liberals, but other cities in Ontario, Quebec and Winnipeg split the vote while Saskatoon and Regina stayed Conservative and Victoria painted itself Orange. The Canadian political archipelago is dominated by the major islands Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver and by growing portions of the smaller regional cities. Federalist states are delicate political systems, given to regional strife, cultural conflicts, and tensions between federal and subnational governments.

Canadians are familiar with the vicissitudes of federal politics, but they are ill-prepared for the restructuring of Confederation made more real in the September 2021 federal election. We have long known that the Canadian federation faced numerous centrifugal forces, from Maritimes rights and western alienation to B.C. exceptionalism and Newfoundland’s unique claim on national attention. Quebec nationalism holds such a special claim on the country’s political attentions that obviously egregious acts of ethnic discrimination are ignored by federal parties. The northern territories are heavily subsidized, with an outsized hold on the

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Saturday, October 9, 2021

Canada makes vaccines mandatory for public servants, air and rail workers, travellers Canada makes vaccines mandatory for public servants, air and rail workers, travellers Meanwhile, the government is working with employers of airport businesses, airline and rail companies to develop their own mandatory vaccine policies by the end of the month.

Anyone wishing to hop aboard a plane or train must have received a second dose of a Health Canada-approved vaccine at least 14 days before their travels.

For travellers, there will be a short transition period to allow the unvaccinated to show a negative molecular COVID-19 test instead, though the grace period will last only until Nov. 30. Senior government officials said during a technical briefing, provided on the condition they not be named, said anyone planning a trip in the coming weeks needs to book their vaccine appointment now.

“If you’ve done the right thing and gotten vaccinated, you deserve the freedom to be safe from COVID-19, to have your kids be safe from COVID, to get back to the things you love.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference Wednesday.

Approximately 82% of eligible Canadians have received a double dose of Health Canadaapproved vaccines, Deputy Prime Minister

Chrystia Freeland said at the same briefing.

The new policy will affect more than 267,000 core public-service and RCMP workers, officials said, and will apply even to those who work from home and outside of the country.

They will have to provide an attestation of their vaccine status online. The attestations will be tracked and audited by departments, and managers can ask for proof of vaccination at any time. Employees who provide false attestations will be punished with disciplinary action, including firings. People who have had only one dose will be given 10 weeks to get their next one before they are put on unpaid leave. They will not be allowed back at work until they are either vaccinated or the policy is no longer in effect.

Employees put on unpaid leave will generally not qualify for employment insurance benefits, officials said. There will be accommodations made for people who are unable to receive a vaccine on grounds protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act, which includes religious and health reasons for not having a full slate of vaccines. Stephane Aubry, vice-president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), said his union is concerned about how those accommodations will play out.

‘Pandora Papers’ leak exposes secret offshore accounts of politicians, celebrities and billionaires The offshore fortunes of prime ministers, royalty, billionaires, athletes and celebrities are being laid bare in a giant new leak of tax-haven financial records, even bigger than the Panama Papers, revealed today by a global consortium of media outlets.

The leaked files, dubbed the Pandora Papers, show 35 current or former world leaders and more than 300 other public officials around the globe who have held assets in or through tax havens.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair, the current prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Kenya, and the king of Jordan have all benefited from the anonymity or tax advantages of their offshore holdings, the records reveal.

The 11.9 million files — consisting of everything from emails to bank statements, incorporation documents and shareholder registries — are from 14 firms that provide offshore services, and were leaked by a confidential source to the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The ICIJ has provided access to the files to 150 of its partner news organizations around the world, including CBC/RadioCanada and the Toronto Star in Canada.

So far, the CBC and the Star have identified the names of at least 500 Canadian citizens or residents in the records.

A massive new leak of documents dubbed ‘The

Pandora Papers’ is shedding light on how the rich and famous are hiding their money, and how a world of off-shore tax havens is still thriving. The documents were obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which includes the CBC. Among the Canadians named in the documents are figure skater Elvis Stojko and race-car driver Jacques Villeneuve. 2:33 Much like the Panama Papers leak in 2016 or the Paradise Papers the following year, the secret files provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how certain global elites — or in other cases, high-profile criminals — take advantage of financial wizardry or opaque corporate structures to either shield assets, wriggle out of their tax obligations, or hide wealth entirely.

After the Panama Papers came to light five years ago, world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, repeatedly pledged to crack down on such tax abuses and to clean up the murky world of offshore finance. But the new Pandora Papers show that the global offshore world, while chastened, continued to thrive in recent years.

“When we published the Panama Papers a few years ago, there was a lot of outcry around the world saying that this was a system that needed to end,” said Gerard Ryle, the ICIJ’s director. “But we’re now seeing the very people who could end the system … themselves benefiting from it.”

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BC orders 30,000 provincial workers to get vaccinated The union that represents public servants in B.C. said it welcomes mandatory vaccinations for its members, and would like even more protection from COVID-19 for workers in government offices.

On Tuesday, the B.C. Public Service Agency announced it will make COVID-19 vaccinations a requirement for its 30,000 government employees across B.C., starting Nov. 22.

These workers are those employed directly by government ministries and do not include employees at Crown corporations, teachers or health care workers, who are paid by those corporations, local school districts and health authorities. “As more employees return to their regular workplaces later in the fall, this provides an additional and reassuring layer of protection for workers who are continuing the vital work of serving British Columbians,” the agency said in a statement. In a related

development, the provincial health officer announced Tuesday that all visitors to care homes must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 12. Visitors to patients in acute care settings such as hospitals must be fully vaccinated

by Oct. 26, although there will be exemptions in end-of-life situations.

The secretary treasurer for the B.C. Government Employees Union, Paul Finch, said he believes public servants will support the move.

“From the beginning of the pandemic, we have been advocating for robust, science-based health measures to ensure the right of every worker to access a safe workplace. But we need to understand what the full implications are, what the policies for exemptions there are, and so we are waiting to see those details.

The Public Service Agency statement said those who are unable to be vaccinated will be accommodated, with more details to be released in early November.

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Saturday, October 9, 2021 Bubble-zone protest protection coming for BC hospitals and schools, Solicitor General Farnworth says

From page 1

organized by people who don’t believe in the vaccine have turned ugly, with some health-care workers saying they’ve been physically and verbally assaulted coming to and leaving work.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to make it a criminal offence to block access to buildings that provide health care.

Frightening hit-and-run on Vancouver street captured on video A frightening hit-and-run caught on surveillance video in Vancouver has now resulted in an arrest. A home security camera captured the incident Wednesday afternoon when a woman and a man were crossing the street at East 43rd Avenue and Beatrice Street. A car turning left can be seen hitting the woman in the intersection, sending her backwards onto the road. The driver, who appears to be a woman, gets out of the vehicle and comes around the

front to see what happened. But after almost a minute of standing around, the driver gets back into the car, backs up and drives away. Despite efforts to stop her, a witness was able to get the licence plate number and Vancouver police said they tracked the driver down and made an arrest for failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment but police did not have an update on her condition.

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It is not helpful to students, teachers, or parents.

It is making existing inequities worse.

It is not a required part of the BC curriculum.

You have the right to withdraw your Grade 4 or 7 child from the test. Teachers around the province encourage you to do so. For more information please visit bctf.ca/fsa.

A message from the Surrey Teachers’ Association

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Saturday, October 9, 2021

BC reports 624 new cases, big jump in hospitalizations From page 1 There were 373 active cases of COVID-19 in hospital — an overnight jump of 23 and the highest the figure has been since mid-May. The number of patients in critical or intensive care dropped by four to 132.

The hospitalization numbers do not include patients who were no longer infectious but remained in hospital for other treatment — a figure officials have not provided since Sept. 21. More than 4.1 million British Columbians, accounting for 88.5 per cent of those eligible and 79.7 per cent of the province’s population, have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 3.8 million people, accounting for 82.1 per cent of those eligible and 73.9 per cent of the population, have had two doses.

Earlier Thursday, the independent BC COVID-19 Modelling Group released data showing a sharp rise in the number of cases in children under the age of 12.

Kids in that age group, who cannot be immunized, make up nearly half of the remaining group of British Columbians who have not gotten the shot.

The modelling group also said data from the last two weeks show communities with a vaccination rate of more than 90 per cent had 3.3 times fewer cases than communities where 70 per cent of those eligible had been immunized.

Since the start of the pandemic, B.C. has reported 191,748 total COVID-19 cases, while 1,996 people have died.

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Saturday, October 9, 2021 Aryan Khan and Ashish Mishra: Tale of two sons of wealthy fathers From page 1

paid to Khan’s case, has led some to question the agenda of some of the press, and accuse certain stations of trying to “tarnish Bollywood”. The ‘drug bust’ Khan was taken off a cruise ship that was on its way from Mumbai - the city where his family live - to the tourist paradise of Goa. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which arrested him along with several others, said they were detained under laws “related to possession, consumption and sale of illegal substances”. The 23-year-old was remanded into custody until 7 October.

Analysts said, based on Khan’s arrest papers, that the drug yield was likely so small that there was really no reason to keep him in custody.

His lawyer Satish Manshinde strongly denied the accusations. He told the magistrate at the bail hearing on Sunday that Khan had been “screened twice when he boarded the cruise” and that “no contraband had been found on him” and there was “no evidence that he had consumed any drugs”.

The second incident involved Ashish Mishra, son of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ministerial colleague Ajay Mishra, after a car from their motorcade allegedly ploughed into a group of protesting farmers in Lakhimpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Altogether, eight people were killed. Farm unions said two protesters died when they were run over, two others who were injured later succumbed in the hospital, and three BJP workers and the driver were beaten to death by a mob of protesters.

Initial reports quoted Ashish Mishra as saying he had run through the farms and fields to escape being lynched by protesters. He later said he was not in the car at the time of the incident - a claim his father backed.

It was only after protests by opposition parties and farmers’ unions that the police finally opened an investigation on Monday

morning and the father and the son were charged.

“The reluctance and the delay by the police in lodging the complaint is inexcusable,” said Vikram Singh, a former top police official from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

“The incident in Lakhimpur is much more grave as it involves loss of life, but Khan’s arrest has hogged the limelight,” he said.

Throughout Sunday, some TV channels feasted on Khan family’s ordeal. He was photographed and filmed being escorted by the police in and out of buildings, and his “arrest memo” was shown on TV screens and shared widely on WhatsApp. Khan’s arrest was described by one anchor as a “major bust of a rave party”, while another demanded that the “nexus between Bollywood and drugs” be ended Guests on these channels made unsubstantiated claims about the star son and criticised the actor and his wife for poor parenting. On Twitter, Aryan Khan’s name trended along with #BollywoodDruggies and #BollyDruggiesShamingNation.

But more than 24 hours after the incident in Lakhimpur, the Mishras are yet to be called to the police station for questioning, and the coverage on TV channels has been much more muted.Celebrity anchors have refrained from demanding their arrest, some have, in fact, blamed the violence on farmers (who have been protesting for a year in many parts of north India against three new laws).

On Twitter, the only hashtag that trended for hours on Monday morning was the one exhorting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to “beat the farmers and protesters with sticks”.

The coverage of the drug bust was “over the top”, but was to be “expected in our eyeballdriven and click-driven journalism”, said former journalist John Thomas.

Punjab-born Shree Saini first Indo-American to represent America at Miss World contest From page 1 Angeles. She was crowned by Diana Hayden, Miss World 2017, and Tanya Memme, Miss World Canada 2013.

Shree, who is currently Miss World America Washington, also holds the prestigious position of “MWA National Beauty with a Purpose Ambassador”, a position she earned by working tirelessly to help those less fortunate and in need.

Her work has been recognised by UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, Susan G Komen, and many others.

The pageant organisers said, “We are

certain Shree will continue to immaculately embody ‘Beauty with a Purpose’, and no doubt will be successful in raising awareness and attention to the Miss World America mission. Stay tuned and follow the Miss World America 2021 journey!”

“We would like to also take this opportunity to give our heartfelt gratitude to Alissa Anderegg for her outstanding role as Miss World America 2020. Alissa has filled her one-year reign with incredible work in raising awareness for Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” the organisers added.

Navjot Singh Sidhu Barely three months after being chosen to lead the party and days after the departure of his main rival and former chief minister Captain Amrinder Singh, a doughty ex-soldier and a veteran politician, Mr Sidhu handed in his resignation this week. He is apparently peeved over “inappropriate” appointments in the government of new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Mr Sidhu’s actions have left the party leadership red-faced and provoked memes. “I am willing to sacrifice anything but will stick to my principles. I do not hanker after any posts,” he said after quitting.Mr Sidhu’s critics disagree. They say that after 17 years in politics - first with the Hindu nationalist BJP and currently with the Congress - he remains an “impulsive and self-centred” politician. “He’s a very unusual politician. He’s not very seasoned, speaks out of turn, isn’t a team player, doesn’t weigh his words and is temperamental,” says Ashutosh Kumar, a political scientist. Mr Sidhu’s friends describe him as a protean maverick who has successfully straddled a number of careers. He’s been an international cricketer, a

TV commentator, a permanent guest on India’s biggest comedy show and a judge on others, and a reality TV contestant. A peacenik, he counts Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan among his friends. “My friend Imran Khan has made my life successful. He separated politics from religion,” he once said. Mr Sidhu’s cricket, say experts, reflected his many personalities. He was, at once, a dour batsman and a swashbuckling hitter of ball. (He played in 51 Test matches for India till 1999, scoring an average 42.13.) “To improve his performance, he never went to parties, movies or followed any other despicable habit,” a news magazine once wrote while listing his “lesser known” qualities. Mr Sidhu is also deeply religious, and a vegetarian. In his second career as a commentator, the ebullient Mr Sidhu gained a cult following for his home-grown wisecracks, “mauling the spoken word with a unique, entertaining concoction of mixed metaphors and garbled clichés”, as writer Amit Varma described it. Take some examples of “Sidhuisms”, as his sayings are famously called: “Positive anything is better than negative

Saturday, October 9, 2021

BC reaches $65M funding deal with First Nation after Supreme Court ruling The B.C. government has signed an agreement with a First Nation to provide $65 million in funding to support land restoration and cultural programs, four months after a court ruled the province had breached the nation’s rights. Indigenous Relations Minister Murray Rankin said the initial agreement will provide $35 million for Blueberry River First Nations to undertake land restoration activities and create jobs for band members and business opportunities for companies operating in the region. The other $30 million will go toward helping the First Nation protect its

cultural way of life and to expand its land management resources, as well as restoring the health of wildlife through management programs. “Our goal is to work quickly to get certainty on a path, both long-term and immediate, so everybody is made whole,’’ Rankin told a news conference Thursday. A B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled in June that the provincial government had breached the nation’s rights under Treaty 8, signed more than 120 years ago, because it allowed development such as forestry and natural gas extraction without the nation’s approval.

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Saturday, October 9, 2021 New BC modelling data show spike in COVID-19 cases among children in some health regions COVID-19 cases spiked dramatically among children in three of B.C.’s health regions, independent modelling shows. The BC COVID Modelling Group, which consists of experts in epidemiology and mathematics, says cases among children too young to be vaccinated rose steeply in the Fraser Health, Interior Health, and Island Health regions.

Until children under 12 are immunized, “changes to the rate at which they contact others matter disproportionately to COVID-19 spread,” the group said in a report published Thursday.

“Children account for nearly 50 per cent of the unvaccinated and are seeing rising case numbers in some health authorities in B.C.,” the report reads. “Changes in transmission in children affect the cases’ growth rate more than changes in other groups, because children are

less vaccinated and have high contacts.”

If the Pfizer vaccine is approved for children aged 5 to 11, the professors say it will not only benefit kids, but also have an indirect benefit for adults, including parents at home and teachers and support staff in school.

The latest two weeks’ of data showed that communities where 90 per cent of eligible people are vaccinated have 3.3 times fewer cases than communities with a 70-per-cent immunization rate.

The group also found intensive care unit demand remains near peak levels, but hospital and ICU occupancy have begun to stabilize.

Vaccine uptake in the province continues, but at a slow rate, the group found, and that areas with high vaccination levels have lower case numbers.

Canadians Have $948 Per Month in ‘Consumer Surplus’ from Wireless Services: CWTA According to a new report by PwC, commissioned by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, the lobby group representing telcos in Canada, Canadians have extra ‘consumer surplus’ each month from value created by wireless services, to the tune of over $11,000 per year.

The report titled, “Understanding the increasing value of wireless services for Canadians A report for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA)”, dated September 2021, aims to argue the benefits of wireless services and infrastructure in the country, plus how much value wireless networks and apps add to consumers.

The study noted from 2015 to 2019, Canadians nearly tripled their average data usage, “growing at 27% compound annual growth rate (CAGR),” and set to accelerate

due to ‘unlimited’ plans offered in 2019. The average revenue per user (ARPU) metric has already “remained relatively flat” for wireless providers, increasing from $64 to $69 from 2015 to 2019, a 1.9% increase. Also noted in the study (via @peternowak) was the decreasing cost of 1GB of data in Canada, down from $28 to $10, from 2015 to 2019.

The federal government has long told telcos to lower prices of smaller data plans or face possible regulation. “Notably, consumers can now purchase plans with unlimited data for less than $3 per GB of high speed data.” While that is true, those not on unlimited plans can pay up to $137 per GB in data overages (Bell and Virgin). PwC used an interesting survey to “assess the increased value Canadians now receive from their wireless services.”

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Federal NDP to review ‘disappointing’ campaign and help Liberals avoid another election: Singh New Democrats will hold an internal review of its “disappointing” election campaign, leader Jagmeet Singh told NDP MPs at their first caucus meeting Wednesday.

Singh said that while he’s proud of the campaign he ran, “we’re also obviously disappointed as well.”

“There’s a lot of close ridings. We were really close in a lot of places.

So we’ve got to figure that out,” he said in a speech at the beginning of the meeting.

The NDP won 25 seats in the September vote, only one more than it had before the election. That’s despite the fact that throughout the campaign, the NDP polled at around 20 per cent support, a level that led to projections of electing a dozen new MPs. In the end, the party received just under 18 per cent support – up from 16 per cent in 2019.

Singh said he is still “holding out hope” that the race in the Toronto riding of Davenport could go to the NDP. A recount will be held at the party’s request after candidate Alejandra Bravo lost to the Liberal incumbent by 76 votes.

In his speech to caucus, Singh outlined the party’s priorities when Parliament returns this fall.

Jagmeet Singh during an NDP election night event in Vancouver.

Jagmeet Singh’s priorities are now the

wealth tax and adding nurses NDP leader Jagmeet Singh greets supporters during a campaign stop in Oshawa, Ontario. In a recent Leger poll, 72 per cent of NDP voters said they were not likely to switch their vote this election.

The New Democrats are in a position to push their agenda on the minority Liberals who need the support of one other party to pass legislation.

He said the party will hold the Liberals to their election promise to bring in 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers, something the NDP was pushing for prior to the election. “So let’s make that happen,” he said.

Singh indicated Liberal promises on child care and the environment will have the support of the NDP. Both the NDP and Liberals campaigned on $10-a-day child care during the election, and the Liberal government has signed deals with eight provinces to put that system in place. “Now there’s a chance the Liberals are serious about it, we can get that done,” he said.

Singh said the same goes for the promises the Liberals made to reduce emissions and fight climate change. “Here’s an opportunity. If the Liberals meant it, then let’s get down and get some of that done.”

Jaskirat Sidhu, the ‘Humboldt Driver,’ speaks out His name is Jaskirat Sidhu. Most people know him only as “The Humboldt Driver.”

The 32-year-old wears a blue pullover as he is led into a small room and sits down in front of the camera. He pulls off his facemask and takes a deep breath before beginning his first ever television interview. The guard that led him to his seat and the metal bars on the windows offer the only clues that the interview is conducted from inside a prison.

Over the course of an hour and a half, Sidhu answers most questions with an apology first: “I am so sorry for the pain I have caused because it was my mistake. And that pain I regret every day... seeing them every day in my dreams… losing their kids, losing

their life partner, losing their brother and sister.

And that happened because of me.” On April 6, 2018, Sidhu was tasked with transporting a giant load of peat moss on tandem trailers, across Saskatchewan on unfamiliar rural roads. He had challenges from the beginning. First, his trailers got stuck in the snow and he needed to find a tow.

Then his tarps came loose and he feared losing his load, and finally, at 5 p.m. while he was checking his rear view mirror to see if his ties were solid, he missed a stop sign. A chartered bus, carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey club, was approaching the intersection and couldn’t stop in time. The two vehicles collided, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others on the bus. Canada plunged into mourning.

BCREA report says homebuyers outnumbered sellers by up to seven to one in Lower Mainland The B.C. Real Estate Association has released a report illustrating how a basic economic principle works.

It’s called the law of supply and demand.

The model applies in a free market of goods and services, and these include homes.

“Historically,” the BCREA states in a paper released Thursday (October 7), “the gap between the number of buyers and sellers has been predictive of growth in home prices.”

The document titled “Way Out of Balance: Housing Supply and Demand During the Pandemic” noted that the average price of a home in the province increased by 25 percent since COVID-19 struck last year.

To explain why this happened, the BCREA looked at, well, supply and demand.

“At the peak of market activity in March 2021, an estimated 67,000 buyers were searching for homes across BC while only 24,000 listings were available that month,” the BCREA noted.

That’s a ratio of homebuyers to sellers of almost three to one.

“The result was significant upward pressure on prices and transactions often occurring after multiple offers,” the provincial association stated.

In March 2021, realtors across B.C. sold a total of 15,073 homes, setting a new record for best monthly sales.

The number surpassed the record set in May 2016, when realtors sold 13,482 homes in the province.

The March 2021 record was driven by local buyers.

The number of foreign buyers in B.C.’s property market dropped to almost zero on account of travel and border restrictions due to COVID-19.

The residential market in the Lower Mainland is serviced by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, and the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board.

“The buyer-to-seller ratio in the Lower Mainland tracks the overall value for BC very closely,” the BCREA observed.

In particular, “During the slowdown of 2018 and 2019, buyers and sellers were closely matched, with demand picking up right before the pandemic prompting a drop in market activity.”

However, the “ratio then rose rapidly until March 2021, surpassing a value of three”.

Continued on page 19

LOCAL / NATIONAL

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Star & Style

Saturday, October 9, 2021 Madhuri Dixit

Madhuri is no beginner to the fashion, we all know it. The actress has an envious collection of traditional and ethnicwear and can make anyone go Dhak Dhak wearing that.

She has a penchant for Indian outfits and her Instagram account is proof of that. Her latest post on the photo-sharing app is in a white floral lehenga and we can’t take our eyes off her. If you need some inspiration for the upcoming festive season, you should

definitely check it out.

For a photoshoot on Monday, Madhuri opted for a magnificent whitecoloured lehenga from the shelves of designer Mishru. The lehenga featured an array of floral designs in both applique and sequinned styles. It also boasted of mirrorwork embroidery and intricate threadwork. The choli had similar work done on it. The ensemble was complete with a sheer white dupatta in the same design.

Aryan Khan spotted laughing in the police car Aryan Khan has been under NCB’s radar ever since he got caught on the Mumbai cruise.

He along with 7 others were detained during a rave party that involved drugs. The son of Shah Rukh Khan will be appealing for bail today and relief is expected by the court.

But amidst it all, a picture of him laughing during the crisis is going viral! Of course,

netizens aren’t happy.

Scroll below for details.

As most know, Aryan is currently under NCB custody.

Initially, he was remanded for a day, but later his custody was extended till the 7th of October. Time and again, the officials are seen taking him and others accused for regular medical checkups.

Taarak Mehta’s Nattu Kaka Ghanshyam’s friend says he wished to die with makeup on Actor Ghanshyam Nayak, who played the role of Nattu Kaka on the show, wanted to die with his make-up on.

Ghanshyam was battling cancer and was in a lot of pain since a few months.

He died on Sunday.

According to a leading daily, his friend Abhilash Ghoda has revealed his last conversation with the late actor. Sharing Nayak’s last wish, he said

that the actor wanted to die with his make up on and work till his last breath. He had expressed his wish after returning from Daman where he joined the Taarak Mehta team for a shoot. He had said on the call, “God has been kind to me the episode has turned out well and has been appreciated.”

Sunny Leone flaunts unisex athleisure wear Sunny Leone gets photobombed by son as she rocks a unisex Savanna Burn-coloured athleisure wear that includes an oversized T-shirt and a pair On World Animal Day this year, activist-entrepreneur Kunal Avanti

launched a fashion label ‘I Am Animal’ which promises organic athleisure wears and has Bollywood actor Sunny Leone, as an investor and face of the PETA-approved cruelty-free brand.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Salman Khan’s surprise visit to Shah Rukh Khan after Aryan’s arrest On Sunday night, October 3, Salman Khan was spotted arriving at Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow, Mannat, in Bandstand, Mumbai. Reportedly this was a friendly visit after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained and arrested SRK’s son Aryan Khan earlier in the day. Aryan’s arrest was in connection with the drug bust on Cordelia Cruises’ Empress ship that took place on Saturday night. Apart from Aryan, Arbaaz Seth Merchantt and Munmun Dhamecha were also arrested. All the three accused in the drug bust case have been remanded to NCB custody till Monday, October 4. The three

accused will be presented in court today. Aryan’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde has also said that he will apply for bail for his client.

It was a late-night surprise visit for Salman Khan, who decided to land up at Mannat and meet his friend Shah Rukh Khan. Salman, who just returned from Austria after wrapping up a long schedule for the next film, Tiger 3, was keeping a close watch on the developments surrounding SRK’s son Aryan Khan’s detainment and subsequent arrest by the officials.

Katrina returns after shooting Tiger 3 in Austria Katrina Kaif spotted at Mumbai airport as she returned from Austria, where she was shooting for Tiger 3. Salman Khan had earlier returned to Mumbai from Austria to shoot for Bigg Boss 15.

Earlier, the actors shot the film in Turkey and Russia.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma, Tiger 3 is the third film in the franchise.

Katrina Kaif, who has been busy with the shooting of Salman Khan-starrer Tiger 3, has returned to Mumbai from Austria. The actress was spotted at the Mumbai airport this

morning, October 4. She wore a casual T-shirt with ripped black jeans. With white sneakers, black mask and aviators, she exuded classy vibes. Katrina Kaif shared a number of posts from Austria. Recently, she posted two photos of herself from the film’s set and revealed that stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania styled her for it. Anaita also made an appearance in one of the photos as she clicked a picture of Katrina.

Sharing the pictures, Katrina wrote, “Breakfast styled by @ anaitashroffadajania #onset (sic).”

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LOCAL / NATIONAL BC MLAs return to legislature in person for Fall session

The COVID-19 pandemic and the British Columbia government’s economic recovery plans are expected to be key issues in legislature in the coming weeks as politicians return Monday for the fall sitting.

Most politicians will be back at the legislature in person, filling the 87 seats and following a safereturn protocol after recent sessions were largely held online with limited seating in the chamber.

Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon

said the New Democrat government will continue to offer relief, support and incentives to businesses, communities and families hit by the pandemic as it prepares to introduce a long-term recovery and economic strategy early next year.

“We’re looking to have something rolled out in possibly late January and I’m pretty excited about it,” he said in an interview.

“What is important is to position B.C., not only for recovery, but for the future.”

Saturday, October 9, 2021 Vancouver mayor kills plan to charge car owners $45 a year to park on city streets Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart took the deciding vote on Wednesday night to scrap a plan for a $45 a year permit to allow car owners to park their vehicles overnight on city streets.

The program was created by staff at the majority of council’s request, but did not hit the mark — falling six votes to five.

Those in favour were councillors Adriane Carr, Christine Boyle, Jean Swanson, Michael Wiebe and Pete Fry. Those against were councillors Rebecca Bligh, Sarah Kirby-Yung, Lisa Dominato, Melissa De Genova, Colleen Hardwick and Stewart.

It took two days for council to listen to staff, speakers, make amendments and then finally cast their vote.

The parking plan was part of the larger Climate Emergency plan that council unanimously voted in favour of in November 2020, directing staff to come up with ways for the city to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

Staff recommended council approve a plan to charge a $45 a year permit to park overnight anywhere on public streets, though people with low incomes would pay $5 a year, with the money earmarked for greenhouse-gas-reduction projects.

Currently, parking permits and fees apply to about 10 per cent of on-street parking in Vancouver. The new system would also have required a $3 a night permit for visitors.

Also defeated by the vote was a proposal in the report to charge between $500 to $1,000 for residents who buy a gasoline-powered vehicle starting in 2023. It would have raised $44 million in 2022 and $72 million in 2025.

Coun. Swanson said she was very disappointed with the mayor, given he had voted in favour of directing staff to come up with the plan in the first place.

She said she would rather have seen money spent directly on transit for low-income people, but the parking plan was a start.

Woman who got mama bear & 2 cubs killed was just fined $60,000

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A woman in B.C. has been given the province’s largest ever conservation fine for incessantly feeding eggs to black bears.

Police began investigating Zuzana Stevikova and a man named Oliver Dugan in the summer of 2018 after they got a tip that people in a ritzy neighbourhood in Whistler, British Columbia, were feeding three bears.

In their investigation, they found the woman was going out of her way to purchase food to feed to the bears. In a press release, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service wrote she was buying “bulk produce, including up to 10 cases of apples, 50 pounds of carrots, and up to 15 dozen

eggs” weekly so she could feed the bears. The bears became conditioned to human food and presence and would visit the area, “causing property damage, and exhibiting highly habituated behaviour showing no fear of people.” Eventually, B.C. conservation officers were forced to kill a female bear and two cubs. “The primary concern of the COS is public safety. Illegally feeding or placing attractants to lure dangerous wildlife, such as bears, is an extremely dangerous activity,” said conservation service Sgt. Simon Gravel in the press release. “Once bears learn to associate humans with food, it creates a public safety risk.”

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, October 9, 2021 New mandatory Covid-19 vaccination requirements will not apply to BC Ferries BC Ferries passengers and employees are not included in recent federal vaccine requirements for travel.

The Canadian government announced today that federally regulated transportation employees and travellers will be subjected to mandatory Covid-19 vaccine requirements starting Oct. 30.

These requirements will extend to federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors and its travellers, including airports and VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains.

Because BC Ferries is a private company, today’s mandatory vaccine announcement does not apply to BC Ferries passengers

or employees, the company confirmed to Black Press Media. However, BC Ferries said it is “reviewing the recent guidance provided by our regulators and authorities as it becomes available and in the days ahead, will be discussing these with the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union and other stakeholders.” The former provincial Crown corporation is regulated by Transport Canada, which has not made any changes to its guidelines for essential passenger vessel and ferry operators at this time. “BC Ferries supports the provincial and federal health officers’ position that vaccination is the most effective tool to reduce the risk of COVID-19,” a representative from the company added.

Celebrating 30th year in business

Basant Motors award $32,000 in scholarships Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Basant Motors gave away $32,000.00 in scholarships to the students last Saturday. Basant Motors President, Baldev Singh Bath welcomed all the students and guests. In his welcoming address to the students, he explained who are chosen for the scholarships are picked through an independent committee. He elaborated that the selection committee is independent of Basant Motors and the committee makes all its decisions with no influence from Basant Motors or any person affiliated with Basant Motors.

President Baldev Singh Bath shared how honoured he feels to be able to provide these scholarships to the students through Basant Motors. He wished them a bright

future in their pursuit of higher education and is pleased Basant Motors can help a little towards the students’ educational goals.

Basant Motors also wants to thank the Surrey community’s ongoing support of Basant Motors as it then allows Basant Motors to support students with scholarships. For this years’ scholarship giveaway, the 16 students chosen came from many different schools.

The scholarships presented by Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, Councilor Doug Elford, Councilor Laurie Guerra, Councilor Allison Patton, Councilor Mandeep Singh Nagra, Police officer Jag Khosa, and Punjabi artist Rana Ranbir. All wish them good luck for their future studies.

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Cybercriminals are offering to sell fake Canadian COVID-19 vaccination certificates online As provinces and employers across Canada increase restrictions on the unvaccinated or introduce vaccine passports, cybercriminals are attempting to cash in by offering fake vaccination certificates for sale online.

Sellers are offering phoney proof-ofvaccination documents for several provinces that apparently look just like the real thing.

Some of them even claim to be able to enter the data from the fake certificates into official government databases.

Prices and promises vary, according to offers viewed by CBC News on platforms like Telegram. One seller is offering fake proofof-vaccination cards or QR codes for several provinces — including Manitoba and B.C. — for $200, payable in Bitcoin or Ethereum cryptocurrencies. They promise to deliver the fake documents within 48 hours by mail or in “just a few hours” if they’re being sent electronically.

Just minutes after CBC News reached out to the seller, they sent a picture of an Ontario proof-ofvaccination form that appears to be identical to

those being issued by many Ontario vaccination clinics. Photos posted online by the seller of fake proof-of-vaccination documents for B.C and Manitoba also mirror official documents.

The seller boasted that information on the bogus cards is entered in provincial databases.

Protesters gather to protest COVID-19 restrictions including the new B.C. vaccine card outside of Vancouver City Hall on Sept. 8, 2021.

Another seller claimed to be based in Montreal. His channel, which was being followed by 320,065 subscribers when it was viewed by CBC News, included offers of fake proof-of-vaccination from several jurisdictions around the world — and featured photos of an Alberta proof-of-vaccination certificate that resembles the real one.

There is no way to know how many fake vaccination documents are in circulation in Canada.

Provincial health authorities call into question sellers’ claims that they can ensure the fake vaccination data is inserted into government databases.

Restaurant in Hope has business licence pulled for defying vaccine passport A restaurant in Hope, BC that publicly defied the province’s COVID-19 vaccine passport system has lost its business licence for six months.

The District of Hope confirmed that bylaw officers had served the suspension to Rolly’s Restaurant on Thursday for failure to comply with the BC Vaccine Card regulations.

District of Hope Chief Administrative Officer John Fortoloczky said if the restaurant continued to operate it could face a $100 fine for every day it remained open.

That penalty would be independent of any enforcement actions taken by Fraser Health or the provincial government, he said.

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Truly delightful fully renovated 6 bedroom basement entry home sits on rectangular 7920 sf flat lot in most demanding area Aldergrove Langley.Main floor features 3 bed ,2 bath with new kitchen /island ,new flooring,new tiles , new woodwork,new fixtures,splash back,granite counters,new tiles,new cabinet, new windows,new zebra drapes,4 new washrooms & much more .Newly built 3 bedroom unauthorized basement suite with rear separate entry.Excellent renovated covered 333 sf Patio & deck.Landscape front & fully fenced back yard. Storage shed.Walking distance to both schools,shopping,community center with pools,water Park,ice arena,playing fields& to all major routes.

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Saturday, October 9, 2021

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Saturday, October 9, 2021 Press release

Orange Shirt Day has become a Canadian movement. In this annual event, ALL CANADIANS – Indigenous and non-Indigenous people – come together in the spirit of hope and reconciliation to honour former residential school students, their families, and communities.

In the spirit of making a brighter, truthful future for Canada, everyone should reflect upon the affects of the policies and actions

of the Government of Canada and the churches that operated the schools. This year’s Orange Shirt Day, on September 30, 2021, marked the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.

Orange Shirt Day began in Williams Lake, BC in 2013 at the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event at which survivor Phyllis Webstad told the story of her shiny new orange shirt taken away from her on her first day of school at the Mission. Orange Shirt Day occurs in early fall because this is the time of year when children were removed from their families and forced to attend residential schools.

The emergence of residential schools began in the early 1870’s, with the last school closing in 1996. More than 150,000 Indigenous, Métis and Inuit children attended these schools. There are an estimated 80,000 survivors living today.

As per Dr. Rishi Singh, “I wanted each student and teaching faculty to be aware of the unfortunate aspects of this part of Canadian History. And we chose to learn about this history first, before we took the next step to become tomorrow’s guide”.

During the PRO D day on 27th September, Stanley Park Ecology Society led an outdoor workshop for the teaching faculty. They shared valuable information with teachers about flora and fauna found on our sprawling Gobind Sarvar’s school campus and correlated it with the First Nation’s wisdom.

Ms. Rajvir Mattu, Coordinator of the School, organised a student’s pledge through the “Orange Heart Campaign” in the school. Each student put their pledges on an orange heart shaped paper and put it on their classroom walls. Special assembly was organised by the Gurmat department where students, Eknoor S Pahal, Sehaj K Atwal, Gurnoor K Sharma, and Harnoor Singh, shared their well written speeches with the whole school. Informative videos about Phyllis Webstad were shared by Ms. Mattu with the school community. Throughout

Every Child Matters for Gobind Sarvar School Community the day, students and staff continued to learn and share their learnings with their classmates.

Dr. Rishi Singh asked the school community to collectively pledge to never

let this inter-generational traumatic history ever get repeated in Canada – NEVER AGAIN – AS EVERY CHILD MATTERS. On the 30th of September, our school’s

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Saturday, October 9, 2021 Every Child Matters for Gobind Sarvar School Community From page 17

in the field of curriculum building regarding the indigenous community, conducted a very successful workshop at the Gobind Sarvar School.

To be respectful towards all cultures is one of the most important ethos for

the Gobind Sarvar School’s family.

Also it is vital to not allow any one to be disrespectful towards any other person – let alone a school student – because for us – EVERY CHILD MATTERS!

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Saturday, October 9, 2021 Press release

Mayor Doug McCallum promises to fast-track City’s approval for PICS Society’s upcoming long-term care facility

Mayor Doug McCallum promises to fast-track City’s approval for PICS Society’s upcoming long-term care facility SURREYMayor Doug McCallum recently visited Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society to help celebrate the society’s 34th anniversary by unveiling a picture plaque in honour of the late Mr. Charanpal Singh Gill, the “Founder and Founding CEO” of PICS Society.

During his visit, the mayor specially asked about the progress of PICS’ latest community project, the Guru Nanak Diversity Village, a 3-storey, 125 bed long-term residential care facility for the South-Asian community which is currently in the pre-construction phase. When completed, the facility will provide culturally-sensitive care to our seniors and also bring approximately 125

new employment opportunities in the City.

The mayor assured PICS Society that he will ask the City Council and City Planners to fast-track the BP and DP approval process so that the important community project is

completed on time and our seniors can avail the services. PICS President and CEO, Satbir Cheema thanked the mayor for his ongoing

support for this worthwhile community project.

For further information, please call Satbir Cheema, President and Chief Executive Officer at 604-596-7722, ext. #104.

BCREA report says homebuyers outnumbered sellers by up to seven to one in Lower Mainland From page 11

“While the regions covered by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver saw a sharp increase in the ratio of buyers to sellers, that increase paled in comparison to Chilliwack and markets within the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board such as Surrey, Langley, and Abbotsford,” the BCREA reported.

These markets “saw an enormous rise in total demand during the pandemic as potential buyers looked outside of the Vancouver area for more affordable space”.

The BCREA estimated that “at the height of the market during the spring, buyers outnumbered sellers by as much as 7 to 1 in the Fraser Valley and Chilliwack”.

This resulted in “many transactions involving multiple offers and rapidly escalating home prices”.

“Indeed, while home prices rose about 14 per cent in the Greater Vancouver Area, prices in the Fraser Valley and Chilliwack were up close to 30 per cent,” the BCREA related.

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INDIA

Saturday, October 9, 2021

India, US on same page over China: Envoy US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said she believed India was of the “same mind” as Washington in cooperating with China where it is in its interest but challenge Beijing where it undermined the interests of the US and its allies.

The visiting senior US diplomat said China would also be challenged if it threatened the rules-based international order.

She was speaking at a session of the USIBC India Ideas Summit where Foreign Secretary

Harsh Vardhan Shringla said fastpaced developments in South Asia, especially in Afghanistan, will keep India and the US engaged.

“We have a keen desire to ensure that we both work together to ensure peace, security, and stability in South Asia and beyond,” he said.

Sherman and Shringla also met separately to review the results of the PM Modi’s meetings with US President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris and the Quad Summit in Washington.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan pledges to ‘investigate wrongdoing’ Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government will investigate citizens linked to a massive leak on hidden global wealth. The Pandora Papers link hundreds of Pakistanis, including members of Mr Khan’s cabinet, to wealth secretly moved through offshore companies. They rank among history’s biggest financial leaks, exposing dealings of global business and political figures.

Imran Khan said he would take action if any wrongdoing was established. The secret assets were uncovered by a global investigation based on 12 million files leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which has been working with more than 140 media organisations worldwide. According to Pakistani media reports, more than 700 people in the country were named in the papers, among them two members of the cabinet.

15 killed as bus collides with truck in UP’s Barabanki A bus collided with a sand-laden truck near Baburi village in the district here on Thursday, leaving 15 people dead and 27 others injured, police said.

The bus carrying 70 passengers was going to Bahraich from Delhi when the accident took place, Barabanki Superintendent of Police Yamuna Prasad said, adding that the collision took place as the bus driver tried to avoid hitting a stray cow.

While nine persons were killed on the spot, 27 people were injured in the incident and rushed to hospital where six more died during treatment, police said.

While treatment of 11 patients is going in the trauma centre of King George Medical University in Lucknow, four are being treated in the district hospital while the rest were discharged after being provided first-aid.

Prasad confirmed that the toll reached 15 following fresh deaths in the hospital. He said attempts are on to identify the bodies.

While condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the family of victims and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Adityanath has asked the local administration to provide best possible medical care to the injured.

Indian man steals the show in New York street singing ‘Dilbar mere kab tak mujhe’ Little would have this NRI living in the US known that singing a Hindi song on a New York Street would get him so much fame.

Gaurang Rakholia was randomly stopped by popular YouTuber and artiste Reginald Guillaume, and the two agreed to perform “Dilbar mere kab tak mujhe, aise hi tadpaoge”, a song by Kishore Kumar.

The musical performance has over 5.6 million views and has gone insanely viral.

Guillaume, who goes by the name Guitaro 5000, has been doing his singing

on the streets series since 2018. He walks up to random people on the road and asks them to sing alongside him.

Rakholia agreed to his request and sang the song Dilbar mere kab tak mujhe, aise hi tadpaoge.

In the video, we see Guillaume learning the tune in just no time, and after that both of them gave a wonderful performed.

When Gaurang was stooped earlier, he initially, like many others, refused to sing, but he changed his mind and returned. “Oh, he’s coming back.

After prominent Kashmiri Pandit chemist, 2 teachers killed in Srinagar Amid increasing targeted attacks on civilians in the past few days in the Kashmir Valley the militants on Monday gunned down two school teachers including a woman in the Eidgah area of Srinagar, which sources Jammu & Kashmir Police said, the manner in which killings were executed showed an imprint of ISIS and Taliban elements presence.

A police officer has confirmed that all teachers of the school were lined up and their ID cards and mobiles phones were checked. After ascertaining their respective

religions, the militants allowed most of them (presumably Muslims) to leave the place and later a Hindu (man) and a Sikh (woman) were killed at around 11.15 am, he said.

The deceased have been identified as Supinder Kour, a resident of Alochi Bagh area of the city here, and Deepak Chand, a resident of Jammu. Kaur was working as principal and Chand as teacher at Government Boys School, Sangam, Srinagar.

With today’s killings of the teachers, which drew widespread condemnation, took the number of civilians killed

22 killed, over 300 injured in earthquake in Balochistan A powerful 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted a mountainous part of Pakistan’s Balochistan province early on Thursday, resulting in the collapse of a coal mine and several mud houses that left at least 22 people dead and over 300 others injured,

officials said. The National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad said the epicentre of the earthquake was near Harnai, which has a large number of coal mines, at a depth of around 15 kilometres.

Imran Khan promised ‘new Pakistan’ but members of his party secretly moved millions offshore In 2018, Imran Khan, the Pakistani cricketing legend turned anti-corruption campaigner finally broke through.

After more than two decades in the political wilderness, the charismatic Oxford-educated media star seized on the publication of the Panama Papers, the 2016 journalistic exposé that revealed the offshore secrets of the global elite. Among the findings: The children of Pakistan’s sitting prime minister secretly

owned a string of luxury London apartments.

Riding a wave of public outrage, Khan led protests around the country and a sit-in at the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, demanding that he step down. With the support of the military establishment, Khan propelled his reformist party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice, past its rivals in the 2018 national elections and propelled himself

USA has ‘honest concerns’ about Pakistan being safe haven for terrorists, says Pentagon The United States has been very honest about its concerns with Pakistan for a long time about the terrorist safe havens along with the border areas of Afghanistan, the Pentagon has said.

Afghanistan and the US have criticised Pakistan in the past for allowing Taliban fighters to cross

into Pakistan where they are provided safe havens and also receive medical treatment.

“We’ve been very honest about our concerns with Pakistan for a long time, about the safe havens that exist on their side of the border along that spine. And those concerns are still valid today,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on Thursday at a news conference.

Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum appointed as new ISI chief In a surprise move Pakistan Army announced Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum appointed as new Director-General ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence).

Former ISI chief, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed has been appointed as Corps Commander, Peshawar, a stretigic position in view of Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Lieutenant General Nadeem is appointed as ISI chief by prime minister, but as tradition he executes the power in

consultation with theChief of Army Staff.

The post of ISI head is considered one of the most powerful and important in Pakistan Army, which has ruled the country for more than half of its 73 plus years of existence and has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.

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Saturday, Saturday, October October 2, 9, 2021 2021

Punjab Punjab govt to file FIR in SC scholarship scam With the change of guard in the Congress government in Punjab, the state’s Department of Social Justice has initiated the process to lodge an FIR in the multi-crore scam pertaining to the disbursal of funds under the SC Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme.

Scam was detected in 2019 when Sadhu Singh Dharamsot was Social Justice Minister

Dept of Social Justice to begin criminal proceedings against officials for wrongfully releasing Rs16.91 cr to 9 institutions The scam surfaced in 2019 during the tenure of former Social Justice Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot in the Capt Amarinder Singh-led government. After the scam surfaced, then Additional Chief

Suspected Taliban men vandalise Kabul Gurdwara said security guards of the gurdwara were handcuffed and CCTV cameras damaged. Later, the men left the place. “They not only abused the sanctity of the holy place but also vandalised it,” he said.

Gurnam Singh, president, gurdwara committee, spoke to Taliban intelligence

A group of unidentified heavily armed men, suspected to be Taliban officials, entered Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul forcefully and vandalised it on the pretext of conducting search in the complex.

Puneet Singh Chandhok, president, India World Forum,

Houston post office renamed after slain Sikh cop A post office in west Houston has been renamed after Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, in a fitting tribute to the trailblazing IndianAmerican Sikh police officer who died after being shot multiple times from behind while on duty in the US state of Texas in 2019.

Dhaliwal, the 42-year-old Harris County Sheriff ’s Deputy and a father of three, was gunned down during a traffic stop on September 27. Dhaliwal made national headlines in 2015 when he became the first police officer in Texas

to serve while keeping his Sikh articles of faith, including a turban and beard.

“Our fallen brother Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was honoured by renaming a postal office in west Harris County in his memory. We are grateful to the Texas delegation, Harris County Commissioners Court, United States Postal Office, & the Sikh community for honouring him,” Harris County Sheriff ’s Office said in a tweet on Wednesday. —

Our kids and their teachers:

WORTH INVESTING IN

World Teachers´ Day A message from the Surrey Teachers’ Association

FIJI Heavy police presence around Fiji Police Academy as 59 people to appear in special court There is heavy police presence at Fiji Police Academy in Nasova as the 59 people who were allegedly involved in the Nabua brawl on Monday will be appearing in the Magistrates Court set up in the Academy Gym. Police are heavily guarding the entrance to the Gym and are also surrounding the accused in the Gym. Family members of the accused are

also scattered around the Academy.

45 adults and 14 juveniles have been jointly charged with Unlawful Procession, Malicious Acts, Disobedience of Lawful Order, Throwing Stones and Criminal Intimidation.

They were taken into custody with the assistance of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces officers on Monday.

RFMF soldiers assist Police break up brawl at Nabua Soldiers from the Republic of the Fiji Military Forces were deployed to assist police break up an alleged brawl at Nabua Housing in Mead Road this afternoon.

When a team from this newspaper

arrived at the scene, police were spotted taking an injured man inside a twin cab.

Witnesses who wished to speak on the condition of anonymity claimed youths from Sukanaivalu Road retaliated after some group from Nabua Housing assaulted

Vakarisi, facing abduction charges, granted bail Renowned felon, Jone Vakarisi who is facing abduction charges, was released by the Suva Magistrates Court today.

Magistrate Waleen George granted Vakarisi a bail bond in the sum of $500 non-cash with strict bail conditions.

He allegedly committed the offense on the victim, aged 17, between August 12-20 this year with intent to have carnal knowledge.

Thereportwaslodgedbythevictim’smother.

The accused claimed in court that he had presented a whale’s tooth to the victim’s family, but Ms George said the

Thieves attack supermarket staff and flee with $78k Thieves made away with $78,000 in less than 30 seconds from a supermarket in Lautoka on Saturday night.

Three men attacked a security officer and two managers of Superfoods Supermarket on Tukani St and fled with the money in a waiting car.

“We managed to note the number of the car and have provided that information to police,” said supermarket director Ashnil Chand.

“They attacked our security guard with a beer bottle and he sustained injuries on his head and was taken to hospital.

“The robbers would have known about the money transfer as they were waiting.”

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INDIA

2, 2021 Saturday, October 9,

Varun and Maneka Gandhi removed from top BJP body after tweets condemning farmers’ killing in UP BJP MP Varun Gandhi, and mother Maneka Gandhi were removed from the top BJP body.

It is, perhaps, after Varun Gandhi’s tweets and statements condemning farmers’ killing in UP. BJP president J P Nadda announced the 80-member National Executive of the party on Thursday, with the names of its top brass, ranging from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to many Union ministers, several state leaders and veterans like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi figuring on the list.The Executive is a key deliberative body of the party which meets to discuss key issues facing the government and shapes the organisation’s agenda. The disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented its meeting for a long time.

Meanwhile, Varun Gandhi again on Thursday posted a video purportedly of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and said the

protesters cannot be silenced through murder asking for accountability for the farmers.

“The video is crystal clear. Protestors cannot be silenced through murder. There has to be accountability for the innocent blood of farmers that has been spilled and justice must be delivered before a message of arrogance and cruelty enters the minds of every farmer,” the Pilibhit MP said in a tweet.

He posted a 37-second video in which a speeding Mahindra Thar jeep is seen running over people. Two SUVs -- one black and another white -- was seen following the jeep while there is commotion of people shouting and crying in the video.

The video, which has gone viral on social medial, is said to have been taken on October 3, the day on which violence took place in Lakhimpur Kheri.

Another video from Lakhimpur Kheri shows minister’s vehicle mowing down farmers at great speed Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s claim that his vehicle was attacked by miscreants before the driver lost control and mowed down farmers, stands “exposed” after a cleaner, a longer new clip of the viral video from Lakhimpur Kheri reveals what happened on Sunday before the violent clashes.

The viral video clip shows a black SUV which belongs to the union minister according to his own admission - ploughing into an unarmed group of protesters at great speed.

There are no signs of any attack on the Mahindra Thar vehicle.

It shows no stones or sticks being thrown at the car or that the driver lost control resulting in the death of at least four farmers and injuries to many more.

In this video, the driver seems to holding on to the steering wheel firmly and driving at

great speed into a group of farmers marching in front of the SUV, with their backs to it.

According to witnesses, it was after this incident, that an enraged mob attacked the cars, set them on fire and four people in the convoy were beaten to death.

A lower resolution, slowed-down version of the same video was earlier shared by a series of opposition leaders as proof that the blame for the Sunday’s clashes lay on the convoy of minister’s aides and BJP workers.

It may be recalled that farmers had gathered to protest against the visit of union home affairs minister Ajay Mishra and the state’s deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya at a wrestling match.

Farmer groups have been claiming that Mishra’s son had been in a car when the vehicle ran over four protesters,

Active Covid-19 cases lowest in 204 days With 22,431 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s total tally of Covid cases rose to 3,38,94,312, while the active cases declined to 2,44,198, the lowest in 204 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll climbed to 4,49,856 with 318 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 13 straight days.

The active cases comprise 0.72 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national Covid recovery rate was recorded at 97.95 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

A decrease of 2,489 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.

India’s Covid tally had crossed the 20lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past

60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

Agencies probe link between Kashmir killings and Anas Haqqani’s exultation over Somnath destruction wo tweets by a Haqqani Network scion which glorified the destruction of statues in Somnath have stirred social media users and given food for thought to intelligence agencies here.

Making a reference of his visit on Tuesday to Ghazni, a city past its prime, Anas Haqqani glorified Mahmud Ghaznavi and his act of breaking the Somnath temple idol.

Haqqani’s first tweet in Pashto went unnoticed where he made no reference to Ghazni’s foray into Somnath though he did say that the medieval age ruler had been a breaker of idols. His second tweet, an hour later, was in English and it specifically mentioned that he had “smashed the idol of Somnath”. This set the

social media on fire with some Afghans berating him for digging up the past, others hailing his statement and Indians largely pointing out that the Somnath Temple today shines in full glory whereas Ghazni is a dust bowl.

However, intelligence analysts here differ from social media users. The tweet was posted on a day when Kashmir was rocked by the assassination of a septuagenarian Kashmiri Hindu and a labourer from mainland India.

Intelligence agencies believe the Haqqani Network is guided by the ISI and point out that three members from the same family were inducted in the Taliban Cabinet shortly after ISI Chief Gen Faiz Hameed visited Kabul.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

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