The Asian Star October 29 2022

Navjit Kaur Brar, an Indo-Canadian health care worker has become the first turban-wearing Sikh woman to be elected as a city councillor of Brampton city in Canada.

Brar, a respiratory therapist, was on Monday elected the Brampton city Councillor in the recent municipal council polls after she won the race in Wards 2 and 6.

The mother of three beat Jermaine Chambers, a former Conservative MP candidate for Brampton West, as she

Rishi Sunak took charge as Britain’s first non-White and Indian-origin Prime Minister with a promise to put the crisishit country’s needs “above politics” and “fix the mistakes” made by his predecessor, a day after he was elected the leader of the Conservative Party in a historic leadership run. The 42-year-old investment banker-turned politician is the youngest British PM in 210 years. He is also Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister.

In his first address at the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, the new Prime Minister said that he takes over at a time when the UK is facing a “profound economic crisis” as it deals with the aftermath of COVID and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Sunak asserted that he is “not daunted” by the high office he has accepted and hopes to live up to its demands.

Trudeau, Joe Biden celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made diyas with students at Cedar Hills elementary to mark festival of lights, Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas, in Surrey, British Columbia, on October 20th.

US President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris attended reception to celebrate Diwali in the East Room of White House in Washington.

Continued on page

Over half of Metro Vancouver residents are now part of a visible minority: statistics

For the first time ever, more than half of Metro Vancouver residents now identify as being part of a visible minority, according to Statistics Canada’s newly released data today from the 2021 census.

Continued on page

White House to 10 Downing, Sundar Pichai to Kamala Harris

A riot-like situation prevailed in Mississauga city of Canada, on Diwali, October 24th, when pro-India students clashed with Khalistani students raising slogans against each other after bursting crackers. The police intervened to control the crowd in Westwood Mall Square Six students were reported to have been injured in the violence.

The Indian government had recently expressed its displeasure to the Trudeau government for not curbing the activities of Khalistani elements who were creating a rift among Indian students and vitiating the atmosphere in educational institutions. India’s warning that there was a risk of violence breaking out has proved to be correct.

A familiar row erupts on social media every time a person of Indian origin makes headlines anywhere in the world: Who exactly is “Indian”? Does one have to be born in independent India and hold an Indian passport to be considered Indian? How about those born in pre-Independent India, say in the area that now constitutes Pakistan or Bangladesh? Or those whose forebears emigrated from India and whose descendants are now integrated into the country where they settled? How about those whose ethnicity is only part Indian? Or those of foreignorigin who embraced India and took up Indian citizenship?

Turban-wearing Sikh woman

Brampton council

Pro-Khalistanis clash with Indians during Diwali in Mississauga

DARPAN AWARDS 2022 - A Magical Night

DARPAN Magazine, hosted its 12th Annual Awards in the company of esteemed social, business, and political elites. The presenting sponsor for spectacular Darpan Extraordinary Achievement Awards 2022 was the Royal Bank of Canada. The evening took place at Aria Convention Center in Surrey on October 7, 2022.

DARPAN Awards Night 2022 was marked by the red carpet sponsored by Preston Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac Ltd. and was buzzing with prominent members of the South Asian community, political dignitaries, and socialites. The beautiful cocktail lounge sponsored by WBI Home Warranty had guests mingling and enjoying the hospitality. The awards event was a spotlight that added shine and glamour to the evening while the entertainment added pizzazz and exuberance to the soiree. It was a night to remember and cherish.

Also spotted at the event were prominent political guests like MP for Surrey-Newton, Sukh Dhaliwal; MP for Surrey Centre, Randeep Sarai; MLA for Surrey-Panorama Jinny Sims; MLA for Vancouver-Langara, Michael Lee, MLA for South Surrey-White Rock, Elenore Sturko, MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers Rachna Singh, and MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, Mike Starchuk. Former Mayor of Surrey, Doug McCallum; Former Premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark, and Ex BC Supreme Court judge & former Attorney General Mr.Wally Oppal were also among the dignitaries present.

With over 800 guests in attendance, this black-tie affair commenced at 6:00p.m. in the backdrop of grandeur. Canadian actor and television personality Husein Madhavji was the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

Ten amazing individuals from the South Asian community were recognized for their extraordinary achievements and for reflecting their heritage in a remarkable way. These 10 South Asians, identified as leaders, who embody the spirit of community and give back to greater Canadian society, were honored with the prestigious Darpan Extraordinary Achievement Award.

The night ended with a special entertainment performer who is known to be a legend in the South Asian music industry, and even internationally. Listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest selling bhangra solo artist of all time, with sales of over 4.9 million records over the span of his career, the globally celebrated Malkit Singh, also known as The Golden Star had guests dancing the night away to his foot-tapping songs, bringing an energetic end to a spectacular night.

(L-R) Keynote Speaker Dr. Gurtej Sandhu, RBC Regional President BC Martin Thibodeau, Former Mayor of Surrey Doug McCallum, Air Canada Manager Business Development Western Canada James Howey

Martin Thibodeau, Regional Vice President of RBC for BC region and Kam Raman, Vice President, Group Advantage presented Dr. Gurtej Singh Sandhu with the International Sensation Award.

Gordon Houston, Executive Vice President & Nav Grewal, Associate Vice President of WBI Home Warranty Ltd. presented the Artistic Visionary Award to Tarun Nayar.

Alex Holme, Director of Sales, ML Emporio Properties Ltd. presented the Breaking Barriers Award to Harleen Dulay.

Yves Giroux, Vice President & Perminder Chohan, Managing Director at Desjardins Financial presented the Corporate Engagement Award to Raghwa Gopal.

Balraj Mann of the BM Group of Companies presented the Young Wonder Award to Sarthak Tyagi.

Amar Doman, owner of BC Lions, presented the Spirit Of Sport Award to Amarveer Singh Dhesi.

Reggie Raj of Peace Arch Duty Free presented the Advancing Philanthropy Award to Manjit Gill and Darcy Gill.

Jeet Dhindsa, President and CEO of Van Gogh Designs presented the Heritage Defender Award to Raj Bhandal.

Mohamed Mansour, Vice President of Sales of Allure Ventures Inc presented the Community Crusader Award to Dr.Balbir Gurm.

Paul McDonald, Sales Manager, at Preston Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac Ltd. presented the Industry Marvel Award to Dr. Rajpaul Attariwala.

Gas prices to rise in BC again as North American supply tightens

in costs everywhere, he notes.

Paul Pasco, the principal consultant at Kalibrate, says prices

hit around $1.98 for a litre of regular by the morning.

“It’s just the rising price of crude. There’s been a continued supply tightness globally and it’s pushing prices up, and we’re seeing it across the market,” he told CityNews.

says the rise is happening across all North American markets, “a steady increase”

Hindu population has reportedly more than doubled in Canada during 2001-2021, and Hinduism is now third largest religion of the country after Christianity and Islam.

According to Statistics Canada, as reported in the 2021 Census, Hindus rose from 1.0% to 2.3% (close to 830,000 people) of total Canadian population from 2001 to 2021. Hindus now comprise 4.1% percent of the Ontario population.

According to reports, here is the 2021 Hindu population in various provinces and territories of Canada: Alberta 15,835, British Columbia 16,845, Manitoba 3,475, New Brunswick 375, Northwest Territories 35, Newfoundland and Labrador 250, Nova Scotia 930, Nunavut 25, Ontario 131,155, Prince Edward Island 100, Quebec 15,610, Saskatchewan 2,595, Yukon 25.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today,

There’s potential for the price at the pump to continue to rise, Pasco adds, as there’s not a lot of room in the market for prices to fall, considering “we’re already pricing in a recession.”

“Any news that’s at all positive on the economic front or negative on the supply front is going to continue to push the price of crude oil [up], which will push prices a little bit higher.”

As many pundits believe prices at the pump will stay below $2 a litre through the end of the year.

congratulated the Hindu community in Canada for continuing with the traditional values of hard work, higher morals, stress on education, sanctity of marriage, etc.; amidst so many distractions.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, advised Hindus to focus on inner search, stay pure, explore the vast wisdom of scriptures, make spirituality more attractive to youth and children, stay away from the greed, and always keep God in your life.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.2 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

“Serving Canada with high-quality statistical information that matters” is the Mission of Statistics Canada, a Canada Government agency headquartered in Ottawa. Anil Arora is the Chief Statistician of Canada.

Happy Halloween to all our students!

A message from the Surrey Teachers’ Association

Hindu population more than doubled in Canada since 2001

Are grocers still colluding over food prices?

The food inflation rate in Canada has exceeded our country’s general inflation rate for 10 straight months now. The food inflation rate in September was 10.3 per cent, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent Consumer Price Index released this week.

Since Canadian grocers are again facing

a barrage of criticism from concerned Canadians, some have started to respond.

Loblaws’ announcement this week to launch the largest price freeze campaign in the world received mixed reactions from Canadians. While some welcomed the campaign, many still remembered the

price-fixing bread scheme which unfolded a few years ago and understandably reacted to Loblaws’ announcement with great skepticism. Consumer trust was severely damaged at the time, which makes the criticism grocers are now facing undoubtedly deserved.

Still, Loblaws’ campaign will continue for more than 10 weeks, including the highly lucrative holiday season. It’s unclear whether consumers will save, or how much they will be saving, but at last, the campaign will bring some predictability for grocery shoppers and provide some immunity against sticker shock. We have all suffered sticker shock many times over the previous several months.

Reactions by other grocers may have made things worse. The competition, which includes both Sobeys and Metro, was clearly caught off guard by Loblaws’ announcement. While Sobeys opted to showcase some of its current promotions, Metro decided to go on the attack, and made it a “hold my beer” moment.

Metro stated, “It is an industry practice to have a price freeze from Nov. 1 to Feb. 5 for all private label and national brand grocery products, and this will be the case in all Metro outlets.”

Wait, what? Metro clearly wanted to undermine Loblaws’ campaign by stating that freezing prices this time of year was nothing out of the ordinary and normalize what appears to have been a long-standing, industry-wide price freeze practice. By doing so, without even giving it a second thought, Metro was inferring to the media that it was colluding with other grocers. Loblaw quickly denied everything. In the end, Metro issued another statement a day later clarifying its position on price freezes.

# 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2 Ph: 604-591-5423

Fax: 604-591-8615

E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com

Editor: Umendra Singh

Associate Editor: Chhavi Disawar

Marketing and Sales: Ravi Cheema......................604-715-3847

Shamir Doshi....................604-649-7827

Harminder Kaur...............778-708-0481

Dhillon..........604-902-2858

Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed

Design: Avee J Waseer

Contributing writers: Jag Dhatt, Akash Sablok, Kamila Singh, Jay Bains, Hardam S. Mann

Publication Mail Agreement No 428336012

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept. New address: # 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2

All advertising in The Asian Star is subject to the publishers’ approval and the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publishers against claims arising from publication of any advertisement submitted by the advertiser.

BC Hydro crews were attempting to get ahead of two storms on Thursday that were bearing down on Vancouver Island.

Eastern Vancouver Island is under a special weather statement Thursday as strong winds were expected to gust across the region.

Environment Canada predicted that southeast winds gusting up to 80 km/h would likely result in downed trees and

power outages in communities from Nanoose Bay to Courtenay and Campbell River, B.C.

BC Hydro crews did their best to remove branches that threatened power lines before the storm began. “We know we’re never going to eliminate outages completely living on the west coast, but what we hope to do is lessen the impact on our customers,” said

Clean fuel standard would cost people heavily and not reduce emissions: McTeague

A new clean fuel standard set by the Canadian government could take a bite out of people’s wallets, a gas analyst said Tuesday.

Dan McTeague, the president of the Canadians for Affordable Energy, told Gormley the standard could cost $1,277 a year per year per person which, compounded by the current cost of living, isn’t affordable for many.

McTeague said the standard is a second measure — after the carbon tax — applied by the government to reduce emissions from liquid fuels like diesel and gasoline.

McTeague said implementing the standard is designed for price efficiency, and many economists he knows explain it is not feasible to layer regulations.

“We have to have policies based on reality, not based on aspirations and wonderful things that have happened

in a near term,” said McTeague. McTeague said a second carbon tax is something he has not seen any other country is attempt, and could become very expensive for taxpayers.

“We are now going to burden Canadians for what is an intolerable price to pay,” said McTeague. “At the end of the day, I’m not sure that we can have our combines, mining vehicles and our transport infrastructure including rail all done on hydrogen and battery, certainly not by 2030.”

With the price of gas creeping up, McTeague said it could cost an extra 60 cents a litre for automotive gasoline by 2030. McTeague said there has not been a dramatic decrease in carbon emissions with the carbon tax, and he doesn’t expect to see a decrease in carbon emissions through the clean fuel standard.

New dental benefit vulnerable to fraud, budget watchdog says

The Liberals’ proposed dental care benefit is susceptible to fraud if verification measures aren’t put in place, Canada’s Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux warned Tuesday as the legislation is nearing a final vote in the House of Commons.

Giroux was at the Senate Finance Committee to answer questions about the costing analysis of the bill, which proposes a dental care benefit as well as rental support. The PBO recently estimated that the dental

benefit will cost $703 million, while the rental support will cost up to $940 million.

But Giroux told senators that the PBO’s analysis did not take into account the potential for fraudulent claims. He warned the overall cost could be higher if the government doesn’t take steps to verify the claims are legitimate.

“The potential for fraud will probably be significant so it will depend on strong enforcement and verification measures,” Giroux said.

Top 20% pay 61% of Canada’s income taxes,

Total income grew at a faster pace for Canadian tax filers in the top of the income distribution in 2019 compared with those in the upper middle or bottom of the distribution, while effective tax rates were unchanged.

New statistics are now available on high income, effective tax rates, low income and income mobility for Canadian tax filers in 2019. Although these data predate the COVID-19 pandemic, they provide a baseline for future analysis on the impact of the pandemic on the income of Canadians.

Total income grows at a faster pace at the top of the income distribution

The average total income for all tax filers grew 0.7% to $51,000 in 2019. However, total income grew at a faster pace for tax filers at the top of the income distribution compared with those in the middle or at the bottom.

Average total income for the top 1 percent of Canadian tax filers grew 1.8% in 2019, compared with a 0.8% increase among the bottom 50 percent.

Locke, Annis want review done on Surrey Council’s contentious Oct. 3 land use meeting

Surrey Mayor-elect Brenda Locke wants a review of the City Council’s last October 3 meeting, which presented the council with a 4,800-page land-use agenda package containing dozens of motions just 12 days before the general election.

“There are some projects that went on October 3rd that I want to review, I’m dying to get them reviewed,” Locke said Now Leader. “I don’t think we should have gotten them through, I think they were conflicted and I want that to be looked into.” During the election campaign, Surrey First mayoral candidate Gordon Hogg said if he and his list were elected

there would be a public inquiry into “Doug McCallum’s four-year approach to approving development applications in the city”. “Last night’s stampede for more than 50 land use applications to be approved showed that Doug McCallum doesn’t care what the public thinks when it comes to Surrey’s development,” Hogg accused in a pre-election press release, in which Hogg took third place. “At the same time, any kind of fair or ethical process surrounding the approval of development applications has been completely disregarded. Last night was the last straw and it’s time to shed some light on the past four years.”

Massive power outages affect thousands of BC Hydro customers in Vancouver

Trudeau, Joe Biden celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights

page 1

Scores of US lawmakers joined IndianAmericans in celebrating Diwali across the country. Diwali is a festival that marks the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. As communities across the world come together to celebrate the festival of lights.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel attend Diwali celebrations during a visit to the Hindu temple, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London.

Turban-wearing Sikh woman elected to Brampton council

From page 1

secured 28.85 per cent of the votes cast.

Chambers, the nearest contender received 22.59 per cent and Carmen Wilson came in third at 15.41 per cent, the Brampton Guardian reported.

As part of her campaign, she knocked on over 40,000 doors and spoke to over 22,500 residents in the last two months.

“I am so proud of @Navjitkaurbrar. She was a selfless and dedicated front-line health care worker during the pandemic. She has stepped up for public service and I am confident she will be a phenomenal addition to Brampton City Council,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who won a second term in the recent election, tweeted.

Brar, who previously ran as the Ontario NDP candidate in Brampton West, had lost to the current Progressive Conservative MPP Amarjot Sandhu.

Over half of Metro Vancouver residents are part of visible minority: statistics

From page 1

To be precise, 1.42 million residents of the region’s total population of 2.61 million residents are part of a visible minority or 54.5%, as of 2021. This is up from 48.9% or about 230,000 residents in the 2016 census when 1.19 million of the region’s 2.43 million residents identified as being part of a visible minority. The largest visible minority is ethnic Chinese, representing 512,260 residents or 20% of the total regional population.

UK gets first non-white Prime Minister

“I admired her restlessness to create change. But some mistakes were made. Not borne of ill will or bad intentions. Quite the opposite in fact, but mistakes nonetheless,” he said about his predecessor Liz Truss.

“And I have been elected as leader of my party, and your prime minister in part, to fix them. And that work begins immediately,” Sunak said as he sought to bring stability to the UK after months of political and economic turmoil.

“I will unite our country not with words but with action. I will work day in and day out to deliver for you,” Sunak, the second PM in as many months and the third this year.

Sunak on Tuesday began putting his top team in place with key Cabinet appointments and decided to keep the new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, in place for economic stability and brought back Indianorigin Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.

Sunak, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s son-in-law, warned of “difficult decisions to come” and pointed to his record as chancellor of exchequer during the pandemic to promise that he will bring that “same compassion” to the challenges ahead.

“I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party. Together we can achieve incredible things. We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow and every day thereafter with hope,” he said.

On a somewhat defiant note to address the Opposition clamour for a general election, he stressed that the mandate the Conservative Party won in the 2019 general election is not the sole property of one person — with reference to former PM Boris Johnson — but “a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us”.

“Congratulations to @RishiSunak on this historic day, this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support,” Johnson tweeted.

more Updates, Visit

www.theasianstar.com

Surrey Police Service still adding officers, despite incoming mayor’s pledge to scrap it

The Surrey Police Board (SPB) is still moving ahead with plans to transition the city from the RCMP to a new municipal police force, despite the election of a new mayor who pledged to undo the switch.

At its final meeting before mayorelect Brenda Locke takes over as board chair, the SPB revealed another 35 officers would be onboarded next month, joining the 150 members already patrolling Surrey streets.

Chief Norm Lipinski told the meeting that in addition to those officers, more recruits were set to attend the Justice Institute of B.C. in January.

Acting board chair Cheney Cloke told the meeting that there were already 350 staff on the payroll, and that the board intended to make its case the work shouldn’t be undone.

“The mayor-elect has communicated her position on the issue of a policing transition which does not align with the provincial mandate of this board,” Cloke said.

“The board has been transparent about our finances during our

monthly meetings, and we will be providing mayor and council with a clear accounting of the transition to date, an overview of our progress, and the benefits of an independent police service.”

Locke campaigned heavily on keeping the Surrey RCMP as the police of jurisdiction, and has been steadfast since her election that the transition would be scrapped.

Once she is sworn in on Nov. 7, Locke is expected to direct staff to produce a report on how to wind down the service, then bring the matter to a vote. Locke’s Surrey Connect party will hold majority on council.

With Locke’s election, critics of the transition have questioned why the Surrey Police Service has not frozen spending.

“We’ve spent way, way too much,” Paul Daynes, a campaigner with Keep the RCMP in Surrey, said.

“Basically, we think the Surrey Police Service, particularly its chief, Norman Lipinski, is out of control when it comes to spending he just seems to do what he wants when he wants, not provide answers to simple questions, such as how much is the IT system going to cost, what hardware have you bought and so on and so on.”

Explosions, large fire in Surrey under investigation

A large fire is under investigation in Surrey Tuesday morning.

Witnesses reported hearing several loud explosions late Monday night across from Tannery Park.

Surrey RCMP said, an officer came across the blaze shortly after 10 p.m. and it was put out by 1 a.m.

The coast guard was called in to help battle the fire as the area, which is a small lot protruding into the Fraser River, was difficult to access. Police said there may have been some tents set up in the area and a few propane tanks.

Crews are still working to determine what caused the fire.

BC’s top 5 most wanted criminals remain on the lam this Halloween

Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers has released its list of the most wanted criminals who remain on the lam this Halloween.

The organization said there are five individuals people would not want on their doorstep during this spooky season.

The number one spot has been awarded to Rabih “Robby” Alkhalil who escaped from North Fraser Pretrial in Coquitlam, B.C. on July 21.

Alkhalil, 35, escaped with the help of two suspects who were posing as contractors.

He is wanted for murder and anyone with information leading to his arrest could earn a reward of up to $250,000.

He is facing 17 charges stemming from an investigation that began in August 2019.

On April 28, 2021, Rai was arrested

by the Surrey RCMP Strike Force Target Team for an outstanding warrant pertaining to the August 2019 investigation and was released by the courts on May 7, 2021, with conditions.

John Norman Mackenzie is wanted by MissionRCMPforbeingunlawfullyatlarge.

He escaped from the Mission Institution on Aug. 7, 2018, having been discovered missing during head count at 10 p.m.

Mackenzie was serving a life sentence for numerous convictions, including seconddegree murder and armed robbery.

He was last seen in Mission around 7 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2018, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt.

BC govt planning $290 million ferry terminal in downtown Victoria

The provincial government is in the process of planning a major new replacement facility for the Belleville Ferry Terminal in downtown Victoria for international routes to the United States.

It will replace the existing facility of aging loosely interconnected structures in Victoria Inner Harbour, on the same three-acre footprint immediately west of the Steamship Building — near the BC Legislature.

It is estimated a new state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility at a cost of between $220 million and $290 million is necessary to meet safety and pre-clearance border control measures under the CanadaUS agreement for rail, marine, and

air transport pre-clearance standards. Otherwise, without the investment, Vancouver Island is at risk of losing its international ferry routes, which would have a major permanent economic loss to Victoria’s tourism and hospitality sectors.

The existing facility for both passengeronly and vehicle-and-passenger ferries provides international border processing for the Black Ball, Clipper, and Washington State Ferries services. BC Ferries currently does not operate from this facility, nor does it have any US transborder routes.

The existing Belleville Ferry Terminal is in Victoria Inner Harbour.

to be sworn in as BC’s next premier

David Eby will be sworn in as British Columbia’s new premier on Nov. 18, with Lt.Gov. Janet Austin conducting the swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Victoria.

Eby, 46, will become B.C.’s 37th premier, replacing retiring Premier John Horgan, who has held the office since 2017.

A statement Thursday from the Office of the Premier says further details about the ceremony will be released soon.

Eby became premier-designate last week after being acclaimed as leader of the New Democrats, about four months after Horgan announced his impending retirement for health reasons.

Eby ended up as the only candidate for the job, after the NDP disqualified

challenger Anjali Appadurai for what it said were breaches of party membership sign-up guidelines.

The premier’s office says the scheduled Nov. 7 to 11 break of the fall legislative session will be extended leading up to the swearing-in, and Eby will meet the assembly as premier in the week of Nov. 21.

Eby, a former attorney general and housing minister, has said he wants to sit as premier during the current session, which is scheduled to conclude Nov. 24.

He said he wanted to start work as soon as possible on key issues.

The Opposition BC Liberals and Greens both said Eby is taking too long to arrive at the legislature as premier.

NDP pressed in legislature over recent release of Kelowna prolific offender

The release of a convicted killer on bail in Kelowna landed in the B.C. Legislature on Monday.

BC Liberal MLA for West VancouverCapilano Karin Kirkpatrick raised the issue of Tyler Newton during Monday’s question period after Castanet News reported Saturday he was released from custody with the consent of Crown prosecutors.

“A complete indictment of the incoming soft on crime premier’s broken system,” Kirkpatrick said, asking B.C. Attorney General Murray Rankin “why was Tyler Newton’s right to reoffend more important to this NDP government than the right of the community to be safe?”

During a bail hearing Friday morning, Newton was granted bail by Judge Lisa Wyatt. He was last released on bail on Sept. 8, and he failed to show up to his next court date just six days later.

A B.C.-wide warrant was issued for his arrest, and police found and arrested him in downtown Kelowna on Oct. 7 thanks to several tips from the public.

Newton has a long criminal record, but his current outstanding charges stem from an incident alleged to have occurred on West Kelowna’s Cameron Road on Dec. 31, 2021. He’s facing charges of aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and use of an imitation firearm.

Bank of Canada hikes interest rate again

The Bank of Canada today increased its target for the overnight rate to 3¾%, with the Bank Rate at 4% and the deposit rate at 3¾%. The Bank is also continuing its policy of quantitative tightening.

Inflation around the world remains high and broadly based. This reflects the strength of the global recovery from the pandemic, a series of global supply disruptions, and elevated commodity prices, particularly for energy, which have been pushed up by Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The strength of the US dollar is adding to inflationary pressures in many countries. Tighter monetary policies aimed at controlling inflation are weighing on economic activity around the world. As economies slow and supply disruptions ease,

global inflation is expected to come down. In the United States, labour markets remain very tight even as restrictive financial conditions are slowing economic activity. The Bank projects no growth in the US economy through most of next year. In the euro area, the economy is forecast to contract in the quarters ahead, largely due to acute energy shortages.

China’s economy appears to have picked up after the recent round of pandemic lockdowns, although ongoing challenges related to its property market will continue to weigh on growth. Overall, the Bank projects that global growth will slow from 3% in 2022 to about 1½% in 2023, and then pick back up to roughly 2½% in 2024.

Canadian economy lost almost $13B due to manufacturing labour shortage: report

Canada’s economy lost almost $13 billion over the past year due to a nationwide labour and skill shortage in the manufacturing sector, a new report has found.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters’ (CME) annual labour survey of 563 manufacturers in 17 industries across the country found that almost two thirds have lost or turned down contracts and experienced production delays due to a lack of workers.

The penalties and loss of sales resulting from these issues totalled $7.2 billion, according to the organization.

As well, 43 per cent of companies have postponed or cancelled capital projects because of the shortages, resulting in another

$5.4 billion in lost investment, said the CME.

The pandemic has had lingering effects on the labour market in the industrial sector, the report said — for two years in a row, more than 80 per cent of manufacturers said they are facing labour and skills shortages, up from 60 per cent in 2020 and 39 per cent in 2016.

The sector was dealing with labour issues before the pandemic, said CME president and CEO Dennis Darby, but the difficulties were heightened during the pandemic and haven’t let up.

“As the pandemic eased from a societal point of view, the concerns about labour shortages were just as strong as ever,” he said.

New $84.4M-water system in Abbotsford aims for climate resilience - BC govt

The City of Abbotsford is getting funding help from the B.C. government to bolster its drinking water system against floods, wildfires and other climate-related disasters. Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen said Wednesday the $62 million in government funds will support a new well and water-treatment system to serve more than 165,000 people in Abbotsford, Mission and the Matsqui First Nation. The vulnerability of the system was made clear in November 2021, when flooding from torrential rainfall forced 85 per cent of the water supply system off-line, he said.

“Eighty-five per cent of Abbotsford’s water system relies on one single supply. During that flooding, that source was

compromised,” Cullen told reporters after speaking at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, an annual meeting of municipal leaders, in Whistler, B.C.

“For several weeks, the city worked hard to manage secondary water sources to minimize the risks to a cancer clinic, senior care homes, farms, schools and family homes.” The project includes the installation of about 12 new wells, the construction of a water treatment plant and a pump station to tie into the existing regional system to bring the new water source to the community, the B.C. government said in a news release.

The water will be sourced just south of the Fraser River and supply the equivalent of 10 Olympic-sized swimming

Five Manitobans who defied COVID-19 restrictions fined by judge

A judge has handed fines to five Manitobans who repeatedly violated COVID-19 pandemic public health orders over a period of months — even after they were given tickets for each offence.

It was the second courtroom loss in a year for people trying to overturn restrictions the Manitoba government imposed.

“A message must be sent that public health orders … are meant to be respected,” provincial court Judge Victoria Cornick said during her sentencing Thursday.

“Receipt of multiple tickets did nothing to deter the actions of any of these individuals. … Their involvement spanned

months and were not isolated incidents.”

Tobias Tissen, Patrick Allard, Todd McDougall, Sharon Vickner and Gerald Bohemier organized and spoke at antirestriction rallies in 2020 and 2021 that exceeded limits on public gatherings at the time.

The Crown had asked for fines of between $18,000 and $42,000, plus costs and surcharges, based on the number of convictions of each individual. Defence lawyers had asked for no fines and said their clients had been punished enough by spending a short time in jail after the tickets piled up.

Bloc Quebecois to force vote on severing Canada’s ties with monarchy

Whether or not there are other issues of higher priority, federal MPs will have to vote individually on a Bloc Québécois motion calling on the Trudeau government to take steps to sever Canada’s ties with the British monarchy.

On their first opposition day of the parliamentary session on Tuesday, the Bloc will force their fellow MPs to reflect on the fact that in the 21st century they still have to go through the “bizarre exercise” of reciting an oath of allegiance to “a foreign king who is also a religious leader” in order to be able to sit in the House of Commons, said leader, Yves-François Blanchet.

“Why don’t we make an agreement -- the

provinces, the federal government -- and then take it out of the constitution of what should be a democratic republic,” he said. Blanchet, however, is under no illusions and admits he expects a defeat in the vote since he said the federal government does not want to open up the constitution -- an obligatory step in breaking ties with the Crown and which requires the approval of the ten provinces, the House of Commons and the Senate -- for fear that each one will draw up its list of demands and that the door will then be difficult to close. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quick to close the door on any constitutional changes last week in the wake of Parti Québécois and

Anupam Kher in his new chat show

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has announced his new talk show Manzilen Aur Bhi Hain, which will premiere on his YouTube channel on Friday. The actor took to his official Twitter page on Wednesday night to share the news.

“Friends! Coming soon my new #ChatShow ‘Manzilen Aur Bhi Hain’. On my @YouTube channel. Can you guess who will be the first

guest of this inspirational show of mine? The person who guesses correctly will get a huge reward! Jai Ho!” he wrote. Anupam Kher has previously hosted The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai on Colors channel. The talk show, which ran from July 2014 to November 2015, featured a new celebrity every week. The actor will next be seen in Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai, slated to hit screens on November 11.

Community news

New for Seniors - Bean Bag Toss or Corn Hole Game, at Shanti Niketan on October 30th 2022 (Sunday) from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm

Diwali The Festival of Lights Get Together on November 4th 2022 (Friday) at Ultimate Banquet Hall # 200- 8072- 120th St., Surrey from 6.00 pm to 9.30 pm.

Well-known Musicians of South Asian Community Mrs. Tejaswita Mohan, Mr. Raj Toora & Mr. Swaran Dhaliwal have kindly accepted our request to entertain the Seniors Community Free of cost. The Event will have Appetizers, Delicious Dinner &

Desserts also to be served. It was emailed to all members & friends quite a while ago and were reminded to register early. Now it is overbooked and only those, who have contributed their share or registered with me will be welcomed. Please do not call for registering now. Those who want to cancel for any reason please do it before 1st November to get full refund of your contribution, this will allow me to register the members already on the waiting list. With thanks Surendra Handa.

For more info call: 604 - 507 - 9945 for registration or further details.

Anand Bakshi

Anand Bakshi, a lyricist, poet and singer in Hindi cinema. He won 4 Filmfare awards for his work as best lyricist for Hindi films.

Anand Bakshi was born as Bakshi Anand Prakash Vaid, He was born on July 21, 1930 into a Mohyal Brahmin family of the Vaid clan in Rawalpindi.

Amid partition, the family arrived in Delhi, via Dakota aircraft and then migrated to Pune, then Meeruth and settled down in Delhi.

Anand Bakshi was fond of writing Urdu poetry since young age, but he took it as his hobby. Amid busy time with his job, he could only write occasionally.

He continued to write poetry whenever time permitted, and He used his songs and lyrics in local programmes related to his troop. He worked in the Navy for many years and simultaneously tried to market his songs in Indian, Hindi cinema. Bakshi came to films to make a name for himself in writing and singing, but He ended up becoming lyricist. He got his break first writing through in writing songs for film (1958), acted by Bhagwan Dada. He wrote four songs in this film. His first song in this film was “Dharti Ke Laal Na Kar Itna Malaal” which was recorded in 1956. (In his own voice on All India Radio. After writing for a few movies from 1956 onwards, He first found success in 1962 with Mehendi Lagi Mere Haath, which was produced by (LimeLight), Music Kalyanji & Anandji, Music Pub-HMV/Saregama. Bakshi later made another mark for himself writing a quawwali for the 1962 film Kala Samundar, the song was “Meri Tasveer Lekar Kya Karoge Tm”. He got his real big breakthroughs in 1965 with Himalay Ki God Mein, and a huge breakthrough again in 1965 with the superhit film Jab Jab Phool Khile, starring Shashi Kapoor; and yet again in 1967 with the superhit movie Milan (starring Sunil Dutt). These six hit films within a decade of his entry into films cemented his status as a lyrics writer of immense calibre. Bakshi was preferred lyricist by Rajesh Khanna for films with Rajesh Khanna in lead. He went on to work as a lyricist

of over 4000 songs and 638 films in his career. [5](See Filmography below for films reference, names of the films and their year of censorship.)

He got his first break as singer in a film directed by Mohan Kumar Mom Ki Gudiya in 1972. The first song he sang was a duet – “Baaghon mein bahaar aayi hothon pe pukaar aayi”, along with Lata Mangeshkar, with music composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal.

He also sang the solo “Main dhoondh raha tha sapnon mein” from the same film.

He also sang songs in four other films: Sholay (1975), where he sang the qawwali “Chand Sa Koi Chehera” along with Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey and Bhupinder, (the song was released on vinyl, but not in the film. He also sung the song in film Maha Chor in 1976, in film Charas in 1976 He sung the song Aaja Teri Yaad Aayi along with Lata Ji and Rafi, and Balika Badhu in 1976. Anand Bakshi was widely associated with music composers such as Laxmikant–Pyarelal, R D Burman, Kalyanji Anandji, SD Burman, Anu Malik, Rajesh Roshan and Anand–Milind, and his songs have been sung by all the top singers as well as other singers such as Shamshad Begum, Ila Arun, Khursheed Bawra, Amirbai Karnataki, Sudha Malhotra and more. He is known to have worked with more than one generation of music composers. He wrote the first recorded songs of many first time male and female leads who went on to become stars, and also of singers such as Shailendra Singh, Kumar Sanu, Kavita Krishnamurthy etc., and he established himself as a versatile “Dum Maro Dum” in movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1972).

He wrote memorable songs for many films such as Bobby, Amar Prem (1971), Aradhana (1969), Jeene Ki Raah, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay (1975), Dharam Veer, Nagina, Lamhe, Hum (1991), Mohra (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Pardes (1997), Heer Raanjha, Dushman (1998), Taal (1998), Mohabbatein (2000), Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), aadein (2001) and many more.

Kiara Advani

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

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

Alia & Ranbir perform Lakshmi Puja

While all of Bollywood had lavish Diwali bashes in the past few days, the Kapoors decided to have an intimate family gathering for Lakshmi Puja on the occasion of Diwali. Neetu Kapoor shared some inside photos from the festivities featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Karishma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Soni Razdan, Shaheen Bhatt and Reema Kapoor too joined the celebration. This is Ranbir and Alia’s first Diwali as a married couple. Neetu shared a picture of herself with Ranbir and

Alia to wish her fans and followers on Diwali. While Alia Bhatt wore a pink salwar suit, Ranbir Kapoor chose an all-black traditional attire. Soni Razdan too shared a picture with her daughters Alia and Shaheen, and wished everyone a Happy Diwali. Neetu Kapoor gave glimpses of the Lakshmi Puja that was held at the Kapoor residence in Mumbai. Take a look at the pictures here:

Alia Bhatt wished her fans by sharing a throwback picture on Instagram and wrote, “Happy Diwali

Aishwarya & Abhishek play hosts at Amitabh Bachchan’s Diwali party

Sarod player Ayaan Ali Bangash has shared pictures from a Diwali party hosted by Amitabh Bachchan at his Mumbai bungalow Jalsa last week. Ayaan’s post features pictures of not only the Big B, but also Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and others. “Diwali nights!!” he wrote in the caption of his post.

While one picture showed Aishwarya poing for a selfie with Ayaan, another picture showed Amitabh beaming on his couch, flanked by Amaan’s kids. A group picture also featured Abhishek. Fans appreciated the pictures in the comments section. “Seems so much funn! Great pictures! Best wishes,” one person wrote, while others took the opportunity to wish Ayaan and others a happy Diwali. Previously, Kirron Kher and Anupam Kher had shared pictures from the Bachchans’

Diwali party. The bash was attended by several high-profile Bollywood personalities, including Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, Karan Johar, Sonali Bendre and Goldie Behl, and others.

Aishwarya was recently seen in the Tamil historical epic Ponniyin Selvan: I, which has become a runaway hit globally. The second installment has already been shot, and is expected to be released some time next year. PS: I marked Aishwarya’s return to the big screen for the first time since 2018’s Fanney Khan. Abhishek and Amitabh, on the other hand, have been busy in the last few years. While Abhishek will next be seen in the latest season of his Amazon Prime Video series Breathe: Into the Shadows, Amitabh can currently be seen as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, and will soon be seen in the drama film Uunchai, directed by Sooraj Barjatya.

What Katrina says about SRK?

Katrina Kaif, who will next be seen in Phone Bhoot, recently opened up about Shah Rukh Khan. Katrina said that Shah Rukh is “incredibly intelligent” and “knowledgeable”

In an interview with Pinkvilla, the actor said about SRK, “Always informative. Like always knowledgeable. I don’t know if that’s correct grammar but he is always knowledgeable. Talking to him is like intellectual. We will always leave knowing more. He is incredibly intelligent.”

Also Read |Exclusive | Atul Kulkarni on Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan’s performance and film’s messaging: ‘Disruptions due to religion in India needed to be addressed’

Katrina Kaif was last seen with Shah Rukh Khan in the film Zero. Although the movie

was a debacle, Katrina’s portrayal of Babita Kumari was lauded by the audience. On working again with Shah Rukh, the actor had said that she is waiting for the right script. Katrina had said in interview with India Today, “He is a fantastic actor and if there is a right script, then why not.” Shah Rukh and Katrina share a special bond and the duo has maintained a cordial relationship over the years. SRK even welcomed Katrina on Instagram and dedicated a post for her. Shah Rukh Khan will make a comeback to movies after a gap of four years. The actor’s jaw-dropping looks from the movie Pathaan have already created a buzz on the internet. Apart from Pathaan, the actor has Dunki and Jawan in the pipeline.

Bigg Boss 16

Who has got the most votes?

Bigg Boss 16 team asked fans of the show to voice their support for their favourite contestant this season and people have responded. On Thursday, team Bigg Boss tweeted about each contestant and asked for reactions from audience if they wanted to see them crowned winner. Not surprisingly, it was Sumbul Touqeer who got the most votes. “Kya aapke dil mein basa hai @

TouqeerSumbul ka naam? Toh banaiye unhe #BBQueen by using #BBQueenSumbul (If your heart sings for Sumbul, make her Bigg Boss queen by using #BBQueenSumbul),” the tweet read. The tweet got an unprecedented 17K replies in just one hour.

When Madhuri Dixit scolded

Choreographer Terence Lewis recalled the time he was training Madhuri Dixit, and once witnessed her being scolded by her mother at their house.

He said that she kept yelling at Madhuri in chaste Marathi, giving her ‘jhaad’ for not making her bed and several other things. Terence said that he was ‘blown (away)’ by this, and was in awe of how Madhuri’s mother kept her grounded, despite her stardom.

Speaking on Maniesh Paul’s podcast, Terence Lewis revealed that his mother was rather strict and that’s what kept him grounded. Speaking about Madhuri, he said that he once went to her house to train her in her ‘prime’. “I was only 23. I went to her house, and this is 1998, in the midst of Dil

Toh Paagal Hai and all that. She called me home, and I was nervous that I was going to be her trainer. She opened the door and I thought it was her staff at first, but her staff was asleep. I had been training other, lesser stars at the time, and they had several house helps.”

Terence continued, “She offered me tea and made it herself. Then her mother came. She didn’t care whether Madhuri was training and started giving her ‘jhaad’ for not making her bed, ‘Why have you thrown this’, she asked. I was so shocked, this was such a big star, but her mother was scolding her. Madhuri told her with a smile that she was busy with training, and she would do whatever needs to be done afterwards, but her mother said ‘Before going for your shoot!’ I was blown (away) by this.

Four rental and social housing towers up to 260-ft tall proposed for East Hastings

Within a two city block radius of the intersection of East Hastings Street and Glen Drive, a total of five secured market rental housing and social housing proposals — including four towerbased projects — are in the process of being considered by the City of Vancouver.

This past summer, City Council gave the green light to City staff to accept and review formal rezoning applications for five different sites.

Three sites are being pursued by Westbank, while the remaining two sites are by Onni Group. All five sites combined could potentially generate as many as nearly 1,000 units of market rental housing and social housing. Such a pre-approval was a necessary step under City Council’s new Policy Enquiry Process, which directs City staff to send non-compliant proposals for City Council’s ultimate determination.

136 condos and retail coming to East

Hastings and Semlin corner in Vancouver 111 rental homes to replace strip mall on East Hastings in Vancouver New Indigenous community centre in Vancouver reaches planning milestone Narrow building with 32 market rental homes to be built near Woodwards

Building heights and densities in excess of what is permitted under the City’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) Plan are proposed for four of these sites. I n some cases, the proposed building heights are more than double the limitations of the area plan, and the proposed densities are nearly up to triple the policy maximum.

Westbank has partnered with BC Housing and real estate investment firm Promerita Group to pursue the redevelopment of three East Hastings Street sites, with each proposal exceeding the DTES Plan’s limitations of a height of 120 ft and a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor

Home prices in Kamloops take another tumble

September was the fourth month in a row house prices in Kamloops plummeted.

In total, the benchmark selling price of $659,400 for a typical single-family home last month is $161,590, or 20%, less than the record-high of $820,990 in May.

Experts say the market may not bottom out until house prices are down 30%.

That means all of the gains made during the pandemic boom of 2021 and the first few months of 2022 will be wiped out.

The reasons for this quick turnaround are well documented -- post-pandemic inflation and higher interest rates to try to dampen it compounded by supply-chain issues caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Lyndi Cruickshank is the president of the 2,500-member Association of Interior Realtors.

“With no mortgage interest rate relief anticipated any time soon, some potential homeowners are constrained from being able to enter the real estate market,” said Lyndi Cruickshank, president of the 2,500-member Association of Interior Realtors.

In fact, the word ‘recession’ is being bandied about, meaning things are likely to get worse before they get better.

The benchmark townhouse price in September was $553,100, down from the record-high of $569,396 in June.

And the benchmark price for a condominium last month was $388,400, off from the record-high of $403,323 in June.

In all, sales were down 46% in September compared to boomtime in the same month last year.

That means that last month singlefamily home sales were only 92 units, townhouses 22 and condos 23.

Former owner of illegal BC Airbnb hostel sentenced to 30 days in jail

Emily Yu blamed her actions on mixture of intoxication, a hangover, a medical flare-up and poor English skills.

The former owner of a 15-bed illegal hostel in North Vancouver has been sentenced to 30 days in jail following a years-long legal battle involving a three-bedroom, fivelevel townhome operating as a short-term vacation rental known as the Oasis Hostel.

The saga featured exasperated neighbours, multiple strata bylaw violations, and at its centre, former owner Emily Yu.

Yu has been in and out of court for more than half a decade as the city of North Vancouver and her strata attempted to get her to stop using her townhome as a hostel, listed on sites like Airbnb, Booking.com and Trip Advisor.

In November 2020, Yu was arrested after she tried to block potential buyers from viewing her townhouse in defiance of a court order. She locked the gate entrance with padlocks. The court says she was argumentative and physically resistant.

In the summer of 2020, a judge ordered the sale of the townhome to help pay off more than $52,000 in legal fees Yu’s strata had racked up trying to force the closure of the hostel.

She was found guilty of disobeying a court order without lawful excuse in April 2021.

“I am not able to find that being convicted in this matter has served to bring home to her the seriousness of her conduct and her responsibility for it,” said provincial court Judge Joanne

Ontario raising foreign homebuyer tax to the highest in Canada

Ontario has announced it is raising the non-resident speculation tax on homes purchased by foreign nationals from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, effective Tuesday.

Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy says the move makes Ontario’s tax rate the highest in Canada and seeks to discourage foreign speculation.

The Progressive Conservative government previously increased the non-resident speculation tax from 15 per cent to 20 in March, and expanded it to cover the whole province, instead of just the Greater Golden Horseshoe area of southern Ontario. Municipal Affairs and Housing

Minister Steve Clark is also set to introduce a piece of housing legislation Tuesday, as the government sets out to hit a target of 1.5 million homes being built in 10 years.

Clark says in a statement that raising the tax is another step toward ending Ontario’s housing crisis.

The government’s previous housing bill was one to give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa so-called strong mayor powers, that would allow the heads of those cities to veto council votes that conflict with building housing.

Ontario’s budget this year showed that the non-resident speculation tax was projected to bring in $175 million in this fiscal year.

Metro Vancouver pre-sale condo market slows as buyers retreat, developers delay projects

AAA Sales of condos and townhomes that won’t be delivered for several years have dramatically slowed to levels not seen in a decade. Industry observers say rising interest rates and economic uncertainty are causing buyers to retreat and developers to delay projects. “I think a lot of people in the industry are just kind of wondering what’s going to happen next. Are we in this for a while? Or are we going to see things come back next year?” asked Vancouver real estate agent Amar Pal. In the third quarter of 2022, there were 1,522 pre-sale condo and townhome transactions, down 72 per cent from an all-time peak of 5,481 for the same period last year, according to numbers from Zonda Urban, which tracks the pre-sale market for developers.

In 2020, that number was 3,015. In 2019, it was 1,835. It hasn’t been since 2012,

when sales were 1,515, when third-quarter sales of new condos were as low as they were this year, said Jon Bennest, vice-president at Zonda Urban. It comes as buyers in other markets are also sitting on the sidelines due to rising interest rates and economic uncertainty. Altus Analytics looked specifically at sales of new condos sold in the Toronto region for September and found an 89-per-cent year-on-year decline.

On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada is expected to increase its key lending rate by at least another 50 basis points as it fights to curb inflation, likely leading to even more pressure on pre-sale condo projects.

Real estate agents in North Vancouver anticipated two projects would start pre-sale contracts this fall, but both launches have been pushed to next spring or later, examples of what has been happening elsewhere in Metro Vancouver.

Those include Lennox at Lonsdale, a project by Polygon Homes for 64 condos, and Emerald by Ebb and Flow, a development by Woodbridge Homes and Citimark for 41 townhomes. Agents say they were expecting sales centres or registrations to start around September, but they were delayed. Developers are generally

vague about why they want to launch later, preferring to keep the tone positive.

“They are never explicit. It’s an optimism game,” said one veteran agent of pre-sale contracts, who declined to be named for fear of jeopardizing his longstanding relationships with developers.

One Surrey-based realtor said a lot of projects launched in the summer and didn’t do well, but she didn’t want to mention project names. She said that most are offering huge incentives, but they are still not selling briskly, so it makes sense to put a pause on project launches.

Some developers, especially those who may have purchased land when it was less expensive, can make pricing adjustments and more easily proceed with sales than those that have less wiggle room on their balance sheets, explained Pal.

Majority of Canadians worried about rising interest rates, but renters have most to fear: MNP

Majority of Canadians are worried about the effects that rising interest rates will have on their finances, according to a new survey.

MNP LTD’s poll, which was carried out by Ipsos, found 59 per cent of respondents are concerned about surging rates – a record high since tracking began in 2017.

The Canadian accountancy firm warned, however, that some households are more vulnerable than others.

“Our findings show that renters and lower-income households are more financially vulnerable to the impacts of rising interest rates and the cost of living,” MNP’s president, Grant Bazian, said.

“These groups will need to be particularly

cautious with their spending in the coming months to keep themselves out of financial trouble.”

Renters were also likelier (63 per cent) to be more concerned about their ability to service their debts compared with homeowners (48 per cent).

MNP said people earning less than $40,000 a year are most likely to feel the pinch from surging rates.

The survey also bore that out, with 62 per cent of respondents in that category concerned

about their financial situation versus 55 per cent of people earning $100,000 a year.

“For households that have already

slashed their budgets and shaved off as many expenses as they can, any future interest rate hikes could put them in a position where they are forced to take on additional debt to keep up with their bills,” Bazian added.

“But the cost of servicing that debt is also ballooning as rates rise, making it far more difficult to pay off.”

He also said those whose finances are under pressure should cancel any subscriptions they don’t need and keep an eye out for product trial offers.

Most Canadians (84 per cent), meanwhile, agree that with interest rates rising they will be more careful with how they spend their money.

Artistic rendering of Marine Gateway 2 at 8530 Cambie Street, Vancouver

As Rishi Sunak, the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, prepared to lead his country amid economic, political and social turmoil, he used the term “proud Hindu” to describe himself. That identity matters to millions, British and not, around the world.

For some years now, “proud Hindu” would be understood in the West as referring to someone who endorses majoritarian politics in India. For decades, the idea of a proud Hindu ran counter to the shame felt by those of us born and raised in Western countries. Born and raised in the United States, I was well into my 30s

before I could call myself a “proud Hindu.” Sunak’s use of the phrase finally makes a genuine connection with a religion that has existed for thousands of years and whose influence is felt across the globe.

There is more to Sunak’s Hindu pride, however. A few (but only a few) Western news outlets have taken note of Sunak’s religious identity, noting that he took the helm of the United Kingdom on Diwali, Hinduism’s festival of lights and one of its most important holidays. But the media has largely failed to grasp the significance of the ascent of a Hindu to the leadership of a country that

for two centuries subjugated Hindus in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere.

To this point, the few Hindu modern heads of state have governed Hindu majority countries (India, Nepal and

Mauritius) or where there are large Hindu populations (Guyana, Trinidad and Singapore). A Hindu was elected prime minister of Fiji in 1999 but was overthrown in a coup within a year.

Why ‘proud Hindu’ Rishi Sunak’s rise to British Prime Minister is a big deal ,

Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshat Murty is software heiress who’s richer than royalty

N. R. Narayana Murthy, one of India’s richest people, had mixed feelings when he first heard about the man who would become his son-in-law.

“I, too, was a little sad and jealous when you told us you had found your life partner,” he wrote to his daughter Akshata Murty in a letter, published in “Legacy: Letters from Eminent Parents to their Daughters.”

“But when I met Rishi and found him to be all that you had described him to be – brilliant, handsome, and, most importantly, honest – I understood why you let your heart be stolen,” he said about a certain Rishi Sunak, who became Britain’s Prime Minister on Tuesday after emerging

the victor from the chaotic contest to replace Liz Truss.

Sunak will not only be Britain’s youngest leader for 200 years, he is the country’s first non-White prime minister. And thanks largely to his wife Murty, Sunak will be one of the richest people to reach the top of the political establishment.

Murty has a 0.93% stake in her father’s Indian software company, Infosys, worth approximately $715 million. That represents the bulk of the couple’s estimated net worth of £730 million ($830 million), according to the Sunday Times Rich List, an annual ranking of the wealthiest people in Britain.

BJP hits out at J-K leader Mehbooba Mufti over tweet on Rishi Sunak

Senior BJP leader and former J-K Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta responded to Mehbooba Mufti’s tweet on Rishi Sunak, an Indian-origin MP, becoming the next UK prime minister and said she is trying to drum up support of the majority community in Kashmir to stay relevant in politics.

“Mehbooba Mufti has lost it. I want to ask her why do terrorists come from only one religion? Will she answer this? BJP believes in justice for all, appeasement for none,” Kavinder Gupta said, adding that The PDP leader is defaming the nation with her comments.

On Monday, Mehbooba Mufti celebrated Rishi Sunak’s elevation to the UK top post

with a tweet that said, “Proud moment that UK will have its first Indian-origin PM. While all of India rightly celebrates, it would serve us well to remember that while UK has accepted an ethnic minority member as its PM, we are still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like NRC & CAA.”

Responding to her ‘minorities’ remark, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Mufti will she accept a minority as CM in Jammu and Kashmir.

He tweeted, “Saw Mahbooba Mufti’s tweet commenting on the rights of minorities in India after the election of Rishi Sunak as PM of UK. Mehbooba Mufti J! Will you accept a minority in Jammu and Kashmir as Chief Minister of the state? Please be frank enough to reply.”

Queen Camilla in India for holistic therapy vacation while King Charles remains in UK

Queen Camilla has traveled across the world for some rejuvenation.

The wife of King Charles is staying at a holistic health center near Bangalore, India, where she and some friends are reportedly taking in a bit of wellness therapy.

The Queen Consort, 75, headed to the Soukya center after landing in Bangalore on Friday with some friends and protection officers, the Times of India reported.

White House to 10 Downing, Sundar Pichai to Kamala Harris

Die-hard Indian hypernationalists generally regard those who have left Indian shores and who have given up Indian citizenship as foreigners whose allegiance is to the country they emigrated to, with their ethnicity irrelevant and their achievements inconsequential to India. On the other side, there are Indian globalists who gloat about PIOs (people of Indian origin) and NRIs (nonresident Indians) making a splash abroad, sometimes lightheartedly parlaying one of the cornier dialogues that the good guys and cops in Bollywood movies essay to the baddies: “Hamare aadmi chaaro oar phail huwe hain! (our people are spread out everywhere!)”

The argument is particularly ferocious when it comes to PIOs and NRIs in the United States, where a largely open, inclusive, and immigration-based society allows people of foreign origin to thrive. When Kamala Harris became the US Vice-President in 2020, most of the Indian media went to town with her Indian-connection — her mother Shyamala Gopalan immigrated from India — largely ignoring the fact that her father was Jamaican. Some Indian hypernationalists scoffed at what they saw as her tenuous connection, with thinly disguised jibes about her mixed parentage.

It is a constituency that also looks dimly at the achievements of PIOs and NRIs in technology, academia, business, and entertainment, areas where they achieve most success. Why should India bother if Sundar Pichai heads Google or Satya Nadella is CEO of Microsoft, one hypernationalist raged recently at the constant attention and coverage they receive in India, arguing that they are US citizens who have given up their Indian nationality. The issue is even more sensitive when it comes to politics and public because its very nature demands fealty to the country of citizenship, not to the country of origin or ethnicity.

PM Modi speaks to new UK PM Rishi Sunakboth agree on early conclusion of FTA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to new British premier Rishi Sunak with the two leaders agreeing on the importance of early conclusion of a comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement between the two countries. It was their first conversation since Indianorigin Sunak took charge as British prime minister on Tuesday.

Sunak also tweeted his thanks to Modi and said he is excited about what the two “great democracies” can achieve as they deepen their security, defence and economic partnership in the months and years ahead.

Thank you Prime Minister @ NarendraModi for your kind words

as I get started in my new role. The UK and India.

Modi tweeted, “Glad to speak to Rishi Sunak today. Congratulated him on assuming charge as UK PM. We will work together to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We also agreed on the importance of early conclusion of a comprehensive and balanced FTA.”

Sunak responded, “Thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi for your kind words as I get started in my new role. The UK and India share so much. I’m excited about what our two great democracies can achieve as we deepen our security, defence and economic partnership in the months & years ahead.”

Jaishankar to hold talks with Russian counterpart in Moscow on November 8

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to Moscow to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on November 8, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

The proposed visit comes amid a fresh wave of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine following a huge blast in Crimea nearly two weeks ago.

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Gambian lawmakers on Wednesday urged compensation for the families of 70 children who authorities believe may have died after taking a contaminated cough syrup imported from India.

The special legislative session was held several weeks after the World Health Organization issued an alarm about 66 deaths from acute kidney injury. Gambian authorities launched an urgent door-to-door campaign to confiscate any remaining bottles of the syrup. The toll has still risen by four more deaths.

Wednesday’s meeting also drew grieving family members including

will have talks with External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar on November 8 in Moscow,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“The ministers will discuss the current state of bilateral relations and the international agenda,” she added.

There is no comment yet from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

Mariama Sysawo, who said her 5-monthold daughter, Isatou, died in late August after taking one of the cough syrups.

“My mind is still stuck on the last moments I had with my child,” she told The Associated Press. “After experiencing problems urinating, my baby had to face unbearable pains. Justice must be served even it means inflicting huge penalties to the Indian company.”

The WHO’s medical product alert said four cough and cold syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited in India “have been potentially linked to acute kidney injuries” in children.

Soldier from Shimla district killed during counterterrorist operation in Kashmir’s Baramulla

An Army man, hailing from Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh, was killed during a counter-terrorist operation in Kashmir’s Baramulla on Thursday.

Based on the specific intelligence of presence of Pakistani terrorist in Washran village, Baramulla district, a joint cordon and search operation by Indian Army and JKP was launched at about 5 am on October 26. As the search commenced in the

morning and while the search party was moving towards the jungle, the terrorist opened fire on the search party.

In the ensuing firefight, Rifleman Kulbushan Manta suffered gunshot wound. He was immediately evacuated to GMC Baramulla by road and further evacuated by helicopter to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar. He suffered cardiac arrest at about 11.45 am and could not be revived. Manta was declared dead at 12.30 pm.

Airbus-Tata transport plane C295 to be made in Gujarat’s Vadodra

In a major boost to India’s defence system, European aviation giant Airbus and India’s TATA group will jointly manufacture at least 40 C-295 transport aircraft in India with the production unit being set up in Gujarat’s Vadodara as part of a Rs 21,935-crore deal.

The foundation laying ceremony of the same will take place on October 30 and will be attended by PM Narendra Modi. “For the first time, the C-295 aircraft will be

manufactured outside of Europe,” Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said on Thursday.

The foundation laying ceremony in Vadodara, will also be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel among others.

Officer on Special Duty, Department of Defence Aramane Giridhar, who will take charge as the next defence secretary, was also present at the press conference.

Gambian lawmakers urge compensation for children’s death

American Sikh officer Sandeep Dhaliwal’s killerer sentenced to death

Robert Solis, the man convicted of murdering Sandeep Dhaliwal, the first turbaned Indian-American Sikh police officer in the US state of Texas while making a traffic stop in 2019, has been sentenced to death, according to a police official.

The verdict was handed down by the jury, a panel made up of citizens. Solis showed no emotion as the sentence was read on Wednesday. Jurors deliberated for just 35 minutes before recommending

Massive fire breaks out at liquor factory in Chandigarh

A massive fire broke out at a liquor factory in Industrial Area, Phase 1, in Chandigarh on Thursday. The fire engulfed all the three floors of the factory building. Firemen have been trying to douse the flames for the last two hours. The firemen

said they are yet to find out whether someone is trapped inside or not. Though short-circuit is said to be the possible reason behind the fire, but the fire safety department is yet to ascertain it.

3 men of Punjabi origin arrested in drug bust in Toronto

Three Punjabi men were among six people who have been charged in the Peel municipality in Toronto, in connection with an international drug trafficking enterprise, which led to the seizure of USD 25 million worth of illegal narcotics.

Jaspreet Singh, 28, from Brampton; Ravinder Boparai, 27, from Mississauga; Gurdeep Gakhal, 38, from Caledon, were among the six people arrested in the drug bust, according to the Peel Regional Police statement.

Motorcycles ‘used’ for transporting wheat

Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Thursday claimed to have exposed a scam by discovering alleged irregularities in the allotment of labour, cartage and transportation tenders for lifting wheat in grain markets in Ferozepur.

A case has been registered against

three contractors—Davinder Singh of Faridkot, and Daviderpal and Gurushakti, both from Talwandi Bhai, at the Bureau Police Station in Ferozepur, for allegedly committing a fraud causing a huge loss to the state exchequer, they said.

Pakistan

US pledges another $30 million in flood assistance

The US on Thursday pledged an additional USD 30 million in assistance for Pakistan to help the people hit by the devastating floods that have affected 33 million people and killed 1,700 or more since mid-June.

US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome made the announcement during a visit to the

Shikarpur district of Sindh, where he helped to distribute emergency shelter, latrine, and hygiene kits to flood-affected people.

The ambassador announced “an additional $30 million in humanitarian assistance to support flood-affected populations,” according to a statement by the US embassy.

Court turned down Imran Khan’s plea in ‘‘toshakhana’’ case

Islamabad High Court rejects former PM Imran Khan’s plea to instantly suspend the decision of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to disqualify Imran Khan from holding public office over charges of unlawfully selling gifts received from heads of other nations and foreign dignitaries. Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief had challenged the EC’s decision to disqualify him from holding public office for five years for hiding proceeds from the sale of gifts.

Two UK grooming gang members to be deported to Pakistan

A UK court rejected an appeal against deportation to Pakistan by two members of a gang jailed a decade ago for grooming young girls for sex in northern England.

In a ruling by an immigration tribunal, judges said there was a “very strong public interest” in removing the men — Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Abdul Rauf,

Court rejects govt’s plea to stop Imran Khan’s long march

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday rejected federal govt’s request to immediately stop PTI chief Imran Khan’s long march towards capital Islamabad, by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial advising the govt to hold talks with former Prime Minister.

The federal govt filed contempt of court plea against PTI chairman over his long march to the federal capital. In its petition, the government said, “Imran Khan is

making announcements to attack Islamabad”, which it claimed was a violation of a court order. It urged the apex court to direct the PTI chief to ensure the implementation of its orders related to protests and sit-ins.

Five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice, Umar Ata Bandial, comprising Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Sayyed Mazhar Ali Akbar heard the plea.

University issues notice to the institute after ‘immoral’ dance video went viral Khyber Medical University (KMU) issued a notice to Peshawar’s NCS University System after a video of a dance event went viral on social media. According to a report by The Dawn, the event took place at the end of the three-day Hunar Mela arranged

by the Thirteen Event Planners. Also, videos that were shared on social media showed a girl wearing a tight-fitted dress while she was singing and dancing on the stage. This garnered widespread criticism.

Fijian MP questions FRCS on TELS debt collection

Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) member of Parliament Ro Teimumu Kepa this week queried how the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) expected unemployed

Tertiary Education Loam Scheme (TELS) students to pay their debts. The subject arose after FRCS director of taxation Momina Beg announced to the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament

Prof. Prasad charged with two counts of indecently insulting or annoying a person

National Federation Party (NFP) leader Professor Biman Prasad has been charged with two counts of indecently insulting or annoying a person.

Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho said Prof Prasad was

questioned at the CID Headquarters in Toorak earlier today and chose to remain silent.

“He was subsequently charged,” the Police Commissioner said.

Prof Prasad has been bailed and will front court on November 15, 2022.

Fiji Airways eyes A350 flights to Vancouver, Singapore, Hong Kong

Fiji Airways hopes to add more Airbus A350s to its fleet, and has already earmarked the cities those comfortable jets and their lie-flat business class beds will be flying to.

“We are considering taking on two more A350s and swapping out two of our A330s… we will use the new A350s on our bigger destinations,” says

Fiji Airways CEO Andre Viljoen.

“So Hong Kong and Singapore will use the A350s as well as to Vancouver.”

The Executive Traveller review of Fiji Airways’ A350 business class cited the seat as “an impressive business class product” built around the same popular Collins Aerospace Super Diamond

Foreigners hunt for work in Fiji, Fijians secure jobs overseas

More than 1000 foreigners are applying to the Fiji Immigration Department every month seeking employment in the local tourism industry.

Director Immigration Amelia Komaisavai raised the issue at the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association tourism talanoa session in Denarau, Nadi, yesterday.

Last week, Employment Minister Parveen Kumar raised concerns about the social impact of labour mobility schemes in Fiji.

Speaking at the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) reform stakeholders consultation, he said Fijian employers were up in arms over workers exiting their firms without resigning once they

Art Knapp Garden Centre prides itself on supplying the best for those who want to guarantee they are growing something natural and chemical free. If you are looking for non-GMO seeds, racks of organic seeds, salad mixes, seed tapes, wild

sprinkle for covering large areas, Art Knapps is your one-stop shop.

Art Knapp's

Art Knapps carries lines from Belize, Mexico, Louisiana, Jamaica, and other parts of the globe.

the

The

of

listed on

Brand

carry the

Scorpion, one

in the

available off the

include: Marie Sharps, Dave’s Insanity

Blair’s Death, Louisiana Gold, and House of

inidividual

can provide all

Harmony Within Reach

PIANO’s two new high-rise towers with 1-,2-, 3bedrooms and townhomes keeps you on beat. Defined by striking accentuated curves and smooth lines, reminiscent of a grand piano, this development is Surrey City Centre’s most modern addition. Utilizing its meticulously-landscaped, free-flowing terraces, PIANO creates inviting green spaces and outdoor amenities with scenic views in every direction. While a multitude of indoor amenity options are carefully curated for all of life’s tempos.