The Asian Star February 22 2020

www.theasianstar.com

Vol 19 - Issue 4

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Tel:604-591-5423

BC premier rejects calls to halt or cancel Coastal GasLink pipeline Premier Horgan has categorically put to rest any notion of pulling provincial support for the Coastal GasLink pipeline. “That’s not an option, no,” John Horgan answered when asked point-blank about calls to halt or cancel the natural gas project altogether. It was his shortest response during Thursday’s press conference at the B.C. Legislature as he took

question after question about the ongoing tensions in northwestern B.C. surrounding hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation who oppose construction of a natural gas pipeline

to feed a liquefied natural gas plant on the coast. He was also asked whether he would change his mind and meet inperson meeting with hereditary chiefs.

“If there was a prospect of a positive outcome, of course,” Horgan said. “But the notion that it would just somehow be, ‘You have to come and talk to me’ without any Continued on page 6

Street Food Festival at Sarvanaa Bhavan

RCMP union boss calls for referendum on Surrey policing

Mayor of Delta, George V. Harvie (Second from right) NDP MLA Rachna Singh (third from right), Ganesan Sugumar, (Second from left), CEO of Saravanaa Bhavan, Canada, and Ganesh Selvaraj, Manager Saravanaa Bhavan inaugurated Madras Street Food Festival at Saravanaa Bhavan Surrey / Delta last Saturday. Saravanaa Bhavan were serving over 45 special items for Family Day Long weekend.

The union that represents 20,000 RCMP officers across the country says if Surrey’s mayor wants to create a municipal police force, there should be a referendum first.

National Police Federation president Brian Sauvé says his group recently commissioned a poll that suggests more than 80 percent of Surrey residents support putting the issue to a vote. “Surrey needs more RCMP officers, not a new police bureaucracy that reports to the mayor,” he said. “Let’s go ahead with a referendum.” Sauvé’s comments come less than a week after a petition with more than 40,000 signatures in support of keeping the RCMP in Surrey was presented to the B.C. government. Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum declined CBC’s request for an interview but has said previously that he campaigned on creating Surrey’s own police department.

McCallum, whose Safe Surrey Coalition holds the majority of seats on council, says voters gave him the mandate to carry out the transition in 2018 when they elected him.

Premiers press Prime Minister Trudeau for solution to rail blockades Provincial premiers are putting pressure on Ottawa to resolve nationwide protests over a natural-gas pipeline in Northern British Columbia, as new rail blockades appeared in Alberta and Quebec and Via Rail said it was laying off 1,000 employees.

Four Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs from Northern B.C. arrived in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory near Belleville, Ont., Wednesday evening to a welcome party thrown by demonstrators there who have blocked Canadian National Railway Co.’s main rail line

for two weeks. The Wetsuweten Nation hereditary chiefs oppose the $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline project through their traditional territories on its way from northeastern B.C. to Kitimat on the coast, but the project Continued on page 7

Americans to push for $40 bn nuclear plant deal during Trump’s India trip Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and senior adviser to US President Donald Trump will be keen to push for the over $40 billion dollar deal for setting up nuclear plants in India when he arrives on Air Force One on Sunday. There has been a renewed thrust on six nuclear power plants by Westinghouse that were promised by then PM Manmohan

Singh in return for a civil nuclear agreement with the US that paved the way for India’s re-entry into the civil nuclear mainstream.

Westinghouse’s case for setting up nuclear power plants in India had suffered a setback after it went bankrupt. But after a white knight bailed it out and then helped Kushner emerge unscathed from a financially disastrous building project, the US pressure is back although the

company – Brookfield – has denied any connection between its nuclear business and being involved in Kushner family’s real estate business. Soon after, the Americans raised the issue during then Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s Washington visit in May and followed it up by discussing

Continued on page 9

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www.theasianstar.com

Vol 19 - Issue 4 Harvinder Sandhu

A

year in the making, Chalo! FreshCo finally opened its doors to hundreds of customers lined up outside eager to check out this new store with its unique message of inclusivity of the community it serves.

Clint Friesen, the franchise owner, has been in the grocery business for over 20 years, “When

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Tel:604-591-5423

As promised, Chalo! FreshCo is now open in Abbotsford!

processes, and this was a no brainer for me.

I thought there was a void in the Abbotsford community and felt this was a great way to fill it.”

Living in the Abbotsford area gave Clint a unique perspective, “I can see that there was not a lot of c omp e t it i on and seeing what Chalo!

FreshCo has done back east in Ontario I felt that it would be well received in the Abbotsford’s South Asian community.

We are also receiving a lot of support from our regular conventional community.” This is the third store with this name and this concept to open in BC’s Metro Vancouver. The other two are in Surrey. Chalo! FreshCo Mike Venton, General Manager, FreshCo Canada, with Clint Friesen, lives up to the FreshCo promise offering Franchise owner of Chalo! FreshCo Abbotsford this opportunity came up, I could not pass it. I quality North American products, food, and live in Abbotsford and thought this is a great way fresh produce at industry-leading low prices, to support the community I live in while doing as well as an expansive South Asian product the work I have been doing.” Clint’s experience assortment. The customer will be thrilled with was a huge plus for him as he has been doing the large assortment of dhal, rice, and flour. The this for a long time, “I knew the systems and store will also feature a beloved local business

with a Fraserview Meats and Seafood counter in this store. “Chalo! FreshCo first started out in Brampton, Ontario,” states Mike Venton, General Manager of FreshCo for the whole of Canada. “The idea to do this started many, many, years ago. It actually started with many trips to India with the team. The team developed a concept around a store which was how to serve communities that were of growing South Asian population. Thinking about how we can do better for and with the community was where the idea was born. It is thriving in Ontario and now we brought it into the west.”

The Asian Star: “Did FreshCo see the need in the ethnic community and thought they could fill it in a bigger way instead of the community having little stores for what they needed?

Continued on page 8

NDP budget targets fizzy drinks, tech firms and highest earners Soda pop, streaming movies and those with strong salaries took a hit in provincial Finance Minister Carole James’s budget on Tuesday. The province expects its new taxes will raise $245 million this coming year, and $264 million in 2021. The measures are designed to offset increasing costs of health care and the province’s infrastructure program. The bulk of the new tax revenue — $216 million this year and $219 million next — will come from a new tax bracket targeting anyone making more than

$220,000, while $27 million will come from soda sales, most of which comes from the pocket change of 14-to-18-year-olds.

There’s also $11 million the province expects to get from companies that sell more than $10,000 worth of software and telecommunication services in B.C. Companies such as Netflix will now have to register and collect provincial sales tax.

Starting July 1, sweetened carbonated beverages will be subject to the seven per cent provincial sales tax.

4

OPINION

By Tom Flanagan Senior Fellow The Fraser Institute

Saturday, February 22, 2020

ShutDownCanada claims are spurious and harmful

This isn’t a genuine movement for social justice. These are outsiders exploiting a division within one First Nation in the hope of creating chaos.

On Tuesday, while activists reportedly tried to “arrest” Premier John Horgan at his house in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the House of Commons, stressing the need for “patience” as rail blockades continue to prevent freight and passenger movement across Canada.

The #ShutDownCanada movement is in full swing across the country, with rail blockades, road closures and protests causing mass disruption and frustration. All because of the proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline through the traditional territory of the Wet’suwet’en First Nations people in B.C.There’s been a lot said and written over the past week. But here’s what you need to know about this dispute.

According to the 1997 the Supreme Court of Canada Delgamuukw decision, the Wet’suwet’en have Aboriginal title to an as-

yet-undefined area of B.C. Aboriginal title is a form of ownership but it’s not absolute. The same Supreme Court decision also elaborated the doctrine of infringement, which allows government to make use of title land for the public good.

This is one of those cases. The Coastal GasLink pipeline can’t be built without crossing Wet’suwet’en traditional territory.

It will carry natural gas from B.C. fields to Kitimat, a municipality in the north coast region of the province, where it will be liquefied and exported to Asian markets.

It’s an enormous project that will create profit for investors, revenue for governments (including First Nation governments) and jobs for workers, many of whom will be First Nations people.

It will also reduce carbon emissions in the world at large because it will replace coal now burned for power generation in countries such as Japan, China and Korea.

The protesters talk about Wet’suwet’en sovereignty and Wet’suwet’en law, but don’t

be misled. Canadian courts have consistently upheld Canadian sovereignty, which means that Parliament and the B.C. legislature have the right make law for the Wet’suwet’en.

Traditional Wet’suwet’en laws are enforceable only if explicitly adopted through federal or B.C. legislation, depending on the subject matter. That has not happened. So traditional Wet’suwet’en law can’t be used to block pipeline construction.

In fact, Coastal GasLink passes through the traditional territories of 20 First Nations.

The elected band councils of all these First Nations (including the Wet’suwet’en) signed agreements in support of the pipeline because of the substantial benefits they will receive – cash payments from the B.C. government and TC Energy, a natural gas company – not to mention jobs and job-training, and contract set-asides for work on the pipeline. These First Nations are small, poor and remote. They don’t have many economic opportunities. The average income of their members is about half the provincial average. Coastal GasLink is their best – perhaps only – way out of poverty. That’s why their elected governments have endorsed the pipeline. So where’s the opposition coming from? A faction of the Wet’suwet’en, the hereditary chiefs who claim that only they – not the elected band council – can give consent to the pipeline. Again, don’t be misled. There is no basis in the Canadian Constitution, legislation or judicial decisions for this claim.

Many of the protesters swarming the B.C. legislature or blocking highways and railways across the country are not members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation or any other First Nation.

They are the usual crowd of environmentalists and anti-capitalists.

For many, their goal is to destroy the market economy that’s created so much prosperity and the democratic government that protects our freedoms. They want a government of activists, where they will call the shots. Their hashtag says it all: #ShutDownCanada.

Tom Flanagan is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Calgary and a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.

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Saturday, February 22, 2020

From page 1

BC premier rejects calls to halt or cancel Coastal GasLink pipeline

any understanding of what the [end goal] of that discussion would be, I’m not prepared to do that.� He’s referring to a political turning point last month. While touring northern B.C., he declined a face-to-face meeting with the hereditary chiefs who oppose the pipeline that’s slated to run through traditional Wet’suwet’en territory. Chief Na’moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation says resource companies should consult hereditary leadership when pursuing benefit agreements with Indigenous people in their traditional territories. “It really bothered me that he was not that far away and yet somehow could not take the time to come and speak with us,� said Chief Na’moks at the time. “We want to show the respect back, too,� Na’moks said. “If you’re going to have decent communication with anybody, it’s best to be looking eye to eye.�

Horgan’s office cited other commitments and instead proposed a phone call that would focus on ‘de-escalation and on safety for all.’ But that never happened, and Horgan is once again doubling-down on his reasons for not going in-person. “When Na’Moks demanded that I present myself, I said I’d be happy to talk to you on the phone to find out when we can meet — he refused to take the phone call.�I stand ready to work with the hereditary leadership to find a peaceful resolution to this issue.

Horgan doesn’t believe his decision not to meet them first-hand further escalated tensions. He said he’s not going to accept responsibility for the decisions the hereditary leaders are making or the positions they’re taking.

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Saturday, February 22, 2020 From page 1

Premiers press Prime Minister Trudeau for solution to rail blockades project has received support from elected band members. Ottawa calls for barricade removal as B.C. RCMP agree to leave Wet’suwet’en territory Mohawk demonstrator Andrew Brant said the B.C. chiefs are meeting Thursday with nine of their Mohawk Nation counterparts to begin crafting an “entirely peaceful” solution that they can present to Ottawa to end the protests roiling the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Question Period on Wednesday that he is open to having an Indigenous police force replace the RCMP in dealing with the B.C. protest.

The premiers held a conference call Wednesday afternoon to discuss the standoffs, which they say are causing major disruptions to the national economy, and called on the federal

government to show leadership on the issue.

The premiers are seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister by teleconference Thursday “to discuss paths to a peaceful resolution and an end to the illegal blockades,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, the chair of the Council of the Federation, said in a statement on behalf of the premiers. Earlier Wednesday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called the situation “anarchy” and suggested illegal protests are shutting down large parts of the Canadian economy that “ultimately will imperil public safety and health.”

Premier François Legault said he is in discussions with Quebec’s provincial police force about the blockades, but he said it’s too soon to discuss how they might be dismantled.

7

8 From page 3 Mike Venton: “What we tried to do, and we have done this in other communities, we did this in the Filipino community in Winnipeg, we try to be unique in markets we are in. We are not the same store in every place. We do

Saturday, February 22, 2020

As promised, Chalo! FreshCo is now open in Abbotsford! a lot of work on customer potential in any given community and then we tailor our store. We have some things that are similar, but you will find unique assortments in our

stores depending on where they are located.” Mike goes on to state how the store in Brampton is doing great and points out, “As you can see by the crowds today it is very well received here as well. And we are going to keep working on the concept to make it better.”

Clint is rushed off his feet today but that has not taken the smile off his face, “So excited, a year in the making since I applied for it, it’s finally come true. The line-ups are huge, somebody told me its like 300 people lined up. It’s been a great response from the community so far and I am definitely looking forward to this.”

Asian Star talked to a couple of shoppers and here is their response.

The Asian Star:“ You are here early to check out the store. What are you excited about this?”

Caucasian elderly lady, “Well for one I

Clint Friesen, Franchise Owner of Abbotsford Chalo! FreshCo

Reena, an excited South Asian Shopper hear the prices are lower, I’m excited about that! And, well to see what this is all about, really. And to check out the products, maybe something new to try.”

The Asian Star: What made you come today?

South Asian lady, Reena (in pic): “The main thing is that it is an Indian store, that was the biggest thing, And that there will be a lot of variety. Finally, there is a store with South Asian and western food variety in one store.

And great prices! I also like the name Chalo.

It’s good, its catered to the Indian community – when I see the word Chalo it attracts, feels like it’s your own.” Chalo! FreshCo stores work hard to tailor their in-store assortment to meet the needs of their local communities and offer an easy-to-shop in-store experience helping customers find incredible deals that make every dollar count.

Last words from Clint, “Just that we are here to fill the community’s need, come check us out and see what we have to offer. “

Maha Shivratri or Guru Poornima Mythically, over 15,000 years ago, a Being, 9 - feet tall appeared in the upper peaks of the Himalayas. It was a Full Moon Day after the Summer solstice. This Being was Lord Shiva, the Adi-Yogi at Mount Kailash.

Kailash is considered the laboratory of human consciousness. Shiva was the first to experiment at Kailash. The others who experimented at Kailash were the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabha, the two great personalities of Buddhism, Manjushree and Avalokiteshwara and some other great figures of Tibetan Bon tradition. Maha Shivratri, the festival of Lord Shiva falls on the New Moon day in the month of Maagha according to the Hindu calendar. In the Christian calendar, the date falls between the third week of February to the first week of March each year. This year the day fell on February 21. In 2019 it was on March 4.

Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival. People fast on the day of Shivratri and sing hymns and praises in the name of Lord Shiva in the well- decorated temples all over the globe.

Continued on page 9

Saturday, February 22, 2020

RCMP say they’ll leave outpost on Wet’suwet’en territory if road is kept clear Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says he’s hoping the RCMP’s offer to leave their outpost on Wet’suwet’en territory in northern B.C. will lead to the barricades coming down, as talks aimed at ending the rail blockades crippling the country’s rail network continue. “I’m very hopeful that that will satisfy the concerns that were raised,” said Blair ahead of a Thursday morning cabinet meeting. “I believe the time has come now for the barricades to come down.” The RCMP confirmed that a letter was sent. “As always, we encourage dialogue over enforcement with a goal of a long-term solution,” Strachan wrote, while asking for a meeting “in the near future.” In a separate letter to staff, Strachan said the decision to re-assess their presence was “not an easy one to consider.” “By making this gesture in good faith, we are not only supporting efforts towards a peaceful and sustainable solution, but also facilitating them,” she wrote in the internal email, first reported on by Global News. “Our hope has always been to create mutual understanding for a peaceful resolution, without the need for police intervention.”Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the federal government has not been

directing the RCMP’s actions during the rail blockade crisis. It’s not clear yet whether the hereditary chiefs will meet with federal and provincial government representatives.

Earlier this afternoon, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said she had not heard back from the chiefs on whether they will accept Strachan‘s offer.

The RCMP, which acts as the provincial police service in B.C., moved in to enforce a court injunction earlier this month after the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their supporters blocked construction of the $6-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline project. The B.C. Supreme Court issued an injunction in December authorizing the police to clear away the protesters who had blocked access to the public road. Those arrests triggered national protests and the rail blockades, which have lasted just over two weeks now. Via Rail announced nearly 1,000 layoffs Wednesday in response to the nationwide rail shutdown, while CN Rail says it has issued temporary pink slips to 450 workers because the blockade has shuttered much of its eastern Canadian operations.

Americans to push for $40 bn nuclear plant deal during Trump’s India trip two plus two meeting of Indo-US Foreign and Defence Ministers, again in Washington, in December this year. But the Indian stalling was palpable. The joint statement merely welcomed the continued progress byNuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Westinghouse toward a techno-commercial offer for constructioning six nuclear reactors.

On the eve of Trump’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that the two sides are now in discussion regarding the division of responsibility of the work. NPCIL has visited Westinghouse’s reference plant in the US to understand the company’s modular construction methodology.

Maha Shivratri or Guru Poornima From page 8 Shiva. Parvati was fuming. Shiva took her on his lap. Then Bhiringi became a bird and flew around Shiva only. This was a height of frustration for Parvati. Ultimately Shiva pulled her close and made her a part of him. Thus on the left side Shiva became a female and on the right half he remained as male. He turned into Ardhanareeshawara – a composite form of a male and a female. Bhringi finally had to pay obeisance to both, Shiva and Parvati as One. Hardly anybody would have noticed that the Day falls at a time in the Indian sub-continent when nature is at its best. It is blooming season, time of ‘Basant’, a much- awaited Summer!

From the Indian point of view, this is the most salubrious and enjoyable time of the year. In the North American hemisphere, it is the starting of the summer season with fragrance and blossom all around and love-making Valentine and Family Days. There are many mythological legends associated with this day. According to one legend, when one hunter could not find anything to kill for his family food in a forest, he climbed a wood apple tree and started throwing the leaves of the tree to attract the deer. The leaves fell on the Shiva Lingam down. He waited for a long time. Pleased with his patience in hunger, Lord Shiva appeared and blessed him with wisdom. From that day onwards, the hunter stopped eating meat and became Shiva’s devotee. Another legend is that once the Earth was faced with an imminent danger. Goddess Parvati pleaded with Lord Shiva to save the world. Pleased with her prayers he saved the world from destruction and from then onwards people started worshipping Shiva as a saviour.

Lord Shiva did not offer his devotees a belief system. His insistence was to be a seeker rather than a believer.

Wood apple leaves, cold water and milk are offered to the Shiva Lingam as these are believed to be Shiva’s favourites. Maha Shivratri literally means “great night of Shiva”. Lord Shiva is one the Hindu Trinity Godheads - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Trinity has been attributed as the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer respectively.

The destroyer here carries different meanings. If Shiva were the destroyer, the world would have been no more today. Its inherent meaning, which most of his devotees are unable to perceive and comprehend is that Shiva does not believe in a stereotypical, boring and monotonous creation. He always believes in change. Lord Shiva is an epitome of newness, coolness as well as a vibrant motion to break the monotony. His above attributes can be substantiated with the fact that Lord Shiva has several forms. He is a pensive thinker, an ascetic, most of the time in deep meditation, a lover, a householder, a veetragi and a thundering dancer known as Natraj (the King of Dancers).

He wears the Moon on his head and a Trident in his hand. Both these symbols reflect calm and constructive energy in peacetime and fearful and destructive energy during turbulent times.

The snake around Shiva’s neck shows that he was beyond fear. The physical environment in which he lived suggests that his life was of an Adi-Vasi. In present day context, Lord Shiva is a symbol of love and feminism. In a unique mystical symbol, he is ‘Ardhanareeshwara’.

According to a story, Bhringi Rishi was an ardent devotee of Shiva. Every morning he used to come for Shiva’s circumambulation as a mark of respect. Shiva’s wife Parvati was envious that why Bhringi was not respecting her also. Shiva asked her to come closer.

Bhringi turned into a mouse and encircled only

LOCAL

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 22, 2020

The B.C. government BC budget 2020 promises new tax on wealthy to help ensure future surpluses income taxes in the country for is promising continued people making under $475,000. balanced budgets over the next three years year.

“This will help to deliver the infrastructure thanks to a new tax on the highest earners, Effective July 2020, PST and services that create good jobs and keep sugary drinks, vaping and companies like will be applied to sweetened B.C.’s economy moving,” she said, arguing Netflix. “We’re asking those at the top who carbonated beverages, giving the new taxes were required to ensure the benefit most from our economy to contribute the government an additional province wouldn’t have to cut funding to a little bit more,” Finance Minister Carole $27 million in 2020-21. ministries at a time when the economy was James told reporters on Tuesday as the Effective July 2020, a new tax on slowing. province unveiled its new budget.

“This “foreign sellers of software and Few new spending promises Outside really is a budget that builds a stronger British telecommunication services” those announcements, it was a relatively stand Columbia: not for a few at the top, but for and Canadian sellers of vaping pat budget by the government, as it continued everyone.”

Premier John Horgan’s NDP products that will generate an to build upon programs announced in minority government is projecting a $227 additional $11 million to the previous budgets. However, there were some million surplus for the 2020-21 fiscal year, government. Finance Mininster notable increases to planned spending. The along with $179 million in 2021-22.

But Carole James announces new government will spend around $130 million it also announced three new tax measures tax for most wealthy British more on education this year than originally to help achieve that: Effective immediately, Columbians, PST on sugary targeting the wealthiest one per cent, PST planned, due mostly to higher than projected the top marginal tax rate will increase from drinks and increased funds for low income on sugary drinks and more money for post enrolment. Around $50 million more will be 16.8 per cent to 20.5 per cent on incomes post secondary students. secondary grants. James said the increase earmarked over the next three years for the over $220,000, giving the government an B.C. 2020 budget highlights: Finance to the top tax bracket — the second in three homeless, including 500 additional shelter additional $216 million in the 2020-21 fiscal Minister Carole James announces a new tax years — still leaves B.C. with the third lowest spaces.

BC reveals 6th presumptive Coronavirus case A sixth person in B.C. is believed to be infected with the coronavirus, and the case is raising new questions about how the disease is spreading, health officials announced Thursday. The latest patient is a woman in her 30s who lives in the Fraser Health region, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. She had recently returned from a trip to Iran and is now recovering at home. Henry said officials were surprised when they learned the woman had only visited Iran, and not China or neighbouring countries that have seen the bulk of COVID-19 cases.

“That could be an indicator that there’s

more widespread transmission. This is what we call an indicator or sentinel event,” Henry told a news conference. “I expect there’ll be an international investigation to try to understand where the exposure occurred.”

She added that Iran has recently announced five cases of the virus and two deaths. Henry described the woman’s infection as relatively mild, and said she tested positive for the virus after visiting the hospital with what she thought were symptoms of the flu. The patient has had contact with others since her return from Iran last week. Close family members are currently in isolation and being monitored by public health officials.

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Saturday, February 22, 2020

Khalsa Business Centre

128th Street, 84th Ave., Surrey, BC

12

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Man crashes stolen float plane in Vancouver harbour Vancouver police are searching for a man who stole a float plane and crashed it in Vancouver’s harbour early Friday morning.

Vancouver police say around 3:30 a.m., officers responded to Harbour Air for reports that a man stole a float plane from Coal Harbour in the 1100-block of West Cordova Street and then crashed it into another plane in the harbour.

VPD Const. Tania Visintin said the plane had extensive damage, and one wing was torn off.

She said there were no injuries. Police are investigating but have not yet arrested a suspect.

The Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre confirmed that there were two float planes involved in an incident shortly before 5 a.m. in the Vancouver harbour but would not provide any other information, citing a police investigation.

Harbour Air said in an emailed statement that it is aware of an attempted theft of a Seair aircraft at the Coal Harbour terminal early Friday morning.

Spokesperson Samantha Kent said during the incident, two Harbour Air aircraft were damaged.

“We are currently working with the police to provide any support required during this investigation as the safety and security of passengers is our priority,” she said, in a statement.

Some flights were re-routed to the YVR terminal in Richmond but otherwise all flights are operating, she said.

Court awards Surrey Costco shopping cart collector $583K after car pins him A Surrey Costco worker who was hit by a car while collecting shopping carts in the parking lot has been awarded $583,345 by a B.C. Supreme Court judge for physical and psychological injuries he suffered as a result of the accident.

Kurtis Ryan Burdeniuk was 22 at the time it happened, on Feb. 29, 2016. The court heard that after he had graduated from high school, and attempted to get credits at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, he began working part-time at Costco. This became a full-time job, in which his primary duty was to retrieve and organize shopping carts in the Surrey Costco parking lot.

Sydney Christie, the defendant in this case, admitted liability for the crash. Justice John Harvey presided over the case, in New Westminster.

The court heard this wasn’t the first time Burdeniuk was hit by a car in the Costco parking lot. In 2015, he was standing near a

machine that pushes carts when a driver hit him while backing out. “He tried to engage the driver in conversation without success,” Harvey noted in his Feb. 19 reasons for judgment. “The driver drove off. The plaintiff attended first aid and eventually began to experience pain in his low back. He took approximately a week off work, then returned to full-time duties without experiencing ongoing symptoms.”Prior to this latest crash, the court heard, Burdeniuk enjoyed snowboarding, hiking, and camping among other outdoor activities, and was “keen on keeping physically fit,” but all that changed.

In the 2016 accident, which happened in the early evening, Burdeniuk had been using a buggy machine to move carts that were “spilling into the lot” back into storage when he was hit from behind by Christie’s car.

He was pinned against some carts, or the cart machine, and her trunk.

Private school operator ordered to pay $75,000 to dismiss employee The society that operates a large Sikh private school and that has acquitted Air India suspect Ripudaman Singh Malik as its school board chairman has been ordered to pay more than $75,000 in a wrongful dismissal case.

Surinder Virk, who was employed by the Satnam Educational Society of B.C. from September 1998 to June 2010, filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful dismissal and other employment breaches after being terminated from his job as a vice-principal at the Khalsa Primary School following the 2009/10 school year.

At trial, Virk, 50, claimed that he was an indefinite-term employee and that the society “unilaterally” put him on probation and withheld a raise before dismissing him without cause and without reasonable notice.

The society responded by arguing that he was a fixed-term employee and that his performance was not satisfactory and he was put on probation. It also alleged he did not meet the conditions of a wage increase and his fixed-term contract was not renewed after it expired.

Virk, Jasbir Singh Bhatia, a principal at one of the four campuses of the school, and Malik were the three main witnesses at the trial.

Malik, who was acquitted in 2005 in connection with the 1985 Air India bombing that claimed the lives of 331 people, was unhappy with Virk’s performance as a vice-principal.

He claimed that Virk was “non-caring,” accused him of being “in a clique” and

urged him to take more “pride” and “ownership” in his job, the trial heard.

Bhatia, however, testified that he was satisfied with Virk’s job performance. Virk denied the allegations levelled by Malik.

In her ruling on the case, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Barbara Norell said that she was impressed with Bhatia as a witness, noting that he was no longer employed by Satnam and had no personal interest in the litigation.

She found that where there was a conflict in the evidence between Bhatia’s assessment of Virk’s performance and Malik’s assessment, she accepted Bhatia’s account.

“It was clear Mr. Bhatia was caught in the middle between Mr. Malik and Mr. Virk,” said the judge. “In my view, as a senior experienced teaching professional and the person who observed Mr. Virk the most and on a daily basis, Mr. Bhatia was the person best able to assess Mr. Virk’s performance.”

Malik became increasingly dissatisfied with Virk for reasons that coloured his perceptions of him, including that Virk was friendly with a former Satnam employee who had filed a lawsuit against the society, said the judge.

“I find that Mr. Virk was discouraged by the situation, and felt that he was in a no-win situation,” said the judge. “This may have appeared to Mr. Malik to be non-caring. However, Mr. Virk described his very busy job and the more than fulltime hours he was working, and I accept he was working hard in favour of the school.”

LOCAL

Saturday, February 22, 2020 Another day of blockades across the country means more protesters with signs bearing slogans such as “Wet’suwet’en Strong” and “Stand with Wet’suwet’en.”

They’re showing support for the hereditary chiefs who oppose construction of a new pipeline through their territory in northern B.C. The protesters though are drawing the ire of many in the Wet’suwet’en Nation who not only support the project, but see it as a way for the community to flourish.

The Coastal GasLink pipeline would move natural gas from northeastern

Some Wet’suwet’en people want protesters to stop B.C. to the West Coast for export, while creating jobs and other financial benefits.

It’s why 20 elected First Nations signed their support of the project. Calgary-based TC Energy is developing the $6-billion pipeline. Overall, the Wet’suwet’en Nation is divided over whether to support a new natural gas pipeline through its territory.

A group of hereditary chiefs touched off the national protest by opposing the project, saying it violated their recognized rights over the territory.

South Asian student selected as Loran Award recipient Award is valued at $100K over four years of undergraduate studies .

Govind Deol has made L.A. Matheson history.

Govind, a Grade 12 student, is the first student at the school to be a recipient of the Loran Award. And the fifth in the Surrey school district since the award’s inception in 1988.

“There’s a lot of positive things that happen at L.A. Matheson, but only the negative is looked at. In terms of me having the chance to represent my school and having the chance to represent my community and show that positive things happen as well, I think that’s really valuable to me,” said Govind, who is one of 36 recipients throughout Canada. Govind said he plans to use the scholarship money to go into sciences and then medical school to become a physician.

Initially, he had three post-secondary institutions he was planning to go to, but it has since increased to five.

“It’s not a decision that I want to rush,” he said. “I got accepted to (UBC), but I’m thinking about the Okanagan campus because it’s outside of the region and that’s one of the things that Loran wants.”

Govind had to go through regional and national interviews as a finalist, and just a day before his national interviews in Toronto, he told the NowLeader that the process had allowed him to “recap” his experiences and how he got involved in his community, which started in Grade 10.

Govind said that year he started a basketball program at his former elementary school, where his younger brother was still attending.

Since then, Govind said he volunteered with his high school’s Camp Next, Surrey Crime Prevention Society, Kinsmen Lodge and the Sikhi Awareness Foundation.

Asked what his biggest takeaway from the process was, Govind said the Loran Award is “really unique” because it doesn’t just look at “who has the strongest resume, they’re more looking at service, character and leadership and who’s the better fit for them in terms of their program.

“I think it’s more about who you are as a person, what you believe in, what your philosophy for life is and if you’re able to just be yourself when you’re taking part in interviews

71-year-old man facing charge of aggravated assault after altercation in White Rock Police say a 71-year-old man is facing a charge of aggravated assault in connection with an altercation in White Rock Wednesday that left another senior in critical condition.

Emergency crews shut down the city’s Five Corners district following a “man down” report received just before 2:45 p.m. Feb. 19.

Police, fire and ambulance personnel responded, and an RCMP helicopter was dispatched. Police say an elderly victim with “visible injuries to his upper body” was located in the lobby of a condominium complex in the 15200-block of Pacific Avenue. At the scene, officers could be seen focused on the Ocean Ridge complex and yellow police tape could be seen inside, through the building’s lobby windows. Police helicopter above, cops

looking for witnesses White Rock RCMP Const. Chantal Sears said Wednesday evening that a suspect was taken into custody at a White Rock home, and that the two people involved in the altercation were known to each other. The victim was a resident of the building where he was located, she added.

No weapon was used in the incident, Sears said.

Officers interviewed witnesses and canvassed the area for CCTV. Pacific Avenue was closed from Fir Street to Johnston Road while police investigated.

It was reopened at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday.

According to a news release issued Thursday, a 71-year-old man was released from custody with “several conditions” and a future court date.

But on Wednesday, about 200 people gave up three hours of their afternoon to pack a movie theatre in the community of Houston, a town of about 3,000 people in northwestern B.C., in the heart of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. This was a pro-pipeline event as members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation explained why they support construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

The people who came out to the meeting say they want to see the natural gas pipeline built. They say the project will create

13

well-paid jobs that will bring economic opportunities to their communities. Among the supporters was Robert Skin, who said he was elected to the council of the Skin Tyee First Nation, which is part of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, to move the community forward.

He said the pipeline will mean a better life for the next generation.

“With the benefit agreement that [the Skin Tyee] did sign, I see us being in a better place even within the next five years,” Skin said.

Telus announces $1.3-billion equity raise Telus Corp. announced Wednesday that it intends to raise $1.3 billion through a sale of shares, with an additional over-allotment which could boost the deal to a total value of $1.5 billion.

The company said the money will be used “for general corporate purposes including funding growth opportunities, capital expenditures and the reduction of indebtedness.”

In a news release, the Vancouver-based telecom company said the deal was led by RBC Capital Markets and TD Securities, with CIBC, BMO and Scotiabank also involved in the deal.

Telus to buy German call centre firm Competence Call Center for $1.3 billion Telus to launch 5G network with Huawei by the end of 2020 Telus increases dividend despite profit decline

The equity raise announcement comes a week after Telus reported fourth-quarter earnings, which included a two-for-one share split.

The company said that it expects the deal to close on or about Feb. 26.

The announcement comes at a time of significant investment for Canadian telecom companies, with all three of the large wireless network operators building out 5G networks, with plans to launch service later this year. The Canadian government is also expected to auction wireless spectrum in 2020 and 2021, which could be a significant expense for wireless network operators.

In December, Telus bought German call-centre company Competence Call Center for $1.3 billion in cash and stock.

14

LOCAL

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Cannabis dispensary chain fined $1.5 million for operating without licence 6 months after closing The provincial government has slapped the general manager of a B.C. retail cannabis chain with a $1.5-million fine for illegally operating dispensaries without a proper licence — more than six months after the company closed down shop.

Alex Robb, the director and general manager of Trees Cannabis Dispensary, said he received the fine in late January.

“I was stunned by the amount,” he said. “I don’t know how I could possibly pay this.”

Trees Cannabis is the first company penalized under B.C.’s Cannabis Control and Licensing Act, which came into law following the federal government’s legalization of the substance in October 2018.

“It’s not very comfortable to be the guinea pig,” Robb added.

Medicinal cannabis buyers protest after province raids long-running club Following a raid at one of the chain’s Victoria locations on July 31, Robb said Trees shuttered all eight of its locations across Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

The Community Safety Unit (CSU), which operates under the Ministry of Public Safety, seized about $200,000 worth of cannabis during the raid, according to Robb.

Robb said he anticipated a fine of around $450,000, roughly double what was seized in the summer and had set aside some money to take care of it.

Robb says he shut the dispensary down more than six months ago to work on getting a proper licence. (Google Street View)

Instead, he said he’s been fined for the approximate amount of cannabis the Victoria dispensary sold between the time the CSU visited the store to provide information on cannabis regulation in May and the July raid.

According to Robb, the company had been pursuing the proper licensing to legally sell cannabis since Oct. 17, 2018, the day marijuana became legal.

Cannabis stores in B.C. mark first year of legal sales with mixed reviews “Well, the fines don’t just happen,” Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, told the media Wednesday when asked for comment. “Many dispensaries who were in the process to get a licence, they shut down when the safety unit went by. They abide by what was told and they don’t get fined.”

But Robb claims other stores in Victoria that never shut down during the licensing process somehow avoided punishment and are now operating legally.

A few days before the July raid, Robb said the company informed CSU that it would be temporarily shutting down operations in September until it was able to get a licence.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” he said.

Right now, Robb’s trying to determine whether any leeway exists for paying the fine.

“Trees was a good operator that was successfully operating eight stores,” he said.

“If we could get back into business, into the licence system and come up with a payment plan for them, then I’m certain that we could pay back their fine over the course of time.”

Mexican man charged in cocaine conspiracy ordered extradited to USA A Mexican man suspected of links to a “significant cocaine broker” and charged in a major drug conspiracy has been ordered committed for extradition to the United States.

On April 16, 2019, Jose BarbaRuiz, also known as “Picoso,” was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency at Vancouver International Airport after arriving on a flight from Mexico. RCMP arrested him after receiving information from the United States Department of Homeland Security and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration that

he was wanted in the U.S. on drug conspiracy charges. U.S. authorities allege that Barba-Ruiz, a father of two, is a secretary to Roberto Castellanos-Meza, said to be a major drug dealer operating in Mexico. An investigation led to two maritime seizures of large shipments of cocaine in October and November 2016 and involved authorized wiretap intercepts of BlackBerry messages and an unidentified co-operating witness who worked closely with Barba-Ruiz and Castellanos-Meza, according to the U.S. authorities.

4 people stabbed outside Vancouver nightclub where promoter was killed in 2018 Four people were taken to hospital early Saturday morning after they were stabbed outside a downtown Vancouver nightclub connected to a 2018 murder.

Vancouver police say they were called to an area just outside the Cabana Lounge club on the Granville Strip around 3 a.m.

The four victims were sent to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police say no suspects are in custody at this time, and officers are continuing to investigate.

On Jan. 27, 2018, nightclub promoter Kalwinder “Kris” Thind, who had been working at the club, was stabbed outside the Cabana Lounge while trying to break up a fight.

The 23-year-old, who was also an aspiring realtor, died in hospital.

More than two years later, no suspects have been identified or charged.

In the wake of the stabbing, Vancouver city council asked staff to explore safety upgrades to the Granville Strip, including CCTV cameras.

One man dead after house fire in Kitsilano neighbourhood A 55-year-old man has died after a fire tore through a Kitsilano home Sunday night in Vancouver.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue says it happened in the 2000-block of West 10th Avenue just after 8 p.m.

Inside the building, firefighters found a mobility-impaired man with burns to his

body. He was taken to hospital where he died.

Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services investigate the first fatal fire of 2020 in the 2000-block of West 10th Avenue.

Fire investigators have determined smoking material caused the fire.

The department says smokingrelated fires continue to be the leading cause of fire fatalities in Vancouver.

BC to fight homelessness with ‘navigation centres,’ a first in Canada modelled after San Francisco BC will become the first jurisdiction in the country to build navigation centres as a way to combat homelessness.

The ‘enhanced shelter model’ is a firstof-its-kind for Canada and modelled on similar programs in jurisdictions

like San Francisco, according to the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Selina Robinson.

“We tailored [the idea] to B.C.,” Robinson said on Wednesday. “We’ve been looking for innovative ways to support people who are still in need of housing and this is an interim step.”

Each centre will house 60 beds in a shelter-like setting and will include wrap-around services to provide additional resources and support help people get off the streets.

Housing Minister Selina Robinson says navigation centres will be modeled after similar facilities in the U.S. and tailored to B.C. “It’s a way to bring all the resources to one location where we can continue to support people,” Robinson said.

“Whether it’s making sure they have ID, getting them registered, getting health checks. It’s helping to identify services that are available to them.”

New funding was unveiled in Tuesday’s budget within the $50 million earmarked for homelessness initiatives over the next three years.

The provincial government isn’t yet revealing where the navigation centres will be located or the timeline of construction.

‘Theneedisfaroutpacingtheresponse’ The idea is applauded by a homeless advocate in Vancouver.

“Navigation centres, when done right, can be very positive,” said Jeremy Hunka, spokesperson for the Union Gospel Mission. “It’s not a silver bullet ... but it’s a positive step.”

LOCAL

Saturday, February 22, 2020

15

North Van councillors to reconsider pigeon ban amid conflict of interest allegations A majority of councillors in the District of North Vancouver say they support reconsidering a ban on owning pigeons that they passed three months ago.

The change came the same day the municipality released its investigation into its decision, which came under scrutiny after CBC News revealed it targeted the neighbour of a sitting councillor — who emailed other councillors asking them to pass the bylaw.

“I think that we ... need to reconsider and engage in a new process surrounding these issues,” said Jim Hanson, one of the four councillors who originally voted in favour of the ban.

“I also think that at this point in time we should ... only apply our bylaw to people who don’t already have pigeons.”

Coun. Megan Curren, who seconded the motion, also said she supported reconsideration of the bylaw and is open to the idea of grandfathering in current pigeon owners.

Councillors Mathew Bond and Jordan Back, who opposed the affirmed they would support a reconsideration.

“I think we can read between the lines of this report and it’s pretty clear that this was not brought forward with the community’s best interest or in the community best interests,” said Back.

Their comments come after the district’s independent report into its own actions was released.

First person with Coronavirus in BC has fully recovered, provincial health officer says The first person confirmed to have become ill from the coronavirus in B.C. has fully recovered and is no longer required to stay in isolation, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

Three other people in B.C. with COVID-19 are no longer showing symptoms, she said Wednesday. “That’s very good news.”

On Friday, Henry announced the province’s fifth presumed case of coronavirus after a woman in her 30s returned from Shanghai, China, through Vancouver’s airport before travelling by car to her home in the Interior.

Henry said that woman still has symptoms and is in stable condition in isolation at her home. She said the woman was wearing a mask while travelling, and

they have identified a small number of people who had close contact with her.

Dr. Bonnie Henry assesses the health of the first four people in B.C. diagnosed with coronavirus: Dr. Bonnie Henry: ‘Good news’ for first four people in B.C. with coronavirus B.C.’s top doctor says the conditions of the first four people in B.C. diagnosed with coronavirus have improved. 0:32 Henry said health authorities are following up all leads between those who have been confirmed and anyone they might have had contact with.

“This is the work that we do in public health in our communities,” said Henry.

What the new ‘Netflix tax’ means for BC users Social Sharing The B.C. government announced its 2020 budget Tuesday and with it came some new taxes, including one on streaming services like Netflix.

Under it, Canadian and foreign sellers of software and telecommunications services will be required to register as tax collectors, if specified revenues exceed $10,000.

The government will be collecting provincial sales tax of seven per cent, from a greater number of businesses in the digital economy, according to the document. The province estimates the tax will generate $11 million for the 2020/2021 fiscal year and $16 million for the following fiscal year.

Finance Minister Carole James said Wednesday the province wants to make sure the tax system encompasses these types of online services. James said the PST is already collected on

streaming services like CraveTV, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

The report lists 12 recommendations focused on increased conflict of interest training, enhancing its code of ethics and several suggestions around internal communication and requesting legal advice.

“The legal validity of the bylaw is now before the Court. It is for the Court to address those legal issues,” wrote David Loukidelis, the

former B.C. deputy attorney general, who was hired by the district to investigate its decision.

The district originally passed the pigeon ban — becoming the only Metro Vancouver municipality to explicitly single them out as a prohibited bird — by a 4-2 vote, with Coun.

Betty Forbes recusing herself, telling council “I have been involved in a situation like this.

16

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Driving without a licence: What happens if I forget to renew my driver’s licence and I am involved in a car accident?

Steve Ferguson Personal Injury Lawyer; Simpson, Thomas & Associates

There can be significant consequences for those caught driving without a licence in BC, including violation tickets, vehicle impoundment, and Driver Penalty Points. The consequences of driving without a licence are even more severe if you are involved in a car accident, particularly a major accident that causes serious personal injury such as a traumatic brain injury, paraplegia or quadriplegia, or death. Let’s examine some of the implications of driving without a licence in BC and how unlicensed driving factors into an ICBC claim for personal injury compensation.

Driving without a licence is a breach of your ICBC insurance policy A condition of all ICBC insurance policies is that the driver of the insured vehicle must be “authorized and qualified by law” to operate a vehicle.

Whether you are driving without a licence because you accidentally missed the renewal date, did not have your driver’s licence properly reinstated after a suspension or prohibition, or did not have a driver’s licence in the first place (for example, by deliberate choice or because you are underage), you are in breach of the “authorized and qualified by law” condition.

The implication of this breach is that ICBC can deny your entitlement to insurance coverage in the event of a car accident that causes property damage or personal injury.

Implications of driving without a licence in the event of a car accident

In BC, if you are driving without a licence or if you allow someone who is unlicensed to drive your vehicle, you can be held personally responsible for property damage and personal injury caused to other people in the event of an accident. If you were at fault for the accident, ICBC will attempt to deny you coverage, leaving you exposed to personal liability for damages. Compensation for the most serious accidents that cause permanent impairment, catastrophic injury or death can be valued in the multimillion dollar range.

What happens if I am injured while driving without a licence?

If you are injured while driving without a licence and you caused the accident, ICBC may attempt to deny your entitlement to Part 7 benefits (also known as no-fault benefits).

However, you can still bring an ICBC claim against the driver and/or vehicle that caused

the accident, regardless of your own policy breach or even complete lack of insurance.

ICBC may attempt to deny your personal injury claim by arguing that you were wholly or partially at fault for the accident. These types of claims can be complicated, and the best course of action is to retain a lawyer early in your claim to protect your rights.

If you have been injured while driving without a licence or have been injured in an accident caused by an unlicenced driver, contact Simpson, Thomas & Associates for help. Our lawyers will protect your legal rights and advise you with respect to your ICBC claim. You or a loved one can contact us at (604) 689-8888 to schedule your free consultation.

Vancouver, Surrey/Delta, Burnaby and Abbotsford office appointments are available, or one of our lawyers will come to you if you are facing mobility issues.

Richmond’s Highway to Heaven Richmond’s Highway to Heaven (H2H) is a very unique place. This small stretch of Number Five Road in Richmond has more than 20 places of worship of different religious denominations.

India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas was the first place of worship to be built on this road in 1985. This was followed by others. About fifteen years ago, as president of Richmond Multicultural Community Services (RMCS), I sent one of our staff members to do an inventory of all of the places of worship along

Number Five Road. As a result of that, I wrote an article in our local newspaper, Richmond Review, and named this stretch of the road as Our Highway to Heaven. The name caught on with the public and media. Since then it has become popular all over. A few years ago on a national poll, H2H was ranked as one of the top 50 places of special interest in Canada.

Individuals and groups, especially students from all over the province and across Canada come to visit H2H. In view

of the importance and interest in the H2H, a number of interested stakeholders along the H2H got to-gether and formed an association called Highway to Heaven Association (H2HA) and I was elected/acclaimed its Chairperson.

Since its formation, members of the H2HA meet occasionally to discuss issues of common interest and support each other. For the past four years, H2HA has participated in the annual Steveston Salmonfest Canada Day Parade with a float decorated with banners of each of its partners. About three years ago, BBC did a story on H2H that went viral. In early November 2017, I was approached by officials from Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa with a request. They informed me that 13 United Nations Ambassadors from New York were coming to Vancouver to attend a conference on Peace and Defence. They had heard about our H2H and were interested in visiting us.

All of us were very excited to welcome them and hosted them at India

Cultural centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas. They thoroughly enjoyed our hospitality and discussion. Two of our members – both educators -explained to the Ambassadors what makes us tick. They were very impressed with our presentations and profusely thanked and commended us. Soon after that, National Film Board of Canada undertook a project to prepare a short film about H2H. This film was entered into the Toronto and Vancouver International Film Festivals. Filmmaker Sandra Ignagni has “merged beautiful, carefully framed images with a symphonic soundscape that illuminates the lives of the faithful.” The film was shown at the #5 Road Gurdwara to a very interested and captive audience on Saturday, February 15. The picture shows a part of the audience keenly watching the film.

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

One man charged with robbery following public appeal A man is facing charges for the robbery at a mobile phone store as a result of an investigation

by Surrey RCMP and tips from the public.

On October 27, 2019, Surrey RCMP received a report of a robbery at the Chatr

Mobile store in the City Centre Mall.

A public appeal for information was made on November 12, 2019, and yielded valuable information from the public which assisted in identifying a person of interest in the investigation.

On February 12, 2020, Surrey RCMP Robbery Unit located and arrested 32-yearold Jeremy Morgan, who was allegedly in possession of a loaded firearm at the time of his arrest.

He is now f a c i n g charges including r o b b e r y, use of an imitation firearm to commit an indictable offence, and possession of a firearm without a license or registration document.

“Surrey RCMP would like to sincerely thank the public for their assistance in this investigation – your tips proved to be an invaluable resource for our officers,” says Inspector Beth McAndie. “The results from this investigation clearly demonstrate the importance of the partnership between the public and police, and the success we can achieve when we work together.”

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Govinda starts his Youtube channel Govinda, who is known for his comic timing and dancing skills, has launched his own YouTube channel

with two songs he has sung this Valentine’s Day. The actor also made his TikTok debut and announced a contest related to his channel.

Govinda has always had a unique style of entertaining people. And while he is very witty, he serves some muchneeded wisdom as well. The actor has launched his own YouTube channel titled

“Govinda No.1.” The first two songs, “Chal Na Romance Kare” ( http:// bit.ly/RomanceKare ) and “Tu Meri Dream Come True Hai” ( http://bit.ly/ TuMeriDreamComeTrueHai ) will help fans celebrate their Valentine moments “Govinda Style.”

Earlier in the day, Govinda also announced that he will be throwing

a challenge on TikTok, wherein he will ask the fans to dance on the songs and the best steps will be acknowledged and used by him at the shooting of the music video of the song to be shot at Dubai. He said, “Each time, I have made sure that I entertain my fans who have showered me with their love and blessings, and social media is the best way to do it.”

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18

Bollywood

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Manoj Kumar honored by World Book of Records

Rajinikanth: ‘I want to play as transgender’ Rajinikanth says he would love to explore the idea of playing a transgender in a film.

“I have explored almost all the genres. I have worked in 160 films and it’s been 45 years in the film industry. I want to play the role of a transgender,” said the Tamil screen idol, when asked if there still was any genre or role that he would like to explore after such a glorious innings in films.

Rajinikanth opened up at the trailer launch of his upcoming film “Darbar” in the city. Asked if he has been approached by any filmmaker to play a transgender, he said: “No, not yet. I thought about it just now and expressed my wish.” The

veteran actor also spoke of his wish to work in a Marathi film someday, since his roots belong to Maharashtra. He added

P

that his passion for acting has been the driving factor for the last 45 years. He said: “I do speak in Marathi in my house. Once I had an opportunity to work in a Marathi film but that didn’t work out. I would like to work in a Marathi film.

Let’s see when it happens. We have shot this film (‘Darbar’) for 90 days in Mumbai. I really love people of Mumbai.”

Rajinikanth, who was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Marathi family in Bangalore, plays the commissioner of Mumbai in “Darbar.” Asked what drives him to work in films after having achieved everything, he said: “To be frank, it’s about money (laughs). I have to justify the money I get, and that is huge. No, actually it is the passion.

I feel we should love the work that we do. I love acting and I love coming in front of the camera.

I think the camera and the light give me energy.”

adma Shri and Phalke laureate Manoj Kumar felicitated by World Book of Records, with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood honor for being a legendary

Lengendary Kranti actory Manoj Kumar, 82, was born Harikishan Giri Goswami on July 24,1937 in Abbottabad, (KPK) now in Pakistan.He is famous for his versatile performances in films like Hariyali Aur Raasta, Woh Kaun Thi?, Himalaya Ki God Mein, Do

actor and for his unparalleled contribution to cinema through highlighting patriotic, social and cultural feelings in his Hindi movies.

Earlier, Dilip Kumar also had been felicitated. The certificate of Honor was presented to the veteran by Santosh Shukla, Supreme Court advocate (and president, World Book of Records), Usman Khan (vice-president, World Book of Records, India) and Prof. (Dr) Rajeev Sharma (educationist). On this occasion, the actor-writer-filmmakereditor-lyricist’s wife Shashi Goswami and son Kunal Goswami were present.

Badan, Upkar, Patthar Ke Sanam, Neel Kamal, Purab Aur Paschim, Beimaan, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Dus Numbri, Sanyasi and Kranti.

He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname Bharat Kumar. In 1992, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India. India’s highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was bestowed upon him in 2015.

Nicknamed Bharat Kumar from the 1960s for his protagonist roles in his own patriotic productions, Kumar was honored by with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1992. India’s highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Deepika plays Romi Dev in film ‘83’ Deepika Padukone unveiled her look as Romi Dev, the wife of cricket legend Kapil Dev, in the upcoming film, “83.” She said that the film is an ode to every woman who puts her husband’s dream before her own.

In the photo, she is dressed up in a black top and peach colored bottoms, and is sporting a short hairdo. She is seen smiling at actor Ranveer Singh, who plays Kapil Dev in the film. Padukone captioned it: “To be able to play a small but significant part in a film that captures one of the most iconic moments in sporting history has been an absolute honor.” “I’ve seen very closely the role a wife plays in the success of her husband’s professional and personal

aspirations in my mother and ‘83’ for me in many ways is an ode to every woman who puts her husband’s dream before her own,” added the daughter of badminton star Prakash Padukone.

The film’s director, Kabir Khan, shared: “I have always thought of Deepika as a phenomenal actress and when I was thinking of casting for Romi Dev’s role, I could only think of her. Romi has a disarmingly charming and positive energy and Deepika has captured that with perfection.”

“Her easy chemistry with Ranveer will also greatly help in portraying the relationship that Kapil Dev and Romi share. I’m delighted that Deepika has been such an integral part of our journey for ’83,’” added the director about Padukone, who is married to Singh in real life.

Saturday, February 22, 2020 The trailer of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saahoâ&#x20AC;? promised highoctane action, special effects and stylised sequences. Like a stock opening sequence that starts with an extreme close-up and zooms out to reveal a different picture, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saahoâ&#x20AC;? is a whole other movie than the trailer lets on. The plot, which moves between Mumbai and the fictional city of Waaji, concerns an undercover agent named Ashok (Prabhas) and a crime syndicate run

by Roy (Jackie Shroff). Ashok is a top cop, but his demeanour suggests otherwise. He is languid and awkward and would rather make moves on his colleague Amritha (Shraddha Kapoor) than fight crime. She feebly resists his rather demeaning attempts

Movie Review: Saaho to woo her, but succumbs quickly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; giving the film a chance to cut to exotic locations where the two can dance to mediocre music.

At 179 minutes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saahoâ&#x20AC;? drags on and on. Director and writer Sujeeth throws in countless plot twists,

intent on distracting viewers with action, blood, gore and romance over substance. At one point, when a character says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve concocted so many false stories, you think I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come up with one moreâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is as if he is talking about the script. Sujeeth borrows scenes and tonality

March 21 - April 20

Madhuri wishes husband with adorable video She moved back to Mumbai with her family in October 2011. Speaking about it, Dixit said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always love being here. I have grown up here in Mumbai so for me it is like coming back home. It was a different phase in my life, where I wanted to have a home, family, husband and children... everything that I had dreamt of.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; In 2018, Dixit along with her husband, founded the production company, RnM Moving Pictures. On 17 March 2003, Dixit gave birth to a son, Arin. Two years later, on 8 March 2005, she gave birth to another son, Ryan. She described motherhood as â&#x20AC;&#x153;amazingâ&#x20AC;? and added that her kids kept â&#x20AC;&#x153;the child in her aliveâ&#x20AC;?.

Madhuri received six Filmfare Awards, including four Best Actress awards for Dil (1990), Beta (1992), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun! (1994) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), and a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Devdas (2002). She earned a Filmfare Special Award for completing twenty-five years in film industry.

from several Hollywood films, including â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mission Impossibleâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mad Maxâ&#x20AC;?, but neither he nor his leading man match their quality. Prabhas, fresh off the success of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Baahubaliâ&#x20AC;? franchise, fails to re-create his brooding action hero persona. Shraddha Kapoorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much to do except be rescued by a manly-man, with whom she must occasionally dance. The rest of the cast, including Chunky Pandey and Mahesh Manjrekar, seem to be wondering what on earth is going on. So will viewers.

HOROSCOPE Aries

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Happy Birthday to the one that changed my life @DoctorNene... Words arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to tell you how much I love you or what you mean to me.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Following widespread media speculation over years on her personal life, Madhuri married Shriram Nene, a cardiovascular surgeon from Los Angeles, California on 17 October 1999, in traditional ceremony held at the residence of Madhuriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother in California. Nene had never seen any of her films, and was unaware of her celebrity status. Dixit explained their relationship by saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was very important that he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know me as an actress because then he would know me as a person first. When people have seen you as an actress, they have pre-conceived notions... None of it was there here with him. I found the right person, I wanted to get married and I did.â&#x20AC;?

Following her marriage, Dixit relocated to Denver, Colorado, for over a decade.

19

Bollywood

On Tuesday, the sun joins chatty Mercury and dreamy Neptune in Pisces. While you may have practical matters to deal with related to your job, career, or ambitions, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

can be a powerful opportunity to process

might be easier to connect with and express your feelings, and this could make all the

Taurus April 21 - May 20 Socially, you may be busier than usual as the sun moves into Pisces this week. And it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprising if you planned a reunion, because convivial Mercury, currently retrograde, can connect you to people from the past.You may also be drawn to a life coach, teacher, or philosophy that can help you get

easier to ditch old beliefs and embrace new, more life-enhancing ones as expansive Jupiter aligns with compassionate Neptune. This

Gemini May 20 - June 21

sector of goals and ambitions ramps up a notch. The sun moves in on Tuesday for its annual four-week stay, bringing opportunities

!

to ask yourself whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pursuing the best path for you. What do you really want out of life? The answer could be very

!

as opportunistic Jupiter aligns with aquatic " #

Cancer June 22 - July 23 Are you ready to discover new places and faces? The sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move into your sector of travel and adventure on Tuesday could inspire you to explore new terrain. And yet with chatty Mercury retrograde in this sector, you might also be drawn to visit places that have sentimental value or evoke powerful memories. Are you eager to travel with a friend? A delightful Jupiter-Neptune aspect on Thursday can make this a positive experience.

Leo June 24 - August 23 ! on Tuesday, so youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have an opportunity to tackle issues that may have been holding you back. With the sun moving into Pisces for a four-week stay, its presence here can light up this sector and enable you to get your priorities in order. Even so, with thoughtful Mercury rewinding in this zone, it would be just as well to take care when doing deals involving large

chatty Mercury pushes ahead again, in around

Virgo August 24 - Sept 24 Your sector of relating lights up as the radiant sun moves into Pisces on Tuesday to encourage cooperation and teamwork. And with articulate Mercury retrograde in this same zone, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a perfect opportunity to resolve any ongoing issues. At the same time, you might be drawn to connect with people from the past, so a reunion is very possible.

Could romance be in the air? A delightful JupiterNeptune link on Thursday suggests a meeting of hearts and minds. You may feel very comfortable with this person even if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never met before.

Libra Sept. 24 - Oct 22 Lifestyle matters are well starred as the sun moves into Pisces on Tuesday for a fourweek stay. This is an opportunity to look at your routines and decide what to jettison and what to keep. With dealmaker Mercury retrograde in this zone, it pays to be careful at work and !

are delays, they could work in your favor, so try not to fret. However, you might be thrilled to collaborate with someone on a creative and imaginative idea that could work out well for both of you.

Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 22 Feisty Mars continues to move through your sector of communication, stirring up this zone and encouraging you to reach out to others to market your goods and services. Do you need to create a new brand? Do your research and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a better chance of getting it right.

The sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move into Pisces and your leisure zone on Tuesday can be a call to indulge in your favorite activities. You may be drawn to creative projects over the coming four weeks or so, and

!

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22 The sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move into your home zone on Tuesday ushers in a four-week period in which you may relish the chance to step back from life. Use this opportunity to enjoy some pampering and self-care, but also spend time with

$ nurture yourself, and get ready for a new phase of activity. At the same time, a delightful JupiterNeptune angle could inspire you to beautify your residence in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s both practical and artistic. Whatever plans you come up with can create a delightful and homey ambience.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20 Dynamic Mars is now in your %&

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your passion and energy for life return. This planet can bestow courage and inspire you to overcome obstacles to live your brightest dreams. And with the sun moving into your sector of communication on Tuesday for around four weeks, this is the ideal time to reach out to others who are on your wavelength. However, with Mercury retrograde in thissector, it would be just as well to take your time.

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19 On Tuesday, the sun leaves your sign and moves into Pisces and your money zone for a stay of around a month. With thoughtful Mercury retrograde here combined with the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s radiant energies, you might be able to make wise decisions after looking at your

! easier to gloss over it, but if you can take the time to get things back under control, it could leave you feeling more peaceful all around.

A dreamy tie between upbeat Jupiter in a spiritual zone and hazy Neptune in your money zone.

Pisces Feb 20 - March 20 The sun enters your sign on Tuesday, bringing %

coming four weeks can be an opportunity to focus on those plans, ideas, and relationships

those activities that give you pleasure, because they can recharge you and leave you feeling good. There is also a delightful Jupiter-Neptune

!

inspiring project, something that turns out to be very satisfying.

20

Bollywood

Saturday, February 22, 2020

‘I just want this film to do incredible business!’ - Arjun Kapoor When we ask Arjun Kapoor, who plays Sadashivrao, the Peshwa protagonist of “Panipat,” how much Marathi he knows, he replies, “Malaa Marathi yete (I know Marathi)! I can understand it completely, but I am hesitant to speak it, as any mistake might offend someone.”

Reeling under several flops (his last hit was “2 States” way back in 2014), the son of Boney Kapoor is now adorned in a (real) moustache and has

shaved his head (“On November 16, 2018!” he informs) for his role in the film. Now looking completely normal, the pleasant actor meets the media at the Hotel Sun’N’Sand.

Q: What was the main challenge in doing this role?

A: We have read about the Peshwas in history, but we forget that whatever else they were, they were human beings as well. We

are consumed by the period films that we have watched and what we have been told, but we do not know exactly how they behaved and spoke.

Ashutosh Gowariker, my one-stop shop for the research— as he is like an encyclopedia—told me to be human like any of us. So I had to unlearn that ‘period’ baggage, which was the biggest challenge. Just as any of us would behave differently in office, at home or with friends, Sadashivrao must have been different with the warriors, with his wife and with his friends. A man who leads his men to war must also be feeling vulnerable as well as their life is in his hands. But the great foundation—the sets, costumes

and ambience, and no mobilephones were allowed— and finally the big Marathi actors whom I kept hearing throughout the day, created that feeling for the era.

Q: And what about the physical aspects?

A: Armor pads, shin pads, metal over my forearms, shoulders, body—I am tired even telling you about it! It all weighed about 18 kilos, and with all that, I had to sit on a horse, because the director wanted real metal as the sun could glint on it! It took four men to make me mount and dismount the horse, and for some reason, they shot the battle-scenes in May! (Smiles) I could not even throw a spear properly as I could not move my arm freely.

Social issues to be highlited in “Maddam Sir” Watch four women police officers take a unique approach towards social issues in Sony SAB’s light-hearted value-driven show “Maddam Sir,” set to premiere from February 24. With the tagline “Kuch Baat Hai Kyunki Jazbaat Hai,” the show is set to change people’s perspective about typical policing.

The story showcases the power of feminine instincts while beating the stereotype of the conventional way of policing and introduces a fresh belief of policing with a heart.

“Maddam Sir” addresses social issues through the eyes of four dynamic women police officers with unique set of qualities that distinguish them from each other. Set in Lucknow, it features Haseena Mallik (Gulki Joshi), Karishma Singh (Yukti Kapoor), Santosh Sharma (Bhavika Sharma) and Pushpa Singh (Sonali Naik) as they try solving cases that come to the Aminabad Mahila Police Thana (station). Haseena, the station house officer, is a young and a headstrong woman, who believes in bringing sensitivity in policing. Inspector Karishma does not believe in emotional policing and is always ready

to take the fierce way to solving a case. While the two try to accommodate each other’s clashing personalities and beliefs, the new recruit, Santosh, tries to find a role- model in them, and is thus often left confused.

Pushpa is the head constable, the most experienced officer of the team and also Karishma’s mother-in-law. While at work, the duo keeps it professional, at home the dynamics change as Pushpa becomes more authoritative. Her only wish now is to crack a big case before her retirement. Another interesting character is of a news reporter, Sunny, played by Gaurav Wadhwa. A streetsmart guy, he knows how to get his work done and get information from the team.

Said Neeraj Vyas, business head, Sony SAB, ““Maddam Sir” is very different from other cop-based series. It is not a regular police crime show but a show that brings to light how women use their instinct and add magic in everything they do.” “The show, while being fun, in a lighter way helps us to look at a lot of social issues that plague our society today and how in their own unique way these women police officers find solutions. It will present delightful and heartwarming stories keeping the channel philosophy of ‘Khushiyon Wali

‘Love Aaj Kal’ There is no re-created song here, except for a hint of the old “Love Aaj Aur Kal” song “Twist” in the end video track. But so what? The film itself seems to be a complete re-creation of the 2009 “Love Aaj Kal,” which was Imtiaz Ali’s last hit! This is a smart rework, just the way “Vishwatma” (1992) was rehashed from “Tridev” (1989), “Naseeb” (1981) from “Amar Akbar Anthony” (1977) and— officially— “Shiva” (2006) from “James” (2005).

Quite obviously, with all these filmmakers, it was about playing safe. Imtiaz, as we know, has had no

hit since, never mind the hype that “Rockstar” was in the media. So Ali cleverly recycles the older “Love Aaj Kal”’s plot by replacing Rishi Kapoor with Randeep Hooda (sincere but no star like Kapoor was even then), and Sara Ali Khan is the female protagonist.

Arushi Sharma, a pleasant but ordinary debutant, is the girl from the bygone era of the 1990s who was Raj (Hooda)’s love interest. Raj was then Raghu, and for small-time Udaipur, Raghu and Leena (Sharma) were fairly bold.

21

Saturday, February 22, 2020 Kajolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mood swings if anyone asks

Many moods of Kajol

*

+

Kajol most - â&#x20AC;&#x153;Will your cousin Rani Mukerji tie the knot with Aditya Chopra?â&#x20AC;? *

;Are you still friend with SRK? It leaves lovely lady thinking %

+

time around! *

= >

tries to get happy about â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayengeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

(

not before singing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha.â&#x20AC;? *

'

how she gained her current % ( "

Baba Ramdevâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expert pranayam tips. *

= > )

'

memory lane and remembers how her initial cine-avatars

'

$

Jacqueline Fernandez is happy to tell amazing story â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an amazing story and I am happy to be part of the sequel of a film that catapulted my career,â&#x20AC;? says Jacqueline Fernandez on being part of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick 2.â&#x20AC;? Fernandez recently shared some information about her film says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The film is taking time for the film to go on the floors. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because the director (Sajid Nadiadwala) really wanted it to be perfect. It is good to be working again with the team.â&#x20AC;?

Salman Khan stars in the film as in the 2014 movie that marked the debut of producer Sajid Nadiadwala as director.

It made over Rs 200 crore at the boxoffice.

The actress is now venturing into the digital space with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mrs. Serial Killerâ&#x20AC;? and her film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Driveâ&#x20AC;? starts streaming on

Netflix from today. Fernandez featured in UK magazine Eastern Eyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attractiv Asian Womenâ&#x20AC;? list, ranking twelfth. She was ranked third on The Times of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s listing of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most Desirable Womanâ&#x20AC;? in 2013 and 2014, after being ranked eighth, seventh and fourteenth, respectively, in the preceding

three years. In 2013, Rediff.com placed her on their list of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Dressed Actressesâ&#x20AC;?. The following year, she held the sixty second position in the Indian edition of the Forbesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Celebrity 100, a list based on the income and popularity of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebrities. In early 2013, Fernandez became the ambassador for HTC One, which she endorses in India.

22

Press release

Saturday, February 22, 2020

NDP budget abandons opportunity and breaks promises as nobody gets ahead John Horgan and the NDP have presented yet another tax-and-spend budget with no plan to grow the economy or help people get ahead.

“Once again John Horgan and the NDP have put forward a budget with no economic plan and with the only source of revenue being the pockets of taxpayers,” said BC Liberal Finance Co-Critic MLA Shirley Bond.

“They have squandered the opportunity to help people with no focus on growing the economy or delivering on their promises to make life affordable. No $400 annual renters’ rebate, no $10-a-day childcare, and we’re still 98 years away from the NDP fulfilling their affordable housing target.”

By 2022, the amount paid in taxes per household in B.C. will have increased by over $2,362 under the NDP government. Under

John Horgan, taxes are up $5.7 billion while spending has increased by $11.4 billion.

“John Horgan says everything is going well but gas prices and ICBC rates are skyhigh, unemployment and job losses are up, housing starts are down, and retail sales are stagnant. British Columbians aren’t getting ahead and life is less affordable than ever before,” added BC Liberal Finance Co-Critic MLA Stephanie Cadieux.

“With 22 new or increased NDP taxes and no plan for economic growth, families across the province are going to keep feeling the squeeze under John Horgan.”

According to budget documents, British Columbia will continue its streak of losing full-time private-sector jobs, with up to 32,800 lost in the past eight months.

“We needed to see a budget that would repair British Columbia’s reputation as a competitive place to do business, encourage investment, and create wellpaying family-supporting jobs. This budget failed to hit the mark and has made it clear that people can’t afford more of John Horgan and the NDP,” concluded Bond.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

23

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Vol. 11 No. 4 Saturday - February 22, 2020

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Vancouver-area home sales rebound from last year as prices inch downward: REBGV Sales remained steady while fewer people putwas steady demand for the listings. The spring their homes on the real estate market in Vancouvermarket is usually more active and Smith said and the surrounding region last month. The Realthe board will be watching to see if home Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV)listings keep pace with demand. Hong Kong social entrepreneur pitches rental affordability solution for Vancouver Apartment sales

reported residential home sales in January were 7.3 per cent below the 10-year average, but still more than 42 per cent higher than sales during January 2019.

Board president Ashley Smith said 2020 began with fewer homes listed for sale than is typical for this time of year, but she said there

Housing market to see modest price growth in 2020 and 2021, predicts CMHC

The Metro Vancouver housing market will remain “balanced” over the next two years with home prices expected to increase in line with population growth, according to the latest housing market outlook report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Housing sales and prices have dipped recently as a result of multiple factors — including rising mortgage rates and new taxes — but the CMHC predicts that starting in 2020 and through 2021, there will be a modest increase both in prices and sales volume.

Attached homes, condos and apartments priced under $700,000 are expected to generate the strongest demand because “homes in this price range can be accessible to buyers making a purchase based on their income compared with properties requiring substantial equity for a down payment,” says the report. The report says housing starts are expected to remain high, especially multi-family homes, which currently account for 88 per cent of unit starts.

jumped to 814 units last month, a 45.6 per cent increase compared with January last year, while the benchmark price slipped 1.5 per cent to $663,200. The benchmark price for a detached home in the region also fell in January by 1.7 per cent to just over $1.43 million. Municipalities

and areas covered by the REBGV include Burnaby, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, South Delta, Squamish, the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver, West Vancouver, and Whistler.

24

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Licences suspended, accounts frozen for realtor and 2 firms over ‘potential misuse’ of clients’ cash he Real Estate Council of B.C. has suspended the real estate licence of a Vancouver realtor and frozen the bank a c c o u n t s of two brokerages he runs because of suspected misconduct in his bookkeeping. The RECBC issued suspension and freezing orders for Stephen Lam, Regent

Park Pinnacle Realty of Vancouver and Coral Property Management of Richmond on Feb. 6. That comes after an investigation found “systemic books and records issues, shortages in the rental trust accounts and general trust account ledgers, and potential misuse of

client trust funds” in the accounts of Regent Park Pinnacle, according to a decision from the council’s discipline committee. “Mr. Lam’s history of his treatment of the pooled and trust accounts of both brokerages puts his clients in current and future financial risks that their

monies will be wrongfully removed.”

Mandatory anti-money laundering course rolls out for B.C. realtors Lam and the two brokerages remain under investigation and allegations of misconduct have not been proven.

Anti-money-laundering course mandatory for real estate agents and property managers Real estate professionals will learn how to recognize red flags and be instructed on their obligations if they’re involved in a suspicious transaction. The regulatory agency for B.C.’s real estate professionals is launching a mandatory anti-money-laundering course to show real estate agents and strata and property managers how to recognize red flags and what steps they’re obligated to take to report suspected cases.

The course will provide “the information you need to understand why real estate is attractive to money launderers,” said the course outline on the website of the Real Estate Council of B.C., the self-regulatory body of the province’s 26,000 licensed real estate pros. Members will learn “how to recognize the risk signs and red flags associated with money laundering (and) review your obligations and the steps to take to report suspicious transactions,” it said.

The self-paced online course will “empower them (real estate pros) to actively contribute

to preventing criminal activity in B.C. real estate markets” and support them to “comply with their federal reporting obligations,” spokesman Warren Mirko said in an emailed statement. “Real estate professionals work closely with their clients, so they are well positioned to identify suspicious transactions,” he said.

The announcement of the course requirement comes two months after the provincial government unveiled plans to create a new regulator for B.C.’s real estate sector by spring 2021. A single regulator for the sector was a key recommendation of recent reports aimed at cracking down on money laundering.

The three reports into money laundering since 2018 have revealed billions in proceeds-of-crime, and other questionable sources of income have been laundered for years through the real estate industry, as well as through other luxury purchases and through casinos.

The latest report, by Maureen Maloney in May, estimated up to $5 billion was funnelled through the B.C. property market in 2018

alone, likely increasing housing prices that year by five per cent.

Retired B.C. Supreme Court associate chief Justice Austin Cullen is in the middle of a yearlong public inquiry to investigate the causes, scope and impact of money laundering in the province.

Registration will open when the course is launched next week and it will be required for licence renewal beginning April 1.

“It will become part of the mandatory education that real estate professionals must take in order to maintain their licence to practise in B.C.,” said Mirko.

The B.C. Real Estate Association announced this week a new requirement of 18 hours of professional training every two years for its realtors (who make up 90 per cent of all real estate agents), but there was no reference to money laundering

Reasons why Canada’s apartment building owners are happy

R

ental apartment building market in Canada is trongest it’s ever been, especially from the perspective of apartment building owners.

Buildings are practically full across the country, rental rates are at or near 10-year highs in nearly every market, and average national rents have climbed 4.4 per cent annually over the last two years, according to a new report by commercial property brokerage house CBRE. This rapid rise of rental rates is earning more money for building owners. Total annualized returns for the Canadian multifamily sector were 9.8 per cent as of the first quarter of this year, just behind the industrial sector.

Canada’s national average rental apartment vacancy rate ended 2018 at 2.4 per cent, below the 10-year average of 2.6, CBRE said in its national multifamily mid-year update.

Investors are lining up to get into the market in most cities. Multifamily investment volume reached record levels for four consecutive years, including an alltime high of $8.3 billion in 2018.

Apartments are traditionally viewed as stable and defensive assets to own, said CBRE Canada vice-chairman Paul Morassutti. “(The asset class) never displays great amounts of volatility,” he told Postmedia

last week. “Very rarely would you have declines in rental rates or net operating income. Typically, things would go up in a slow and steady fashion and it was always a favoured asset class for all those reasons.”

Here are other main drivers that Morassutti and his firm believe will continue to stoke demand for apartment buildings in Canada.

Population growth: Canada’s population is expected to grow by nearly one per cent annually over the next four years, surpassing

growth in all other G7 countries, the report said. Much of this momentum is being fuelled by immigration, which accounted for 80.5 per cent of the country’s population growth last year. The government has a plan to welcome one million new immigrants between 2019 and 2021. Much of that new population is settling in the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver regions, with Toronto and Vancouver experiencing the sharpest annual apartment rental price growth of 5.0 per cent and 7.1 per cent, respectively, over the past four years.

Shortage of new supply Canada’s big cities are not building enough new rental apartments to keep up with demand, when compared to global peers, the report said.

The largest rental market in Canada is Montreal with just under 600,000 units.

Toronto follows well behind with 313,000 units, and Vancouver trails with just 109,000 units. Units on the secondary market, including privately rented condos, do close the gap, but it’s clear that renters across the country need more options, or else rents will continue to climb.

While we are seeing increased construction of rental units more recently, the overall number remains relatively low, Morassutti said.

Rising cost of home ownership An expanding proportion of Canada’s big-city dwellers can’t afford to buy a home. This factor, above all others, is probably having the greatest effect on stoking apartment rental prices, while spurring investors to buy buildings, Morassutti said. “In Toronto, if you want to buy a detached house or semi-detached house, you need to have a household income of close to $200,000,” he said. “The average household income in Toronto I believe is something like $100,000.”

(According to the last Canadian census, the average household in the Greater Toronto Area earned $87,993 after tax.) That leaves residents with only a couple of choices.

25

Saturday, February 22, 2020

The mortgage stress test is making housing supply issues worse — and making homes even more unaffordable

C

anada is experiencing sustained economic and population growth.

Millennials and new Canadians are forming households and their desire for home ownership is very strong. Interest rates are low. In this environment, home sales should thrive and supply should rise alongside demand, keeping prices in check. Instead, our housing supply is lagging and prices have risen dramatically in key markets.

Governments bear much of the blame for this undesirable market imbalance, as a narrow focus on suppressing household debt has dominated the policy mix while the root causes of undersupply — including excessive red tape, fees, taxes and nimbyism — have gone largely unaddressed.

If we want to address housing affordability in Canada, governments need to redesign the policy mix to confront these factors. For its part, the federal government could start by developing a more nuanced mortgage “stress test.”

Ottawa’s stress test is demolishing Canadians’ housing dreams. Which party will rebuild them?

Why Ottawa’s attempts to help young Canadians afford housing simply won’t work The mortgage ‘stress test’ has started harming Canadians more than it helps

First, consider mortgage debt in the Canadian context.

Canadians have some of the highest rates of home ownership and mortgage borrowing in the world.

Evidence shows that Canadians use mortgage debt responsibly; in the majority of cases, we make additional payments or otherwise accelerate our repayments.

Equifax credit scores for first-time Canadian homebuyers are in the upper half of the range considered “very good,” and they typically continue to improve in the first, second and third years of home ownership.

Second, we have the indisputable finding, reproduced in dozens of independent surveys, that Canadians strongly value home ownership. It is overwhelmingly identified as a top priority across the age

spectrum, from millennials to baby boomers.

And the opportunity for home ownership here is a key attraction for immigrants, many of whom leave behind societies where it is rare.

Unfortunately, despite all the evidence that Canadians are committed and responsible

borrowers, would-be homebuyers are today restricted by a number of government policies that need redesign, most notably the mortgage stress test. To be clear: when applied selectively on mortgagors who are attempting to borrow significantly more than their annual income or who are carrying a heavy load of non-mortgage debt already, the stress test can be a useful tool. But there is reason to be concerned about the scope and duration of the test’s current application in Canada. While the government’s one-size-fits-all approach has helped cool overheated markets, it has also destabilized Prairie housing markets, which were already suffering from that region’s economic slowdown.

It has now been 23 months since the stress test was implemented. At that time, policy-makers wanted to ensure borrowers could service their debts when their mortgages came up for renewal — mainly because it was widely presumed rates would rise in the near term. But now, if anything, interest rates are expected to ease amid weakening economic growth, trade tensions and other factors. Given the current environment, we must ask if the marginal improvement in mortgage credit quality created by the stress test is worth the many unintended consequences it causes.

Condos, the ‘future of our communities,’ now cost more per square foot than a detached home Condominiums may be the “future of our communities” but per square foot, they are hardly a bargain. According to a Royal LePage report released today, aside from Vancouver and Calgary, every major city’s condo price per square foot has increased. With the exception of Vancouver, the median price per square foot of a condo is now higher than that of a single family detached home nationwide. Canadian home prices are up — but by the smallest amount in

a decade. Seven reasons Canada’s housing market is stronger than it looks Vancouver’s housing market is dismal — but you still need six-figure income to get your foot in the door “While condo units are smaller, they are the present and future of our communities. With more development opportunities, they can meet both the growing need for housing and lifestyle expectations of homebuyers,” said Phil Soper, the president of Royal LePage in a

press release. The Greater Ottawa condo price per square foot appreciated the fastest among the cities that were measured, rising 17.9 per cent year-over-year to $395, while the Greater Vancouver price actually declined the most by 8.3 per cent to $764. “We are seeing significant interest in Ottawa’s south and west ends from residents working in the nearby military and technology hubs,” said Kent Browne, broker

Over 11% of Vancouver condos have a non-resident owner, says new CMHC report

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Over 11 percent of Vancouver condos have at least one non-resident as an owner, a number that jumps to more than 19 per cent when it comes to newer built condos.

The information is contained in a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation housing market insight report which also found that non-residents — defined as someone who

doesn’t have their principal residence in Canada — tend to own more expensive properties than residents, especially in Vancouver.

Some of the other findings: 7.2 per cent of all Vancouver properties have at least one non-resident owner.

Non-resident ownership is highest in

and owner of Royal LePage TEAM Realty. The city of Vancouver remains the most expensive condo market in the country, with homebuyers paying $1,044 per square foot for a condo and $1,279 per square foot for a single-family detached home. Greater Calgary offers the lowest condo price per square foot, with a fall of 6.7 per cent to $313.“For the fourth consecutive month, condo inventory in the region declined compared to last year.

26

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28

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Inflation rate heats up to 2.4% in January

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The cost of living went up by 2.4 per cent in January from a year earlier, a slight uptick from December’s level.

Statistics Canada reported Wednesday that higher gasoline prices were a major factor in the uptick. Pump prices were 11 per cent higher in January than they were a year earlier, a month during which a global supply glut pushed them down at the time.

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“While oil and gasoline prices rose at the start of January, they plummeted through the month as news around the COVID-19 outbreak spread,” Marple said, noting that oil prices are down 12 per cent on average so far in February from January’s level.

If the impact of gasoline is stripped out of the numbers, Canada’s annual inflation rate would have been two per cent for the month.

The 2.4 per cent inflation rate is an increase of 0.2 percentage points from December’s level.

Higher prices for fresh vegetables were also a factor in the higher inflation figure.

Tomatoes got 10.8 per cent more expensive in the past year, more than twice the five per cent increase seen in other types of fresh veggies.

“The higher prices stem from inclement weather in growing regions in the United States and Mexico,” the data agency said.

Clothing prices were also an unexpected source of strength in the numbers. The price of new clothes increased by 3.9 per cent in the year up to January — the highest annual figure since 1991.

“Just to give a sense of how unusually strong that is, this category has averaged an annual price decline of 0.8 per cent over the past 20 years,” BMO economist Doug Porter noted.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Inflation rises again, hitting 2.4% in January Statistics Canada says the annual pace of inflation in Canada jumped 2.4 per cent to start 2020, fuelled by higher costs at the gas pump and pricey tomatoes.

The move compared with a year-overyear increase of 2.2 per cent in December.

Economists had expected a reading of 2.3 per cent for January, according to a poll by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

Gas prices in January increased 11.2 per cent compared with a year ago as prices rose at the start the month due to concerns about events in the Middle East only to move lower later in the month in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Statistics Canada said Wednesday that excluding gasoline the year-over-year inflation rate would have been two per cent in January.

Costs grew for fresh vegetables by five per cent, largely attributable the agency says to a 10.8 per cent bump in the price of tomatoes stemming from inclement weather in growing regions of the United States and Mexico.

The overall increase in prices of 2.4 per cent compared with a year ago was also driven by increased mortgage interest costs, purchases of passenger vehicles, auto

core inflation, which are considered better gauges of underlying price pressures and closely tracked by the Bank of Canada, was 2.033 per cent compared with 2.067 per cent for December.

Regionally, prices on a year-over-year basis rose more in January than December in every province except Ontario and Quebec.

7 things you need to know about the 2020 BC budget

insurance premiums, and a bump in rents.

The increases were partly offset by lower prices for telephone services, internet access, tuition fees and traveller accommodation.

The average of Canada’s three measures for

The B.C. NDP’s third budget, released Tuesday, continued the provincial government’s focus on capital spending while keeping a balanced budget The 2020-21 financial plan includes an estimated surplus of $227 million. Meanwhile the total provincial debt is forecast to be about $70.6 billion.

Record spending on infrastructure Finance Minister Carole James unveiled a record $22.9 billion in funds to be used over the next three years on infrastructure projects. That includes an alreadyannounced new hospital in Fort St. James, the Pattullo Bridge replacement project and widening of the Trans-Canada Highway through Kicking Horse Canyon.

ICBC ‘dumpster fire’ to be back in black The province has pledged that ICBC will show a surplus of $86 million by end of the fiscal year – a notable turnaround from the $1 billion deficit annually in the past two years.

Taxing pop drinkers Starting July 1, a seven per cent provincial sales tax will added to pop and other sweetened carbonated drinks. The province estimates this will

generate roughly $27 million in additional tax revenue this fiscal year. New tax for the superwealthy one per cent of income earners Those who earn more than $220,000 – also known as the top one per cent of income earners in B.C. – will be seeing a new tax rate on their personal income statements, starting this year.

Taxing pop drinkers Starting July 1, a seven per cent provincial sales tax will added to pop and other sweetened carbonated drinks. The province estimates this will generate roughly $27 million in additional tax revenue this fiscal year.

Forest industry gets ‘revitalization’ funding James’ third NDP budget contains a new $13 million fund for “economic development and revitalization” of the B.C. forest sector, hard hit by reduced allowable cut in the Interior and high harvest costs that have shut down logging on much of the B.C. Coast and Vancouver Island.

More shelter beds for homeless The province announced an extra $50 million in new funding over three years to help shelter B.C.’s homeless population, including the creation of 500 new shelter spaces.

New money for more teachers The B.C. Teachers’ Federation will have $339 million more in funding to hire 4,200 new teachers over the next three years – but that doesn’t include more wages for existing teachers.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Canada passenger rail company lays off 1,000 staff as blockades bite Canada’s passenger rail company on Wednesday said blockades by demonstrators had forced it to temporarily lay off 1,000 employees, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to solve a two-week protest.

Freight traffic in eastern Canada has already been halted after campaigners blockaded a main line in Ontario.

They say they want to show solidarity with an aboriginal band trying to stop construction of a gas pipeline in the Pacific province of British Columbia.

“This general interruption is an unprecedented situation in our history,” said Cynthia Garneau, president and chief executive officer of VIA Rail. She called for “a decisive resolution” of the crisis.

The dispute spread on Wednesday when a group of around 20 people blocked a Canadian National Railway Co rail line near Edmonton, the capital of the western province of Alberta.

Canada’s main opposition party says the federal Liberal government should send in police to clear the blockades.

Trudeau, who insists using force to end the crisis would be wrong,

toughened his language on Wednesday.

“This government is working extremely hard to resolve this situation. We know people are facing shortages, they’re facing disruptions, they’re facing layoffs - that’s unacceptable,” he told reporters in Ottawa before the VIA Rail announcement.

The blockades pose a delicate challenge for Trudeau, who says one of his main priorities is reconciliation with Canada’s marginalized and impoverished indigenous population.

The protesters say they back the Wet’suwet’en indigenous people of British Columbia in their campaign against the C$6.6 billion ($4.98 billion) Coastal GasLink project. Some aboriginal bands claim the right to veto projects on their territory, a stance rejected by a Canadian court earlier this month.

“Reconciliation doesn’t mean allowing a couple of people to shut down the national economy,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney told reporters.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault on Wednesday demanded Trudeau put in place a deadline for ending the crisis “in the next few days, not in the next few weeks.”

RCMP arrest South Asian couple in Toronto for being involved in CRA tax scam, and overseas call centres scam Federal authorities have arrested a Torontoarea husband and wife accused of being Canadian accomplices to an enormous global scam involving overseas call centres, including the so-called CRA tax scam.

The calls will be familiar to many Canadians: Scammers, commonly in India, impersonate officials from the Canada Revenue Agency and insist the recipient owes taxes and must pay immediately, or else face arrest or imprisonment.

Gurinder Dhaliwal, 37, and Inderpreet Dhaliwal, 36, both of Brampton, Ont., were arrested and charged on Wednesday, said Insp. Jim Ogden, of the RCMP’s financial crime unit for the Greater Toronto Area.

They each face one count of fraud over $5,000, one count of laundering the proceeds of crime and one count of property obtained by crime. “We have disrupted the necessary flow of money from Canada to India, which will have a big impact on the operation and bottom line of scammers,” Ogden said Friday, in announcing the charges.

RCMP Insp. Jim Ogden announces the arrest of two Canadians in connection with the infamous CRA telephone scam that originates overseas during a news conference in Milton, Ont., on Friday.

Officials also announced they have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for a third individual, a 26-year-old foreign national, who is currently believed to be in India.

RCMP further said investigators searched the couple’s home, seizing $26,000 in cash, $114,000 in jewelry, a cash-counting machine and envelopes allegedly sent by scam victims containing money they believed they owed.

The CRA scam alone has resulted in reported losses of more than $17.2 million in Canada between 2014 and 2019, Ogden said.

Additional phone-based and online scams — including the SIN scam, the tech support scam and the bank investigators scam — have also targeted Canadians. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said it received nearly 20,000 reports about such calls in 2019, with more than 5,500 people falling

victim last year. How the arrests went down Earlier this week, Marketplace was present when officers arrested the couple.

Undercover RCMP officers had been tailing the couple for days. Early Wednesday morning, Gurinder Dhaliwal stepped out of his home, got into his car and headed for work at a nearby factory.

Officers don’t believe he had any idea he was being followed; unmarked vehicles tailed him, switching positions to avoid detection.

“When he comes out, we’ll be ready for him,” said one RCMP officer.

As Dhaliwal pulled into the parking lot of his employer in Georgetown, Ont., at 5:45 a.m., the order was given and officers surrounded the man. Within seconds, he was taken into custody, the contents of his pockets emptied as police loaded him into a vehicle to take him to the RCMP’s financial crimes unit in Milton, Ont., where he was fingerprinted and processed. The RCMP have arrested a married couple alleged to be acting as money launderers for those behind scam call centres operating out of India. Police allege Dhaliwal acted as an intermediary between Canadian victims and the organized crime groups operating the call centre scams back in India. A few hours after the man was arrested, officers then called his wife, Inderpreet Dhaliwal, ordering her to come to the RCMP detachment. She, too, was under police surveillance and was taken into custody as soon as she parked her car.

In an exclusive interview with Marketplace following the arrests, Ogden said his team’s investigation reveals this couple was working directly with scammers operating out of India.

“They were essentially money mules … that were receiving bags of cash, then counting cash, and then essentially dispersing it and making it accessible to those that are running the illegal call centres in India.”

The couple have not yet entered a plea and were released on their own recognizance. They are scheduled to appear in a Brampton court on March 2.

31 19

Edmonton CN Rail blockade shut down after judge grants injuction A blockade set up on a Canadian National rail line on the western edge of Edmonton in support of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs was being dismantled — at least temporarily — Wednesday after a handful of counter-protesters showed up.

About 20 people called Cuzzins for Wet’suwet’en had set up barriers early in the day in solidarity with the chiefs who oppose a natural gas pipeline through their traditional land in British Columbia.

The blockade consisted of wooden pallets on the tracks and signs that say “No Consent” and “No Pipelines on Stolen Land.”

One of the organizers, who was wearing a balaclava and called himself Poundmaker to protect his safety, said they had planned to maintain the blockade until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intervened and the RCMP left Wet’suwet’en territory in B.C. A counter protestor argues with

supporters of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs as they block a CN Rail line just west of Edmonton Feb. 19, 2020.

Confrontations with counter-protesters at the site, however, led Poundmaker and the others to abandon the blockade.

They said they wanted to keep it peaceful.

Poundmaker didn’t rule out erecting a blockade again at the site or somewhere else.

“Site 1 wasn’t the only site we had in mind.”

Wet’suwet’en supporters linked arms in front their camp as a few counterprotesters tried to remove pallets and other materials from the tracks.

“This is the violence. See this is the violence,” said a protester, who had his face covered.

“Thisisnotviolence.Iamjusttryingtoremove some garbage,” a counter-protester responded.

Supporters of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs block a CN Rail line just west of Edmonton on Feb. 19.

Canadian drivers eligible to take part in $25.6M price-fixing scheme settlement Three provincial courts have approved $25.6 million in settlement funds for motorists affected by alleged price-fixing in the automotive industry.

Courts in B.C., Ontario and Quebec have given the green light to distribute payments to Canadians who bought cars that were involved in an investigation into wire harness systems, which distribute electricity around a vehicle.

“There have been extensive criminal investigations around the globe,” reads a press release on behalf of Siskinds, Sotos and CFM law firms.

“The auto parts cases make up the largest antitrust investigation in history – in terms of the number of affected parts, implicated parties and fines imposed.”

The law firms behind the class action lawsuit said consumers and businesses who bought or leased new vehicles under the Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti, Toyota/Lexus, Subaru and/or Pontiac Vibes brands, between January 1, 1999 and November 30, 2014 are eligible to apply to receive compensation.

The defendants in the case do not admit any wrongdoing or liability and the law firms

emphasized that the car manufacturers were unaware of the alleged price-fixing.

“This plan represents an opportunity for consumers and businesses to recover overpayments on millions of vehicles sold in Canada,” said Charles Wright, a partner at Siskinds in London, Ont. Applications for settlement benefits can be filed online at autopartsettlement. ca on or before June 12, 2020.

Payments will be proportional, based on the “value of your claim relative to the value of all approved claims,” according to the settlement site.

“It is anticipated that all claims will receive a minimum payment of $25,” the website reads.

The automotive wire harness systems class action is one of more than 40 ongoing class actions in Canada alleging price-fixing of auto parts for installation in new vehicles.

“It is our hope that through continued work with our colleagues in London, Vancouver and Quebec, we will put additional repayments into the pockets of Canadians in the coming years,” said David Sterns, a partner at Toronto-based Sotos LLP.

20 32

BC Budget 2020

Saturday, February 22, 2020

BC NDP taps top tax bracket for more revenue The B.C. NDP government is adding another high-income tax measure this year, a new top marginal rate of 20.5 per cent.

Finance Minister Carole James announced the new bracket in her third B.C. budget Tuesday, noting that it will only apply to B.C. tax filers with incomes above $220,000. More than half of the revenue from the new top bracket is expected to come from individuals with incomes above $1 million, and B.C.’s income tax rate will still be third lowest among Canadian provinces for individuals earning up to $475,000, James said. in her first full budget in 2018, James restored a top tax bracket that had been put in place by the previous B.C. Liberal government for two years. She reimposed a two-per-cent increase that applies to income of more than $150,000 a year.

The latest increases push total income tax

for high-income earners close to 50 per cent, combining federal and provincial income tax rates. As of 2019, B.C.’s top combined federal and provincial personal income tax rate is 49.8 per cent, applying to income of $150,000 and up.

That’s about 13 per cent higher than the rate in Washington and Alaska, neither of which has a state income tax.

“B.C.’s tax regime is simply uncompetitive with not only neighbouring U.S. states, but several Canadian provinces,” said Ben Eisen, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute who produced a study called Assessing British Columbia’s Tax Competitiveness in 2019.

B.C.’s top income tax bracket close to 50% Small firms face employer health tax in 2020 At the other end of the income scale, the

B.C. NDP’s program goal of a $15-an-hour minimum wage will be reached this year, as first promised by Premier John Horgan when he was opposition leader in 2016. The NDP government committed to a series of increases that will bring the basic wage to above $15 by 2021, affecting 140,000 people in B.C., James told the legislature in her budget speech.

Former B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver objected to the 2021 deadline for reaching $15 when it was announced, calling for a “Fair Wage Commission” to determine the rate rather than arbitrarily meeting a deadline that the B.C. Federation of Labour considered too slow. The commission was agreed to as part of the minority government support deal with the Greens, but result has ended up the same.

Finance minister Carol James optimistic province’s real estate market will become more affordable, despite supply slow down British Columbia’s budget is forecasting that the historic boom in new housing construction is over and that home sales will keep rebounding, an indication that prices will soon rise once again.

Although demand is expected to keep eclipsing supply, Finance Minister Carole James said she is cautiously optimistic that real estate will become affordable for the average citizen over the next year. During the past two years, as her government introduced a host of new taxes to tamp down speculative demand, Ms. James has refused to say how much the market needs to correct or define what constitutes an affordable piece of real estate.

On Tuesday, she said her government still wants prices to come down, but sees the increasing number of real estate transactions as a sign that more people priced out of home ownership are now reconsidering entering the market. She added that her ministry’s construction forecasts have been surpassed by actual starts in recent years.

“People actually have some hope of getting in the market, they’re actually starting to look again,” Ms. James told reporters. “I don’t think there’s anyone who would say we’ve reached affordable housing in British Columbia, but what you aren’t seeing is the kind of spikes you were seeing with the speculative real estate market.”

Private and non-profit real estate developers say these two factors are likely to make housing less affordable.

The balanced fiscal plan introduced Tuesday forecasts only 35,000 new units of housing will be started in 2020, a decline of 22 per cent from the historic high of nearly 45,000 new units in 2019. This key predictor of future housing supply is expected to fall over the following two years to hit the historic 30-year average of 30,000 units a year. (This official forecast is more conservative than an average of 39,000 starts forecast by a group of 13 privatesector economists that advise her ministry.)

Meanwhile, the budget predicts a recent rebound in sales will continue.

Ottawa changing stress test rate for insured mortgages starting April 6 The federal government is changing the stress test rate for insured mortgages starting April 6 that experts say should make it marginally easier for some buyers to purchase their first home, or owners refinancing their existing mortgages.

The new minimum qualifying rate will be the greater of the borrower’s contract rate or the weekly median five-year fixed insured mortgage rate from mortgage insurance applications, plus two percentage points.

The stress test rate currently is the greater of the borrower’s contract rate or the Bank of Canada five-year benchmark posted mortgage rate, which is based on the posted rates at the six largest banks. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau unveiled the change by saying the stress test will rise and fall if there are changes in the median interest rates lenders are

providing, while continuing to ensure people only take on mortgages they can afford.

“We think these are positive moves to ensure that the approach remains effective for Canadians and that it also deals with changing market conditions,” Morneau said Tuesday in announcing the change.

The federal government required the stress test apply to all insured mortgages in 2016.

Canadian household debt has been near record levels, fuelled in part by mortgages. The stress test is used to ensure that Canadians can afford their mortgage payments if interest rates rise in the future.

“Canadians who are getting insured and insurable mortgages can expect to qualify for a little bit more than what they can today,” James Laird, co-founder of Ratehub.ca, said in a statement.

BC to start taxing Netflix, other streaming subscriptions The B.C. government is following in the footsteps of Saskatchewan and Quebec and introducing what critics are labelling a “Netflix tax” on streaming services.

On page 64 of the province’s new budget, the government announced any companies that earn more than $10,000 in revenue selling “software and telecommunications services” to British Columbians will have to start collecting sales tax.

“As people have shifted to buying more and more goods and services online, legislation in many jurisdictions hasn’t kept pace,” the Ministry of Finance said in an email statement.

“Clarifying registration requirements will future-proof our tax system as the shift to digital purchasing continues.”

Officials noted the companies that offer

streaming services and have physical offices in Canada – including Apple and Amazon – are already collecting the tax from consumers.

But critics argued it’s just another cost for everyday British Columbians to bear in a budget that will also increase the price of sweetened, carbonated drinks.

Kris Sims of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the tax will not only apply to video streaming services operated by foreign companies, but music streaming as well.

“Your everyday expenses, your pocketbook expenses that we all (pay), those are going up,” Sims said. “They’re expecting to make $16 million on that new Netflix tax.”

In December, documents filed by Netflix with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shed light on the streaming giant’s Canadian earnings for the first time.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Liberals under fire for partisan involvement in judicial appointments The involvement of a partisan Liberal network in judicial appointments makes it impossible for Canadians to know whether judges are being chosen on merit, legal observers say.

Dozens of e-mails obtained by The Globe and Mail show the participation of MPs, ministerial officials and party volunteers in the selection of judges on federally appointed courts, such as the superior courts of provinces. The e-mails from 2017 and 2018 also show clear tensions between the minister of justice’s office, which handles the appointment process, and the Prime Minister’s Office, which collaborates on those decisions.

The first stage of the appointment process, under the Liberals and previous governments, involves judicial advisory committees across Canada who screen candidates. The Liberal government says it improved the process

in 2016, in part by making the committees more independent. But once the screening committees have made their recommendations, a political process begins, with vetting by the justice minister (through an appointments adviser) and the Prime Minister’s Office, as also happened under previous governments. It is at this stage that a wide array of partisan voices have been making themselves heard under the Liberals. “They’re not following the merit system. The public should know that,” said Peter Russell, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, who helped design Ontario’s judicial appointment process. (In that process, the attorney-general chooses from a short list of candidates provided by a screening committee, which Prof. Russell says limits partisanship in appointments.)

Taxpayers on hook for PM’s travel on trips that included campaign-style events Canadian taxpayers have been stuck with the bill for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s travel by military aircraft, even when that travel combines official government business with Liberal party events, a CTV News Investigation reveals.

The investigation, in connection with Bob Mackin of theBreaker.news, examined the prime minister’s seven trips to British Columbia between May and August of 2019, and focused on a two-day trip in late May, and another in late August.

In both cases, while the trips combined official government announcements and either Liberal party fundraisers or the production of a Liberal party campaign video aired during the election period, the Liberal Party of Canada did not reimburse the equivalent cost of the prime minister’s air travel, or a portion of it, as has become standard practice when the prime minister, for example, takes his family on vacation.

There is no indication the mixing and matching of official government and party business on the same trip violates any government guidelines, or election or campaign finance laws. And both trips took place before the official campaign period had begun.

But Aaron Wudrick, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, questions whether political parties should be paying back at least part of the prime minister’s transportation bill. “I think if you’ve done three events, and one of them is a partisan event, splitting the bill three ways is a fair way to do it,” Wudrick said. Shooting the Grouse Grind campaign video On Aug. 29, the prime minister and seven members of his staff flew from Ottawa to Vancouver onboard a government-owned Challenger jet, records obtained from the Department of National Defence through a Freedom of Information request show.

Scheer blasts Trudeau for not forcing an end to railway blockades Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged those demonstrating in solidarity with hereditary chiefs of Wet’suwet’en Nation to ease up blockades along rail lines on Friday, but motioned that the federal government does not have plans to order RCMP action.

“We are not a country where politicians can order the police to do something, we are a country that has confidence in its police forces and allows them to do their work in scope of these blockade,” Trudeau said, while speaking to reporters in Germany.

Scheer says authorities must enforce court orders, injunctions over blockades Scheer says authorities must enforce court orders, injunctions over blockades Trudeau said blockades that have led to disruptions for Canadian railway services have made it a “difficult week” for the country.

Blockades began in support of the B.C. nation’s hereditary chiefs, who oppose the construction of a pipeline through their land.

Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said those demonstrating in solidarity with hereditary chiefs of Wet’suwet’en Nation should “check their privilege” on Friday while speaking to reporters in Ottawa.

Scheer says protesters behind blockades ‘need to check their privilege’ Scheer says protesters behind blockades ‘need to check their privilege’Scheer called on the federal government to take more definitive action in stopping blockades.

“These protesters, these activists have the luxury of spending days at a time at a blockade, but they need to check their privilege,” he said. “They need to check their privilege and let people whose jobs depend on the railway system — small businesses, farmers — do their jobs.”

Scheer said protesters are holding the Canadian economy “hostage.”

Trudeau says it’s been ‘really difficult week for Canadians’ amid rail blockades Trudeau says it’s been ‘really difficult week for Canadians’ amid rail blockades CN and Via Rail have suspended operations on large sections of their networks in response to blockades such as the one in the Belleville, Ont., area, and an injunction was granted to remove protesters. The train operators have cautioned that such disruptions could pose risks to various goods and services across the country, and lead to layoffs.

NATIONAL

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34

INDIA

Saturday, February 22, 2020

India’s annual coal power output falls for first time in a decade India’s annual electricity generation from coal-fired utilities fell in 2019 for the first time in a decade, government data showed, amid a broader economic slowdown and increased use of renewable energy.

India is the second largest consumer, importer and producer of coal behind China. The world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter consumed nearly 1 billion tonnes of the fuel in 2018/19, with utilities accounting for over threequarters of the total demand.

While greater adoption of renewable energy contributed to lower output from coal-fired utilities, weak economic growth added to a slowdown in overall demand

for electricity, economists say. Analysts and power sector executives say the fall in annual coal-fired generation was a blip and largely due to a broader economic slowdown.“It is very much an aberration now, but it’s a portent to what is inevitably going to happen in 5-10 years,” Tim Buckley, director of Energy Finance Studies, at the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, in Australia, told Reuters on the sidelines of Coaltrans India conference. Electricity generation from coal-fired utilities fell about 2.5% to 965.53 billion units in 2019, an analysis of fuel-wise electricity generation data by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed.

India’s use of facial recognition tech during protests causes stir When artist Rachita Taneja heads out to protest in New Delhi, she covers her face with a pollution mask, a hoodie or a scarf to reduce the risk of being identified by police facial recognition software.

Police officials sitting atop a bus take videos of demonstrators during a protest against a citizenship law, Police in the Indian capital and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh - both hotbeds of dissent - have used the technology during protests that have raged since midDecember against a new citizenship law that critics say marginalises Muslims.

Activists are worried about insufficient regulation around the new technology, amid what they say is a crackdown on dissent under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist agenda has gathered pace since his re-election in May.

“I do not know what they are going to do with my data,” said Taneja, 28, who created a popular online cartoon about cheap ways for protesters to hide their faces. “We need to protect ourselves, given how this government cracks down.”

Critics also accuse authorities of secrecy - highlighting, for instance, that the software’s use during Delhi protests was first revealed by the Indian Express newspaper.

India’s home ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on facial recognition technology.

Modi’s government has rejected accusations of abuse during demonstrations, and accused some protesters of stoking violence.

A spokesman for his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had no immediate comment on concerns over the use of the technology and referred questions to the government.

Trump says he is working on a very big trade deal with India, but will take time President Donald Trump said the United States and India were working on a major trade deal, but he was not sure if it would be completed before the U.S. presidential election in November. As Trump heads to India on his first official trip on Monday, negotiators have been trying for weeks to put together a limited accord giving the U.S. greater access to India’s dairy and poultry markets and lowering tariffs on other products.

But no breakthrough has yet been announced and a planned trip by United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was canceled, underlining the difficulties the two sides face in narrowing differences ahead of Trump’s visit. “We can have a trade deal with India, but I’m really saving the big deal for later on,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, outside Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

“We’re doing a very big trade deal with India. We’ll have it. I don’t know if it’ll be done before the election, but we’ll have a very big deal with India,” he said, in a transcript of remarks released by the White House. The United States is India’s second largest trade partner after China, with their goods and services trade hitting a record $142.6 billion in 2018. Last year, the United States had a $23.2 billion goods trade deficit in 2019 with India, its 9th largest trading partner in goods.

Since Trump took office in 2017, longstanding trade differences between the world’s biggest democracies have come to the fore, with Trump calling India the tariff king.

The two have warred over everything from

tariffs on farm goods to Harley Davidson motorbikes and price caps on medical devices and India’s new rules on local data storage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has tried to build a personal rapport with Trump, is pulling out all the stops for his visit, hosting him next week in Modi’s western home state of Gujarat for a reception in a cricket stadium.

“We’re not treated very well by India, but

I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot.

And he told me we’ll have 7 million people between the airport and the event,” Trump said, referring to a roadshow ahead of a “Hello Trump” rally in Ahmedabad, the main city in Gujarat where he will begin the trip.

India and the United States have built close political and security ties in recent years, with New Delhi turning to Washington as a top arms supplier, edging out traditional partner Russia. Modi’s cabinet was meeting on Wednesday to give formal clearance for a $2.6-billion deal for two dozen military helicopters from U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin.

Vodafone Idea to pay 35 billion rupees in telecom dues Beleaguered Indian wireless carrier Vodafone Idea will pay 35 billion rupees ($490 million) in telecom dues to the federal government by the end of this week, the company said on Monday. Hopes that Vodafone Idea could outlive the financial squeeze due to the outstanding dues payments helped its shares gain as much as 23.5%, their best intraday gain since Jan. 21, after dropping more than 24% on Friday. The stock ended flat on Monday.

“While there is a concern that Vodafone is against the wall, there is a slim hope that they will get through,” said Siddhartha Khemka,

head of research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services in Mumbai. nEarlier on Monday, a lawyer for the company said Vodafone Idea would pay 35 billion rupees in dues to the government by Feb. 21. The lawyer declined to be named as the matter is still in court.

The Indian government last week ordered mobile carriers to immediately pay billions of dollars in dues after the country’s top court threatened the companies and officials with contempt proceedings for failing to implement an earlier ruling.

India’s poultry sales decline after Coronavirus rumours linked to chickens India’s poultry industry has lost 13 billion rupees ($182 million) in three weeks after speculation on social media that chickens are a cause of the spread of coronavirus, denting demand for chicken and nearly halving prices, say industry officials.

Millions of small poultry farmers have been hit by a sudden drop in sales. Soybean and corn producers are also being affected with prices of both the commodities used in animal feed have falling up to 8% in the last three weeks. While the disease has infected more than 70,000 people in China and killed at least 1,770 there, only three confirmed cases have been reported in India.

However, rumours that coronavirus can be transmitted through chickens have appeared on the WhatsApp message platform in India prompting the authorities to issue a statement last week that eating chicken is safe.

The western state of Maharashtra has called for the police to act against anyone spreading the rumours.

“Many people stopped eating chicken believing rumours spread on WhatsApp,” said Uddhav Ahire, chairman of Anand Agro Group, a poultry company based in the western city of Nashik. “Chicken prices have crashed due to an abrupt drop in demand.”

Broiler chicken prices have fallen to 35 rupees a kg from around 70 rupees in January, he said, adding that farmers are still losing money as broiler prices are hovering at 40 rupees per kg. Clarifications issued by the authorities appear to have allayed some fears, with sales starting to gradually improve, said Prasanna Pedgaonkar, general manager of poultry-focused Venky’s, which has seen its shares slide more than 20% in the last month.

“Sales are not fully recovered. It will take time to go back to normal level,” he said, adding that small and medium farmers are struggling to absorb losses Vasant Kumar Shetty, president of the Poultry Breeders Welfare Association in Maharashtra, said: “The industry has been losing 120 million rupees per day due to lower prices.”

PUNJAB

Saturday, February 22, 2020 Special Task Force arrests former SSB chief in connection with massive drug seizure Further tightening the noose around the big fish involved in the drug trade, the Special Task Force (STF) of the Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested former Subordinate Services Board (SSB) member and Akali leader, Anwar Masih, in connection with the massive drug haul from his house in Sultanwind village on Jan 31.

Masih had been under investigation since the January 31 seizure of 197 kg of heroin, along with other intoxicant drugs and chemicals.

Over 197 kg of heroin and large quantities of other intoxicant drugs and chemicals were recovered from his house. Masih, who was booked under Section 25 of NDPS Act (owner

of the place where drug trade is being carried out is responsible for the premises), was produced in court and remanded to two-day police custody, revealed STF chief Harpreet Singh Sidhu. Masih was appointed as SSB members by the previous Akali-BJP regime.

He had also been an active member of the Akali Dal and is said to be close to several party bigwigs. It may be recalled that the house in Akash Vihar, Sultanwind, where the illegal drug factory and the contraband were seized, was registered in the name of Anwar Masih.

8-year-jail for former Deputy Inspector General Police and 4 others in suicide case Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Singh Bajwa sent former Punjab DIG Kultar Singh and four others to eight-year imprisonment in a mass suicide case here in 2004. They were recently convicted in the case along with DSP Hardev Singh, who got four-year jail. The four other convicted are the relatives of the deceased’s family. Kultar was slapped a fine of Rs 23,000 and the DSP that of Rs 20,000. The four family members were told to pay Rs 23,000 each in fine. Hardeep Singh, wife Romi, their children Ishmeet and Sanmeet and Hardeep’s mother Jaswant Kaur had committed suicide by consuming poison on the intervening night of October 30 and 31, 2004. Before ending their lives they had scribbled their plight on the walls of their house while accusing their relatives and the then SSP Kultar Singh of extortion and criminal intimidation that forced them to take the extreme step. The four relatives who were convicted are Sabreen, Mohinder Singh, sister

Punjab Police drug trail probe exposes Pak links The Punjab Police probing the drugs trail after the arrest of gangster Sukhpreet Singh alias Budha, have traced the links of other gangsters to the nexus leading to Pakistan. After the arrest of Budha, the Punjab Police have traced further links of Jagdeep Singh alias Jagga and Gurvinder Singh alias Pehalwan, who were arrested three days ago. Pakistan sim cards have been recovered from the duo, both residents of Kot Dharam Chand Kalan village in Taran Taran district. According to a police spokesperson, the accused were arrested in a joint operation of the Organised Crime Control Unit and SAS Nagar police. Investigations so far have revealed that the duo, who had been absconding since 2014-15, had received large quantity of heroin and fake Indian currency from Pakistan. They had been wanted by Directorate Revenue Intelligence, Rajasthan Police and Punjab Police in cases related to receiving huge consignments of heroin from Pakistan.

Both Jagga and Pehalwan had evaded arrested for the past five years by operating their own Dhillon Transport Company with a route spanning New Delhi to Madhya Pradesh. They had reportedly set up their own empire with the drug money and had purchased a new house at Makhu in Ferozepur, along with five new trucks bought from New Delhi. They had also purchased about four acres of agricultural land at Kot Dharam Chand village in Tarn Taran.

Parminder Kaur and her husband Palwinderpal Singh. Kultar was convicted of abetting suicide, extortion, criminal conspiracy and forgery.

The four relatives were convicted of abetting suicide, extortion and criminal intimidation.

35

50 minority families from Pakistan urge India to grant them citizenship Around 50 families hailing from the minority community in Pakistan on Monday urged the Centre to grant them Indian citizenship. Addressing the media at Gurdwara Majnu ka Tilla here, in a press meet organised

by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, the families from both Sikh and Hindu communities from Pakistan claimed that they were being discriminated against on the basis of their religious identity and were subjected to atrocities in the Muslimmajority nation.

Talking about his life back home in Sind area of Pakistan, Panju Ram, one of the members, said, “I request the central government to grant us citizenship. I need documentation

for a better life, and going back to Pakistan is no more an option. Life was hell in Pakistan.” Manjinder Singh Sirsa, president, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, said, “These families have gone through a lot during their stay in Pakistan. They are not allowed to cremate the dead bodies and are not being accepted into society. I will take up the matter with Union Home Minister Amit shah.” Krishna, another member, said, “I am a Hindu and should get citizenship in India.

CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) is a boon for us, especially for the minorities from Pakistan. Whoever is protesting against this bill should not do so. Both Sikhs and Hindus are in a terrible state in Pakistan.”

36

INDIA

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Govt makes PM crop insurance optional The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved the revamping of “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)” and “Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS)” to address existing challenges and loopholes in these programmes.

Under the PMFBY, which was launched in February 2016 by PM Modi, it was earlier mandatory for loanee farmers to take insurance cover under the scheme. The cover has now been made optional.

With these changes, it is expected that farmers will be able to manage risk in agriculture production in a better way and succeed in stabilising the farm income, officials said. Further, it was decided to increase the insurance scheme’s coverage in the North-Eastern region.

The changes, which will be implemented from the kharif season, will enable quick

and accurate yield estimation, leading to faster claims settlement. Apart from this, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the upward revision of interest subvention “from 2 per cent to up to 2.5 per cent” for dairy farmers. Farmers’ organisations and states had been raising concerns regarding the insurance schemes, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said. Highlighting the achievements of the scheme, Tomar said the insurance programme has covered 30 per cent of cultivable area. The increased interest subsidy under the Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) with the revised outlay of Rs 11,184 crore will take the “the white revolution to the next level, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said. He added that upward revision in the interest subvention would benefit 95 lakh

IAF flight to China delayed due to technical reasons Indian Air Force’s largest plane C-17 Globemaster’s scheduled flight on Thursday to coronavirus-affected city Wuhan in China to evacuate Indians stranded there has been delayed due to technical reasons. The IAF plane was to carry medical supplies to China and then evacuate remaining Indians from Wuhan. Indian mission informed the stuck citizens that due to technical reasons the date of the flight is being changed. “As we continue to work on the logistics of the evacuation, we would like to inform you that due to technical reasons, the date of the flight is being changed,” Indian Mission in China told the citizens in Wuhan. The mission said,

“The new date, further instructions regarding pickup, movement to Wuhan airport will be communicated in due course.”

Two days ago, India had decided to send its C-17 military transport aircraft to Wuhan to evacuate more Indians. The C-17 Globemaster was also to deliver a consignment of medical supplies to China’s Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic.

The globemaster is the largest military aircraft in the Indian Air Force’s inventory.

India’s national carrier Air India has already evacuated around 640 Indians from Wuhan in two separate flights.

Support for Priyanka’s nomination to Rajya Sabha grows Ahead of 51 vacancies arising in the Rajya Sabha in April, leaders of the Congress-ruled states are queuing up to back the entry of AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into the Upper House.

After leaders of Madhya Pradesh, who are learnt to have urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to nominate Priyanka from the state when elections for the three vacancies are held in April, AICC incharge of Rajasthan Avinash Pande today said Vadra was the most deserving to be sent to the RS. “She is the most deserving. Every Congress worker wants that she should be in the Rajya

Sabha. Any Congress-ruled state will want to recommend her name for nomination to the House of Elders from their respective area.

She is the undisputed leader of the party,” Pande said. He added that no formal discussion had taken place in the party over nominating Vadra and it was the prerogative of the Congress chief. Three vacancies each will arise in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in April and another two in Chhattisgarh. Discussions are underway in the party over potential RS nominees with the list of hopefuls being long.

India approves $2.6 billion plan to buy U.S naval helicopters government source India’s cabinet has approved a plan to buy U.S. naval helicopters, a government source said on Wednesday, without giving details.

Reuters reported this month that India was

likely to give final approval to a $2.6 billion deal for Lockheed Martin helicopters ahead of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.

4.5 lakh water recharge units required in Punjab, only 103 built Around seven years ago, the Central Ground Water Board identified 4.55 lakh potential groundwater recharge structures, but the state has constructed just 103 such structures, meeting just 0.02 per cent of the total requirement. Despite its groundwater depletion crisis, the state government doesn’t have a road map in place to tackle the problem, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has observed in its findings. According to sources in the Department of Water Resources, a 26-page CAG report on groundwater will be tabled in the upcoming Budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Thursday.

In consultation with states, the Central Ground Water Board developed a master plan in 2013 which identified 4.55 lakh potential recharge structures, including nearly 80,000 shafts, rooftops of 3 lakh houses and 75,000 government and institutional buildings. Despite the water board’s initiative, the state government constructed only 103 groundwater recharge structures between 1992 and 2015. Of the 103 structures, the Department of Soil and

Water Conservation constructed 73 small rainwater harvesting dams.

As per the master plan, which was to be implemented by 2023, Punjab is among the states that require “highest recharge”.

“The efforts to recharge the groundwater in the state have been negligible despite the fact that the state had the highest stage of groundwater extraction in the country.”

CAG observed. The report observed that the state was yet to lay emphasis on ensuring the sustainability of this scarce natural resource, as is evident from the fact that it has not yet implemented the Indian Easement Act, 1882, and also hasn’t adopted any groundwater legislation.

According to Indian Easement Act, the owner of a piece of land does not own the groundwater under the land if it passes through a defined channel. The Water Resources and Environment Directorate (WRED) submitted a “Draft State Water Policy” to the government in November 2008 with the overall objective of ensuring equitable distribution among agriculture, industry and domestic sectors.

Misra made head of Ram Temple construction panel At the first meeting of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust here today, Nripendra Misra, former Principal Secretary to PM Narendra Modi, was named chairman of Ram Temple Construction Committee.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was chosen president and Champat Rai general secretary

of the trust which would oversee construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

A source said, “After 15 days, the trust will meet again in Ayodhya to fix the date on which construction will be started.” Indications are that the work could start on April 2, Ram Navami. —

Saturday, February 22, 2020

37

PAKISTAN

38

Saturday, February 22, 2020

FATF refuses to remove Pakistan from terror financing list Global terror financing watchdog FATF on Friday decided continuation of Pakistan in the ‘Grey List’ and warned the country of stern action if it fails to check flow of money to terror groups like the LeT and the JeM, sources said.

The decision was taken at the Financial

Action Task Force (FATF) plenary in Paris.

The FATF decided to continue Pakistan in the ‘Grey List’. The FATF has also warned Pakistan that if it does not complete a full action plan by June.

All those responsible for sugar price hike being probed, says PM Imran Khan

PM Khan tweeted that all relevant government agencies have begun in-depth probe into sugar and flour price hikes and all those responsible behind price hikes will be held accountable. “All

the relevant govt agencies have begun doing an in-depth probe into the flour and sugar price hikes. The nation should rest assured that all those responsible will be held accountable .

Court nullifies converted minor Hindu girl’s marriage In probably the first of its kind judgement, Pakistani court has nullified the marriage of a minor Hindu girl, who was converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man in the country’s Sindh province. Mehak Kumari, a class IX student, was allegedly abducted from Jacobabad district on January 15 by Ali Raza

Solangi who later married her. Her father filed an FIR, claiming that Solangi had abducted and married her forcibly. He also said her daughter was 15-year-old when she was abducted.

Additional Sessions Judge Ghulam Ali Kanasro ruled that Mehak, who took the Muslim name of Aliza to marry Solangi, was underage.

3 terrorists get death sentence for Wagah border bombing An anti-terrorism court handed down death sentence and 300 years of imprisonment to three terrorists of banned Jamaat-ul-Ahrar for their involvement in the 2014 Wagah border bombing that killed over 60 people. Wagah, a village located near Lahore, in Punjab

province, and Attari in India’s Punjab state along the Indo-Pak border. Over 60 people, including women and children, were killed in horrific suicide attack in November, 2014 at Wagah border.

10 people killed in suicide blast in Quetta At least 10 people were killed in a suicide blast that hit a police vehicle in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, officials said. Two police personnel were among those killed in the blast in the city of Quetta, the capital

of Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. “We have received 10 bodies so far and 35 injured in Civil Hospital,” a hospital official told Reuters.

Member of Provincial Assembly shot dead in Sindh Member of provincial assembly (MPA) Sindh, Shahnaz Asnari was shot dead in Naushero Feroze district, police said. She was shot dead on Saturday by her relative, Naushehro Feroze police said.Ansari was nominated on reserved seat, was attending a family chehlum (a mourning 40 days after

the death) when attackers opend fire. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared brought dead. According to police report the MPA Shahnaz Ansari was shot dead over family land dispute.Police further said that an investigation will be conducted to ascertain how many people opened fire.

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40

FIJI

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Prasad seals deal with German club Fiji national football defender has singned a one year deal with German club Bischofswerdaer FV 08. Residing in Canada, Nicholas Prasad was born 7 December 1995 footballer who plays as defender for Tulsa Roughnecks FC in the USL Championship.

Prasad was born in Edmonton, Alberta to Fijian parents. He started his sports career with Vancouver Whitecaps. In 2011, Prasad joined the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy.

A year later he made his senior debut with the

Reserve Squad. In 2014, Prasad appeared for USL PDL side Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23.

Seattle Redhawks In 2014, Prasad signed a letter of intent to play NCAA Division I college soccer at Seattle University. Prasad was a starter in all 4 years of eligibility. SpVgg Bayreuth In 2018, Prasad signed a one-year deal with Regionalliga side SpVgg Bayreuth.

Tulsa Roughnecks On July 16, 2019, Prasad signed with USL Championship side Tulsa Roughnecks.

Minister of education saddened by rape of 16-year-old student at maritime high school The Minister for Education Rosy Akbar says they are aware and deeply saddened by the alleged rape case at a remote maritime high school. It is alleged a 16-year-old student was gang-raped by four secondary school students.

Akbar says the alleged incident was reported to the school’s Child Protection Officer who then addressed the matter to the school administration for further investigations.

She says they had compiled reports by the school administration concerning the alleged

incident which were handed over to Police for further investigations. Akbar says they acted in accordance to the Child Protection Policy which states that all suspicions and allegations of Child abuse, child labour, trafficking, neglect, and exploitation must be reported promptly to the Child Protection Officers who shall investigate and direct all the findings to the school head who then shall inform the School Management and the Child Protection Officers in the Education Offices within two to three days of the incident.

Israeli President announces 100 scholarships to Fijian and other Pacific Island students who wish to study Agriculture in Israel Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin has announced that Israel will offer 100 scholarships to Fijian and other Pacific Island students who wish to study Agriculture in Israel. Rivlin says this will build on the successful pilot with students from Fiji and Vanuatu. He also announced that Israel will open a centre for excellence and innovation for the Pacific Islands in collaboration with USP. Rivlin says this collaboration will enable them to work together to apply Israeli innovations to pressing challenges such as food security, climate change, rise in sea

level and public health. He also says that he looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama to Israel. Meanwhile, Fijian President, Jioji Konrote says that the relationship between Fiji and Israel has been further strengthened by Rivlin’s visit. Konrote says the partnership that they have forged with Israel over the years is a glowing testament to how two countries at opposite ends of the Earth, while seeming so different on the surface, can find shared purpose and pursue common goals. The President says he and Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau

Ministry plans to conduct COVID-19 test locally The Health Ministry is planning to conduct COVID-19 tests locally within the next month. Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says at present they’re sending test samples to the World Health Organization Laboratory

in Melbourne, Australia with each test costing $4000. Dr Waqainabete says they’re working in collaboration with international organisations on ways to quickly identify COVID-19 instead of sending out samples elsewhere to be tested.

We are looking forward to new horizons for the Fiji and Israel friendship - PM Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says he and the Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin are looking forward to new horizons for the Fiji and Israel friendship. Bainimarama says the last visit of a President of Israel to Fiji was in 1986, a year before Fiji was thrown into nearly two decades of communal turmoil and political instability. He says in Fiji’s present era of genuine democracy and blossoming friendships with the world, it seems they have come full circle with Rivlin’s visit to Fiji today. He says for 40 years, thousands of Fijian peacekeepers have made the journey,

departing our shores to defend two of Israel’s flanks in the Golan Heights and Lebanon. Bainimarama says their relentless pursuit of peace has demanded bravery, resilience, and a great many sacrifices from our peacekeeping forces adding as he speaks, Fijian troops continue to serve the cause of peace in the Golan Heights.

The Prime Minister says for the sake all throughout the Holy Land suffering the consequences of conflict and the yoke of persecution, Fijians will continue to pray that lasting peace is secured across the region.

Gov’t accused of stealing nativ land Minister for Lands, Ashneel Sudhakar has said in Parliament today that SODELPA MP, Niko Nawaikula recently had stopped a landowning unit from Kokomo in Kadavu from depositing a piece of their land in the Land Bank, while Nawaikula has come out and said to Legend FM News that he will advise any landowning unit that come to him that they should not give their land to the Land Bank. While delivering his ministerial speech on the Land Bank, Sudhakar says all the ground work was done and claimed that Nawaikula went and instigated the landowners to withdraw. Sudhakar says they respected the choice of the landowners as 69 percent of the landowners wanted their

land to be returned to them. He says that the landowners are now in a limbo. He says the landowners need to know that the State is not stealing their land. Sudhakar also said that Nawaikula should apologize to civil servants for saying that the Open Merit Recruitment System is used to eliminate iTaukei staff from the ministries.

He adds the Open Merit Recruitment System is designed to get the best candidate.

When questioned by Legend FM News, Nawaikula says to him when the legislation came into place, the landowners were not consulte

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, February 22, 2020

NRI UK introduces ‘historic’ points-based visa system, under home secretary Priti Patel Home Secretary Priti Patel on Wednesday announced the launch of the UK’s new points-based visa system, aimed at attracting the “brightest and the best” from the world, including from India, and cutting down numbers of cheap, low-skilled workers coming to the country. The new system will come into force from January 1, 2021 at the end of the transition period after the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) last month, which will formally end free movement of people within the economic bloc for the UK as a non-member. The new post-Brexit system, which will apply equally to the EU and non-EU countries like India, is based on assigning points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries and professions, with visas only awarded to those who gain enough points. “Today is a historic moment for the whole country. We’re ending free movement, taking back control of our borders and delivering on the people’s priorities by introducing a new UK points-based immigration system, which will bring overall migration numbers down,” said Patel, the senior-most Indian-origin cabinet minister.

“We will attract the brightest and the best from around the globe, boosting the economy and

our communities, and unleash this country’s full potential,” Patel, in charge of the UK’s visa and immigration system, said. The UK Home Office said the new system is a direct response to the 2016 referendum in favour of Brexit, which was seen as a vote to end the country’s reliance on cheap migrant labour and reduce overall levels of migration with tighter security.

“The new single global system will treat the EU and non-EU citizens equally. It will give top priority to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents, including scientists, engineers and academics,” the Home Office said. The Global Talent Scheme, a fast-track visa to be in operation from Friday, will also apply to the EU citizens from next year to allow highly-skilled scientists and researchers to come to the UK without a job offer. Professor Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London, said: “British science is global. The new post-study work and Global Talent visas will help us to attract the world’s brightest students and researchers, wherever they come from.

Robin Singh appointed UAE’s Director of Cricket Former cricketer Robin Singh, who has represented India in one Test match and 136 One Day Internationals (ODIs), has been appointed as the new Director of Cricket by the Emirates Cricket Board. The 56-year-old former Indian all-rounder will also oversee junior cricket in the UAE. Singh replaces Dougie Brown, the Scotland and England international cricketer who was the coach of the UAE team over the past three years. During Brown’s tenure, the UAE team was hit with a corruption scandal where the captain and two other senior players were charged by the ICC for breaching the anti-

corruption code just before the T20 World Cup Qualifiers last year. Though the length of the contract between the Emirates Cricket Board and Singh has not been made public, the former Indian cricketer indicated that he hopes to guide the UAE into the ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in India in 2023 with a focus on improving the fitness levels of the team as well as creating a pool of 30 players for the Emirati national team. Singh has had experience in coaching through the Indian Premier League, where he is part of the Mumbai Indians coaching team. He has also opened a cricket academy in Dubai, where he has been residing for a long period.

NRI tests negative for Coronavirus A 28-year-old NRI, who was admitted to the PGI last evening as a suspected case of coronavirus, has tested negative for it. His samples were sent to AIIMS, New Delhi, yesterday.

The man had returned from Singapore on February 10 and reported to the PGI with symptoms of cold and cough. Suspecting it to be a case of coronavirus, doctors admitted him to the communicable disease isolation ward at the PGI.

The patient is an NRI and had come to his in-laws’ house at Sector 37.

On January 27, a suspected case of novel coronavirus was admitted to the PGI. However, his samples had tested negative at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. The patient was admitted with fever and some coronavirus-like symptoms. He had recently been to China.

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Ashraf Ghani wins disputed Afghan presidential election Afghanistan declared incumbent Ashraf Ghani the winner of a disputed presidential election held almost five months ago, a result that could trigger new turmoil amid accusations of fraud and hopes of a possible peace deal with Taliban militants.

Polls were held on September 28 to select a president for the fourth time since the US-led forces overthrew the Taliban government in 2001, but the process was marred by allegations of rigging, technical problems with biometric devices used for voting, attacks and

other irregularities. Ghani won 50.64% of the vote, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said on Tuesday.

Abdullah Abdullah, Ghani’s former deputy and main rival, was named runner-up with 39.52%. The IEC announced “preliminary results” in December in which Ghani, a former World Bank official, won re-election by a slim margin, but Abdullah Abdullah dismissed the result as fraudulent and called for a full review. Ghani rejected the allegations. Abdullah’s campaign team has alleged rigging.

Pakistan Hindus lose daughters to forced Muslim marriages Anila Dhawan, 17, was kidnapped last spring from her home in Hyderabad, forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. Meera Bai, a Pakistani Hindu immigrant in New Delhi, says “Muslims in Pakistan will never treat Hindus as their own.” The police refused to intervene.

Her kidnapper told them she ran away from home, and converted to Islam and married him voluntarily. But after her family pressured a court to intervene, she told judges the truth and they freed her.

“Her life was threatened,” her attorney, Ramesh Gupta, said. “She wanted to go back to her parents and the statement (she made to the court) helped to sway the decision in her favor and she was freed

to join her family.” Anila is one of many Pakistani Hindu girls kidnapped because of religious discrimination in a country that is 98% Muslim. Every year, Muslim men abduct and forcibly convert about 1,000 girls — mostly Hindus, but also Christians, according to the South Asia Partnership-Pakistan, a local human rights group. About 5,000 Pakistani Hindus leave every year for neighboring India — where 80% are Hindus — to escape religious persecution, according to the Pakistan Hindu Council. Legislation banning such conversions for those under age 18 was passed unanimously late last year by the legislature in the southern province of Sindh, where the Kohlis live, but it never went into effect.

India concerned over diversion of UN funds for peacekeeping forces India, which is among the largest troop contributors to the UN peacekeeping force, has voiced concern over the delay and nonpayment of funds to contributor countries and closed missions, terming it as “bad faith” if the reserves are used for other purposes. India has been among the few countries to have fully paid its dues to the UN on time. The UN owed India USD 38 million, which is among the highest it has

to pay to any country, for peacekeeping operations as of March 2019. Highlighting India’s priority issues for deliberations in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, Permanent Representative Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said the financial situation of the UN Peacekeeping, particularly the non-payment or delayed payment of arrears to the Troop/Police Contributing Countries remains a concern.

FATF sub-group wants Pakistan to be kept in ‘grey list’ A sub-group of the global terror financing watchdog FATF on Tuesday recommended continuation of Pakistan in the ‘Grey List’ for its failure to check terror funding and a final decision will be taken on February 21, sources said on Tuesday. The decision was taken at the meeting of the FATF’s International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG), held at the ongoing Paris plenary. “The ICRG meeting, sub group of the FATF, has recommended

that Pakistan be retained in the ‘Grey List’.

A final decision will be taken on Friday when the FATF takes up issues concerning Pakistan,” a source said.

The FATF meeting is being held a week after an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan sentenced Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack and founder of LeT, to 11 years in two terror financing cases.

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Saturday, February 22, 2020

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Saturday, February 22, 2020

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Saturday, February 22, 2020