The Asian Star February 17 2018

Vol 17 - Issue 3

Saturday, February 17, 2018

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Tel:604-591-5423

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

From page 1

Surrey realtor shot dead

in a gunfire exchange on Jan. 14 “These types of crimes tend to while driving with his parents fluctuate during the year, but we agree near West Broadway and it’s concerning for police any time Ontario Street in Vancouver. we have a homicide in Vancouver, Kevin Whiteside, 23, also targeted or not. The VPD is continuing shot and killed Jan 14. in what to work with our partners ... to solve police believe was a targeted hit, homicides that have already been Sachdeep Singh Dhoot, 18, committed and to prevent future of Surrey B.C. was found dead violent offences,” Vancouver Police Kaminder Rai in the trunk of a stolen vehicle Const. Jason Doucette said.

Reports of other types of crimes especially near Fairmont Street and Vanness Ave on business break-ins and robberies — have Jan. 18.

Martin James MacDonald, 51, of fallen for the first time in five years.

Overall crime rates have dipped 1.5 per Coquitlam was found in medical distress on cent, according to VPD department data East Hastings and died after a few days in hospital on Feb. 10. released Thursday.

Kaminder Rai, 32, a Surrey man, Homicides in 2018 Jwada Hedar-Kadhim, 47 was found was found critically injured in Kerrisdale in a condo lobby in Burnaby on Jan. 2. He on Thursday and died in hospital. Police was known to police and the crime was not suspect it was a targeted hit.

Vancouver has already seen six considered random.

Alfred Wong, 15, a Coquitlam honour homicides so far in 2018. student and innocent bystander was killed

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From page 1

Finding NiMo:

The man who brought Punjab National Bank to its knees with a $US 1.8 billion swindle citizen, while Nishal is a Belgian national. With his operations spread across the world, Modi is said to spend a lot of time in the US. Some associates in the diamond trade claim to have seen him use a Belgian passport while travelling. They added that Modi used to frequently visit India, but had cut down on his visits in the last two years. “He often said there was little time to fly down to India. But he was quick to add that he was just a phone call away for friends who were never separated by distance,” said an associate.

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference that the government had taken action to revoke Modi and Choksi’s passports. Sources in the CBI and ED told TOI that Modi and Choksi have Indian passports, which will be revoked shortly. Once done, this would restrict their travel anywhere and make it easier for investigating agencies to trace them.

Government sources said CBI may seek Interpol’s help to trace Modi and the others, as prima facie there is strong evidence against them. PNB had approached CBI with a complaint pertaining to fraud of Rs 281 crore on January 29, following which the agency filed an FIR on January 31 for criminal conspiracy and cheating and under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Nirav, Nishal, Ami and Choksi. The CBI and ED moved for issuing look-out circulars against t h e s e four on January 31.

The LoC was issued four days Nirav Modi later at all airports, ports and other entry-exit points.

However, it was too late by then as the accused had long since left the country. While Nirav left on January 1 along with Nishal, Choksi left on January 4, followed

by Ami on January 6. “This shows planning in advance and suggests that they had prior information of PNB planning to file a complaint with CBI. We will look into this,” said an investigating agency source.

CBI is also probing why PNB gave complaints against Nirav Modi in tranches instead of handing over the two other complaints pertaining to the Rs 11,300 crore fraud as well on January 29. PNB submitted two more complaints to CBI on Wednesday itself.

“There appears to be a strong insider role in the way things have panned out,” said an officer.

I’s sickening that one man is able to pull this off right under the government’s nose, while every other common man struggles for the smallest of things like cash, tax filings, petrol prices.

www.theasianstar.com Vol 17 - Issue 3 Umendra Singh

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

New BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson ready to take on NDP

ndrew Wilkinson is all excited and full of energy to go as the new leader of the Opposition BC Liberal Party.

“We are going to hold the NDP to account,” he promised in an interview on Wednesday afternoon. “We just had one of the greatest question periods “ in the Legislature, he added.

The former party president and cabinet Minister said one of his top priorities is unifying the party rank and file after a lengthy leadership race. He said the BC Liberal Party is in good shape and Party MLAs have strong unity in Opposition caucus and he is working with his

ICBC problems were the MLAs to ensure that result of previous Liberal the party membership governments raiding the across the province ICBC coffers to take $1.3 are united. On the billion, Wilkinson said the hot issue of ICBC, NDP is in government now the newly minted and they should govern Opposition Leader and manage the ICBC. He refused to take the also said that ICBC has not blame for the Liberals been profitable in recent for the state of the Andrew Wilkinson public insurer’s financial mess. Responding years and so there was no money to be to NDP’s common refrain that the current taken anyway. Continued on page 8

Surrey realtor shot dead

Throne Speech promises action on housing speculation, money for childcare

V

ancouver police say this week’s shooting of a man in Kerrisdale was targeted and his death brings the total number of homicides to six so far in 2018. The victim is a 32-year-old man named Kaminder Rai, a realtor who posted on social media that he was from Surrey, B.C. While Vancouver’s overall crime rate has dropped, the city’s homicide rate has climbed steadily since 2012. News Kaminder Rai of the city’s sixth homicide comes one day after police noted an overall reduction in the city’s crime rate. The tally of six homicides so far in 2018 is the total number for the entire year of 2013. “It’s a matter of concern but I don’t think it’s a matter of panic,” said Paul Brantingham, a Simon Fraser University professor of crime analysis. He says B.C.’s homicide rate pales in comparison to those of American cities. Vancouver police agree any killing is a concern, and say they are keeping a watch on this trend.

Continued on page 2

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ritish Columbia Premier John Horgan says he hopes his province’s trade dispute with Alberta over oil pipelines will not get in the way of federal support for key affordability programs that his government plans to begin to roll out this

year. In Tuesday’s Throne Speech, Mr. Horgan’s NDP government is promising to begin the province’s largest investment in affordable housing and childcare subsidies for tens of thousands of BC families.

Continued on page 7

Capt Amrinder Singh won’t meet PM Trudeau on his India tour

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rime Minister Justin Trudeau will not meet with the Indian politician who has publicly accused members of Trudeau’s cabinet of being connected to the Sikh separatist movement.

Despite Indian media reports that Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is to be Trudeau’s tour guide at the Golden Temple in Amritsar during a state visit to

India that begins Sunday, officials in the Prime Minister’s Office say no meeting is planned. “We have nothing planned with him at this time,” said one Canadian official, speaking anonymously because they weren’t authorized to discuss details of the trip publicly. Last year, Singh refused to meet with Defence Minister Harjit Continued on page 7

Finding NiMo:

The man who brought Punjab National Bank to its knees with a $US 1.8 billion swindle Both the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate moved the ministry of external affairs on Thursday to revoke the passport of billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of Rs 11,300 crore, even as doubts rose about whether he has citizenship or permanent resident

status of some other country as well.

Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi all left the country in the first week of January.

Modi was last seen in Switzerland at the World Economic Forum’s annual meet in Davos (January 23-26). Ami is said to be an American Continued on page 2

Tel:604-591-5423

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OPINION

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Banking Blues: Canadians say they lack confidence in understanding key financial terms

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hat’s the difference between interest and compound interest? Or between a defined-contribution pension plan and a defined-benefit plan? What about between fixed and variable APR? A new public opinion poll from the Angus Reid Institute – released as Canadians prepare for the upcoming taxfiling season – finds substantial numbers of respondents unsure how to answer these and other financial literacy questions. Presented with a list of 18 common banking and finance

terms, a majority of Canadians say they are “very confident” in the meaning of just two: “savings account” and “high-interest savings account.” Respondents are at least “fairly confident” in their understanding of most of the terms canvassed, however, with fully six-inten expressing this level of confidence in nine of the 18 entries on the list Women and younger Canadians tend to express the least confidence in their financial understanding, with young women especially uncertain in comparison to

men their age. More Key Findings Tax-related terms are among the more well-understood items on the list. More than eight-in-ten (82%) express confidence in their knowledge about RRSPs, and almost as many (72%) say the same about TFSAs. The public is least confident in its understanding of “Bitcoin,” with seven-in-ten (70%) expressing uncertainty about the term Wealthier Canadians are more likely to express confidence in their understanding of each of the 18 terms canvassed

Eat more plants, less meat - improve your health and save the planet

By Courtney Howard and Ian Culbert EvidenceNetwork.ca What is a healthy diet? New Year’s diet conversations still abound around water coolers Canada-wide as people debate the merits and shortcomings of sugar, gluten, meat, dairy, tofu and other edibles. Scientific articles, shiny celebrities and representatives of various groups who produce, transform and sell food all compete for our attention as we try to figure out what to eat. How is anyone supposed to know who to listen to? Canadians’ traditional solution to this conundrum has been to

turn to Canada’s Food Guide - that familiar rainbow of foods that many of us learned about in elementary school. The last version of the guide was published in 2007, so it’s time for a revamp to reflect new information.

Health Canada has been looking at the most recent research and consulting with various stakeholders. So who should Health Canada listen to in its efforts to come up with the best diet recommendations for Canadians? They’ve taken a prudent stance: feeling that industry’s participation in past food guide development undermined the public’s confidence in the

guide, this time Health Canada has prioritized information from sources that don’t stand to profit from the outcome. In opting not to meet one-on-one with industry groups, Health Canada has given itself the best chance of producing a guide that puts the health of Canadians first and that will be, and be seen to be, a trusted source of information. As trust in conventional information sources wanes, it’s an approach that Health Canada would do well to consider expanding ministry-wide. The guiding principles of the draft food guide were released in 2017 and include recommendations to reduce our intake of processed foods; share meals with family and friends; and shift our diets towards “a high proportion of plantbased foods without necessarily excluding animal foods altogether.” This is all sound and evidence-based advice. However, there are now reports that the meat and dairy industries in Canada are expressing concerns that they weren’t adequately consulted by Health Canada.

They have turned to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada officials to register their complaints. As representatives of organizations dedicated to human health, we believe that Health Canada’s recommendation that we eat more plants and less meat positions Canada as a leader in both the health of people and of the planet. Strong support for these principles was one of the main recommendations of the jointly-produced Lancet CountdownCanadian Public Health Association policy brief.

www.theasianstar.com # 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2 Ph: 604-591-5423 Fax: 604-591-8615 E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com Editor: Umendra Singh Associate Editor: Chhavi Disawar Marketing and Sales: Ravinder S. Cheema........604-715-3847 Shamir Doshi....................604-649-7827 Harminder Kaur...............778-708-0481 Parminder Dhillon..........778-859-9234 Layout: Avee J Waseer Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed Contributing writers: Jag Dhatt, Akash Sablok, Kamila Singh, Jay Bains

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

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LOCAL

Saturday, February 17, 2018 From page 1

Capt Amrinder Singh won’t meet PM Trudeau on his India tour Sajjan, accusing him of supporting the proKhalistani movement, which advocates for an independent Sikh state. Earlier this month, Singh told Outlook India magazine that “there seems to be evidence that there are Khalistani sympathizers in Trudeau’s cabinet.” Sajjan and Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, two of the four Sikh members of Trudeau’s cabinet, pushed back hard against Singh’s claim, denying that they were either part of the movement or that it was much of an issue at all in Canada’s Indian communities.

Singh responded by saying he looked forward to having productive meetings with Trudeau on his trip. Canadian officials are giving no explanation for the decision not to meet him.

The issue is a cloud hanging over Trudeau’s first state visit to India. While Indian government sources insist he will be received warmly, they also note the government has only set aside part of a single day for official bilateral meetings.

Trudeau, who leaves Friday, is scheduled to meet Feb. 23 with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the presidential palace in Delhi.

Modi has raised the issue with Trudeau when the two have met on the sidelines of various meetings, including just last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

That meeting came just weeks after several gurdwaras in Canada officially barred Indian officials from entering the premises.

That ban set off a chain reaction with gurdwaras in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia following suit, accusing the Indian government of interference.

Trudeau has to find a way to nip this all in the bud, said Shuvaloy Majumdar, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for Public Policy and former policy adviser to ex-foreign affairs minister John Baird.

“It is absolutely essential the government of Canada repudiate terror in all its forms,” Majumdar said.

The vast majority of Canadian Sikhs are not involved in or supportive of the Khalistan movement, particularly the extremist end of it, he added. But Trudeau’s tendency to appear at events where Khalistani leaders are also featured, whether intentional or otherwise, has not gone unnoticed, he warned.

Canada’s official line, which Trudeau will deliver if asked during the trip, is that it supports a unified India, will not support any forms of extremism but will also not override the freedom of Indian Canadians to speak out in favour of a separate Sikh state if they wish, said the Canadian official.

The government wants the trip to be about far more than the Sikh independence ties. With 1.3 million Indian Canadians, the community is fast growing and influential both politically and economically in Canada; a successful trip would help Trudeau both at home and abroad.

Trade between Canada and India has doubled in the last 10 years to about $8 billion in 2016. Preliminary free trade talks have been underway since 2010, but next week’s visit is not expected to launch full scale negotiations, officials said this week.

PM Trudeau’s trip is intended to focus on cultural and economic ties between the nations.

He has meetings with a number of Indian CEOs and business leaders, as well as trips

www.theasianstar.com

planned to some of India’s biggest tourist sites including the famed Taj Mahal in Agra, Jama Mosque, and Sabarmati Ashram, one of the former homes of Mahatma Gandhi.

Six cabinet ministers will be with him, including all four Indian Canadians in cabinet: Sajjan, Sohi, House Leader Bardish Chagger and Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Science Minister Kirsty Duncan will round out the sizable cabinet presence.

More than a dozen Indian Canadian MPs are expected to join Trudeau in India for some or all of the seven-day trip. Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, and his children, Xavier, 10, Ella-Grace, 9, and Hadrien, 3, will also be on hand.

From page 1

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Throne Speech

The scope of those ambitious programs will depend on federal funding and Mr. Horgan told reporters the interprovincial dispute over the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline expansion program should not derail what he called a productive relationship with Ottawa. “Certainly we have a pretty positive relationship with the federal government to this point in time,” he said. Alberta’s response to B.C.’s latest actions to stop the Kinder Morgan expansion plans – including Alberta’s ban on B.C. wine – “has led to more discussions than I anticipated, but I’m not deterred by that.” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is demanding Ottawa move to rein in British Columbia, saying B.C. is trying to usurp federal authority. Mr. Horgan said threats and coercion won’t go over well with British Columbians. “I believe all British Columbians want to see co-operative federalism, not coercive federalism,” he said. “We are equal

partners in this great country.” Mr. Horgan repeated his intent to impose a temporary ban on the increase of oil exports while the province reviews a review of oil-spill issues, but noted that any move is still subject to consultation with British Columbians. “When it comes to the transport of raw or diluted bitumen on our coast ... I believe that is a risk too great.” B.C. officials are to meet again on Wednesday with their federal counterparts to discuss the jurisdictional questions raised by the prospect of the province trying to control the output of a interprovincial pipeline. The Throne Speech omits two specific promises made by the NDP in the provincial election last year: a yearly rebate for renters and $10-a-day daycare. “Safe, decent housing is a right that is under threat by speculators, domestic and foreign, who seek windfall profits at the expense of people who work, live and pay taxes in B.C.,” Lieutenant-Governor read.

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LOCAL From page 1

Saturday, February 17, 2018

New BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson ready to take on NDP

When asked to comment on former BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark’s policy of “smoothing” rates which forced ICBC to continuously increase insurance rates at a level lower than annual percentage costs, Wilkinson quipped “I am not Christie Clark.” But the Opposition leaders does have ideas on how to fix ICBC. He said ICBC is a 44-year-old state-run monopoly that was created by the NDP, and “in my view it’s probably outlived its usefulness.” “ It needs a root-and-branch overhaul to make sure that it’s serving the purpose that it needs to, which is to provide affordable motor insurance to British Columbians and appropriate claims compensation to accident victims,” he said.

There is need for new legislation regarding the future of auto insurance in BC. Premier John Horgan needs to go to

Edmonton and quickly resolve the budding trade war with neighbouring Alberta, Wilkinson said when asked to comment on the feistiness that has developed between the two provinces over BC’s attempts to stop oil pipe line expansion and Alberta’s ban on BC wine.

He said this situation should not have happened and the situation shows the lack of maturity between two NDP Premiers.

“Somehow the [John] Horgan NDP government has decided that they don’t like the rule of law in Canada so they’re just going to pick a fight with Alberta. And of course Alberta, whether advisedly or not, has decided to penalize the British Columbia wine industry. So what do the people of British Columbia get out of this? They get investor uncertainty, they get complete disregard for the rule of law, they get job loss in the Okanagan, they get antagonized Alberta civilians who would otherwise come

and spend on tourism in British Columbia.

This is a lose-lose proposition for the people of British Columbia.”

Talking about housing affordability, Wilkinson said that the BC NDP had failed to keep its promises. The NDP is now projecting to provide far less affordable housing units per year than It had promised during last May’s election campaign.

The housing affordability crisis is a serious issue and “we need to answer this as a society and arrange for an appropriate growth in the housing supply. That means getting the municipal permitting sorted out. I’ve talked about tax incentives for construction of residential rental housing.… There isn’t enough rental housing out there. The market is way too tight. So we need to make sure there’s an expanded supply of housing to keep up with all of the tens of thousands of people that are moving here every year.”

Here are Wilkinson’s views on some other important issues: Gov’t decision to have marijuana sales and marketing managed by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch?

“This idea in British Columbia that every piece of liquid alcohol has to go through the hands of government employees at the Liquor Distribution Branch is a bit arcane. And now they want to expand it into the future for another product, marijuana. Anybody’s who’s in the logistics and distribution business says, “Well, you might have done that in the Prohibition era as a way to make sure you’re collecting taxes and that bad people aren’t dealing with contraband.”

But in the marijuana business there’s already a very well-established black market that has been there for 50 years. And if they create these unionized jobs for people to handle marijuana

and shuffle it around and take their own time distributing it, all that does is encourage continuation of the black market. It drives up the cost base of the newly lawful marijuana business and makes it less likely that it would get any revenue off it because you’ve got to pay for this distribution system first, and more likely that organized crime will continue to be involved in the black market for marijuana.”

What happens Vancouver’s dispensaries after Marijuana is legalized? “ I’m hopeful that this completely renegade business that’s making it all out to be fun and games, and where we’re not sure who’s actually profiting from it, will fizzle out. There may be some of them that are more credible that will be able to license themselves and sell and become established within the framework of private operators within a tightly regulated environment. That remains to be seen.”

Will BC Liberals will align with BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver if the current government falls over the pursuit of liquefied natural gas? “That remains to be seen because the Green party on one hand has tried to portray itself as independent, and thoughtful and evidence-based, as they keep saying. And on the other hand they vote faithfully, loyally and reliably with the NDP on every single thing that the NDP does.”

Where is the balance between taxis and ride-hailing services?

“We have to make sure that whoever is carrying passengers in British Columbia is appropriately licensed, appropriately trained and skilled, and appropriately insured. And the actual dispatch system – whether they’re using they’re own app or eCab or the Yellow or Black Top one or Lyft – those are going to change over time. That’s the nature of the technology industry. I’m more concerned about the safety of British Columbians and making sure the insurance is in place.”

Saturday, February 17, 2018

New Pattullo Bridge expected to open in 2023 The provincial government says it’s “moving forward” with the construction of a Pattullo Bridge replacement, estimated to cost $1.377 billion.

The project will be “delivered solely by the province,” according to a release. Premier Premier Horgan announces the province will be build a new bridge John Horgan made to replace old Pattullo Bridge. the announcement East Columbia Street in New Westminster, in New Westminster this morning, joined by and a new direct off-ramp from the bridge Transportation and Infrastructure Minister to westbound Highway 17 in Surrey.

Claire Trevena and Municipal Affairs and According to the province, the bridge will Housing Minister Selina Robinson. “This is be built to “modern safety standards” with an essential transportation link that British a centre safety median barrier and wider Columbians rely on, and it’s our job to make lanes to accommodate both passenger sure it’s safe and gets people moving better,” and commercial vehicles. It will also Horgan said in a release. “Replacing the have walking and cycling lanes, separate Pattullo Bridge will help people get home from traffic, the government says. John to their families quickly and safely, while Horgan says old Bridge has “done it’s bit” creating good jobs for local workers.” The New bridge to be built. Shortly after the project, expected to open to traffic in 2023, announcement, the Surrey Board of Trade includes a new four-lane Pattullo Bridge issued a release saying it is “pleased” with the that will be located upstream of the existing plan. “However, the Surrey Board of Trade one, network connections in Surrey and asks the B.C. government to re-consider New Westminster, and the removal of the an opening of four lanes to six lanes to existing bridge. The province also says accommodate certain population growth in there will be “smoother connections” on the region,” said Anita Huberman, CEO of and off the new bridge, with new direct SBOT. road connections between the bridge and

Premier Horgan defends pipeline stance despite rebuke from Trudeau Premier Horgan is defending the BC govt’s position on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion despite heated attacks from the provincial Opposition and a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Horgan was hammered during Thursday’s Question Period by B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson over Trudeau’s statements that Horgan is putting Canada’s national plan on climate change at risk by delaying the federally approved pipeline.

Horgan didn’t address Trudeau’s comments directly, saying only that he is defending B.C.’s interests why and countered the Opposition wasn’t doing the same.

“We announced on Jan. 30 our intention to consult British Columbians, to fill the gaps in science that have been acknowledged by the federal government, to fill the gaps in science about the adverse consequences on our billiondollar sport fishery, our $900-million agri-food export industry. That’s standing up for British Columbia, not dividing British Columbia,” said Horgan. Later, responding to criticism from other Liberal MLAs, Horgan retorted: “I don’t know what part of that these guys don’t understand. But get with the program. We’re in this place to protect British Columbia, not to defend Alberta.” Wilkinson said Horgan’s “impulsive” decision is putting B.C.’s credibility on the line, and that small businesses are paying the price. He called on Horgan to “swallow his pride, make that phone call to Edmonton and solve this dispute.” The volley was the latest in the ongoing saga over the $7.9-billion Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project. “John Horgan is actually trying to scuttle our national plan on fighting climate change,” he told The

National Observer. “By blocking the Kinder Morgan pipeline, he’s putting at risk the entire national, climate-change plan.”

If the pipeline doesn’t go through, Alberta will withdraw its support for the national plan, and without Alberta’s support, Canada will fail to reach its targets in the Paris climate accord, said Trudeau. Trudeau’s comments were a departure from Ottawa’s steadfastly neutral position since the B.C. government proposed regulations to block increased shipments of diluted bitumen while it conducts a provincial safety review. In retaliation, Alberta cut off talks to buy $500-million worth of electricity from B.C., slapped a ban on B.C. wines and established a 19-person task force to find ways to get the pipeline built.

Notley also launched an online petition for Canadians to voice their displeasure at Horgan’s decision. Horgan said Alberta’s wine boycott, which could cost the B.C. wine industry up to $17 million, violated internal trade agreements, but has said he will not escalate the feud. On Thursday, meanwhile, the National Energy Board has issued three decisions that collectively provide Trans Mountain with the ability to start construction on the Burnaby Mountain tunnel entrance, subject to other applicable federal, provincial and municipal permits. Specifically, the NEB issued two detailed route-hearing decisions that approved the pipeline route where the Burnaby Mountain tunnel will be constructed.

Trans Mountain also sought relief from the NEB on the applicability of the remaining pre-construction conditions to allow tunnelportal construction to commence within the Westridge Marine Terminal property.

LOCAL

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LOCAL

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Transportation funding deal close between Metro Vancouver mayors, province Metro Vancouver’s mayors are “very close” to a deal with the provincial government to cover a funding gap for a transportation plan that includes a new Pattullo Bridge and rapid transit lines in Vancouver and Surrey, says Mayors Council Chair Derek Corrigan. Discussions, which must come to fruition within the next six weeks, are around how TransLink will find money for $60 million to $70 million in annual costs for the second phase of the mayors’ 10Year Vision for regional transportation. The province is prepared to approve one or more new revenue streams for TransLink to pay for up to $40 million of the annual shortfall, according to people familiar with the negotiations. This could include anything from a vehicle levy to a parking or gas tax hike. The rest would have to be paid for through property taxes and transit fares, the two funding tools TransLink can

leverage without provincial approval. Corrigan didn’t confirm the amounts or the funding mechanisms involved, but said the province has been fair and agreed, in principle, to share the responsibility for the gap. “The province has clearly said that they’re coming to the table to help us through this gap, and we’re looking to be able to cover our share of that gap once the province has made a commitment,” Corrigan said. The funding gap is about 15 per cent of the total cost of the Phase 2 plan. The federal government has committed to paying up to 40 per cent of the capital costs for major projects and the province has agreed to pay for 40 per cent of all projects. TransLink is responsible for the remainder, plus all of the operating costs, and has funded more than half ($130 million per year) from existing revenue sources.

Attorney general says newly revealed ICBC report gives him valuable info Attorney General David Eby says he’s pleased that Postmedia News has released a confidential 2014 report into the Insurance Corporation of B.C. because it meant he could finally read recommendations that were scrubbed from the report and change his approach to fixing ICBC’s financial woes. “I’ve now had the opportunity to read the report that Postmedia made public,” Eby said Thursday. “I’m glad for the opportunity to read it.” Eby zeroed in on a section of the report that had been erased by the previous Liberal government, which outlined changing how ICBC manages its finances and capital ratios. “Based on the release of the report, I’ve asked for a briefing from ICBC, particularly on the capital ratio piece that the report goes into in some detail,” he said. “It’s not something that we’ve been looking at in detail, so I’m asking ICBC for an update on that, as well as comparing the piece in the report related to drive risk rating, that bad drivers should pay more and good drivers should pay less, (and) making sure that we’re incorporating those recommendations.

“And finally to ensure the projections around minor injuries claims are accurate. So all of those pieces are informed by the release of the report. So I’m very grateful those pages have been finally released.” Postmedia obtained the report and wrote about its contents on Jan. 22. However, when Eby said publicly on Wednesday that he was unable to see a copy because it was deemed confidential by the previous Liberal government, the newspaper posted the document on its website. “We are releasing this report in the public interest,” Vancouver Sun editor-in-chief Harold Munro said on Thursday. “The people of B.C. have a right to know this important information about ICBC given the continued financial difficulties facing the Crown corporation.”

The report shows the previous Liberal government scrubbed several key pages that warned of a coming financial crunch within ICBC and recommended “a bold change in policy direction,” including caps on minor injury claims and higher premiums for highrisk drivers. The then-Liberal government erased the pages before the report was released in 2015. The idea of caps on minor injury claims and steeper rates for bad drivers have resurfaced now that ICBC is in a financial crisis and set to lose an estimated $1.3 billion this year. Eby announced the changes last month, in a bid to save the Crown auto insurer from becoming insolvent or hiking rates as much as 40 per cent.

“There’s no question that had the government taken action in 2014 based on this report …

ICBC would be in a very different position today,” said Eby. “We’re doing some of the exact same recommendations that were made three years ago, three years later.” Eby called it a “missed opportunity” and said the Liberals should have released the report in full even if they disagreed with it, to inform the public about the options.

The report has prompted finger-pointing within the Liberal party, which now sits in opposition. Former finance minister Mike de Jong has said he remembers government removing sections because there was no appetite to act upon them and therefore they did not need to be included. That occurred during government’s Treasury Board process.

Former transportation minister Todd Stone, who had technical responsibility for ICBC at the time, has said he never saw the unredacted draft version. ICBC’s board of directors said they never saw it either.

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Michelle Obama talks social media at Vancouver event Michelle Obama says social media magnifies feelings of political and cultural division, underlining a need for people to get out of their online silos. The former first lady of the United States made the remarks Thursday at a sold-out event presented by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, where she spoke to an audience of mostly women and girls in an auditorium that seats about 2,900 people.

She said for more than a decade, she and former president Barack Obama travelled the United States and found that people mostly got along peacefully. Obama recalled something her daughter Malia said after a Fourth of July celebration where tens thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to watch fireworks. After the show, people packed up their things and dispersed calmly, she said. “It’s amazing that this many people can gather this peacefully,” Obama recalled her daughter saying. But Obama said that’s

what’s happening around the world every day. Most people are fundamentally getting along, and they’re more alike than they are different, Obama said at the first of two sold-out events she was speaking at on Thursday. “Social media can do two things: it can bring us together or keep us isolated,” she said, noting that people hiding behind a computer screen are emboldened to make nasty remarks.

“A life looking into your phone is not a life,” she said. “You have to break out of your silo.”

She urged people to connect with one another, not through tweets or posts, but through their voices, and added that the divisiveness of social media also lends itself to a certain type of leader.

“Leaders who lead by fear ... that’s all you want to point to, what’s broken and wrong,” she said.

“But if you choose to lead by hope, then you see that good. “Don’t despair. Don’t get bogged down in the negativity,” she added. “It takes time, but we are moving in the right direction.”

Man shot in West Side dies in hospital: Police A man who was shot Thursday in Vancouver has died, police say.

The Vancouver Police Department said officers responded to reports of shots fired on Vancouver’s West Side at about 1 p.m.

PT., according to a release.

Vancouver Police spokesperson Const.

Jason Doucette, said officers found a victim on Marguerite Street near West 49th Avenue and took him to hospital.

Police say he died several hours later. They say the man — a 32-year-old from Surrey — is not believed to be the victim of a random shooting and the public is not at risk. The man’s name was not released. Police said the death was Vancouver’s sixth homicide in 2018. The Vancouver Police Department is asking anyone who was in the area and might have information to contact them at 604-717-3321.

Student arrested for gun possession at Delta school A Delta teenager is in custody after police say he was found in possession of a gun at his school.

According to the Delta Police Department, a boy was arrested Thursday morning at Sands Secondary School after officers responded to a report that a student “may have brought a weapon to the school.”

Shortly after 10 a.m., the boy was located and police say an airsoft pistol was found in his possession.

According to Delta police public affairs coordinator Cris Leykauf, it’s believed the student felt threatened by one of his peers.

“The situation involved a dispute between students. The student in question apparently felt threatened and decided to carry the airsoft pistol as a deterrent,” said Leykauf.

“Though this was an unfortunate decision, our officers were pleased the incident was resolved quickly and safely.” A short search of the grounds followed with the school being placed under “Code Yellow” status: no one was allowed out of the building and no unauthorized person was allowed in. The school returned to normal operation by 10:45 a.m.

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BC ride-hailing report makes 32 recommendations to pave way for regulations An all-party British Columbia government committee is unanimous in supporting a provincewide plan for ride-hailing services in the province.

The committee’s report makes 32 recommendations to help pave the way toward introducing and regulating ride-hailing in BC NDP committee chairwoman Bowinn Ma says the recommendations balance the importance of developing regulations that encompass fairness, consumer protection and worker rights in a constantly changing economy. Deputy chairwoman Stephanie Cadieux of the Opposition Liberals and

Andrew Weaver, leader of the Green party, say the recommendations provide the foundation to bring in ride-hailing by this year.

The report comes ahead of a government review due later this year from transportation industry expert Dan Hara, who was asked to provide recommendations for the creation of a made-in-B.C. ride-hailing service.

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena has said the government plans to introduce ridehailing legislation in this fall. The committee held public hearings and invited 67 expert witnesses, including representatives from ride-hailing companies, Uber and Lyft.

Murders were up in the city but overall Vancouver crime was down last year The city’s murder total may have hit a 10-year high, but Vancouver police say the overall crime rate was down 1.5 per cent compared to 2016.

According to the VPD’s yearend crime statistics, there were 19 murders in 2017, the most since 20 homicides were recorded in 2008. Vancouver’s violent crime rate also jumped to 7.6 per 1,000 population in 2017, an uptick of 1.9 per cent from 2016.

Vancouver’s overall violent crime rate was up 1.9 per cent in 2017 over 2016, but the 10-year trend is showing an overall decrease Shots-fired incidents increased to 31 in 2017 from 26 the previous year and sexual offences were up two per cent. Bank robberies, meanwhile, were down from 68 in 2016 to 52 in 2017.

The rise in violent crime bumped a 10-year downward trend, as the overall rate has decreased 31.5 per cent since 2008, when the city posted

a violent crime rate of 11.1.

Vancouver’s property crime rate dropped almost two per cent, ending five consecutive years of increases. Break-ins to businesses and residences were significantly reduced by close to 18 per cent in 2017 over the previous year. “Theft from motor vehicles continues to be an issue in Vancouver, especially downtown. We saw an increase of 1.6 per cent in 2017 over the previous year,” Const. Jason Doucette, VPD spokesperson, said in a release. “While we’ll continue to target offenders, drivers can help by simply not leaving anything visible in their vehicles. If thieves can see it, they’re more likely to steal it.” Doucette said mental health apprehensions dropped to 2,790 from 2,822 the year before. “We continue to work alongside health professionals in integrated teams, like the Assertive Community Treatment Team and the Assertive Outreach Team, to

BC gov’t seeks to confiscate properties and bank accounts linked to controversial Vancouver company The provincial director of civil forfeiture wants to confiscate six B.C. properties, as well as funds in a number of bank accounts associated with a controversial Vancouver financial company.

In a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the director claims that money for the purchase and maintenance of the properties came from unlawful activities of PacNet Services Ltd. In September 2016, the U.S. government identified PacNet as a “significant criminal organization” that allegedly worked for 20 years with “direct mailer” scammers to launder millions of dollars defrauded from numerous vulnerable victims. “PacNet has processed payments relating to millions of fraudulent and deceptive multipage solicitations sent to hundreds of thousands

of victims throughout Canada, the United States and the world,” says the B.C. lawsuit.

“Tens of thousand of victims have sent money to the PacNet clients in response to these deceptive and fraudulent solicitations. This money is processed by PacNet clients for a fee of three to five per cent. The amounts collectively paid by the victims is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.” The lawsuit claims that the proceeds of the fraudulent and unlawful activity were used to buy two properties in Vancouver, one of them on Cambie Street identified as the “PacNet property,” as well as homes in West Vancouver, Gibsons, Keats Island and Delta.

NDP’s daycare licensing pledge leaves unanswered questions for care providers Natalia Malta has been operating a small daycare out of her home in East Vancouver for 12 years. Under current regulations, licencenot-required daycares such as hers can care for a maximum of two kids in addition to the operator’s own children. On some days, that’s all Malta and her mom want to tackle.

But on-and-off, they’ve toyed with the idea of becoming a licensed child-care facility so they can take in more kids.

“We were thinking about it, but it was too much what (authorities) were asking” in terms of the requirements to get licensed, said Malta.

“So we are totally fine at this point, but we think about it from time to time.” Malta wasn’t aware of Premier John Horgan’s throne speech pledge this week to encourage legal unlicensed daycares to get licensed, but said she’ll be watching to see how the government rolls out

its promised affordable child-care plan.

In a speech Tuesday promising the largest investments in child care in the province’s history, Horgan said his government will work “to propel the conversion of unlicensed spaces to licensed, regulated child care, so that more parents can benefit from the savings government is providing.”

Details were sparse, leaving many advocates reading between the lines to gauge the impact on child care providers and on affordability.

Pam Preston, executive director for Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre, said getting unlicensed centres to become licensed ensures quality and improves accountability, but it’s not going to create more spaces for families. “There’s no net benefit to spaces,” she said.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

International migration drives Metro population growth, while losses fuelled by draw of neighbouring areas A record number of Metro Vancouver residents have fled the region for other areas of B.C., according to the most recent population data from Statistics Canada. At the same time, Metro, which is home to more than 2.5 million people, has seen sustained population growth thanks to steady immigration from other countries.

StatsCan’s population estimates for subprovincial areas, released Tuesday, show that Vancouver saw a net 9,926 people leave its census metropolitan area — which encompasses Metro, an area that stretches from Lions Bay to Langley — between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, and settle in other areas of the province. The migration losses were most pronounced among those aged 25-64 years and children under 18.

Patrick Charbonneau, a senior analyst with StatsCan, said Metro has always had population losses due to intra-provincial migration, but in the past they were “less considerable.” “There is for sure an increase at the intra-provincial losses if we’re looking at the recent trends in Vancouver,”

he said. The last time there was a similar number of people (8,278) leaving Metro for other areas of the province was in 1996-97. In 2014-2015, Metro saw a net loss of 5,578 people to elsewhere in B.C. Charbonneau pointed out that Vancouver isn’t alone. Toronto lost 36,755 and Montreal 10,325 residents during the same period. “This is a common phenomenon we are seeing in all three of the largest census metropolitan areas of Canada,” Charbonneau said. Charbonneau said because StatsCan uses tax data for its calculations, there is no preliminary data for 2016-17. Almost half of Metro Vancouver’s net, intra-provincial migration losses (4,617) were to the Fraser Valley.

The Capital region (which includes Victoria), Nanaimo, the Central Okanagan (which includes Kelowna and West Kelowna), and SquamishLillooet round out the top-five destinations for those migrating away from Metro, but staying within the province.Ask mayors in these areas why people are moving there, and they cite lifestyle and relative affordability as the top factors.

New program shattering glamourized image of gangs in Surrey A new anti-gang presentation tailor-made for Surrey, is providing localized information on gangs and drugs that is hitting home with students, parents, educators, and newcomers.

This past fall, Surrey RCMP’s Gang Enforcement Team (SGET) launched “Shattering the Image”, a new presentation that shares the true story of gang life in Surrey and its consequences. Adapted from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit’s (CFSEUBC) popular “End Gang Life” program, “Shattering the Image” talks about gangs and dial-a-doping, but information is specific to Surrey and geared towards a younger audience, primarily students in grades 6-7.

“With the current drug and gang climate in the Lower Mainland and kids being recruited at younger ages, we knew we had to adjust the way we were approaching gang prevention in Surrey,” says Sergeant Mike Sanchez of the Surrey Gang Enforcement Team. “We found that when we share stories of kids who have gotten caught up in dial-a-doping right here in Surrey, it really hits home with the youth.”

“Shattering the Image” details the history of gangs and drug trafficking in Surrey and the demise of local youth caught up in the gang lifestyle. The presentation identifies current trends in the gang landscape and includes officers sharing real stories about the dangers of dial-a-doping.

In an adapted presentation for adults, tips on how to recognize the signs of drug dealing are shared along with the emergence of fentanyl and the young victims it has left behind. The use of social media in gang recruitment is

also discussed. Young people can get exposed to glamourized ideations of gang life through videos, images or chat rooms, normalizing these behaviours at a young age. Gang recruiters then prey on individuals showing interest in this material, and draw them into a lifestyle that is extremely difficult to escape.

“We know that kids are getting information about gangs from a variety of sources, including social media,” says Sanchez. “Our job is to give kids the facts so they are equipped to make better choices.”

SGET officers facilitate two to four “Shattering the Image” presentations a week. Requests come from partner agencies including the Surrey School District, Justice Education Society, and local community groups, including newcomer groups. Officers will also be presenting with the school district at the upcoming Gangs and Guns Training Symposium.

“There is definitely a need for these safe, open discussions with youth prior to them entering secondary school,” says Rob Rai from Surrey Safe Schools. “Building these connections early and often has a real impact on students and can start to turn the tide and prevent the next generation from entering this lifestyle altogether. The Surrey RCMP is shedding light on the realities of drugs and gangs and instilling confidence in our students to make positive life choices.” After a recent presentation, SGET officers were approached by a Safe Schools liaison. The educator realized the items she saw in a young student’s belongings were in line with what was being described in the presentation as tools of the dial-a-doping trade.

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Shortage of construction workers critical in BC, employers say A critical labour shortage in B.C.’s construction industry is expected to hit 90 per cent of companies in several trades and 75 per cent of companies across the province are reporting they can’t find enough qualified workers. That’s up from 60 per cent of companies who complained a year ago of a shortage of qualified workers, a survey the CEO of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association released on Wednesday found.

The shortages are critical, with 100 per cent of glazier companies reported staff shortages in the survey, CEO Chris Gardner told a breakfast meeting to kick off the Buildex trades expo.

More than half of the association’s members are expecting more work this year and that will likely mean an even tighter labour market.

Chris Boshard, owner of Combined Painting, a $5-million commercial painting company that’s based in Vancouver and has 30 to 40 employees, fears because he can’t find qualified painters he will have to turn down jobs, as he has had to in past. “Oh yeah, every summer,”

said Boshard, who was attending the workshop entitled “How to Attract and Hire Rock Star Staff for the Trades.” Boshardsaid he has lost workers to retirement and burnout. He said one worker, after three years of working straight through, quit the job and moved to Mission.

“I asked him why he didn’t take a vacation and he said he couldn’t afford to,” said Boshard.

He also speculated that trades aren’t considered a career choice among some segments of B.C.’s population. “There are not a lot of parents wanting their kids to get into the trades,” said Boshard. “They want them to be accountants.” He listened to the workshop facilitators talking about companies suggesting offering up to “thousands of dollars” in bonuses to any employee who brings in a new worker, holding work parties with pizza, drinks and music to encourage workers to send out want ads on their personal social media sites, flooding online job sites such as Craigslist, Kijiji and Indeed.com with jobs wanted ads and recruiting from other provinces, especially post-

High debt levels could pose challenge to how Bank of Canada manages policy, says deputy A senior Bank of Canada official says the central bank is looking at how the high levels of household and public debt could pose a challenge to how it manages monetary policy.

Bank of Canada deputy governor Lawrence Schembri. Bank of Canada In a speech to the Manitoba Association for Business Economists on Thursday, Lawrence Schembri said low interest rates have encouraged households to take on debt and higher levels of government debt are largely a legacy of the financial crisis in 2008-09. “Now there is less space, on average, across the G7 for more borrowing to stimulate demand,” he said according to notes of his speech released in Ottawa. The central bank is also looking at what the gradual decline in interest rates over the past 25 years as well as a

reduction in the estimates of the “neutral interest rate” mean for the monetary policy framework.

Schembri defines the neutral interest rate as “the interest rate consistent with the economy growing at its potential and inflation staying on target. It serves as a benchmark for us to gauge the degree of monetary stimulus in place and provides a medium- to long-run anchor for the policy rate.” The Bank of Canada’s current estimate of the neutral rate of interest is 2.5 to 3.5 per cent, down from a range of 3.0 to 4.0 per cent a little more than three years ago.

Schembri said the trend rate of economic growth has been decreasing and that could also pose challenges because cyclical forces that normally help propel an economy out of an unexpected downturn my be less powerful.

12-year-old girl groped in Vancouver: Police Police say a 12-year-old girl was groped Tuesday morning on Vancouver’s west side and are asking for the public’s help finding the man responsible.

In a statement, Vancouver police said the child was walking along West King Edward Avenue at around 7:45 a.m. PT when she paused at the corner of Pine Crescent to use her phone. According to police, a man allegedly ran up to her, groped her “quickly” and then ran south on Pine.

Police are seeking a male suspect they describe as: White. In his 40s or 50s.Having grey stubble on his face. Maybe having a noticeable freckle on his cheek by his right eye.

Wearing a T-shirt; tight, black yoga-style pants and a black backpack.

“The VPD have been working to identify this man since receiving the report on February 14th,” said VPD spokesperson Jason Doucette.

“We want to encourage people to watch out for one another and to report any suspicious behaviour to 911 immediately.”

Police want to hear from anyone who may have been in the area of of West King Edward Avenue and Pine Crescent Tuesday, Feb. 13, between 7:40 and 7:50 a.m. PT.

Andrew Weaver’s defamation lawsuit against retired professor dismissed A defamation lawsuit filed by B.C. Green party leader Andrew Weaver against a former geography professor from Winnipeg has been dismissed. Before he was elected as an MLA in 2013, Weaver sued Dr. Timothy Ball, a retired professor from the University of Winnipeg, after Ball wrote an article on Jan. 10, 2011 entitled

“Corruption of Climate Science Has Created 30 Lost Years” that appeared on a website known as “Canada Free Press.” The thrust of the article written by Ball, a climate change skeptic, was that modern climate science had been corrupted by money and politics and that there was not enough evidence to support claims that humans are contributing to climate change and global warming. Weaver, a University of Victoria professor and a leading voice on the need to take action on climate change, alleged that the article referred to him in ways that were libellous. The alleged libel included that Weaver

was not competent or qualified to teach climate science and that he cheated Canadian taxpayers by accepting public funding for climate science research although he had little or no knowledge about climate science. Weaver also believed that the piece suggested he bribed university students with research funds so they would participate in useless computer modelling studies which had little scientific value and that he had dishonestly claimed on his website to be a “climatologist” but removed the claim when challenged by Ball. After the article was published, Weaver demanded a retraction and apology from Canada Free Press and Ball. The website deleted the article and published a retraction and an apology. Ball also apologized.

At trial, Weaver argued that the allegations contained in the article struck at the heart of his role as a teacher and scientist and claimed that Ball had failed to establish any defences to the alleged defamation.

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Vancouver council approves Northeast False Creek development The concept plan for a substantial new downtown Vancouver neighbourhood got the go-ahead at city hall Tuesday, after councillors agreed that Northeast False Creek should get more subsidized rental housing, more consultation with the Chinese community and an Indigenous name. But it took hours of debate, as councillors argued over the multiple issues raised by the plan for the area, which is supposed to bring in $1.7-billion worth of community benefits, add more than 10,000 people to the area, and repair damage done to the Chinese and black communities when the city pursued “slum clearance” plans in the 1960s. Councillor Hector Bremner, with the minority Non-Partisan Association on council, attempted to get a vote on the

concept plan delayed, saying there were too many unresolved issues. “We have an opportunity of a lifetime to shape our city for centuries with this,” Mr. Bremenr said. “It’s clear that folks out there want more time to review. Nobody feels we have 100 per cent confidence in where we’re going.”

As well, he said the plan provides for housing for multi-millionaires and the poor, but not much for middle-income Vancouverites.

But Vision and Green councillors said it is a first step that sets overall directions, with many more refinements and information to come. “It will take a number of years to build out,” Mayor Gregor Robertson said. “I don’t underestimate the amount of work still to be

Abbotsford police release sketch of sexual assault suspect Abbotsford police have released a composite sketch of a man they say is a suspect in a sexual assault last month. In a news release, police say the assault to took place Jan. 17 at approximately 6 p.m. PT on the grounds of John MacLure Elementary School. Police say the victim was walking through the school’s field when a man approached her from behind and pushed her down.

According to police, the victim freed herself and ran to a nearby business where she was able to get help.

Police say they believe the suspect is a stranger to the victim. They describe him as: Caucasian.

In his 30s or 40s. Having a scruffy beard.

Approximately five feet eleven inches tall.

Weighing approximately 175 pounds.

Wearing dark jeans and a zip-up hoodie with the words “Dry Fit” on the back.

Police say they are asking for any witnesses or anyone with dash cam or security camera footage to speak with them.

NDP MPs past and present mull bids for Vancouver mayoral election Libby Davies, then an NDP MP, rises during Question Period in the House of Commons in 2014 in Ottawa. Two prominent NDP politicians say they are seriously considering a run for mayor of Vancouver in order to unite progressive parties against the centreright Non-Partisan Association and tackle the city’s extraordinary housing crisis. With the announcement last month that Mayor Gregor Robertson will not run again in October after 10 years in power with his Vision Vancouver party, the field has been thrown wide open, with all parties scrambling to devise strategy and field candidates.

Over the weekend, former NDP MP Libby Davies and current NDP MP Don Davies – not related – both said they are talking to a wide range of people about how best to unite the centre-left and left-wing vote among Vision Vancouver, the Green Party, the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) and OneCity. Both say they’re considering running because Vancouver is in serious trouble, with out-of-control housing costs and a sense that the city is failing residents.

“It feels like the city is in shock,” said Ms. Davies, who will be 64 at the end of the month. “People are hurting from struggling to live in the city. Whoever runs, there’s something big out there, and that person has to connect to people who are feeling lost.” She said there are few people in the city who can bring people together. “I can play that role.” Mr. Davies said it’s clear that the city’s housing crisis needs a new approach. “I think we need fresh, bold solutions. The bottom line is to recognize it is a crisis, and that would

be my No. 1 priority. Young people are leaving, people are living in cramped conditions – they want to seek a council that hunkers down and works on this.”

He also said the next council needs to focus more on basics such as transit, garbage and clean parks. “Thinking globally is important, but equally important are those basic services.”

done.” He was enthusiastic about what the future neighbourhood will bring to the city.

“This will only magnify the incredible downtown that we have. It is one of the largest expansions of social housing in B.C. history.”

The plan for the former industrial area adjacent to Vancouver’s central business district envisions a completely reconfigured

road system that will include the demolition of the heavily used Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, a significant new park, a waterfront filled with shops, restaurants and activities, and promises of at least some housing that local Vancouverites can afford. Twenty per cent of the units are supposed to be affordable, according to city policy.

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BC uncertain about future of child care as Ottawa delays funding event BC government says it had a commitment from the federal government for $153-million in funding for expanded child-care programs, but Ottawa’s last-moment cancellation of the planned joint announcement has created uncertainty about when the money is coming.

In the midst of navigating a tense trade dispute between B.C. and Alberta over the expansion of Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd.’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline, the NDP government said federal officials e-mailed their B.C. counterparts on the eve of the planned Feb. 9 announcement that the event was being postponed, and no reasons were given. Officials in Ottawa said a deal will be announced in due course, and that the trade dispute will not affect the amount or terms for the province. BC government has been banking on the federal funding to help it launch an affordable childcare program that is to be the cornerstone of the provincial budget that will be tabled on Feb. 20. Unless the funding is confirmed in the next few days, the budget will not reflect Ottawa’s contribution.

The provincial government was so certain the deal was sealed that it had already included

it in a cabinet order that was made public on Feb. 9. The cabinet order included a 41-page framework agreement that details how the federal money will be used to fund spaces for Indigenous children, students with special needs and children of young parents. Under that anticipated agreement, Ottawa is to provide $51-million each year for three years.

BC’s minister responsible for child care, Katrina Chen, said that money is still subject to negotiations. “We are finalizing the plan,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “Our two offices are rescheduling the announcement.” Ms. Chen said the federal money is to supplement her government’s new child care package that will increase the number of daycare spaces, enhance training for caregivers and provide financial relief to low-income families. “I’m looking forward to seeing the money coming in soon.” In Ottawa, officials indicated the deal will be completed shortly. A spokesman for Jean-Yves Duclos, the federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, said the announcement of the deal was only put off for logistical reasons.

Multi-vehicle crash took one life on Coquihalla Highway on Family Day weekend A multi-vehicle crash on Family Day long weekend at Coquihalla Highway took one life. Highway is now fully open after a partial closure for about seven hours on last weekend.

According to Drive BC, the northbound lanes on Highway 5, about 35 kilometers south

of Merritt, were shut down just after 2:30 p.m.

That’s after at least six vehicles crashed in that area. Mounties have since confirmed one Lower Mainland resident died in the crash, while a second person was rushed to hospital in critical condition.

Rental-only zoning law to come in effect for some cities in Vancouver region Some cities in the Vancouver region are getting ready to jump on a new provincial law that will allow them to create rental-only zones. But mayors and planners say the rentalonly zones which were promised in Tuesday’s throne speech won’t take away current developers’ rights to build condos where that possibility already exists, such as those in Burnaby’s Metrotown or Vancouver’s Cambie corridor who have already had their properties zoned for higher-density housing. Instead, they say they’re more likely to create new rentalonly zones when new area plans are designed for single-family neighbourhoods that are being densified, likely by transit hubs. He said Vancouver will instead look at sub-areas that could be designated rental only w i t h o u t negatively affecting the current value of properties: areas of older low-rise apartments or s i ng l e - f am i ly areas around the city’s SkyTrain stations that

would be good candidates for higher densities.

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan said council can’t now go in and take away the density defined by its approved plans for Metrotown or Brentwood.

He said that it would have been hugely helpful if the provincial government of the day in 1990 had allowed for rental-only zoning when Burnaby first asked for it. But, Mr. Corrigan said, it would be problematic legally to now tell current property owners in the city’s new town centres, where area plans were developed to define exactly how much density would be allowed, that they suddenly can’t build market condos. So the ability to create rental-only zones won’t change the current dynamic in Burnaby that is resulting in developers pulling down older, cheap, low-rise apartments and putting up new condos. But, Mr. Corrigan said, the city could look at designating areas of lowrise apartments as rental only outside the town centres, such as Edmonds, or single-family neighbourhoods.

Studies show facial recognition software almost works perfectly for white males Recent studies indicate that the face recognition technology used in consumer devices can discriminate based on gender and race. A new study out of the M.I.T Media lab indicates that when certain face recognition products are shown photos of a white man, the software can correctly guess the gender of the person 99 per cent of the time. However, the study found that for subjects with darker skin, the software made more than 35 per cent more mistakes As part of the Gender Shades project 1,270 photos were chosen of individuals from three African countries and three European countries and were evaluated with artificial intelligence (AI) products from IBM, Microsoft and Face++-.

The photos were classified further by gender and by skin colour before testing them on these products. The study notes that while each company appears to have a relatively high rate of accuracy overall, of between 87 and 94 per cent, there were noticeable differences in the misidentified images in different groups.

For example, all companies’ products performed better on photos of men, which yielded an error rate of 8.1 per cent, than they did on photos of women, which yielded an error rate of 20.6 per cent. In addition, every company’s products made fewer errors when attempting to identify lighter-skinned subjects as opposed to darker-skinned subjects, with error rates ranging between 11 per cent and 20 per cent. Products that use facial recognition and AI software include several consumer smartphones, photography apps such as Google Photos, public sector interfaces in law enforcement and health care, etc.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

DREAM CARPET

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NATIONAL

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Higher interest rates won’t ‘break consumers’ backs: CIBC Economists have long been sounding the alarm about the impact that higher interest rates in Canada will have on consumers, who are among the most indebted groups in the world. But a new report from a top Canadian bank says most consumers are in good shape and equipped to face the challenge of higher borrowing costs, because of the way the debt is structured. “Not only are fundamentals strong, but the structure of household debt will shade many borrowers from the full impact of higher rates,” said the report released by CIBC Capital Markets on Thursday.

Economists Benjamin Tal and Royce Mendes argue the real surprise from rising rates will be how few consumers feel the “full sting” of rising borrowing costs in the coming year. The Bank of Canada has raised interest

rates by 25 basis points three times since July, taking the benchmark rate to 1.25 per cent, which is the highest level since 2009.

Canadians owe $1.71 for every dollar of disposable income they have — a new record high Markets are predicting there’s a greater than 70 per cent chance the central bank could hike rates again as early as May as it continues on the path to tightening monetary policy. Meanwhile, Canadian household debt hit a new record high in the third quarter of last year, with consumers owing $1.71 for every dollar of disposable income they had.

While CIBC has said in the past that elevated debt loads have made interest rate hikes almost 50 per cent “more potent” in comparison to the early 2000s.

Home Capital Group says new mortgage rules have clients migrating from big banks Home Capital Group Inc. believes early results from this year suggest that mortgage business may be migrating to the alternative lender after the federal banking regulator introduced tougher rules for uninsured mortgages at the beginning of the year — even though it too is required to abide by the requirements.

Preliminary indicators also suggest the credit quality of Home Capital mortgage originations is improving after the new rules

were introduced Jan. 1, though it’s difficult to precisely quantify the impact, chief executive Yousry Bissada said on a conference call Thursday to discuss its fourth-quarter earnings. Home Capital vows to defend itself against short seller’s lawsuit “We have observed that some of our customers have been impacted by the stress test, and have therefore qualified for smaller loans than they would have last year.”

The rules for federally regulated lenders introduce a stress test for borrowers with a more than 20 per cent down payment to prove that they can service mortgage at a qualifying rate of the greater of the contractual mortgage rate plus two percentage point or the fiveyear benchmark rate published by the Bank of Canada. Results from the quarter ended Dec. 31 were about 40 per cent less than it earned in the same quarter last year before it was hit with allegations it misled investors, but Bissada said he believes the company is turning a corner. Home Capital CEO confident mortgage business will return to historical norms He said the credit quality improvement seen so far this year could be an indication that business previously booked at the Big Six banks is migrating to Home Capital for mortgage solutions — but did not elaborate on why, given that Home Capital is

subject to the new rules.

The company has previously said it is concerned about the impact of the recent revisions to mortgage underwriting guidelines for federally regulated institutions. “The company has identified a number of strategies to mitigate the impact of stress testing and co-lending changes while maintaining overall credit quality,” the company said in its 2017 and fourth-quarter report. “However, management will require more time to fully assess how the market responds to the changes and what the net impact will be on the company’s addressable market and product suite offering.” Home Capital shareholders reject new investment from Berkshire Hathaway Shares of Home Capital closed down six per cent at $16.30 on the TSX after the company reported its quarterly financial results. The company reported net a income of $30.6 million in its most recent quarter, compared to a net income of $50.7 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue dropped in the quarter to $109.5 million, from $144.6 million in the similar quarter a year ago, but ahead of Thomson Reuters estimates of $86.5 million. It’s been a tumultuous year for the Toronto-based mortgage lender after allegations it was misleading shareholders

NATIONAL

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Judge reserves decision at emergency hearing on Abdoul Abdi deportation case An emergency hearing was held in a Halifax courtroom this morning to determine whether deportation proceedings should be halted against a former child refugee from Somalia.

The request follows the refusal by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to pause a deportation hearing — scheduled for next month — while the Federal Court hears a constitutional challenge to the decision to deport 24-year-old Abdoul Abdi.

The judge reserved his decision, but said he will rule before the upcoming Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) hearing on March 7, which will determine whether Abdi should be deported. “If the deportation hearing proceeds, there will be no consideration of the merits of his case. He has to automatically lose his right to work and his right to health care at this key time in his rehabilitation efforts in Canada,” said Abdi’s lawyer, Benjamin Perryman. Abdi came to Nova Scotia with his aunts and sister when he was six. He spent his childhood bouncing between 31 different group and foster homes.

Nova Scotia’s Department of Community Services was responsible for applying for Abdi’s citizenship on his behalf, but did not. He is currently a permanent resident of Canada.

The federal government now wants to send Abdi back to Somalia because of his criminal history and because he’s not a Canadian citizen.

He was released from prison in January after serving four and a half years on charges including aggravated assault. In Perryman’s submissions before Justice Keith Boswell, he said his client admits he committed serious crimes, but that Abdi has served his sentence and has been deemed ready for rehabilitation.

Abdi, who is currently on statutory release and living in a halfway house in Toronto, was not at the emergency hearing this morning in Federal Court in Halifax. He is working with a program for youth who are in care in Toronto. One of Abdi’s statutory release conditions is that he have a job. Violating the conditions could mean his return to prison.

Addressing the court, Boswell said it is “probably likely” that Abdi’s hearing would result in a deportation order, but that it is not a certainty. Federal prosecutor Heidi Collicutt told the court Abdi is “prematurely” anticipating a negative outcome at the March 7 admissibility hearing. She told court the IRB has a mandated duty to hear matters “without delay.” She added even if there is a ruling against him, Abdi has some options. Measures such as a temporary work permit could be granted, she said. Abdoul Abdi, refugee facing deportation, says he is looking for a second chance

Two new senators from Ontario named to upper chamber and in other positions Prime Minister Justin with the school board.

Trudeau has named two new She currently serves senators to sit as members on the Canadian of the upper chamber as Olympic Committee’s his government’s push to board of directors. rid the chamber of partisan A long-time resident appointees continues. of Wellington Martha Deacon and Robert Martha Deacon Robert Black County, an area in Black will represent Ontario in the Senate. According to the prime southwestern Ontario, Black currently serves minister’s office, Deacon served Team Canada as the chief executive officer of the Ontario as an apprentice coach at a number of past Rural Institute, a group focused on mentoring Olympic and Commonwealth games, and was community leaders in Ontario’s rural and named Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2010 northern communities.

Unlike many of Trudeau’s recent picks for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Deacon is a past recipient of the International Senate, Black is no stranger to electoral politics.

Olympic Committee Education and Youth He has served as a councillor on the Wellington Award and the Jules Nisse “Playground to County Council since 2014. True to his rural Podium” award. She has also been inducted roots, Black volunteers with 4-H Canada and is a board member for the Ontario Agricultural into the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame.

She is a long-serving educator in the Hall of Fame. Trudeau’s Senate point man Waterloo region, as both a classroom teacher prepared to limit debate on cannabis bill

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Former Conservative MP Patrick Brown rips CTV, challenges accusers to press charges Patrick Brown has stepped up his campaign to defend himself against sexual misconduct allegations, challenging his accusers to take their complaints to police and lashing out at CTV News as the broadcaster reported one of the women quoted in its original story has now changed a key detail in her account.

In a lengthy Facebook post, the former leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives accused CTV News of defamation for broadcasting the allegations from two women that date back to when he was a federal MP. The accusations, which prompted Brown’s resignation last month, have not been verified

by The Canadian Press.

In late January, CTV reported that one woman, who is now 29, claimed she was still in high school and under the legal drinking age when Brown allegedly asked her to perform oral sex on him.

Another woman said she was a university student working in Brown’s constituency office when he sexually assaulted her at his home, CTV reported. Late Tuesday, CTV reported that the first accuser now said she had not been in high school or under the legal drinking age during the alleged incident. The woman said the altered timeline did not change the core of her allegations and noted she had been subject to demeaning and misogynistic comments online since the story broke. Brown called the change in the narrative “monumental.”

“Here is my message to CTV News. You lied.

You defamed me,” he said in his Facebook post.

“And here is my message to my accusers — both of them. If you truly stand by your allegations, then I urge you to contact Barrie Police and have them lay charges.”

CTV News said it stands by its reporting. Key accusation against Patrick Brown false, CTV now admits “Patrick Brown’s allegations regarding our reporting are false,” CTV’s communications director Matthew Garrow said. “His attacks on our journalistic practices are groundless and wrong. CTV News continues to ask Patrick Brown if he thinks the two women accusing him of sexual misconduct are lying. He has yet to respond.” The woman who had altered her timeline on her allegations told CTV she stands by her accusations.

“There is nothing in what Patrick Brown alleges that undermines the core truth of what I have experienced with him,” she said in a statement posted online by the broadcaster.

“The comments that I have been subjected to ignore altogether the abuse of power by an older sober man over a young intoxicated woman in this case.” The woman’s lawyer, David Butt, told CTV it’s not unusual for “collateral details” to fade over time and complainants shouldn’t be blamed because it often takes years for them to find the courage to speak out. “These sorts of issues arise routinely in historical cases and cannot be blamed on survivors, because coming forward is such a difficult act,” he said.

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

Senate deal on cannabis bill timeline means no sales before August Leaders in the Senate have reached a deal on a timeline for the legalization of cannabis — a schedule that pushes the start of retail sales past July 1, the date that had been floated in the past as the government’s target. Peter Harder, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s point-man in the Senate, and Larry Smith, the Conservative leader in the upper house, have agreed on a path forward for Bill C-45, CBC News has confirmed. While Harder had wanted a vote at third reading in May — the last legislative stage before a bill receives royal assent — that vote will now be held on or before June 7.

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor told members of the Red Chamber last

week that it will take 8 to 12 weeks to get the retail system up and running after the legislation receives royal assent.

That means Canadians probably can’t expect to buy legal weed before early August.

“There’s no exact date but, if you do the math, you’ll see it won’t be July 2018,” Petitpas Taylor told reporters Thursday.

“Cannabis legalization is not about a date, it’s about a process ... We want this process done as seamlessly as possible.” The bill, as currently written, stipulates the law does not come into force until a date is

fixed by an order of the governor in council (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet).

Tories are ‘quite pleased’ with new timeline The delayed timeline is a victory for Conservatives, who have demanded more time to study the implications of legalizing a drug that has been outlawed for more than 100 years.

A senior Conservative source, speaking on background to CBC News, said they were “quite pleased” they secured more time from the government through these negotiations. “The table has been set for what we’ve asked for all along — a thorough examination of the bill,” the source said. “There’s lots in the legislation that is of concern to us.”

The Conservative source said a “handful” of amendments to the bill are expected in the intervening months.

“It’s not a matter of what’s being done.

It’s a matter of how it’s being done.”

Conservative senators are worried the legislation will endanger youth, increase smoking rates, complicate the work of police officers, lead to a backlog of court cases for possession offences and do little to curb black market sales of the drug.

Defenders of the bill — including its sponsor in the Senate, Independent Ontario Sen. Tony Dean — say the government does not have the luxury of time. They say illegal cannabis use — a $7 billion industry that funnels funds into the hands of organized crime, according to government figures — will continue unabated without the benefit of federal regulations. This week, Harder floated the idea of invoking time allocation to shut down debate and force a vote if Conservatives stalled the bill’s passage beyond a reasonable date. That option is off the table now that all sides have agreed to this timeline. “This should give stakeholders, governments, businesses, law enforcement agencies and other Canadians a timeline for how and when the bill will be ultimately dealt with by the Upper Chamber,” Harder said

Ottawa to present plan to amend policy that rejects immigrants on medical grounds by April: Minister Hussen Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said today he will present a plan by April to amend an outdated policy that excludes immigrants based on their medical conditions — but the NDP wants quicker action to end the “discriminatory” clause.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan held a news conference today calling on the government to repeal a section of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that allows applicants to be rejected because they could impose an “excessive demand” on the health care system. She said the issue has been on the government’s radar since 2016, yet the “discriminatory” policy that causes “heartache and hardship” remains.

Liberals to scrap policy that rejects disabled immigrants The House of Commons studied the issue last fall, when Hussen told the immigration committee the government was committed to ditching the 40-year-old policy. He said at the time it “does not align with our country’s values of inclusion of person with disabilities in Canadian society.” “How we do that is equally important, because this affects provincial health care and social service budgets and we have to do it in line with what the provinces are willing to do,” he said.

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the department has been reviewing the policy “with the goal of ensuring that applicants are treated in a fair and equitable manner, and that the policy aligns with Canadian values regarding the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, while also recognizing the need to protect publicly-paid health and social services.”

All elements of the excessive demand provision are being looked at as part of that review. Any policy changes stemming from the review will be publicly announced at an

appropriate tim Hussen made the remarks today during an appearance before the immigration committee, where took a wide range of questions on the government’s immigration targets. Maurice Tomlinson, senior policy analyst at The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, warned that the government must repeal the clause, not rework it.

“Any tinkering with it would only perpetuate discrimination against persons with disabilities,” he said. “This hurtful, stigmatizing and unnecessary regime must end.”

At committee, Hussen also was asked about the impact of the government’s decision to lift the visa requirement for visitors from Romania and Bulgaria. A departmental official said there have been 232 asylum claims since the visa was lifted in December, but could not say if that was a “blip” or the beginning of an upward trend.

“Considering the number was virtually zero under the visa, for such a short period of time it’s a significant spike,” she said. “It’s particularly concerning because it shows the government doesn’t have a mitigation strategy to deal with this.” An IRCC official said representatives met the Romanian ambassador earlier this month, but would not say how large the volume of asylum claims must become before the government reinstates the visa. IRCC figures show there were zero asylum claims from Romanians in the 11 months prior to the visa lift. Spokeswoman Johanne Nadeau told CBC News that Canada has been closely monitoring migration trends from Romania since the visa requirement was lifted, and noted that claims increased after Dec. 1, 2017.

“We are working closely with Romania and European partners to better understand the trends in order to look at ways to address the situation,” she said.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

If Canada-US trade is a bad idea, then there are no good ideas: Trudeau PM Trudeau took direct aim on Friday night at a key anti-trade talking point from U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that trade couldn’t be reduced to something akin to the score in a hockey game. Trump has repeatedly threatened to tear up the free trade pact between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, believing that a trade imbalance is to blame for the loss of millions of jobs. In a speech at the Ronald Reagan presidential library Friday night, Trudeau ran through a series of statistics to show how much Canada buys from the United States, and how much of Canadian oil and energy products flows south of the border. But the prime minister, speaking in a building named for the president who signed the landmark Canada-U.S. free trade deal, said the sum total of North American free trade couldn’t “be reduced to a balance of trade statistics or a tariff rate.” “Simply put, if trade between Canada

and the U.S. is a bad idea, then there are no good ideas,” Trudeau said during the speech to local and state legislators. Trudeau stood on the ground floor of the Air Force One pavilion, his back to a large wall of windows providing a view of the surrounding hills. Overhead was a massive symbol of American diplomacy: the presidential plane that carried Reagan and six other presidents.

The Liberal leader’s full-throated support of the free trade that Reagan trumpeted will cause a shake-up among American conservatives, particularly think-tanks that have influence over President Donald Trump’s policies, said Sean Speer, a senior fellow at the MacdonaldLaurier Institute. Speer said the speech would also make old-school Republicans rethink their backing of Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to end free trade with Canada, which Reagan secured in the 1980s.

Canada set to open free trade talks with South American bloc On March 8, Canada’s minister of international trade, FrancoisPhilippe Champagne, will sign the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership — the CPTPP, formerly known as the TPP. According to media reoports the following day, if all goes as planned, Canada’s delegation will board a plane and fly over the Andes to Asuncion, Paraguay, to launch free trade talks with the Mercosur bloc of nations.

Mercosur is a trade bloc formed in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is the largest trade bloc in this hemisphere after NAFTA. (Venezuela is also a member but is currently suspended because of the collapse of democratic institutions in the country.

Bolivia is in the process of joining.)

Brazil is the giant of the bloc, with a population of over 200 million and a gross

domestic product 25 per cent bigger than Canada’s. Argentina is home to 44 million people and has the highest per capita income in Latin America and a large middle class. Paraguay currently holds the rotating presidency in the Bloc, which is why talks will take place there. Canada has a string of free trade deals with nonMercosur Latin nations. Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile form the other big Latin American trade bloc, the Pacific Alliance. Canada has free trade with all four. About 218 million people live in Pacific Alliance countries, with a combined GDP of about $2.2 trillion US. Canada is connected to those Pacific nations through an extensive web of deals. Canada has had free trade with Chile through a bilateral deal for over 20 years.

Bombardier plans to ship Canadian-made C-Series to Delta Air Delta Air Lines said on Thursday it will take delivery of Canadian-made C Series jets this year after Bombardier Inc. scored a big trade victory in the United States against Boeing. The US airline said it will accept the first of the 75 CS100s it ordered later this year until the Airbus/Bombardier facility in Alabama is up and running. “The company is evaluating how to best match Bombardier’s production capacities with fleet needs,” it said in a news release. US trade agency rejected Bombardier duties as CSeries sales did not hurt Boeing Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare told analysts that it plans to deliver to Delta aircraft assembled in Quebec until a U.S. assembly line estimated to cost $250 million to $300 million is built in Alabama.

“Clearly, the Delta aircraft are in the skyline for 2018, they have always been,” he said Thursday during a conference call.

The US International Trade Commission ruled last month that the C Series hasn’t caused Boeing material harm even though the Department of Commerce ruled the planes are sold in the U.S. at less than fair value and are subsidized by the Canadian government.

The commission said in a report backing up its unanimous ruling that there is nothing stopping the Montreal-based company from delivering planes assembled in Mirabel, Que., to the American airlines. The ruling overturned preliminary anti-dumping and countervailing duties totalling 292.21 per cent, although Boeing could appeal.

Winning BC-led supercluster bid to create thousands of BC jobs British Columbia’s innovation ecosystem received a huge boost today with the selection of a B.C.-based digital supercluster consortium to share a portion of $950 million in federal innovation funding, announced Jobs, Trade and Technology Minister Bruce Ralston. “Today is truly a landmark day for tech and innovation in our province,” said Ralston. “From new and emerging technologies like AR/VR and quantum computing, to traditional industries like natural resources and manufacturing, the digital supercluster will help grow our tech sector and create economic opportunities for

the people of B.C. Your government is proud to have supported this winning bid, and will continue to champion tech and innovation as a path to prosperity.”

Led by TELUS, Microsoft, Teck, Canfor, Shoppers Drug Mart, Providence Health Care and the University of British Columbia, the bid is supported by the BC Tech Association and over 200 other partners including 25 post-secondary institutions. Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster has over $500 million in committed private-sector innovation funding for the initiative.

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

Muslims say viral Malayali song ‘hurts feelings’ A song from the upcoming Malayalam film “Oru Adaar Love” has courted controversy with a police complaint being registered in Hyderabad today for hurting religious sentiments.

Muslim youths from Falaknuma area in the old city filed a complaint with the local police, alleging that the lyrics of the song were blasphemous as there was a mention of Prophet Mohammad. The police filed a case against the movie-makers. “We are investigating the case. Appropriate action will be taken as per the facts and provisions of law,” Deputy Commissioner of Police V Satyanarayana said.

Ever since the release of the teaser a few days ago, the song, featuring Malayalam actor and model Priya Prakash Varrier (18),

has gone viral on the social media, garnering more than 4.8 million views on YouTube within three days. Varrier has become an overnight sensation, transcending the language barrier, and has been trending on all social media platforms.

Movie director Omar Lulu clarified: “A popular song in the Malabar area of Kerala, it is sung at wedding ceremonies.There is nothing against Prophet Mohammad in the song.”

However, the complainants demanded a ban on the song. They attached a copy of the original song and its English translation along with the complaint filed at the Falaknuma police station.

Congress attacks PM Modi for ‘letting scams flourish’ Accusing BJP of promoting “loot and scoot”, Congress said jeweller Nirav Modi was protected by someone high in the government even as party chief Rahul Gandhi claimed the secret to the scamster’s success was his alleged proximity to PM Narendra Modi. Using the hashtag “from 1Modi2another”, Rahul tweeted, “Guide to looting India by Nirav Modi — Hug PM Modi; be seen with him in Davos, use that clout to steal Rs 12,000 crore and slip out of the country like Mallya while the government looks the other way.”

The blunt allegation linking the BJP mascot with the man behind what Congress termed “independent India’s biggest bank fraud” came on a day the opposition accused Modi of letting the scam flourish on his watch.

Congress spokespersons Randeep Surjewala, Shaktisinh Gohil and Pawan Khera said a whistleblower from Bengaluru, Hari Prasad, had submitted details of the brewing scam on July 26, 2016 to the PMO and sought action.

The documents released by Prasad deal with Nirav Modi’s partner Mehul Choksi’s business dealings. Prasad’s letters showed that he listed the modus operandi of Gitanjali group’s Mehul Choksi — partner of Nirav Modi — and 42 cases against him across the country. Also, Congress said Punjab National Bank had on January 29, 2018 urged the CBI to issue a lookout notice to prevent Nirav Modi from leaving the country. Congress also released a CII group photo with the PM in Davos featuring Nirav.

Jewellery stocks take a hit after PNB fraud; Gitanjali Gems tanks over 18% Shares of Gitanjali Gems on Thursday plunged up to 19 per cent in morning trade after the company came under scanner of various investigating agencies following the Punjab National Bank’s declaration of nearly Rs 11,400-crore fraud.

The stock today opened on a bearish note at Rs 48, then lost further ground to touch a low of Rs 47.50, down 18.94 per cent over its previous closing price.

Similar movement was seen on the NSE as well, where the stock tanked 18.73 per cent to a low of Rs 47.50.

Meanwhile, some of other jewellery stocks also witnessed similar fate with PC Jeweller slumping 19.50 per cent to Rs 303.00,

Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) 4.32 per cent to Rs 110.60, and Thangamayil Jewellery 2 per cent to 558.55 on BSE. Rajesh Exports fell 1.34 per cent to a low of Rs 808.70 on BSE. Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Wednesday disclosed that it has detected some fraudulent transactions with financial implication of USD 1.77 billion (about Rs 11,346 crore) and the matter has been referred to law enforcement agencies for the recovery.

“Four big jewellers—Gitanjali, Ginni, Nakshatra and Nirav Modi—are under scanner. The CBI and Enforcement Directorate are looking at their arrangements with various banks and end use of money,” a senior official said on Wednesday.

PM Modi to address the nation on February 25 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on February 25 in his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat programme.

This will be the 41st edition of the Mann Ki Baat programme, which will be broadcast on All India Radio (AIR), Doordarshan and also on the Narendra Modi mobile application.

Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter to ask peopletosharetheirviews,ideas,andsuggestions.

“What are your ideas and inputs for this month’s #MannKiBaat, which will take place on the 25th? Dial 1800-11-7800 to record your message. You can also write on the NM App Open Forum or share your suggestions on MyGov,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

What are your ideas and inputs for this

month’s, which will take place on the 25th?

Dial 1800-11-7800 to record your message.

You can also write on the NM App Open Forum or share your suggestions on MyGov. In his 40th edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Prime Minister Modi had said, “Woman power is playing a pioneering role and establishing milestones and there are no upper limits for Nari Shakti.” It will be streamed on the YouTube channels of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and DD News.

What are your ideas and inputs for this month’s #MannKiBaat, which will take place on the 25th? Dial 180011-7800 to record your message.

Northern Command chief rebukes Owaisi for communalising Sunjuwan martyrs In a strong rebuke to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi who has pointed out that five of the six soldiers killed in the terror attack at Sunjuwan military camp were Kashmiri Muslims, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, Lt. Gen. Devraj Anbu, said that the Indian Army was above religion.

Without naming the Hyderabad MP, the GOC-in-C said that those who were “communalising” soldiers don’t know the Army well. “In Army, there is a ‘sarva dharma sthal’ (common worship place for all religions),” he said while responding to

a query at a press conference.

On Tuesday, Owaisi had slammed those questioning the patriotism of Indian Muslims saying, “Five Kashmiri Muslims have laid down their lives. Why aren’t you talking about it? This is a reminder to all those nationalists who question my integrity and love for this country.”

Owaisi had followed this up by criticising Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Twitter on Wednesday, saying none of his ministers had visited the family of CRPF constable Mujahid Khan in Ara. Khan was killed in a terror attack on a CRPF camp in Srinagar .

Count how many Muslims are in terror organisations: Subramanian Swamy tells Owaisi Subramanian Swamy countered AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi’s defence of the “patriotism” of Indian Muslims by asking him to think hard about the religion of those who oppose the Army by joining terror outfits.

“Owaisi can count Muslims army men killed.

But can he also count how many Muslims are in terrorists organisation attacking the army (sic),” the BJP MP said in a tweet.

Swamy’s rhetorical poser to Owaisi was the latest in a stream of backlash the AIMIM chief has faced for underscoring the fact that five of the six Armymen who laid down their lives in the Sunjuwan attack were Kashmiri Muslims.

Swamy and Owaisi, both firebrands leaders on opposite ends of the political spectrum, have frequently crossed swords on the issue of patriotism, the Babri Masjid dispute and the Kashmir issue.

Hitting out at the so-called “9 pm” nationalists who appear in prime time tv debates and question the allegiance of Indian Muslims, Owaisi had said: “Those who call Indian Muslims Pakistani should learn something from this. We (Muslims) are sacrificing our lives (for the country),” as quoted by ANI. The statement earned the reproof of the armed forces, with a top commander saying that the Army does not communalise its soldiers.

PUNJAB

Saturday, February 17, 2018

State wants Central panel on Parkash Purb The theme of the celebrations to mark the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak next year will be “Nanak naam charhdi kala, tere bhaaney sarbat da bhala”. This decision was taken here today at a meeting chaired by Cultural Affairs and Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Sidhu said the state government would

approach the Prime Minister for constituting a Central-level committee for the celebrations.

A written communication will be sent to the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry to connect the places visited by Guru Nanak through Guru Nanak Marg.

High Court stays order against CM’s top aide Staying the operation of the January 17 order setting aside the appointment of retired IAS officer Suresh Kumar as Chief Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today expressed prima facie opinion that the Single Bench could not have decided the matter as it was in the nature of public interest.

The order by Justices Mahesh Grover and Rajbir Sehrawat comes as a reprieve for the government, which brought in former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Advocate General Atul Nanda to argue. After hearing the counsel at length, the Bench said it was prima facie of the opinion that at best even if the locus standi of the petitioner to file a writ of quo warranto was accepted, it would necessarily espouse public interest.

Elaborating, the Bench asserted that the petitioner’s interest was not in conflict with that of the state or the incumbent assigned the status of Chief Principal Secretary. “Since the Single Judge who dealt with the matter was not bestowed with the subject roster, the judgment in these circumstances could possibly be construed as coram non judice.

Even otherwise, the matter needs deeper deliberation,” the Bench added.

A writ of quo warranto is filed to challenge an individual’s right to hold office or governmental privilege. Coram non judice indicates legal proceedings without jurisdiction.

In the Punjab and Haryana High Court, quo warranto is heard by a Single Bench while

Farmers told to pay loan

by Mar 31 to get subsidy With a view to pass on the benefits of interest subsidy on crop loans to farmers during the current rabi season, the state Cooperation Department has advised its member tillers to deposit their recovery payments by March 31 on the loans taken during kharif 2017.

This offer was made by Additional Chief Secretary Cooperation DP Reddy during a state-level review meeting of the department here today.

He said that members of primary co-operative agriculture societies in Punjab could avail the benefit of interest subsidy of 3 per cent by paying their pending crop loans pertaining to kharif 2017. They could receive crop loans for the current rabi season, besides deposits of debt relief amounts into their accounts.

He told the field officials of the Cooperative Department and bank employees to make the members of all cooperative societies aware that the debt relief announced by the state government would not be affected by the recovery of their debt as the basis of the debt relief scheme was the amount standing in their account by March 31, 2017.

a petition filed in public interest is placed before a Division Bench especially assigned the task of hearing PILs. Punjab’s stand is that quo warranto can be heard by a Single Bench if an individual’s rights are affected. If the petitioner is not an affected party, the matter has to be placed before the PIL Bench.

Issuing notice of motion for April 17 to the petitioner before the Single Judge, Suresh Kumar and other respondents, the Bench asserted: “In the meantime, operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed”.

23

Probe indicts AAP MLA in dual vote An inquiry conducted by Talwandi Sabo SDM Barinder Singh has indicted AAP MLA Baljinder Kaur in a dual vote case. The probe report has been submitted to the Bathinda Deputy Commissioner for further action.

The report, however, is apparently silent on whether Baljinder Kaur had dual vote when she contested the 2017 Assembly elections from Talwandi Sabo.

Addressing mediapersons here, RTI activist Harmilap Grewal said he had a copy of the letter written by the SDM to the District Election Officer, which stated that Baljinder Kaur “has deliberately made a false statement before the competent authorities”.

He said he would write to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker to demand disqualification of the MLA. In his complaint to the CEO, the RTI activist had claimed that Baljinder first

got her vote made on November 18, 2005, in which she mentioned the name of her father as Amarjit Singh who had adopted her.

However, she got her second vote made on June 22, 2011, in which she mentioned the name of her biological father Darshan Singh. Grewal alleged that the MLA also contested a court case against Chiranjeev Singh, a nephew of Amarjit Singh, regarding Amarjit’s property, which she lost in March 2011.

He said as per the Hindu Adoption Act once a person was adopted by someone, he/she could not go back to biological parents without following a legal process. “After consideration of the circumstances and scrutiny of the documents submitted, the undersigned is of the opinion that as per record both votes i.e. vote made on enumeration form.

24

INDIA

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Intelligence agencies have nabbed Mohammad Ariz Khan, aka Junaid, a prominent Indian Mujahideen member and the alleged main executioner of the 2008 serial blasts in Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad that killed 165 people and left more than 535 injured.

Ariz had managed to escape from the Batla House flat during the 2008 police encounter in which inspector Mohan Chand Sharma was shot dead. Intelligence agencies caught up with Ariz in Nepal, where he was held along with an aide, Abdul Subhan Qureshi, aka Tauqeer.

Ariz, an expert bomber, has been handed over to the Delhi Police. He carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh and an Interpol redcorner notice had been issued against him.

Swinging between India, Nepal and Saudi Arabia, Ariz had managed to dodge investigators for around a decade before he and Tauqeer were spotted in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, by sleuths of an intelligence

Main bomber in 2008 Delhi blasts arrested in Nepal analysis unit in December 2016.

On September 13, 2008, Ariz and his associate had allegedly planted IEDs at M-Block Market, Greater Kailash and other places in Delhi. Around 30 people were killed and over 100 were injured in the serial blasts that occurred at the GK market, Karol Bagh and Connaught Place. Four unexploded IEDs were later recovered from Connaught Place, India Gate and Parliament Street.

Ariz and Tauqeer returned to Nepal in March 2017 and have been in that country since. Indian agencies finally closed in on them last December. While Tauqeer was brought to India in early January, Delhi Police formally arrested Ariz from Banbasa, on Indo-Nepal border, on Tuesday. A third suspect is also being

questioned and is likely to be arrested in the coming days, sources said. In his disclosure, Ariz claimed that he had begun operations to revive IM after forming a base in Nepal.

Through his established contacts, he procured logistics for his visits to India.

Ariz told interrogators that after the Batla House encounter, he had visited a number of relatives and acquaintances in Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for shelter but none agreed to keep him fearing police action.

He then contacted his uncle, Khursheed Alam, who gave him contact details of one Nizamuddin alias Nizam Khan in Nepal.

Ariz, who was in Varanasi at that time, then headed to Bihar and crossed the open border to reach Birat Nagar, Nepal. There,

Nizam helped him with a place to stay and gave him money, Ariz told interrogators.

In due course, Nizam helped him procure a Nepali citizenship card and a passport in the name of Mohammed Salim. In Nepal, he had stayed in Palpa, Kapilavastu and Gorkha area, he has claimed. During his stay in Nepal, he started a dhaba but later began to teach at small schools in the area. He remained in Nepal till 2014.

After that, he got in touch with Riyaz Bhatkal who motivated him to come to Dammam, Saudi Arabia for arranging finances to revive the Indian Mujahideen in India. In September 2014, he went to Saudi Arabia as Salim. For cover, he worked as a “stocker” at a company and began to meet SIMI/IM sympathisers there.

Delhi Police has arrested him under sections of UAPA and waging war against the nation invoked in the Delhi serial blasts case of 2008.

Is Sonia Gandhi still crying or was it a Jumla for votes?warner Finch

‘I feel no hatred’ says father in response to ‘honour’ killing’ of his son It was Thursday last week when the unexpected visitors climbed the stairs to Yashpal Saxena’s one room home in west Delhi.

Saxena offered the couple tea but they declined. After 45 minutes, they left and Saxena and his wife Kamlesh began preparing dinner for their son Ankit, 23, who was expected home any moment. But he never came. At 8pm, screams erupted outside their Raghubir Nagar home.

Neighbours called them to come down. There was a melee on the main road. Saxena and Kamlesh rushed 200 metres from their door to find Ankit frightened and surrounded by attackers.

As they tried to pull their son away, Kamlesh fell. Saxena turned his back on Ankit to help his wife. “When I turned back, they had pinned him down and slit his throat. In seconds, he was lifeless. They killed him.”

Ankit’s death was an “honour” killing. The alleged attackers, now under arrest, were the same people who had visited Saxena’s house earlier. They were a Muslim couple and were upset that their daughter Shehzadi was being courted by Ankit, a Hindu. They had visited Saxena to demand he tell his son to end the relationship. After leaving the house, they were joined by their son and a male relative.

They soon spotted Ankit and confronted him.

But what happened next changed the script and turned Saxena into something of a hero.

‘I feel no hatred’ Instead of being revengeful and raging over the loss of his only child, the grieving father was dignified and restrained. Sensing that the case might be used by politicians to whip up anti-Muslim passions, he steered clear of the hatemongering that has passed for debate in recent years. “Please do not politicise his murder.

Please do not communalise it. It is something one human being did to another. Religion is irrelevant,” Saxena has said repeatedly.

His humanity has introduced a new note in India’s public discourse. It is a discourse that has been marked by shrill anti-Muslim rhetoric, accompanied by mob lynchings or attacks against Muslims over allegations of beef-eating or taunts about lack of patriotism.

In response to this violence, ministers from the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) have made perfunctory noises of disapproval.

But it is Saxena’s words that have hogged the headlines. They seem to have resonated powerfully among those Indians concerned at rising Hindu-Muslim tensions and the tacit acceptance of this development by the BJP. Meanwhile, prime minister Narendra Modi has chosen not to address violence against the Muslim minority directly.

The spot where Ankit Saxena murdered.

Photograph: Amrit Dhillon for the Guardian Saxena’s moral stature rose even higher when he declined to join a candlelight march for his son because he was unsure who had organised it and worried that it might be used to paint Muslims in a bad light. He also opposed attempts by some Hindus to scare away Muslim families in the neighbourhood.

‘We are humans first’ For Saxena, his conduct is nothing out of the ordinary. He talks only of what he knows and feels. Talking about his son clearly costs him an effort but he manages, unlike Kamlesh who sits dazed, her eyes closed, silent. They sit on the raised wooden platform that serves as a bed, swaddled by shawls and blankets.

“It is just my nature to feel comfortable with people of all faiths. We all celebrate Hindu and Muslim festivals together here. My son’s friends were Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu. I think he imbibed my values,” he said. In fact, Ankit’s closest friend is Azhar, a Muslim who lives next door. Ankit’s cousin, Ashish Duggal, has camped at the house, refusing to leave Ankit’s parents alone.

With other relatives and friends they created a Facebook page called “RIP Ankit Saxena” where they appeal for justice, not hate. “Before being a Hindu or a Muslim, we are humans first. That’s the motto of this page,” said Duggal.

Rebecca John, a supreme court lawyer whose work includes cases involving human rights violations, said she felt indebted to Saxena for introducing a note of compassion and civility into what she called the “toxic atmosphere of hatemongering” in India.

“We’ve seen something very unusual, a rare voice. Given his grievous loss, he could have been justified in saying something provocative yet he begged people to separate religion from the crime. He speaks of a wisdom that we seem to have lost these days. People like him give us hope,” she said.

Reports quote friends as saying that Ankit had told him that he would marry no one but 20-year-old Shehzadi as she was the “princess” of his heart.

She is being kept in a safe house by the police.

Her future is bleak. She now has no family, and no Ankit. Despite being broken-hearted, Saxena frets about her because she is so young and has told police he would like to see her.

The young girl wants to testify against her parents, her uncle and her 15-yearold brother. Her parents and uncle have confessed to the murder, police said. .

Amid the comings and goings of dignitaries and lawyers, a priest arrives in the afternoon to say prayers for Ankit’s soul.

25

INDIA

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Sri Lanka’s formenr President seeks new elections after council vote boost Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa called for parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections to be held after a party backed by him won local council polls in the strongest rebuff yet to the unity government.

Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa waves at his supporters at the party office after a news conference after winning the local government election in Colombo, Sri Lanka February 12, 2018. The national election is not due until 2020 and under the constitution President Maithripala Sirisena can bring the vote forward only after two-thirds of parliament endorses it.

But Rajapaksa, who crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels in a 26-year civil war before he was ousted in 2015, said the coalition government led by Sirisena’s party and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe’s group had lost the people’s confidence.

“These results show people want a change now. The government has lost its mandate,” he told a news conference.

Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa looks at his victory shown in red on

a map in newspaper’s article, at the party office after winning the local government election in Colombo, Sri Lanka February 12, 2018.

Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) won control of 231 local councils out of a total 340 while Wickremasinghe’s center-right United National Party (UNP) took 34 councils and the rest were split among other parties.

The political uncertainty hurt sentiment on the Colombo Stock Exchange index, pushing it down 0.37 percent at close. Sri Lanka’s rupee fell 0.5 percent to hit a record low of 155.00/20 per dollar, surpassing its previous all-time low of 154.60/70 hit last week.

Rajapaksa’s campaign targeted an uptick in inflation, higher taxes imposed by the government and its moves to privatize state assets.

“To overcome this economic crisis, we are urging the government to hold parliamentary elections immediately in order to set up a stable government,” Rajapaksa said.

As the surprise results came out over the weekend, political analysts said there was a possibility that some lawmakers from Sirisena’s party, which performed the worst, could defect.

Indian jewellers have no idea if their suppliers violate human rights Top Indian retail jewellers are now under the lens for not putting in place systems to track possible human rights violation within their supply chains.

While the companies themselves may not be following unethical practices, a report

by New York-based nonprofit Human Rights Watch (HRW) says they are unable to explain how they monitor any abuse

while sourcing gold and precious stones.

Among those named in HRW’s report, released last week, is India’s largest chain of jewellery stores, the Titan Companyowned Tanishq, which is part of the Tata group. Tanishq runs close to 240 outlets and three manufacturing facilities in India, with a turnover of Rs10,237 crore (pdf) in the financial year 2017.

UN to take part in Rohingya repatriation: Bangladesh Bangladesh has signed a deal to involve the United Nations in the controversial process of returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, a minister said today.

Junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said the government was involving the UN refugee agency so that it could not be

Rohingya refugees

accused of sending anyone from the stateless Muslim minority back against their will.

He gave few details, but said refugees would be asked to fill out repatriation forms in the presence of UN officials.

Bangladesh reached a deal with Myanmar late last year to repatriate the nearly 700,000

Rohingya who have fled across the border since August to escape a brutal military crackdown.

That was meant to start last month, but was delayed by a lack of preparations and protests by Rohingya refugees, most of whom say they do not wish to return without guarantees of safety.

“We have repeatedly said this repatriation process is very complex,” Alam told reporters.

“We want to fill up the (repatriation) forms in their (UN) presence so that no one can say they been forced by someone or sent back against their will,” he told reporters at a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh’s southeastern border district of Cox’s Bazar.

There was no immediate comment from the UN, which has said previously that any repatriation must be voluntary.

Alam urged patience and said Bangladesh did not want to send back the refugees only to have them return, as has happened after past rounds of repatriation.

Indian engineer part of team awarded sci-tech Oscar An engineer raised in Mumbai, Vikas Sathaye, was part of the team that bagged the scientific and engineering award at the Oscars 2018 Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday. The four-member team was honoured at the Beverly Hills ceremony “for the concept, design, engineering and implementation of the Shotover K1 Camera System”, which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences describes as a “six-axis stabilised aerial camera

mount” that has an “enhanced ability to frame shots while looking straight down”.

In his statement to the press, Sathaye said that in 2009 he joined a new company called Shotover Camera Systems in Queenstown, New Zealand, which is where he worked on the aerial mount. “One of the reasons to start this company in Queenstown was the natural beauty and stunning scenery which attract a lot of film producers and directors,” he said.

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, February 17, 2018

BNP stages nation-wide protest against former PM Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment Several thousand supporters of the jailed Bangladeshi ex-premier Khaleda Zia today staged human chain protests across the country to demand the party chief ’s release following her fiveyear imprisonment in a graft case.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters in the capital Dhaka and other major cities protested the February 8 court verdict which sentenced the 72-year-old Zia for embezzling 21 million takas (USD 252,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust.

In the same case, her son Tarique Rahman and four others were sentenced to 10 years in jail.

The BNP’s protest came as police allegedly detained hundreds of opposition supporters in the last one week.

N Some senior party leaders, including Shamsuzzaman Dudu, were detained while attempting to join the protest today.

Legal experts say Zia’s imprisonment would disqualify her from contesting the next general elections slated for December OB BIND this year unless the Supreme Court comes up with a different direction during OB BIND the appeal process.

BNP boycotted the general election in OB BIND 2014, but Zia appears to be seeking to contest the next polls.

“She has gone to jail on court orders and we OB BIND want BNP to secure her freedom through legal process so everyone OB BIND could take part in the polls,” ruling Awami League spokesman OB BIND and health minister Mohammad Nasim said.

“It depends on the legal process and the court, let’s see what happens,” Home Minister

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters when asked if Zia’s imprisonment would be long.

Kamal added that the two other graft cases and several criminal charges for instigating deadly violence were pending against her.

27

Opposition MPs thrown out of Maldives Parliament Maldives Parliament witnessed dramatic scenes on Wednesday when military personnel threw MPS from joint out of the gates of the Parliament building.

Maldives plunged into crisis earlier this month when the Supreme Court of the country called for the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, including former President Mohamed Nasheed, ruling that their trials were politically motivated and flawed

The government refused to implement the ruling, prompting a wave of protests in the capital, Male, with angry clashes between police and demonstrators.

The latest incident comes a day after military personnel blocked united opposition MPs from entering into the Parliament building.

On Saturday last week, Yameen who had declared a state of emergency in the country refused to meet senior European diplomats.

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FIJI

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Nishan sahib flag hoisted at Lautoka Gurdwara About 500 Sikhs from the West came together to hoist the nishan sahib in Lautoka yesterday, signifying the Sugar City’s Sikh temple as a place of compassion and love.

The nishan sahib refers to a triangular

flag which is hoisted on a flagpole outside most gurudwara.

Temple president Bayant Singh said the event was a joyous occasion for the Sikh community. “The nishan sahib is symbolic because it stands for compassion and hospitality,” he said.

Police criticised for arresting journalists Islands Business managing director Samisoni Pareti and journalist Nanise Volau have been questioned by Fiji police over a story published online by the Suva-based regional news magazine, IB reports. This follows the article published by Islands Business about Magistrate Andrew See who ruled in favour of Air Terminal Services (ATS) workers locked out for more than a month over an airport industrial dispute.

Former publisher Netani Rika who resigned in November to work full time for the church was questioned earlier today, the magazine said.

Fijian Media Association general secretary Stanley Simpson said later in a statement on the Friends of Fiji Media Facebook page that Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho had confirmed to the FMA that Samisoni Pareti was questioned this afternoon and released at 4.30 pm.

Netani Rika had confirmed they were now safe at home. “Police had taken their laptops and phones, hence their inability to communicate after release,” Simpson said. Authorities are tight-lipped about the future of Magistrate Andrew See who presided over the dispute involving employees of Air Terminal Services.

Islands Business has been tipped off that Magistrate See’s contract has been terminated, three weeks after he ruled in favour of the employees. Contacted in the Lautoka Magistrates Court a short time ago, Magistrate See, an Australian, declined to comment or answer any questions relating to his work.

The President of Opposition NFP Pio Tikoduadua said the detention of three Islands Business magazine journalists for alleged Public Order Act offences is deeply concerning. It is a clear warning of how the Fiji First Government will behave if it is re-elected to office this yearTikoduadua said.

How could a news story about a magistrate’s appointment cause public alarm? If a news media report is wrong, then there are legal remedies available against the publisher. You do not detain the publisher and investigate him for a crime. This Government now wants to suppress any news reporting by anyone of anything that it does not like, using any excuse, he said.

A week ago, the Attorney-General said he

wanted to regulate social media. This was because, he said, people should not post pictures of a man and a woman sitting together after they have married other people. Islands Business former publisher Netani Rika, group editor-inchief Samisoni Pareti and reporter Nanise Volau were questioned by police yesterday. Rika said that at 10.40am yesterday, he was taken from his Nasese home for questioning over what was believed to be an online article published in relation to the Air Terminal Services (Fiji) Ltd impasse.

He, however, could not disclose any further details. According to a post by Islands Business on its Facebook page yesterday afternoon, Rika was taken in by three detectives and was interviewed under caution at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters at Suva St. “The article is understood to involve a Lautoka-based magistrate,” Islands Business stated on its post.b bLater in the day, IB magazine also revealed that Pareti and Volau were also taken in for questioning. According to legal sources, they were told the investigation concerned a possible breach of Section 15 of the Public Order Act. Under Section 15 of the Public Order Act, any person who “maliciously fabricates or knowingly spreads abroad or publishes, whether by writing or by word of mouth or otherwise, any false news or false report tending to create or foster public alarm, public anxiety or disaffection or to result in the detriment of the public” is guilty of an offence.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed that Rika was questioned and later released.

Pareti and Volau were released about 6pm.

She said the investigations were still in their early stages and would not comment further.

This government wants to control everything we say and all the information we receive. I believe they will try to do this through repressive new laws for both mainstream and social media.

I also believe they will stay very quiet about this until after the election. But imagine what will happen if they are given four more years to do anything they want.

I will not apologize to anyone for keeping the people of Fiji safe - PM Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has stressed to the leaders of the world that he will not apologize for whatever it takes within the law to keep the people of Fiji safe and the country’s economy stable. Bainimarama says he has promised Fijians that the nightmare many suffered in the past arising from the successive breakdowns in law and order will never be repeated - and he stressed that he intends to keep that promise. While speaking at the Joint Conference of the Fiji, Australia and New Zealand Business Councils at the Pearl Resort, Bainimarama also raised serious concerns about the use of the words ‘silly’ and ‘mouthing off ’

by NZ Prime Minister John Key when talking about Bainimarama and the Fijian government.

Bainimarama says these words are commonly used to describe a problem student or a wayward child. He says it certainly does not show appropriate respect for a sovereign nation and a democratically elected leader who is acting in the best interest of the Fijian people and the Fijian economy. The Prime Minister stresses

that the government is determined to ensure that civil unrests that have occurred in the past in Fiji, will never happen again.

Bainimarama says the Public Order Act exists to preserve public order and safety and the act is there to protect the interests of every citizen because civil unrests have damaged the economy and people’s jobs. Bainimarama says the Public Order Act then and now requires anyone wanting to hold a public meeting to apply to the Police for a permit. He says this is to ensure that the Police are aware of what is happening and can allocate appropriate resources to cover any eventuality. Bainimarama says the meeting on the 5th of September did not have a permit.

He stresses the people detained for questioning were well treated, their human rights were respected, they were not beaten up or manhandled. Bainimarama questions why there are international statements about human rights abuses when the issue at hand is about a group of people not having a permit under the Public Order Act.

Tikotikoca withdraws his provisional candidacy for NFP after rape allegations National Federation Party’s provisional candidate for the 2018 general election, Romanu Tikotikoca has withdrawn his provisional candidacy of the NFP as he proceeds to clear his name following the rape allegations in 2014. Tikotikoca has stated that this is a matter of integrity purely for him and his family and not of NFP. He says from Sunday to date, the FBC and the Fiji Sun have been prominently reporting allegations that during his tenure as

Fiji’s High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Tikotikoca purportedly raped a maid working at the High Commissioner’s residence.

Tikotikoca says he absolutely and categorically denies the allegation. He says this is a complete fabrication and lie. Tikotikoca says it is a despicable attempt to defame his character and bring ridicule and contempt to him and his family.

Gita Mani convicted of managing a brothel sentenced to 5 months imprisonment A woman convicted of managing a brothel has been sentenced to five months imprisonment.

Gita Mani who was the owner of Farry’s Massage Parlor in Samabula arranged for clients to have sex at the massage parlor. Magistrate

Priyantha Liyanage said that the evidence revealed she earned money by providing women for sex services. He adds that the women were not paid any salary and were

compelled to work as sex workers for a living. Magistrate Liyanage stated that this has become a lucrative business where unskilled women were used and if action is not taken it will pave the way for others.

Defence counsel Jiten Reddy informed the court that he will be appealing the conviction and sentence.

Cab driver charged with kidnapping & raping 14 yr old A 21-year-old woman who was allegedly abducted with her friend on the 11th of January 2014 told the court that Umendra Kumar lied to them to scare them. The 33-year-old taxi driver is charged with a count of abduction and three counts of rape.

It is alleged that Kumar had abducted a 14-year-old girl from Nasinu and took her to Nadi, Lautoka and Rakiraki and raped her on three separate days. The alleged incidents took place on the 11th, 12th and 13th of January 2014.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Chief Justice says he wont’t tolerate ‘crooks heading political parties’ Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar said that he will not accept a crook heading a political party and ruling the country and prayed to the Almighty to not let that happen.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, resumed on Thursday the hearing of a case challenging Elections Act, 2017 – a part

of which paved way for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to head the ruling party despite his disqualification as a member of parliament.

“God forbid if a thief becomes a party head… a disqualified person would make parliamentarians do things which he can’t do himself,” Justice Nisar remarked during the proceeding, Express News reported.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asks authorities to put Sharif & family on Exit Control List asked authorities to place ousted and his family this week filed an application with the accountability premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law on the Exit Control court seeking a fortnightâ€[TM] List to prevent them from leaving the s exemption from personal appearance from February 19 country. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sent a formal request to onwards to let them go to London to see Sharifs ailing wife. the ministry of interior. The interior Three cases were filed against ministry officials confirmed that NAB wrote that names of Sharif, his daughter Sharif and his family last year, including Avenfield properties, Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd.) Muhammad Safdar should be Azizia & Hill Metal Establishment, put on the Exit Control List (ECL), and Flagship Investments.

Nawaz Sharif Former PM;s daughter Maryam which listed individuals not allowed to leave Pakistan. NAB argued that as the trial of and son-in-law Safdar are accused only in the three nears its conclusion, it is feared that Avenfield properties case.

NAB had filed two supplementary references they would leave the country. Earlier, a similar request to place name of finance minister Ishaq against Sharif, his sons Hasan and Hussain Dar on ECL was not accepted, allowing him regarding Al-Azizia Steel Mills & Hill Metal to go to London and never return. Sharif, 69, Establishment and Flagship Investment cases.

Students rally against Valentine’s Day Wednesday’s rally came days after Pakistan’s media regulatory authority, based on a court order, instructed all news channels, radio stations and print media to refrain from promoting Western culture’s celebrations of Valentine’s Day. Students belonging to the Islami Jamiat Talaba group peacefully dispersed after marching at the Punjab University campus.

How different is India? There are moral police from BJP factions who make couple to ties rakhi of they are found together on VD.strategic speaking A court last year also asked authorities to ensure a blackout on any promotions in print or electronic media of Valentine’s Day, which has become increasingly popular in Pakistan in recent years.

Govt is taking action against us to please India and USA: Saeed Hafiz Saeed said he will challenge and other assets. It will hamper the government’s “illegal” action our relief operations in Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Azad Kashmir in the court of law after Pakistan launched a crackdown on seminaries and northern areas,” Saeed said after and health facilities run by him. the government’s action.

According to the interior ministry Under pressure to act against banned groups+ , Pakistan took control of notification, a copy of which available Hafiz Saeed a seminary and four dispensaries with PTI, “the federal government is pleased to direct that requisite actions run by Saeed-linked Jamaat-udDawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation with regard to freezing and taking over of (FIF). “After detaining me for 10 months assets (movable, immovable and human without any legal ground, the government has resource) associated with JuD and FIF shall now issued a notification regarding taking be taken in pursuance of Ordinance No II of over our schools, dispensaries, ambulances 2018.”

Fear of sanctions makes Pakistan ‘crack down’ on Hafiz Saeed outfits Trump administration’s tough approach towards Pakistan on terrorism may be yielding some results. Castigated and called out publicly by the new dispensation in Washington — in contrast to the previous administration’s kid glove treatment — Islamabad is purportedly rolling up its state-sponsored terror groups in the face of imminent financial sanctions and blacklisting for its use of terror proxies in the region.

Pakistan made a big show of seizing assets and funds of Jamaatud-Dawa and Falah-e-

Insaniat Foundation run by the 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed. JamaatudDawa is believed to be a front for Lashkar-eTaiba, which is involved in terrorist attacks in Kashmir. However, Saeed is still free, and according some reports, in hiding. The operation of Saeed’s huge network of schools, seminaries, hospitals, publications and vehicles in Pakistan was a matter of serious concern for the US. Washington had offered $10 million for information leading to Saeed’s arrest and conviction.

In FATF firing line, Pak pretends to roll up terrorist Saeed The Trump administration’s tough approach towards Pakistan on the terrorism issue may be yielding some results. Castigated and called out publicly by the new dispensation in Washington — in contrast to the previous administration’s kid glove treatment — Islamabad is purportedly rolling up its state-sponsored terror groups in the face of imminent financial sanctions and blacklisting for its use of terror proxies in the

region. Pakistan on Wednesday made a big show of seizing assets and funds of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa although its principal, Hafiz Saeed, is still free, and according some reports, in hiding. The immediate reason for Pakistan being galvanized into pretending it has given up on its policy of using terror groups is the upcoming meeting in Paris of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) starting February 18.

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NRI

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Congress Mahila leader booked for duping NRI

A leader of the Mahila Congress was among seven people Congress leader Minakshi Verma, a resident of Basant Nagar, her UKbased daughter Deepti Bhalla, her relative Sohan Lal Shinh, his wife Veena Shinh, his sons Lohit Shinh and Lokesh Shinh and their friend Cristina Lezovika, a resident of Dubai, have been booked on the charges of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property on February 12 on the basis of a complaint by UK-based NRI Surinder Kumar, they said.

The complainant told police that Deepti Bhalla was his friend and she had introduced

him to Lohit and Lokesh as noted brokers of a Dubai-based firm A S Market Company.

Good job - put them in jailAjit Grewal Surinder alleged that he was asked to invest in the company for assured 30% profit. Kumar said he came to India in November 2015 and stayed in Bhallaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house who introduced him to her mother and after which he gave Rs 30 lakh for investment.Subsequently, he gave them Rs 20.8 crore. Verma denied the allegations as baseless and said she had nothing to do with the issue and she was being falsely implicated in the case.

NRI man dies of swine flu in Patan A 52-year-old NRI (non-resident Indian) from Saudi Arabia Mehmudmiya Chhotemiya Shaikh died of swine flu in Dharpur Medical College of Patan on Monday. His wife Shehnaz Shaikh, who was suspected to be infected with swine flu virus, died at a private hospital in Patan last Friday. The couple had come to their native in Patan about three months ago along with their son and were residing at Kali Bazaar in Patan. The couple was to return to Saudi

Arabia later this month. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While Mehmudmiya tested positive for H1N1 virus on Monday before his death, his wife died of suspected swine flu at a private hospital last Friday,â&#x20AC;? chief district health officer (CDHO) of Patan Bharat Goswami said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Son of the deceased couple is also suffering from the cough and cold and is under treatment. A medical team is reviewing the first swine flu case of the season,â&#x20AC;? Goswami added.

NRI forgets US $26,000 at a bar in India An NRI enjoyed his drink so much with a friend at a tavern in Sector 24 that he forgot his bag containing 26,000 US dollars (Rs 16 lakh approximately) at the watering hole, which luckily for him the owner found but unluckily,

he would not be able to get it back for a while at least. The tavern owner handed over the bag, which also had two mobile phones and a passport, to the police. Cops contacted Ankur Rathore, the owner of the bag.

NRI teen in sexting and blackmail trap In a chilling example of the dangers of social media, the 17-yearold daughter of an NRI was allegedly blackmailed by two youths, who trapped her with pictures she had sent while sexting with one of them.

The teenager, who is in Class XI, had come in contact with them through Instagram a year ago. Both her tormenters are now behind bars.

Police said the main accused, 26-year-old Ejaz Ahmed, got her cell number after they connected on Instagram and they started chatting on WhatsApp. He lured the minor into his trap and forced her into sexting, police said.

Once he got some of her intimate photographs, he began threatening to share them with her father and on social media unless she paid up.

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

Aditi Rao Hydari

A

diti Rao Hydari is an actress from South, who works predominantly in Hindi and Tamil films. Born to an illustrious

family in Hyderabad, Adit Rao Hydari belongs to two royal lineages.She made her on-screen debut with the Tamil film Sringaram in 2007. The film had her play the role of a devadasi and her performance in the film garnered positive reviews from critics.

Hydari rose to fame after her performance in Sudhir Mishraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2011 romantic thriller film Yeh Saali Zindagi, a role that won her the Screen Award in the Best Supporting Actress category.

She has subsequently starred in several successful Hindi films including the musical Rockstar (2011), the horrorthriller Murder 3 (2013), the action-comedy Boss (2013), the thriller Wazir (2016). Hydariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portrayal of Mehrunisa in the 2018 period drama Padmaavat was well received; the film became a box office blockbuster and her biggest commercial success.

Shah Rukh Khan garners over 33 million followers on Twitter, dives to thank sans

S

hah Rukh K h a n dived into a pool and went underwater after garnering over 33 million fans on Twitter. Shah Rukh Khan, who was sporting a tuxedo paired with dark sunglasses and completed his look with gelled hair, took to Twitter, where he shared a video and captioned it: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go as planned...

But on a lazy Sunday afternoon, with my limited floatation expertise, this is the best I could do! Judge nahi karna, feel karna (donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t judge, just feel). Thanks.â&#x20AC;?

Before jumping into the pool, Khan said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hi guys, this is me, and I thought every time we reach a big number... I should always do something special for you, but normally I do not get the time.

But today I have got the time, so I gelled my hair back, wore my coolest dark

glasses and I am even wearing a bow tie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A full tuxedo and today I want to give the most over w helming loving message that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve given you in the last decade. So listen to it carefully because this is very heartfelt.â&#x20AC;?

After he dived into the pool, popular dialogues said by the star from his over two-decade-long journey, played in the background, like â&#x20AC;&#x153;pyaar dosti haiâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai.â&#x20AC;? Once he came out of the pool, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Raeesâ&#x20AC;? star said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope you heard every word I said it was right from my heart and so overwhelming that I am running out of breath and where are my glasses. Lots of love to you all.â&#x20AC;? Once the video got over, the caption came: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you 33 million.â&#x20AC;?

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Bollywood

Saturday, February 17, 2018

HOROSCOPE Aries March 21 - April 20 The week ahead has an unpredictable yet delightful quality about it.

With a heightened focus on your social sector, this can be an excellent time for networking, moving in new circles, and generally enjoying life. However, with a solar eclipse in this same zone on Thursday, there is also the opportunity for a fresh start. You might join a club or connect with people who can introduce you to lively new experiences.

Libra Sept. 24 - Oct 22 The week ahead could bring surprises your way, but these seem to be very welcome. Unexpected invitations or a chance to enjoy the company of someone you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see very often can bring a little extra sizzle into your life. There is a solar eclipse in your creative and romantic sector on Thursday, and this could see you falling for someone in a big way. If this is

Scorpio Taurus April 21 - May 20 You may be busy regarding goals or personal ambitions this week. However, an intuitive nudge might act as a catalyst that encourages you to experiment with new ideas that can lead to success. There is a solar eclipse in your career zone on Thursday, and this could push you to make a new start. You might not feel ready, but the cosmos could have other ideas.

Gemini May 20 - June 21 There is quite an intense focus on a sensitive sector of your chart, which can provide an opportunity to clear up issues that may have been holding you back. On a lively note, an upbeat focus in your sector of travel and adventure encourages you to continue the process of learning and exploring new terrain.

A solar eclipse in this zone on Thursday might be a call to take up a course of study or invest

Cancer June 22 - July 23 Your relationships continue to be a key part of your life. Indeed, with sobering Saturn in your relationship zone for some time to come,

and learn to say no to demands or requests that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wish to engage with. There is a solar eclipse in your sector of transformation on Thursday, which could see you letting go of an issue that has been a part of your life for a long time. The relief could be enormous.

Oct 23 - Nov 22 With a powerful blend of energies in your communication zone, you could be involved in a lot of intellectual work or study. Whatever you undertake over the coming months may be very important to you, and it

when it comes to key ambitions. There is a solar eclipse in your home zone on Thursday, and this could ring in changes by encouraging a fresh start.

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22 As feisty Mars continues its journey through your sign, you could feel more empowered and courageous than you have in some time.

This week, a potent focus in the form of a solar eclipse takes place in your sector of talk and thought. This might coincide with an idea whose time has come, one that seems particularly appropriate to your situation. As this eclipse acts like a turbocharged new moon, this can be your chance for a fresh, new start.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20 This could be a week of impulsive purchases unless you can hold back and make more

something you want at a bargain price, it might well be worth going ahead. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a solar eclipse in your money zone on Thursday, indicating the cosmos is encouraging you to experiment with new ways to earn money. This might involve making use of a skill or talent that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve pushed to one side. Doing so could prove very rewarding in more ways than one.

Aquarius

Leo June 24 - August 23 Try not to promise more than you can deliver at the start of the week, because it could prove embarrassing later if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t manage it. It might be better to understate what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re capable of and so save face.

The days ahead could bring unexpected but delightful happenings your way. And with a solar eclipse in your sector of relating, new developments could impact your love life and

love, it might be best not to rush into anything.

Virgo August 24 - Sept 24 Your sector of romance and creativity could be particularly intense at this time and remain so

putting a lot of energy into activities in this area.

Other aspects of your chart are encouraging you

you. This is particularly the case regarding the solar eclipse on Thursday. Releasing whatever no longer serves your best interests can give you the energy to tackle those plans that are most meaningful.

Salman finds leading lady for his new â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Loveratriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Jan 21 - Feb 19 This could be an exciting week, with a solar eclipse in your sign that can bring fresh energy into your life. This eclipse, which takes place on Thursday, could encourage you to take a step in a direction youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve long wanted to go. Events may conspire to push your hand here, even if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel ready. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll soon get used to living at a higher level and be glad you took the chance.

Pisces Feb 20 - March 20 Take note of any intuitive nudges that show up, because they might help you make progress in key areas of your life. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a solar eclipse in your spiritual sector that might coincide with an opportunity to resolve an ongoing issue. If you have battled this for some time, events could reveal a way through. !

experience a great deal of relief. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll truly be in your element as the sun enters your sign this weekend.

Salman Khan sent social media in a frenzy as he posted â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mujhe Ladki mil gayi (I found my girl)!â&#x20AC;? on the morning of Feb. 6. Hours later, the actor introduced the leading lady of his upcoming production, Salman Khan Productionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Loveratri,â&#x20AC;? asking his fans â&#x20AC;&#x153;not to worry naâ&#x20AC;?! The actor, who is one of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most eligible bachelors, had fans and audience guessing as he posted the cryptic tweet.

Khan shared a picture of actress Warina Hussain, who will be paired opposite debutant actor and his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma.

Announcing the leading ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, Khan tweeted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nothing to worry na @ aaysharma ki film #Loveratri ke liye ladki mil gayi Warina, Toh dont worry na be happy naâ&#x20AC;?.

The film is directed by Abhiraj Minawala.

Warina Hussain has been seen in a Cadburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ad and is a known model. She has an Iraqi mother and an Afghan father and has studied at the New York Film Academy.

Sonu Walia onu Walia (born 1 February 1964) is a Bollywood actress, winner of Miss India pageant and model. A psychology graduate and a student of journalism, Walia took up modelling before she entered the Miss India contest.

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Walia was married

Walia won the Miss India contest in 1985[1] and went to compete in Miss Universe 1985.

She took over from Juhi Chawla, Miss India 1984 and, after completing her responsibilities, relinquished her crown to Mehr Jesia in 1986.

In 1988, she acted

in many bold scenes[according to whom?]. A kissing scene of hers became very famous[according to whom?]. That year, she won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Khoon Bhari Maang, which also starred Rekha and Kabir Bedi.

From 1988 - 1990, she played the role of Maharani Chitrangadha, mother of Babruvahana, in Mahabharat TV show.

She acted in a TV serial called Betaal Pachisi with Tom Alter and Shahbaz Khan.

to Surya Prakash, an NRI based in the US who

producer. He passed away[3] .They have a daughter. She

She is 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;8â&#x20AC;? tall. Walia has a younger sister.

Bollywood Personalitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Birthdays

MADHUBALA FEBRUARY 14

SONU WALIA FEBRUARY 19

SAJID NADIADWALA FEBRUARY 18

RAVI TANDON FEBRUARY 17

Bollywood

Saturday, February 17, 2018

L

ove Per Square Foot is romantic comedy produced by Ronnie Screwvala, directed by Anand Tiwari.

Starring Vicky Kaushal and Angira Dhar, the film tells the story of a boy and a girl who try to find a house in Mumbai. It is beauty peagent Alankrita Sahai’s debut film.[2] Produced under his new banner RSVP by Screwvala, the film was released on 14 February 2018, on Netflix.

Cast Vicky Kaushal as Sanjay Chaturvedi, Angira Dhar as Karina D’Souza, Alankrita Sahai as Rashi Khurana Kunaal Roy Kapur as Samuel Masquita Ratna Pathak as Blossom D’souza Supriya Pathak as Lata Chaturvedi Ranbir Kapoor (Cameo appearance).

Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times called the film “youthful, urbane and lovable”.

[5] Ektaa Malik of The Indian Express wrote: “The film has its heart in the right place and would have worked better had it been about twenty minutes shorter.”[6] Kriti Tulsiani called it “easily one of the most likable films so far” but criticised its excessive length. Swetha Ramakrishnan of Firstpost called it an “earnest, well-shot, well-written” film, but felt the songs were “needless”. “Love Per Square Foot producer Ronnie Screwvala: Digital platform an addition, not alternative to theaters”.

The Indian Express. 13 February 2018.

Retrieved 13 February 2018. Bhatnagar, Rohit (12 February 2018). “Alankrita Sahai on her debut film Love Per Square Foot: I love the camera”. Deccan Chronicle.

Film: ‘Love Per Square Foot’

Indian American actor Vandit Bhatt cast on season 3 of ‘Quantico’ Another Indian American actor is ready to showcase his skills on the ABC thriller drama, “Quantico,” which is headlined by Indian actress Priyanka Chopra.

Actor Vandit Bhatt is set for a recurring role on the third season of the show, reports Deadline. Bhatt, who recently played a younger version of Indo-Canadian actor Russell Peters in the film, “Ripped,” will play Jagdeep “Deep” Patel, a member of the new elite black ops team. Created by Josh Safron and executive produced by Michael Seitzman, who also is showrunner, and Mark Gordon, “Quantico” explores the lives of young government agents as they go through training to become special agents and beyond.

The young actor is ecstatic at being given this opportunity. The Manhattan, New Yorkbased actor, who was born in Hyderabad, explains on his website that films have been the avenue for “my exposure to new ideas, history, knowledge, emotions, theater, literature, and all the complexities of the human existence.”

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Bollywood

Nirav Modi: Hollywood stars glittered in his gems on red carpet Diamonds always draw attention but it’s rare when the diamantaire seems to shine brighter than the stones he sets.

Despite making a late entry into the retail business in 2010, Nirav Modi + quickly gained a reputation as India’s jeweller to the stars as Hollywood A-listers from Kate Winslet and Dakota Johnson to Taraji P Henson walked the red carpet in diamonds from his eponymous brand. Late last year, Priyanka Chopra was roped in as brand ambassador. By 2013, he had made it to the Forbes’ billionaires list. The allegations of bank fraud that have emerged against Modi tarnished a brand that had been as carefully crafted as his signature stretchable bracelets.

His public relations team made sure he got his share of flattering profiles in the media.

One luxury writer from Los Angeles was clearly floored after Modi closed his entire Delhi store “just for me” so that the journalist could “experience the luxury that most wealthy buyers have”, and drove him to the airport afterwards. Though Modi, 48, comes from a family of diamond brokers in Antwerp, Belgium, and grew up in the trade,

he’s often told journalists that he didn’t plan to join the business. He got into Wharton, studied finance for a year, dropped out and decided to get into diamond trading after all. As a 19-year-old, he was sent to Mumbai to learn the ropes from his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi, chairman of Gitanjali Gems. In 1999, he set up Firestar Diamond to source rare diamonds, and acquired a string of international companies that helped him build his network and get into contract manufacturing. Apart from India, it has manufacturing units in Russia, Armenia and South Africa. It was in 2008 that a request from a friend for a rare piece of jewellery got Modi interested in retail.

Modi opened his first flagship boutique in New Delhi’s Defence Colony in 2014; a store in Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda followed the next year. At the glittering opening of his Madison Avenue store in New York in 2015, actors Naomi Watts, Nimrat Kaur and Lisa Haydon, and model Coco Rocha were among the celebrities who showed up. He also has boutiques in London, Singapore, Beijing and Macau.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

SRK lends his voice for a film to empower rural women entrepreneurs

Shah Rukh (right) voiced over for a film that captures the lives and livelihood of millions of rural women and who empowered themselves through SEWA enterprise.

B

ollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has lend his voice for a short film

by Mumbai-based social cause firm Samaaj Scope. The film is an effort to empower millions of rural women entrepreneurs from SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association), a trade union in Ahmedabad. The indomitable women of SEWA are quintessential examples

that great products are backed by even greater stories. Millions of rural women artisans own and run brand Hansiba and empower themselves through the enterprise. The short film captures the lives and livelihood of these incredibly talented and fiercely independent women, narrated by the inimitable Shah Rukh Khan.

‘So Here Is My Pehla Nasha!’: Aamir reveals about his first love on Valentine’s Day

A

amir Khan delighted his fans on Valentine’s Day, with a special message and oh, did we tell you that he also revealed about his first memory of love?

Yes, the Dangal actor spoke at length about his pehla nasha - first love - in a candid video, which he posted on his Facebook page along with a caption: “So here is my Pehla Nasha! Earlier this morning, Aamir posted a special message for Valentine’s Day: “Hey guys, listening to my song Pehla Nasha on Valentine’s Day! Ideal song for this day. And, I must say it’s one of my own favourites.

Wishing all of you a happy Valentine’s Day! Love. Aamir.”

Here’s what Aamir posted on Facebook: Soon, netizens from across India started requesting Aamir to share his first memory of love. Thus, #AamirKaPehlaNasha started trending on Twitter. For those of you, who are not familiar with pehla nasha, it’s a song from 90s hit film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, featuring Aamir Khan. The song, picturised on Aamir

Khan, was a huge hit back then, courtesy the soulful melody and heart-touching lyrics.

A few hours later, Aamir actually surprised his fans by posting a video message, where the 52-year-old actor narrated his first love story where he was only 10-years-old.

“Believe it or not, I fell in love for the first time when I was 10 years old... Very few people know this.

I had joined tennis coaching and there was a group of 40-50 children there. There was a girl who was a part of it, and I was stunned to see her. It was ‘pehla nasha’ when I first saw her,” he said. Speaking of his first love, he said: “I fell head over heels in love with her and was totally besotted by her. I used to think of her day and night. But I never mustered the courage to express my feelings to her. I was too young and she was of the same age. She was beautiful.” He ended the video saying, “I hope there’s love and happiness in your life.”

Bollywood

Saturday, February 17, 2018

No more films for Kamal Haasan as he goes more into Political arena

K

amal Haasan said there will be no more films for him as he plunges into politics for the people of Tamil Nadu. The actor-turned-politician, who is set to announce his party and its guiding principles this month, believes extremism is a threat and he cannot just keep complaining about it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Except for the two films which are coming out, there will be no more films for me,â&#x20AC;? declared Haasan in an interview said in Boston.

On being asked whether he would stick to politics even if he loses the election, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will have to do something

for an honest living. But I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I am going to lose.â&#x20AC;? As for his confidence, the superstar said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I may not have been a political entity, but we have been in social service for 37 years. In these 37 years, we have collected about 10 lakh loyal workers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are with me for the past 37 years. At my instruction, they have engaged more and more younger people in our welfare movement over the years including about 250 lawyers. All would become volunteers.â&#x20AC;?

The 63-year-old actor, who is forming a new political party, added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Success always gives happinessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; says Prabhudeva

P

rabhudheva, Filmmaker choreographer and actor says success gives happiness but also brings a lot of pressure for doing better. Prabhudheva on Jan. 12 treated his fans to question and answer session, where a user asked him how he feels when he has accomplished a task and gains appreciation for it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Success always gives happiness, but it also brings the pressure of doing better... So I try to keep a cool, take success and failure with equal spirit,â&#x20AC;?

Prabhudheva replied. Asked about his next â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mercury,â&#x20AC;? he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mercuryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will be an

interesting and exciting panIndia release.â&#x20AC;? Prabhudheva will be seen playing an antagonist for the first time in his career in the Tamil silent film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mercury.â&#x20AC;? Directed

by Karthik Subbaraj, the film stars Sananth, Deepak, and Remya Nambeesan.

A user asked Prabhudheva who is his alltime inspiration? â&#x20AC;&#x153;My father,â&#x20AC;? he replied.

Asked when will he direct a Tamil film next, Prabhudehva said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Very soon.â&#x20AC;? A fan asked what would he choose â&#x20AC;&#x201C; acting, dancing, direction or producing films.â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m greedy, I want it all,â&#x20AC;? he said.

6

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

Something’s different about Chitrangda

When Sallu popped up Bobby Deol decided to interact with fans by going live on social media on Tuesday night. The actor is in Bangkok shooting for Remo D’Souza’s Race 3. Co-actor Salman Khan, who was in the vicinity, thought Bobs (that’s what he calls him) was talking to wife Tanya. He decided to goof around in the background. But as soon as he realised he was being seen live by the actor’s fans, he was embarrassed and moved away. Bobby could not stop cracking up throughout the night, while his fans screamed in delight seeing Salman suddenly pop up on the scene.

Yesterday, Chitrangda Singh posted a Valentine’s Day message to fans. She wrote, “Love, love, love... and that makes everything worth it. Happy Valentine’s Day... may we all find a piece of the fairy tale (sic).” What did not miss our attention was her chiselled face and a more defined jawline. She has been missing from the scene for a while and had lots of time on hand for a drastic makeover.

Sunny Deol shared a Or has she lost oodles of snapshot in silhouette weight? The actor would on Twitter yesterday, prefer to blame it on which had a couple the camera angle or kissing and wrote, “Happy the funny faces Valentine’s Day.” Fans have she was making been wondering who the for the video woman is. Some even she shared came up with a online. name. We only But then want to remind pictures them of Sunny’s don’t dhai kilo ka lie. haath.

Who’s she?

Caught in a snarl Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor kicked off the shoot of Brahmastra in Sofia, Bulgaria, yesterday. A chase sequence is being filmed. Director Ayan Mukerji’s lastminute decision to shoot the scene on a busy thoroughfare meant producer Karan Johar had to procure additional permissions. The scene requires a three-kilometre stretch in a suburb to be cordoned off.

The authorities also have to divert traffic to avoid jams.

The girl who stole Aamir’s heart Aamir Khan wished his fans on Valentine’s Day yesterday and revealed that he fell in love for the first time at the age of 10.

In a video message to fans on social media, the actor said Cupid’s arrow struck at a tennis coaching class. The girl was as old as him, but he did not have the courage to tell her. Later, her family relocated and it spelt the end of his love story. Mr Perfectionist added that he connects with people who are unlucky in love as he knows what it is to have loved and lost.

Dual joy

FIRST LOOK

This year, Sanjay Dutt will be receiving two special prebirthday gifts. The actor turns 59 on July 29. Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanju is set to release on June 29, which will kick off the countdown to his big day.

Yesterday, the makers of his next, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, announced the thriller will release on July 27, two days ahead of his birthday. A month-long celebration for the actor.

Double trouble

Yesterday, the makers of Batti Gul Meter Chalu released Shraddha Kapoor’s look in Shree Narayan Singh’s social drama, which is being filmed in Uttarakhand.

Diljit Dosanjh’s look in Rohit Jugraj’s Arjun Patiala was also unveiled. He plays a cop and the unit is shooting in Chandigarh. Do they look any different in character?

Commando 2 (2017) actor Adah Sharma has landed a double role in ad filmmaker-turneddirector Abir Sengupta’s Soulmate. The actor announced it on social media and shared a snapshot of her characters.

The film is a modern-day fairytale of a girl in search of her soulmate.

NOT NOW, I SAY Hrithik Roshan

Arjun Kapoor’s personal bodyguard shields him from overeager lensmen

LOVE ALL t

JUST IN

Smriti Kalra spread V-Day cheer among traffic cops t d A

7

Saturday, February 17, 2018

‘Can do more work now as kids have grown up’ As she headlines two films, Madhuri says she’s ready to go full throttle in new inning SONIL DEDHIA sonil.dedhia@mid-day.com HAVING taken things slow on the professional front over the last decade, this year sees Madhuri Dixit-Nene moving ahead with gusto. Apart from having a show based on her time in Denver, the actor is making her debut in Marathi cinema with Bucket List and turning producer with another Marathi project. She is also reuniting with Anil Kapoor and her favourite director Indra Kumar for Total Dhamaal, which also stars Ajay Devgn.

Point out how she has her plate full and she says, “I didn’t take up too much work earlier because my kids were young. My priority was my family then. It still is, but since my kids have grown up now, I decided to do more work.”

The mother of two, who has become the brand ambassador of Mortein, says that even now, she designs her shoot schedules in a manner that allows her time with her kids. “I work my schedule around them. I always make sure

that I am at home on time, so I can be with them,” she says before adding, “Also, I have always agreed to do something only when I feel strongly about the project. That was the case with Total Dhamaal and Bucket List, so I agreed to do them.”

As an artiste who would juggle two to three shifts a day in the ’90s, Dixit is glad that shoots have become more organised now.

Talking about the positive changes in the industry, she says, “The best part is that everything is ready when you reach the sets. From the costumes to make-up, it’s all so well-managed. This makes our work so easier.” However, she is quick to point out a change that she is yet to adapt to. “I find film promotions a little boring. In the past, we didn’t have to promote a movie so aggressively, but I guess it’s the need of the hour.”

‘Don’t want Adira to be photographed constantly’ After Shahid, Rani expresses reservation on “unwanted attention” showered on star kids

Rani Mukerji; (right) Chopra with Adira

AT a time when Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan’s son Taimur’s memes are flooding the Internet, it once again shows the country’s obsession with star kids.

While Shahid Kapoor has, in the recent past, slammed the paparazzi for the constant media glare on his daughter Misha, Rani Mukerji too has voiced her reservation.

During a recent appearance on the Neha Dhupiahosted BFFs with Vogue, the actor made it clear that she does not want Adira to be a

victim of the paparazzi culture. “I want Adira to grow up normally. [Otherwise] you get unwanted and undeserved attention without having achieved anything in life. I want Adira to be treated like any other child in school.

Aditya [Chopra, husband]

I Shiv Singh son of Matbar Singh holder of Indian Passport No K57141116 issued at 22/05/2012 on 21/05/2022.

Permanent resident of Village P.O. Garakot, Tehri, Garhwal and presently residing at 8026 122A St., Surrey, BC V3W 7R4, Canada do hereby change my name from Shiv Singh to Shiv Singh Thakur with immediate effect.

I Sushma w/o Shiv Singh holder of Indian Passport No J5828685 issued at 18/02/2011 on 17 / 02 / 2021. Permanent resident of Village & P.O. Garakot, Tehri, Garhwal and presently residing at 8026 - 122 A St., Surrey, BC V3W 7R4, Canada, do hereby change my name from Sushma to Sushma Devi Thakur with immediate effect.

‘I find film promotions a little boring. In the past, we didn’t have to promote a movie so aggressively, but I guess it’s the need of the hour’

MOHAR BASU mohar.basu@mid-day.com

NOTICE

and I don’t want her to be photographed constantly,” she said.

Mukerji also opened up on her husband’s reclusive nature on the Colors Infinity show. “It’s not as if he is paranoid about the cameras. He just doesn’t want to be photographed,” she said, adding that her star status had posed a problem for him after their marriage. “He had told me after our marriage, ‘God, when I fell in love with you, I didn’t stop to think that I was in love with an actress. Now, because of you, people are attaching my pictures to yours as well.’”

I Shiv Singh father of Sahil Singh hold of Indian Passport No.P2868369 issued at 22/11/2016 on 21/11/2021 Permanent resident of Village & P.O. Garakot, Tehir, Garhwal and presently residing at 8026 122 A St., Surrey, BC V3W 7R4, do hereby change my name from Sahil Singh to Sahil Singh Thakur with immediat effect.

I Shiv Singh father of Sarthak Singh holder of Indian Passport No. P2868368 issued at 22/ 11/2016 on 21/11/2021 Permanent residnet of village & P.O. Garakot, Tehri, Garhwal and presently residing at 8026 122 A St., Surrey, BC V3W 7R4 , Canada do hereby change my name from Sarthak Singh to Sarthak Singh Thakur with immediate effect.

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Reflecting The South-Asian Lifestyle

Saturday, February 17, 2018

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

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Community news South Asian Seniors Bingo On The House February 18th 2018 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members and non members also to come and play Bingo for the sake of entertainment and make some new friends, on February 18th 2018( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall 8321 - 140th street Surrey B.C. Please bring only two dollars with you to play 2 games, do not worry if you do not know how to play, members will explain you the game just for the sake of fun. Tea & light snacks will be served after the game is over. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator at 604 - 507 - 9945 for further details. Project funded by

Government of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking Seniors.

--------------------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Manage your Anger through Yoga & Meditation, Swami Ashwini Prajnaa on 28th January 2018 from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Center of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults, Senior members and also nonmembers to attend a very important presentation on Manage your Anger through Yoga & Meditation by Swami Ashwini Prajnaa a Yoga Expert from 1st Humanity Fellowship New Brunswick Canada on 28th January 2018 (Sunday) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC.

Contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945

11

12

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Life in the fast lane

AFTER their successful Audi Mumbai Empowerment Drive Edition 1, Audi Mumbai West presented AWED Edition 2.

The starry event that saw 20 glamorous couples in attendance was held at Trident, BKC on February 10. Shruti Tejwani, an accomplished portrait and lifestyle photographer, was

the driving force behind the second edition. The evening saw a blend of snazzy cars and stars, with Alesia Raut Surryavanshi, Sucheta James and Kavita Kaushik making their presence felt at the do.

AWED is the brainwave of Nidhi Modi Chheda and Mansi Modi Chamaria, directors, Kr-

ishiv Motors, Audi Mumbai West and Audi Thane. It is an initiative to create a platform that brings together women achievers from various walks of life, and felicitates them for their accomplishments. The idea behind the second edition was to make them feel empowered — the evening saw

the women get behind the wheel of their favourite Audi with their loved ones and experience an exciting drive.

Having celebrated women empowerment this time, Nidhi and Mansi will soon be presenting the third edition of AWED, which promises to be Ronit Biswas and Kavita Kaushik bigger and better.

Siddhanth Surryavanshi with Alesia Raut Surryavanshi

Sucheta and Harrison James Shruti Tejwani, Nidhi Modi Chheda, Harshal Chheda and Mansi Modi Chamaria

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Vol. 9 No. 3

Saturday - February 17, 2018

Canadian home sales, listings slump in January with arrival of new mortgage rules Canadian home sales dropped sharply in January to their lowest monthly level in three years amid a retreat in listings as new mortgage rules came into place, according to a new report from a national real estate group. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) said Thursday that home sales through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) declined by 14.5 per cent from December to January this year. Canadian home prices rise as Toronto sees first gain in 6 months $500K is no longer enough to buy a new condo in Vancouver, survey finds

December sales hit the highest monthly level on record, citing a “pull-through” of transactions as buyers rushed to get deals done in advance of the new mortgage rules kicking in on Jan. 1, said CREA. On a yearover-year basis, national sales dropped by 2.4 per cent in January. CREA said activity last month was down in three-quarters of all local markets across the country, including most major urban centres. The group said many of the biggest sales declines were seen in Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe markets, where sales rose late last year following the announcement of the tighter mortgage rules.

Conversely, sales were up year over year in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, the Okanagan Region, Edmonton, Montreal, Greater Moncton and Halifax-Dartmouth.

CREA also reported the number of newly listed homes plunged 21.6 per cent to reach the lowest level since the spring of 2009.

The group said new housing supply dropped in about 85 per cent of all local markets, led by a decline in the Greater Toronto Area.

“The piling on of yet more mortgage rule changes that took effect starting New Year’s Day has created homebuyer uncertainty and confusion,” said CREA president Andrew Peck in a statement.

Continued on next pages

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

14

Real Estate

Housing cost increases in greater Vancouver and Valley The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation says demand for less expensive condominiums and apartments in North Delta, Surrey and Langley has inflated prices at a sharper rate than in Vancouver.

The CMHC’s latest Housing Market Assessment for the first quarter of 2018 shows that year-over-year increases in property sales under the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) were 15 per cent compared to 10.4 per cent under the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

The largest increases were for apartments or condominiums, some of which increased more than 50 per cent, according to the CMHC. The increases are based on the benchmark price composite, which tracks changes to middle-range or typical homes and excludes extreme high-end and low-end properties.

‘Most affordable units’ Eric Bond, a regional analyst with CMHC, says people are seeking out property in the Fraser Valley for a simple reason.

“Those municipalities have some of the most affordable units in the region, particularly for condos,” he said.

“For first-time buyers, given the price increases we’ve seen in the rest

of the region, often those units are what’s most interesting to them.”

The prices in CMHC’s report are further evidence that people are scrambling to find something affordable

outside of Vancouver or other areas.

‘This is an ugly market’: A look at Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack real estate However, it now appears that moving to the Fraser Valley is no longer an option to avoid sticker shock.

Statistics from the FVREB from December show the benchmark price for a townhouse went from $417,200 in 2016 to $513,100 in 2017.

Apartments increased from $276,600 in 2016 to $388,600 in 2017.

Saturday, February 17, 2018 From page 13

Canadian home sales, listings slump in January with arrival of new mortgage rules “ W e ’ d Peck in a statement.

“At the same time, the changes do nothing to address government concerns about home prices that stem from an ongoing supply shortage in major markets like Vancouver and Toronto.

Unless these supply shortages are addressed, concerns will persist.”

New mortgage stress test rules have borrowers flocking to alternative lenders ‘Peak millennial,’ condo nation, and other Toronto real estate trends to watch in 2018 In a commentary, BMO Capital Markets senior economist Robert Kavcic said Toronto home sales fell 26.6 per cent in January, but added that the slide “almost precisely” offsets the ramp-up in sales over the final three months of last year.

Vancouver sales were off by 10.5 per cent in January.

Kavcic said Vancouver, much like Toronto, has a “deep rift in conditions” between its detached-home market, which has falling prices, and its condo market, which he described as “extremely tight” with prices up more than 27 per cent year-over-year.

He also cautioned against reading too much in the January report.

maintain that most of the national housing market is well balanced, with local markets re s p on d i ng appropriately to varying fundamentals and policy shocks.

In the [Greater To r o nt o Area], the detached market is still absorbing additional measures taken at the provincial level, while condo markets in Vancouver and Toronto are still heated.” ‘Soft landing’ TD economists Michael Dolega and Rishi Sondhi said in report that the country’s economic growth and improving job market is expected to support the housing market in the medium term.

However, they added that the new mortgage underwriting rules, higher interest rates, and an elevated supply pipeline will put some downward pressure on sales activity and prices. “Still, we remain of the view that weakness will manifest as a continuation of the soft landing that has been taking place in Canada’s housing market recently,” they wrote. “Ultimately, we expect declining sales and flat prices this year before activity improves somewhat in 2019.”

Vancouver vigilantes take housing matters into their own hands Freedom of Information request to determine what enforcement is being taken. Mr. Smecher’s is only one type of activism. Others vigilantes seek to spread information about fraudulent behaviour, map out empty houses or petition government. They share a common sense that things have gone wrong in Vancouver and government inaction means they’ve got to act. Mr. Smecher wonders whether politicians fully comprehend the situation.

Unless you’ve searched for housing in the past couple of years, he says, you wouldn’t really see how dire it is. “I’ve been living in a onebedroom with my five-year-old daughter, looking for years now for suitable long-term housing.

I want to play in my band, show my art, I want to set down longterm roots and I’m constantly bounced around units, with a feeling of uncertainty about where I’m going to live next year,” he says. “Everyone is in the same boat, unless you happened to hit the lottery two decades ago. My kind of activism is what people have to do, but in their own way. “People are feeling a frustration, an inability to act, and really, a bottled up anger that they aren’t finding an outlet for. And that’s got to go somewhere.

I really fear for the election coming up, if people aren’t given a sense that things are changing.” Mr. Smecher, who’s in his 30s, lives in his one-bedroom apartment near Commercial Drive, an area he’s lived in his entire adult life – although it’s becoming increasingly difficult. His daughter’s bed is

a nook in the living room, partitioned off with a curtain. As she grows older, he knows he’ll need a bigger space and he worries he won’t be able to find one. His previous rental was a nice $2,250-a-month basement unit that was sold after he’d lived in it for 10 months. He’s been on a co-op waiting list for several years.

He’s got his challenges, he says but he sees others who are worse off, such as people living in cars and vans around a nearby industrial area. They’re the ones getting bumped out entirely.

Raymond Wong, a 42-year-old

technologist who lives in Burnaby, launched a petition demanding the provincial government set up a 2-per-cent speculation tax, create a special task force on corruption, work with Canada Revenue Agency to tackle tax evasion and money laundering and ban developers from marketing overseas, among several other measures. Mr. Wong is a member of citizen group Housing Action for Local Taxpayers.

He has about 900 signatures on his change. org petition so far, which he plans to present prior to the February provincial budget. A lot of people have high expectations for the budget, he says.

Real Estate

Saturday, February 17, 2018

15

Home prices rise on gains in Vancouver and Victoria

C

anada’s housing market saw prices rise on a national basis in January, but the growth was almost entirely due to strength in Vancouver and Victoria.

The Teranet-National Bank National Composite House Price Index, which measures sale prices in 11 major markets, rose 0.3 per cent in January over December.

Teranet said the price bounce was not widespread, however, with only four markets climbing in January. Prices were buoyed largely by a 1.2-per-cent increase

in the Vancouver region -- which came on the heels of a 1.3-per-cent increase in December – and a 1-per-cent price increase in Victoria. National Bank economist Marc Pinsonneault said Vancouver drove the national index increase in January, with the region’s condo market up 23 per cent compared to January last year, while the index for all other types of homes rose 13.5 per cent over the past year. “Without Vancouver, the composite index would have retreated for a fifth month in a row,” Mr. Pinsonneault said in a research note.

Prices rose a marginal 0.2 per cent in the Toronto region in January over December, which was the first increase in the index in six months. The index is a rolling three-month average to smooth out monthly fluctuations. On an unsmoothed basis, the Toronto region has now seen three months of price increases, Teranet said.

Mr. Pinsonneault said some of the recent growth in Toronto may have come from a rush to purchase before tough new mortgage qualification stress test rules

Property assessment data shows big increases for many condo and townhouse owners Condominium and townhouse owners throughout Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley will likely get a shock when they open their property assessment notices this week, thanks to a region-wide increase in strata property values. On Tuesday, B.C. Assessment released its 2018 property assessment data, that showed across Greater Vancouver there were assessment increases in the five- to 35-per-cent range between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017. In the Fraser Valley, the increases ranged from 10 to 40 per cent. “The strata market is quite different. It’s been very robust — it’s really outstripped the single-family market,” said B.C. Assessment spokesperson Tina Ireland.

Last month, the authority sent warning letters to 67,000 homeowners, telling them to expect above average increases on their 2018 property assessment notices.

According to B.C. Assessment data, Vancouver strata homes went up on average 15.2 per cent over the previous year’s assessment, while in Surrey they went up 23.8 per cent. The City of Langley saw an even bigger jump — 26.2 per cent. A typical strata townhouse in Whistler Village went up 30 per cent, while a townhouse in Squamish’s Garibaldi Estates saw a 20-per-cent increase. “I think the extent to which things really cooled down in single family but not in condos was very, very striking because we tend to think of condos as something where you can add more supply, and single family it’s harder to add more supply,” said Tsur Somerville, professor and director of the University of B.C.’s Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate.

Since the assessments took place on July 1, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president Jill Oudil said the trend has continued. “Detached has calmed a bit, although it’s still what we consider a balanced market,” she said. “Condos and townhomes

haven’t changed as far as both being in high demand.” Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, who also chairs the Metro Vancouver board of directors, said it’s not a surprise to see condo and townhouse assessments going up. It happened in Vancouver a number of years ago, and now the suburbs are catching up. Strata residential values went up about 20 per cent in PoCo, and a typical low-rise condo in the city’s downtown saw a 28 per cent increase. “What I hear most about is not necessarily the assessment percentage going up, it’s how unaffordable it is for people to now even afford a condo in the suburbs,” Moore said. Somerville agreed that the affordability of condos and townhomes is “worrisome.” “When you see a lot of price appreciation in the thing that’s really the entry level product, then you’re really more concerned about people being shut out, particularly when you see these kind of increases out in the Fraser Valley,” he said.\ The single-family home market was “really quite stable, especially in the core areas of Vancouver — Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore, Burnaby,” said Ireland.

Urban areas of Greater Vancouver saw changes that ranged from a decrease of five per cent to an increase of 15 per cent. Rural areas of Greater Vancouver saw a similar range, with the upper end hitting 25 per cent.

For example, in Vancouver single-family home assessments went up on average 1.6 per cent, Richmond went up 2.5 per cent and Burnaby went up 2.6 per cent.

“We start moving out to the Fraser Valley — so even out Coquitlam way, into Surrey and Abbotsford — seeing more in the 10- to 20-per-cent range for the 2018 assessment,” Ireland said. Detached homes in the Fraser Valley saw anything from a decrease of five per cent to an increase of 25 per cent.

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took effect Jan. 1.

He said there are also still mortgage rate increases to come this year, so “it is premature to conclude that home prices have definitely turned the corner in Toronto.”

The Teranet index edged up 0.1 per cent in Montreal in January, while all other cities saw prices decline on a month-overmonth basis. The biggest declines were see in Quebec City, which was down 2 per cent over December, and in Winnipeg, where the index fell 1.1 per cent over December.

16

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