The Asian Star July 16 2016

www.theasianstar.com Vol 15 - Issue 24

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Tel: 604-591-5423

Switch to TD Get a Samsung 40� SMART TV

*

Find out how to get yours with a new TD unlimited transaction chequing account and a new eligible TD travel credit card. Now every night can be Bollywood night.

Conditions apply.

Offer ends Sept 2, 2016.

Visit a branch or tdcanadatrust.com/switch *Model Number: UN40J5200. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., used with permission. Screen image simulated. Product may not be exactly as shown. ÂŽ The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

2

APPLEWOOD KIA

Saturday, July 16, 2016

APPLEWOOD SURREY

SUMMER OF SAVINGS SALES EVENT UP TO

Free Oil Changes and Free Car Washes

FINANCING AS LOW AS

DEMO DEALS SAVE $5,085 2016 KIA FORTE SE

UP TO

OR

DEALER DRIVEN DEMO WITH 8,000 KMS

MONTHS

Please ask for details

STK#FO6669 MSRP $ 25,055

ON OTHER SELECT MODELSΦ

IN CASH DISCOUNTS ON SELECT MODELS

DEMO CLEARANCE

MAXIMUM DISCOUNT O ON OPTIMA HYBRID*

PRICE $19,970

SAVE $3,780 2016 KIA OPTIMA SXL Soul SX Luxury shown‡

Sorento SX Turbo AWD shown‡ Optima SX AT Turbo shown‡

2016

ALL- NEW 2016

ALL- NEW 2016

LX+ MT

LEASE FROM $250 DOWN AT

47 0.9%

$

&

APR FOR & 60 MONTHS

57 1.9%

LEASE FROM

WEEK LY

BEST CANADIAN RESIDUAL VALUE IN ITS CLASS 3 YEARS IN A ROW

STANDARD FEATURES: 16” ALLOY WHEELS | AIR CONDITIONING REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY

$

LEASE FROM

WEEK LY

$2,200 DOWN AT

&

APR FOR & 60 MONTHS

$1,900 DOWN AT

BEST FAMILY CAR

INCLUDES $750 COMPETITIVE BONUS** OR LOYALTY BONUS¶

64 0.9%

$

WEEK LY

PRICE $35,875

&

SAVE $4,020 2016 KIA RIO SX

APR FOR & 60 MONTHS

INCLUDES $500 IN DISCOUNTS& AND $500 COMPETITIVE BONUS** OR LOYALTY BONUS¶

AVAILABLE FEATURES: HEATED FRONT & REAR SEATS | NAVIGATION SYSTEM

STANDARD FEATURES: HEATED FRONT SEATS BLUETOOTH® CONNECTIVITY

OR

$500 FREE ACCESSORIES

OR

ONLY 300 KMS!

BEST NEW SUV

STK#RO6619 MSRP $22,455

($35,000 - $60,000)

AVAILABLE

ALL- WHEEL DRIVE

THIS WEEK ONLY at APPLEWOOD SURREY WITH YOUR PURCHASE CHOOSE...

STK#OP6717 MSRP $39,655

DEMO CLEARANCE

2.4L LX FWD

LX AT

EXECUTIVE DRIVEN DEMO WITH 3500 KMS

WEEKEND GETAWAY FOR 2 TO

DEMO CLEARANCE

PRICE $18,435

SAVE $4,385 2016 KIA FORTE 5 LX+ ONLY 400 KMS! STK#FO6X06 MSRP $22,355

DEMO CLEARANCE

PRICE $17,970

Weekly Offer Ends Sunday @ 5pm sharp “DO NOT MISS OUT” OUT T” 7674054

16299 Fraser Hwy., SURREY Bobby Bains

Sales and Lease Consultant

604- -

OPEN: MON - THU 9 TO 8 FRI & SAT 9 TO 6, SUN 11 TO 5

Harry Oberoi Sales Manager

Nav Singh

Senior Product Advisor

It’s all good at Applewood

Offer(s) available on select new 2016/2017 models to qualified retail customers who take delivery from July 1 to August 2, 2016. Dealers may sell or lease for less. Some conditions apply. See dealer for complete details. Gifts offered are available with new vehicle purchases made by Sunday July 10, 2016. Vehicles shown may include optional accessories and upgrades available at extra cost. All offers are subject to change without notice.

All pricing is plus applicable taxes. 0% financing on select 2016 models. *Cash Purchase Price for the new 2016 Optima Hybrid LX (OP741G) is $24,000 and includes a cash discount of $7,777 (including $1,000 ECO-Credit). Includes delivery and destination fees up to $1,560, $22 AMVIC and $100 A/C charge (where applicable). &Representative Leasing Example: Lease offer available on approved credit (OAC), on the 2016 Optima LX AT (OP741G)/2016 Soul LX+ MT (SO553G)/2016 Sorento 2.4L LX FWD (SR75AG)/with a selling price of $25,355/$20,835/$29,535 (includes $0/$0/$500 lease credit discount and $750/$0/$500 competitive bonus** or loyalty bonus¶) is based on 260 weekly payments of $57/$47/$64 for 60 months at 1.9%/0.9%/0.9% with $0 security deposit, $2,200/$250/$1,900 down payment and first payment due at lease inception. Total lease obligation $14,772/$12,288/$16,548 with the option to purchase at the end of the term for $9,128/$8,959/$10,928. Lease has 16,000 km/yr allowance (other packages available and $0.12/km for excess kilometres). **Competitive Bonus offer available on the retail purchase/lease of any new 2016 Rio, 2016 Rio5, 2016 Forte, 2016 Forte Koup, 2016 Forte5, 2016 Sorento, 2017 Sportage, and 2016 Rondo for the amount of $500, and 2016 Sedona and 2016 Optima for the amount of $750 from participating dealers between July 1 and August 2, 2016 upon proof of current ownership/lease of a select competitive vehicle in the relevant class/category (see dealer for details). ¶$500/$750 loyalty bonus offer available on the retail purchase/lease of any new 2016 Forte, 2016 Sorento, 2017 Sportage, 2016 Rio, 2016 Rio5 and 2016 Rondo/2016 Sedona and 2016 Optima from participating dealers between July 1 and August 2, 2016 upon proof of current ownership/registration of Kia vehicle. Some conditions apply. See your dealer or kia.ca for complete details. ‡Model shown Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for 2016 Optima SX AT Turbo (OP746G)/ 2016 Sorento SX Turbo AWD (SR75IG)/2016 Soul SX Luxury (SO758G) is $35,195/$42,295/$27,495. For more information on our 5-year warranty coverage, visit kia.ca or call us at 1-877-542-2886.

www.theasianstar.com Vol 15 - Issue 24

Saturday, July 16, 2016

PADMA BHUSHAN

South Asian Spa owner faces extortion and human trafficking charges

DR. KHEM SINGH GILL

Read on Page 8.

Gill jailed for 4 years in temple shooting

Maninder Gill, 53, has been sentenced to four years in prison for a 2010 shooting outside a Surrey, B.C., temple.

Gill shot and injured Harjit Atwal outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple on Aug. 28, 2010 when an ongoing feud culminated in violence.

“It’s a very trying time for him ... a man who has spent and dedicated his entire life to giving back to the community to be ordered to go to jail. It’s something that he and his family will have to endure,” said Gill’s lawyer Tony Paisana as he left court today. In March of 2016 the former managing director of Radio India was convicted of five charges, including aggravated assault and discharging a firearm with intent to wound or disfigure.

Outside court the man Gill shot reacted.

Atwal said he respects the court decision.

Police warn Vancouverites to stay safe while playing Pokémon Go Read in Star&Style

PAGE 6

The South Asian owner of a Winnipeg spa has been charged with extortion and human trafficking.

Simple Mehta, 39, wept in court as the Crown laid out details of her charges. she has now been released on bail.

Bail conditions prohibit the Mehta, owner of Simi Magic Spa, located on St. Anne’s road, Winnipeg, from visiting her spa, working as an esthetician or massage therapist and contacting alleged victims.

The court also forced Mehta to turn over her passport and barred her from using a cellphone, computer and

other electronic devices. Mehta and her employee Pam Sandhu, 22, were both charged with extortion after a

IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT CONSULTANT DIPLOMA DIPLOMA PROGRAM PROGRAM OPEN FOR ADMISSION

ADMISSION OPEN

man came forward and alleged he had been sexually assaulted, videotaped and subsequently threatened with the footage.

Continued on Page 6

Vandana Shiva dishes on GMOs for Indian Summer Festival A renowned social activist and author who campaigns for the security, sovereignty, and sustainability of the food system is turning her gaze on the next generation of environmental leaders.

Vandana Shiva will speak about her views on GMOs Thursday night in her Vancouver talk, Seeding the Future, as part of the Indian Summer Festival at St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church.

“The story has been, for chemical agriculture and green revolution then and GMOs today, we feed the world,”

Tel: 604-591-5423

said Shiva, who entered the world of ecology after the Bhopal disaster in India that killed over 3,000 people in a pesticide plant leak.

“The idea of ‘we feed the world’ is what I learned to be a manipulation through the green revolution.

GMOs are basically the old model of chemical farming and industrial agriculture now with new genes added to a crop.”

Social activist and author Sandana Shiva presents her talk ‘Seeding the Future’ tonight at the Indian Summer Festival.

Continued on Page 7

Now in Abbotsford Campus

(604) 625-1150 Other programs Includes:

Home Inspection Bookkeeping Human Resources CELPIP Prep

abb.ashtoncollege.ca 604) 625 - 1150 info@abb.ashtoncollege.ca

4

OPINION

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Superheated B.C. housing market needs cooling to help families afford housing

By John Horgan, leader, B.C. New Democrats It doesn’t matter where in the world homebuyers are from, and where they are citizens.

It’s speculative investment that’s driving up home prices in the Lower Mainland and in other areas of the province. Whether that money is coming from China, from the U.S., from Russia, from the United Kingdom, or from anywhere else in the world, the effect it has is exactly the same: as large amounts of money from around the world flow into one housing market, prices skyrocket, and people who live and work there can’t keep up.

Collecting citizenship data doesn’t tell you anything about speculative investment in this province.

It doesn’t tell you whether buyers plan to live and work in their new homes, or whether they plan to let them sit empty. It doesn’t tell you whether they are beginning new lives in British Columbia, or whether they are just parking their money in B.C.’s real estate market.

The government is asking the wrong question, and as a result, we’re not learning anything about the real problems driving our housing crisis.

The B.C. Liberals don’t agree.

They want to ignore the big money flowing into our housing market from around the world and talk about citizenship instead. And they’ve made it clear that they can’t tell the difference between wealthy speculative investors and citizens of other countries who want to build a life in this province.

In the B.C. Legislature this spring, the B.C. Liberal finance minister even tried to attack the B.C. NDP for selling its headquarters to a Burnaby businessman who he mistook for a foreign investor. He even mocked the buyer’s lawyer, whose last name is Mao, jokingly referring to

him as “Chairman, sorry, C. Mao.” Tracking and reporting on the citizenship of home-buyers isn’t just the wrong approach to solving our housing crisis – it’s unwelcoming to people new to this province, and unsettling for the many British Columbians who have faced discrimination, or whose parents and grandparents faced discrimination, because they were born in another country.

New Democrats continue to fight for real action to address B.C.’s housing crisis.

I proposed a speculation tax that would do two things: serve to discourage investors around the world from using B.C. homes as nothing but safety deposit boxes for their wealth, and help to raise money for affordable housing initiatives. That tax would only apply to homeowners who don’t pay their income tax in this province, and would have no effect at all on those who live and work in British Columbia.

I also proposed a task force to fight fraud and money laundering in the real estate industry, because B.C. families shouldn’t have to compete with corrupt or criminal money when they’re trying to buy a home.

As prices in the Lower Mainland continue to rise, displacing renters, forcing families out of the region, and ending the dream of home ownership for many, it’s long past time the B.C. Liberals got serious about addressing our province’s housing crisis.

But until they realize that this problem has nothing to do with citizenship – and everything to do with the money invested in this province by the world’s super-rich – we won’t get any closer to making housing affordable for British Columbians.

www.theasianstar.com # 202 - 7028, 120th Street, Surrey, BC V3W 3M8 Ph: 604-591-5423 Fax: 604-591-8615 E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com Editor: Umendra Singh Associate Editor: Shruti Prakash Joshi 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 Photographer: Chandra Bodalia Publication Mail Agreement No 428336012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept.

# 202 - 7028, 120th Street, Surrey, BC V3W 3M8 All advertising in The Asian Star is subject to the publishers’ approval and the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publishers against claims arising from publication of any advertisement submitted by the advertiser.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

ADVERTISEMENT

5

6

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

South Asian Spa owner faces extortion and human trafficking charges

16

Continued from Page 3 Mehta has also been charged with procuring and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, while Sandhu has been charged with voyeurism, sexual assault and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Police said a 29-year-old man, who was in a business relationship with Mehta, went to the spa on a business matter and was offered a massage by an employee while he waited for Mehta. After preparing for the massage he was sexually assaulted and recorded with a cellphone, police said.

He alleged that he had been threatened with the footage and paid up “thousands” of dollars before reporting what happened to police. he claimed that he was told the video footage of his “massage and sex assault”would be releasedpublicly if he did not pay up.

Lawyers for Mehta and Sandhu argued

separately that both clients deserved to be released on bail with several conditions.

Mehta has two sureties responsible for paying $20,000 each should she violate the bail conditions.

Meanwhile, Sandhu was also released . She faces similar restrictions to Mehta; she has to stay at home and can’t have any contact with Mehta or the victims.

Sandhu isn’t allowed to attend Simi Magic Spa, must be home between 11 p.m. and 7 p.m. every day and must answer the door if a law enforcement officer comes by to do a curfew check, the court ruling stated.

She, too, was forced to hand her passport over and isn’t allowed to use any electronic device capable of accessing the internet.

Sandhu has a $5,000 surety against her and had to put up $1,000 in cash to secure bail.

Mehta’s next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 2.

Obhrai in Conservative leadership race Deepak Obhrai, the dean of the Tory caucus, says he’s jumping into the Conservative leadership race.

Obhrai, a Calgary MP for nearly two decades, revealed his intentions to join the leadership contest in an email sent Thursday to Conservative colleagues, a copy of which was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

“Having served in the ‘conservative caucus’ (Reform Party, Canadian Alliance,

Progressive Conservative, and Conservative Party) for 19 years (becoming the Dean) I have had the distinction to serve with outstanding conservatives and now the current caucus. I have learnt a lot through all these years,” Obhrai, 66, says in the email.

“Upon winning my seat in 1997 I was made the outreach coordinator to bring new Canadians into the conservative fold. Continue on Next page...

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Vandana Shiva dishes on GMOs for Indian Summer Festival

Continued from Page 3 Shiva began her journey to raise awareness of the issues chemical farming and globalization present and discover why people were dying due to the widely accepted forms of agriculture practices.

Pesticides that increased in strength and use over time lead to the super resilient pests and weeds on todays farms, she explained, which have given way to new technology that continues to harm the environment.

“I say if the tools have failed, change the tools. The technology so far has been to add a new toxic gene to the plant,” said Shiva.

She has spent her life promoting nonviolent agriculture, free of poisons and chemicals that kill, and now wants to pass along her wisdom to the next generation of activists to help them change the way the world is run.

“Big challenge is there are systems that work outside the corporate control. Those systems demand creativity. They demand cooperation and community. They demand courage. Those are the systems through which the young people will be able to serve the planet,” she said.

“They’re seeking a way to reconnect to the earth, a way to provide for your own needs, grow your own food, and most importantly, a way for justice for future generations.”

Continued from Previous page This allowed me to travel across the country.

Jason Kenney and (former Conservative MP) Tim Uppal continued on with the effort when we formed the government. They have done a good job while I moved on to Foreign Affairs and International De “Upon reflection, considering my strong background in communities, Parliament, International forum, being a grassroots advocate, I plan to put forward my name to run for the leadership of our party. At this time I am in touch with communities and supporters across the country to build a credible team to mount this campaign.”

Obhrai was a key point man for the Conservatives on reaching out to immigrants and minority groups. He served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 until last fall’s election.

He would join Kellie Leitch, Maxime Bernier, Michael Chong and Tony Clement as declared candidates.

Obhrai has dismissed the idea of TV personality and businessman Kevin O’Leary entering the leadership race, saying he’s unfit to be the party leader.

In an interview with the Citizen, Obhrai said his pitch to members will be to build a more inclusive party that can attract more Canadians into the Conservative fold.

“I bring a different dynamic. I stand for all Canadians. We need to have this party be a bigtent party. We always give lip service to it, but really we need to do more to do that,” he said.

LOCAL

7

Owner of B.C. aerospace firm gets prison sentence for stealing information on F-35 fighter A Chinese man who ran an aerospace firm with offices in British Columbia has been sentenced to nearly four years in jail for stealing confidential information on a U.S. military transport aircraft and the F-35 stealth fighter.

Su Bin had pled guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to helping two Chinese military hackers.

Among the targets of the hacking efforts was information on the U.S. F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters as well as Boeing’s C-17 transport aircraft, which is also used by the Canadian air force.

In a plea agreement, Su admitted to conspiring with the two hackers in China to gain unauthorized access to computer networks in the U.S. between October 2008 and March 2014.

Su travelled to the U.S. on 10 occasions during that period, according to court documents. A Canadian Forces members look at the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter, F-35 Lighting II in a hanger in Ottawa Friday July 16, 2010. He was arrested in Richmond, B.C., in June 2014 and a Canadian court ordered Su’s extradition to the U.S. in September 2015.

The 51-year-old has been sentenced to three years and ten months in jail. He was also fined $10,000.

Su, also known as Stephen Su and Steven Subin, is the owner of the aviation firm Lode Technology. Besides the office in Canada, it also had locations throughout China.

His firm did business with companies in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, the U.S. and France.

“Over the course of years, this defendant sought to undermine the national security of the United States by seeking out information that would benefit a foreign government and providing that country with information it had never before seen,” U.S. prosecutor Eileen Decker said in a statement.

Ian KucerakA Royal Canadian Air Force C-177 Globemaster III cargo aircraft flies over the city’s Glenora neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alta., on Wednesday March 16, 2016. Su did not carry out the actual hacking, which was done by his two co-conspirators, both members of the People’s Liberation Army in China.

8

DR. GILL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

PADMA BHUSHAN WINNER DR. KHEM HEM SINGH SIN NGH GILL By: Mindy Ghag

A Humble and Remarkable Life

D

r. Khem Singh Gill is a world-renowned geneticist, academic, writer, and scientific innovator.

Despite all of these impressive titles, Dr. Gill remains incredibly humble, quiet, and modest about all of his different achievements. Dr. Gill’s modesty is his most striking feature, as it would be expected and understood for someone who has accomplished as much as Dr. Gill has, to boast and be overtly proud. However, Dr. Khem Singh Gill humbly discussed his upbringing and schooling and continuously tried to deflect the attention from his own extraordinary achievements to highlight his mentor, Sant Teja Singh.

Dr. Khem Singh Gill was born on September 1, 1930 in Kaleke, a small village located in the Moga district of Punjab, India. Dr. Gill described his upbringing and family life as a simple one, with parents who worked as farmers in a rural village. Dr. Khem Singh Gill was the first member of his family to acquire a higher level of education; he went on to obtain multiple degrees from Indian and American universities. Dr. Gill faced many obstacles while he tried to complete his schooling, as he noted that there was only one primary school in his village, and he had to travel far from his home to finish his schooling. Starting from the 5th grade, Dr. Gill started living on his own in a hostel when he attended school located outside of his district. Dr. Gill mentioned it was difficult to be away from his family and that his mother was hesitant to let him live on his own at such a young age, but because of the lack of schools in his area, he was obligated to attend middle school elsewhere.

Dr. Gill’s time away from his village and family paid off, as he excelled as a student, consistently receiving awards and topping his class. Dr. Gill noted an interesting encounter he had with one of his professors regarding his university training. Dr. Gill contemplated becoming an engineer, but it was his headmaster who showed him that his passion was in agriculture. His headmaster provided him with 10 rupees that would afford him a ticket to Amritsar, where he would then gain admission to Punjab Agriculture College (which is now known as Punjab Agriculture University). Dr. Gill obtained his bachelor of science degree and a master’s degree in genetics and plant breeding. After receiving his master’s degree, he went on to work in the university’s research department. It was in 1963 when Dr. Khem Singh Gill was selected by the university to pursue his PHD at the University of California. Gill moved to California for three years, where he studied and worked on his PHD. After finishing his PHD, he returned to India, despite his American colleagues and professors requesting him to stay with the University. Dr. Gill was appointed to Head Professor at Punjab Agriculture University, which Gill noted was a large leap in the academic profession.

Dr. Gill’s accomplishments did not end there, but simply continued at an impressive scale and rate. Dr. Gill went on to become the vice-chancellor of the university, a highly coveted position in the academic world.

Sant Teja Singh is an individual who has heavily inspired a lot of the work Dr. Gill has done throughout his lengthy career. Sant Teja Singh was a highly regarded academic and scholar, who obtained his master’s degree from Harvard University. Sant Teja Singh lived a selfless life, dedicating his life to helping those less fortunate. This level of selflessness and devotion to helping others was exactly what inspired and enlightened Dr. Khem Singh Gill when he had the privilege of having Sant Teja Singh speak at his graduation ceremony in 1949. Observing and hearing Sant Teja Singh deliver an inspirational lecture to his graduating class, struck a cord with Dr. Gill, and he believes it was a turning point in his life when he realized his potential to further himself academically and spiritually.

The impact Sant Teja Singh has had on Dr. Gill is profound and indescribable.

He speaks of Sant Teja Singh with such high regard and respect; it is no wonder that he was thrilled when learning about the development of a biography on Sant Teja Singh’s life. Dr. Gill was presented with the opportunity to write an English version of Sant Teja Singh’s biography, titled ‘The Life of a Gurmukh’, published by the Khalsa Diwan Society. The lengthy book details Sant Teja Singh’s life trajectory, including his spiritual path, his academic inclinations, and his devotion to helping others. Dr. Gill wrote this book with great honor, and as a way to further spread the message of Sant Teja Singh’s deeply important legacy. Dr. Gill has not only continued Sant Teja Singh’s legacy through writing his biography, but also through his work as the vice-president of the Kaligidhar Trust, a foundation formed by Sant Teja Singh that provides access to education for young people in rural areas.

‘‘

When I asked Dr. Khem Singh Gill how he felt after hearing the news that he was chosen as the Padma Bhushan winner in 1992, he simply and quietly responded: “It felt good to be recognized” Such a simple yet graceful response from someone who was awarded the third highest civilian honour by the Government of India for their contributions to scientific research and innovation. This modest response to receiving one of the most prestigious awards in India is a testament to the character and humble nature of Dr. Khem Singh Gill, a man who is and will continue to be widely celebrated by the world at large.

9

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Director of Surrey real estate company committed fraud, commission finds A Metro Vancouver man who purported to operate a “rent-to-own” real estate company that helped people purchase homes actually committed an “egregious form of fraud,” the B.C. Securities Commission has found.

Rui “Roy” Figueiredo was the sole director of Pare Realty, a Surrey company that offered to provide short-term loans to renters to help them use the funds for down payments on home purchases, according to the BCSC. But in reality, the commission wrote in its decision, “there was no real business.”

“Figueiredo forged signatures and falsified documents to perpetuate the fraud. Figueiredo represents the upper end of risk to our capital markets,” the BCSC panel wrote. The commission’s executive director submitted that Figueiredo’s “scheme involved multiple elements of deceit (including forgery, fabricated documents, misappropriation of funds and no actual rent to own business).” Figueiredo and his corporation are ordered to pay penalties to the commission totalling $187,875. He is also permanently banned from becoming or acting as a director of any issuer or registrant.

Pare Realty was incorporated in 2010 and dissolved in November 2013, according to the commission, and Figueiredo was also a director of a numbered corporation, 0929870 B.C. Ltd., incorporated in 2012. The suspected fraud at the centre of the BCSC’s investigation began in October 2013 when Figueiredo told

a past colleague he was starting a rent-to-own realty business and presented the man with an investment opportunity.

The investor was persuaded to advance a total of $81,000 through a series of transactions to Figueiredo’s numbered corporation, which was doing business as Pare Realty, even though some of the transactions took place after Pare had already ceased to legally exist, the commission wrote, adding “it is clear from reviewing these documents that Figueiredo was using PARE and 0929870 interchangeably.”

The investor believed he was advancing funds to Figueiredo’s company for loans to supposed home purchasers, and he received promissory notes offering “substantial rates of return and maturity dates of less than one year,” the BCSC wrote.

“Instead, it was all a sham,” the BCSC panel wrote. “There is no evidence that there ever was any real business carried on by the respondents.” Of the $81,000 the investor forwarded to Figueiredo and his companies, $23,125 was returned, the panel wrote, adding that a “review of the banking records of the respondents makes clear that the remainder of the funds were simply taken by Figueiredo and spent on personal expenses unrelated to the rent to own business. There is no evidence that (the investor’s) funds were ever provided as loans to home buyers in connection with real estate purchases.”

DMJ Painting Ltd. Just one call for your all painting needs * Old & New Homes * Town Houses Appartments * Commercial & Residential * Interior & Exterior * Any kind of Paint Job

* * * * *

Stucco Paint Spray Painting Pressure Washing Sky Paint for Ceiling Fence Painting * Rolling Painting

EsIN pur`xy qy nvyN Gr~, dPqr~, kmrSIEl qy rYzIfYNSIEl d` hr qrH~ d` pyNt d` kMm krdy h~ | s`fIE~ kImq~ bhuq v`izb hn |

YSl x qy s p r I pyN t k r `au

ifsk~aUt

Over

10 Years of Experience

vDIE` kMm, P`st srivs, muPq EYstImyt Free estimates - Fast and quality work

Mandeep

Jagdeep

604-767-4954

604-338-7147

10

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Smart meter class action lawsuit against BC Hydro rejected A B.C. Supreme Court judge has rejected a bid by smart meter opponents to certify a class action lawsuit claiming BC Hydro has installed the controversial devices in violation of personal liberty.

In a 36-page decision, Justice Elaine Adair found there was no way to test key issues raised in the case: whether exposure to smart meters causes biological effects and human harm; and if deciding not to have one on your dwelling is a “fundamental personal choice”.

The judge also found a conflict between the groups of people affected by the outcome of the lawsuit, which was driven by the Coalition to Stop Smart Meters and the Citizens for Safe Technology Society.

“The plaintiffs and those who have supported the CSTS and the coalition believe passionately in their position,” Adair wrote.

“However, for others, that position simply represents the triumph of groundless hysteria over good science and holds the prospect that BC Hydro’s remaining customers will have to pay higher rates. Success for one

group would result in failure for the others.”

The court ruling lays out the history of a program which began in 2010 with the

enactment of the provincial Clean Energy Act, requiring BC Hydro to install smart meters by the end of 2012.

The wireless communication devices replaced so called “legacy meters”. But they brought with them a host of concerns about privacy, health and rate increases.

Opponents argued that forcing people to have smart meters on their homes was a violation of Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees life, liberty and security of the person.

Among the proposed plaintiffs were a yoga teacher who feared the radiofrequency from the meters would interfere with the energy of her clients and an organic farmer who said that “as long as the jury is out” on biological impacts, she didn’t want one of the devices on her farm.

Charges laid after 86-year-old man robbed, beaten in Abbotsford A man has been arrested and charged for the violent robbery of a senior in Abbotsford, B.C. Police say a male suspect followed the 86-year-old man into his apartment building Tuesday afternoon, entered his suite and assaulted him.

They say the senior was left bleeding on the floor while the suspect rummaged through drawers and took jewellery and a wallet before leaving.

The victim was taken to hospital and treated for bruises, cuts and an injury to his shoulder.

Officers reviewed security footage from the apartment building and arrested a suspect in the area of a local business where the man’s credit card had been used.

Police say a 45-year-old man is facing five charges including aggravated assault, robbery, and break and enter.

Bank of Canada holds interest rate steady at 0.5% The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate steady at 0.5% on Wednesday, but says overly high house prices in some cities and the threat of Brexit are risks to Canada’s economy down the line.

The bank’s rate, known as the target rate for overnight loans, affects the rates that Canadians get offered from retail banks for their savings accounts and mortgages. Eight times a year, the central bank meets to decide where to set the rate, based on how the economy is performing.

In its decision on Wednesday, the central bank said: “The fundamentals remain in place for a pickup in growth” in the economy some

NEED WORKERS, PAY ACCORDING TO EXPERIENCE

time down the line. But despite deciding to sit on the sidelines, the bank did warn that the economy is seesawing up and down more than usual. The Canadian economy “grew by 2.4 per cent in the first quarter but is estimated to have contracted by 1 per cent in the second quarter, pulled down by volatile trade flows, uneven consumer spending, and the Alberta wildfires,” the bank said.

It’s expected to bounce back up to 3.5 per cent growth in the July to September period, but for the year as a whole, the bank now expects the Canadian economy to expand by just 1.3 per cent. That’s down from the 1.7 per cent the bank was forecasting as recently as April.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Nanaimo students in Nice safe but some ‘stressed’ after witnessing attack Nanaimo school officials say its students and chaperones are safe in Nice, France but they are now watching for signs of trauma after some from the group witnessed the deadly attack.

Dale Burgos, director of communications at the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District, said he’s been told some students were less than 30 metres away from the scene of the incident. ‘’Gunshots! gunshots!’ and a whole lot of sirens going off ’: Vancouver journalist in Nice, France “There were some very, very close and had witnessed the attack,” he said. “Obviously very troubling.”

About 85 students and 12 adult chaperones from the Nanaimo area were on a schoolrelated trip to Nice, where a terrorist attack during Bastille Day celebrations killed at least 84 people and injured many more.

Some students and teachers are now feeling “a bit of stress” but Burgos says the district is doing what it can to take care of the group.

“We’re asking our teachers out there to make sure they keep an eye out on them,” he said. “We’ve given them instructions on signs of trauma — what to look for, and if we

Police seek vehicle involved in April Surrey shooting

Police are looking for a vehicle they believe to have been involved in an April 4 shooting in Surrey that sent a man to hosptial.

Surrey RCMP are seeking a black Hyundai Tucson SUV they believe was occupied by multiple people when the shooting occurred.

Police still believe the shooting was a targeted incident but now think the person wounded in the shooting was not the suspects’ intended victim, but “the victim of a case of mistaken identity.”

Surrey RCMP are looking for a black Hyundai Tucson similar to the one pictured in this stock photo. (Surrey RCMP) When it occurred in early April, the shooting was the third in Surrey in as many days.

“We are hoping someone will come forward with more information regarding the suspect vehicle or people associated to it,” Cpl. Scotty Shumann said in a news release.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 if they prefer to remain anonymous.

have to, we’ll send counselors out as soon as we can.” Burgos says school principals met yesterday to call parents and reassure them their children had all been accounted for.

He said although many had already been in touch with their kids, parents were still “pretty shaken.”

They were supposed to head to Spain next as part of the cultural learning trip and return to Vancouver Island on July 25.

The school district has been updating its website and Twitter with information and their next steps.

In a tweet, Premier Christy Clark said news of the attack is “horrible” and she is thinking of all those involved and their families.

LOCAL

11

12

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Drug overdose deaths surge 74 per cent so far Statistics released for the first half of 2016 now show 371 people died in B.C. of illicit drug overdoses, a 74 per cent jump from the same period of 2015. Fentanyl was detected in about 60 per cent of the deaths for which testing has been performed, up from a 31 per cent detection rate for the powerful opioid in 2015. And the B.C. Coroners Service says fentanyl-linked deaths that were in past years mainly concentrated in the Lower Mainland are now regularly happening throughout B.C. On Vancouver Island and in the southern Interior, more deaths tied to fentanyl have been detected so far in 2016 than in all of 2015.

Cities with 10 or more fentanyl-related deaths so far this year include Vancouver (29), Surrey (22), Victoria (19), Nanaimo (13), Kelowna

(12) and Maple Ridge (10).

The largest numbers of total illicit drug deaths for the first six months of 2016 have been recorded in Vancouver (69), Surrey (44), Victoria (29), Kamloops (22), Kelowna (19), Abbotsford(16) and Nanaimo and Maple Ridge, both with 15.

The Fraser health region accounted for 114 deaths or 30 per cent of the provincial total. More than 30 per cent of deaths happened in the Fraser health region, which accounted for 114 deaths or 30 per cent of the provincial total. While the 56 new overdose deaths recorded B.C.-wide in June was down slightly from this year’s worst months of January through April, the new number was still very high by historical standards.

Guilty Verdict for a 2006 IHIT Cold Case Investigation David Mitchell was beaten in a home in manslaughter. the 11000 block of Ravine Road in Surrey The other two accused men were found on October 25, 2006. Two days following not guilty. “To see a homicide through to a the assault he died as a result conviction is very rewarding of the injuries he sustained. for all of IHIT, particularly In November, 2014, after 10 years after the crime. an extensive file review, Time does not take away followed by an intensive the negative impact that a investigation, the IHIT homicide has on families, Cold Case Team announced for this reason IHIT’s Charge approval on four Cold Case Team ensures individuals in relation to all available evidence Mr. Mitchell’s death. is repeatedly evaluated In June 2016, the trial despite the passage of time began for the accused men and sends a message that and on July 13th, 2016 the those who are responsible verdicts were read in Court. are held accountable for Khalid Damien Arnaout their actions,” says Staff David Mitchell was found guilty of second Sergeant Jennifer Pound. degree murder. Charles A sentencing date will be Vincent Chambers was found guilty of determined on July 28, 2016

Former ministry staffer fined $2,500 in connection to triple-delete scandal A former B.C. government staffer has been fined $2,500 to one count of lying to privacy commission investigators in connection to the so-called triple-delete email scandal.

George Steven Gretes, a former employee in Minister of Transportation Todd Stone’ s office, pleaded guilty in Victoria Provincial Court on Thursday. “The judge was impressed I think by his sincerity and the fact he was really atoned for what he

did,” said Gretes’s lawyer Chris Considine.

“I cannot really think of very many people who have done so much in order to make up for that error in judgment as the judge called it.”

Gretes was charged with two counts of willfully making false statements to mislead, or attempt to mislead, under the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Man shot in North Surrey A man is serious condition after being shot in North Surrey on Tuesday morning.

On July 12, at 2:50 a.m., Surrey RCMP responded to reports of a shooting at 108 Avenue and King George Boulevard.

When they arrived, Mounties found a man with a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

He was taken to hospital where he is in serious, but not life-threatening, condition.

The initial investigation has revealed that two men were walking in the area when they were passed by two unknown male suspects on bicycles who fired a single shot towards them.

Surrey RCMP’s General Investigation Unit is leading the investigation. Officers continue to gather evidence and conduct neighbourhood canvassing to identify potential witnesses and video surveillance. The investigation is still in its early stages, however, officers believe this is a targeted incident. Both the male victim and his associate are known to police.

Anyone with further information who has not already spoken to police is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at www. solvecrime.ca.

Surrey murder trial delayed The murder trial of a man accused of It’s believed McPherson witnessed someone shooting a Surrey man to death at a Christmas being disrespectful at the party, and stepped in.

Eve party in 2011 has been delayed.

“And for that, his life was taken,” tearful mom The 16-day trial of Russell Bidesi was Susan Simning said in 2013, when Bidesi’s expected to begin Monday, but in a last-minute arrest was made. application, his defence lawyer On Monday, Crown Counsel Darcy Lawrence said he could no Jay Fogel acknowledged the longer continue. withdrawal of defence, and noted Bidesi is charged with secondto Duncan that under law, she degree murder in the death of had no discretion in preventing Bradley McPherson, 28, who was defence from leaving. shot at a house party near 131 As long as it wasn’t for financial Street and 67A Avenue. reasons, he said, the court’s hands “I’m making an application to are tied. withdraw as counsel,” Lawrence Duncan also apologized for told B.C. Supreme Court Madam the delay, and told Bidesi that any Justice Duncan. “This has nothing Bradley McPherson future applications for removal of to do with funding.” counsel might not be as successful.

Lawrence also noted it is “not a ploy by Mr. A fix date to re-schedule the trial has been Bidesi,” and apologized to the court, which was set for Sept. 3 in B.C. Supreme Court in New packed with McPherson’s family and friends.

Westminster.

Eight new court rooms coming to Surrey A community-type court system appears to finally be coming to Surrey, as the city and province strike a steering committee ahead of its creation. The City of Surrey has been waiting for such a court since 2007, when it unveiled the Crime Reduction Strategy, of which a community court is key.

The court would hear cases involving drug offences, mental health problems or family matters such as domestic abuse. Instead of just locking people in jail, where appropriate, they would be referred for support services, including drug and alcohol treatment, mental health care or anger management programs.

The details will be determined by the steering

committee. Mayor Dianne Watts said she’s been in discussions with B.C. Attorney General Suzanne Anton for about eight months. Watts told The Leader she received an assurance from Anton Wednesday morning that a facility dedicated to those services in on the way.

“This is one of the key elements of our Crime Reduction Strategy,” Watts said. “It’s important to come to a holistic approach and get to the root causes (of crime).”

The promise of a community-type court came the same day Anton announced there will be 29 new court rooms added to the Lower Fraser Valley over the next two decades, including eight in Surrey.

LOCAL

13

14

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Court delays set Surrey man free A Surrey man convicted and sentenced for his role in a dial-a-dope operation in Langley is being set free because his trial took too long.

Barrett Richard Jordan was arrested in 2008 and sentenced to four years in prison in 2013 in connection with a drug operation.

On Dec. 17, 2008, the police executed a search warrant at an apartment on 68 Avenue in Surrey.

Among other things, the police seized 42.3 grams of heroin, 1,463.5 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine, $6,640 in cash and what was alleged to be a “shift calendar� for the dial-a-dope line.

However, Jordan filed an appeal, saying the courts failed to uphold his constitutional guarantee “to be tried within a reasonable time.� A person charged with an offence is

guaranteed the right to be tried within a reasonable time under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Courts have used different tests for what constitutes reasonable. Any delays must be institutional and not because of sickness or because of the complexity of the trial. Reasonable institutional delays are usually considered to be between 14 and 18 months.

Jordan’s trial was fairly straightforward, the Appeals Court justices noted in a July 8 ruling, saying an unreasonable delay would be if court proceedings, from a criminal charge to the end of a trial, took longer than 18 months in provincial court or 30 months in superior court.

! " # $%

! & !

' % ! ( )*'* + ')'+ , " - )'+ ./ + ) '

*

' ! " 0 12345678966:;

‘Global industry challenges’ delay LNG Canada’s Kitimat project Instability in global energy markets has caused the international partners in a proposed liquefied natural gas project in Kitimat, B.C., to delay their final decision on the venture indefinitely.

LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said in a conference call Monday that a drop in natural gas prices around the world, particularly in Asia, has made the project too expensive for now. “The whole global energy industry is in turmoil,� he said. “In the context of global industry challenges, including capital constraints, the LNG Canada Joint Venture participants have determined they need more time prior to taking a final investment decision,� the multinational company said in a written statement issued on Monday as well.

The consortium LNG Canada, which is jointly owned by Shell, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and Koga, was set to make a final investment decision for the project last February. That decision was later pushed back to the end of 2016. “At this time, we cannot confirm when this decision will be made,� said the statement issued on Monday.

If it ever goes ahead, the LNG Canada project would export up to 24 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year and cost up to $50 billion to build.

All four companies have now jointly decided to put off the final decision, Calitz said, and representatives from each company

are currently in Canada to look at a range of options for the project. “In the coming months, LNG Canada will continue key site preparation activities and work with its joint venture participants, partners, stakeholders and First Nations to find a revised path forward,� he said.

LNG Canada still sees the project on B.C.’s northwest coast as a promising opportunity,

he said. “It is important for the community to understand that the project has been delayed and has not been cancelled,� Calitz said.

However, global oil and gas prices will have to recover before the companies involved can move forward, he added.

Last year, the multinational cleared an important hurdle when it was granted the first permit to build a liquefied natural gas export facility in northern British Columbia.

But doubt was cast on the LNG Canada project last month when Shell announced it was shifting away from growing its LNG business after acquiring the gas giant BG Group in February.

IHIT Seeking Suspects in Homicide Case On July 13, 2016, just after 11:30am the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment responded to an incident at a home in the 8900 block of Glenwood Street in Chilliwack.

Upon attendance a male, identified as 40 year old John Robert Oliver Anderson, was located in medical distress. Mr. Anderson was immediately transported to a hospital, however, he did not survive the injuries he sustained and was pronounced deceased just after 1:30pm. An autopsy will be required to confirm the means of his injuries and the cause of death.

A number of individuals inside the residence were removed and the residence was secured.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is leading this investigation with

assistance from the UFVRD RCMP. Mr. Anderson’s death is believed to be targeted. Police have identified two possible suspects who fled the scene prior to first responders attending.

IHIT is asking for the public’s assistance in locating the following individuals: - David “Yoda�

McKay - Cydnie MarkelRempel Efforts to locate the suspects are an on-going priority and police are currently canvassing a number of local areas, including transient encampments as there is no known fixed address for these individuals.

If you know the whereabouts of David McKay and Cydnie Markel-Rempel do not approach or attempt to detain, you are asked to call 911.

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Accessible swing set coming to Surrey school thanks to 13-year-old student

15

Vancouver to get powers to tax empty homes, says province

The B.C. government will give the City of 25 to implement the legislative changes necessary.

A 13-year-old Surrey student and her two siblings raised Vancouver the powers it needs to The provincial government is $11,000 in a just a few minutes to pay for an inclusive implement an empty home tax, solely responsible for providing swing for their special needs classmate. provincial Finance Minister Mike the “statutory powers� necessary Channee Sekhon told On The Coast guest host Michelle de Jong announced this morning. within the Vancouver Charter to Eliot there are quite a few special needs students at her “It strikes us that if the city wants allow for the tax, he said. school, Green Timbers Elementary, and they deserved to to do this, it is a reasonable request It will then be up to the City of be included in playground activities. on their part,� said de Jong, who Vancouver to determine the tax “One kid in my class, he’s been in my class since has requested the Speaker’s office rate and how to measure whether a kindergarten, he’s always been on the side while we reconvene the legislature on July home is empty or not. were doing things,� she said. “I was always kind of felt bad because he wasn’t able to do everything.�

To help with that problem, the school wanted to build a special swing for special needs students, but the price tag was steep at $18,000.

The school could only up with $7,000.

Channee’s father, Gurjinder Sekhon, came up with an idea: Channee could solicit Start saving for your child’s future donations from the company he worked for, education in a Registered Education Sussex Insurance.

At the company’s annual retreat, Channee Savings Plan (RESP) and receive up to addressed her father’s colleagues with a $8,400 in government grants.1 speech and PowerPoint presentation about the Open a CST RESP now and you’ll start receiving the importance of inclusion.

Canada Education Savings grant (CESG). The CESG “I was very nervous on the day. I wasn’t expecting such a great turnout,� Channee said. can add up to $7,200 to your child’s RESP. Channee’s father was watching — and he was When your child turns six, they can receive an nervous too. “I never watched her speak in front of additional $1,200 from the B.C. Government. people,� he said. “She did a very good job.�

About two minutes after the speech ended, Open a CST RESP today! the money was put forward by Gurjinder Surjit S. Madhopuri Sekhon’s colleagues and a matching donation Branch Manager from the company’s head office.

C.S.T. Consultants Inc. Branch 888 Channee says sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thrilled the fundraising (604) 377- 4171 / (604) 594 - 7200 was so successful, and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s glad her friend will surjit.madhopuri@cstresp.com be able to play with the other kids. http://www.cstresp.com/6117 â&#x20AC;&#x153;When he sees the swing, I know heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be 1 7KH &DQDGD (GXFDWLRQ 6DYLQJV *UDQW PDWFKHV RI WKH Ä&#x2020;UVW \RX FRQWULEXWH WR \RXU FKLOGèV 5(63 HDFK \HDU XS WR D OLIHWLPH PD[LPXP RI happy,â&#x20AC;? she said. %& 7UDLQLQJ DQG (GXFDWLRQ 6DYLQJV *UDQW %&7(6* LV D RQH WLPH JUDQW DYDLODEOH WR %& UHVLGHQW FKLOGUHQ ERUQ RQ RU DIWHU -DQXDU\ st, Gurjinder Sekhon says heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proud of his &KLOGUHQ DUH HOLJLEOH IRU WKH %&7(6* RQ WKHLU VL[WK ELUWKGD\ <RX KDYH XQWLO WKH GD\ EHIRUH \RXU FKLOGèV QLQWK ELUWKGD\ WR DSSO\ IRU WKH %&7(6* daughter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very good that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very caring. I Conditions apply. hope she continues to do that,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The CST Plan is only sold by Prospectus. You can get copies of the prospectus from www.cst.org or by calling 1.877.333.RESP(7377).

C.S.T. Consultants Inc.

BC Helps Parents Boost their Education Savings!

:$/,$ /$: *5283 :/*

%DUULVWHUV 6ROLFLWRUV 1RWDU\ 3XEOLF

&$5 $&&,'(176

,00,*5$7,21

Â&#x2021; ,&%& LQMXU\ FODLPV Â&#x2021; $OEHUWD LQMXU\ FODLPV

Â&#x2021; $SSHDOV Â&#x2021; 'HWHQWLRQ 5HYLHZV Â&#x2021; )HGHUDO &RXUW 0DWWHUV Â&#x2021; 5HIXJHH &ODLPV Â&#x2021; 6SRXVDO $SSOLFDWLRQV 6SRQVRUVKLSV Â&#x2021; 9LVDV

&,9,/ &200(5&,$/ /,7,*$7,21 Â&#x2021; %XLOGHU V /LHQV Â&#x2021; &ROOHFWLRQV Â&#x2021; &RQWUDFW 'LVSXWHV

5($/ (67$7( Â&#x2021; 3XUFKDVH 6DOH /HDVH RI 3URSHUW\ Â&#x2021; 3XUFKDVH 6DOH /HDVH RI D %XVLQHVV Â&#x2021; 5HILQDQFLQJ RI 0RUWJDJHV /RDQV

:,//6 (67$7(6 Â&#x2021; 3RZHU RI $WWRUQH\ Â&#x2021; 3UREDWH Â&#x2021; 5HSUHVHQWDWLRQ $JUHHPHQWV

)$0,/< Â&#x2021; 'LYRUFH Â&#x2021; 6HSDUDWLRQ $JUHHPHQWV Â&#x2021; &KLOG &XVWRG\ 6XSSRUW

&5,0,1$/ Â&#x2021; $VVDXOW Â&#x2021; %DLO +HDULQJV Â&#x2021; 'ULQNLQJ 'ULYLQJ Â&#x2021; 'UXJ 2IIHQFHV Â&#x2021; )UDXG Â&#x2021; 5REEHU\ 7KHIW

81,7 % 1' $9( 6855(<

$0$1 :$/,$

5<$1 :$/,$

DPDQ#ZOJODZ\HUV FD

U\DQ#ZOJODZ\HUV FD

)5(( &2168/7$7,21 ZZZ ZOJODZ\HUV FD

0$1-,7 :$/,$ *8535((7 %,//,1* PDQMLW#ZOJODZ\HUV FD

JXUSUHHW#ZOJODZ\HUV FD

:(67:,1'6 &5(6 1( &$/*$5<

16

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Witnesses sought to daylight ‘heinous’ assault in Abbotsford Abbotsford Police are looking for three people they say helped a 26-year-old woman who was the victim of a ‘heinous” daylight assault on June 26.

Police have arrested a 30-year-old man they say is well known to them. They also say there is no risk to the public.

The victim and suspect knew each other.

Const. Ian MacDonald describes the assault as “serious” and “heinous.”

He’s asking for the public’s help in identifying the three Good Samaritans who came to the woman’s aid to thank them for their assistance and to see whether they might help further the investigation.

“They definitely did a good thing,” he said.

MacDonald says a man and woman in their 50s or 60s in an SUV provided the victim with food and beverages after finding her outside a hotel in the 32000 block of Marshall Road.

Another man, also in his 50s or 60s, subsequently gave the victim a ride home in his four-door sedan.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

BC NDP demands apology for Liberal MLA Linda Larson’s residential schools comment The B.C. NDP is demanding an apology from a Larson was recently named the government’s Liberal MLA for what it calls an insensitive comment parliamentary secretary for rural education. about residential schools.

In a written statement on her website, she issued the In a news release, the following statement: NDP claims Boundary“It’s disappointing Similkameen MLA Linda the B.C. NDP would Larson asked last week, take the good work “How long do you think being done by the before the legacy of those health committee and residential schools finally try and play petty burns itself out of the partisan politics,” she First Nations people?” said.

NDP Leader John “My comments Horgan says the question, were in response directed towards First to a thoughtful B.C. Liberal MLA Linda Larson Nations Health Authority presentation by COO Richard Jock, members of the First came up while discussing rural health at a Standing Nations Health Authority on improving care.”

Committee on Health meeting.

On Tuesday the Richard Jock, Chief Operating The party is calling on the MLA to apologize to First Officer with the First Nations Health Authority issued Nations people for the comment. a short statement on the issue.

“I don’t think we should ever forget the legacy of the “The intergenerational effects of residential school residential schools,” said Party Leader John Horgan. have a very real impact on First Nations peoples today.

“And I don’t think it’s appropriate, just a year after Experiences of racism or bias may lead to institutional the reconciliation report, that an elected official would avoidance which includes hospitals and other health ask when can we move on.” care settings,” he said.

Horgan said Larson should have known better.

“Efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation commission “It has been the most intense period in our history emphasize that reconciliation starts with education for reconciliation, and this member doesn’t seem to and it is important to have and stay in the conversation have been around for any of it,” he said. in order to achieve change.”

Father charged with 2nddegree murder after ‘tragic’ house fire in Port Moody A father of six has been charged with second-degree murder and two counts of arson following a “tragic” and suspicious fire in Port Moody, that left the woman believed to be his wife dead and sent five of their children to hospital.

Police found the house engulfed in flames Sunday afternoon after being called to a domestic disturbance in the 3300 block of Dewdney Trunk Road just before 1:30 p.m. PT. A woman with serious burns was taken to hospital, while a man was taken away in handcuffs by police. On Monday, police confirmed the woman had died and the death was being investigated as a homicide.

Five of the couple’s children, who range in age from five to 18 years old, fled the house before police arrived. A sixth child wasn’t home at the time.

The children escaped from the second floor of the burning house with help from quick-thinking neighbours and a ladder, said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

“They managed to come together and be calm and use their common sense to escape from this fire,” said Pound.

They also used a trampoline in the backyard, said Pound, who thanked the unnamed people who helped the children.

“Our hearts go out to these kids, and they’re unfortunately going to have a long road ahead of them,” said Pound.

Banks say there’s no need for Canada Post to provide banking services The lobby group representing Canada’s big banks says there’s no need for Canada Post to expand onto their turf because Canadians already have an abundant choice of financial services.

The Canadian Bankers Association says there is “no public policy objective or existing gap in the marketplace” that would warrant a Crown corporation becoming a retail bank.

In a brief to the federal task force reviewing Canada Post, the bankers association says some proponents of postal banking are “disregarding the facts” about Canada’s highly competitive and accessible financial services sector.

While Canada Post itself has said little about getting into banking, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers has strongly promoted the idea. Postal services in many other countries, including Brazil, France and Italy, provide banking services, and Canada had such a system from shortly after Confederation until 1969.

Canadian banks have raked in enormous

profits while cutting service, closing branches and charging some of the highest banking and automatic-teller fees in the world, the union alleges in an information bulletin published on its website.

The union says while thousands of towns and villages across Canada do not have a bank, many of them have a post office that could provide financial and banking services.

In addition, nearly two million Canadians in urban and rural areas “desperately need an alternative to predatory payday lenders,” the union says. “A postal bank could be that alternative.”

Finally, postal banking could help Canada Post make money as traditional letter mail dwindles, boost its ability to provide public delivery service and create decent jobs in communities throughout Canada, the union says.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

DREAM CARPET

17

18

LOCAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Illicit drugs including fentanyl killing more people in BC New numbers from the BC Coroners Service show the shocking rise in deaths from illicit drugs in the province has continued through the first half of 2016,

with approximately 60 per cent of the deaths involving fentanyl.

From Jan. 1 to June 30, there were 371 illegal drug overdose deaths in B.C. That’s an increase of 74.2 per cent from the same period in 2015.

The Coroners Service reports that the

number of fatalities involving fentanyl either alone or in combination with other drugs has risen 31 per cent since 2015.

Statistics show the fentanyl-related deaths are now taking place all over the province, according to the Coroners Service. In previous years, fentanylrelated deaths were concentrated around the Lower Mainland.

“The BC Coroners Service continues to work with health, community and law enforcement agencies to try to find all ways possible to reduce this unacceptably high death toll,” said officials in a released statement.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe urges anyone involved in an overdose situation to immediately call 911 to prevent more deaths from illicit drugs.

Former Victoria constituency office employee charged with theft, forgery A former employee in MLA Rob Fleming’s Victoria-Swan Lake constituency office has been charged with theft, fraud and forgery.

Marni Ruth Offman has been charged with allegedly defrauding and stealing more than $5,000 between March 24, 2009 and Nov. 28, 2015.

The former constituency assistant was also charged with forging cheques within the same period.

Offman was charged after the case was reviewed by special prosecutor Dirk Ryneveld on behalf of Crown counsel.

Ryneveld was appointed on June 8 in order “to avoid any real or perceived improper influence” on the case because Offman was a former constituency office employee.

Fleming said he filed a complaint with

Victoria police after making a “shocking discovery” that funds were missing from his office.

“This has been a very disturbing matter for me because it involves someone I worked closely with,” said Fleming in a statement released on Tuesday.

He added constituency office employees work for him and the community and allegations like these violate trust between all parties. Fleming is the NDP’s education critic.

Despite making the accusations, Fleming said he would “reserve final judgement” until the criminal justice process was complete.

Offman will appear for the first time in Victoria Provincial Court today in relation to these charges.

Rally for more social housing turns into protest at Vancouver City Hall A rally for better social housing turned into a protest at Vancouver City Hall Tuesday afternoon.

The protesters marched inside the building demanding time to talk before the morning council meeting, but they were denied.

The protest turned loud for a time, as protesters, outraged over the lack of social housing for the homeless, voiced their concerns.

Organizers urged the group to stay put and not disperse.

But instead of being forcibly removed from the building, the group was allowed to occupy a committee room, where it formulated its demands.

The focus of the protest is a lot at 58 West Hastings where the group is demanding the land be dedicated 100 per cent to social housing.

Since Saturday, a tent city has sprung up at the West Hastings Street site — one of two protests currently underway in Metro Vancouver over the demolition of affordable housing.

The group VANDU, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, is leading the protest. The group says it advocates to improve the lives of people who use illicit drugs.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson agreed to meet with the group later Tuesday afternoon.

At that meeting, he agreed to meet with

them on the Downtown Eastside sometime in the next two weeks to discuss their needs in more detail.

However, the mayor did not agree to install washroom facilities at the tent city on West Hastings.

In turn, Robertson asked the protesters to take down the tent city, which they refused.

Bike-by shooting in Surrey, leaves man with serious injuries A man has been injured in what RCMP believe was a targeted shooting from someone on a bicycle in Surrey.

Police say in a news release that the victim was hit in the abdomen by a single bullet while walking with another man, who was not hurt.

Officers say both men are known to them.

They say the victim has serious injuries but is expected to survive.

Investigators say the two were in the Whalley neighbourhood just before 3 a.m PT, when the shot was fired by one of two unknown assailants on bicycles.

A search continues for witnesses or video surveillance that could identify the suspects

and police want to speak to anyone with information about the attack.

NATIONAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

19

Feds plan crackdown on tax cheats A “bombshell” internal federal government document has triggered a new wave of accusations of government inaction in dealing with Vancouver’s housing affordability crisis.

The document, leaked to the South China Morning Post, indicates the Canada Revenue Agency conducted only one successful global audit last year of the so-called “astronaut” millionaire immigrants who buy pricey homes and settle families in Metro Vancouver, but fail to report their worldwide taxable income.

The single overseas audit was one of 339 audits done by the CRA’s Pacific Region that yielded a total of $14.4 million in recovered revenues and $1.3 million in fines.

The document is stamped “protected B” — which indicates that the public disclosure of the report could cause “serious injury to an individual, organization or government,” according to Public Works and Government Services Canada.

The Hong Kong newspaper quoted from a provocative slide presentation to B.C. Pacific Region agency staff last month that said the agency is now beefing up its resources to go after tax cheats, and especially the top 500 files of greatest concern in the city’s overheated housing market.

The additional 85 full-time staff on the West Coast will target the “astronauts” as well as speculators who “flip” properties to obtain a quick profit, then fail to pay capital gains tax and sometimes don’t pay the goods and services tax.

Some, according to the presentation, seek to avoid the GST by claiming the house is a “principal residence” and therefore exempt.

The quick sale is justified in a variety of ways, according to the slide presentation, including: “Dad tripped over a crack in the sidewalk in front of the house (bad omen).”

Another excuse for a quick-sell is a negative Feng Shui report — a reference to the ancient Chinese philosophy of harmonizing people with their surrounding environment.

The slide show also presented a photo of a Vancouver mansion that sold for $5.8 million, over a caption saying the new owner had declared income so low he or she was able to claim the federal tax break intended for lowincome Canadian workers.

A CRA spokesman issued a statement Thursday saying the agency’s efforts are not targeting specifically foreign buyers.

“The source of funds for the real estate purchases are not the focus of tax noncompliance,” said Jeffrey Lansing.

He also noted that the agency’s focus on domestic tax evasion and real estate flipping is taking precedence over failure to report offshore income because that’s the area “where the risk of non-compliance was highest.”

A Vancouver academic called the report a “bombshell” that is certain to enrage many British Columbians frustrated that the agency didn’t act sooner given evidence of tax evasion for years.

The Vancouver Sun reported last year that a study by University of B.C. geographer Dan Hiebert found that some homeowners in tony parts of the west side of Vancouver and Richmond were claiming to have income as low as people struggling to survive in Vancouver’s poor Downtown Eastside.

A study by Vancouver mathematician Jens von Bergmann, formerly of The University of Calgary, published first in the South China Morning Post, had similar findings.

“This is a stunning failure on the part of the CRA,” said Simon Fraser University professor Joshua Gordon, who recently completed a study on the impact of foreign investment in Metro Vancouver’s housing affordability crisis.

“It represents gross negligence in this area, since questionable activity in this area has long been suspected.”

Gordon said the former Conservative government needs to take a considerable degree of blame because it “gutted” the agency’s international audit division as part of its budget-balancing initiative.

New Democratic Party MP Kennedy Stewart was similarly enraged.

“This confirms the federal government is leaving local residents to the wolves when it comes to our housing market,” said the MP for Burnaby South. “It confirms that we have lost control of a significant segment of our housing market to foreign buyers, many of whom appear to be cheating our tax system.

“Worse still, the government has known about this problem for years, failed to take the right actions, and what limited actions they have taken have badly failed. It is scandalous and the government needs to start treating this situation as the emergency it is.”

Vancouver-Point Grey NDP MLA David Eby said the CRA has been asleep at the switch, failing to identify and penalize socalled low income owners of expensive houses that have avoided paying taxes.

The additional 85 auditors and support staff for tens of thousands of households that need this type of complex audit work is “grossly

inadequate,” said Eby, who has been a vocal critic of federal and provincial government action on the overheated Vancouver housing market.

In a written statement, the B.C. government said it supports the CRA’s efforts and is already sharing information, but did not respond to a Vancouver Sun question on whether it believed the CRA effort should be beefed up even further.

B.C. Finance Ministry spokesman Jamie Edwardson said Finance Minister Mike de Jong’s raised the tax-evasion issue last month with Morneau, the federal finance minister.

20

NATIONAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

CRTC faces allegations of racism at highest ranks: court documents Canada’s broadcast and telecom regulator is facing accusations of “underlying racism and bigotry at the highest levels” in the latest legal action against the regulator by one of its former officials.

Court documents filed this week by Raj Shoan, fired last month as Ontario commissioner of the Canadian RadioTelevision and Telecommunications Commission, allege that Linda Vennard, commissioner for Alberta and the Northwest Territories, made racist comments and harassed her assistant. The filings also accuse Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais of a “campaign of

misinformation” against Shoan and suggest Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly, whose department oversees the CRTC, disregarded these concerns.

None of the allegations has been proven in court. But they suggest the CRTC’s troubles amount to more than the escalating conflict between Shoan and Blais. They also raise questions among industry players over whether the reportedly rotten work environment is detracting from the CRTC’s ambitious agenda to overhaul policy for the Internet age — decisions that impact billions of dollars in infrastructure spending and

every Canadian who uses a phone, TV or the Internet.

Raj Shoan “The CRTC is a quasi-judicial body and needs to operate beyond reproach.

As a Canadian, I would want assurances that allegations such as these have been thoroughly and appropriately investigated,” telecom consultant Mark Goldberg said.

Others who spoke on background said the ongoing legal battles make for a toxic negative workplace for staff dealing a heavy workload including decisions related to wholesale highspeed Internet pricing and net neutrality.

The conflict over Blais’ leadership style dates back to shortly after Shoan was hired in 2013, according to court documents. Shoan has since filed three legal challenges against

the CRTC that contend Blais has overstepped his authority in some way.

One looks to overturn an investigation that found Shoan harassed a staffer over email.

Shoan disputes the findings. At the June 21 hearing, the judge called Blais’ role in the investigation “quite troubling.”

But three days later – before the judge made a ruling (a decision is expected in September) – cabinet terminated Shoan citing actions that were “fundamentally incompatible” with his role, including the harassment investigation and negative comments about the CRTC on Twitter.

Shoan’s fourth legal challenge, which contains the allegations of racism, is an attempt to quash the cabinet’s decision to fire him. In it, he contends the CRTC applied different standards when investigating workplace harassment claims against him and Vennard.

In a June 14 letter, Shoan urged Joly to investigate allegations against commissioner Vennard by individuals who he said reported their problems to Shoan instead of to the chair due to fear of “reprisal and attack.”

The letter alleges that Vennard was investigated for workplace harassment after a complaint by her assistant.

Spread of terrorism in Africa on Canada’s peacekeeping radar, Harjit Sajjan says Containing the spread of terrorism across Africa is a consideration for Canada as it mulls where best to contribute to a UN peacekeeping mission, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Wednesday.

The government has yet to make up its mind on where it will send its peacekeepers, in fulfillment of a major foreign policy priority, Sajjan said. But Canada wants to have an impact wherever it deploys troops, he added, and doesn’t want to send a contingent to a specific country simply for the sake of doing so.

Sources say a mission to Mali, the West African country where more than a dozen peacekeepers have been killed this year, is a serious option for the government.

“Mali was definitely on the radar screen,” said a well-placed source with knowledge of the process, who spoke on the condition they not be named because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter.

Sajjan said the need to control the spread of Islamic militants across the Middle East and Africa is part of the government’s calculation in determining where Canada’s eventual peacekeeping mission will be focused.

“We can’t look at a country in isolation,” Sajjan said from Kuwait after visiting Canadian military personnel there and in neighbouring Iraq who are talking part in the U.S.-led coalition’s fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Incomes of Canadian seniors, singles stagnant, data shows A new look at the incomes of Canadians shows improvements for most households, with the exception of single people and seniors.

The median after-tax income for all family types rose 2.6 per cent to $55,600 in 2014 from a year earlier, updated Statistics Canada data show. The annual change

was uneven though; two-parent families with children saw their median after-tax income climb 4.5 per cent in the year, while the median income among single people and families whose major income earner is a senior (65 or older) was “virtually unchanged,” the agency said. The first glimpse of income trends for 2014, based on data from the agency’s Canadian income survey, shows little significant change in income inequality and in the overall poverty rate. The numbers do not capture the more recent impact of lower oil prices, which has hit Alberta particularly hard. But they do suggest that Canada has not experienced the same magnitude of challenges experienced

south of the border.

“Broadly speaking, all groups appear to have done well in recent years, or at least until 2014, the last year of data, which is consistent with most of the other evidence I have seen,” said Thomas Lemieux, professor at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver School of Economics. “Inequality has not increased in recent years and pretty much all groups have enjoyed some modest income growth.”

That said, not everyone is seeing the same rate of growth.

Seniors – in particular single elderly women – made up a higher share of those living in low income, both on an annual basis and compared with a decade ago.

The percentage of Canadians aged 65 and over living in low income rose to 12.5 per cent in 2014 from 11.6 per cent a year earlier. That’s down from a recent peak of 13.4 per cent in 2011, but still marks a shift from prior decades.

Twenty years earlier, the percentage was 3.9 per cent. The trend is most acute among seniors who live on their own, as shifts in pension coverage, the labour market and government transfers put the squeeze on finances. In particular, the share of single elderly women in low income is 30 per cent, triple the level of two decades ago.

It’s a relative measure: Statscan’s after-tax low-income measure defines people as being low income if their after-tax income falls below half of the median income.

Calgary family ‘devastated’ as charges laid in deaths of 5 year old and her mother The body of five-year-old Calgary girl Taliyah Marsman has been found days after her mother was discovered dead.

Police later charged 46-year-old Edward Downey with two counts of first-degree murder.

“We are very saddened to be announcing today that we believe we have found the body

been taken into custody the previous night.

Police said Downey was known to both victims and Taliyah’s father, Colin Marsman, who was Baillie’s estranged common-law partner.

Downey has an “extensive criminal history at play” and had shown “limited cooperation” with police, Coleman said.

‘I just want my baby girl back’: Missing Calgary girl’s father begs Family of missing Calgary girl makes tearful plea for her return Police didn’t offer an alleged motive.

“That’s something we still have to figure out,” Coleman said.

When asked whether police were looking at any other suspects, Coleman replied: “At Taliyah Marsman Edward Downey this point, Mr. Downey is our of five-year-old Taliyah Marsman,” Calgary only suspect.” police Chief Roger Chaffin told a news Downey, who also goes by Simmonds, is conference Thursday night. scheduled to appear in court July 20. He will He said the discovery has been a brutal remain in custody until that date. blow both to the girl’s family and the roughly He was also ordered to have no contact 100 officers who have been working nonstop with the girl’s father. to find her since Monday night. That’s when When asked whether police thought the her mother, Sara Baillie, was discovered slain mother or daughter was the primary target, in a basement suite the two shared in the Coleman said he could only speculate. city’s northwest.

However, based on the timeline being put “They are completely devastated by the together by police, he said Sara was thought loss, as am I,” Chaffin said. to be the more likely target.

Taliyah’s body was found just after 7 p.m.

Baillie’s body was discovered Monday MT Thursday about eight kilometres east of night by officers called to a house in the Calgary, Insp. Don Coleman said. neighbourhood of Panorama Hills by family Downey known to family, police say members who were concerned because she Downey was charged by police a few hours didn’t show up for work and didn’t answer later, saying he was the same man who had their calls.

NATIONAL

21

PUNJAB

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Govt doctors assaulted in Patiala, Amritsar hospitals Junior doctors at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Patiala and Amritsar today went on a strike after an assault on resident doctors (doing post-graduation) in both

cities. Around 100 PG doctors of Government Rajindra Hospital and Medical College, Patiala, protested after one of their colleagues was slapped by the relative of a patient late last night.

The protesters alleged that three persons entered the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emergency in an inebriated condition and slapped Dr Manuj Chaudhary. A case was registered under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty),186 (obstructing public servant) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC against Kulwinder Singh Lucky, Babanpreet Singh Sandy and Jaspreet Singh Prince. They were later arrested.

In Amritsar, three PG students of the GMC were assaulted by attendants of a patient, Bhaan Singh (70) of Kakkranwala village (Tarn Taran), who died this morning at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH).

A Sikh mother and son in UK become the voice of marginalised LGBT people With an attitudinal change coming about gradually in society, more and more people are accepting that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual (LGBT) are as normal as anybody. A greater awareness and acceptance has led this change.

To broaden this understanding, a Sikh mother-son duo are trying to bring about openness among the South Asian LGBT community in the UK. They are helping parents to accept the â&#x20AC;&#x153;naturalâ&#x20AC;? sexual orientation of their children, shed inhibitions and move ahead in life.

A masters in human rights from University College, London, Manjinder Singh Sidhu has made several You Tube videos, a few with his

75$9(/ .,1* ,17(51$7,21$/

*,// 75$9(/

6,1&(

22

121 6723 :((./< )/,*+76 :,7+ $,5 &$1$'$

)URP 9DQFRXYHU 1HZ 'HOKL &$// 86 12: 72 *(7 7+( %(67 5$7(6

$*(176 )25 $// 0$-25 $,5/,1(6

Â&#x2021; $LU &DQDGD Â&#x2021; $LU )UDQFH Â&#x2021; %ULWLVK $LUZD\V Â&#x2021; ./0 Â&#x2021; /XIWKDQVD Â&#x2021; (PLUDWHV Â&#x2021; 4DWDU $LUZD\V Â&#x2021; $LU &KLQD Â&#x2021; &KLQD $LUOLQHV Â&#x2021; &KLQD (DVWHUQ Â&#x2021; &KLQD 6RXWKHUQ Â&#x2021; -HW $LUZD\V Â&#x2021; $LU ,QGLD Â&#x2021; *XOI $LU Â&#x2021; (WLKDG $LUZD\V Â&#x2021; &DWKD\ 3DFLILF PDQ\ PRUH

63(&,$/ 3$&.$*(6 72 *2$ .(5$/$ 5$-$67+$1 $// 29(5 ,1',$ /$5*(67 ,1',$1 75$9(/ $*(1&< :,7+ %5$1&+(6 ,1 &$1$'$ 6&277 5' 6855(< &251(5 2) $ $9( 7+ 67

::: 75$9648$5( &20 Â&#x2021; ::: *,//75$9(/6 &20

mother, in various languages offering advice to the LGBTI and their family members.

Sidhu said he had discovered that he was attracted to men when he was 13. â&#x20AC;&#x153;God made me this way and I must accept it. I decided to focus on my studies, get a good job and live the life the universe has bestowed upon me.â&#x20AC;?

But it took Sidhu 14 years to come out and tell his family about his sexual orientation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was 25, living in Israel, working for the United Nations and severely depressed as I had to hide this truth from them. One day I just texted them that I was a gay.

Surprisingly, their reaction was very positive.

They were relieved that their son was finally communicating with them and still loved them. This brought out my activism and I began to work to lift the `purdahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (veil) off LGBT topics in our community,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He started off with talks on radio and television, and then began to shoot videos on the topic.

Patiala couple among seven arrested for servantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murder

The police today solved a month-old murder of a domestic help who was shot in the head and buried in a drug de-addiction centre.

Later, acid was poured on him to destroy his corpse and later the grave was dug and the remaining body parts were thrown in the Bhakhra canal to conceal all evidence.

The crime, allegedly committed in a fit of rage, remained a secret among nine persons, including a woman â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who is a former model â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for over a month.

On June 3, Madhurjeet Sharma alias Mickey was with his wife in his house. He suspected his wife Sonia Sharma of having an illicit relation with their 19-year old domestic help, Anup Kumar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mickey shot Anup in the head and called his friends and employees working in his drug de -addiction centre in Mallomajra village. They had drinks and conspired to get rid of the corpse. For this, they shortlisted an vacant plot near the deaddiction centre. They wrapped the body in a sheet and packed it in a car and dug the grave on June 3,â&#x20AC;? said SSP Gurmeet Chauhan.

The next day, Mickey kept Anupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phone in a Delhi-bound bus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He had done this to ensure that others would know that Anup is not taking calls and his phone records would show that he is travelingâ&#x20AC;?, said CIA incharge Bikram Brar.

NRI

Saturday, July 16, 2016

23

Telangana’s draft NRI policy ready The Telangana government said on Friday that it has prepared draft NRI policy to address the problems faced by people who have migrated to other countries especially Gulf nations from the state in search of livelihood.

Minister for Industries and Information Technology K.T. Rama Rao, who also holds the portfolio of NRI affairs, on Friday said a meeting would be called on July 16 for consultation with various stakeholders over the draft policy.

The minister said that all steps are being taken to ensure gullible youngsters, who wish

to migrate to Gulf countries, are not cheated by middlemen. He made it clear that only those who migrate legally, with appropriate visas, will get necessary benefits, in case of an untoward incidents.

The minister gave away compensation cheque of Rs 40.15 lakh to the family of Narsaih, from Nizamabad district, who lost his life in Gulf.

Narsaiah’s employer Jazeera

Indian-American named Texas university dean An Indian-American professor with a diverse set of academic experience in the field of science and technology has been named the dean of a leading US university.

Dr Kinshuk, who goes by single name, has been named the dean of University of North Texas College of Information in the US. He received his doctoral degree from De Montfort University in England, a master of science in mechanical computer aided engineering from Strathclyde University in Scotland and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Rajasthan in India. Since 2010, he served as an associate

dean at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada, where he helped lead the Faculty of Science and Technology.

In that role, he helped start new graduate programmes, gained external research funding, developed strategies for student recruitment and promoted senior students and alumni to serve as mentors for new students.

Prior to this, he served as director in the School of Computing and Information Systems. Kinshuk also served as Industrial Research Chair in Adaptivity and Personalisation in Informatics for the National Science and Engineering Council of Canada.

Indian-American couple ordered to pay $7.75 mn for healthcare fraud An Indian-American couple, who owned a mobile diagnostic testing company in New Jersey, has been ordered by a US court to pay $7.75 million for committing a multimillion health care fraud.

Kirtish N Patel and Nita K Patel, both aged 53, had earlier pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud. The government’s civil complaint had alleged that they created fraudulent diagnostic test reports, forged physician signatures on these reports and then billed Medicare for the fraudulent reports.

They also billed Medicare for neurological tests that they conducted without the required physician supervision, the Justice Department said. The lawsuit was filed under whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which

allows private citizens with knowledge of fraud to bring civil actions on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery.

The False Claims Act also permits the government to intervene in such lawsuits, as it has done in this case.

The whistleblower who brought the misconduct to the government’s attention will receive 15 to 25 per cent of over $7.7 million recovered by the government. According to the documents filed in the case and statements made in the court from 2006 through June 2014, Nita and Kirtish owned and operated Biosound Medical Services Inc and Heart Solutions in New Jersey, which were mobile diagnostic companies and approved medicare providers.

Emirates has provided this compensation.

Rao was speaking at a special program organized

by TOMCOM (Telangana Overseas Manpower Company Ltd).

He assured all help from the government to the Gulf migrants.

This is the first batch of youngsters, who were recruited from the rural areas of Telangana. About

500 youngsters would be recruited as part of second batch soon.

The minister said that TOMCOM would be further expanded to play a proactive role by educating, skilling and training youngsters, who wish to migrate to the Gulf countries.

He also elaborated on the various development initiatives undertaken by the state government such as construction of irrigation projects, Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha and TS-iPASS, to create employment opportunities locally, thereby reducing migration from Telangana.

24

INDIA

Saturday, July 16, 2016

154 Indians evacuated from South Sudan return home The first Indian Air Force flight C-17 carrying 156 people, who were evacuated from war-torn South Sudan’s capital city Juba, arrived here early on Friday.

The evacuees also included two Nepali citizens, besides nine women and three children. The passengers from Kerala and some from Tamil Nadu disembarked after a brief halt here before leaving for Delhi.

Minister of state for external affairs V K Singh, who is leading the government’s ‘Operation Sankat Mochan’ to evacuate Indians from the African country, told reporters at the airport that 156 persons have been evacuated, of whom two are from Nepal.

There are over 550 Indians at Juba and another 150 in areas where the oil wells are

located. “When we landed, 156 came out with us. There were 30-40 people who had already booked their tickets when the commercial flights started and 300 people did not want to be evacuated due to their business concerns and other activities. There are 9 women and three children among those evacuated,” Singh said. On those who turned down the government’s plea to be evacuated, Singh said, “we tried to convince them. I suppose business comes first, life comes later (for them)..”

“After fighting broke out in Juba and its outskirts, our aim was to evacuate our people who were in danger. As per our information, there were 550 plus people in Juba itself with another 150 indians in areas where the oil wells are there..,” he added. The evacuation exercise faced a hurdle when several Indians, after registering with the external affairs ministry for leaving South Sudan, refused to return, despite an appeal by External affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Twitter asking them to move out.

Singh said he had met Vice-President of Sudan who spoke of the situation out there.

The C-17 aircraft was brought via Uganda and the minister also met the Ugandan Prime minister Ruhakana Rugunda who on his part assured of all help.

Why Pilibhit death cases withdrawn The Allahabad High Court has ordered that a notice be sent to the Uttar Pradesh government questioning the decision to withdraw a CB-CID inquiry and cases against the 42 Pilibhit district jail employees, responsible for the 1994 custodial death of seven TADA victims.

Admitting a writ petition by Pilibhit-based Harjinder Singh Kahlon, Justice KJ Thaker has given the state government three weeks to file its response.

Separate notices are being sent to all 42 accused in the case, including the then jail superintendent Vindhyachal Singh Yadav, his deputy and 40 jail constables.

They had been chargesheeted by the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) before the case was summarily withdrawn in 2007.

The case pertains to the seven custodial deaths in Pilibhit jail on the intervening night of November 8-9, 1994. The 28 TADA prisoners lodged in barrack number 7 were brutally beaten up by the jail staff after being charged with attempting to escape. While

seven succumbed to the beating, 21 suffered grievous injuries.

The then chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had ordered a CB-CID probe against

the 42 guilty jail staff.

On January 24, 1995, a chargesheet was filed against jail superintendent Yadav and 41 others.

A dramatic U-turn came in 2007 when the Mulayam Singh Yadav government came to power again. It permitted withdrawal of the case against the jail staff.

The issue was revived following The Tribune report on May 9 this year.

Ban cash transactions above Rs 3 lakh to curb black money: SIT The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money has recommended ban on cash transactions of above Rs 3 lakh and restricting cash holding with individuals to not more than Rs 15 lakh to curb illegal wealth in the economy.

The SIT headed by Justice MB Shah (retd), submitted its fifth report to the Supreme Court on methods to curb black money in the economy.

The panel felt that large amount of unaccounted wealth is stored and used in form of cash.

“Having considered the provisions which exist in this regard in various countries and also having considered various reports and observations of courts regarding cash transactions the SIT felt that there is a need to put an upper limit to cash transactions,” an

official statement said.

The SIT recommended a total ban on cash transactions above Rs 3 lakh and that “an Act be framed to declare such transactions as illegal and punishable under law”.

It also felt that given the fact of unaccounted wealth being held in cash, which are further confirmed by huge cash recoveries in numerous enforcement actions by law enforcement agencies from time to time, the cash transaction limit could only succeed if there is a limitation on cash holding.

“The SIT has suggested an upper limit of Rs 15 lakh on cash-holding,” the statement said.

In case any person or industry required holding more cash, it may obtain necessary permission from the Commissioner of Income Tax of the area, the panel said.

54 Indians deported from US in April, more to follow this month Fifty-four Indians were deported from the US in April and another set of Indians from the country will be sent back to India this month, a top US official said.

“India has improved its timelines in issuing travel documents to its citizens under final orders of removal,” Michele Thoren Bond, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on repatriation of convicted criminal aliens. “Fifty-four Indian citizens returned home on an ICE charter flight in April 2016, and the Government of India is scheduling a July 2016 charter as well,” Bond said. “We are encouraged that India is on a positive trajectory, and we intend to remain engaged on this issue with India through newly established quarterly meetings to address difficult cases and ensure processes

are smooth and efficient,” Bond said. Last month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson that as many as 23 countries, including India and China, are noncooperative in taking back illegal immigrants from the US and asked the Obama Administration to initiate action against them by discontinuing to issue immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to them.

Bond said the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security are working closely with the Indian government to maintain and build on this progress.

“We will continue to raise this issue with Indian officials at appropriate levels, including at the upcoming US-India Homeland Security Dialogue, which is scheduled to take place in Washington in late July,” he said.

SUPERSTORE

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Real Canadian SuperstoreÂŽ location is the convenient one-stop shopping solution for everyday needs and for special occasions. You'll find variety, value, and a wide range of South Asian specialities -- at great price!

350 SE Marine Drive, Vancouver T: (604) 322-3727 Fax: 604-322-3744 Store Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30AM-8:00PM Sat 9AM - 5PM & Sun 12PM - 5PM

Contact for more assistance:

Remo Mastropieri Store Manager

25

26

INDIA

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Curfew clamped in all 10 districts of Kashmir Amid apprehension of widespread clashes, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday imposed strict curfew in all 10 districts of Kashmir, besides snapping all private mobile network in the region, which is on the edge since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

The unrest and protests which followed Burhan’s killing have so far left 36 civilians and one policeman dead. Over 2,000 people, including securitymen, have also been injured in the clashes, which refuse to die down.

On Thursday evening, a policeman was injured at Parimpora on the city outskirts when a mob pelted his car with stones.

The policeman left his car behind and fled the spot. The car was later set ablaze by the protesters.

A senior official in Srinagar said curfew had been imposed across Kashmir to maintain peace.

No vehicular movement, except medical emergencies, is being allowed in the curfewhit districts by police and paramilitary forces,

which have been deployed in strength.

The strict curfew restrictions are likely to hit the Friday congregational prayers at

various places as the authorities feared more protests after the Friday prayers.

Though curfew was already in place in all sensitive parts of the Valley since Saturday, on Friday it was extended to other sensitive districts as well.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed outside the houses of separatist leaders to prevent them from coming out on to the streets. Separatists have called for funeral prayers after the Friday prayers in absentia for the youth killed since Saturday.

Zakir Naik claims his statements doctored, tampered with Claiming his statements were doctored and tampered with out of context, controversial televangelist Zakir Naik on Friday said he unequivocally condemned all terrorist activities. The Islamic preacher dismissed as “misinformation” that he had ever advocated suicide bombings, saying he

always condemned them since innocent people got killed and this is “anti-Islam”.

“However, it (suicide attacks) may be used as a tactic of war to save the country. In all other circumstances where innocents are targeted, it is condemnable,” Naik told the media via Skype from Saudi Arabia.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

ESHWAR SHAKTI

27

28

FIJI

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Residents claim Police brutality Shocking and graphic pictures circulating on social media that allege police brutality as recently as 2014, may have actually been taken in 2009.

The pictures were posted on a social media site

by a user who initially claimed they were taken in 2014. But one of the alleged victims, Vilimoni Mateiwai, of Nakoro Village in Navosa, claims the incident actually took place in 2009. Mr Mateiwai claimed he was with two farmers in the pictures,

alleging they were tortured with knives and sticks and had hot water poured on them by police officers during the raid.

“Keitou se victims’ ga mai na 2009 koya sova vei keitou na waikatakata (We were victims from 2009 who had hot water poured on us),” Mr Mateiwai claimed. “It was in May or June. Keitou a tikoga na farm, rauta na lima na kaloko ratou sa rai tiko yani. Ratou davo tu dua na vanua ya I loma ni veikau. Ratou waraka saraga o ratou me keitou curu I loma ni vale laca ratou qai lako mai. Na ti a toka tu I tuba me keitou varau gunuti. (We were at the farm at about 5 o’clock and didn’t know that police were observing us from a distance. They were waiting for us to go into our tarpaulin tents before they came. Our tea was still boiling outside),” Mr Mateiwai recalled.

He claimed the group, comprising about 20 policemen and soldiers, raided the farm and the three were all found in possession of marijuana.

Girmitiyas welcomed 132 years later In a moving and solemn occasion, the province of Rewa traditionally welcomed home the descendants of the wrecked ship Syria which hit the Nasilai reef 132 years ago. While receiving the kamunaga (whale’s tooth) with love and humility on behalf of the descendants, Govind Singh said this had been an emotional journey and they were greatly humbled by the auspicious kamunaga.

“The kamunaga is a symbol of peace, progress and prosperity for us,” Mr Singh said. This was first presented by the Rewa Province conveying to the descendants that they have been accepted to be part of the province.

“It has been a 100-year journey where the descendants of the girmit have been drifting like a piece of driftwood on the sea. “After these 100 years, we’ve been

called girmitiya, we accepted it as the fate through our ancestors of our people,” Mr Singh said.

He jokingly said they were also called the vulagi (visitors) and being a 100-yearold vulagi was most unbecoming and they would end up in the Guinness Book of Records.

“Today (yesterday) we have found the vanua, today (yesterday) we have found where we belong,” Mr Singh said.

Vunimono High School principal Anil Prasad, who was part of the event, said he was privileged and honoured to be part of the auspicious occasion.

“We feel very emotional and sentimental and we would like to say thank you to the chief of Noco and paramount chief of Rewa for honouring our ancestors,” Mr Prasad said.

Raj refutes comments FIJI’S Human Rights and AntiDiscrimination Commission has refuted insinuations made by the co-ordinator of Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, Shamima Ali, that the commission was acquiescing to acts of torture and brutality committed by disciplinary forces.

In response to Ms Ali’s call that the commission must speak out on torture, commission’s director Ashwin Raj, said the commission had made several statements in the past in relation to acts of brutality and torture committed by disciplinary forces.

Mr Raj said most recently on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 and Wednesday July 6, 2016 in The Fiji Times where the commission made a very clear stand on the issue. “…human rights and policing go hand in hand and no one is above the law — everyone is bound by human rights laws”, the newspaper reported.

“Mr Raj said he had conducted human rights training with law enforcers which was positive … the Commissioner of Police has been receptive to have a “human rights wall” in every police station so that when people are detained, they know their rights and legal counsel and procedures. The wall will include a toll-free number to contact the commission for assistance because as an independent body, we can investigate…As director, I would like to work with police and the Corrections Department and one of the things we have done is undergone training on detention monitoring.

Man jailed for raping nephew’s wife A Man has been jailed for eight years and six months for raping his nephew’s wife.

The 32-year-old man, who is married with three children, was found guilty after a trial in the Lautoka High Court and convicted by Justice Thushara Rajasinghe. The offence happened in the early morning of February 15, 2013 when the victim was sleeping in her bedroom.

While sentencing the man this week, Justice Rajasinghe said it was a case of acquaintance rape. “It is a form of sexual coercion where a known family member forcefully has sexual intercourse with the victim,” he said.

“This is indeed one of the worse forms of sexual offences which infringes the victim’s life, physically and emotionally. “Offences of this nature have been increasing with alarming prevalence and has become a dismaying social concern.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Pak must target all militant groups and close safe havens: US

Pakistan humiliated over terror as it seeks support on Kashmir Pakistan was humiliated on the world stage on Wednesday after it attempted to crank up international pressure on India on the Kashmir issue.

A range of lawmakers, analysts, and diplomats called Pakistan a terrorist entity, said it should be denied foreign aid, and proposed that its leaders, including its military generals, be sanctioned and stopped from traveling to the United States for consistently cheating the world community on terrorism.

A congressional hearing in Washington and the United Nations general assembly were the forums for Pakistan’s public shaming after its representatives tried to rake up the Kashmir situation in the wake of the violence in the Indian state.

Accusing his counterpart of misusing

the UN platform with phony concern about human rights, India’s permanent representative at the UN Syed Akbaruddin lashed out at Pakistan, calling it “a country that covets the territory of others; a country that uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end; a country that extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists.”

“Pakistan is the same country whose track record has failed to convince the international community to gain membership of the UN human rights council in this very session of the UNGA,” Akbaruddin sneered, saying the “international community has long seen through such designs” and such “cynical attempts find no resonance in this forum or elsewhere in the United Nations”.

Pakistan must take action against all terror groups including those targeting its neighbours and close all safe havens, the US has said while acknowledging Islamabad’s “meaningful steps” to combat outfits that threaten the country’s stability.

“We have been very clear that Pakistan must target all militant groups, including those that target Pakistan’s neighbours, and close all safe havens,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference.

It is in this regard, the US “certainly welcome” comments by Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on July 6 when he directed Pakistani military commanders, intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies to take concrete measures to deny any militant groups safe haven or the use of Pakistani soil to launch terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Toner said.

“We are continuing to address some of our concerns about where Pakistan needs to move next in terms of combating terrorist threats,” Toner said.

Violence in Kashmir will escalate, warns LeT terrorist Hafiz Saeed Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba and mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks has warned that violence in Kashmir will escalate.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, Saeed also said he will lead nationwide demonstrations in Pakistan to force its government to sever ties with the US if it cannot convince Washington to intervene in the decades old “ Kashmir dispute “.

Saeed was commenting about the ongoing

unrest and violence in Kashmir since security forces killed terrorist Burhan Wani there last week. Protests erupted after Wani’s killing and at least 31 people have been killed in Kashmir since then, in clashes with security forces.

“America is supporting this oppression by India by saying it is an internal matter,” Saeed said in the interview, which took place at his home in the eastern city of Lahore. “This has given India encouragement and because of this the killings and violence will continue.”

DUECK’S CANADA WIDE CLEAROUT! 0% FINANCING ON EVERYTHING! NEW 2016 CHEVROLET TRAX

NEW 2016 GMC SIERRA DOUBLE CAB

Turbo, 10 airbags, Remote Keyless Entry, Traction Control, Oil Like Monitoring, Bluetooth, USB Port, OnStar 4G LTE WiFi hotspot #6TX5768 MSRP $21,495 Cash Purch. Disc $3,700 GM C.Card App Disc $500 Dueck/GM Disc $300

5.3L V8, A/C, Cruise, Power Group, XM Radio, 4.2" Colour screen #6CK9208M MSRP FINANCE Disc GM C.Card App Disc DUECK/GM DISC

Dueck CASH Price

Dueck Price

$16,995

$32,995

$38,025 $1,000 $1,000 $3120

AND

OR

$107

BI- WEEKLY

0% FOR 84 MOS SELECTION

VALUE

$184

CALL AMIN OR KULDIP ON MARINE

DL:8430

29

BI- WEEKLY

0% FOR 84 MOS

TRUST

604.324.7222 400 S.E. MARINE DR.

0% on all 2016 Chevy, Buick and GMC Models.Taxes and $549 Documentation fee excluded. Offer ends July 31st, 2016.

S H O P 2 4 / 7 O N L I N E @ D U E C KG M . CO M

30

EVENT

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Canadian Sikhs pay tribute to the first ambassador of Sikhs to Canada Sant Teja Singh Surrey, BC – Canadian Sikhs are learning more about one of the first Sikh scholars and activists to arrive in Canada through the

place on Saturday July 9th at the Taj Park Convention Centre in Surrey.

As the next generation of young Sikhs

Canada was Sant Teja Singh. Professor Teja Singh was the first Sikh to enter Cambridge University with a turban and graduated from

residency rights in Canada. At that time the Canadian government made plans to send the Sikhs and Indian immigrants to Honduras, a

launch of a new book on the life of Sant Teja Singh. A conference titled “The Legacy of Sikhs in Canada” dedicated to Saint, Scholar, and Global Activist Sant Teja Singh took

establishes their roots in Canada we must not forget the struggle of the early Sikh pioneers of the early 1900s. One of the key figures in the struggle for Sikh and Indian rights in

Harvard University. During his studies at Columbia University in USA, Sant Teja Singh was invited to Canada in 1908 and led the local Sikhs and the Indian community to win

very poor country infested with yellow fever.

Sant Teja Singh led a delegation to Ottawa to lobby against the act in the early 1900’s and also wrote and registered the constitution of Khalsa Diwan Society in Canada.

Much of this is very little known by today’s Canadian Sikhs. “Life of a Gurmukh” written

by Dr. Khem Singh Gill & Published by Khalsa Diwan Society which was released at the conference for the first time in Canada sheds new light on the life of Sant Teja Singh.

“Our desire is that the community especially the younger generation is inspired by the life of Sant Teja Singh and sees him as someone whose footsteps they can follow. Here we have a fully baptized young Sikh gentleman who attended the Cambridge University in the early 1900s and then spent his time as an activist for rights and freedoms right here in our very own city of Vancouver. There is still a lot to be proud of amongst the challenges and hardships faced by early Sikh settlers in Canada,” stated organizer Avtar Singh Gill of the Akal Academy in Surrey, BC. Surrey Centre Member of Parliament Randeep Singh Sarai delivered a special message sent by Defense Minister Hon. Harjit Singh Sajjan whose grandfather had taken Amrit (baptism) from a ceremony organized by Sant Teja Singh. Dr. Khem Singh Gill author of “Life of a Gurmukh” delivered the key note and shed light on the life of Sant Teja Singh. Guest speakers included Dr. Sukhmander Singh from Santa Clara University California and Sohan Singh Pooni who is a historian and special messages were sent by Baba Iqbal Singh Ji, President Kalghidar Trust and Bhai Pinderpal Singh.

First Sikh RCMP officer Baltej Singh Dhillon was also in attendance amongst the hundreds of local Sikhs that gathered for the conference.

This event largely covered by the media and attended by many Sikh Societies of the Lower Mainland. The event was hosted by Dr. Pargat Singh Bhurji and Dupinder Kaur.

To obtain a copy of the book or for more information, please contact the Akal Academy in Surrey via e mail : akalacademysurrey@ gmail.com

For quick results, please call:

G&F FINANCIAL

Saturday, July 16, 2016

AN ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL FOR YOU!

1.80

%*

12 month Deadline extended! non-redeemable JULY 16 term deposit

PUNEET BAINS

JAGJIT PANDHER KAM MOKHA

PETER UNADKAT RANJIT SANDHU

Fleetwood 604-549-5271

Nordel 604-549-5310

South Burnaby 604-517-5160

Willoughby 604-549-5410

*New funds only, minimums apply. Rate subject to change, terms and conditions apply, limited time offer.

Cloverdale 604-549-5350

Take advantage of this outstanding rate* available for a limited time!

Also eligible for your tax free savings account (TFSA) or registered accounts (RRSP, RESP, RIF).

Ask us how to get started today!

604-419-8888 â&#x20AC;¢ gffg.com

31

32

FRUITICANA

Saturday, July 16, 2016

1

Saturday, July 16, 2016 Saturday - July 16, 2016

Great Grand Masti all set to spook you out What happens when the Masti trio sets out for a third round of naughtiness outside their humdrum lives? Unlike the first two instalments in which they were

in the quest for some extra-marital thrill, in Great Grand Masti, the hunters -Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab

Shivdasani become the hunted.

Ragini, the girl of their dreams, played

by Urvashi Rautela (Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva -Miss Universe India 2015) becomes their worst nightmare when it dawns on them that the femme fatale is a virgin ghost. What ensues is chaos and tons of comedy.

Apart from the concept of a virgin ghost, which hasn’t been explored in Bollywood yet, the comic twist adds to the mayhem.The laugh-aminute riot, which is produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Sameer Nair, Aman Gill, Ashok Thakeria, Sri Adhikari Brothers and Anand Pandit, also boasts of foot-tapping music.

Priyanka Chopra’s brother held by the crime branch – find out why!

Priyanka Chopra’s brother Siddharth who owns The Mugshot Lounge in Pune has been allegedly booked for illegally serving hookah with tobacco mixed products at his restaurant. Yes! According

to reports doing the rounds, the cops have booked Chopra along with the hotel manager Prakash Tulcharam Choudhary

(24) under sections of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition Of advertisement And Regulation Of Trade And Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

Word is that this raid happened quite recently after inspector Rajendra Kadam of the crime branch learnt that some people from high-class society have been indulging in tobacco mixed products with hookah at The Mugshot Lounge. Following which, a crime branch team immediately raided the spot on Wednesday night and seized tobacco mixed products worth Rs 26,000 that were served with hookah. Turns out a press release issued by the Pune city police on Thursday stated that possession and sale of these tobacco mixed products is against the law.

Salman Khan: A 1000 crore movie deal?

Salman Khan, who has given back to backs cks hits like Sultan, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, o Rs 1000 has reportedly signed a deal amounting to te rights of crores with a leading channel for the satellite his films.

Today, stars Pinkvilla quoted a source, as saying, “Today, i-crore deals are raking in the moolah by signing multi-crore le Ajay Devgn with channels willing to pay the price. While ms with the same had signed a deal of Rs 400 crore for 10 films channel, at the time, Salman had signed the same for Rs 500 crore starting with Bodyguard - so he was getting paid Rs 50 crore per film then.” ith a channel “Varun Dhawan recently inked a deal with ms of his. But where he gets paid Rs 300 crore for 10 films with Salman’s past few releases all being blockbusters, n Payo, for Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan m triple the example - channels are willing to pay him amount to air his films and have his presencee grace their shows, be it reality shows or sports-based programmes. act with the He recently re-negotiated his earlier contract same channel,” the insider added.

Also, actor Hrithik Roshan has reportedlyy signed a deal worth approximately Rs 550 crores forr his next six films. Varun Dhawan also signed Rs 3000 crore deal with a leading channel for his movies except for Judwaa 2

ched Popular TV actor gets hitched

We are talking about Chidiya Ghar star Jitu Shivhare who plays the character of Gadha Prasad. Jitu married Shweta Jaiswal who is a banker by profession.

The wedding took place in Shirdi and reception will take place in Agra on 30 July. Jitu and Shweta plan to go Kerela for their honeymoon.

2 Salman Khan is Google’s most searched Indian actor in last 10 years

Bollywood

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and Sunny Leone have been named the most searched Indian actor and actress respectively in the last decade on Google.

The “Dabangg” star is followed by Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. Tamil superstar Rajinikanth rounds off the top five most searched Indian actor list released by Google.

Other top ten searched actors are Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Aamir Khan and Emraan Hashmi.

The most searched actresses list is comprised of Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Kajal Agarwal, Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, Tamannaah Bhatia, Alia Bhatt and Sonakshi Sinha.

Filmmaker Prabhu Deva has topped the most searched

directors list which also features Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar Raj Kapoor, Ram Gopal Varma, Farah Khan among others.

Aamir Khan-starrer “PK” is the most searched film in the last 10 years, followed by “Kahaani”, “Baahubali”, “Aashiqui 2”, “Dhoom 3”, “Kick”, “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”, “Happy New Year”, “Hero” and “Ek Villian”.

Besides featuring in the most searched actor list, Big B also topped the most searched classic actor list, while Rekha is most searched classic actress.

Rapper Honey Singh has been named most searched Indian singer which also has Atif Aslam, Arijit Singh, Lata Mangeshkar, Sonu Nigam, Kishore Kumar, Shreya Ghoshal, Kumar Sanu, Himesh Reshammiya and Sunidhi Chauhan.

Bridal bling! Yami Gautam looks gorgeous Yami Gautam looked gorgeous as she walked the ramp as showstopper for a designer at a high profile fashion event.

Sex scene with Imaad Shah in ‘M Cream’ is sweet, says Ira Dubey

Actress Ira Dubey, who has shot an intimate scene with Imaad Shah for the forthcoming film “M Cream”, says the sequence is “sweet”.

“The hot and steamy sex scene is between the other couple Maggie and Niz (played by Auritra Ghosh and Raaghav Chanana), ours is more organic and sweet and no there’s no regret doing it at all,” Ira said in a statement.

The Delhi-born actress revealed that they had shot the sequence in freezing cold on some prickly hay-like stuff. She believes that there was a certain comfort level with Imaad and hence there was no awkwardness.

“As actors what helped was that we knew that scene is not a forced one, rather it’s a gradual process between our characters.

Agneya (director Agneya Singh) also made the entire shoot very comfortable so there was no awkwardness,” Ira said.

“M Cream” will release in theatres across India on July 22.

New Released Bollywood Films

July

21

Love Ke Funday July

22

Fever

July

3-YR-OLD GIRL TO HOST OF ONLINE FOOD SHOW A toddler hosting a cooking series - Can’t believe it? “Time Out Daria”, an online food show, is making it a reality.

Daria, a three-year-old girl, will be hosting the show, which has been announced by Qyuki, a multiplatform media company, and Seher Bedi, one of the pioneers of millenial entertainment when MTV first launched in India.

The show is being launched under the Starrin’ banner, a new digital video network catering to a target audience of

22

After conquering TV, films and award show red carpets in Hollywood, Priyanka Chopra is all set to tread a new territory.

The 33-year-old actress is part of a seven-member jury of the Shorts Festival section at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Her co-judges include 127 Hours actor James Franco, Beasts of the Southern Wild cinematographer Ben Richardson, Selma director Ava DuVernay, who was also on the judges’ panel at Mumbai’s 17th MAMI film festival’s competition section, Canadian writer-director Xavier Dolan, who, at 25, won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival

22

Ishq Click July

6 to 18-year-old audiences across the world, read a statement.

In the show, Daria along with her mother Tina will take viewers on a culinary journey that will not only be a treat to all foodies but also to parents who want to expose their children to wholesome entertainment online.

PEECEE GOES TO TORONTO AS JURY

M.A. Pass July

3

Bollywood

Saturday, July 16, 2016

22

Madaari

DALER MEHNDI’S SON GURDEEP WEDS HIS GIRLFRIEND IN FINLAND

Singer Daler Mehndi’s elder son Gurdeep Mehndi mar ried his NRI girlfriend Jessica in a private ceremony in Finland recently . Their traditional Sikh wedding was attended by family members. “It was a small, traditional wedding in Finland as our daughter-in-law grew up there and her family lives there. No Punjabi wedding is complete without music, so we specially called dholwallas from the UK for the ceremony. We also or dered mithai from Purani Dilli in quintals to be distributed among friends and family and for the wedding,“ said Daler.

He is also planning some get-togethers for his friends in India. “One function will be in Gurgaon on July 16 for our friends from Delhi and the bride and groom will also be back from Finland by then. We may plan a small gettogether for friends in Mumbai as well,“ Daler informed.

To Read more, Visit our Website www.theasianstar.com

for his 2014 drama, Mommy, music video director and photographer, Nabil Elderkin and stop-motion animation artist Rachel Ryle.

A newly added competition section for digital shorts, Shorts Festival invites participants from around the world to submit 60-second films through their Instagram accounts, following which the jury will handpick entries to be screened on each day of the 10-day Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off on September 8.

Meanwhile, they are slated to select a winner for the Judge’s Choice Award and Fan Favourite Award categories, to be announced on August 18.

4

Bollywood

Saturday, July 16, 2016

HOROSCOPE Aries

Libra

March 21 - April 20

Sept. 24 - Oct 22

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mixed week, and you should be prepared for each day to take you on a new path. Although immediate concerns seem to be based around minor money DQG ÂżQDQFLDO LVVXHV D PDMRU RSSRUWXQLW\ LV LQ WKH RIÂżQJ RQH ZKLFK FRXOG KDYH D dramatic effect on your status and security for years to come.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a strange time to be sure, and you may be weary of the responsibilities youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re burdened with and the people who pester you. Yet, there is neither change nor progress without hard work. The kind of challenges you will face are from partners DQG ORYHG RQHV ZKR RQO\ KDYH \RXU EHVW interests at heart.

Taurus

Scorpio

April 21 - May 20

Oct 23 - Nov 22

<RXU VWDUV PDLQWDLQ D JHQHUDOO\ SRVLWLYH outlook, and in many respects your task is clear: somehow you must combine D ZLOOLQJQHVV WR VHL]H DQ\ DQG HYHU\ opportunity with a realisation that you VKRXOG NHHS \RXU IHHW ÂżUPO\ RQ WKH JURXQG

Most people are on your side, but some may not agree with your ideas. Those friends and companions who habitually oppose your plans may be a source of LUULWDWLRQ \HW WKH\ ZLOO KDYH D SRVLWLYH LQĂ&#x20AC;XHQFH RQ \RXU OLIH LI WKH\ IRUFH \RX WR ORRN DW \RXU DFWLYLWLHV LQ D IUHVK OLJKW

Gemini

Sagitarius

May 20 - June 21

Nov 23 - Dec 22

,W LV VXUHO\ WLPH ERWK WR DVN IRU DGYLFH and to listen to what you are told! You may be too proud to do that, but try to see that the current situation is not one where it counts who wins and who loses. Rather, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all a matter of doing what is best for now.

Your planets are certainly changeable. In general, your mornings seem to be more optimistic than your afternoons, so you should always hatch your plans early on in the day and ask for help as soon as you SRVVLEO\ FDQ $ERYH DOO SD\ DWWHQWLRQ WR partnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; little qualms and queries.

Cancer

Capricorn

June 22 - July 23

Dec 23 - Jan 20

It is time to be open and honest, and now is not the moment to hold back if there are important things to be said about problems ZKLFK KDYH EHHQ VLPPHULQJ DZD\ EHQHDWK the surface for too long. The chances for agreement are excellent, by the way, so be VXUH WR ÂżQG FRPPRQ JURXQG ZKHQHYHU \RX can.

Please keep an eye open for any legal or ethical complications. Such minor glitches DUH HDVLO\ DYRLGHG DQG VKRXOG EH VLPSO\ dealt with if they do arise. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all a question of maximising your potential by steering clear of hidden pitfalls.

Leo June 24 - August 23 Serious Saturnine alignments indicate that your stars couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be better for VHQVLEOH DQG FRQVWUXFWLYH VRFLDO SURJUHVV ZKHWKHU \RXÂśUH EULQJLQJ LPDJLQDWLYH schemes to a routine close or planning a PDMRU DGYDQFH LQ \RXU ORQJ WHUP DPELWLRQV

Virgo August 24 - Sept 24 It is time to broaden your horizons. You PD\ FRQWLQXH WR IROORZ DQ DGYHQWXURXV path, taking the line of least resistance where necessary. There is little point in being hard on yourself, and you should learn to accept compliments and offers of help with good grace.

When Salman Khan, Iulia Vantur excused themselves and left together The bash seemed to have been thrown to celebrate the success of the actorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest release, Sultan, which has grossed Rs 219 crore in its opening week. Salman and rumoured girlfriend, Romanian actressanchor Iulia Vantur, arrived at the family affair in the same car.

They, however, made an early exit while the others made merry till late. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Salman no longer seems to be wary of the paparazzi. For the first time, he did not mind getting clicked with Iulia as they drove in together. About an hour later, they excused themselves and left together,â&#x20AC;? says a source.

Sohail Khan also attended the bash with wife Seema, amidst reports of their impending split. Salim Khan, Salma, Helen, Arbaaz Khan, Arpitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s husband, Aayush Sharma were also clicked entering Alviraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home.

Amrita Arora came in with husband Shakeel Ladak, while Malaika Arora Khan was missing since she is holidaying in Maldives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Varun Dhawan was the odd man out at the family get-together,â&#x20AC;? adds the source.

After Priyanka Chopra, SRKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look-alike â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pammi Auntyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; breaks the internet!

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19 $ SRVLWLYH RXWFRPH DOZD\V GHSHQGV RQ \RXU UHDGLQHVV WR WDNH WKH LQLWLDWLYH )UXVWUDWLRQ RYHU \RXU GRPHVWLF VLWXDWLRQ PD\ QRZ EH HDVHG E\ WDNLQJ DFWLYH VWHSV WR PDNH ZKDWHYHU LPSURYHPHQWV DUH QHFHVVDU\ IURP PLQRU DGMXVWPHQWV WR D PRYH RI KRPH )DPLO\ UHODWLRQVKLSV PXVW also be taken into account.

Move over Priyanka Chopraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doppelganger Navpreet Banga! Meet Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look-alike TV actor Ssumier Pasricha, popular as Snapchatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pammi Auntyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Pisces Feb 20 - March 20 LV EDG IRU VRPH SHRSOH EXW ÂżQGV \RX RQ KRPH JURXQG <RX FDQ IHHO IDLUO\ FRQÂżGHQW about any choices and decisions you take at home. Those of you in the property market stand to gain.

Bollywood personalitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; birthdays

KATRINA KAIF JULY 16

AAMNA SHARIFF JULY 16

PRIYANKA CHOPRA JULY 18

ENASSERUDIN SHAH JULY 20

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Superstore

5

6

Movie Review

‘Ice Age: Collision Course’ - Movie Review

U; Animation-Comedy Director: Michael Thurmeier Cast: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Wanda Sykes, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Jennifer Lopez

Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel, continues to leave his mark on the world around him, this time round he gets into a space ship following his ever elusive acorn and sets the course for a collision that loosely re-imagines the Big Bang Theory. Meanwhile his friends on planet earth are trying to fend-off what seems like inevitable - the extinction of a species following yet another environmental catastrophe.

This is a franchise that has done its duty for the studio, amassing $2.8 billion over the last four editions in the 15 years that has passed.

So one more sc(r)atterbrained effort appears to be a little too much. The ideation is suspect, the science isn’t elegantly rendered, comic relief is minimal, the scripting takes the plot to outerspace and beyond and the dialogues don’t really have the lightness of being exemplified by the first few outings. This effort appears to be one more for the record since there’s no really great idea fuelling its ‘reverse’ ideology.

It almost feels like watching the same old ‘Tom and Jerry’ re-run without the revered enthusiasm or excitement of yore.

The animation is just as lustrously endowed and elastic as previously exhibited but the

intellectual paucity inherent in this rendering is quite deflating. The rambunctious animals of the prequels might be embarking on an allnew world-changing journey but the sense of adventure and fun is completely missing. Even the woolly mammoth Manny and his broods’ domestic estrangements feel too put-on.

There are far too many extraneous characters trying to get the fat out of the fire here.

Scrat’s misadventures in outer space collide with Manny (Ray Romano), Ellie (Queen Latifah), Peaches (Keke Palmer), Julian (Adam Devine) and swashbuckling heroic weasel Buck (Simon Pegg)’s attempts to reverse a seemingly irreversible phenomenon the atmospheric catastrophe brought on by outer space collision leading to a shower of meteorites that could change the entire course of life on planet earth. And then there’s several veering offs into intermittent side-shows that detract attention from the main theme. So there’s really not much take home here other than a few stray moments of elastic levity.

It certainly appears from the lack of surprises here, that this franchise has outlived its fly-by date!

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Police warn Vancouverites to stay safe while playing Pokémon Go Pokémon Go may not be officially out in Canada yet, but it's already a phenomenon — so much so that Vancouver police are warning gamers to stay safe while playing.

"Vancouver Police have received reports of large groups of people seen gathering in parks and on city streets and other public areas, at all hours of the day and night," reads a tonguein-cheek press release from the VPD. "Our initial investigation shows they are in pursuit of brightly coloured creatures that don't appear to be from our world."

What the heck is Pokémon Go? TAS investigates The free smartphone game requires players to travel to real-world locations to catch monsters (Pokémon), collect items from Pokéstops and capture checkpoints, also known as gyms.

Tips from police Since the game involves exploring in real life, police are calling on players — and parents of players — to stay aware of their surroundings.

Travel in groups, and younger children should tell parents or another adult where they're going.

Don't play while riding your bike,

skateboard, scooter or while driving.

Don't go on or in private property.

The B.C. Better Business Bureau also issued a release outlining several concerns with the

game. They warn players against downloading malware-infected versions of the game ahead of official app store availability.

The BBB also reports at least one instance of a private home being marked as an ingame Pokéstop, and urged players to avoid trespassing in their quest to catch them all — a concern also shared by the police.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

7

Bollywood

Saturday, July 16, 2016

)BQQJOFTT VOMJNJUFE

-PPLJOH GPS B CSFBUIFS DàÒ ¥D D ~ Ö à qh éº ð à héTT ¥ ~«Ò qÒ ¥qñàe DDÒ DDÒ q «e D¥h Ö D Ö« Òq qDÒÖ ¥ ~«Ò D¥ éº^« ¥ ÖàD q Ö «ðe ÒqD 5«éÒe ð ^ ^ Ö «~~ ¥qñà «¥à ¥ à q 73À 3 ¥^q à q D^àÒqÖÖ DÖ Dh D ^ «^ D T «^ Ö ««à Ö^ qhé qe Ö q º D¥Ö à« àD q «~~ «¥ D Ö «Òà TÒqD Tq~«Òq qÒ 73 à«éÒÀ éöö Ö à Dà Dà Ö q ò à« qDh à« !«¥h«¥ ~«Ò Ö« q ~D ò à qÀ

www.theasianstar.com

"U MPOH MBTU ,BSJTNB ,BQPPS DÒ Ö D Dº««Ò DÖ ºéà qÒ é ò h ï«Ò^q Tq ¥h qÒÀ 5 q ~«Ò qÒ D^àÒqÖÖ Ö « hDò ¥ ¥ éÒ«ºq ð à qÒ hÖe 3D D ÒD D¥h DD¥ 2D À 3 q «« Ö Dººò D¥h

,BUSJOB ,BJG

Òq qïqhÀ 3 q DÖ Tqq¥ º«Öà ¥ qÒ ïD^Dà «¥ Ö¥DºÖ «àÖ «¥ ¥ÖàD ÒD À à DÖ Tqq¥ D ð q Ö ¥^q ðq ÖDð à q ºÒ ¥ ºÒ«ºD !« « qà h«ð¥ qÒ éDÒhÀ

"OVTILB 4IBSNB 5 «é ÒDà qÒ Dàq ¥ à q hDòe ¥éÖ D 3 DÒ D DÖ ~ ¥D ò ÒqïqD qh qÒ à «é àÖ «¥ qÒ 3é àD¥ ^« ÖàDÒ 3D D¥ D¥ÏÖ ÎÒDºqÏ Òq DÒ À 5 q D^àÒqÖÖ DÖ ÖàDàqh à Dà à ðDÖ ¥Öq¥Ö à ïqe D¥h Ö« qà ¥ à Dà à«« qÒ Tò ÖéÒºÒ ÖqÀ ¥éÖ D ~qq Ö ^q qTÒ à qÖ ¥qqh à« Tq ^DÒq~é DT«éà ð Dà à qò ÖDòÀ à à q ÖD q à qe Ö q ~ ¥hÖ 3D é ¥à hDà ¥ À 3 q ^«é h ¥«à Té h D ÒDºº«Òà DÖ Öé^ ð à à q ÖàDÒ héÒ ¥ Ö ««àÀ ^«¥ïqÒÖDà «¥Ö ð à 3D D¥ ðqÒq Ò«éº h Ö^éÖÖ «¥Ö ð à à q D qÒÖ ¥ï« ïqhÀ Ö à Dà ð ò Ö q DÖ ¥«ð «ºq¥qh éºÈ

3PBSJOH JO EFMJHIU 5IF NBMF BDUPST PG UIJT GJMN BSF IBWJOH B XIBMF PG B UJNF NJNJDLJOH UIFJS GFNBMF DP TUBS 5IF BDUSFTT GFFMT TIF JT UIF OFYU CJH UIJOH BOE IBT CFFO UFMMJOH POF BOE BMM BCPVU IFS BDUJOH QSPXFTT 8IFO TIF TUBSUT UBMLJOH UIFZ USZ IBSE UP DPOUSPM UIFJS MBVHIUFS CVU BT TPPO BT TIF TUFQT PVU UIFZ DSBDL VQ BOE JNJUBUF IFS

/PU XJUIPVU NZ EBVHIUFS

"EJUJ 3BP )ZEBSJ

+VTU NPWF JU h à 2D« òhDÒ DÖ h«¥q D Ö« « hD¥^q ¥é TqÒe !«ïq !qààqÒe ~«Ò à q ~ ÒÖà à q ¥ qÒ Öqïq¥ òqDÒ « òð««h

^DÒqqÒÀ 5 q D^àÒqÖÖ Ö «« D q ¥ éº^« ¥ ~ e 5 q !q q¥h «~ # ^ Dq # Ö ÒDÀ 5 «é h à Ö D àÒD ¥qh hD¥^qÒe Ö q Dh ¥«à «à D¥ «ºº«Òàé¥ àò à« Ö «ð^DÖq qÒ «ïqÖ é¥à ¥«ðÀ

-FUlT QMBZ CBMM

%PUJOH IVCCZ 4)")*% ,"1003 IBT CFFO PO BO PWFSESJWF QPTUJOH QJDUVSFT XJUI IJT QSFHOBOU XJGF .JSB PO TPDJBM NFEJB :FTUFSEBZ IF QVU VQ B TOBQTIPU XIJDI TIPXFE .JSB SFTUJOH 4BTIB DBQUJPOFE JU m#FBVUJGVM NPNFOUT n 5IF BDUPS JT QMBZJOH UIF DBSJOH IVCCZ UP UIF IJMU

First look of Diana Penty in 'Happy Bhag Jayegi' Born to just another regular, normal, ordinary Amritsari family, Harpreet Kaur aka Happy is meant for things that are irregular, abnormal and extra-ordinary.

Fire-brand, self-dependent and sharp-tongued, Happy is never to be misconstrued on the basis of her innocent nick-name Happy!

In life’s worst crises, she finds her own solutions, most of which are irrational and driven by emotions but they look perfectly logical to her.

Quite opposite in her real life, this is Diana Penty for you as Happy in Happy Bhag Jayegi!

The film is set to release on the 19th of August.

%*/0 .03&" ."/0+ 5*8"3* BOE #"#6- 4613*:0 BU BO FWFOU GPS BO VQDPNJOH GPPUCBMM NBUDI CFUXFFO #PMMZXPPE TUBST BOE 1BSMJBNFOUBSJBOT JO /FX %FMIJ

Dò qï ¥ D¥h hDé àqÒ $òÖD DÒq ¥ !«¥h«¥ à« Dààq¥h à q ¥h D¥ qÖà ïD À qï ¥ÏÖ ¥àqÒ¥Dà «¥D ºÒ«hé^à «¥e 0DÒ^ qhe ðDÖ Ö «ð^DÖqh Dà à q ~qÖà ïD À

8

Foodie

Saturday, July 16, 2016

SPICY CHICKEN MASALA CURRY There are certain recipes which always remain our favorites and we can never be tired of cooking them over and over again.

One such favorite recipe that I cook often and is enjoyed by my family and friends is the Spicy Chicken Masala Curry. Its better than any restaurant recipe. This chicken curry recipe is not a fancy one, very simple, straightforward and quick to make. I don’t remember the recipe source, its been there in my recipe files since ages, thought I’d share it.

There are endless variations to the chicken curry and today’s chicken curry is prepared with the same basic ingredients as any normal chicken curry, the only other major ingredient is cashewnut paste. The spice level of the curry is high due to the use of black pepper and chilli powder. But the blending of cashewnut paste with the spices offsets the spicy flavor of the curry and gives this dish its unmistakable, not-too-rich, subtly sweet, warm and spicy flavor.

Prep & Cooking Time: 30-35 mts Serves 4-5 persons Ingredients: Marinate: ½ kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces 3 tbsp curds 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your spice level) ¼ tsp turmeric pwd salt to taste Make a paste: 6-7 cashewnuts

4-5 tbsps milk Dry roast and make a fine powder: 1 cinnamon 10-12 curry leaves 3 cloves Rest of the ingredients: 3-4 tbsps oil 2 big onions finely chopped 1 large tomato finely chopped 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp coriander powder 3/4 tsp black pepper powder (adjust to suit your spice level) ¼ tsp cumin powder coriander leaves for garnish Method: 1 Marinate chicken pieces in chilli powder, turmeric powder, curds and salt for 20 mts.

2 While the chicken pieces are marinating, make a paste of cashewnuts and milk. Keep aside.

3 Dry roast cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves for 1 mt and make a powder of them.

Keep aside.

4 Heat 1 1/2 tbsps of oil in a cooking vessel. Add the onions and saute till pink.

Add ginger-garlic paste and saute further for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

5 Add coriander pwd, cumin pwd, pepper pwd and combine well and fry for another minute.

6 Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine well and cook till oil separates.Turn off heat. Cool and grind the cooked masala. Keep aside this masala paste.

O E E HOM LE DABL ORDAB FOR AFFO OS AF BC’S MOST BC

ERY ERY OTTE OTT LOTT L

WIN A HOUSE! WIN A CAR! OVER 3,200 SQUARE FEET!

ONE OF OUR

BIGGEST PRIZE

PREVIEW THE HOME THIS WEEKEND!

HOMES

July 15-17 10am-4pm at 2901 E. Hastings St. (Free parking and entry at Gate 2 off Renfrew St.)

OPENROAD AUTO GROUP

2016 Audi TTS Coupé!

Cars or Cash!

*

TREV DEELEY

Vacations!

Motorcycles!

*Winner will choose one prize option.

Other prize option will not be awarded.

DEADLINE APPROACHING! Air & Hotel Package EARLY BIRD 2 7toNight ROME, ITALY staying at Hotel de Petris plus

$5,000 CASH

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY AND BE ENTERED INTO OUR SECOND EARLY BIRD DRAW! SECOND EARLY BIRD DEADLINES: Phone/Online/Fax/Mail, by 9pm: July 16 Retail, by Store Closing: July 9 CALL NOW! On-site PNE Grounds and Mall,

by Closing: July 20

GET YOUR LUCKY TICKET NOW!

604-252-3688 • 1-877-946-4663 pneprizehome.ca

For rules of play, visit pneprizehome.ca PNEPRIZEHOME

Prizes may not be exactly as illustrated.

Chances are 1 in 1,242,500 (total tickets for sale) to win a grand prize.

BC Gaming Event Licence #83387

Know your limit, play within it.

Problem Gambling Help Line 1-888-795-6111 www.bcresponsiblegambling.ca

19+

7 Heat 1 1/2 tbsps oil in a cooking vessel and add the marinated chicken and cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes, reduce heat and cook covered for another 4-5 minutes.

9 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Note: Adjust the spices according to your choice. Dont over fry the masala too much

8 Add the ground masala paste, cashewnut paste and ground powder of cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves and combine well. (Add a cup of water for more gravy consistency). Cook till chicken pieces are soft and you get the desired curry consistency. Adjust salt.

or burn it as its the masala paste which gives the chicken its flavor. If you dont have curry leaves on hand, don’t worry. Do add more water for a gravy consistency. One variation is add a tbsp of coconut paste and juice of half a lemon to the above curry for added flavor.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE SANDWICH GOT ITS NAME FROM? The man behind the snack John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, is said to be the man after whom the sandwich was named, over two centuries ago.

When he ordered beef served between slices of bread about 250 years ago he probably did not think his request would become a global convenience meal.

The story goes that the Earl asked for the particular serving so that he could eat while continuing to play cards and his friends asked “to have the same as Sandwich”, according to the British Sandwich Association.

The first written record of the sandwich was in 1762 and the Kent town of Sandwich, which is the earldom of the Montagu family, is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the meal.

Montagu, a prominent naval commander, became the first Earl of Sandwich when he was offered a peerage in 1660.

Steve Laslett, one of the organisers of the Sandwich Celebration Festival, said Montagu chose the title because “at the time Sandwich was the premier sea port in England”. “He was a daring man to eat in such a way coming from his social background,” Foodsmith Sam Bompas said.

Over the weekend the east Kent town hosts sandwich-making competitions and reenactments of the moment the fourth Earl of

Sandwich asked for the food in bread. Sandwich Celebration Festival organiser Mandy Wilkins said that it had had interest from around

the world, including America, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, France and Russia.

“The sandwich is a global food and Sandwich, our town, is just a little town full of medieval buildings,” Wilkins said.

“It’s bizarre that such an important food item should be named after us,” Wilkins said. On Sunday the 11th Earl of Sandwich, who shares his name with the fourth Earl after which the sandwich is said to be named, hosts a lunch in Sandwich.

“I am delighted to wish a happy 250th birthday to the sandwich,” John Montagu said.

Largest sandwich ever made: A 46 metres long sarnie has entered into the running for the largest sandwich ever made. The super-sub was prepared by as many as 150 cooks in Mexico City and weighed 750 kilograms.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Omni

9

10

Classifieds

Saturday, July 16, 2016

JOBS

JOBS

JOBS

JOBS

BLACK CAT SECURITY LTD., 7085-141A Street, Surrey, Bc Requires One Full Time Permanent Office Manager.

Duties: Oversee And CoOrdinate Office Administrative Procedures; Establish Work Priorities, Delegate Work To Office Support Staff And Ensure Deadlines Are Met And Procedures Are Followed; CoOrdinate And Plan For Office Services; Assist In Preparation Of Operating Budget And Maintain Inventory And Budgetary Controls; Assemble Data And Prepare Periodic And Special Reports, Manuals And Correspondence.,

One FlatFee Real Estate Inc. 109-12888 80 Ave, Surrey, BC V3W 3A8 requires an indeterminate full-time Database Analyst.

Responsibilities -Collect and document user requirements -Design, construct, modify, Integrate, implement and test data models and database management -Operate database management systems to analyze data and perform data mining analysis -Conduct research and provide advice to other professionals regarding data management -Operate database management systems to analyze data and perform data mining - Lead, coordinate or supervise other employees Requirements - Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science - 2 to 3 years of experience in a similar role Language: English Wages: $29/hr Please send your resume @ info@oneflatfee.ca or Fax: 604248-5253 -------------- July 09 2016

All Star Railing & Awning Ltd., #20 12318 84 Avenue, Surrey, BC requires a full-time permanent Welder Helper.

Will be required to read and interpret work orders, operate metal cleaning equipment, assist welders, transport raw material and finished products manually or by using devices, clean work areas and equipment and perform other related duties to assist the welders. Should have high school education with some experience. Knowledge of English is required. Punjabi/ Hindi will be an asset. Wage: $20/hr. Apply by mail, email: 4242kamal@gmail.com -------------- July 09 2016

with jams; moulding, make transom arch shape; specially skilled in fancy wood design, traditional murals crafting on doors; Install hardware such as hinges, handles, catches; Repair doors and replace panels of doors.

If interested send resumes at westerndoors@outlook.com -------------- May 21 2016

Education: Completion Of High School.

Experience: 2-3 Years.

Wages 22.00/Hr. Knowledge Of English Required.

Hindi And Punjabi An Asset.

Emailblackcatsecurityltd@hotmail. com Or Fax @ 778 565 7165.

-------------- July 16 2016

Required urgently for beauty salon in Burnaby We have a great opportunity to add a new member to our team. We are looking for someone who is professional and confident in there waxing and threading skills. Our salon has an amazing reputation in these services and would love the right professional for the job.

Please message for more info. 604-723-7553

Western Door Manufacturing Ltd located at #109-8250, 124th St, Surrey, BC V3W 3X9, has an immediate vacancy for Carpenter. We design and manufacture high end solid wood exteriors doors, solid wood interior doors and custom doors.

Job specification: Full time position with wages of $25/ hour. 35 to 40 hours per week.

Job requirement: High School with 2-3 years of experience.

Trade certificate will be considered as an asset.

Job duties includes read & interpret drawings & sketches to determine specifications; estimate height, width, length and other proportions; measure, cut, shape & assemble wood materials using woodworking machines, power tools and hand tools; Build exterior doors, interior doors, customs doors

Planet Pride Logistics Ltd. of Richmond, BC is urgently seeking an Office Manager on f/time, perm. basis. Must have min. high school education and either min. 2 yrs. exp. in clerical/ secretarial/office admin. or a university degree or college diploma in business admin.

Duties incl. manage office staff and assign tasks as needed; analyze internal processes and recommend / implement procedural or policy changes to improve operations; establish work priorities; manage office supply inventory and maintain office equipment repairs. wage btwn $22.25 - $24/hr (depending on exp). Please email resume to planetpridelogist@gmail.com.

No phone calls or drop-ins please.

-------------- May 14 2016 “Vacancy for Stock Supervisor A1doors and mouldings, located at 12625 – 80th Avenue Surrey, BC, V3W 3A6 has an immediate vacancy of Stock Supervisor Term of employment : Full time, Permanent with 35 to 40 hours per week Salary : $18/hour Job duties : To supervise and

JOBS coordinate activities of stock staff, plan and organize the display of stock in the showroom, identify outdated & defective stock, ensure orders are executed & delivered in time, maintain inventory and order merchandise, prepare periodic inventory reports, assign duties to stock clerks, providing stock clerk with the training, information, guidance encouragement &recognition needed to meet expectation, investigating, resolving & escalating customer issues as appropriate.

Requires: Completion of secondary school with one year of related experience.

If interested please send resumes by email at resume@a1doors.ca” Optical Store Manager required at: Clear Cool Optical - 2450 McCallum Raod, Abbotsford, BC, Canada, V2S 6R9 For details check website: http:// www.jobbank.gc.ca/jobposting. do?id=19833072 --------------------- Apr 23 2016

To PLACE YOUR AD IN THE ASIAN STAR

CLASSIFIEDS Section

Please

Call:

Saturday, July 16, 2016

South Asian Seniors Meditation for Stress Free Normal Living.

Dr. Jas Bhopal on July. 17th 2016 from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults, Senior members and also non members to come and attend Meditation for Stress Free Normal Living and take better care of your family, by Dr. Jaswant . S . Bhopal a Psychiatrist, Physician & Spiritual Preceptor on July. 17th 2016 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th Street Surrey BC. Please bring yoga Matt. with you, Dr. Jas Bhopal will answer all your questions about Meditation for Stress Free Normal Living & better care for your family. Tea and light Snacks will be served in the end. Please call Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604- 507- 9945 for further information.

-------------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Bingo On The House July 10th 2016 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 fun during and make some new friends, on July 10th 2016( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall 8321 140th street Surrey B.C. It was not held last sunday on July 3rd 2016 because of Shree Gurvanandji Swami Gurudevâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pravachan being continued in the main temple hall up to 3.30 pm. 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.

-----------------------------------------South Asian Seniors Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Ashirwad ( Blessings ) Dr. Swami Satya Prakash - 19th June. 2016 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, Everybody is welcome to attend the Presentation with Musical Touch on Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Ashirwad ( Blessings ) by Dr. Swami Satya Prakash a well known Swamiji in the community & Pandit Mansukhbhai Thandi will play on Tabla , on 19th June 2016 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC. Please do attend it to avoid regrets that you missed it, tea and light snacks will be served after the presentation. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 507 - 9945 for further information.

-------------------------------------------Vancouver Cross Cultural Seniors Network wins prestigious SFU award Metro Vancouver Cross-Cultural Seniors Network Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (MVCCSN) Elder Abuse Awareness to Action Program was recently honored with the 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; EAAAA- Innovative Program Award by SFUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gerontology Research Centre.

The award was presented by Prof. Gloria M. Gutman, of SFUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gerontology Dept. and Gerontology Research Centre and received by President Ihsan Malik board members Sonia Chaudhary and Mohinder Grewal on behalf of MVCCSN. Recognizing the exemplary work that the society does for seniors, Gutman said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was impressive indeed that to date 837 South Asians from twenty-three different groups have attended the seventeen workshops on elder financial abuse that MVCCSN has organized.â&#x20AC;?

The 2016 SFU Gerontology Elder Abuse Awareness to Action Awards (EAAAA) were presented at a reception held on May 16 at SFUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downtown Vancouver Harbour Centre Campus.

Thanking Gloria Gutman, SFU award committee and all the community partners on behalf of the society, President of MVCCSN Ihsan Malik said he was humbled, honored and excited that his society was chosen for this prestigious award. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would be amiss if I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mention the efforts of Board members Mohinder Grewal and Sonia

Round Wrap Industries, #150 1680 Savage Road, Richmond, BC V6V 3A9 A reputed company manufacturing foiled PVC doors, requires one Production Supervisor on full-time indeterminate basis. Duties: supervision, coordination and scheduling of workers; resolving work problems; training of workers; preparing reports and ensuring safe and smooth running of the production.

Education: Minimum secondary school.

Experience: Minimum 5 years as Supervisor in same or similar trade or industry.

Language: English & Knowledge of Punjabi / Hindi will be an asset.

Salary: $32/hr.

Contact by email: info@roundwrap.com or fax 604 278 1463

Community News Chaudhary in achieving this milestone,â&#x20AC;? added Mr. Malik.

Incorporated in September 1995, MVCCSN is a non-profit organization whose members are seniors from various cultural backgrounds and service providers who are involved with seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; issues, including seniors who are newcomers and recent immigrants in Metro Vancouver.

The Society is managed by a volunteer board, current members include Ihsan Malik (President), Mohinder Grewal (Vice Prsident), Barbra Mikulec, Arun Mehta (Director), Sonia Chaudhary (Treasurer), Narayan Kulkarni (Secretary), and Hien Phu Nguyen (Director). Our mission: The Society is committed to cultural diversity, and, as such, will show leadership in actively promoting inclusiveness, respect and participation through activities involving inquiry and advocacy.

----------------------------------------Maha Harinam Picnic 0DQX GDV Sunday Feast 0D\ WK 30

Surrey Night Market offers +RQGD &LYLF DV 'RRU 3UL]H Surrey Night Market this year is making the market even more exciting and attractive by offering a grand door prize of a Honda Civic car. The market which is geared to open on June 3rd for the third season has a brand new Honda Civic literally for the taking. To win the car attendees need to put their names in for the grand draw that will take place on August14, the last day of the market and they could be the lucky one to drive home this fantastic brand new car. Surrey Night Market will once again be an event full of fun and entertainment for the entire family. Apart from food and merchandise booths there will be rides and games for children; performances by magicians, local bands, singers and dancers and door prizes for attendees.

The family friendly multicultural market will run on Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm to 11pm and on Sundays from 5pm to 10pm at the Cloverdale Exhibition Grounds, 17726 - 62 Avenue, Surrey.

11

Parking is free. The following patrons will get free entry into the night market.

-----------------------------------------Families of all Canadian Forces personnel and Veterans Children less than 48â&#x20AC;? in height when accompanied by their families Residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities when coming as a group Wheelchair borne persons and their attendants Seniors over 65 years with proper ID In addition, anyone bringing a non-perishable food item or a new toy will be allowed free access and all collected items will be donated to the local food banks or charities. )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ YLVLW ZZZ surreynightmarket.com or contact them at info@surreynightmarket.com or 6RXWK $VLDQ 6HQLRUV 9LVLWLQJ 6FDQGLQDYLDQ &RXQWULHV RI (XURSH From Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 6XUUH\ WK 0D\ WR WK 0D\

South Asian Seniors have gone to visit Europe though 12 Nights Cruise & 3days tour of Amsterdam Holland on 12th May 2016.

The Cruise Itinerary is as follows- Starts from $PVWHUGDP +ROODQG ÂżUVW VWRS GD\ YLVLW %HUOLQ Germany, 2nd stop for 1 day visit Tallinn Estonia, 3rd stop 2 days visit St. Petersburg Russia, 4th stop 1 day visit Helsinki Finland, 5th stop 1 day visit Stockholm Sweden, 6th stop 1 day visit Copenhagen Denmark and back to Amsterdam Holland the 13th day morning. All arrangements for Air Travel, Cruise bookings, all Excursions for all ports and Amsterdam City, Hotel stay & food in Amsterdam and also pick up service by %XV IURP 6XUUH\ 7HPSOH WR 9DQFRXYHU DLUSRUW DQG EDFN WR 7HPSOH IURP 9DQFRXYHU DLUSRUW on return have been organized by Surendra +DQGD &RRUGLQDWRU 9HGLF 6HQLRUV 3DULYDU &HQWHU RI 9HGLF +LQGX &XOWXUDO 6RFLHW\ 6XUUH\ The Cruise is by Ship Celebrity Silhouette from May 14th 2016 to May 26th 2016. All 56 South Asian Seniors will be back in Surrey Temple from Tour/ Cruise of North Europe on 28th May 2016.

-----------------------------------------

12

Hollywood

Saturday, July 16, 2016

‘Fifty Shades Darker’ cast and crew safe after Nice attack The cast and crew of upcoming erotic romantic drama film "Fifty Shades Darker" is safe after the Bastille Day attack in the

French city of Nice that killed at least 84 people and injured over 150.

The film, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, had been under production in the French Riviera for the past few weeks, reports variety.com.

It's unknown if production will be suspended this weekend.

However, sources say the makers shot scenes on Thursday in the region but wrapped production before the attack happened in the night.

Earlier on Thursday, producer Dana Brunetti posted a photograph on Instagram with Dornan and producer Michael De Luca in the nearby city of Monte Carlo.

"Back safe in my hotel room. Thanks for everyone's concern and messages," Brunetti tweeted after the carnage.

"Fifty Shades Darker" actress Eloise Mumford later posted an image of the French flag with a broken heart icon.

The film is a sequel of 2015 film "Fifty Shades of Grey".

‘Suits’ star Meghan Markle keen to work with Priyanka Chopra

Meghan Markle might be one of the most sought-after names in Hollywood owing to her popular TV series 'Suits', but the actress has a secret dream to feature in a Bollywood movie with her "good friend" Priyanka Chopra.

Meghan, best known for her role as Rachel Zane on the legaldrama, and Priyanka recently hung out with each other and shared pictures of their "poolside biryani date." Meghan, 34, says she would love to work with the 'Bajirao Mastani' star in a Bollywood movie, something which even Priyanka suggested her to do.

"I would love to work with her on a film one day! I told her specifically that my dream is to work with her on a Bollywood film because I think it would be so much fun - she said I should do it!," Meghan told PTI in an email interview.

The actress sent fans in a frenzy when she, along with Priyanka, shared selfies on her social media page. Meghan says she has become good friends with Priyanka since their first meet and hails the 'Quantico' star as "unbelievable."

"Priyanka is unbelievable, she has become a really good friend. ELLE Magazine in the SPEED OVEN COOKTOPS HOOD FANS Stainless Steel Sinks US hosted a dinner celebrating Women in TV (Priyanka was on one of their covers) and we met that night - turns out that she really likes 'Suits'."

Priyanka, 33, is currently shooting for season two of her hit TV show 'Quantico' and also has Hollywood movie 'Baywatch' in her kitty. Meghan says she instantly connected with Priyanka and the duo keep in touch while also trying to meet each other if they are in the same town.

"And you know when you meet someone and you just 'click'... It was just an easy, natural progression. We've managed to keep in touch via email and text and try to see each other whenever we're both in the same town," she said. Meghan is currently excited for season six of "Suits", which is set to premiere in India on July 16 on Comedy Central.

The actress, who has featured in several TV series like "Fringe" and "CSI: Miami", did not anticipate the show to become this successful and revealed that she had shot for a pilot episode with actor Patrick Adams, who is now her co-star on "Suits".

"I had previously done five different pilots for other networks that never saw the light of day, including one with Patrick (we played love interests in another pilot that didn't get picked up) ¿ so, you just never know," she said.

"By the time 'Suits' came around, I was getting really disheartened with the entertainment industry and how hard it is to be auditioning all the time. I loved the Rachel character, and I wanted the show to get picked up, but you didn't know if it ALL SALES FINAL ~ NO REFUNDS / EXCHANGES ~ ALL ITEMS SUBJECT TO PRIOR SALE would be...," she added.

REMAINING APPLIANCE INVENTORY

GERMAN APPLIANCES PRICES SLASHED, BEST IN TOWN STARTING AT $498

$998

STARTING AT $98

EVERYTHING MUST GO HARVEY’ S FURN ITU RE && AAPPLIANCES FURNITURE PP LI AN CE S

A AV VANCOUVER ANC OUVER LA LANDMARK NDMARK SINCE SINCE 1927 1927

2751 Kingsway Vancouver 604.434.3151 604.434.3151

NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED ON ALL REMAINING APPLIANCES WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY 10AM - 5:30PM & SUNDAY 11AM - 5PM WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY 10AM - 6PM & SUNDAY 11AM - 5PM

Saturday, April 2, 2016 L 5

Vol. 6 No. 44 - Saturday - July 16, 2016

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Accusations of racism stifling Vancouver’s housing debate, say activists Foreign money, mostly from China, matters when it comes to the Lower Mainland real estate market — so why can’t we talk about that openly?

That’s the question two community activists grappling with the housing affordability crisis say people are avoiding for fear of being accused of racism.

Fenella Sung, a former Fairchild Radio host and coordinator of Friends of Hong Kong, says an open discussion is needed to get real answers.

“Why can’t we talk about where the source of money is and how they are impacting our real estate market right now? I just don’t understand,” she told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

“I think every time when we try to really focus on the issue as to what is the real source and how it’s impacting the community, and who is not doing the right thing, then someone will throw out the race card, and say, ‘Hey, let’s not talk about it, because it’s not nice, or it’s kind of racist.’”

“If we haven’t really confronted the issue, really understood the depth of the issue and to what extent it impacts the community, we won’t be able to come up with a solution.”

Sung says the data the B.C. government released last week, which showed foreign buyers made three per cent of property purchases province-wide over three weeks, also danced around the issue of race.

“Nineteen days of data collected to try to solve a problem that’s been going on for over a decade? Isn’t it laughable?”

‘Separate the colour of the people from the colour of the money’ Justin Fung, a member of Housing Action for Local Taxpayers, says accusations of racism are being used as a “smokescreen” to bring difficult conversation to a halt.

“There’s a lot of folks making a lot of money off of Chinese money,” he said. “These are primarily people in the real estate industry: the realtors, the property developers. They certainly want to continue seeing this happen.”

“In the time I’ve been following this, the race card’s been pulled multiple times ... and it’s not the Chinese folks that are saying it.”

Fung says “we have to separate the colour of the people from the colour of the money” to

keep the debate healthy.

He does feel inequity is causing racism to be more pronounced and because he is Chinese-Canadian, he fears he could be taken as part of the problem.

Sung agrees, and blames government inaction for over a decade for making Asian-Canadians feel less safe.

“Right now, the brewing anger we see in the newspapers, in the streets, … the backlash is on the Chinese community, the Asian Communities,” she said.

Fung and Sung both agreed coordinated government action is required to solve the problem, and politicians need to listen more to people who aren’t established homeowners.

14

Real Estate

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Canadian housing markets not named Vancouver or Toronto are showing signs of life Most of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing markets heated up in June, according to new data that shows Toronto and Vancouver continue to heavily influence the national average, but arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t alone in making gains.

While much of the house price acceleration conversation has been about Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two most expensive cities for homes, the Teranet and National Bank of Canada House Price Index released Wednesday, showed strong price growth in nine out of 11 markets â&#x20AC;&#x201D; growth being delivered by long-term mortgage rates that are closing in on two per cent.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the story. Except for Calgary and Edmonton, and we know the economy is struggling there, June was above historical norms,â&#x20AC;? said Matthieu Arseneau senior economist with National Bank.

Existing home prices across the country rose 2.3 per cent in June from May, aided by Vancouver and Toronto which recorded a 2.6 per cent and 3.3 per cent gains respectively. But other parts of the country are also beginning to show life.

In one month, Victoria was up 4.4 per cent, Halifax saw a 3.7 per cent gain and Ottawa-

+

, - .

/ 0

!!" ""# $%&!

62 7

'

( ) *

1 2 &3#3 %$4 +

!!" 3&# #3#5

Gatineau rose 2.6 per cent. Quebecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing market is showing signs of price growth, slight as it was: Prices rose 1.7 per cent in Quebec City in June, compared to May, and Montreal was up one per cent during the same period.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough to conclude with one month of data and it may be early to call but we are seeing a change,â&#x20AC;? says Arseneau, who credits the record low interest rates for long-term mortgages with stimulating the rest of the country.

The Bank of Canada did not move on its overnight lending rate Wednesday, effectively leaving floating rates the same, but as longterm bond yields continue to drop around the world so to have mortgage rates. Ratehub. ca says the lowest five-year mortgage is now 2.29 per cent, driven by five-year government of Canada bond yields that are around 0.5 per cent. Phil Soper, chief executive of Royal LePage, says rates continue to boost housing in many parts of the country, but Toronto and Vancouver have so much more going on to

drive their housing markets. The Teranet price index was up 23.4 per cent in Vancouver and 12.4 in Toronto in June compared to a year ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d call Vancouver the least healthy housing market in Canada,â&#x20AC;? Soper said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are two main drivers that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist (beyond Vancouver and Toronto). One is the accelerating economy, the employment and immigration. Those are economic conditions for strong consumer confidence. But you also have geographic and regulatory restrictions on supply you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have elsewhere.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you look at the last couple of releases from us, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve called out Quebec as a shining light in our outlook,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Greater Montreal numbers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t amazing if you compare them to Vancouver, but at 3.5 per cent (LePageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s predicted annual price growth) itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the strongest performances in Quebec in some time.â&#x20AC;? Montrealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relative strength seems to be coming without the benefit of foreign investors, which is said to be a major driver of the housing market in Toronto and even more so in Vancouver. A report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. released Wednesday said those overseas investors are at low levels in Quebecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The presence of foreign investors in the Montreal real estate market is relatively low and concentrated in the condominium segment, especially in the central areas of Montreal,â&#x20AC;? said Francis Cortellino, principal market analyst for Quebec urban centres with CMHC.

British Columbia Housing Starts in June Trended at Highest Level Since 1990 Housing starts in British Columbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban areas were trending at 41,473 units in June compared to 39,073 units in May, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The trend is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The trend measure of housing starts posted its highest level since 1990 as all home types trended higher in June,â&#x20AC;? said Carol Frketich, CMHCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BC Regional Economist.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The inventory of new completed and unsold (unabsorbed) homes is extremely low. As well, a lack of existing homes for sale, rising home prices and low rental vacancy rates have spurred new home construction, pushing British Columbia housing starts to historic highs.â&#x20AC;?

CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more complete picture of the state of the housing market. In some situations, analysing only SAAR data can be misleading in some markets as they are largely driven by the multiples segment of the markets which can be quite variable from one month to the next. The standalone monthly SAAR for urban starts in British Columbia was 47,984 units in June, compared to 34,710 units in May. The June increase was mainly the result of a surge in apartment starts.

Preliminary Housing Starts data is also available in English and French at the following link: Preliminary Housing Starts Tables As Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers objective housing research and information to Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Christy Clark government continues to ignore affordable housing crisis Today brought more evidence that the Christy Clark government has no plans to get serious about addressing the housing crisis in this province, say New Democrats.

“It took the finance minister almost as long to announce his so-called data as it did to collect it in the first place,” said New Democrat Leader John Horgan.

“The Christy Clark government dismissed every serious academic study on the housing crisis facing our province. But today, they announced results from 19 days of self-reporting data and tried to suggest that it is definitive.

“For years the B.C. Liberals stood by while a problem turned into a crisis.

“Today, young people are being priced out of the market, renters are losing their homes and companies are struggling to attract workers. But according to Christy Clark and her government, all that these people deserve is a vague YouTube video and 19 days of halfhearted data collection. That’s shameful.”

Just one year ago, Housing Minister Rich Coleman was trying to suggest that the government had all of the data it needed to know what was happening to housing prices.

“We’ve worked with the real estate guys for years and have got data on sales,” Coleman told a reporter.

New Democrat housing spokesperson David Eby says it shows again that the Christy Clark government is completely

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

out of touch with what’s happening in this province’s overheated housing markets.

“A year ago, the Christy Clark government thought their real estate friends could tell them everything that they needed to know about housing affordability,” said Eby. “Today, they’re content to ignore warnings from our national banks, from FINTRAC, and from academics, because they’ve collected 19 days of self-reporting data on citizenship status.

It’s incredible.”

Horgan and the New Democrats have called for real action to address housing affordability in B.C. “I proposed a bill that would discourage speculators from using B.C. homes as safety deposit boxes for wealth, and a tax on speculators that would raise money for affordable housing initiatives,” said Horgan. “The Christy Clark government killed the bill, and failed to propose one of their own. Today, they still haven’t taken any action to deter the speculative activities that are driving up prices.

“Just last week, I proposed a task force to fight fraud and money laundering in the real estate industry, and this past spring, New Democrats proposed a bill that would give more protections to renters facing renoviction.

“While we’re proposing real action, the Christy Clark government continues to tinker around the edges.”

Real Estate

15

16

Garry Grewal

Saturday, July 16, 2016

'(() *# #+ ) , -* $ ')+).)(- $ $ /

! " #$%! & " " "

*..) '$0 .)/$00'*( 01 .). )

478 / + 2 $5 6

22 34 - $5 6

" & 9 "

0( ) * 2 >

2 2

(6 6 * % =

= 0

# ! B : # # ) ) ! ( + ) * # #

)

* , > #

!

+

! # , # *D * , , # * ,

) ! ! ) D + ! B ! !

!

# # ! - %

# * 7 2 , #

# * # / # # 7 !

#

* > # + )

= > # ! # #) ! )

6 , 0

' ) # #

# & )

!

> ! #

= 2 , # * )= ". /(%7 7 7 %7 66

)

) * $ D1 E 3

" # * # ) * #

#! ) # ( # > .

# E ! # ! = '

# * 2 # ) $

" ! "

# F ! = > #

# < * )

# ! E

# , , )

# # * #

# * # * # F ! #

)= $ #

) ". /*+%666

)40) 8&!! & !

#

)

# ! ! ) 21

! ) 5 #

#

* ! +

,

! # ! # !

1 ) !

2

5 D 2> @

3

= E 3 !

# 1 ) ' , # * $ !

! = 1

!

2 9 2

0 # ! ! !

-

) ) * * # # J ! ! * ! ,

! *

) ! # ! = 7 K & * , $

! !

# #

! )

)= ". /0(7 %666

0 # . * '

# #

' ) " ) ! * # * 1 +

#

# ! 1

1 !

, )

)= ". /0 7 %666

;; 9 < 2 &

) ) * $ %% . 1 = 0+

D ) ! : ) * , ) )

, * # )

>

)

! < 3

)

) #

! ! " # !

, )

# *

= ". /07 7 %666

? " "" -& @ "! $ " 8& ? & 8&!!

7 ( # 3 ? &- ! $ % #? !? A " " ? "

&& " ! 1"

2 3 2 9

$? ! "& - 8 " % 6

! ! 0 ) * # * # (

) 7 ! 3 ! ".

/0B7 %7 66

8 ) * / 9 $ %% 1 ) '

; ! ". /7 7 %666 1 9 : 6 > & " "" -& " ( & 3 *) 1 * # )

! # # ! # ) ". /B7 %7 66

> > < 2 6 F ! #

) * ) * ) ( # # . 1 & # = $ !

2 ,)

$ %

#

# > ,

E ) , # & ( . 1 7 1 !

, ) ) ) * * # #

# # 1

! ) # ". /4)7 %666

2>

= - & #

) <

= 2 ) 1 ! 1 7 1# / > & # = "

= ". /0+)%)66

2 3 )4 0 5 0 ) ! % ) 0+

) % ". / 67 %666 2 2

+ & # % ) 1

2 3 # ". /*(7 %666

0*4+) 06( 3 & ) # )

+ 1

$ 4 .

0 )

# 3 #* ) $ 3 #* ) ,

! .

, * ) 3 = ? # #

.

! # ! $

*

> , ) ) ) ! !

) !

* = ". / 07 %666

9 04*4* 7 B # % 2 !? 2 !

6 * *

# B # !

) ". /4(7 %666

: : ; )6** D 3< > #

) % ! ) +

0 ) # #* )

!

2 ) 4 - 3 *) -

?

)

! )

<= >

0 # ) # ) * )= " # * 1 1 *# # !

,

> #

) ) * * # * % # !

1

! ". /047 %666

-

) 7 4 3 9 0 6 @ )

'

+ : :

! ! ' ) ! = 007 + 7 + 3 + ' ! # ! ! 8 ) ) #

<

> * < * ! 7 3 1 #

#

5

2 2

! %

) ) * = 0 # 6

! ) ( ) ) ) !

# !

) + # # ( *

! , # #

, )

* ) *

)= ". /7 7 %666

3

= . ! ?

) 3 :

( & )

# !

#

! ! !

0666 0 %666 9 2 2 3 9

)7 * 0+ ! % +

!" # $ % &' ()*+ ",-! )

!

# ". /0 + 1 &

C *6+ /(B+%666% C *6B /44+%666

& !& 2 ? " "" -&

6 F ! # # ) * ) 1 D7 ! = > # * # * 9 % +

* # ) *

) /6

# $ %%

# = 2 ) , #

# ! = !

) ) ) , ) = 6 F ! # ! = ". /0(7 %666

7 + )

B * # B 3 ! 5 ! B * # !

#

# ) * > #

# ! ) + ) * # # # * !

-

)! ! , !

# ) ) ! * , , # ! # ! = > # # !

# ! ! ) ) * ! * ) ! > * * # ,

3 *) G > # # *

'

)

#

# ! = 1 ) *

@ 2>

* 9 04 ? A' & - ! + * # 1 )

#

% -- 8 -& " E ! # "!1 !

C 0 5 & 0+ + * # # ) 4# 2 1 ! + & !

> ,

+ !

B # 3 #

! +

!

) C

C

. !

, #

0+ + * # # ) 4# 2 1 ! + > ,

+ !

B # 3 # ! +

!

) C

-

)

& # )

1 ) = > # # # ? $ , # 1

! < # * ) > # ) * # ) #

* # 21

" # .! ! # @ @4 # # ! ) K, )

> # )

# *

) # #

". /*7 %7 66

D = F

( ) !! % # # ) (

# 0 # ) # ! E

!

D # 0+

, ) ". /)6%666 !A