The Asian Star February 12 2022

www.theasianstar.com Vol 21 - Issue 2

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Boycott Hyundai cars over its anti-Indian statement In a message on Hyundai Motor India Ltd’s handle, the Korean company said: “We deeply regret any offense caused to the people of India by this unofficial social media activity.”

Hyundai Motor expresses regret over anti-India statement by dealer in Pakistan Hyundai Motor expresses regret over

anti-India statement by dealer in Pakistan Korean automotive giant Hyundai Motor Company on Tuesday expressed regret to Indian people for the hurt caused by the unofficial social media post by its dealer in Pakistan.

However, several other major automotive companies having operations Continued on page 20

Deaths of South Asian family at US - Canada border put visa sales under scrutiny The signs are painted on every wall and hang from every lamppost of this small Gujarat village.

“Easy Canada visa, student and immigration,” states one. “Study in Canada, free application, spouse can apply,” claims another.

Indeed, in Dingucha, a village in rural west India, almost every house now has a family

member either in Canada or the USA. It was a fact they used to proudly shout from the rooftops; but now, the village has fallen silent. Ask people about their relatives in north America – particularly the journey

Tel:604-591-5423

PM Trudeau slams ‘unacceptable’ protests as police threaten arrests Canadian police threatened Wednesday to arrest trucker-led protesters who have shut down central Ottawa and disrupted crossborder trade in anger at Covid health rules, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lambasted the movement as ‘unacceptable.’

With more people joining the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and the US city of Detroit in solidarity with the two-week long truckers protest in the Canadian capital, Trudeau warned the action threatens the country’s economic recovery.

‘Blockades, illegal demonstrations are unacceptable, and are negatively impacting businesses and manufacturers,’ Trudeau

said in the House of Commons. ‘We must do everything to bring them to an end.’

To the protesters, he said, ‘You can’t end a pandemic with blockades.... You need to end it with science. You need to end it with public health measures.’

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said US officials were ‘in very close contact’ with Canadian border agencies about the bridge blockade.

Psaki also expressed concerns about the impacts of the protests on the US economy, saying the action ‘poses a risk to supply chains, to the auto industry.’

The Ambassador suspension bridge is a Continued on page 6

Continued on page 7

Canada pushes back against right wing support for COVID protests Canada’s public safety minister said Monday that U.S. officials should stay out of his country’s domestic affairs, joining other Canadian leaders in pushing back against prominent Republicans who offered support for the protests of COVID-19 restrictions that have besieged downtown Ottawa for more than a week.

A day after the city declared a state of emergency, the mayor pleaded for almost 2,000 extra police officers to help quell the raucous nightly demonstrations staged by the so-called Freedom Truck Convoy, which has used hundreds of parked trucks to paralyze the Canadian capital’s business district. The protests have also infuriated people who live around downtown,

South Asian truckers say freedom convoy protests miss the mark on key issues affecting the industry Local South Asians who represent a large portion of the trucking industry are saying the trucker convoy protests across the country miss the mark on key issues affecting truckers.

They say many in the industry feel their voices are not being heard amidst the din of the protests.

Lovepreet Singh works in Alberta and was stuck behind the Coutts border

blockade. In a video that has now gone viral on social media, he begged for help.

“We don’t feel safe to go via Coutts border and it doesn’t apply to me, there are a lot of other drivers who don’t feel safe to drive via (the Coutts border crossing). I don’t know what message they want to give if they want to block their own truckers and ask for freedom.”

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Saturday, February 12, 2022 New BC Liberal leader Kevin Falcon plans to run for legislature seat in Vancouver

BC throne speech lays out post-pandemic plans, including child care and safe workplaces B.C. throne speech lays out post-pandemic plans, including child care and safe workplaces The British Columbia government is focusing on getting through the rest of the COVID-19 pandemic while committing to invest in safe workplaces, new schools and lobbying Ottawa for more money for health-care. Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin read the Speech from the Throne on Tuesday outlining the province’s vision for the next year.“In the months ahead, your government’s top priority will continue to be keeping people healthy and safe through the rest of the pandemic. It can be easy to forget how far we have come,” Austin read.

“That’s why your government will continue taking the next steps in the largest immunization rollout in our province’s history.

As it has from the beginning of the pandemic, B.C. will continue to have public-health experts leading our response.”The speech sets up three significant announcements expected over the next two weeks.Next week the province will be unveiling an economic recovery plan and provincial officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is likely going to announce an easing of COVID-19 restrictions.In two weeks’ time, the province will present a budget charting the financial road map to fulfill the commitments made by the government.The province is expected to take additional actions to make workplaces in B.C. ‘the safest in the country’. These will include improvements to workers’ compensation and new rules to keep workers safe from the consequences of exposure to asbestos.

The new leader of the B.C. Liberal party says hispredecessorisresigninghisseatinVancouver to give him a chance to run in a byelection.

Kevin Falcon was elected party leader on Saturday and said his plan was to quickly seek a seat in the house.

He says Andrew Wilkinson has decided to resign his seat in Vancouver-Quilchena.

The NDP government has six months to call a byelection.

Falcon won the leadership on the fifth ballot in a field of seven candidates.

The 59-year-old former cabinet minister held a seat in Surrey from 2001 until he left politics in 2012.

Former cabinet minister Kevin Falcon

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Kevin Falcon was elected BC Liberal party’s new leader on Saturday night.

He won on the fifth ballot, taking just over 52 per cent of the points available.

Falcon told reporters he planned on being in Victoria Tuesday for the legislature’s spring session. He said as a former MLA he could sit on the floor of the house, although he couldn’t participate in the debate or question period.

Falcon said he would speak to members of the Liberal caucus, including former leader Andrew Wilkinson, who currently represents Vancouver Quilchena.

Mere minutes after his win, the NDP was on the attack, pointing out other leadership candidates had spoken of the need to rebuild the party, and alleging that Falcon – as a previous cabinet minister – represents a return to the party’s past.

Falcon’s victory speech pointed to priorities for the newly elected leader, including diversifying the party’s candidate and membership base, tackling environmental issues, strengthening small businesses and addressing affordability.

He also called on people of all backgrounds to join the party. In the previous provincial election, the Liberals were dogged by questions about inclusivity for the LGBTQ2+ community and came under fire for a “sexist roast.”

Legislature member Ellis Ross finished second with almost 34 per cent of the vote and Michael Lee was third, with about 14 per cent. Val Litwin, Gavin Dew, Renee Merrifield and Stan Sipos were dropped from the field after four ballots.

Falcon, 59, left politics a decade ago to spend more time with his young family and work in the private sector with a Vancouver investment and property development firm.

New Zealand police break up Wellington trucker protest

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Scuffles broke out and some 120 people were arrested in New Zealand on Thursday as police began forcefully removing a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic measures outside the parliament building in Wellington. Inspired by the trucker demonstrations in Canada, protesters began blocking streets in the capital with trucks, cars and motorbikes on Tuesday, pitching their tents outside parliament.

The police moved in after parliament speaker Trevor Mallard took the rare step of closing the grounds around the distinctive “Beehive” parliament building.

Some 100 officers were called in from elsewhere in the country as reinforcements.

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Saturday, February 12, 2022

Protests in Surrey over COVID-19 mandates As protests against COVID-19 mandates continue in Ottawa and across Canada, a new demonstration has popped up in Surrey.

The group, which has set up at Pacific Gateway Village, is calling for the removal of all pandemic measures, echoing calls from rallygoers in the nation’s capital.

The Lower Mainland protest started over the weekend, with more people joining in each day.A local business owner who did not want to be identified for fear of being targeted, says trucks have been taking up parking spaces and people have been leaving garbage behindMany business owners

Former president of PakistanCanada Association, Liaqat Ali Bajwa passed away Former president of Pakistan-Canada Association, Liaqat Ali Bajwa passed away last week.

For over 35 years, he was a good community leader and very compassionate.

He worked for community selflessly all his life.

He was a bridge between Pakistani and Indian communities living in Metro Vancouver.

How organizers with police and military expertise may be helping For nearly two weeks anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators and their big rigs have entrenched themselves in Ottawa’s parliamentary district and its neighbourhoods.

Despite a strategic strike by police to cut off supplies to truckers encamped in the city’s downtown core, protesters appear to still have the upper hand on police.

It’s a success that experts partly attribute to the deep knowledge of law enforcement and military tactics that exist in the convoy’s organizational structure.

The group Police on Guard, formed during the pandemic, has endorsed the truck convoy.

On its website, it publicly identifies more than 150 mostly retired police officers who are against government-imposed public health measures, such as vaccine mandates. More than 50 former Canadian Forces soldiers are also named on its site. The organization says it has “boots on the ground” in Ottawa and has linked to YouTube videos of its members participating in the protest.

Furthermore, the leadership team for the protesters calling themselves the Freedom Convoy includes: Daniel Bulford, a former RCMP officer who was on the prime minister’s security detail. He quit last year after refusing to get the vaccine and is the convoy’s head of security. Tom Quiggin, a former military intelligence officer who also worked with the RCMP and was considered one of the country’s top counter-terrorism experts.

Tom Marazzo, an ex-military officer who, according to his LinkedIn profile, served in the Canadian Forces for 25 years and now works as a freelance software developer. The leaders of the Freedom Convoy refuse to be interviewed by journalists unless they consider them friendly to their cause, and CBC News has been barred from their media conferences.

have concerns about the people who’ve joined the protest for reasons other than to speak out against mandates.The Surrey RCMP says it’s been monitoring the situation and went to the area on Tuesday.Officers told the estimated 20 people who were there they needed to keep their

Ottawa blockade forces factory shutdowns as PM Trudeau condemns ‘unacceptable’ tactics Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for an end to the trucker convoy protests that are now stretching into their second week in the nation’s capital. “It has to stop,” PM Trudeau said during an emergency debate in the House of Commons on Monday night. “Everyone’s tired of COVID, but these protests are not the way to get through it.”

In his address Trudeau vowed his government will “be there” to meet the requests for assistance, as pressure ramps up for all levels of authorities to get on the same page to see control restored in the city as the anti-COVID-19 mandate demonstrators dig in. “People of Ottawa don’t deserve to be harassed in their own neighbourhoods, don’t deserve to be confronted with the inherent violence of a swastika flying on a street corner, or a confederate flag, or the insults and jeers

just because they’re wearing a mask. That’s not who Canadians are,” the prime minister said.

“These pandemic restrictions are not forever.”

After a second weekend of protests and an uptick in tickets and arrests, the mayor of Ottawa declared a state of emergency on Sunday. As of Monday evening, hundreds of trucks continue to clog streets throughout the city and organizers show no signs of packing up. The debate was called by the New Democratic Party. With worldwide attention fixated on Ottawa, the party said the situation had reached “a crisis point.” In his address Trudeau vowed his government will “be there” to meet the requests for assistance, as pressure ramps up for all levels of authorities to get on the same page to see control restored in the city as the anti-COVID-19 mandate demonstrators dig in.

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OPINION

Saturday, February 12, 2022

The so-called “freedom convoy” has Whose freedom is the ‘freedom convoy’ fighting for? Not everyone’s captured worldwide attention as a minority Overrunning malls and shops that have forced freedom? But let’s take stock of the freedom that of truckers and their supporters have asserted some have exercised during the ongoing rally: many to shut down, thereby denying the shop their right to assemble and oppose COVID-19 Descending upon a soup kitchen, intimidating owners’ and employees freedom to earn a living. protocols imposed by the federal, provincial staff and demanding to be fed — all without masks.

Shutting down schools in the wake of and territorial governments. No problem there.

Desecrating war memorials that pay rallies, denying parents the freedom to go to The problem lies in what’s tribute to those who fought for the very work and children their freedom to go to school. not being said or acknowledged. freedoms the convoy supporters enjoy.

Uttering racist and threatening The one-word rallying cry — freedom — making many people in Defecating in public, including on the property comments, is the activist mantra. Who could be against of people whose home displays a Pride flag. Ottawa’s downtown feel generally unsafe.

In the tantrum for so-called freedom, the majority of participants have not denounced or condemned these reprehensible, welldocumented behaviours which, notably, have gone mostly without consequence.

Written by academics, edited by journalists, backed by evidence.

It’s worth noting that a freedom they’re demanding — the right to refuse COVID-19 vaccinations without curtailing their livelihood — poses immense risk not only to themselves but to everyone else, while also draining the healthcare system and denying treatments for others.

Whose freedom? But what might “freedom” mean to other Canadians? Ask Indigenous people about freedom. Ask them about centuries of abuse and genocide at the hands of colonists.

Ask them about the legacies of residential school horrors and abuse. Ask them about the devastation of the ‘60s scoop and continued government control over child welfare.

Ask Indigenous people about the ongoing subtle and overt racism they face from Canadians every day. Where is their freedom from bigotry and prejudice that continues to flourish?

Ask Muslim Canadians about their freedom from ignorance and discrimination in the form of Islamophobia expressed in verbal and physical assault and even mass murder.

Ask Asian Canadians about intolerance and racism from other Canadians who blame them for COVID-19. Where is their freedom from the sheer stupidity of others?

Ask women and girls who continue to face sexism, sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual exploitation at the hands of men. What about their freedom from gender-based violence?

Ask trans people who regularly have to deal with transphobia. Ask people who are immigrants, disabled, poor, overweight, speak a language other than English.

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5

Saturday, February 12, 2022 NDP calls on Trudeau to put an end to convoy protests As trucker convoys and protests against COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates continue across the country, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take federal leadership. Singh has asked Trudeau to work on a plan to put an end to the “convoy crisis” that is “terrorizing neighbourhoods across the country.” A press release from the NDP on Monday morning reads, “The people of Ottawa, especially those living in the downtown core, have been under siege for more than a week now.” “Local citizens, healthcare workers and front lines workers across the country are being harassed and assaulted in their community,” the release continues. “Yet the prime minister, and the Liberal government, have been missing in action to put an end to this crisis.” Singh called for an emergency debate on Monday to find solutions, and the NDP has laid out some concrete steps the prime minister can take, including: Meet immediately with municipal leaders impacted by the convoy to discuss a path out of it and proactively offer support: Ottawa, Ontario; Coutts, Alberta; Sarnia, Ontario; and other cities and borders being targeted. Considering the significant amount of funding coming from the US, get in touch with the US administration to shut down the

funding coming from the US that is interfering in our democracy.

Work with provinces and territories on a clear plan to get to an end of this pandemic, including better access to rapid tests, more work to encourage better uptake for a booster shot for all Canadians, an emergency plan to rescue the healthcare system on the brink of collapsing, and a global vaccination plan to stop new variants from developing.

Work with the minority government on the other real issues that Canadians are going through to help them make ends meet as the cost of living continues to skyrocket and find solutions that help all people, not the ultra-rich. “Since the beginning of the convoy, and despite things only getting worse, the prime minister hasn’t taken any action to help calm the situation or deescalate while families are being terrorized in their communities,” said Singh. “Healthcare workers and employees of local businesses have also been harassed or assaulted simply for going to work,” he added. “Symbols of hate are being promoted, and memorials have been vandalized.” From Vancouver and Calgary to Ottawa and Toronto, protesters have been causing disturbances across the country.

Notorious former South Asian gangster shot to death in Thailand B.C.’s anti-gang task force is working to head-off possible retaliation after a high-profile former B.C. gangster was shot to death near his beachside villa in Phuket, Thailand.

Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said Saturday that the slaying of UN gangster Jimi (Slice) Sandhu in Thailand could reverberate in B.C. “CFSEU- B.C. will be utilizing all resources, sharing intelligence and developing strategies with our policing partners to mitigate any potential retribution or violence associated to his death,” she said. Despite Sandhu getting deported from Canada in 2016 for “serious criminality,” the Indian-born gangster continued to have influence in B.C. Police on the popular tourist island said they were looking for two people captured on surveillance video at about 10:30 p.m. on Friday local time firing at Sandhu after he pulled into the parking lot of the Beachside Hotel. His body wasn’t discovered until 6:30 the next morning. He was carrying identification in two other names, including a Canadian passport. Maj. Gen. Sermphan Sirikhong, chief of the Phuket police, told local reporters that Sandhu had arrived on Jan. 27 and was staying at the villa wing of the hotel.A staff member at the hotel told Postmedia News that the shooting victim “owned” a villa there and

was therefore not registered through the hotel’s booking system.

Police were combing the grounds of the luxury compound on Saturday to gather evidence in the case, she said.Sandhu wasn’t the first B.C. gangster to be murdered abroad.

Others have been killed in Argentina and Mexico.

Winpenny said it’s hard to escape the violence associated with gang life, even for those who leave Canada.“We have seen several gang members either flee the country to escape threats of violence or, in some cases, deported. A continued, long-entrenched gang lifestyle follows you wherever you go, and eventually, your enemies will find you, or you will be arrested and held accountable for your actions,” she said. The UN, the Brothers Keepers and the Red Scorpion/Kang group are among the B.C. gangs locked in a violent war that has led to dozens of murders in recent years. Some BK gangsters celebrated Sandhu’s murder in social-media posts when the news broke here Friday afternoon.

Sandhu had moved to Canada as a seven-year-old and grew up with relatives in Abbotsford. After getting caught-up in the gang life and convicted of serious assaults in 2010 and 2012, he faced deportation. At

Guru Nanak Food Bank opens location in Abbotsford after first one in Surrey The second Guru Nanak Food Bank in the Lower Mainland opened Sunday (Feb. 6) in Abbotsford. The facility, located at 31877 South Fraser Way, is now open every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The other location is at 15299 68 Ave. in Surrey. The food bank also helps new international students by providing Welcome to Canada packages that include a matress, blanket, pillow and bed sheet. The food bank is run by the Guru Nanak Modi Khana Food Bank Society.

The location in Surrey opened on July 1, 2020, a few months after food was donated from the Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib.Since opening, the volunteer-run food back has helped

hundreds of families on a regular basis.

During the pandemic, the gurdwara has provided meals for front-line workers, long-haul truckers, and those in need, including people in isolation. They have also provided food for extreme-weather shelters and for victims of the November floods. Those in need can call 604580-1313 or visit gnfb.ca.

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Saturday, February 12, 2022 From page 1

PM Trudeau slams ‘unacceptable’ protests last month in western Canada -- launched in anger at requirements that truckers either be vaccinated, or test and isolate, when crossing the US-Canada border.

Having snowballed into an occupation of Canada’s capital, the protest has sparked solidarity rallies across the nation and abroad.

On Wednesday Ottawa police warned protesters they could face criminal charges and their trucks could be seized if they continue their ‘unlawful’ clogging of downtown streets.

Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association president Brian Kingston said the Ambassador Bridge blockade was ‘threatening fragile supply chains already under pressure due to pandemic related shortages and backlogs.’

Officials pointed to 5,000 factory workers in Windsor, Ontario being sent home early Tuesday because of the blockade, and several auto assembly plants preparing to close, as Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens expressed fears about lasting impacts on Canadian businesses.

trade corridor, with more than 40,000 commuters, tourists and trucks carrying US$323 million worth of goods across the span each day.

Several Canadian and American chambers of commerce and industry associations, in a joint statement, demanded the bridge be cleared, saying ‘as our economies emerge from the impacts of the pandemic we cannot allow any group to undermine the cross-border trade.’

Another trade link between Coutts, Alberta and Sweet Grass, Montana has also been blocked by protesters for several days.

‘This is a dramatic situation that is impacting the wellbeing of Canada’s relationship with the United States and impacts immensely how business is able to conduct its operations,’ University of Ottawa professor Gilles LeVasseur told AFP. The so-called ‘Freedom Convoy’ began

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Saturday, February 12, 2022

Deaths From page 1

of South Asian family at US - Canada border

took to get there – and they shrug their shoulders and walk off nervously.

It was a family of four – Jagdish Patel, 39, his wife Vaishali, 37, 11-year-old daughter Vihangi and three-year-old son Dharmik – who set off from Dingucha on 10 January, with Canada visitor visas stamped in their passports. They landed in Toronto on 12 January. Patel called his father and cousin back in India to let them know that it was cold, but they were all fine and in a hotel.

‘Whatever the circumstances, no one should ever have to choose such a perilous journey.’

Family’s death at US-Canada border

underscores desperate journeys of migrants Six days later, the young family arrived in Emerson, a tiny town on the CanadaUS border where night-time temperatures regularly drop below -35 degrees centigrade in the winter. It appears they were dropped off at a nearby point in brand new coats and gloves, and then began making the treacherous journey to America on foot, in the pitch dark, through what one local described as a freezing, “lunar-like landscape”. The next night, the Patel family were discovered frozen to death in the snow, 12 metres away from the US border.

Canada pushes back against right wing support for COVID protests From page 1 near Parliament Hill, the seat of the federal government.

“Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy, and our fellow citizens’ daily lives,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an emergency debate in Parliament, while the protest continued outside. “It has to stop.”

Trudeau said everyone is tired of COVID-19 but this is not the way. He said the restrictions won’t last forever and noted that Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. “Canadians trust science,” Trudeau said.

“A few people shouting and waving swastikas does not define who Canadians are.”

Protests unfolded elsewhere too. A truckconvoy protest near the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S., caused long traffic backups along the span from the Detroit side of the Detroit River. And in Alaska, more than 100 truck drivers rallied in support of their counterparts in Canada by driving the 10 miles from Anchorage to Eagle River, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

Many members of the GOP have made comments supporting the demonstrations, including former President Donald Trump, who called Trudeau a “far left lunatic” who has “destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates.”

New Zealand convoy protesters clog streets near Parliament Protesters have said they will not leave until all vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. They also called for the removal of Trudeau’s government, though it is responsible for few of the restrictive measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments.

Prominent Republicans including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton complained after crowdfunding site GoFundMe said it would refund the vast majority of the millions of dollars raised by demonstrators.

The site said it cut off funding for protest organizers after determining that their efforts violated the site’s terms of service by engaging in unlawful activity.

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Saturday, February 12, 2022 Surrey Police Service sets priorities with first strategic plan Surrey Police Service (SPS) is proud to release its first board-approved strategic plan to guide the municipal service’s priorities, strategies, and actions for 2022. As SPS continues to be developed, this plan puts an emphasis on creating a diverse and accountable police service that is locally based and features a high level of community input. The strategic plan was informed through months of comprehensive community engagement that included opinion surveys, stakeholder interviews, and focus groups (see previous news release).Through these extensive consultation efforts, three main priorities were identified for 2022: Organizational Development, Employee Development and Wellness, and Community Policing Model Development. Operationally, SPS will use this plan to guide its focus on hiring the right people, wellness, researching policing

best practices, and developing strategies that centre on youth and Indigenous communities, and regular community engagement. “Building a modern, responsive police service from the ground up requires careful planning, input from the community and hard work,” says Chief Constable Norm Lipinski. “Our 2022 Strategic Plan will guide us in developing a police service that answers directly to its citizens and is an investment into the future of Surrey.” SPS continues to proactively report on the progress of Surrey’s policing transition, and City of Surrey residents can expect to receive regular updates on the progress and actions outlined in this strategic plan. Updates will include quarterly metric reports, public reports from the Surrey Police Board, and regular updates through SPS’s website and social media channels.

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Saturday, February 12, 2022 Gatherings and events restrictions could lift next week in BC Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says her gatherings and events public health order could be lifted when it expires next week. “What you will hear next week will be the details of how we are going to be moving forward,” said Henry.

“The gatherings and events orders are coming up for review on (Feb.) 16th, and we’ll be putting out in detail on the 15th what we’re doing for the next few weeks.

“You will hear less about the pandemic as we get through this wave, and more about how we can continue to manage our personal risks as restrictions are adjusted in step with what we are seeing, in terms of transmission and hospitalizations.”

There are four active public health orders set up to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the community. The gatherings and events order is the only

one with an expiry date.The other orders — with no expiry date — are the face coverings order, food and liquor serving premises order and the residential care COVID preventive measures order.The gatherings and events order governs indoor and outdoor personal gatherings, indoor and outdoor organized gatherings, indoor events at venues and gatherings in casinos, places of worship and workplaces. It also covers fitness and exercise activities, sports activities and aquatic centres. Under the order indoor personal gatherings aren’t allowed if anyone in the group is not a fully vaccinated adult and the gathering must be limited to the family group, plus a maximum of 10 guests. Wedding and funeral receptions are banned.

Cactus Club apologizes after RCMP mistakenly called on group of diners group of patrons at a Cactus Club in Coquitlam was forced to leave the establishment after mistakenly having the police called on them.

A viral video that was circulating on TikTok shows a group of South Asian students standing outside a Cactus Club speaking to police officers.

The caption for the video read, “12 university students were kicked out of Cactus Club in Coquitlam last night by the police without even checking their IDs just for being brown.”

In a statement to Daily Hive, Coquitlam RCMP said officers were contacted to assist restaurant security staff with 12 “unwanted guests.”

It goes on to say that the group was asked to leave Cactus Club due to an incident that allegedly occurred at a Cactus Club location in Langley.

“Last Saturday night, a group came

into our Coquitlam location. Our security personnel believed that a few members of the party were connected to a serious incident that occurred at another one of our restaurants, and the RCMP was called,” Cactus Club told the Daily Hive in a statement.

That’s when Mounties showed up and asked the group to leave.

“After reviewing the situation, it is clear we made a mistake. They should not have been asked to leave,” continued the statement.

“We recognize how upsetting this experience was for the guests involved. We deeply regret what occurred and offer our unreserved apology.”

In the video, you can hear one of the patrons understandably frustrated, suggesting that no one was asked for identification and that the diners were embarrassed in front of other patrons at the restaurant.

The video also suggests the group was there to enjoy a birthday dinner.

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Saturday, February 12, 2022

NDP leader says trucker convoy aims to ‘overthrow’ gov’t Canada needs to investigate foreign interference and support for an anti-government protest in the country’s capital, said New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, as the convoy of truckers and their supporters continues to wreak havoc in Ottawa. Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Singh said the convoy’s stated intent is to “overthrow the government”. “It is clear that this is not a protest; this is an act to try to overthrow the government, and it is getting funded by foreign interference and we need to investigate and stop that – stop the flow of that foreign interference, particularly coming from the [United] States,” said Singh, whose party has the fourth-most seats in the House of Commons.

“We are calling for an emergency debate in parliament to respond to the convoy and to the

escalating tensions that we’re seeing,” he added.

The convoy of Canadian truckers and their supporters began arriving in Ottawa on January 28 to denounce an order requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to cross Canada’s land border with the United States. Protesters release smoke flares in front of Parliament in Ottawa, Canada.The protesters are demanding an end to all coronavirus restrictions in Canada [Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images/AFP] The so-called “Freedom Convoy” was organised by known far-right figures who have espoused Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and other hateful views, the Canadian AntiHate Network non-profit group reported.

Protesters marched through Ottawa on January 29, while several have pledged to stay in the

Charges pending in massive $30 million drug seizure in Vancouver and Victoria B.C.’s anti-gang unit said charges have been laid in relation to a massive seizure of $30 million worth of illicit drugs, including high-concentration fentanyl, in Victoria and Metro Vancouver in 2020.

The CFSEU said it will announce charges at 11 a.m. today. The investigation started in June 2020 when Victoria Police identified an organized crime group trafficking fentanyl in Victoria.

Later, investigators found that the supply chain for this group was based in the Lower Mainland. Victoria Police Chief Del Manak said. “In a year where over 2,200 people in British Columbia have died from a suspected illicit drug overdose it is clear that more

joint operation work like this must be done to end the deaths.” Victoria Police reached out to the CFSEU, which targeted the Lower Mainland operation, while Victoria police focused on the drug trafficking activities in its jurisdiction. In November, search warrants were executed in three homes and one vehicle in the Victoria area, including a suite in an apartment building in the 500-block of Fisgard Avenue, a suite in an apartment in the 700-block of Fairfield Road, and a unit in an apartment in the 1000-block of View Street.

Two people were arrested. In the Lower Mainland, police, including Surrey RCMP and Vancouver Police, also searched three homes.

Trucker says protesters blocking his route ‘making us look bad’ One Canadian truck driver is asking protesters to get off the roads and to stop blocking his route as anti-COVID mandate protests in the nation’s capital continue for a 13th day. The Freedom Convoy, which arrived in Ottawa on January 28, was first created in response to a federal vaccine mandate that went into effect for crossborder truck drivers last month. Prior to the mandate, those drivers were exempted from vaccination due to their essential role in the supply chain. Over the last two weeks, Canadian truck drivers and other frustrated citizens have taken over Ottawa, demanding the federal and provincial government lift all COVID-related restrictions. “Stop it.

You’re making us look bad. I’m trying to do my job. You’re making everybody look bad,” cross-border truck driver Ted McNeill said in a message to protesters. Speaking to City News’ Adrian Ghobrial at a truck stop in Woodstock, Ontario, McNeill said the

road closures and massive blockade caused by protesters forced him to take a five-hour detour in order to transport his truckload of food into Canada.

“I understand you don’t like the mandates.

We’re all frustrated. Everybody in North America and the world is frustrated,” he said on Wednesday. “It’s got nothing to do with the government. Everybody has to pitch in—It’s not a Canadian thing. It’s a world thing.”

“I understand everybody’s frustrated. I’m frustrated. I’ve worked straight through this without time off,” McNeill added. “Stop it.

You’re not helping. You’re just making more and more people mad at us.” The mandate that ignited the convoy was estimated to affect 10 to 15 percent of the workforce or 12,000 to 16,000 drivers, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA). While the truck drivers were once considered essential to the supply chain, trade groups are now concerned that those who are protesting in Ottawa are now impeding that same flow of goods.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 12, 2022

BC announces $228M to help farmers, ranchers impacted by floods B.C. has announced a huge funding package to help farmers and food producers who were affected by November’s record-breaking floods.

“This is the greatest amount of financial support of its kind in B.C.’s history,” Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham said Monday afternoon.

The package, consisting of $228 million in provincial and federal cash, will go towards needs not covered by existing programs or private insurance.

This includes returning flood-impacted land and buildings to their previous state, replacing perennial plants such as blueberries, the repair of uninsurable farm infrastructure, and care for animals.

“The B.C. agricultural community has pulled together and demonstrated its strength and determination in the face of devastating floods,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said Monday.

The governments of Canada and British Columbia have also established a committee of ministers who are working together and with Indigenous leadership to guide immediate and ongoing support to British Columbia families, businesses and communities affected by the extreme weather events, the province said in a release Monday.

Farmers who have already undertaken any work are advised to keep their receipts, track the hours of work involved, and take pictures documenting the damage and repairs to support their application.

Interior rancher Rhonda MacDonald said Sunday she’s somewhat skeptical but still very hopeful about the potential flood recovery cash.

“Honestly at this point, that’s really all we have to cling to,” MacDonald told Global News Sunday.

MacDonald and her husband Wayne, who raise beef cattle and grow hay at Bar FX Ranch along Highway 8 between Merritt and Spences Bridge, joined dozens of other ranchers as they rode their horses into Merritt Sunday for a rally in support of the long-anticipated agri-recovery funds.

The couple lost 20 per cent of their cattle herd during the Lytton Creek wildfire – before last November’s flooding wiped out cattle and irrigation infrastructure, and hayfields.

The MacDonalds are hoping for help to cover the cost of hay to feed their animals, land recovery and remediation.

“We don’t want the government to support us indefinitely,” said MacDonald.

“We want a hand to get us fixed so that we can go back to supporting ourselves and doing the job that we love.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: “We want a hand to get us fixed so that we can go back to supporting ourselves and doing the job that we love.”

The Small-Scale Meat Producers Association said ranchers need to know what financial aid is coming so they have a budget to book contractors and start rebuilding.

“The scale of the devastation is just hard to imagine if you haven’t been here,” said president Julia Smith.

“And it isn’t something that they’re going to be able to quickly fix.”

Time is also running out Smith said, with fields thawing and the spring freshet fast approaching.

In Abbotsford, the Gill family’s B.C. Blueberries Farm was flooded when the Nooksack River in Washington State burst its banks and started pouring north last November.

BC real estate sales forecast to drop in 2022, prices to still rise: BCREA Real estate in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley has seen its share of record-breakers over the last few years, but now, a new forecast suggests sales are expected to decline. According to the B.C. Real Estate Association (BCREA), MLS residential sales are forecast to drop 17 per cent from last year’s record high.

However, the forecast also estimates home prices to rise by 8.5 per cent in 2022, mostly in the first half of the year. BCREA chief economist Brendon Ogmundson says home sales in 2022 are expected to “moderate from the frenetic pace of 2021,” with declines forecast to continue into 2023, by an additional 12 per cent. Despite a potential decline in home sales, “sales activity will remain high by historical standards,” he adds. “We started the year at an all-time low in terms of listings. There’s just not a lot of product out there to buy. Demand is still pretty strong and that means a lot of upward pressure on prices,” Ogmundson said. “We are not at record levels. This isn’t like the start of last year, but sales are still pretty strong,” he said. It’s for this reason that the association sees strong sales persisting through the first few months of 2022. The severely limited supply will also likely continue to put pressure on home prices across the province. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver also notes low supply has affected home prices. “Our listing inventory on

MLS® is less than half of what would be optimal to begin the year. As a result, hopeful home buyers have limited choice in the market today. \ This trend is causing fierce competition for a scarce number of homes for sale, which, in turn, increases prices,” REBGV economist Keith Stewart said.

What a Bank of Canada rate hike could mean for Vancouver’s housing market “With home prices reaching new highs in recent months, the need has never been greater for government to collaborate with the building community to expedite the creation of housing supply and provide more choice for those struggling to buy a home today,” added Stewart.

The REBGV says the composite benchmark price for all residential properties in the Metro Vancouver region rose 18.5 per cent in January 2022 over the same time last year. It increased two per cent compared to December 2021.

The BCREA forecast estimates sales activity will “normalize” in 2023 due to several factors, including the upcoming predicted interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada.

“The combination of higher fixed rates, higher variable rates should start to soften demand in the market but probably not until second half of this year, probably 2023,” Ogmundson said.

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One dead, one in hospital after targeted shooting in Surrey A man and a woman in their early 20s were shot in Surrey’s Fraser Heights neighbourhood on Tuesday night, police confirm.

The man has now died from his injuries.

Yellow tape remained up early Wednesday at the intersection of 168 Street and 104 Avenue in front of the Co-Op gas station.

Police said officers were called just before midnight to the area and found the two people in a car suffering from serious gunshot wounds.

Officers confirmed both victims are known to police.

Initial indications are that the shooting is related to the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict, Surrey RCMP said. Surrey RCMP Serious Crime Unit has taken conduct of the investigation and is being supported by partner agencies.

Due to the life-threatening injuries of one of the victims, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has also been engaged, police confirmed in a release.

“We understand that there is concern

within our community regarding the ongoing violence,” Surrey RCMP media relations officer Const. Sarbjit K. Sangha said in a release. “Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team (SGET) along with CFSEU-BC are working day and night to gather intelligence and target those that pose the highest risk to our community.”

Police said no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information, CCTV or dash cam video in the area of the shooting is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.

In addition, Surrey RCMP did confirm officers are investigating two crime scenes in connection with this gas station incident.

Tape is also up a few blocks from the gas station in a neighbourhood off 170A Street.

Police did not provide any further details about this second crime scene.

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Star & Style

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Amol Palekar hospitalized Actor Amol Palekar was admitted at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune.

He is suffering from prolonged illness.

Amol Palekar, 77, is known for his work in parallel cinema and television shows, with Rajnigandha, Chitchor, Gol Maal, Shriman Shrimati and Chhoti Si Baat being some of his most successful films.

His wife Sandhya Gokhale told ABP Live, “There is nothing to worry about Amol Palekar’s

health. He is recovering and his condition is better than before.”

On being asked about what he is suffering from, Sandhya said, “This is an old illness. Due to excessive smoking, he was admitted to hospital 10 years ago as well. But his condition is fine.”

Amol has been missing from the spotlight for quite some time. He returned to acting with the film, Halla Ho, which released on ZEE5 last year. It was a true story of Dalit women who attacked a rapist in an open court. It also featured Rinku Rajguru, Barun Sobti, Upendra Limaye, Indraneil

Deepika Padukone outdoes herself in Shakun Batra’s film

A twisted tale of love, lies, trust, betrayal, complex relationships and moving on with the dark realities of your past, Gehraiyaan is an intimate film.

While this is not the first time Bollywood has shown infidelity on screen, the narrative has surely matured, the characters are allowed more depth, and it’s no longer merely about simple attraction.

From Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna in 2006, where many audiences couldn’t wrap their heads around the concept of finding love after marriage, to right now in 2022, when a film

like Gehraiyaan delves deep into reasons why relationships reach deadlocks, it’s been quite the progressive journey. And yes, relatable, too.

Starring Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Dhairya Karwa in lead roles, Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan is a modernday love story where it’s natural to fall out of love and find it again elsewhere. Alisha (Deepika) and Karan (Dhairya) have been together for six years now and they plan a meet-up with her cousin Tia (Ananya) and her fiance Zain from LA. A few words and sweet glances later Alisha

Rakhi Sawant rocks Rakhi Sawant posed for paparazzi after Shamita Shetty’s birthday party n. She strutted down an empty street and struck different poses for them. At one point, one of the photographers complimented her by saying that she has outdone Nora Fatehi.

“Aapke saamne toh Nora bhi fail hai aaj (You put even Nora to shame today),” he said.

Rakhi’s instant reply was, “But I love Nora.”

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Later, as the paparazzi crowded around Rakhi to take pictures, she asked them to move back and even threatened to take legal action against them if anyone accidentally touched her. “Agar kisine mujhe chhua, 500 crore ka maanahani ka daawa karungi (If anyone touches me, I will file a ₹500 crore defamation case),” she said.

Star & Style

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Remembering veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar died in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on Sunday.

She was 92.

She was cremated with full state honours at Mumbai’s iconic Shivaji Park this evening.

The funeral was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lata Mangeshkar was taken to the intensive care unit on January 8 after testing positive for COVID-19. On Saturday, her condition had deteriorated again and she had to be put on ventilator support. She was under medical observation. Lata Mangeshkar was being treated for both pneumonia and COVID-19. Her symptoms were mild but she was in ICU because of her age, family said.

Over the next few weeks, Lata Mangeshkar showed signs of improvement. However, on Saturday, hospital authorities said that

Ranveer Singh is set to ‘collaborate’ with popular American rapper Machine Gun Kelly. However, their collaboration isn’t creative but sporting. The two stars will join a host of celebs next Friday in the US to participate in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) All-Star Celebrity Game.

The match is an annual affair where celebrities from the world of entertainment and music rub shoulders with some of the past and present greats from the world of

Lata Mangeshkar had been put back on the ventilator after her health deteriorated, news agency ANI reported.

Lata Mangeshkar, a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, was an icon of Indian cinema, having sung playback for an extensive list of Hindi films; she also sang in several regional languages including Marathi and Bengali.

Lata Mangeshkar, who belonged to a prominent musical family, also composed music as well as produced a handful of films. She was popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India.’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first ones to share the sad news and said he is “anguished beyond words”.

“The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that

Gangubai Kathiawadi’s poster released Gangubai Kathiawadi’s new poster has been released by the makers.

Alia Bhatt shared the poster on Instagram and also announced the trailer release date.

In the new poster, Alia is seen as Gangubai, dressed in white and reclining on a cot. The trailer of Gangubai Kathiawadi will release on February 4. “Aa Rahi Hai Gangu. Trailer out on 4th February. #GangubaiKathiawadi in cinemas on 25th February 2022,” reads Alia Bhatt’s caption. The film has been directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Alia’s mother and actress Soni Razdan praised the poster and left an array of love-struck, clap, and red heart emojis in the comment section. Huma Qureshi commented, “Woo hoo,” followed by a red heart emoji. Aditi Rao Hydari also commented and left a love-struck and red heart emoji in the comment section.

Alia Bhatt’s post has more than four lakh likes.

The release date of Gangubai Kathiawadi was postponed few times because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Now, the film will be theatrically released on February 25. Sharing the new release date, the makers of the film had written, “Witness her

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor was born as Balbir Raj Kapoor to Prithviraj Kapoor in Calcutta, on March 18, 1938. He was youngest brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor.

Shashi got an opportunity to work as an assistant director in the film Post Box 999, the debut film of Sunil Dutt, and worked as an assistant director to Ravindra Dave in Guest House (1959), which was followed by movies such as Dulha Dulhan and Shriman Satyawadi, where Raj Kapoor was the lead hero.

Shashi Kapoor made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film Dharmputra and went on to appear in 116 Hindi films, including 61 films as the

Ranveer to play basketball sports in a game of basketball. This year, Ranveer is set to play alongside the likes of comedian Tiffany Haddish, rappers and recording artists like Anuel, Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow and Quavo. Ranveer’s team will be coached by NBA legend Bill Walton.

The game will also feature renowned athletes, including American footballer Myles Garrett, current NBA player Dearica Hamby and retired NBA greats Booby

reign in cinemas near you on 25th February 2022.” Gangubai Kathiawadi is adapted book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. It features Alia Bhatt in the role of Gangubai, one of the most powerful madams from Mumbai’s red-light area Kamathipura during the 1960s. The film showcases her journey as the head of a brothel and a political leader of Kamathipura.

Alia Continues success and accolades. In 2016 Alia Bhatt took on the part of one Bihari migrant in Udta Punjab, a story about substance abuse. The intense role marked a departure from the mostly light-hearted parts she had played before in her career with the exception of Highway, and in preparation, she watched documentaries on drug abuse and learned to speak a Bihari dialect.

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Gibson and Anderson Varejao. The game will be played on Friday, February 18 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.

solo lead hero and 55 multi starcast films, 21 films as supporting actor and special appearances in 7 films. He was very popular actor in Bollywood during the 60s, 70s and until the mid-80s.

Since 1961, he started acting in English films, which include The Householder and ShakespeareWallah. He was one of first actors to go international fame. Actress Nanda, who was an established star at her time, citation needed signed 8 Hindi films with Shashi Kapoor, as she believed that he could deliver good performances.

Their first two films as a pair were the critically acclaimed romantic film Char Diwari (1961) and Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath (1962).

Ranveer posted this picture of the match roster on Instagram Stories.

Ranveer posted this picture of the match roster on Instagram Stories.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL 6 people died every day in BC from toxic drugs

An estimated 2,224 British Columbians died from toxic drug poisonings in 2021, marking the worst year in the province’s history in the ongoing overdose crisis.

That’s an average of six deaths per day. Five years since then-provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared B.C.’s first public health emergency in 2016, many trends have remained the same: A majority of the deaths (83 per cent) occurred indoors, and 71 per cent of those dying were aged 30 to 59 and predominately men. No deaths were reported at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites.

Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria continued to see the highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths, at 524, 281 and 126 fatalities, respectively. Meanwhile, all corners of the province have been impacted with Northern Health seeing death rates of 48 per 100,000 people.

In 2020, when the pandemic first wreaked havoc on the world leading to increased toxicity among street-level drugs, there were 1,767 recorded deaths.

Toxicological testing by the B.C. Coroners Service continues to underscore

the toxicity of drugs being sold illicitly, data shows. Fentanyl was detected in 83 per cent of samples tested in 2021, while carfentanil, an opioid used to tranquilize large animals, was present in 187 results, almost triple the number recorded in 2020.

Fifty per cent of samples in December tested positive for the benzodiazepine called etizolam, up from 15 per cent in July.

Benzodiazepines have created significant challenges for frontline workers and first responders, as overdoses caused by these drugs cannot be reversed by naloxone as opioid overdoses can.

In a news conference Wednesday, chief coroner Lisa Lapointe called for decisionmakers at all levels of government to respond with urgency – noting the speedy reaction officials have had in order to save lives due to the COVID-19 disease.

“Drug toxicity is now second only to cancers in B.C. for potential years of life lost,” she said. “We cannot simply hope that things will improve. It is long past time to end the chaos and devastation in our communities resulting from the flourishing illicit drug market, and to ensure, on an urgent basis, access across the province to a safe, reliable regulated drug supply.”

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Saturday, February 12, 2022 RCMP investigating suspected arson at Guildford apartment building Surrey Mounties are investigating a suspected arson at an apartment in Guildford early Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the 10600-block of 150 Street.

Cpl. Vanessa Munn said Surrey firefighters called police at 3:06 a.m. after they “quickly” extinguished a fire in a hallway.

“There was evidence of a second fire outside the building, which was extinguished prior to police and fire attendance,” she said.

“Thankfully no injuries were reported, however it appears these fires were intentionally lit.”

Surrey RCMP General Investigations Unit is leading the investigation and is

working with the Surrey RCMP Arson Coordinator and Surrey Fire Service.

Munn said investigators are reviewing CCTV footage from the area. Police are releasing a description of two suspects. One wore a white baseball hat, white shirt, black puffy jacket, blue jeans and white high top runners while the other wore a dark hoodie with a white shirt underneath, black pants, and black Nike runners with a white swoosh.

“Thankfully the fire was quickly extinguished and did not result in any injuries to residents inside the apartment building,” Munn said.

“We want to encourage residents in the area to

All remaining BC health-care workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by March 24 All health-care professionals in B.C. must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by March 24, provincial health care officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Wednesday (Feb. 9).

Henry had initially hinted that such a mandate would come in the all after she announced that first long-term care workers and then all health-care workers attached to a health authority must be vaccinated.

This new mandate will have a phased approach, allowing for health-care workers who receive their first dose by March 24 to continue working as long as they receive their second dose within 28-35 days.

Henry said that the health-care workers that fall under B.C.’s list of regulated health professions will be affected by the incoming rules. These professions include: * acupuncturists * audiologists * chiropractic doctors (chiropractors) * certified dental assistants *

dental hygienists * dentists * dental technicians * dental therapists * denturists * dietitians * hearing instrument practitioners * massage therapists * midwives * naturopathic physicians (naturopaths) * nurse practitioners * registered nurses * occupational therapists * opticians * optometrists * pharmacists * pharmacy technicians * physical therapists (physiotherapists) * physicians and surgeons * podiatric surgeons (podiatrists) * licensed practical nurses * registered psychiatric nurses * psychologists * speech-language pathologists * traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners Questioned about the delay in announcing a deadline for these final health-care workers, Henry said there was a lot of “legalese” to sort out between the different regulatory colleges and organizations that regulate these professions.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 12, 2022 Chilliwack, Kelowna, Kamloops, & Nanaimo among five fastest growing cities in Canada Here are 28 CMAs in BC. The next fastestgrowing CMAs were Kelowna at 14%, Chilliwack at 12.1%, Salmon Arm at 10.1%, Nanaimo and Kamloops tied at 10%, Vernon at 9.4%, Courtenay at 9.2%, Penticton at 8.8%, Abbotsford-Mission at 8.4%, Victoria at 16%, Campbell River at 7.5%, and Parksville at 7.4%.

Four of the five fastest-growing CMAs in the entire country were in BC, including Kelowna, Chilliwack, Kamloops, and Nanaimo.

Based on today’s newly released statistics, the fastest-growing census metropolitan area (CMA) — urban regions that may include multiple local and municipal jurisdictions — in British Columbia between 2016 and 2021 was Squamish. There was a 21.8% increase in the population from 19,893 to 24,232 residents.

This follows a growth trend in Squamish that began with the Sea to Sky Highway improvements in the late 2000s before the 2010 Olympics, which opened up new housing and employment opportunities in and around the community. There are 28 CMAs in BC. The next fastest-growing CMAs were Kelowna at 14%, Chilliwack at 12.1%, Salmon Arm at 10.1%, Nanaimo and Kamloops tied at 10%, Vernon at 9.4%, Courtenay at 9.2%, Penticton at 8.8%, Abbotsford-Mission at 8.4%, Victoria at 16%, Campbell River at 7.5%, and Parksville at 7.4%. Four of the five fastest-growing CMAs in the entire country were in BC, including Kelowna, Chilliwack, Kamloops, and Nanaimo.

Record breaking four-storey rogue wave recorded off coast of Vancouver Island A 17.6 meter rogue wave off the west coast of Vancouver Island that occurred in 2020 was “likely the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded” according to a group of Victoria scientists. The swell—which was as high as a four-storey building—was recorded by sensor buoys at Amphitrite Bank, about seven kilometers off Ucluelet. Recorded by Victoria-based MarineLabs Data Systems, it is the subject of a scientific report by Dr. Johannes Gemmrich and Leah Cicon, both of the University of Victoria, published last week in the journal, Scientific Reports.Rogue waves, also known as freak or killer waves, are defined as waves with a height more than double that of the waves around them. They occur unexpectedly with a huge force that makes them especially dangerous for marine vessels. The first rogue wave ever measured was off the coast of Norway in 1995. The

Draupner Wave measured 25.6 metres in a sea state with wave heights of about 12 metres, meaning it was more than twice the height of those around it. The wave recorded by MarineLabs in Ucluelet was 17.6 meters in a sea state with wave heights of approximately 6 meters – nearly three times the size of the waves around it. “Proportionally, the Ucluelet wave is likely the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded,” said Gemmrich, who studies large wave events along BC’s coastlines as part of his work as a research physicist at the University of Victoria.“Only a few rogue waves in high sea states have been observed directly, and nothing of this magnitude. The probability of such an event occurring is once in 1,300 years.” The buoys used to detect the rogue wave are part of a network of marine sensors by MarineLabs’ CoastAware—who host 26 sensor buoys strategically placed on coastlines.

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Experts question politics behind lifting COVID-19 restrictions in some provinces As provinces across Canada start to lift COVID-19 restrictions, some experts are questioning whether public health decisions are being made based on medical data or politics.

Ontario’s three-phase reopening plan that stretches into mid-March is underway, with proof of vaccination and masking to remain in place as capacity limits widen and more businesses reopen.

Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have also laid out plans to lift public COVID-19 health measures over the course of the next month or so. But Saskatchewan and Alberta are aiming to end all COVID-19 restrictions.

Is it too early to lift COVID-19 restrictions?

Epidemiologist Timothy Sly says even though the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the mental health and lives of Canadians, it’s still not reasonable enough to ignore scientific evidence.

“Hospital rates, ICU rates, wastewater rates, if they’re going down and they have

been for the last three weeks, then we can look forward to taking a few more steps (in lifting restrictions),” said Sly. Click to play video: ‘Alberta drops mask mandate for kids, education minister says boards can’t enforce their own’ But in the Prairies, the hospitalizations have only just started to decline.

“If politics chooses not to listen to that, then I think we’re a little nervous,” said Sly. As of Tuesday, there were 1,623 people in hospital with COVID-19, according to Alberta Health, with 129 in intensive care.

Dr. Noel Gibney, professor emeritus in the department of critical care medicine at the University of Alberta, said the removal of COVID-19 restrictions is premature.

“If we look back at some of the previous waves, the government used hospitalization numbers of 400 or 500 to make decisions about what public health measures would be added or removed,” Gibney said.

US offers Trudeau government help to end border blockade U.S. officials have offered to help the Trudeau government end an anti-vaccine mandate protest blockade that is sending ripple effects through the American economy and causing increasing concern in Washington. The White House says U.S. officials had multiple conversations on Thursday with their Canadian counterparts about the blockade on the Ambassador Bridge, a major trade artery which connects Windsor, Ont. with Detroit. The White House said Thursday the U.S. federal cabinet and senior administration staff are now

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seized with this issue. “[They] have been engaged around the clock to bring this to a swift end,” the White House said in response to questions from CBC News. Auto groups, City of Windsor seek injunction to end Ambassador Bridge blockade of Ontario-U.S. traffic The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urged his Canadian counterparts Thursday to use their own federal powers to end the blockade at the Canada-U.S. border.

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Saturday, February 12, 2022

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INDIA

Saturday, February 12, 2022

PM Modi to address Punjab rallies on February 14, 16 and 17 To further boost the NDA campaign in Punjab, PM Modi will address three rallies in Punjab on February 14, 16 and 17, covering all three regions of Malwa, Doaba and Majha.

BJP general secretary Subash Sharma said PM Modi would address a rally in Jalandhar on February 14 and then in

Pathankot on February 16 and Abohar on February 17. He said the rallies would help

boost the confidence of NDA candidates.

In Punjab, the BJP has stitched an alliance with PLC and SAD (Sanyukt).

Rs 288 cr funds frome Chinese-owned finance companies seized The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today said a competent authority under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) has seized Rs 288 crore funds of a “Chinese-owned” non-banking financial company (NBFC).

The firm gave instant loans through mobile apps, and later allegedly harassed borrowers by “misusing” their personal data.

The ED said an order had been issued by

the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, on February 4 confirming “the full seizure of the funds in the action taken against Chineseowned PC Financial Services (PCFC)”.

The ED had initiated a probe against the company while it was investigating a number of NBFCs and fintech companies under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for providing online instant micro-loans using

mobile apps. Later, such NBFCs “extorted high rate of interest by misusing the personal data of the customers and threatening and abusing them through call centres”. In some cases, people reportedly ended their lives.

The NBFC in this case was providing instant personal micro-loans through its mobile application called ‘Cashbean’ for suspicious foreign outward remittances,

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Saturday, February 12, 2022

India Family-run parties biggest threat to democracy: PM Modi On the eve of the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a blistering attack on rival Samajwadi Party today said familybased parties were the biggest danger to democracy and such parties were destroying the country.

In a wide-ranging interview to a news agency, the PM stepped up his attack on the SP, calling it an outfit of fake socialists.

“Lohia ji was a socialist too. Do you see his family anywhere? George Fernandes was also a socialist, so is Nitish Kumar. Do you see their families anywhere? When

I discuss fake socialism, I mean wholly dynastic politics.

Our concept of federalism is to develop the most under-developed districts.

—Narendra Modi, PM “I once received a letter saying that 45 people from the ruling SP family in UP held one post or the other and everyone above 25 in this family has had a chance to fight elections. Such dynasties are a danger for democracy,” the PM said.

On a question about MoS Home Ajay Mishra continuing in the Union Council of Ministers despite incriminating evidence against his son in Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

India headed for steep fuel price hike in March, Deloitte says Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India expects the nation’s biggest fuel retailers to sharply raise pump prices after state elections end next month, adding pressure on the government and the central bank to take steps to contain inflation.“Because of the state elections, they haven’t increased the retail prices,” Debasish Mishra, partner at Deloitte, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin and Rishaad Salamat.He expects companies to increase prices by Rs 8-9 (11-12 cents) a liter to make up for a shortfall in sale price by March 10 when the election process winds down.Despite a surge in international prices, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) -- which together control

more than 90% of the domestic market -have frozen gasoline and diesel rates for over three months, coinciding with elections in five states.While state-run fuel retailers are technically free to align prices with global rates, they often freeze rates in the run-up to polls fearing public backlash over higher prices. When the increase eventually happens, the government is likely to absorb some of it by cutting taxes and let the consumers bear the rest, Mishra said. Increase in oil prices pose a problem for the government by impacting disposable incomes in a nation where private consumption accounts for some 60% of gross domestic product. For the central bank, higher oil prices mean faster inflation, which can test its resolve to keep borrowing costs lower for longer to support the economy’s durable recovery from the pandemic.

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Saturday, February 12, 2022

By VIBHOOTI VAISHNAV

C

laudius, Roman Empire, Churches and Saint Valentine are all part of history. Hanging of Saint Valentine by the brutal truth of power hungry, controlling urge of insecure egoistic man kind is a sad history. Absolutely no point excavating the history of how this day came about into existence. Let’s just catch the spirit. Happy Valentine’s Day! Ready or not, here comes a day that brings an opportunity to express, vocalize, show your emotions to the one you love. But what is love?

Love is an emotion beyond description.

It is pure innocent child like delight.

Exactly like when you offer a chocolate to a child, it doesn’t matter what kind, how expensive the chocolate is, from where you bought, what brand it is, all that child cares is to be delighted to receive this wonderful chocolate. He just wants to experience the sweetness. He may or may not remember this gratefulness that he feels in the moment. Box of chocolate makes a romantic gift for the same delightful sweet experience for your love.

Love is the feeling that one has in absence of the loved one.

Sometimes realization occurs only after the fact that you are away from this person with whom you have developed a profound connection.

And it sprouts from this point. The more the missing, the more the love

Happy Valentine’s Day! blooms into a beautiful fragrant flower.

May be that is the reason why flower becomes a symbol of love, language of love, and bouquet of flowers make to the top in the list of receiving romantic gifts.

Love is put to test in waiting. Sentiment of love and affection being a journey, one may never reach a destination, and those who were waiting, those who were separated but never gave up loving became immortal in the name of love. Current generation has all the technology to keep connected and their waiting is no longer than a blue tick on Watsapp or seeing the online status or seeing the typing, so their patience is extremely short lived, they will never know what a heart full of love, anxious to receive a message from a loved one would experience, feeling an entire ocean roaring within every heartbeat, every little breeze causing a tornado with every breath. Every inch of skin burning with every ray of sun shining around.

Love is to give. One who puts loved one before himself is truly in love. He cherishes every sweet memory, forgets the negative emotions, sheds the ego, gives space for the significant other to grow and glow and flow.

Love is a dream. You have to enjoy while it lasts in its entirety. I say that because we see around us that relationships are quite rocky for a lot of us. We have to understand that love is a dream but we cannot day

dream. We have to be awake and aware.

Love is not all romance. It is a lot of respect. Initial charm of romance may seem to fade away but respect keeps the foundation of relationships strong. Being loved is the best feeling for a human being, It is desired but one has to deserve first.

Presumptions, assumptions, expectations and redemptions become the main cause behind sorrow and heartache. This results into frustrations, agony, jealousy and behavioural reactions and responses can be abusive or even violent.

Love should essentially elevate and liberate, it’s a feeling that we are always seeking but the problem is that we want someone else to love us. In fact we have to find, we have to kindle that love within ourselves. Then lover and being loved become one. That is the highest level of meaningful love, when the oneness is experienced and that’s when the whole world becomes one and there’s only compassion.

In this world of consumerism, is Valentine’s Day commercially influenced and manipulated? Sure it is, you see all this buzz around you, gifts around you and you feel compelled to give or to receive and that can create a lot of problems. One has to be practical and it’s not the value in terms of money about the gift, it’s the action.

Love itself is an event but to maintain that

relationship is the journey, journey from attraction to understanding, it’s a process and that’s where these kind of special days come to being accepted. A bit of excitement, spontaneity, surprises, unpredictability among the dull routine life is always welcomed.

Let’s just catch the spirit of love, let’s just express love, unleash those hidden emotions because when love is not communicated properly, it creates misunderstandings. Not everyone can see the love in action because some people like to listen to loving words and some people like to see the love in things. So let’s communicate, let’s tell that we love them let’s show them. It can be a small gesture of either gift or words or doing something for them, caring for them. Action without love has no meaning, love without action has no value.

Love is not fashion, love is not passion Love is compassion. Love is hope Love is to be valued Love is to be grateful Love is acceptance Love is tolerance Love is commitment Love is not a word, a noun or a verb Love is a state of being In tiresome times of corona, where even after two years we cannot let our guards down, and we are all eagerly waiting for normalcy, this Valentine’s Day I wish you all stand the test of times and value the love in your life, do not get crushed by stress and be grateful and give out as much love as you can in support of people that mean a lot to you, stand by you, work for you and your well-being. Let’s spread love, as you all know Love is all one needs and that is all one can give.

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INDIA

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Hyundai Motor expresses regret over anti-India statement by dealer in Pakistan From page 1 However, several other major automotive companies having operations in India remain silent on the similar issue.

In a message on Hyundai Motor India Ltd’s handle, the Korean company said: “We deeply regret any offense caused to the people of India by this unofficial social media activity.”

Hyundai Motor said as a business policy it does not comment on political or religious issues in any specific region.

The independently owned Hyundai distributor in Pakistan’s tweet is against Hyundai Motor’s policy.

“We have since taken measures to ensure the distributor, which misused the Hyundai brand identity, has removed the social media posts and we have put in place processes to prevent

a future reoccurrence,” Hyundai Motor said.

It all started on February 5 with a tweet from the Twitter handle Hyundai Pakistan Official that read: “Let us remember the sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and stand in support as they continue to struggle for freedom.”

India’s neighbour Pakistan observes February 5 as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ as a mark of its support to the so-called ‘separatist’ movement in Kashmir.

Soon social media users started forwarding the controversial post and also tagged it to Hyundai Motor India’s Twitter account with their comments and a call for boycotting the car maker’s models.

On its part, Hyundai Motor India started blocking those social media accounts and later came out with a statement.

Modi’s party eyes big win as voting starts in key state of Uttar Pradesh Polls opened on Thursday in India’s most populous and decisive state in a test of appeal of PM Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda in the face of trenchant unemployment, rising inflation and the coronavirus pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh has struggled through India’s economic downturn, and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keen to prove it still holds sway in the bellwether state, home to more than 200 million people.A strong win in the northern Hindi-speaking heartland will give the BJP a boost ahead of

national elections in 2024, when it will seek a third straight victory under Modi.

Opinion polls have indicated that the BJP will retain power in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly -- something no party has done since 1985 -- with an increased vote share. The battleground region has a larger population than Brazil and in national elections sends more lawmakers to parliament than any other state, accounting for 80 of the 543 seats in the lower house. In Uttar Pradesh the BJP is led by firebrand Hindu monk and incumbent chief minister.

Conservative lawmakers are trying to change this airport’s code because it’s too gay Lawmakers in India are increasing their efforts to change an airport code, which they claim is “inappropriate” for a holy city.

The code? “GAY,” which is the designation for the Gaya Airport in the northeast Indian state of Bihar.

A parliamentary committee proposes the airport’s code be changed to “YAG,” calling the GAY designation “offensive or embarrassing” to the locals.

Gaya is the city where the Buddha is believed to have reached enlightenment, and it receives thousands of faithful Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains on pilgrimages each year.“The parliamentary panel desperately wants to change

Gaya Airport’s code…because it feels that GAY is embarrassing, offensive, and inappropriate,” Indrajeet Ghorpade of the LGBTQ organization Yes We Exist India told Vice World News. “This reflects the insecurities of the parliamentarians, who still associate ‘gay’ with something to be ashamed of or disgusted about.”

“It is shameful that instead of celebrating that India has such a unique code for an airport and making it a symbol of inclusivity, the government wants to do what it does best, change names.”

The committee has been trying to get the code changed since last year, but the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Karnataka judge refers hijab row to CJ, cites constitutional issues Citing constitutional questions, a single Judge of the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday referred to a larger Bench the case relating to a ban on hijab on school and college campuses in the state. “In view of the enormity of questions of importance which were debated, the court is of the considered opinion that the Chief Justice should decide

if a larger Bench can be constituted on the subject matter,” Justice Krishna S Dixit said.

Some Muslim girls studying in government colleges in Udupi district of Karnataka have moved the High Court challenging the ban on their entry into classrooms with their hijabs on. They contended that it was part of their religious practice and the colleges could not have banned it.

Suicide numbers on rise by jobless in India Amid raging debate over joblessness in the country, the government today confirmed that incidents of suicide among unemployed had witnessed a spurt during the pandemic period.

The year 2020, when the country reported its first case of Covid-19, saw the maximum 3,548 suicides due to unemployment, up from 2,851 in 2019 and 2,741 in 2018.

9,140 in three years 3,548 in 2020 2,851 in 2019 2,741 in 2018 16,091 owing to debt Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nityanand Rai, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, said between 2018 and 2020, over 25,000 people died by suicide

either due to unemployment or indebtedness, according to data made available by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). He said the data showed as many as 9,140 people died by suicide due to unemployment and 16,091 due to bankruptcy or indebtedness. To address burden of mental disorders, the govt is implementing the National Mental Health Programme. —Nityanand Rai, Minister of state The graph of suicides due to bankruptcy or indebtedness was somewhat different. In 2018, 4,970 persons died by suicide due to such reasons. The number rose to 5,908 in 2019 and declined to 5,213 in 2020.

21

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Punjab Pargat Singh harps on ‘111 days of governance’ Unlike other politicians, Punjab minister and Congress candidate Pargat Singh does not don a kurta-pyjama while campaigning in various villages under Jalandhar Cantonment constituency.

Attired in jeans and jacket, the hockey Olympian says: “A pair of jeans is the most comfortable dress. The best part is that it does not get crumpled.” There is yet another dissimilarity in his style of campaign vis-àvis other politicians. He does not bend down to touch the feet of elderly. At the most, he greets them with folded hands, and rarely hugs them. As his SUV comes to a halt at

Jamsher, his supporter introduces him to a needy woman. She tells her story that she has a family of five but there is no washroom in her house. He tells her to see him in his poll office the next morning. Before he reaches the venue of his rally in the village, a folk artiste keeps the villagers entertained with political satire. Pargat takes the mike, saying: “You have seen our 111 days of governance, the party has again announced Charanjit Singh Channi as CM face… hope you all are upbeat about it.” He gets a resounding applause, as he reminds them of his tough political stance to oust ex-CM Capt Amarinder Singh.

47 Khalistani terror modules busted in 3 years: Minister Forty-seven terror modules related to Khalistani separatists were busted in Punjab in the past three years, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Parliament today.

The Union Minister also said that eight persons died in Khalistan-related terror incidents in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

“As regards the Khalistani separatist

activities, in the year 2019, seven terror or radical modules were busted in Punjab as against 15 in 2020 and 25 modules in 2021. No loss of property was reported during the period,” he said.

Rai said two persons died in Punjab during 2019 in Khalistan-related terror incidents, as against three in 2020 and three (one victim and two perpetrators) in 2021.

FIJI Tsunami warning system only geared towards earthquake – Usamate In Fiji, the whole tsunami warning system is only geared towards earthquakes, and it monitors the parametres that determine whether that seismic activity will lead to a tsunami or not.

Minister for Infrastructure Jone Usamate noted this in Parliament in response to a question regarding the volcanic eruption in Tonga last month and subsequent warnings provided to members of the public in Fiji.

Mr Usamate said the whole tsunami warning system monitored the parametres that determined when an earthquake took place, and whether or

not that earthquake would lead to a tsunami.

He said those parametres were largely around the depths at which the earthquake took place, its strength, and depending on those parametres, feeds into the warning system which is then fed into the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Saturday, January 15, 2022.

He said initial statistics suggested that this violent explosion was probably the largest volcanic blast recorded in the world since Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines 30 years ago.

Liquor license bill passed in the parliament Good news for hotels, bars, taverns, and businesses that sell liquor as they can now be issued licenses for up to five years.

Under the Liquor Act 2006, the maximum term of a license is three years, however, with the passing of the Liquor Amendment Bill 2022, the license term is now five years.

Acting Prime Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the act will also exempt a person from paying

prescribed fees when the person did not operate as outlined in their license due to difficulties faced as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

The passing of the Bill did not come without arguments by the opposition.

Opposition MP, Viliame Gavoka claims this extension of liquor licenses would wreak havoc in communities.

West schools to remain closed, exams deferred

Over 2,800 FIRs for poll code violation in Punjab Muscle power, and free flow of liquor, narcotics and arms seems to have posed a challenge to conduct free and fair elections in Punjab. In all, 2,815 FIRs have been registered since the model code of conduct came into effect last month. On an average, around 100 cases were registered daily.

As per the data compiled by the Election Commission (EC), 1,788 cases — the highest — were registered under the Excise Act. In other words, liquor has been flowing freely to influence voters.

The banned psychotropic substances are also being used to win over voters, as 741 NDPS cases

have been registered during the same period.

Besides, 145 cases have been filed for property defacement and 62 cases for possessing illegal arms. And 51 cases have been registered under the IPC. Interestingly, two cases have been filed for violating Covid safety norms. Both cases were registered in Tarn Taran district.

In a district-wise break-up, the Amritsar police registered the highest number of cases (362). It was followed by Jalandhar (223), Ludhiana (208), Mansa (202) and Mohali (199). The lowest number of cases were registered in Kapurthala (13). In all,

Pakistan Implications of jihad - soft new Pakistan envoy to USA With the US approving careerdiplomat-turned-politician Masood Khan (70) as Pakistan’s new envoy, the curtain came down on the vetting process by the host nation. Though Pakistan proposed his name in November last, the Biden administration took an inordinately long time, leading to speculation. American Congressman Scott Perry’s letter to Biden seeking to extend

the pause on Khan’s approval citing his soft spot for jihadi terrorists, Pakistan subsequently accusing India of pressuring the State Department, and the Indian foreign office’s riposte had built up the whole drama.

Masood Khan’s positions mirror his country’s powerful military, such as demanding the release of Pakistani neuroscientist Afiya Siddiqui, jailed in the USA for 86 years for plotting the mass murder of American soldiers in Afghanistan in 2010.

Why Pakistan sent one athlete and eight ministers to the Winter Olympics There may be a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics by a number of western countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, but Pakistan is sending a high level delegation. The prime minister, Imran Khan, and seven of his ministers were at the opening ceremony of the Games. It’s a sizeable group when you consider that Pakistan’s team comprises just one athlete:

alpine skier Muhammad Karim. High on the agenda during Khan’s four-day trip are meetings with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and premier, Li Keqiang, on a number of bilateral matters, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Khan is also likely to meet with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Why Pakistan might be about to side with Saudi Arabia against Iran Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif arrived in Pakistan on his daylong visit on Monday looking to secure an ally.

Saudi Arabia, which has now been embroiled in its war in Yemen since 2014, is searching for military and diplomatic support in its fight against the Iran-aligned Houthis, particularly after the US pulled its Patriot missile systems from the country last year.

A recent attack by Iran-based Baloch separatists on a major Pakistani military base ended with many dead and wounded.

The Pakistani establishment is currently discussing how to respond to what it sees as

Iran’s efforts to destabilise the region by allowing the separatists to operate from within its borders.

It has traditionally remained neutral in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but analysts say that may be about to change.

Prince Abdulaziz is in Islamabad to test the waters and try to persuade Pakistan to take a harder stance against Iran, says Umer Karim, a visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British think tank.

The Saudis want help fighting the Houthis in Yemen, he told MEE. “Ideally, they want intelligence sharing and a Pakistani military brigade in Saudi Arabia, in a defensive role.”

The Western Division is experiencing serious flooding due to continuous heavy rain.

Acting Prime Minister, Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum says this, unfortunately, has had some unexpected implications for the students in the West, especially the Primary school students who have been looking forward to returning to their classrooms and seeing their friends and teachers.

Sayed-Khaiyum says due to flooding all Primary and Secondary schools in the West will be closed for the next week.

“We know it is disappointing news for students who all have been preparing for the return to classrooms but the weather has taken unfortunately a very poor turn and it is safest we wait until next week until the rains clear up.”

However, all schools in Central, Eastern, and Northern Divisions will open as scheduled and Sayed-Khaiyum says they will be welcoming back teachers and students.

But Sayed-Khaiyum says if rains do pick up in any of these areas they will have no choice but to close the schools.

22 Press release

Saturday, February 12, 2022 Liberal government is failing to address the opioid crisis and it’s costing Canadians their lives

Federal NDP call for the Liberals to support decriminalization as British Columbia’s coroner’s office release record breaking overdose deaths Federal NDP critic for mental health and addictions, Gord Johns, made the following statement: “The data released from the B.C. coroner’s office is absolutely staggering and heartbreaking. It has never been more clear that the federal Liberal’s failure to act on the toxic overdose crisis which is costing thousands of lives, leaving families here in B.C. and across Canada without their loved ones. 2021 was the deadliest year of the toxic drug overdose crisis in B.C. with 2,224 deaths.

The Liberals need to urgently address this emergency, so no more lives are needlessly lost.

They can’t continue to ignore calls from public health experts urging them to take a different approach. We’re hopeful the Liberals will finally hear reason and support the bill that I have put forward to decriminalize the personal possession of drugs and take meaningful steps to address

the toxic supply of street drugs that are killing Canadians by the thousands.

Despite the undeniably dire situation, the Liberal government hasn’t shown the political will to take action. There was no mention of this devastating crisis in the Speech from the Throne, nothing in the mandate letter to the federal Minister of Health and there was only a buried mention of addressing the toxic drug supply of opioids in the federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions’ mandate letter.

Last year, the cities of Vancouver and Toronto and the province of B.C. applied to the federal government for an exemption for the decriminalization of drugs for personal use, a step that was recommended by the Liberal government’s own Expert Task Force on substance use and supported by health experts, police chiefs and frontline workers.

New Democrats are listening to the experts, advocates and Canadians affected. New Democrats will continue to prioritize an urgent response to the toxic drug overdose crisis.”

Press release

Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart appointed Assistant Deputy Speaker

MLA for Fraser-Nicola Jackie Tegart has been appointed Assistant Deputy Speaker for the BC Legislature and will chair meetings as the representative for the Official Opposition.

“It is an incredible honour to be entrusted with a position that is so crucial to our political process,” said Tegart, who was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017 and 2020. “There are some incredible MLAs who have served as the Assistant Deputy Speaker in the past. I am committed to carrying out my role with the same fairness, impartiality, and respect for our legislative rules and

proceedings that my predecessors all showed.”

Since 2020, Tegart has served as the Official Opposition Critic for Education and previously served as the Official Opposition Caucus Chair. The Assistant Deputy Speaker presides over daily sessions of the House and oversees debates and proceedings when the Deputy Speaker or the Speaker himself is not in the chair. Created in the 38th session of parliament, the Assistant Deputy Speaker was the first opportunity for an Opposition MLA to hold a position as one of the Assembly’s senior presiding officers.

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23

Saturday, February 12, 2022 Press release

2022- Gobind Sarvar School in Chardikala

The new year, 2022 brought continued challenges for the world. The impact of COVID-19, floods, and extreme cold weather conditions brought deaths due to sickness, loss of property, and livestock. Many families lost their homes, some trucking brothers got stuck on the highways for days. In these strenuous circumstances, embracing the spirit of Chardi Kala- spirit of optimism and joy, Gobind Sarvar School opened after winter break. The delay in opening of the school on the 10th of January 2022, gave teachers and staff time to prepare for preventive measures. Before then the school remained open for a week for the children of essential workers. The school celebrated the Gurpurab of Guru Gobind Singh ji; and through extended assemblies, the students learnt about the life journey and lessons of the Guru. Grade 10 students sang Deh Shiva Bar Mohe Ehai, Grade 6/7 students sang Main hoon Param Purakh Ka Dasa and Grade 5 students sang Mittar Pyare Nu. The school also chose the Captains and Vice

Captains of the schoolhouses – Sahibzadeh Ajit Singh, Sahibzadeh Jhujhar Singh, Sahibzadeh Zorawar Singh, and Sahibzadeh Fateh Singh.

has also written and recorded songs for Sesame Street and PBS. To mark the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., a special assembly was organised.

Artist Michael Mitchell presented a wonderful piece of his creation to the students. He is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and storyteller. His songs and stories of our Canadian history, geography and some of the wild rarities that entertain as well as educate us. Michael has performed over 5,000 live shows in every corner of this land. He happens to be the former co-host of the CTV children’s program Story Time and

Ms. Mattu, a coordinator of the school, led the assembly. A short video on Black Shirt Day and on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shown.

Jobanpreet, Arshpreet, Jaskiran and Gurnoor gave presentations. Dr. Rishi Singh, the Principal of the school, mentioned that Faith and Family were an important reason for inner strength of Martin Luther King Jr., due to which he remained focused on working towards building a

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society of equals in the United States of America.

In the continued spirit of Chardi Kala, the School organised a visit of Lightning, the BAAZ from Raptor’s Ranch. Gail, the owner of the Ranch brought the BAAZ. Rajdeep Kaur, a falcon expert, explained the association of BAAZ with the Sikh Gurus to students and staff alike. She also mentioned about the characteristics of the BAAZ, which make it a unique raptor among many. The students, who stood in a horseshoe position in the soccer field, on the beautiful campus of Gobind Sarvar School, not only listened to Rajdeep but also engaged attentively by asking questions.

Currently, the admission to Gobind Sarvar School is open from Kindergarten to grade 11.

Please share this information with your family and friends. The school’s staff and environment offer the best experience in education to students.

Due to the blessed spirit of CHARDI KALA, for the school – 2022 has become one of the best beginnings for Gobind Sarvar School and its students.