Indo-Canadian Voice Main - Oct 8 2022

COMMUNITY-ONE VOICE

for Surrey Langley

THE Province on Monday invited companies to submit their qualifications for the second procurement for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain Project.

The Surrey Langley SkyTrain Project is a 16-kilometre extension of the Expo Line from King George Station to Langley City Centre that will provide highquality, low-cost transportation

for people in Surrey, Langley and Metro Vancouver. It is the first rapid transit expansion south of the Fraser River in 30 years.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and his Safe Surrey Coalition had promised the expansion in the last municipal election and in spite of fierce opposition by vested interests and overwhelming odds, he managed to get funding from

both the federal and provincial governments.

The province said that as part of the competitive selection process, a request for qualifications (RFQ) has been issued to identify a contractor for the construction of eight new SkyTrain stations, including active transportation

BRENDA Locke is so desperate to be mayor that she is coming up with all kind of distorted claims regarding the current municipal police transition in an effort to scare Surrey voters.

However, the provincial government will not reverse the process that has reached such an advanced state,

government sources say.

The Province does not want to get involved in any controversy because of the October 15 municipal election, but the fact is that any reversal of the process is just not possible or practical

Eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur (27) and father Jasdeep Singh (36), and her uncle Amandeep Singh (39) who were found deceased on Wednesday after they had been kidnapped from a business in the South Merced Area of California’s Merced County. A suspect, Jesus Manuel Salgado (48), had been arrested on Tuesday.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum (centre) and his Safe Surrey Coalition councillors (left to right) Doug Elford, Allison Patton, Laurie Guerra and Mandeep Nagra who kept their promise of a Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. Joining the team in this election are Stuart Drysdale, Debra Antifaev, Raman Jassar and John Gibeau.

Surrey Police Service officers.

Photo: SPS

Photos: Merced County Sheriff’s Office Story in the World Section

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum approves Fraser Riverbank at Old Yale Road as dedicated location to host ash-scattering ceremonies

This location will be formally known as Farewell Gardens

THE Safe Surrey Coalition and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum have formally recognized Fra ser Riverbank in Brownsville Bar Park, located at 11931 Old Yale Road in Surrey, as a dedicated place for communities to scatter cremated remains of their de ceased loved ones.

For example, in South Asian cul

tures, cremated remains are cus tomarily and religiously mandat ed to be scattered into a flowing river, where it is believed that this is the only way for the departed soul to find salvation. This ritual must be performed according to religious and cultural guidelines.

Due to the lack of a designated location for these ceremonies, in

many cases people would secret ly and dangerously scatter them in the ocean or other adjacent waterways. Various communities have been diligently searching for a suitable location to scatter ashes for many years.

“This has been a long-standing requirement of growing commu nities that practice cremation as

the primary last rite ceremony and there has been no dedicated location set aside for this. With the rise in number of cremations conducted in Metro Vancouver, the demand for a designated lo cation to scatter ashes is growing for the community at large,” said said Surrey Mayor Doug McCal lum.

Surrey Langley SkyTrain is expected to start running in late 2028

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elements, such as cycling and walk ing paths around the stations.

Following the RFQ evaluation, as many as three teams will be select ed to participate in the subsequent phase of the competitive selection

process, which is the request for proposal stage. Responses to the second RFQ are due by January 5, 2023.

The Surrey Langley SkyTrain Project will be built through three different contracts. The first RFQ, to build the elevated guideway, was issued on

August 2, 2022. The multi-contract approach will increase competition and will enable a broader range of companies to bid on different ele ments of the project.

The third contract, for the design and installation of SkyTrain track work, as well as the design, instal

lation and integration of electrical systems, such as power, telecom munications and automatic train control, will be issued later this fall. Major construction on the Surrey Langley SkyTrain Project is expect ed to begin in 2024 and anticipated to be in operation in late 2028.

Any attempt to reverse the transition process will for sure lead to massive unrest

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at this stage.

The Surrey Police Service now has 352 employees with 298 sworn police officers and 54 civilians and Surrey-ites – especially South Asians – have warm ly welcomed them.

“It will be extremely difficult and extremely expen sive to reverse this process,” point out the sources that suggest that Locke is being highly irrespon sible.

That is apparently why Locke in her desperation has come up with fantastic dollar figures that she claims will cost taxpayers to complete the transi tion. And that is why the Province has never taken Locke seriously over the past years.

The sources also note that even if a new Council makes a request to reverse the current transition, the Solicitor General can refuse to do so. The Solic itor General has the ultimate authority as the chief law enforcement officer in the province to decide the issue.

Locke’s claim that all those currently in the Sur rey Police Service will just go back to their former police posts or be incorporated into the RCMP is considered to be downright ridiculous.

The SPS officers have already made career choic es, leaving the RCMP and municipal police forces, the sources point out. This is not some kind of a joke.

Locke is only exposing her political immaturity and manipulation by pro-RCMP forces who are still dreaming of somehow keeping the RCMP in Sur rey. They have used every kind of disruptive tactic, even behaving like hooligans in Surrey City Hall. Also, any attempt to reverse the transition process will for sure lead to massive unrest and confusion that could result in even more resentment against the RCMP and endanger the law and order situa tion.

Locke has a long history of being a political loser at all three levels – municipal, provincial and federal – and in her desperation she will apparently say anything to try and win.

Also, that is probably why her party member Coun cillor Jack Hundial – a former RCMP officer — started his own transition to leave Surrey with his family. He apparently had started planning for that a couple of years ago. But Hundial and Locke kept that a secret from Surrey-ites until a few months ago.

Talk about transparency!

Surrey Connect's Jack Hundial and Brenda Locke: Former RCMP officer Hundial transitioned himself out of Surrey!

Vedanta founder Anil Agarwal honoured with Global Indian Award by Canada-India Foundation

Toronto (IANS): Vedanta founder Anil Agarwal was honoured with the Global Indian Award worth $50,000 by the Canada-India Foundation at its 15th annual gala here last weekend.

Agarwal donated the award money to a Canadian health charity working for the welfare of native Indians.

Accepting the award at a starstudded gala event that included Ontario Premier Doug Ford, ministers and Indian Consul General Apoorva Srivastava, the mining tycoon lauded the achievements of the 1.6 millionstrong Indo-Canadian community in this country.

“I have gone all over the world, but I have not seen the kind of bonding in the Indian diaspora anywhere that I see in Canada. Take your businesses to the skies and make Canada proud. You live in the best country in the

world,” Agarwal said.

He said India and Canada have many similarities and they complement each other in many fields. He added: “Together, the two countries can do phenomenal work.”

The Vedanta founder noted that India has been a poor country.

Komagata Maru

VANCOUVER Police have launched an investigation after the Komagata Maru Memorial was vandalized for the second time in 14 months.

“Detectives from a number of VPD specialized units are working together to collect evidence and identify the suspect(s) in this troubling incident,” said Constable Jason Doucette on Wednesday.

“This investigation will take time, but we’ll leave no stone unturned in our attempts to solve this senseless crime.”

The VPD initiated an investigation on October 4, after learning from a social media post that the glass on the front of the Komagata Maru Memorial had been shattered. The memorial, located on the waterfront in Coal Harbour, appears to have been intentionally damaged.

in

“But the time has reversed. The $3-trillion economy is going to be a $30 trillion economy in the coming years. The middle class that is 20 per cent today is going to be 80 per cent in the next six-seven years. We are going to build 150 big cities in India. Indians may be 20 years behind Canada in terms of lifestyle,

but their aspirations are so high that with a population of 1.4 billion you can just imagine the (sheer amount of) demand,” he said.

Ford praised the Indian tycoon for this charity. “I cannot think of any more deserving person (for the award) than Anil Agarwal whose generosity has improved the lives of so many people. You are a role model and an inspiration, Anil,” the Premier said.

Welcoming Agarwal to the gala event, Canada India Foundation Chairman Satish Thakkar said, “Mr. Agarwal’s life story is one that should inspire every youngster growing up, to dream big and persevere to fulfill the dream. As a person who has pledged to give 75 percent of his wealth to charity, Mr. Agarwal is also a philanthropic role model for all. On behalf of CIF and all present, I extend a very very very warm welcome to Mr Agarwal.”

damaged again

“We don’t just want to find the person who did this, but also understand why this cherished memorial was targeted,” said Doucette. “We’re looking into

whether this vandalism is connected to a similar crime Saturday morning at the Olympic Cauldron in Jack Poole Plaza.”

This is the second time in as

many years that someone has deliberately defaced the Komagata Maru memorial. A four-month

Vedanta founder Anil Agarwal (2nd from left) receiving the Global Indian Award from Ontario Premier Doug Ford (3rd from left). Photo: Twitter

Raj Singh Toor, Vice President of the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society, standing next to the damaged glass panel of the Komagata Maru Memorial. Photos submitted

Hardeep Singh Nijjar slate acclaimed by Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara congregation

HARDEEP Singh Nijjar has been acclaimed as the President of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society for a second time in a row.

“An open nomination process produced no opposing slates, demonstrating strong sup port for the agenda and community-based efforts already underway,” said Nijjar. He added: “Our executive has undertaken local programming in close consultation with the local Sikh community, and to have our slate acclaimed for the second time shows that we are on the right track. This kind of endorsement for the direction that has been established provides a clear path forward for our leadership team.”

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Vancouver Police investigation led to the arrest of Yuniar Kurniawan, who is cur rently charged with mischief, after some one used paint to vandalize the memorial in August 2021.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call investigators at 604-7170613, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

MEANWHILE, Vancouver Park Board Chair Stuart Mackinnon in a statement said: “I am saddened and angered to hear of the defacement of the Komagata Maru memo rial.

“This is a despicable, cowardly act that must be called out. The perpetrators must be caught. There is no place for hate in our city.

“This is not the first time this monument has been vandalized, and while the perpe trators’ motivation isn’t yet clear, it shows enormous disrespect to those who trav elled and suffered on the ship and to their families.

“It is shocking and heartbreaking that a community which has been historically marginalized has once again been subject ed to a hateful act.

“Everyone at the Park Board condemns in the strongest terms this abhorrent act

Some of the ongoing projects the Society is engaged in include:

* The continued construction expansion of facilities for religious education for chil dren;

* First gurdwara-run pre-school on the campus in last 40 years;

* The establishment of a new transporta tion van and due diligence program for Sri Guru Granth Sahib;

* Public campaign and education against racialized hate and violence;

A press release by the Society stated”: “The executive will continue to serve as a voice

of calm, reason and fairness in domestic and global matters related to Sikhs, as has been demonstrated many times by Mr. Nij jar over the years.”

It spoke of “further collaborations with oth er community groups and cultural commu nities, as was done in the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society’s fully funded helicopter relief efforts during the 2021 BC floods.”

“The renewed support of our executive members will prompt an expansion of ef forts to improve the local community and people’s fortunes worldwide,” said Nijjar.

“We will aggressively pursue further growth for the positive footprint we have already created. This is just the start.”

of racism. We stand in solidarity with the South Asian community.”

West Coast Coalition Against Racism (WC CAR) members and supporters will gather beside the Vancouver Olympic Cauldron

at Jack Poole Plaza in downtown Vancou ver at 12 p.m. and then walk over to the Komagata Maru Memorial site to hold a protest rally at the site of Komagata Maru Memorial.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar Photo: GNSG Facebook

One

SURREY RCMP announced on Friday that one man has been arrested in relation to a September incident in the Strawberry Hill business complex. Police are requesting the public’s assistance to help identify two ad ditional suspects.

On September 11, a Surrey RCMP officer was surrounded by a group of males in the parking lot of the Strawberry Hill business complex, after he served a violation ticket to one of the individuals.

Earlier this week, on October 4, a 22-yearold man was arrested for intimidation of the justice system participant and obstruction of a peace officer. He was released on an undertaking with a future court date and conditions, which includes not going to the Strawberry Hill Complex.

Police are seeking public assistance with identifying two additional suspects who were allegedly involved in the same inci dent (see photos).

Both suspects are described as South Asian men, in their mid to late 20’s.

The first suspect is described as having a full beard, and at the time of the incident, he was wearing a blue turban, and a light colored shirt with stripes.

The second suspect is described as having short black hair and a short groomed black beard. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black t-shirt with a large white “Puma” symbol.

“We encourage these two individuals to

of

officer at Strawberry Hill business

come forward and speak to investigators,” said Staff-Sgt. Jag Saran, Surrey RCMP South Community Response Unit Commander.

“Our teams will continue with ongoing en forcement in this area, in response to nu merous community concerns including fights, large gatherings and vehicle stunt ing.”

Anyone with information about these two suspects is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.

ON September 13, Surrey RCMP told the me dia that they were aware of a video circulat ing on social media, which showed a group of young men surrounding a police vehicle in the Strawberry Hill complex on Sunday, Sep tember 11.

“The officer in the video was responding to a complaint received from on-site security that a vehicle with an extremely loud and disrup tive exhaust system had been unnecessarily driving around the parking lot and causing a disturbance for the preceding three hours. One person was served a ticket, as well as

a notice and order for a vehicle inspection,” police said.

Cpl. Vanessa Munn said: “The behaviour of the group escalated as the officer re-entered his police vehicle and attempted to leave. Persons involved blocked the police vehicle, attempted to open the driver’s door and could be heard swearing and name calling while filming the incident.”

She added: “The behaviours exhibited in this video by the group of males is unacceptable and impeding a police officer from their du ties can result in criminal charges.”

Parampreet Dhaliwal, 21, of Calgary and Gurnoor Brar, 18, of Abbotsford charged in Maple Ridge robbery

THREE suspects who were arrested by Ridge Meadows RCMP in relation to an al leged robbery of a jewelry store in ValleyFair Mall in Maple Ridge have now been charged.

On September 30, Ridge Meadows RCMP responded to numerous reports of a rob bery in progress at a business located in the 22700-block of Lougheed Highway. The staff and customers at the business were bear

sprayed and one employee was struck on the head before the suspects fled on foot.

Three men were arrested a short time later and have been identified as Param preet Singh Dhaliwal, a 21-year-old Calgary man, Gurnoor Brar, an 18-year-old Abbots ford man, and the third person is not being named due to his age.

On October 4, charges were approved

against all the three accused for robbery with violence and assault with a weapon. Dhaliwal has been remanded until his next court appearance on October 7. Brar and the other accused have their next court appearance set for October 25 in Pro vincial Court.

“Thank you to all the witnesses that already spoke to police and assisted with the investi

gation,” said Sgt. Brad Gibson of the Serious Crimes Unit. “The quick response of bystand ers and security guard was instrumental in the quick arrest of all the suspects involved.” If you were a witness to this incident and have not spoken to police, you are requested to contact Constable Kombo or Cpl. Biggs of the Investigational Support Team at 604-4636251.

The suspects.

Photos: RCMP The September incident. Screengrab

THE Crown on Wednesday wanted Harjot Singh Deo -- who last February pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a firearm and indignity to human remains in the death of his girlfriend Bhavkiran (Kiran) Dhesi, 19, whose body was found inside a burned-out vehicle in Surrey on August 2, 2017, in Surrey – to be sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Deo, who was 19 at the time, was involved in the illegal drug trade and used to carry an illegal firearm without a licence. He installed a secu rity system on the exterior of his Surrey family home after the stabbing of his brother.

Dhesi drove to Deo’s residence in a BMW on the night of her death and they went out to dinner in Langley. Deo took his firearm along. When they returned to Deo’s residence, they went to his bedroom. When he tried to remove the firearm from his sweatpants, the gun went off. Dhesi was shot in the head and died almost immediately.

Deo then put Dhesi’s body in the back of her ve hicle and drove it to another place where he set it on fire to get rid of the evidence. Deo’s brother and another relative later drove him back to his home.

Crown counsel told B.C. Supreme Court Jus tice Jeanne Watchuk that though the shooting was accidental, Deo had a high degree of moral blameworthiness because he regularly carried a dangerous firearm. Also, his moral blamewor thiness was high for the charge of committin gan indignity to a human body, Crown counsel wanted Deo to receive six years for manslaughter with a firearm and four years for covering up the crime, to be served con secutively.

Defence counsel argued for six years for both offences.

The judge will hand down her sentence at a later date.

Meanwhile, Gurvinder Singh Deo, brother of Harjot Singh Deo, and Talwinder Singh Khun Khun, member of Deo’s extended family, were on Monday found not guilty of being accesso ries after the fact in Dhesi’s manslaughter. Deo’s mother, Manjit Kaur Deo, got a condition

Suspect in custody after woman and family dog shot at Maple Ridge residence

ON Wednesday, October 5, Ridge Meadows RCMP responded to reports of a shooting in the 26000-block of Lougheed High way in Maple Ridge at approxi mately 9 p.m. Police found a 52-year-old woman who had been shot along with the fam ily dog.

The woman was transported to hospital by BC Ambulance Services with non-life-threatening injuries. The dog died due to the injuries sus tained despite attempts made to obtain emer gency medical treatment, police said.

Approximately one hour later, a 38-year-old Ab botsford man was arrested without incident in Abbotsford by the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team and Abbotsford Po lice Department.

“The rapid and highly coordinated response and communication between Police jurisdictions, In tegrated Teams, the Forensic Identification Sup port and Emergency Health Services was instru mental in the timely arrest of the suspect,” said Superintendent Wendy Mehat, Officer in Charge of the Ridge Meadows RCMP Detachment.

The accused is currently being held in police custody. This incident is not connected to the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict. All parties in volved were known to each other and this was an isolated incident, police said.

This investigation is still ongoing.

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al discharge and 12 months of probation after pleading guilty to obstruction in May 2021, and

his sister, Inderdeep Kaur Deo’s charge of ac cessory after the fact was stayed.

Bhavkiran (Kiran) Dhesi Photo: IHIT

Inspector Wendy Mehat

Photo: RCMP

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum will freeze property taxes for the next four years

Safe Surrey Coalition said on

it is hearing

tax increases while

sky

announced that it is commit

at 2.9%.

That is well below the 7% expected rate of inflation.

The Safe Surrey Coalition said that it also continues the proven track record of Surrey

We’re looking for families withroom for one more...

Mayor Doug McCallum and his team on Coun cil. They held the line at 2.9% during their past term, even during the pandemic.

This is a remarkable achievement that was not matched by any other municipality in the Lower Mainland. Surrey is at the bottom third in the Lower Mainland when it comes to property taxes.

“It’s clear that as the cost of living continues to experience rapid increases many of Sur rey’s families need City Hall to manage their tax dollars wisely. Keeping property taxes low ensures that we continue to maintain housing and rental affordability. Doug has done that

and will continue to do that in the next term,” said the Safe Surrey Coalition in a statement. By working in partnership with higher levels of government, the City of Surrey will also be able to secure infrastructure funding for Sky Train to Newton and several new community centers with pools, as well as build new road infrastructure without placing a burden on Surrey taxpayers.

“Surrey residents need a council that delivers on affordability and Mayor Doug McCallum and the Safe Surrey Coalition remain com mitted to low tax increases in difficult times,” said the statement.

Dramatic case of attempted murder in Abbotsford

ON Tuesday, October 4, at 10:30 p.m., Abbots ford Police patrol officers responded to an ac tive rail line along Gladys Avenue at Essendene Avenue for a man being held by another male in front of an approaching rail equipment car. Prior to police arrival, the operator immediately applied his emergency brakes, bringing the rail car to a stop just short of the victim. The suspect immediately fled the scene. Patrol officers quickly located the fleeing sus

pect who was non-compliant during his arrest. The victim, although shaken, was not injured. Edward Mackenzie, 47, of Abbotsford has been charged with attempt murder. He remains in custody pending his next court appearance. The Abbotsford Police are seeking witnesses and dashcam footage from those who may have been in the area before and after the incident. If you can assist, you are requested to call the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum (centre) flanked by (L-R) Mandeep Nagra, Debra Antifaev, John Gibeau, Laurie Guerra, Doug Elford, Raman Jassar and Stuart Drysdale.

Photo by JAY SHARMA of Mahi Photo Studio

“We support

who

safety”

Delta Firefighters IAFF Local 1763 endorses Binder, Boisvert,

THE Delta Firefighter’s IAFF Local 1763 has announced their endorsements of Delta Council candidates for the upcoming municipal elec tion on October 15.

After completing interviews with each of the candidates running for Council, Local 1763 members offered their endorsements to incumbent Councillors Alicia Guichon and Dylan Kruger, along with council candidates Daniel Boisvert, Jessie Dosanjh, Rod Binder, and Jennifer Jo hal.

“Since coming into office in 2018, Mayor George Harvie, along with Councillors Dylan Kruger and Alicia Guichon, have earned our support through their work as strong advocates for public safety,” said Local 1763 President Mike McMillan.

“At the conclusion of our interview process, we also

chose to endorse Council candidates Rod Binder, Dan iel Boisvert, Jessie Dosanjh, and Jennifer Johal because we know they are commit ted to supporting public safety and our work to keep Delta safe.”

All the endorsed Achieving for Delta Council candidates expressed unwavering sup port for Delta’s safety ser vices and were honoured to accept the endorsements from Local 1763.

Last spring, Delta Firefight ers endorsed Mayor George Harvie at the North Delta Achieving for Delta cam paign launch.

Earlier in September, the Achieving for Delta team released their Public Safety Plan, focused on investing in Delta’s emergency respond ers, safer roads, and mental health and addictions ser vices.

“While other cities are cut ting their emergency ser vices budgets, as Mayor, I will always support our first responders,” said Harvie.

The Achieving for Delta team is committed to moving for ward with the procurement of a much-needed special ized watercraft to support emergency response op erations on our local water ways, as well as additional training resources for Delta Firefighters and police of ficers. These commitments build on Harvie and the Achieving for Delta team’s strong record of support for Delta’s emergency services. Since elected in 2018, Harvie has also been a strong advo cate for localized emergen cy response to ensure that paramedic staffing shortag es at the provincial level do not affect critical emergency response times in Delta.

Delta Mayor George Harvie (centre) and his Achieving for Delta Council candidates.

SEAN Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, on Friday announced the temporary lifting of the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours that eligible postsecondary students are allowed to work offcampus while class is in session.

From November 15 until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule. Foreign nationals who have already submitted a study permit application, as of today, will also be able to benefit from this temporary change, provided their application is approved.

This measure will provide many international students with a greater opportunity to gain valuable work experience in Canada, and will increase the availability of workers to sustain Canada’s post-pandemic growth, Fraser said.

He noted that with more than 500,000 international students already in Canada available to potentially work additional hours, this temporary change reflects the important role international students can play in addressing Canada’s labour shortage, while continuing to pursue their studies.

Study permit holders are still expected to balance their study and work commitments, as those who stop studying or reduce course loads to only study part-time are not eligible to work off-campus.

This month, Immigration, Refugees and Citi-

zenship Canada (IRCC) is also launching a pilot project to automate the processing of study permit extensions. The types of applications being included in this pilot have a consistently high approval rate, as all applicants have previously been approved to study in Canada. The pilot will involve a small group of applicants who could see their extended study permit processed much faster, with the goal of improving client service. Should the pilot be successful, it will be expanded in order to help reduce processing times and allow officers to focus on more complex applications. Other measures recently launched to benefit

international students and recent graduates include:

* a transition period for those studying online from abroad.

* an opportunity for those with expired or expiring post-graduation work permits to get an additional 18-month open work permit.

With unprecedented interest in Canada from applicants around the world, IRCC continues to set the bar higher for immigration processing. Ongoing efforts and client service improvements by the department aim to strengthen Canada’s immigration system, shorten wait times, reduce application backlogs and improve the experience of clients overall, Fraser said.

He pointed out: “With the economy growing at a faster rate than employers can hire new workers, Canada needs to look at every option so that we have the skills and workforce needed to fuel our growth. Immigration will be crucial to addressing our labour shortage. By allowing international students to work more while they study, we can help ease pressing needs in many sectors across the country, while providing more opportunities for international students to gain valuable Canadian work experience and continue contributing to our short-term recovery and long-term prosperity.”

Quick Facts

* Most post-secondary international students

are allowed to work on and/or off campus, with their authorization to work printed directly on their study permit. In the past, nearly half of the post-secondary international students in Canada reported earning income during their studies.

* Prior to today’s announcement, any student with the authorization to work off-campus was permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week while class is in session, as well as fulltime during scheduled breaks. Students eligible to work on campus are not subject to a cap on hours for on-campus work.

* From January 1, 2022, to the end of August 2022, more than 452,000 study permit applications have been processed. During the same period in 2021, which was a record year, 367,000 applications were processed. This represents an increase of 23%.

* IRCC processed nearly 119,000 study permit extension applications in 2021, with an approval rate of 97%. From January 1, 2022, to the end of August 2022, more than 135,000 were processed, with an approval rate of 96%.

* Applications being considered as part of the pilot to automate study permit extensions will need to meet certain criteria in order to be automated. Applications that fall outside of the criteria will be manually reviewed by officers. The automated process will not refuse applications or recommend refusals. Any decision to refuse an application will continue to be made by an officer.

Surrey investing in dyke upgrades to protect against flood, storm events

THE City of Surrey is in the first phase of upgrading the dyke network to protect against flooding from increasingly more common high magnitude storm events. As a next step in enhancing the network, the City will be applying for $10 million in funding to upgrade the Nicomekl River Dyke.

“It is important that the City expand and enhance our dyke network to protect against the increasing effects of rising sea levels and storm events,” said Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. “Upgrading and maintaining Surrey’s dykes are important because it provides effective protection against flooding from increasingly more common high magnitude storm events as was experienced in November of

2021. For these reasons, the City is applying for grant funding to signifi-

cantly upgrade our dyke network.”

During Monday’s regular meeting, Surrey Council endorsed an application for grant funding for the Nicomekl River Dyke Upgrade Project, from 168 Street to 188 Street for a total of $10 million through B.C.’s Green Adaptation, Resilience and Disaster Mitigation Program (ARDM) as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The City’s drainage utility has sufficient funding in its capital project reserve for the City’s financial portion (27%) of the project’s eligible costs.

Implementing the upgrades to the Nicomekl Dyke through the ARDM

fund supports the objectives of the City’s Sustainability Charter 2.0. The City anticipates changing weather patterns and sea level rise as a result of climate change, and implements appropriate infrastructure, land use planning and emergency response solutions that will be resilient over the long term. The community’s critical infrastructure and systems are designed to withstand climate change impacts and natural events and disasters, and include emergency response and reconstruction plans.

Surrey has approximately 100 kilometres of dykes throughout the city.

Sean Fraser Photo: Twitter

The Nicomekl Dyke. Photo: City of Surrey

celebrates National Seniors Day

Seniors Day event on Saturday, October 1 in Richmond.

in October of 2018, 2019 and 2021. In 2020, due to COVID-19, no event was held. 2020 was also the year when anti-Asian racism had reportedly increased significantly in the major cities of Brit ish Columbia.

The 2022 seniors recognition celebration fea tured recognition of 10 senior honorees (80+ years) from diverse cultural backgrounds who have made great difference in their communi ties.

They are Arthur Shuren Cheng, Sergeant Sukh dev Singh Gadri, Dr. Robert Krell, Sophia M. Leung, Dr. Eddie Lo, Ralph Long, Peter Praegel, Dr. Doo Ho Shin, Dr. Jan Walls and Wu Shiyin.

Sergeant Sukhdev Singh Gadri (seated 4th from the left in the photo) was born in 1941. He re tired from the Indian Air Force (over 35 years of service), and also worked for the State Bank of India. He immigrated in 2002, and since then he has volunteered at the Indian Ex-Servicemen Society of BC. He deals with pension benefits for Indian defense veterans and raises donations.

He is Vice-President and Treasurer. Many per sons face problems, and Gadri uses his service experience in Air Force and banking to help vet erans with all their issues. He has a team of high ly qualified skilled veterans who visit schools to educate young students about history and re sponsibility, and build goodwill, including orga nizing functions on the epic battle of “Saragrhi” fought by the British Indian Army on September 12 each year. He encourages the young genera tion to join Canadian Armed Forces, and on No vember 11 of every year, the veterans participate in Remembrance Day Celebrations.

Several cultural performances representing dif ferent facets of the society were part of the event that also included food and meet-and-greet for about 200 guests and VIPs.

October 1 was proclaimed as International Day of Older Persons by the United Nations in 1990.

The Canadian Parliament passed the Celebrat ing Canada’s Seniors Act in 2010 designating Oc tober 1 each year as National Seniors Day. The federal ministerial portfolio for seniors was created in 2018 and Minister of Seniors was ap pointed.

The BCCDA is a non-profit organization incorpo rated in 2018 under the Societies Act in British Columbia for the purpose of promoting har mony in/between cultures. The Acting President is Violet Chan and the Vice President is Dave S. Hayer.

Single vehicle collision in Surrey

ON Monday at 8:32 p.m., Surrey RCMP re sponded to a report of a single vehicle collision on 80 Avenue near 184 Street.

A cube van travelling westbound on 80 Avenue veered into a ditch and rolled over. The driver of the van suffered neck injuries and was trans ported to a local area hospital for examination. Alcohol is not being ruled out as a contributing factor in this collision, police said.

Following the collision, 80 Avenue was closed to traffic in both directions as police continued the investigation.

If you were in the area and have information, you are requested to contact Surrey RCMP. Anyone with more information, including dash cam footage around the area, is asked to con tact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.

organized seniors recognition events

INDEED, unless a Surrey mayoral candidate wins 50-plus per cent of the total vote in the October 15 they will have NO right to try and stop the ongoing police transition in the City of Surrey!

That is because the pro-RCMP forces kept harping on the fact that the incumbent may or Doug McCallum did not get 50 per cent of the total vote in the last municipal election and, therefore, in their opinion, he had no right to kick the RCMP out. This was despite the fact that he clearly won

the election on the promise to establish a municipal police force with accountability to the people of Surrey – and not to RCMP bosses sitting in faraway Ottawa.

Any attempt to reverse the course by a can didate who now does not win by 50-plus per cent of the vote will lead to open rebel lion by Surrey-ites and cause disruption in the law and order situation as they will stop cooperating with the RCMP.

This will lead to a very dangerous situation in the City, especially because of the bittern

divisiveness that pro-RCMP forces have nur tured over the past four years.

What is more, with so many super candi dates in the running for the mayor’s post, it will be a miracle for anyone to garner even 30 per cent of the total vote.

The Provincial Government will have to keep that in mind also.

Lastly, remember that unless a Mayor has at least four Councillors, that person will be just a lame duck – and there will be chaos in the Council.

Dumb and dumber! Driver pulled over twice within minutes for speeding in school and playground zones!

SURREY RCMP Traffic Services issued mul tiple violation tickets to drivers in Port Kells school and playground zones during a twoday operation.

On September 27 and 28, officers with the Surrey RCMP Traffic Community Response Unit, Traffic Enforcement Unit and volunteers with Speed Watch conducted enforcement

in the designated school and playground 30 km/h zones located in Port Kells on 88 Avenue between Harvie Road and 196 Street.

During the operation, officers issued approxi mately 40 violations tickets in total, and two of those tickets were issued to one driver. The driver was first pulled over in the school zone, and only minutes later (with the original ticket

still in hand), pulled over by a second officer in the playground zone. In both instances the driver was travelling over double the posted 30 km/h limit. Two $253 tickets were issued.

This area has been brought to the attention of Surrey RCMP’s Traffic Community Response Unit by residents and concerned community members. A deployment of Black CAT radar showed that 85% of the 41,859 vehicles that passed through the area were traveling at 67km/h or higher through the posted 30km/h zone.

“Our dedicated traffic officers conduct en forcement and issue tickets to change driving

behavior and make our roads safer for every one,” says Surrey RCMP Media Relations Of ficer, Cpl. Vanessa Munn. “Remember to do your part by watch your speed in school, park and construction areas in order to minimize collisions and keep pedestrians safe.” In addition to education and enforcement ef forts, police are working with the City of Sur rey and have made recommendations around increased signage along this stretch road. Driving complaints can be reported using the Online Crime Reporting. If there is an emer gency or immediate risk to you or someone else call 911.

BC Electoral Boundaries Commission proposes six more electoral districts in Langford, Burnaby, Langley, Surrey, Vancouver and Kelowna

THE BC Electoral Boundaries Commission has published its Preliminary Report with recommendations for changing British Co lumbia’s provincial electoral districts for the next two provincial general elections.

Key recommendations to the Legislative Assembly include the creation of six addi tional electoral districts, bringing the total number of seats to 93 from the current 87.

The Commission proposes adding these electoral districts in areas of rapid popu lation growth, specifically Langford, Burnaby, Langley, Surrey, Vancouver and Kelowna.

“British Columbia is a growing province,” said Justice Nitya Iyer, Chair of the Com mission, on Monday. “The population has

RACHNA Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, in a statement in honour of Islamic Heritage Month, not ed: “October is Islamic Heritage Month – a time to honour and reflect on the contribu tions of Muslim Canadians and learn about the history of Islam in Canada.

“Muslims are a diverse group of people who follow Islam, one of the largest and

increased by more than 300,000 people over the last five years. Our recommenda tion to increase the number of electoral districts in B.C. reflects that growth.”

The Commission also recommends ad justments to the boundaries of 71 electoral districts based on the geographic, demo graphic, communication and transporta tion considerations set out the in Electoral Boundaries Commission Act.

“Before we began our deliberations, we travelled throughout the province, meet ing as many people as we could, seeking input on electoral boundaries. We held 50 public meetings in 43 communities and re ceived over 1,300 submissions,” said Iyer. Our recommendations are the result of the

considerations in the Act, the data we col lected and the diverse perspectives of Brit ish Columbians.”

The Commission’s full recommendations are included in the Preliminary Report, which can be found on the Commission’s website. The Commission has made the executive summary of the report available in 10 languages on its website and has mailed a copy of the Preliminary Report to each of the province’s public libraries.

The Commission will now begin a final round of public consultations. The Com mission encourages British Columbians to read our recommendations and share their views. The Commission will consider amending its recommendations in light of

October is Islamic Heritage Month

most widespread religions in the world. They have been a part of Canada’s history since the 1850s, before Confederation. To day, there are more than 80,000 Muslims living in B.C. and Islam is the second-larg est religion in Canada.

She added: “While this month is a time for learning and celebration, it also presents an opportunity to reflect on the issues that

Muslims face in British Columbia, Canada and around the world. In 2021, the num ber of police-reported hate crimes against Muslims increased by 71% nationally.

“Racism and Islamophobia are deadly is sues that continue to hurt Muslims in big and small ways in communities through out the province. But it can’t be addressed in isolation. We all have a role to play. This month is an opportunity to recommit to tackling Islamophobia and all forms of

the input it receives. Its final report must be released by April 3, 2023.

The Legislative Assembly will then decide whether to accept all, some or none of the Commission’s recommendations.

Public hearings will begin this month in communities throughout the province.

British Columbians can also provide input to the Commission by completing the web site survey or by writing to the Commission directly by email or post.

All public input must be received by 11:59 p.m. on November 22, 2022.

To read the preliminary report, view the schedule of upcoming public hearings, or provide input on the Commission’s recom mendations, visit the Commission website.

hate to build a safer, more inclusive soci ety.”

Singh said: “Our government is commit ted to dismantling systemic racism and discrimination. The Anti-Racism Data Act will help identify systemic barriers faced by Indigenous, Black and people of colour when accessing government programs and services. We’re also supporting antiracism work at the community level by investing in the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network.

“And we’re developing an anti-racism ac tion plan for kindergarten to Grade 12 to improve learning experiences for racial ized students and equip teachers with the tools to better identify and address system ic barriers for Indigenous, Black and stu dents of colour in our education system.

By teaching young people about racism and inclusion, we’re empowering future generations to create a better, anti-racist B.C. for everyone.”

Singh added: “As we celebrate Islamic Heritage Month this month, I encourage you to take the time to participate in local cultural events and learn more about the resiliency and strength of Muslim Canadi ans in B.C. and around the world.”

Rachna Singh

Accessible, affordable childcare for all

BY AMAN SINGH NDP MLA for Richmond-Queensborough

RISING global inflation is making life more expensive, and with one of the biggest bills facing families being childcare, we know that people need a break. That is why we’ve been working to reduce childcare fees for families across the province.

Recently, we announced that we’re cutting childcare fees again. Families across the province will save as much as $550 more ev ery month per child. Bills will be automati cally adjusted – there is no need for parents to apply, and there are no income require ments.

Starting in December, parents of children kin dergarten-age and younger who attend par ticipating licensed childcare programs will

see a reduction on their bill. The exact reduc tion will depend on the type of program and the age of the child, and ranges from $220$550 in savings on each month’s fees.

While cutting childcare fees is an important step, we know that many families are still having trouble accessing care for their chil dren. Since 2018, we have opened 10,000 new spaces for children, and over 20,000 are currently in progress, with no plans to slow down. In fact, through provincial and federal support, we will see approximately 60,000 new spaces funded by 2026.

In the past, fees have shut many families out and a lack of supply has made it nearly impossible for new families to get a space. The days of neglecting childcare are over –our vision is a province where child care is a core service that every family can access and afford.

Spaces in the $10-a-Day ChildCareBC pro gram reduce the average cost of child care from $1,000 a month at participating facilities

to $200 a month, saving families an average of $800 a month per child. Most recently in Richmond, we announced eight new $10-aDay spaces at Kiddo House Child Care Cen tre. By the end of this year, there will be about 12,500 of these spaces throughout the prov ince, and we are working to bring them to even more communities.

Recognizing that we also need more child care professionals to deliver more high-quali ty licensed care, we have expanded the num ber of training seats and bursaries for Early Childhood Education students and increased the wages of Early Childhood Educators by $4 per hour.

Families should know that our New Demo crat Government has their backs as we de liver child care that is both affordable and accessible.

British Columbians encouraged to travel sustainably this Thanksgiving long weekend

TRANSLINK, BC Transit, and BC Ferries are encouraging travellers to know before they go and choose sustainable modes of transporta tion when visiting friends and fam ily this long weekend.

With over 420,000 ferry passengers expected to travel on BC Ferries from Thursday through Tuesday, the Thanksgiving long weekend is typically the most popular week end of the year for walk-on pas sengers.

To ensure smooth sailing for cus tomers travelling between Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the Sunshine Coast, BC Ferries is adding 85 extra sailings this long weekend and encouraging cus tomers to travel on foot, as parking lots at major terminals and vehicle deck space fill up quickly. Walk-on passengers can make free reservations when travel ling on routes connecting Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, as well as on the Tsawwassen –Southern Gulf Islands route, to avoid sailing waits. BC Ferries cus tomers can also take advantage of

saver fares, which can be booked for select off-peak sailings on many routes to help reduce line ups during peak hours.

TransLink customers can get di rect access to and from the Tsaw wassen Ferry Terminal on the 620 bus at Bridgeport Station on the Canada Line. For travellers head ing to and from the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, the 257 and 250 buses offer service to and from downtown Vancouver. TransLink will continue to monitor capacity and add additional buses as re quired.

TransLink services on Thanksgiv ing Day (October 10):

* Customers will only pay a onezone fare for all transit modes.

* Bus, SkyTrain, and SeaBus ser vices will operate on a Sunday / holiday schedule.

* West Coast Express will not be in operation.

* The TransLink Customer Service Centre, Access Transit Customer Care Office, and Lost Property Of fice will be closed.

For riders travelling between the

Mainland and Vancouver Island, BC Transit provides direct routes to and from the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal from downtown Victoria on buses 70, 71, and 72.

Children 12 and under ride public

transit for free across B.C., as part of the provincial government’s Get

On Board program.

BC Transit is encouraging custom ers to use NextRide for real-time bus tracking and trip planning.

BC Transit and TransLink custom ers can also use the Transit App. TransLink customers can consult Trip Planner to map out of their journey or call the Customer Infor mation Desk at 604.953.3333.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and Safe Surrey Coalition council team were guests of honour at Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society of BC at the group birthday celebration of senior members born between January 1 and October 1 at Surrey’s Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Temple on October 1. Photo by Girja Shankar Sharma.

Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature announces 2022 finalists

THE Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature on Wednesday announced the 2022 finalists for its awards. The prize promotes Punjabi liter ature on a global scale by awarding $25,000 annually to the best book of fiction published in either the Gurmukhi or the Shahmukhi script, along with two finalist prizes of $10,000 each.

The 2022 finalists of the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature are:

* Jhanjaran Wale Paer (‘Feet with Tinkling Bells’), Short Stories, by Arvinder Kaur Dhali wal (Amritsar, Punjab, India)

* Dubolia (‘The Diver’), Short Stories, by Balwinder Singh Grewal (Khanna, Punjab, India)

* Chaulan Di Burki (‘A Mouthful of Rice’), Short Stories, by Javed Boota (Chantilly, Vir ginia, United States)

The winner will be named on November 17.

Track maintenance in Surrey to impact Expo Line service: TransLink

EXPO Line customers travelling between Sur rey and New Westminster are asked to build in extra travel time as TransLink completes rail maintenance for a stretch of SkyTrain tracks near Scott Road Station.

During construction, trains will run on one side of the tracks only so crews can work safely on the opposite tracks. This will result in re duced train frequencies and trains stopping in or outside of stations for longer than normal between New Westminster and King George stations.

To ensure the safety of crews and passengers, the work must be done over two maintenance periods, each lasting five continuous days.

These have been scheduled for weekends as

much as possible to mitigate impacts to cus tomers.

Maintenance is scheduled for the following full days of service:

* Friday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 11

* Friday, October 21 to Tuesday October 25 Expo Line customers travelling between Sur rey and New Westminster should plan for an extra 20 minutes of travel time and are encour aged to travel outside of peak hours, if pos sible, to reduce overcrowding, says TransLink.

Additional SkyTrain staff will be on site to assist customers at affected stations. Customers will see physical and electronic signage in stations to help navigate these changes to their com mutes during construction.

The Dhahan Prize is the largest, international literary award for fiction books in the Punjabi language. Its goal is to bridge Punjabi com munities around the world, and promote Punjabi literature on a global scale.

Since launching in 2013, the awards have garnered critical acclaim and significant exposure for aspiring and established writ ers, setting the stage for their books to reach broader multilingual audiences.

The Dhahan Prize was established in Van couver, where Punjabi people, language, and culture have a rich history. Punjabi is now the third-most spoken language in Canada. The prize is awarded by the Canada India Education Society (CIES) and was created in partnership with the Department of Asian Studies at University of British Columbia (UBC). It is currently funded by Barj and Rita Dhahan along with family and friends.

EVENTS

protection.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Ve dic Hindu Cultural Society of BC invites South Asian adults and seniors to come and play Bean Bag Toss or Corn Hole Game on Sunday, October 9. This game is designed to engage seniors in activi ties of sports and exercises for arms and Shoulders. The player who scores the maximum points is awarded a package of treats. The game will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Temple, 8321 140 Street, Surrey. Some of the seniors can play cards. Tea and light snacks will be served. Please maintain social distancing for everyone’s

* Yoga classes in person at Shanti Nik etan Hall conducted by yoga instructor Ashwini Bansal on every Monday and every Thursday from 10 to 11:15 a.m. on both days. This is only for participants who have been double vaccinated for COVID-19. They should bring facemask and a yoga mat and maintain social dis tancing. Pure vegetarian lunch is served in the dining hall of the Temple to all se niors every Thursday after the yoga class. Contact Surendra Handa, Coordinator, at 604-507-9945 email surendra_handa@ hotmail.com for registration and further information.

LOOKING FOR

(L-R) Javed Boota, Arvinder Kaur Dhaliwal and Balwinder Singh Grewal.

Selective abortion seen among Indian diaspora: Indo-Canadian professor

Toronto (IANS): Indo-Canadian profes sor Prabhat Jha has found that the practice of selective abortion of females in second and third pregnancies is more pronounced among the families in which the mother was born in India but is living in Australia, Canada, the UK, or the US.

Professor Jha from the Centre for Global Health Research, Dalla Lana School of Pub lic Health, along with health researcher Catherine May, previously established that selective abortion of females in second and third pregnancies was widespread and growing within India.

“We were surprised that the cultural pref erences to have at least one boy were so widely seen among the Indian diaspora,” Professor Jha said.

The study, published in the journal eLife Sci ences, examined selective abortion trends among the Chinese or Indian diaspora using 18 million birth histories over about the last two decades from India, China, Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.

Selective abortion of female fetuses, par ticularly following the birth of earlier girls, is well documented in India. There are strong cultural preferences to have at least one son in India and China’s one-child policy (which officially ended in 2016) affects family fertil ity choices.

The study authors applied Jha’s method called the conditional sex ratio, which is the ratio of girls born per 1,000 boys following an earlier birth of a girl. The natural range (in the absence of any prenatal sex determi nation and selective abortion) is about 950 to 975 girls per 1,000 boys and is the same for first, second, or third births.

The authors found that the sex ratios in each country were significantly lower than the natural range, especially for third births with earlier daughters. These results indicate the use of prenatal sex determination followed by selective abortion of female fetuses.

The conditional sex ratios for third births in the Indian diaspora were lower than in In dia. In Canada, conditional sex ratios were the lowest with 520 girls per 1,000 boys in 2016 — much lower than in India (769).

These conditional sex ratios for third births were also lower than the natural range in Australia (653), the UK (778), and the US (805).

Jha said that Indian preference to have at least one boy in the family is the major driv er of selective abortion of female fetuses for second and third births; and that such cul tural preference is seen both in the domes tic Indian and diaspora families.

Missing girls from selective abortions are contributing to a large deficit of girls within

Motor cyclist killed in collision with transport bus in Richmond

ON Monday, shortly before 12:30 p.m., front line Richmond RCMP officers responded to the area of Russ Baker Way and Inglis Drive for a motor vehicle collision between a mo torcycle and a transport bus.

Despite the efforts of emergency personnel on scene, the operator of the motorcycle was pronounced deceased. The operator of the transport bus was not injured.

The Richmond RCMP CCIT (Criminal Col lision Investigation Team) has assumed conduct of the investigation and is being assisted by the Lower Mainland ICARS (In tegrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruc tion Service).

Road closures around the area will be in effect as police investigate. Police request drivers to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.

If anyone has information or dash cam foot age of this incident, they are asked to con tact the Richmond RCMP CCIT at 604-2781212 and quote file #2022-26999.

China and India. Jha suggested that under standing the cultural preferences for boys and the fact that such preferences accom

pany migration could prompt more societal debate and discussion, particularly within India to address the marked demographic deficit of girls.

Prabhat Jha Photo: Twitter

Nee

Four members of kidnapped South Asian family in California found deceased

CALIFORNIA’S Merced County

Sheriff Vernon H. Warnke announced on Wednesday night that the four members of a South Asian family who had been kidnapped from a business in the 800-block of South Highway 59 in the South Merced Area of the county on Monday had been found deceased.

The victims are eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur (27) and father Jasdeep Singh (36), and her uncle, Amandeep Singh (39).

Warnke said: “Tonight, our worst fears have been confirmed.

… There are no words right now for the anger I feel and the senselessness of this incident.”

The Sheriff’s Office got a call at 5:30 p.m. from a farmer near the city of Dos Palos, roughly 27 miles south of Merced, about the deceased. The bodies were found relatively close to each other in the area that was described as extremely rural and remote farmland.

The police would be processing the scene where the bodies were found all night. The sheriff said he wouldn’t divulge more information because “our focus is on conviction.”

ON Monday, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office issued an appeal asking the public’s help in locating the four missing persons and released images of the suspected kidnapper, saying: “We believe this to be the suspect in today’s kidnapping. He is described as a light-complected [complexioned] male with a shaved head. He was last seen wearing a hoodie. We consider the suspect to be armed and dangerous. If you see this person, please call 9.1.1. and do not

Eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri, who along with her mother Jasleen Kaur (27) and father Jasdeep Singh (36), and her uncle Amandeep Singh (39) were found deceased on Wednesday after they had been kidnapped on Monday. (Also see photo on Main Front Page)

approach him or the victims.”

ON Tuesday, the sheriff’s office released an update on its Facebook page, stating that on Monday, October 3 at approximately 11:39 a.m., the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Madera-Mariposa-Merced was dispatched to Buhach Road and Oakdale Road in Winton for a report of a vehicle on fire. The vehicle was later identified to be a black 2020 Dodge Ram truck.

It said: “The California Highway Patrol – Merced arrived on scene to start the investigation.

At approximately 12:35 p.m., California Highway Patrol requested the assistance of Merced Police Department in an attempt to contact the registered owner of the vehicle, Amandeep Singh. When the Merced Police Department arrived

at the residence, they were not able to make contact with Amandeep, however, they were able to reach another family member.

“The family members attempted to contact Jasleen Kaur, Jasdeep Singh, and Amandeep Singh. When they were not able to reach their family members, they called the Merced County Sheriff’s Office to report Jasleen, Jasdeep, Amandeep, and 8-month-old Aroohi missing.

“At approximately 1:04 p.m., our Office was notified and responded to a business on South Highway 59. During the primary investigation, detectives determined that the individuals were kidnapped. We are working with the California Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and other local law enforcement agencies to bring this family home safely.”

LATER, the Sheriff’s Office announced on its Facebook page that at approximately noon, working in conjunction with their local law enforcement partners, they received information that identified Jesus Manuel Salgado (48) as a person of interest in

this investigation. Prior to law enforcement involvement, Salgado attempted to take his own life. Salgado was in police custody, receiving medical attention and in critical condition.

ON Wednesday, sheriff's officials revealed surveillance video showing the family's movements outside the business -- a trucking company -- on the day of the kidnapping.

At 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jasdeep Singh arrived at the business in a minivan, and minutes later, his brother Amandeep Singh arrived there in his pickup truck, the sheriff's office said.

Someone was seen walking along the highway near the business that morning, officials said. Jasdeep Singh then made contact with the suspect and the two walked back toward the building, officials said.

The suspect -- identified by sheriff's officials Thursday as Salgado -- was seen on video pulling out a gun and entering the business, officials said.

Jasdeep and Amandeep Singh were seen exiting the building, apparently with their hands ziptied behind their backs, and were put in the back seat of the pickup truck, officials said.

The truck left for a few minutes and then returned, and the suspect got out of the truck and went into the business, officials said.

Less than one minute later, Jasleen Kaur and her eight-monthold baby exited the business, officials said.

The final surveillance video image showed the truck leaving the business, officials said.

The four family members were the only people in the business at the time, the sheriff said.

The suspect, Jesus Manuel Salgado. (Photos: Merced County Sheriff’s Office)

Auto review by Veeno Dewan

The Lexus LX 600 is the premium luxury brands full-size flagship SUV and has been given a proper makeover for 2022. Design wise this 5,600-pound behemoth remains a tall, wide, heavyweight cruiser with a few exterior changes. There are revisions to the front grille – now a larger more prominent chromeclad affair. The new rear fascia along with big, flared wheel arches make the LX even more imposing in the flesh. The rear-end now has a full-length rear taillight with big “LEXUS” lettering – a signature tick that will appear in other Lexus ve hicles as well.

The biggest changes are in the engine department and the interior.

The previous generation big V8 engine is gone, now replaced by a 3.5 litre twin-turbo V6 shared with the Tundra pickup. With 409 horse power and 479 lb-ft of torque it has an extra 76 lb-ft hike over the old V8 and can do the zero-100 km/h time dash in of around six seconds.

The transmission is a ten- speed automatic unit linked to All- Wheel Drive and true off- road capability is offered, but why you would want to take a $100,000 plus premium luxury vehicle off -road is anyone’s guess!

As expected for this price point the LX comes fully loaded with big with 20-inch wheels and a superplush interior to die for. There are

a number of LX Models to choose from in Canada, the F Sport Se ries 1 ($119,950), Luxury Pack age, ($127,200, and the Executive VIP Package as tested at a heady $151,200.

Each model has a very opulent cabin with big, sumptuous leath

er seats and trim. A 10-speaker sound system is standard, or you can opt for the superb audiophile 25-speaker Mark Levinson setup with 2,400 watts of audio power.

Other luxury touches include heat ing and ventilation for the front and outboard second-row seats, powered moonroof, power-folding seats, head-up display, and six USB ports. In terms of the dash, fix tures, and fittings there are finely crafted knob, controls, and buttons.

The biggest change is the new 12.3-inch widescreen infotainment display. This infotainment system in the LX 600 is the latest version and is very clear, effective, and fast in operation. It is now an all-touch or voice-activated unit, instead of a previous a fiddly touch pad affair.

Note there is also a smaller 7.0inch screen below with the con trols for the Multi-Terrain Select,

Drive Mode Select, and Downhill Assist Controls. Also new is a digi tal rear-view mirror. The front seats are excellent. with comfort and firm support and the same applies to the second row. There is a re mote power operated tailgate and rear cargo capacity is 1,812L. Have a camper, trailer, or boat? No prob lem as the LX 600 has a towing ca pacity of 3,630 kg.

My tester had the Executive VIP package that comprises: Semi-An iline Leather Seats, 22-inch Alumi num Alloy Wheels, 25 Speaker Mark Levinson Premium Audio System, head up display, Heated Leather Wrapped Wood Steering Wheel, 2nd Row Power Folding Auto Arranging Seats, Dual Rear Seat Entertainment System, 4-Zone Independent Automatic Climate Control, Wood Door Trim, Rear Seat Massage Settings, Rear

Wireless Charging, and passenger Seat Power Cushion Extender. The Executive version loses the third row of seats and instead offers super plush fully- reclining rear passenger seat as well as displays for each passenger and a centralmounted unit for the rear climate controls and relaxation settings such as massaging seats. Think business class on an airliner!

On the road, the LX 600 offers excellent acceleration from the smooth V6 engine that possesses a wide powerband and lots of torque. Highway cruising is serene and comfortable with a hushed cabin. In urban settings the LX 600 proves to be a supremely comfort able family cruiser. With its mul tiple drive modes, and adjustable suspension the LX can handle just about any road with utter confi dence. Throttle response is instant and the ten-speed automatic trans mission’s shifts are smooth and quick. Handling is good, cornering is well controlled, although you can’t toss this tall, large SUV like it’s a smaller compact SUV in the twisties. On the other hand, the LX has potential off-road ability. A Drive Mode dial can select up to six modes — Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport S, Sport S+, 4Lo-exclusive Mogul Control, and there is also a customizable mode. If that’s not allthe adjustable hydraulic suspen sion offer more ground clearance with its four settings. Fuel economy is rated at: Est. City/Hwy L/100km. 11.5/8.3.

Overall, the LX 600 is a super premium family cruiser that offers amazing levels of refinement and features. It sadly an expensive prop osition for most, but its quality and build is up there with the best from the premium European and US au tomakers. Highly recommended if perfection is what you desire.

2022 Lexus LX 600 – Priced from MSRP: $106,950 - As tested MSRP: $151,700

More info at: www.lexus.ca

a miracle, justliveit.

Century-old ledger on Sikh diaspora found in Australia

Canberra (IANS): In Dongara, some 351 km northwest of Perth, more than a century-old leatherbound book containing entries written in Gurmukhi - the official script of the Punjabi language - has been found.

The discovery was confirmed by Tarun Preet Singh of the Sikh As sociation of Western Australia (SAWA), who went to Dongara in person to see the newly-discovered treasure, which offers rare insight into the largely forgotten Sikh com munity of Dongara, the SBS Punjabi reported.

Sikhs are known to have arrived in Australia in the mid-nineteenth century and found work as hawk ers, cane cutters, and camel driv

ers. In the early part of the 20th cen tury, they became active with the wrestling circuit all over Australia.

“The gurdwara in Canning Vale got an email that some old leather

Tharoor wins

Thiruvananthapuram (IANS): As the fight for the top post of the Congress has begun, Shashi Tharoor seems to have won the hearts of many, but those do not find a place in the voters’ list. And that’s where Malikarju na Kharge, who has now got the tag of being the ‘official’ candidate, has the upper hand. The moment Tharoor’s name surfaced as a likely candidate, those who are aligned to the Gandhi family smelt a rat and then things took a different turn. The highlight is that two

but

ledger with transactions written in Punjabi script had been found and that the Western Australia Museum wanted help with the translations,” Singh told SBS Punjabi.

Singh, who is actively engaged in uncovering Sikh history in Austra lia, said that the ledger shows that even 100 years ago, Sikh settlers were established businessmen in Australia and carried out their dayto-day transactions in their own language.

He credited the discovery of the ledger to the Western Australia Mu seum’s search efforts to find old artifacts as a part of its expansion programme.

“Someone found it from the ash es... it didn’t get burnt due to their thickness,” Singh said.

The Geraldton and Dongara ar eas were booming regions for the pioneer Sikhs of Western Australia (belonging to the Indian ethnicity),

including Sojan Singh, Pola Singh, Ruhr Singh, and Anzac Nain Singh Sailani, who all belonged to these regions.

Sojan Singh was one of the few early Punjabi settlers of Western Australia, who owned a store and even a holiday home in Donagara. The earliest recorded evidence of a Sikh being in Western Australia was Pal Singh who arrived in Perth in 1886. He was a camel owner and settled in Wyndham, according to SAWA.

Now, the Sikhs form one of the larg est subgroups of Indian Australians with 210,000 adherents according to the 2021 census, having grown from 12,000 in 1996, 17,000 in 2001, 26,500 in 2006, and 72,000 in 2011.

take the votes as he becomes ‘official’

Keralites are doing their very best to see that another Keralite does not walk away with the honours, when votes are counted after the October 17 polling day.

The two Keralites, who are burning the mid night oil include 81-year-old veteran A.K. Antony and now the closest aide of Rahul Gandhi -- K.C. Venugopal.

According to sources, the ‘official’ camp got a rude jolt when Tharoor sprang a huge sur prise after 16 Congress colleagues of his here

put their signature on his nomination form, and from then on, the two Kerala leaders seeing the writing on the wall decided to act quickly.

Sources said that calls are now going to all to see that there should be no doubt whom they should vote for.

The day Tharoor landed in Hyderabad to campaign for his candidature, the very next day, two-time former Chief Minister Oom men Chandy, despite his poor health, was asked to reach Hyderabad to show that even in Tharoor’s home state, he does not have the support. But when Tharoor boarded the flight to here from Hyderabad, the pilot an nounced they have a special guest in Tha roor and it was greeted with applause and passengers crowded for a selfie and got au tographs.

He reached Kerala on Tuesday for a two-day trip and immediately started drawing huge crowds. When he arrived at the state party headquarters also the scene was no differ ent, but there was one startling difference as none from those who crowded around him when he spoke to the media and were shouting slogans for him, will be voting on October 17.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said if the real supporters of Tharoor and the huge response he is getting in social media

and otherwise had votes, then Tharoor is a sure victor.

“The sad fact is those who matter in the Con gress party continue to live in the yesteryear philosophy, when a huge percentage of the new generation fails to identify itself with the Nehru/Gandhi family and such people are laughing when they heard that it was 80-year-old Kharge, the ‘official’ candidate and that too against the dashing Tharoor,” said the critic.

MEANWHILE, Tharoor on Thursday said he will not withdraw his nomination for the post of Congress party president for which elec tion is scheduled to be held on October 17.

“Rumours that I am going to withdraw is false, I will not withdraw,” he told the me diapersons.

The Congress leader also said that he was drawing huge support from the party leaders and cadres.

The former Union minister also said that as he was a democratically inclined person, and he has not asked other candidates to withdraw their candidature.

He said there was a need for a strong Con gress party in the country to take on the BJP. Tharoor said that he wants to change the Congress into a “party of young India”, and his support base is swelling.

New York (IANS): Varun Manish Chheda, a 20-year-old Indian-American student at US’s Purdue University, was killed in his dorm room by his roommate, who has been arrested on a preliminary murder charge, police said.

Ji Min Sha, a 22-year-old junior cybersecurity major from Seoul, South Korea, has been held as the prime suspect in the case, Purdue Police Chief Lesley Wiete said.

Wiete called the crime “unprovoked and

senseless”.

Chheda died of “multiple sharp force traumatic injuries” and the manner of death was a homi cide, according to preliminary autopsy results, an NBC report said.

A university spokesperson told the media that a 911 call came into the Purdue University Police Department at 12:44 a.m. on Wednesday from McCutcheon Hall on the western edge of the campus. The call was made by Sha himself.

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said in a statement that the Purdue University Po lice Department is conducting a thorough in vestigation into the incident.

“This is as tragic an event as we can imagine happening on our campus and our hearts and thoughts go out to all of those affected by this terrible event... I assure you that the safety and security of our students is the single highest priority on our campus,” Daniels added in his

statement.

This was Purdue’s first on-campus homicide since January 2014, according to the Univer sity.

Chheda was just 10 days away from his 21st birthday, the Indianapolis Star reported. He graduated from Park Tudor High School in 2020 and was a semifinalist in the Nation al Merit Scholarship Programme the year he graduated.

Pakistan FIA chief was locked in washroom of PM House on Imran Khan’s order

Islamabad (IANS): Former Direc tor General of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Bashir Memon, has confirmed the claims made by a hacker that he was locked inside a washroom on thenPrime Minister Imran Khans order, media reports said.

In an interview with a private news channel, the former cop confirmed the allegations levelled by a hacker on Twitter.

The hacker, in a series of tweets

which have now been deleted, shared inside details of the meeting between Memon and the former Prime Minister, Geo News reported.

It was claimed that the former DG of FIA was locked inside a wash room in the PM House and was pressured to follow Imran Khan’s orders, Geo News reported. Memon, responding to the claims, confirmed the details, saying the former premier used abusive lan guage towards PML-N leader Mary

am Nawaz which infuriated him and he responded harshly.

At this, Memon added, the thenprincipal secretary to the Prime Minister, Azam Khan, grabbed his hand, took him out of the room and locked him in the washroom.

“Azam Khan then scolded me over my conduct with the Prime Minis ter” said Memon.

It is pertinent to mention that the government has formed a highpowered committee to probe into

the audio leaks from the PM House that have raised questions over its cyber security.

Multiple audio leaks of the meet ings taking place at the PM House have been leaked online, sparking a new political controversy over the PTI’s US conspiracy narrative.

In one of the audios, Imran Khan could be heard allegedly strategiz ing the US cypher issue and how to use it to support the party’s narra tive.

Shinde justifies ‘uprising’, claims to be ‘heir’ to Balasaheb’s legacy

Mumbai (IANS): Maharashtra

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday defended his rebel lion against the Shiv Sena leader ship, terming it as not ‘treachery’ but an ‘uprising’ to save the party, and proclaimed himself as the real ‘inheritor’ of late Balasaheb Thac kerays political legacy.

Addressing a massive Dussehra rally at the Bandra Kurla Com plex grounds here, Shinde - who toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June - devoted his speech largely to justify his revolt, and replying to many points raised by Shiv Sena President and exCM Uddhav Thackeray at his rally in Shivaji Park, and upholding his move to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Some of the surprise guests who turned up at the event were Jaidev

Thackeray, the elder brother of Uddhav Thackeray, and sister-inlaw Smita Thackeray and other clan members.

Countering Thackeray’s attacks, Shinde accused him of ‘selling off’ Balasaheb’s ideals, commit ting a ‘sin’ by joining hands with the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party in his greed for power, and

watching the destruction of Shiv Sena with open eyes in the past two-and-half-years of the MVA re gime.

“Stop talking of ‘gaddaars’ and ‘khokhas’ (a slang for crores of rupees) ... We are not ‘gaddaars’ (traitors), what we did was a ‘ga dar’ (uprising) to save the Shiv Sena. Look at this gathering, it shows where is the real Shiv Sena and who is the true inheritor of Balasaheb’s legacy,” claimed Shinde.

He countered by accusing Thac keray of ‘gaddaari’ (treachery) with the BJP after the October 2019 Assembly elections to form the MVA government, terming it as a ‘betrayal’ of Balasaheb, of Shiv Sainiks, of Hindutva, the BJP with whose support he won the polls and the people of Maharashtra’,

while discarding Hindutva to keep Congress-NCP in good humour.

The CM also trashed Thackeray’s allegations that he (Shinde) want ed to become the CM or control the Sena, and said when NCP President Sharad Pawar insisted on Thackeray taking over as CM, he had readily supported the move as he never hankered for power.

“Is Shiv Sena your private limited company? Are you our master and we are your servants? Can only persons born with a silver spoon become the CM? Can’t ordinary drivers or hawkers occupy the top post? This is the Sena of Balasaheb and Sainiks can make sacrifices for the party and Hindutva,” Shinde said.

The CM also lavished praise on the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, say

ing it was Modi who fulfilled Balas aheb’s dream of abolishing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and building the Ram Mandir, among other things.

Slamming Thackeray for criticis ing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to please the Congress-NCP, Shinde said the RSS has contribut ed hugely to nation-building in the past 70 years, so demanding a ban on it was ‘laughable’.

Taking a swipe at the NCP, he said it was better to join hands with the BJP than someone who had given a cabinet post to a person linked with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, and not speaking up in favour of the action taken by the BJP to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI), whose activists report edly raised anti-national slogans recently.

Imran Khan

Eknath Shinde

Punjab Police bust drone-based arms smuggling group

Chandigarh (IANS): Pun jab Police on Wednesday busted a drone-based arms smuggling group with the ar rest of two people, including an undertrial.

The arrested have been identified as Jaskaran Singh, lodged at Sub Jail in Goind wal Sahib, and Rattanbir Singh, who is out on bail.

Police recovered 10 foreignmade pistols, including five .30 bore (made in China)

and five 9mm (made in the US) along with eight maga zines from both of them, be sides a mobile phone con cealed by Jaskaran Singh in his barrack.

AIG Counter Intelligence, Amritsar, Amarjit Singh Ba jwa said Jaskaran Singh was brought on a production warrant in a case pertaining to the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substanc es) Act, registered in August.

During questioning, he al legedly confessed that he was using a mobile phone in jail to contact Pakistanbased smugglers through WhatsApp for smuggling of narcotics and arms and am munition from Pakistan via drones.

The AIG said for this pur pose the accused was tak ing the help of Rattanbir Singh, who used to retrieve the consignments dropped

via drones from different border areas.

Rattanbir Singh is also a coaccused in various NDPS cases with Jaskaran Singh. Bajwa said one consign ment of five .30 bore pistols along with four magazines was recovered from the lo cation revealed by Jaskaran Singh on the Taran TaranFerozepur road, where Rat tanbir Singh had concealed them.

Moosewala murder case: Punjab DGP sets up SIT

Chandigarh (IANS): A four-member Spe cial Investigation Team (SIT) was constitut ed on Tuesday by Punjab’s Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav constituted to unrav el the conspiracy of the escape of gangster Deepak Tinu from police custody in Mansa. Tinu, an accused in the killing of famed Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and a close aide of jailed gangster Lawrence Bish noi, escaped from the custody of the state police’s Crime Investigations Agency (CIA) late on Saturday night.

The SIT comprises Inspector General of Police, Patiala range M.S. Chhina as Chair person, while the members are AIG, AntiGangster Task Force (AGTF), Opinderjit Singh, SSP, Mansa, Gaurav Toora and DSP,

AGTF, Bikramjeet Singh Brar.

The Station House Officer of Mansa will of fer assistance to the SIT, while, the SIT can

5,824 drug smugglers arrested in one month: Punjab Police

Chandigarh (IANS): Punjab

Police have arrested 5,824 drug smugglers, including 916 big fish, since July 5, In spector General Sukhchain Singh Gill said here on Tues day.

He said 203 kg heroin was recovered. Additionally, 147.5 kg heroin was recov ered by Punjab Police from seaports of Gujarat and Ma harashtra, taking the total ef fective recovery of heroin to 350 kg in just three months.

Gill said the police have also

recovered 251 kg opium, 178 kg ganja, 261 quintals poppy husk, besides 2.17 million tablets, capsules, injections, and vials in the

state.

A sum of Rs 41.5 million of drug money was also seized.

Giving weekly update, the Inspector General said last week the police arrested 392 drug smugglers after registering 293 First Infor mation Reports, including 30 related to commercial quantity, and recovered 8 kg heroin, 30 kg opium, 10 kg ganja, six quintals poppy husk and 38,578 tablets of pharma opioids.

also coopt any other officer from Bathinda and Patiala Ranges for assistance.

The DGP said that investigations into this case are going on at full pace and several police teams are on manhunt to nab the es capee.

Adopting a proactive approach, Punjab Po lice had immediately suspended and ap prehended the errant CIA in-charge Pritpal Singh and first information report (FIR) was registered against him for dereliction of duty. The accused cop was also dismissed from the service under article 311.

The DGP said the SIT will conduct a dayto-day investigation into this case and all

persons against whom evidence comes on record will be arrested and a police report against them will be submitted in the con cerned court of trial.

Meanwhile, the SIT has been directed to conclude the investigation in an expeditious manner.

Responding to Tinu’s escape, Moosewala’s mother Charan Kaur blamed the police for extending special treatment to the gang sters in jails. She questioned how Tinu man aged to escape from jail.

Moosewala was shot dead by six shooters at Jawaharke village in Mansa district on May 29.

DGP Gaurav Yadav

Sukhchain Singh Gill

Punjab Police seize cache of weapons and heroin seized

Chandigarh (IANS): With the Punjab Police having further intensified vigil and alertness against anti-social elements ahead of the festival season, Amritsar Rural Police have busted an alleged Pakistan-backed narcoterrorism module with seizure of a cache of weapons and 2 kg heroin.

Its main operative has been arrested after re covering arms and explosives from his pos session, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said here on Tuesday.

The module is being jointly operated alleg edly by a Canada-based person, Pakistanbased Harvinder Singh Rinda and Italy-based Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, police said.

The arrested accused has been identified as

Yograj Singh, alias Yog, a resident of Rajoke village in Tarn Taran district. The police have also identified five more accomplices, who were part of the module in carrying out il

legal activities across Punjab and adjoining states.

The police have recovered one RDX-loaded tiffin box fabricated into an improvised ex plosive device (IED) or tiffin bomb; two so phisticated AK-56 assault rifles along with two magazines and 30 cartridges; one .30 bore pistol along with six cartridges; and 2 kg heroin from the accused.

Yadav said the arrested accused is the main operative of this module and wanted by the state police and central agencies in at least five criminal cases, including the one wherein five AK-47 assault rifles were seized in Tarn Taran in September 2019.

He said preliminary investigations have re

vealed that the cross-border operations of arms / explosives / drugs smuggling was mainly handled by Yograj on the directions of the three terrorists based abroad and jailed smuggler Gurpavitar, alias Sai of Lakhna in Tarn Taran district.

Yograj had been active in recovery and fur ther delivery of consignments of arms and drugs at a large scale, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Am ritsar Rural Swapan Sharma said the police have made a major strike in exposing the members of this terror group.

The police have managed to identify five op eratives of the gang and a manhunt has been launched to nab them, he added.

AAP government in Punjab wins vote of confidence

Chandigarh (IANS): With the Congress and the BJP abstaining, the AAP govern ment in Punjab led by Chief Minister Bhag want Mann won the vote of confidence with a thumping majority on the final day of the Assembly session.

The lone Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA and BSP MLAs were present in the House but did not speak against the motion. A total of 93 legislators voted in favour of the confidence vote.

“I congratulate the people of Punjab for naming the Mohali airport as Shaheed Bha

gat Singh International Airport. I will try to get Halwara airport named after Kartar Singh Sarabha,” Mann said.

Terming the Congress and the BJP as two faces of the same coin, Mann had earlier said the confidence motion was necessitat ed as both the parties have joined hands to topple the democratically-elected govern ment in the state.

“The BJP is using anti-defection law as a new tool to form governments in the state through the backdoor and unfortunately despite of being its worst victim, the Con

gress is supporting it,” he said, while intro ducing the confidence motion on the first day of the Assembly session on September 27.

The Chief Minister had said the BJP has toppled the elected governments in Mad hya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and others by luring MLAs. However, he had said they failed in their sinister moves thrice in Delhi and now also in Punjab, they were trying to purchase the MLAs.

He said the BJP is chasing a mirage of gar nering power in the state.

Farmers protest on anniversary of Lakhimpur Kheri incident

Chandigarh (IANS): Farmers un der the aegis of Kisan Mazdur San garash Committee (KMSC) held a protest and rail roko program at 17 different places in Punjab on Mon day to mark the anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

It may be noted that eight persons including four farmers had died during a protest in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, 2021.

In Amritsar, farmers also blocked the Amritsar-Delhi rail track at

Chandigarh (IANS): In a bonanza for the youth, Punjab Chief Minis ter Bhagwant Mann on Thursday announced to start the process

Vallah, demanding stern action against the person responsible for the incident.

Addressing the gathering, General Secretary, KMSC, Sarwan Singh Pandher alleged “The conspirator of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre is still enjoying prime post while the innocent farmers present at the site of the incident have been sent to jail after registration of cas es against them.”

Another farmer leader Gurbachan

Punjab to fill around 2,500 posts in police department

of filling around 2,500 posts in the state police department.

The Chief Minister said that the AAP government will recruit

around 2,500 more cops in Punjab Police to augment its workforce for effectively maintaining the law and order, besides tackling chal

lenges. He said these posts include 1,156 constables in the intelligence and investigation cadre, 787 head

Singh Chaba said the success of the Delhi farmer’s agitation was due to the sacrifice of 750 protest ers and Lakhimpur Kheri ‘martyr dom’ was one of the most signifi cant among them.

“Through today’s rail roko agi tation we demand that farmers should be released and killers of farmers should be hanged and ap propriate action should be taken against those responsible for the Lakhmipur Kheri,” said Chaba.

constables in investigation and 560 sub-inspectors in investiga tion and intelligence, district and armed police cadre.

Bhagwant Mann

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Running Time: 116 minutes

Vancouver International Film Festival

Tight suspense tracks the un derstated hero in The Forger. Based on a true story see the dangers encountered by a blue collar worker trapped in Berlin In tumultuous 1942. This film is In German with English subtitles which don’t detract.

It’s all a game of charades

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Metro Vancouver Cities Need Collaboration to Address Housing Affordability

At the 2022 Union of BC Mu nicipalities (UBCM) Conven tion, delegates from BCREA and five of BC’s real estate boards met with municipal leaders to discuss how hous ing supply and affordabil ity issues have impacted their communities. In advance of the upcoming civic elections, we are pleased to share what we’ve learned to help inform housing affordability discus sions.

Embrace the diversity of Housing Supply Options

While rental housing is part of the solution to our housing crisis, Coquitlam Mayor Rich ard Stewart supports BCREA’s call for more housing supply to address housing afford ability. Mayor Stewart reiter ated that his municipality has not abandoned the idea that homeownership should be the ultimate goal for families.

One crucial component of ad dressing the need for supply is illustrat

ed in BCREA’s report, A Better Way Home, where we advo cate for the replacement of single-detached housing with more “Missing Middle” hous ing types (duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes) to allow for more gentle densification.

The demand for more Miss ing Middle housing has been echoed in many Housing Needs Reports from the Metro Vancouver region, including the cities of Langley, Maple Ridge, North Vancouver, Van couver, as well as the District of West Vancouver.

“Having adequate, affordable housing options is a funda mental human need,” says Jeff King, CEO of the Real Estate Board of Greater Van couver. “For too long, our re gion has struggled to ensure availability of the volume and variety of housing to meet this need.”

As the demand for more at tainable, family-friendly hous ing options continues to rise, advancing Missing Middle housing options will become increasingly more crucial to

British Columbians’ housing goals.

Increase Collaboration between Stakeholders and Government

Another major theme at UB CM’s housing affordability dis cussions is the importance of collaboration between stake holder groups and levels of government.

As Mayor Stewart noted, if some cities are unwilling to prioritize housing needs, this exacerbates housing issues in neighboring cities and com munities. We need to work together as we all share the responsibility to address hous ing affordability challenges.

BCREA continues to advocate for more collaboration among community stakeholders and all levels of government. A coordinated, collaborative approach is necessary to comprehensively identify ob stacles to meeting housing supply demands, across the continuum of housing needs.

To read more on this article, visit bcrea.bc.ca

PSUBFORALE

ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare at an astounding pace. Vantage Market Research, an American firm specializ ing in emerging markets, estimates the global AI market in health will climb from US$6.6 billion in 2021 to US$95.7 billion by 2028. That’s an astounding 46.1% compound annual growth. What’s does this mean for the health care consumer?

Henry Ford advised, “Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success.” He lived in a different time, when his assembly lines operated in a simple operational se quence, one workstation after another. Today, getting ready for anything doesn’t seem to be an option. In healthcare, the pace at which AI technologies are reshaping the sector is both exciting and inscrutable.

On the bright side, diagnostics are already undeniably improved. As pathology adopts AI tools, earlier detection of cancer is possible. Medical errors in diagnosis are certain to de cline.

AI is changing the cost structures of new drug development. Biopharmaceutical companies can more efficiently identify effective drugs, reducing costly and time-consuming clinical trials that don’t lead to marketable drugs –currently about 90% of drugs in development. Robotic-assisted surgery is another area of profoundly improved outcomes for patients. According to the Mayo Clinic, “robots help doctors perform complex procedures with a precision, flexibility and control that goes be yond human capabilities.”

Some companies have developed the poten tial to create your digital twin. Lifestyle chang es and adjustments to medications can be modeled to help forecast the effect on chronic disease conditions like type 2 diabetes. It will be interesting to learn whether meeting one’s future self will motivate people lose weight and eliminate other risk factors for lifestyle ill nesses.

Graphic pictures of diseased lungs and tooth less gums on cigarette packages are effective in reducing tobacco usage. Maybe an image of one’s own fatty liver or amputated leg will have the same effect in helping people choose healthier food.

On the darker side, there are risks to the ex plosion of AI technologies that are yet to be well studied or managed.

One concern is the introduction of systemic bias into decision making. For example, when AI models use data limited by ethnicity or gen der, both computers and doctors alike may ar rive at sub-standard results for some patients. Another concern is personal privacy. The irony is that protecting privacy stifles AI. But the real challenge is that society has not yet figured out how to protect privacy in a world where cameras capture images everywhere. Most in dividuals have no idea where, when, and how to offer or remove consent for their private data to be collected.

Legal experts acknowledge that regulation of AI lags behind. The slow process of law is problematic but can’t be blamed. Instead, innovators, businesses, governments, and consumers need to think through their own responsibilities, seeking to understand risks, identify ethical questions, and invite discourse on social or moral consequences.

Data scientists need closer scrutiny. They are known for their “black box” algorithms which nearly always lack transparency. How many are trained or take even a small interest in the implications of their work? Do buyers of their services do any better?

Imagine the company that adopts technolo gies to compare individual employee’s men

We are not ready for AI

tal health data with large population datasets, then uses machine learning to match people with specialists or make health appointments for them. Care to talk with a chatbot about how you are feeling?

Maybe welcome? Maybe ill-advised? Like it or not, these new AI services and products are in the marketplace and probably already part of your healthcare.

Asking if you are ready is a moot point.

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Dr. Ken Walker (Gifford-Jones) is a graduate of the University of Toronto and The Harvard Medical School. He trained in general surgery at the Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University and in Gynecology at Harvard.

Diana MacKay writes in collaboration with

the Human Development sectors at the World Bank, including health policy and economics, nutrition, and population health.

her father under the pen name, Diana GiffordJones. Diana is Special Advisor with The Aga Khan University. She worked for ten years in