Indo-Canadian Voice Main - Sept 24 2022

Delta Police Constable Jaspreet receives policing award

DELTA Police Constable Jaspreet (Jessy) Sahota has been recognized with the prestigious International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Top 40 under 40 Award.

The award recognizes police officers from around the globe exemplifying leadership, dedication, and service to the law enforcement profession. This year’s winners come from the United States, Australia, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada.

Sahota is being recognized for promoting community safety and well-being through his work with at-risk youth, focusing on cultivating resiliency and empowering youth to avoid the perils of drugs, gangs, crimes, and violence.

As a Youth Liaison Officer, Sahota works with at-risk and high-risk youth in the community with the goal of stabilizing the youth by establishing positive connections with police, schools, counsellors, and mentors. His dedication to steering youth toward a positive and resilient path is a passion; he incorporates this passion for his on-duty work and off-duty through volunteer coaching, serving as a mentor for countless youth, say Delta Police.

Sahota, a three-time Canadian National Champion in wrestling and a kabaddi superstar, believes that team sports are an essential catalyst to connect with, teach skills, and

empower youth. Earlier this year, he spearheaded the DPD’s Youth Wrestling Program, which has been more successful than imagined.

“We are honoured to learn that Constable Sahota has been selected as one of the recipients of this esteemed recognition,” says Chief Constable Neil Dubord. “Through this award, we celebrate his service, achievements, and dedication to community safety. Constable Sahota has a steadfast commitment to

working with and developing the future of our society: our youth, and we are proud to have him on our team. The Delta Police Department is lucky to have so many talented employees.”

The Surrey Board of Trade has purchased a second location in Surrey’s Health and Technology District by the Lark Group and in a co-ownership arrangement with Western Community College (whose President and CEO Gurpal Dhaliwal is 6th from left in the photo) the space is expected to open in early 2023 to establish the Surrey Technology and Skills Centre. Photo submitted

Squamish RCMP appeal for witnesses in hit-and-run that killed Gurpreet Sangha, 44, injured another woman

SQUAMISH RCMP are calling on the public to identify the driver in a hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of one and injured another.

On September 2, at about 11:35 p.m., a man driving a truck near Pemberton and Cleveland Avenues, flipped over a sidewalk, through a chain link fence, and hit two women at a bus stop who sustained serious injuries. The man ran away from the scene and remains out standing.

The two women required hospitalization. Gur preet Sangha, 44 years old, died in hospital on September 16 from injuries sustained in the incident. A second woman, has since been released.

The Sea to Sky General Investigation Section (GIS), a specialized section that investigates serious crimes, is actively investigating the in cident.

The investigation is progressing. GIS has col lected and continue to gather various forms of evidence. Victim Services is providing support to family and those effected by this incident.

Police are aware there are witnesses who have yet to come forward, and are appealing to these people to contact the local detach ment so they can help complete the details of what happened.

“This tragedy has had a significant impact on the family and community, and has been physically and emotionally devastating,” said Inspector Robert Dykstra, Officer in Charge of the Sea to Sky Regional Police Service, on Thursday. “Our investigation team works with dedication and commitment to fact-find as we ask witnesses to reach out, and for the truck driver to do the right thing and speak with po lice.”

It appears that police actually arrested the driv er and then released him, apparently because of lack of evidence.

Squamish RCMP asks anyone with any infor mation regarding the above file to contact Constable Pratheep Thavarajah at 604-8926120, or email him at Pratheep.Thavarajah@ rcmp-grc.gc.ca

India issues advisory for its nationals and students in Canada regarding “hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities”

INDIA’S Ministry for External Affairs on Friday issued an advisory for In dian nationals and students from In dia in Canada, warning of “a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India ac tivities in Canada.”

The advisory said: “The Ministry of External Affairs and our High Com

mission/Consulates General in Can ada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and re quested them to investigate the said crimes and take appropriate action.

The perpetrators of these crimes have not been brought to justice so far in Canada.”

It added: “In view of the increasing

incidences of crimes as described above, Indian nationals and students from India in Canada and those pro ceeding to Canada for travel/educa tion are advised to exercise due cau tion and remain vigilant.

“Indian nationals and students from India in Canada may also register with the High Commission of India in Ot

tawa or Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver through their respective websites, or the MA DAD portal madad.gov.in. Registration would enable the High Commission and the Consulates General to better connect with Indian citizens in Cana da in the event of any requirement or emergency.”

Mansharan Malhi, 24, of Sydney, N.S., arrested in August 28 Brampton brawl

ONTARIO’S Peel Regional Police in vestigators have arrested a second male alleged to be involved in the vio lent incident that occurred on August 28 in the Steeles Avenue and Mclaugh lin Road area in the City of Brampton.

He is scheduled to appear at the On tario Court of Justice in Brampton on November 16.

A warrant was issued for Malhi’s ar rest on September 14.

Earlier, Peel Regional Police had ar

On Sunday, September 18, Mansharan Malhi, a 24-year-old from Sydney, Nova Scotia, was charged with as sault.

rested and charged 25-year-old Harjot Singh of Woodstock with two counts of assault with a weapon in the inci dent.

He was charged on September 12, and is scheduled to appear at the On tario Court of Justice in Brampton on November 2.

The videos of the August 28 fight that had been circulating showed young South Asian males in violent confron tations.

Peel Regional Police said on Monday that they continue investigating this violent incident to identify others re sponsible.

Gurpreet Sangha

Photo: RCMP

WHAT does an Indo-Canadian community icon do when he retires from a four decades-long medical practice? There was no sitting back in any easy chair for Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill of New Westminster.

Early in his retirement from medicine in 1974, Gill, who in 1957 was the first Indo-Canadian new immigrant graduate doctor from a Canadian university (U.B.C.), founded a local organization initially focused on building good relations between resident Canadians who originated in India and the Canadian mainstream. Then from 1999 to date that organization focused especially on raising funding to help bring about improvement projects for the ancestral villages of IndoCanadians mainly in the Punjab.

The non-profit organization is called the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society of British Columbia (I.C.F.S.B.C.)

Gill, who received the Order of British Columbia in 1990, has always invested limitless time and energy over the years demonstrating leadership in his ethnic community. The 2nd Avenue Gurdwara plus the Ross Street Temple, both in Vancouver, plus latterly the No. 5 Road “Gurdwara Nanak Niwas” (India Cultural Centre of Canada) in Richmond benefitted from his vision and his dedication about improving and advancing; making a difference meeting challenges across the South Asian/Sikh communities.

To date, the I.C.F.S.B.C. under Gill’s presidential leadership has been a major force in providing some 27 rural villages in India with initiatives focused upon sanitary living conditions, access to clean drinking water, sewage disposal systems, increased public health awareness and infrastructure upgrades.

“Doc”, as his friends and admirers like to call him, leaned

on many fellow immigrants to share their success in Canada by helping underwrite infrastructure improvements in and for their ancestral villages. The results from his actions to implement village improvement ultimately drew the attention, as well as collaboration, from the Punjab State Government and from major Indian corporations in the context of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

What Gill accomplished by dint of diligent work combined with a determined, “can-do” attitude has become a template for other nonprofits making a difference across the subcontinent landscape. Like

Teddy Roosevelt’s historic “Chicken in every Pot” ambition, Gill has made a noticeable dent pursuing the mantra: “A toilet in every village home!” With 600,000 villages in India, while his ambition has made notable progress, he still has a considerable distance to go.

Having reached his 90th birthday last November, and with an amazing legacy of 25 completed village improvement projects on the subcontinent, Gill recently passed the baton to former federal minister Herb Dhaliwal, and remains active as Chairman Emeritus of the I.C.F.S.B.C.

To honour Dr. Gill for his selfless

service in and towards both the Indo-Canadian Community as well as the many thousands of villagers in the Punjab and Haryana states in India who have benefitted from his tireless work, and in recognition of his considerable philanthropic accomplishments over the decades here in Canada as well as in the country of his birth, the I.C.F.S.B.C. hosted a gala dinner.

Approximately 200 people are gathered on September 15 to salute Gill and raise funding designed to contribute towards the attainment of the Society’s continuing goals, those to which Doc has been devoted so much for so long, at Burnaby’s Riverway Clubhouse.

Speakers giving tributes at Burnbay’s Riverway Clubhouse Dinner, attended by 200 people, included former B.C. Premier and federal cabinet minister Ujjal Dosanjh, past BC provincial cabinet minister Moe Sihota and former BC Supreme Court Justice Wally Oppal.

Premier John Horgan, B.C. Legislature Speaker Raj Chouhan, B.C. Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon and current federal Minister for International Development, Harjit Sajjan, sent messages complimenting Gill for his active commitment to community service.

(Information and photo contributed)

Mississauga homicide victim Chandanpreet Kaur, 22, was allegedly stabbed by her husband Charanjeet Singh, 26

ONTARIO’S Peel Regional Police’s Homicide and Missing Persons Bureau has identified the woman murdered at a retail store [Canadian Tire] in the City of Mississauga.

The victim’s husband of three years, Charanjeet Singh, 26, from Mississauga, was arrested at the scene. He was transported to a trauma centre where his injuries were determined to be nonlife-threatening. He was charged with first-degree murder and appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

On Monday, September 19 at approximately 6 p.m., police were called to a retail store in the area of Mavis Road and Britannia Road West in Mississauga for a stabbing in progress. Police attended and located woman wounds. Chandanpreet Kaur, 22, was pronounced deceased on scene.

Former federal minister Herb Dhaliwal (right) presents a “Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service" of the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society of B.C. to its Founder, Dr. Gurdev S. Gill.

Three South charged with drug-related offences in Brampton

ON Thursday, September 23, 2022,

at approximately 3:15 p.m., Ontario’s

Peel Regional Police officers were alerted by a concerned citizen to a white jeep driving erratically near Queen Street West and Chingua cousy Road in the City of Brampton.

Officers located the vehicle, and dur ing its attempts to evade police, the driver struck two trees, three civilian vehicles and several police cruisers. Officers took the driver into custody a short time later near Chingua cousy Road and Drinkwater Road in Brampton. No physical injuries were sustained to pedestrians, police or in volved occupants of the vehicle.

Yudhbir Randhawa, a 31-year-old man from St. Constant, Quebec, was taken into custody and was transport ed to a local hospital for assessment.

ONE hundred and ninety-eight governmentsponsored Afghan refugees arrived in Abbots ford on September 15 and 18.

This is the first large group of Afghans from a special charter to arrive in Abbotsford. Arch way Community Services holds the contract to provide services to all Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs) settling in the Fraser Valley.

The Government of Canada made a commit ment to welcome at least 40,000 refugees and vulnerable Afghans to Canada, and over the past year, more than 19,000 individuals have

He was cleared medically and was held for a bail hearing. He faces the following charges:

* Impaired operation while impaired

–

* mand

*

*

* for the purpose – sched ule 1 other drugs

* Possession of a controlled sub stance – heroin

* Possession of a controlled sub stance – methamphetamines Randhawa has a criminal history which includes convictions for dan gerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, and drug-related offences.

Two passengers inside the vehicle

Welcoming 198 Afghan refugees to Abbotsford

already arrived.

“Abbotsford has historically been a very wel coming place for newcomers,” said Manpreet Grewal, Director of Multicultural and Immi grant Integration Services at Archway. “We have a large population of Mennonite settlers and churches which have sponsored waves of refugees for decades.”

Archway has been helping support newcom ers since the 1970s when the Indochinese refugees (previously known as “boat people”) began arriving. Since then, there has been a

burgeoning South Asian community which primarily came under family class or the eco nomic immigrant categories.

Archway welcomed large groups of Syrian refugees starting in 2016 and 157 displaced Ukrainian individuals in 2022 so far.

The new Afghans refugees were greeted by staff from the Archway Resettlement Assis tance program (RAP) who arranged for tem porary accommodations in various hotels in the Fraser Valley.

The BC Muslim Association donated and de livered hampers and hot meals for the first two days. The Archway Food Bank will help with providing continued food to supplement the food allowance.

Staff are conducting needs assessment to see what support is needed in each case. RAP staff help the individuals with health care, life skills, resources available, banking, filling out essential paperwork and forms as well as con necting them to other settlement services for up to six weeks.

After the initial support through RAP, refugees will be supported by various programs in the Pathways to Integration Services department at Archway. Settlement workers will assist with the registration and integration of chil dren and youth into schools. Adults who need English language classes will be connected to the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program.

“Moving to a new country is extremely stress ful especially when you add a potential lan

involved, 41-year-old Harpreet Sag gu from Brampton and 23-year-old Jashanpreet Singh from Lasalle, Que bec, were also taken into custody and charged with drug-related offences. Randhawa was held for a bail hear ing and appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on Fri day, September 23.

Saggu was released on an undertak ing and will attend the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on November 24.

Jashanpreet Singh was released on an undertaking and will attend the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on December 1.

guage barrier. This is all magnified by the trau ma that Afghan refugees have gone through from the war and living in refugee camps,” said Donna Lo, Manager of Archway Pathways to Integration department.

“We know it will take time for these individu als to adjust to life in a new country, but we also know that they are resilient. We’ve seen how well the refugees from Syria have inte grated into their new community and in time we expect to see the same.”

“This is a huge undertaking and we’re thank ful to have so many staff and volunteers will ing to help welcome this group,” said Grewal.

“Our community was so generous and help ful when the Syrian refugees arrived in 2016 and we look forward to all working together again.”

Those wishing to help support the refugees financially can call 604-859-7681 or visit Arch way.ca/Refugees. These funds will help cover shortfalls in funding for items like rental dam age deposits and initial expenses like purchas ing clothing, cookware and other household necessities.

“After being displaced and living in refugee camps for years, families are arriving with very few possessions or funds,” said Grewal.

“They are starting over in a new country and we want to help them have the best start pos sible.”

Those wishing to volunteer, offer housing for rent or donate physical items can find more information at Archway.ca/refugees

The white jeep.

GTA shooting rampage: International student Satwinder Singh, 28, dies of injuries

INTERNATIONAL student Satwinder Singh, 28, of Milton, Ontario, died on Saturday, September 17 of injuries sustained in the Sep tember 12 shooting rampage in the Greater Toronto Area that also left Shakeel Ashraf, 38, the owner of MK Auto Repairs in Milton, and Toronto Police Constable Andrew Hong, 48, dead.

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) announced on Saturday that Satwinder Singh “passed away peacefully at the Ham ilton General Hospital with his family and friends by his side.” It added: “Satwinder was an international student from India who was working part-time at MK Auto Repairs at the time of shooting.”

The Toronto Star reported that his father had come from Dubai, where he works as a truck driver. He gave staff at the Hamilton General Hospital permission to pull his son off life support on Saturday afternoon. He had not seen his son since before the pandemic.

A GoFundMe account set up for him had raised more than the goal of $50,000 by Tues day, September 20.

The GoFundMe stated: “He had a passion for reading and writing, which inspired him to become a poet. He finished his BBA and MBA in marketing in India and came to Can ada to study Global Business Management. He was an international student at Cones toga College and completed his studies in August 2022. He was working part-time at

an Auto Body shop to support himself finan cially.”

AS reported by voiceonline.com last week, Ashraf ‘s funeral was held in Mississauga on Wednesday.

Ashraf leaves behind a wife and two young daughters. Islamic Relief Canada called him a “beloved community member” on their Facebook page. The EOSCL – Event Ontario Softball Cricket League – said on their Face book page on Monday: “We are sad to an nounce that one of EOSCL Season 7 player Shakeel from Team MSA Qalandars, died in a fatal shooting today in Milton.”

On Thursday, September 15, Ontario’s Peel Regional Police said in an update that offi cers from their Homicide and Missing Per

sons Bureau were investigating the murders of Constable Hong and further shooting inci dents that injured three other people in both Peel and Halton Regions.

On Monday at approximately 2:15 p.m., po lice responded to reports of a shooting at the Tim Hortons restaurant located at 3110 Ar gentia Road in Mississauga. Hong was found deceased inside the restaurant.

Hong was instructing at a Police Motorcycle Operations Course sponsored by Peel Re gional Police. He was on his lunch break when the suspect ambushed and shot him at close range.

Shortly after this incident, the suspect fled to a nearby parking lot and, while carjacking a Black SUV, shot the male driver before flee ing the scene. That male was transported to a trauma centre, where he underwent sur gery for his injuries. He remained in stable condition and has life-altering injuries.

At approximately 2:50 p.m., the Halton Re gional Police Service responded to multiple reports of a shooting at an auto shop in Mil ton which resulted in the death of Ashraf. Two other victims were transported to hospi tal. They remain in critical and serious condi tions.

The suspect was later located in Hamilton and was later pronounced deceased as a result of an interaction with police while attempting to take him into custody. The Special Investigations Unit on Ontario is now

Dennis Prasad charged in another Vancouver stabbing

DENNIS Prasad, 43, has now also been charged with one count of aggravated assault after a man was stabbed by a stranger near Oppenheimer Park earlier this month.

Vancouver Police launched an investigation on Sep tember 10, after a man walking alone was assaulted near East Cordova Street and Jackson Avenue.

The 55-year-old victim, who suffered serious and lifealtering injuries, managed to call 9-1-1 for help after the suspect walked away.

Investigators from VPD’s Major Crime Section took over the investigation, and after collecting additional evidence, the BC Prosecution Service approved the criminal charge last week.

Prasad remains in custody.

Prasad is the same person who was arrested on Sun day, September 11 after another violent and unpro voked stabbing that left a meal-delivery worker with

life-threatening injuries. The victim, a 22-year-old new comer to Canada who was working for a meal-deliv ery service, was locking his bike to a street pole in Chi natown around 6 p.m. when he was approached from behind and attacked by someone he didn’t know.

The victim suffered a number of stab wounds, includ ing injuries to his chest and throat, in the attack which occurred near Gore Avenue and East Pender Street.

Despite grave injuries, he was able to call 9-1-1 for help, and several witnesses provided first aid until police arrived. His injuries were life-threatening, but he is now expected to pull through, police said.

Vancouver Police credited a number of bystanders who not only came to the victim’s aid, but also called 9-1-1 and provided police officers with key informa tion that led to the quick arrest of the suspect, who was taken into custody in Crab Park shortly after the attack.

investigating. Police said the suspect has been identified as 40-year-old Sean Petrie, of no fixed ad dress. Petrie has an extensive criminal re cord dating back 20 years with convictions for assault, armed robbery, robbery, carrying a concealed weapon, careless storage of a firearm, possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, possession of property obtained by crime, theft under $5,000, failure to comply with a probation order and failure to comply with recognizance. In 2007, he was placed on the National Flagging System after being deemed a high risk to re-offend. His last conviction was in 2015 for a criminal driving offence.

Arjun Purewal, wanted on Canada-wide warrant, arrested in Surrey

ARJUN Purewal, who was wanted on a Can ada-wide warrant, was arrested on Tuesday, September 20, by Inte grated Homicide Inves tigation Team (IHIT) investigators following a search of Surrey resi dence in relation to a Richmond homicide investigation.

The warrant had been issued by Coquitlam RCMP on August 26, when Purewal had ille gally removed an ankle

monitor.

Purewal was awaiting sentencing in connec tion to a Vancouver Po lice Department (VPD) investigation into a

kidnapping which oc curred in Richmond in September 2021.

“During the course of its investigation, IHIT located Purewal at the Surrey residence as part of an ongoing in vestigation into a 2021 Richmond homicide,” said Cpl. Alexa Hodgins of Coquitlam RCMP.

Purewal was taken into custody by IHIT inves tigators where he re mains pending a court appearance.

Satwinder Singh Photo: GoFundMe

Shakeel Ashraf Photo: Facebook

SURREY Forward on Wednesday alleged that Surrey Connect is receiving direct contributions from the Keep The RCMP in Surrey, a third party advertiser.

“The election laws in British Columbia are clear: third party advertisers cannot collude nor sponsor elector associations,” said Surrey Forward.

“This is simply unacceptable,” said Stephen Carter, Campaign Manager for Surrey Forward. “The Local Election Campaign Financing Act is very clear, a third party advertiser such as Keep the RCMP in Surrey, must operate INDEPENDENTLY from the candidates or elector association.”

Surrey Connect said: “What is worse, it appears that all the signatures collected by Keep The RCMP in Surrey have been shared, either formally or informally, with Surrey Connect.”

Carter said: “There are no circumstances where this type of collusion is appropriate. If Surrey Connect cannot be trusted to run a campaign, what can they be trusted with?”

BC Liberals slam NDP for “bullying campaign” against leadership hopeful Anjali Appadurai

BC Liberal MLA-elect Elenore Sturko in a statement on Thursday on the allegations surrounding the BC NDP’s leadership contest said: “It is incredibly disheartening to see [NDP leadership hopeful] Anjali Appadurai being subjected to backroom politicking and a bullying campaign by [NDP leadership hopeful] David Eby and his old boys’ network in the NDP.”

Sturko added: “It has been obvious for weeks now that David Eby and the party elite have already decided to force her out of the race.

“Not unlike Anita McPhee — who was disqualified from running for the NDP as a woman of colour to allow the hand-picked and equity mandate-violating Nathan Cullen to run — history is about to be repeated with the coronation of David Eby.”

“Complaints will be filed with Elections BC. These complaints will name Keep The RCMP in Surrey, Surrey Connect, Brenda Locke and Ramona Kaptyn. It is AM - 6 PM AM - 5 PM Textiles is a modern boutique fabric store that carries a range of fashion fabrics,quilting cottons and notions. We are located on the historic downtown Cloverdale strip.We carry fabrics at a ordable prices such as cotton, knits,sequins,lace,satin,brocade, georgette,chi on,net, velvet, men's suiting & more - come and see for youself !We can't wait to help you get started on your next project.

She pointed out: “David Eby himself said he was ‘frustrated’ by being challenged — clearly, his entire campaign relied on backroom deals to prevent any real competition.”

Sturko said: “As someone new to politics, I can attest to how difficult it is for women to put their name forward — particularly as a woman from a minority community.

“While the NDP’s 57-seat caucus sits back and watches this happen without speaking up, I know the importance of allyship and speaking up when you see something wrong.”

Elenore Sturko

Photo: BC Liberals

Investment by Surrey Board of Trade and Western Community College in Health and Technology District

THE Surrey Board of Trade has pur chased a second location in Surrey’s Health and Technology District by the Lark Group. In a co-ownership arrangement with Western Commu nity College, the space is expected to open in early 2023 following renova tions to establish the Surrey Technol ogy and Skills Centre.

“As Surrey’s city-building business organization, the Surrey Board of Trade is using its fiscal equity to ex pand economic development proj ects to transform the board of trade/ chamber of commerce business model, elevate local and regional market conditions, and enhance our profile,” said Anita Huberman, President and CEO, Surrey Board of Trade, on Thursday.

“We are extremely grateful to West ern Community College for their partnership as we continue our workforce projects together, ad dressing the labour challenges of our business community. We are build ing a bridge between private educa

tion, as well as with our continued work with public education, to deliv er an unparalleled value proposition to our members.”

“As a private post-secondary educa tional institution founded in Surrey in 2012, with three campuses, Western

Community College is committed to supporting businesses across the community in developing a highly trained and skilled workforce,” said Gurpal Dhaliwal, President and CEO, Western Community College.

“We have worked successfully with

the Surrey Board of Trade on several federal and provincial labour market training programs to build a vibrant and digitally skilled labour force in Surrey. We are proud to be the edu cational training partner on this ini tiative.”

The new Surrey Technology and Skills Centre will be the premier centre for research, business, and innovation, creating local and global opportunities for the ecosystem that continues to expand at the Surrey Health and Technology District.

The investment between the Surrey Board of Trade and Western Com munity College will:

1. Bridge education and business

2. Focus on global partnerships through the Surrey International Trade Centre to support education and diversity

3. Escalate economic and workforce projects to include:

– Health and technology training programs (government funding)

– International partnerships and Sur-

Change of Command ceremony held for BC RCMP

THE RCMP held a change of Com mand of Command ceremony in Langley on Tuesday to recognize Deputy Commissioner Dwayne Mc Donald as the Commanding Officer of the BC RCMP.

Although McDonald has been in command of the province’s provin cial police force since July 1, 2021, a formal ceremony could not be held until now.

The delayed Change of Command Ceremony marks the formal tran sition from Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan to McDonald. Strachan retired from the RCMP in 2021, after completing over 33 years of service.

“I want to thank former Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan for her many years of serving British

Columbians with professionalism and dedication, and congratulate her on a well-deserved retirement,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “My ministry and I look forward to

continuing to work with Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, and the wealth of experience he brings to the role of Commanding Officer of the BC RCMP.”

Strachan was born and raised in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. She joined the RCMP in 1988 and spent 14 years working across BC in Whistler, Colwood and Langford, and at BC RCMP Headquarters.

“It has been an honour to serve as the Commanding Officer of the BC RCMP,”said Strachan. “Being able to start and finish my RCMP career in my home province was an abso lute pleasure. I have work alongside people, both inside of the RCMP and from many other police agencies. They made my journey an amazing one. Thank you for inspiring, guid

ing and supporting me throughout my policing career.”

rey International Trade Centre ex pansion

– Indigenous Innovation and Entre preneurship Centre

– Cyber Crime Centre of Excellence

– Blockchain Centre of Excellence

– Immigration Innovation Lab

– Other entrepreneurship hubs (women/youth)

– Co-working spaces to start up or scale up businesses

“No other chamber or board of trade is expanding in this way to meet the economic needs of our society and business community,” said Huberman. “With our connec tions in Metro Vancouver and the Cascadia economic region, and our global connections, our next phase of growth results in success for our economy, and the community. This is the first step of our expansion, with potential to grow into other parts of Surrey. This acquisition en hances the Surrey Board of Trade’s ability to meet our goals to support business and attract business.”

McDonald has over 30 years of ex perience in law enforcement hav ing served both the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

“I’m both humbled and honored to serve as the Commanding Officer of the BC RCMP,” said McDonald. “Brit ish Columbia is my home. Having lived here since 1974 I am acutely aware of the challenges faced throughout the province and the solemn responsibility of police to deliver public safety in consultation and collaboration with the diverse communities we serve. I’m proud to serve alongside our RCMP regu lar members and civilian employ ees whose dedication to keeping you safe is second to none.”

Gurpal Dhaliwal with Anita Huberman. See Front Page for another photo

Photo submitted

Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald Photos: BC RCMP

Former Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan

THE Office of the Seniors Advocate on Thursday released “BC Seniors: Falling Further Be hind,” a review of the financial challenges facing B.C. seniors. The report highlights the impact of rising costs on B.C. seniors who depend on government pensions and ranks B.C. as the lowest in its financial support for seniors compared to other provinces and ter ritories.

“Seniors I speak with tell me their pension incomes are not keeping up with rising costs and they are paying too much for rent, grocer ies, dental care, homecare, house repairs and other essentials,” said BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie.

“Currently 45% of seniors in British Columbia are living on less than minimum wage and 25% of seniors are living on less than $21,000 a year. These are the lowest incomes we find by a wide margin and it speaks to the signifi cance of the financial hardship seniors are experiencing.”

The report also notes the minimum wage has increased 40% over the past five years while pension incomes have only risen 14% during the same period.

The report also highlights that most seniors do not have a private benefits plan and must pay out-of-pocket for the total cost of den tal care, hearing aids, eyeglasses, walkers, wheelchairs, and any other necessary medi cal equipment because the provincial govern ment does not fund them.

The report outlines the challenges with a number of government subsidies including the BC Housing Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) and the Seniors Subsidized Housing (SSH) programs that offer some assistance to nearly 30% of the seniors who rent.

The report includes the results of a provincewide survey of low-income seniors and a province-wide consultation with over 80 com munity agencies who work with seniors.

Highlights include:

• The 2019 median income for B.C. seniors was $30,750 a year, compared to $51,170 for

the prime working age population and 25% of seniors earn an income less than $21,000.

• 90% of seniors receive pension income from Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and 28% receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) top up for lowincome seniors. On average, these pensions provide an annual income of $22,649

• BC Seniors Supplement, a financial sup port provided by the Province for the lowest income seniors was doubled last year to a maximum of $99 per month but is the fourth lowest in the country and not indexed to in flation.

• In the last 10 years, market rents have in creased by 50%, the allowable rent increase jumped 34% while pension incomes have risen just 25%, in the same period.

• The SAFER program is failing in its goal of 30% of income to be spent on rent. Currently, SAFER recipients paying the average rent for a 1 bedroom in Vancouver will spend over 60% of their income on rent and 80% of SAFER re cipients have incomes of less than $25,000.

• The wait list for SSH has increased by 50%

in the last 5 years and only 8% of applicants on the wait list were placed in a unit last year.

• The average wait time for a SSH unit is three years, with 17% of applicants waiting over five years.

• 49% of low-income senior homeowners re port they cannot afford needed major repairs for safety or accessibility.

• An estimated 16% of seniors access the Property Tax Deferral Program

• Seniors with an annual income of $28,000 will be charged $8,800 a year for a 45-minute daily visit of publicly subsidized home sup port.

• There is no program to fund extended health benefits such as dental, eyeglasses, hearing aids or medical equipment leaving most seniors to pay the total cost.

• 1 in 2 low-income seniors reports they are concerned, or very concerned, about being able to stay in their own home as they age.

• 84% of low-income seniors report running out of money to buy food some of the time.

• There was a 78% increase in use of food banks by B.C. seniors in the last five years. The report compares B.C. to other provinces and territories in the provision of nine key ser vices and finds B.C. offers the lowest support.

“When we look, at exactly what is provided to support seniors living in the community and how much it is costing them, a picture clearly emerges that many seniors are struggling and if we do not begin to address the gaps now, things will only get worse,” said Mackenzie. The report makes ten recommendations:

1. Index the BC Seniors Supplement to infla tion consistent with other income supports such as GIS/OAS and CPP.

2. Redesign the Shelter Aid for Elderly Rent ers (SAFER) program to reflect the current reality of the B.C. rental market and ensure yearly rent increases are recognized.

3. Increase the number of Seniors Subsi dized Housing Units with a particular focus on rural B.C. where the overall supply of rental accommodation for seniors is most

challenging.

4. Increase awareness of the Property Tax Deferral Program and examine an expan sion of the program for low- and modestincome seniors to defer other costs such as strata fees, hydro costs and other municipal charges. Examine how seniors living in cooperative housing might be able to take ad vantage of the program.

5. Develop a program to assist low- and modest-income seniors with major home repairs.

6. Eliminate the daily rate for publicly funded home support services.

7. Provide an extended health benefit for se niors that includes eyeglasses, hearing aids, mobility aids and necessary medical equip ment. The cost of the plan could be covered by premiums based on income, ensuring it is an affordable option for all B.C. seniors.

8. Work with the federal government to en sure dental coverage for seniors with copayments and deductibles based on income or include in an overall extended benefit plan.

9. Provide an annual province-wide bus pass for all seniors that includes handyDART. The fee for the pass could be based on a sliding scale matched to income.

10. Develop a comprehensive plan to build the capacity of seniors’ centres across B.C. to better support social engagement and help support older people access the sup ports and services they need to continue to live independently.

The report is available online.

The Office of the Seniors Advocate is an in dependent office of the provincial govern ment with a mandate of monitoring seniors’ services and reporting on systemic issues affecting seniors. The office also provides information and referral to seniors and their caregivers by calling toll-free 1 877 952-3181, BC211, via email at info@seniorsadvo catebc.ca, Canada Post and the OSA web site https://www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca/. Advocate

0502.

If you wish to make an anonymous report, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or www. solvecrime.ca.

“Child care is one of the biggest bills many families face each month,” said Katrina Chen, B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care, on Fri day. “Cutting child care fees again, this time by as much as $550 a month more per child, is one way we are taking action to put money back in people’s pockets at a time when ris ing global inflation is making life more expen sive.”

The Province is directly funding licensed child care centres so families will not need to apply for these savings. This funding will lower fees for children, kindergarten-aged and younger. These additional savings, which build on earli er fee cuts introduced as part of the Province’s $2.7-billion investment in ChildCareBC since 2018, are being funded through the five-year, $3.2-billion Canada-British Columbia Canadawide Early Learning and Child Care Agree ment.

“The Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement that we signed just over a year ago puts families first, and will ensure every child has access to high-quality, affordable, accessible child care,” said Karina Gould, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

“With hundreds of dollars in savings, this in vestment will provide much-needed support to reduce the cost of living for families with young children. Our government remains fo cused on making life more affordable for fam ilies and giving every child the best possible start in life.”

As part of this fee cut, the Province said it is taking action to better support child care providers. Payments to providers will be in creased by 100% or more. These payments are designed to help ensure providers can continue providing quality care for children, help them fight rising costs and reduce the need to pass on these costs to families.

These monthly fee cuts mean that parents will be saving as much as $6,600 more a year for each child in licensed care at facilities partici pating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initia tive, depending on their children’s ages and the type of care they are receiving. As a result of the new savings, on average, families will be paying similar out-of-pocket costs for child care, regardless of type of care, if their provid er is charging typical fees.

For example:

* A family with a 10-month-old and a threeyear-old in group care could save as much as $11,940 more per year, in addition to the $5,400 per year they are already saving.

* A family with a two-year-old and a four-yearold receiving family care would see up to $10,080 more in savings each year, in addition to the $3,120 per year they are already saving. Previous savings were introduced in 2018 and participating child care providers are al ready passing on these savings of up to $350 a month per child to families.

In addition to these fee reductions, the Prov ince said it has been making further progress toward all families being able to access af fordable child care by introducing the Afford able Child Care Benefit and by transforming child care centres into $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites. By the end of 2022, there will be 12,500 of these low-cost, high-quality $10 a Day child care spaces throughout B.C.

To support families in accessing high-quality, licensed care, the provincial government, with support from the federal government, has also funded more than 30,500 new li censed child care spaces since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018, while improving train ing opportunities and wages for the early childhood educators needed to deliver this service.

Learn More:

For more information on the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, including participating providers, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/savemoneychildcare

For more information on ChildCareBC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

Toward $10-a-day: www.canada.ca/child-care

For more information on $10 a Day Child CareBC sites and spaces, visit: www.gov. bc.ca/childcare10aDaysites

Katrina Chen

NDP fighting to make life more affordable for people living with disabilities, says MP Zarrillo

NDP Critic for Disability Inclusion, Bonita Zarrillo, on Wednesday said that people liv ing with disabilities have been waiting for too long for the help they need to afford rent, groceries, and their bills.

She noted: “Over the last two year, people living with disabilities had to face substan tial financial difficulty — 41 per cent of those living in poverty in Canada have one or more disabilities. Yesterday, they had to listen to the Liberal government make more excuses, when in reality, the delay in deliv ering help is only making things worse. This can’t go on. People need help now.”

Zarrillo added: “When it came to deliver ing help for people living with disabilities, the Liberals dragged their feet and kept

PEOPLE experiencing mental-health chal lenges, particularly thoughts of suicide and selfharm, will benefit from improved quality of care in mental-health and substance-use treatment settings, such as emergency departments.

The Province is investing $2 million to support an initiative that will create provincewide stan dards and training to improve care in the healthcare system for people who may be suicidal.

“When people are in a mental-health crisis, we want them to receive the best possible care,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental

Health and Addictions, on Thursday. “That’s why our government is making system-wide improvements to transform care for those ex periencing mental-health crises and suicidal thoughts. We’re supporting health-care profes sionals so that they have the tools they need to provide the best possible care for people and reduce suicide deaths.”

The initiative will develop a provincial frame work for suicide care based on established in ternational best practices, local clinical knowl edge and expertise, as well as the perspectives

people waiting. Then when they finally re introduced their legislation, it was the same empty, inadequate bill they had proposed a year early. When asked about this un necessary delay, the Minister for Disability Inclusion admitted that it will take years to deliver this much needed help people have been waiting to receive. The disability com munity deserves to be heard and deserves real and immediate solutions.”

She said: “As the fall parliamentary session begins, New Democrats will continue the fight to improve the government’s bill so we can finally lift people living with disabilities out of poverty. For the past seven years un

der this Liberal government, the disability community has had to do all the heavy lift ing to fight for basic human rights, and for equity. It shouldn’t have to be this way; the government must do better for Canadians living with disabilities.”

Zarrillo pointed out: “New Democrats have been fighting tirelessly to ensure people liv ing with disabilities in Canada have access to the benefits and financial supports they need to live with autonomy and dignity. We will continue to use our power in Par liament to pressure the Liberals to ensure that legislation on a Canada Disability Ben efit provides comprehensive, immediate support that lifts people out of poverty and doesn’t leave any one behind.” Zarrillo Photo:

of people with lived experience. This will ensure care settings throughout British Columbia will have access to care-provider training, standard ized intake screening, management strategies and follow-up care aimed at reducing suicide deaths. The changes will bring quality improve ment to care settings in all health authorities.

“This significant investment demonstrates a commitment to improving quality in care for people in crisis,” said Jonathan Morris, CEO, Ca nadian Mental Health Association – BC Division

(CMHA BC). “Health-care settings like the emer gency department offer important opportunities to prevent suicide. CMHA BC is looking forward to continuing our ongoing partnership alongside people with lived experience, health authorities and the Province to transform crisis care for the better.”

Each regional health authority will also receive funding to support evidence-based suicide pre vention strategies that address unique priorities and gaps in care for people who may be suicidal.

Safe Surrey Coalition announces plan to fast track housing homeownership

SURREY Mayor Doug McCallum and the Safe Surrey Coalition have announced their plan “A Home For Everyone” to increase the housing supply in the city and create afford ability by cutting red tape.

McCallum’s plan is to fast track housing permit approvals by creating an online sys

tem that allows residents to choose a stock template of a house plan. Once they have submitted their request, they will receive a permit in two weeks – cutting down on the red tape and expediting the process. McCallum said: “The residents of Surrey should not have to leave the city they grew

up in to buy a house. The Safe Surrey Co alition is taking immediate action with the “A Home For Everyone” plan to help with housing supply and affordability.”

He added: “We believe that by expediting the permits and cutting down on red tape, the affordable and attainable housing sup

ply will increase. It’s time for Surrey to have available and attainable affordable hous ing.”

For more information on the Mayor and the Safe Surrey Coalition, contact info@safes urreycoalition.ca or visit their website at https://safesurreycoalition.ca/.

Surrey Mayor McCallum announces new swimming pool for Cloverdale and Clayton

WITH a rapidly growing population, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and the Safe Surrey Coalition say they recognize the need for more community infrastructure. With that in mind, McCallum and the SSC on Wednes day announced their plan to build a new swimming pool similar to the swimming pools in South Surrey and Fleetwood for

residents living in Cloverdale and Clayton at the Clayton Community Centre. With a SkyTrain coming to the neighbor hood and their expected growth, McCal lum has the vision to build vital amenities now, noted the SSC.McCallum said: “There is already a huge demand and currently no swimming pool to accommodate its exist

ing, or those who are newly arrived. The communities of Cloverdale and Clayton have experienced incredible growth and for over a decade, residents have been asking for more recreational amenities.”

He added: “With new residents moving in, and the SkyTrain being built through their neighbourhoods, residents need more

community infrastructure as soon as pos sible. Rather than playing catch-up down the road, our plan is to build now. The time is now, not later, so that residents can live, work, and play.”

For more information on the Mayor and the Safe Surrey Coalition, contact info@safesur reycoalition.ca

Surrey teams compete for U-17 Cup at Canada Soccer’s Toyota National Championships

CANADA’S premier U-17 teams will com pete for the 2022 Toyota National Champi onships October 5–10 at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and the City is encouraging people to cheer on the local soccer teams on their home turf. Both the U-17 boys and U-17 girls from Surrey United Soccer Club will be competing for the U-17 cup. This premier soccer event will welcome thousands of athletes and their supporters

from across Canada. The City of Surrey was announced as host for the 2022 and 2024 Canada Soccer Toyota National Champion ships in May of 2021. This is the first Toyota National Championships since the global pandemic, with the last season of winners crowned in 2019.

“Surrey is proud to welcome Canada Soc cer’s 2022 Toyota National Championships to our world-class city and venue this fall,”

said Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Surrey Football Club to deliver a top-level championship tournament and an unforgettable experience for visitors.”

The final schedule for the Toyota National Championships will be released after all the clubs have qualified through their provincial playdowns.

As BC’s fastest growing city, Surrey is the premier place for hosting sporting events. The Sport Tourism Strategy has been de veloped to advance the City of Surrey as a leader in the Sport Tourism industry, maxi mizing both economic benefits and sport development opportunities.

For information about sport tourism in Sur rey, visit surrey.ca/sportsurrey.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum

Photo by JAY SHARMA of Mahi Photo Studio

Surrey house fire results in injuries

SURREY RCMP received a report from Surrey Fire Department on Monday at approximately 3:54 p.m. of a structure fire in the 14800-block of 75A Avenue. Police found that the residence was fully engulfed, and was being contained by fire crews on scene.

One male was located with minor injuries, and

another with serious injuries. Both were trans ported to local hospitals for medical care. The fire is not suspicious in nature and appears to be accidental, but investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the fire, police said. Officers conducted interviews and neighbor hood canvassing.

Vancouver Police seek bystander video to ID Festival suspects

VANCOUVER Police have launched an online video portal and a dedicated tip line to identi fy suspects who sparked violence and damaged property following the cancellation of a concert [rap per Lil Baby] on Sunday night at the PNE Amphitheatre.

“Video evidence and eyewitness accounts will form a critical part of this investigation, as we work to identify people who destroyed property, engaged in violent be haviour, and put everyone’s safe ty at risk,” said Sgt. Steve Addison on Wednesday.

“We’ve made it easy for people to come forward, and we’re asking anyone who has video or photos to visit vpd.ca and send them to us for review.”

Vancouver Police immediately launched a criminal investigation after the last-minute cancellation of a performer at the Breakout Festival sparked violence and

widespread property damage in and around Hastings Park on Sep tember 18. Though most concertgoers left without incident, sev eral hundred stayed behind and caused problems inside the ven ue and in the surrounding area.

Food vendor kiosks were over turned and damaged, and vari ous tables, tents, and refrigera tors were overturned. There were reports of looting, and multiple fights broke out in the neighbour hood.

Seven people were arrested for breach of peace and taken to jail as VPD officers worked to restore order.

“This is likely to be a long and difficult investigation, but we are committed to identifying and pur suing criminal charges against those who acted violently, de stroyed property, and put other concert-goers in danger,” said Addison. “We know there are people who have evidence that can help us in this investigation, and we’re asking them to do the right thing.”

Visit vpd.ca to upload video to the online portal, or call the dedicat ed tip line at 604-717-4021.

Surrey homicide victim is Edmonton’s Richard Ofosuhene, 27, who was known to police

THE Integrated Homicide Inves tigation Team (IHIT) announced on Wednesday that Tuesday’s homicide victim in Surrey is 27year old Richard Ofosuhene of Edmonton, Alberta.

Ofosuhene was known to police and had ties to drug trafficking in Alberta. Investigators believe this is an isolated incident which does not appear to be connect ed to the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict. A motive has yet to be confirmed.

On September 20 at 9:25 a.m., the Surrey RCMP responded to a report of an unconscious man in the driver’s seat of a running vehicle, in the 8800-block of 127 Street. First responders found the man inside the vehicle, hav ing suffered injuries consistent with a shooting. Despite lifesaving efforts, the man died on

scene.

IHIT has taken conduct of the in vestigation and is working close ly in partnership with the Surrey RCMP, BC Coroners Service and the Integrated Forensic Identifi cation Section (IFIS).

“IHIT investigators are work ing closely with Surrey RCMP to canvass the area for witnesses,” said IHIT Sgt. Timothy Pierotti. “We’re urging anyone who was in the area of 88 Avenue and 127 Street, who has yet to speak with police to contact IHIT.”

IHIT is asking any witness es or anyone traveling in the 8800-block of 127 Street of Sur rey between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on September 20 with dash cameras, to contact the IHIT In formation Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@ rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

On Monday afternoon of September 19, neighbors from the Invergary Park area of Surrey North celebrated the new children’s park that was recently installed in the Invergary Park. Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who is behind the progress the City has made in all spheres, along with MP Sukh Dhaliwal and former MP Jasbir Sandhu joined the celebration. Photos submitted

FAQs insurance with ½ million guaranteed cash values

BY SANDEEP AHUJA

A new plan with the unique features of the ex tremely remarkable life insurance plan launched on September 7 named as Whole Life High Values/20-Pay Guaranteed Values underwrit ten by UV Insurance Company. While the plan is quite impressive, as a prospective client, one may have queries about the plan. I hope the be low mentioned questions and their answers will clarify your queries:

• For how long shall we have to pay?

You shall have to pay for a minimum of 20 years. Cash value - 50% of the insurance amount at the age 65 or after 20 - Pay for ages 46 and older.

• Can we buy the lower face amount or shall we have to buy one million dollar coverage?

No, it’s not mandatory to buy a million dollar cov erage. As per your own affordability, you can pur chase coverage for lower amounts starting from $50,001. The great feature is that the cash values will be half the amount of coverage at age 65. For example, for 100,000 coverage 50,000 cash value; for 200,000 coverage- 100,000 cash value and; for 500,000 coverage 250,000 cash values at age 65- in all cases, if you buy the plan before age 45.

• Through which insurance company do you do this insurance?

The Whole Life High Values|20-Pay Guaranteed Values insurance plan in which the cash values at age 65 are ‘Guaranteed’, half of the sum in sured, is offered by UV Insurance.

• Since when has this UV Insurance Insurance Company been in existence?

UV Insurance has been in the insurance business since 1889. Recognized in the insurance and fi nancial services market for its financial strength, UV Insurance has a solvency ratio of more than 200% and has a strength of more than 250,000 members. UV Insurance is a member company of Assuris. Founded as a not-for-profit organiza tion in 1990, Assuris is designated by the federal Minister of Finance under the Insurance Compa nies Act of Canada. It protects Canadian policy holders if their life insurance company fails.

• If I cancel my policy after five years, will I

get something back?

No, you won’t get anything. Term Life insurance is usually for short term and Permanent period specified by Law. If you add a disability rider, during your period of disability, after a waiting period of six months of total disability, your pre mium will be waived as long as the total dis ability lasts. Premiums paid during this waiting period of six months are also reimbursed. For the first 24 months, total disability means be ing prevented by an incapacity resulting from an accident or illness from performing each and every task related to the insured’s prin cipal occupation. WPLE is also very good for the female clients who are in the future plan of having a baby. If you have this rider, once the policy has been in force for one year, and you go on maternity leave, the premium will be waived off as per government provisions.

THIS Whole Life High Values/20-Pay Guaran teed Values plan is very unique in nature. It is very close to the needs of the community who always want a secure future for their kids/family and also want to save money for their ‘golden age’. Parents whose kids are studying in some professional field and are planning to enter the workforce soon, should purchase coverage under this plan so that they may help their kids make good finan cial decisions to start early for life insurance needs and saving habits. Those in the 35-45 age bracket- if they don’t have any savings till

date for their retirement and don’t have any insurance, they must consider this plan. It is important that Insurance advisors should do proper life insurance and financial needs analysis before advising the clients to opt for this plan. One has to be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident to opt for this plan and the insurance company has to conduct thorough medical and financial underwriting beforehand.

These points have been discussed for infor mation purposes only.

It gives me delight to convey that due to its immense popularity among clients, The company UV insurance is offering promo tional discounted rates for limited time De cember 31, 2022. To reap maximum benefit of this unique opportunity, without wasting time, please contact me immediately.

As an independent insurance advisor work

ing through Punjab Insurance Agency and dealing with different insurance companies, I can explain to you in detail the features of this useful insurance plan, and will assist you to avail the best insurance coverage suitable for your needs and resources.

Besides, I can also help you to purchase mortgage insurance, super visa insurance, disability insurance, critical illness insur ance, extended medical plans, group medi cal plans, RESP, RRSP, travel insurance, TFSA accounts, health and dental plans along with estate planning suitable for your needs and resources. For a no obligation appointment, please call me at 604-996-6862 or email me at sandeepahuja@punjabinsurance.ca

This article is © copyrighted 2022-09-20 and can be reproduced only with prior permis sion.

EVENTS

South Asian Adults and Seniors Programs

* Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society of BC: Join us for the Group Birthday Celebration of senior members born between January 1 to Oc tober 1 at Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Temple, 8321 140 Street, on Sat urday, October 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum will be the Chief Guest. There will be enter tainment. Each member will contribute only $5 for joining. Only the members and the invitees who register will be ad mitted because the Shanti Niketan Hall has a limited capacity. The members who want their birthday to be celebrat ed, are requested to give their names and their dates of birth at an early date. Contact Surendra Handa, Coordinator, at 604-507-9945 for registration and further information.

* All members of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society of British Columbia are requested to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday, September 25 in the Main Hall of the Temple. Meeting registra tion at 1:30 p.m. and AGM at 2 p.m.

* 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 for registration and further information.

Talk on Mahatma Gandhi’s global leadership by Dr. Shobhana Radhakrishna

THE Consulate General of India in Van couver will be premiering live a talk titled ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s Global Leadership for Peace, Non-Violence, and Satyagraha’ by Dr. Shobhana Radhakrishna, interna tionally acclaimed speaker on Mahatma Gandhi, to commemorate the 153rd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Sun day, October 2, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. on the Consulate Facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/cgivancouver.

Sandeep Ahuja

More supportive housing for neighbours

BY AMAN SINGH

NDP MLA for Richmond-Queensborough

WE know that for too many years people in BC have been struggling to find stable hous ing, including here in Richmond. We also know this need is even greater for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. That’s why we’ve partnered with the City of Richmond to open Aster Place, a three-sto rey modular building with 40 self-contained units, each with a private washroom and kitchenette. Residents of the building will also have access to a commercial kitchen, laundry facilities, and storage space.

Located at 2520 Smith St., Aster Place will replace Richmond’s temporary Emergency Response Centre, which has provided safe accommodation for vulnerable people dur ing the pandemic and is now set to close. Aster Place will operate for approximately three years until a permanent supportive housing building opens in the community. People who live in supportive housing in clude young people, seniors, people with disabilities, people who have experienced trauma or poverty, and people who have struggled with the high cost of housing. Community Builders Group will operate the building and will provide residents with support services, including daily meals, life skills training, employment assistance and counselling, physical and mental health re sources, and access to addiction treatment and recovery services. The site will feature 24/7 staffing to provide around-the-clock support to residents.

We know that when vulnerable people have stable housing with supports, they can ac cess things like health care and skills train ing to help rebuild their lives, supporting

Mounib Bouazza of Surrey charged in connection to New Westminster assault

ON September 13, the New Westminster Police Department appealed to the public for assistance in identifying a suspect in an unprovoked assault that had happened the day prior near the 700-block of 22nd Street.

With the help of Metro Van couver Tran sit Police, photos of the suspect were shared across NWPD com munications channels in the hopes that someone would recog nize the sus pect.

Within a short period of time, a member of the public reached out to the Major Crime Unit and Criminal Intelligence Unit investi gators with helpful information that led to the arrest of the suspect. With the assis tance of patrol officers, the Crime Reduc tion Unit, Street Crime Unit, and the Gang Suppression Unit, the suspect was located and taken into custody without incident.

“We’d like to express our gratitude to the person who saw our appeal for assistance, recognized the suspect, and reached out to us,” said Sgt. Justine Thom on Thursday. “Thanks to your help and the support of our partnering agencies we were able to arrest and charge this individual.”

Mounib Bouazza, 31, of Surrey has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of assault. If anyone witnessed this assault and has yet to speak to officers about what they saw, they are requested to call 604-5255411 and reference file number 22-13838.

healthy and safe communities for everyone. This project is part of the more than 35,000 new homes that are complete or underway for people in B.C. through provincial gov ernment investments made since 2017, in cluding more than 200 homes in Richmond.

To learn about the steps we are taking tackle the housing crisis and deliver

able homes for British Columbians,

Sgt. Justine Thom

Global Peace Alliance’s annual “Give Peace a Chance” festival on October 1

GLOBAL Peace Alliance invites all to the Bell Centre of Performing Arts, in Surrey on October 1 at 11 a.m. for their yearly “Give Peace a Chance” festival commemorating the United Nations International Day of Peace. The focus this year is the UN’s theme: “End Racism, Build Peace”. You will hear inspiring speakers and activists for a better world. To mark Truth and Reconciliation Day, our keynote is Kachina

Melinda Bige, from Lutselk’e Dené First Nation and the Indigenous Chair at Kwantlen University. She will speak to the Intersections of Truth and Reconciliation and Anti-Racist Action towards Peace. We open with a special message to us on “Remembering The Children” from Tom Jackson and his incredible impactful song about the horrific past. Chuka Ejeckam from the think tank, Canadian

Center for Policy Alternatives, will open before the panel discussion among BIPOC leaders on ending racism. The panelists are: Vancouver MLA Jenny Kwan; Vancouver City Councillor Pete Fry; Lorene Oikawa, Past President of the National Association of Japanese Canadians; well-known speaker Troy Derrick, member of the Gitxsan Nation; and Lama Mugabo from Simon Fraser University and founding director of Hogan’s Alley Society.

Our moderator is none other than activist Annie Ohana, recipient of the Prime Minister’s award for teaching excellence. She is a Social Justice and Equity Curriculum Specialist, the Aboriginal Department head at LA Matheson Secondary and a BCTF Representative. Other excellent speakers of the day are political science Professor Emeritus Peter Prontzos from Langara College, Barbara Waldern from Just Peace Committee; and Charlotte Kates from Samidoun, Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.

We are very excited to showcase the talents of singers such as the upcoming, award-winning Glisha, accomplished in poetry, dancing and

spoken word; Babeeta Chhabra, and Sherry Duggal. The intricate Sudnya Dance Academy, Steve Marc and the Marksmen world/reggae band and others will perform. Exciting entertainment from diverse countries such as Vietnam, Nepal, China, Peru, Africa and more - all in the spirit of peace, love and nonviolence. Visitors may view an Art4Peace exhibit, engage in cultural sharing such as free Mendi, basket weaving and Origami Peace cranes; savoury free treats, a children’s corner for art, and face painting. The Global Peace Alliance BC (GPA) celebrates 10 years since its inception by R.B. Herath’s “A New Beginning for Humankind” and community leaders in Surrey! What a great way to celebrate our diversity and community through the arts. Join us as we urgently call for change and a focus on saving our beautiful planet and humankind. For more information, please call 604-3290850. Find a detailed program, at www.peacealways.org. Get your tickets at: http://www. bellperformingartscentre.com for just a $5 donation; children, students and seniors are free.

VCH clinics offer new combination bivalent vaccine

STARTING this week (September 19), Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) COVID-19 vaccine clinics began offering eligible individuals the new combination bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 vaccine as part of the province’s fall booster program. This vaccine offers a strong immune response to circulating Omicron variants, the most common circulating COVID-19 strains in B.C. It also boosts protection to the original COVID-19 strain. This new vaccine is being offered to adults 18 years of age and older, and youth from 12-17 years of age who are at higher risk of developing serious illness from COVID-19. The vaccine is safe and is expected to reduce your risk of serious illness due to COVID-19 infection. Currently, a fall booster dose is recommended for everyone five years and older in B.C. to prolong their immune response coming into respiratory season during colder months. Youth under 17 without underlying health conditions will be offered an approved mRNA vaccine, such as Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech) or Spikevox (Moderna). Booster doses are not currently recommended for children six months to five years of age. You are advised to get a booster dose even if

you’ve already been infected with COVID-19, as the combination of infection and vaccination provides the strongest protection (i.e. “hybrid immunity”).

If you’ve recently had a COVID-19 infection, you are recommended to wait three to six months before receiving your booster dose, as the booster shot is not effective in those recently infected.

Individuals who are registered in the province’s Get Vaccinated system will be notified once they are eligible to book an appointment in the weeks ahead. Once you receive a notification, VCH welcomes community members to schedule an appointment at any VCH vaccine clinic across our region.

Many community pharmacies across B.C. are also immunizing eligible individuals. Those booking an appointment can select a date, time and location that is most convenient to them.

VCH advises anyone with questions about COVID-19 immunizations or the fall booster dose to speak to their family doctor, nurse practitioner, or to call 8-1-1 for free healthcare guidance.

Learn more at vch.ca.

Chandigarh (IANS): The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday said the Supreme Court verdict, recognising validity of a separate gurdwara management committee for Haryana, had alienated and discriminated against the Sikh community and said it would organise the entire Khalsa panth against this decision under the Akal Takht's leadership.

The SAD's senior leadership, while rejecting the apex court order recognising the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014, asserted "we will fight for our rights and expose this 'panth virodhi' conspiracy as well as the 'masands' who have become willing partners to it".

Senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, and Hira Singh Gabria said the Supreme Court verdict, "which had a communal tinge", had given an impression to the Sikh community that the law of the land was different for them and "that they were second-class citizens".

Taking on the apex court, the senior leaders said "the Supreme Court will have to tell who is running it".

They said this was important as relief was being granted in cases which were not in the jurisdiction of the apex court even as the Sikh community was disrespected in a case which pertained to a central Act.

Asserting that justice could not be denied to a

community in a healthy democracy in which the judiciary should be independent, the leaders said attempts were being made to divide the Sikh community under a conspiracy.

"The sewa of our gurdwaras is being denied to us for the second time since the partition of the country in 1947 when a sizable number of gurdwaras were left behind in Pakistan."

They said the judgment had even discarded the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak

Committee's (SGPC) right to manage its gurdwaras.

"We will not allow this to happen and will fight tooth and nail by taking recourse to legal options as well as democratic struggle to secure our rights."

The senior SAD leadership also warned the Union government and other political parties which were conspiring against the Sikh community that this could have very dangerous repercussions for the country.

"We have a right to live with respect", the leaders asserted, adding the Sikh community had done the most, be it fighting for independence of the country to guarding its frontiers and contributing to the national food pool.

Meanwhile the leaders also claimed the apex court was following different parameters on similar issues.

They said in the SYL [Satluj Yamuna Link Canal] case, the Supreme Court had rejected the Acts passed by the Punjab government returning the land on which the canal was constructed back to farmers by stating that the state did not have any right to adjudicate on an inter-state issue.

They said, however, now in the case of the gurdwara management case, the apex court had assented to Haryana's right to make its own laws on an inter-state Act.

Addressing the high-level meeting of the General Assembly, he said: "The United States supports increasing the number of both permanent and non-permanent representatives on the Council. This includes permanent seats for those nations we have long supported."

"The United States is committed to this vital work," he declared.

Washington has long expressed backing for

India's quest for a permanent seat through different administrations.

It also backs permanent seats for Japan and Germany.

"I also believe the time has come for this institution to become more inclusive, so they can better respond to the needs of today's world," Biden said.

He said that the US backs "permanent seats for countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. In order "to ensure the council remains credible and effective", he said, the US also supports increasing the number of both

permanent and non-permanent representatives of the Council".

No clear front-runners have emerged from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean for permanent seats, although Brazil, the largest country in South America, has staked its claim.

Of regional priorities, Biden spoke of the role of the Quad, made up of India, the US, Japan and Australia.

"In every region, we pursued new constructive ways to work with partners to advance shared interests", he said and mentioned "elevating the Quad and Indo-Pacific."

United Nations (IANS): President Joe Biden on Wednesday reiterated the US' commitment to India getting a permanent seat on the Security Council to ensure it remains credible.

UK to deepen ties with fellow democracies like India to build resilience: Truss

United Nations (IANS): Newly-elected Brit

ish Prime Minister Liz Truss said that to build economic strength and resilience, her coun try is deepening relations and growing secu rity ties with fellow democracies like India.

Making her debut on the world stage on Wednesday at the high-level meeting of the General Assembly, she said: “The free world needs this economic strength and resilience to push back against authoritarian aggres sion and win this new era of strategic com petition.”

For this, Truss said: “We are deepening our links with fellow democracies like India, Is rael, Indonesia and South Africa... We are building new security ties with our friends in the Indo-Pacific and the Gulf.” Last year, India and Britain committed to

United Nations (IANS): “Our world is in big trouble”.

With those explosive words, UN Secre tary General Antonio Guterres opened the high-level meeting of the General As sembly on Tuesday listing the crisis upon crisis piled upon the world.

He listed them: war, conflicts, climate change, hunger, financial crises, chal lenges of runaway technology develop ments, hate speech, global divisions and inequalities, and massive human rights violations.

Roadmap 2030, a broad plan for coop eration that encompasses strategic affairs, trade, Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific secu rity, climate change and health. The Prime Minister brought the stark mes

sage of a confrontation between democracy and autocracy over the future of the world.

“There is a real struggle going on between different forms of society - between de mocracies and autocracies. But we cannot simply assume there will be a democratic future.

“Unless democratic societies deliver on the economy and security our citizens expect, we will fall behind,” she added.

For this, Truss said, democracies like Britain have to build their economies and not “be strategically dependent on those who seek to weaponise the global economy”, a refer ence to Russia, whose ongoing invasion of Ukraine and its fallout have hit many coun tries hard.

To be economically and strategically resil

ient, democracies must band together, she said.

And alluding to the predatory nature of China’s economic programmes abroad, the Prime Minister said: “Rather than exerting influence through debt, aggression, and tak ing control of critical infrastructure and min erals, we are building strategic ties based on mutual benefit and trust.”

Earlier on Wednesday, India’s External Af fairs Minister S. Jaishankar met the UK’s For eign Secretary James Cleverly.

In a tweet after the meeting, Jaishankar said: “Discussed taking forward Roadmap 2030. Appreciate his commitment to deepening our partnership. Our conversation also cov ered global issues including Indo-Pacific, Ukraine and UNSC matters.”

“The United Nations Charter and the ide als it represents are in jeopardy,” he said. “And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction”.

In the midst of the gloomy prognosis, Guterres projected on the giant screens at the General Assembly chamber the image of a ship navigating the troubled waters of the Black Sea.

It was the ship, Brave Commander, car rying food grains from Ukraine to Africa and he called it “an image of promise and hope” in “the hell of war”.

“At its essence, this ship is a symbol of what the world can accomplish when we act together,” he said, mentioning the diplomatic efforts of the UN, Rus sia, Ukraine and Turkey for ships with foodgrains to break through the stale mate at the UN in dealing with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“In truth, it is multilateral diplomacy in action”, he said.

Assembly President Csaba Korisi echoed Guterres’s alarm at the global situation and also the hope.

Korosi said: “A landmark agreement on commercial grain exports from the world’s breadbasket offers hope. Diplo macy is at work to release fertilisers so that the shortages we see today do not become the famines of next year.”

“It has been 203 days since the General

Assembly adopted a resolution con demning the military aggression against Ukraine. Unfortunately, the bloodshed and the suffering have not stopped yet,” he said.

Decrying the paralysing polarisation of the geopolitical divides, Guterres warned that the world was descending into cha os with not even two groups.

He said, “At one stage, international re lations seemed to be moving toward a G-2 world; now we risk ending up with G-nothing. No cooperation. No dialogue. No collective problem-solving.”

“We need a coalition of the world,” he said.

On global warming, he said, “We have a rendezvous with climate disaster.”

He called for ending use of fossil fuels and imposing punitive taxes on energy companies that market fossil fuels.

Calling for adoption of non-fossil fuels, he said: “Developing countries need help to make this shift, including through inter national coalitions to support just energy transitions in key emerging economies.”

Korosi also spoke about the imminent dangers from climate change.

Calling the floods in Pakistan a “window on the future”, he said: “Once this highlevel week is over, I plan to launch a se ries of consultations with the scientific community, asking them to help us.”

Liz Truss

“Our world is in big trouble … We need a coalition of the world”: Secretary General

Guterres

United Nations (IANS): US President Joe Biden took his attack on Russia to the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting accus ing it of making nuclear threats while waging a “brutal war” against Ukraine.

Focusing on Russia’s President Vladimir Pu tin, he said on Wednesday that it’s “a brutal, needless war - a war chosen by one man, to be very blunt”.

“A permanent member of the United Nations Security Council invaded its neighbour, at tempted to erase a sovereign state from the map,” he said.

“Just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe and a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the nonproliferation regime,” he said.

To ensure that no country can “seize a na tion’s territory by force”, Biden said “each of us in this body who is determined to uphold the principles and beliefs we pledge to defend as members of the United Nations a” must be clear, firm, and unwavering in our resolve”.

“We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine. We will stand in solidarity against Russia’s aggres sion...,” he added.

Biden also returned to this favourite theme of “democracy versus autocracy”.

“The United States - and I, as President - cham pion a vision for our world that is grounded in the values of democracy,” he said.

“The United States is determined to defend and strengthen democracy at home and around the world because I believe democra cy remains humanity’s greatest instrument to

Washington (IANS): The “abrupt and un heralded change” in India’s stand on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as reflected in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “public rebuke” of Russian President Vladimir Pu tin earlier this week, has been heard in of ficial Washington DC with some relief and satisfaction.

Prime Minister Modi made it “clear to Pu tin’s face that the invasion is wrong”, said Ro Khanna, an Indian American lawmaker who has been critical of India’s refusal to condemn the invasion. Speaking at a community event on Wednesday, he went on to suggest Modi could also help in a

address the challenges of our time,” he said. Linked to the fallout of the Ukraine war is the global shortage of foodgrains.

Biden said, “We’re calling on all countries to refrain from banning food exports or hoarding grain while so many people are suffering. Be cause in every country in the world, no matter what else divides us, if parents cannot feed their children, nothing - nothing else matters.”

BIDEN also said that there are “shifting geopo litical trends” in relation to China, but said that the US does not seek conflict or want another cold war.

He said, “Let me be direct about the competi tion between the United States and China. As we manage shifting geopolitical trends, the United States will conduct itself as a reason able leader.”

“We do not seek conflict. We do not seek a

Cold War. We do not ask any nation to choose between the United States or any other part ner”, he said.

But the US will “be unabashed in promoting our vision of a free, open, secure, and prosper ous world,” he added.

With tensions rising between Beijing and Tai pei, especially after US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island in August, Biden said, “We seek to uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.”

He reiterated Washington’s commitment to “’One China’ policy, which has helped pre vent conflict for four decades. And we contin ue to oppose unilateral changes in the status quo by either side”.

He also criticised Beijing’s nuke programme, saying “China is conducting an unprecedent ed, concerning nuclear buildup without any transparency”.

He said that Washington was engaged in “new, constructive ways to work with part ners to advance shared interests” and was “elevating” the Quad - a group of India, the US, Australia and Japan in the Indo-Pacific”.

In a dig at Beijing’s programmes such as the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and others for infrastructure programmes that have led to serious economic problems for countries like Sri Lanka, Biden tried to contrast them with Washington’s.

He said that the US offers countries “invest ments that are designed not to foster depen dency, but to alleviate burdens and help na tions become self-sufficient; partnerships not

Modi’s ‘rebuke’ of Putin heard in US

“peaceful resolution and a ceasefire”. Earlier the same day in New York, a senior White House official pointed to the new Indian position as testimony to the Biden administration’s strategy of just laying out the facts on Ukraine for other countries to see and judge for themselves instead of forcing them to change their stand.

“The US strategy has borne fruit insofar as you are seeing increasing signs of coun tries that did abstain, to include countries like India speaking out in a different way, including directly in front of Putin,” the of ficial said. “And, you know, we’d like to see more than that, obviously, in the days

ahead.”

India was among 34 countries that ab stained in an UN general assembly vote in March that deplored Russia for invading Ukraine. China had also abstained. New Delhi came under significant pres sure from the US and its western allies to condemn the invasion and either stop buying Russian oil or not ramp it up, as it would enable Moscow to withstand the economic sanctions imposed on it to force it to end the war and leave Ukraine. India did neither. Until last week. “To day’s era is not of war,” Prime Minister Modi told Putin in public remarks ahead of

to create political obligation, but because we know our own success - each of our success is increased when other nations succeed as well”.

“With partners in the Americas, Africa, Eu rope, and the Middle East, and the Indo-Pa cific, we’re working to build a new economic ecosystem while - where every nation - every nation gets a fair shot and economic growth is resilient, sustainable, and shared.

Iran President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, who spoke before Biden, said Teheran was ready to return to the nuclear deal it had entered into with the five permanent members of the Security Council, Germany and the European Union aimed at preventing it from developing nuclear weapons.

The US had unilaterally repudiated it during Donald Trump’s presidency freeing Iran from its obligations under the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

But Iran continues to face crippling sanctions from the US and the West.

Raisi said that there is a “serious will” to ac cept a new nuclear deal but said that there should be a commitment that it will not be repudiated again.

Biden said that the US was “prepared for a mutual return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action if Iran steps up to its obliga tions”.

But, he declared, “the United States is clear: We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon”. to

their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. That went much further than India’s expres sion of ‘grave concern’ over the killing of civilians in Ukraine’s Bucha, and call for respecting the UN charter that protects the sovereignty and integrity of all member na tions.

US frustration with India’s refusal to con demn Russia and stop oil from it, had led to a rather unfortunate outburst from a senior White House official sent to New Delhi for these talks. He had warned India of “consequences”.

Joe

Punjab Chief Minister deplaning row: Union Civil Aviation Minister says he’ll “certainly look into it”

New Delhi (IANS): Amid Punjab Chief Minis ter Bhagwant Mann’s deplaning controversy, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said that he will look into the matter based on requests.

“This was an incident on International soil. We will have to make sure that we verify facts. It is up to Lufthansa to provide data. Based on request sent to me, I will certainly look into it,” the Minister told reporters here.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already dis missed Opposition’s charge that Mann was deplaned from the flight due to intoxication and said that the Opposition doesn’t have is sues to talk about and the Punjab Chief Minis ter had health problems.

Earlier on September 19, Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal had posted on Twitter: “Disturbing media reports quoting co-pas sengers say Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was deplaned from a Lufthansa flight as he was too drunk to walk. And it led to a

4-hour flight delay. He missed AAP’s national convention. These reports have embarrassed and shamed Punjabis all over the globe.”

“Shockingly, Pb [Punjab] govt is mum over these reports involving their CM Bhagwant Mann. Arvind Kejriwal needs to come clean on this issue. Govt of India must step in as this involves Punjabi & national pride. If he was

deplaned, GoI [Government of India] must raise the issue with its German counterpart,” Badal had tweeted. Badal later told the media that “the Chief Min ister’s actions have lowered the prestige of Punjab and Punjabis”.

He went on to disclose how he had talked to two passengers who were on the same flight as the Chief Minister to verify the incident.

“While one of the passengers, an industrialist, was in the first class the other, a hotelier from Rajasthan, was in the business class. Both said that Bhagwant Mann had fallen down on the first seat after entering the aircraft.”

He said following this the air hostess informed the Chief Minister about his seat which was a little to the back and that Mann proceeded to his seat swaying from one side to another.

“Following this the air hostess informed the captain about the situation and it was the cap tain who came to the spot and took the deci sion to deboard the Chief Minister.”

Noting that the plane was late as disclosed by Lufthansa, Badal said: “Lufthansa has never said that Mr Bhagwant Mann was not drunk and that the deboarding incident did not take place. In fact, the airline has refused to dis close the incident citing privacy laws.”

He also questioned how the Chief Minister fell ill suddenly after enjoying the comfort of the VIP lounge at the Frankfurt airport for nearly two hours.

Demanding an inquiry into the entire inci dent, Badal appealed to the Governor to dismiss Mann from his post. “Such a person should not be allowed to continue in office any longer,” he added.

Badal also said while the lies about the es tablishment of a car manufacturing plant by BMW in Punjab had been exposed, people did not know that the cycle company which the Chief Minister had claimed would invest in the state already had operations in Ludhi ana.

Punjab DGP constitutes SIT over ‘leaked objectionable videos’ of students

Chandigarh (IANS): Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Monday constitut ed a three-member all-women Special Inves tigating Team (SIT), under the supervision of Additional DGP Gurpreet Deo, to investigate allegations by Chandigarh University hostell ers over their alleged ‘leaked objectionable videos’.

The DGP said one student and two others were arrested. He thanked his counterparts in Himachal Police for excellent cooperation.

“Electronic devices seized and sent for foren sic examination. The SIT will go to the bottom of the conspiracy. No person to be spared, if found involved,” said Yadav in a video mes sage.

He appealed to everyone to maintain peace and harmony. “Don’t fall to unverified ru mours. Let’s work together for peace in soci

ety,” he added.

Responding immediately, Himachal DGP Sanjay Kundu said the police reacted to the request of Punjab Police with sensitivity and professionalism.

“We nabbed the accused. Congrats to Dr Monika, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, and her team for great professional work,” Kundu tweeted.

Huge protests broke out on the university campus in Mohali district after a girl allegedly leaked private videos of her hostel mates on line.

A day after daylong protest, silence returned to the campus on Monday as the local admin istration and the university agreed to investi gate the demand of the students over objec

tionable videos of several girl students that were recorded by a hosteller and shared with her friend in Shimla.

The police arrested an MBA first-year student of the university, while her friend and another person were held in Shimla.

As the matter drew angry political reactions, the university authorities clarified that “no vid eos were found of any student which are ob jectionable, except a personal video shot by a girl which she shared with her boyfriend”.

Also dismissing reports of suicide attempt by some students who were allegedly filmed, the authorities said “there are rumours that seven girls have committed suicide whereas the fact is that no girl has taken any such step”.

Punjab mulling to revert to old pension scheme: Mann

Chandigarh (IANS): In a major relief to the employees of the state government, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday an nounced that Punjab is considering to revert to the old pension scheme.

The Chief Minister said he has asked the Chief Secretary to explore the feasibility and modalities of implementation of the scheme that is likely to give major relief to

the employees.

Reiterating the firm commitment of his government to ensure the well-being of the employees, Mann said no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause.

He said employees are the backbone of the government and every effort will be made to ensure their welfare.

The Chief Minister said his government had

already taken several pro-employees ini tiatives in the last few months. He said his government has introduced a policy for the regularisation of the contractual employees in the state.

Likewise, Mann said his government has also embarked a major recruitment drive in government so that the youth can get jobs on one hand and performance of

departments can be optimised by over coming shortage of staff on the other.

Pertinently, the old pension scheme for employees was discontinued in 2004 and ever since then the employees are being given a new pension scheme. However, the employees have been de manding the restoration of the old pen sion scheme.

Bhagwant Singh Mann

Gaurav Yadav

New Delhi (IANS): The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the constitutional validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014, allowing formation of a separate committee other than the Shiromani Gurd wara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) to man age affairs of gurdwaras in the state.

A bench of justices Hemant Gupta and Vikram Nath said: “The affairs of the religious minor ity in the state i.e., Sikhs is left in the hands of the Sikhs alone in the same manner as was under the 1925 Act (Sikh Gurdwaras Act). The Haryana Act also provides for Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission in the same manner as is provided under the 1925 Act.” Justice Gupta, who authored the judgment on behalf of the bench, said: “The affairs of the gurdwara are again required to be man aged by local Gurdwara Committee. Since the affairs of the Sikh minority in the state are to be managed by the Sikhs alone, therefore, it cannot be said to be violative of any of the fundamental rights conferred under Articles 25 (freedom to practice religion) and 26 (free dom to manage religious affairs) of the Con

New Delhi (IANS): Former Punjab Chief Minister Ama rinder Singh on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in presence of Union ministers Narendra Tomar and Kiren Rijiju. Among those present in cluded senior leaders Ash wani Sharma and Sunil Jakhar.

Besides Amarinder Singh, others who joined the BJP included former Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, former MPs Amrik Singh Aliwal and Kewal Singh, former MLAs Prem Mittal, Harchand Kaur, Harjinder Thekedar and Balbir Rani Sodhi, former Punjab Ma hila Congress President Ra ninder Singh, Beeba Jaya Inder Kaur, Nirvan Singh, Kamaljit Saino, and Farzana

stitution.”

The Centre had argued that only the Parlia ment has the exclusive power to enact law on the said subject and there is no justification for the Haryana legislature to have passed a law on the same subject matter, taking away the jurisdiction of the Board constituted under the 1925 Act. It further contended that only the Central government could give directions with regard to functioning and operation of an inter-state body corporate, ie, the SGPC.

However, senior advocates Shyam Divan and Ranjit Kumar, representing Haryana and the Haryana committee, respectively, submitted that the source of power of enactment of the Haryana Act is Entry 32, List II of the Seventh Schedule. In exercise of such power, a statu tory body is sought to be created, whereas, Entry 28 of List III deals with charities and charitable institutions, charitable and religious endowments and religious institutions.

“Therefore, any law dealing with charities, charitable institutions and endowments falls within List III. Such law contemplated by List III is a regulatory law to regulate the function

ing of charitable institutions or charitable and religious endowments and religious institu tions. Whereas, incorporation of a statutory body falls in Entry 32 of List II, as also unincor porated religious and other societies. There fore, the Haryana Act falls within the legisla tive competence of the state,” they argued.

The then Haryana government under Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had passed the 2014 Act in the state Assembly, creating a separate juristic entity for the management of historical gurdwaras in the state.

The bench noted that neither the 1956 Act (The 1956 States Reorganisation Act) nor the 1966 Act (1966 Punjab Reorganisation Act) nor the 1957 Act (the Inter-State Corporation Act) has taken away the legislative competence of the states to legislate on the subjects which finds mention in List II of the Seventh Sched ule and/or in respect of matters falling in List III of the Seventh Schedule in the manner pre scribed.

“The 1956 Act or the 1966 Act empowers the Central government to issue directions to make the inter-state entity functional, but the

He assured them that he will give in his best to strengthen the party in Punjab.

Amarinder Singh left the Con

Central government has not been empow ered to legislate in respect of such inter-State bodies which came to be operational in one or more States due to the reorganisation of the States,” said the top court in its 58-page judg ment.

It said the 1925 Act was originally an intrastate legislation enacted by the state legisla ture and it subsequently became an inter-state body only by virtue of the 1966 Act. “Since the power to legislate conferred on the legislature has not been affected in any manner, there fore, the state would have power to legislate both under Entry 28 of List III or Entry 32 of List II for the reason that the 1925 Act is not an inter-state body corporate in respect of which the Parliament incorporated such Board,” it added.

Harbhajan Singh, a resident of Kurukshetra, challenged the law and also did an Executive Committee member of the SGPC, which man aged the gurdwaras covered by the 1925 Act and spread over the states of Punjab, Hary ana, Himachal Pradesh, and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

gress last year after resigning as the Chief Minister. He set up his own political outfit, the Punjab Lok Con

gress, which fought the Febru ary 2022 Assembly elections in alliance with the BJP. How ever, it did not win any seat.

Alam, who was represented by her daughter.

Earlier, Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP Presi dent J.P. Nadda.

Welcoming Amarinder Singh and others into the party, Tomar said he had al ways kept national interests

above partisan interests. He said with his joining the party, the BJP will be strengthened further in Punjab.

Amarinder Singh expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minis ter Shah and BJP Chief Nadda for reposing trust and confi dence in him.

Amarinder Singh with Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Kiren Rijiju,

By Veeno Dewan

Left- field Korean luxury premium brand Genesis offers a second-gen eration revamp for the G80 Sports sedan. The G80 sits between the smaller G70 and bigger G90 sedan. There are no major changes for 2022, apart from a new Sport trim level with new 20-inch wheels, while the top trim (As tested.) is renamed Sport Plus in place of last year’s Prestige. It gains rear-wheel steering, a 12.3-inch gauge display, a power front passenger seat, Nap pa leather trim, and remote park assist.

The full range of G80 trims com prises Advanced, Sport, and Sport Plus. Advanced uses a 2.5L turbo four-cylinder engine, while Sport and Sport Plus upgrade to a 3.5L turbo V6. Both motors are matched with an eight-speed transmission and AWD. 19-inch alloy wheels, panoramic sunroof, passive key less entry, heated steering wheel with power tilt/telescope, an 8.0inch digital gauge display, threezone A/C, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather upholstery, heated/ventilated front seats, and heated rear seats. Are all as stan dard. Among the G80’s high-tech features are a 14.5-inch touch screen, a 21-speaker audiophile quality Lexicon audio system,

wireless phone charging, and a head-up display.

The G80’s safety suite comprises, blind spot monitor with rear crosstraffic collision avoidance, lane de part warning, lane keeping assist, lane following assist, forward col lision mitigation with pedestrian/ cyclist detection, driver attention warning, rear occupant alert, adap tive cruise, highway driving assist,

surround-view cameras, front and rear parking sensors, and a blind spot view monitor and more.

As Genesis’s mid-range sedan model, the G80 faces off against such players as the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and A7, Mercedes-Benz Eand the CLS-Class. Pricing for the G80 ranges from: 2.5T Advanced AWD, ($66,500), 3.5T Sport AWD, (73,500), 3.5T Sport Plus AWD (80,000).

The G80’s cabin is lavishly equipped, with a quality look and feel. Some of the car’s cooler avail able features include: a Remote Smart Parking Assistant that can be controlled within the car or outside, remotely, via the key fob, a 12.3inch 3D cluster that recognizes the driver’s eyes and provides various driving information. An integrated controller that allows users to set destinations or enter phone num bers by simply writing on the main control center and a 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The Sport Plus’s driver’s seat is

equipped with an ergo motion seat function featuring seven air cells, which enables optimum seating for each driving mode and reduces fatigue via a stretching mode and automatic posture correction func tions.

All models arrive fully loaded and there are no available options. The price also includes delivery Interior wise, G80 buyers are in for a treat. featuring real open-pore wood trim (unique to each car) gorgeous, quilted diamond pattern Nappa leather seats, and premi um metal accents are all present. Back room is fine with just a little compromise in the head room de partment for tall passengers due to the low roofline. Cargo volume is rated at 371 litres.

On the road, the G80 feels nim ble and light on its wheels, thanks in part to the use of aluminum used in the doors, hood, and trunk lid. The willing 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 offers a full 375 horsepower at 5,800 rpm. But is happy to supply

most of its usable torque in the mid range. The V6 is very smooth with a turbine like power delivery. It is not a particular raucous pow er unit and is very refined, even when called to deliver some rapid acceleration. The G80’s AWD is bi ased to the rear-wheels and sends torque to the front axle as needed via the AWD system which con tinually monitors traction and driv ing style. The eight- speed trans mission is also a thing of beauty with its glitch free, effortless up and down shifts. The ride is very smooth due to the finely tuned electronically controlled suspen sion with a road-reading camera (On the 3.5T) that can scan for upcoming bump and adjust sus pension on the fly to compen sate. Genesis’s fuel consumption estimates for the G80 are 10.8/7.9 L/100 km (city/highway) for Ad vanced trim and its 2.5L engine, and 14.8/9.9 L/100 km for the V6powered Sport and Sport Plus trims.

To sum up, the G80 compares as an equal player to the very good, mostly German competi tors in this sector Where the G80 has the advantage is the better as standard equipment levels that are thousands of dollars extra in its rivals. Another plus point is the Genesis buying experience - you can buy on line, order a direct to door test drive and the ownership is enhance by a full concierge sys tem. Also included are five years of “Genesis at home” service. The company will pick your car up at your house or office for sched uled maintenance and give you a loaner.

This G80 is a wonderful car to drive and own- Gets better with every generation and comes high ly recommended.

2022 Genesis G80 3.5t Sport Plus: price $80,000, excl. taxes. More info at www.genesis.ca

By Veeno Dewan

Lexus’ new compact UX 350h CUV is a replacement for the outgoing NX 300h. and remains an a stylish, edgy CUV. For 2022/23 it arrives as a self - charg ing hybrid only. The UX is sleek and composed of daring sheet metal, with the trademark Lexus “spindle” grille. Standard fea tures include: 18-inch wheels, LED headlamps and a sunroof.

The UX 350h is powered by a VVT-iE 2.5 Litre 4-cylinder DOHC 16-Valve engine paired with the Lexus Hybrid Drive system, and the two combined units produce a maximum of 240 horsepower.

Power is sent to the front wheels through an automatic Electronically Controlled Con tinuously Variable Transmission and AWD-e with sequential shift mode.

Note, the UX350h battery is not a plug-in unit and instead recharges itself with regenera tive braking. The UX 350h has a fairly good comprehensive stan dard equipment list, including: as standard All -Wheel Drive, Heated front Seats & heated steering wheel, Digital Latch & Safe Exit Assist ,with Lexus Inter face including standard 9.8” HD Touchscreen Display, Lexus As sistant, wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ compatibil ity, 3-year trials for Safety Con nect and Remote Connect; up to 5-year trial for Service Connect; and available 14” Touchscreen Display. There is also: Drive Connect (Cloud Navigation, Intel ligent Assistant, Destination As sist) plus the new Lexus LSS+ 3.0 safety suite with: Blind Spot Monitor, RCTA, Electrochromic Driver Mirror and more.

Available Optional Packages include the Premium, Luxury, Ultra Luxury & Executive. We tested a 2022 Lexus UX 350h

equipped with the Premium Package (total price - $51,400) which arrived with features such as: Ventilated Front Seats, Power Tilt & Telescopic Steering Wheel, Power Slide / Tilt Moonroof, Power Rear Door, Lexus Driver Memory System, and Ambient Illumination.

The Lexus UX350h interior is typical “Lexi” as my old friend Alan Partridge would say with a sleek looking cabin. A wide cen tral display is now canted toward the driver and features a hi-tech 9.8-inch touchscreen as stan dard, which can be upgraded to a 14-inch screen with a thankful to see combination of virtual and physical controls for the climate system. Good to see that Lexus have introduced a more intuitive infotainment interface as the re mote Touch control pad for the centre screen, takes a while to get used to as the trackpad is so sensitive.

High quality, along with inter

esting design motifs and a com bination of decent plastics and faux leather-look panels domi nate on the dash. All the textiles and materials are premium with good design elements. It’s a very interesting and stimulating interior. The dash is also typical Lexus with a sporty, busy, hightech flavour. Overall front cabin room is very good in all areas.

The seats are supportive and very comfortable on long drives, and general driver ergonom ics are good. The rear is a tad cramped in terms of legroom and headroom. On-board stor age is fine and the cargo com partment is a tad small at 486 litres. Towing Capacity kg (lbs.) is 907/2000.

On the road, — the UX has ex emplary manners, with a com fortable ride and sharp, respon sive handling. Acceleration is good and the UX performs well both on the highway with ad equate passing power and in the

stop and go of city driving.

The Hybrid system automati cally switches between gaso line, electricity, or a combination of both, and there is also a driver selectable “EV (Electric Vehicle) Mode” button, that allows the UX to drive in electric mode only when it’s activated, but only at low speeds and with careful use of the throttle. The transi tion between the gas engine and

the hybrid motor is seamless, and fuel economy is impressive at 5.7 L/100 km in city driving; 6.2 on the highway; and 6.0 in combined driving It also takes regular-grade gasoline, a huge plus in these times of ridiculous ly high fuel prices! Brake feel is also fairly good and offers more pedal feel than most hybrid re generative systems.

Safety is high with such offer ings as a variety of driver-assist safety features including, blindspot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, emergency front brak ing, lane departure assist, lane centring, and automatic highbeam headlamps. The Lexus UX 350h arrives with the latest ver sion of the Lexus Safety System + (LSS+ 3.0), a suite that has a plethora of advanced safety sys tems, consisting of such features as: pre-collision braking with pedestrian and bicycle detec tion, radar cruise, lane tracing assist, plus more.

The 2022 Lexus NX 350h pres ents an excellent package to compact luxury CUV buyers who like the brand or want to enter the Lexus fold at an attractive price point. It offers a smooth, comfortable driving experience, more power, decent fuel econo my and performance. A top buy in this sector.

Running Time: 1h 26m

Frank, funny and honest turns out to be Sharp Stick. Prepare to be shocked in a nice way as this totally original film from Eleva tion Pictures will get you talking. And think ing. For a totally new and different experi ence Order this film on line and on demand starting Aug. 16.

We all know adolescence has its ups and downs, Sharp Stick is all about the trials and tribulations of a young girl trying to “discov er” herself. Actually the lady in question is 26 and goes by the name of Sara Jo. Men are the order of the day for Sara and actress Kristine Forseth fully fleshes her character out with her innocence and charm - and awkwardness

Here the aim of this woman is to lose her virginity and director/writer Lena Dunham manages to handle this in a tasteful con vincing way. Honesty is the order of the day here so we’re not encountering any of the lewd behavior or zany situations so com mon in these teen inspired films so often directed, in tended and projected at the leering teenage boy crowd.

Frank, to the point and sin cere Sharp Stick is well

Sharp Stick (PG) Pop Tart! neighborhoodcanvassingand speakingwithwitnessestoobtain furthe ri nformation.The

written with believable at times funny characters and a number of memorable moments. Hip and slick the film benefits further from the appearance and guidance (?) of Sara Jo’s fashionista driven sister and potty mouthed mom, wistfully played with heart and soul by Taylor Paige and Lena Dunham herself.

For more reviews please visit my website moviereviewssite.com

Suitable match wanted for an Australian Khatri Sikh boy, 35 years, 6’2”, clean shaven, very handsome, health professional, handsome salary, down to earth, never married, looking for a simple, humble, family-oriented girl, caste no bar. Please contact at 778-919-7948 or kamaljit10@ hotmail.ca

Well settled Punjabi Aggarwal boy, 5’-10” 74 born, issueless divorcee, USA Citizen, Own logistics business in California looking for a Hindu girl. Please Contact at 925-200-6838 (whatsapp) Email: manish_22us@yahoo.com

Suitable match for Manglik/Non-Manglik Permanent Resident Brahmin Boy 30 years, 5’ 6”, fair complexion, electrical tradesperson, looking for well educated girl who values family and career. Please contact bhartikamboj@hotmail.com, 604440-2756. Caste no bar.

Suitable match for a Saraswat Brahmin boy in India, 30 years old, 5’8”, Birth time : 5:32 PM, D.O.B. 16.07.1991, diploma in Mechanical Engineering. Contact: +16049997125 (Canada), (+91) 9888291112 or (+91) 9780616051.

Canadian Citizen Bahia Jat Sikh boy, 6” ft, 90 born with good job, well settled family in Canada BC, seeks educated Canada BC based girl. Contact with photographs WhatsApp no: Harminder 778892-1500

Jatt sikh parents seeking a girl for their Canadian

born, 30 yr old, 6’ tall, clean shaven, non-drinking and non-smoking son. Well educated and working as assistant manager and living in Surrey. Girl should be Canadian citizenship or PR. Email kangfamily9096@gmail.com

Well settled Sharma family seeking suitable match for their (India born) Canadian citizen 28 yearsold son doing B.C. Govt. Job, handsome salary, living in Vancouver with parents own house. Girl should be Canadian Citizen/PR with family values. Preference to Sharma family but caste no bar. Interested please call or text 778-892-4656 or email at sudesh2558@yahoo.com

*********

Well settled Jat Sikh family looking for suitable match for their handsome, 29 year old, 6’ Canadian born son working with Provincial Gov’t. Girl should be Canadian born, no less than 5’5”, beautiful & family oriented. For more info call 778 8956866

*********

Hindu Parents are seeking suitable match for for their 26 years old, 6’1’, living in India, very handsome son. His brother is engineer here in Canada. Girl should be Canadian Immigrant or Canadian Citizen. For more info call 778-322-6256

for their daughter, 29 years old, 5’6”, beautiful, well educated, permanent resident, lives in Surrey. Boy should be well educated and a Canadian Permanent Resident. For more information: please contact 778-388-5008

*********

Canadian citizen 34 , Hindu Arora beautiful girl 5”2 working in Bank Vancouver, Divorced (was a Short term marriage) seeking for a suitable match and boy should be in Canada.For more information please contact 7788953832.

*********

Suitable match for a Saraswat Brahmin girl, 31 years old, 5’3”, Birthtime: 5:30 PM, diploma in computer Engg., BSCIT, MCA, MA in English. Contact: +91--9780616051 (India), +1-604-999-7125. We consider Divorce too. We need Canadian PR or Citizen boy.

*********

Respectable well established Sidhu Family looking for a suitable match for their daughter born in 1981 in Vancouver, never married, university graduate, working as marketing manager with reputed international company. For further information contact: 604-319-0662 18 Sept.

*********

NRI match for Canadian Tonk Kshatriya PR girl, 1996/5’5”, beautiful, fair complexion , well educated, homely girl doing govt. job in a hospital. phone 778 840 3282

Hindu Punjabi Parents are looking a suitable match

Seeking SQM for Indian Born Ravidasia/Girl 31 years old, 5’6”, BPT from India with PR status. Boy should be educated with PR/Citizen status, same caste is preferable. Please send complete biodata and pictures at: doctordass@yahoo.com or doctor_daljit@yahoo.com

Seeking suitable match for a 31 years old, highly educated, working as a COO, Sikh girl. Caste no bar, currently residing in Delhi, India. Contact: 01191-98111-29363 (India) or Family in Canada: 778-713-8399 (Baljit)

Wanted a decent man for a 42 years young Punjabi beautiful, looks like 34, well educated, 5”8, with a cute 12 year old child. Contact @604-862-0726

Mortgage Rate Outlook

VOLATILITY continued in the Canadian mortgage market over the third quarter. Financial markets are currently digesting a complex economic environment as still high, though perhaps peaking, inflation collides with anxiety over a potential recession. That anxiety has expressed itself as volatility across Canadian bond markets with yields on Canadian government debt plunging before rapidly recovering in the second half of August. However, the Canadian yield curve has inverted as the level of longterm interest rates is now lower than short-term rates, a situation that in the past has heralded at least a slowdown in the Canadian economy, if not outright recession.

Five-year bond yields briefly declined through July, only to once again recover their previous 2022 highs as still rising core inflation prompted a reversal in expectations for monetary policy. Those expectations were solidified when the Bank of Canada raised rates by 75 basis points at its September meeting, signalling further rate increases to come. Despite the volatility in government bond yields, five-year fixed mortgage rates have remained relatively placid. We anticipate that five-year fixed mortgage rates will hover around 5.3 per cent for the remainder of the year, with the possibility of falling should recession fears amplify next year. Canadian variable rates are expected to increase to 5.55 per cent in the fourth quarter as the Bank of Canada continues its tightening cycle. However, we do anticipate some monetary easing by the end of 2023 as the Bank of

Canada adjusts to a slowing economy.

Economic Outlook

Growth in the second quarter of 2022 registered 3.3 per cent at an annualized rate from the prior quarter, with real GDP rising for the fourth consecutive month. GDP growth in the second quarter, though still strong, is showing signs of slowing. Growth was lower than the Bank of Canada’s expectations and likely contracted slightly in July. The Canadian unemployment rate has ticked higher in recent months as job growth in Canada turned negative. The Canadian labour market has shed about 115,000 jobs over the past three months, a potential sign the economy is slowing. That slowdown will likely continue, particularly in interest rate-sensitive sectors like housing, as the Bank forges ahead with its tightening cycle.

For more on this article, please visit bcrea.bc.ca

IT’S a despicable human who preys on peo ple to defraud them of money. What kind of sickness drives a person to such lows?

It’s a sad fact that every year, millions of se niors fall victim to fraud. They are prime tar gets because they tend be trusting, have sav ings and good credit, and struggle to identify scoundrels posing as government agencies, tech support, repair people, or even family members.

Another tragic group of victims are the thou sands of international students seeking an honest education abroad. Perpetrators raise false alarms about their visas or take money for fake scholarship applications and nonexistent accommodations. What a horrible opening experience for the very people the world needs as global ambassadors.

What drives a person to have no scruples, no decency, no heart? What happens that makes a person do such abhorrent things to innocent strangers?

Experts say fraud is a learned behaviour and there are two main categories of fraudster. One is the con artist. This kind uses self-con fidence to trick victims with well-honed skills in deception. Think of the circus showman. The second type is usually an otherwise hon est person who succumbs to criminal acts. The ingredients are pressure and opportunity. Pressure is often financial – mounting debt, living beyond means, or pride in a reputa tion for financial success. Opportunity comes from knowledge of how to commit the crime without getting caught.

How do these people justify their actions? Some feel like they are righting a wrong. This is common in workplaces where fraud is rationalized as a retribution for something deemed unfair practice by employers. Hav ing a rationale doesn’t make it right, but how ever bad, at least there is a motivation that can be understood.

But by the numbers, there are far too many scoundrels who take advantage of vulnerable people for no understandable reason. They are crooks of the worst variety. They are evilminded, plain and simple. It’s a different kind of sickness.

What can honest, law-abiding citizens do to counteract this social malady?

The answer is in knowing that fraud is like a virus. It’s moves from person to person and mutates.

There are and always will be scoundrels on this Earth. Some of them, most certainly, have clinical cases of sociopathic personal ity disorders, the result of who knows what. They need diagnosis and treatment.

But far too many crooks have simply lost their morality or perhaps never had it.

It’s a sad realization. There is, however, an in oculation against this illness. Everyone needs to educate themselves.

Just like any other chronic disease, it’s too late if you wait for it to happen. Instead, take steps now to protect yourself.

Do your research before handing over mon ey. Get a second opinion. Don’t trust people you don’t know. Don’t believe everything you read or see. Change your passwords. Keep your private information safe and don’t share it. Know the common scams.

There is a game taught to children living in dangerous neighbourhoods. A player is asked to kick a ball down a line between two rows of the rest of the children, who are instructed to try to kick the ball away. Of course, the child with the ball has no hope of success. But then the player is asked to try again, this time surrounded by a group of other players serving as protectors. This time, the child

A different kind of sickness

can kick the ball safely to the other end.

It’s a good lesson for all. Surround yourself with protectors.

There are, thankfully, a lot of people who genuinely want to make the world a better place.

Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contactus@docgiff.com. Follow us on Instagram @ docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

Dr. Ken Walker (Gifford-Jones) is a gradu ate of the University of Toronto and The Har vard Medical School. He trained in general surger y at the Strong Memorial Hospital, Uni versity of Rochester, Montreal General Hos pital, McGill University and in Gynecology at Harvard.

Diana MacKay writes in collaboration with her father under the pen name, Diana Gif ford-Jones. Diana is Special Advisor with

The Aga Khan University. She worked for ten years in the Human Development sectors at the World Bank, including health policy and economics, nutrition, and population health.

COMMON W. MD