Asian Star - March 11, 2017 by The Asian Star Newspaper

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www.theasianstar.com AsianStar logo Saturday, April 25, 2015 6:42:48 PM

Vol 16 - Issue 06

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Police hunting for masked shooter who shot a Sikh man near Seattle

Indian call centre scam targeted Canadians’ fear of taxman

The FBI will help investigate the shooting of a Sikh man who said a gunman approached him in Kent, outside Seattle, as he worked on his car in his driveway and told him “go back to your own country,” authorities said Sunday. Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas said no arrests have yet been made after the victim was shot in the arm Friday night about 32 kilometres south of Seattle, but that he did not believe anyone was in imminent danger. “This is a top priority investigation, and we are doing everything possible to identify and arrest the suspect,” Thomas said in an email, adding that the city of about 120,000 should “be vigilant.” It comes after an Indian man was killed and another wounded in a recent shooting at a Kansas bar that federal agencies are investigating as a hate crime after witnesses say the suspect yelled “get out of my Continued on Page 6... country.”

“Lucy” is barely able to contain her fear, even today. She has agreed to talk about what happened to her in exchange for concealing her identity. She is ashamed she was taken by a scam so easily, and worried her job in Toronto’s financial community will be jeopardized if her employer discovers how quickly she maxed out her three credit cards. It took only four hours, and six trips to two different drugstores, to plunge $25,000 into the red — a debt she is still struggling to pay off. “Yes, I have fear,” she said in an interview. “I thought if they come to work and cuff me … the people at work would know. In my life, we never do anything wrong. That’s why I’m so afraid.” Continued on Page 13...

RCMP investigates ‘indirect’ political donations in BC British Columbia’s elections agency says it is referring an investigation into political fundraising to the RCMP.

Elections BC announced it was investigating after media reports that the BC Liberal Party collected tens

of thousands of dollars in multiple donations from lobbyists who paid under their own names with personal credit cards on behalf of clients and companies and were reimbursed. An Elections BC spokesperson said such donations are “potentially contraventions of the Elections Act.” In a statement, Elections BC says the RCMP will now handle the investigation to ensure the case does not interfere with the administration of the May 9 provincial election. Continued on Page 7...

South Asian investor sues Trump for misleading him Canada’s highest court is upholding a lower-court ruling in favour of investors, including a South Asian man, who launched a lawsuit alleging they were misled by U.S. President Donald Trump and a real estate development firm. Continued on Page 6...

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local

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Two South Asian men plead guilty in Surrey cold-case murder

The first case assigned to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team’s cold-case team when it was formed five years ago has ended with guilty pleas. Bhabjit Singh Aujla and Parminder Singh Basran appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster recently, where they entered pleas to assault and manslaughter, respectively, in connection with the 2004 shooting death of Amandeep Singh Bath. Aujla was initially charged with manslaughter and being an accessory after the fact to murder. Basran was charged with seconddegree murder. Sentencing is scheduled for April 13. According to information previously released by police, Bath phoned 911 shortly before 3 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2004, to report that he was in his car and being followed by two men. Both cars stopped in the 9100-block 125th Street in Whalley, where there was a confrontation, and the 27-year-old was shot in the head. The incident was targeted, but Bath had no criminal history. He was living with his mother and working in an accountant’s office. “Amandeep did not deserve to die. His murder was senseless,” said his cousin, Harpreet Khela. Shortly after Bath’s death, Basran and Aujla were arrested and charged. However, the charges were stayed a year later after the Crown reviewed the evidence. At that time, a Crown spokesman said the evidence “no longer supported a viable prosecution.” Khela said it felt “amazing” to know the men responsible for his cousin’s death had finally admitted their guilt. “It gives the whole family some closure,” Khela said. He praised the cold-case team and Crown counsel for their diligent work on the file so many years after Bath’s death. “Obviously we’ll know more after sentencing, but just knowing that we have two people who have finally admitted what they did — because 13 years had passed and they hadn’t — that in itself means a lot to the family,” he said. “We have the right people and we definitely know that they did it.” IHIT spokeswoman Cpl. Meghan Foster said cold-case team members often form strong bonds with the families of the victims whose deaths they investigate.

Hong Kong families who hide American traitor Snowden seeking refuge here Lawyers for three families, who sheltered Edward Snowden in Hong Kong say they have formally asked the Canadian government to grant them asylum. They include two families from Sri Lanka. They issued a statement Thursday saying that the families want to move to Canada because they face persecution in Hong Kong. Snowden fled to Hong Kong to avoid prosecution over the leak of classified material about the U.S. government’s surveillance programs. A congressional inquiry into the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor concluded that he compromised national security by the leaks. The families have been publicly quoted as saying they hid Snowden in their apartments for weeks in 2013 before he went to Russia.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen’s office did not immediately respond to an

email on the matter. A statement posted on the website of “For the Refugees,” a group set up to help the families, said it’s critical for Canada to act

quickly. “These families, including three young and stateless children, face persecution in Hong Kong and in their home countries,” the statement said. “We are encouraged by Prime Minister Trudeau’s commitment in taking a clear lead internationally in welcoming refugees,” Canadian lawyer Marc-Andre Seguin said in the statement. “It’s up to Canada now to do the right thing,” he said. The lawyers said they filed refugee claims in January and are calling on Hussen to do what he can to speed up the applications. Snowden remains in exile in Russia. He has been charged with espionage in the U.S. and could face 30 years in prison. His lawyer has said he wants to return to the United States, if he could be guaranteed a fair trial.

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Don’t let seniors’ care in Canada become a private equity money maker By Margaret McGregor and Lisa Ronald - EvidenceNework.ca Late last year, the large trans-national insurance company Anbang announced its intention to purchase a majority interest in Retirement Concepts, a Canadian for-profit nursing home chain. Retirement Concepts receives funding from a number of provincial governments to provide nursing home care, and is the highest billing provider of assisted-living and residential care services in British Columbia. The sale, approved by the federal government in mid-February, is concerning for a number of reasons. The transaction appears to be part of a trend for private investment companies to purchase properties that generate profits by leasing the property back to a second private for-profit operator. In this case, its likely that Anbang will lease the property back to Retirement Concepts, the previous private for-profit owner, which will continue to provide the services. Why do this? Research shows that the typical business model for such arrangements is associated with offering a high return on capital and maximizing cash extraction. The property assets owned by the private equity firm are separated from the

daily operations of providing resident care. The former builds in high shareholder returns through a number of strategies, including requiring the daily operating business to make debt and rent payments. Some companies have gone bankrupt as a result, leaving residents and families in the lurch. Obscure relationships among multiple companies can make it very difficult to pin down responsibility when things go wrong. In the U.K., such a lease arrangement became so costly that when the government refused a request from the operator to help pay for increasing costs, the Southern Cross chain of 750 publicly-funded for-profit homes declared bankruptcy. This left residents and families with great uncertainty and governments facing public scandal. Allowing the growth of a private equity service delivery model in Canada will undermine the federal government’s stated priority of building a high-quality sustainable system of community-based care for seniors. Under these large corporate structures, it’s often difficult to identify the entity ultimately responsible for the care of this vulnerable population. If patients and families have complaints or governments have quality concerns, the lines of accountability in such large corporate structures are often poorly

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defined. The size and complex corporate structure of these large corporations make it extremely difficult to enforce financial accountability and report on how public resources are spent. It’s also difficult to create and enforce regulations that require facilities to spend a defined amount of public funds on staffing or to limit spending on administration. Once large companies own nursing home property, governments become increasingly dependent on these chains for services and are less able to terminate contracts, remove residents from poorly-performing facilities, ensure standards are maintained or control the costs of care. When such ownership is transnational in nature, the introduction of government regulations requiring facilities to spend a defined amount of public funds on staffing or to limit spending on administration may be contested under international trade agreements. There’s a substantial amount of research demonstrating that the quality of care contracted by governments to private for-profit nursing home is inferior when compared to care delivered in public and non-profit facilities. This is more often the case with large for-profit chains where there is even greater pressure to deliver a return on investment. The pressure to make a profit often leads to cost-cutting measures such as reduced staffing that undermine the quality of seniors’ care. The 10 largest publicly-funded private for-profit nursing home chains in the U.S. have been found to have lower 100 nurse staffing hours, for example, compared to100government facilities. Publicly-funded private for-profit chain facilities in Ontario have also been 95 95 found to provide fewer hours of care. The evidence is75clear: large-scale private equity investments in 75 nursing home facilities too often jeopardize the quality of care and put seniors’ health at risk. What can be done now? 25 Science and Economic 25Innovation, Development Minister Navdeep Bains and Health 5 VICTOR BAINS Minister Jane Philpott should commission a panel 5 on0 how governments can address the challenges of0 privatization and marketization of nursing home chains across the country. Our seniors deserve no less. - Troy Media

www.theasianstar.com # 202 - 7028, 120th Street, Surrey, BC V3W 3M8 Ph: 604-591-5423 Fax: 604-591-8615 E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com Editor: Umendra Singh Associate Editor: Shruti Prakash Joshi Marketing and Sales: Ravinder S. Cheema........604-715-3847 Shamir Doshi....................604-649-7827 Harminder Kaur...............778-708-0481 Parminder Dhillon..........778-859-9234 Layout: Avee J Waseer

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Police hunting for masked shooter who shot a Sikh man near Seattle Continued from Page 1... India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, identified the victim on Twitter early Sunday, saying, “I am sorry to know about the attack on Deep Rai, a U.S. national of Indian origin.” She said she had spoken to Rai’s father, who told her Rai is out of danger and recovering in a hospital. Rai told police that a man he didn’t know came up to him Friday night and they got into an argument, with the suspect telling Rai to go back to his homeland. He described the shooter as six-feet tall and white with a stocky build, police said. He said the man was wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face. Sikhs have previously been the target of assaults in the U.S. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the backlash that hit Muslims around the country expanded to include those of the Sikh faith. Male observant Sikhs often cover their heads with turbans, which are considered sacred, and refrain from shaving their beards. The faith comes from South Asia’s Punjab region. In 2012, a man shot and killed six Sikh worshippers and wounded four others at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee before killing himself. The Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights group, asked local and federal authorities to investigate the shooting in suburban Seattle as a hate crime. “We’re early on in our investigation,” Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas told the Seattle Times on Saturday. “We are treating this as a very serious incident.” Hira Singh, a Sikh community leader in Kent, said Sunday that the news was a shock to him.

“This kind of incident shakes up the whole community,” he said. He said there have been increasing complaints recently from Sikh community members who say they have been the target of foul language or other comments. About 50,000 Sikhs live in Washington state, with most in the Puget Sound region, he said. “It was disheartenig to see it happening here in my community,” Satwinder Kaur said. “Kent is a very diverse community. We haven’t seen a hate crime happening at this level.” Kaur said she had arranged for Kent’s police chief to talk to the community Saturday about their concerns on immigration and the role of local police officers. After the shooting, the meeting turned into a question-and-answer session about the crime, she said. “When someone says ‘Get out of my country,’ it’s a hate crime, there’s no question,” Kaur said. “The community has been shaken up.” US national Deep Rai, 39, was working on his vehicle outside his home in Kent on March 3 when he was approached by a stranger, who first argued with Rai, and then shot him in the arm. “The account provided by the victim suggests that he was targeted because of his ethnic origin,” Kent Police chief Ken Thomas told reporters yesterday, adding “Hateful acts are not acceptable.” Nearly a week after the shooting that stoked fears among the Indian-American community, the police released the sketch of the shooter. Thomas said the lone white shooter make, about six-feet tall, medium built and between 35-40 years of age.

South Asian investor sues Trump for misleading him Continued from Page 1... The Supreme Court of Canada said it will not hear a leave to appeal by the defendants in the legal saga — which include the U.S. president, developer Talon International and its former executives. No reasons were given by the court for the dismissal. The plaintiffs — Sarbjit Singh and Se Na Lee — allege they were sold units in the hotel under false pretenses and misled to believe their investments would result in returns ranging from 7.74 per cent to 20.90 per cent. Instead, the two investors lost a combined $1.2 million, according to a decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal last year. The 65-storey tower in Toronto’s financial district is comprised of hotel rooms and private residences and is managed by the Trump Organization. Last October, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the investors, ordering that the sale of the unit must be rescinded for Singh and damages must be paid to Lee for “negligent misrepresentation.” It also ordered that damages, the amount to be determined at a later date, be paid out to Lee for “negligent misrepresentation.” Lee said she lost nearly $1 million after taking possession of the unit. Mitchell Wine, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, says the Supreme Court ruling clears the way for more legal action to be taken against Trump, Talon and its ex-CEO and president Val Levitan and ex-director and

chairman Alex Shnaider. He said there are at least two dozen other investors who will also be looking to have the deposits returned. “They’re not high rollers, high finance people. They’re plain ordinary people who generally read about this (Trump hotel) on the Internet or saw advertisements and were told they would get a very decent return,” said Wine. “When I would ask them: ‘Why did you invest in this?’ The answer, in their not very good English, was ‘Donald Trump, The Apprentice.’ They had a lot of faith in Mr. Trump’s ability to build first-class hotels and to make money for people.” The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Talon’s lawyer, Symon Zucker, said his client was “clearly disappointed” by the Supreme Court decision. He confirmed that Talon was currently under receivership in relation to the hotel. Earlier this week FTI Consulting, a receiver in a court-run sale of the hotel, said in a letter it received no competing bids for the luxury property, located in Toronto’s financial district. Investment firm JCF Capital ULC was listed in the letter as the successful bidder after making an initial “stalking horse” bid. The 65-storey tower in Toronto’s financial district opened in 2012 and is comprised of 211 hotel rooms and 74 private residences.

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LOCAL

Saturday, March 11, 2017

RCMP investigates ‘indirect’ political donations in BC Continued from Page 1... “This referral will also ensure that there is no perception that Elections BC’s ability to administer the general election in a fair, neutral and impartial manner is in any way compromised,” says the statement. “The potential scope and timing of this matter make the RCMP the most appropriate agency to continue this investigation.” The agency, which has stressed that the investigation is not targeting a specific party, says it will not be commenting further. The RCMP confirmed it had, at the request of Elections BC, launched an investigation into “indirect contributions and other potential contraventions of the Election Act” but otherwise declined to offer additional details. The BC Liberal Party issued a statement promising full co-operation with the investigation. “We are committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring that British Columbians can have confidence in our electoral financing system,” the statement said. “That’s why we are voluntarily reporting all contributions in real time on our website. We have co-operated fully with Elections BC to date, and will cooperate fully if contacted by the RCMP.” The party has previously denied any wrongdoing but also said it would “review and remedy issues” raised in the Globe’s reporting. The Opposition New Democrats have also launched a review of the party’s donations to find instances in which lobbyists or union representatives donated in their own name. Earlier this week, the party said it had found four cases that required “clarification.” NDP Leader John Horgan said in a statement that he welcomed the “elevation” of the investigation. “British Columbians deserve answers on the influence of big money under Christy Clark and I hope this investigation is thorough and comprehensive,” the statement said. B.C. has few rules governing campaign finance -- there are no limits on who can donate or how much they can contribute – and the province has faced repeated calls to change that. The Liberals plan to introduce legislation next week that focuses on “real-time” disclosure of donations, but the government has said the bill will not impose any fundraising limits. The Liberals raised $12.6-million in 2016, while the NDP raised $6.2-million.

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TELUS is investing $150 million to connect more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses in Burnaby directly to its fibre optic network. Planning is currently underway, and construction work will begin this summer. TELUS anticipates connecting all homes and businesses before the end of 2019. “Direct fibre connection unleashes infinite possibilities,” said Tony Geheran, TELUS Executive Vice-President and President of Broadband Networks. “This investment will dramatically improve Internet speed and capacity for residents and businesses in all corners of Burnaby, as well as health care facilities and schools. Fiber is the future. Once the build is complete Burnaby will be connected to the gigabit-enabled TELUS Pure Fibre network, ensuring the city has enough bandwidth and capacity for generations to come.” The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is among the most advanced communications infrastructure available in the world today, enabling connected residents to immediately take advantage of dramatically faster Internet speeds of up to 150 megabits per second, while interested businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and institutions can access

even more speed and capacity. As demand and Internet technologies evolve in the coming years TELUS will offer faster speeds and more capacity, sufficient for decades to come. This new fibre optic infrastructure will also be the backbone of TELUS’ wireless network, enabling even more wireless capacity and speed. Local healthcare providers, educators and technology companies will be able to draw upon the technology to reimagine how they deliver existing services and develop entirely new solutions. “We are thrilled that Burnaby citizens and businesses will soon enjoy the significant benefits of direct fibre connection,” says Mayor Derek Corrigan. “As home to BCIT, SFU and a tremendous wealth of knowledge-based industry leaders, Burnaby’s continued economic prosperity is closely linked to its ability to offer the highest-quality Internet connectivity. This investment by TELUS will ensure that we do so, while also enabling our citizens to access all of the broadband applications and services on which we all now rely.” This investment is part of TELUS’ commitment to invest $4.5 billion throughout B.C. between 2016 and 2019, at no cost to taxpayers. For more information, please visit telus.com/burnaby.

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Senator had sex with underage teen, used Senate phone for explicit chats The Senate ethics officer says a Torontoarea senator broke the chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s code of conduct when he used the â&#x20AC;&#x153;weight, prestige and notability of his officeâ&#x20AC;? to have a sexual relationship with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;vulnerableâ&#x20AC;? teenager. In a long-awaited report released Thursday, Lyse Ricard said Don Meredith didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t uphold the â&#x20AC;&#x153;highest standards of dignity inherent to the position of senatorâ&#x20AC;? and acted in a way that could damage the Senate itself. The report found Meredith used his Senate cell phone for explicit chats, tried to help the woman land an internship on Parliament Hill, said he would appoint her to a committee looking at building a memorial to the first black soldier to receive the Victoria Cross, and seeing if he could help with her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permanent residency file. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Senator Meredith brought into the relationship the power and influence of the office of senator, while Ms. M was a vulnerable teenager,â&#x20AC;? Ricard wrote in her, at times, blistering critique. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That dynamic pervaded the entire relationship, from the time it was initiated through to when it became sexual.â&#x20AC;? Ricard also said she believed Meredith had sex with the woman at least once before she turned 18, twice after she turned 18, and engaged in numerous sexually explicit chats with the woman. The report said Meredith acknowledged he had sexual relations at least

once with the woman after she turned 18. Meredith did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the reportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings. However in a letter attached to the report, Meredith, an ordained minister, told Ricard that he deeply regretted what happened, but that God, his wife, and his two children had forgiven him. Meredith said he placed himself under the guidance of spiritual advisers, engaged in â&#x20AC;&#x153;continuous prayers of repentanceâ&#x20AC;? and sought the forgiveness of his family, went to counselling, started one-onone ethical guidance to a former senator (who isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t named in Meredithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter), completed a professional development course, and reviewed the ethics code. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The lessons and habits that I have learned from these efforts will ensure that any breach of the code will never be repeated,â&#x20AC;? Meredith wrote. However, Ricard said the measures werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remedy the harm his actions caused the Senate. It will now be left to senators to decide what, if any, punishments Meredith will face. Appointed by former prime minister

Debate over daylight time continues as most of Canada springs forward this weekend This weekend, many Canadians will have to trade some sleep for sunlight. Yes, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that time of year again. At 2 a.m. Sunday, clocks in most of the country will spring forward an hour into daylight time, also known as daylight saving time. The early morning time change is meant to minimize disruptions to daily life. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ample evidence, though, that disruptions abound, especially in the first few days after the clocks move ahead. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daylight saving time is a public health issue in many ways,â&#x20AC;? said University of Montreal psychiatry professor Roger Godbout. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has an effect on some peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sleep patterns and their internal clocks, which then, of course, has other consequences.â&#x20AC;? The early advocates of daylight time could never have foreseen all of the unintended effects â&#x20AC;&#x201D; such as higher rates of heart attacks and increases in traffic and workplace accidents. Celebrated statesmen and inventor Benjamin Franklin first floated the idea in an essay published in the Journal of Paris in 1784. Franklin, one of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding fathers, focused mainly on conserving candles in the morning hours, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been suggested the essay was a sly commentary on the penchant of some in the French court for sleeping-in. New Zealand entomologist George Hudson started promoting the idea in 1895, partly with the hope heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have more daylight hours to study insects in the field. Daylight saving time was eventually adopted by Germany in 1916 as a way of conserving coal and fuel during the First World War. The U.S., Britain and Canada followed suit soon after. But some parts of Canada have held out. Most of Saskatchewan, as well as communities in B.C., northwestern Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut shun daylight time. That may be the wiser choice, says Godbout. While the spring forward that comes in March is generally

thought to be more stressful than the â&#x20AC;&#x153;falling backâ&#x20AC;? to standard time in early November, research indicates that any periodic shift in time can have an effect on the body and on road safety, especially. That has fuelled debate over whether the practice is worthwhile. A March 2013 telephone survey of 1,000 adults by Rasmussen Reports in the U.S., for example, found that 45 per cent of people thought it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worth it to change the clocks, and 19 per cent were unsure.

There is a growing movement south of the border to either keep daylight time yearround or abandon it entirely. Legislation has been proposed by lawmakers in Oregon, Michigan, Utah, New Mexico, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, South Dakota and Alaska. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also growing criticism in some western European countries. Here are some facts and figures that might help you decide whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re for or against the bi-annual time changes. A study presented to the American College of Cardiology in March 2014, based on data collected from Michigan hospitals between 2010 and 2013, indicated that the number of patients admitted for heart attacks spiked 25 per cent on the Monday immediately after clocks sprang forward for daylight saving time (the first day when the average person had to get up an hour earlier for work). The studyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s authors were careful to note that they had not proved a definitive link to the time change itself or changes in sleep patterns.

Stephen Harper, Meredith quit the Conservative caucus in June 2015 after the Toronto Star first reported on the relationship. Meredith now sits as an independent. Ricard said the two met in at a Black History Month event at a church in Ottawa in February 2013 where Meredith, then 48 years old, was a speaker. The two then started text messaging and speaking on the phone. As for her age, the report says the woman told Meredith three weeks after meeting that she was 16, but Meredith told Ricard he could not recall when

that happened. Ricard sided with the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of events. The woman said the two started having sexually explicit chats online in April 2014. During these chats, Ricard wrote, Meredith progressed from admiring her taking her clothes off to masturbating; Meredith couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recalled masturbating on camera, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but if he did, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;it was an interaction.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ricard wrote that in December 2014, a few days before the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 18th birthday, the woman said she and Meredith were in her apartment when Meredith â&#x20AC;&#x153;gave her what he called a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;teaserâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, something Meredith denied. The woman said Meredith â&#x20AC;&#x153;penetrated her with his penis for about maybe a minute,â&#x20AC;? which Meredith denied. Meredith told Ricard he never penetrated the woman before 2015.

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BC announces $500M plan to improve seniors’ care British Columbia’s government will spend $500 million over the next four years to improve care for seniors, including increasing the direct services the elderly receive at residential care facilities.

Health Minister Terry Lake says the plan will allow provincial health authorities to provide more than three hours of daily direct

care to seniors in public and private residential care facilities. B.C. has more than 32,000 seniors care beds at residential and assisted-living facilities. Isobel Mackenzie, B.C.’s senior’s advocate, says the plan means 7,000 extra hours to care for seniors every day. She says she expects the plan will result in more baths, walks and bathroom breaks for seniors. Judy Darcy, the Opposition New Democrat health critic, says after 16 years of neglecting seniors, the government has decided to spend $500 million barely two months before the start of the election campaign. Daniel Fontaine, executive officer for the B.C. Care Providers Association, calls the funding a pivotal moment for seniors and their families.

East Vancouver shooting leaves 2 men dead A double-shooting in East Vancouver last night ended when the car carrying the two victims crashed a block away, eventually leaving both men dead. Police were called after a report of a shooting near East 31st Avenue and Ross Street around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. When they arrived, they found two men in a car with gunshot wounds. One man, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other, 32, was taken to hospital in critical condition and died early Friday morning. Sgt. Randy Fincham said the shooting actually occurred near Inverness St. and E 31 Ave., and that the Honda Civic carrying the two men then traveled west on E 31 Ave. before turning and crashing on Ross Street.

The victims were known to police and it’s believed they were targeted. Fincham said the VPD is investigating whether this incident is connected to other shootings in the area. The Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crime Section and Gang Crime Unit remain on the scene. Police closed off a large portion of the residential area around the scene while forensics teams gathered evidence. No arrests have been made, according to a statement. The deaths are Vancouver’s fifth and sixth homicides of 2017. VPD members will be going door to door in the neighbourhood this morning, looking for witnesses or any useful video.

International Womens Day celebrations

International Womens Day was celebrated in Vancouver by India Mahila Association on March 5th

New legislation won’t stop union and corporate donations The provincial government’s long awaited legislation on political donations will not include restrictions on union and corporate donations. The B.C. government is set to introduce legislation Monday that will require political parties to post online political donations received every few weeks. The B.C. Liberal Party began voluntarily posting donations on the party’s website at the beginning of 2017. “That is what you will see in the bill. Essentially the things we have talked about already. Things that we are already doing in the B.C. Liberal Party,” said Clark. The provincial government has been facing questions for the past year about ‘cash for access’ fundraisers that provide donors the

opportunity to have face time with Premier Christy Clark. Elections BC also announced this week an investigation into lobbyist donors who contribute individually to a political party and then are reimbursed by a client. This practice is against the B.C. Election Act. Clark acknowledged the donation process can be improved, but believes a donor system is better than a publicly funded system. “While the system we have is not perfect and there are lots of things we can and should do to fix it,’ said Clark, “a worse system would be one where the money is not given freely and people are forced to support political parties through their taxes.”

LOCAL

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Canada’s unemployment rate drops to lowest level in more than two years Canada’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 per cent last month, its lowest level in more than two years, Statistics Canada said Friday, as the economy created more jobs than expected even with fewer people looking for work. The report was the latest in a line of strongerthan-expected data. Several economists hailed the numbers as further evidence that Canada’s economy is on the mend from the oil price shock of recent years, though at least one questioned the survey’s findings of a massive swing toward full-time employment at the expense of part-time jobs. The decline of 0.2 percentage points from the previous month brought the unemployment rate down to a number not seen since January 2015. The agency’s February employment survey indicated the national labour market added 15,300 jobs overall last month. Economists had projected a gain of just 2,500 jobs and expected the unemployment rate to stay at 6.8 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters. “The underlying economy continues to gain steam,” BMO senior economist Benjamin Reitzes said in a note to clients. “One more piece of evidence that the Canadian economy

Monster potholes damage cars, blows out tires

has turned the corner.” The Statistics Canada report found most of the February job gains came from full-time work, offset by a decline in the number of people working part-time. It said an estimated 105,000 people found full-time employment last month while parttime positions dropped by nearly 90,000. That was in contrast to the January labour market survey, which showed a surge in part-time work. “I find this hard to believe in terms of the details,” said Derek Holt, head of markets economics at Scotiabank Economics. He noted that the increase in full-time jobs would mark the strongest gain in almost 11 years while the part-time drop would represent the biggest decline since Statistics Canada began its labour force survey in 1976. While the monthly employment numbers are typically volatile, Statistics Canada said that, in the 12 months to February, Canada saw a net gain of 288,000 jobs with most of the increase coming in the last six months of 2016. Friday’s jobs report has taken the likelihood of a Bank of Canada interest rate cut completely off the table, said Reitzes. But the central bank is also unlikely to raise rates anytime soon, said TD Economics senior economist Brian DePratto.

Following weeks of heavy snow and rain, large potholes have appeared on roads in Vancouver. The potholes damage cars sometimes seriously. About a half-a-dozen cars were sidelined by a huge pothole in Bridgeview after they blew their tires on the deep pit in the middle of the road. Surrey Fire Service received a call about 1 a.m. Thursday about a multi-

vehicle accident on King George Boulevard at approximately 112 Avenue. As it turns out, six cars had hit a pothole and blew out their tires. City crews came out and filled the hole, which was about a metre (three feet) long and 30 centimetres (12 inches) deep. None of the drivers were injured. Fire crews helped some of them change out their spare tires before sending them on their way.

WorkSafe BC blames PTSD for Surrey firefighter’s suicide two years after hit and run Surrey firefighter Ernie Dombrowski took his own life but died in the line of duty according to a WorkSafe B.C. ruling that could assist other first responders who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The decision, according to Surrey Firefighters Association president Mike McNamara, will make it possible for other first responders to make claims related to mental health. “We need to do the best job we can to identify those operational stress injuries and capture it early and get treatment early so we don’t get to that PTSD,” said McNamara, speaking outside the B.C. Legislature in Victoria. McNamara was attending a ceremony where Dombrowski’s name was added to a memorial list of firefighters who have died in the line of duty. The ruling qualifies Dombrowski’s widow, Gena, to receive more than $3,000 a month in survivor’s benefits. In 2013, he responded to a hit and run call where a victim had been left on the roadside. The incident left him shaken. Two years later he took his own life. “He just struggled with not being able to help everybody, “ said Gena Dombrowski outside the legislature in Victoria. “He took it to heart every time he went out to a call. There were some tough calls and it really hit him hard.” As well, the couple’s son will qualify to receive four years of post-secondary education funding from the International Association of Firefighters. “I’m just hoping for future firefighters, and that there is help for them before something gets so desperate,” said Dombrowski. McNamara said there is an unspoken culture among firefighters that doesn’t encourage people to exhibit weakness. “You just suck it up. This is the job. This is the work. “If you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t be

here,” he said.

“We’re starting to recognize we’re not programmed like that as human beings — that we need to be able to cope and deal with it a little bit more efficiently as soon as possible.”

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‘Prince of Pot’ faces drug charges after police raid Cannabis Culture pot shops Marc and Jodie Emery were charged with drug-related offences in Toronto on Thursday after police raided seven of the couple’s Cannabis Culture marijuana dispensaries. A dozen Vancouver police officers, acting for Toronto police, raided Marc Emery’s Cannabis Culture headquarters on West Hastings Street on Thursday morning, while police raids were also carried out in Toronto and Hamilton. The self-styled “Prince” and “Princess of Pot” were arrested Wednesday evening as they were about to board a plane to Spain at Pearson International Airport. They were heading to Barcelona to attend the Spannabis marijuana expo. The pair appeared briefly in a Toronto courtroom on Thursday afternoon before police announced the full list of charges they faced. Marc Emery faces 15 counts, including conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime, while Jodie Emery is charged with five similar counts. The Emerys own the Cannabis Culture brand, which is used by a chain of 19 marijuana dispensaries in B.C., Ontario and Quebec. The arrests and raids were part of a Toronto police operation called Project Gator, said force spokesman Mark Pugash, which included the execution of 11 search warrants under the Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and the arrests of five people. The roots of Project Gator reach to May 27, 2016, one day after a massive crackdown targeted dozens of dispensaries in Toronto. On May 26, 2016, Toronto police raided 43 pot shops across the city, arresting 90 people and seizing hundreds of kilograms of drugs. The following day, the Cannabis Culture

dispensary at 801 Queen St. W. in Toronto opened its doors, with the shop’s Jodie Emery telling the media they planned to continue

to operate and, in defiance of federal law, sell marijuana for recreational purposes. “We do not want to force people to be sick or to fake illness or to pay a doctor for permission to access cannabis,” she told The Toronto Sun last May. The Emerys are accused of trafficking marijuana between last May 27 and this Thursday, according to an indictment filed Thursday in a Toronto court. They are also alleged to have, also between last May 27 and this Thursday, conspired to commit an indictable offence “by entering into an agreement to run a franchise whose main purpose is the trafficking of controlled substances,” They are alleged to have committed conspiracy in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec. Pugash said search warrants were executed Thursday at five Cannabis Culture stores in Toronto, one in Hamilton and one in Vancouver. Four warrants were executed at private residences in Toronto, the Hamilton area, and in Vancouver.

Carfentanil detected in Abbotsford for the first time New lab results have confirmed that carfentanil — the opioid drug that is 100 times more toxic than fentanyl — has surfaced in Abbotsford. Police say both fentanyl and carfentanil were seized last month during a raid in the city. “The drugs that were seized were street level drugs and the next stop would have been with the consumer,” said Const. Ian MacDonald. “Both the levels of the fentanyl and the carfentanil were at toxic levels.” MacDonald won’t say how much fentanyl and carfentanil were seized or where the bust took place because he doesn’t want to compromise the ongoing investigation. Carfentanil was first detected in street drugs in Vancouver in November and since

then it has popped up elsewhere in the province. The drug, which is used as an elephant tranquillizer, was linked to an overdose death last year. MacDonald says it’s so powerful, officers receive special training on how to deal with it. “We actually run through scenarios now in this police department preparing for the possibility that one of our officers — either on the front lines or even as they’re handling drug exhibits — could go into medical distress just from the exposure,” he said. Of the 922 deadly overdose deaths in B.C. in 2016, 37 took place in Abbotsford. The Abbotsford Police Department has a resources page on street drugs for parents on its website.

Firefighters report 174 overdose calls last week Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services says the number of overdoses calls spiked last week to 174 — the highest number recorded in one week so far this year. The tally does not include ambulance callouts, and did not indicate how many of the calls were for fatal overdoses. But in a release the city said that the number is “extremely high” historically speaking. The city’s statement also said during the week of Feb. 26 to March 5 Vancouver police logged 14 suspected overdose deaths — six more than the week before — although toxicology reports are not yet complete and the coroner will need to confirm final numbers. The city says most of the calls came from the Downtown Eastside but overdose calls

across the city had increased. In a statement, Mayor Gregor Robertson said the ongoing overdose crisis is having a “devastating” impact on the city and frontline workers.

“The city shoulders a huge burden of the drug overdose response, and our first responders and front-line community workers are at a breaking point,” he said.

LOCAL

Saturday, March 11, 2017

City of Vancouver pledges to speed up development permits The City of Vancouver says it will implement measures to improve the city’s building permit process which has been plagued by excessive delays and high volume. In 2016, the city received

8,300 permit applications, the second highest volume of applications the city has seen to date, according to a report released by the city. Housing development reached an all-time high over the past two years, the report revealed, and development wait times have increased significantly. For example, in 2013 the median wait time for a low-density permit — like the construction of a new house or an addition — was almost 9 weeks. In 2016, the City says it increased to almost 29 weeks.

Kaye Krishna, the City of Vancouver’s general manager of development, buildings, and licensing, said the wait times have increased because of the volume of applications and because the city has encouraged more complicated developments. “We’ve done more and more over the past few years to enable laneway housing and accessory dwellings. We went from what used to be fairly simple singlefamily homes to much more complicated developments,” she explained. “With that, there are some more rules but there is also just learning that’s taken place between industry and staff on how to best do that.” Krishna said she and city planner Gil Kelley have listened to stakeholders about what the “pain points” are in the development permit process and her team is working on simplifying policies and regulations for low density applications.

Indian call centre scam targeted Canadians’ fear of taxman Continued from Page 1... What created fear and panic in Lucy’s mind was a voice-mail message that has terrified tens of thousands of Canadians since 2013. Someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency typically says a fraudulent mistake has been discovered in back taxes, and the person needs to contact the tax department to rectify it immediately. In recordings obtained , the voice mails went this way: “The issue at hand is extremely time-sensitive and very urgent. We have received legal notice against your name regarding tax fraud. The police department will approach you at your place with an arrest warrant.” When Lucy received that message, she immediately called the number provided and spoke to a young man who identified himself as “Jason” at CRA and demanded she pay the alleged tax debt. He kept the pressure on, instructing Lucy to buy an ever-increasing number and value of iTunes cards over the next four hours, and provide him with the serial numbers on the back of them. At one point the voice on the other end of the phone threatened to reveal to police that Lucy was a terrorist if she didn’t comply. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in North Bay receives hundreds of complaints every week about calls like the one that targeted Lucy. According to Jeff Thompson, operational supervisor at the centre, who has heard many of them, the person making the call was clearly extorting the victims. “There was a lot of fear in the victims,” Thompson said. “It was fear and panic they were trying to create. ‘You owe money, you’re going to be arrested, deported, fined, charged.’ They’re going to keep the victims on the phone. They’re going to direct them to the nearest store, the nearest money service business.” Lucy didn’t have time to question the oddity of being told she needed to pay a tax debt by purchasing cards meant to download music and movies. She, like many older victims, didn’t know what iTunes cards were used for. She stopped agreeing to the demands from “Jason” only after

BC Hydro abandons plans to build underground substations in Vancouver BC Hydro has abandoned a plan to build two underground substations in downtown Vancouver saying the city wanted too much money. However, Vancouver’s city manager has provided a different take on the disintegration of BC Hydro’s proposal to build two downtown underground hydro substations. Sadhu Johnston described the plan as “innovative,” but said BC Hydro’s March 31 deadline was too tight. Hydro’s plan called for the construction of one new underground substation near Lord Roberts School Annex in the West End. The other was to be constructed beneath Emery Barnes Park in Yaletown. In an interview, Johnston said the city needed more time to consider the implications of construction and noise while building a

substation below Emery Barnes Park. The city also provided a counter offer to the one provided by BC Hydro for lease of the space below the park. “This will be a major transaction and we ultimately needed more time to be able to land on what we both felt was a fair price,” Johnston said. “So we provided a counter offer to them, and we just didn’t have time to work through that to land on something that we were both comfortable with.” Hydro first pitched the plan in January to build the two underground hydro substations. In exchange, it promised to pay for two new downtown schools, daycare spaces and upgrades to the Yaletown park. Vancouver already has an underground substation beneath Cathedral Square park at the corner of Richards and Dunsmuir streets.

she had maxed out her three credit cards and emptied her savings. She had no more money to hand over. She finally called her daughter and told her what had been happening that afternoon, and it was then she realized she had been had. The so-called tax scam preyed on victims all over North America. The RCMP estimates that 50,000 Canadians have been victimized by callers claiming to be from the CRA and that millions of dollars have been sent out of the country through the scheme. And that’s only the people willing to admit they were extorted; police believe many others may be too ashamed to report it. The iTunes cards are only one way money was moved. Most of it, according to police, had a common destination: India. Call centres are a huge business in India. According to Vijay Mukhi, managing director of a Mumbai computer institute, they employ about 10 million people in jobs that are coveted by young workers in particular. Chances are if you’ve called a computer help line here in Canada, your call has been forwarded to a legitimate call centre in India to provide IT assistance. The wages by North American standards are paltry, but the steady income and the opportunity to practise English and flatten their accents makes call centre jobs a good landing place for those fresh out of school. Mukhi said there are no reliable estimates of how many call centres engage in illegal activity, but the draw for some people is a much better wage, usually paid in cash and under the table. “Here I am, 20, 21, 22, my first job. I never thought I’d get a job in my life; now I’m making a thousand times more every month than I ever thought I would,” Mukhi said, explaining how a young graduate might see this employment. “Now I’m telling myself I’m actually stealing from the rich and I hate the rich. You are making so much money, you’re spending so much money — why would you squeal? Why would you have a conscience? This is a dream you want to go on forever.”

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Stateless U.S. residents claiming refugee status in Canada expected to increase, lawyer says Canadian immigration lawyer Richard Kurland says he expects to see an influx of refugee claims in Canada from stateless residents who have been living in the U.S. for

decades. “We expect to see a rush in Canada of a very large number of people from the United States with immigration problems,” said

Kurland. “They see and hear President Trump — they know what’s coming. To save themselves, they will not go home — they will come to Canada to either buy time or buy a solution.” Kurland made the comments when he was asked about people like Waji Danoun — a 57-year-old man who lived in the U.S. for 39 years and has now filed a refugee claim in Canada. “In the short run we can expect to see thousands of new cases streaming over the Canadian border and there’s nothing we can do about it,” he said. “President Trump’s enforcement policy is going to squeeze the immigration toothpaste tube in the United States and up the top they come to Canada.” Danoun is claiming asylum in Canada after he says his employment authorization card was not renewed this year in Oregon. “There was a deportation order standing against me in the United States,” he said. “The United States deemed me a stateless person because Lebanon — the country of

my birth, does not have a record of my birth.” Danoun said he arrived in the U.S. in 1978 on a falsified passport, but was able to legally work and stay in the country for 39 years. “I was under immigration probation … I was given an employment authorization … and was allowed to work and [had to] report

periodically.” But this year, Danoun said, his employment card was not renewed. Kurland said the chances are slim that any of these types of refugee claims would be successful in Canada. “It’s a very difficult wall to mount ... you have to prove genuine fear of persecution from the government in the United States.”

Uber is coming to BC, province announces The province has announced that ridehailing services like Uber and Lyft are coming to B.C. in a matter of months — but taxi advocates say they're planning to challenge the decision. Todd Stone, minister of transportation and infrastructure, said the government hopes to introduce the services in December. "British Columbians have made it very clear that there is a demand for services that ride-hailing companies provide," Stone said Tuesday. To ensure a "level playing field" between the ride-hailing companies and existing taxi services, Stone said the government plans to introduce several measures, including: • New, app-based technology allowing the

public to hire and pay for cabs as they would a shared ride. (Cost: $1 million) • New crash-prevention software in all B.C. taxis to improve passenger safety and avoid collisions. (Cost: $3.5 million) • Granting taxis exclusive rights to be hired by phone, at a stand, or from the curb. • Giving cabs and ride-hailing drivers equal access to cross municipal boundaries. • Addressing the provincial taxi shortage. "Our approach over the next nine months will be to continue to be very thoughtful and very deliberate ... to introduce a fulsome sweep of policies that will be well-informed. We want to get this worked out soon and get it worked out right," Stone said. Despite the government's promise of

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healthy competition, the Vancouver Taxi Association says the decision is not fair to its drivers. "They say it's an even playing field, but they're lowering the standards all the way around ... the government-proposed method of deregulating the taxi industry is going to destroy the small business and livelihoods of Vancouver Taxi Association owners," she said. "We're not opposed to change at all ... but it has to be done in a way that protects the investment of current taxi licence holders. Bauer said the group plans to "use every available legal and political means to fight" the initiative. The province said taxis and ride-hailing companies will be held to the same safety standards. All drivers must: • Have at least a Class 5 driver's licence. Class 4 licences will be phased out. • Be at least 19 years of age. • Pass a safe driving record check. • Have vehicles inspected regularly. • Pass a criminal record check for past convictions of violent and/or sexual offences, as well as other crimes.

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Canadian woman denied entry to USA A Canadian woman travelling on a Canadian passport says she was turned away at the U.S. border and told she needed a valid immigrant visa to enter the country. Manpreet Kooner, 30, is a Canadian citizen who was born to Indian parents in Canada and raised here. She now lives in Montreal’s LaSalle borough with her fiancé and works in a science lab at a local college.

She told she was on her way from Montreal to a spa in Vermont for a day trip with two friends, who are both white, Sunday afternoon. They never made it. Kooner said she was held at the border for six hours before being turned away. At one point, she said, a border agent told her: “’I know you may feel like you’ve been Trumped,’” an apparent reference to U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump’s January executive order barring citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the country was later blocked in U.S. courts, but has touched off legal battles and confusion around the world. Kooner was told to apply for the visa at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. She went to the embassy Monday morning but was told they couldn’t help her, and that she would need to talk to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “I’m speechless,” she said. “There are no answers.” In a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) said it does not discuss

Launch of South Asian Canadian Histories Association

individual cases, but that those who present themselves at ports of entry must prove they fulfill admission requirements, and that admission to the U.S. is at the discretion of the border officers. The statement also says CBP adopted a policy in 2014 that “prohibits the consideration of race or ethnicity in law enforcement, investigation, and screening activities, in all but the most exceptional circumstances.” Kooner’s story is the latest in a string of recent tales involving Canadian travellers scrutinized or turned away by U.S. border agents. Last month, for instance, a woman from the Montreal suburb of Brossard said she was denied entry after being fingerprinted, photographed and questioned in detail about her religion and her views on Trump. Kooner was reluctant to attribute her situation to racism, but said friends who have reached out to her say that could be the case. “People have said we need to take that into account here, because unfortunately, yeah, my skin colour is brown,” she said. Kooner said this summer, her mother was turned away at the border as well, but wasn’t told why. Kooner said she was told her mother’s issues wouldn’t impact her. She first had trouble getting into the U.S. last December, before Trump took office. She was with friends and her fiancé when her car was pulled over for what she was told was a random check, she said. She was made to fill out a number of forms, but was eventually told there was a problem with the computer system and they should return the next morning. When they went back, she was let through without any problems. She said that when she tried to cross Sunday, at Highgate Springs, Vt., an agent checked her passport and said they needed to ask her additional questions. The agent mentioned that she had been stopped in December and asked why she was trying to go through again, Kooner said.

March 2, 2017 marked the launch of the South Asian Canadian Histories Association (SACHA), a collective of artists, historians, researchers and writers in Vancouver. Founded by Naveen Girn, Dr. Anne Murphy, Raghavendra Rao K.V., Dr. Milan Singh & Paneet Singh, SACHA explores the intersections of art, history and performance rooted in South Asian Canadian culture and experiences. From the margins and gaps in our nation’s history, SACHA aims to provide a space for alternative – and disruptive – voices to be heard. The launch event took place at the University of British Columbia’s Asian Studies Centre, and included a special announcement from Canadian Heritage, where MP Joyce Murray announced that SACHA’s inaugural project,

“Trauma, Memory and the Story of Canada,” will receive $150,000 in Canada 150 funding. The project explores the intersections of trauma, memory and migration, and engages in dialogue about the story of Canada through art exhibitions, graphic narratives, theatre, and publications. The projects will take place throughout 2017. The event also included a Ghadar poetry recital by Mrs. Harjit Kaur Dhillon and Mr. Manjeet Singh Dhillon; a special performance from the sold out play, “The Undocumented Trial of William C. Hopkinson”; a recital of poetry by Surrey Poet Laureate Renee Sarojini Saklikar; and the closing reception the exhibition, “Mending Cracks” by Raghavendra Rao K.V., as well as a screening of the short film, “Mending Cracks; Limitations.

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Smoking medical pot ‘a really dangerous thing for your lungs’

Canadian Eyesight Global held a clinic in Surrey last week Vancouver park board bans 4/20 pot rally from city parks The Vancouver park board has voted to ban 4/20 rallies and Cannabis Day events from city parks. The decision Monday night blunted plans by the Vancouver 4/20 Events Society, which

applied for a permit to hold this year’s smokein at Sunset Beach park, but organizers vowed the event on April 20 will go ahead, with or without the board’s approval. “This is not an anti-marijuana motion,” said commissioner John Coupar, who put forward the motion to deny permits for pot-related events at park board properties. The board is concerned allowing permits for the event would set a precedent and encourage other smoking events at parks and beaches. Smoking goes against the park board’s bylaws and its mandate of

promoting health, and allowing the permit for a marijuana protest that’s also widely considered a commercial event with vendors selling marijuana and edibles could harm the park board’s reputation as it could be seen as condoning the sale and consumption of an illegal product, said a staff report. “I’m very concerned we, as commissioners, could actually suspend our own bylaws for one group for one event,” said Coupar, who expressed skepticism organizers could regulate the event properly as well as prevent access of marijuana by minors. The 4/20 rallies have been held outside the Vancouver Art Gallery since 1995 until last year, when the city put up fences around the plaza, forcing organizer to move to Sunset Beach park — a move that essentially “downloaded” the event to the park board, said Coupar. Last year’s rally drew an estimated 25,000 to the beach and came with a price tag of $148,000, including policing costs of about $100,000. Park board staff had previously offered two other alternate sites for the 4/20 event. The Cavalia site in southeast False Creek near the Olympic Village was rejected by organizers, while a second site, the PNE, was met with interest but rejected by PNE management, at least for 2017.

Not all medicinal marijuana is created equal. That’s what some experts are saying as they warn about the health risks and curtailed effectiveness associated with smoking medicine. As medical pot becomes increasingly mainstream and Canada moves toward legalizing the substance, health experts are emphasizing the need for doctors and patients to consider the sometimes serious side effects linked to the various ways of consuming the drug. Paul Farnan, an addictions specialist at the University of British Columbia, likened a recommendation to smoke medicinal marijuana to a doctor handing out a prescription to light up an opium pipe. “We know there’s something in opium that helps pain, and we’re able to pharmaceutically develop morphine and other analgesics, but we wouldn’t say to people, ‘You have pain? Why don’t you smoke opium?’” he said. Mikhail Kogan, medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., said he sees no reason for people to smoke marijuana medically anymore. It’s difficult to absorb enough of the drug through the lungs, and gastric acids interfere when someone eats it, he said, adding that it’s more effective to take the drug by other means, such as under the tongue. “Rectally is actually a lot more preferred because of the volume of absorption. You can put a lot more and it gets absorbed a lot

better, but not everybody is open to this way of administration,” Kogan said. “We have so many other products now, so many modes of delivery, that smoking in my opinion is very archaic and has very little clinical applicability,” he added.

“Having said that, I think that probably the majority of people still smoke because it’s the most available method.” Health Canada officially recommends against smoking marijuana. “Many of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke are also found in cannabis smoke,” reads its website. The Canadian Medical Association has no formal position on the consumption of medicinal pot, but it officially opposes the inhalation of any burned plant material. Association spokesman Jeff Blackmer added that many physicians are reluctant to prescribe medical marijuana because of the absence of peer-reviewed research into whether the drug is medically effective, its possible side effects, appropriate dosage and more.

Brenda Butterworth-Carr talks about becoming BC’s top cop In her first public address since being named commanding officer of the B.C. RCMP, Brenda Butterworth-Carr mentioned diversity and inclusivity as two of the core values she intends to bring to the position. “I’ve always kept in my mind why I joined the organization in the first place and that was to influence and effect positive change,” said Butterworth Carr.” I come from a First Nation where we strive for equality.”

Butterworth-Carr is from the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Hän Nation in the Yukon and is the first Indigenous woman to hold the position. Her career with the RCMP started 30 years ago in a three-person detachment in her home territory. She has been in charge of Aboriginal

services in B.C., spent time as the commander of the Prince George detachment and was most recently commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP. Carr said she went through a lengthy hiring process before being confirmed in her new job, including a formal interview, psychometric testing and an in-depth reference check. When asked about the sexual-harassment suits facing the RCMP, Butterworth-Carr said there is zero tolerance with the force for “any kind of inappropriate behaviours — sexual in nature or otherwise.” “The tone I’ll be setting is the one I’ve had for the course of my entire experience — we are a force of inclusion and equality and we strive for that. Anything less is unacceptable,” she said.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

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A diabetic boy’s religious parents found guilty of his murder Alexandru Radita’s first medical crisis began when he was on the verge of turning 3. His parents brought him - thirsty, feverish, vomiting and suffering from abdominal pain to a hospital in British Columbia in December 2000. Lab tests confirmed that young Alex had Type 1 diabetes.

A doctor spoke to Alex’s mother to explain her son’s diagnosis and how they would need to treat him at home. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition in which a person’s pancreas does not produce enough insulin. People with it need regular blood tests and insulin injections to moderate blood-sugar levels. According to court documents, “Mrs. Radita . . . made it clear that in her view the diagnosis was incorrect and she would prove that the doctors were wrong.” A little more than a decade later, Alex would die in his family’s home in Calgary, Alberta, bedridden and emaciated. Although he was 15, he weighed less than 37 pounds at the time of his death. An emergency worker detailed the disturbing scene upon discovering the teen in his parents’ bedroom on the night of his

death, May 7, 2013. “She described him as emaciated to the point where he appeared ‘mummified.’ His face had no visible flesh left as she could see every bone in his face,” court records of the worker’s account stated. “He had black, necrotic sores on his face and his left jaw had open sores so deep she could see his jaw bone. There was nothing left of his stomach as he was just so extraordinarily skinny. She estimated his waistline to be approximately three inches. He was dressed in a diaper and t-shirt. His eyes were open. He was not breathing.” An autopsy found the cause of death to be bacterial sepsis, brought on by starvation and neglect. Alex’s mother and father were arrested in early 2014. Last week, after a monthslong trial, a Canadian judge found Emil and Rodica Radita guilty of first-degree murder in the death of their son. They were both sentenced to life in prison. “The Raditas were well aware how ill Alex was and still refused to treat his medical condition with proper insulin protocol and medical care,” wrote Karen Horner, the justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta who presided over the case. “They knew he was dying.” For years, Alex was reportedly homeschooled and had little contact with the outside world. His parents’ “intentional isolation of Alex from anyone who could intervene” had a profound effect on the teen, who had weakened to the point that he had trouble moving, the judge wrote. “His muscles had wasted away.

Anger grows over judge who said ‘a drunk can consent’ in sexual assault case ruling There is growing anger over the acquittal of a Halifax taxi driver charged with sexually assaulting a young woman in his cab, with calls for the judge behind the decision to be removed from the bench. Two marches have been scheduled for next week to press for a review of the ruling by Judge Gregory Lenehan, while others are organizing a weekend gathering to compose letters of complaint seeking a judicial council review. As well, a coalition of 12 women’s agencies from across Nova Scotia is calling for him to be removed from the bench. Lenehan ruled Wednesday that the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent to sexual activity with cab driver Bassam Al-Rawi. In his 20-minute ruling, Lenehan said bluntly, “A drunk can consent.” The 40-year-old man was charged after police found the woman, in her 20s, passed out and partially naked in his car in the early hours of May 23, 2015. The decision prompted an immediate backlash and a renewed discussion about alleged sexual assault, inebriation and consent — all factors in another recent case involving a Newfoundland police officer who was acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman who was drunk.

“Lenehan’s judgment in this case demonstrates a clear disregard for and lack of understanding of sexual assault and definitions of consent as defined in the criminal code,” said a press release issued Friday by the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre Sexual Assault Services on behalf of multiple groups, including Halifax’s Avalon Sexual Assault Centre. “Judge Lenehan has demonstrated he is incapable of fairly applying the law in cases of sexual assault and, therefore, must be removed from the bench.” “The comment that I heard that filled me with rage was ‘a drunk can consent,’” she told. “I had a lot of faith in the court process before I became involved in it,” she added. A spokesperson for the public prosecutions service said Friday an appeal of the ruling was under consideration. Elise MacIntyre, a 27-year-old Halifax auto mechanic, plans to gather a group on Sunday to compose letters of complaint requesting a judicial council sanction or remove Lenehan from his job. “We want an inquiry for his fitness for the position he holds,” she said during an interview. “I think he lacks empathy and understanding for the issues he’s overseeing.”

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What’s new for the 2017 tax-filing season This tax-filing season, many important changes and improvements were made to services, benefits, and credits for Canadians. Here’s what you need to know: New and improved benefits and credits • Canada child benefit (CCB) –The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising children under the age of 18. The CCB might include the child disability benefit and any related provincial and territorial programs. It replaces the Canada child tax benefit, national child benefit supplement and the universal child care benefit. • Northern residents deductions – If you have lived, on a permanent basis, in a prescribed northern or intermediate zone for a continuous period of at least six consecutive months, you may be eligible for a deduction. For 2016 and later years, the basic and the additional residency amounts used to calculate the northern residents deductions will be increased from $8.25 to $11 per day. • Eligible educator school supply tax credit – Eligible educators may be able to claim a 15% refundable tax credit based on up to $1,000 of eligible teaching supplies bought during the tax year. New services • Express NOA – This new service delivers an instant assessment result message and provides a notice of assessment directly into the certified tax software the next day. To use the service, you must be registered for online mail and file electronically using a certified tax software. • Account alerts – As a fraud prevention measure, this new service notifies you by email when an address has changed, banking information for direct deposit has changed, or if mail sent to you by the Canada Revenue Agency was returned. You may register for this service through My Account or MyCRA mobile app. • Link between My Account and My Service Canada Account – You can now access these two accounts through a single sign-in session. • MyBenefits CRA mobile app – You can use the CRA’s new web-based mobile app to securely view your next benefit payment dates and amounts, the status of your CCB application, update your marital status, and change information about children in your care. Enhanced services • Online mail – This service provides you with the option to sign up to receive certain CRA correspondence in your secure CRA My Account instead of by paper mail. Throughout 2016 additional types of correspondence were added to the online mail service, including

benefit notices and slips, and instalment reminders. • Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) – The CVITP helps Canadians with modest income and a simple tax situation by preparing their tax returns free of charge. This year, we are recruiting more organizations and volunteers to help expand the program in more communities. Now more Canadians than ever can receive help to do their taxes and ensure they are receiving the credits and benefits they are eligible for. • Auto-fill my return – Enhancements to this service include extended log-in sessions so you can stay logged into the service for a longer period than before, more tax slips, and the use of the service for previous-year returns. • MyCRA mobile app –The MyCRA mobile app now allows you to update your marital status and sign up for account alerts. Other changes • Income splitting tax credit – The family tax cut has been eliminated for the 2016 year and future tax years. However, if you are receiving a pension, you may be able to split your eligible pension income with your spouse or commonlaw partner to reduce your taxes. • Children’s fitness tax credit – For 2016, the maximum eligible fees in the year is reduced from $1,000 to $500, but the additional amount of $500 for children eligible for the disability tax credit has not changed. Therefore the maximum credit is reduced to $75 ($150 for a child eligible for the disability tax credit). • Children’s arts tax credit – For 2016, the maximum eligible fees in the year is reduced from $500 to $250, but the additional amount of $500 for children eligible for the disability tax credit will not change. Therefore the maximum credit is reduced to $37.50 ($112.50 for a child eligible for the disability tax credit). • Home accessibility tax credit (HATC) – For 2016 and subsequent tax years, you can claim a non-refundable tax credit for eligible expenses incurred for work performed or goods acquired for a qualifying renovation of an eligible dwelling of a qualifying individual. • Reporting the sale of your principal residence – Starting with the 2016 tax year, you are required to report basic information (date of acquisition, proceeds of disposition (e.g. sale) and address) on your tax return when you sell your principal residence to claim the full principal residence exemption. You do not have to pay tax on any capital gain when you sell your house if it was your principal residence for all the years you owned it and you did not use any part of it to earn income.

Public safety minister speaks in Manitoba at site of border crossings The federal government is enforcing border laws and is willing to put more resources in place to deal with the influx of asylum-seekers from the United States, federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Saturday. Goodale thanked local politician and responders as he visited Emerson, Man. — a small border community that has seen some 200 illicit border crossings so far this year. “We all need to work together. We have to have good communication with one another. This is a set of issues that span national, provincial and local responsibilities,” Goodale told reporters. “The key thing is to make sure that our agencies on the ground ... have the resources necessary to do the job. At the moment, they are properly resourced, but we are monitoring that very carefully as we go forward.” Goodale announced $30,000 to cover extra costs borne by Emerson-Franklin’s volunteer fire department and other agencies in the community so far, and said more will be available. The RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency have shifted some resources in southern Manitoba so that more staff are in the Emerson area. The CBSA recently set up a trailer to help process the border-crossers. The number of illicit border-crossings has jumped in recent months, following the U.S. government’s plans to limit immigration

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The migrants have been crossing through fields and ditches because, under the CanadaUnited States Safe Third Country Agreement, they are turned back at official border crossings if they have already made a refugee claims in the U.S. If they get onto Canadian soil before being apprehended, they are allowed to stay in Canada and go through the normal refugeeclaim process. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel has called on the government to ensure migrants who sneak across the border are charged with crossing illegally, but Goodale said they cannot be charged if they make a refugee claim, at least until the claim is dealt with.

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Tobacco company launches less harmful alternative to cigarettes in Canada Millions of Canadians who still smoke cigarettes now have an entirely new option available to them that makers say could replicate the sensation of smoking while significantly reducing their risk of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. has launched a smoke-free alternative called IQOS, that they say will help phase out cigarettes. The product is an electronic device that heats tobacco instead of burning it, which according to the manufacturer, is a key factor as to why the product is potentially less harmful compared to traditional burned cigarettes. “When you remove the burning, there are significantly less harmful or potentially harmful chemicals compared to what’s found in cigarette smoke,” says Peter Luongo, Managing Director, Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. Even though smoking rates are declining, there are around 4 million Canadians who still smoke in spite of knowing the numerous health risks associated with the addictive habit. IQOS, falls within the company’s Reduced Risk Product portfolio and is not considered an e-cigarette because it heats real tobacco specifically designed for the device, instead of liquid nicotine like most vaping devices.

Vaping hasn’t proven to be a lasting alternative for many smokers. But with IQOS, Rothmans believes it has a winner in terms of people making a permanent switch from cigarettes, with more than 1 million people having switched already to IQOS in Europe and Asia where the product has been test marketed and sold. Still, much like vaping, the debate about the use of e-cigarettes in Canada is ongoing, and “the new proposed vaping bill opens the door for a much-needed discussion.” added Luongo. Regulating e-cigarettes is a move in the right direction according to Luongo, but some of the wording within Bill S-5 could actually prevent Canadians from ever finding out about the potential benefits of products like IQOS. “The proposed bill prohibits comparing one tobacco product to another, which would make it illegal to compare the potential health benefits of these products with that of continued smoking. Regulators and stakeholders owe it to the millions of Canadian smokers to review the science behind IQOS and develop a regulatory framework that allows adult smokers to know their options,” he said. IQOS is currently available online for adult smokers in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta.

Cabinet braces for discussion on border-jumpers Federal cabinet ministers are set for an indepth discussion this week of the practical and political pressures being placed on the Liberal government by a rising number of asylum seekers in Canada. Border security, RCMP and immigration officials have been running scenarios to prepare for the possibility that a relative winter trickle of illegal immigration into Canada could turn into a spring flood.

from all sides. The Opposition Conservatives are demanding a crackdown, and want those crossing illegally charged with crimes, something the government notes cannot happen until asylum claims are heard. The fact those claims are being fed into a clogged system has others urging the Liberals to put more resources into the refugeedetermination process and the agencies that support newcomers.

The results of their table-top exercises will help form options being put before cabinet Tuesday, The Canadian Press has learned. Officials are also studying links between distinct groups of bordercrossers that might belie the common notion they’re all being pushed into Canada by the volatile U.S. political climate. Two government officials confirmed to The Canadian Press that many of the people coming into Quebec hold American visas issued at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Interviews revealed the visas were obtained to use the U.S. as a transit point get to Canada and claim asylum — plans set in motion long before the U.S. election in November, the officials said, neither of whom were authorized to publicly discuss the issue. But it is the pictures of RCMP officers hoisting small children above snow-covered fields along the Canada-U.S. frontier that have drawn global attention and placed political pressure on the Trudeau government

“We are the endpoint,” said Chris Friesen, director of settlement services for the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia. The Immigration and Refugee Board reported in its last quarterly financial document that in the first nine months of 2016-17, there was a 40-per-cent increase in new claims compared to the same period the previous year. Statistics provided to The Canadian Press show claim levels generally began rising in Canada before U.S. President Donald Trump took office. In fact, the increase seems to have begun just as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took power.

Ethics watchdog to question Justin Trudeau on ‘concerns’ about fundraising events Canada’s ethics watchdog wants to question Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his attendance at so-called “cash-for-access” fundraising events, but she will not launch a formal investigation at this time. In a letter responding to requests for an inquiry from the Conservatives and the NDP, Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson said there is no evidence to date that demonstrates Trudeau or Bill Blair, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Justice, violated the Conflict of Interest Act. “While the information provided in support of the allegations is not sufficient to cause me to initiate an examination under the act at this

time, your letter and media articles leave me with concerns in relation to Mr. Trudeau’s interactions with individuals involved with the canola export agreement, Wealth One Bank, and Anbang Insurance Group,” Dawson wrote to interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose. “Consequently, I will follow up with Mr. Trudeau regarding his involvement with the fundraising events and with the three above-noted matters. I will inform you of the outcome in due course.” Dawson was referring to events cited by the opposition parties and reported by the Globe and Mail and other media that took place in Vancouver and Toronto.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Khizr Khan’s strange reasons for cancelling Toronto trip Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father whose impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention in July called on Americans to reject a ban on Muslims entering the United States, claimed that his “travel privileges are

being reviewed” by U.S. authorities, forcing him to cancel a scheduled speech in Toronto. The announcement on Monday coincided with President Donald Trump’s rewritten order to temporarily ban entry of citizens from six Muslim-majority nations to the United States. Khan has been a U.S. citizen for more than 30 years and was born in Pakistan, which is not one of the six nations. Ramsay Talks, the organizer of the event Khan was to speak at, seemed to take Khan at his word on Monday and included a statement from him in a cancellation post on Facebook. “This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad,” said Khan, according to the post. “I have not been

given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.” The claim, which does not state which U.S. agency contacted him, immediately raised doubts about how it was possible that a U.S. citizen was being prevented from traveling abroad. On Tuesday, Bob Ramsay, who runs Ramsay Talks, said he didn’t know the specifics of Khan’s predicament. “I don’t know exactly who conducted the review, but in speaking with Mr. Khan, it was certainly U.S. authorities,” Ramsay said. “That’s all I know.” As questions about his motivations for making the claim swirl, Khan has refused to elaborate on his initial statement to The Washington Post and other publications. A more detailed request for clarification did not receive an immediate response Tuesday afternoon. It is unclear whether Khan has previously traveled outside the United States since he was naturalized. U.S. citizens don’t need visas to enter Canada, or even the electronic travel authorizations required of all other foreign visitors there. As a general rule, the United States cannot prevent passport-holding citizens from traveling if they have not been charged with a crime. Public records indicate that Khan has no criminal history, either at the federal level, in Charlottesville, where he lives, or in Silver Spring, his previous place of residence. Furthermore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Politico that, as a rule, it does not contact travelers before their trips.

Women’s rights advocate and former NDP MP Margaret Mitchell dead at 92 Margaret Mitchell, a former Vancouver member of Parliament and women’s rights advocate has died at age 92. Mitchell passed away March 8. The social activist and NDP MP for Vancouver East from 1979 until 1993 gained national attention in 1982 when some MPs

laughed at her assertion that one in 10 husbands regularly beat their wives. Mitchell said she was shocked at the reaction to such a serious social problem. The next day the House apologized to Mitchell and to the women of the country. Mitchell endorsed Mable Elmore during the 2015 federal election for the NDP nomination in Vancouver East. Elmore lost the nomination to current B.C. MP Jenny Kwan but was later elected to the B.C. Legislature as the MLA for VancouverKensington. Elmore said Mitchell’s 1982 speech to Parliament on violence against women was an important one. “I think it was really a turning point, a watershed moment, certainly in Canadian history in terms of the issue of understanding and taking a stand against violence against women and really leading

that campaign,” said Elmore. Along with her demands for action against domestic violence, Mitchell advocated for a national childcare program, the decriminalization of abortion, and the addition of Section 28 into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She served as the NDP critic for Immigration and Housing, Status of Women and Multiculturalism and Citizenship. After voting against an increase to MP pensions, Mitchell diverted her raise to help people in Vancouver’s east side through the Margaret Mitchell Fund for Women. The fund, which is still active today, was established to support projects that promote economic and social justice for women in Vancouver. “She was just such a treasure, and such an inspiring example for so many women in our community. It’s a tremendous loss, and we’re really proud to host a fund that will continue to support the kind of work that she supported in her life,” said Derek Gent, with the VanCity Community Foundation. Mitchell received the Order of British Columbia in 2000, and was awarded Vancouver’s Freedom of the City award in November 2016. Elmore said it is fitting that Mitchell passed away on March 8, International Women’s Day. “Her whole life was dedicated to women’s rights, to equality, social justice, and she leaves a big legacy.”

NATIONAL

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Pakistan should shut down Deobandi schools Pakistan needs to be serious about closing down 600 Deobandi madrassas in the country, an influential US lawmaker has said, underlining that there is a prevailing sentiment in the Congress and Trump administration that such schools are breeding ground for terrorists. “I think, the sentiments are Pakistan needs to be serious about closing down the Deobandi schools, there are about 600 of them as they churn out people who do not know what to do except to really either argue for or carry out jihad,” Congressman Ed Royce said at an event hosted by Vivekananda International Foundation, a New Delhi-based think-tank, at the US Capitol on Thursday. “Pakistan needs to crackdown on groups like the LeT, close down those campuses as well. Pakistan needs to understand that if they are not going to bring perpetrators of the terrorist attacks to justice, they should turn them over to The Hague so that they can be

tried in international tribunals and justice can be served,” said the Chairman of powerful House Foreign Relations Committee.

A founding member of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, Royce said the Congress and the new Administration is focused on some new issues. “One is that concept of USD 500 billion in trade between India and the US. That is where we are trying to push the policies...So we need an effective bilateral trade agreement treaty with India. We are pushing to liberalise trade further,” Royce said.

US lawmakers move to declare Pak terror sponsor An influential US lawmaker has sought a “radical reset” of ties with Islamabad and introduced a bill in the Congress that pushes the American government to declare Pakistan a “state sponsor of terrorism”, or give a detailed justification for not doing so in a limited time. Congressman Ted Poe, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, introduced the Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Act (HR 1449) in the US House of Representatives on Thursday. Introducing the bill, Poe said, “Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years.” “From harbouring Osama bin Laden to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistan is on in the War on Terror. And it’s not America’s,” he said. “It is time we stop paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism,” the Texas lawmaker said. The bill requires US President Donald Trump to issue a report within 90 days, detailing whether Pakistan has provided support for international terrorism. Thirty days after that, the Secretary of

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State is required to submit a follow-up report containing either a determination that Pakistan is a “state sponsor of terrorism”, or a detailed justification why it does not meet the legal criteria for such a designation. Separately in a joint piece in The National Interest magazine with James Clad, who was US deputy assistant secretary of defence for Asia in the George W Bush administration, Poe called for a “radical reset” of ties with Pakistan. Arguing that all efforts to change Pakistan’s behaviour had failed, they said it was time that the US “sets, unilaterally, the limits of its indulgence”. They urged the US government not to let the next crisis in South or Southwest Asia deflect America’s focus. “Don’t rush to shore up Pakistan’s balance of payments via the IMF or other intermediaries, as we’ve done in the past,” they said. “Let China pay that, if the Pakistanis wish to mortgage their future in that way. (China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ infrastructure plans for Pakistan are running into big problems),” the two said in the piece. They said, “Something must change in US dealings with a terrorist-supporting, irresponsible nuclear-weapons state, and it must change soon.” “Acquiescing in the current trends is not an option.”

Gunmen dressed as doctors kill 38 in Kabul hospital Gunmen disguised as doctors stormed Afghanistan’s largest military hospital Wednesday, killing at least 38 people in a sixhour attack claimed by the Islamic State group as it makes inroads into the war-battered

country. More than 70 others were wounded in the assault on the Sardar Daud Khan hospital, with explosions and gunfire rattling Kabul’s diplomatic district as dense clouds of

smoke rose in the sky. Medical staff hunkered down in the hospital wards posted desperate messages for help on social media, with television footage showing some of them trapped on the ledge of a topfloor window. “Attackers are inside the hospital. Pray for us,” a hospital staff member wrote on Facebook. Hospital administrators told AFP three gunmen wearing white laboratory coats began spraying bullets after a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up at the backdoor entrance, sparking chaos inside the 400-bed facility. “I saw one of the attackers, armed with an AK-47 and dressed as a doctor, shooting at patients and guards on the third floor,” hospital nurse Abdul Qadeer told AFP. “They shot my friend but I managed to flee... I had to jump over the barbed wire to escape.”

PUNJAB

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Farmers hit as rain flattens wheat crop

Pathankot attack: Jaish chief, others declared POs A special court here today declared the accused in the Pathankot airbase terror attack case as proclaimed offenders (POs). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had on December 19 last year filed a chargesheet accusing Pakistan-based Jaish-eMohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and handlers Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan of plotting the attack that left seven security personnel dead on January 2, 2016. NIA counsel Surinder Singh and ASP V Srivastava, appearing in the court today, said raids had been conducted at various places as part of efforts to arrest the accused. The court told the NIA team that these efforts should be intensified and, if needed, the assistance of Interpol be taken. The chargesheet had been filed in the court of Tarsem Mangla, Additional District and Sessions Judge here, levelling charges against the quartet under various sections of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The next date of hearing has been fixed for April 10.

Delhi University student and Jalandharbased girl Gurmehar Kaur, who was recently trolled on social media by many, including actor Randeep Hooda and cricketer Virender Sehwag, seems to be in no mood to relent. Though she had earlier said she was withdrawing from her campaign, with her new tweet early this morning she took a dig at both cricketer and the actor. She tweeted a clarification given to the media by Hooda on the issue yesterday while also mocking at him, “I didn’t tweet my hands did.” Hooda had reportedly told the media on International Women’s Day yesterday that he was not aware who the girl

was and that he should have been careful with his message. He had earlier called Gurmehar a “political pawn”. The daughter of martyr Capt Mandeep Singh has even hit out at Sehwag, who had posted a picture in Gurmehar style with a message, “I didn’t score two triple centuries, my bat did.” It was after this post that her critics and trollers had begun ridiculing her, sending her hate messages and even giving her rape threats. Her trollers had taken on her for her message from a yearold video, “Pakistan did not kill my dad, war did.”

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Further, farmers in the waterloggingaffected areas said the power connections to the sub-surface drainage system had been snapped due to non-payment of bills by the Irrigation Department. As a result, the rain might affect the yield. During a visit to some villages on Bathinda and Malout road today, it was seen that the wheat crop had partially flattened at most places. The farmers said it would lessen the yield. “The rain and winds will reduce the yield by 2-3 quintal per acre. It has mainly caused damage to the crop that has matured,” said Jagdev Singh Kanianwali, a farmers’ leader. Beant Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, said rain did not affect the crop much. “The rain and winds lashed only some parts of the district. So, the loss is negligible,” he said. He said in the areas where the wheat fields required water, the rain had proved beneficial. “If there is no fresh rainfall in the next two days and wind speed too remains normal, then there will be no affect on the yield,” added Beant Singh. Moga: Unseasonal rain and hailstorm caused damage to the wheat crop in some villages of the district on Thursday. Reports of rain and hail accompanied by winds was received from all parts of the district, but a few villages like Chuhar Chak, Balkhandi and Daulatpura were badly hit by nature’s fury flattening the wheat crop of many farmers. Already burdened with debt from previous crop losses, farmers face more

Gurmehar hits back at Randeep, Sehwag

difficulties after such natural calamities and often resort to suicides. Faridkot: Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds lashed the Faridkot area on Thursday. As a result, the wheat crop in various parts of the district has been flattened, making farmers fear huge financial loss. As farmers have to manually harvest the flattened crop, the production cost goes up. Moreover, there is loss of yield in the flattened crop and discolouring of grain, rued farmers. The Meteorological Department has forecast high possibility of rain and thundershowers accompanied by high-velocity winds in the next two days in this area, raising fears of damage to wheat and mustard crops.

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The recent rain and strong winds in the district are giving anxious moments to farmers as the standing wheat crop has flattened at several places.

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india

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Ready to form govt with BSP: Akhilesh With exit polls predicting a hung Assembly in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has sprung a surprise, indicating he is willing to join hands with the BSP, if the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance falls short of a majority. In an interview to BBC, Akhilesh said if the alliance failed to get the requisite numbers, they were not averse to the idea of joining hands with the BSP to keep the BJP out. “I have always shown the BSP president respect and have referred to her as ‘bua’ (paternal aunty),” he said, pointing out that a hung House could lead to President’s rule

with the BJP remote-controlling the state which “no one wants.” It may be recalled that at their first joint press conference in Lucknow to announce the alliance, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had showered praise on BSP president Mayawati. Throughout the campaign, Rahul chose not to attack the BSP. Akhilesh, of course, frequently attacked Mayawati and her “paththar wali sarkar”(reference to statues of elephants). Akhilesh’s statement has created ripples in political circles. BJP national vice-president Dinesh Sharma said other parties were panicky as the BJP was headed for a clear majority.

UNGA president-elect Thomson to visit India UN General Assembly president-elect Ambassador Peter Thomson will travel to India early next week during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and discuss the ambitious SDGs. Thomson, the Permanent Representative of Fiji elected in June as President of the UNGA’s upcoming 71st session, will visit China later this week and will then travel to India. On August 29, the president-elect will be in New Delhi where it is planned that he will meet with Modi, Swaraj and Secretary for External Relations, Sujata Mehta, a press release from the office of the President of the UN General Assembly said yesterday. “Coming from the Asia-Pacific nation of Fiji, I am pleased to have this opportunity to visit the two biggest countries in the regional group to which I belong,” Thomson said, adding that he looks forward to the “highlevel” talks he will have with the Governments of China and India. “My main interest will be to discuss how the United Nations can assist and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he added. He will attend official meetings in Beijing

tomorrow and is expected to meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi. Swaraj will travel to New York later next month to attend the high-level General Debate of the 71st session of the General Assembly. She will address global leaders from the iconic lectern of the General Assembly on September 26. Modi, who had addressed the UN General Assembly sessions in 2014 and 2015, will not be attending this year’s UNGA session. Thomson’s visit to India assumes significance against the backdrop of New Delhi leading efforts for early completion of the long-pending reforms of the UN Security Council. In July, India’s push to achieve urgent reforms of the 15-nation Council by this year and secure a permanent seat on the horseshoe table had suffered a setback when the 193- member General Assembly decided to roll over discussions on reforming the world body’s top organ to its 71st session. India had been pushing for completing reforms of the UN Security Council in the 70th session of the General Assembly, which will end next month.

Floods bring focus back to desilting While levels of the Ganga continue to pose threat, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s assertion to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the need of a “national silt management policy” is expected to initiate movement in the direction which has so far been dealt with in an “ad hoc manner”. Government functionaries indicate the suggestion has “re-started” the thought process for a proper management of this very real and recurring environmental problem — rising level of silt in rivers due to various factors, including infrastructure projects like dams, and posing recurring threat to man and property, year after year. The water retention capacity of the Ganga and other rivers has reduced due to siltation, becoming one of the major causes for flooding, says environmental expert Himanshu Thakkar. Lamenting the “ad hoc manner” in which this very crucial issue of siltation is being dealt currently, whether it is while building infrastructure projects on rivers or for navigation purpose, he calls for a concrete effort. “It is strange how silting does not find a

mention either in the National Water Policy or any other document built for management of water resources in the country,” he says. “There has been no concrete effort in this direction so

far even while we are talking of building inland waterways and other infrastructure on rivers,” he adds Now the reason why there has to be a national policy for “silt management” or “desilting” is for the following reason. As per experts, run of a river till the delta an extremely dynamic process involving several factors— water, silt and biodiversity — a reason enough for tackling the issue comprehensively, keeping all of them in mind.

More Indian migrants in Pakistan than in US More Indian migrants live in Pakistan than in the US, according to a startling new finding by US think tank Pew Research Centre. Close to half of India’s migrants live in just three countries. About 3.5 million Indians live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is the top destination country for Indian migrants, Pew said. “Over the past two decades, millions of Indians have migrated there to find employment as laborers,” it added. Pakistan has the second-largest number of Indian migrants, with 2 million, and the US has almost another 2 million, Pew said. It didn’t offer any analysis for the figures to do with Pakistan. Curiously, while India is the top source of international migrants, with one-in-twenty migrants worldwide born in India, according to Pew, it is also one of the world’s top destinations for international migrants. “The overwhelming majority of India’s immigrants are from neighboring countries

such as Bangladesh (3.2 million), Pakistan (1.1 million), Nepal (540,000) and Sri Lanka (160,000),” Pew said.

Even more confounding is that despite these statistics, India also has one of the world’s lowest emigration rates. “Only about 1% of India’s birth population lives outside of the country, a similar emigration rate to that of the US,” Pew said.

SUPERSTORE

Saturday, March 11, 2017

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INDIA

Saturday, March 11, 2017

‘Won’t bury traitor’s body, a traitor is no son of mine’: Father of killed ‘ISIS terrorist’ Saifullah

Family members of the alleged ISIS terrorist killed in Lucknow this morning refused to accept his body saying “a traitor” is no son of theirs. “One who indulges in anti-national activities can’t be my son. Look, someone

who’s a traitor cannot be our son. It’s that straightforward. We will absolutely not accept a traitor’s body. He has brought infamy not only to us but to the whole nation, therefore we will not accept his body for last rites” said Sartaj, the alleged

terrorist’s father, to TOI. Saifullah was killed in Lucknow this morning in an exchange of fire with the police after a 12-hour stand-off. He was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train+ yesterday, police said. Sartaj, who lives in Jajamau Tila in Kanpur, said he was shocked to hear about his son’s involvement in antinational activities. Saifullah’s sister Zareen also was completely taken aback to hear the news. Both heard this morning that Saifullah was killed in an anti-terror operation, PTI said. “We are Indians, we were born here, our forefathers were born here and anyone who’s a traitor can’t be a son or any relation of ours,” Sartaj said. Sartaj said Saifullah left home about twoand-a-half months back after he beat him up for not working. Saifullah apparently told him he wanted to work as a driver in Saudi Arabia.

Train blast: Ex-IAF man, kingpin, held The police today arrested a former IAF employee who they believe is the “mastermind” of a terror module that included Saifullah, a suspected terrorist killed in an encounter yesterday. Mohd Ghaus Khan was picked up from Kanpur by the Anti-Terrorist Squad, and revealed vital information during questioning, said Additional Director General of UP Police Daljit Chaudhary. He said another suspect, identified only as Azhar, was also arrested by the ATS. Khan “is

a technical man and a hardcore member of the module,” Chaudhary said, adding he was the “main accused and mastermind” of the module. He said Azhar, the second suspect, was the main supplier of arms to the module. He did not say where he was arrested from, or in what capacity Khan worked in the Air Force. The UP police claimed that with these two arrests, all the main members of what they alleged was an ISIS influenced module are in custody.

House lauds terror suspect father’s stand Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today informed the Lok Sabha that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would probe the terror case of bomb blast in a train in Madhya Pradesh in which 10 persons were injured and a related encounter in Lucknow in which one terrorist was killed. Singh said while one terrorist, Mohammad Saifullah, was shot dead by the Uttar Pradesh Police yesterday, six suspected terrorists have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh police. The operation demonstrated effective coordination between the police and Central agencies. “Due to the prompt

action of the police of the two states, a possible security threat to the country was averted”, Singh said. When Saifullah was cornered, he opened fire on the ATS team of Uttar Pradesh. After 12 hours of futile exercise to persuade him to surrender, the team stormed the house in which he holed up and shot him down. Amidst applause from Members, Singh informed Mohammad Sartaj, father of the terrorist killed in the encounter, has refused to accept his son’s body saying “For everyone country should be first; if he could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours”.

Central government criticizes US racial attacks The Union Government today unequivocally condemned the recent racial attacks on Indians in the US, and said it would make a detailed statement on the issue in Parliament next week. Addressing concerns of MPs in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the attacks were “saddening” and “unfortunate”. “The government has taken the development seriously. The External Affairs Minister is unwell. The government will make a detailed statement on the issue next week.” “No amount of words will suffice to condemn the development. I assure the House that the government will take all steps to make the Indians living in the US feel secure,” Singh said. Raising the issue during the zero hour, the Opposition flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged “silence” on the racial attacks on Indians, and faulted the

government for not taking steps to stop them. Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge set the ball rolling questioning the Prime Minister’s silence on the issue even when he was “quick

to tweet on everything”. He attributed the unsavoury development of “change of dispensation in the US”. “The development has created anxiety among the Indians living and working in the US,” Kharge said. The CPM, SAD, TRS, AIADMK and BJD also expressed concern over the development.

INDIA

Saturday, March 11, 2017

3 militants, 2 civilians killed in Kashmir were also involved in recent bank robberies and weapon-snatching incidents in south and central Kashmir,” a police spokesman said. The authorities, meanwhile, suspended rail services on the Srinagar-Banihal line because of encounter site’s proximity to the Awantipora railway station. Three militants were killed while three security personnel, including an Army Major, were injured in two antimilitancy operations stretched across north and south Kashmir on Thursday. Two civilians also lost their lives during protests and clashes that broke out in south Kashmir. Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in an encounter at Padgampora village, 25 km from Srinagar, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The militants have been identified as Jehangir Ahmad Ganai, a resident of Koil village, and Mohammad Shafi Shergojri, a resident of Banderpora village of Pulwama district. In another gunfight, a local militant was killed and a Major injured in north Kashmir’s Bandipore. The gunfight erupted when the militant opened fire at a checkpoint, the police said. In Pulwama, security forces, including Special Operations Group, Central Reserve Police Force’s 130 Battalion and 55 Rashtriya Rifles, cordoned off Padgampora village and started a search operation following specific inputs. The security forces came under fire from a house, triggering an encounter, said Awantipora Deputy Superintendent of Police Parvaiz Ahmad. The security personnel tried to persuade Shergojri to surrender by calling in his family but he declined. Shergojri is survived by two children and wife. Clashes erupted between security forces and protesters near the encounter scene leading to the death of a civilian and injury to several others. The deceased has been identified as Amir Nazir (15), a class IX student, of Beegum Bagh village, near Kakapora. Health officials said Amir was brought dead to the Primary Health Centre, Kakapora, with a bullet in the abdomen. Deputy Inspector General of Police (south Kashmir range) SP Pani, however, said: “Someone from the crowd fired at the police, injuring at least two of our men, who are stable. We showed maximum restraint. During the clashes that followed, a civilian was killed.” Another civilian, Jalaluddin of Tahab was brought dead to the Pulwama district hospital from Padgampora. While doctors said the victim did not bear any pellet or bullet injuries, locals claimed he was killed during shelling. The police said the two militants were behind the killing of security personnel and political activists, besides attacks on police installations in south Kashmir. “They had been threatening locals to stay away from upcoming elections, and motivating youths to join militancy in Awantipora, Pulwama and Shopian. They

Andhra Pradesh CM son’s assets rise 23-fold to Rs 330 cr in 6 months

The value of assets of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh has shot up by 23 times from Rs 14.50 crore to Rs 330 crore in just six months. Lokesh, 34, a Stanford Management graduate who is set to be inducted into the Cabinet, submitted an affidavit to the Election Commission, giving details of his assets, as part of the nomination papers for an MLC seat. As per the affidavit, the total value of his assets is around Rs 330 crore, including Rs 273.84 crore in the form of shares in family-owned company Heritage Foods, fixed assets worth Rs 18 crore

and ancestral property worth Rs 38.52 crore. His assets, made public in October last year, stood at Rs 14.50 crore, including Rs 2.52 crore in the form of shares in Heritage Foods. The company sold its retail business wing to Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail Ltd on November 8 last year and retained only 3.65 per cent stake worth Rs 295 crore in it. On the increase in the value of shares in Heritage Foods, Lokesh said it was the result of a rise in share prices of the new company after the sale of the loss-making retail division to the Future Group.

FIJI

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Fiji Kava Standard Manual launched to protect Fiji’s International reputation Kava is an integral part of life in Fiji and there is increasing market demand for the produce. This was the sentiment of Acting Minister for Agriculture Osea Naiqamu while launching the Fiji Kava Standard and the Fiji Kava Manual. Naiqamu acknowledged the support of the governments of Australia and New Zealand, through the aid program Pacific Horticultural and Agriculture Market Access in the development of the two documents. He says the documents will assist the ministry in promoting Fijian kava as the world’s best and safest for consumption. Naiqamu says this is an opportunity to protect and promote Fiji Kava as an authentic

high quality Fijian product competing in the international market. The kava manual is about improving quality and consistency of kava from the farm right to the market and the kava standard focuses on kava products used as food ingredients intended for consumption. Fiji’s kava industry is valued at $66 million per year, benefitting over 21,000 kava farms. They export kava to the European Union, USA, NZ, and the South East Asian countries. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture established a kava taskforce in 2014 that looked after the Kava Council and the formulation of the Kava Bill 2016.

Violence against women an obstacle to gender equality - Vuniwaqa Violence against women and girls is an obstacle to the achievement of gender equality, development and peace. This statement was made by the Minister for Women Mereseini Vuniwaqa, while officiating at the International Women’s Day celebration and Ba Provincial Craft Show today. She says that the Provincial Craft Show is a key initiative to recognize and empower some of the most talented people in our national life - our artesian women.

Vuniwaqa says that this is a time to re-look at the strategies for gender main streaming, take full account of what has been done and achieved and continue to integrate the needs and interests of both women and men into key policies and strategies of all sectors of government. She acknowledged the contribution made by women to the applied arts has been particularly impressive in such fields as textiles, handicrafts and traditional items.

Bail denied for man charged with attempted murder in Raiwaqa The bail application of Mohammed Nirmaroj Imran charged with allegedly assaulting and causing harm to a man in Raiwaqa last month has been denied by the Suva High Court. Imran is charged with one count of criminal intimidation, one count of assault causing actual bodily harm and a count of attempted murder. High Court Judge, Justice Vincent Perera said it is in the interest and safety of the public that the accused is refused bail. Justice Perera said the accused had

breached bail in a previous case in the Suva Magistrates Court and he would not want to endanger the public. He said the accused is also facing serious charges. Mohammed Nirmaroj Imran, Ali Abu Talib and Ali Ahmed allegedly assaulted and caused harm to Sanjeshwar Prasad in Raiwaqa resulting in him sustaining injuries last month. Talib and Ahmed were granted bail last month. The case will be called for mention on the 21st of April, 2017.

Priest robbed of $30,000 A pastor’s trip to Suva to personally acquire a vehicle for God’s work turned sour after he was allegedly robbed of $30,000 cash in broad daylight. On Tuesday Scot Daku, originally from America, left his Lautoka home to meet the vehicle seller at Laucala Bay in Suva to carry out checks on the van before finalising the deal on Wednesday. A few hours after his arrival at Laucala Bay on Wednesday morning to meet the seller, the worst happened. Two boys, who he suspects stole the money, were selling avocados at a car park of a popular shopping complex at Laucala Bay approached him to buy the fruit at around 10.30am. “So we saw that and we were communicating with the seller online and what we saw, we liked. So we decided to come to Suva to look at it and possibly buy it. “So we arrived in Suva on Tuesday, around 6pm and the seller met us at our hotel. We took the car for a drive, everything looked good.” Mr Daku said on Wednesday morning he met the seller at the Sports City Complex at Laucala Bay because there was a Land Transport Authority (LTA) office there where they could do the vehicle transfer. He said he had his wife and children with

Authorities at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s pediatrics unit became suspicious about the presence of the acinetobacter baumannii bacteria after the recent deaths of newborns in their care. The hospital was forced to close its Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and divert all outpatient services to nearby health centres this week after the bacterial infection outbreak was detected. One baby infected with the bacteria within 24 hours of being born now remains in critical condition and cannot breathe unassisted, hospital authorities confirmed. However, CWM Hospital acting medical superintendent Dr James Fong said CWM Hospital was able to contain the outbreak and had seen positive signs indicating the bacteria was clear from some parts of the NICU. “I can tell you that we have sick people who were already sick before they came to us whether or not the deaths is related to the outbreak is not something we can work out,” Dr Fong said.

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popular eatery in the area. He said the vehicle seller was at the eatery, where he went to meet her and spoke for more than an hour. He said he did not show his bag to anyone and carried it on his shoulders like a backpack. He said after their meeting, he picked his wife and children from the supermarket and told the seller to go to the LTA office where he would meet her.

Deaths of newborns raise alarm

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him and went to drop them for shopping at a supermarket nearby. In the meantime, he said, he was carrying the money in his bag the safest place he thought to keep them. After dropping his wife and kids, he went to look for the vehicle seller at the LTA office but was told that she was waiting for him at a

“All we know is they were already sick when they came to us.” However, he confirmed tests began after the deaths occurred and emergency preventative measures were activated once two cases of the bacterial infection were confirmed one after another. Dr Fong confirmed that 11 newborns at the NICU were suspected of contracting the bacteria and underwent screening protocols, which confirmed 6 were infected. Dr Fong said the hospital took immediate control measures to prevent the spread of the bacteria to the rest of CWMH. On Monday, February 27, the hospital diverted outpatients to nearby health centres and moved patients out of the NICU into the bottom floor emergency room while sterilisation took place in the intensive care units. “We haven’t had any new infections and we have now started to take in admissions from the labour ward into the NICU,” Dr Fong said.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Leaders clash in Parliament as Imran called ‘traitor’ Pakistani lawmakers on Thursday brawled in Parliament after a leader of the ruling PML-N party called cricketer-turnedpolitician Imran Khan a “traitor”. PML-N lawmaker Mian Javed Latif, during a debate in the National Assembly— lower house of the bicameral federal legislature—said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Khan’s attitude towards recently-concluded cricket tournament Pakistan Super League (PSL) was that of a “traitor”, as he opposed the final in Lahore and ridiculed foreign players. As Latif was moving out of Parliament, he entered into a heated argument with PTI’s Murad Saeed, leading to a scuffle between the two lawmakers. However, other lawmakers intervened and saved the situation from

getting out of control. Later, Saeed said that ruling party lawmaker had no reason to call his leader a traitor and asked Speaker of the National Assembly to take notice of the incident. PML-N’s Talal Chaudhry accused PTI of deliberately creating unpleasant scenes inside and outside Parliament. House Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah condemned the incident and asked the Speaker to probe and punish the lawmaker who initiated the brawl. Khan had criticised the government’s decision to go ahead with the PSL final in Lahore after a series of terror strikes in the country killed more than 100 people. He had also criticised the foreign cricketers participating in the tournament.

Over 22 million Pak children out of schools Over 22 million children in Pakistan between the age group of five and 16 are out of schools despite the government’s claim of improving their enrolment in educational institutions, according to a report. The Pakistan Education Statistic 201516 report launched on Wednesday by a department of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training disclosed that as many as 44 per cent children (22.6 million) between the age group of five to 16 are still out of school, Dawn reported. The statistics further said 21 per cent primary schools in the country are being run by a single teacher while 14 per cent have one room. It said only 30 per cent children remain enrolled from class one till tenth. Balochistan

region is home to the highest proportion of out-of-school children followed by the impoverished tribal region along Afghan border. As regards to schools’ infrastructure, 40 per cent public sector primary schools were operating without electricity, 28 per cent did not have toilets, 25 per cent were without boundary walls and 29 per cent had no access to drinking water. While 7 per cent schools did not have any building and 43 per cent had unsatisfactory buildings. “The situation is pathetic; it has been like this for a long time and is getting worse. The government should prioritise the education sector,” said Khalid Aftab, former vice chancellor of a government university, Lahore.

Pakistan rejects Indian concerns over terrorists’ movement on LoC Pakistan military on Thursday rejected Indian Army’s concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to “share evidence”. Army’s director-general of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia spoke with his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India’s concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC. Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor confirmed the contact between the officials of the two armies on the hotline. “Indian concern on terrorists’ movement along LoC were strongly rejected during (the) hotline (call). Indian Army sources had earlier said, “The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern

regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC).” The Pakistani DGMO was also informed

about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri.

Pakistan moves to hire Washington lobbyists amid strained US ties Pakistan is looking to hire lobbying firms in Washington after a gap of nearly eight years, seeking to refurbish its image in the United States at a time of deteriorating relations between the allies, two government officials said on Tuesday. Ties have been particularly strained following a US unmanned aircraft strike that killed top Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in western Pakistan last month, which Islamabad protested was a violation of its sovereignty. Relations have also been tense since a plan to buy eight F-16 fighter jets from the United States fell through this May after the US Congress refused to approve the deal.

The deal, valued at $699 million, came unstuck after Congress refused to authorise the use of US government funds to pay for the aircraft under the foreign military financing (FMF) program. “Pakistan used to have lobbyists in Washington ... Now we want to relaunch the effort,” said a senior government official, who asked not to be identified, as he was not authorised to speak to the media on the record. Islamabad dropped its official lobbying efforts during the 1999-2008 military rule of General Pervez Musharraf, the official said, adding that the government had now decided it needed help selling its image.

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NRI

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Indian-origin scientist bags Lemelson-MIT Prize worth $500,000 in US

H-1B visa programme faces onslaught of Bills With the Trump administration seriously mulling H-1B visa reforms, at least six Bills have been tabled in the US House of Representatives and the Senate, contending that the programme that is popular among

Indian IT firms eats into American jobs. Authors of all these Bills from both the Republican and the Democratic parties believe that H-1B work visas tend to replace American workers. Even though this argument is disputed by research scholars, economists and Silicon Valley executives, these legislations are based on the premise that Indian techies are eating into American jobs. In less than a week of Trump being sworn in as the 45th US President, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, and Assistant Senate Minority Leader Dick Durbin, introduced the “H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act” to prioritise American workers and restore fairness in visa

programmes for skilled workers. Among other things, the H1-B reform Bill proposes to eliminate the lottery system and give foreign students educated in the US priority on visas. The Bill would prohibit companies with more than 50 employees, of which at least half are H-1B or L-1 holders, from hiring additional H-1B employees. Democrat Zoe Lofgren — who represents a Congressional district in California that includes Silicon Valley — introduced “The HighSkilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017”. As soon as the Bill, which proposes a skill and wage-based system for allocation of H-1B visas and seeks to more than double the minimum wage for an H-1B visa holder to $130,000, was introduced, Indian IT stocks went down and rattled the $150-billion outsourcing industry. Besides, Bills such as the Fairness for HighSkilled Immigrants Act of 2017, which aims at eliminating the per-country immigration caps with a first-come-first-served system; the “End Outsourcing Act”, which aims to ensure that federal contracts are awarded to firms who hire American workers; and the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act, have been tabled in the Congress.

An Indian-origin scientist has bagged the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize worth $500,000 for his groundbreaking inventions to create solutions to improve lives globally. Nasik-born Ramesh Raskar, 46, is founder of the Camera Culture research group at the MIT Media Lab and an Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences. “Raskar is the winner of the 2016 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize for his groundbreaking inventions, commitment to youth mentorship, and dedication to improving our world with practical yet innovative solutions,” a media release said yesterday. With more than 75 patents to his name, and having written more than 120 reviewed publications, Raskar is the co-inventor of radical imaging solutions including Femtophotography, an ultra-fast imaging system that can see around corners; low-cost eyecare solutions for the developing world; and a camera that allows users to read pages of a book without opening the cover. Seeking to catalyse change on a massive scale by launching platforms that empower inventors to create solutions to improve lives globally, he combines the

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best of the academic and entrepreneurial worlds to achieve milestones in improving the lives and health of people in industrial and developing societies, the announcement said. The annual Lemelson-MIT Prize honors outstanding mid-career inventors

improving the world through technological invention and demonstrating a commitment to mentorship in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). “Raskar is a multi-faceted leader as an inventor, educator, change maker and exemplar connector. In addition to creating his own remarkable inventions, he is working to connect communities and inventors all over the world to create positive change,: said Stephanie Couch, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program.

‘Fake’ Indian doctor on run in Australia An Indian man in Australia has been accused of impersonating a doctor and working in various hospitals for more than a decade with the immigration minister terming the case as a “big failing of the system”. Shyam Acharya took the name of another man in India, Sarang Chitale, before he began a new life in Australia, where he registered with the Medical Board of New South Wales (NSW) in 2003, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He then used the identity of the doctor and pretended to hold a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees and membership as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians to gain employment in the NSW public health system. The authorities have been unable to find or contact him saying his current whereabouts are unknown and they are trying to track him with reports saying Acharya could potentially now be in India. Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said: “There’s obviously been a big failing of the system. The case of accused fake doctor...you necessarily want to make sure that you’re getting access to all of the information that whatever government department holds on anyone being investigated by authorities.”

He said: “We live in a very different age…10 or 20 years ago it was difficult to predict security threats over the near future. So we’ve just got to make sure that we’ve got a modern system that is going to deal with people crossing our borders, sharing intelligence with law enforcement agencies and intel bodies and the rest of it. We’ve got the best people in the world and my sense, my only requirement, is

that we continue that world’s best practice.” Acharya first came to Australia on a tourist visa in 2002 and then got a job in NSW health recently acquired Australian citizenship. He worked for NSW Health as a junior doctor from 2003 to May 2014 at four hospitals in Australia and even worked in emergency departments. In 2013, Acharya worked for international pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, before moving to medical research group Novatech in 2016.

PUNJAB

Saturday, March 11, 2017

India-US ties to see new dawn: Sikh leader Indo-US ties will touch new heights under the Trump administration as the two countries are “natural partners” and have common interests amid China’s assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, an IndianAmerican entrepreneur considered close to

Vice-President Mike Pence has said. “Both India and the US have an interest in fighting terrorism originating in central Asian areas such as Pakistan and Afghanistan,” said Indiana-based Gurinder Singh Khalsa, founder and chairman of Sikhs Political Action Committee (SikhsPAC). “It is to India’s long-term benefit to continue improving relations with the US. We also have many shared business priorities, particularly in IT and tech industries,” he said. Khalsa, a businessman, has been Pence’s friend from the days when the latter was not even elected Indiana Governor.

UK likely to extradite Dasuya man back to India The United Kingdom is soon likely to extradite an Indian national from Punjab, who is accused of kidnapping his brother’s daughter and fraud. The accused, Rajesh Kapoor, from Dasuya in Hoshiarpur district was on the list of 16 fugitives that India handed over to the UK when the India-British dialogue on Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance was held here on February 20 and 21. Sources said Kapoor’s extradition would be the second success story in this regard; his extradition is already “in process”. Last year, Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel was extradited to India to stand trial for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Kapoor, a decade ago, had kidnapped his brother’s daughter with the help of his sister. The Interpol has also issued Red Corner notices against the brother-sister duo. The development follows from the February 20 meeting between officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and their British counterparts over the possible extradition of people wanted in India on several charges. The most highlighted extradition request by India and one that is still pending with the UK is that of flamboyant businessman Vijay Mallya. It has been learnt that Mallya’s extradition was discussed in the meeting too. Christian Michel, an accused in the VVIP chopper scam, is another person on the list.

Khalsa said he wanted to focus on strengthening India-US ties and be the voice of Indian-Americans and other such ethnic communities in the US. “Pence has been very outspoken about the need for more economic cooperation between India and Indiana. Prior to becoming Vice-President, he spoke to us about his intention to travel to India after the election. He wanted to be the first Indiana Governor to visit India,” he said. Born in 1973, Khalsa moved to the US in 1996 after writing four research papers. Prior to moving to Indiana in 2008, Khalsa spent five years in the real estate, insurance and finance sectors in California. Since 2003, he has developed a chain of businesses throughout California, Nevada and Indiana. In 2007, a TSA agent in Buffalo, New York, refused to allow Khalsa on an airplane unless he removed his turban.

Man gets 15-year jail in US for supporting Khalistanis A 42-year-old Indian in the US has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for plotting terror attacks in India by providing material support and resources to the Khalistan movement. Balwinder Singh was a member of two terrorist groups and provided material support to “intimidate” the Indian government and harm persons who were not supporting the terrorism groups’ cause, said US Attorney Daniel Bogden for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C Rouse for the FBI’s Las Vegas Division. Singh was sentenced yesterday by US District Judge Larry Hicks in Reno, Bogden said. “This case is an example of multi-law enforcement agencies working collaboratively together to protect the US and our foreign allies from a terrorist act,” Bogden added. Singh, who also went by the alias Jhaji and Baljit Singh, is a citizen of India and

a permanent US resident. He had pleaded guilty in November last year. According to court documents, between September and December 2013, Singh conspired with others to support terrorist attacks in India as part of the Khalistan movement. He agreed to provide “material support” by helping facilitate a co-conspirator’s travel to and within South Asia, to provide necessary funding and to provide materials necessary to carry out the attack, the court documents said. On occasions, Singh travelled from Reno to California to meet a coconspirator in person. In October 2013, Singh and his coconspirators agreed that one of them would travel to India and carry out a terror attack — likely an assassination or maiming of an Indian government official. The final target was to be determined after the co-conspirator arrived in South Asia.

FRUITICANA

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Saturday, March 11, 2017 Saturday, March 11, 2017

Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma’s film has already made Rs 100 crore?

Salman, Iulia, Malaika, Arbaaz, Sonakshi, Karan attend Seema Khan’s birthday bash

When it is the Khans, expect the unexpected. If they make their films earn dollops, they can also manage to churn money out of their films even before the trailer is out. We are talking about Shah Rukh Khan‘s film with Anushka Sharma that has already earned Rs. 100 crore. How? Well, according to Bollywood hungama, all India

How interesting is it to spot Bollywood celebs at parties?Last night was no different thanks to Sohail Khan’s wife Seema Khan’s kickass birthday bash with who’s who of Bollywood in attendance. The papz were in for quite a surprise as they got to see attendees right from Salman Khan, Iulia Vantur, Sonakshi Sinha, to Malaika Arora, Arbaaz Khan, Karan Johar making it to the do. And we must say, all looked pretty much at their stylish best as they stepped out of their cars to bring in the night together. However, what grabbed more eyeballs is the fact how Salman’s ‘special one’ Iulia was seen happily accompanying his

and overseas distribution rights of the film has been sold at a whopping price of Rs 100 crore and more.

Cleavage Tutorials By Swara Bhaskar & Taapsee Pannu, Hats Off! The dynamic duo of Taapsee Pannu and Swara Bhaskar have come together for the first time to share an insightful thought about the cleavage. Yes you heard us right, we said ‘cleavage’!

The latest video features the Pink actress Taapsee and the Anaarkali of Araah, Swara Bhaskar as Cleavage Managers. The 3 minutes 23 seconds clip starts off with “How much coverage is good coverage” where the actresses provides helpful tips on how to look after an unwanted cleavage show at places like office, gym, markets, clubs and also weddings. Often women face stares

and unwanted attention from men on their cleavage area. To safeguard women, Taapsee and Swara make some suggestions in the video- to begin with. Most of it involves covering the neck or the chest area for example, wearing a high-collar long neck at office, safari neck t-shirts at gym, polo neck for the crowded place, scarves and shawl for the night club, and lots more. In the last 1 minute, Taapsee and Swara finally drops the sarcasm and hit at the individuals who would follow such a stupid protocol. The duo pauses for a moment and start with a strong message: “If you’ve forgotten, then let’s remind you that, we are women and we are born with it! If you have it, flaunt it! It’s my body!” Encouraging the most important message in the end- they motivate women all across the globe to be proud of their bodies and for what they have, big or small, to even celebrate it.

mother Salma Khan at this Bollywoodcum-family get together! Yes, Iulia not only arrived with Salman’s mom in

the same car but also stuck to her side throughout the party. One look at this below picture and you will know what we are trying to say. Dunno what’s Salman and Iulia’s relationship right now but the latter has definitely grown fond of his mom and family. Interesting!

Bipasha Drives Organiser Mad; Flies To London Free & Refuses To Perform? For those who think that Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover are in London for a holiday- courtesy their pictures on social media, this one is for you! The actress in question in the above post is Bipasha Basu and the 1 Plus 1 man is Karan Singh Grover. Imagine! Bipasha flies down to London for a show and ends up NOT doing it for reasons which are extremely disturbing to even pen down, if the cordinator’s allegations are anything to go by. When contacted, Ronita Sharma Rekhi said, “All that we want now is our money back. I wouldn’t like to say anything more at this stage.”

We texted Bipasha to get her version but she chose to not respond.

mid-day Friday, March 10, 2017 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Bollywood

Bips sets the record straight

Hush hush Word is that Deepika Padukone quietly shot for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati before leaving for the US. The shoot took place at a Borivali studio. The ﬁlm was rumoured to have been put on hold as the ﬁlmmaker was apparently undecided about the next schedule after a Rajput group vandalised the Jaipur set.

With stakeholders of recent India Pakistan London Fashion Show threatening to call a press meet over Bipasha Basu’s no-show on the ramp, the actress wrote an open letter to “set the record straight”. An excerpt reads, “While a few hiccups are bound to happen in our line of work, I have never been privy to such baseless and cheap name slandering. Initially, I was amused that the defaulters are playing the victim card and making up ridiculous stories to save their back and putting me in the wrong, but now I am shocked. I had agreed to travel on a hospitality deal, but never was I treated so badly. My self-respect holds highest value and I refuse to be a victim of bullying. I have never experienced such callous and highhanded treatment before. So, instead of creating a scene there, I chose to back off from the event. There are no free lunches in this world and everyone needs to be compensated for the work they do. When the terms and conditions aren’t met, it is only professional to opt out of the deal.”

JUST ONE

QUESTION

shah ruKh Khan Superstar

Why are the three Khans still invincible at the box office? While shooting for Baazigar (1993), Govinda sir said you’ll be admired after your first few films, but it takes at least 10 years to touch the audience’s heart. Salman, Aamir and I have worked hard to reach where we are today. We’re all 50 and have dedicated almost half our life to films. There is a different sort of attachment with fans. At the same time, there is no permanency to stardom.

Big B goes back to school

Maa ka phone aaya

Aamir’s R100 crore ad? After Dangal, Aamir Khan has once again shone the light on women empowerment in his latest ad, which is part of Star Plus’ Nayi Soch campaign. The channel, we hear, spent R100 crore on it. From using promos across the network to hoardings across India, especially in small towns, the network went all out. A part of the sum was also dedicated to print and digital ads.

A ringing phone in the midst of an interview can be annoying, but not for Anushka Sharma. The actress, who was interacting with the media on Tuesday to promote her next, Phillauri, did something unexpected when she saw ‘Mumma calling’ ﬂash on a reporter’s phone nestled between audio recorders and boom mikes. She answered the call on the female journalist’s behalf and said, “Hi aunty, she [your daughter] is in an interview now and will call you later. I am Anushka.” She then asked the reporter her name and continued, “Aunty, she will call you later. She’s in an interview.” So cute.

Mar

Commando

*ing: Vidyut Jammwal, Esha Gupta

Mar

Badrinath Ki Dulhania

*ing: Varun Dhawan, Alia

Same time, same place Amitabh Bachchan yesterday launched Sholay (1975) director Ramesh Sippy’s cinema and entertainment academy. Responding to an impromptu invite as guest lecturer for a day, Big B said, “I would love to come and hold a lecture, but more than that, I’d love to be a student at the academy because we never had this opportunity when we were trying to get into the film industry.” pic/sameer marKande

Chatter about ex-flames Upen Patel and Karishma Tanna rekindling their romance has gathered steam after they were spotted exiting a Bandra restaurant on Wednesday. Seeing the paps, the two avoided interacting with each other and drove off in separate cars. Love blossomed when the two were locked up in the Bigg Boss house in 2014. Their break-up last May was followed by an ugly spat outside an Andheri mutiplex. But it seems they have kissed and made up now. pics/YOGen shah

New Released Bollywood Films Mar

Phillauri

*ing: Anushka Sharma, Diljit Dosanjh

Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com Mar

Naam Shabana *ing: Taapsee Pannu Akhshay Kumar

Apr

Jagga Jasoos *ing: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Bollywood

Details about Salman Khan’s musical world tour Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s brother Sohail discusses details about ‘Dabangg’ the musical tour. He reveals that the star will also be seen singing live on this tour Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has fans across the globe and he is set to enthral them with a musical tour. Titled ‘Dabangg’, the concerts will be held across Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s father hospitalised in Mumbai

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s father Krishnaraj Rai has been admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, confirmed the Bollywood actress’ publicist. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan visited the hospital on Tuesday. Meanwhile, on the work front, speculations are rife that Abhi-Ash will make a comeback together on screen. Seven years after they worked in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Raavan’, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are likely to team up again for a project titled ‘Gulab Jamun’. We hear Anurag Kashyap-led Phantom Films will produce the film to be helmed by a novice. In a recent Instagram post, Junior B had shared a picture with Ash from the set of ‘Raavan’. Dropping a hint about the possible pairing, maybe?

Amitabh Bachchan fan nabbed for trespassing in Jalsa This is not the first time a fan has trespassed or lurked around Amitabh Bachchan’s Juhu bungalow, Jalsa. However, what’s scary is how fans go an unimaginable extent in order to get a glimpse of the actor. Recently, once again, a similar situation occurred outside the actor’s residence when a fan, hailing from UP, forced himself in his bungalow. According to a report on Mumbai Mirror, a 19-year-old named Rehman Khan from Uttar Pradesh came to Mumbai to gather money for his ailing sister’s treatment, from the megastar. The incident occurred yesterday when Bachchan was in his Jalsa residence. Khan told the Mumbai police that he heard about the star helping those in need and wanted to get some financial help for his sister. But considering what a big star he is, his security guards didn’t entertain him.

Industry mates Sonakshi Sinha, Bipasha Basu, Prabhu Dheva, Badshah and Maniesh Paul will accompany the superstar. His brother, Sohail Khan, who is scripting and directing the shows, says, “Salman is loved by people around the world, and in the next two years, he wants to interact with them. He intends to spend time doing shows. This is his way of reciprocating their love.”

Apart from international destinations, the shows are also likely to be held in India. “By the end of this year, we are planning to travel to UK, USA and Canada, and next year, we’ll be touring South Africa and the Middle East. Talks are also on for shows in Kolkata and Pune,” says Sohail, adding that Salman plans to showcase his singing skills by performing live on stage.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Bollywood Horoscope Aries

Libra

March 21 - April 20

Sept. 24 - Oct 22

Look into any educational activities involving the whole family. Don’t push your luck with authority figures. Be honest with yourself before getting involved with someone who is likely to lead you on. Your interests could lead you down avenues you never realized existed. Your lucky day this week will be Sunday.

Loved ones may be annoyed if they feel restricted. Do whatever your mate wants; it really doesn’t matter as long as you’re together. A quiet restful day just staying in bed or catching up on reading will be your best bet. Take part in stimulating debates that will allow you to show off your intelligence. Your lucky day this week will be Friday.

Taurus

Scorpio

April 21 - May 20

Oct 23 - Nov 22

Don’t evade important issues; you may find yourself backed into a corner. Think twice before you pursue an unrealistic endeavor. The stamina you possess will be apparent in your approach to your hobbies and creative projects. You are best to put your efforts into redecorating or inviting friends over. Your lucky day this week will be Thursday.

You may find that someone you live with may be irritable; you’re best to leave them alone. Talk to someone you trust in order to see the whole picture. A long, quiet walk alone may help you sort out your thoughts. Business trips will be more productive than trying to fight the red tape facing you. Your lucky day this week will be Friday.

Gemini

Sagitarius

May 20 - June 21

Nov 23 - Dec 22

You could lose money or precious belongings if you aren’t careful. Positive connections can be made if you get involved in environmental organizations. Kick your shoes off and relax. Don’t go overboard; start small and work toward building it up slowly. Your lucky day this week will be Monday.

Get involved in the activities of children. They will teach you far more than you expect. Try not to let relatives or friends cause any friction with your mate. You may exaggerate your emotional situation. Your accomplishments could exceed your expectations if you mix a little business with pleasure. Your lucky day this week will be Wednesday.

Cancer

Capricorn

June 22 - July 23

Dec 23 - Jan 20

Deceit with coworkers is apparent. You may be overreacting to a situation at hand. Relationships will form if you get out and do things that you enjoy. Your ability to do detailed work will dazzle those who are less creative. Your lucky day this week will be Monday.

Leo

Don’t make a move; your confusion has caused this dilemma and you are best to back away and reassess the situation. Things at work have been moving quickly and you may be feeling a little uncertain about the changes taking place. You need time to rejuvenate. Find out more, if you want to start your own business. Your lucky day this week will be Friday.

Aquarius

June 24 - August 23

Jan 21 - Feb 19

You might want to spend some time by yourself in order to decide exactly how you feel. If you want to make your mark, try to get involved in projects that will bring you some glory. You can expect changes in your financial situation as well as in your status. Travel should be on your mind. Your lucky day this week will be Tuesday.

Virgo

You have a tendency to think that no one else will do things properly. Too many opportunities and too many changes going on. Listen to the advice given by those with experience. Don’t overspend to impress someone who interests you. Your lucky day this week will be Thursday.

Pisces

August 24 - Sept 24

Feb 20 - March 20

Delve into your work if you can’t make amends at home. Take a close look at any contracts you’ve signed in order to be sure exactly where you stand. Family members will not be happy with the amount of time you are spending away from home. Changes at home might come fast and furious. Your lucky day this week will be Saturday.

Taapsee Pannu: If You Find My Cleavage Attractive, Why Should It Bother Me? Taapsee Pannu’s video with Swara Bhaskar has been doing the rounds since last night. The time was right to have a chat with her. Excerpts from the conversation that followed: How did the video with Swara happen? A few days ago, I got a call to say something about how people look at women in different places like the gym, office, et al. I just did my bit and came home. I didn’t even know that Swara would also be a part of it. Have you had personal experiences with men staring at you? I used to get stares for a very long time when I went to the gym. Every time I had to make sure that my cleavage is not seen. I used to cover myself almost fully. It’s not easy to do that, especially if you indulge in heavy workouts, else you won’t be able to concentrate on your exercises. And then, I realised that I was not doing anything productive, it had gone beyond my comfort. I started being very careful on the same lines when I went to meet filmmakers, even about my skirt for the matter, so that I don’t have to be conscious about my sitting posture all the time- else it might send out a wrong hint. And then? Finally, something happened. Something very absurd. What? I started feeling that my clothes and my body have become other people’s property. And mind you, it was not as if that someone else was my father. It was some outsider’s perspective, ki woh kya sochega, which I was worried about. How did you counter that? I understood that dressing up was not about covering or flaunting the body. It was simply about what your body is comfortable in (pauses). Go on... Still, it was becoming so much of a drama. Everytime you go out, you are checking yourself out in the mirror from different angles. From one angle it was fine, but from the other it was not! And I started looking at how Hollywood ladies dress up. I know their culture is different, but I underlined that men will be men. I said to men in my mind: You want to give a catcall? Is it attracting you? That’s your problem. Why am I getting harrassed? Why am I getting offended? They’re surely not abusing me. If they want to notice it, why should I be

offended? If you find my cleavage attractive, why should it bother me? Why not own it as an asset? Why are we treating it as a burden?

It’s just that if a man is talking to a woman, his eyeballs start travelling and she sees that he is not looking at her face but somewhere down. Mind you, this man can be anyone, someone who has come home or even an acquaintance who is meeting her after a long time, this eyeball shift is a common phenomena. It can happen if you are covered till the neck too... Absolutely, that’s exactly my point. So why are we investing so much time over some random person’s thought if and when he’s looking at it? I met Shoojit Sircar recently, and he happened to share with me how Pink originated. One day. his daughter came back home and laid down without bothering about anything. His MIL tol her ‘Seedhe se baitho, seedhe se so jao’... Yes, I am aware of that incident. Were you told things like these in your growing up years? Always--- you have to sit like this and not like that, no short clothes, no deep backs, no tight clothes... Did you rebel? No, we took it as dos and don’ts of life. It’s only when you grow up that you understand that this all has to do with the mindset of society.

Bollywood personalities’ birthdays

atif aslam March 12

Shreya Ghoshal March 12

Nimrat kaur March 13

aamir khan March 14

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Eshwar Shakti

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Movie Review

Badrinath Ki Dulhania â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan have won fans with their last few outings on the silver screen. This is in fact becoming one of the most loved on screen couples of Bollywood. The last two times Alia-Varun came together they delivered a hit. No wonder the young stars have fan clubs named â&#x20AC;&#x153;Variaâ&#x20AC;?and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Valiaâ&#x20AC;?. Now youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want to know how this duo has fared in their latest Dharma Productions venture Badrinath Ki Dulhania directed by Shashank Khaitan. Do the Humpty Sharma trio recreate the magic this time around? Well read our Badrinath Ki Dulhania movie review to find outâ&#x20AC;Ś #Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it about The film revolves around the lives of a rich yet not spoilt brat, Badrinath Bhansal aka Badri (Varun Dhawan) from Jhansi and an ambitious young girl Vaidehi Trivedi (Alia Bhatt) from Kota. While Badriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only motive in life is to get hitched to Vaidehi with whom he fell in love while dancing at a wedding, Vaidehi has bigger ambitions in life and battles to fight. The duo has different plans in life, except that Badri will not take a no for an answer and wants to desperately win over Vaidehi. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unable to understand how this young girl can resist such a perfect guy,

whose only credential is that he belongs to a rich family. Badri is a tenth grade pass who hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even attended college and has no regrets admitting that he works for his dad as a loan money recovery guy. Vaidehi on the other hand is literally aiming for the

skies. The rest of the story you will get a sneak peek at just looking at the theatricals. #Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot VARUN DHAWAN! Yes, Varun as Badri will remind you of the best of both Salman

An innocent Varun and a fiery Alia make a perfect combo

Khan and Govinda. He has the star power of Salman, a great body like the Dabangg hero and looks super hot in this film. His comic timing and emotional scenes will really make you believe that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indeed the true successor of Govinda. Varun lends himself so well to the comedy-drama genre. Varun steals the show from every other character in the film and trust me there are quite a few who stand out. There are a few scenes in particular where heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s super entertaining and endearing. Like for example, when he tries to woo Alia and realises that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indeed not a match for her and breaks down before his friend Somdev (Sahil Vaid) or then the scene where he sees his lady love go far away from him and achieve success heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s both proud and emotional. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hero who isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the macho who will just beat up the baddies and take a punch for his ladylove. He is the lover who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind sharing responsibilities and taking on the kitchen and laundry duties, while celebrating his girlfriendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success. Alia Bhatt plays her part well, she is convincing as Vaidehi a go-getter who

doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind breaking rules of the society. She will speak her mind and is feisty and super ambitious as she is soft hearted and guilty of hurting Badri. Badriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend Somdev is one of the best characters in the movie and so are his brother Alok Bhansal (Yash Sinha) and sister-in-law Urmila Shukla (Shweta Basu Prasad). The film has a good blend of comedy and drama. Despite a comic touch to his role, Varun manages to make you feel for his character. This is a movie where Dhawan Jr is the most endearing. And yes, the Tamma Tamma song is placed at the perfect point, just before the filmmaker is about to lose out interest that is. #Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not The second half falters and the efforts to incorporate Singapore tourism is too on your face. While we see Badri and Vaidehiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship build, the build-up itself is a little boring. One particular scene that is supposed to deal with a grave issue of sexual attack on Badri is made into a not so tasteful joke. Again the film is too predictable and in fact right before the interval the twist too becomes a little too predictable. The movie could have been edited better. The climax is almost like the makers were in a hurry to sum up their film. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoddy and a very strong message gets lost. #What to do Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan prove that their pair means a bona fide success. Shashank Khaitan gives you a movie that you can relax with family and friends on an extended Holi weekend. Go watch it especially for Varun Dhawan!

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Amy packs in the pounds Actress skips exercise, low-cal diet to gain weight for a ‘fuller’ look in her next, an Indo-British film DOn’T be surprised if you happen you come across a chubby Amy Jackson in a month from now. The actress is giving up on her diet and workout regime to put on around five to 10 kgs for her next, Boogie Man. Music video producer and filmmaker Andy Morahan, who offered the project to her at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, insisted that Amy put on some weight for a ‘fuller’ look in keeping with her

character, nimisha. A source says, “Amy just wrapped up Rajinikanthstarrer 2.0 and will start shooting for Boogie Man in London by midApril. She had met a nutritionist during her recent visit to London for a fashion week.” The actress is a big foodie and was thrilled about letting go of a strict diet. “The extra pounds don’t bother me at all. The only thing that worried me is that i do not put on weight easily. i have not done any of this before and am looking forward to it,” she says. The film traces the story of a British-indian teen, Pavan, who struggles with his cultural heritage in modern-day London, falling for a white 20-something actressmodel during a ’70s-themed exhibition. He becomes obsessed with her, the fashion and music of a seemingly glamorous ’70s era, while trying to keep his family’s traditions intact. Amy will play girlfriend to Pavan’s brother.

Bollywood

‘Feminism doesn’t mean you can’t dress pretty’ Sonam takes on body shamers; says it’s okay not to fit into beauty norms

What Amy now eats BREAKFAST: Pancake with honey, bananas, strawberry, omelette, two wheat bread slices, bowl of fresh fruits MID-MORNING SNACK: Chocolate milkshake, whole wheat sandwich LUNCH: Pizza with tofu topping or spaghetti, strawberry milkshake EVENING SNACK: Hot milk coffee, whole-wheat cheese sandwich DINNER: Pasta in red sauce, orange juice, dark chocolate

‘Covered syllabus in just over a month’ Sairat star Rinku Rajguru sits for class X board exams RinKu Rajguru, who became an overnight star following her turn in nagraj Manjule’s Marathi blockbuster, Sairat, appeared for her class 10 exams yesterday. “i covered the syllabus in just over a month of study,” she said while arriving at the exam centre in Solapur. Talking about taking to her books while filming for her next projects, Rinku said, “The transition from lights, camera, action to physics, chemistry, math was not difficult. The one-anda-half months i got for studies was enough.”

The national Award-winning actress, and ex-student of Jijamata Kanya Prashala girls’ school in Solapur, pulled out of school last year, after securing an 81 per cent in class 9 exams. While her parents attributed it to her “hectic schedule”, reports suggested crowds that regularly gathered near the premises to catch a glimpse of the young icon put other student to inconvenience. Sairat earned over R100 crore and became the highest grossing film in the history of Marathi films.

‘Fitness is more important than adhering to beauty standards... If being overweight is damaging one’s quality of life, it’s not good’ Sonam Kapoor

LAST week, when Sonam Kapoor stepped out for an event in a bold black jumpsuit that screamed sexy, the paparazzi found themselves at the receiving end for taking pictures from ‘suggestive’ angles. She tweeted, “The photogs went out of their way to take these pics and frankly i don’t give a damn, i’m proud of my body (sic)”. now, in an interview releasing today with teen blogger Hanee Chavan, Sonam reacted to being body-shamed, saying, “Health is important. it’s okay to not fit beauty norms, but you cannot be unhealthy to prove a point. if being overweight is damaging one’s quality of life, it’s not good. Fitness is more important than adhering to beauty standards.” As a word of advice to today’s teens, she said drugs should be a complete no-no. “i have seen a lot of my friends get damaged because of it [drugs]. i am not close-minded about things; i am not saying it’s morally wrong, but it’s just not good for you. it amounts to abusing the body.” The actress says she is often misunderstood for being ‘brutally honest’. “Being honest is kind, it is not brutal. When you know you are honest and have a strong value system, things shouldn’t affect you. i know my conscience is clear. i have a clear opinion in what’s right and what’s wrong, which is why i am still standing [strong]. in the end, you come out like a phoenix [rising from the ashes]. People don’t need to indulge in herd mentality and [they must] continue to believe in themselves. Sometimes, people might face brickbats for doing the right thing, but that might give them the maximum payback in the long run.” When asked about her notion of feminism, she quipped, “i am a feminist, but that doesn’t mean i am not a girl and can’t dress pretty or look nice. Feminism calls for equal rights for everyone.”

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Spotlight

Bank of Montreal Kings Cross Location Celebrates 200 Years Home Partnership by assisting with the journey of purchasing a first home. The seminars are being held in Surrey and Coquitlam on March 8 and 9th. BMO Bank of Montreal, Canada’s First Bank, opened for business on November

The Kings Cross Branch of BMO Bank of Montreal, which has been serving the community for fifty eight years, marked the bank’s 200th year of operations with a celebration at their location on Friday, March 3rd. Over 100 customers attended the event, as well as notable politicians – including Honorable Sukh Dhaliwal, local MP for

3, 1817 and celebrates a tremendous milestone in 2017 – its bicentennial. BMO has not only built a special company, but has played a pivotal role in our nation’s growth. The bank has been there through the development of many of Canada’s most significant institutions, financial systems and infrastructure projects, including the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Lachine Canal. It also provided Canada’s first widely-recognized and circulated currency.

North Delta/Surry, Honorable Harry Bains MLA Surrey Newton – realtors, developers, lawyers – and staff from all lines of business. The cake and refreshments, decorations, and hundreds of balloons added to a festive atmosphere at the branch. BMO also announced the first-time home buyer seminars, which educate on the program that complements the BC

SURREY BOARD OF TRADE’S Surrey Women in Business Award Winners 2017 On Thursday, March 9, the Surrey Board of Trade hosted the *8th Annual Surrey Women in Business Awards Luncheon*, with Presenting Sponsor *Vancity.* This event recognizes the hard work of Surrey’s businesswomen and their contributions to the community, with a sell-out crowd of over 450 guests in attendance. Master of Ceremonies Sonia Sunger of Global TV led the afternoon’s program and Keynote Speaker Margaret Trudeau delighted the crowd with humour and wisdom as she recounted her struggles with mental illness and choosing a vibrant future. SFU Surrey was the Keynote Sponsor. The Surrey Board of Trade event illuminated and inspired the attendees with the amazing female leadership in Surrey, said Anita Huberman, CEO Surrey Board of Trade. The 2017 winners were: *Entrepreneur Category:* *Noel Asmar “ Noel Asmar Group Inc.* Noel Asmar is a creator, builder and innovator. Seeing the effect that a uniform can have on a business, Noel developed SpaUniforms.com in 2002 - the first online uniform company catering to a market that had been largely overlooked and neglected. Her talents as a designer, marketer and business developer have seen her brand grow into an international success, now servicing more than 4,000 properties in over 60 countries worldwide including Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Elizabeth Arden, Aria, Sandals Resorts, and Harrahâ€™s. Creating new divisions of the Noel Asmar Group of Companies, Noel finds motivation in developing new, unique and creative design solutions for niche markets, including her successful Equestrian, Contemporary Fashion and Handbag collections, as well as Pedicure Bowls & Accessories. *Professional Category:* *Sonia Virk “ Virk Viyas & Associate Lawyers* A first generation immigrant in the legal field for 13 years, Sonia is the co-founder of Virk Viyas & Associate Lawyers in Surrey. After moving to Canada in 2000, Sonia was required to have her degrees assessed and re-qualify in order to practice law. She completed her Canadian law degree at the University of New Brunswick before returning to Surrey. Sonia used networking to build her presence in the community, and in turn, build her practice. She is often invited by the media to be the legal expert to discuss current legal issues. In 2007, Sonia was elected as the youngest President of the Indo-Canadian Business Association, and the first woman to hold the seat. She has also been appointed to BCâ€™s Small Business Rountable, and serves on the Board of Directors for G&F Financial Group, holding the 2nd Vice-

President position since 2015. In March 2016, Sonia was appointed as a public member to the board of the College of Dieticians of British Columbia. *Not-for-Profit Leader Category:* *Louise Tremblay “ The Semiahmoo Foundation/Semiahmoo House Society* Louise Tremblay holds a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership that she partially fulfilled by conducting research on the barriers that people with disabilities face when looking for employment. Since, she has become a professional advocate for people with disabilities and other vulnerable adults, while applying her strong people skills along with her business experience to support a number of non-profit societies. Louise holds many positions,

including Director of Development with The Semiahmoo Foundation which supports Semiahmoo House Society, an organization that provides services to people with disabilities and their families, and Regional Mentor with the BC Association of Community Response Networks, whose mandate is to create awareness about abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults. In addition, she volunteers on the Board of Directors of Seniors Come Share Society, an organization that provides services to an aging population. Louise is a strong advocate for inclusive workplaces and leads by example by hiring and nurturing a diverse team that reflects the mandate of the organization. *Corporate/Leadership Category:* *Dona Hurry “ Mansonville Plastics Group of Companies* Dona Hurry joined Mansonville Plastics Group of Companies in 1982. Throughout the years Dona worked closely with Mr. Cormier, the late President of the company. She served as the Vice President when Mr. Cormier passed in 2015. She then took on the leadership role as the President and Director for Mansonville Plastics Group of Companies. Mansonville currently employs over 80 full-time employees and over 20 contractors. Along with

the management team, she continues to carry out the founderâ€™s vision and legacy in providing expanded polystyrene solutions, fulfilling customer needs with quality products and services, while enacting her vision of product. She has cultivated a safety culture in the organization, investing significant resources, both financially as well as in human capital, to develop and implement a comprehensive health and safety management system. *Social Trailblazer* *Paola Ardiles “ SFU/Bridge For Health* Paola has published and contributed to work in various public health areas including: mental health promotion, health literacy, cultural competency, immigrant & refugee health, and womenâ€™s mental health. In September 2012, the Canadian Mental Health Association-BC awarded Paola with the Dr. Nancy Hall Public Policy Leadership Award of Distinction, for her work to advance the mental health agenda in Canada. Paola joined Simon Fraser Universityâ€™s Faculty of Health Sciences in 2013 to design and teach a new curriculum on Health Promotion in the Canadian Context for the Master of Public Health program. In 2013, Paola founded Bridge for Health (B4H), a local and global network focused on social innovation to promote health and wellbeing. Since then, Paola worked tirelessly on this voluntary effort to engage students, academics, Professionals, activists, and organizations to share their talents, ideas, and solutions in the B4H creative space. To ensure voices from partners and global members, Paola created a B4H global advisory group made up of research and policy experts from South America, the US and Europe. The results from this group were captured in Bridge for Healthâ€™s briefing report, which resulted in the creation of a youth symposium at the World Health Organizationâ€™s international conference in Shanghai in November 2016. *Presenting Sponsor:* *Vancity* * Speaker Sponsor: Simon Fraser University* *Award Sponsors: **Kwantlen Polytechnic University, McQuarrie Hunter LLP, The Co-operators Home Insurance* * Media Sponsors:* CKNW, GlobalTV and the Leader *Community Sponsor: *Womenâ€™s Enterprise Centre *Nominations were submitted in five categories and judged on the nomineeâ€™s work in Surrey, business acumen, leadership, balanced lifestyle and community involvement and service.* For further information, please contact Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade, at anita@businessinsurrey.com or at 604.634.0342.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

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virginmobile.ca Order online at virginmobile.ca, call 1.855.BE.VM.VIP or stop by to say hi. Current as of March 10, 2017. Available with select plans on 30 day or 2-year agreements. One-time connection charge ($15) applies to new activations or hardware upgrades. Services available with compatible devices. Monthly 9-1-1 fees apply in AB (44¢), NL (75¢), NB (53¢), NS (43¢), PEI (70¢), SK (62¢) and QC (46¢). Taxes extra. Other conditions apply. Offers and Member Benefits subject to change/cancellation at any time without notice. See your Agreement for details. Other restrictions apply; see virginmobile.ca for details. Unlimited Canada-Wide talk is valid only when calls are made from Canada to a Canadian number or calls received from any number while you are inside Canada. Samsung images; © 2017 Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung and Samsung Galaxy are registered trademarks or trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., used with permission. The VIRGIN trademark and family of associated marks are owned by Virgin Enterprises Limited and used under license. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. © 2017 Virgin Mobile.

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Classifieds JOBS

Vacancies for Framer-Helper MN Framing Ltd. located at 6281 Knight Street, Vancouver BC V5P2V9 has an immediate vacancy for Framer Helper. Job Title: Framer Helper Number of Vacancies: 1 Location of work: Job requires on-site at various job sites within the lower mainland. Job Type: Full time, permanent position with 30-40 hours per week. Overtime at the rate of 1.5 times after 40 hours per week. Compensation: $20 per hour Benefits: WCB Coverage with 4% vacation pay Key duties: • Load and unload construction material and taking them to job site, • Move tools, equipment from storage to job site; • Assist framer with forming and framing related work; • Help put up, level, and

JOBS install building framework • Remove rubble and clean work areas, machines and equipment to maintain a clean and safe jobsites • Perform other related job duties as required Job requirements: Some experience as a labourer will be an asset but not mandatory. Training provided on site. Work conditions: • Physically demanding, handling heavy loads, combination of sitting, standing and walking • Able to work long hours, weekends and outdoor in various weather conditions Contact: If you meet the requirements, please send your resume at mnframing@ hotmail.com. Only those who our basic expectations will be contacted for an interview. We thank you for your interest in our company! ------------ Mar 09-2017

JOBS Vacancies for FramerCarpenter MN Framing Ltd. located at 6281 Knight Street, Vancouver BC V5P2V9 has immediate vacancies for FramerCarpenter. Job Title: Framer-Carpenter Number of Vacancies: 2 Location of work: Job requires on-site at various job sites within the lower mainland. Job Type: Full time, permanent position with 30-40 hours per week. Overtime at the rate of 1.5 times after 40 hours per week. Compensation: $26 per hour Benefits: WCB Coverage with 4% vacation pay Key duties: • Read & Interpret blueprints, drawings & sketches to determine specification; • Estimate height, width, length & other proportions;

JOBS • Measure, cut, shape & assemble the major structural elements of a wood-framed buildings using woodworking machines, power tools and hand tools; • Build house foundations, Construct building framework including wall, beams, partitions, floor, doorframes, ceilings; • Inspect and replace damaged framework or other structures and fixtures; • Be able to understand building materials and building codes; Job requirements: • Completion of High School • 2-3 years of experience in trade or completion of 3-4 year apprenticeship program Work conditions: • Physically demanding, handling heavy loads, combination of sitting, standing and walking • Able to work long hours,

MATRIMONIAL weekends and outdoor in various weather conditions Contact: If you meet the requirements, please send your resume at mnframing@ hotmail.com Only those who our basic expectations will be contacted for an interview. We thank you for your interest in our company! ------------ Mar 09-2017 Office Manager Required We need a office manager to hire and give training to workers and staff. Must have 3 years of experience in management. Punjabi and hindi speaking is required. Salary will be based on experience. Please call : 604-722-5000 ------------ Feb 18-2017

LOOKING FOR CLASS 1 TRUCK DRIVER Bus Driver required urgently Gobind Sarvar School, located at 8820 – 168 Street, Surrey, B.C. is looking for a school bus driver living in Abbotsford area. If you are licensed to drive a school bus, please email your resume and driver’s abstract to: info@gobindsarvar.ca or call Jaspreet at 604-930-2122 for further details.

Name Change I, Jasneet Kaur resident of # 2019 West 46th Ave, Vancouver BC V6M 2K8 have changed my name from Jasneet Kaur to Jasneet Kaur Marwaha.

A trucking company, Planet Pride Logistics, located at 11411 Shell Road, Richmond BC V7A3W7 has immediate vacancies for 5 Long Haul Truck Drivers. Term of employment: Full time, Permanent Position Shifts: Weekdays, Weekends, Evenings Salary: $23.50 per hour for 50 hours per week, overtime after 60 hours of the rate of 1.5 times with Vacation pay of 4%. Requirement: Class 1 driving license with Air brake endorsement

Duties: Drive and operate company’s long haul trucks within all over Canada, receive and relay information to central dispatcher, maintain log book, bill of landing. Do pre-trip, en-route, posttrip inspection for any mechanical or body defect, reports incidents to the manager immediately and accurately. Please send your resume at planetpride.logistics@ gmail.com or fax at 778-297-4402 Gill to Furmaan Kaur Gill

Saturday, March 11, 2017 South Asian Seniors - Filing Income Tax Returns Free From February 26th 2017 to May 2nd 2017. Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey informs South Asian Seniors that during the Tax filing period we can help you to file your Income Tax Returns for the year 2016 free of cost, through the community volunteer program of Canada Revenue Agency, from February 26th 2017 to May 2nd 2017. If you are living in Surrey / Delta. The eligibility Criteria are as follows 1.Single individual with annual income limit up to $ 30,000. 2. Couples with annual income up to $ 40,000. 3. Adult with one child annual income up to $ 35,000, add the income limit by $ 2,500 for each dependent child. Interest income not over $ 1,000.00 and this income will be included as total eligibility. With no investment income, no rental income , no business or partnership income and no capital gain or loss. Sin# card and photo identity will be required to prove the documents. Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking seniors. If you are eligible then please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further information. -----------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Filing Income Tax Returns Free From February 26th 2017 to May 2nd 2017. Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey informs South Asian Seniors that during the Tax filing period we can help you to file your Income Tax Returns for the year 2016 free of cost, through the community volunteer program of Canada Revenue Agency, from February 26th 2017 to May 2nd 2017. If you are living in Surrey / Delta. The eligibility Criteria are as follows 1.Single individual with annual income limit up to $ 30,000. 2. Couples with annual income up to $ 40,000. 3. Adult with one child annual income up to $ 35,000, add the income limit by $ 2,500 for each dependent child. Interest income not over $

1,000.00 and this income will be included as total eligibility. With no investment income, no rental income , no business or partnership income and no capital gain or loss. Sin# card and photo identity will be required to prove the documents. Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking seniors. If you are eligible then please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further information. -----------------------------------------Free Self Employment Program offered by PICS Are you unemployed or working less than 20 hours per week? Are you thinking of launching your own business? Join PICS for an information session on PICS’ Self Employment Program at one of PICS Offices: Suite 205, 12725 80th Ave, Surrey – Every 2nd Wednesday of the month OR 8153 Main St (near Marine Dr), Vancouver – Every 3rd Wednesday of the month All info sessions are from 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM This program offers • Business Start-Up Training • Business Plan Writing • Business Advisor Support • Networking Events • Support During Business Launch Period Seating is limited. To attend a session, please pre-register at Katarina.Low@pics.bc.ca or 604596-7722 Ext 150 -----------------------------------------Dear Devotees and Well Wishers of Sri Ganesh Temple, Please be advised that due to prevailing weather conditions, the temple administration has decided to alter the start time of Thiruvempavai to 7 am

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Community News instead of 5 am, every day. The Abishekam for tomorrow has also been moved to 6 am instead of 4:30 am. On behalf of Sri Ganesh Temple Society of BC, Shankar Velupillai, Secretary -----------------------------------------South Asian Seniors are planning to visit Australia & New Zealand through 13 days cruise and 2 days extra tour of Sydney (Australia) total 16 days including travel time. The cruise itinerary starts from Sydney (Australia) on November 17th 2017, one day visit at each of these ports, Melbourne (Australia), Burnie (Tasmania- Australia), Wellington (New Zealand), Napier (New Zealand), Tauranga (New Zealand), Auckland (New Zealand), Bay of Islands (New Zealand) and back to Sydney (Australia). Every port the ship Norwegian Jewel will stop, all seniors will go for city tour by bus. All arrangements will be made for your air travel from Vancouver to Sydney (Australia) and return from Sydney to Vancouver, Cruise bookings, all port city excursions, city visits of Sydney (Australia), hotel stay in Sydney, food ( Pure Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian as per your choice) during Sydney City visits, also local bus pick up from Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple Surrey to Vancouver airport & back to Temple on return from Vancouver airport. The total tour will be of 16/ 17 days including travel time from 14th November 2017 to 2nd December 2017. The travel insurance with Medical Coverage, Cancellation, Interruption and Baggage loss is a must, which you can arrange yourself or get the one we arrange for the whole group Insurance at a reasonable price to cover Basic Medical Coverage, Cancellation, Interruption, & Baggage Loss etc. The maximum cost for the whole trip to cover everything including return air tickets will be

approximately $ 4,500.00 US Dollars per person. All staterooms are Double occupancy, so you should select your partner to share the stateroom with you on the ship. If you are interested to join South Asian group of Seniors, you should be in good health to walk independently, can afford the Luxury in life for 16/ 17 days, then only call. The entire amount $ 4,500.00 US Dollars or Equal ant Canadian Dollars as per present Bank rates will be spent on you only and will be taken from you in 4 installments with intervals. You will have to pay me $ 750.00 US Dollars per person for Cruise deposit to confirm your stateroom, and if you don’t have your travel insurance as mentioned above then you have to pay me $ 205.00 US Dollars per person for group travel Insurance in addition to cruise deposit. Please remember the Travel insurance once purchased can not be cancelled or transferred to somebody else. The final payment for the cruise is due by 20th June 2017 and you will be able to pay through your credit card directly to Cruise Web. For the other payments for Air Travel, Port City Excursions and hotel stay & food expenses etc. you will be informed time to time. The prices I have negotiated for the cruise are the rock bottom prices which can not be held for long and we are getting two amenities free, Gratuity for 13 days Cruise is Free and Cocktail Drinks are free for 13 days of Cruise for Ocean view cabins and above. Inside cabins will have only one Amenity Free of your choice. I have only room for two more couples or 4 friends to share two cabins on the ship, So don’t miss the chance of enjoying the Luxury in life for 16/ 17 days to visit Australia & New Zealand and call Surendra Handa Organizer/ Tel. 604 - 507 9945.

mid-day Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Hitlist

Giving it back

Puppy love

Diandra Soares was trolled on social media after she posted a few bold snapshots from her latest photoshoot. Undeterred, the model and former Bigg Boss contestant shared some more sexy pictures of herself. This was her way of telling her detractors to lay off. She has been known for her bindaas attitude, so this move comes as no surprise.

While shooting at Madh Island, Richa Chadha noticed a puppy roaming around with a bunch of stray dogs. The animal lover instantly picked up the distressed canine and asked unit hands and locals to hunt for his mother. It took her two days, but Richa finally managed to reunite the pup with its mom.

Rishi on the off ensive

Just tossing ideas? Rumour mills are abuzz that Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan have liked Shoojit Sircar’s script, which pairs them on screen again. The power couple were last seen together in R Balki’s Ki & Ka (2016). Without divulging details about the development, Sircar says, “There is nothing in particular. I love him, so we keep discussing ideas, not only about cinema, but many other things as well.’’

Musaﬁr hoon yaaron Unlike Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone isn’t keen to buy a house in the US. The actress, who calls herself a nomad, is open to more Hollywood offers, but prefers to live out of her suitcase. We guess, Mumbai will always be home for this leggy actress.

Defending the abusive tweets he sent to trolls on Monday, Rishi Kapoor told mid-day he “won’t take it” anymore. Now, the 64-year-old actor has gone a step further and updated the profile details on his Twitter account as a warning to haters. “Released new warning bio for future trolls, abusers and idiots! Refer profile... Let’s live in a fun world (sic),” he tweeted. A snapshot of the actor holding a gun from Aurangzeb (2013) now makes for his new profile picture, while his bio, which earlier read, “Son of a famous Father — Father of a famous Son. I am the hyphen in between them (sic)”, has been revised to “Don’t you dare try trollers and abusers! You will be abused and BLOCKED — so your loss if you following. Enough of patience! Signed — Terrorist of the family (sic).” War has begun.

Farhan v/s Kangana The makers of Farhan Akhtar-starrer Lucknow Central have finally zeroed in on a release date for the film, which will now lock horns with Kangana Ranaut’s Simran on September 15. We are certain the feisty actress will have an opinion on the impending boxoffice clash. Farhan’s film, which marks the directorial debut of Ranjit Tiwari, features Diana Penty and Gippy Grewal.

Too sexy to be mummy Ash tops Down Under While her film may not have set the cash registers ringing, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been honoured with the Best Performance Female at the International Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA) for Sarbjit. The Bachchan bahu was nominated along with Priyanka Chopra (Jai Gangaajal), Katrina Kaif (Baar Baar Dekho), Vidya Balan (Kahaani 2), Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab), Anushka Sharma (Sultan) and Sonam Kapoor (Neerja). Several Bollywood stars are slated to fly down for the awards ceremony in Sydney in May.

In her first outing as a mother, Gauahar Khan features in the short film, Peanut Butter, which revolves around a mother-son relationship. Interestingly, Dhiraj Totlani, who plays her 18year-old son, was tonguetied on set, since he couldn’t address the actress as his mother. Wonder if the actress wanted it that way.

Soaring to new heights On the occasion of International Women’s Day today, a domestic airline has collaborated with Rahul Bose to celebrate the historic feat of Poorna Malavath, the world’s youngest girl to climb Mount Everest. They also plan to honour other women champions, who have defied all odds to become achievers. Rahul’s upcoming film is based on Poorna’s achievement, who scaled the peak at the age of 13.

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Injured Katrina backs out of stage show was hurt after a heavy object fell on her neck. Doctors have advised her against undertaking any physical activity for a THE HITLIST TEAM hitlist@mid-day.com few days. When mid-day reached out to the acKATRINA Kaif has pulled out of an awards tress, she was in a meeting with her docshow, where she was set to perform on tor. Her spokesperson informed, “This is Saturday, following an injury on the set to clarify that Katrina Kaif will no longer of Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos. Sources perform at a popular film awards show, close to the actress inform that she due to an injury she suffered on the sets

STAR TRACK

[of Jagga Jasoos]. The doctors have advised her to rest and avoid strenuous activity. Katrina is extremely disappointed at being unable to work after suffering the injury. She is recuperating and will resume shortly.” While there was speculation of Deepika Padukone filling in for Katrina, the spokesperson of the awards show denied any such development.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

i 5

Saturday, 2, 2016 Saturday, April April 2, 2016 i 5i 5

Vol. 6 No. 31 Saturday - April 2, 2016 - Tel: - Tel: 604-591-5423 E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com 604-591-5423 - -E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com Tel: 604-591-5423 E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com Vol. 6 No. 31 - Saturday - April 2, 2016 - Tel: 604-591-5423 - E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

31 -- March Saturday Vol. 8 No.Vol. 06 6- No. Saturday 11, 2017- April 2, 2016

Vancouver’sskyline skylinetotorise riseamid amid office-tower building boom Vancouver’s anan office-tower building boom What rent does the tenant owe when What $1M will buy: 10 years ago in the Vancouver’s skyline to expect rise amid anyears office-tower building boom next two due to competition. it Suisse is optimistic his building tower tower is optimistic his building will will he $240-million $240-million Credit CreditSuisse/ Suisse/ Mr.Mr. Shokri others expectnext two years due to competition. it Suisse he Shokri andand others say say theythey The landlords who will likely suffer The landlords who will likely suffer next two years due to competition. start to fill as the completion date gets closer. start to fill as the completion date gets closer. it Suisse tower is optimistic his building will SwissRealtower tower theheart heart many of the new towers to start signing SwissReal ininthe of of many ofvs. the new towers to start signing tenant moving out mid-month? he $240-million Credit Suisse/ Mr. Shokri and others say tenant they expect housing market today a result of the current boom are ownas aasresult of the current boom are ownThe landlords who will likely suffer Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal start to fill as the completion date gets closer. downtown as they getget closer to completion. ThatThat downtown Vancouver Vancouver will will bebe leases leases as they closer to completion.

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the heart of driving many ofprices the new towers to start signing tenantQuestion: I am a tenant and my lease ends not be obligated to continue to pay rent for a A decade ago in SwissReal Canada’s tower hottestin real keeping higher. ers of Shokri said. Asare ownersolder ofasolder buildings, Mr. Shokri As abuildings, result of Mr. the current boomsaid. GroupGroup who bought the the original historic who bought theCEO original historic Franz Gehriger, of SwissReal completed ininless than a ayear, but sosofar,far, will is is partly because companies in Vancouver, completed less than year, but partly because companies in downtown Vancouver be leases as they get closer toVancouver, completion. That estate markets, it would’ve been possible to in the ers middle of the month. Iin need tosuburbs, pay my unit that you cannot use. “Ten years from now I don’t think we’ll bewell, new developments in the suburbs, well, new developments the stock-exchange building in 2002 before partof older buildings, Mr. Shokri said. As stock-exchange building in 2002 before partGroup who bought the original historic only tenant has upupthan to move in.in.butwhich want to be in energy-efficient onlyaone one tenant hassigned signed move which to because benew, in new, energy-efficient completed in less a year, so far,do iswant partly companies Vancouver, buy home in good shape, in to a desirable “last month’s rent” and think it should be only This is fair because the landlord also knows able to do get a million dollar home ininmajor which have already experienced higher nering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said which have already experienced higher well, new developments in the suburbs, The has committed forfor a a10th of to buildings, to operate on short timelines. nering with Credit Suisseinto2002 develop said stock-exchange building beforeit,partThetenant tenantonly hasfor committed of move buildings, tend to operate onin short timelines. one tenant has signed in. ”tend which do want to be new, neighbourhood, $1 million. But 10th a up new part of myrates monthly rent. Mymay landlord that group the lease is ending and can search for a centres, Usher said. “I think what’s aenergy-efficient millionvacancy rates infull recent years, may have the main interested in leasing Vancouvacancy in recent years, have which have already experienced higher the 370,000 square feet – –leaving a state offorof a 10th AsAs well, he hesaid, prices in in the newnew thenering mainwith group interested in Credit Suisse to leasing developVancouit, said the 370,000 square feet leaving a state well, said, prices the The tenant has committed of buildings, tend to operate on short timelines. asvacancy they compete each other. report saysthat that unusual simply for isn’tanthe case any buildings wants me pay the full month’s rent but will new space tenantthese to move on the 16th after you dollars today be two million in 10 years.” trouble ver office days in is the technology rates in with recent years, may have trouble asto they compete with each other. emptiness office skywill will likely come i Saturday, July 25, 2015down in the mainspace group interested in Vancouvertheoffice these daysof isleasing the unit technology theisis370,000 square feet – leaving of Saturday, As well, said, prices in in the new emptiness that unusual for an office sky- a 4state buildings will likely come 4 Toronto: i Julyhe 25, 2015down Inreimburse Vancouver, the co-developer of the Credlonger. me for the time I am not in the unit have returned possession the $1,099,000 sector. Those companies make their deci- to the scraper in this city. Even so, a huge shift in trouble as they compete with each other. sector. In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Credver office space these days is the technology Those companies make their deciemptiness thatso, is unusual for aninoffice skywill likely come scraper this city. Even a huge shift 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015down in the Royal in LePage compared two-storey after I move out. landlord. This buildings approximately 1,500-square-foot business tenancy is expected as the region In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred- sector. Those companies make their deciscraper this city.not Even a huge shift in detached between 2007 and 2017 I don’t feel that I business homes tenancy isinexpected as theso, region experiences something it has seen be- to Toronto home, located in the Dovercourtbusiness tenancy is expected as the region see how much $1 million could buy then and should be paying for days Wallace Emerson-Junction neighbourhood, experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much now. The answer — across almost all markets that I am not living in the is listed for $1,099,000. experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rathin the country — is much less space. rental. My landlord may Ten years ago, $1 million bought an fore: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than for specific committed tenants. Buying power in Vancouver andfor Toronto average which is committed speculative construction rath- of 2,664 square feet; today it buys not return my money er“This thanis kind forofofspecific tenants. uncharted territory Vanhas“This been the quickly. Do I have to 1,722 square feet. er ofhardest. than for specific committed couver, ” said Mehdi Shokri, aterritory principal with ishit kind uncharted for Van- tenants. pay and then hope for Vancouver: $999,000 “Thisteam isShokri, kindatofAvison uncharted territory the capital markets Young. couver, ” said Mehdi a principal with for Vanreimbursement? This 2,196-square-foot couver, said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with “But I don’t markets see a ”big disaster occurring. ” the capital team at Avison Young. Answer: When a lease Vancouver home, located The ICredit Suisse is onlyteam the at most Avison “But don’tthe seecapital a tower bigmarkets disaster occurring. ” Young. for a fixed term comes to in the Mount Pleasant visible and furthest of aasecond I along don’t see big disaster The Credit“But Suisse tower is only thewave mostoccurring.” an end, your obligation is neighbourhood, is listed of new office towers planned fortower VancouThe Credit only the most visible and furthest alongSuisse of a secondiswave to pay only the days that for $999,000. ver and somevisible key suburbs. A first cluster and planned furthest along of a second wave of new office towers for Vancouyou continue to have the Ten years ago, $1 of towers – some twooffice million square feet –for Vancouof new towers planned ver built and downtown some key in suburbs. Athree first cluster million bought an right to occupy the unit. was the past years. ver andtwo some key suburbs. A first cluster ofAnother towers – 11 some square feet Usually the landlord will prorate the rent If you wish to make it crystal clear that average of 1,846 square office million developments are – of towers – some two million square feet – feet; today it buys 1,229 for the days by calculating a daily rate. For you intend to move out at the end of the was built downtown in theofpast three years. proposed within blocks Credit Suwas built downtown in the past three years. example, if you have been paying $2,000 a lease, rather than hold over as a month-tosquare feet. Another 11 tower officeat developments isse’s Exchange Howe and Westare Another 11 office developments are Winnipeg: $1,075,000 month under the lease, the daily rate is $66.67 month tenant, you could give the landlord Pender streets, evenblocks while the office-va-Suproposed within of Credit blocks of Credit SuThis 3,248-square-foot a day ($2,000 divided by 30 days), and you a courtesy letter stating that you do not cancy inproposed the tower regionwithin to inch isse’s rate Exchange atcontinues Howe and West isse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West Winnipeg home, located would be responsible for paying $1,000 for the intend to stay and that you expect to pay the up as a result of the firstwhile wave the of building. Pender streets, even office-vaPenderbrokers streets, say eventhewhile the prorated rent for the partial month. By putting in the River Heights 15 days remaining under the lease. But commercial city is office-vacancy rate in the region continues to inch cancy rate 10 in the region continues inch “Aabout million dollars years ago had a toneighbourhood, When a tenant returns the keys at the end your intent in writing, you engage in clear is listed for $1,075,000. not to be populated by ghost towers. up as a result of the first wave of building. a resultluxury of the to firstit,wave of building. connotation up of assome ” said Winnipeggers experienced a major space- of a lease, the tenant gives up possession of the communication and minimize the chance of But commercialcommercial brokers saybrokers the city is city is say the squeeze Dianne Usher,But who represents central over the past decade, but $1 million unit. Therefore, in your situation, you would misunderstandings. not about tonot befor populated by ghost towers. about to be populated by ghost towers. Toronto realtors Royal LePage. still buys the most space in any major “Today in those major centres, it’s a little Canadian city. Ten years ago, $1 million more than a startup, tear down, lot value in bought an average of 4,400 square feet; today the central parts of both of those cities.” it buys 3,505 square feet. Despite regional variations, home sales According to Muir, total provincial sales Usher blames a combination of a falling Montreal: $1,095,000 supply of houses and rising demand. This 3,551-square-foot Montreal home, across the province returned to a historic have since returned to normal levels after That demand is being driven up in part by located in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce average level for January, according to the reaching an ‘unsustainable high a year ago.’ “Since then home sales have come back British Columbia Real Estate Association. buyers concerned that they will be priced out neighbourhood, is listed for $1,095,000. Sales have slowed in the Vancouver down to more normal levels,” he said. “In of the market, according to RBC economist Ten years ago, $1 million bought an Eric Lascelles. average of 2,984 square feet; today it buys housing market due in part to policy fact, the sales levels this January more initiatives such as the foreign buyers tax and mirror the 15-year average.” “There’s this fear of missing out — if I don’t 2,585 square feet. In 2017, sales have already declined in tighter credit regulations for first time home Saskatoon: $999,900 buy now, it’s going to be even worse a year This 2,073-square-foot Saskatoon buyer, but the BCREA reports that sales on Vancouver and Muir expects to see similar from now. So people will shut their eyes and swallow and jump in the market,” Lascelles home, located in the University Heights Vancouver Island and in the Okanagan are market cool downs in Kelowna and Victoria trending above average. in the near future. neighbourhood, is listed for $999,900. said. Tom Davidoff, economics professor at All told, 4,487 homes were sold in British Ten years ago, $1 million bought an Lascelles says ultra low interest rates are keeping mortgage payments relatively average of 3,117 square feet; today it buys Columbia in January, 2017, according to the the University of British Columbia’s Sauder BCREA’s figures, down from 5,831 sales the School of Business, said that the composition affordable, as home prices climb ever higher. 2,829 square feet. of the market has changed. previous year, a 23 per cent drop. Calgary: $991,900 “However, arguably over the last few years Cameron Muir, the association’s chief “Affluent foreign buyers largely pulled This 2,548-square-foot Calgary home, in particular, we’re now in a position where home prices have now even exceeded that located in the Aspen Woods neighbourhood, economist, said the decline in home sales in out of the Vancouver market,” Davidoff the Vancouver area may seem large, but last said, adding that in comparison, the condo is listed for $991,900. kind of logic,” Lascelles said. market has heated up. Ten years ago, $1 million bought an year’s sales levels were at a record high. In markets like Toronto, where the average “When we look at home sales last month Davidoff said it is too soon to assess the cost of a detached home jumped 35 per cent average of 2,513 square feet; today it buys across the province, they were down 23 per impact of the first-time home buyers loan over the past year, Lascelles says house prices 2,477 square feet. cent compared to January of last year, but we program, which the province introduced Halifax: $989,900 are bound to cool down eventually. This 4,009-square-foot Halifax home, have to remember that we were coming off in December 2016, but he said it could be “At some point, there are no more buyers that can make those payments,” Lascelles located in the Peninsula West End, is listed of record levels in Vancouver at that time,” attributed to the ‘uptick’ in condos and multi-unit sales. for $989,900. Halifax is the only city where $1 said Muir. said. Home sales peaked in January 2016, Muir predicted home sales are likely to Usher, though, is confident that low interest million today can buy more than in the past. Ten years ago, $1 million bought an during a period of ‘white hot’ consumer increase due to a strong provincial economy rates, combined with an influx of people moving into cities — from suburbs and from average of 3,154 square feet; today it buys demand across most of the southern half of and job growth in metro regions. the province. other countries — will continue and that will 3,316 square feet.

BC home sales levels ‘back to normal’

Saturda

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Real Estate

Chinese inquiries in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary real estate spiked with Vancouver tax Inquiries from China for property in several big Canadian markets spiked in the months after Vancouver introduced its tax for foreign buyers, according to a report based on data

from a top Chinese foreign property website. The report, released Tuesday by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada in conjunction with Juwai.com, said Chinese inquiries for listings in the Vancouver market slumped by 81 per cent year over year in July 2016, the month the 15 per cent tax was announced. Juwai.com is a Chinese website visible both inside and outside of that country. According to a Sotheby’s spokesperson, the portal has reported that two million Chinese consumers visit the site monthly. The drop in interest in Vancouver properties continued through the rest of 2016, with a year-over-year tumble of 78 per cent in August, followed by dips of 26 per cent, 29 per cent, nine per cent and 37 per cent in September, October, November and December, respectively. The report says interest from prospective real estate purchasers on Juwai.com

immediately shifted into other Canadian markets following the tax’s implementation. Property inquiries shot up by 1,050 per cent and 420 per cent year over year in Calgary during August and September, respectively. Searches of the Toronto market rose 62 per cent year over year in August and 72 per cent in September. In Montreal, there was a dip in August, before a resurgence of 152 per cent year over year in September. Despite that interest, Sotheby’s said it didn’t translate into higher sales activity in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Sotheby’s International Realty Canada said it anticipates long-term interest from potential buyers seeking investment properties may shift away from Vancouver, but added that the majority of foreign buyers seeking properties for personal use will not make “reactionary choices” because of Vancouver’s new tax. The top motivation cited by potential property buyers from China when they searched for properties in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal was education, cited by 41 per cent, 44 per cent and 46 per cent of enquirers, respectively. In the Calgary market, the highest motivation for inquiries through Juwai.com was “own use,” at 62 per cent, which could represent a potential buyer searching for a second or third home. That reason was the top motivation for 37 per cent of inquiries in Toronto, 25 per cent in Vancouver and 34 per cent in Montreal.

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Desperation sets in for house hunters in red-hot TorontoTmarket Vol. 6 No. 31

Saturday - April 2, 2016

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

E-mail: ads@the

Vancouver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building

Dana Kayali is preparing for battle. Clutching a stack of home ads, the pension fund manager and her fiancé brave a swarm of about 30 people on a recent Saturday and step into the first of four open houses of the day. They’re all searching for what’s dawning on Kayali is a fantasy: a detached home in downtown Toronto for under $1 million. She’s immediately deflated. The floor in the master bedroom slopes up about half a foot, the upstairs hallway is so narrow another house hunter has to squeeze through sideways and an inspection report recommends that parts of the roof, outer walls, and back porch need to be replaced within two years because there’s a risk of water damage. It’s listed for $699,900. Seven days and seven bids later, it sells for $1.05 million. “It’s terrible, it’s just discouraging,” Kayali, 27, said. “You go to the open houses and it’s mostly couples like us. And we’re all in the same boat, looking at one another and I’m thinking ‘OK. You’re probably outbidding me.’ ” Just last week they hoped to bid on a semi-detached home similar in size and a five-minute drive away. The next day, it sold for $1.4 million, 42 per cent over asking. Speak to prospective buyers in Toronto — where home prices surged the most in almost 30 years in January from a year earlier, and supply is tighter than Manhattan — and you hear the same lament: there’s nothing remotely affordable to buy. The desperation is sparking bidding wars and price gains in cities even a two-hour drive from downtown. The “bubble” word is regularly used to describe the market, and there’s little on the horizon to pop it, what with immigration booming, the economy strengthening and interest rates unlikely to rise soon. Here are the facts: there were 5,400 properties on the market at the end of February, half of last year’s figure. That amounted to just one month of inventory — the time it would take to sell all available properties — compared with 5.6 months in Manhattan. Supply isn’t keeping up with demand. Housing starts rose only 13 per cent to 52,941 units in Toronto in January from five years earlier. While Vancouver has grabbed international attention for its soaring prices in recent years, Toronto is now in the eye of the country’s housing hurricane. The price of an average house in Toronto and its suburbs rose 28 per cent in February to $875,983 from the prior year, the sixth straight month of above-20per-cent growth. By comparison, the median price rose 1 per cent to $1.15 million (U.S.) in San Francisco in the 12 months through January and 8.9 per cent to $604,300 in Seattle, according to Zillow Group. Prices are still hot Manhattan, where a home costs about $1.25 million, but the 18-per-cent gain in the period is still below Toronto’s torrid pace. All those numbers pale when compared with the price gain for a detached home in the Canadian city. That was up an average 30 per cent to $1.57 million Cdn. “Nothing is more bubbly right now than the Toronto housing market,” David Rosenberg at Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc. said in a note to clients last week. The chief economist, known for predicting the U.S. housing meltdown and the economic carnage

he $240-million Credit Suisse/ SwissReal tower in the heart of downtown Vancouver will be completed in less than a year, but so far, only one tenant has signed up to move in. The tenant has committed for a 10th of the 370,000 square feet – leaving a state of emptiness that is unusual for an office skyscraper in this city. Even so, a huge shift in business tenancy is expected as the region experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than for specific committed tenants. “This is kind of uncharted territory for Vancouver,” said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with the capital markets team at Avison Young. “But I don’t see a big disaster occurring.” The Credit Suisse tower is only the most visible and furthest along of a second wave of new office towers planned for Vancouver and some key suburbs. A first cluster of towers – some two million square feet – was built downtown in the past three years. Another 11 office developments are proposed within blocks of Credit Suisse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West Pender streets, even while the office-vacancy rate in the region continues to inch up as a result of the first wave of building. But commercial brokers say the city is not about to be populated by ghost towers.

Mr. Shokri and others say they expect many of the new towers to start signing tenant leases as they get closer to completion. That is partly because companies in Vancouver, which do want to be in new, energy-efficient buildings, tend to operate on short timelines. As well, he said, prices in the new buildings will likely come 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015down in the

next two years due to competition. The landlords who will likely suffer as a result of the current boom are owners of older buildings, Mr. Shokri said. As well, new developments in the suburbs, which have already experienced higher vacancy rates in recent years, may have trouble as they compete with each other. In Vancouver, the co-developer of the Cred-

it unleashed, says prices are more than 60 per cent overvalued in the city when compared to incomes. The exuberance can be seen in Toronto’s bidding wars. Erin Warner and her partner, 40-something professionals, purchased a townhouse in Toronto’s east end for $1.05 million this year, paying about 15 per cent above the list price to outbid a handful of other hopefuls. The couple used savings and the windfall from selling their smaller

townhouses on the other side of town, which had doubled in value since they bought about seven years ago. “We wanted to make sure we got it, and knew others were bidding over the asking price, too,” Warner said Saturday from the kitchen of an open house for a townhome in their complex. “That’s just a reality now.” The couple were browsing the open house to justify their purchase and they were immediately vindicated. The property, similar in size but older and less up-to-date, is also listed for $900,000 and the agent said it’ll likely sell for at least $1 million. “Home ownership is going to be an issue for families who want to live in urban centres,” said Ara Mamourian, 38, who owns brokerage Spring Realty Inc., and scrapped his own plans to buy a house to accommodate an expanding family. He’s opting to rent for now and bought a two-bedroom, $800,000 condominium that’ll be ready in 2019. “There’s already so much competition. It’ll be nuts.” That competition is only heating up. Disgruntled foreign buyers are likely moving east after Vancouver last year imposed a 15-per-cent tax on foreign homebuyers. Transactions have since plummeted in Vancouver and prices have started to cool. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 people are forecast to move into the city and its suburbs each year. And the province of Ontario, with Toronto as its biggest city, is only beginning to pick up steam. Growth is forecast to expand 2.3 per cent in 2017, the fastest provincial rate in the country, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That still likely won’t be fast enough to prompt the Bank of Canada to follow the U.S. with interest-rate hikes anytime soon. Governor Stephen Poloz has recently played up the slack in the economy, wary of derailing a recovery from the oil rout. So the hunt goes on. With the average price in Toronto’s suburbs cresting $1 million for the first time ever in February, housing refugees are spilling further afield into Hamilton, and Port Hope, nearly a two-hour drive from Toronto. Teachers Sylvia Kim Cota and her husband Danny are kicking themselves for not raising their bid over a year ago on a $540,000 home in Mimico, 30 minutes from Toronto. It sold for $600,000 after receiving eight offers. Now, they see listings for comparable homes for $800,000.

it Suisse tow start to fill a Franz G Group wh stock-excha nering with the main gr ver office sp sector. Tho

Saturday, April 2, 2016

i 5

Saturday, March 11, 2017 -

Saturday - April 2, 2016

- Tel: 604-591-5423 -

Real Estate

Foreign home buyers love Toronto for the schools: realtor

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

couver’s skyline to rise amid an office-tower building boom

edit Suisse/ he heart of er will be , but so far, to move in. or a 10th of ng a state of n office skyhuge shift in s the region not seen beboom much uction rathted tenants. tory for Vanrincipal with vison Young. r occurring.” nly the most second wave for Vancoufirst cluster square feet – three years. pments are Credit Sue and West he office-vanues to inch of building. y the city is host towers.

it Suisse tower is optimistic his building will start to fill as the completion date gets closer. Franz Gehriger, the CEO of SwissReal Group who bought the original historic stock-exchange building in 2002 before partnering with Credit Suisse to develop it, said the main group interested in leasing Vancouver office space these days is the technology sector. Those companies make their deci-

Richard Silver, a Sotheby’s realtor and past Toronto Real Estate Board president who works with foreign buyers, told Metro Morning host Matt Galloway that most of his foreign clients are coming to Toronto for educational and business opportunities, not just to park their money offshore, and that a foreign buyer tax would be a bad idea. TREB is making a concerted effort to lobby against a possible foreign buyer tax on homes in Ontario, arguing that such a tax would be ‘misguided’ when just 4.9 per cent of its member agents acted on behalf a foreign buyer in 2016. But Silver also said TREB’s figure significantly understates the proportion of foreign buyers in the GTA, as it only captures home resales — not sales of new construction. Matt: Galloway: Who are the foreign buyers that you’re working with? Richard Silver: You know, it changes. Right now we have been doing a lot of business with Asia, with people from mainland China. What we’ve done is, we work for a very international company, we’ve gone out and added people to our team who speak Mandarin. We’ve gone to Asia three times, I’m about go to Delhi again for a weekend conference in a couple of weeks. You have to go out, you have to meet people, you have to understand their sensitivities, what’s driving them to buy. A lot of it focuses on the education. So having great education in the city of Toronto, both in the post-secondary and secondary, I think is very, very important, because that’s what they’re looking for. MG: Language skills are one thing. Going there is something different. What do you learn about who the potential buyers are when you’re

actually on the ground in those countries? RS: It’s really from the questions. A lot of people have the questions about … they know about Toronto, they know about Vancouver, they want to know which is the city that you should buy in. They want to know mostly about education. Seriously, you have to have an idea of the ratings of all of the private schools, the public schools, the universities. And you can know that those are the locations that people are going to be looking in. It has to be accessible to a university or a private school or a very well-rated public school. MG: So the belief that you’re seeing is that people actually want to live here. RS: Oh, definitely. MG: Because in Vancouver, one of the huge problems that people pointed to is that this was essentially money that’s being parked offshore, that people were coming, buying properties, the properties are empty, it led to empty neighbourhoods, empty buildings, we’ve seen this happening all around the world. That’s not what you are seeing? RS: I think that that is probably part of the case, not in the case that we deal with, we deal with people who are really coming here … you know, sometimes we have to decide, what is a foreign buyer? Is a foreign buyer somebody who’s already applied for and got their permanent residency? And, is it because they want their children educated in Canada? We see a lot of husbands continuing to work in mainland China, they send their wife and their children to Toronto so their kids can go to university here. And after university, there’s

an automatic three-year work permit that goes with being a foreign student in Canada. So that is an option that you wouldn’t get in other countries. So I would think that there’s also a lot of investment in the new construction. And in that new construction, the buildings that are being built, Toronto Real Estate Board doesn’t

change 5 years fixed rate to 3.29% (30 days quick close, Hi ratio only get that information very much from the builders, it’s not reported on the Toronto Real Estate Board. So, I would say there’s probably another five to ten per cent there that’s definitely foreign buyers. MG: Now this is interesting, because it’s a point of dispute. The real estate board in Greater Vancouver said that foreign buyers made up something like four per cent of transactions in that city. Sales have slowed dramatically since the foreign buyers tax came in. So how do you explain that, if it’s only four per cent in Vancouver? RS: Well, I don’t think it’s dissimilar in Toronto as well, from the board viewpoint, because the board deals with resales, they don’t deal with builder projects.

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MG: And that’s the discrepancy? RS: And that’s the discrepancy, I think. I think if you were to add the two, you’d come up with a higher figure. But the ones the Toronto Real Estate Board deals with, the ones we deal with in our market place, are people who have come basically for schooling. They’ve come because Toronto is the centre of arts and culture, and they can speak their own language. MG: What has it done to affordability in this city? Because in Vancouver, people pointed — and this led to accusations of xenophobia and more, but people point the finger and say, ‘the market is being torqued because of offshore money coming in.’ RS: Part of the problem is, when you travel around the world and you look at the other G8 countries and you go to the main cities that those countries are led by economically, our prices are very, very low in comparison … MG: That’s cold comfort, though, to people who can’t afford to get into our market. RS: It is, but there’s always … I remember buying my first house, I lived in a house and there were seven or eight people living in the house with me, and I bought that house, and they were paying me rent, and it was just one of those things that we did. You need to get into the marketplace at any point, and these days people are getting into the marketplace in condominiums, smaller condominiums. MG: There have been calls for Ontario to introduce a foreign buyers tax like the one in British Columbia. What would that do to the people that you’re working with?

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

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Vol. 6 No. 31

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Saturday - April 2, 2016

he $240-million Credit Suisse/ Mr. Shokri and others say they expect SwissReal tower in the heart of many of the new towers to start signing tenant downtown Vancouver will be leases as they get closer to completion. That completed in less than a year, but so far, is partly because companies in Vancouver, only one tenant has signed up to move in. which do want to be in new, energy-efficient The tenant has committed for a 10th of buildings, tend to operate on short timelines. the 370,000 square feet – leaving a state of As well, he said, prices in the new emptiness that is unusual for an office sky- buildings will likely come 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015down in the scraper in this city. Even so, a huge shift in business tenancy is expected as the region experiences something it has not seen before: an office-tower building boom much of which is speculative construction rather than for specific committed tenants. “This is kind of uncharted territory for Vancouver,” said Mehdi Shokri, a principal with the capital markets team at Avison Young. “But I don’t see a big disaster occurring.” The Credit Suisse tower is only the most visible and furthest along of a MASTER second wave PLATINUM of new office towers planned for VancouAWARD AWARD ver and some key suburbs. A first cluster of towers – some two million square feet – was built downtown in the past three years. Another 11 office developments are proposed within blocks of Credit Suisse’s Exchange tower at Howe and West Pender streets, even while the office-vacancy rate in the region continues to inch up as a result of the first wave of building. But commercial brokers say the city is not about to be populated by ghost towers.

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PITA PIT FRANCHISE

Magni�icent luxury estate situate don 8.5 acres with over 8100 sq. ft of living space. Home includes 6 bdrms, 8 washrooms, a separate guest house and fruit 5 acres Pita has blueberry plants as well. This Wellstand. established Pit stunning home possesses every luxury possible with high ceilings, crown molding, stainless steel Franchise in rapid growing appliances,Granite counter tops, open �loor plan, large gym room, grand patio, sundecks, built in vacuum, top of the line security system, separate wok kitchen and much more! gorgeous home is situated in the Brentwood area ofThis Burnaby! middle of serene farmland yet only two minutes away from Aldergrove Town centre and with quick access R are oppor tunit y to to Hwy #1. The second house is rented as well as fruit stall.Rare opportunity to advantage of this stunning purchase a well established home! Call today for a personal viewing.

Attention Truckers! Permitted use for Transportation Industry and more. IL zoned The perfect turn key operation for those with a flair for fashion and wanting to run their own business! Located in the uptownOR DistrictFofALE New West busyGINA commercialRE area.Take advantage ACREAGE S in theIN ASKATCHEWAN - of 3 businesses S in land available. Two side by side lots that are one: 1. One year established Ladies Apparel & accessories Boutique 2. Complete professional alteration to be sold together. House is since franchise surrounded by highrises, residences, new established with love and a business owners delight don't miss this ATGRE INVES TMENT ORTUNITY! OPP in the same premises but segregated from the boutique. 3. Full website with two demolished. Commercial Land only. Please developments, commercial businesses and more. This opportunity! Please oach do staff, not ealtor contact orappry f business listing an with full workshop r location does school hot lunches and a large amount of info required. es, and acr el Hot velopment and PRIME OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASEAsking $75,000 INDIAN RESTAURANT FOR SALE online stores, social media presence and first page SEO4for alterations five star reviews. Owner selling duede contact for more details. Asking $649,000 catering ordering as well! Do not approach staff please site vailable a to the in next level withthe egina, of R this turn key business your ideas! City Prime office space on street level available for lease. Excellent location prime area Indian cuisine to health issues this is the perfect opportunity to take contact listing realtor for more details. Asking $209,000 each. not Saskatchewan. Prime location, Price is excluding inventory. Please contact for more details on this unique business. Asking $109,900 Perfect for a variety of usessteel including daycare, and take Lowf lease high traffic Established custom abrication and dine in business. aluminum eatout.Gr opportunity our area to own run y to be missed! or e Contact mor f martial arts Church use. with welding business withorservices that Central include:location aluminum custom and stock trailers, NEW LEASING OPPORTUNITY Contractand forrepair, more details. Asking $109,000 details. GROCERY STORE FOR SALE IN DOWNTOWN AREA mobile welding service, crane fabrication, fabrication of residential gates, security bars and much The Mann Corporate Centre is comprised of 23,000 square feet of 'A' Class office/retail space great exposure to Scott Rd. Contact for more details. more! Mon– Fri operation closed on weekends. Please contact me for more details on this hard to MORE 1000 Oa custom open floor 12,000 . forTyour preference. AIL S.F The & RET ACEOFFICE SP Ideal business opportunity well established Grocery and convenience store in busy downtown over three floors. A brand new facility with plan come by opportunity! Asking $149,000 FOR flexibility ALEandSallowsASE & LE designed to provide maximum for area. Excellent sales and profit. Full service store including UPS, cigarettes, world wide money Mann Corporate centre has beenAVAILABLE PRIME OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE many types of professional users who are seeking a high quality facility with great exposure. For sale Prime 1489 Sq ft office space for sale in busy retail/office complex in Surrey. transfers withDream Western union, slushies, Pizza or alehot dogs, FS fruits, vegetables, halal meats, atm, general Highlights include: State of the art facility with modern finishes, Underground secured Ideal for a variety office types. Visible from business 152 and centrally Established IndianofSweets and Restaurant locatedlocated. in high Asking traf�ic area of Scott Rd, Surrey. Perfect opportunity o andour own t excellent y lease bossterms surrounded by tons of parking provided. Free on site surface parking, more than 3 parking stalls per 1000 Sq ft. 24/7 groceries,vcleaning supplies more.be Low rent, Wide ariety egetarian v v menu eets. with xpanded Can sw tobe egetarian add e dishes non to the $350,000 with ell this and established w Pizza & turn key Indian 13737 96 ve, Central location entre A with City HD recording privilege. easy access to allCmajor routes. menu. Catering services provided regular clientele. Seating for 50. Complete turn key restaurant residential buildings commercial businesses. Perfect opportunity grab this security with Cuisine in y. unning Langle R successfull y or f FOB access and intercom. Please contact listing realtor for details on remaining space, square footage and pricing details. great business opportunity! Asking $129,000 #705 $465,000, #706 $335,000 PHARMASAVE FRANCHISE money making business it is gone! Contact details. Asking $189,900 the veLast ears before y�ixcellent with yedailfor more sales. Special occasions and even Private plan includes a large living room with gasShowers, f/p which Birthdays, open up ton Anniversaries, the spacious eating area. Extra large kitchen with lots of Wedding ceremonies. Wait...there's more! This beautiful treasure of a cabinets and counter space. Large laundrybusiness room, inoffers floor radiant heat,select extra shelving closets, 2 parking stallslinens, and storage gorgeous apparel,infurnishings, jewelry, gifts, locker. Great location with easy access tovintage shopping,treasures transit & Highway 91 & 99. PleaseA call listing realtor for more info. and home décor. beautiful, breathtaking turnkey operation this is a chance to own a niche business created and Asking $329,900

PAYAL BUSINESS CENTRE - 82 Ave & 128 St

CUSTOM TEELS &ABRICATION F BUSINESSOR ALEFS BUSINESS OR F SALE

PIZZA

INDIAN

Asset Sale- DBA "Pharmasave" well established franchise operating since June 2012. Increasing annual script count of approx 12,000/annum. Approx 2400 sq ft of ground floor space leased space w/5 year, 5yr, 5 yr lease + 1 st right refusal to tenant option to purchase the building. Open six days/week (6) doctor offices, High end Fantastic opportunity to run your own Pizza & Indian Cuisine Kroll software, and Oscarfood, CRM software use. Lease area of 2,400 sq.ft. Customized improvements. business! Excellent rated in4.5/5 by customers open 7 daystenancy a Business is runbusy professionally by atake Healthout Carewith Groupavailability Company- enormous expansionifpotential! Owner will week, very location for seating desired. Tons of tourists central to major sites in Hope provide training. Contact me foryear moreround, details. Asking $899,000

BUSINESS OR F SALE

N LIS EW TIN G

CUISINE

and integral area near grocery stores, city hall, local police station, motels and cinema. Well established, great sales and a complete turn key operation that will not last long! Asking $199,000

UNITS OR F SALE &

BUSINESS PIZZA & CURRY RESTAURANT FOR SALE

Close o ys t Da Inn, estern The & Best W Westward Inn o also eyhound the closeGr t station, taxi op st bus y stand and man Establishednear & turny. keycellent restaurant Prime apartments bPizza &ExCurry location & ey for sale. ation. turn oper location Thisk and is opportunity o not be Asking t missed! $139,900 complete turn key operation. Full kitchen in place and complete take out and

COLLECTION / CREDIT COMPANY FOR SALE- ONE IN A MILLION OPPORTUNITY! delivery service.Reasonable parking for space. Onlinesale ordering, Hair lease alonand S ample Business 23 years Established Credit Company for sale. Retail and Commercial collections, Located on media , Hwy verdale F Cloea,all ell arin place w for established business, y your o full website, raser social presence you! Make maintain, higher monthl y evenue. Asking r $69,900 CONVENIENCE & MINI MAR T entrepreneurial Judgments, Tenancy Order Collection, loansTORE andSoutstanding invoices.Take dreams come true. Contact for more details. Asking $109,000 Don't miss this to run yourbusiness own buyopportunity. ConvenienceAsking store/Mini advantage of chance this unique niche $229,000

mart! This well established business is well or-ganized, excellent set up, with all your essential sundries for sale as well as lottery AND the licensing to sell Pizza at this location! Busy area near parks, schools, residences it is the perfect small business! Ample of Well known and established Lighthouse Franchise on King George & 80th in Surrey. Take out opportunity to add your ideas to an already turn key operation! establishment andgreat Partysmall Orders are also handled. The website for all franchise locations is www.lighthouse.menu and they are on Facebook Don't miss this business prospect! Asking $149,000

BUSINESS FOR SALE

LIGHTHOUSE

INDIAN

CUISINE

as well. This business has been established in 2009 and has been run by the same owner since this time. As it is a take out and delivery. Establishment there is not a liquor license at this location. Asking $549,000

SIGNAGE & PRINTING BUSINESS FOR SALE

8321

CAFÉ FOR SALE

cellent 128 Ex locationSt

Asking in

businesses

uses. Asking

ATTENTION FOREIGN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS!!! 2 BABY ULTRASOUNDUNITS FRANCHISES FOR SALE! OR ALE F S

$349,000

(15299 VE)

$209,000 busy space theClose

space ariousat

Well established .Babyvestment UltrasoundinFranchise, 3D/4D ultrasound (not diagnostic), Private clinic for pregnant moms.ey Excellent opportunity o etail twefront r stor units in al Plaza Full turn key operation this easy to run niche market business e,is perfectStor for oindividuals or couples with is sale. Gr$899,000 Currently ocery leased to this or a Asking units f tw Medical/Health industry backgrounds. Beautifully set up office, low lease rate, excellent hours and easy to run with low overhead expenses. Professionals and New Immigrants with a healthcare background this is a perfect opportunity! Burnaby and Abbotsford locations available. Asking $125,000 each location

INVESTOR Of�ic NEWNG I LIST

Don't miss this rare opportunity to own your own busy Lighthouse Indian Cuisine Franchise! Prime location in Brickyard Station Plaza this fantastic business has Take out and dine in, beautiful décor, quality kitchen, Full Liquor license and full Indian Cuisine 95Menu. AveComplete & 152 940 sqft. is available for franchise. Contact me today for further turnSt., key operation enablesof�ice you to bespace your own boss with this established lease 2nd �loor including 3 small of�ices, meeting room info. on Asking $389,000 and reception. Also available 9400 sqft. space for lease. LOTS OF EXPOSURE.

UNIT FOR SALE

In Mughal Garden plaza 2 units available, approx 4875 sqft.Already leased to long term tenants, to be sold together. Asking $1.25 million

Contact for more info on this opportunity. Asking Only $69,000

17358

104A VE

RES TAURANT OR F ALE S

SURREY VERAS BURGER FRANCHISE FOR SALE

building

to be your own boss! Contact listing realtor for more details. Price : $339,000

J.J AINI S

PLAZA

VERAS BURGER FRANCHISE

8077 eas t KING GEORGE BLVD. The perfect retail

corner unit in busy plaza move in ready. Approx 1200 sq ft perfect for fast food, of�ice or retail Looking close for the perfect franchise well look no more! Established and award space. Easy access to highway, to all winning Vera's in busy Meadow Town Center with major anchors like amenities on Busy King George Hwy.Burgers Great Opportunity contact me today. Superstore, Cineplex Odeon, and many major Financial Institutions and major

retailers. Fully turn key operation with extra large patio, good lease, low franchise fees and beer licence. Current absentee owner this business is a great opportunity to be your own boss and take it to the next level! Asking $229,900

AUTO

BOD Y SHOPOR FSALE

Established auto y or bod shop our sale f own y! be boss y toda L NE IST W Well established ell anduto equipped e w Car A Center which IN G offers complete car &epair. truck inspection, service The ect perf opportunity our to own run businessy with a well ecognized r and established ve . automoti center Contact realtor or ef mor Askingdetails. $139,000

AUTO /TRANSMISSION/CAR REPAIR IN LOWER MAINLAND

Over 37 year well established Auto repair / Transmission Repair / car repair in

NEW G IN LIST

OFFICE ACE SP Large OR shop, ASE F3 Bays, LEample storage space available. the Lower Mainland.

8927

St Currently . 1100 of�ice or sqftand models vailable space lease inf a transmissions, services all makes of re manufactured automatic and standard, clutches, This is a confidential listing ar on eet 152nsd ey. in str differentials. Surr

152 .,Approx.

Guildford

and NDA will be VErequired. Please T&contact for more details. 120 Asking $229,000 S

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PAYAL BUSINESS CENTRE - 82 Ave & 128 St Approx.

11925

VE 95

. 4500 of�ice sqft vailable. ec. space Rea, conference oom. ery r V y nicel

D SOLUNIT FOR LEASE

SOL

ara small of�ice, oom andlunch designed and �inished.

growing area makes this an ideal location for your office. Contact listing realtor NEWNG I LIST

Station, restaurant and Public Transit. This space has 2 offices inside and lunch room as well as washroom. Perfect for Accountants, Notary, Great opportunity to get into a Franchised and or other consulting or Lawyer. The space can also be Immigration Located in a busy commercial plaza in the NE ED easy to operate CandyL business! This established IST W DUCuses as well. 1260 Sq. ft. converted INGPark Shopping heart of Surrey. Lots of traf�ic and close to franchise is located in Ocean Centerfor various REretail

NEW FRANCHISE

OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE

J.J SAINI PLAZA

BEAUTIFUL TURN KEY A SPALON / OR FSALES

Investment Opportunity in Hope. 7200 Sq. ft large Lot Fully near major anchor Safeway. This rapidly growing franchise currently has 22 locations within BC and Located in the heart in Payal Business Centre, this office is professionally designed. 5 offices, renovated home closeof Surrey to the Alberta. With unique product Imported from the US and UK this franchise is completely turn –key Downtown core.area, 2 separate bed, 2lunch bath reception room and full washroom. 1200 Sq ft Gross lease +gst. This easy to run and $20.00/sq full trainingftprovided. business is perfect for a couple and for those 850 sq.ft home to use as a rental Established auto body shop for sale be your own boss today! wanting to try their hand at being an entrepreneur. Asking $79,900 property. Asking $349,000 Well established and well equipped Auto Care Center which offers complete car &

OFFICE SPACE FOR SALE QUIZNOS FRANCHISE FOR SALE

Excellent opportunity to own your own franchise! Well established and recognized

Established Indian Sweets and Restaurant business located in high Quiznos Subs in Port Coquitlam will enable you to achieve your entrepreneurial traffic area of Scott Rd, Surrey. Wide variety vegetarian menu with dreams! Busy plaza with Earls, Safeway, Scotiabank, McDonalds, Bosley Pet Valu and much more! Residences and commercial businesses all around sweets. Can be expanded to add non vegetarian dishes to the menu. makes this an ideal location. Owners have run it for several years Catering services provided regular clientele. Seating for 50. Complete and are now ready to retire. Contact me for more details regarding turn key restaurant great business opportunity! Asking $129,000 this business opportunity. Asking $119,000

and

sqft

UNIT OR FASE LE ON T 72 & 132 Available for lease. Opp JR Furniture. Good mix of warehouse and of�ice space. Centrally can be run from home or elsewhere. The exclusive Franchise territory for Maple Ridge, Pitt plaza Banquet in Halls, Surr DONAIR BUSINESS located in light industrial zoning. APARTMENT Meadows and Mission is for sale. Fantastic recession proof business that enable children Of�ice for eat vestment sale! In Gr from 3-13+ learn and build withALE Lego bricks. FOR S Teach the fundamentals of S.T.E.M. (science, FOR ALE S #1 1016 Sq cellent xposure, Ft e 12,000 op S.F. ExRETAIL t �loor of�ice y space Khalsa within the MORE 1000 TO & OFFICE SPACE technology, engineering & mathematics). This unique business offers in School Workshops, Amazing opportunity to be your own boss! ,6960ey Surr 120 St Cent er x. comple ull ea F ar eddesignat or oom f classr space and addition Established After Schoolving EnrichmentliClasses, Week long Summer camps, Birthday Parties, preDonair School food outlet in prime busy Business AVAILABLE FOR SALE & LEASE Perfect space with of�ice space. ake vantage T ad ons of ofxposure t om visual fr . 128th e af�ic High st tr area in Langley. Already steady clientele from Classes and the Kidz Night1000 out programs. Realtor for128 more info2 on this cornerPlease of listing ft and 84. CD zoning allows v over sq contact gr in opportunity . $325,000.00 the ous numer businesses ounding, surr tons complexof eat vestment unique opportunity. Asking $79,000 bedroom with den 2traf�ic and lots of opportunity to expand the #2. 1920 sq ft of second vate �loor of�ices, droom,of�iceboar space. bath corned unit in business further. Low lease, and great area reception ea,ar chenette. kit cellent Ex xposure, e op t �loor of�ice y space wit Harleen dens. Gar make this the perfect turn key operation to own Khalsa Business er Cent x. comple ake vantage T ad ons of of xposure t visual fr e om 8077 KING GEORGE BLVD. Great unit available for lease facing King Asking location. centr busy $289,900 Surr your own business today! Asking $99,000 The perfect second floor office space for lease Within busy Triton Centre. Busy and 128th af�ic xcomple eat tr tovestment gr inGas opportunity . $550,000 George Blvd.. Greatstvisual and High retail exposure. Close shopping,

forORTUNITY more details. 1985 Sq.ft. OPP

Approx. 3100 SF of office space available for sale in the busiest plaza in Surrey. Close to Banquet Halls, retailshops & offices. Asking $749,000

BUSINESS FOR SALE

Two adjoining of�ices in a new across om fr SMH. ht Can or be boug Wellleased established Vera's busy Fraser ogether t Burger orfFranchise otal located a onspace t Highway of in an Cloverdale. Well maintained. establishment full turn key operation ready for you 1600 sqft ate. or separ

a busiest to

CENTRE oom/of�ice showr r Center

2590 sqft . etail R ande CUISINE space for LIGHTHOUSE sale INDIAN Asking $649,000

N LIS EW TIN G

LEARNING CENTRE FOR SALE

ACE VAILABLE SP A

., Surrey. -

ITALIAN

units long

Unique and established opportunity to make your entrepreneurial dream come true! This beautiful Café in the heart of White OFFICE Rock is a small business owners ACE SP OR ALE F S dream! Tastefully decorated 3100 excellent breakfast and lunch fmenu ofandsalerarely Approx. vailableSFor of�ice in ey. found…Liquor license as well! Outdoor seating back and front of premises, retailshops & Asking tons ofof�ices. $749,000 parking and many, many more high rises coming in the area currently make this a business owners dream come true.UNIT Turn keyORbusiness you! BUSINESS ALE Fready T and S waiting AA forKHALS Confidentiality agreement to be signed beforeopportunity! viewing the Take vantage ad will eat of have vestment in this gr business. ound Ideal etail/�loor Gr high $149,900 ceilings eys in busy Surr Khalsa Business Asking

OPPOR

Large loading door at the back of the unit. name with two locations in Whistler and one in Squamish this turn key operation will enable you to develop your passion into a profitable career. With excellent Fully carpeted office space lots windows support from the founders, this BC based company is looking for individuals who allowing plenty of light, security alarm believe in health and are community driven and are wanting to utilize that to let Entrepreneurial juices Contact cuisine for more details on the Green Moustache Atheir treasure gem offlow! Italian tucked away and 2 bathrooms. Contact for NEmore W info. term in tenants, to be sold Franchise and joining the Green Moustache family on W.4th! Asking $99,000 Hope! Open for lunch and dinner this quaint LISTING restaurant serves traditional Italian classics in a fantastic atmosphere and ambiance. Perfect casual dining for locals as well as tourist traf�ic. Attention centers,ready Early Childhood related businesses, Teachers and others with Educational backgrounds that Turn keylearning operation for youEducation to implement plaza. enjoy dreams working with Your dream to own your business has arrived. Reputable and your as children! a restaurant owner! Asking $219,000 established Bricks 4Kidz Franchise has over 320 franchises worldwide! This unique business

TOWING COMPANYOR FORFSALES UNIT ALE

Established and reputable towing company that serves clients throughout In den Mughal plaza Gar 2 theavailable, Lower Mainland. to run your ownsqft turn key business to oxIdeal opportunity appr .Already 4875 leased AskingAsking $279,900 $1.25 million in a niche market. Contacttogether. for more details.

FRANCHISE TUNITY

PIZZA BUSINESS FORDSALE SOL LD

GREEN MOUSTACHE FRANCHISE FOR UNIT AT 83tAVE & 130 ST Fully �inished y sideata sideSALE b orunits str otalFORaLEASE f Are you passionate healthy lifestyle? you ready to takesqft of ox.about appr 5540 . Arevailable A or f sale. o unit in anClose t Ample Corner excellent location. your passion and belief in healthy organic foods and juices to the Port K and joinIndustrial y Eas o access t and in the warehouse. next level??ells Look no further The Greenea. Moustache ar Family space bothboth office with their latest franchise locationaci�ic on 1 W. 4th in Vancouver. Already an established ossing. Highway hway Hig and Ptruck cr

N LIS EW TIN G

Don't miss this rare opportunity to own your own busy Lighthouse Indian Cuisine Franchise! Prime location in Brickyard Station Plaza this fantastic business has Take out and dine in, beautiful décor, quality Great opportunity to run your own signage and printing business! This established turn key operation offers all kitchen, Full Liquor license and full Indian Cuisine Menu. Complete varieties banners and signs, vehicle wraps, lettering LED Channel & 3D letters and awning turn keyof operation enables you window to be graphics your &own boss with this canopies and window graphics. Establishedme for five years,for low lease, built upinfo. clientele make this a great business established franchise. Contact today further Asking opportunity! Contact me for more details. Asking $99,000 $389,000

RETAIL

GREAT

Great ranchise F opportunity ed! yjust Bus list Coquitlam Cent er Mall or location oss Chop N Be your own boss! Established Pizza business for sale. Excellent location fin South Surrey withont tons to expand andlong! grow. Only $69,000.00! Franchise! W of opportunity last Asking $158,800

LE ASE

ITALIAN RESTAURANT FOR SALE

A treasure gem of Italian cuisine tucked away in Hope! Open for lunch and dinner this quaint restaurant serves traditional Italian classics in a fantastic atmosphere and ambiance. Perfect casual dining for locals as well as tourist traffic. Turn key operation ready for you to implement your dreams as a restaurant owner! Asking $219,000

INVESTOR OPPORTUNITY

Investment Opportunity in Hope. 7200 Sq. ft large Lot Fully renovated home close to the Downtown core. 2 bed, 2 bath 850 sq.ft home to use as a rental property. Asking $349,000

public transportation, restaurants, of�ice and retail shops. Established recently the spa and salon offers modern décor up to date equipment/furnishings. Excellent turn key operation. Asking R $60,000

AUTO BODY SHOP FOR SALE

truck inspection, service and repair. The perfect opportunity to run your own business with a well recognized and established automotive center. Contact realtor for more details. Asking $109,000

EDUCED29/07

Office for sale! Great Investment #1 1016 Sq Ft Excellent exposure, top floor office space within the busy Khalsa Business Center complex. Full area designated for classroom space and additional office space. Take advantage of tons of visual exposure from 128th st. High traffic complex great investment opportunity. $325,000 #2. 1920 sq ft of second floor office space. Includes 10 private offices, boardroom, reception area, kitchenette. Excellent exposure, top floor office space within the busy Khalsa Business Center complex. Take advantage of tons of visual exposure from 128th st. High traffic complex great investment opportunity. $550,000

27/01