The Asian Star April 6 2019

www.theasianstar.com Vol 19 - Issue 10

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Tel:604-591-5423

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www.theasianstar.com

Vol 19 - Issue 10

Retailer greed and taxes lead to record high gas price in Metro Vancouver The highest Metro Vancouver gas prices of all time could hit drivers this summer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised to see $1.65 (a litre) between now and the May long weekend (Victoria Day 18-20),â&#x20AC;? said gas analyst Dan McTeague. The highest price ever paid by Metro Vancouver drivers was 163.9 cents a litre on Oct. 13, 2018; that was also a record for any major North American city. McTeague said the price record was driven by the Enbridge gas line explosion north of Prince George that led to a natural gas supply crisis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That caused problems not only for the small Parkland refinery in Burnaby, but directly impacted the fuel supply to the four refineries south of the border in Washington state who supply us 30 to 40 per cent of our gas needs,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They use natural gas to generate electricity to turn crude into gasoline.â&#x20AC;? McTeague said a variety of factors was set to now push gas prices to record highs, beyond the 158.9 cents a litre that car owners were paying at some Vancouver gas stations on Sunday.

Continued on page 6

March home sales slump to 33-year low in Metro Vancouver: report Home sales in Metro Vancouver for the month of March dropped to the lowest levels in more than 30 years, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. On Tuesday, the board said 1,727 homes were sold in the region â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the lowest total for the month since 1986. Those sales are also more than 31 per cent lower than March 2018, and more than 46 per cent lower than the 10-year sales average for March. Despite lacklustre activity from buyers, there was an increase in the number of homes listed last month compared Continued on page 24 Realty section

Saturday, April 6, 2019

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Two money laundering reports related to real estate & car sales given to BC govâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t The British Columbia government is examining two reports on money laundering that it hopes will help stop the flow of dirty money through real estate, luxury cars and horse racing. The province commissioned two reviews in September amid â&#x20AC;&#x153;widespread concern about B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation as a haven for money laundering,â&#x20AC;? it said in a news release.

The first report is by an expert panel on money laundering and it recommends rule changes that would close loopholes in the real estate

market and increase transparency on who owns property in B.C. The other report is by former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German and focuses on potential links between criminal enterprises and the real estate, horse racing and luxury car industries. He was asked to look at these sectors after he concluded a review last June on money laundering in Lower Mainland casinos. The government said it will review Continued on page 7

Lawyers file court challenge over ICBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new limits on auto insurance payouts A group representing B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trial lawyers is asking the courts to overturn new limits on automobile insurance payouts that they say discriminate against people with disabilities.

Effective Monday, the provincial government imposed new rules to curb skyrocketing payments for minor-injury claims by capping settlements for pain and suffering

at $5,500 and limiting when accident victims can sue. The province is the last in Canada to abandon a system in which victims could sue for any type of injury â&#x2C6;&#x2019; known as a full tort system.

But the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia filed a constitutional challenge on Continued on page 6

Justin Trudeau banishes corruption scandal whistleblower MPs for questioning his leadership Justin Trudeau has banished two Members of Parliament from his partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caucus after they questioned his leadership amid inappropriate interference in a corruption case of a powerful Canadian engineering company. Trudeau

took the unprecedented step of kicking out former attorney general Jody WilsonRaybould and Jane Philpott, a former Cabinet minister, from the Liberal party caucus on Tuesday. Both lawmakers are Continued on page 7

Proposed secularism bill would force Jagmeet Singh to remove turban if he worked in public sector, Quebec MNA says If NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wished to work as a police officer in Quebec, he would have to take off his turban. That is, if the provinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new secularism legislation, Bill 21, becomes law.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Quebec MNA Christopher Skeete, who serves as the parliamentary assistant to Quebecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier Francois Legault, told Evan

Solomon during an episode of CTV Question Period, airing Sunday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While [Singh] is working, if he chooses to be a police officer, we would ask him to remove his turban while at work, yes,â&#x20AC;? Skeete told Solomon.

Continued on page 9

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4

OPINION

By Jason Clemens and Jake Fuss

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Federal budget full of puzzling contradictions

The Fraser Institute

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ommentators have noted the throwntogether nature of the 2019 federal budget released last week. There seem to be several ill-considered initiatives and some parts of the budget openly contradict other government programs and reforms.

One of the more prominent contradictions relates to housing policy. In 2016, the federal government tightened eligibility requirements for mortgages and expanded the mortgage stress tests. These measures were designed to cool the country’s housing market.

Budget 2019, however, introduced measures that could reignite parts of the housing market.

Specifically, it introduces the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, which allows eligible firsttime homebuyers to finance a portion of their purchase (10 per cent for a new home, five per cent for an existing home) through a shared equity mortgage with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC). This could easily stimulate portions of the housing market

– specifically the condo market generally and the starter-home market outside large metropolitan areas.

So with one hand the federal government tightens the housing market to try to reduce demand, while the other hand tries to stimulate certain parts of the housing market by making it easier to buy.

The budget also proposed to give first-time homebuyers greater access to their RRSPs by increasing the Home Buyers’ Plan withdrawal limit from $25,000 to $35,000. This aims to improve the possibility of homeownership for millennials by allowing them to contribute more of their savings towards a down payment.

However, the federal government (in concert with the nine participating provinces) recently introduced increases to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) that include a higher payroll tax.

The higher tax means less disposable income for savings, making it more difficult for millennials and Canadians in general to save in

RRSPs. The evidence demonstrates that higher mandatory CPP contributions will cause Canadians to save less in their RRSPs and other private savings vehicles.

With Canadians reducing savings in their RRSPs to offset the higher CPP tax, they will have less money to withdraw later to buy a home.

With one hand the government increases RRSP access to finance a down payment but with the other hand makes it more difficult to contribute to RRSPs. Finally, there’s job training, one of the only areas where the government will actually spend money immediately on new programs.

The new Canada Training Benefit aims to help workers upgrade skills and training so they can remain active and productive in the labour market.

A subtext for this initiative is the need to keep older workers in the labour force. The program is available for Canadians up to age 64.

However, the government has also reversed previous policy reforms that would have seen the age of eligibility for federal public retirement programs increase from age 65 to 67 (over a decade-plus implementation period). That move was made, in part, to encourage older workers to remain in the workforce. Undoing this policy was one of the first initiatives of the Liberal government after it was elected in 2015.

Again, the federal government encourages older workers to remain in the workforce with one policy but discourages them with another.

Overly politicized budgets, particularly those seemingly assembled haphazardly, can produce poor policies. The contradictions throughout Budget 2019 indicate that several of the proposals were not well-considered with respect to previous government reforms.

Those policies should be reconsidered in a broader context of what both hands of government are doing on various issues.

Jason Clemens and Jake Fuss are economists at the Fraser Institute.

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Vol 18 - Issue 9 The B.C. government is closing a major loophole used to hide wealth, evade taxes and launder money in the province’s housing market. Finance Minister Carole James introduced legislation on Tuesday that, if passed, will establish a public registry of beneficial owners of property in B.C. The law will require corporations, trusts and partnerships that currently own or buy land, to disclose their beneficial owners in the registry. This is the first registry of its kind in Canada. “For years, the previous government did not act while people used numbered companies, trusts and partnerships to hide who really owns

Saturday, March 30, 2019

New legislation to ban practice of hiding home ownership in BC property in B.C.,” James said.

“This registry will make information about the true owners of B.C. real estate publicly available and help crack down on illegal activities. It is one of the key steps our government is taking to ensure homes in B.C. are used for people, not speculative investment or money laundering.”

Corporations, trusts and partnerships that fail to disclose their beneficial owners could face fines of up to $100,000 or 15 per cent of the assessed property value, whichever is greater.

Carbon tax goes up from April 1, other provinces to catch up BC’s carbon tax goes up to $40 a tonne effective Monday, as other provinces are required by Ottawa to start paying the climate change charge on carbon fuels at half that rate.

The latest carbon tax increase brings the cost to 9.98 cents per litre of gasoline, once the federal GST is applied on top of it, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“If you have a two-vehicle household with a Toyota Camry and Dodge Ram and you fill up once a week, this hike to the B.C. carbon tax is going to cost your family an extra $146 per year for commuting to work, dropping the kids off at school and driving to the grocery store,” said Kris Sims, BC director of the

Ph: 604-503-3853

federation. The minority NDP government has made two changes since coming into office in 2017. To gain the support of the B.C. Green Party, they started increasing the carbon tax last year, with annual increases to 2021 to reach the $50-per-tonne level mandated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. \\The four provinces that have refused to implement their own carbon tax, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick, have it imposed as of April 1 at $20 per tonne.

Carbon tax is emerging as a key issue in the federal election set for next fall, with dissident provinces launching court challenges to what they say is an intrusion into their jurisdiction

by Ottawa. The other change made by the

Information — including names of all corporate interest holders, beneficial owners or partners — will be publicly searchable through the registry. Tax authorities, law enforcement agencies and relevant regulators will have access to more detailed information and may use it to crack down on tax evasion, fraud and money laundering. “Requiring companies, trusts and partnerships to disclose their controlling shareholders, beneficial owners and partners protects the public by letting everyone know who they are dealing with in B.C.’s real estate market,” Law Society

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of B.C. president Nancy Merrill said.

“This groundbreaking move by the B.C. government will increase the transparency of land ownership in B.C. and make it more difficult to use such arrangements for tax evasion, fraud and money laundering.

British Columbians will benefit from a fairer and more transparent real estate market.” The registry will be self-funded through fees for filing and searching. The Ministry of Finance will be responsible for enforcement. The Canada Revenue Agency will have access to information and may use it to crack down on tax evasion.

Legal group plans constitutional challenge against David Eby’s plan to divert minor ICBC claims from the courts The B.C. goverment’s efforts to reduce ICBC’s legal expenses aren’t going over well in the legal community. According to Global B.C. News, the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C. plans to launch a constitutional challenge on Monday (April 1) against the B.C. government capping pain and suffering awards for minor injury claims at $5,500. The lawyers’ group will challenge the province’s decision to divert “minor” motor-vehicle injury claims of less than $50,000 away from the courts, according to some media reports.

Starting on Monday, these claims will be resolved through an online process overseen by the Civil Resolution Tribunal.

In the legislature last month, Attorney General David Eby estimated that this particular change would reduce the number of injury cases going to B.C. Supreme Court by about 80 percent. The government also predicts that these measures and other initiatives could save ICBC $1 billion per year.

In the first three quarters of this fiscal year, the Crown-owned insurer lost $860 million.

The lawyers’ group, however, argues that access to justice is guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms— and alleges that these changes infringe on that.

6

Saturday, April 6, 2019 Retailer greed and taxes lead to record high gas price in Metro Vancouver

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For starters, on Monday the BC From page 1 any of Washingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four refineries are governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promised carbon shutdown or need repairs. Finally, tax increase kicks in. This carbon tax was British Columbians could be at the mercy of introduced in 2008 and on April 1 will go the Alberta government if either the ruling from $35 to $40 per tonne, which equates NDP or the opposition United Conservative to an extra 1.16 cents per litre. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Metro Party chose to implement Bill 12, which gives Vancouver, overnight you will tip-toe over that government the power to reduce the flow $1.60 a litre,â&#x20AC;? McTeague said. of gasoline to B.C. if B.C. does not get behind Then, on July 1, TransLinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regional motor the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. There fuel tax on gas and diesel will increase from is an election in Alberta on April 16. The 17 cents a litre to 18.5 cents a litre â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a one Trans Mountain pipeline provides about one and half cent a litre increase. â&#x20AC;&#x153;$1.65 (a litre) third of the provinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gasoline, with another is attainable and $1.70 is not too far fetched,â&#x20AC;? third supplied by the Parkland refinery and McTeague said. On top of that, Vancouver the rest from the U.S. and Asia. will be exposed to further gas price hikes if

Lawyers file court challenge over ICBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new limits on auto insurance payouts From page 1 Mr. Eby said the changes are expected constitutional challenge on Monday. They say the challenge is to protect the Charter to restore ICBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiscal health, even after rights of British Columbians because the the province has boosted support for those right to sue is a basic human right. Rather needing medical services after an accident. than waiting for an individual complainant to â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to stop the bleeding at ICBC and challenge the law, the case is filed on behalf this is a $1-billion reform that will actually of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jane Doe,â&#x20AC;? an individual whose identity is increase benefits for British Columbians,â&#x20AC;? he not yet known who suffers a â&#x20AC;&#x153;minor injuryâ&#x20AC;? said. The diagnosis of injuries are made by a as a result of an accident and has to follow the doctor and ICBC will then assess whether the new rules. Attorney-General David Eby said injury falls under new definitions for a minor he is confident the amendments will stand injury. British Columbians with motorup in court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe the amendments vehicle-accident claims totalling $50,000 we have made are not just constitutional, but or less will have to resolve them through an online dispute resolution tribunal, without the good public policy,â&#x20AC;? he said in an interview.

Basic auto insurance in the province is opportunity to go to court. Shelley Howard, only available through the Crown-owned executive director of the non-profit Campbell Insurance Corp. of B.C., which is on track River Head Injury Support Society, said she is to post its second $1-billion deficit in a row. concerned that some accident victims may be Without the caps, he said, insurance rates caught under the new cap before they realize would have had to climb significantly this year. the extent of their injuries.

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

Justin Trudeau banishes corruption scandal at the forefront of allegations that the Trudeau administration pressured WilsonRaybould not to pursue a criminal case against SNC-Lavalin, a company that employs about 9,000 people in Canada and some 52,000 around the world, out of fear of potential job losses. The company is accused of bribing officials in Libya with millions of dollars between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts there.

Trudeau said the two lawmakers were ousted for questioning his leadership and particularly in the case of Wilson-Raybould, he pointed to the secret recording she made during a phone call with Canada’s top civil servant where he appeared to pressure her to drop the prosecution at the behest of Trudeau.

The prime minister said the recording of the conversation was “unconscionable,” though he didn’t address the contents of the call. “What I can say is that I hold my head high & that I can look myself in the mirror knowing I did what I was required to do and what needed to be done based on principles & values that must always transcend p a r t y ,” Wi l s o n Raybould wrote in a tweet.

“I have no regrets. I spoke truth as I will continue to do.” Philpott, meanwhile, said that Trudeau is continuing to focus on whistleblowers rather than admitting that the inappropriate pressure was exerted.

“Rather than acknowledge the obvious — that a range of individuals had inappropriately attempted to pressure the former Attorney General in relation to a prosecutorial decision — and apologize for what occurred, a decision was made to attempt to deny the obvious — to attack Jody Wilson-Raybould’s credibility and attempt to blame her,” Philpott said on social media. “That approach now appears to be focused on whether Jody WilsonRaybould should have audiotaped the Clerk instead of the circumstances that prompted Jody Wilson-Raybould to feel compelled to do so,” she added.

In the recording released on Friday, Michael Wernick, the official, told WilsonRaybould that the prime minister, fearing the loss of Canadian jobs, “is determined, quite firm” to avoid prosecution of SNCLavalin.

Wilson-Raybould said during the call that she found the aide’s pressure “entirely inappropriate” and accused the administration of “political interference,” which Wernick denied.

Wernick is heard in the recording saying it’s not beneficial for Wilson-Raybould to be at “loggerheads” with Trudeau, who suggested a deferred prosecution whereby the company could be fined instead of undergoing a full-blown trial.

“I think he is going to find a way to get it done one way or another. He’s in that kind of mood. I wanted you to be aware of that,” Wernick said.

From page 1

Two money laundering reports related to real estate & car sales given to BC gov’t

both reports before making them public later this spring. Finance Minister Carole James said money laundering is a serious problem in B.C.’s real estate market. “Our real estate market should be used for housing people, not for laundering the proceeds of crime. That’s why we asked our expert panel to review our rules and regulations, and to offer concrete actions that we can take to clean up our real estate sector,” she said in a statement.

The Finance Ministry appointed the expert panel after two independent reports revealed the B.C. real estate market’s vulnerability to criminal activity and market manipulation, the government said in a release. The panel, chaired by former deputy attorney general Maureen Maloney, reviewed public submissions, existing legislative frameworks, best practices in other jurisdictions and work that is underway by government.

German submitted his latest report to Attorney General David Eby. His review looked at potential links between real estate activity and criminal enterprises, the use of lawyers’ trust accounts to mask sources of funds in real estate transactions and money laundering in the construction industry, including abuse of builders’ liens, the government said. German also looked at connections between organized crime and money laundering in the horse racing and luxury car industries, it said. The province said work continues on addressing all remaining

recommendations from German’s first report, including analyzing options to create dedicated policing resources for gambling and money laundering, creating a model for an independent regulator and clarifying the roles of the regulator and the BC Lottery Corp. The government has already implemented 11 recommendations and new policies and procedures have significantly reduced large cash transactions in B.C. casinos, it said. Eby told reporters in Victoria on Monday that he hopes to release German’s new report as soon as possible. “We have to go through and make sure that we’re not inadvertently disclosing information that could compromise a law enforcement investigation, that we’re not inadvertently defaming someone,” he said.

“We’re doing that as quickly and as responsibly as we can, because one of the reasons we commissioned this report was so that the public

8

Saturday, April 6, 2019

UCI Student ‘Accidentally’ Invents a Rechargeable Battery That Lasts 400 Years

A

University of California Irvine student may have stumbled upon an invention to end your phone-charging woes for good.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of where that could take us as a society. Forget about your phone; the world would be a different place without ever having to worry about replacing car batteries, and imagine the uses that it could have in space exploration.

Technology is the ultimate wildcard.

In 2016, a battery that lasts a whole lifetime became one step closer to reality thanks to Mya Le Thai, the former PhD student who had been researching how to make better nanowire rechargeable batteries. In theory, her discovery could lead to a battery that lasts centuries—as long as 400 years.

Illustration – pexels | rawpixel.com She made the discovery w h i l e studying the properties of gold nanowire for commercial batteries.

Typically, the gold filaments lose their integrity (and the battery dies) after 5,000 to 6,000 recharge cycles—“seven thousand

at the most,” adds Reginald Penner, head of the chemistry department, who called Thai’s discovery “crazy.”

Nanowire is thousands of times thinner than a human hair; the increased surface area of the microscopic wire allows greater storage and transferring capacity for electrons. Researchers have been trying to use the material for a long time.

Son of Vancouver businessman charged in college admissions bribery scandal steps down The son of a Vancouver businessman charged with paying someone to take SAT tests for his sons has resigned from a Vancouver-based company.

East West Petroleum has announced Dylan Sidoo has stepped down as a director.

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By coating the gold nanowire in a type of electrolyte gel, Thai was able to create a circuit that withstood an unprecedented 200,000 charge cycles in the span of three months of testing, during which time there was no loss in performance, nor were any nanowires fractured by repeated use. Mya had just been “playing around” when she made the discovery by applying the gel, says Penner.

effective immediately.

The Board thanks Dylan for his contributions during his tenure with the Company and we wish him the best in his future endeavours,” reads a statement from the board of directors.

His father, David Sidoo, held the position of CEO in the same company until he stepped down when the charges came to light last month.

The elder Sidoo, a former CFL player and UBC alumnus, is one of dozens of people indicted in the U.S. college admissions bribery scandal. He is accused of paying someone $200,000 to write his sons’ SATs. He has pleaded not guilty.

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Canada’s job market shrank by 7,200 positions in March, but the jobless rate held steady at 5.8 per cent. Statistics Canada reported Friday that most provinces lost jobs, especially Quebec (down by 12,900 jobs) and Ontario (down 8,800 jobs). British Columbia added 7,900 jobs, Saskatchewan added 3,900 jobs, New Brunswick added 3,100 jobs and Prince Edward Island added 2,000. Everywhere else, the job market was flat. The monthly decline comes on the heels of the best two-month start to the year for Canada’s job market in almost 40 years, with 66,800 new jobs in January and 55,900 in February. Economists had been expecting a slowdown from those highs, but thought the economy would still eke out a gain of about 2,300 jobs for the month, on average, according to Bloomberg. So the March loss came as a surprise. While the overall economy lost jobs, many sectors saw gains. “It was a mixed bag,” TD Bank economist Brian DePratto said. Goods-producing industries added about 1,600 jobs overall, but that was more than offset by widespread declines in the service sector, including 20,000 lost in health care and 14,000 in business support.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Proposed secularism bill would force Jagmeet Singh to remove turban if he worked in public sector, Quebec MNA says From page 1 Singh would be just one of many people Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects impacted by the secularism bill, which was freedoms of conscience, religious expression introduced in Quebec’s National Assembly and the right to equality, the bill invokes the Thursday. The proposed legislation would notwithstanding clause to override those prevent certain public sector employees from charter rights. “I don’t think a lot of people wearing overt religious symbols at work. The feel that in a free society we should be bill specifically mentions teachers, police and legitimizing discrimination of our citizens court clerks, among other people in positions based on religion,” he said, speaking with of authority in public sector workplaces. reporters in New Brunswick on Thursday.

“We’re saying that when you come to work, Singh has addressed Bill 21 as well. when you exercise the power of the state, Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he said that you leave your religion at the door, and I “it’s something that’s going to hurt people.” don’t think that’s too much to ask in a secular “I remember what it’s like to grow up and society,” Skeete said. “Of course, they can not feel like I belong, and I think about all the always wear their religious symbols when young people in Quebec right now that won’t they’re finished work.” be able to pursue, maybe, their dream job that The bill has come under fire from civil won’t be able to become a police officer or a rights groups and groups representing judge or a teacher -- and that, to me, is sad,” religious minorities. While the Canadian Singh said.

Speaker says OK to going sleeveless at BC legislature after protest The Speaker of B.C.’s legislature says a preliminary review of the building’s dress code permits women to go sleeveless.

Darryl Plecas says a full review is underway, but until the report is complete, business attire for women now includes sleeveless dresses, shirts and blouses.

From left, Bhinder Sajan, Shannon Waters, Liza Yuzda, Justine Hunter, Jen Holmwood, Katie DeRosa, Tanya Fletcher and Kylie Stanton pose in short sleeves at the B.C. Legislature on March 28. The Speaker of B.C.’s legislature says a preliminary dress code review now permits women to wear sleeveless dresses and sleeveless shirts.

From left, Bhinder Sajan, Shannon Waters,

Liza Yuzda, Justine Hunter, Jen Holmwood, Katie DeRosa, Tanya Fletcher and Kylie Stanton pose in short sleeves at the B.C. Legislature on March 28. The Speaker of B.C.’s legislature says a preliminary dress code review now permits women to wear sleeveless dresses and sleeveless shirts.

Plecas ordered the review last week after a number of female politicians, political aides and legislative reporters staged a small protest on March 29 to draw attention to the fact that several women were being told by sergeant-at-arms staff that they needed to cover up their bare arms. Finance Minister Carole James criticized the legislature’s dress code for women and called for an update.

Big bank chief executives paint picture of a sluggish Canadian economy In two different cities and in two different speeches, the heads of Canada’s two biggest banks delivered one similar-sounding message on Thursday: the country’s economy could be doing better.

Toronto-Dominion Bank president and chief executive officer Bharat Masrani told an annual meeting of shareholders in downtown Toronto that his company’s economics unit expects “constrained growth” for Canada this year. He also noted that there are economic “problems” that still need fixing.

“Like how to export our oil and natural gas to global markets, reduce trade barriers

between prov i n c e s , eliminate red tape, increase the supply of Canadian housing and accelerate much-needed infrastructure projects, just to name a few,” Masrani said. In Halifax, Royal Bank of Canada president and chief executive officer Dave McKay told the annual meeting of his company’s shareholders that the country has lost “momentum,” and that when he travels abroad, “I often hear concerns from investors about Canada’s falling position in the world.”The numbers back this up, McKay said, with “stagnant” exports of nonenergy goods and a “growing crisis” in the

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Two former ministers keep up pressure on PM Trudeau over scandal Two former ministers who were expelled from Canada’s ruling Liberal Party this week kept up pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, saying he should have apologized for inappropriately trying to influence a criminal proceeding.

The two-month old scandal centers on Jody Wilson-Raybould, who in February said officials had leaned on her while she was justice minister last year to ensure construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc escaped a corruption trial.

Former Treasury Board chief Jane Philpott resigned her post because she disagreed with how Trudeau had handled the matter. He turfed both women from the Liberal caucus on Tuesday in a bid to end a scandal which is undermining his support ahead of a federal election in October.

“There is very good evidence that there were attempts to have political interference with a very serious criminal trial,” Philpott said in

an interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corp. “I have tried to suggest that the way to deal with this is to speak the truth, to admit that mistakes were made, to apologize to Canadians for it and find out how it happened and make sure it never happens again,” Philpott said in one of her first interviews since being ejected from caucus.

Wilson-Raybould, in an interview with the Globe and Mail newspaper, also said Trudeau should have “accepted responsibility and apologized to Canadians”.

Wilson-Raybould says officials urged her to overrule prosecutors who insisted SNCLavalin must face trial on charges of bribing Libyan officials between 2001 and 2011. The firm wanted to take advantage of a law passed last year allowing it to escape with a fine.

Trudeau has denied any wrongdoing, saying he and officials had wanted to make sure Wilson-Raybould understood the potential for job losses if SNCLavalin were found guilty.

In an editorial, the Globe and Mail, which broke the SNC-Lavalin story in February, said Trudeau should have immediately apologized and moved on.

“Name the error. Make it right. End the story,” the newspaper said. Instead, the slowburning affair, with details trickling out of a House of Commons justice committee inquiry, has taken a heavy toll.

Lucky Montreal couple wins $1M lottery after finding the ticket just 48 hours before expiry A Montreal couple got a double dose of good fortune after they found a $1M lottery ticket in an old book just 48 hours before the deadline to claim.

Nicole Pedneault and Roger Larocque’s golden ticket was drawn on April 5, 2018, which left the pair just two days to collect their jackpot prize.

The couple bought the $100 Ultimate ticket last year for Valentine’s Day. “Rather than flowers or chocolate for Valentine’s Day, we went to the Casino de Montréal with friends and we bought ourselves a lottery ticket,” Pedneault said.

But it was only last week while looking for things for her grandson, that Pedneault found the precious ticket in a book, where she had put it months earlier. “If my grandson had

not asked me to lend him some things for his presentation I would have never found the ticket on time,” Pedneault said. “The first thing I did when I discovered the was to claim the prize on the Loto-Québec site.

It’s very lucky to have found it at the last minute like this.”

Pedneault and Larocque plan to use their winnings to spoil their five boys and grandchildren and maybe buy a new vehicle. But on Wednesday the couple planned to celebrate their good fortune in true Quebecois style. “We will go to a small restaurant, but we will spoil ourselves by ordering a poutine with double sauce and double cheese, “ Pedneault said. If prizes are not won or claimed, they are paid into the prize pool used to offer bonus prizes to LotoQuébec’s various lotteries.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Two targeted shootings in Surrey in less than 40 minutes Two targeted but unrelated shootings occurred in less than 40 minutes in Surrey, Police are investigating the incidents.

The first occurred at 2:08 a.m.

Wednesday inside a home near 91 Avenue and 148 Street, Mounties say.

Few details are known, but police said a dark-coloured SUV was seen fleeing the area. When officers arrived, they found a man inside the home who appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds.

He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Just 38 minutes later, another shooting reported near 142 Street and 110 Avenue.

Mounties confirmed a shooting had occurred, but no victims were found at the scene and the home where it was reported was vacant when they arrived.

The RCMP believe both shootings were targeted. The second appears to be related

to the drug trade, they said in a statement.

So far, there is nothing to suggest the incidents are related.

The shootings came a day after five men were arrested in the city’s Guildford neighbourhood.

Mounties say the suspects in a shooting and dramatic crash are all between the ages of 18 and 26, and are all known to police.

The suspects have not been publicly identified, nor have police said what charges they may face.

“The shootings which have occurred over the previous two days are concerning for our community,” Cpl. Elenore Sturko said.

“We will continue to strategically target individuals and groups who put the public at risk through violent criminal activity.”

Anyone with information on the Wednesday morning shootings is asked to contact the RCMP at 604-599-0502, or to call Crime Stoppers anonymously.

US says Canada ‘major money laundering country’ as gangs exploit weak law enforcement The US Department of State has designated Canada a “major money laundering country” where foreign drug-trafficking gangs are exploiting weak law enforcement and soft laws.

The March 2019 report, which places Canada on a short list of countries vulnerable to significant drug money laundering transactions — such as Afghanistan, the British Virgin Islands, China, Colombia and Macau — underlines a number of threats reported over the past year in Global News investigations, such as the laundering of fentanyl-trafficking proceeds from China through British Columbia casinos, real estate and underground banks.

“Foreign-generated proceeds of crime are

laundered in Canada, and professional, thirdparty money laundering is a key concern,” the report states.

“Transnational organized crime groups and professional money launderers are key threat actors.”

The report says Canada is especially vulnerable to money laundering through casinos, real estate, money services businesses, currency exchanges, wire exchanges, offshore corporations, legal “funnel accounts” and bulk cash and hawala transactions — meaning international exchanges of credit and debt between criminal bankers without money actually crossing borders.

Mettro Vancouver gets April showers forecast for 7 days After days of being spoiled by sunshine and warm weather, Metro Vancouverites woke up Wednesday to cloudy skies and soggy streets.

The daily forecast called for rain for most of the day, but Environment Canada expects things to dry up late in the afternoon.

There’s a 40 per cent chance of showers late Wednesday evening and overnight.

But the reprieve will be brief, the forecasting agency suggests.

The rain’s expected to pick back up on Thursday morning, but Environment Canada says precipitation is possible again at night.

And the rain will continue through the weekend, according its seven-day forecast. In

fact, as of Wednesday, meteorologists expect rain to fall every day until at least next Tuesday.

Currently there are no flood warnings or advisories in effect for B.C. The forecasted highs are still slightly above the seasonal norm of 12 C on Wednesday, Thursday, Monday and Tuesday, when the temperature is expected to climb to 13 or 14.

The weekend highs are expected to be between 10 and 12.

While the rain is unwelcome for many, conditions are much worse elsewhere in the province.

The Fort Nelson area is under a winter storm warning, and some spots could see as much as 15 centimetres of snowfall Wednesday night.

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Extra EI sickness benefits costs $1.1 billion, PBO says The parliamentary spending watchdog says income supports for people who are too sick to work for up to a year would cost the federal government $1 billion more than its current program.

As is, the benefit provided available through Employment Insurance covers just over half of a worker’s earnings for 15 weeks if he or she can’t work due to illness, and nearly four in 10 beneficiaries max out those benefits, according to government figures.

The parliamentary budget office estimates in a report Thursday that it would cost about $1.1 billion to extend that coverage to 50 weeks, rising to an extra $1.3 billion five years later.

Costs would go up or down depending on changes in the number of claimants and the average length of time they are off work.

The range of possibilities means additional spending could be between $899 million and $1.26 billion in the first year, and between $1.06 billion and $1.48 billion after five years.

EI sickness benefits are the only of the so-called special benefits under the EI program that the Liberals have not amended since coming to office.

However, there appears to be all-party support for a motion in the House of Commons to have a committee of MPs study extending the benefit, which hasn’t been updated since its introduction in 1971.

In 2017, the most recent numbers

available, benefits were provided to more than 400,000 claimants at a cost of about $1.6 billion -- about a fifth of all EI claims -- but many of them run out of benefits well before they’re able to go back to work.

Just over three-quarters of the claimants who use up all their benefits don’t immediately return to work after their 15 weeks are up, budget officer Yves Giroux reported, with most staying off the job for another 26 weeks.

Vancouver council rejects proposal to freeze controversial rental incentive program Vancouver city council took a pass on a major re-write of the city’s rental incentive program on Tuesday.

At a marathon meeting, council voted to refer a motion by COPE Coun.

Jean Swanson back to city staff, to be revisited in the city’s 2019 housing update.

Swanson’s motion took aim at the ‘Rental 100’ program, an initiative that provides financial incentives to developers that build projects with 100 per cent rental housing Critics, including Swanson, have argued that the program gives public subsidies to apartments that end up renting for far more than average people can afford.

“I am concerned that people are being demovicted, that the Rental 100 program is completely unaffordable, that it is pushing up market rents, that its gentrifying neighbourhoods,” said Swanson.

“I think it’s worth a pause until staff gives its report back.”

Her motion would have suspended

incentives for developers while calling on city staff to look at rental-only zoning.

In the end, council voted 8-2 against the idea.

“I think the motion was an irresponsible one to bring forward because it didn’t propose solutions, it just proposed scrapping a program,” said Non-Partisan Association (NPA) Coun. “Vancouver has a dire shortage of purpose-built rental, we need to continue putting new units into the market. We know we need to have more units at the low and middle incomes, so we have to build on what we’re doing. But stopping the program doesn’t help achieve those solutions.”

City council is expecting two reports on the Rental 100 program later this year.

The first report is expected this summer.

The city says 2,161 rental units have been built over the last decade between the Rental 100 program and its predecessor, the Short-Term Incentives for Rental Housing (STIR) program.

Chevron seeks NEB licence that could nearly double production at Kitimat LNG Chevron Canada has applied to the National Energy Board to nearly double the potential size of the Kitimat LNG facility it hopes to build with Australian partner Woodside Energy.

In a filing dated Monday and posted on the NEB website, the Canadian branch of California-based giant Chevron Corp. says it is applying for a 40-year licence to export up to 28.23 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year, with commissioning of the facility taking place by 2029.

That’s the equivalent of about 18 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas and is nearly double the 10-million-tonne, 20year licence it was previously granted, which is set to expire at the end of this year.

In a statement, the company says the increase in scope comes after a review that focused on improving the project’s “cost of supply competitiveness” relative to other LNG projects around the world.

The partners have not made a final

investment decision, nor have they set a date to do so, but the expanded project is seen as another hopeful sign for B.C.’s nascent LNG industry after the LNG Canada consortium announced last fall it would proceed with its $40-billion, 14-million-tonne-peryear project, also to be built near Kitimat.

The new plan for Kitimat LNG envisions initially building two sixmillion-tonne production “trains” with

the option to add a third later, as opposed to the original two-train proposal.

“Chevron’s application to the National Energy Board is a key regulatory undertaking and supports Chevron and Woodside’s desire to deliver a globally competitive Kitimat LNG project that is aligned with global LNG market demand, and which benefits British Columbians, First Nations and all Canadians,” Chevron said.

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

BC speculation tax holdouts should talk to the city hall, minister says Urban B.C. property owners who didn’t get around to filling out their speculation tax declaration form by April 1 can expect to get a bill in June, but they can still register and escape the additional property tax for 2019.

Finance Minister Carole James says there will also be an opportunity for hardship cases to appeal to the local government in affected cities, and those will be reviewed when James meets with mayors this summer.

The finance ministry reports that more than 90 per cent of affected property owners have registered, and most of those won’t pay because they own only their principal residence or rent out additional properties for at least six months of the year.

People who missed the registration deadline can still do the declaration online, or ask questions by emailing spectaxinfo@ gov.bc.ca or calling toll-free 1-833-554-

2323 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.

Even if they receive a bill because of late registration, they won’t have to pay if they qualify for the exemption, James said. And those who have a case that the tax is an undue burden should take it up with their municipal council.

“That’s exactly why we have meetings with the mayors, so we can have those c o n v e r s a t i o n s ,” James told reporters at the B.C. legislature Wednesday. “And as I’ve said all along, if changes need to be made, if there’s a good case for taking a look at that, we’ll take a look at that.”

Waterfront cabin owners from Belcarra came to the B.C. legislature in March to protest that rising land values captured their rustic retreats, despite a lack of road access and water service that makes them unable to be rented.

The longer someone lives in Canada, the more critical they may be of immigration: federal survey The longer an individual or their family have lived in Canada, the more critical their views may be towards immigration.

However, roughly half of Canadians are still broadly in favour, regardless of whether they’re newcomers or more established.

That appears to be one of the indications from a survey conducted for federal immigration officials, tracking Canadians’ views on immigrants and ultimately helping shape federal policy on the matter. It asked 2,800 Canadians for their views on immigration in August and September 2018 via landline and cellphone, and claims a margin of error of +/- 1.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The 2018-19 Annual Tracking Survey conducted for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada asked respondents a number of questions, including whether “in your opinion, do you feel that there are too many, too few or about the right amount of immigrants coming to Canada?”

Twenty-seven per cent of immigrants in Canada for more than 20 years said they feel there are too many immigrants here.

That’s compared with 19 per cent

of immigrants who have been here between five and 19 years, and 16 per cent of those here for less than five years.

Among those who identified as first, second or third-generation Canadian, there were also differences.

Thirty-two per cent of those who identified as third-generation Canadians said there are too many immigrants.

That compares to 26 per cent of those who identified as second-generation and 22 per cent of those who identified as first-generation who said the same.

Roughly half of respondents across all of those categories said the immigration levels in Canada right now are “about the right number.”

“It’s clearly a pattern that shows up pretty repeatedly, for a couple of fairly obvious reasons, but also some more subtle things.

The obvious thing is the more salient the immigration experience is for you, the more sort of open to immigrants you will tend to be,”said Michael Donnelly, an assistant professor of political studies at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.

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NDP wants to inject ‘public interest’ in decision-making at BC Ferries NDP government wants B.C. Ferries and its independent commissioner to consider the “public interest” and not just the bottom line when setting service levels to coastal communities.

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena introduced legislation Wednesday that would make it mandatory for the province’s ferries commissioner to consider the public interest of ferries users while deliberating on whether to approve ferry routes, sailings and rates.

The bill does not explicitly define what the “public interest” is, though Trevena

said it will broadly involve “placing greater emphasis on that interest and less on the commercial interest of the company” as well as taking into consideration government’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.

“The amendments to the Coastal Ferry Act are not intended to interfere with the financial decision making at B.C. Ferries,” Trevena told reporters. “They are intended to improve accountability and allow for the public interest to be considered in the regulation and oversight of B.C. Ferries.”

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College of Physicians and Surgeons penalizes Vancouver doctor for not answering questions A Vancouver doctor who was ordered to repay the provincial government $2 million in 2017 for overbilling has now been disciplined in another matter by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. Dr. Viem Chung Nguyen, a Vancouver physical and rehabilitation specialist, admitted that he failed to respond to multiple communications and correspondence from the college. He has been reprimanded and fined $7,500 by the college. He was also ordered to pay an additional $8,731 in costs after a consent agreement was reached.

Nguyen has also promised not to ignore the college and must respond to all future communications within a month of such requests.

In a bulletin, the college said: “The inquiry committee was critical of Dr. Nguyen’s failure to respond to College communications. Given the importance that must be placed on physicians being responsive to the regulator, the inquiry committee determined a disciplinary outcome was appropriate.”

The college licenses and regulates over 11,000 physicians across B.C. Its

role is to protect the public through the enforcement of high standards in clinical qualifications and ethical practices.

Nguyen’s problems with the Medical Services Commission regarding overbilling dates back to 2017. He was barred from billing the Medical Services Plan for two years but is eligible to re-enroll anytime after May 31. He was able to bill patients and third-party insurers on a private basis since during the time he was temporarily de-enrolled from the public plan.

It is unclear whether Nguyen has paid back the $2 million he was ordered to repay after an audit found a large number of billing irregularities. The government will not disclose such information.

“Due to privacy restrictions under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the ministry is unable to release any third-party financial information or personal details,” said ministry spokeswoman Kristy Anderson.

“If an individual fails to pay an amount assessed by the audit, they are referred to the Ministry of Finance to pursue collection action as outlined in the Financial

Transit passengers may have been exposed to measles as new case confirmed A new case of the measles infection has been identified in the Lower Mainland, bringing the total number of cases in B.C. to 22 this year.

According to Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health, the infection was acquired abroad and is unrelated to the outbreak of measles in Vancouver.

The person used public transit while they were infectious. If you were in the following locations on March 27, you may have been exposed: The 323 bus between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m.

The Expo line between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m.

The lobby and elevators at 666 Burrard

Street in Vancouver and the Ascenda School of Management, at the same address, between 8:55 a.m. and 2:05 p.m.

B.C. poll suggests ‘concerning’ levels of belief in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories More people with measles in the U.S. this year than all of 2018 If you were at these locations and develop symptoms of measles, please call your doctor’s office so that may book you at a time that will ensure you don’t expose others.

According to a statement from Fraser Health, 5,768 doses of the MMR/MMRV vaccine have been administered since midFebruary, compared to 2,882 over the same period in 2018.

BC gov’t to consider ‘relief’ for record gas prices: Premier Horgan Premier Horgan says the BC government will consider “some relief ” for those who can’t afford record high gas prices.

Horgan said his government will monitor prices at the pumps over the summer after they reached a record of almost $1.64 a litre Thursday in Metro Vancouver.

But he also suggested provincial taxes aren’t the only factor affecting prices.

“We’ll see how it goes through the summer and if there’s an opportunity to have the province step in and help, we’ll do that. But at this point, I’m hopeful there will be some correlation between the commodity price and retail price. Those are issues that are market driven and out of my control,” he said.

Horgan said he can’t explain a 12 cent a litre increase and perhaps the industry should invest more in refineries and the federal government should invest more in supply.

Dan McTeague, an analyst at GasBuddy. com, said there are several factors at play, including a shortage of gas across the B.C. and northwestern United States caused by two refineries in Washington state running

at reduced rates. He said the inability of the Trans Mountain pipeline’s capacity to meet domestic needs is also a factor.

Retailers also “helped themselves” to an additional two cent retail margin increase to 14 cents on Wednesday, McTeague said.

On Monday, British Columbia’s longstanding carbon tax increased to $40 a ton, which is double the federal carbon tax introduced in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick -- provinces that did not previously have any carbon tax in place.

That adds another 1.2 cents per litre at the pump, McTeague said.

“When you look at the totality of gas taxes now in B.C., no small amount can be easily or cavalierly dismissed. You’re paying over 52 cents a litre in taxes to the federal, provincial, carbon and TransLink taxes,” he said. “That puts you at variance with most other provinces by as much as 18 to 20 cents a litre more.”

The lowest price in Canada posted on GasBuddy.com Thursday was 99.4 cents a litre at a station in Moraviantown, a First Nation’s territory in Ontario.

Man charged with multiple sexual assaults involving children under 10 New Westminster police say Wesley Clarkson, 33 (pictrured), is currently in custody and set to appear in court on Wednesday.

A statement said his alleged victims were three children under the age of 10.

Clarkson has been charged with five counts of sexual assault in B.C. and five counts of touching for sexual purposes a person under the age of 16 in B.C. Court records show the alleged offences took place in Penticton, Naramata and New Westminster between Sept. 1, 2008 and Sept. 1, 2010.

Maple Ridge child and youth care worker charged with multiple sex-related offences

New Westminister police said Clarkson has been convicted of similar offences in the past in Ontario.

Clarkson, then 30, had worked as a babysitter in the Wallaceburg area, between Windsor and London, Ont., before his arrest in 2015.

“Detectives from the NWPD Major Crime Unit believe there could be more victims who have yet to come forward,” Sgt. Jeff Scott said in the statement.

Scott could not confirm if Clarkson has worked as a babysitter in B.C. Police are asking anyone with additional information to call Det. Michelle White at 604-529-2536 or make a report to their local police department.

Class-action suit certified in case involving $30-million Ponzi scheme The B.C. Supreme Court has certified a class-action lawsuit against a West Vancouver woman allegedly involved in a $30-million Ponzi scheme.

In April 2017, in a settlement agreement with the B.C. Securities Commission, Virginia Tan admitted that she had fraudulently raised at least $30 million from investors in a scheme that ran from 2011-2016.

She agreed to pay $3 million to settle the matter and was ordered to cease trading in any securities or exchange contracts.

A number of lawsuits were filed after the settlement with Jastram Properties Ltd., (JPL), one of the investors, filing a classaction suit against Tan, her husband Patrick, her son Marcus and their related companies.

The class-action suit alleges that Virginia and Patrick Tan operated an investment scheme that involved soliciting and receiving investments in a non-existent enterprise in exchange for promissory notes that they failed to honour.

It’s alleged that the funds received by them were fraudulently diverted to Marcus Tan and used to purchase assets and properties in his name or for his benefit.

The properties include six properties at a condo development in Surrey and 24 properties in Fort St. John.

A trustee in the bankruptcy proceedings for Virginia and Patrick Tan informed JPL that 240 investors with the scheme had been identified, with 165 of those investors receiving less money back from the couple

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Saturday, April 6, 2019 Richmond couple accused of running brothel, hiring 13-year-old as prostitute Director of civil forfeiture BC taking steps to seize thousands in a single week in 2017, paying her the unlawful activity,â&#x20AC;? the lawsuit says. dollars from a couple accused of running â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the money is released to Mr. Nelson approximately $1,000 for escort services. brothel in Richmond that was alleged The director of civil forfeiture alleges and Ms. Dela Fuente it will likely be used have used a 13-year-old as a prostitute. in the statement that the money seized for the unlawful activity,â&#x20AC;? the claim alleges.

The BC Supreme Court civil claim filed The statement of claim says other items was used by Nelson and Dela Fuente â&#x20AC;&#x153;to on March 27 says an investigation began in engage in unlawful activities,â&#x20AC;? but Dela seized by police included a set of â&#x20AC;&#x153;house rulesâ&#x20AC;?

2017 when RCMP were informed a girl was Fuente is disputing the allegation and for females employed at the property, online working as a prostitute at a home in Richmond. has filed paperwork to have it returned. ads, including one for the 13-year-old girl, The court document says police searched The couple has not provided a and work schedules for female employees. the property and seized firearms, ammunition, response to the civil claim and none of Canadian and U.S. cash valued at nearly the allegations has been proven in court. $20,000 and a â&#x20AC;&#x153;score bookâ&#x20AC;? listing female The claimed cash includes $12,225 Canadian names, services rendered and prices. and $5,626.01 in U.S. funds, which at current BC government is attempting to exchange rates would be valued at just under seize the assets of a couple accused $7,500 in Canada, and the suit seeks to have of using their home as a brothel. the money, its proceeds and any interest The civil claim alleges Riza Nasayao forfeited to the provincial government.

Dela Fuente and her husband, Peter Ross â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mr. Nelson and Ms. Dela Fuente Nelson, ran the bawdy house, employing obtained the money by participating in the teen on at least three separate occasions is of a to

Arson suspect slashed tires as he fled, witnesses say Surrey RCMP say they have arrested a man in his 20s following a suspicious fire in the Cloverdale area in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

In a statement issued later in the day, the RCMP said it received a report of a structure fire at a home in the 5800 block of 191 Street at around 1 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Witnesses observed a male running from the area and slashing vehicle tires with a knife as he fled,â&#x20AC;? police said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fire was extinguished by bystanders prior to police and fire attendance, limiting the damage to a garage door at the front of the residence.â&#x20AC;?

First responders made sure no one in the residence was hurt. With the help of police dogs and the Langley RCMP, officers were able

to locate a suspect nearby in the 19100 block of 59 Avenue.

A 25-year-old man from Surrey was arrested without incident, police said.

The fire is still under investigation and the suspect, who has not been identified, remains in custody. No charges have been laid.

Investigators said they believe the fire was an isolated incident involving people who knew each other and that there is no further risk to the public. The exact circumstances surrounding the blaze, however, remain unclear.

Anyone with information that could advance the investigation is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.

Tips can be left anonymously through

RCMP ready to unveil new strategy in search for accused murderer RCMP announced a $55,000 reward in the search for a wanted man.

Brandon Teixeira was 27 years old when he was charged with first-degree murder almost seven months ago and he remains on the run.

He is accused of the Oct. 23, 2017, shooting death of Surrey resident Nicholas Khabra.

The RCMPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team along with Crime Stoppers and the Bolo Program announced the reward Wednesday for information that will lead to the arrest of Teixeira.

Last September, police thought Teixeira was likely still in the Metro Vancouver area, but also said he could have travelled to Brandon Teixeira Edmonton or Calgary because he has associates in those cities.

Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Supt. Donna Richardson said the reward will be available for six months. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has managed to evade police so far but we are working hard to bring that to an immediate end.â&#x20AC;?

Speaking directly to Teixeira during a news conference, Richardson told him there was nowhere to go and police will find him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So please do the right thing, contact your lawyer and turn yourself in,â&#x20AC;? Richardson said.

Teixeira is described as extremely

violent, with several distinctive tattoos, including a sleeve tattoo on his left arm.

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Along with 17 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition found in the home, court documents show seven cell phones were recovered but had been â&#x20AC;&#x153;remotely wiped before officers could secure them.â&#x20AC;?

Various electronics, jewelry, foreign currency and documentation in the names of Dela Fuente and Nelson are also listed, but the director of civil forfeiture is only seeking to immediately retain the U.S. and Canadian funds.

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

BC Ferries announces new $2.3-billion cruise line business with two massive ships Two new upcoming vessels owned by BC Ferries will be the ferry corporation’s largest ships, with a tonnage nearly five times the Spirit of Vancouver Island and the Spirit of British Columbia — the largest vessels on the existing ferry fleet.

But there is one big caveat: these grandiose ships will not be used as ferries — nor as an extension of the provincial highway system.

This morning, BC Ferries announced the launch of a new separate upscale cruise line vacation division called Seaquest, which will operate with an initial fleet of two vessels.

Although its entity will be under the umbrella of BC Ferries, its highly specialized operations will

be completely separate from the ferry network.

“Seaquest promises to take family vacations to a whole new level of fun and adventure like never before,” said George Deighton, CEO and President of Seaquest, in a statement.

“As an integral but separate division of the ferry corporation, BC Ferries will be strengthening Vancouver and British Columbia’s appeal as the ideal vacation destination, whether it be British Columbians seeking one-of-a-kind, round-trip staycations or visitors from abroad looking for a game-changing vacation at sea.”

Record 1.1 million passengers expected for Vancouver’s 2019 cruise season.

Vancouver man sent to prison for conspiring to burn Kerrisdale real estate office A 21-year-old Vancouver man who conspired with a teenager to set fire to a Kerrisdale real estate office in 2017 and participate in a driveby shooting has been sentenced to almost five years in prison. Simrat Singh Lally, who was arrested last year as part of a police crackdown on gang violence, pleaded guilty in December to arson and firearm charges and was sentenced March 8 in B.C. Supreme Court.

“Both the shooting conspiracy and the arson conspiracy carried with them the very real potential for property destruction, serious injury and death,” wrote Justice William Ehrcke in his reasons for judgment posted Friday on the court’s website. “The fact that these potential harms did not occur is not due

to any mitigating factors attributable to Mr. Lally, but rather to good police work.”

Lally, who had no previous criminal record and is a former cashier at Superstore, was 19 going on 20 at the time of the offences.

He was arrested with four other men and two 17-year-old boys in a wide-ranging investigation dubbed Project Temper. The investigation involved the Vancouver Police Department and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. and concluded with the seven arrests, the seizure of four guns, ammunition and various charges. At the conclusion of the investigation, Supt.

Mike Porteous of the Vancouver police told reporters the project resulted in the dismantling of a violent group that was based

Students & teachers from Union University of Tennessee visit Gurdwara Nanak Niwas in Richmond India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, 8600 #5 Road Richmond is a favourite place of worship for students and adults alike to visit and learn about intercultural harmony, Sikhism and the South Asian community.

Every week at least two or three groups visit the Gurdwara for this purpose.

On Wednesday, March 27 students and teachers from Union University from the

Tennessee area in the United States were at the Gurdwara. They were led by their teachers .These learners were in the Metro Vancouver area for their Spring Break. . The group enjoyed a talk on Sikhism and the South Asian community. Before departing, they enjoyed a delicious vegetarian langar .All of them were very thankful to the Gurdwara Management Committee for a very warm welcome. Balwant Sanghera

Tragic crash kills senior pedestrian in Maple Ridge Mounties are investigating a tragic crash that killed an 81-year-old pedestrian in Maple Ridge Monday morning.

Ridge Meadows RCMP said a Nissan Leaf struck the senior while he was using a marked crosswalk on Dewdney Trunk Road at around 7:30 a.m.

“The man was transported to hospital and sadly has passed away,” the detachment said in a news release.

His next of kin have been notified.

The driver of the Leaf remained at the crash scene and is co-operating with investigators, the RCMP said.

N e a r b y roads were temporarily shut down while officers from the RCMP’s traffic section processed the scene. The senior’s death is also being investigated by the BC Coroners Service.

Diversity and creativity take centre stage with Vancouver city’s approval of $5.85 million In grants for Vancouver’s arts and culture scene Diversity and creativity take centre stage with City’s approval of $5.85 million .

Vancouver City Council approves a total of $5.85 million in cultural grants to 195 organizations to support Vancouver-based organizations, projects and artists. The approved grants meet the City’s current goals to support artistic, cultural and creative work, and the many facets of the artistic community. The grants include funding to 14 new groups and help advance the City’s priorities to support breadth of diversity and cultural expression as well as sustainable growth in the sector.

“Investing in local groups is a key element to strengthening Vancouver’s already thriving arts and culture scene,” said Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “The grants approved by Council today recognize the impact these diverse groups have – and will continue to have – on our city.”

As part of Vancouver’s ongoing investment in arts and culture, the grants support a range of cultural organizations and artistic disciplines: · The Savage Society’s Indigenous storytelling productions through theatre and animation · The Cultch’s world-class dynamic and inclusive presentations of theatre, dance, music, and the visual arts

· Vancouver Co-operative Radio’s diverse programming in over 12 languages, artist residencies and training for media artists, and monthly cultural events ·The Powell Street Festival Society’s annual free celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture · Pride In Art Society’s annual Queer Arts Festival and newly-opened SUM Gallery for queer art exhibitions and performances ·Kokoro Dance Theatre Society’s productions and operations at KW Studios in the Downtown Eastside · Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture’s live music performances, literary events, visual art exhibitions, artist development workshops, public gatherings, and artist talks The Council also approved ongoing funding to five long-standing major cultural institutions in Vancouver: · Vancouver Art Gallery · Museum of Vancouver · H.R. MacMillan Space Centre · Vancouver Maritime Museum · Science World A full list of the cultural grants recipients can be found here.

The grant recommendations approved by Council were informed by an assessment process, which included City staff and community members who reflected a range of expertise and experiences within the local arts and culture sector.

Toronot police issue warrant for man after kidnapping of Chinese student York Regional Police have issued a warrant for one of the suspects in the violent kidnapping of a 22-year-old Chinese student last month.

Wanzhen Lu was abducted in the parking garage of his Markham condominium on March 23 by three masked men who approached him and a female friend – who was not injured – as they headed to the elevator from his car.

Surveillance camera footage showed Mr. Lu being shocked multiple times by a taser before he was dragged into a minivan, which then sped off. Though the van was found a short time later, police spent three days searching for Mr. Lu before he wandered up to a home in Gravenhurst, Ont., looking for help. He was suffering from minor injuries, police said, and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Mr. Lu, police said, has since been reunited with his family members, who flew in from China after his disappearance.

On Monday, a warrant was issued for 37-year-old Toronto man Abdullahi Adan, who is wanted for kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault, and assault with a weapon, three other suspects remain unidentified.

Shah Rukh Khan gets honorary doctorate from University of Law, London After the honorary doctorates from The University of Bedfordshire and The University of Edinburgh, superstar Shah Rukh Khan has received an honorary doctorate

Thursday. Over the years, he has established himself as a successful actor, film producer, television host, philanthropist and an entrepreneur. The My Name Is Khan actor has also

in Philanthropy by The University of Law, London.

The actor received the merit during a graduation ceremony for more than 350 students here on

earned love for championing human rights in India. He has lent support to the Indian government’s campaigns, including Pulse Polio and National Aids Control Organization.He has worked closely with several charitable foundations, including

the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

“I believe that charity should be done in silence and with dignity. One cannot speak about their charitable acts because it loses its purpose.

I have been privileged to be able to use my status as a public personality to champion causes close to my heart,” Shah Rukh said in a statement. “I actively participate with the causes of women empowerment, rehabilitation of the underprivileged and basic human rights. I firmly believe that I have to give back to the world that has given me so much.

I am humbled with this honorary doctorate bestowed upon me and would like to thank everyone involved for choosing me,” he added.

SRK’s non-profit organisation Meer Foundation primarily works with acid attack victims.

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

Aamir Khan’s daughter with her alleged boyfriend are breaking the internet Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan has grabbed eyeballs for her latest Instagram photos with her alleged boyfriend Mishaal Kirpalani.

Ira shared photos of her spring break from Santa Barbara, California with Mishaal and wrote: “Hope your Spring Break was sunny and smiley as @mishaalkirpalani’s, which

of course, I piled onto (sic)” In one of the pictures from the set, Mishaal is seen planting a kiss on Ira’s forehead and well, that sent netizens into a tizzy.

Fans are still wondering if the starkid is dating Mishaal. Well, Mishaal is definitely someone special in Ira’s life. Her Instagram page is filled with pictures of hers with Mishaal plus the adorable captions.

‘Tera Intezaar” hei aaja Tera Intezaar: A naturally gifted yet undiscovered painter and an art gallery owner have a torrid affair. Things go South when the gallery owner’s clients want to own the talented artists’ paintings against his will. Tera Intezaar Review: On paper, ‘Tera Intezaar’ is a romantic-thriller.

But on screen, it is an unintentional comedy of epic proportions.

Veer Singh Rajput (Arbaaz Khan) is an insanely talented painter who paints the woman of his dreams over a four-day painting binge.

She turns out to be Ronak (Sunny Leone) who is an art gallery owner.

He bumps into her and shows her the painting; Convenience or serendipity, who can say?

A song and a few making out scenes later, Ronak introduces Veer to her clients who turn out to be classical, money hungry wolves masquerading as humans which include Arena (Bhani Singh), Vikram (Arya Babbar), Bobby (Salil Ankola) and Janasheen. They decide to kill the golden egg laying hen and make away with the paintings. But things go awry in the process. With Veer missing, Ronak involves

Salman Khan’s niece Alizeh’s enters in Bollywood with bang Choreographer Saroj Khan is grooming Salman Khan’s niece forms under alman Khan has the supervision launched many a of veteran new faces in Tinsel choreographer town. Now, the superstar Saroj Khan. has found a BollywoodIn making her hopeful in his family. debut, Alizeh Though rumours were will be the first rife that his niece Alizeh female from Agnihotri is ready to take the Khan-daan the plunge into movies, to venture into parents Alvira and Atul films.

Agnihotri denied the Says a trade reports. source, “Alizeh took the Internet by storm Now, mid-day has learnt that the youngster when she recently modelled for aunt Seema is indeed likely to make her debut next Khan’s clothing line. She will be launched year, and has been training in Indian dance

by Salman’s production house next year.

Salman has already started scouting for a suitable script; he wants to launch her with a romance drama. Alizeh, on her part, is training in Indian dance forms as well as action, with the superstar closely monitoring her progress.”

Saroj Khan, on her part, is playing an instrumental role in grooming the aspirant.

She reveals, “I conduct dance classes for all young actresses, including Alizeh. She will become a heroine soon. Alizeh has joined me for a year and has already completed six months.”

S

John Abraham was called Slumdog Millionaire Bollywood John Abraham, who has done a string of patriotic films, was once called Slumdog Millionaire and the actor gave a fitting reply, he has revealed in a recent interview. The 46-year-old modeltu r ne d - a c tor is coming off the success of Parmanu and Satyameva Jayate and will be seen in the espionage drama, Romeo Akbar Walter, this Friday.

Speaking to Zoom TV in an interview, John said, “I remember someone asked me once... He saw my passport, and he said, Slumdog Millionaire. I said, No, millionaire. Not for any other reason, but because I can buy you out and my country can buy you out today. We rule, Indians rule.”

John stars alongside Mouni Roy and Jackie Shroff in Romeo Akbar Walter

that is said to be based on the true story of a spy; the film is directed by Robbie Grewal. Set in 1971, the film tells the story of a spy who is under cover in Pakistan as tensions between India and its neighbour escalate. John had said about the upcoming film, “One needs to be very responsible when you are making a film which is predominantly factual, is on the country and involves the armed forces. And one has to research well. In the case of RAW, my director’s father worked in the military intelligence for four years. So the research and sources we got to go to, to back our information up, is validated.

I am sure no one can turn around in our film and say, ‘this didn’t happen’.” After RAW, John will begin work on a bike racing film and has started practising for his role. “A story around motorcycles is very close to my heart. This is a story about human relationships.

Shruti Marathe recalls shutting down producer who demanded sex for film role

604-566-3111 7233 - Fraser St., Vancouver, BC

Shruti Marathe in an Instagram post has recalled being put in an uncomfortable position by a movie producer, who allegedly implied that she would have to sleep with him to get the role.

Speaking to Humans of Bombay, the actor said, “Once I met a producer who’d offered me a lead role.

At first he was professional, but soon he began using the words, ‘compromise’ & ‘one night’.

I couldn’t let this slip so I asked him, ‘If you want me to sleep with you, who are

you making the hero sleep with?’ He was stunned.” Shruti said that she told this story to others, who advised her to drop out of the film. She said she challenged the producer not for herself, but ‘for every woman who’s been objectified & judged for simply being who she is.’

But this happened when she’d established herself in the Marathi industry. When Shruti was just starting out, she said she agreed to doing a bikini scene in a south Indian film without asking questions like ‘How are you going to shoot it?’ or ‘Is it required?’

Saturday, April 6, 2019

HOROSCOPE

Indian cinema gaining global recognition - Deepika Padukone

D

eepika Padukone, who was announced the chairperson of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) earlier this year, feels that Indian cinema is at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;brink of beautiful global recognition.â&#x20AC;?

On her new appointment, Deepika Padukone said here: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the reason I agreed is because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for the youth to be part of such organizations, movements or things which actually bring about changes because the future is in our hands.â&#x20AC;?

She was interacting with the media at Zee Cine Awards 2019 here on March 19. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think in a way, we are responsible for shaping the way the film industry moves forward from here on, so that was a calculated move on my part as well as the boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. It is something that we spoke about.

I read an article recently which said that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I was appointed the chairperson because of my status or position.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Yes, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precisely why we

Aries

did that.â&#x20AC;?

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Padmaavatâ&#x20AC;? actress, now also a producer, added that if one of the most prestigious film academies of India can benefit from her position at the board then â&#x20AC;&#x153;so be it.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because I think Indian cinema is at the brink of beautiful global recognition.

If it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happened already, I think there is a lot more to happen and hopefully, we will just take it to an all new level,â&#x20AC;? she said.

As for her upcoming films, she shared that she will be leaving for Delhi soon to start shooting for her next movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chapaak.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so ironic that on the day of Holi, I am off to Delhi for the shooting of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chapaak.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; We will start shooting it on Monday. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very important film, and I feel that the story which we are showcasing in our film needs to be told,â&#x20AC;? she said.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Films more important than fameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - Janhvi Kapoor

March 21 - April 20 Although you may feel more in control of your destiny with the sun in your sign, sweet Venus enters a more secluded sector of your chart on Tuesday. Her presence here could encourage fate to play its hand regarding a relationship that has been a bit of a mystery so far. At the same time, lively Mercury in your spiritual sector has slowed down prior to turning direct on Thursday.

During this time, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to avoid signing anything of importance or purchasing big-ticket items. Mercury can go into trickster mode

Taurus April 21 - May 20 As the sun moves more deeply into a private sector of your chart, you may feel as though youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve let go of the reins and something else has taken over. Areas of your life may seem less under your control than usual, and yet destiny could bestow its gifts on you in the coming weeks. At the same time, lovely Venus, your guide planet, moves into your social sector to encourage you to spend time with your favorite friends or groups.

Gemini May 20 - June 21 Mixing and mingling is good for the soul at this time and can put you in touch with people who can help you have fun and reach your goals. On Tuesday, convivial Venus graces your sector of goals and responsibilities. Her presence here could see you connecting with others who share your ambitions. Discussing experiences can help you just as much as it helps them. Indeed, one encounter could prove to be a turning point for you, especially midweek.

Cancer June 22 - July 23

J

anhvi Kapoor says her films are more important to her than earning fame as she has experienced fame since her childhood. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fame is important for every actor and whatever fame I have earned is all because of my family. I have been getting recognized more after my first film so, I am very grateful for love and support which I received from the media and the audience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have experienced fame since my childhood so now my work, acting and films are more important to me than fame,â&#x20AC;? Janhvi told media at HELLO! Hall of Fame Awards 2019 here on March 17. Janhvi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the elder daughter of late actress Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, made her Bollywood debut last year with the film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dhadak.â&#x20AC;? At the event, Janhvi also spoke about actress Madhuri Dixit Nene, who replaced Sridevi in the movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kalank.â&#x20AC;? She said that she is looking forward to watch her

in the movie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was excited to see her in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kalankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from audience point of view. I think teaser of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kalankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and every characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look in the film is looking really beautiful so, I am really excited to see that film,â&#x20AC;? added Janhvi.

Janhvi is currently working on the untitled biopic of Gunjan Saxena, the Indian Air Forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s female combat pilot, who took part in the Kargil War in 1999.

Jhanvi completed her education from Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai and did acting course from Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, in California. Her debut movie is Dhadak. . She has one sister Khusi Kapoor, half brother Arjun Kapoor and one half sister Anshula Kapoor. Jhanvi kapoor sign is Pisces. Her height is 5ft4 inch, weight 52 kg. Her hair color black and eyes are brown.

She is popular celebrity in Indian cinema.

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Bollywood

Are you ready to be in the spotlight?

With the sun now at high noon in your chart, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to promote your message or business. Enjoy the limelight because this is your opportunity to make your mark. On Tuesday, delectable Venus moves into Pisces and your sector of travel and study. Her presence here can make you more aware of beauty, and perhaps the work of a certain artist or the art of a region will work its magic on you.

Leo June 24 - August 23 With the sun, your personal planet, in the lively sign of Aries and your sector of new discoveries, you could be in your element.

Whatever obligations you need to contend with, be sure to give yourself time for new discoveries and the chance to expand your horizons. On Tuesday, lovely Venus brings an additional focus to a more intense sector of your chart. Her presence here could inspire you to draw closer to someone in a more intimate

Virgo If your mood is more intense than those around you, it may be because the sun is in a deeply emotional sector of your chart. Here, it shines a light on those areas that need unravelling so that you can be more at peace with them and eventually let them go. If you need to talk things over with a good friend or even of a life coach or therapist, this can be one of the better times to connect.

Libra Sept. 24 - Oct 22 Lovely Venus moves into your lifestyle sector on Tuesday, which could bring a warm and friendly ambience to your work life and everyday interactions. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also the possibility that you could strike up a romance at the gym, when shopping, or while doing anything that makes up your myriad daily activities. In fact, an encounter on Wednesday could set your heart racing, and you might be eager to follow it up with another meeting.

Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 22 As sweet Venus enters your leisure zone from Tuesday, the opportunity for romance is very much in the cards. This can be one of the better times to ask that special person out on a date and get to know each other better. At the same time, with Mercury in its retrograde phase aligning with hazy Neptune, it would be just as well to remember that all that glitters is not gold.

Someone may seem perfect for you but have a

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22 The sun continues its journey through your leisure sector, lighting up a desire for adventure and fun. The coming weeks could see you enjoying a chance to kick

that you do so because this release enables you to recharge and feel restored. Meanwhile, sweet Venus enters your home and family sector where her presence can be a call to beautify and perhaps clean your place. If certain areas are looking a bit drab after the winter, choose some colors that brighten the mood and leave you feeling upbeat while improving the general ambience.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20 As sobering Saturn moves closer to potent Pluto in your sign, your plans and projects could begin to feel even more urgent than usual. However, before you go ahead, the cosmos encourages you to think very deeply about your priorities, especially your relationships. How does one interface with the

youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re obsessing about a goal, it might be time to pull back a little.

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19 The sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence in your sector of talk and thought could make you very animated and eager to connect with others who share your goals and ideas. The coming weeks can be important for research and discovery, especially concerning matters that can help move your life forward.

increases as lovely Venus moves into your personal money zone on Tuesday.

Pisces Feb 20 - March 20 With delectable Venus moving into your sign on Tuesday, this week this can be an opportunity to pamper yourself. Indulge your love of spa treatments, massages, facials, and whatever else leaves you feeling uplifted. And if you want to invest in new clothes or a new hairstyle, go ! and better able to face life.

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

Diljit Dosanjh and YouTuber Lilly Singh bond over Punjabi roots Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh has collaborated with YouTube sensation Lilly Singh for a comical video, showing what happens when two Punjabis meet each other. Lilly, popularly known as Superwoman, on Friday took to Instagram to share the video with her followers.

“When you meet someone from the motherland... This is definitely how Punjabis greet each other, complete with a five-minute long hand holding session and family tree check-in. To be honest, Diljit and I aren’t even acting... someone was just rolling when we met up,” she

wrote. In the video, Lilly can be seen formally shaking hands with the foreigners, but when she sees Diljit, she gets carried away and starts talking to him in Punjabi. From asking about each others’ health to relatives, Diljit and Lilly engage in a funny Punjabi conversation. The video clip has generated a lot of love from social media users, including members of the Indian film and television industry. After watching the collaboration, actress Zareen Khan commented: “I love Punjabis.” Actor-anchor Maniesh Paul wrote: “So True.” The Do You Know hitmaker also shared the video, captioning “Toronto Di Lilly Te DosanjhanWala...

Saturday, April 6, 2019

World Famous Indian Astrologer W

Master Raju Ji MOST POWERFUL SPIRITUAL HEALER NOW IN SURREY BRITISH COLUMBIA

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Press release

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Sikh Heritage Month: South Asians commemorate WW1 Centennial and shared heritage with Canada INDUS On June 28, 1919, Germany and the Allied Nations (including British India and Canada) signed the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the First World War - a chapter in history considered by many to be the most important global event of the 20th Century. Nearly 500,000 Punjabis served in WW1 and played a critical role in securing the Allied victory. Their story has now been published in Canada for the first time.

The untold tale 100 years in the making, now revealed in a youth-oriented graphic novel format, defines a heritage of courage, nobility and honour to be proudly shared by Punjabis with mainstream Canada. Punjabi cavalry and infantry fought as brothers-inarms in key Canadian battles throughout the war. Speaking after the war the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Ferdinand Foch, identified the Indian Army as having delivered the war effort’s “first decisive steps to victory”; they were critical in stemming the tide of the German invasion of Belgium and France. Going beyond the old tropes of colonised histories this book presents the Indo-Canadian community’s pioneer experience upon settling in Canada, a land with which they shared a monarchy, flag and common British nationality ( Canadian nationality was not enacted until 1947, the Maple leaf flag was introduced in 1965) and the events leading to the ejection of the Komagata Maru from Canadian waters on 23 July 1914. Upon the outbreak of Steve Purewal Indus Media Foundation C: 778-840-4740 Steven.Purewal@imfc.org Jarnail Singh Bhandal Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver

604-722-6544 kdsross@live.com Published as a hardcover, by an award-winning Canadian Publisher, the book will go on sale at bookstores nationwide in April.

Educators, heritage professionals, policy makers, government representatives, elected representatives, journalists, community leaders and activists are invited to join the author and a select group of speakers in taking a more inclusive look at this country’s history and to ask why certain histories are covered, discussed and inquired about, while others remain hidden? The South Asian community will be joined by the Minister of National Defence, representatives of Police and Military forces and educators in the launch of this youth publication Advance praise for the book: “Canada’s multiculturalism is flawed - it’s based on half-truths, convenient truths, incomplete stories and sometimes outright lies which have become our ‘truth’ to the detriment of those whose voices have been left out of the narrative. This book is a gamechanger because it proves just that. Duty Honour & Izzat unpacks new WW1 stories, and the legacies buried under the weight of a discriminatory, Eurocentric, colonial history in an accessible and authentic way.

A forceful resource of compelling words and soul-stirring artwork, it is both unique and nuanced - in reclaiming lost South Asian voices it’s a rare discourse between communities. The insightful curation of long hidden primary/secondary resources offers educators the transformative possibilities of removing assimilation from multiculturalism.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Community news

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Surrey-Newton Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal arranged a fundraising event at Grand Taj Banquet Hall in Surrey last week. Pictured above MP Dhaliwal with his supporters.

Central Association of Punjabi Writers of North America, Annual Meet & Dine event in Surrey

Statement from Andrew Wilkinson on Sikh Heritage Month Leader of the Official Opposition, Andrew Wilkinson, released the following statement today for Sikh Heritage Month: “This month we celebrate Sikh Heritage month and recognize the important contributions that Sikhs have made to British Columbia’s culture, economy, and society as a whole. “First recognized by the BC Liberal government in 2017,

Sikh Heritage Month highlights and celebrates the important role of Sikh Canadians in our province’s past, present, and future.

“On behalf of the BC Liberal Caucus, I want to encourage all British Columbians to take the time this Sikh Heritage Month to read up on the traditions and rich culture of Sikhism and how Sikhs have contributed to our vibrant and prosperous society.”

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

Vol. 10 No. 10

Saturday - April 6, 2019

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Vancouver detached home prices drop by $170,000, and the industry is blaming government Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closely-watched housing market clocked another weak month in March, with sales falling to their lowest level since 1986. Only 1,727 homes changed hands in Greater Vancouver in March, down 31.4 per cent from the same month a year earlier, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said Tuesday.

Prices for all housing types are falling.

The benchmark price of a detached home clocked in at $1.437 million, down 10.5 per cent, or about $170,000, in a year.

Condo prices are down 5.9 per cent in a year, to $656,900.

The industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing frustration with government policies on housing was evident in the REBGVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest report. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Housing demand today isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aligning with our growing economy and low unemployment rates. The market trends weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing are largely policy induced,â&#x20AC;? REBGV president

From page 3

the federal mortgage stress test, which reduced the maximum amount a borrower can take out on a mortgage by about 20 per cent, as well as by rising mortgage rates over the past year-and-a-half. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What policymakers are failing to recognize is that demand-side measures donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eliminate demand, they sideline potential home buyers in the short term,â&#x20AC;? Smith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That demand is ultimately satisfied down the line because shelter needs donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go away. Using public policy to delay local demand in the housing

Ashley Smith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For three years, governments at all levels have imposed new taxes and borrowing requirements on to the housing market.â&#x20AC;?

British Columbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s provincial government introduced a foreign buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tax in mid2016, in response to rapidly growing house prices. It was bumped up to 20 per cent, from 15 per cent, last year.

The city has also seen the introduction of a vacant home tax.

The regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market has also been hit by

market just feeds disruptive cycles that have been so well-documented in our region.â&#x20AC;?

However, many experts say easing the recent rules on the housing market, such as eliminating the foreign buyers tax or the mortgage stress test, would just cause prices to start rising again, and household debt levels to climb.

In its recently released budget, the federal government announced a number of measures to help homebuyers, including a First-Time Homebuyer Incentive. Under this plan, the government-run Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) contributes up to 10 per cent of the price of a new house, or five per cent of the price of an existing home, to qualifying first-time buyers.

CMHC would recoup its money when the home is sold. The measure is meant to reduce monthly mortgage payments.

March home sales slump to 33-year low in Metro Vancouver: report

with March 2018. Nearly 4,950 residential properties hit the market in March 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an increase of around 11 per cent from the same month last year.

Seniors face eviction from East Vancouver apartment over $41 rent increase Bentall Centre, Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest office complex, selling for secret price The benchmark price

for a detached home in Vancouver declined to a little more than $1.4 million, down from $1.5 million in March 2018. For condos, the benchmark price dropped nearly six per cent

to $656,900. Townhomes were listed for a standard price of $783,600, also down six per cent from the same month last year.

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

Over 11% of Vancouver condos have a non-resident owner, says new CMHC report

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

Over 11 percent of Vancouver condos have at least one non-resident as an owner, a number that jumps to more than 19 per cent when it comes to newer built condos.

The information is contained in a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation housing market insight report which also found that non-residents â&#x20AC;&#x201D; defined as someone who

doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have their principal residence in Canada â&#x20AC;&#x201D; tend to own more expensive properties than residents, especially in Vancouver.

Some of the other findings: 7.2 per cent of all Vancouver properties have at least one non-resident owner.

Non-resident ownership is highest in

26

Saturday, April 6, 2019

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27

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Home equity line of credit largest contributor to non-mortgage consumer debt - survey A home equity line of credit may be a cheap and easy way to borrow money to pay off your lingering holiday bills or consolidate high-interest debt. But experts caution that you need a plan to repay the money.

They say it is all too easy to only make the minimum monthly payments to cover the interest and never make any progress on reducing the amount you owe.

Getting a home equity line of credit can be a smart way to pay off debt.

But you need to understand all the details, especially how you’ll repay it.

Getting a home equity line of credit can be a smart way to pay off debt. But you need to understand all the details, especially how you’ll repay it. (Dreamstime) “It is so easy to stay in debt for a long, long period of time,” says Scott Hannah, chief executive of the Credit Counselling Society.

Hannah says consolidating high-

interest debt using a home equity line of credit that charges a lower rate of interest can be a good plan — but you need to understand how much you can afford to borrow, the interest rate you are going to be charged and how you are going to repay it.

Too often, he says, a HELOC is used by those who are spending more than they earn to cover daily expenses.

“It can really mask spending behaviour, it can really mask the fact that a person may not be managing their financial affairs well,” Hannah says.

A HELOC is secured by the value of your home while the interest rate charged is normally linked to the big bank prime rates and fluctuates as that rate changes.

The Bank of Canada has raised its key interest rate target five times since the middle of 2017, moves that have driven up the cost of borrowing.

A report on a survey taken by the Financial

Consumer Agency of Canada says HELOCs are the largest contributor to nonmortgage consumer debt, more than double that of either credit cards or auto loans.

However, Michael Toope, a spokesman for the agency, says the survey found many consumers don’t understand how the lines of credit work.

My neighbour’s sexual trysts literally shake me awake. I’m elderly and my health is at stake: Ask Ellie My neighbour’s sexual trysts literally shake me awake. I’m elderly and my health is at stake: Ask Ellie Christopher Husbands had a big smile after his manslaughter convictions for the Eaton Centre shooting. It’s easy to see why Christopher Husbands had a big smile after his manslaughter convictions for the Eaton Centre shooting. It’s easy to see why

How do I heal from my cheating: Ask Ellie How do I heal from my boyfriend’s cheating: Ask Ellie “People are not very familiar with the terms and conditions of the loans, these lines of credit, and they generally don’t have great plans for paying them back,” he said.

Just 15 per cent of HELOC holders knew that a financial institution can increase an interest rate at its discretion, while 45 per cent knew there are fees to transfer a HELOC to another institution.

The FCAC survey also found that one in five HELOC holders borrowed more than they intended.

The most popular use of a HELOC, according to the survey, was for home renovations at 49 per cent, while 22 per cent said they used their HELOC for debt consolidation. boyfriend’s

28

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DREAM CARPET

29 17

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Ottawa police charge 27-year-old man & three teens in human trafficking case A 27-year-old man and three teens are facing charges in what Ottawa police describe as a human trafficking investigation.

They say the probe got underway in February when officers came into contact with an alleged youth victim of human trafficking.

Police say they also learned the 27-year-old man was wanted for robberies in the downtown area.

Police say they also learned the 27-year-old man was wanted for

robberies in the downtown area. They say she informed officers that there were several other alleged victims, but did not provide further details.

Police say they also learned the 27-year-old man was wanted for robberies in the downtown area.

Investigators have now laid a total of 17 charges against the man, a 16-year-old girl, and a boy and girl both aged 15.

Police say they believe there may be other victims and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Biggest drug seizure in Saskatoon this year Two people face several charges after an RCMP investigation into drug trafficking in Saskatoon and the surrounding area.

Sgt. Jason Kerr told reporters it is the force’s biggest drug seizure in Saskatoon this year – 2.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, equivalent to 2,700 doses.

“Any time when we can take the drugs off the streets, that affects a criminal’s ability to sell drugs to end users. I suspect that would create a bit of a supply problem in the near future.”

Members of the Federal Serious and Organized Crime Saskatoon started an investigation last December.

Police say they stopped a vehicle leaving a home in Meacham, resulting in the arrest of two of the main suspects of the investigation

and the seizure of 18 individual packages of methamphetamine, two large packages of methamphetamine weighing 1,300 grams and 985 g, four cell phones and the vehicle, which RCMP say had been stolen from Saskatoon.

This led to other search warrants being executed - one at a home in Meacham and another at a business on the 600 block of Avenue N South in Saskatoon.

At the home more evidence was found including: Almost 15 g of cocaine and 4 g of meth - $10,000 cash - Loaded .357 magnum revolver - Loaded .22 calibre revolverAmmunition and a crossbow -Taser - Can of bear spray- Six cell phones.

Police say they found five stolen vehicles during the search of the business along with vehicle break-in tools and false sale sheets.

BC’s Conflict of Interest Commissioner Paul Fraser dies at age 78 B.C.’s conflict of interest commissioner has died.

Paul Fraser, a Vancouver lawyer who was appointed to the job in 2008, died on Friday at the age of 78.

“He will be remembered not only for his wisdom and professionalism, but for his warmth, generosity of spirit, sense of humour and joie de vivre,” said a statement on the conflict commissioner’s website.

The legislature held a moment of silence for Fraser, after tributes from the leaders of all three parties.

“He was first and foremost committed to ensuring none of us in this place stepped over any lines and he was quick to tell us when we were on the side of the angels,” said Premier John Horgan.

“Throughout his time in public life he was always focused on ensuring we got the best of ourselves and each other. I will miss him.”

Horgan also joked that Fraser once gave him an orange tie as a gift. “He said I didn’t have to declare it because it was so ugly,” joked Horgan.

Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson, also a lawyer, became emotional when recalling his friend, whom he called a true gentleman.

“Integrity, professionalism, humanity and pragmatism … he brought those skills here and served this institution well,” said Wilkinson. “His job was to maintain the integrity of all of us, and the institution, and he did that. We all owe him a great debt of thanks.”

Fraser was the province’s third conflict commissioner and handled highprofile files in British Columbia. He was seconded to investigate former Alberta Premier Alison Redford over conflict allegations in tobacco lawsuits in 2016.

Fraser was in his third five-year term in the job, and had been unanimously endorsed by all three parties in the legislature.

“Paul was president of the Canadian Bar Association as a very young man and then had a distinguished legal practice in Vancouver before he came over here, and he was into his third term as conflict of interest commissioner which I think shows the respect that all members of the house, both sides, had for him and his judgement and soundness and sense of fair play,” said Ted Hughes, B.C.’s first conflict commissioner and a friend of Fraser’s.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Korean family’s ‘greed and opportunism’ highlight vulnerabilities in BC immigration case In an attempt to find a better life for herself and her children, a Korean resident hoping to find permanent residency in the Comox Valley is owed more than $350,000, concluded a BC Supreme Court judge in Nanaimo earlier this month.

In his reasons for judgment on March 26, Justice Dev Dley said the case highlights greed and opportunism capitalizing on the vulnerabilities of immigrants who seek residency in Canada.

Me Hee Kim, 51, wanted to immigrate to Canada with her young children and free herself from an abusive marriage in Korea.

One way for Kim to enhance her application for residency was to show that she had a specialized skill that was needed by an existing Canadian business. She agreed to purchase Hana Korean Restaurant (now closed) in September 2013 which was located at 168 5th Street in Courtenay from Ae Sun Choi for $93,000 and to cover operating expenses.

Dley noted Kim had limited life skills and depended upon others to assist her with adapting to life in Canada.

He added Kim was seen by her fellow workers to be subservient to Choi, even though Kim was the restaurant owner.

Over the course of the next year, Kim paid more than $380,000 for what Choi said was inventory and operating costs.

When Kim became concerned about the

expenses and questioned the fees, Choi locked the doors to the restaurant and ultimately terminated her support of Kim’s residency application. Kim did not receive Canadian residency and has returned to Korea.

Dley explained in his reasons when Kim purchased the restaurant, she did not seek the assistance of an accountant or lawyer, and said she trusted Choi. After signing the purchase agreement, Kim began working in the restaurant but the operation of the business continued to be administered by Choi.

Kim agreed to pay Choi $3,500 per month to run the restaurant. She continued to work in the kitchen and did not venture into the front part as she had no concept as to how to operate the cash register. “…It defies common sense that the business required a capital injection in excess of $350,000 to cover expenses when there is scant evidence to support such a proposition,” wrote Dley in his reasons.

Dley explained Choi did not receive any significant funds from any source other than Kim. Choi acknowledged that at least $250,000 received from Kim was used to purchase her house on Idiens Way in Courtenay.

In July 2014, Kim sent an email to immigration consultant Brandon Kwak in which she stated it was costing her “a significant amount of money … to keep the restaurant running.”

Firefighters priced out of helping Vancouver in an earthquake, report shows When Metro Vancouver’s off-duty emergency responders are called in to work following a catastrophic earthquake, many won’t be able to get there.

That’s the conclusion of a study conducted in partnership with Vancouverarea firefighters, which found many departments do not have plans to get their reserves in place when the time comes.

Tim Armstrong, chief of the New Westminster fire department, says it will be challenging for off-duty firefighters to get to work during the first days after a catastrophic earthquake in the Lower Mainland.

Tim Armstrong, chief of the New Westminster fire department, says it will be challenging for off-duty firefighters to get to work during the first days after a catastrophic earthquake in the Lower Mainland. (Michael Mui / Star Metro)

“Emergency plans require that first responders travel to their workplace; however, their ability to access their workplace from their home has not previously been evaluated,” the study reads.

An investigation by the Star found governments are unprepared to provide enough drinking water to residents if a 7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes off Vancouver’s coastline. The emergencyresponder study, presented in the fall of 2018, was based off the same scenario.

City of Port Coquitlam human-resources director Steve Traviss, who completed the study in April 2017, examined 14 cities in the Vancouver region and found half of them had fewer than a quarter of their firefighting staff living within the city. His worry is that when roads and bridges collapse after a major quake, first responders will be cut off from places where they’re desperately needed.

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Taxi drivers’ class-action lawsuit against Quebec gov’t gets green light A class-action lawsuit spearheaded by taxi drivers against the Quebec government has been given the go-ahead.

Quebec Superior Court Judge Mark Peacock gave the green light on Wednesday to the lawsuit, which can now proceed.

If the class-action lawsuit is successful, it could cost the province up to $1 billion over the loss of value of taxi permits.

Lawyer Marc-Antoine Cloutier said the taxi drivers’ argument is that the actions of the Quebec government, which allowed Uber to operate in the province, allowed for a decline in taxi permit values.

The class-action lawsuit was authorized for all owners of taxi permits.

Ontario man banished from Prince Edward Island for two years An Ontario man has been banished from Prince Edward Island for two years after committing a string of crimes on the Island.

Brian Mark Clarke, 36, was recently sentenced in Charlottetown on charges including theft, operating a motor vehicle while prohibited, flight from police and possession of stolen property.

A Prince Edward Island judge has banished an Ontario man convicted of a string of crimes from the province for two years.

A Prince Edward Island judge has banished an Ontario man convicted of a string of crimes from the province for two years.

(Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership/AP) Provincial court Judge John Douglas sentenced Clarke to time served of 90 days and a two-year probation order, including

the provision that he is not to be in Prince Edward Island during the term of probation.

Crown prosecutor Jeff MacDonald confirmed this week that the total sentence was a joint recommendation between Crown and defence.

Nicole O’Byrne, a law professor at the University of New Brunswick, says while banishing an offender from such a large area as a province is unusual, it is well within the sentencing judge’s discretion to impose that term.

“While the banishment of an offender reminds one of the punishments meted out in the Middle Ages, it is within the set of sanctions that a judge might find reasonable in a particular circumstance,” she said in an interview.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Liberal riding association leader quits after Trudeau sacked two former ministers from the caucus he vice-president of a federal Liberal riding association has quit in support of Jody WilsonRaybould and Jane Philpott after the two were ousted from caucus as fallout continues in the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Louis De Jaeger of the Chilliwack-Hope riding announced his decision on social media on Wednesday morning, saying it was “with great disappointment” that he learned the two former cabinet ministers were ejected by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the scandal.

He said after speaking to people in the community over the last several weeks, he has found his values, and theirs, “do not align” with the current direction of the

prime minister and those within his office.

“One of the most valuable assets we have in life is to be trustworthy,” De Jaeger said. “It is this erosion of trust that the Prime Minister mentions when speaking of blame for the current SNC fiasco… the breakdown of the relationships between himself, the PMO, the former Attorney General and the former Treasury Board President.”

The Liberals have taken beating after beating following allegations that WilsonRaybould was improperly pressured by the Prime Minister’s Office to intervene in the criminal prosecution of Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin – the latest development being a key phone conversation WilsonRaybould secretly recorded between her and former Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Dozens of women turn their backs on Trudeau in the House of Commons as he addresses Daughters of the Vote A weary-looking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau entered the temporary House of Commons chamber, with its literal glass ceiling, took the podium and began to deliver a speech to a sea of young women.

One by one, more than 40 of them rose from their seats to turn their backs on him.

The silent protest just after noon on Wednesday came during Trudeau’s first public appearance after expelling former ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould, who accused him of trying to politically interfere in the criminal prosecution of Montreal construction firm SNC-Lavalin, and Jane Philpott, who resigned in solidarity with her, from his Liberal caucus on Tuesday evening.

Wilson-Raybould and Philpott, locked out of the regular weekly caucus meeting Wednesday morning, visited the House of Commons gallery and sat to listen statements by some of the Daughters of the Vote delegates — 338 women, aged 18 to 23, chosen by the Equal Voice organization to represent all of Canada’s ridings for a day on Parliament Hill.

The two sat with Celina Caesar-Chavannes, who quit the Liberal caucus in the wake of reporting on SNC-Lavalin. She snapped her fingers sometimes in agreement with the

young women’s pronouncements. All three gave standing ovations for statements on issues including climate change, Indigenous suicide, accessibility and religious freedom, along with the rest of the room, which brimmed with loud enthusiasm for each speaker.

Ducking out to speak with reporters, neither Wilson-Raybould nor Philpott would address the elephant in the room — that here were young women being encouraged to speak up when Wilson-Raybould’s whistleblowing is what ultimately led to their excommunication from caucus. CaesarChavannes told the National Post “we needed that little boost today,” though. “We are in the gallery watching, having, we hope, made a mark on the 42nd Parliament. And here are young women in those seats saying, ‘yeah, we are going to continue this,’” she said.

When he finally arrived, Trudeau, the selfproclaimed feminist and “minister of youth,” would face more than one rebuke from the young women in front of him. And he was not alone — dozens of them walked out on Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer while he spoke, because of a distaste for his policies.

Upon their return, the women, including a majority of those who wore a hijab, got as much applause as Scheer had for his short speech.

Federal gov’t hunted for person who leaked Omar Khadr’s $10.5M settlement payment: internal report An internal report obtained by the National Post reveals details of how the federal government launched an investigation spanning six departments and agencies to hunt for who leaked information about a reported $10.5-million settlement with Omar Khadr in July 2017.

But the Privy Council Office is refusing to say whether it ever referred the probe to the RCMP, as it did with the leak investigation into Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.

The internal report, obtained through an access-to-information request, also shows that payment of the out-of-court settlement to Khadr was delayed by a day after public servants made a coding error that caused the transfer to be rejected by the Bank of Canada, through which the payment flowed to a bank account held by an unnamed third party. Public servants scrambled to fix the error and spent the next day monitoring the payment step-by-step until it properly transferred through the banks.

News of the settlement was reported on the evening of July 3, 2017, by The Globe and Mail, which identified its source only as a “federal insider.” As of September 2017 — two months after the news story — the Privy Council Office was still searching for who leaked to the media, the report says.

The Post asked the Privy Council Office if the internal investigation ever uncovered the source of the leak, if the matter was ever referred to the RCMP, and if anyone was ever disciplined or terminated over the leak.

Stephane Shank, manager of media relations for the Privy Council Office, sent a statement that did not answer any of the questions.

“Any disclosure of confidential information is a breach of the Public Service’s Values and Ethics Code,” it said. “As Public Servants, we swear an oath to serve and are entrusted to protect information of a confidential nature. This disclosure, while a breach, did not constitute a risk to the Canadian public.

We do not comment on personnel matters.”

CRA identifies nearly 900 Canadians in Panama Papers, 5 investigations underway Three years after the explosive Panama Papers leak, Canada’s tax agency has identified nearly 900 Canadian people and corporate entities in the papers and five criminal investigations are underway, but so far no charges have been laid.

The Canada Revenue Agency is providing new details about the status of its probe of information leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca on April 3, 2016, which detailed hundreds of billions of dollars from around the world sheltered in tax havens, at the expense of numerous countries’ treasuries.

So far, 894 Canadians – including individuals, corporations and trusts – have been identified in the papers and 525 of them have had their files reviewed by the CRA. Canada’s tax agency says it has completed 116 audits, resulting in over $15 million in federal taxes and penalties assessed.

However, despite these efforts, no criminal charges have been laid in Canada in connection over the material disclosed in the leak.

National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said the government has been cracking down on offshore tax cheats, pointing to two search warrants executed last week in an alleged case worth $77 million, which came from information gleaned from the Panama Papers.

“Fighting against tax cheats is a priority for our government and that is why we invested over $1 billion in the CRA to ensure that it has the tools it needs to get the job done,” Lebouthillier said. “The net is tightening.”

The two new search warrants were issued as part of what government is calling a “significant offshore tax evasion case” in Vancouver, which involved the work of 40 criminal investigators.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Consultant says First Nations band will pay him $1.28-million for obtaining federal housing dollars A Thunder Bay consultant whose exposure of the mouldy and unsafe housing in a remote Ontario First Nation persuaded the federal government to pay to replace homes on the reserve says he will receive $1.28-million for that work under a deal he negotiated with the chief and council. The expected payout to Gerald Paulin and his company, Windsun Energy Corp., is raising eyebrows of federal officials and First Nations leaders, as well as shining a light on the lucrative deals being negotiated by some consultants. At the same time, Mr. Paulin’s efforts have brought attention to the housing crisis in many First Nations where

families live in conditions that would not be tolerated elsewhere in Canada. Mr. Paulin has already received $20,000 for a report on a $200,000 investigation he helped to arrange in December, 2018, of the homes in the Cat Lake First Nation, which recommended the demolition and replacement of 87 of 124 units. That report, which found mould in almost every house on the reserve, as well as safety issues such as bad electrical work and improperly installed wood stoves, prompted outrage, national news stories and a $12.8-million commitment from the federal Indigenous Services department to replace and repair homes at Cat Lake.

PM Trudeau expels two ministers from Liberal party for not follwoing his orders Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to quell a crisis that threatens his chances of re-election, expelling from party ranks two former Cabinet members he said had undermined the ruling Liberals.

Trudeau said former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and former Treasury Board chief Jane Philpott would no longer be allowed to sit as Liberal legislators. They were also barred from running for the party in the federal election this October.

The Liberals have been in turmoil since Wilson-Raybould said in February that officials had inappropriately pressured her last year while she was justice minister to ensure that construction company SNCLavalin Group Inc escape a corruption trial.

“The trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken,” Trudeau

told an emergency meeting of caucus.

“Civil wars within parties are incredibly damaging because they signal to Canadians that we care more about ourselves than we do about them,” said Trudeau, 47, who took office in November 2015 and faces a tough reelection battle this autumn.

Wilson-Raybould, who tweeted news of her ouster before Trudeau’s announcement, was demoted in January and resigned the next month. Philpott quit shortly afterward, saying she had lost confidence in how Trudeau was handling the matter.

“If people can’t express trust in the party and the prime minister, then they need to find another political vehicle in order to advance their ideas.

It’s as simple as that,” Justice Minister David Lametti told reporters.

Ousted minister Jody Wilson-Raybould set conditions, wanted PM apology over SNC-Lavalin affair ver the course of the SNC-Lavalin scandal, former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould laid out conditions for ending the controversy that has dogged the Liberal government for nearly two months. And now, she says that blowback from the affair could have been entirely avoided had Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for what she says was political interference in a prosecution.

These conversations began when she learned she would be shuffled out of the justice minister and attorney general portfolio, continued after she resigned from cabinet on Feb. 12, and ended shortly before she was removed from the Liberal caucus on Tuesday. These sources said that after WilsonRaybould was shuffled out of her role as justice minister in January that she told the prime minister she would stay in cabinet, under certain conditions.

They included firing Trudeau’s top adviser Gerald Butts, Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick and senior legal adviser Mathieu Bouchard. All three were named in her testimony as involved in the sustained and inappropriate pressure she says she faced on the SNC-Lavalin file.

Wilson-Raybould also wanted Trudeau to apologize, either publicly or before cabinet.

Finally, she wanted assurances that her replacement as justice minister and attorney general, David Lametti, would be directed to not authorize a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) for SNC-Lavalin.

None of that happened, although Butts

subsequently resigned and Wernick has announced his upcoming retirement.

Both have maintained that they did not act inappropriately and have offered contradicting evidence and testimony to the events as she described.

Bouchard remains employed by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The scandal began unfolding on Feb. 7 when the Globe and Mail reported, citing unnamed sources, that Wilson-Raybould was improperly pressured on the SNC-Lavalin file. Trudeau at the time called the report false, but then during her Feb. 27 testimony before the House Justice Committee, she offered hours of detailed testimony that confirmed that she did feel she was subjected to attempted political interference from senior government officials to grant a DPA rather than having SNC-Lavalin’s criminal trial continue, out of concern for jobs and the Liberal party’s political prospects in Quebec.

Wilson-Raybould continues to maintain that she was acting on her principles and out of an interest in defending the independence of the justice system in Canada.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail published Thursday, Wilson-Raybould said that none of the political storm over SNCLavalin would have happened had Trudeau apologized. She said the prime minister “never took responsibility” for trying to politically interfere in the prosecution of the Quebec-based engineering firm that is facing corruption and fraud charges.

Budget 2019

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INDIA

Saturday, April 6, 2019

PM Modi has only “Television” but No Vision: Congress The Congress on Thursday mocked the BJP-led government, saying its “dismal” performance bore testimony to the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has only “television” instead of vision.

Rahul Gandhi-led party also slammed the BJP for criticising its manifesto, noting that the central government had no right to preach national security, as the country saw a “260 per cent” rise in terror-related incidents during the last five years.

“The dismal performance of his government shows Modi has no vision and only television,” Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi told reporters.

She alleged that the rich became richer and the poor turned poorer under the BJP rule, but Congress’s election manifesto talks about giving justice to the farmers, women, youth, and the jobless and distressed sections.

Accusing the BJP of not fulfilling promises made in its manifesto in 2014, she said the party had assured to provide 33 per cent quota for women, double farmers’ income and create two crore jobs annually, but failed “miserably” to meet any of these. Mounting a scathing attack on the BJP for making tall claims about nationalism, the Congress leader said never before in the history of India did any prime minister visit Pakistan “uninvited”.

Supreme Court agrees to hear plea against release of Modi biopic The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a writ petition against the release of a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The top court will hear the plea on Monday. The film follows PM Modi’s life from his humble beginning to his rise first as the Gujarat chief minister and then electoral victory in 2014 catapulting him as the prime minister. The Congress and the Left complained to the Election Commission of India against the release of the film saying it

violates the Model Code of Conduct. Arguing on the behalf of petitioner senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi contended in the Supreme Court that while the poll code is in place, release of the film, produced by people connected to ruling party, would affect free and fair polls. Congress spokesperson Aman Panwar has filed a petition in the top court seeking stay on the release of the film on PM Modi. A bench headed by Justice SA Bobde will hear the plea on Monday.

PM Modi’s biopic delayed indefinitely The release of ‘PM Narendra Modi’ -- a biopic based on the Prime Minister -- has been postponed amid a raging controversy over alleged election rule violations, with film producer Sandip Ssingh announcing on Twitter that it will not hit the theatres tomorrow. “This is to confirm that our film ‘PM Narendra Modi’ is not releasing on 5th April. Will update soon,” read a tweet posted by the filmmaker today. No additional information was provided on the matter.

Another tweet by film director Omung Kumar followed, but it didn’t help clear the air either.

“Suspense!” he tweeted. “The film isn’t releasing tomorrow, not on 5th April. But it’ll be done soon, you’ll get to know. We don’t want to tell you the date now.

Opposition had come forward, tried things. It’s late but we know what date to release it on.”

US approves sale of 24 high powered Romeo Seahawk helicopters to India The US approves sale of 24 multi-role MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters to India at an estimated cost of USD 2.6 billion, the State Department has announced, boosting the Indian Navy’s anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations as China expands its presence in the Indian Ocean. Designed for hunting submarines as well as knocking out ships and conducting search-and-rescue operations at sea, the Lockheed Martin-built

helicopters, would replace India’s ageing fleet of Britishmade Sea King helicopters.

The Trump Administration on Tuesday notified the Congress that it has approved the sale of 24 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters, which will provide the Indian defence forces with the capability to perform anti-surface and antisubmarine warfare missions.

“What’s his contribution...”: Mamata attacks Modi Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked PM Modi over his biopic which was stalled after the Congress raised objections on its release ahead of the national election.

Questioning PM Modi’s contribution to the nation, she said people would rather watch films based on the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar.

“Why will people watch your film? If people want to watch films, they will watch films on Gandhiji, Ambedkar ji, why Modi?

What contribution he has made to India?” she was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

PM Modi’s biopic’s release date triggered a political controversy, with the Congress moving the Election Commission

BJP never regarded those who disagree with it as ‘anti-national, enemies’: L K Advani BJP’s L K Advani said that his party has never regarded those who disagreed with it politically as “anti-national” or “enemies” but only as adversaries.

His views assume significance at a time when the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah have made the issue of national security a key plank for the general elections and have often accused its political rivals of speaking the language of India’s enemies like Pakistan. Reacting to Advani’s views, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the veteran BJP leader has perfectly summed up the BJP’s “true essence” in his blog. “Advani

Ji perfectly sums up the true essence of BJP, most notably the guiding Mantra of ‘Nation First, Party Next, Self Last.’ Proud to be a BJP Karyakarta and proud that greats like LK Advani Ji have strengthened it,” Modi said in a tweet. Many BJP leaders have also often used terms like “anti-national” to target opposition leaders. “The essence of Indian democracy is respect for diversity and freedom of expression. Right from its inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our ‘enemies’, but only as our adversaries,” the 91-year-old leader wrote in a blog ahead of the BJP’s foundation day on April 6.

Mumbai residents have fastest-growing salaries, but still can’t afford a house Household incomes in India’s financial capital are rising the fastest. Yet, most families there can’t afford a home.

Mumbai is an exception among big Indian cities where home ownership has become largely affordable, according to JLL India.

On April 01, the real estate services firm released its home purchase affordability index, which shows that the average annual household income in Mumbai falls 16% short of the minimum income required to qualify for a bank loan on a 1,000-square-feet apartment at prevailing market prices.

This is primarily due to Mumbai’s sky-high real estate prices. A property of the same size is more expensive in the coastal city than elsewhere, forcing families to apply for bigger loans that require a higher level of minimum income for eligibility.

(The above chart shows how much higher or lower the average annual household income in a city is compared to the minimum income required to qualify for a home loan on a 1,000-square-feet apartment at the prevailing market prices.)

In 2013, Hyderabad had been the only major city where average household income was above the minimum eligibility criterion for a home loan. As incomes have grown faster than residential prices since then, all except Mumbai have an affordable housing market today.

Incidentally, Mumbai’s household income growth rate has been the highest. This has had a major positive impact on the ability of families to take out home loans: In 2013, the average household in Mumbai was earning just 47% of the minimum income required to qualify for a home loan, as compared to 84% today.

PUNJAB

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Minister Navjot Sidhu comes back from ‘self-imposed exile’ Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu “returned” from his “self-imposed exile” of almost three weeks. His long absence from office, as well as the city, has led to work piling up in the most “public dealing” department of the government. For the past three weeks, the otherwise firebrand minister, went incommunicado.

He was reportedly in Delhi, but had “refused to get in touch” with anyone from Chandigarh.

During his absence, his close aides maintained that he was not talking to anyone because of a “dental procedure he underwent”.

Highly-placed sources in the government

said that Sidhu had even refused to talk to the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, who tried to reach out to him twice. With elections to the Lok Sabha on May 19 being perceived as a litmus test for the Congress, the Chief Minister has been concerned over almost all development works, approval of building plans and grant of change in land use not being done, besides administrative work suffering. During Sidhu’s long period of absence, post facto approvals were given for whatever little work that was allowed by the department.

High Court grants interim bail to former MLA Mantar Brar In a reprieve for former SAD MLA Mantar Singh Brar, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today granted interim anticipatory bail to him in a case related to incidents of sacrilege in the state.

Issuing notice of motion for April 23 filed though counsel Gautam Dutt, Justice Manoj Bajaj asserted that the petitioner in the meantime would join the investigation and would remain present as and when called for. In the event of his arrest, he would be admitted to interim bail on his furnishing personal and surety bonds to the satisfaction of the arresting/investigating officer. He was also directed to abide by the conditions of the bail.

Appearing before the Bench on Brar’s behalf senior counsel RS Rai contended that the petitioner was indicted in FIR dated August 7, 2018, for attempt to murder and other offences under Sections 307, 323, 341, 148 and 149 IPC and the provisions of the Arms Act registered at Kotkapura city police

Another member of terror module held from Panchkula The State Special Operation Cell has arrested an accomplice of the five terrorists, who were nabbed along with arms and ammunition a couple of days ago. The accused has been identified as Daler Singh alias Bunty of Rohini, Delhi.

A senior officer said Daler Singh was nabbed from Nada Sahib-Morni road in Panchkula, where he had gone to meet somebody. “Daler Singh was a member of the terrorist group, which was conspiring to create disturbance in Punjab by carrying out targeted killings. Certain members of managing committee of Dera Sacha Sauda and some Hindu leaders were on their target,” he said. The officer said Daler Singh came into contact with the group members through Gurpreet Singh, one the five terrorists arrested from Mohali recently, in Tihar Jail. “Daler Singh is a hardcore criminal and is facing a number of criminal cases relating to murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and other heinous crimes. Most of these cases have been registered against him at different police stations in Delhi,” said the official, adding that he was planning to arrange more firearms for the group through arm suppliers whom he had met in Tihar Jail. The police had already arrested Harvinder Singh (24) of Panchkula; Sultan Singh (29) of Saidpura village, near Kurukshetra.

station in Faridkot. Certain other Sections were added later on added.

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American-Sikhs urge Pakistan to maintain Kartarpur complex in its original form American-Sikh communities have urged the Pakistan government to make sure that the Kartarpur Sahib Complex (KSC) is maintained in its original state.

The American Sikh Council (ASC) in a statement on Monday said: “Any structural changes and/or additions to accommodate upcoming huge visitors either coming from India, Pakistan or the Sikh diaspora living across globe by lodging to restrooms and more must be done at a distance, away from the main KSC so that the Kartarpur Sahib original farms, natural areas spread around 100 acres of land that belonged to Guru Sahibji, and the forest areas around the River Ravi can retain as much of its originality as possible.

“This needs to be preserved in its original landscape for posterity.”

The appeal was made in the background of recent development where both Pakistani

and Indian governments agreed to open up the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikhs to visit the place where Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, spent 18.5 years of his life as a farmer, husband, father while spreading the word of love, humanism, universal sisterhood and brotherhood. Gurdas Singh, ASC president, and Gurinder Pal Singh, Sikh in America (SIA) president, told Dawn news via phone that the Pakistani government might change the original archeological and cultural structure and lawns of the complex. Gurinder Pal Singh said they feared that in the name of development sometimes original and historical architecture were not being taken care of by contractors.

“Such efforts must be and should be kept at bay without compromising original structure spread across 100 acres,” said.

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INDIA

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Bank of Baroda becomes second-largest bank after murger with Vijaya & Dena Bank Bank of Baroda will become the second largest public sector bank after State Bank of India from April 1, post its amalgamation with Bengalurubased Vijaya Bank and Mumbaibased Dena Bank.

“All the branches of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will function as branches of Bank of Baroda with effect from April 1, 2019,” RBI said in a notification on March 30, 2019. Customers, including depositors of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, will be treated as customers of Bank of Baroda with effect from April 1. The consolidated entity will have a wider geographical reach with over 9,500 branches, 13,400 ATMs, 85,000 employees and 120 million customers. The combined entity will have a business mix of Rs 15 lakh crore with deposits and advances at Rs 8.75 lakh

crore and Rs 6.25 lakh crore, respectively. The bank will have a 22% market share in Gujarat and between 8-10% market share in key states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

According to the scheme of amalgamation, shareholders of Vijaya Bank will get 402 equity shares of BoB for every 1,000 shares held. In the case of Dena Bank, its shareholders will get 110 shares of BoB for every 1,000 shares held. “The interoperability of key banking services across all branches would be introduced by end-April 2019, the scope of which will be expanded gradually. The IT integration is expected to be completed over a period of 12-18 months when customer accounts of all three banks will be migrated to a single core banking system,” the bank said in a release.

Reliance Jio in Rs 700-crore pact with Haptik Reliance Jio Digital Services Limited (RJDSL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), has entered into a definitive business transfer agreement with Haptik Infotech Pvt. Ltd., one of India’s largest conversational AI platforms, for ₹700 crore.

“The transaction size, including investment for growth and expansion, is estimated at about ₹700 crore, with ₹230 crore as the consideration for the initial business transfer,” said RIL in a statement, adding that the Haptik

team would continue to drive growth of the business, including the enterprise platform as well as digital consumer assistants.

On a fully-diluted basis, Reliance would hold about 87% of the business with the rest being held by Haptik founders and employees through stock option grants.

The focus of the investment is on enhancement and expansion of the platform, with an addressable market opportunity of more than one billion users in India.

TN man embarrasses EC, affidavit claiming he has Rs 1.76 lakh crore cash gets accepted Tamil Nadu will elect its leaders to 18 Assembly and 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state in just over two weeks. While the state will see over 1200 candidates compete for these seats, it has now emerged that that the richest candidate to the state Assembly is Mohanraj Jebamani of the Jebamani Janata Party, who has declared Rs 1.76 lakh crore cash in hand and a Rs 4 lakh crore loan from the World Bank In what has turned out to be a massive embarrassment for the Election Commission, the affidavit of Mohanraj Jebamani of the Jebamani Janata Party has been accepted from the Perambur Assembly constituency, raising questions on the scrutiny of the details declared in the document. According to the affidavit filed by Mohanraj, he declares that he has Rs 1.76 lakh crore in cash, which is also his

total assets. The figure, however, is no coincidence for this infamous number is oft-quoted as the notional loss accruing to the exchequer in the alleged 2G scam involving former Union Telecom Minister A Raja and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.

Both DMK leaders, who were acquitted by the special court in 2017, have launched their electoral bid this poll season, contesting to be MPs from Nilgiris and Thoothukudi respectively. Under the ‘Loans from Banks’ section, Mohanraj lists ‘4 lakh crore loan with World Bank’ as part of other dues. While the World Bank does not hand out loans to individuals, here too, the number refers to the predicted outstanding debt of the state by 2020. Although the affidavit evoked shock and amusement online.

Supreme Court declines urgent hearing of plea seeking rescheduling poll dates in TN Supreme Court on Thursday asked how long does it take to vote and why voters can’t cast vote on a holy day as it refused to accord urgent hearing to a plea seeking rescheduling of the Lok Sabha polling date in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on April 18.

A Christian body had moved the apex court seeking urgent listing of its plea in which it said the scheduled date of polling for Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry falls within the holy period of Good Friday and Easter.

The petitioner’s counsel told the court that the date of polling in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry be rescheduled.

“You can’t cast your vote on a holy day?” a bench headed by Justice S A Bobde asked the petitioner’s counsel.

“How long does it take to vote?” the bench said, adding, “We don’t want to advise you how to pray and how to cast vote”.

The petitioner’s counsel told the court that the Madras High Court had dismissed their plea on March 22 and they have moved the apex court against it.

Single Indian rocket puts satellites in three orbits An Indian rocket on Monday placed domestic and foreign satellites in three different orbits on a single flight, a first for the nation and a low-cost option that could burnish its reputation for pioneering affordable options in space.

The launch of a domestic intelligence satellite and 28 foreign ones came less than a week after India used an anti-satellite missile to take down one of its own satellites, demonstrating a capability only China, Russia and the United States had possessed previously.

The state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said 24 satellites from the United States, two from Lithuania and one each from Spain and Switzerland were positioned in Monday’s launch, in addition to India’s EMISAT satellite.

“This particular mission is very special for ISRO,” its chairman, K. Sivan, said after the launch from Andhra Pradesh.

“This is for the first time the PSLV is carrying out three orbital missions in a single flight,” he said in a speech, referring to the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle family of rockets.

Sivan, who previously told media the “three-in-one” launch would help cut costs, said the agency aimed to complete 30 more missions this year, including India’s second lunar exploration programme known as the Chandrayaan-2.

Among the satellites in Monday’s launch are 20 earth-imaging satellites of Planet Labs Inc, a private satellite operator based in San Francisco. Two of the satellites, one from Lithuania and another from Switzerland, will be used for the “Internet of Things”, or connecting physical devices to the Web, the agency added.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, April 6, 2019

US military was aware of India’s anti-satellite missile test

India launches becomes fourth country in the world to launch anti-satellite missile India’s unexpected launch of an antisatellite missile test this week sparked surprise (and some alarm) among international and aerospace-industry experts. The test’s success makes India the fourth country capable of destroying an enemy satellite, after USA, Russia & China.

But how does that technology work?

An anti-satellite weapon, or ASAT, is anything that destroys or physically damages a satellite. That’s the broad definition.

“The problem with defining an ASAT is that since most space technology is dualuse, ASATs come in many non-overt forms,” Joan Johnson-Freese, professor of national security affairs at Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, said in an email to Space.com. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Wednesday (March 27) that the country had pulled off an ASAT missile launch that same day. The launch, “Mission Shakti,” likely struck an Indian satellite in low Earth orbit, turning

The U.S. military’s early warning and surveillance network on Wednesday at 1:39 a.m. EST detected India’s missile launch aimed at one of its own satellites in low Earth orbit. “We were aware,” said Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson, vice commander of Air Force Space Command. Once the launch was detected, “we immediately started providing notification to satellite operators,” Thompson said on Wednesday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces. The anti-satellite weapon test carried out by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization was code named “Mission Shakti.” A missile launched from the ground slammed into a satellite at an altitude of about 300 kilometers. Thompson declined to specify the exact elevation as it might be classified. He noted that the International Space Station was “not at risk.”

the object into debris. ASATs take many ,shapes, but the clearest examples follow kinetic-kill models, in which an object in space or on the ground is sent to collide with an orbiting satellite, destroying both object and target with the energy of the crash.

But an ASAT doesn’t need to be airborne.

“If the intent is to stop the transmission of information from the satellite to the ground, taking out the ground station achieves the same goal, without the space debris,” Johnson-Freese said. A maneuverable satellite could be directed to smash into another satellite, too. A laser, if used to “temporarily dazzle or permanently ‘blind’ a satellite by destroying its sensors,” would also be considered an ASAT weapon, she added. The Press Information Bureau India tweeted this image of Wednesday’s (March 27) “Mission Shakti,” the country’s first testfire launch of an anti-satellite weapon. The Press Information Bureau India tweeted this image of Wednesday’s (March 27) “Mission

31 killed, many injured as thunderstorm hits Nepal

Bangladesh police arrest building owners over fatal blaze Police in Bangladesh’s capital have arrested two of the owners of a commercial complex that caught fire this past week, killing 26 people and injuring about 70, an official said Sunday. F.R. Tower’s owners Tasvir-ul-Islam and S.M.H.I. Faruque were arrested in Dhaka and charged with negligence and violations of a building code that resulted in casualties, Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Detective Branch Shahjahan Shaju told the Associated Press. In cases where deaths occur as a result of negligence, defendants also

At least 31 people have been killed and hundreds injured as a violent thunderstorm lashed through parts of southern Nepal, authorities said on Monday. According to authorities, most of the victims were from the country’s Bara district. The storm accompanied by hail and heavy rain struck the two districts on Sunday night, the Kathmandu Post reported.

The storm destroyed houses, overturned vehicles, uprooted trees and brought down power lines in Bara and Parsa districts.

usually face culpable homicide charges.

The arrests were made late Saturday night and early Sunday. The blaze that burned for several hours Thursday trapped people inside the building, some shouting for help from windows on upper floors and the roof.

Authorities say the complex on a busy avenue in Dhaka’s Banani commercial district had no fire-protected staircases and some top floors of the 22-story building were illegally constructed.

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The issue was raised at the hearing by the subcommittee’s ranking member Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) who asked Thompson about the risk that such tests might pose to U.S. and allied satellites.

Thompson said the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, detected the launch. The National Space Defense Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado; and the 18th Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, also supported the effort.

“No other nation or other military, or civil agency could have detected, characterized and warned” about a threat in space, he said. In response to Heinrich’s question on whether DoD supported a “code of conduct” for space activities, Kenneth Rapuano, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security, said the Pentagon is “involved in discussions internationally”

The casualties included passengers in a bus that was blown off a road, witnesses were cited according to some media reports.

The victims were either killed after getting buried under rubble of houses and metal roofs or due to coming in contact with live wires. Kusum Kalu, 70, told the BBC she had escaped death in Bara district “by a fraction of a second” when the storm struck.= “I was about to leave the house and just as I opened the door the roof of the house fell down.

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Saturday, April 6, 2019

2019 Be a part of the Celebration!

KHALSA DIWAN SOCIETY

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VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER Est. 1906

Presents

Vaisakhi Day Celebration

President: Secretary: Treasurer: Head Granthi:

Malkiat S. Dhami (Cell 604-728-8548) Jarnail S. Bhandal (Cell 604-722-6544) Sukhwinder (Rana) Gill Harminder Pal Singh

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Saturday, April 13, 2019 PROGRAM SCHEDULE 7:00 am - 9:00 am 9:00 am - 9:30 am 9:30 am - 10:30 am 10:45 am

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Departure from Gurdwara Sahib Return to Gurdwara Sahib

Vaisakhi is a very important day for Sikhs and one of the most colourful events in the Sikh calendar. It occurs during mid-April every year and traditionally concurs in Punjab with the

the creation of the Khalsa.

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PAKISTAN

Saturday, April 6, 2019

41

Accountability bureau recovers Rs 60 crore from Zardari’s aide National Accountability Bureau on Wednesday recovered Rs 60 crore in money laundering case from Younas Kudwavi, who is believed to be a business partner of former president Asif Zardari, according to media reports. National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Rawalpindi chapter recovered Rs 60 crore from Kudwavi. NAB has also presented its interim challan before the accountability court - approved earlier by its executive board. Kudwavi is facing the charge of issuing

illegal allotment letter on properties registered for a temple and library.

Quoting sources, it said that Kudwavi is a business partner of former president Zardari in the Park Lane Estate Company, a Karachibased real estate firm co-owned by Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was investigating

Pakistan army promotes 40 Brigadiers to rank of Major General Pakistan Army promoted 40 brigadiers to major general on Wednesday. The approval was given by the promotion board. The meeting was presided over by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. The promoted officers include Brig Zafar Iqbal Marwat, Brig Shakir Ullah Khattak, Brig Muhammad Avais Dastgir, Brig Amir Naveed, Brig Mohammad Ejaz Mirza, Brig Tabassum Habib, Brig Muhammad Shuja Anwar, Brig Dilawar Khan, Brig Sarfraz Ahmad, Brig Asif Mahmood Goraya, Brig Kamal Azfar, Brig Muhammad Ali Khan, Brig Muhammad Kashif Azad, Brig Majid

Jahangir, Brig Azhar Waqas, Brig Akif Iqbal, Brig Omer Ahmed Bokhari, Brig Muhammad Ahsan Khattak, Brig Inayat Hussain, Brig Adil Yamin, Brig Muhammad Hasan Khattak, Brig Muhammad Aamir Majeed, Brig Syed Imdad Hussain Shah, Brig Muhammad Aamer Najam, Brig Muhammad Aqeel, Brig Kamran Ahmed Satti, Brig Kashif Zafar, Brig Khurram Anwar Qadri and Brig Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

Eleven of the officers belonged to the Army Medical Corps, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

High Court to probe Hindu girls ‘forced’ conversion Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday constituted a five-member commission to probe the alleged abduction, forced conversion and marriage of two Hindu sisters in Sindh province that led to protests by the minority community in the country.

A bench headed by Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition filed by the girls -- Reena, Raveena and their husbands Safdar Ali and Barkat Ali -- seeking protection, Geo News reported. The petition by the girls stated that they were born in a Hindu family of Ghotki, Sindh and converted because they were “impressed by Islamic teachings”. It claimed that they did not inform their family because of “threats to their lives”. The plea also stated that the two girls left their home on March 20 and two days later they willingly converted and entered into marriages. However, the counsel for the girls’ parents said that the case pertained to forced conversion.

The government took notice of the incident after two videos went viral on social media, Geo News said. In one of the videos, the

girls’ father and brother revealed the details, claiming that the sisters were abducted from their residence and forcefully converted from Hinduism to Islam before they were subjected to underage marriages. In the video, the girls’ father claimed that they were 13 and 14 years old. In the ongoing forced conversion case of two minor Hindu girls Reena and Raveena, today Bharchundi Sharif ’s Mian Mitho was gloating outside the Islamabad High Court. “Four more girls have converted since this case. Boys also convert, entire villages convert,” he says. It was followed by another video in which the two girls claimed that they had converted to Islam. The girls’ father had filed a petition in the IHC on Monday, requesting the court to constitute a medical board “for determination of the exact age” of the two sisters. The petition also sought directions for the government to conduct a psychological test on the girls for Stockholm Syndrome -- a feeling of trust or affection felt in many cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim towards a captor.

Facebook removes 103 pages, linked to Pakistan army Facebook has removed 103 pages, groups and accounts that were part of a network it said was linked to employees of the Pakistani military’s public relations arm, the social media group announced on Monday.

Facebook said it removed pages and accounts on Facebook and Instagram that spread information about Pakistani politics and political leaders, the Indian government and the Pakistani military. “Today we removed 103 pages, Groups and accounts for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour on Facebook and Instagram as part of a network that originated in Pakistan,” Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity, said in a statement. “Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our investigation found that it was linked to employees of the ISPR (InterService Public Relations) of the Pakistani military.”

No comment was immediately available from the ISPR. Facebook’s announcement comes at a time when it has been facing increasing

pressure across the world over the use of its platforms by politically aligned groups, many of which conceal their true identity.

The 24 pages, 57 accounts and 7 groups removed on Facebook had more than 2.8 million followers. An additional 15 Instagram accounts were also removed. An analysis of the pages, accounts, and groups by the Atlantic Council think tank’s digital forensic lab said the tone of the pages in questions strongly supported Pakistan and attacked India, consistent with ISPR’s behaviour”.

The military’s spokesman has often mentioned the term “fifth generation warfare” during press conferences, referring to an unconventional battlefield that includes the dissemination and countering of information on social media.

A number of journalists and activists critical of the military on social media have been threatened and abducted in the past two years. Three men who were abducted for five weeks in 2017 told Reuters and other news outlets that they had been taken by the military’s spy wing.

32 people, including Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed, in relation to money laundering through fictitious bank accounts.

Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July last year in connection with the probe. His other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested

by FIA in August 2018.

Last month, Zardari and Bilawal appeared before the NAB, which questioned them on corruption charges. They appeared before the NAB in connection with an alleged loan obtained by the Park Lane Estate Company.

The NAB has claimed in the case that a piece of land belonging to the Punjab forest department was illegally transferred to the company by some government officials.

The Supreme Court in September 2018

Former intelligence chief who aided Osama bin Laden sworn in as minister Pakistan’s former Intelligence Bureau chief Ijaz Shah, who helped Osama bin Laden living in Pakistan, sworn in as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs on Tuesday by President Arif Alvi in Islamabad. The move has put the Imran Khan-led government and the Opposition, especially the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), at odds as former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had alleged that Ijaz Shah was among the people who had hatched a conspiracy to kill her, reports Dawn.

Ijaz Shah, a confidant of former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf, has also been accused of harbouring terror outfit Al-Qaeda’s founder-leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. He was most wanted by the United States for perpetrating the gruesome 9/11 attacks. In its report in 2012, The Sydney Morning Herald had quoted former ISI chief General Ziauddin Butt as saying that Shah had ordered to build the three-storied walled compound in Abbottabad where Laden was

hunted down and terminated by the US Forces in 2011.“I fully believe that Ijaz Shah had kept this man (Osama bin Laden, in Abbottabad) with the full knowledge of Pervez Musharraf,” Butt had alleged. Shah has since dismissed the allegations. Ijaz Shah served as Pakistan’s IB Director General from 2004 to 2008. He was also elected as a Member of National Assembly (MNA) on Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf ’s (PTI) ticket from NA-118 (Nankana Sahib-II).

Alleging that Pakistan Prime Minister has no respect for the Parliament, PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah told Dawn, “Ijaz Shah is being made the minister to make parliament redundant and to further degrade it.” He added that Ijaz Shah was made the minister to “provoke” the Opposition.

According to the Pakistan People’s Party leader, Ijaz Shah has been “brought to power as an alternative” to Pervez Musharraf, who currently lives in Dubai.

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NRI

Saturday, April 6, 2019

US government agency says work visa given to H-1B spouses don’t harm US jobs The H4-EAD programme that grants work permits to the spouses of H-1B workers who are on track for a green card doesn’t directly increase job competition for US workers in the tech industry, the homeland security department said in its submission to a federal appeals court in Washington on April 1. The agency made the argument to get a lawsuit filed by ‘Save Jobs USA’ — a group of US workers who claim that their jobs have been hit by the Obama-era programme — dismissed. Given that a proposal to rescind the H4-EAD (employment authorisation document) is currently under review, this submission made by the DHS has come in as a surprise. Several groups, fighting for continuation of the EAD, view it as a small victory.

However, the DHS said that it still wants an end to the programme and submitted

that the appeals court should not decide whether the agency had the statutory authority to issue the H4-EAD rule.

DHS in its submission argued that ‘Save Jobs USA’ never established how its members who work only in the technology (IT) sector, would clearly or immediately be harmed by the H4-EAD rule which grants employment authorisation eligibility across a far broader range of sectors. “As the district (lower) court recognised, the claims made by Save Jobs were ‘overly speculative’ and relied upon an implausible ‘chain of allegations’,” states the submission.

For now, there is a bit of rejoicing among the H4-EAD community, nearly 84,360 of which are Indians. A posting by the ‘Skilled Immigrants in America’ on its Facebook page points out that group members had in meetings with US government officials.

NRI gets 4 years jail and $1 Million fine for healthcare fraud in USA An Indian-American man was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly one million dollars in fine for health care fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Babubhai Bhurabhai Rathod of Michigan had pleaded guilty to both charges in August 2018, US Attorney Andrew Birge said. US District Judge Janet Neff also ordered Rathod to pay over USD 939,000 in restitution to federal health insurance programmes Medicare and Medicaid.

In 2013, Rathod was sentenced to four years in prison-and was further excluded from participating in Medicare and Medicaid-after being convicted of paying practitioners illegal kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals to

his health care companies.

While in prison, Rathod faked a drug and alcohol use disorder in order to qualify for admission into the Residential Drug Abuse Programme (RDAP), a programme that allows eligible inmates to lessen the amount of time that they would otherwise serve.

He completed RDAP and was released early from custody. Within days of his release in 2016, he began violating his exclusion and supervised release conditions by operating four health care providers across the State of Michigan - Advanced Medical Services (d/b/a Advanced Sleep Diagnostics of Michigan); Sleep Diagnostics of Michigan; EZ Sleep Supplies; and Paramount Home Care.

Employers have paid $5 billion in H-1B visa fees since 1999 Employers spend a lot of money to sponsor high-skilled foreign nationals on H-1B visas – and the costs continue to rise. These costs take on increased significance at a time of heightened government scrutiny over hiring high-skilled foreign nationals, particularly given that on April 1, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting H-1B applications for FY 2020. “Employers have paid nearly $5 billion in mandated H-1B fees (currently $1,500 per a new or extended H-1B petition) that primarily fund scholarships for U.S. students and training for U.S. workers, a figure that rises to over $7 billion if one includes $1.6 billion in mandated anti-fraud

fees and other government fees,” according to a new study from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). Attorney costs and government fees range from $3,400 up to $16,560 for an initial H-1B petition and from $6,300 to $28,620 for the cost of both an initial H-1B petition and an extension. Note that employers also must pay an H-1B professional the higher of the prevailing wage or actual wage paid to “all other individuals with similar experience and qualifications for the specific employment in question.” Since wait times for H-1B processing are typically 10 to 12 months, it is generally imperative for most employers to pay a $1,410 “premium processing” fee.

Indian sentenced to 16 months in jail for $200,000 call centre scam in US An Indian national has been sentenced to 16 months in jail after being convicted for being part of a call centre scam that victimised over 340 people in the US and resulting in over $200,000 in losses, the Department of Justice said Wednesday. Mehboob Mansurali Charania was convicted in January after he pleaded guilty to engaging in an unlicensed money transfer business. scammers who impersonate Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees.

US investigation has identified 140 scammers who, have or are, facing federal criminal proceedings, the Department of Justice said. As per court documents, Charania took part in a sophisticated scheme organised in India, that included a network of call centres. Call centre operators called US residents over the telephone and misled the potential victims into sending money, utilising a number of different confidence scams.

NRI woman who posed as doctor faces jail in UK A 58-year-old Indian-origin woman who posed as a doctor to dupe elderly people into engaging her services for a fee has been convicted of seven counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of supplying a prescription-only medicinal product by a UK court. Kamlesh Bassi used different aliases to pretend to be a qualified medical doctor, a nurse, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, an osteopath and a chiropractor, Warwick Crown Court was told at a hearing last week.

She targeted elderly people and persuaded them to hire her as a medical professional, also offering services as a masseuse and household help. “Bassi deliberately targeted vulnerable individuals. By lying about her credentials she abused their trust, gained access into their homes and potentially put their lives at risk by supplying Naproxen without knowing their medical history,” said Hannah Sidaway, a Specialist Prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in West Midlands.

SUPER

Saturday, April 6, 2019

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Saturday, April 6, 2019