The Asian Star January 29 2022

Celebrating 20 Years of Community Service

www.theasianstar.com Vol 20 - Issue 52

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Canadians experiencing highest rate of anxiety, depression, and loneliness since pandemic began: Study Canadians are struggling. Omicron showed up at the party like an uninvited frat boy simply too big and scary to bounce.

We’ll just be down here in the basement playing Mario Kart if you need us…

A number of studies seem to confirm what you may already be feeling: it’s pretty unhappy in Canada right now. One report on Canada’s pandemic health and substance use from Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) found that Canadians are experiencing anxiety, depression, and loneliness at the highest rate since the onset of the pandemic.

The study touched base with 1,004 Canadians between Jan. 7 and 11 this year, and found that over a quarter (25.1 percent) of respondents report feeling “moderate to severe anxiety,” up from the 19 percent logged in the previous study performed in July 2021.

Half of Canadians want unvaccinated to pay for hospital care: poll Most Canadians think that, if people who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines refuse them, then get infected and end up in hospital, they should pay for their hospital stay, says a new poll by Mainstreet Research.

As of Jan. 8, 75 per cent of Canadians hospitalized with COVID were unvaccinated, compared to 13 per cent who were vaccinated, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Continued on page 6

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Four people found shot to death inside Richmond home Police have confirmed the four people found dead in a Richmond, B.C. home this week were related to each other.

On Thursday, members of the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) executed a search warrant on the property and identified

the victims. Names are not being released to the public while the next of kin is notified.

“I can confirm right now that the victims are all adult ages and from the same family. They have no known association to gangs or criminal Continued on page 7

RCMP launches investigation into website selling fake COVID-19 vaccine and mask exemptions A police investigation has been launched into a B.C. website offering allegedly false COVID-19 vaccine and mask exemptions for a fee, after it was highlighted in a Global News investigation.

A spokesperson for the Chilliwack RCMP confirmed it is now investigating Enable Air, which works with unnamed “licensed physicians” to grant vaccination and mask exemptions for an undisclosed fee.

It comes a week after a Global News investigation detailed the vaccine exemption service, which has been linked to B.C. physicians Gwyllyn Goddard and Stephen Malthouse.

Goddard is based in Cultus Lake, an area under the jurisdiction of the Chilliwack RCMP. Goddard’s phone number, listed on his website, can be matched to the mobile number listed in the HTML code under the “Message us

on WhatsApp” widget on Enable Air’s website.

But when contacted last week, Goddard said he had “no idea” what Enable Air is.

When asked why his number was listed on its website, he said his phone number “is part of an email group that I sold into a company like 10 years ago and they’re all managed by one company, so I get a free cellphone basically.”

India arrests 6 people in illegal immigration crackdown sparked by family of 4 freezing to death in Manitoba Indian police have detained six people in a crackdown on illegal immigration after four Indians were found frozen to death near the border between the United States and Canada last week, officials said on Thursday.

Hundreds of Indians, mostly from the western states of Punjab and Gujarat, attempt to cross the US-Canada border each year, braving harsh weather conditions in search of a better life and job opportunities in the West. Police in Gujarat said they identified the four, belonging to a single family, after law enforcement

Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39-year-old man (left), Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, 37-year-old woman,Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, 11-year-old girl (right), and Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, three-year-old boy.

agencies on the border provided photographs of passports and other belongings. “We are now trying to nab the human traffickers who managed to send this family and others abroad via illegal channels,” said police official A.K. Jhala in the state capital of Gandhinagar.

The six detained by police were running a travel and tourism company in the state, he added.

More details emerge in Manitoba smuggling Continued on page 7

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

Surrey RCMP Guildford office closed after person turns in potentially live grenade

BC Crown says documents identified Wednesday could be ‘exculpatory’ in James case A surprise disclosure temporarily delayed proceedings at the B.C. Supreme Court trial of the former clerk of the legislature, who is accused of misspending public dollars.

Crown prosecutor David Butcher told Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes that he learned of two new sets of documents relevant to the case during an interview Wednesday night with Hilary Woodward, executive financial officer at the legislature.

Butcher acknowledged the documents would come as a surprise to the defence team for Craig James. He said one set of documents is “potentially, significantly exculpatory,” meaning it could be helpful to James’s defence.

James has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three

The Surrey RCMP temporarily closed its station in Guildford on Thursday over concerns about a possibly live grenade. Mounties said a member of the public brought the grenade into the detachment shortly before noon, saying they’d found it in Tynehead Park and wanted to turn it in.

Police said it was not immediately clear if the grenade was active or inert, and that it was being treated as a live device until they were sure. “Areas of concern within the Guildford office and surrounding areas have been

counts of breach of trust by a public officer.

The court adjourned while an RCMP officer interviewed legislature clerk Kate Ryan-Lloyd about the documents before the trial resumed with her testimony because neither the Crown nor defence had time to review the interview.

Defence lawyer Gavin Cameron initially argued against allowing prosecutors to question Ryan-Lloyd directly about the documents, claiming he was “shadow boxing” without knowing how the Crown intended to use the information.

Before agreeing to the RCMP interview, Cameron said entering the documents at this stage was “grossly unfair” after Woodward has been interviewed nine times by RCMP investigators since November 2018.

evacuated,” Surrey RCMP said in a media release.

“Explosives experts have been contacted to attend and assist with safely disposing of the device.” Police asked people to avoid the area until further notice, and said 104 Avenue was closed in both directions between 146 and 149 streets.

Mounties added that anyone who finds a suspected explosive device should not handle it, and instead contact police.

City of Vancouver to revisit new single-use cup fees

The new fees — 25 cents for a cup and 15 cents Less than one month after the bylaws took effect, the City of Vancouver is reviewing its for paper bags — took effect on Jan. 1 as a way controversial new fee for single-use cups and to encourage more environmentally-friendly consumer habits, such as bringing reusable paper bags. mugs and shopping bags.

“Our initial feedback from the first month has created a lot of anecdotal examples of how it’s not working and we need to dive into those,” said Coun. Rebecca Bligh in an interview.

Bligh brought an “urgent motion” forward to city councillors on Tuesday to direct staff to reexamine the bylaws, which passed unanimously.

Staff will report back to the council in eight weeks.“Particularly around equity issues, tech delivery app incongruencies, loopholes people are getting around so they don’t have to pay the fee, and general effectiveness of the bylaw,” she explained. Taxpayers had raised concerns that fees collected from the program are pocketed by the businesses who charge them, and there will be no enforcement of municipal expectations that the funds are reinvested in environmentally-friendly initiatives. “$1.25 or $1.50 on a transaction for drive-thru or takeout for a family of four might not seem like a lot of money per transaction,” she said, “but when these multinational companies are doing thousands of transactions a day and [there’s] no option for people to bring their own reusable cups or bags — yeah it’s a huge windfall actually for some of these much larger chains.”

That hampers the policy’s goals of changing consumer behaviour, and means there’s no way to avoid for those who can’t afford the new fees to avoid them and still get a coffee.

“We didn’t get it right and I think it’s really important to acknowledge that,” said Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, who reached out to Vancouver’s city manager around the first week of rollout to discuss the issues. On Jan. 12, city staff sent a memo to councillors saying they had been in touch with some of Vancouver’s large is implementing new rates effective Feb 2022! quick-service restaurants and fast food chains about implementing a reusable cup policy, she Contact our Driver Recruitment to learn more! added, and that if that didn’t happen in short order the bylaws could be amended.

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Mounties seize two loaded guns in Whalley area Surrey Mounties say they seized two loaded guns in two days in Whalley while targeting violence linked to the drug trade.

Const. Sarbjit Sangha said the first seizure was on Jan. 23, in the 10600-block of 138 Street when they searched a residence supported by the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team and the Integrated Police Dog Services.

One man was arrested and has been held in custody.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022 Far-right groups hope trucker protest will be Canada’s ‘January 6th’ Canadian far-right and white nationalist groups see the so-called “Freedom Convoy” as an opportunity, with some hoping the protests will be Canada’s version of last year’s Jan. 6 riot in Washington. Hundreds of truckers and their supporters are making their way from B.C. to Ottawa for a planned protest outside Parliament on Saturday. The loosely-organized group – has raised almost $4.5 million through GoFundMe since Jan. 14 – and is said to oppose vaccine mandates, particularly a new vaccination requirement for truckers crossing the CanadaU.S. border into Canada. But a review of the protesters’ online communications, including real-time chatter over walkie-talkie app Zello, suggest a collection of grievances and antigovernment sentiment that extends beyond

vaccine mandates. And while the most extreme voices likely do not reflect the position of most protesters, it’s clear that those extreme voices are hoping to capitalize on their anger. “F—king A, guys, let’s get pumped for this. Let’s go to f–king Ottawa,” said one supporter, described by antihate activists as a far-right vlogger in a recent YouTube clip. Referring to the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol building events in Washington last January, he said: “I want to see one of those truckers … None of our guys (involved), obviously. But I’d like to see our own January 6 event. … See some of those truckers plough right through that 16 foot wall.” One of the groups associated with the event, Canada Unity, has produced a pseudo-legalistic “memorandum of understanding” they plan to present to Gov.

As trucker convoy rolls to Ottawa, grocery stores say supply issues have ‘started to ease’ COVID-19 vaccine mandates may have briefly boosted the price of goods, but keeping shelves stocked isn’t a major issue, grocery stores say, despite photos circulating of empty aisles. The information comes as a convoy of truckers heads to Ottawa in protest of vaccine mandates, something they say could worsen supply chain issues.

“Overall, supply chain pressure has started to ease,” said Eric La Fleche, CEO of Metro Inc., during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday. The issue of unvaccinated truckers, he added, “will have mostly an inflationary impact on the cost of merchandise coming in from the U.S., produce especially.” But, for the most part, La Fleche said, “we’re getting the merchandise.” Metro isn’t the only grocery store reporting a minimal impact from the mandate. The industry group representing big-box grocery stores in Canada said while some members are having trouble bringing product to Canada from the U.S., others aren’t having any serious issues at all. “We’re hearing from some of our members that they’re not experiencing any major impacts from the mandatory trucking vaccination,” said Michelle Wasylyshen, spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada. NTheir comments come as a convoy of truckers rolls towards Ottawa to make their opposition to vaccination mandates heard. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced in November that all Canadian truckers looking to cross the border from the United States would need to be vaccinated in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine. The United States instituted its own ban on unvaccinated truck drivers on Saturday, too.

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Canadians experiencing highest rate of anxiety, depression, and loneliness since pandemic began: Study Loneliness and depression followed suit, for those most affected.” The study also found rising from 18.8 percent to 24.1 percent and that the fear of contracting COVID-19 had 18.6 percent to 23.3 percent respectively. doubled from 14.2 percent to 28.3 percent.

Even sadder, is that the misery seems to A second report published this week be shouldered by some groups more than by non-profit research group Angus Reid others. Namely young people, women, parents backs up the depressing depression statistic, with children under 18, and those working putting the national rate at 23 percent, while in positions that put them at high risk of offering the even more sobering figure of 1 contracting COVID-19. Be kind to that Popeyes in 3 Canadians reporting struggles with their employee. “While people are incredibly resilient, mental health. That stat is up from 1 in 4 during as this pandemic wears on it’s the people pre-Omicron November 2021. The study working on the frontlines who are among the also suggests 37 percent of Canadians report most affected,” said Dr. Samantha Wells, survey feelings of anxiety, 40 percent frustration, co-lead and Senior Director at the Institute and almost half (48 percent) fatigue. for Mental Health Policy Research at CAMH. And as if we needed more proof of how hard “Many, especially those in the healthcare sector, things have been on our collective psyche, the face significant stressors and unfortunately Fraser Institute recently reminded Canadians they risk reaching the point of burnout. Many why they, perhaps more than any other country, people will eventually recover, but others may should be paying attention to the recent Misery suffer. We need to make sure there are supports Index that ranked Canadians as the sixth most From page 1

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OPINION

By Krystle Wittevrongel, Public policy analyst Montreal Economic Institute

The housing market has been red hot lately, which has been raising concerns about affordability. While the volume of sales has been high, so have prices. Canadawide, the average home price rose nearly 20 per cent between November 2020 and November 2021, to the highest level on record: $720,850. For many Canadians, the dream of

Saturday, January 29, 2022 Taxing homes the wrong way to cool the housing market home ownership seems to be slipping away.

British Columbian think tank Generation Squeeze, funded in part by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), believes the best way to increase affordability is to add a progressive annual tax on homes valued at over $1 million. As proposed, the tax would only impact approximately nine per cent of Canadian households, although it would hit 13 per of

Ontario and 21 per cent of British Columbia households. The think tank claims it would increase affordability by decreasing demand.

But studies show that, in hot housing markets, policies to restrict demand do little to make owner-occupied housing more affordable. An added tax does not get at the heart of the problem: an imbalance in supply and demand. In fact, it may actually reduce supply by creating a disincentive for people to sell their homes since, despite accruing annually, the tax would be applied only upon the sale of the home. Like a capital gains tax, it would have a “lock-in” effect on ownership.

If you are an older Canadian whose children are no longer at home, you may decide to continue living in your five-bedroom home, especially if your mortgage is paid off, to avoid a five-figure tax bill if you sell. Who’s hurt by such a policy? Young families who can’t break into the housing market and become homeowners in a space that suits their needs.

Since the tax would also apply upon inheritance, in many cases its burden would fall on the children who are inheriting the house.

Though the proposed annual surtax is supposed to reduce inequalities, including between younger and older Canadians, it may well do the opposite.

The demand side of the Canadian housing market is currently boosted by programs such as the first-time homebuyer incentive and nonrefundable tax credit and the home buyer’s RRSP withdrawal, as well as a promised suite of new measures from the re-elected Trudeau government. The supply side, meanwhile, is burdened with regulations and bureaucracy.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has acknowledged that it will take years of solid supply building and growth to “address the acute affordability challenges Canadians are facing.”

So, instead of tinkering with the demand side of the Canadian housing market to try to enhance affordability, why don’t we look at policies to enhance supply when housing markets are hot?

Let’s consider, for starters, challenging the various zoning rules and urban planning standards that restrict new construction and densification. What about allowing for more semi-detached housing beyond existing urban boundaries? A streamlined approach to new development approval could consolidate decision-making and get new properties built

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

Jagmeet Singh denounces trucker convoy, disagrees with brother-in-law’s donation to the cause NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh today condemned a convoy of truckers and others travelling to Ottawa to protest a federal rule requiring that all cross-border drivers be vaccinated against COVID-19. Singh said some of the people behind the demonstration are pushing “false information” through “inflammatory, divisive and hateful comments.”

GoFundMe records show Singh’s brother-in-law, Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal, donated $13,000 to the group behind the demonstration — dubbed the “freedom convoy” by participants. In a statement sent to CBC News, Singh said he doesn’t support a campaign that harbours “extremist and dangerous views” and “unequivocally” disapproves of his brotherin-law’s decision to donate. “[I] ... disagree with him about this donation and told him so. I am against this convoy and against the dangerous and divisive rhetoric we’re seeing coming from it,” Singh said. “I understand people are frustrated that we’re still in this pandemic two years later. The best way to get out of this pandemic, and to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe, is to get vaccinated and to listen to public health experts.” An NDP source, speaking on background, said Dhaliwal didn’t fully comprehend what the money would be used for. “There was a misunderstanding.

Once he understood the true nature of this

organization, a process was started to return the donation,” the source said. While he waits for GoFundMe to process the reversal, Dhaliwal has hidden his name from the public list of donors to the convoy, the source said.

The protest is being organized by Canada Unity, a group that opposes COVID19-related measures. Its organizers say it is intended to push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government to drop the vaccine mandate for truckers and do away with other public health protections.

Trudeau responded today by saying the vast majority of Canadians disagree with the convoy’s message. He pointed out that Canadian truckers have a vaccination rate of approximately 90 per cent.

“The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa, or who are holding unacceptable views that they’re expressing, do not represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other,” Trudeau told a news conference today. In Canada Unity’s “memorandum of understanding,” convoy organizers call on Ottawa and the provincial and territorial governments to do away with what they call “unconstitutional, discriminatory and segregating actions and human rights violations” brought about through programs like the vaccine passport system for nonessential businesses and vaccine requirements

US man held for transporting 2 Indians freed from jail without bond A Florida man, charged with human smuggling, has been released from prison conditionally and without paying a bond, days after he was found illegally transporting two Indians in America and four other Indian nationals were found frozen to death in Canada near the US border.

Steve Shand, 47, was arrested last week and charged with one count of having transported and moved or having attempted to transport aliens who entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law.

Shand, who made his first appearance on January 20 before US District Court Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer of Minnesota, was ordered to remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for January 24. A report in the Grand Forks Herald newspaper in the US state of North Dakota, said that Shand, who participated in the hearing virtually, was granted a conditional release pending trial at the pretrial and detention hearing. The report said that he will remain in detention until he is sent back to Florida. Throughout the 30-minute

hearing, Shand made no significant statements, only replying “yes ma’am” or “yes your honour” as Bowbeer listed the conditions of his release,” the report said. “The fact that you are living in Florida is not an excuse” to not appear at any hearing, Bowbeer told Shand, who replied “Yes ma’am.” The report said that Shand was released on the so-called appearance bond, “solemn written oath” to appear before the court whenever hearings are held or when his trial begins. He will also need to report to prison if found guilty in the case, the report said.

“Under the conditions of release, Shand must surrender his passport or any similar travel document or visa. He must have no contact with anyone who may be considered a witness or victim in his human smuggling case.

“He will be supervised by a probation and pretrial supervisor in Florida, and he was ordered not to travel far from his home, though he is allowed to travel to Minnesota, should he be required to appear in person. Later hearings may take place either online or in person,” it said.

The appearance bond also forbids Shand from violating other state or federal laws and Bowbeer

‘Super rookie’ Indian-origin NYPD officer hailed hero for shooting gunman in New York A 27-year-old Indian-origin “super rookie” NYPD officer is being hailed as a hero after he shot a convicted felon who killed his colleague and seriously injured another while investigating a domestic-violence call in the Harlem neighbourhood of New York City. Sumit Sulan is still struggling to deal with Friday’s deadly ambush and “his brain is stuck on the situation”, his mother told the New York Post newspaper. According to the police, 47-year-old crazed career criminal Lawshawn McNeil on Friday ambushed the three policemen -- Sulan, Jason Rivera, 22 and Wilbert Mora, 27, who visited the Harlem address to investigate a domesticviolence call. McNeil opened fire and killed Rivera while critically injuring Mora.

Officer Sulan fired back at McNeil and wounded him during the deadly mayhem.

Accused McNeil, a convicted felon, is currently hospitalised in a critical condition. Speaking to the Post, the Indian-origin NYPD officer’s mother Dalvir Sulan, 60, said that her son is “shaken” and cannot get what happened out of his head. “I’m proud. Everyone says he did good,” she said. “I feel bad for the other (officer). He died. We really feel bad. We’re sorry. We’re hurt. The other guy is critical and we’re hurt,” she said from her Queens home. A law-enforcement source described Sulan as a “super rookie,” noting that he has been on the job since April and at Harlem’s 32nd Precinct for only two months. “He did a great job,” Sulan’s mother said of her son, who emigrated from India about 15 years ago. “We’re proud of him, but we’re sorry for both of (the other officers),” she added.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

From page 1

Half of Canadians want unvaccinated to pay for hospital care: poll

How strongly do you support Canadians getting taxed or charged if they choose not to be inoculated, then need hospital treatment for COVID? the survey asked.

Nearly half the respondents said “strongly” or “somewhat strongly,” while 45 per cent were opposed to it. Six per cent weren’t sure.

In Quebec, 56 per cent of those surveyed were in favour of charging such people, followed by 52 per cent in Atlantic Canada, 50 per cent in the Prairies, 48 per cent in Ontario, 44 per cent in British Columbia, and 42 per cent in Alberta.

Earlier this month, Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters his government would charge unvaccinated Quebecers for their hospital stays if COVID was the cause.

“The majority wants consequences,” Legault said on Jan. 11.

While Ontario is the most populous province, strong support for a vaccine mandate was second-highest, or 45 per cent, where 15 per cent somewhat support it.

At 46 per cent, Atlantic Canadians were most likely to support a vaccine mandate, while another 21 per cent somewhat support it.

Those least likely to favour mandatory vaccination were in Alberta, where 48 per cent strongly oppose it, versus just 22 per cent who strongly support it.

The poll of 1,813 voting-age adults was conducted on Jan. 22 and 23. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 per cent with a confidence level of 95 per cent.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022 Four people found shot to death inside Richmond home activities,” Sgt. David Lee told reporters in a news conference.

“Based on evidence collected at the scene and other information available to us, we’re able to confirm that all persons involved in, and responsible for the homicide, were located at the scene.”

On Tuesday night, Richmond RCMP responded to a caller complaint and found a grisly scene at the home near Garden City and Leslie roads.

Two deceased men and two deceased women were inside the house, believed to be victims of a targeted shooting that occurred on Monday night.

India arrests 6 in crackdown as family of 4 freezing to death while crossing US border

The community is not at risk, Lee reassured Thursday, stating that IHIT is not searching for any other suspects as part of its investigation into the “tragic loss of life.”

“While it is still early in the investigation, this does not appear to be an incident of intimate partner violence,” he said. “It’s confirmed that one of the victims has access to a firearm and has a valid [firearm] license.”

Lee would not confirm whether the incident was a ‘murder-suicide’ at this stage of the investigation.

He said the home is still being searched for evidence and could not confirm if any weapons had been seized from the property to date.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-4448 or contact the team by email.

From page 1 suspect being held in Grand Forks, N.D. U.S. authorities have charged a U.S. man with human trafficking after the four — a man, woman, baby and teenager — were found dead in the Canadian province of Manitoba, a few yards north of the frontier with Minnesota.

They were among four families from the same village who had travelled to the border this month.

Officials said they got separated from the group of 18 people and were probably caught in a blizzard, resulting in a tragedy described as “mind-blowing” by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The situation came to light only when the group was intercepted by authorities and one of them was found to be carrying a backpack with baby supplies, although there was no infant among them.

“The nexus of human trafficking runs deep, often involving local politicians too,” said Jhala, adding that people even sell their land and homes to fund efforts to get to the United States or Canada.

A foreign ministry official in the Indian capital of New Delhi said authorities were coordinating with border officials in the United States and Canada to investigate the illegal immigration case.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022 Chrystia Freeland tops Justin Trudeau as preferred Liberal Leader, poll finds

In the unofficial race to succeed PM Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland is the indisputable frontrunner, both in perception and reality. As deputy prime minister and minister of finance, Freeland is the most influential and powerful cabinet minister in government. No minister has held both critical roles at the same time since Liberal heavyweight John Manley in 2002-03.

In Ottawa, Freeland is universally seen as the Trudeau government’s chief operating officer, given her

role as vice-chair of the cabinet committee on Agenda, Results, and Communications (the prime minister chairs the committee). An Ivyleague educated renowned author and journalist, there is no doubt Freeland’s intellect and shrewd managerial competence is at the heart of the government’s more notable successes over the past two years. She also benefits from the impression among official Ottawa that Freeland is the prime minister’s preferred successor.

Canada confirms 51 cases of new Omicron subvariant Canada has found 51 cases of a new Omicron subvariant known as BA.2 mainly from international travelers, according to local media CTV on Wednesday.

BA.2 is a descendant of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and has been found in at least 40 countries as of Wednesday.

It was first detected in November.

CTV quoted the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) as reporting that it is monitoring BA.2, as it does with all new COVID-19 variants.

“While the impact of all variants continues to be monitored in Canada, the Government of Canada knows that vaccination, in combination with public

health and individual measures, is key to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and its variants,” PHAC said in a statement to CTV. The Omicron variant, B.1.1.529, reportedly has four sub-lineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3.

The BA.2 sub-lineage is widely considered “stealthier” than the original version of Omicron because some of its genetic traits make it harder to detect.

Some scientists say it could also be more contagious. The quick spread of BA.2 in some places raises concerns it could take off.

BA.2 reportedly has lots of mutations.

About 20 of them in the spike protein that studs the outside of the virus are shared with the original Omicron. But it also has additional genetic changes not seen in the initial version.

9

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Pakistan airlines attendant escapes from Toronto hotel Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendant escaped from hotel in Toronto, Pakistan’s Samaa TV reported.

Waqar Ahmed Jadoon was an attendant on flight PK-781 from Islamabad to Toronto, according to PIA officials. But he was not part of the crew when the plane was returning to Pakistan on Sunday.

A missing person complaint has been filed with the Toronto police and disciplinary action has been initiated against him, the report said.

Jadoon was in contact with other crew members till January 22, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez said.

The attendant was, however, not in his room before the take-off.

Hafeez added that all crew members submit their passports to the management upon arrival in a foreign country and Jadoon’s passport is also with the airline. To prevent such cases, Hafeez said, the crew members sign an indemnity bond and one of their relatives submits an undertaking that they will not escape, the report said.

However, this is not the first time a PIA flight attendant has gone missing in Canada. In the past five years, nine such cases have been reported. “One reason why these incidents happen in Canada is that it is the only country which grants asylum post-arrival,” said Hafeez. He added that this also appears to be a case of asylum

Jagmeet Singh’s brother-in-law donated $13,000 to Freedom Convoy Records show that the New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh’s brother-in-law, Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal, donated more than $10,000 to Freedom Convoy 2022’s GoFundMe page — a fundraiser standing as of today at just over $6 million in donations with more than 79,300 donors. Jagmeet Singh has condemned the convoy of truckers driving from British Columbia to Ottawa in protest of cross-border vaccine mandates, stating that some people involved are promoting “false information” through “inflammatory, divisive and hateful comments.”

The MP told CBC News he doesn’t support a campaign that harbours “extremist and dangerous views” and “unequivocally” disapproves of his brother-in-law’s decision to donate $13,000. “[I] … disagree with him about this donation

and told him so. I am against this convoy and against the dangerous and divisive rhetoric we’re seeing coming from it,” Singh said. Dhaliwal, according to an NDP source, rescinded his donation after learning what the money was used for. His name, however, still appears as a top donor on the fundraiser’s website. “There was a misunderstanding,” the source said. “Once he understood the true nature of this organization, a process was started to return the donation.”

Singh’s brother-in-law made headlines in March 2021 for an altercation during a pro-India rally last year. Dhaliwal was charged with assault causing bodily harm, Peel Regional Police had said in a news release. When asked about the incident, an NDP spokeswoman said Singh and the party believe “everyone, everywhere should have the right to protest peacefully.”

“No one should be confronted by violence for expressing their point of view.”

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

Majority of Canadians believe COVID no worse than the flu, says poll Most Canadians aren’t concerned about getting infected with COVID-19 because they think it won’t be any worse than the flu, suggests a new study. The Angus Reid Institute asked more than 5,000 Canadians who haven’t been infected with COVID about how concerned they are about contracting the coronavirus. COVID-19: Omicron makes January “a challenging month”: Dr. Bonnie Henry | Vancouver Sun About 85 per cent said they believe they’ll get either a mild or manageable case — a significant increase from the 57 per cent who said the same in December 2020 before vaccinations and variants of concern came into play. Only 12 per cent fear hospitalization, while three per cent worry that getting infected could kill them.

The sentiments echo many Canadians’ experience with Omicron, which is more transmissible but cause milder symptoms than the Delta variant, especially for those who are vaccinated and are otherwise healthy. Despite the relatively milder effects on individuals, however, Omicron has led to soaring case counts in B.C. that public health has been unable to track or trace accurately, as well as record hospitalizations.

The WHO has said Omicron shouldn’t be described as “mild” given the pressure it can put on health-care systems due to the sheer volume of people contracting the virus.

According to the report , residents of Alberta (10 per cent) and Saskatchewan (eight per cent) are more likely to be adopt a laissez-faire attitude toward getting

a COVID infection. In comparison, New Brunswick has the highest number in the country worried about hospitalization, at 18 per cent, followed by B.C. at 15 per cent.

Interestingly, the relaxed attitude about COVID is most prevalent among the unvaccinated: 94 per cent of unvaccinated respondents believe they’ll get a mild or manageable case of COVID — higher than those who have been fully vaccinated (86 per cent) and those who have been boosted (83 per cent).

With the rise of variants emerging in countries where many people remain unvaccinated, Canadians have become more in favour of shifting the focus of the country’s vaccination efforts outside of Canada’s borders.

Forty-six per cent of respondents said Canada should focus its vaccination efforts abroad, up from 41 per cent last November and 18 per cent in June 2021 before B.C.’s vaccination rate was lower and vaccines weren’t yet available for children.

In B.C., 57 per cent said they want the focus to shift internationally, in line with the national average of 58 per cent. Support is highest in Quebec, at 64 per cent, while New Brunswick (51 per cent) and Saskatchewan (52 per cent) are most likely to want to focus vaccination efforts within Canada.

The findings are based on an Angus Reid Institute online survey conducted from Jan. 7-12 among a representative randomized sample of 5,002 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus-or-minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Lifetime teaching ban for former Delta teacher sentenced on child porn charge A former Delta teacher sentenced last year on a child pornography charge has received a lifetime ban from teaching.

An agreement summary published Jan. 25 shows former Gray Elementary teacher Elazar Reshef, 54, of Surrey entered into a consent resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation on Jan. 11, agreeing that his conduct constitutes professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming, and is contrary to professional standards for B.C. educators. Reshef agreed that he would never again apply for — and the Director of Certification would not issue him — either a certificate of qualification, an independent school teaching certificate or another authorization at any time in the future, under section 64(g) of the Teachers Act. In determining the appropriateness of the lifetime ban, the commissioner noted that Reshef ’s conduct “was at the serious end of the spectrum.” On Nov. 12, 2020, Reshef pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, receiving an 18-month conditional sentence on Feb. 5, 2021. Two other charges of making or publishing child pornography were stayed

by Crown counsel.

Surrey RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit launched an investigation in March 2019 after receiving a notification from an electronic service provider that an account user was in possession of child porn.

In a press release announcing the charges against Reshef in July of 2020, Surrey RCMP Corporal Joanie Sidhu stated that while no Lower Mainland children had been identified as potential victims, police decided to alert the public considering Reshef ’s line of work.

“Elazar Reshef has been in direct contact with children during his work as a teacher in the Delta School District,” Sidhu noted in July of 2020. “As a result, the Surrey RCMP are releasing this information in the interest of public safety and to further the police investigation.” In a statement provided to Black Press Media at the time, the Delta School District said Reshef had not been at work or allowed on district property since July 2019, noting the “safety and well-being of our students is our paramount concern.”

“In July 2019, upon hearing that Mr. Reshef was being investigated by the police, we took immediate action to remove him from any interactions with students within the school district,” reads the statement.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

PM Trudeau decries ‘fringe’ views of some in trucker convoy, as police prepare for its arrival in Ottawa Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is decrying the “fringe” views among some of those who are supporting the trucker convoy making its way to Parliament Hill to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other policies they feel infringe on their freedoms. “The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa who are holding unacceptable views that they are expressing do not represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other, who know of that following the science and stepping up to protect each other is the best way to continue to ensure our freedoms, our rights, our values, as a country,” Trudeau said Wednesday. Answering questions about the coming protest on Parliament Hill, Trudeau said that Canadians who have stepped up to “do the right thing,” by getting vaccinated are the ones protecting “the freedoms and the rights of Canadians to get back to the things

we love to do.” The so-called “freedom convoy” was sparked by outrage over a vaccine mandate recently imposed on cross-border truckers, though the convoy has garnered support from anti-vaccine mandate groups who feel requirements to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and other public health restrictions curb their freedoms. With the intention of taking its “fight to the doorsteps of our federal government,” to demand the mandate’s end, organizers have said that they are running a peaceful and law-abiding demonstration, and some have made attempts to distance from some of the concerning messaging being amplified by people who are involved or have claimed to be affiliated with the event. Still, as the convoy continues its journey across the country, Ottawa police said earlier on Wednesday that they are making plans in the event that the demonstration turns violent, or becomes a “multi-day event.”

Majority of truckers are vaccinated, Trudeau says, as ‘freedom convoy’ heads to Ottawa The vast majority of truckers in Canada are vaccinated, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, and won’t be impacted by the cross-border vaccine mandate that a so-called ‘freedom convoy’ is driving to Ottawa to protest.

Conservative politicians, Trudeau added, are simply stoking fear that COVID-19 vaccine mandates for truckers are contributing to supply chain disruptions and fueling inflation.

“Almost 90 per cent of truckers in Canada are vaccinated,” Trudeau said, speaking to reporters in French.

“I regret that the Conservative Party and Conservative politicians are in the process of stoking Canadians’ fears about the supply chain. The reality is that vaccination is how we’ll get through this.”

Trudeau’s government announced in November that all Canadian truckers looking to cross the border from the United States would need to be vaccinated

in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine.

But when the policy came into effect on Jan. 15, many truckers and politicians came out against the mandate.

Click to play video: ‘‘Freedom convoy’ of truckers opposing vaccine mandate passes through Edmonton region’ 4:51 ‘Freedom convoy’ of truckers opposing vaccine mandate passes through Edmonton region ‘Freedom convoy’ of truckers opposing vaccine mandate passes through Edmonton region Alberta’s conservative provincial leader, Jason Kenney, called for a pause of the mandate last week, and on Monday posted pictures on Twitter of empty shelves in supermarkets, calling for “immediate action” by both the U.S. and Canadian federal governments.

“This is turning into a crisis,” Kenney wrote.

More home construction start in Surrey than Vancouver in 2021 The eastward shift in Metro Vancouver’s growth continues to be very evident, as new data shows robust housing developments started in the eastern municipalities in 2021.

In fact, Surrey toppled Vancouver in having the highest number of homes that began construction last year. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) statistics show 5,819 units began construction in Surrey, exceeding Vancouver’s total of 5,464 units by about 6%. In the entirety of the downtown Va n c o u v e r peninsula, just five units began construction in 2021 — all from apartments.

Vancouver saw its most significant housing starts in the southeast sub-area of the city, where there were 1,783 housing starts — 198 single-family houses, 102 townhouses, 10 rowhouses, and 1,473 apartment homes. The city’s second-highest sub-area was Mount Pleasant/Renfrew Heights, where 1,108 housing starts were experienced, including 99 single-family houses, 112 townhouses, 31 rowhouses, and 866 apartments. Vancouver’s housing start mix totals for all sub-areas combined across the city are 567 single-family

houses, 370 townhouses, 103 rowhouses, and 4,410 apartments.

Surrey’s mix in comparison reached 800 single-family houses, 22 townhouses, 1,097 rowhouses, and 3,900 apartments. Contrast 2021’s housing starts with the figures recorded for pre-pandemic 2019 when Vancouver came ahead with 6,823 units and Surrey behind with 4,312 units. This is the second consecutive year the total number of housing starts in Surrey exceeded Vancouver, with 2020’s figures showing 4,123 and 3,625 units, respectively. The last time Surrey’s housing starts toppled those of Vancouver was a four consecutive year period from 2006 to 2009.

Surrey’s total gains ahead of Vancouver in 2021 largely came from a 63% surge in the number of apartment units that began construction compared to 2019.

As well, Vancouver saw major drops in all segments, especially in single-family houses and apartments.

But Vancouver led the region in 2021, beginning construction on 2,733 purpose-built market rental housing units — well above Surrey’s 1,762 units.

Regional housing trends that began in 2020 continued throughout 2021, with a growing number of urban dwellers leaving the urban core of Vancouver.

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Bank of Canada keeps key interest rate target on hold, but warns of looming hikes The Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate target on hold at 0.25%, but warning it won’t stay there for much longer.

The trendsetting rate has been at its rockbottom level since March 2020 during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic as the economy went into a downturn and three million jobs were lost.

The central bank said Wednesday the rebound since then and especially over the last few months has been stronger than it anticipated.

In a statement, the bank’s senior decisionmakers said the economy is running at capacity, including a labour market that is by most standards back at pre-pandemic levels.

The rebound is why it now says it will no longer promise to keep its key policy rate at 0.25%, adding that rates will need to rise to bring inflation back to the central bank’s 2% target.

“Interest rates will need to increase to control inflation. Canadians should expect a rising path for interest rates,” Bank of Canada

governor Tiff Macklem said in a statement.

He also pointed to the rapid spread of the omicron variant as an economic “wild card” at home and abroad to explain why the bank held off on hiking rates Wednesday.

“Our approach to monetary policy throughout the pandemic has been deliberate, and we were mindful that the rapid spread of omicron will dampen spending in the first quarter. So we decided to keep our policy rate unchanged today, remove our commitment to hold it at its floor, and signal that rates can be expected to increase going forward,” Macklem said.

CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld said he expects the Bank of Canada to raise rates in March if the country gets better news about the omicron variant.

The central bank didn’t outline the timing or pace of increases in its statement, but the decision to hold off on a first hike will be controversial in financial markets at a time when headline inflation is at a 30-year

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Star & Style

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Super Sensational Sunny Leone Sunny Leone, who was busy working throughout the holiday season, took a little break before plunging back into the business. While vacationing in the Maldives recently with her family, the actress indulged in a fair amount of water sports and has returned as a certified scuba diver. Sunny has always had a penchant for deep-sea diving and scuba diving, but it’s only in recent years that she started training seriously.

This time, while vacationing in the Maldives, she completed a diving course.

Talking about the experience, Sunny says,

“Travelling is so much more than sightseeing. This vacation was incredibly special. I have taken a keen interest in scuba diving in the last few years, but this time I decided to take it to the next level. I am thrilled to be a certified diver now. I was lucky to get a teacher who trained me to enjoy diving as a life experience, and I am certain that this vacation will leave an indelible mark on me.” With this, the actress has joined the Bollywood club of trained scuba divers, which includes Sonakshi Sinha and Parineeti Chopra among several others.

Rakhi Sawant having fun out of BiggBoss Rakhi Sawant and her husband Ritesh were spotted together outside the gym on Wednesday. Rakhi was eliminated from BiggBoss and was seen posing pictures with husband Ritesh. Rakhi, in an orange tracksuit, was seen with a drink in her hand. She and Ritesh held each other casually as they posed for the paparazzi. She asked the photographers, “Kaisa hai mera pati (How’s my husband)?” This was the first time that the paparazzi had spotted them together. For years, Ritesh had kept his identity hidden from the media and revealed it on the latest season of Bigg Boss as Rakhi’s co-contestant. “Ekdum kadak (So cool),” the paparazzi told her in unison. They also called them a nice pair. Trying to keep the mood fresh, Rakhi jokingly asked Ritesh, “Six pack banane hain, gym kab join karoge (You need to make six

pack abs. When will you join the gym)?” Ritesh told her that he will join the same gym as hers from the next day itself, however, they will not visit the gym together. Recently on an episode of Bigg Boss 15, Rakhi spoke about her marriage

Evergreen Dev Anand Evergreen Dev Anand, his real name was Dharam Devdutt Pishorimal Anand, known as Dev Anand, who made major contributions to Indian cinema. Regarded as an influential actor, he was actor, writer, director and producer.

He acted in about 116 films, out of which, 114 were Hindi films and two were English. He was born on September 26, in the year 1923 in the Shakargarh tehsil of the Gurdaspur district in Punjab (present-day Narowal district, Pakistan).

Dev Anand did his schooling till matriculation from Sacred Heart School, Dalhousie, (then in Punjab) and went to college Dharamsala before going to Lahore, to study.

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Later, Dev completed BA degree in English Literature from the Government College, Lahore in British India During his struggling days in Mumbai, Dev Anand worked as a clerk in an accountancy firm for a meagre salary of Rs 85 to make ends meet. He also worked at the Military Censor Office and earned Rs 160 before becoming an actor Dev Anand aspired to become an actor after watching Ashok Kumar’s performanceinfilmslikeAchhutKanyaandKismat

Star & Style

Saturday, January 29, 2022

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Bollywood Celebrating Happy Republic Day! Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Kangana Ranaut and many send greeting messages On 26th January India is celebrating 73rd Republic Day. From markets to public places, everything has been decorated with tricolour, and patriotic songs can be heard on every street. With the Indian National Flag held high and parades at the Raj Ghat, Delhi, the country is celebrating the day in high spirits. Every year, Republic day is celebrated to commemorate the date when India’s constitution, that was was adopted by Constituent Assembly on November 26 in 1949, finally came into being on January 26, 1950. After the Constitution was formed, India came to be recognised as the world’s largest democracy, replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India. On the celebratory occasion, Bollywood celebrities took to their social media to extend heartfelt wishes to

When Lara Dutta made a comeback with film ‘Bell Bottom’ and went on to be part of multiple projects.

Talking about her journey, she recently opened up about the kind of roles she is getting to play currently and said that the ‘cohort of women’ between the age of 35-55 was never talked about as nothing was made on them.

Highlighting how age has helped her to liberate herself in the 40s, Lara is happy for doing ‘age appropriate’ roles which she always wanted to potray as an actor. Asserting that the actress never entered the film industry to become a leading lady or a hero essentially, she said that all she wanted to be was an actor and went on to relate her current roles written for her. “I honestly believe

their fans. Check out the live updates here: On the occasion of 73rd Republic Day, countrymen were ecstatic to witness the mighty power of our Indian Air Force and appreciate different tableaux of states and UTs. Our Bollywood celebs including Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Kangana Ranaut, Taapsee Pannu, Dia Mirza among others wished everyone on R-Day celebrations.

Akshay Kumar took to Twitter and wrote: Goosebumps!! To see the might of our Indian Air Force… leaves you spellbound. Wishing everyone a Happy Republic Day with a proud heart. Jai hind

Lara Dutta shares her journey the cohort of women between the ages of 35 and 55 years was never addressed.

Nothing was made on them” she said.

Recalling typical roles of females in films previously, Lara said that one gets tired of such roles easily, much like how it happened with her once she reached her 30s. She said “And so that sabbatical when my daughter was born … was a blessing in disguise.”

She signed out by saying that she feels ‘incredibly lucky’ because only a decade ago the kind of roles she has now, didn’t exist for her predecessor.

Read Also Lara Dutta says film industry is not kind to actresses above 40; rude audience calls them ‘buddhi’

Twinkle ’s reaction is priceless as Akshay cuddles Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif ’s song ‘Mere Yaaraa’ from ‘Sooryavanshi’ is quite popular on social media. Recently, Akshay took to his Instagram handle to share an adorable video with his furry friend as he dedicated a romantic track to his pet.

Aanand L Rai thanks Akshay Kumar for his weight loss; says Akki pushes him to stay fit!

In this video, we can see the actor cuddling with a dog! The video will surely make you go ‘aww’. He shared the video with ‘Mere Yaaraa’ playing in the backdrop. The actor also dedicated the lyrics of the song to his pet. He wrote, ‘’Lakhon mile, koi bhi na tumsa mila….A

Amitabh Bachchan also shared a collage of pictures wishing his fans and countrymen on Republic Day. Hrithik Roshan shared a meaningful message for everyone. “Wishing my fellow Indians an empowering #RepublicDay! Let us continue to believe in our collective conscience, and strive to uplift and co-exist.

Jai Hind,” he wrote on Twitter.

Taking to the photo-sharing application, the actress shared pictures of herself and wrote, “Happy Republic Day India.”

Popular singer Daler Mehndi

million love songs can’t match this unconditional affection. Pets are pure ’’. Meanwhile, on the work front, Akshay’s film ‘Atrangi Re’ was finally released on the OTT platform. Co-starring Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush, the film has gained positive reactions from critics and fans alike. Unfortunately, only hours after its release, the film got leaked online.

However, that isn’t stopping celebrities from B-Town to hail the actors and makers of the film.

In a recent interaction with BT, ‘Atrangi Re’ director Aanand L Rai opened up about Akki. He said, ‘’Akshay is a very clean hearted man. He never hides his weaknesses and respects everybody for what they are doing.

Well, that’s one of the main reasons that he’s seen so much success in Bollywood. He knows that acting is his job and he’s kind of an actor who is ready to listen to you and deliver. He’s like this genuine man who still wants to learn.’’

Lara is quite vocal about the topic of ageism in Bollywood. Earlier she had opened up about the plight of female actors of her age in the industry.

took his fans on a joyride as he performed at India’s first Metaverse concert on Republic Day. On the occasion of Republic Day, actor Shahid Kapoor shared a pic of a postal stamp from January 26, 1950 and wrote, “Happy Republic Day”.

Karan Johar wrote: “To the spirit of our republic - may we continue to uphold, cherish and celebrate our constitution - the pillar that upholds the country’s values and binds it together in unity! Jai hind!” Actress and environmentalist Dia Mirza said, “Happy Republic Day” and added that “as we celebrate the fundamental rights of our great constitution may we also fulfill our duties “to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures.”

According to Lara, the industry is not kind to actresses of her age and they don’t allow them to age gracefully. Although there are some credible actors like Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Madhuri Dixit and herself.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 29, 2022

BC doctors ask employers to stop requiring sick notes amid pandemic staffing challenges The Doctors of BC are once again asking employers across the province to stop asking for sick notes.

The plea, coming from an association of 14,000 physicians, residents and medical students, echoes similar asks from the province’s top health

officials.Doctors of BC have been advocating for the end to sick notes for eight years.

“Sick notes place an unnecessary burden on the health care system particularly during the Omicron surge,” said president Dr.

BC’s vaccine card program extended to June 30 B.C.’s vaccine card program to access non-essential indoor spaces, including restaurants, bars and gyms, has been extended until June 30.

The program was initially set to expire on Jan. 31.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the extension Tuesday news conference, saying that cases are declining in the community but hospitalizations continue to rise amid the record-breaking fifth wave of the pandemic.

“The vaccine card program is specifically designed to address and mitigate those risks that allow us to keep certain businesses and activities open,” Henry said.

B.C.’s vaccine card system takes effect, cards now required to access some businesses, events “As we move through this period, it will, I expect, no longer be necessary. But right now, it is one of those important tools that we have.”

Henry said she doesn’t expect a booster dose will be part of the vaccine card program, as not everyone in the province has had the chance to receive a third shot.

The program first went into effect on Sept.

13, with a second dose being required Oct. 24 to access non-essential settings. The system works on a vaccine card QR code that records the user’s proof of vaccination, applying to all those over 12 seeking to access those settings.

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RCMP make preventive terrorism arrests in Ontario, Quebec Two minors have been arrested in Ontario and Quebec on allegations of terrorism, Global News has learned.

In Toronto, a youth was arrested Jan. 14, on a preventive terrorism peace bond and appeared in court Thursday in a case allegedly related to the so-called Islamic State.

Another youth was arrested on a terrorism peace bond Dec. 8, and was released on conditions following a court appearance in Terrebonne, Que., north of Montreal.

There has been no indication the arrests were related, but they are the latest involving minors facing terrorism allegations.

An RCMP spokesperson said

the Toronto Integrated and National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) laid an Information 10 days ago “based on reasonable grounds to fear that a person may commit a terrorist offence.”

“Given that the investigation is ongoing, and it involves a young person, we are not able to release further information at this time.”

Meanwhile in Quebec, a judge “released the young person with numerous conditions and ordered the presence of the young person at the next court date,” a Public Prosecution Service of Canada spokesperson said.

The next court date is March 28.

Police have been using terrorism peace bonds to manage suspects they allege may commit terrorism offences.

Canadian detained in connection with deadly shooting at Mexico resort A Canadian citizen has been detained in Mexico after a deadly shooting at a hotel along the Caribbean coast that killed two Canadians and wounded one other last week.The attack took place Friday at the Hotel Xcaret resort south of Playa del Carmen. The attackers apparently had guest wrist bands to enter the resort.

In a statement to Global News Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada said “it is aware of the death of two Canadian citizens and the detention of a Canadian citizen in Mexico”.

“Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather information and are providing consular assistance,” the

emailed statement from a GAC spokesperson said, without adding further details.

On Friday, prosecutors said both dead men had criminal records in Canada, and one was a known felon with a long record related to robbery, drug and weapons offenses.

Oscar Montes, the chief prosecutor of the Quintana Roo state, said Tuesday that the attack appeared to be “motivated by debts that arose from transnational illegal activities that the victims participated in” as members of international gangs. Montes said the attack had been planned for almost a month by a cartel or gang that had not previously been known to operate in the area.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Canada orders families of diplomatic staff in Ukraine to leave amid fears of attack by Russia Canadians in Ukraine should “evaluate if (their) presence is essential” as tensions with Russia continue to rise, according to an updated travel advisory issued Monday evening.

The new language from Global Affairs Canada was added to an existing advisory to avoid non-essential travel to the country that has been in place since last week. It was also shared by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly on social media. Canada’s warning comes amid growing concerns that Russia is planning a military invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow

has denied. On Monday, the United Kingdom began pulling diplomatic staff from Ukraine, a day after the United States ordered the families of their own embassy workers to leave the country. The U.S. warned Sunday that Russian military action “could come at any time.”

Canada has yet to issue a similar directive for either its diplomatic staff or their families.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said their safety is “paramount” and that his government has “many contingency plans” in place for whatever actions Russia takes.

Mayor McCallum’s court date for public mischief charge moved to February Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum did not appear in person for his first court date on a charge of public mischief over a police complaint he made in September, alleging his foot had been run over by a car in a grocery store parking lot. His lawyers attended online instead. The court matter lasted a few minutes and was moved to Feb. 22.

McCallum went public with the claim on Sept. 4, saying he was verbally assaulted and

run over by a vehicle. At the time of the alleged incident, McCallum was in the vicinity of members of Keep the RCMP in Surrey.

The group had been collecting signatures for a policing referendum campaign at the South Point Save-on-Foods on 152nd Street.

Tensions have been high between McCallum and those opposing his plan to replace the Surrey RCMP with an independent force called the Surrey Police Service.

93 possible burial sites found in initial search at former B.C. residential school site Williams Lake First Nation Kúkpi7 Willie Sellars and councillors released the first-phase geophysical findings Tuesday, after launching its land survey with ground-penetrating radar in June.

“This journey has led our investigation team into the darkest recesses of human behaviour,” said Sellars. “Our team has recorded not only stories involving the murder and disappearance of children and infants, they have listened to countless stories of

systematic torture, starvation, rape and sexual assault of children at St. Joseph’s Mission.”

The findings were shared with the chiefs of all impacted nations ahead of time in a private meeting earlier on Tuesday — a “critical milestone” in the path to reconciliation, said Sellars.

The 93 possible burial sites are “reflections” or anomalies detected by groundpenetrating radar. Excavation is required to confirm whether they are human remains.

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Majority of Canadians support more COVID-19 restrictions for unvaccinated: poll With less than 20 per cent of the eligible population still unvaccinated against COVID-19 and concerns around the Omicron variant wave rising in the country, a majority of Canadians are in favour of imposing more restrictions on those who have not gotten the shots yet, according to new polling.

An Ipsos poll published Monday and conducted exclusively for Global News showed that 67 per cent want the government to impose further measures on the unvaccinated population, with nearly half (49 per cent) of the respondents blaming the unvaccinated for prolonging the pandemic – now entering its third year.

This comes as some provinces in the country, like Ontario and British Columbia, are already moving ahead with easing restrictions based on key metrics such as hospitalizations and intensive care admissions.

Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos public affairs, said Canadians have become increasingly polarized when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations, lockdowns and the pandemic in general.

“What we’ve seen over the space of, particularly Omicron, is that people are becoming more divided,” he told Global News.

Those divisions were made further evident in this latest poll, as 52 per cent said they were in favour of putting a tax on the unvaccinated, while 48 per cent opposed that measure.

‘It frightens me’: Canadians divided on Quebec’s proposed anti-vax tax – Jan 12, 2022 Earlier this month, Quebec became the first province in Canada to announce its plan to impose a tax on adults who choose to remain unvaccinated.

However, details on those plans are so far slim and other provinces have not endorsed the measure.

Federal government won’t budge on vaccine mandate for truckers as convoy heads for Ottawa The federal government says it will not back down on its vaccination rule for cross-border truckers despite entrenched opposition from some drivers and groups claiming to represent their interests.

In a joint media statement released today, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough and Stephen Laskowski, the president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), said COVID-19 vaccines are the “most effective tool to reduce the risk of COVID-19” and protect

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public health.

In an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics, Alghabra said the government is not interested in alternatives like rapid testing for unvaccinated truckers. He said truckers and the wider industry have had months to prepare for the new regulations and drivers must now get the shot or stop driving over the border. “Our plan is to defeat COVID and end the pandemic as quickly as possible. What we’re doing right now is for the protection of truck drivers but also for the protection of our supply chains

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

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INDIA

Saturday, January 29, 2022

HC asks SIT to respond to plea for action against Congress leader Kamal Nath The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the SIT to file a status report on a plea seeking action against Congress leader Kamal Nath for his alleged role in a case relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notice to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Union Home Ministry, on the petition filed by BJP’s Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

The court listed the matter for

further hearing on March 28.

In a statement, Sirsa said “it has been more than 37 years since the Sikh community is awaiting justice in these (anti-Sikh riots) cases.

Though some success was achieved with the sentencing of Sajjan Kumar (Congress leader) to life imprisonment but still much more it to be done as other guilty Kamal Nath and other Congressmen are yet to be tried and sentenced”.

He added, “Today’s decision of the high court has rekindled a hope in the community that every guilty will get punishment for his sins.”

Sirsa, in his petition before the high court, sought direction to the SIT to take action against Nath in the FIR lodged in 1984 at Parliament Street police station here in which five persons were named as accused in the case and were allegedly accommodated at Congress leader’s house.

Those accused were discharged due to a lack of evidence. However, Nath was never named in the FIR. Sirsa in the petition has sought a direction that Nath be arrested without further delay.

Sirsa was represented through senior advocate Maninder Singh and lawyer Gurbaksh Singh.

The case is related to a mob of rioters storming the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib here.

3 Indian-origin youths among 4 charged for flouting Covid rules in Singapore Three Indian-origin youths were among four people charged in a Singapore court on Tuesday for flouting Covid-19 rules in a New Year party held at a popular river-side spot.

The charging came after videos went viral online showing large crowds at Clarke Quay area on December 31, 2021.

The Covid-19 multi-ministry task

force had called the impromptu gathering “a potential superspreading event”, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.

The three youths—Harjaz Singh, Verma Pulkit and Kotra Venkata Sai Rohankrishna— along with William Alexander Brooks-Potts faced charges, including for failing to keep a one metre safe distance and not wearing a mask

near Read Bridge at Clarke Quay at midnight on January 1, 2022, The Straits Times reported.

All the four individuals are aged between 19 and 22, it said.

Kotra faces an additional charge for allegedly attending a gathering, in a Spiderman costume, with three others, where he interacted with about 20 people.

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In its fight against the spread of coronavirus, Singapore has enforced strict measures such as keeping a distance of one metre, wearing masks and allowing maximum five people together to dine in approved places.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

India First woman Rafale fighter jet pilot Shivangi Singh part of IAF The country’s first woman Rafale fighter tableau squadron based out of Ambala in Haryana. jet pilot Shivangi Singh was part of the Indian Air Force tableau at the Republic Day parade on Wednesday. She is only the second woman fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau.

Last year, Flight Lieutenant Bhawna Kanth became the first female fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau.

Singh, who is from Varanasi, joined the IAF in 2017 and was commissioned in the IAF’s second batch of women fighter pilots. She had been flying MiG21 Bison aircraft before flying the Rafale.

She is part of the IAF’s Golden Arrows

The IAF tableau was based on the theme -- ‘Indian Air Force transforming for the future’. Scaled down models of Rafale fighter jet, indigenously developed light combat helicopter (LCH) and 3D surveillance radar Aslesha MK-1 were part of the float.

It also featured a scaled down model of MiG-21 aircraft that played a major role in the 1971 war in which India defeated Pakistan, leading to the creation of Bangladesh, as well as a model of India’s first indigenously developed aircraft Gnat.

The first batch of Rafale fighter jets arrived on July 29, 2020.

US lawmakers join Indians in celebrating 73rd Republic Day Top American lawmakers joined 130 crore Indians and the Indian diaspora across the world in celebrating the country’s 73rd Republic Day on Wednesday.

“Today we join with people around the world who cherish pluralism, equality and democracy as we celebrate India’s birth as a constitutional republic. Wishing India a happy 73rd Republic Day,” the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said, which was also tweeted by its chairman, Senator Bob Menendez.

“To all our friends celebrating today, Happy 73rd Republic Day. On this important day, India celebrates the promise of the world’s largest democracy to secure ‘all its citizens justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity’,” tweeted Senator John Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus.

“I wish a Happy Republic Day to our friends and strategic partners in India. When

I served as the US ambassador to Japan, I was honoured to help raise America’s critical Quad partnership with India, Australia and Japan to new heights,” Senator Bill Hagerty said.

Senator Jim Risch, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said this Republic Day, he appreciates the strong US-India relationship and looks forward to working with his Indian counterparts to further advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region bilaterally and through the Quad.

“From the world’s oldest democracy to the world’s largest democracy, we congratulate India celebrating its 73rd Republic Day today, and marking 75 years of independence this year!” Congressman Jim Costa said in a tweet.

Congressman Steve Chabot, who is the co-chair of the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans, wished a happy Republic Day to the citizens of India.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

TELUS Business champions the physical and mental health of the Canadian small business community with access to virtual healthcare at no additional cost

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To learn more about TELUS Health Virtual Care for Small Business Mobility customers or to register for TELUS Health Virtual Care with your active smartphone plan, visit telus.com/businessvirtualcare About TELUS TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television,

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INDIA

Saturday, January 29, 2022

India records 2.86 lakh new Covid-19 cases, 573 more deaths With 2,86,384 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s total tally of Covid cases rose to 4,03,71,500, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll has climbed to 4,91,700 with 573 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases had decreased to 22,02,472 and comprised 5.46 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid recovery rate had decreased to 93.33 per cent, the ministry said.

A reduction of 20,546 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The 573 new fatalities include 140 from Kerala and 79 from Maharashtra.

A total of 4,91,700 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,42,316 from Maharashtra, 52,281 from Kerala, 38,705 from Karnataka, 37,359 from Tamil Nadu, 25,710 from Delhi, 23,106 from Uttar Pradesh and 20,445 from West Bengal.

Tata Group takes over Air India The process of Air India disinvestment got completed on Thursday with the government officially handing over the management control of the airlines to Talace Private Limited, a subsidiary of the Tata Group’s holding company.

After taking over the airlines, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day said, “We are totally delighted to have Air India back at the Tata group and are committed to making this a world-class carrier.”

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a

tweet along with a photograph said, “Shri N Chandrasekaran, the Chairman of Tata Sons called on PM @ narendramodi,” Chandrasekaran later also visited the Air India headquarters here.

Announcing about the event in one of his Twitter posts, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Tuhin Kanta Pandey said, “The strategic disinvestment transaction of Air India successfully concluded today with transfer of 100 per cent shares of Air India to M/s Talace Pvt Ltd along with management control.

Air India flight held up for an hour after aircraft engineer’s tiff with pilot An altercation between a senior Air India pilot and an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) on Tuesday at the Srinagar airport led to an hour’s delay on the Srinagar- Delhi flight, the pilot has complained to the airline management.

Air India flight AI 826 was scheduled to take off at 1.10pm but was delayed as the aircraft engineer refused to abide by the rules, the pilot alleged, according to a copy of the complaint. HT has reviewed the complaint.

The argument picked up when the commandant, flying the Airbus fleet in the airline, brought to the notice of the ground staff that there was an imbalance of 1400kg of fuel (an imbalance of fuel means that the fuel in both the wings was not equally filled, due to which, according to the rules, take off is not allowed). The AME allegedly forced the pilot to accept the aircraft in fuel imbalance condition. The pilot refused and insisted on balancing the fuel for its departure.

Congress to announce Chief Minister candidate for Punjab Assembly polls Former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi said he would soon announce the Chief Ministerial candidate for Punjab.

Addressing a virtual rally at a palace on Mithapur road here falling in Jalandhar Cantonment seat, Rahul said that either of the two Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi or PPCC chief Navjot Sidhu would be picked. He said opinion would be sought from the party workers before making the announcement.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a virtual rally at Mithapur in Jalandhar. — Video

grab Rahul said he discussed the issue with both Sidhu and Channi on his way to the venue. Both were of the opinion that two persons cannot lead Punjab. They told me, “The biggest question everyone is asking in Punjab is who of the two will take the lead. There cannot be two leaders.

If one gets the chance, the other one will pledge support for him. I was really happy with it. So, I thought that if the party leaders, workers and Punjab want it, we will take the decision. We will do it by seeking the opinion of our workers and I want everyone to fight as a team.”

Amit Shah woos west UP Jat leaders ahead of assembly poll Anxious to assuage the sullenness of sections of the Jat community in Western UP, Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday wooed a group of community influencers by stressing similarity of “nationalist” outlook, recalling communal riots of 2013 and promising resolution of their grievances and consideration of demands.

“We subscribe to same ideology. Ours is a nationalist party and has always striven to secure nation. You have the same outlook and have the maximum representation in the armed forces. Just like you, nation’s interests have always been the top-most priority with us,” Shah told

representatives of the Jat community as the battle for Western UP reaches the final stretch.

The meeting happened against the backdrop of party’s anxiety to mollify the Jat community whose support was one of the key factors in its sweep in three straight elections, beginning with 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The resentment of the influential peasant caste over the now-repealed farm laws and the move of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, BJP’s principal challenger to cash in on that by tying up with the community outfit, Rashtriya Lok Dal, represents a vulnerability in BJP’s plan for a repeat performance.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

Punjab Supreme Court grants protection from arrest to Bikram Majithia till January 31 The Supreme Court on Thursday granted protection from arrest till January 31 to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

Majithia has challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Court order dismissing his anticipatory bail plea.

A Bench led by CJI NV Ramana gave the relief to Majithia after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted on his behalf that “this is a case of political vendetta”.

“I don’t know if this is election fever or election virus. Everyone is

rushing to the court now,” the CJI said.

Senior advocate P Chidambaram represented the state.

“Isthisfair,MrChidambaram?”theCJIasked.

“The order was passed on 24th January....Thereafter he went into hiding.”

“Tell your state not to do anything. We will hear on Monday,” the top court said.

Majithia apprehended his arrest in connection with a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act registered at Mohali on December 20, 2021.

Lambi and Amritsar East were yet to be declared.

Political experts said the SAD kept waiting for over four months this time anticipating that the Congress may do something like that of the last election, when it had surprised everyone by fielding Capt Amarinder Singh from Lambi just a few days ahead of the election.

Heavy fog covers many cities in Punjab & Haryana Cold weather conditions prevailed in most parts of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday, with dense fog reducing visibility in Amritsar and a few other places.

Ludhiana, Patiala, Gurdaspur, Adampur and Halwara in Punjab and Karnal and Ambala in Haryana witnessed fog in the morning, a Meteorological Department official here said.

In Punjab, Bathinda reeled under intense cold recording a low of 2.6 degrees Celsius while Faridkot recorded a low

of 3.2 degrees Celsius. Amritsar recorded a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius, according to the Meteorological Department’s weather report here.

Moga experienced a cold night recording a low of 4.1 degrees Celsius while Hoshiarpur recorded a low of 5.9 degrees Celsius, Gurdaspur recorded a low of 6 degrees Celsius.

Ludhiana’s minimum settled at 5.7 degrees Celsius while Patiala registered a low of 8.6 degrees Celsius.

Pakistan Government appeasing terrorists - Opposition Opposition parties slammed on Imran Khan-led govt for what it called “a policy of appeasement” towards terror outfits, after interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the government is ready for talks with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Opposition leaders took the government to task during a discussion in the Senate, upper chamber

of Parliament, on Monday, saying that the idea of talks with those challenging the state had emboldened extremists groups, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The Opposition leaders voiced concern over talks with TTP, which were being held through the Afghanistan government that was not recognised by any country of the world, the report said.

Reporter Chand Nawab’s another video goes viral Famous Pakistani reporter, journalist Chand Nawab is back again with a bang. A video of him reporting about Karachi’s sand-storm at the ocean, winter winds and fog gone viral on social media. Chand Nawab is popular not only in his own country, but people in India too know him quite well, thanks to his videos that have gone viral on social media because of his unique style of reporting. In his latest video, Nawab can

be seen reporting about sand, storm and winter winds in Karachi. He also has a warning for all the “dubley patley” (skinny, weak people).

“Karachi’s weather is very pleasant and cool and cold wind is blowing. People from cities can come to see this storm. My hair is flying, dirt is going in my mouth and I can’t open my eyes.

Skinny and weak people should not come to the seashore today, otherwise, they can fly with the wind,” he can be heard saying in the video.

Murderer scors highest marks in exams while in jail is allowed to meet his mother in reward A 35-year-old man serving a life sentence for murder in the central jail of this southern Pakistani city has been allowed to meet his mother after five years as a reward for being among the toppers in the intermediate exams for private students.

Naseem Shah’s wish came true last Monday when his mother, who had refused to see him for the last five years, visited the Central Jail in Karachi and met him.

Naseem Shah was granted special permission by the jail authorities after he scored the highest among private candidates — that is,

Health authorities in Fiji say they will not advise the Government to lift Covid-19 restrictions out of fear of a resurgence of infections.

This comes amid 16 deaths and close to 350 new cases reported in the community last weekend.

Health workers wait for residents for their dose of AstraZeneca vaccine outside a vaccination center in Suva, after Fiji announced plans to make the coronavirus vaccine compulsory for all workers as it battles a runaway outbreak of the Delta variant.

Health workers wait for residents for their dose

of AstraZeneca vaccine outside a vaccination center in Suva, after Fiji announced plans to make the coronavirus vaccine compulsory for all workers as it battles a runaway outbreak of the Delta variant. Photo: AFP or licensors Fiji’s Health Secretary Dr James Fong says the spike in cases was experienced after a few health measures were relaxed in November last year.

“Our biggest worry remains compliance to the informal setting, especially among the informal dwellings where we may have some problem with providing oversight over the Covid-safe measures.

Tonga eruption equivalent to hundreds of Hiroshimas: NASA

SAD announces 94-year-old Parkash Singh Badal as Lambi candidate The SAD on Wednesday announced party patron and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as its nominee from Lambi Assembly constituency.

The party had released its first list of 64 candidates on September 13 last. Till Tuesday, the party had declared candidates in 95 of 97 seats in a pre-poll alliance with the BSP. However, the candidates from

FIJI Fiji will not lift Covid-19 restrictions - MOH

among non-traditional students — in the intermediate examinations last year in Karachi.

He won a scholarship worth Pakistani Rs 1 lakh for further studies from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan.

“We gave him special permission for a oneon-one meeting with his mother because of his academic achievements,” said Saeed Soomro, the Deputy Superintendent of Jail.

He said Shah had requested that he wanted to meet with his mother and sister.

The Tonga volcanic eruption unleashed explosive forces that dwarfed the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, NASA scientists have said, as survivors on Monday described how the devastating Pacific blast “messed up our brains”.

The NASA Earth Observatory said the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano spewed debris as high as 40 kilometres (25 miles) into the atmosphere during the January 15 eruption that triggered huge tsunami waves.

“We think the amount of energy released by the

eruption was equivalent to somewhere between five to 30 megatons (five to 30 million tonnes) of TNT,” NASA scientist Jim Garvin said in a press release.

NASA said the eruption was hundreds of times stronger than the US atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August 1945, which was estimated to be about 15 kilotons (15,000 tonnes) of TNT. The agency said the eruption “obliterated” the volcanic island about 65 kilometres (41 miles) north of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa.

Act of sacrilege in temple condemned The Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji has condemned an act of sacrilege at the Nav Durga Temple in Baulevu, Nausori this morning.

This as holy book “Ramayan” was set on fire during an attempted breakin at the temple early this morning.

“I call this a very cowardly attack on a temple by hooligans who have no respect for other

people’s religion and faith. I praise the effort of the neighbors who helped save the temple.”

Temple Priest, Vineshwar Sharma says worshippers saw smoke coming out of the temple at around 6 am and members rushed to the scene.

He says while there was no other damage, the community is saddened by the incident.

Police have started their investigation.

22

Saturday, January 29, 2022 Liberals let big oil and gas off the hook, again: NDP

Press release

Today the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released his report on the massive economic and environmental liability looming from the 600,000 abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells across Canada. These aging wells pose an immense environmental risk from leaking highly damaging methane gas and other contaminants. Canadians expect their federal government to do its part to protect the environment, yet, despite the Liberals offering $1.7 billion in taxpayers’ money to help clean up Big Oil’s mess, we’re no closer to dealing with the environmental damage they have caused.

“The extent of the economic and environmental damage caused by big oil companies abandoning oil and gas wells is shocking,” said Charlie Angus, MP for Timmins-James Bay and the NDP Natural Resources Critic. “What is even more shocking is that it’s not surprising. Once again, we see the public being asked to cover the costs for the damages done by a highly profitable industry.”

The PBO found that although the Liberals

provided a $1.7 billion federal program to clean wells that had been abandoned by companies that went bankrupt, a significant amount was given to highly profitable companies who are already positioned to handle their own well remediation. The PBO states that giving money to profitable oil companies only increases the risk of the unfunded liability on abandoned sites.

“Why is the government giving money to profitable oil and gas companies for clean up?

These are companies flush with profit. Surely, they can afford to clean up their own mess,” added Angus. “This is just another example of dishing out more massive subsidies.”

The Trudeau government must take responsibility for dealing with this failure of big oil to pay for the damages caused. Any funding for orphan oil wells must be directed towards creating and maintaining goodpaying jobs and protecting the environment – not just another subsidy to the industry while they don’t do anything to fix the problem.

British Columbians see their assistance cheques reduced by NDP Press release

In the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, British Columbians who depend on disability and income assistance are seeing their cheques slashed without warning because the NDP has removed federal Employment Insurance (EI) as an income asset exemption.

“The NDP said that they exempted EI as an income asset from disability and income assistance to ensure British Columbians depending on that help would have additional support during the pandemic,” said Opposition Critic for Social Development and Poverty Reduction Dan Davies. “To retroactively remove EI as an exemption effective November 20, 2021— when the government’s own website still says it is exempt — is going to be a worrisome shock to thousands of British Columbians who could see their assistance cheques suddenly

reduced this month without explanation.”

The NDP government has been heavily criticized by the BC Liberal Caucus and social support advocates for its mismanagement of social assistance programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including clawing back the $300 per month supplemental income and disability assistance, which led to a protest at the BC Legislature last March.

“The challenges of the pandemic are still very much with us and continue to disproportionately impact people living with disabilities and those living in poverty,” added Davies. “This latest decision by the NDP will only pile more stress onto some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

The NDP must exempt EI as an income asset from income and disability assistance and restore the full $300 monthly supplemental disability and income assistance today.”

Saturday, January 29, 2022

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