www.theasianstar.com Vol 21 - Issue 6
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Canadian fighters form their own battalion in Ukraine So many citizens of Canada have shown up in Ukraine to fight for the country’s new foreign legion, the organization has set up a separate Canadian battalion, says a Ukrainian government source. The news is more evidence of a historic movement by people here to join the armed forces of another nation, and potentially risk their lives in combat against Russian invaders. The 550 would-be fighters that have arrived from Canada so far are part of a battalion based in Kyiv, said the representative of the International Legion
for the Territorial Defence of Ukraine, who asked not to be identified for security reasons. “International legion volunteers are usually kept together for logistics purposes as it is easier for communication, to avoid language barriers,” he said. Meanwhile, a UkrainianCanadian activist helping in the recruitment of fighters in this country said hundreds more have volunteered to fight in Ukraine. Members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces conduct weapons training in a public park on March 09, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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No more mask mandate in BC B.C. health officials announced Thursday that the province will remove its order requiring masks in all indoor public spaces as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, and that the proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be potentially lifted on April 8. Individual businesses will still be permitted and supported by provincial health to require masks if the owners decide to. A requirement for workplaces
to mandate masks will be lifted as well, but there could be certain situations where people are still required to wear a mask. Masks will no longer be required on public transit, but both BC Transit and TransLink can decide to put in system-wide mandates, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. For schools, the mask mandate Continued on page 7
Vaisakhi parade cancelled again due to ‘tight turnaround’ to plan spring gathering ‘We are disappointed at how this year has turned out,’ event organizer
S
urrey’s huge Vaisakhi parade has again been cancelled due to COVID-related issues, for a third straight year. This year, a lack of planning time is blamed for the cancellation of the April 23 Khalsa Day event, along with “sporadic and last-minute changes to the public health orders.” The day-long celebration is among the world’s largest Vaisakhi parades, drawing close to 500,000 people to the streets of Newton every spring. Cancelling the 2022 parade was “a difficult decision,” event organizers said Monday (March 7). “The magnitude and planning of this event takes a full year to complete, and given the tight turnaround between the constantly changing public health order restrictions being lifted and the scheduled date of the parade, organizers did not feel they could responsibly honour the importance and magnitude of the event in this timeline,” said a news release from event organizers, with Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar.
South Asian truck driver who killed 16 in Humboldt Broncos crash loses bid to stay in Canada The semi driver who killed 16 people in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash has lost his bid to stay in Canada when he is finished serving his sentence. According to Michael Greene, the immigration lawyer representing him, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu’s submission to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been rejected.
Gas prices won’t get better any time soon A lot has changed in the week we were gone, but the biggest change was most likely how god damn expensive gas has gotten. According to AAA’s gas price tracker, the average price for a gallon of regular octane gasoline is $4.07. That’s up nearly six cents from Sunday and just about 50 cents from last week. Want a little insult to injury? Gas is up just about $1.30 from just a year ago. USA Today reports this is was over $4 in more than a decade, and there is still no end in sight. In fact, prices are rising even faster than expected Page 7
The Calgary-based lawyer told CTV News no reason was given by CBSA and Sidhu plans to challenge the decision in federal court. “You can imagine he and his wife Tanvir they’re devastated. It was really disappointing,” Greene said during an interview Wednesday afternoon. Greene said he believed Sidhu had a strong case based on “tremendous” public support and
other factors, such as a person’s sense of remorse and their likelihood of reoffending. “In this case, I’ve never seen anybody, met anybody who is so remorseful,” Greene said. In April 2018, Sidhu drove through a stop sign near Tisdale, Sask. and collided with the Humboldt Broncos team bus, killing 16 and injuring 13 others. Sidhu, who holds permanent resident status, was sentenced to eight years after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm.
How the big fat Punjabi wedding became the template for all Indian weddings
From north to south, and east to west, India has a wide variety of nuptials—but it is the big, fat Punjabi wedding that has become the boisterous template for Indian weddings.
Some ascribe the increasingly panIndian popularity of the Punjabi wedding to Bollywood’s depictions, while others say it is because Punjabi weddings are Continued on page 7
MANMOHAN SEKHON M.Sc., M.Phill Life and Health insurance Advisor
604-358-0590 Unit 252 - 8138, 128 St, Surrey, BC V3W 1R1 www.manmohansekhon.com