The Asian Star May 7 2022

www.theasianstar.com Vol 22 - Issue 14 British Columbians hospitalized with the virus drops

over the last week.

British Columbia is reporting a decrease in COVID-19-related hospital admissions for the first time since April 7 when the move was made to weekly reports. As of May 5, there are 550 people in hospitals with COVID. That is a decrease of 20 since last Thursday. In addition, the number of people in intensive care has also dropped from 47 to 39. Looking at the weekly data provided by the province, from April 24 to 30, hospital admissions dropped in all except one of the health authorities. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported in total a decrease of 43 people entering hospitals compared to the week of April 17 to 23. In the Fraser Health region, the number dropped from 175 to 157, in the Interior Health region, the number dropped from 75 to 55.

Teenage assaulted on Surrey bus in unprovoked attack Transit Police ask for help identifying suspect

Metro Vancouver Transit Police are asking for the public’s help identifying the suspect in the allegedly unprovoked assault on a teenage girl on a bus in Surrey.

According to a police statement, a 17-year-old girl boarded the 355 bus headed to the Newton Exchange in Surrey on April 1 shortly before 2 p.m. A man boarded the same bus some time after the girl and, police say, began acting erratically, before sitting near the teen.

Police say the man became more and more agitated eventually standing up to block the teen into her seat, before, without any provocation, punching her several times in the head, causing her glasses to fly off her face.

Saturday, May 7, 2022

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WHO says global Covid-19 death toll is 15 million with India leading the way at 4.7 million More than 4.7 million people in India nearly 10 times higher than official records suggest - are thought to have died because of Covid-19, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report. India’s government has rejected the figure, saying the methodology is flawed. Will we ever know how many Indians died in the pandemic?In November 2020, researchers at the World Mortality Dataset - a global repository that

provides updated data on deaths from all causes - asked authorities in India to provide information. “These are not available,” India’s main statistical office told the researchers, according to Ariel Karlinsky, a scientist who co-created the dataset and is a member of an advisory group set up by the the WHO for its estimates of excess deaths caused

by Covid globally during 2020 and 2021.

2 fugitives tied to targeted murders among 4 BC men found dead in mysterious plane crash Two fugitives who were accused in gang murders and had outstanding warrants for their arrests were among four B.C. men found dead, and now identified, after a mysterious small plane crash in a remote part of northwestern Ontario.One of the men, Gene Karl Lahrkamp, a suspected international hit man and former Canadian military member, bred Belgian Malinois dogs

before he ended up on a wanted list and on the run from the Royal Thai Police. Lahrkamp and a second man with a Canadian military background, Matthew Dupre, 36, were accused

by Royal Thai Police of travelling to the island of Phuket to murder former Abbotsford gangster Jimi Sandhu, who was gunned down by two suspects in hoodies on Feb. 5.

Dupre was arrested in Alberta and

remains in jail, pending extradition.

1 of 4 men dead in plane crash near Sioux Lookout, Ont., was wanted in Thailand for murder Lahrkamp’s body was one of four recovered from the wreckage of a fourseat Piper PA 28-140 found near Sioux Lookout, Ont., in the early hours of April 30.

Wait time at BC Children’s Hospital emergency department exceeds 9 hours 7 hours wait at Metro Vancouver hospitals’ emergency As hundreds of thousands of British Columbians struggle to find a family doctor, wait times at emergency departments in two Lower Mainland hospitals exceeded seven hours this weekend.

Last Sunday, B.C.’s live wait-time website estimated wait times of nine hours and 15 minutes at the B.C. Children’s Hospital, with an expected eight-hour, 40-minute length of stay.

At Vancouver General Hospital, last

Sunday wait time reached seven hours and 51 minutes, with an expected length of stay of eight hours and nine minutes.

At the Richmond Hospital, it was an estimated five hours and 50 minutes to be seen by a doctor, with an extra six hours and 15 minutes after that.

With 900,000 British Columbians still waiting for a family doctor, Dr. Continued on page 7

Record-breaking heat wave strains ‘limits of human survivability’ in India and Pakistan

For the past few weeks, Nazeer Ahmed has been living in one of the hottest places on Earth. As a brutal heatwave has swept across India and Pakistan, his home in Turbat, Balochistan region, has been suffering through weeks of temperatures that have repeatedly hit almost 50C (122F), unprecedented for this time of year. Locals have been driven into their homes, unable to work except during the cooler night hours, and are facing

critical shortages of water and power.

Ahmed fears that things are only about to get worse. It was here, in 2021, that the world’s highest temperature for May was recorded, a staggering 54C. This year, he said, feels even hotter.

“Last week was insanely hot in Turbat.

It did not feel like April,” he said.

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

Face of Surrey RCMP taking run at Surrey South legislatur seat for BC Liberals

BC’s gang enforcement team seizes guns, fentanyl B.C.’s gang enforcement team says it has seized a number of weapons and drugs related to the Lower Mainland drug trade.

In late February and March, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia led a month-long sting in Surrey, Langley and Burnaby in an effort to reduce gang violence, according to a CFSEU-BC news release Thursday.

Officers spent time along high-traffic corridors in these three cities to disrupt gang activity and search for illegal weapons and commodities.

During this time the gang unit seized eight firearms, two converted airsoft firearms, 12 airsoft/replicas, nearly three kilograms of suspected illicit substances

including fentanyl, meth, and cocaine.

Investigators say .479 kilograms of suspected fentanyl found is equivalent to 31,135 lethal doses. Officers also found more than $50,000 in cash, five vehicles, and 87 other weapons, including knives, bear spray, brass knuckles, batons, a crossbow, combat hatchets and axes.

Investigators say they have created 213 investigation files, of which 40 involve criminal and provincial investigations and charges.

In addition, the agency says several referrals were made to the CFSEU-BC Gang Intervention and Exiting program of individuals wanting to exit the gang lifestyle.

Elenore Sturko announced her bid Thursday morning .. A well-known public face of the Surrey RCMP is the BC Liberals’ candidate in the upcoming Surrey South byelection.

BC Liberal leader Kevin Falcon announced Sgt. Elenore Sturko as the riding’s nominee Thursday (May 5).

“Elenore’s experience working on the front lines of the opioid crisis and tackling issues facing young families in Surrey will be a great asset for our caucus,” Falcon said in a news release. “From the outset of my BC Liberal leadership, I committed to building a team

of highly qualified and talented individuals from a diverse variety of backgrounds. And Elenore is an outstanding example of that.”

Sturko – currently on leave from the force, the release notes – said she threw her name in the hat because she is “tired of the NDP’s failed promises for Surrey residents.”

“From the rising cost of living, to increased crime, to the failure to deliver on needed mental health services, life is worse off in Surrey under the NDP,” she said in the release. “I’m excited to bring fresh ideas and a new perspective to Victoria on behalf of the people of Surrey South.”

Man arrested in Richmond after racist altercation at family event Richmond RCMP has arrested a man in connectionwitharacistaltercationatafamilyevent The violent incident occurred around 4:30 pm on May 1. Richmond RCMP visited the 2900 block

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of Steveston Highway in response to an alleged assault that stemmed from the use of racial slurs.

Unfortunately, the suspect drove away before the police arrived, but officers from the Richmond RCMP General Investigation Section were able to identify the suspect. He has been arrested and released on an Undertaking with conditions.

The incident revolved around a man who made racist remarks about the victim’s Indigenous heritage at a Richmond family event. The victim then confronted the man, and a physical altercation involved the victim being reportedly assaulted.

A statement from RCMP says that allegations have been made that the victim threatened the suspect with a knife following the assault. RCMP also stated that multiple people witnessed the incident.

“While some have been interviewed, police believe there may be more people who witnessed it but left prior to police arrival.

Richmond RCMP is asking anyone who witnessed this incident to contact police.”

RCMP says the investigation is ongoing and that the General Investigation Section is overseeing it.

RCMP is also asking anyone who may have more information to call Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212, quoting file number 2022-11378.

You can also provide information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-TIPS (8477) or visiting www.solvecrime.ca.

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A British Columbia Indigenous man and his granddaughter who were arrested as they tried to open an account at the Bank of Montreal have settled a human rights complaint. A statement says the settlement agreement includes a monetary payment from BMO to Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter, a private apology, and a pledge from the bank to update its policies on how Indigenous status cards are handled. Johnson and his granddaughter, who are from the Heiltsuk First Nation, were trying to open an account when police were called over suspicion they were using a fake status card.

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Saturday, May 7, 2022 Gas prices reach 211.9 in Metro Vancouver, expected to rise more One gas analyst predicts a “painful summer ahead” for Lower Mainland residents as domestic and international factors continue to drive an increase in the cost of gas.

“The crisis in Europe has really put in very sharp perspective the need for more natural gas from alternative sources,” said Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy.

“The fact that you’re at 211.9 at many stations here in the Lower Mainland and in Vancouver, is really indicative of what’s happening regionally, globally with respect to oil prices.”

The price per barrel for American crude oil surged to more than $106 per barrel on Wednesday. The diesel stock is also running thin in many parts of North America, said McTeague.

Summer is the “worst time for fuel,” he added, meaning sustained price increases of up to 225 per litre are likely in the coming weeks. McTeague runs the predictive website, gaswizard.ca.

“That looks like what’s in the cards over the next several weeks, especially post-the May 24 weekend, the United States Memorial Day weekend, and the beginning of summer driving.”

Click to play video: ‘“Stop Russian oil”: Activists play dead to demand embargo on Russian energy’ The Canadian dollar is struggling, McTeague added, which has aggravated purchasing power and will likely result in British Columbians flocking south of the border for cheaper gas.

“Of course, it doesn’t help that Vancouver continues to be home to the highest taxes on fuel anywhere in North America,” he explained.

“I don’t think there are many options other than going to other jurisdictions further out that don’t have the additional taxes — in this case, the TransLink tax, which is 18.5 cents a litre.”In

Raincouver could be hit with entire month’s worth of rain this week Aptly hailed by some as Raincouver, Vancouver could be hit with a month’s worth of rain just this week, according to The Weather Network. April was a particularly rainy month for BC, with some regions, including Nanaimo and Victoria, reaching record-breaking precipitation levels. Nanaimo broke a record, while Victoria had its fifth rainiest April ever.

The Weather Network points out that, on average, Vancouver gets hit with about 65 mm of rain in May. This week alone, Vancouver could see 50 mm, eek! ccording to The Weather Network, widespread totals for the Lower Mainland could reach 40-80 throughout this weekend thanks to “a series of Pacific lows” targeting the BC coast. Local amounts will likely exceed that amount in higher terrain. The first system arrived on Monday.

“Meanwhile, 100+ mm is possible for northwestern sections of Vancouver Island. For alpine regions, heavy alpine snow is anticipated with freezing levels sitting at 1,300-1,700 metres.”

The weather agency also states that early May looks like early March did this year.

Looking at the weekly forecast, rain is expected every day for the remainder of the week, extending into the weekend, with partly cloudy skies expected early next week on Monday and Tuesday.

In fact, the forecast suggests that we could get up to 60 mm over the next three days without taking Tuesday totals into account.

While it’s likely to change, the 14-day forecast suggests that brighter days are ahead after this week’s intense moisture, with partly cloudy skies and highs of up to 15˚C. “Looking ahead, two more mid-week systems and one possibly late week or the weekend are currently forecast to deliver rainfall totals that will be close to monthly accumulations for May standards,” reads a statement from The Weather Network.

March, gas prices set records in Vancouver at 214.9 per litre, fuelling a trucker protest — unrelated to the convoy that occupied Ottawa, wreaking havoc on the downtown core.

At 211.9, Donald Hui, who owns an RV, told Global News it costs him between $500 and $600 to fill the tank. He bought the RV last year so his family could spend time together during the pandemic, but said he might not have if he had known what was coming.

“I would change my mind maybe. Now, no choice,” said the Maple Ridge resident.

Plans to take the vehicle across the province are now dashed, he added, and he may not even go as far as Whistler.

“I like Whistler because it’s more interesting, there’s more restaurants to go to, but I won’t spend $200 to $300 in gas, I find it’s a little bit too much.”

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

OPINION

By Wendell Cox

For 18 years, I have been monitoring international housing affordability as author or co-author of the Demographia Housing Affordability series. The latest edition rates 92 major markets in eight nations using the “median multiple”: the median house price in a place divided by the median pre-tax household income.

In the early 1990s, median multiples in

Policy restrictions caused housing crisis Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States were 3.0 or lower.

That means the median house cost no more than three times the median income.

Even in the mid-2000s, housing affordability in Canada’s largest “census metropolitan areas” (or CMAs) was still as good as in 1971. Toronto’s median multiple was actually 0.4 percentage points

lower than in 1971, at 3.9, while Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Calgary and Edmonton were all between 2.7 and 3.1. The exception was Vancouver, which deteriorated from 3.9 in 1971 to a very unaffordable 5.3 in 2004.

How things have changed! Toronto and Edmonton provide the starkest contrast. In 2004, the average price of a single, detached house in the Edmonton market was about $200,000, while in Toronto it was $320,000.

March 2021 real estate reports indicate that the average Edmonton price is now a bit over $500,000, while in Toronto it has risen to nearly $1.7 million. In other words, prices are up about 150 per cent in Edmonton but nearly three times that (430 per cent) in Toronto. In the mid-2000s, Edmonton’s median multiple was 2.8 and Toronto’s was 3.9. By 2021, Edmonton’s median multiple had risen to 3.6, while Toronto’s was a staggering 10.5. The difference between the two cities rose from 1.1 in the mid-2000s to 6.9 in 2021.

That’s a massive increase, equal to nearly seven years’ worth of household income.

How did this happen? The cause was not underlying demand. Between 2004 and 2021, the Edmonton CMA experienced much stronger population growth, 46 per cent, compared to Toronto’s 27 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. Nor do differences in construction costs explain the gap. Data in the Altus Canadian Cost Guide do indicate that house construction costs are, in fact, higher in Toronto – but only about 30 per cent higher, a far cry from Toronto’s 240 per cent higher house prices.

The real difference between the two CMAs is in land values and regulation.

The one big change in the two cities’ environments has been Toronto’s “Places to Grow” policy, introduced in 2006, which imposed a greenbelt. Like an urban growth boundary, greenbelts generally ban new housing on the urban periphery, where land costs are most affordable. Economic research has associated these urban containment strategies with huge increases in land values – generally from 10 to 20 times – where development is still permitted, that is.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, May 7, 2022

BC women demanding guaranteed basic income for Canadians Women throughout BC are putting up banners across 13 different locations in the province, demanding Guaranteed Basic Income for everyone in Canada.

The province-wide action is put on by BC Women’s Alliance on Sunday. One volunteer, Jacqueline Gullion explains it is calling on MPs from B.C. constituencies to support two bills that are currently being debated at the Senate and house of commons.

“The two bills and in fact, our campaign, are all kind of aligned on some of the same principles … One is at the Canadian parliament and one is Senate. Both of those bills are calling for the development of a national framework for guaranteed basic income. And that framework should be developed in consultation with reps from the provincial governments. So that would entitle everyone in Canada to have access to a basic livable income,” she said.

Rallies demand workers’ issues be front and centre in June election While the campaign initially started

because of the concern for women impacted throughout the pandemic, “We settled on a campaign for guaranteed livable income as the most valuable thing we could pursue for women.”

However,Gullionemphasizesaguaranteed livable income would benefit everyone.

“There’s a lot of different philosophies on how the implementation should go.

What our group thinks is most valuable is that it should be available to anyone, and it should not be contingent on work. So it would be most useful for people who cannot work, cannot get adequate paid work, cannot get full-time work. But our philosophy is it should not be dependent on the pursuit of, or look for work.”

Gullion says the parliamentary budget office – a branch of the feds said the country could afford a basic income without any new taxes or increase in taxes.

British Columbians will see banners in Kelowna, Chase, Nelson, Langley, and Prince George to name a few.

South Asian claimed he was undercover cop after massage parlour denied him free sexual services: police York Regional Police have arrested a 25-year-old man who they say claimed to be a police officer at a Markham massage parlour when his request for free sexual services was denied.

Police said they responded to the incident in the establishment on April 8 after receiving a call for a dispute.

A man showed up at the parlour and allegedly demanded sexual services for free. After the business refused,

the man allegedly said that he was an undercover police officer.

He was arrested, and police later confirmed that the man was not employed in law enforcement.

The suspect, Jenisan Jeyakumar of Markham, was charged with personating a peace officer and obtaining sexual services for consideration.

PolicereleasedhisphotoFriday“toensurethat there have been no further similar incidents.”

‘Mistaken identity’ to blame for 2021 death of BC corrections officer, say police After extensive interviews and more than 300 follow-up tasks in the investigation, Delta police also said they’re “confident” they have identified suspects in the homicide.

“Investigators believe that Mr. Randhawa’s killers mistook him for an individual involved in the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict,” Delta police wrote in a Tuesday news release.

“This investigation is active, and the Delta Police have been working with other partnering agencies to hold those responsible for this murder accountable.”

Asked whether charges may be laid soon against the possible suspects, Sgt. Gary Koonar said in order to secure charges, there must be enough evidence

to meet the threshold of charge approval.

The investigation is ongoing, he added.

Randhawa was 29 years old when he was killed and had worked at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre since 2016, according to BC Corrections.

The organization said at the time it was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy. Shortly after his death, more than 100 people attended a vigil in his honour.

“He was just a loving guy,” Randhawa’s brother Dupinder said at the May 7, 2021 candle-light ceremony. “I don’t know how this thing happened to him. I’m still in shock.”

Randhawa was taking additional courses with the goal of becoming an RCMP officer before he was killed, his brother added.

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RCMP say incident at Surrey mosque was not racially-motivated hate crime Police in British Columbia say an episode involving a vehicle outside a mosque that had been called a “disturbing incident” directed at the Muslim community was not a racially-motivated hate crime.

A news release Saturday from the Surrey RCMP says the two suspects are teenagers who belong to the Muslim community and are co-operating with the investigation.

RCMP had received a report Wednesday night alleging someone in a moving vehicle had thrown water at three pedestrians and minutes later the automobile veered off the road and almost struck one of the people walking.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims, the B.C. Muslim Association, had said it was “gravely concerned.”

Police say next steps to resolve the matter may involve the BC Prosecution Service or a restorative justice approach outside the courts that “would allow all parties to come together and express the impacts that this incident had on them and the greater community.”

Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards of the Surrey RCMP says this incident shows the importance of reporting all disturbances to the police so they can be fully investigated.

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

Surrey Six victim’s mom sees son’s death echoed in jail guard slaying The mother of a bystander who was killed in the Surrey Six slayings said she was “horrified” to learn a case of mistaken identity has led to the death of another innocent young man.

On Wednesday, Delta police revealed Bikramdeep Randhawa’s killers most likely “mistook him” for someone else involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict.

Randhawa, a 26-year-old B.C. Corrections

officer, was shot and killed while off duty in a local Walmart parking lot on May 1, 2021.

“It kind of brought me back into my own days of October 19, 2007. I had this chill up my spine and I kind of thought, ‘How can we allow this to carry on?” said Eileen Mohan.

“I just feel these gangsters make our loved ones’ lives look so cheap.

That made me sick to my stomach.”

BC Pharmacare program approves additional drugs, expands coverage The Ministry of Health says thousands of eligible British Columbians are benefiting from expanded coverage for medications that make it easier or more effective to treat their conditions. A statement from the Health Ministry says B.C. Pharmacare has been rolling out new or expanded coverage for a range of medications since late last year.

The drugs treat conditions including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, severely

low blood sugar, migraines, low white blood cell levels, several sclerosis and heart failure.

The ministry says the new treatment covered for colitis or Crohn’s disease can be administered by the patient rather than requiring a visit to a clinic, while a nasal spray is now available for the treatment of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, eliminating regular injections for thousands with that condition.

Wait time at BC Children’s Hospital emergency department exceeds 9 hours From page 1

Dosanjh said more and more are flocking to emergency rooms, “overwhelming an overburdened system.”

“We can’t have this continue,” the Doctors of BC president told Global News.

“Short-term I think we definitely need to address the patient access issue and we need to be able to help physicians stay practicing … unfortunately, we have all been feeling the burnout from the pandemic.”

Dosanjh said many doctors have also struggled with the rising cost of doing business in B.C., including office space, and the administrative duties required.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix said a wait time of about two hours is a “significant length of time” at the B.C. Children’s Hospital, but the health-care system is “busy all the time, every single day.”

Emergency rooms triage cases, he added, and any seriously ill child will receive care right away.

“One of the reasons we put those numbers on the website … is to let people know what they can expect and that’s principally for people who might have other alternatives,” he explained.

“The variation in emergency room waits can be quite significant one day to another, because a number of people come in one case occupies a long time or whatever. That’s what you’d expect in the health-care system.”

The B.C. Children’s Hospital did not comment on the weekend’s wait times or strategies to alleviate the backlog.

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Saturday, May 7, 2022 Federal boundary readjustments would change the shape of Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack ridings The federal electoral riding of Abbotsford looks quite different in a proposed redrawing of the boundaries released this week.

The changes are being proposed by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C., as they work toward adjusting boundaries to better reflect current populations. They were released on May 2 along with a set of maps, but changes wouldn’t take place until April 2024 at the earliest.

There are some dramatic boundary changes in the eastern Fraser Valley. Most of Hope would break off into a new riding called Coquihalla. That riding includes a huge swath of southern B.C. that includes

West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Princeton, Merritt and the Fraser Canyon.

Chilliwack and Abbotsford’s riding are also adjusted on the proposed boundary maps.

Chilliwack would stretch from Silver Creek in Hope through Chilliwack and into Abbotsford.

It would run all the way to Gladwin Road south of Highway 1, and encompass key Abbotsford locations such as the UFV campus, the Sumas border crossing, and Sumas Flats.

However, Abbotsford would gain back its northern communities that are currently part of the Mission-MatsquiFraser Canyon riding, a riding that would be eliminated with this proposed plan.

Mission would be included with Maple Ridge.

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

BC fugitive accused in Thailand murder dies in plane crash with Kamloops gangster Two B.C. men facing murder and conspiracy charges in gang-linked violence were among four people who died in northwestern Ontario when a small plane crashed there last week. Trail resident Gene Karl Lahrkamp, 36, had been on the run since February when Royal Thai Police alleged he and co-accused Matthew Dupre, 36, travelled to Thailand to kill former Abbotsford resident and United Nations gangster Jimi Sandhu.

Both are ex-Canadian military. Dupre was arrested on Feb. 20 in Sylvan Lake, Alta., and remains in jail pending an extradition hearing. But Lahrkamp had been on the run until his body was among those recovered

April 30 at the crash site near Sioux Lookout, Ont. Also on the four-seater Piper PA 28140 plane was Kamloops resident Duncan Bailey, 37, who is linked to the Independent Soldiers gang. He had been out on bail on a conspiracy to commit murder charge related to a Vancouver shooting on Oct. 6, 2020. The Ontario Provincial Police is conducting a criminal investigation into the mysterious flight, while the Transportation Safety Board also has a probe into why the plane went down. OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said the pilot was also a B.C. resident, 26-year-old Abhinav Handa of Richmond.

Teenage girl assaulted on Surrey bus in unprovoked attack, police say Metro Vancouver Transit Police are asking for the public’s help identifying the suspect in the allegedly unprovoked assault on a teenage girl on a bus in Surrey.

According to a police statement, a 17-yearold girl boarded the 355 bus headed to the Newton Exchange in Surrey on April 1 shortly before 2 p.m. A man boarded the same bus some time after the girl and, police say, began acting erratically, before sitting near the teen.

Police say the man became more and more agitated eventually standing up to block the teen into her seat, before, without any provocation, punching her several times in the head, causing her glasses to fly off her face.

When the girl bent over to pick up her glasses, the suspect allegedly used his knee to strike her in the head. He was last seen leaving the bus at 152 Street and 84th Avenue.

According to police, the victim did not receive any serious physical injuries and reported the incident to police as soon as she got home.

“Everyone has the right to arrive at their transit destination safely and without fear of being attacked. Therefore, this unprovoked assault by a stranger is being taken extremely seriously, said Transit Police Const. Amanda Steed.

Steed says police have exhausted all investigative avenues and are appealing to the public for assistance. The suspect is described as a South Asian male, 30-40 years of age, five feet eight inches tall, with a medium build and a bald head. He was last seen wearing a long black winter jacket, light blue jeans, and black runners with Velcro fasteners.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Metro Vancouver Transit Police at 604-515-8300 or text them at 87-77-77.

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Some BC Mayors opposed to a provincial police force A recommendation to replace the Mounties with a provincial police force was news to at least one municipality with an RCMP detachment, and is unwanted by its mayor and the mayor of one of B.C. largest cities also policed by the RCMP. A B.C. all-party legislative committee included that proposal and 10 others in its report, Transforming Policing and Community Safety in B.C., after looking into systemic racism in policing. The proposals are designed to update the Police Act and try to restore trust in B.C. police, especially among marginalized and racialized communities that have raised concerns about police brutality, racial profiling and over-policing.

The committee recommended small police departments amalgamate by region, which could mean a regional force for Metro Vancouver and Metro Victoria, now policed by municipal departments and RCMP detachments. A provincial force would allow cities and towns

to choose the provincial service, establish its own force or join with another. “I don’t know what is the benefit of removing the RCMP, who are able to do a really good job in the province,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie of Richmond, which has more than 200,000 residents and is B.C.’s fourth largest city. “I don’t know what silver bullet will come about if you change the patches on the arms of the officers.”

Brodie said any time you have a large organization, such as the RCMP, some will be happy with the service and some will not. But he is opposed to the cost of the transition, which he said is unknown but imagines it will be “tens of millions of dollars.” “If the province imposes this on us, I assume they would pay for it,” he said.

“We’re certainly not asking for it (the change).”

Brodie said he and the city are in regular communication with the RCMP and the force is accountable to them.

10

Saturday, May 7, 2022 Press release

Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends names 2022 winners Six Canadian marketers recognized for remarkable leadership achievements — Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends (CMHOL), oneof Canada’s most respected and renowned industry awards, is announcing the induction of five new Legends and this year’s Marketer-on-the-Rise.

Canada’s newest Marketing Legends are: t $ISJT -BOH GPSNFS DIBJSNBO -BOH 1BSUOFSTIJQT /FUXPSL t ;BL .SPVFI founder and chief creative officer, ;VMV "MQIB ,JMP t#SFOEB 1SJUDIBSE QBSUOFS (PXMJOH 8-( t %BOJ 3FJTT president and CEO, Canada Goose *OD t&EJF 8FJTT QSFTJEFOU BOE $&0 3BELF Film Group The 2022 Marketer-on-the-Rise is Marie Chevrier Schwartz, founder and CEO of Sampler, a leading digital product-sampling company. The award winners will be honoured and formally inducted by AMA Toronto on May 12 at an in-person gala event. Last year in 2021, Sharifa Khan (Chinese name), president and CEO of Balmoral Multicultural, broke the glass ceiling as the country’s first multicultural marketer to be inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends. Balmoral is the Canada’s largest, longest-running multicultural marketing agency connecting corporate brands with the diverse multicultural communities in Canada. Due to COIVD-19 last year, she will receive this reward in person on the upcoming event.“Each of these diverse Canadians has elevated our industry in Canada and on theinternational stage and are being recognized for their remarkable leadershipachievements,” says Tina Portillo, president of AMA Toronto, the association that runsCMHOL. “Through the Marketing Hall of Legends, their career stories are celebrated toinspire us, share wisdom, and ultimately help empower new leadership and businessgrowth throughout our community.”

Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends

honours the industry’s most inspiring visionaries,enablers, builders and mentors who’ve had tremendous impact on the field of marketing throughout their careers. They have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of excellence in the field of marketing About AMA Toronto The Toronto Chapter of the American Marketing Association ( AMA Toronto) is a community of volunteer marketers who have been empowering leadership and business growth for more than 70 years in Canada. The AMA, with more than 30,000 membersand70chaptersacrossNorthAmerica About Balmoral Multicultural Marketing For 33 years, Balmoral Multicultural Marketing has been helping both leading Canadian and international brands, companies and government organizations generate growth and connections in new markets by cultivating relationships with this country’s ever-growing multicultural communities. From research and strategic planning to creative advertising, community outreach, events and PR, Balmoral offers full multicultural marketing services.

Balmoral has offices in Toronto, Mumbai, Shanghai and Dubai. For more information, please visit: www.balmoralmkt.com.

Liberals looking at Canada Health Act to ensure abortion right protected: Trudeau Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is looking at using legislation to ensure a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion will be permanently protected in Canada.Trudeau spoke to reporters before the Liberals’ weekly caucus meeting in Ottawa. He says the ministers of health and the status of women are tasked with looking at the existing laws around abortion to make sure the rights of women are protected both now and under any future governments.

During the election, the Liberals promised to introduce regulations under the Canada Health Act to ensure abortion services were clearly medically necessary and to be publicly funded. His comment comes two days after an unprecedented leak of a draft decision from the United States Supreme Court that would strike down the right to legal abortions in that country and leave it up to state governments to make abortion laws. Abortion is decriminalized in Canada because of a 1988 Supreme Court decision here.

Financial intelligence agency highlights criminal risks of underground banking Canada’s financial intelligence agency is warning that unregistered money-transfer services are ripe for abuse by criminals trying to launder cash and fund terrorist activities.

In a new advisory on the risks of underground banking, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, known as Fintrac, says everyone from students to seniors could be duped into helping disguise shady cash through such services.

Fintrac identifies money linked to illicit activities by electronically sifting millions of pieces of information each year from money-services businesses, banks, insurance companies, securities dealers, real estate brokers, casinos and others.

In turn, it discloses intelligence to police and other law-enforcement agencies about the suspected cases.

The new advisory cites trends and patterns from Fintrac’s analysis of transactionsanddisclosurestoenforcement

agencies related to underground banking.

It focuses on unregistered moneyservices businesses primarily in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area, and to a lesser extent in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor.

Many people in Canada use money services, which often operate outside the conventional banking system, to send cash abroad. Benefits can include lower fees and exchange rates, quicker transactions and the ability to move funds to places that lack formal banking services.

These businesses might operate within diaspora populations, providing informal transfer services to community members and expatriate workers, the advisory notes. Sometimes no cash is actually transferred, with intermediaries settling accounts through various other means.

Individuals and organizations that offer such money services must register with Fintrac and can face administrative or criminal penalties for not doing so.

Saturday, May 7, 2022

South Asian teen charged in murder of 30-year-old woman in London, Ontario Police in London, Ontario say they have charged a South Asian teen Ammar Patel, 18, from Toronto in connection with the murder of a young woman back in September.

The victim in the case, 30-year-old Lynda Marques, was ambushed and fatally shot as she returned to her home on Wateroak Drive in North London at around 7:55 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2021. Investigators previously said that three suspects arrived at the home minutes earlier in a black 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. Two suspects exited the vehicle and each fired multiple shots into Marques’ vehicle as it sat in the driveway and then got back in the car and fled the scene, police said. The entire incident was captured on surveillance cameras. After the shooting emergency crews rushed Marques to hospital,

where she died of her injuries. Police would not say if anyone else was in the vehicle or at home when Marques was shot and they have not described a possible motive so far. Friends previously said, that Marques was kind and smart, that she worked as a nurse and had recently opened her own botox clinic.Speaking with reporters at a news conference Wednesday, Acting Detective Inspector Alex Krygsman said police are “looking at all the possibilities.” “Why this happened to Lynda forms a central part of our investigation,” Krygsman said. The suspect vehicle was found abandoned in London on Sept. 15. Police said they determined that it had been stolen from Bluffers Park in Scarborough on Sept. 5, five days before the murder.

160 homes evacuated as crews battle large apartment fire in Abbotsford Dozens of people have been evacuated from their homes in Abbotsford after a large fire broke out in an apartment building early Tuesday.

Crews were called to the 30500-block of Cardinal Avenue just after 6 a.m Abbotsford Fire Rescue Services said.

About four hours after the blaze broke out, Chief Darren Lee said 51 firefighters, including crews from Langley and Mission, were still working to control the fire that forced people in 160 units, as well as neighbouring homes and businesses, to evacuate.

“We’re going to have a fair amount of folks displaced,” said Lee. Abbotsford Fire Chief Darren Lee says

many people have been displaced due to the blaze, including residents of 160 units, as well as half a dozen homes on the north side of the complex and a handful of businesses on the west side. He said firefighters were still working at around 10 a.m. to put out pockets of flames on the roof and contain the spread on upper floors of the building. They were also trying to rescue pets still trapped inside.

Police are asking residents who have been displaced to check in at a reception centre set up at Northview Church at 32040 Downes Rd. Lee said once people have checked in, the process can begin to get them some emergency support.

A Proclamation

ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

To all to whom these presents shall come – Greeting WHEREAS the diverse cultural, ethnic, racial and religious heritage of British Columbians is a fundamental characteristic of this society and contributes greatly to life in the province, and WHEREAS on May 23, 1914, three hundred and seventy-six British subjects from India of Sikh, Muslim and Hindu origin arrived in Vancouver Harbour aboard the Komagata Maru, which was docked in the Burrard Inlet with passengers seeking to enter Canada, and WHEREAS on July 23, 1914, the Komagata Maru was forced to leave as a result of the discriminatory “Continuous Journey” regulation enacted by the Government of Canada, without allowing the passengers to disembark, and upon their return to India, 19 passengers were killed and others imprisoned, and WHEREAS on May 23, 2008, by request on behalf of the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society, the British Columbia Legislative Assembly stood together to formally apologize to passengers on the Komagata Maru and their families, stating that “the House deeply regrets that the passengers, who sought refuge in our country and our province, were turned away without benefit of the fair and impartial treatment befitting a society where people of all cultures are welcomed and accepted,” and WHEREAS the government of British Columbia is committed to continuously challenging and addressing discrimination, unconscious bias, racism and hate in this society, and Komagata Maru Remembrance Day is an opportunity for British Columbians to reflect on historic injustices while raising awareness about the many forms of discrimination and inequality disproportionately suffered by racialized communities; NOW KNOW YE THAT We do by these presents proclaim and declare that May 23, 2022, shall be known as

“Komagata Maru Remembrance Day” in the Province of British Columbia.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent and the Great Seal of Our Province of British Columbia to be hereunto affixed.

WITNESS, The Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of Our Province of British Columbia, in Our City of Victoria, in Our Province, this twenty-eighth day of April, two thousand twenty-two and in the seventy-first year of Our Reign.

BY COMMAND.

______________________________________

______________________________________

Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing (counter signature for the Great Seal)

Lieutenant Governor

11

BC Mayors launch probe to crack down on repeat offenders & random attacks The B.C. government has launched an investigation into a surge in crime connected to repeat offenders in the province.The province, in co-operation with the BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus, has hired two experts to investigate and report on prolific offenders and random violent attacks.

The investigation will be led by health researcher and criminologist Amanda Butler, and former Vancouver deputy police chief Doug LePard.

In April, B.C.’s urban mayors sent detailed information to the province on shifting crime patterns during the pandemic that were particularly hurting downtown retail areas.

“Simply because we are compassionate, concerned and taking action on mental health and addiction issues does not mean that we have to accept criminal behaviour, vandalism, or violence in our communities,” Attorney General David Eby said Thursday.

This investigation and recommendation structure are similar to actions taken by the province to address money laundering, as well as the financial crisis at ICBC. The report is scheduled to be returned to the province within 120 days.

If investigators come up with possible solutions while conducting their work, they

can bring those forward early and the province will consider immediate implementation. As part of the investigation, specific proposals already received by the government will be considered for both effectiveness, and the feasibility of their implementation.

“We know that some, not all, prolific offenders experience mental health and substanceuse challenges, and for these individuals, a path to care and treatment is needed to address the root cause of the problem,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said.

“It will be through courageous leadership and the continued co-operation of all levels of government that solutions of adequate care and consequences will address prolific-offender crime in our cities.”

Click to play video: ‘Vancouver’s top cop wants better provincial response to social issues fuelling public safety concerns’ 2:24 Vancouver’s top cop wants better provincial response to social issues fuelling public safety concerns Vancouver’s top cop wants better provincial response to social issues fuelling public safety concerns Since 2017, there has been an increase of 118 per cent in the amount of time the province takes to review files it receives from police.

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12

Star & Style

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Shah Rukh Khan greets cheering fans outside his Mannat home on Eid day

Shah Rukh Khan greeted fans on Eid at Mannat after two years. The actor shared pictures. He also gave his signature pose and clicked selfies with fans. Watch video here.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday greeted his fans, stationed outside his Mumbai residence Mannat, on the occasion of Eid. Taking to Twitter, Shah Rukh shared two selfies with hundreds of his fans waving as they stood near Mannat. Shah Rukh captioned the post, “How lovely to meet you all on Eid…. May

Allah bless you with love happiness and may the best of your past be the worst of your future. Eid Mubarak!!” Actor Salman Khan too greeted fans from the balcony of his Bandra home on Tuesday evening on Eid day.

Kiara Advani on doing Hindi remakes of South Indian films Kiara Advani is one of the most popular choices for filmmakers today. The actor, who has recently appeared in superhit Hindi films like Lust Stories, Kabir Singh and Shershaah among others, has also done a Telugu film.

While Kiara has been a part of a remake before, she now feels that she will think twice before doing remakes in the future, as most of the films are available on several streaming platforms for audience to watch. Asked whether we will see less Hindi remakes of popular

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South titles given how well the dubbed versions of the originals are doing, the actor said, “I don’t agree with the fact that Bollywood is backing on south for content.

I feel like, sometimes, a small film which is like a gem, that is made in a certain language that has a potential to probably reach a wider audience, tends to be made in a language that (may not reach a pan Indian audience). Hindi is so widely spoken over our country, that you think, like, why not make this film for a larger audience?!”

13

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Shehnaaz ’s ‘closeness’ with Salman sister’s Eid party triggers frenzy on social media Shehnaaz Gill was one of the many stars at Salman Khan’s sister Arpita Khan’s Eid party.

She remained in limelight along with Salman Khan during the whole party.

Shehnaaz Gill is reportedly set to make her grand debut in Bollywood with Salman Khan’s ‘Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali’.

The actress joined Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Karisma Kapoor, Sidharth

Malhotra and Kangana at the celebrations.

However, what caught attention of fans was the seeming ease with which Shehnaaz handled herself when it came to a big celebration event. She was heard on camera telling Salman Khan ‘chhod ke aao mujhe’ (see me off) at the party.

The frenzied fans didn’t waste a minute to react.

Yash’s film beats RRR, becomes 2nd highest-grosser in India Yash’s KGF: Chapter 2 is breaking new records with every passing day. The Prashanth Neel-directorial has successfully surpassed Jr NTR-Ram Charan’s RRR’s lifetime collection in India. Today, KGF: Chapter 2 is the second highestgrosser in India after Baahubali: The Conclusion. KGF 2 is now inching closer to the Rs 1100 crore-mark worldwide.

KGF: Chapter 2 has been topping the box office for three consecutive weeks. The film, which hit the theatres on April 14, and has

been enjoying a dream run at the box office.

KGF: Chapter has shattered more records now.

According to trade analyst Manobala Vijayabalan, KGF: Chapter 2 surpassed RRR’s lifetime collection to become the second highest grossing Indian film. The first position belongs to SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Conclusion.

The film collected a whopping Rs 1065.52 crore at the worldwide box office in 20 days. It is now marching towards Rs 1100 crore milestone.

Hema Malini wears garland, sits next to Dharmendra on their wedding day Actor Hema Malini wore a garland and sat next to her husband, actor Dharmendra in a throwback picture from their wedding day.

Cinephile’s Instagram account Bollywood Nostalgia shared the old photo clicked on May 2, 1980. In the picture, the couple is seen sitting on the floor along with two priests while a woman stood near Hema. Hema wore a dark saree with a matching blouse as she smiled at someone behind the camera.

Dharmendra opted for white ethnic wear as he sat beside Hema. The actor was looking at a lunch box near him.

Several utensils and lunch boxes were kept on the floor as they sat down for their meal. While one of the priests was seen having food, the other was about to start his meal. The caption of the post read, “Dharmendra & Hema, May 2, 1980.” It also added an anecdote shared by Hema on Indian Idol 12 last year. “Usually my mother or my aunt used to accompany me on shoots but during the shoot of one of the songs, my father accompanied me. He was worried that I and Dharam ji shouldn’t spend some

time alone as he knew we were friends. I remember this when we used to travel in a car, my father used to immediately sit next to me. But even Dharam ji was no less. He used to sit in the next seat,” read the caption.

Hema and Dharmendra celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary on Monday. On Instagram, Hema shared their picture together. She captioned the post, “Our wedding anniversary today. I thank God for all these years of happiness, our darling children and grandchildren, our well-wishers everywhere! I feel truly blessed. #anniversary #happyanniversary.”

14

Real Estate

Saturday, May 7, 2022

A standard house costs almost twice as much in Canada as in USA Since 2020, Canada’s home prices have risen 30 per cent, a boom that’s been “nothing short of stunning,” Robert Hogue was quoted in Fortune as saying.

In Vancouver and Toronto, it would take the average household saving ten per cent of their income for 431 months and for 340 months, respectively, to put together a minimum down payment on a non-condo home, according to the National Bank of Canada.

It’s a lack of supply, not investors, that has resulted in Canada’s housing crisis, writes Ginny Roth. Municipal politicians are exacerbating

the situation by opposing densification, she says.

Aging in place: How Baby Boomers are breaking Canada’s real estate market Even if both those cities are excluded, the average Canadian home costs 21 per cent more than last year, Fortune points out.

Boosting supply was the centerpiece of the housing plan laid out in the Trudeau government’s spring budget. It said Canada has averaged around 200,000 new housing units annually in recent years and pledged to “double our current rate of new construction over the next decade.”

More than 20% price drop or 40% crash is possible Home price growth could decline a little after the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) second rate hike. The key interest rate is now 1%, following the 50-basis-point increase on April 13, 2022. However, if four or more hikes are still coming until the year-end, prices might finally drop tremendously.

BoC will also end reinvestment and begin quantitative tightening on April 25, 2022.

Because the central bank won’t replace maturing Government of Canada bonds anymore, expect its balance sheet to decline over time.

Furthermore, BoC forecasts the economy to grow by 4.25% this year and then slide to 3.25% and 2.25% in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Assuming the BoC increases its rates six times more (0.25% per hike) in 2022, the benchmark will climb to 2.5%. According to David Doyle, Macquarie Group Head of Economics, the 1.5% increase from April is a headwind for housing activities.

While the housing market contributes significantly to overall economic activity, the BoC had to act aggressively. Besides the increasing risk, the feds warn that inflation could remain well above its 2% target throughout this year. The policymakers expect more normal levels to return in 2024.

Oxford Economics forecasts home prices in Canada to fall 24% by mid-2024. Among the factors that could drive prices down are higher interest rates, a foreign ban on ownership, and anti-speculation policies.

The global forecasting firm said prices could rise further if the above measures fail. More worrisome is that a 40% crash could follow the unsustainable climb and lead to a financial crisis. However, the firm believes that a more than 20% price drop is more likely than a severe correction.

A major problem today is the market imbalance, as demand outpaces supply.

Toronto home sales plunge 27 per cent in April, home prices dip Toronto home prices slid three per cent on a month-over-month basis and sales slowed significantly in April as rising interest rates started to weigh more heavily on the housing market.

While the average home price of $1.254 million was still up 15 per cent from last year, sales were off 41 per cent from last April and down 27 per cent from the month prior, the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board said Wednesday.

“Based on the trends observed in the April housing market, it certainly appears that the Bank of Canada is achieving its goal of slowing consumer spending as it fights high inflation,” said TRREB president Kevin Crigger in a press release. “Moving forward, it will be interesting to see the balance the Bank of Canada strikes between combatting inflation versus stunting economic growth and related government revenues as we continue to recover from and pay for pandemic-related programs.”

In its fight against the highest inflation rate in decades, the Bank of Canada has so far raised its key rate 75 basis points to one per cent. These rate increases have started to ripple throughout the mortgage market, raising the cost of borrowing.

However, the tight supply of homes is still expected to put some upward pressure on prices compared to last year.

“Despite slower sales, market conditions remained tight enough to support higher selling prices compared to last year,” said TRREB chief market analyst Jason Mercer

in a release. “However, in line with TRREB’s forecast, there is evidence of buyers responding to increased choice in the marketplace, with the average and benchmark prices dipping month-over-month.”

Mercer added that he anticipates there should be enough buyer competition to keep price growth strong compared to 2021, though the pace of growth will start to moderate over the next few months.

The supply issue is one that Canada’s leading housing authority is looking at. In the first in a series of reports on the topic, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation this week noted that supply was not keeping up with population growth in Canada’s largest cities, particularly in places like Toronto.

The combination of low supply and steady demand from immigration may be one reason not everyone is seeing a slowdown.

Cailey Heaps, president and chief executive officer at Toronto-based Heaps Estrin Real Estate Team told the Financial Post her team is not seeing as great a shift in the market as is suggested in TRREB’s latest findings.

“This is really incongruent with our experience right now,” Heaps said. “We’re not seeing a slowdown to the extent that … this release would have you think.”

Heaps pointed to regional data from Toronto-based firm Realosophy showing the Toronto area seeing a 14 per cent decline in sales from March to April. She added the figures are being skewed by the surrounding 905 region.

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Homebuyers set to lose unprotected deposits of up to $150K after GTA developer refused licences Purchasers put down a combined $5.7 million in deposits across 2 cancelled townhouse projects.

Hasmukh Patel and his wife thought a brand new townhouse in Richmond Hill, Ont., would be the perfect place for them to retire in a few years.

But within a year of signing a pre-construction purchase agreement, the Etobicoke couple’s plan, which included borrowing $250,000 through a line of credit to pay for their deposit, has turned into a nightmare.

The 72-townhouse project — Boss Luxury Towns — from Ideal Developments was cancelled last fall after the developer was charged by Ontario’s Home Construction Regulatory Authority for operating without a licence and was later refused a licence by the provincial oversight body.

Since then, the secured lenders for the project have started a receivership proceeding to sell the development land near Yonge Street and Bond Crescent to recoup their loans. If the sale is approved by the court Tuesday, Patel and other freehold townhouse purchasers were told there likely won’t be any money left over to pay back their deposits.

“I’m basically killed, because what will I do now?” said Patel. “All of my life with my pension money, with my wife’s pension money, everything will be going to the bank.”

The 61-year-old is one of 29 purchasers who CBC News has confirmed put down a combined $5.7 million in deposits across two cancelled townhouse projects from Ideal Developments

where construction never started.

Their individual deposits range from $120,000 to $250,000.

The group of buyers stands to collectively lose $2.8 million because Ontario’s home warranty program only protects a maximum of $100,000 for freehold home deposits — and unlike with condos, the developer isn’t required to hold deposits in trust.

For Patel, that could mean losing $150,000 and delaying his retirement indefinitely.

“My wife can’t work. I have to do something,” Patel told CBC News. “Every month, I’m paying $700 interest for the money I borrowed from the bank.”

In an email, Ideal Developments’ founder Shajiraj Nadarajalingam told CBC News the developer couldn’t comment for this story because matters relating to the properties are before the courts.

“I will say that we will continue to do whatever we can reasonably do to assist the purchasers with respect to their interests in the subject properties,” said Nadarajalingam.

Boss Luxury Towns, a 72-townhouse project from Ideal Developments, was cancelled last fall after Ontario’s Home Construction Regulatory Authority refused to grant the builder a licence. (Ideal Developments) It used to be uncommon for preconstruction projects to collapse, but it’s happening more and more often because the Greater Toronto Area’s red-hot real estate market has enticed new developers into the

Real Estate

15

Real estate slowdown could bring more certainty to BC market, experts say As housing sales across the Lower Mainland declined in April for the second straight month, some experts say the slowdown could bring more stability to the market.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver reported home sales dropped 25 per cent from the month before. The decrease is quite pronounced in the Fraser Valley, where home sales dropped 36.6 per cent from March to April.

AdilDinani,whoisarealtorinMetroVancouver with Royal LePage West, said the slowdown is healthy after the red-hot market of 2021.

“We’re going from an overheated market to what I would argue is now more of a balanced, normalized market environment.”

For the past two years, homes in the Lower Mainland have been selling quickly and well above the asking price with multiple offers on the table, according to Dinani.

Dinani is now spending more time educating sellers on the shifting market and ensuring homes are priced accordingly.

“We were in a marketplace 12 months ago that was uncomfortable for us as practitioners, was uncomfortable for purchasers and was somewhat uncertain for sellers.”

The slowdown is seen across the province, with the British Columbia Real Estate Association reporting house sales in the province dropping 24.1 per cent in March 2022 compared to March 2021.

Dinani said the dip in sales presents a good opportunity for buyers, who have been dealing with a fiercely competitive market for the past few years.

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“Frustrating and disillusioning” After a three-yearlong search, Port Alberni resident Michael Huber and his wife are in the final stages of buying their first home.

Huber said the process of looking for a home was “very frustrating and disillusioning.”

Huber and his wife, who are expecting their first child in the coming weeks, said affordability was part of the reason they decided to move to Port Alberni.

“I’m 42 years old and I’ve been saving up for a long time. I didn’t know that I would actually have the opportunity one day, given the real estate market,” said Huber.

In their search, they encountered many homes with structural damage or homes that required up to $100,000 in necessary repairs to make the house liveable.

Huber said buyers were snatching up these homes and even fighting over them, with bids well over the asking price.

“I felt like I was being cheated.”

The Port Alberni home Michael and Elsa Huber purchased for $600,000. The house is 1,887 square feet with four bedrooms and one bathroom and a half finished basement.

(Photo submitted by Michael Huber) Huber said to get their home, they skipped a home inspection because they knew their offer would not have been accepted.

They paid $51,000 over the asking price.

“We just did our very best at getting educated in what seems like a good enough deal and what isn’t going to crumble below our feet,” said Huber.

16

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Delhi recorded 1,365 COVID-19 cases and zero fatality due to the infection on Thursday, while the positivity rate was 6.35 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

A total of 21,501 tests were conducted in the city on Wednesday, it stated.

With the new cases, the national capital’s overall COVID-19 infection tally rose to 18,89,769, while the death toll remained at 26,177, the data showed.

Delhi had reported 1,354 cases with a

Delhi records 1,365 COVID-19 cases positivity rate of 7.64 per cent and one fatality due to the disease on Wednesday. On Tuesday, it had reported 1,414 cases with a positivity rate of 5.97 per cent and one death due to the disease.

The city had on Monday reported 1,076 cases with a positivity rate of 6.42 per cent. On Sunday, it saw 1,485 cases as the positivity rate stood at 4.89 per cent.

There are 5,746 active cases in the national capital, down from 5,853 the previous day.

The number of containment zones has

risen to 1,473 from 1,343 on Wednesday, the data shared in a bulletin showed.

The hospitalisation rate has so far been low, accounting for less than three per cent of the total number of active cases, it stated.

Currently, 192 COVID-19 patients are admitted in Delhi hospitals, while 4,189 are recuperating in home-isolation, the bulletin stated.

address the meeting via video conference.

“Several programs have already been assigned to several office-bearers and committees have been formed to reach out to the public with the achievements of the Narendra Modi government over the past eight years. The BJP will also take a stock of several ongoing programs and further programs that can be lined up for the people,” sources said.

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Of the 9,593 beds for COVID-19 patients in various hospitals, only 208 (2.17 per cent) are occupied, it stated.

The spurt in COVID-19 cases and the test positivity rate in Delhi over the last few weeks does not suggest the onset of a new wave, but people should keep basic mitigation measures in place to prevent the spread of the infection, experts have said.

Indian power plants running out of coal

BJP to chalk out plans for outreach program on achievements of Modi govt in upcoming meeting in Jaipur Ahead of the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its upcoming meeting at Jaipur will chalk out plans to reach out to the people to make them aware of the NDA government’s achievements in the past eight years.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Rajasthan’s Jaipur on May 20 and 21, according to sources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

Shiv Sena targets BJP on nightclub video Even as Rahul Gandhi faced BJP’s ire after a video emerged in which he was seen at a Nepal nightclub, Shiv Sena threw its weight behind the former Congress president. Penning an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Thursday, Executive Editor Sanjay Raut lamented that the level of politics has deteriorated to such an extent that is deemed unacceptable for a politician to have his private life. Maintaining that Gandhi was not responsible for the violence that broke out in Jodhpur on the eve of Eid which left some persons injured, he accused BJP of distracting attention from the real issues. He added, “There is a coal shortage in the country. There is darkness in many states owing to the shortage of electricity.

The business community is getting affected due

to this. Is Rahul Gandhi who went to a nightclub in Nepal responsible for this? The rich people who are supporters of BJP have converted the country into a private club. Is the nightclub in Nepal responsible if the country’s public property is sold to industrialists?” On Tuesday, BJP leader Tajinder Pal Bagga shared a video of Rahul Gandhi partying abroad hours after Congress took a dig at PM Modi for his visit to Europe.

The video showed the Wayanad MP partying along with another person at a nightclub believed to be in Kathmandu. He was criticised

by BJP for his absence from the country at a juncture when tensions have erupted in Jodhpur and Congress is facing an existential crisis.

Why India’s real Covid-19 toll may never be known Excess deaths are a simple measure of how many more people are dying than expected compared with previous years. Although it is difficult to say how many of these deaths were due to Covid, they can be considered a measure of the scale and toll of the pandemic.

India has officially recorded more than half a million deaths due to the novel coronavirus until now. It reported 481,000 Covid deaths between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, but the WHO’s estimates put the figure at nearly 10 times as many. They suggest India accounts for almost a third of Covid deaths globally.

So India is among the 20 countries representing approximately 50% of the global population - that account for over 80% of the

estimated global excess mortality for this period.

Almost half of the deaths that until now had not been counted globally were in India.

A woman mourns with her son after her husband died due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outside a mortuary of a COVID-19 hospital in Ahmedabad, India, April 20, 2021.Image source, Reuters Its absence from global databases such as the World Mortality Dataset means that the only national numbers the country has are modelbased estimates of all-cause excess deaths. (These models have looked at state-level civil registration data, a global burden of disease study, mortality reported by an independent private polling agency, and other Covid-related parameters.)

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

Kejriwal slammed for going back on free electricity promise Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is facing condemnation for his latest U-turn on providing free electricity people of Delhi as his critics called him the B team of the RSS. In a LIVE video on Twitter, Kejriwal said, “Today, the Delhi government’s cabinet took an important decision.

From time to time, we receive suggestions and feedback from people. They say ‘it’s good that you give us free electricity. But some of us are capable and we don’t want free electricity. We don’t want your subsidy.’ So now we’ve decided that we will provide options.”

Kejriwal said that his government will only provide subsidy to those who wil ask for it. “If they say that they don’t want it, then we will not give them,” Kejriwal added.

The new measures will be implemented from 1 October this year.

Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party had won elections in Delhi on the promise of providing free water and electricity with considerably

subsidised rates. He sold his so-called Delhi model to repeat the same ‘free’ promise to voters in Punjab, where his party won a historic landslide in this year’s assembly polls.

Kejriwal’s critics, who’ve often accused of being the B team of the RSS, wasted no time in launching an attack on him for his latest U-turn. Rohan Gupta of the Congress tweeted, “RSS’ B team is also on the A team’s path. Free promise before elections, change of mind after elections.”

Kejriwal’s U-turn is also similar to the one announced by the Narendra Modi government on providing cooking gas with subsidy. Modi had first announced that subsidy on cooking gas will be provided to those, who will demand it. But, the Modi government soon took away the subsidy on cooking gas even from those, who never asked to purchase the LPG on non-subsidised rates.

Jet Airways takes to skies again after 3-year gap on its 29th birthday Jet Airways took to the skies again on Thursday after a gap of three years.

It had ceased operations in April 2019 after experiencing financial difficulties.

A video has been shared by Jet Airways on its official Twitter handle which shows the plane taking off.

“Today, May 5, our 29th birthday, Jet Airways flew again! An emotional day for all of us who have been waiting, working, and praying for this day, as well as for Jet’s loyal customers who can’t wait for Jet to commence operations again,” the accompanying tweet said.

This was a testing flight to ensure the aircraft’s safety.

The video has received over 1,000 likes and over 14,000 views on Twitter.

“That’s so awesome. prayers have been answered. History in making,” a user wrote.

“So, you guys commenced operations ?? I am really happy to see that back on track,” another user commented on the post.

The CEO of Jet Airways also re-tweeted the same post with caption, “A very emotional moment for all the wonderful folks who have been working hard to get Jet back in the skies. This was a test flight, not a proving flight. The aircraft will position to Delhi this evening. Proving flight to be scheduled in the coming days from Delhi.”

Last month, Jet Airways posted a photo of the “first intake of cabin crew” on Twitter. In the accompanying caption, it said, “The crew who will be part of creating history as they prepare to operate our proving flights soon.

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Russia-Ukraine war making Indians poorer and hungrier Meena Chaudhary often visits the local market late in the evening when vendors are busy wrapping up makeshift stalls and vegetables are sold at throwaway prices. The quality is run-down but that hardly matters. It is one of the many tricks the 48-year-old homemaker uses to deal with soaring food prices.

In the Chaudhary family, diets have changed dramatically over the past two years. A litre of cooking oil is used with utmost caution so that it lasts about two weeks, halving consumption, milk is an occasional delicacy, and fruits and meats are out of reach. Even the humble egg has disappeared from the ever-shrinking menu.

“When my daughter goes for her beautician training classes, she is ashamed to carry a lunchbox from home as her friends might find out what we are eating,” Chaudhary

said sitting in a tiny apartment in south Delhi’s Jagdamba camp where she lives with her husband and three grown-up children.

The most noticeable effect of falling earnings dented by inflation has been on household diets, said Dipa Sinha, an assistant professor at Delhi’s Ambedkar University. According to Sinha, who is also part of a pan-India Right to Food campaign led by civil society groups, families are not only eating less but are also eating fewer items, resulting in declining dietary diversity and nutritional outcomes.

“Our field surveys show that most families have drastically reduced consumption of pulses, oils, proteins and perishables which are beyond their budgets. They are increasingly falling back on the federal government-run food subsidy scheme”, which is cereal-heavy.

Amit Shah vows to implement CAA once ‘Covid wave’ ends, Mamata says BJP playing ‘one-sided game’ India’s Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday reignited the debate over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during a visit to West Bengal, saying the controversial law will be implemented after the “Covid wave” ends.

“The Trinamool Congress is spreading rumours about CAA — that it won’t be implemented on the ground. I would like to say

that we will implement it [CAA] after the Covid wave ends. The CAA was, is and will be a reality,” Amit Shah said during a BJP rally in north Bengal’s Siliguri district.

This is the Union home minister’s first visit to West Bengal since Mamata Banerjee rode to power for a third consecutive term as chief minister in 2021.

Police officer accused of raping 13-year-old girl who went to his station to report she had been gang-raped A police officer in India has been arrested after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl who went to his station to report she had been gang-raped.

The alleged incident is the latest to spotlight the high levels of sexual violence in the world’s largest democracy, where a woman is raped every 18 minutes on average.

The girl is also a member of India’s Dalit community, which has long suffered from marginalization and violence at the hands of higher castes while getting little help from police.

According to her father, she was gang-raped by four men last month over several days.

But when she attempted to file a

complaint last week, the station house officer in charge raped her, according to an NGO now providing her with counseling.

Police said the officer was arrested on Wednesday along with four other people and the girl’s aunt, who was reportedly inside the station house room when she was attacked.

Twenty-nine other officials present at the police station in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh at the time of the alleged assault have been suspended from duty.

News of the incident has triggered outrage on social media.

“If police stations are not safe for women, then where will they go to complain?”

Driver grows garden on his autorickshaw roof to beat the heat Yellow and green autorickshaws are ubiquitous on New Delhi’s roads but Mahendra Kumar’s vehicle stands out -- it has a garden on its roof aimed at keeping passengers cool during the searing summer season. Kumar says the thick patch of green keeps the vehicle cool even when temperatures are touching 45

degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in the Indian capital, enough to melt the tar on roads. Kumar, 48, has grown over 20 varieties of shrubs, crops and flowers, attracting commuters and passers-by who stop to click selfies and photos of the unique “moving garden”.

With repo rate hike, RBI has done what’s necessary The RBI has decided to take the bull by the horns. It has raised the repo rate by 40 basis points and the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basis points to fight inflation. We believe these simultaneous policy announcements of adjusting both the rate and quantum of liquidity is a clever ploy. Interestingly, research clearly shows that the credibility and reputation of

the central bank is best recognised only when the market response to central bank liquidity operations is stronger. To that extent, the RBI seems to have killed two birds with one stone and has emerged stronger as an inflation targeting central bank. In fact, the surprise mid-term announcement by the RBI Governor today is a clear departure from past practices.

Delhi airport now the second busiest airport in the world: OAG Delhi airport has also made the biggest leap from 23rd position in April 2019 to the second spot in March 2022.

Delhi airport has been ranked as the second busiest airport globally in March 2022 in terms of seat capacity and frequency of domestic and international flights, stated travel data provider Official Airline Guide (OAG). This recovery of passenger and flight traffic comes after the aviation sector took a massive dip in the two years of the COVID-19

pandemic. Aviation sectors have slowly started showing signs of recovery in 2022.

Delhi airport is second to only Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to service 3,611,181 seats. Atlanta HartsfieldJackson International Airport serviced 4,422,436 seats. Dubai International Airport was third in line with 3,554,527 seats, followed by London Heathrow Airport with 3,510,941 seats, Dallas Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with 3,460,566 seats,

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

Punjab Punjab govt seeks applications for more than 26,000 jobs Two days after the Aam Aadmi Party government approved the filling of 26,454 vacancies in various government departments, the government has sought applications from people. The applicants can apply for jobs on the portals of Punjab State Subordinate Services Selection Board, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and Punjab Public Service Commission, or on portals of the various departments.

Vacancies in 25 government

departments have been advertised.

The highest number of jobs, which the government wants to fill, are in the police department (10,314), followed by education (6,452) and health and family welfare (2,188).

With this, the party claimed to have made first beginnings for fulfilling its “guarantee” to the people of Punjab for creating employment avenues here and thus stopping the massive brain drain from the state. In their election campaign.

After pension cut, former Punjab MLAs asked to vacate govt houses After the Aam Aadmi Party stormed to power in Punjab in March, CM Bhagwant Mann-led government in the state started adopting several cost-cutting measures.

CM Bhagwant Mann revised the pension formula for Punjab MLAs, restricting eligibility for a pension of only one term.

And now, former MLAs have been asked to vacate flats allotted by the government.

The MLAs and ministers who were allotted

accommodation by the previous government are reportedly not ready to vacate the flats even after losing the state assembly elections.

Among the MLAs who have been asked to vacate the houses is also former Punjab chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. She has been asked by the General Administration department to vacate the sector -2 house allotted to her by the previous government.

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal finished third.

Punjab-based 4 terror suspects arrested from Haryana In a major success, the Karnal police on Thursday arrested four Punjab-based terror suspects from the Bastara toll plaza here.

The terror suspects travelling on a Toyota Innova SUV were on their way to Adilabad in Telangana to deliver a consignment of explosives, said Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia.

Hours later, the Ludhiana police “raided” the house one of the accused, a BCA dropout.

The suspects were in touch with a Pakistan-

based man who used to send locations to them to deliver explosives and weapons, said the SP. Harvinder Singh alias Rinda used to drop weapons and explosives in Ferozepur with the help of drones, police said.

Investigation was on to ascertain the terrorist group they were associated with, said the SP. The suspects have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, Parminder Singh, Amandeep Singh; all three from Ferozepur; and Bhupinder Singh from Ludhiana.

Pakistan Imran Khan says ‘enemies paid his second wife to write a book Without naming his second wife Reham in an attack, former PM Imran Khan alleged that Sharif family “paid a woman” to write a book against him during the 2018 General Elections. He claimed that the “mafia” is once again attempting his character assassination and may release something after Eid. He said: “They are the people who paid a woman to write a book against me in the 2018 elections. They will once again go for my character assassination after Eid. For them I have a message, I will fight against them as long as I am alive.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s former wife Reham later took to Twitter to reply, “Please ask him how much did they pay me to marry him? To put up with him for a year? And how much did they pay him to pursue me relentlessly!! Paranoia is a disease!!”

Reham, a former journalist, published a book titled ‘Reham Khan’ on her life and struggles and a major portion of it was Imran Khan and sensational revelations about the former Pakistan PM, regarding his spirituality, strong belief in black magic, etc.

Cash-strapped Pakistan gets USD 8 billion in financial support from Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia agreed to pay Pakistan with “sizeable package” of $8Billon to help cash-starved country bolster dwindling forex reserves and revive its ailing economy, a media report said on Sunday.

Pakistan faced growing economic challenges, with high inflation, sliding forex reserves, a widening current account deficit and a depreciating currency.

Pakistan secured the deal during the visit of interim PM Shehbaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia.

The financial package includes doubling of

the oil financing facility, additional money either through deposits or Sukuks and rolling over of the existing USD 4.2 billion facilities., The News newspaper reported.

“However, technical details are being worked out and it will take a couple of weeks to get all documents ready,” the report said, citing top official sources privy to the development.

Prime Minister Sharif and his official entourage have left Saudi Arabia but Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail is still in the Gulf country to finalise the modalities of the financial package.

Pakistan’s economy is on the brink Pakistan is in political and economic chaos.

Its most populous province, Punjab, was without a government for almost a month because the governor, who was appointed by former prime minister Imran Khan, had refused to administer an oath to the newly elected chief minister of the province. The president, Arif Alvi, a member of Khan’s party, is backing the Punjab governor’s actions.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen sharply in the past two months. The new government hopes to stop the bleeding with an enhanced IMF package and more short-term loans from China and Saudi Arabia. Supplies of electricity to households and industry have been cut as the cash-strapped country can no longer afford to buy coal or natural gas from overseas to fuel its power plants.

FIJI Former Fiji man donates 100k to his primary school in Nadi A former Fiji citizen still has a soft spot for his birth country despite starting a new chapter and making a living in Canada more than 30 years ago.

Binay Prakash has over the years continued to visit Fiji to give back to where it all began for him—Malamala Public School in Nadi.

Prakash recently donated $100,000 to build a new school hall and other amenities.

Article continues after advertisement “It’s a special connection, you got to

understand that your life starts from somewhere and obviously when it was my childhood this is the school I went to and its special and i’m still attached to it. I bring kids here to show them where we got our primary education.”

In fond memories of growing up in the area, Prakash recalled the days when he would at times walk to school on the dusty gravel road with his friends.

34 new COVID-19 cases since Monday The Ministry of Health has recorded 34 new cases of COVID-19 since Monday which includes 25 cases in the Central Division.

8 cases were recorded in the Western Division while 1 case was recorded in the North.

21 cases were recorded on Wednesday.

Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong says while there is a low positivity rate among arrivals in the

country, they are seeing positive arrivals.

Dr Fong says for the positive cases among arrivals, existing protocols have been instituted to ensure travelers that return positive COVID-19 test results follow protocols and isolate for the required 7 days.

As of yesterday, a total of 125,039 Fijians have received their booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Man files case in High Court following tdeath of his mother after surgery A man has filed a case in the Labasa High Court against the Labasa Hospital and the Attorney General following the death of his mother on Monday after a surgery to remove stones from her gallbladder.

The lawyer of Naleba, Labasa resident Roneel Prakash through documents filed in the court says on or about the 28th of April, Prakash’s 47

year old mother, Kushma Wati was admitted to the Labasa Hospital with a working diagnosis of presence of gall stones in her bladder.

Sushil Sharma says after reading and analyzing x-rays and scans the hospital staff told his mother that the doctors will carry out a surgical operation of the removal of the stones but they failed to explain the pre-surgical and post-surgical procedures.

Khaiyum should listen to legitimate concerns about Fiji’s economy Prominent lawyer, Richard Naidu says Minister for Economy, Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum should listen to the legitimate concerns raised about Fiji’s economy and debt level by economists like Doctor Neelesh Gounder and Professor Wadan Narsey, and respond a little bit more rationally.

Naidu says Doctor Gounder did not say that Fiji was like Sri Lanka and was trying to point out the situation that Sri Lanka was now in and to say there were warning signs for Fiji and we needed to take corrective action accordingly.

He says he does not why SayedKhaiyum is so sensitive to other people commenting on his economic management.

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Saturday, May 7, 2022

Canada Infrastructure Bank must serve people and Press release communities facing greatest impact of the climate crisis

Yesterday, a report from the Parliamentary Committee on Transport Infrastructure and Communities recommended that the government abolish the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB). The Bank has widely been criticized for failing to address the needs of the communities it is supposed to help. While the CIB has received hundreds of project proposals, it has approved very few, neglecting projects which could help people in favor of a privatization agenda that helps maximize corporate profits at the expense of the public interests.

“Canadians are frustrated that the government isn’t investing in the infrastructure that communities desperately need in the face of the climate crisis. With the recommendation to abolish Canada’s Infrastructure Bank from the Transport Committee, the Liberals are at a crossroads because their current approach has failed,” said NDP Critic for Tax Fairness, Niki Ashton. “They have two options, let the Bank wither and die, having accomplished nothing but enrich their wealthy friends, or they can listen to reason, support my bill

and use the Infrastructure Bank to support communities including Indigenous and Northern communities in the fight against climate change.” Ashton’s private member’s bill would change the mandate of the CIB to give priority to investments aimed at mitigating or adapting to climate change for communities who are facing the brunt of climate emergencies in Canada—particularly in Northern and Indigenous communities. With Ashton’s changes, the Bank would no longer require a private partner before projects are approved.

“After years of waiting for the CIB to fulfill its promise, Canadians cannot wait any longer. Communities feeling the effects of climate change need to know the government is working to help them build the resiliency they need,” said NDP Critic for Infrastructure and Communities, Bonita Zarrillo. “Justin Trudeau is only protecting corporate interests by keeping the CIB in its current format. Local communities need that funding to meet their climate targets and to respond to increasing climate events happening across this country.”

NDP Media Centre: media@ndp.ca

Bond says British Columbians deserve quick access to medical care

Press release

Opposition Health Critic Shirley Bond is once again sounding the alarm about B.C.’s primary care wait times and an overwhelmed healthcare system in B.C. Speaking in the Legislature, Bond noted that more than 900,000 British Columbians do not have a family doctor or primary care provider.

As a result, people are facing long wait times at walk-in clinics and urgent primary care clinics (UPCCs) — in fact, British Columbia has the longest wait times in the country. When people are unable to get an appointment at a clinic, they are

often forced to visit a hospital emergency room.

Bond said all of these factors are creating stress not only for patients, but for health care

professionals — many of whom are burned out and leaving their profession. She says government needs to increase the number of family doctors in B.C. who choose to practice family medicine, as well as have honest conversations with doctors and develop solutions that will lead to better outcomes for both patients and healthcare professionals.

Toxic drug crisis continues unabated as NDP ignores recommendations Trevor Halford, Official Opposition Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, has released the following statement on the latest BC Coroners Illicit Drug Toxicity report: “Today we learned the tragic news of 165 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths — the second-highest number of deaths ever recorded in the month of March.

“The BC Coroners Service Death Review Panel report, released March 9, 2022,

outlined a 30/60/90-day action plan the NDP government should be following to help stop these deaths yet, inexcusably, the NDP has already missed the first critical deadline.

“I continue to urge the government to immediately accept all twenty-three of the panel’s recommendations and ensure a coherent, province-wide strategy is adopted throughout B.C. so when someone reaches out for help, they can immediately get the services they need.

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Saturday, May 7, 2022 Olympic athletes surprise local Langley school with new breakfast program, courtesy of Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Amazon Meaghan and Charles arrived at the school gym filled with teachers, support staff guests including school officials, Mayor Froese and Mayor Val van den Broek, alongside Amazon delivery drivers carrying Amazon boxes filled with Wish List items for the school. Langley Meadows was one of 196 on the Breakfast Club of Canada’s B.C. waitlist.

Olympic champions Meaghan Mikkelson and Charles Hamelin then spoke to the teachers, sharing words of encouragement and thanking them for their resilience and dedication to their students throughout the pandemic.

“It breaks my heart to think of having to send my child to school hungry,” said Mikkelson. “Knowing that we’re here,

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The surprise was followed by remarks MC’d

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