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Happy Mothers Day Vol 20 - Issue 14
Saturday, May 8, 2021
South Asian man killed in North Delta shooting identified as corrections officer The victim of a shooting Saturday in North Delta has been identified as Bikramdeep Randhawa, a corrections officer who worked at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge. He was gunned down in broad daylight, in what appears to have been a targeted shooting. Randhawa, 29, was a Surrey resident, and was not known to police. He was shot at approximately 5 p.m., near the Scottsdale Centre at 72nd Avenue and 120th Street. “On behalf of the BCGEU I offer my deepest condolences to Bikramdeep Randhawa’s family and friends. We are shocked and devastated at the loss of one of our own,” said union president Stephanie Smith. “While the loss of any member under any circumstances is a tragedy, the public and violent nature of Bikramdeep’s death make this loss immeasurably worse, especially for the members at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre who counted him as a colleague and a friend,” she added. “In the coming days and weeks the BCGEU will be focused on making sure our members are supported as they grieve with Bikramdeep’s loved ones and that our members’ mental, emotional, and physical safety are a priority going forward.” Insp. Guy Leeson, head of Continued on page 7
Canada will require using a vaccine passport for entry Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu says her government supports the idea of a “vaccine passport” and will come up with a form of vaccine certification to allow vaccinated Canadians to travel internationally. Nearly eight in 10 Canadians (78%) agree (including 56% who strongly agree) that all travelers entering Canada should be required to have a vaccine passport, according to a new Ipsos survey. Comparatively, a smaller majority of Americans (71%) agree that travelers should be required to show a vaccine passport before entering the United States. About three in four (72%) Canadians agree that vaccine passports would be effective
On Monday, a senior official from India’s federal government told journalists that there was no shortage of oxygen in Delhi or anywhere else in the country. As he spoke, several small hospitals only a few miles from where he stood in the capital - were sending out desperate messages about them running out of oxygen, putting patients’ lives at risk. The chief doctor of one of the hospitals - a specialist paediatric facility - told the BBC that “our hearts were in our mouths” because of the risk of children dying.
Who speaks for Surrey? makes up that community. Surrey Board of Trade chief executive Anita Huberman has made this ask for a special Surrey approach to the health ministry and Dr. Bonnie Henry’s office, especially given the increased Continued on page 6
PM Modi slammed for Covid-19 handling amid spiralling crisis India’s hospitals were packed with coronavirus patients, relatives of the sick scrambled to find supplies of oxygen, and nearly full crematoriums worked feverishly to deal with the dead.Yet, despite those clear signs of an overwhelming health
in making travel and large events safe, which is in line with the global average of 73%, and significantly more than in the United States, where 61% agree. “Canadians need to be able to have the right kind of certification for international travel because, as we know, Canadians will want to travel internationally, and they will want to make sure they have the right credentials to do that from a vaccination perspective,” Hajdu said during a recent interview with CBC Radio. Her remarks were in step with those of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who, during a news conference last week, Continued on page 7
How India descended into Covid-19 chaos
Business group calls for Surrey Covid-19 vaccine priority Everyone aged 18 and up in Surrey should get priority access to a COVID-19, says that city’s board of trade. The business group is making that formal request, given Surrey’s virus struggles and the younger demographic that
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crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed ahead with a densely packed campaign rally. “I have never seen such a huge crowd before!” he roared to his supporters in West Bengal state on April 17, before key local elections.
They got supplies just in time, after a local politician intervened. Delhi oxygen crisis deepens as more patients die. Anger rises as Covid rages in Modi’s constituency. And yet, the federal government has repeatedly insisted that there was no shortage. “We are only facing problems in its transportation,” Piyush Goyal, a senior official from India’s home ministry, said. He also advised hospitals to “ensure judicious use of oxygen as per the guidelines”.