U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. attacked Iran. B-2 bombers targeted three nuclear sites. Trump will make a TV address at 7 p.m. (Pacific Time). This has plunged the world into uncertainty. CNN says top democrats on intelligence committees were not briefed before strikes, though Republicans were. U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East region could be targeted by Iran and its proxies.
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Extortion scheme targeting South Asian homebuilders in Edmonton linked to B.C.-based gang, court records show
CBC News reported this week that court records that they obtained show that an extortion scheme that targeted South Asian homebuilders in Edmonton is linked to the Brothers Keepers gang.
CBC said that the agreed facts of the case show that Harpreet Uppal, who was shot dead along with his 11-year-old son in a 2023 shooting was part of the extortion plot.
(The VOICE had reported in November 2023: “Uppal was also targeted two years ago when a man shot at him several times through a window while he was having dinner with his family in a south Edmonton restaurant in October 2021. Uppal sustained several gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. However, his family, including children, staff and other customers were not harmed.)
The agreed statement of facts says Uppal was a member of Brothers Keepers and was a “close associate” of Maninder Dhaliwal, who allegedly orchestrated extortions and arsons from abroad.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) arrested several alleged members of the group running the extortion scheme in July 2024.
(The VOICE in July 2024 had reported: “One female, Jashandeep Kaur, 19, and five males, Gurkaran Singh, 19, Manav Heer, 19, Parminder Singh, 21, Divnoor Asht, 19, and a 17-year-old male are all facing a host of serious criminal charges. Canada-wide warrants have also been issued for Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, 34, who is believed to be the leader of the criminal organization responsible for the extortions. Jointly and individually, the seven accused are facing a total of 54 charges, including extortion, arson, intentionally discharging a firearm, break and enter, assault with a weapon, as well as a number of charges linked to committing an offence for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization.”)
Divnoor Singh Asht pleaded guilty on May 23 to three of the seven charges he faced: arson, extortion and conspiring to commit extortion, CBC News reported.
Asht admitted he was one of the people responsible for “assembling and instructing the lower members of the group to carry out the extortion and related arsons. These actions were based on the direction and instruction of Maninder Dhaliwal and Harpreet Uppal, prior to his death.”
Asht was sentenced to 4½ years in prison.
The agreed facts say some in the group were members of Brothers Keepers, but there’s no evidence that Asht was one of them, CBC News said.
Gurkaran Singh, Manav Heer, Parminder Singh and the 17-year-old boy are still before the courts. The charges against them haven’t been proven. Court records show the charges against the 19-year-old woman were stayed in March, CBC News reported.
CBC News said Dhaliwal was arrested in the United Arab Emirates late last year on separate charges. He has yet to be prosecuted. An extradition request remains in effect to send him back to Canada.
CBC News also reported that court records show Harpreet Uppal was involved in the early days of a scheme where successful Edmonton developers received extortion calls. If they failed to pay, they saw their properties burned down. In some cases, there was gunfire outside their own homes.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Asht is described as one of the “middle managers” in the group who took instructions from higher ranks. He assigned tasks and reported progress. He didn’t directly make threats against the homebuilders, but he was aware of them.
Below Asht were Heer and the youth, who were “largely, but not exclusively, the group’s principal arsonists,” the agreed facts say.
Asht didn’t personally start any of the fires, but his role involved “encouraging and instructing” those who did. He also sometimes scouted locations of possible arson targets and gathered proof that the job was done.
CBC News reported details of some of the extortion cases.
It said that lawyers for the three adults charged in the case — Heer, Gurkaran Singh and Parminder Singh — are set to meet for a procedural pre-trial court appearance later this month.
Indian Summer Festival 2025
Borderless Solidarities
2025 Curatorial Theme
With the closures of thought all around us in an era of hardened borders, resurgent strains of authoritarianism and violent expulsions, the urgency to think and live otherwise intensifies. In an unravelling world, we invoke an audacious and unfashionable idea – an insurgent solidarity that refuses the inertias of this troubled time.
We hold deviously the idea that the world of arts and culture bears the distinctive power to unfold a possible countersignature to the present hour. Through acts of deep hospitality and breathing together, we intend to fracture the inevitability of the inherited storyline and ricochet into public encounters of the possible.
We ask, how can we be together today? What is the time of dreaming? How to amplify the whispered gestures of the periphery? To listen well. To move beyond estrangement. To laugh, to gather, to persist in the face of impunity. To court the ecstatic trance. To disappear and reappear. To reinhabit the capacity to touch and feel. To assemble a brief refuge for the imperishable, a defense of the sensual. A bumpy carriage ride where both tradition and change have room for maneuver. An open door to the stranger, the neighbour and the passerby. Always an insistence on promiscuous alliances and borderless solidarities. To leave open the possibility of the possibility of something new.
Welcome to the Indian Summer Festival 2025. Bring your friends.
- Borderless Solidarities: Storytelling in Ruptured Times
Friday, July 4, 2025
7:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m.
Waterfront Theatre
1412 Cartwright Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/borderless-solidarities
https://www.showpass.com/borderless-solidarities/
Join us as we raise a glass to 15 incredible years of the Indian Summer Festival! We’re kicking off our milestone edition with an intimate evening of contemplation, connection, and celebration.
Borderless Solidarities: Storytelling in Ruptured Times brings together Minelle Mahtani, Adel Iskandar, Baljit Sangra, and Nermin Gogalic; thinkers, writers and artists whose work is rooted in memory, migration, resistance, conflict and the power of narrative to shape how we see ourselves and each other.
It’s an invitation to reflect on the stories we tell, the ones we silence, and the ones that slip through the cracks. From journalism to film to writing, these voices explore how storytelling can open up space for new stories, especially in times of profound rupture.
How do we tell stories across borders? How do we honour complexity without resolution? What if storytelling is less about answers and more about attuning ourselves to deeper questions?
Join us for an evening of critical conversation, a chance to sit with stories that unsettle, illuminate, and expand the sense of what’s possible.
The evening also features a behind the scenes Festival overview with Curator in Residence Am Johal and a complimentary cocktail at our post-talk reception. Expect rich dialogue, old friends, new faces, and that unmistakable Indian Summer warmth.
Let the festivities begin.
- Tell Me
Saturday, July 5, 202512:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 12, 20255:00 p.m.
The Fishbowl on Granville Island
100-1398 Cartwright Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 3T5 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/tell-me
What do you carry that no one sees? What happens when you speak it aloud?
Boca del Lupo’s Micro Performance Series & Indian Summer Festival co-present Tell Me by multimedia artist Anamika Deb from Montreal. The installation opens on July 5th and runs to July 12th at the Fishbowl on Granville Island.
Tell Me is an intimate, interactive installation where you’re invited to enter a quiet space, alone, and share a secret. In return, you’ll hear stories gathered from others who’ve done the same. Their voices, dreams, and confessions create a web of connection, reminding us we’re not as alone as we think.
In a world where borders and division are rising, Tell Me offers a moment of connection. By weaving together individual stories, dreams and secrets, Anamika aims to create a space that reminds us of our shared humanity—our fears, our desires, and our universal longing for a better future.
If you’d like to Participate in building content for this installation before it goes live, you can contribute by creating an audio file! How to Participate:
Anamika describes the process eloquently in her google form she has created for accepting the audio files. Please click this link: https://form.jotform.com/251376788858277
This event is free and does not require advance registration. The experience is for one person at a time, and lasts roughly 5 minutes.
- Dyeing & Dying Exhibit
Saturday, July 5, 202512:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 13, 20257:00 p.m.
Ocean Artworks Pavillion
1531 Johnston Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 3S6 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/dyeing-and-dying
https://www.showpass.com/dyeing-and-dying-exhibit/
Let’s begin at the end.
Dyeing & Dying marks the culmination of Varsha Gill and Shahir Krishna’s 2025 Artist as Healer residency with Indian Summer Festival. This installation emerges from a series of contemplative community workshops about death and dying held in Spring 2025. The workshops welcomed participants into a slow unraveling of their myriad relationships to death, grief, and the things that remain unsaid.
Rooted in somatic facilitation, ritual, and natural textile arts, the Dyeing & Dying installation opens a portal to consider death not only as an end, but also a beginning and an offering—all while being immersed in a spatial sound installation by percussionists Jen Yamakovich and Adrian Avendano.
Together, the Dyeing & Dying workshops and installation explore how contemplative community art and ceremony can weave meaningful connections amidst the isolating forces of our times, helping lighten the weight of the grief we carry. Join us as we traverse a textured landscape of mourning and memory, instilling a sense of wonder toward the question: How might contemplating dying help us tend more fully to living?
The Exhibition is free and does not require advance registration
Dates: Monday, July 7th – Sunday, July 13th
Weekdays: 12:00 – 6:00 p.m
Weekends: 1:00 – 7:00 p.m
We invite you to interact with textile creations, read and write reflections on grief and healing, and encounter a death shroud performance by shibari artist Soya Sabi at the opening reception on Saturday, July 5th from 2-4 p.m
- Today is the evening to strike lightning / Aaj To Bijiliyan Girane Ki Shaam Hai
Saturday, July 5, 2025
7:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m.
Annex
823 Seymour Street Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/lightning
“Whatever the dynamic duo of Justine A. Chambers and Simran Sachar conceive as their first choreographic collaboration will surely be stunning, inventive, challenging and provocative.” — Am Johal, ISF 2025 Curator in Residence
Indian Summer Festival is thrilled to present an original, newly commissioned dance work.
Justine A. Chambers and Simran Sachar’s first choreographic collaboration is an act of devotion that collapses Waacking, choreographic scores, and gestures sourced from memories and images of their mothers dancing. Today is the evening to strike lightning is a poetic consideration of dances past in order to surface what has been submerged over time.
Echoes of joy, resistance, and care are embodied in a tender act of reclamation, a quiet riot against forgetting. Folding the past into the present to make way for something newly possible, here, every step is an offering toward what endures.
Drawing on an invitation from ISF 2025 curator-in-residence Am Johal, Justine A. Chambers and Simran Sachar, in their first choreographic collaboration promise to deliver something distinctive, personal and political to ISF audiences.
This will be a special, intimate evening not to be missed.
- Tiffin Talk: We Carry Her Name – A Gathering of Roots, Restoration, and Rising
Sunday, July 6, 2025
12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.
Ocean Artworks Pavillion
1531 Johnston Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 3S6 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/tiffin-talk-we-carry-her-name
https://www.showpass.com/tiffin-talk-we-carry-her-name/
Presented as part of Indian Summer Festival’s Tiffin Talks series
In the quiet echoes of our hearts and the rhythm of our steps, we carry her—our grandmothers, aunties, mothers, and unnamed matriarchs whose wisdom lives within our breath.
This gathering is a reflection and offering: a space woven by and for Indigenous, Black, South Asian, and gender-expansive people to honor the ancestral lineages that birthed us, carried us, and continue to walk with us.
Facilitated by moderator Suvi Bains, Associate Curator at Surrey Art Gallery and an advocate for cultural inclusivity and representation, the conversation will weave together intergenerational memory, creative expression, and community healing.
Joining her are two incredible artists:
Justine Redila is a multidisciplinary artist and facilitator whose work—deeply inspired by her Filipina grandmothers, one of the first 10 nurses from the Philippines to work in Vancouver—centers creative expression, environmental stewardship, and community connection through inclusive, cross-cultural spaces rooted in art, storytelling, and intergenerational connection
Linsay Willier Kendall, Nehiyo (Cree) and Hungarian from Sucker Creek First Nation, is a trained actor, athlete, and proud mother who transformed her national platform as a finalist on Canada’s Next Top Model into a decade-long career empowering Indigenous youth through self-esteem workshops, community visits, and culturally grounded mentorship.
Together, they invite us to reflect on what has been passed down—through stories, songs, rituals, resilience—and what it means to care for those who came before us by nurturing ourselves and one another.
In this moment of global unrest, disconnection, and resurgence, we gather to understand how to keep generational knowledge alive—how to hold oral histories close and ensure they live on through us. We ask: What empowers us now? How do we rise, rooted? How can we hold space for grief and joy, survival and celebration, memory and imagination?
In a world that too often forgets or fractures us—we choose remembrance and restoration.
After the talk, we will share a warm, nourishing meal served in Indian-style tiffins. Gathered inside the outdoor, covered, Ocean Artworks Pavilion, we reflect, connect, and carry forward the wisdom we’ve inherited.
- Tiffin Talk: IYKYK
Sunday, July 6, 2025
3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
Ocean Artworks Pavillion
1531 Johnston Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 3S6 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/iykyk
https://www.showpass.com/tiffin-talk-iykyk/
Presented as part of Indian Summer Festival’s Tiffin Talks series
What if your first encounter with a work of art is not by looking but listening?
Writer, curator and art historian, Sadia Shirazi leads IYKYK, an intimate Tiffin Talk that begins with a series of readings—inviting us to reimagine how we experience art beyond the gallery wall. The readings will scaffold our discussion of artwork, wall labels, materiality, provenance, language, access, opacity, land, steadfastness, and the intersections of postcolonial and Indigenous cosmologies.
Following the dialogue, enjoy a warm, nourishing Indian lunch served in traditional Indian-style tiffins. Gathered inside the outdoor, covered, Ocean Artworks Pavilion, this event invites you to slow down, share a meal, and rethink how we pay attention.
This event will be Live Captioned, and will include ASL interpretation.
- Tiffin Talk: Artist as Healer
Sunday, July 6, 2025
6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Ocean Artworks Pavillion
1531 Johnston Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 3S6 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/artist-as-healer
https://www.showpass.com/tiffin-talk-artist-as-healer/
Presented as part of Indian Summer Festival’s Tiffin Talks series
How can art hold grief? How can ritual create space for healing, and death deepen our connection to life?
As part of Indian Summer’s 2025 Artist As Healer residency, Varsha Gill and Shahir Krishna led a series of community workshops rooted in slowness, somatic care and ceremony. Blending natural dyeing, mindful movement, slow-textile arts, and ritual, they explored how creative practice can support inner transformation, particularly in relationship to grief, mortality, and dying.
This Tiffin Talk brings their inquiry to the table:
What happens when we sit with death not as an end, but as a mirror?
How might facing impermanence sharpen our sense of meaning, purpose, and love?
Joined by project director Pawan Deol as the moderator and residency mentor Farheen Haq, Varsha and Shahir will share their collective learnings and reflect on the meditative and communal power of art-making, and how re-envisioning death can transform our communities from within.
Following the conversation enjoy a warm meal served in Indian-style tiffins around a long table at Ocean Artworks Pavilion surrounded by ocean, cedar, and sky.
Come to listen, reflect, and be nourished—literally and metaphorically.
- A Raucous Evening with Kiran Deol
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street Vancouver, BC, V6B 5N6 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/kiran-deol
https://www.showpass.com/a-raucous-evening-with-kiran-deol-2/
“Joy is an act of rebellion. So come laugh with me.” — Kiran Deol
Kiran Deol (she/her) is a fearless and sharply funny voice redefining what it means to be a South Asian woman in comedy. A Harvard-educated comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker, Kiran brings a rare blend of intellect and irreverence to the stage—delivering blistering commentary on politics, identity, and the absurdities of modern life.
In times when speech is policed and critique punished, laughter is a radical technology. Kiran Deol takes the mic not just to entertain, but to unravel. Whether she’s torching taboos or slipping disarming truths into gut-busting punchlines, her stand-up is a potent alchemy of hilarity and fire. From starring in NBC’s Sunnyside, Deol has long danced at the edge of personal and political. Now, she brings that high-voltage charisma to our stage, daring us to crack up and wake up.
Kiran’s live shows have garnered critical acclaim across the U.S., including headlining the NY Comedy Festival, the Kennedy Center, Hollywood Improv and Lincoln Center. She’s performed alongside icons like Hasan Minhaj and brings the same electric presence that earned her an Emmy nomination and Oscar Shortlist for her documentary work to every performance.
We invite you into an uproarious night of comedy where laughter becomes resistance and every punchline packs a punch. Expect an evening of truth-telling, boundary-pushing, and the kind of shared catharsis only great comedy can offer.
Don’t miss this rare performance from one of the most exciting comedic talents of our time.
Meanwhile, catch her comedy special JOYSUCK streaming on Vimeo worldwide.
- Artist Roundtable
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m.
221A
700-825 Pacific Street Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1C3 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/artist-roundtable
https://www.showpass.com/artists-roundtable/
How to Make Work in a World on Fire? Strategies for Survival in Troubling Times.
The world is loosening at the seams. Old certainties—shibboleths once whispered as truth—crack and collapse. Ghosts we thought buried return with new names and older wounds.
In this haunted hour, what does it take to create? How do artists and writers intervene when the ground gives way beneath us? How might we think otherwise—feel otherwise—amid the ruins?
We live inside systems that extract, exhaust, and erase. And yet, even here—especially here—artists persist beyond reason. To gather. To listen. To risk.
What does it mean to be an artist in this present hour? When the air is thick with crisis. When the future feels uncertain or foreclosed. How do we keep creating?
Moderated by Khelsilem, Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal, and Khari Wendell McClelland, this annual Artist Roundtable invites racialized artists and cultural organizers to reflect on what it means to make work in troubled times. It brings together those who aren’t just reacting to a crisis, but working through it.
Testing new forms. Practicing refusal. Risking new solidarities. Opening small cracks in the inertia of the world as it is. Join us for a conversation that is part gathering, part witness, part rallying cry. Come as you are.
This event is open to all self-identified racialized artists and cultural organizers.
- Radical Possibility in the Age of Impunity
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.
Waterfront Theatre
1412 Cartwright Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/radical-possibility-in-the-age-of-impunity
https://www.showpass.com/radical-possibility-in-the-age-of-impunity/
In an era of sudden closures— where violence is normalized and the masquerade of accountability is ever more cynically deployed— how do we think, live, and dream otherwise in an entangled, planetary world getting more hard-edged by the day?
This urgent conversation moderated by ISF Curator-in-Residence Am Johal, brings together globally renowned thinkers Glen Coulthard, Brenna Bhandar, and Alberto Toscano to explore the contours and potency of radical philosophy and theory— and what they can bring to the contemporary political and conceptual battlefield.
This panel is an invitation to think collectively, sharpen our tools for resilience and resistance, and reimagine what solidarity looks like in a time of global crisis.
If you’re searching for language for what feels unspeakable and frameworks for action beyond the status quo, this is the conversation you can’t afford to miss.
- Indian Summer Sounds
Thursday, July 10, 2025
5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn
650 Hamilton Street Vancouver, BC V6B 5N6 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/indian-summer-sounds
Indian Summer Sounds is part of the free Summer Sounds series presented with Vancouver Civic Theatres.
As the sun sets over Coast Salish skies, join us for an evening of genre-defying live music featuring some of the West Coast’s most inventive artists.
The night begins with the expressive strings and vocals of Sejal Lal, moves into the soulful sounds of Jody Okabe, and flows into the hip-hop-infused elemental soundscapes of Ruby Singh’s kraKIN. The evening crescendos with the bold brass of Surya Brass Band, who will lead a procession through the plaza to Horizons, our ticketed event inside the Playhouse.
This is music for everyone—rooted, boundary-pushing, and full of possibility.
- Horizons
Thursday, July 10, 2025
7:30 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton St Vancouver, BC V6B 5N6 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/horizons
https://www.showpass.com/horizons/
How do we hold grief in these fractured times? When nation states starve the innocent and empires redraw borders with ruthless intent, when tools meant to connect us end up driving us apart, we turn to artists to offer meaning and remind us of our humanity. Horizons gathers a luminous constellation of award-winning artists who offer us vision, sanctuary, and solidarity.
Curated by Ruby Singh, this event features Vivek Shraya, whose award-winning body of work spans music, literature, visual art, theatre, TV, film, and fashion. Also featuring Kimmortal renowned for their highly conceptual, genre-bending musical explorations and intricate lyricism. Mohanad El Eek, a virtuoso Syrian oud player, adds his exceptional talent to the lineup.
The night will also showcase exclusive one-night-only collaborations: the heart-stirring poetry of Brandon Wint paired with the dynamic composer, trumpeter, bassist, and electronic musician Feven Kidane; and Governor General’s Literary Award winner
Cecily Nicholson in collaboration with the soulful sounds of violinist, singer, and songwriter Sejal Lal.
Together, these artists create a powerful soundscape—part concert, part gathering, part invocation of a future built on connection, care, resistance and difference. This is more than a performance—it’s an invitation to critically imagine new ways of being together in the troubling present.
Just as horizons stretch beyond lines on a map, this night of performance transcends the confines of genre. Through music, poetry, and stories, these artists light a torch in the dark, guiding us toward collective reckoning and shared humanity.
This is more than a performance. It is a gathering — a reminder that even in grief, we can meet at the horizon and imagine something new, together.
- Lecture/Demonstration
Friday, July 11, 2025
7:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m.
Studio Theatre at Surrey Arts Centre
13750 88 Avenue Surrey, BC, V3W 3L1 Canada
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/lec-dem
https://tickets.surrey.ca/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent2794.html
In Conversation with Alam Khan and Eman Hashimi
Meet the artists! Join Alam Khan for an intimate and illuminating lecture-demonstration that explores the world of Indian classical music through the voice of the sarod. Accompanied by tabla player Eman Hashimi, the duo will discuss and demonstrate the rhythmic intricacies that define this rich musical tradition.
In this session, Alam will share insights into the deep-rooted tradition of the Senia Maihar Gharana, discuss the nuances of the sarod—its tonal depth, intricate technique, and expressive capacity—and trace his personal journey within this musical heritage. With live performance and guided listening, he will demonstrate how Indian Classical Music functions as a form of sonic meditation—capable of evoking profound emotional and spiritual resonance.
Whether you arrive with curiosity or familiarity, this is an invitation to engage with a living tradition, understand its philosophical underpinnings, and witness the transmission of timeless knowledge through sound.
Attend both the Concert (July 12) and Lecture/Demonstration (July 11) and save $10. Call the Box Office at 604.501.5580 to book.
- Rishta
Sunday, July 13, 2025
3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
Punjabi Market Plaza at Main & 50th
https://indiansummerfest.ca/events/rishta
A love story of poetry and music in Punjabi culture through the generations.
Step into a living archive of Punjabi expression at Rishta, a vibrant afternoon where poetry, music, memory, and community converge. This gathering honours the enduring love story between verse and music in Punjabi culture and is free to attend.
From the timeless words of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Waris Shah, Bulleh Shah, Amrita Pritam and so many others; to fresh works by emerging and professional poets, this event celebrates the legacy and future of Punjabi literary and musical traditions. Voices from across generations, including Sadhu Binning, Satwinder Bains, Hari Alluri, Phinder Dulai, Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal, Jvala Singh, Anjalica Soloman, Roshni Riar, and Guntaj Deep Singh — will share the stage with cherished elders from the community.
Each reading is paired with live music performed by virtuosos Rishi Ranjan (rabab/sarod), Amarjeet Singh (tabla), and Baljit Singh (dilruba), blending classical and contemporary textures into a sonic tribute to language and love.
Come for the poetry, stay for the cha, snacks, games, and the warmth of the Punjabi Market community’s hospitality. Be part of the story. Bring your elders, your kids, your friends.
B.C. helps people keep full federal Canada Disability Benefit
PEOPLE receiving provincial income assistance in British Columbia who are also eligible to receive the new federal Canada Disability Benefit will keep the entire benefit, thanks to a B.C. exemption.
The first Canada Disability Benefit payments from the Government of Canada will begin in July. The exemption applies to all recipients of income, disability and hardship assistance under the B.C. Employment and Assistance program. This exemption is part of the Province’s ongoing work to reduce poverty and improve the lives of people with disabilities. The Canada Disability Benefit is a federal initiative aimed at reducing poverty and supporting the financial security of Canadians with disabilities.
“With the cost of living so high, it’s more important than ever to ensure people with disabilities have access to the supports they need,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, on Friday. “With this exemption, people receiving provincial assistance can keep the full support they receive from the federal Canada Disability Benefit.”
Eligible people can receive up to $200 per month, or $2,400 per year in additional income from the federal Canada Disability Benefit. With this B.C. exemption, any Canada Disability Benefit payment received from the federal government will not affect provincial income assistance payments. This formalizes a commitment the B.C. government first made in September 2024. Ensuring people can keep all of the Canada Disability Benefit is also one of the commitments under the four-year agreement between the B.C. NDP and the B.C. Green Party signed in December 2024.
“People with disabilities disproportionately live below the poverty line in B.C., often forced to choose between food and shelter,” said Rob Botterell, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. “The B.C. Greens pushed for this vital step in our agreement with the government, so now people with disabilities in B.C. can access the full range of supports available across Canada.”
Applications for the federal Canada Disability Benefit opened June 20, 2025, and can be submitted to the Government of Canada online, by phone or in person at a Service Canada centre. To support individuals with the application process, three B.C.-based organizations, Disability Alliance BC, British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society and Plan Institute, will provide accessible, individualized navigation services to disability programs and benefits, including the federal Disability Tax Credit and Canada Disability Benefit.
“Ensuring that federal Canada Disability Benefit payments will be exempted from any clawbacks will surely increase the dignity and financial security of British Columbians on income, disability and hardship assistance,” said Helaine Boyd, executive director, Disability Alliance B.C. “Disability Alliance B.C. is here to support the disability community in getting access to the federal Disability Tax Credit and the Canada Disability Benefit.”
Applicants can also use the newly launched benefit estimator tool, which can be found on the federal government’s Canada Disability Benefit page, to find out how much they may qualify to receive each month. To access the tool, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/
The federal Canada Disability Benefit is estimated to benefit approximately 85,000 people throughout B.C.
BACKGROUNDER
Eligibility criteria for the federal Canada Disability Benefit
To be eligible for the federal Canada Disability Benefit, people must:
* be approved for the federal disability tax credit;
* meet the income threshold based on family type (for example, $23,000 for a single person);
* be between 18 and 64 years old;
* have filed an income tax return for the previous tax year;
* for those who have a spouse or common-law partner, their partner must also have filed their 2024 income tax return to be eligible;
* be a Canadian resident for income tax filing purposes; and
* be one of the following:
– a Canadian citizen;
– a permanent resident;
– an individual registered or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act;
– a protected person; or
– a temporary resident who has lived in Canada throughout the previous 18 months.
* People do not need to be receiving provincial income or disability assistance to qualify for the Canada Disability Benefit.
B.C. strengthens response to repeat violent offending
POLICE departments throughout B.C. will have access to more resources to combat repeat violent offending, ensuring they have the tools they need to help keep people, businesses and communities safe.
The Province is investing an additional $6 million in the Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement (SITE) program, building on its success as a critical initiative that is helping police departments target repeat violent offenders and disrupt the cycle of crime.
“With the help of our SITE funding, police have had a number of successes in targeting repeat violent offenders and have recommended 2,676 charges, thanks to the program,” said Garry Begg, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, on Friday. “We are ensuring SITE remains available to help police agencies expand their abilities to crack down on repeat violent crime more effectively and keep dangerous people off our streets.”
Since the launch of SITE, the program has supported 148 police operations in 38 communities throughout British Columbia. SITE funding has facilitated 5,425 investigations of individuals, 177 of whom were supported by the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative (ReVOII). Police have recommended 2,676 charges resulting from SITE-funded operations, along with substantial seizures of various weapons, drugs and other items such as stolen merchandise and cash that was proceeds of crime.
“The B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police (BCACP) supports the Government of British Columbia for piloting the SITE program as part of the Safer Communities Action Plan,” said Chief Superintendent Wendy Mehat, president of the BCACP. “By providing vital operational funding to enhance proactive enforcement and investigative techniques, SITE equips police agencies across the province and jurisdictions to more effectively target prolific and repeat violent offenders. Through strengthened police capacity, we can strengthen public confidence, maintain vibrant downtown cores and ensure safer communities for all British Columbians.”
Introduced in 2023, the SITE program was launched as a three-year initiative to provide operational funding for police departments. The program is administered by the RCMP on behalf of the Province, and helps police agencies enhance proactive enforcement and investigative techniques to address repeat violent offending.
Key to the success of the SITE program is its core principles of supporting intelligence-led policing, fostering collaboration and information sharing between law-enforcement agencies, and augmenting the co-ordination of police efforts across jurisdictions, without disrupting other policing priorities.
SITE directly supports the ReVOII, with 12 intervention hubs closely monitoring more than 400 repeat violent offenders under community supervision. Although the two programs operate independently, they work in tandem, with the RCMP B.C. Police Repeat Offending Programs Team supporting police activities related to ReVOII.
Randy Fincham, deputy chief, Metro Vancouver Transit Police, said: “The Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative and Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement funding has given transit police the ability to proactively tackle crime on and around Metro Vancouver’s transit system. Thanks to the specialized funding, our officers have been able to remove repeat violent offenders, seize drugs and weapons, and make the transit system a safer place for transit users, staff and the surrounding community.”
Quick Facts:
* Budget 2025 invests $235 million in new funding in the next three years to help improve community safety through various public safety and justice programs.
* With the new $6 million in funding, the Province has committed $17 million to the SITE program.
* SITE funding can help support work with people already prioritized by the ReVOII program to manage public safety risks, while also identifying new individuals who can then be referred to ReVOII for extra support with case management, release planning and rehabilitation.
* The Vancouver Police Department reported that between October 2024 and January 2025, the SITE initiative led to a 27% drop in violent crime in Hastings Crossing and a 45% drop in weapons-related assaults in Gastown, with January 2025 recording the lowest violent and property crime rates in Hastings Crossing in more than two years.
BACKGROUNDER
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* Abbotsford Police Department:
A total of $643,000 in SITE funding was allocated to support the Abbotsford Police Department’s Project Spotlight, an eight-month initiative targeting repeat violent offenders involved in violent property crimes.
Combining uniformed and undercover resources, officers employed a variety of tactics including surveillance and patrols by vehicle, foot, bike and ATV. The project involved collaboration with loss prevention officers, business owners and criminal-justice partners to remove repeat violent offenders from the community and streamline justice processes.
The project resulted in 272 individuals investigated, 108 people charged with 271 offences, and 122 warrant arrests. Officers also seized weapons, drugs, cash and stolen property, issued 106 violation tickets, prohibited eight impaired drivers and impounded several vehicles.
* Cranbrook RCMP:
Two projects with more than $148,000 in funding were used to engage with a prolific repeat violent offender who had committed armed robbery. The investigation and subsequent arrest disrupted the individual’s ongoing criminal activities, resulting in seized firearms and yielding evidence that resulted in Criminal Code charges.
* Kelowna RCMP:
Three projects with more than $216,000 in funding were used to support a joint Lake Country and Kelowna RCMP operation targeting a violent offender’s property.
Surveillance led to investigations into various property crime offenders and drug traffickers, resulting in recovered stolen vehicles and the seizure of drugs (meth, cocaine, fentanyl) and weapons, including 20 firearms, ammunition and a live grenade.
Twenty-two individuals were investigated during this time, of whom five individuals were charged with 16 offences. Since the search warrant was enforced, there was a notable decrease in activity at the residence and the surrounding area.
* Prince George RCMP:
To address rising violent crime and street disorder linked to the opioid crisis, homelessness and public disruptions in downtown Prince George, the RCMP secured more than $93,000 in SITE funding to support overtime patrols from November 2023 to April 2024.
Overtime members conducted high-visibility patrols in violent crime hot spots, assisted with the removal of illegal encampments and disrupted ongoing criminal activity. The initiative resulted in more than 380 individuals investigated, including 12 ReVOII-prioritized individuals, 50 arrests on outstanding warrants, five breach-related arrests and 32 individuals charged with a total of 86 charges. Officers also seized numerous weapons and illicit substances. Throughout the initiative, officers engaged directly with business owners and civilians, who expressed strong appreciation for the increased police presence and its impact on community safety.
* Surrey Police Service (SPS):
The SPS has received more than $181,000 for two projects focused on dealing with repeat violent offenders in the community.
In December 2024, the SPS was notified of the imminent release of a high-priority ReVOII individual from provincial custody.
In response, the SPS swiftly implemented an operational plan to conduct surveillance of the individual over a weekend period. This proactive approach allowed officers to gather updated intelligence on the offender. Within two weeks, the individual breached probation conditions and was arrested by SPS officers. During the arrest, a knife and a conducted energy weapon were seized. At the conclusion of the SITE-funded initiative, the ReVOII offender remained in custody.
* Surrey RCMP:
When police of jurisdiction, the Surrey RCMP received almost $314,000 in SITE funding for six projects focused on dealing with repeat violent offenders in the community.
Projects involved visible, proactive police work in specific areas of the city to prevent crime. Some were also done in conjunction with the Metro Vancouver Transit Police and involved uniformed foot patrols around Surrey’s transit hubs. These patrols aimed to make people feel safer and deter violence.
Projects also focused on taking quick action to deal with a violent repeat offender living in the community.
* Vancouver Police Department (VPD):
In Vancouver, more than $2 million has been allocated to the VPD to support 16 police operations to address repeat offending in the downtown core, particularly street disorder and associated forms of violent crime, including projects focused in the Downtown Eastside.
In September 2024, the Province committed up to $1 million in SITE funding to the VPD for Project Brighthaven (part of Task Force Barrage) to address public safety concerns related to violence and street disorder in the Gastown and Hastings area.
On February 20, 2025, the VPD reported that in Hastings Crossing, violent crime decreased 27% between October 1, 2024, and January 31, 2025, compared to the preceding four months and was down 18% compared to the same period one year previously.
In Gastown, assaults involving weapons and assaults causing bodily harm decreased by 45% compared to the preceding four months and were down 59% compared to the same period one year previously.
Thanks to the SITE initiative, January 2025 saw the fewest number of violent crimes and property crimes in Hastings Crossing in more than two years.
* Victoria Police Department (VicPD):
VicPD secured more than $150,000 in SITE funding to implement three iterations of Project Lifter, an initiative targeting organized retail theft involving violence.
Through overtime patrols, officers worked in partnership with 13 retailers and more than 30 loss-prevention officers over 11 days. The initiative focused on individuals engaged in violent thefts and incorporated outreach efforts to connect repeat offenders with housing, substance-use and other community supports.
The projects led to 141 individuals being investigated, 113 individuals charged and 155 charges recommended to Crown. Police also made 31 arrests for warrants or breaches, including 13 individuals arrested multiple times and two identified as ReVOII-prioritized. Officers seized a range of weapons, and recovered more than $65,000 in stolen merchandise.
IIO is seeking witnesses to police-involved shooting in Agassiz
THE Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) said on Friday that it is seeking witnesses to a police-involved shooting that occurred in Agassiz on Thursday, June 19.
Information provided by the RCMP states, that officers initially responded around 7:45 p.m. to a residence on Highway 9 between McDonald Road and Bristol Drive for a call about a person damaging a home.
Police arrived and located the affected person, a woman outside who was reportedly in possession of a weapon. The woman then went inside the home.
An interaction occurred and shots were fired by officers.
Members of the Emergency Response Team arrived, and police then entered the house and located the affected person who had suffered a gunshot injury.
The woman was arrested and then air lifted to hospital for assessment and treatment.
According to the RCMP: “Officers attended and located a person with a handgun. The person reportedly pointed the gun at police before going into the home. The Integrated Emergency Response Team (IERT) was contacted and was on route, but the person reportedly once again pointed the gun and shot outside. Officers returned gun fire striking the person before they went back inside the home.”
There are two factors that the IIO considers at the beginning of each investigation:
- If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death; and
- If there is a connection between the serious harm/death and police action or inaction.
If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will also consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.
The IIO is asking that any witnesses that have not already provided a statement, or who have video footage of the incident, to contact the IIO at its Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
RCMP: Honouring a tragic legacy – 40 years after Air India bombing
FORTY years ago, 331 people – most of whom were Canadian citizens – lost their lives in the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history. On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 departed from Canada en route to India exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 passengers and crew.
Around the same time, on board a second aircraft that had departed Canada, a suitcase transiting through Japan’s Narita Airport exploded, killing two baggage handlers.
The terrorist attack on Air India is a deeply human story of loss, resilience, and the long road toward justice. For the RCMP, it was a turning point: a call to evolve, to adapt, and to never forget.
Dr. Bal Gupta, Coordinator and Chair of the Air India Victims’ Families Association, lost his wife, Ramwati Gupta, on Flight 182. He recalls how he first learned something unimaginable had happened to the aircraft she was on.
“At about 5:30 in the morning my phone rang and it was a close friend of mine asking if Ramwati had taken her flight. He told me to listen to the radio, so I turned it on. The news said the Canadian Flight 182 had disappeared off the coast of Ireland it was believed to have crashed and they did not expect any survivors,” he recounts.
Within a few days, Dr. Gupta and his then-12-year-old son Susheel Gupta travelled to Cork, Ireland, where they were met by other Air India families who had gathered waiting to hear word of their loved ones. From the hospital staff who provided the families space to grieve and supported them in identifying their deceased relatives, the hotels who accommodated them, and the community members who provided meals – the families were mainly supported by the people of County Cork and they are forever grateful.
“The Gardai (Irish police) responded with sympathy as the same person was with you from beginning to end every day so there was some continuity and we were not facing any strangers,” Dr. Gupta said about the support they received. “They collected many doctors from Indian origin from different cities in Ireland to work and talk to us. Every day one of the wives went to all the places the families were staying, taking requests for food. I don’t know how she managed.”
Following the bombing of Flight 182, the RCMP in collaboration with partners, launched a massive investigation.
Hundreds of police officers were assigned to the file, conducting extensive surveillance, reviewing photos and hours of videos from the crash site, reconstructing the aircraft, and interviewing hundreds of witnesses. Investigators travelled thousands of kilometers and to numerous countries throughout the years completing tasks, and following up on information leading them to India, Europe, and Asia.
The investigation remains one of the largest and most complex in Canadian history and it exposed major gaps in intelligence-sharing, inter-agency coordination, and the way we support victim’s families.
Dr. Gupta’s son, Susheel Gupta, became a lawyer and is now the Senior Strategic Operations Director within the RCMP Federal Policing National Security Program.
He says the relationship between the RCMP and the victims’ families was difficult, especially at the outset.
“There was no relationship. We weren’t getting any information,” Susheel Gupta said. “Much of the focus for the victims’ families in the time after the bombing was wanting to know what happened, also wanting justice. To be given the opportunity to ask, ‘are people going to be charged?’ A large focus of many of the families was okay, we’ve lost our loved ones and they’re not coming back. To ask, where were the failures? What can we do to prevent this?”
In the months that followed the tragedy, the Air India Victim’s Families Association (AIVFA) was formed and it continues to play a pivotal role in advocating for justice, remembrance and police reforms related to terrorism.
“Our national security framework was ultimately changed because of this tragedy and because of families who never gave up,” Gupta said. “I don’t want any Canadian to have to go through this the way we did.”
As Canadians reflect on the 40-year anniversary of the Air India bombing, the RCMP recently spoke with several people impacted by the tragedy.
Susheel Gupta (age 10) with his mother Ramwati Gupta in 1982 in Waterloo, Ontario. Ramwati was 37 years old when she was killed on Flight 182. Photo provided by Susheel Gupta.
Dr. Bal Gupta
Dr. Bal Gupta lost his wife, Ramwati Gupta, on Flight 182. He is the Coordinator and Chair of the Air India Victims’ Families Association.
Q: How was the Air India Victims’ Families Association founded?
A: They had collected maybe 30-40 family’s names and held some meetings in downtown Toronto. We were emotionally distraught and slowly, I think the families started meeting together. In those days there was no internet so we made more or less a phone chain and about six or eight or ten people would say ‘okay, you have ten names, you call these and another person would call other ten names.’ This way we kept the information alive.
Photograph of the Khandelwal family taken in 1985. Top row (L-R) Ramji Khandelwal and Deepak Khandelwal. Bottom row (L-R): Chandra Khandelwal, Vimla Khandelwal, and Manju Khandelwal. Deepak Khandelwal was only 17 years old when his sisters Chandra (21) and Manju (19) were killed on Flight 182.
Deepak Khandelwal
Deepak Khandelwal lost his two sisters, Chandra and Manju, on Flight 182 and is a Director with the Air India Victims’ Families Association.
Q: How has your relationship with investigators changed over the years?
A: Our relationship probably got better through the trial, at least from my point of view and I would say in the last five years in particular. They have been great as they set up this group to return victims’ belongings. The team did an incredible job, contacting the people who they thought the belongings were from and then working with the families to carry out their wishes. The team has also been providing monthly updates and has been working with Global Affairs Canada on the wreckage. The families hope to display it in a museum somewhere, at least parts of it.
Q: A 2023 Angus Reid poll indicated that many Canadians have little to no knowledge of the Air India attack. What do you want Canadians to know about Air India Flight 182?
A: The thing that frustrates the families is that nobody seems to really know about this. This is the largest bombing ever in Canada. The largest, biggest terrorist, aviation terrorism event other than 9/11. The largest mass murder in Canadian history, but Canadians just don’t know about it. It was really powerful to have Angus Reid actually do the surveys. We actually had some facts that Canadians know very little about it.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass (retired)
Gary Bass retired as the RCMP Deputy Commissioner of Canada-West. He was the Officer in Charge of the RCMP E Division Major Crime Unit in 1995 when he began leading the investigation.
Q: What were some of the challenges with this investigation?
A: The biggest challenge we had right from the start was getting acquainted with the victim’s families. There were no victim services supports back in 1985. One of the big complaints from victims’ families were that they were not getting any updates. It was through Bal Gupta that we started setting up a series of briefings two to three times a year. We would go to Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Manitoba and Vancouver and just bring in as many people who wanted to come and to tell them exactly what we were doing. It took time, but eventually I think we gained the trust of the family members.
Q: How did the investigation affect you personally?
A: Well, you think about it all the time, of course. It doesn’t matter if it is a single homicide or in this case 331 who were killed, it is a type of investigation you never give up on, and you always try to see if there’s something else that can be done. I am incredibly proud of all of the RCMP officers and support staff who worked on this investigation from 1985 onward. This applies equally to the many men and women from other agencies, in Canada and abroad who assisted our efforts. I am equally grateful and proud of the work by the BC Prosecution Service, led by Bob Wright. I know that each and every one of them gave their all, over many years.
Honouring those lost, 40 years later
June 23, 2025 solemnly marks the 40th Anniversary of the bombing of Air India as well as it is the 20th Anniversary of the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism.
Memorial services will be held across Canada and internationally to honour the victims.
“RCMP officers will be attending the national memorials sites as well as the memorial in Ahakista, Ireland, to pay our respects the victims and their families, and show our appreciation for all those that did so much to respond to and investigate the tragedy,” said Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, Regional Commander with Federal Policing – Pacific Region. “We encourage members of the public to do the same in private or at the memorials in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.”
On this 40th anniversary, the RCMP reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that the Air India tragedy, and its lessons are never forgotten.
(WRITE-UP AND PHOTOS: RCMP)
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Registration open for training grant that supports in-demand jobs
PEOPLE hoping to build better careers will continue to have access to a popular grant program, as registration for StrongerBC future skills grant funded programming opens for the fall semester.
People living in British Columbia can continue to access grants for eligible short-term training programs at public post-secondary institutions, giving them more opportunities to gain new skills for in-demand jobs. The grant covers up to $3,500 and is open to B.C. residents over age 19.
“British Columbia is the engine of Canada’s new economy, but it’s the strength of our workforce that drives the machine,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, on Thursday. “The StrongerBC future skills grant removes barriers so more people can get the skills they need to start or advance their careers. By helping more people get into the workforce, we’re closing the skills gap and building a more robust economy.”
Since its launch in fall 2023, more than 10,000 people have benefited from the grant, which plays a pivotal role in preparing people for current and emerging job markets.
More than 300 programs are eligible for the grant at 24 public post-secondary institutions throughout B.C. The eligible programs address the province’s labour market needs and government priorities, including training opportunities in high-demand sectors, such as health care, construction and mining.
Course offerings from participating post-secondary institutions will be released daily throughout the months of June and July. Those interested should check Education Planner BC or the post-secondary institution they plan to attend frequently for updates and program additions.
Learning opportunities include in-person, online or hybrid delivery, making it easier for people throughout B.C. to find training that fits. Types of training that are supported include:
* health-care training, such as medical terminology, emergency medical responder and dental office administration;
* trades and firefighting training, such as construction, automotive (electric vehicle) repair services, and wildfire fighting;
* professional, scientific and technical training, such as cybersecurity training and digital marketing; and
* other certificates and micro-credentials across many industries, including education, mining and marine transportation, finance and more.
The StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan is a cross-government plan to make education and training more accessible, affordable and relevant to help prepare the people of B.C. for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
To explore and register for eligible programs as they are rolled out over June and July, visit Education Planner BC: https://www.
Why did RCMP and SPS try to hide shootings in Maple Ridge and Surrey?
SOME municipal police departments and RCMP detachments in the Lower Mainland, apparently to avoid bad publicity, have now and then tried to suppress news about shootings and other violent crime incidents in their jurisdictions.
If they are exposed, they come up with lame excuses such as announcing the incident would jeopardize their investigation.
REALLY? In this age of social media?
All that this DISHONESTY does is spread fear and confusion as all kinds of unofficial reports spread like wildfire — until the cops are forced to admit the truth even as the public loses faith in them.
The latest example is that of Ridge Meadows RCMP in connection to two shootings that targeted an east Maple Ridge residence in the 12400-block of 266 Street that belongs to a prominent figure in the Punjabi music industry.
The first shooting occurred at around 3 a.m. on May 30 and the latest occurred at around 2:20 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18. In both cases, several shots were fired at the house and police say no injuries were reported.
As The Abbotsford News put it: “The information came to light after multiple neighbours posted comments about the latest shooting online.”
If police had reported the first incident to the media, they could have garnered a raft of tips from the public. In fact, that could have possibly prevented the second shooting.
The same thing happened in Surrey where the Surrey Police Service kept two shootings targeting the same house on May 14 and May 26 under wraps.
Did the Ridge Meadows RCMP and the Surrey Police Service receive instructions from their top officers to keep it a secret so as not to make them look bad?
How will this make the public — especially the residents or workers in the affected neighbourhood — feel secure?
Premier David Eby and Attorney General Garry Begg should instruct ALL police jurisdictions to IMMEDIATELY report ALL violent crimes, especially those involving shootings to ALL media — and not wait for the media to learn from social media and rumours, and then have police respond to ONLY those who contact them. They should HONESTLY issue a press release.
This POLICE DISHONESTY must end!
Illegal ride-hail operator convicted for second time in three months in Richmond
ON June 9, officers from the Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit (RSU) secured a second conviction against a repeat illegal ride-hail operator offender. Richmond RCMP RSU had secured three convictions against this same driver on March 26.
The latest Motor Vehicle Act charges stemmed from a joint operation between Richmond RCMP RSU and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) officers that took place on May 28.
On June 9, the driver was sentenced to a one-year probation under the specific condition “you shall not operate a commercial passenger vehicle unless properly licensed to do so by the Province of British Columbia.” Failure to comply with this order could result in criminal charges.
“It’s rare for us to see someone enter traffic court and leave on probation with the jeopardy of a Criminal Code of Canada charge should they re-offend. With the seriousness of this conviction we hope we don’t see this driver operating illegally on the road again,” said Constable Frank Tarape of the Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit. “We want the public to be aware of the inherent risks of using these unlicensed apps and to only use services that are approved to operate in the Province of British Columbia.”
